# What Have You Fettled Today?



## threebikesmcginty (29 Sep 2011)

Bent the front mudguard on my commuter bike recently so just fitted a new one using the fixings from the old one which had already been bent around to suit the disc brake. 

This was achieved using:


Tool kit
Kitchen as workshop
Mug of tea
Rock and roll on the stereo
Minimum swearing


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2011)

Mug of Tea is essential !  

Erm, gave the bike a quick wipe with a wet wipe this am.


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## dan_bo (29 Sep 2011)

Pumped up my tyres. 

This was achieved using:

A track pump.


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## dan_bo (29 Sep 2011)

A quick job, but I still had a brew to get over it.


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## Theseus (29 Sep 2011)

I adjusted the angle of my front light.

This was achieved using:

Nothing really, I just moved it with my hands, didn't even get them dirty.


No cup of tea available as I was riding at the time, although one was had later.


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## smokeysmoo (29 Sep 2011)

Nothing and hoping it stays that way TBH


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## Fab Foodie (29 Sep 2011)

Last night (as posted elsewhere) I fettled as follows:

I've just fitted to the old TCR:

1 x 52T Ultegra chainring
1 x 42T Ultegra Chairing
1 x 12-25 Tiagra block (OK, at £15 it was a bargain c/w £40 for Ultegra and a 20g saving)
1 x KMC Chain

Then a wipe-over with an oily rag.
Then as the rear brake cable was sticking, I dismantled the rear cabling, cleaned and replaced (blimey aren't STI levers complex ....).
Then...
Fitted my new 'Magicshine' and went for a test-ride.

2 bottles cold yellow beer consumed plus 1 veg stir-fry.


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2011)

dan_bo said:


> A quick job, but I still had a brew to get over it.



Get on with that kitchen - you finished it yet ? Will you be allowed to go to your own doo on Saturday yet ?


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## rowan 46 (29 Sep 2011)

I am always impressed by anyone who can fettle with minimum swearing. Unfortunately it's the most used tool in my box.


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## colly (29 Sep 2011)

I pumped up me tyres with a compressor using a little bit of kit from Lidl. Not bad for a tenner.


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## dan_bo (29 Sep 2011)

fossyant said:


> Get on with that kitchen - you finished it yet ? Will you be allowed to go to your own doo on Saturday yet ?



Yeah cheers for that. 

New door hole made monday new door in tuesday.
Levelling the floor tonight. 
Tearing up badly levelled floor tomorrow and relaying.
Our wedding reception saturday night.
New window in monday.
Driving to Strasbourg (apparently) tuesday till friday. 
Plasterer in next thursday. 
Tiles down next saturday. 

Kitchen in christmas eve. 

Better get the kettle on 

AND i've gotta finish building the 'crosser to race a week sat!


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## cyclingsheep (29 Sep 2011)

I adjusted the gears on my wife's MTB this afternoon. 
This was achieved using:

A thumb and opposable finger (thank heavens for evolution)


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2011)

dan_bo said:


> Yeah cheers for that.
> 
> 
> AND i've gotta finish building the 'crosser to race a week sat!




After the rest is done I guess  or it will be


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## Peter88 (29 Sep 2011)

New chain on the Fuji MTB and indexed the front and rear derailurs. 

Aided by 
sunshine in the back garden
a cold beer
and some tunes curtisuy(sp) of Real XS 106.1 FM


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## chillyuk (29 Sep 2011)

Set up the front triple on my Hybrid, after a 30 mile outing in the sunshine on the road bike in the sunshine.


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## Dora (29 Sep 2011)

I let my tyres down a bit.

Tools used:
erm.....none.

I might get the other bikes out and use the air I let out of the tourer's tyres to pump the SSO and MTB tyres up later.


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## dan_bo (29 Sep 2011)

fossyant said:


> After the rest is done I guess  or it will be



I have my tactics sorted for these things..... Usually involving rohipnol and a boxer's head guard


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## The Brewer (29 Sep 2011)

Never really fiddled with a bikes gears before, but had to when the Virtuoso came back from a Halford's service 

I bought a copy of Cycling Active a couple of weeks back that came with a DIY DVD, so watched the relevant chapter and fiddled and fettled for an hour cleaning and lubing as I went, Indexing is smoother than a smooth thing and I'm pretty pleased with myself. DVD has been put away for future reference


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## jayonabike (29 Sep 2011)

Gave the Langster a good clean at 4 a.m 

This was achieved by using

Baby wipes, Mr.Sheen, soapy water for the bar tape, wheels & tyres, & a bit of wet lube on the chain.

A cup of coffee & a mince pie.

Sky news HD


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## gbb (29 Sep 2011)

Yesterday i fettled a carttridge BB on my hybrid...and failed. Threads damaged in the shell, so it'll need a tap running through it.

This was achieved with...
BB tool.
Large set of molegrips (sacrilege)
Crank extractor.
A few oaths when i realised the loose BB has damaged the shell, albeit not badly.
There may have been a cuppa in there somewhere, it didnt seem important to remember at the time. If only i'd known


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## gbb (29 Sep 2011)

cyclingsheep said:


> I adjusted the gears on my wife's MTB this afternoon.
> *This was achieved using:
> 
> A thumb and opposable finger (thank heavens for evolution)
> *



  I like that !!!


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## wheeliebin (29 Sep 2011)

I fettled a banana out of the bottom of my pannier that had turned to banana slurry.


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## funnymummy (29 Sep 2011)

I've fiddled with # 3's new bike today! & made a right cock up 
He was reaching a bit far, so thought i'd flip the stem...easy peasy job right...??
Until you realise that small child you handed the spacers to has no idea where he's put them, after an hour of searching they've not turned up, so now have a bike with a wobbly handlebar. He's got a 25 mile MTB ride on Sat & a Cyclo X on Sun, i'm working all day moro - so have fingers crossed the Raleigh shop on the corner of the road I work on will be super amazing & be able to hlep me out If i beg enough 

EDIT
Just realised Helfrauds is opne til 20.00 tonight..One harrased mum & two pyjama clad bubbas are on a mercy dash!!

EDIT EDIT
 Spacers purchased & fitted, but the headset still feels a little loose.. O WTF have I done...?


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## Fnaar (29 Sep 2011)

I topped my tyres up, went for a 35 mile jaunt, and then made a rather nice curry for tea.


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## Portex (29 Sep 2011)

Adventure Ladies MTB delivered 12:00 by courier.
Made mug of tea.
Removed bike from box - wife injured herself on large staple holding box together
Removed wrapping from bike (lots of corrogated cardboard and polythene).
Mounted handlebars on bike using various allen keys.
Attached pedals to bike using supplied spanner.
Checked brakes (very good).
Mounted bike on work stand.
Checked all gears (21) - all worked - minor adjustment to cable required.
Pumped up tyres to 60psi.
Comforted wife.
Finished tea.


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## Lard Armstrong (29 Sep 2011)

Cinelli bar tape on my Van Nicholas (I always wrap from the outside inwards, what do you do ?).

New Aztec dual-compound inserts.


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## jonnysnorocket (29 Sep 2011)

Had a brew & noticed that my commuter could do with a once over.


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## jonnysnorocket (29 Sep 2011)

Tomorrow :-)


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2011)

wheeliebin said:


> I fettled a banana out of the bottom of my pannier that had turned to banana slurry.



Don't you just hate that. Don't forget your narnas !


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## feelfattergoinguphill (29 Sep 2011)

Portex said:


> Adventure Ladies MTB delivered 12:00 by courier.
> Made mug of tea.
> Removed bike from box - wife injured herself on large staple holding box together
> *Comforted wife.*
> ...



My gf corrected it for ya, im sayin nowt


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## HLaB (29 Sep 2011)

I pumped up my tyres if that counts as fettling 
I might clean the bikes tomorrow but I'd rather ride them.


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## potsy (29 Sep 2011)

Charged up the batteries in my front lights. 

Gave the bike a damn good clean and polish.......


















...Ok I'm lying, it's not Christmas yet 

I did do the batteries though


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## Furkz (29 Sep 2011)

checked chain

than had to straighten and correct height on saddle after being in the workstand

straightened out rear light

rode to kebab shop


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## threebikesmcginty (30 Sep 2011)

Tweaked hub gears, wish i hadn't bothered, worse now - bah!


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## deanE (1 Oct 2011)

Changed 50/39 chainset for a 50/30 and replaced rear mechanism with long cage unit, along with new chain. With help of varying advice on internet (Utube) managed to adjust system all round and seems to work ok. Short try out but put to the test tomorrow.


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## ColinJ (1 Oct 2011)

deanE said:


> Changed 50/39 chainset for a 50/30 and replaced rear mechanism with long cage unit, along with new chain. With help of varying advice on internet (Utube) managed to adjust system all round and seems to work ok. Short try out but put to the test tomorrow.


Blimey - that's quite a jump between the 2 rings! Are you sure you haven't put on a compact chainset - 50/36 or 50/34?

As for me - I will shortly be replacing my very worn and wobbly bottom bracket, checking my tyre pressures and cleaning my bike in preparation for tomorrow's _Season of Mists_ audax event which sets off from just down the road at 09:00 tomorrow.


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## XmisterIS (1 Oct 2011)

I killed some weeds. And a gnat.


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## threebikesmcginty (1 Oct 2011)

Don't let the Glimmer Twins know but I actually cleaned my P-X bike today and mickled the chain!


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## mickle (1 Oct 2011)

Treated a shed.


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## potsy (1 Oct 2011)

I finally gave my bike a long overdue clean, even took the crankset off to get into all the knooks and crannies 

Fitted a bike computer to Mrs Potsy's bike, checked the brake blocks on mine but left them on as there's at least another 2 weeks worth of rubber left on them yet


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## xpc316e (1 Oct 2011)

Lubed the chains on the tandem, fitted Titec H 'bars to it, raised seat, pumped tyres, fitted bar bag, and generally got it looking good for tomorrow's Tandem Club run by touching in a few paint chips. Now going to charge camera, make sarnies, and then put bike in the car ready for an early start. Looking forward to another great day of dad/son bonding.


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## HLaB (1 Oct 2011)

I put new koolstop pads on yesterday and the hype was right  today I cleaned them and the bike maybe in preparation for guards.


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## al78 (1 Oct 2011)

I fitted new v-brake arms and cable to my Birdy folder. Must remember to test ride it before I take it out on the hills on Thursday.


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## al78 (1 Oct 2011)

deanE said:


> Changed 50/39 chainset for a 50/30 and replaced rear mechanism with long cage unit, along with new chain. With help of varying advice on internet (Utube) managed to adjust system all round and seems to work ok. Short try out but put to the test tomorrow.



I didn't think it was possible to have more than a 16T jump between front rings.


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## thnurg (1 Oct 2011)

Since I had both wheels off to fix a double puncture I thought I'd give it a clean and polish at the same time. I discovered that my kids' garden slide makes a passable bike stand.


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## ColinJ (1 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> ... checked the brake blocks on mine but left them on as there's at least another 2 weeks worth of rubber left on them yet


Been there, done that, destroyed a rim! 

It was my first mountain bike which had V-brakes. I thought "I won't change the blocks, there's enough rubber left for a couple of rides yet". Dry rides, maybe, but not a really wet one. I ended up bombing down a treacherous, wet, rocky descent. I could hear the grit wearing the blocks away, and then sparks started to fly but I couldn't stop braking or I'd have crashed for sure. By the time I got down to level ground, one rim was toast!

Changing brake blocks is cheaper ...


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## potsy (1 Oct 2011)

I may have been exagerating slightly 
If I was riding tomorrow with you I would certainly have changed them, those descents are lethal!!

Am impressed with the life of the koolstops though, I expected to be changing them every 1000 miles or so but they've lasted much longer than that.


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## ColinJ (1 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> Am impressed with the life of the koolstops though, I expected to be changing them every 1000 miles or so but they've lasted much longer than that.


I find that road brake blocks last an awful long time except when doing a lot of heavy braking in wet, gritty conditions. I think I might be only on the second set of blocks on my Cannondale and I've had that for nearly 10 years. I've ridden at least 10,000 miles on it, but only about 400 miles or so were in wet conditions.


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## Theseus (1 Oct 2011)

Put snow tyres on the utility bike.


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## mcshroom (1 Oct 2011)

Took the rack off of my mountain bike. Then went and got it very muddy


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## deanE (1 Oct 2011)

al78 said:


> I didn't think it was possible to have more than a 16T jump between front rings.




you are right of course. Senior moment. It was 50/34.


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## slowmotion (2 Oct 2011)

I took off the back wheel and tried to remove Dutch sand/oil gunk from the cassette. Twisted up baby wipes just moved it around, particularly on the smaller cogs, but matchsticks and wipes were wonderful. ( Fish around with matchsticks to get rid of the worst crud before using wipes. Cut the baby wipes into three strips before twisting them up. They get into a ten speed cassette more easily) . Off came the chain, and into a bottle of de-greaser, detergent wash, thorough rinse in clean water and then into the oven at 70 centigrade for a couple of hours before re-oiling. I took off the drop-out hanger for the rear mech so that I could get to the pivots more easily, wiped the whole thing down with baby wipes and re-oiled the pivots. Oh well, by now I was on a OCD roll so I took off the biggest chainring and cleaned it with wipes... ditto the other two rings. In so doing, I dropped a connecting bush into the grass on our lawn.....never try to fettle your bike outside, even if it is glorious sunshine. By some miracle, it was found.

On it went...oiled the brake pivots, wiped the road grease off the rims, checked the tyres for crud, wiped down the frame, and realised that I needed a ride before the whole day was lost. I went for a three hour pootle and came back in the dark. It's probably just a psychosomatic delusion, but the bike felt really good.

That's the annual clean sorted...


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## hooter (2 Oct 2011)

Hi

It was my birthday recently and friends and family bought me bits for my Orbea Aneto. So today a 

Brooks B17 saddle
XT front mech
XT Shadow long cage rear mech
24t inner chainring
wider ratio Deore casette
chain
SJS XT style thumbshifters 
Titec bar ends 

went on and the bike got a 15 mile run to see all was well.

The bits that came off will find their way on to the winter hack as things wear on it.


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## slowmotion (2 Oct 2011)

hooter said:


> Hi
> 
> It was my birthday recently and friends and family bought me bits for my Orbea Aneto. So today a
> 
> ...



Lucky man  

Welcome.


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## gbb (2 Oct 2011)

Yesterday...
I've got too many wheels in my shed, mostly cheap MTB ones, so i decided some have got to go.
Dragged a couple out that were true and overhauled the hubs, ready to sell.
They're running nicely now.


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## hooter (2 Oct 2011)

slowmotion said:


> <br />Lucky man <img src='http://www.cyclechat.net/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <br /><br />Welcome.<br />


<br /><br /><br />

Cheers mate!

It's great kit and everything is working SO smoothly!


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## HLaB (2 Oct 2011)

Touche said:


> Put snow tyres on the utility bike.



Pessimist  Actually I know where you live, you'll probably need them next week


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## threebikesmcginty (2 Oct 2011)

mickle said:


> Treated a shed.



What did you do, take it to the cinema and then a slap-up meal!?


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## mcshroom (2 Oct 2011)

Will people please stop putting winter stuff on their bikes - I'm going touring in what is going to be sunny warm Scotland in a fortnight!


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## Hacienda71 (2 Oct 2011)

Prepared to fettle front mech due to clicking when using the big ring. Put bike on stand turned crank and noticed that the crank was hitting the ferule on the end of the front mech cable. Bent cable 10 mm clicking sorted.


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## Bluebell72 (2 Oct 2011)

Cleaned bike. Long overdue. Embarrassed at how much gunk there was.

Made a beast of a birthday cake for a party tomorrow, 27 eggs!!! Looking forward to making the ganache later...double cream and chocolate melted....


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## gavroche (2 Oct 2011)

Painted.the porch, cleaned and put away bbq, sorted out cellar.


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## cyberknight (2 Oct 2011)

Finished wallpapering the wall i just stuck soundproof panels on , does that count?


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## Night Train (2 Oct 2011)

I've been fettling my Sturmey Archer hub gear indicator chain, several times today on a 25 mile ride. Only a three speed on Granville but I kept losing first gear. Eventually found it to be the clip that clamps around the chain stay to anchor the gear cable outer.
Seems daft having a clamp on a tapered tube that, under tension, slides down the taper!

It wouldn't have been a major issue except that I had to keep my speed down to around 12mph and that is 1st gear riding on Granville.


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## diapason (2 Oct 2011)

Just a check over and tightenening bolts. It's surprising how many things can begin to work loose in a short time - especially on rougher cycle paths.


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## Furkz (2 Oct 2011)

took the bike to Evans Gatwick for the 1st service and they scratched it. than tyre shredded to bits in the blazing heat and had to get a cab home

so repaired puncture in tube, touched up frame and ordered a new tyre. 

ont care about anything just Evans scratching my bike


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## HLaB (2 Oct 2011)

mcshroom said:


> Will people please stop putting winter stuff on their bikes - I'm going touring in what is going to be sunny warm Scotland in a fortnight!



Is this Scotland you are talking about somewhere in the Indian Ocean, cause it certainly aint here 

Edit: Oh and btw I'm going to have to look at my mudguard bridge bolt and hope its not stripped!


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## potsy (2 Oct 2011)

Is it worth the Scottish taking the winter stuff off at all?


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## Cyclist33 (2 Oct 2011)

I patted my bikes affectionately on the handlebars, as I,so often do. Also made fettling plans for my mtb in case anyone wants to buy it.


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## mcshroom (2 Oct 2011)

HLaB said:


> Is this Scotland you are talking about somewhere in the Indian Ocean, cause it certainly aint here
> 
> Edit: Oh and btw I'm going to have to look at my mudguard bridge bolt and hope its not stripped!







I'm not listening





It's going to be warm I tell ye


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## HLaB (2 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> Is it worth the Scottish taking the winter stuff off at all?



PROBABLY NOT


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## ColinJ (3 Oct 2011)

ColinJ said:


> I will shortly be replacing my very worn and wobbly bottom bracket, checking my tyre pressures and cleaning my bike in preparation for tomorrow's _Season of Mists_ audax event which sets off from just down the road at 09:00 tomorrow.


It turns out that I now have the right length bottom bracket for my triple chainset (115.5 mm) whereas the worn one was only 111 mm. The bike now feels and sounds great, and my front shifting is much better.


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## Globalti (4 Oct 2011)

Complete change of cables for Gti Junior's new (old) road bike bought from a neighbour for £80. It's got very old and very primitive Campy changers, boy are they strange! Both sides ratchet up then the thumb lever ratchets them back down again. Strangely the rear one indexed immediately, even though I didn't tension the cable at all.


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## twobiker (4 Oct 2011)

Made a special tool to tighten and undo the allen headed screws that hold the arms on my bike rack out by angle grinding off a length of allen key to fit in a battery drill, it saves ages of winding half a turn at a time, also pumped up tyres on MTB to 80psi with track pump sure sign that broken arm is getting better.


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## mcshroom (4 Oct 2011)

Fixed the rattle. One of the bottle cage bolts was making a bid for freedom


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## ColinJ (4 Oct 2011)

Globalti said:


> It's got very old and very primitive Campy changers, boy are they strange! Both sides ratchet up then the thumb lever ratchets them back down again.


That sounds like the still-current ErgoPower shifter design which I have on both my road bikes. It doesn't take long to get used to and it works really well. The one slight disadvantage is that some people struggle to operate the thumb shifter tabs from the drops. I don't change gear from that position very often, but can manage it when I need to.


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## HLaB (4 Oct 2011)

If I popped out with the club tonight I might pump up the tyres, does that count as fettling. I might be a weather wuss, as I don't fancy the predicted 17mph winds and 29mph gusts.


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## Theseus (4 Oct 2011)

Re-fixed a puncture, the patch had lifted off at one point. My fault for being in a hurry to fix it the first time round.

Put a new nut on the non-drive side of my Nexus hub. This had been using an incompatible alternative and the threads had stripped in the nut. The axle was fine. I needed to order a Nexus fitting kit to get the one nut as they are non-standard threads.

Replaced a borrowed (from the wheel for the bike in progress) allen key front skewer with a QR one I realized I had in the non-dynamo front wheel hanging on the shed wall. The dynamo front wheel was the one needing the skewer.


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## Theseus (8 Oct 2011)

Used the FYOB facilities at the Bike Station so that I could borrow their headset press, thread cutter & crown race thumper. Not a bad deal at £4/hr, use of tools and the advice from the team.

Installed a new headset and fitted the forks to my old Claude Butler frame. The shed now contains all the parts for the rebuild. Just need to put it together, but as we are going out this evening, it will have to wait for tomorrow.


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## HLaB (8 Oct 2011)

Nothing yet after finally buying new cables and bar tape, I've lost my wire cutters


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## Hip Priest (8 Oct 2011)

I cleaned both my bikes, then oiled the chains. I also tightened a loose spoke for the first time in my life.


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## Fnaar (8 Oct 2011)

I put a bell on Mrs F's bike.
She told me that I could "ring her bell" if I played my cards right, so I thought I'd better give her one. :-)


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## Fuzzball (8 Oct 2011)

Fitted my shiney new wheelset (fulcrum 5s) to my road bike, including switching over the cassette. Transferred the bike computer and bits to the road bike.

All as commute bike was trashed in a rtc cycling to work last friday, nearly worth it to see the road bike back to full strength

I'm back to work on monday and yes i will be cycling!


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## biggs682 (8 Oct 2011)

finished off making a raised bed for growing veg next year


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## Hacienda71 (8 Oct 2011)

Popped my crud racers on in preparation for the ride I am entered in tomorrow.   Weather forecast ain't good.


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## threebikesmcginty (8 Oct 2011)

Fnaar said:


> I put a bell on Mrs F's bike.
> She told me that I could "ring her bell" if I played my cards right, so I thought I'd better give her one. :-)


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## threebikesmcginty (8 Oct 2011)

Didn't fettle but did buy a new tube and some snazzy new tyre levers.


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## DCLane (8 Oct 2011)

Fitted new front brakes to the Ridgeback Platinum - a set of Clarks CPS240 following advice on here.

I was supposed to spray the forks of by winter eBay Carrera Virtuoso buy, but it rained so I couldn't be bothered  . Maybe tomorrow.


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## ACS (8 Oct 2011)

Threw together a BSO for standby commuter duties. Old Raleigh Rave frame some 26 hoops from the back of the garage, plastic guards, spec saddle etc etc (yawn)

Total waste of 2 hours, worst bike I have ever ridden not even fit to be classed as a pub bike.


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## the_mikey (8 Oct 2011)

No real fettling, but today I removed, degreased and cleaned my cassette, cleaned and greased the freewheel hub and bearings on the rear wheel, cleaned the derailleur, cleaned the front chainrings and installed a new chain. 

Also removed superfluous rear light bracket from the seatpost, scrubbed my brake pads clean, cleaned my wheel rims.

All reassembled, gears indexed and ready for a ride tomorrow.


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## rowan 46 (8 Oct 2011)

Fitted a new back wheel, a new bell and made a removable bracket for the handlebars so that all 4 lights come off in one bit. and fitted those lidl spoke refractors I bought a couple of weeks ago.


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## DCLane (9 Oct 2011)

Got round to spraying the forks on my winter Carrera Virtuoso 'to wreck' bike. They're now satin black instead of chipped and flaky black. All that's left it to use it - I took the Ridgeback up to Holmfirth in the rain instead, getting some very odd looks in Sid's Cafe


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## gaz (9 Oct 2011)

set up my commuter after getting it back from the shop. Lights, mud flap and bag rack


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## cjb (9 Oct 2011)

DCLane said:


> Got round to spraying the forks on my winter Carrera Virtuoso 'to wreck' bike. They're now satin black instead of chipped and flaky black. All that's left it to use it - I took the Ridgeback up to Holmfirth in the rain instead, getting some very odd looks in Sid's Cafe



Me too, sprayed over the paintless bits on my everyday bike spokes.


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## mcshroom (9 Oct 2011)

Front panniers on, including sawing out a head on a stripped cheese-metal bolt (so now all the bolts are stainless




)

Also loaded up the bike with the kit I'll be taking off to Scotland next week and took her out for a spin. It's amazing how much better she handles when loaded front and back, compared to rear panniers only


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## HLaB (9 Oct 2011)

I done most of my fettling last night, new cables (inners & outers), new cassette (the chain is only a few weeks old) and bar tape; it seemed like a pretty good job today although I need to replace the rear derailleur outer still (ran out of cable). Today was only pumping the tyres up for the ride, I don't know if you can call that fettling


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## smokeysmoo (9 Oct 2011)

Taken rack and panniers off the commuter, going back to my trusty rucksack from tomorrow


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## Theseus (9 Oct 2011)

A bit more than a fettle.

Continued work of the Claude Butler rebuild ...

Replaced the bearings in the rear hub.
Tubes & tyres on both wheels (a bit of excitement when the bead on one tyre failed later on at full pressure - my ears were ringing for a few minutes there. That tube & tyre was replaced again)
Fitted all the components to the frame & cabled up gears & brakes
Put freewheel on rear hub & bodged the spacing for the OLN with washers & spare nut.
Put wheels on & fitted chain.
Failed to get the gears changing correctly - a job for another day. The limit screws are a bit solid.


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## HLaB (10 Oct 2011)

Touche said:


> Failed to get the gears changing correctly - a job for another day. The limit screws are a bit solid.



If it was all working before, you won't need to make adjustment to the limit screws anyway, its all in the barrel adjustment. I've got to re-index mine but first I have to pop to the lbs to get a new rear derailleur cable outer, I replaced the others last night.


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## BSRU (10 Oct 2011)

Started to give the £5 MTB, I bought a few months ago, some TLC cleaned the wheels, serviced the hubs, cleaned the chain, chainset and rear freewheel plus a general clean of the bike with baby wipes.
Then put on some monster Ice Spiker tyres on, that look huge compared to other bikes.

Tried to sort out the brakes but there knackered so ordered some replacements and new cables.

All I have left now, is the brakes, sort out the gear change, find a nut for the saddle clamp and put some lights on. Then all I need is lots of snow .


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## gbb (10 Oct 2011)

Had another go at the downtube barrel adjusters for the gears on my Bianchi....they're siezed solid, even after soaking in WD for a week or so.
Pair of water pump pliers gently on the plastic adjusters...i sense they're cracking  

Ah well, the bike runs well so its not imperative i get them sorted, but i'll soak them again...


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## Fnaar (10 Oct 2011)

Just put sks raceblades on my roadie




Front one was a bit of a faff, but now I can whip them off and put back on to my heart's content. Will test ride on Wednesday, all being well.


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## doog (10 Oct 2011)

trued the wheels and stuck some schwalbe city jets on an old Raleigh steel MTB project i'm messing with.Will be my winter commute.


----------



## threebikesmcginty (10 Oct 2011)

Fnaar said:


> Just put sks raceblades on my roadie
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'd like to see you whip 'em off


----------



## threebikesmcginty (10 Oct 2011)

Fettled a scooter today, does that count?


----------



## HLaB (10 Oct 2011)

After discovering a missing spacer, I took the cassette of and put it in  I bought a new gear cable outer earlier, I might install that if I get round to it.


----------



## HLaB (10 Oct 2011)

HLaB said:


> After discovering a missing spacer, I took the cassette of and put it in  I bought a new gear cable outer earlier, I might install that if I get round to it.



I have fitted the new outer now, the inner was only fitted on Saturday so it should be OK, re index and all seems OK. I'll take it out for a spin tomorrow and if all is OK keep the spare inner as a spare or else fit it


----------



## mark c (10 Oct 2011)

After much swearing and a long bar on the end of a spanner, a brew, replaced old flats on mtb, with shinny wellgo 982s now cant wait to try them


----------



## Cyclopathic (11 Oct 2011)

Swapped some wheels around from on ebike to another, set up the brakes and derailier. General wiping and picking off crusty bits.


----------



## Xiorell (11 Oct 2011)

This is not completed yet but I've been building my stand-in bike I'm gonna have to use for a bit following an accident.
Old Raleigh Tucana, have stripped it all down, reconditioned all the bits, greased it all up, sprayed the frame (nowhere near as good as the last one I built but then it's just a temporary ride).
Just gotta put it all together tomorrow and add new cables.


----------



## Hydra (11 Oct 2011)

Today I have fitted my new Revolution Cross with new SKS mudguards and a rack. It took most of the day faffing with the 'guards. I could have used an extra couple of pairs of hands, and I had to work around a few issues, but I got there in the end. Fitting the rack (Tortec Expedition) was an absolute doddle.

Fairly proud of myself, I must say. So much so that I've rewarded myself with a nice chilled bottle of cider


----------



## Theseus (11 Oct 2011)

HLaB said:


> If it was all working before, you won't need to make adjustment to the limit screws anyway, its all in the barrel adjustment. I've got to re-index mine but first I have to pop to the lbs to get a new rear derailleur cable outer, I replaced the others last night.



Thanks for that link.

Rear mech now set with correct limits and indexed so runs up and down all 7 gears sweetly. I am getting some noise from the jockey wheels and suspect that there may be some twist/bend in it.

Front mech is still a pain. One limit screw is stuck so It won't get to the granny ring, so have it set up to work on only the middle and large ring. The rings also have a small lateral wobble in them so the chain scrapes the mech each pedal revolution.

I will apply appropriate force to correct the twist/bend/wobble at some future date.
Any suggestions for freeing up a stuck limit screw. I don't want to put too much force through the head in case it strips the slot.


----------



## HLaB (11 Oct 2011)

Touche said:


> Thanks for that link.
> 
> Rear mech now set with correct limits and indexed so runs up and down all 7 gears sweetly. I am getting some noise from the jockey wheels and suspect that there may be some twist/bend in it.
> 
> ...



Glad you got it sorted, albeit noisy.
Front Mach sounds like my Ridgeback Velocity (Town bike) it only likes the big ring and if I adjust it to get a lower ring it won't go up again. I really need to get around to replacing all the cables and cleaning and relubing the mech  My sirrus has a small lateral movement, touch wood it has never got worse and its on my turbo now anyway.
The only time I've let them seize up is on the Ridgeback, I've applied WD-40 or Lobe and left and when I've come back to them they've moved.


----------



## HLaB (11 Oct 2011)

I patched a tube last night but I don't want to blow it up like a commentator before the Scotland game


----------



## Cyclopathic (13 Oct 2011)

Today I have mostly been stripping the clear laquer off my aliminium hybrid Python Quantum because it is looking tatty and uneven now. It is my aim to get it back to raw aliminium and then have at it with the brasso which makes it look shinier than gods teeth. As always with these things it is proving to be mesier and more arduous than I first envisaged. The stuff comes off fairly easily at first but it takes a couple of goings over to get it all off. Then of copurse comes the brassoing which again seems very easy when doing a test patch...


----------



## Theseus (13 Oct 2011)

Touche said:


> Front mech is still a pain. One limit screw is stuck so It won't get to the granny ring, so have it set up to work on only the middle and large ring. The rings also have a small lateral wobble in them so the chain scrapes the mech each pedal revolution.
> 
> Any suggestions for freeing up a stuck limit screw. I don't want to put too much force through the head in case it strips the slot.



This screw is resisting all attempts ...

As I see it I have 4 options:

Leave it as it is and just use 2 rings.
Drill out the screw and rely on the cable setting to stop the chain dropping onto the BB.
As 2, but find a screw/bolt that will fit the new hole and use that as the new limit screw.
Give up and buy a new front mech.
Not too fond of 1 or 4, 1 because the granny ring will be there and unusable to taunt me on some climb and 4 because it is silly to chuck an OK bit of kit over a little part like a screw.

So I will probably go for option 2 and if there are problems keeping it off the BB try for option 3.


----------



## HovR (13 Oct 2011)

Before going for option 4, maybe removing the mech from the bike, removing anything flammable from the mech, and heating it up with a blow torch - allowing the hole the screw goes into to expand, and contract. If you are lucky the expanding and contracting, along with a generous helping of WD40, may loosen up the screw.


Another option is to try and turn the screw with a tight grip from a pair of pliers - Of course if the screw really is stuck in there, this could take the head off.


This should probably be a bit of a last resort, as there is potential for permanent damage to the components.





As for my bike, I have:


Straightened the front derailleur mech. (Bracket wasn't tight enough, caused it to twist on the frame.)
Set the limits correctly for the rear mech.
Removed slack from the gear cables.
General cleaning.


----------



## fossyant (14 Oct 2011)

Nothing more than a bit of Mr Sheen fettling on the commuter.


----------



## threebikesmcginty (14 Oct 2011)

Bit of track-pump action on the tyres. Fettled my water bottle, scrub and refill and then left it in the kitchen at home - doh!


----------



## Fnaar (14 Oct 2011)

I tried fettling Mrs F's bottom bracket this morning, but I'm a bit out of practice, and got grease everywhere!


----------



## mr Mag00 (14 Oct 2011)

rebuilding my trek fuel ex mtb so a full on fettle


----------



## HLaB (14 Oct 2011)

I've got a new quick link and new rear dérailleur to install  I also have a slightly sprained left wrist so they may sit in the box but something else tells me to fit them


----------



## HLaB (14 Oct 2011)

HLaB said:


> I've got a new quick link and new rear dérailleur to install  I also have a slightly sprained left wrist so they may sit in the box but something else tells me to fit them


Fitted but not yet adjusted and I tightened my front hub cones, there was slight play.


----------



## HLaB (14 Oct 2011)

HLaB said:


> Fitted but not yet adjusted and I tightened my front hub cones, there was slight play.



Now fettled, I'm itching to take it out for a test ride but my wrist is a bit sore still


----------



## Theseus (14 Oct 2011)

About to get on my bike for the ride home tonight and noticed the rear wheel rubbing against the brake blocks at one point ... a broken spoke.

When home, managed to find a suitable replacement in the parts bin, although a different colour.
As the spoke was a drive side one I needed to remove the sprocket (fixed wheel) and after much huffing and cussing it came loose only to jam tight. I had forgotten to remove the lock ring, so at least I now know that works. Anyway, there were no more dramas and the spoke was replaced quickly and the wheel re trued and back on the bike in a few minutes.

I then moved onto the front mech on the rebuild Claude Butler. I took it off and decided to give it one final shot at undoing the screw. This time I took the option presented by HovR and gripped the head with a mole grip. Success, the thing turned. A bit of a clean up of the threads and put the mech back on and adjusted. The shifting is not perfect, but it is as good as I can get it, so the bike is fully operational and ready for duty.


----------



## Bicycle (14 Oct 2011)

Found fixie with a flat front tyre today.... sitting on a smooth concrete floor. Very cross. Grrrr.

While putting in new tube (old'un ripped round valve) I decided to change to an old 700x20 tyre.

This meant changing the rear too. 

This meant getting despondant about how filthy the chain looked.

This meant cleaning and re-lubing, which meant checking the chain for wear. still inside 0.75%, so OK there. Only just.

This meant (as I was cleaning) giving the whole bike a wipe and adjusting the brakes. 

Rims were grubby with brake rubber, so the wheels were cleaned.

While doing all this, I decided to change the saddle for one that is no better or worse. Not even very different at all.

Then... I stuck a Crank Bros sticker on the underside of the downtube.... My bike (hitherto unadorned) now has its first sticker.

Not sure I like the narrower tyres, the saddle or the sticker. I quite liked the brakes the way they were, with more movement at the lever.

It all looks a bit funny now that it's clean; and I'm going to be worrying about chain wear now.

I should have read a book instead.


----------



## chillyuk (14 Oct 2011)

I spent most of the day T Cutting my car with colour match T Cut, (an estate so plenty to do) then polishing it with Mer polish. It is red, and was going pale in places, but now it is a deep red with an almost mirror shine. A good day's work.


----------



## Basil.B (14 Oct 2011)

Mer polish, excellent stuff!


----------



## snorri (14 Oct 2011)

My front lamp fell off last week, I bought a replacement, a B&M Lumotec oval plus and fitted it today. This is the first time I have had to do any work on the B&M dynamo lighting system since I bought my bicycle new in Oct 2000.


----------



## dave r (14 Oct 2011)

My fixed this afternoon. Cleaned adjusted and relubed the chain, a little more air in the back tyre, checked the tyres for debris, adjusted the brakes, had a general check round the bike for problems, washed and polished it. All in preparation for Sundays forum ride.

https://www.cyclechat.net/


----------



## gbb (15 Oct 2011)

Had a fair sized gash in my rear Gator for the last 2000 miles or so, had it reinforced with some Teflon weave stuff we had at work, remarkably strong stuff....but i had a sudden deflation about a mile from home yesterday, so that was going to be the first port of call.
Yep, sure enough that was it. Closer inspection showed the hole now has clear light passing through it, so i thought it's a visit to the LBS, then remembered ive got another gashed tyre in the shed...and found a good Gator on a spare wheel  

Puncture repaired, tyres swapped over and found its real real easy to remove glass and shards from the tyre when its off the wheel, just pinch around the hole and the glass falls out.

Going to oil the chain in a while.


Non cycling...the wife was cleaning a rug with the daughters Vax, suction wasn't very good. A little investigation showed the gasket on the suction side has deformed, giving a bad seal. Re-fitted the gasket and its much better. Told the daughter we'd get her a new gasket...you can't buy them  .

Going to have to make one out of something...poor service from Vax, a £2 item that'll render a machine useless...and they don't supply one. 

All this was with the aid of three cuppas...


----------



## Fnaar (15 Oct 2011)

gbb said:


> the wife was cleaning a rug with the daughters Vax, suction wasn't very good.







I'm sure that's illegal!


----------



## mr Mag00 (15 Oct 2011)

front sus rebuilt headset back on and thye grass cut , does that count?


----------



## mcshroom (15 Oct 2011)

Half way through fitting a mtb chainset on my tourer for next week. The dérailleur adjustment is driving me nuts


----------



## potsy (15 Oct 2011)

Put my studded tyres on the hybrid, bring on the ice age  

Also adjusted the mirror, and put a bit more packing on the handlebars so the Hopes can be quickly switched between bikes, about to fit a computer to Mrs Potsy's bike now.


----------



## smokeysmoo (15 Oct 2011)

Unblocked the garden vac from last autumn so I could attack the sodding leaves from this autumn, I hate leaves


----------



## longers (15 Oct 2011)

Flaps made and fitted today and a good clean. 







Plenty of green bucket left over, seems like ideal material so far. Send an SAE if you'd like some?

Think the back one might need to be longer?


----------



## threebikesmcginty (15 Oct 2011)

longers said:


> Think the back one might need to be longer?



Do you want it to be one of the antistatic strips that people fit to their cars?


----------



## mcshroom (15 Oct 2011)

mcshroom said:


> Half way through fitting a mtb chainset on my tourer for next week. The dérailleur adjustment is driving me nuts



... and now the deed is done



(after a sulk, wonder whether I could tour for two weeks on a 22t ring only, dinner and then second go



)


----------



## postman (15 Oct 2011)

Been and ordered a longer seatpost.I am not happy with the short one on the Spesh Secteur Elite.A little too near the joint.


----------



## longers (15 Oct 2011)

^ that reminds me. Nearly killed my stand by having the top section too far out and it needing catching, with bike still attached. Killed a chain whip too.


----------



## longers (15 Oct 2011)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Do you want it to be one of the antistatic strips that people fit to their cars?



It might be too dangerous blowing forwards when we get that next massive tailwind we're long overdue.


----------



## HLaB (15 Oct 2011)

Bought two new tyres from Wiggle Conti Reflex City Rides (32C), moved the old Conti Contact (37mm) from the front to the rear and put one of the new tyres on the front and kept the other new tyre for a spare. I also put one small dab of vulcanising solution in a hole in the contact, the source of last Thu's unscheduled deflation, if it proves to be unsuccessful and source of regular p'tures it too will be replaced.


----------



## Telemark (15 Oct 2011)

mcshroom said:


> Half way through fitting a mtb chainset on my tourer for *next week *. The dérailleur adjustment is driving me nuts




Is this the start of your Highland tour? Have fun! And remember to take lots of photos to post on CC  

Back on topic ... My own fettling today was to pump up the tyres after neglecting the bike for 2 weeks, while away on holiday ...

T


----------



## mcshroom (15 Oct 2011)

Telemark said:


> Is this the start of your Highland tour? Have fun! And remember to take lots of photos to post on CC
> 
> T



Yep 

I arrive in Oban on Tuesday and head back from Edinburgh a week on Friday. Looking at the forecast it could be a bit



, but it should be really fun.

I've got two cameras with me so piccys I should have


----------



## Telemark (15 Oct 2011)

Excellent! Give us a shout if you have any spare time in Edinburgh!
If you want our phone number(s), send us a PM ...

T


----------



## dan_bo (15 Oct 2011)

Grouting! And longers- you confused me earlier with the flaps thing but I get you now!


----------



## HLaB (23 Oct 2011)

I've just tightened the cones on my front wheel, they had come loose but probably because I never done the job right in the first place


----------



## DCLane (23 Oct 2011)

Got the new 'winter' Carrera Virtuoso set up properly for use. Just need to adjust the front derailleur and back brake cable and its' ready to go. Albeit with red clip-on MTB mudguards since it doesn't come with holes for normal ones. 

A road bike with big MTB mudguards to keep off the wet on my winter commutes


----------



## Kiwiavenger (24 Oct 2011)

over the weekend ive replaced front and rear pads, adjusted front mech, fitted new lights (now have 2 front ones on! lol) and gave the bike a long overdue clean! have noticed that my front forks are rusting where they join the stem (just over a year old!!!) and paint is worn down in places but the dirt was hiding them!!


----------



## BSRU (24 Oct 2011)

Put new brake callipers and cables on the "abominable snow beast", new seat post fitted so now I can actually ride it. 
Just need add some lights/reflectors and it will be ready for the snow, which we probably will not have for a few years now.

Now I have three working bikes, the main workhorse commuter hybrid, sunny day commuter road bike and the MTB snow beast, time to start thinking about the next one.


----------



## Cyclopathic (24 Oct 2011)

I have now finished taking the clear laquer off my ali' hybrid frame (because it was getting tatty and patchy looking) and have finished brassoing the whole thing. As always it proved to be a much more time and labour intensive job than the initial test patch suggested but it is now finished and is perhaps the shiniest bike in the whole world.

Unfortunately I cannot now touch the frame with bare hands or it leaves a grease mark. Clear spray laquer is rubbish so I will just have to never ever touch the frame again. Obviously the shine will tarnish over time but I think that an even tarnish will look ok and also I will always be able to get it back to being so shiny it's virtualy invisible with a couple of hours brassoing. I can't see me doing it again in the near future but at least the option is there and is ultimately less expensive and time consuming than having a frame resprayed.

Swings and roundabouts.


----------



## jayonabike (24 Oct 2011)

I fitted 2 new tyres & charged my front lights up


----------



## smokeysmoo (30 Oct 2011)

Checked the tyre pressures on my commuter. It's not moved in over two weeks but each tyre had only dropped around 10psi 

Oiled the chain and did the general checks ready to get back on the commute from tomorrow. Noticed the brake pads are a bit mashed so I'll be ordering two pairs of THESE as soon as I can find my debit card


----------



## Night Train (30 Oct 2011)

I rebuilt the front hub bearings on my Brompton. It would seem ferrous oxide and water isn't a good lubricant.
I will need new cup, cones and balls to do a proper job of it though.


----------



## dan_bo (30 Oct 2011)

Killed the old shed
Rendered the back wall
Fitted a winder
Drank tea.


----------



## potsy (30 Oct 2011)

dan_bo said:


> Killed the old shed
> Rendered the back wall
> Fitted a winder
> *Drank tea*.



Good lad 

fitted new brake pads to the Secteur
fitted a 'spy mirror' 
adjusted the brakes on the hybrid

drank tea
ate bakewell tart


----------



## dave r (30 Oct 2011)

My geared bike, Verenti Kilmeston, has been thoroughly cleaned, checked and the transmission cleaned and oiled, It will now be put away until the spring. My fixed, Pearson Touche, was cleaned and checked on Friday and all my riding will be fixed until the spring.


----------



## potsy (30 Oct 2011)

dave r said:


> My geared bike, Verenti Kilmeston, has been thoroughly *cleaned*, checked and the transmission *cleaned* and oiled, It will now be put away until the spring. My fixed, Pearson Touche, was *cleaned* and checked on Friday and all my riding will be fixed until the spring.



I knew there was something I forgot to do


----------



## Willo (30 Oct 2011)

I replaced my rear inner tube, only 7 miles into a ride this morning


----------



## dave r (30 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> I knew there was something I forgot to do



With the fixed being my commuting bike it normally gets a check on a Friday afternoon, check tires for debris, check chain tension, adjust anything that needs adjusting and clean it if it needs it. This Friday I was a bit more thorough. My geared bike gets a check over after a Sunday ride, 74 miles this morning, but I was a bit more thorough today.


----------



## Mugshot (31 Oct 2011)

Greased my wheel bearings last night and set a new commuting record this morning adding and extra 1 MPH to my previous best average. Who knew that the slippery stuff could make such a difference? I thought that grinding noise was normal!
Also fitted my new lights which I can't wait to try out tonight


----------



## NormanD (31 Oct 2011)

Stripped down the washing machine and awaiting the new drum bearings to arrive, then I'll have to put it all back together again 

Edit

Sigh main bearing seized into the sleeve of the drum, impossible to remove, now £750 lighter in the pocket due to her indoors buying a new washer 

That was my Boardman CX money too


----------



## HLaB (31 Oct 2011)

NormanD said:


> Stripped down the washing machine and awaiting the new drum bearings to arrive, then I'll have to put it all back together again
> 
> Edit
> 
> ...



Use the old bearings in your BB, alah Obree, he was always better than Boardman anyway


----------



## R600 (1 Nov 2011)

to the commuting bike i fitted a san marco ponza saddle, new chain and an mj818 rear light and a y splitter and a p7 front light that only works on the lowest setting so makes a good combination. i then had to take it for a test run in the dark (only 14 miles). cracking night for it


----------



## the_mikey (1 Nov 2011)

Fitted pair of 25c conti gatorskins, and added a 11-32T cassette and MTB derailleur onto my road bike, and that's how it will stay until the clocks change again. (or if it turns out we have an exceptionally mild winter)


----------



## Cyclopathic (1 Nov 2011)

Degreased, cleaned, relubed and refitted chain on my impossibly shiny hybrid.


----------



## gbb (1 Nov 2011)

Huh  sometimes you get sucked into giving a helping hand...and soon begin to regret it.

Just walking across the yard at work, a lorry driver approached me (he's a regular to our site)...he thinks muck's got gragged though from his diesel tank, can i undo a fitting and blow it through back to the tank.

Yeah no problem, so long as you show me what to do cos i havn't a clue with injection systems.

I ended up undoing three very tight connections, various attempts to blow comressed air back to the tank, changed his fuel filter, then his engine started but was very lumpy, bled air from the injectors, then his battery went flat, spent half an hour looking for jump leads, then worried if it was a 24v system and how i'd connect a battery...thank the lord by the time i got back with the jump leads...a fork lift driver had given him a bump start with a forklift and all was running well.

Thanks christ for that  . Sometimes you just get dragged deeper and deeper.


On the plus side, last night i re fitted the wifes and my homebrew twin Cree front lights and battery packs, all charged up and now illuminating the whole street in front of us.  

Shame there's little chance of me getting out on the bike...too many hours at work, too far and not enough time to commute.


----------



## DCLane (1 Nov 2011)

Fitted the replacement Selle XO red saddle to the winter hack; a red Carrera Virtuoso, instead of the Selle Big Bum saddle which just hurt. For £10 it seems OK.







http://www.planet-x-...-CRO-RED_P1.jpg


----------



## smokeysmoo (1 Nov 2011)

Borrowed some Electron rechargeable front lights off a mate at work to try on the ride home, and I've gotta say, "WOW", they are fantastic compared to the 'be seen' lights I have been using. They aren't the most modern things and have separate switches so your bars could get cluttered, but my computer is on the stem so I'm happy with the way they look.

I think I'm going to be in debt to my mate as I don't want to give them back


----------



## Muddyfox (1 Nov 2011)

I've been fettling an old Nigel Dean road bike .. a neighbour offered it to me so i've had it in the garage to see if it'l fit me but i dont think it will so it'l be going in the for sale section before to long as he just wants rid of it 






Foxy


----------



## smokeysmoo (1 Nov 2011)

Muddyfox said:


> I've been fettling an old Nigel Dean road bike .. a neighbour offered it to me so i've had it in the garage to see if it'l fit me but i dont think it will so it'l be going in the for sale section before to long as he just wants rid of it



That could be a nice bike. When you advertise it drop the stem and level the bars and the seat, the camera will thank you for it


----------



## Muddyfox (1 Nov 2011)

smokeysmoo said:


> That could be a nice bike. When you advertise it drop the stem and level the bars and the seat, the camera will thank you for it



Thanks Smokey .. i'l do that 

Foxy


----------



## wakou (1 Nov 2011)

Stripped and thoroughly cleaned and decrudulated drive train (jockey wheels were shocking! I think previous owner used marmalade for chainlube) . I then put on newish front wheel, I was worried about the bearings on this but once on are sliky smooth, just blow on it and it revolves for ever 

Unfortunately once re-assembled, shifting is dog rough  so more fettling tomorrow


----------



## HLaB (1 Nov 2011)

Cleaned and lubed the Knesis today but I don't know if that counts as fettling. My chain came off tonight for the first time in about 6 months at a guess so I may tighten the high limit screw on the front mech a little.


----------



## Night Train (2 Nov 2011)

I squirted a bit more lube over the moving parts of Tiddles to try and kill the squeeks.

Then I fettled an alternative hitch and drawbar design for a trailer to fit a friend's Brompton.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (2 Nov 2011)

fitted a new B&M Toplight LED Flat S permanent in place of the reflector on the Brompton, and put Sekuclips on all her spokes and stays.


----------



## smokeysmoo (3 Nov 2011)

Fitted Koolstop Salmon pads to the commuter. First time I've used them and early impressions after one commute is that they are very good


----------



## danger mouse (3 Nov 2011)

Put the pedal back on after it worked loose at the weekend.

Thought I had fettled it before I went out tonight but I was wrong and it worked loose again.

The reason?

Sons had 'borrowed' my sockets and I didnt have a 14mm socket and driver so bodged it. Wrong....





Came back and then bodged a 14mm ring spanner to fit. Ground it down so the ring fits.

Tight now (I think) but Im still nervous for my commute tomorrow.

Note to self. Lock your tools away. (Oh and get a torque wrench)


----------



## NormanD (3 Nov 2011)

Gave the Allez a nice massage of GT85


----------



## Night Train (3 Nov 2011)

Tiddles still squeaking this morning.
Eventually tracked it down to the bolt though the suspension rubber.
The silicone lube didn't get it but the light machine oil did.
I will probably need to get a new rubber now!


----------



## funnymummy (3 Nov 2011)

Still trying to get my left pedal off


----------



## alecstilleyedye (3 Nov 2011)

replaced tyres and tubes on a double buggy, does that count?


----------



## 400bhp (3 Nov 2011)

Bike on stand - quick once over with a cloth

GT85 sprayed

chain cleaned and lubed.


----------



## HLaB (3 Nov 2011)

Tightened a QR clamp and fitted some lights for tonight's club session but that hardly counts as fettling


----------



## potsy (3 Nov 2011)

Adjusted the angle of my mirror


----------



## Cyclox (4 Nov 2011)

potsy said:


> Adjusted the angle of my mirror




+ cleaned it? Is that so you can check out your hair en route? lol


----------



## Cyclox (4 Nov 2011)

I'll probably never fettle ever again after my flippin' mishap! Still off the bike......& still very sore! At the moment my LBS loves me. They are doing all my fettling at the moment making sure everythings ready for the bad weather still to come!


----------



## wakou (4 Nov 2011)

Fitted new pedals, bought for cheaps from another forum. Lubed all cables and tried to index gears. Result = 85% success went out for a tootle. NP. Me =


----------



## GrumpyGregry (5 Nov 2011)

Changed brompton brake levers for shimano ones, put a pair of wellgo removable pedals on, went for a little ride. Back brake 'feel' not quite how I want it but locks the wheel so guess I will leave it for now.


----------



## albion (5 Nov 2011)

Fitted a new Deore drailleur early this week still to find changing problems and a clunk under load.It turned out that I had broken the rear hub spindle, at the drive side of course.Obviously hollow quick release ones are weaker and maybe it is extra torque from the well used granny gear that savages it.Hopefully now fixed and the longer cage certainly gives a much better change between granny gears.New balls too.


----------



## MattHB (5 Nov 2011)

Thorough wash off after sandy Heath and salty beech prom last week. Lubed up too (the bike).
Fitted some new SKS Chromoplastic mudguards. What I pig to get right! Nice tho now they're on, and no more sandy mud over my arse!


----------



## 400bhp (5 Nov 2011)

Got covered in crud on a 60 miler around S Cheshire lanes today. Had to wash down the bike with a hose, clean with car shampoo and finish off with GT85.


----------



## potsy (5 Nov 2011)

400bhp said:


> Got covered in crud on a 60 miler around S Cheshire lanes today. Had to wash down the bike with a hose, clean with car shampoo and finish off with GT85.



Aww, if I'd known that I'd have brought mine round for you to do too 

Had my first ever go at wheel truing today, it did have a 3mm wobble it now has about 1mm. Will leave it there and test ride tomorow


----------



## albion (5 Nov 2011)

Just maybe I should have left the old chain on.I've now had to change the freewheel. Maybe I ahd another 1000+ miles with the old freewheel old chain combo.Did the new dérailleur really deserve a new chain?


----------



## HLaB (5 Nov 2011)

I'm holding the patch on my spare tube as I type, in a few minutes I'll pump it up and leave it over night and if it goes down take another spare in the morning.


----------



## Kiwiavenger (8 Nov 2011)

i got the bike out, trued both wheels after my incident with a car (one is almost unrepairable but i'll replace it soon) swapped tyres with my wifes bike, just in the process of clearing an outside cupboard ready to fit a wall bracket to fit mine and the wifes bikes in there to get them out the house.


----------



## Hydra (8 Nov 2011)

I installed a pair of Marathon +s on the Cross. Actually turned out to be a doddle compared to the first time. Sore thumbs though!


----------



## HLaB (8 Nov 2011)

I adjusted the cleats I fitted to my LIDL shoes yesterday.


----------



## fossyant (8 Nov 2011)

Rear brake cable re-lubed on fixed -getting slightly sticky. MTB had the spikes fitted, and just had to ride it into work off road. Time for some retina searing on the way home in the dark (off road of course) Oh and the charger has picked up one duff AA cell that was in the cateye backup light to the magicshine. Need to find a spare.


----------



## Cyclopathic (8 Nov 2011)

Started to take apart an old sturmey archer 3speed hub with a view to reconditioning but stopped before I got too far into it untill I get a printout of how to put it back together again. Fettle fail.


----------



## HLaB (8 Nov 2011)

I must of pinched the spare tube last week when I was putting it in  I had a very slow p'ture and had to fix it, but work due to incompetence probably doesn't count as fettling.


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## peelywally (8 Nov 2011)

just fixed toilet , not cycling i know but i fettled a new gasket for the syphon out of a childs pencil case .

oh and i fitted my new p7 magicshine to bike , holy xxxx its bright .


----------



## Cubist (8 Nov 2011)

Full service for the Boardman this afternoon, strip clean, new front brake pads, (amazingly the pads have lasted three years, and still have about a millimetre of pad left, but the front was starting to fade a bit). Gear cables lubed and re-indexed, BB shells removed, threads cleaned and retightened (trying to eliminate a squeak), paintwork T-Cut and waxed, drivetrain degreased and relubed with ceramic wax to see if it works in winter.......


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## cockney (8 Nov 2011)

just fitted this light set I CAN SEE NOW ya hooooo

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/PRODUCTTYPE/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=2&pt=119&pg=6462


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## Monsieur Remings (9 Nov 2011)

This evening I finished putting the SKS mudguards on, jaysus, what grief! I won't go in to it because its boring and I've already bored myself with a separate boring thread on how annoying it really was. At least I now have a winter rig.

I also took some triangular calculations of my Ribble (summer rig) and tried to replicate as best I could on my Giant Defy 3 (winter rig). I cleaned the cassette and drivetrain with an old toothbrush, lubed the chain and GT-85ed the pivotry. I also wanted to replace the stem with a spare Alutech one but couldn't as the diameter wouldn't fit, so flipped the old stem to replicate as best I could the summer rig. I changed the seat and brought it aft of its previous position. 

I also fitted some old aluminium bottle holders and replaced the crap Cateye magnet with a spare flat one, designed for aero spokes like mine on the front wheel. I also fiddled with the rear brake cable tension and have the distinct feeling that the headset needs some grease.

Tomorrow, or thursday, take a look at the gears and how they're shifting. Been a while since I rode the Giant.


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## Glow worm (9 Nov 2011)

Big success replacing both front and rear mech gear cables earlier. Was well chuffed with how, uniquely for me, I'd had no problems. Until I rode the bike and found I only have 4 out of 8 gears (rear). O well. Won't fettle again tonight as I may throw the bike over the back hedge. At least the front mech seems reasonably OK despite a bit of crunching.

Just hope it gets me to work OK and I'll have another go tomorrow lunchtime. Sigh......


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## Cubist (14 Nov 2011)

Glow worm said:


> Big success replacing both front and rear mech gear cables earlier. Was well chuffed with how, uniquely for me, I'd had no problems. Until I rode the bike and found I only have 4 out of 8 gears (rear). O well. Won't fettle again tonight as I may throw the bike over the back hedge. At least the front mech seems reasonably OK despite a bit of crunching.
> 
> Just hope it gets me to work OK and I'll have another go tomorrow lunchtime. Sigh......



Newmarket? How many gears do you need?





Seriously though, patience with a rear mech is very much in order. Once you've cracked it it'll all seem so obvious, but until then, I have shared your pain.....


----------



## threebikesmcginty (14 Nov 2011)

Fettled rear mudguard on commuter. Cunningly used an allen bolt fixed to the underside of the seat stay cross member when I fitted these guards without thinking about re-tightening the bolt if it came loose - hub gear so bit of a pain taking the wheel off. Anyway discovered that by letting the tyre down I get just enough room to fit an allen key in the gap to tighten the bolt. 

Genius!


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## totallyfixed (15 Nov 2011)

Glow worm said:


> Big success replacing both front and rear mech gear cables earlier. Was well chuffed with how, uniquely for me, I'd had no problems. Until I rode the bike and found I only have 4 out of 8 gears (rear). O well. Won't fettle again tonight as I may throw the bike over the back hedge. At least the front mech seems reasonably OK despite a bit of crunching.
> 
> Just hope it gets me to work OK and I'll have another go tomorrow lunchtime. Sigh......



Ignore him, I used to lead a ride from Mildenhall bike rally called "so you think East Anglia is flat"
Back on topic, I have had an annoying ticking sound on my fixed for the last couple of weeks, did all the usual. chainring bolts, pedals stripped etc, no luck. I haven't got the right tool for removing the bottom bracket on this bike so took it in to Windmill Wheels, my mates shop and he refaced it and bored out the threads, quite a long job plus like me he is a perfectionist when it comes to bikes. Took it for a test run, problem solved, £20 including a tool for taking Keo pedals apart, bargain.


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## HovR (15 Nov 2011)

Added mudguards to the Winter Warrior!


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## Christopher (17 Nov 2011)

Replaced chain on fixed. Old one was way past the .75 mark on the checker, should have replaced it long since. I also took off a stainless-steel bottle cage and replaced it with a red plastic one, which looks completely wrong on the commuter (it's all browns and blacks otherwise)


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## numbnuts (17 Nov 2011)

Glued the heel on my cycling shoes, the soles departed if it don't stick it will be a RIP  and have to say good bye to my 10 year old shoes, we've had a lot of fun together and many miles too


----------



## brokenflipflop (17 Nov 2011)

Installed mudguards to my winter bike. 

This was done by:

Throwing my radio against the garage wall
hitting the dog
kicking my mountain bike over
swearing loudly
throwing my pliers into a very dark garden
Finally finished installing the mudguards
Pumped the tyres up

RUBBING RUBBING RUBBING AAAARRRGGHH


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## potsy (17 Nov 2011)

brokenflipflop said:


> Installed mudguards to my winter bike.
> 
> This was done by:
> 
> ...



It went well then? 

My most recent fettling was swapping the 23 tyre from the rear to the front, and putting a new 25mm tyre on the rear.
Raceblades just about work rub-free with 25's so will get one for the front too, eventually.
Oh, and fitting my 'spy' mirror to the end of the drops, can now see those sneaky stealth cyclists coming up behind me again


----------



## Christopher (18 Nov 2011)

This w/e I might have a go at riding along on a wheel with a Campag hub and sprockets that I have attempted to re-space to Shimano 8-speed. It _looks _the same spacing as real Shimano 8-speed but not sure it will work. But if it does then I can use up my terrible Miche sprockets offroad or for CX as they seem to be made of cheese - won't care much when the teeth break off.

Other project, among many, is to re-build a rear wheel as a tubular using the current hub and spokes leftover from a failed build (hub bearings went after a few thousand miles, but it was very old).


----------



## Toshiba Boy (18 Nov 2011)

Changed saddle on "old faithful" road bike, then celebrated with a lovely fresh coffe (no milk, natch).


----------



## steveindenmark (18 Nov 2011)

I bought a JoeBlow Sport 2 pump that goes up to 160 psi and an Ortileb Ultimate 5M Classic bar bag. I am now looking for a turbo trainer for winter.



Steve


----------



## cyberknight (19 Nov 2011)

Saddle on the commuter/winter bike kept sliding back on its rails so i removed the retaining bolt down and replaced the bolt and head with parts i had in stock.
The old one had a flat nut head and the new one has a curved one really meant for another seat post so the contact patch is smaller but hopefully it should be ok when tight enough.


----------



## brokenflipflop (27 Nov 2011)

Finally finished winter bike with install of brooks saddle and mudguards. Took it for a spin and.....it's shoot !


----------



## Monkspeed (7 Dec 2011)

I oiled the chain and gears on my and the mrs's bikes, and moved my seat up a cm. Nothing special! :/


----------



## potsy (7 Dec 2011)

Just put the Marathon Winters back on the hybrid before the ice age kicks in round here


----------



## BluesDave (7 Dec 2011)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fettle
or http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fettle or did you mean something else?


----------



## HLaB (7 Dec 2011)

I'm just about to take the clip off one larger saddle bag and replace the one on the small wedge bag which snapped today :-(


----------



## 400bhp (7 Dec 2011)

Fixed another puncture today.

This time on the rear

Yesterday it was on the front.

Last one before this was a long time ago.


----------



## HovR (7 Dec 2011)

DavidDecorator said:


> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fettle
> or http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fettle or did you mean something else?


 
Definition number 2 on the Urban Dictionary link. 



> *Fettle* ​
> (verb) To modify, alter, change or touch up something


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## derrick (7 Dec 2011)

Just finished fitting new brake and gear cables to the wifes bike, 22.06 time for a beer.


----------



## fossyant (7 Dec 2011)

Washed the dirt off the fixed ! Just like last night !


----------



## smokeysmoo (11 Dec 2011)

brokenflipflop said:


> Finally finished winter bike with install of brooks saddle and mudguards. Took it for a spin and.....it's shoot !


Have you got this sorted now BFF, what was so wrong with it?


----------



## ACS (11 Dec 2011)

Washed the commuter. Gave the chain a clean and lube, adjusted the brakes and thats reminded me I need to put air in the tyres (Doh!)


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## HovR (11 Dec 2011)

Trued front wheel on the MTB.


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## 2Loose (12 Dec 2011)

Cleaned, lubed, found and tightened front spoke. Only had a spoke replaced a fortnight ago, so not really impressed.


----------



## Fnaar (12 Dec 2011)

I washed my roadie. This is rare for me, but folk have been commenting. Also took the opportunity to 'mickle' the chain, clear crud out of rear mech and fiddle with my brakes, making them worse


----------



## Asa Post (13 Dec 2011)

Fitted a new computer to the Kona. Speed sensor was much too far from the magnet, and no rubber padding was supplied with the kit. 
Luckily, I had some in stock.


----------



## Carol C (13 Dec 2011)

Gave the bike a good clean and tried to get all the mud off the tyres from riding over the fields yesterday! It was impossible to get it all off so I came in and had a cup of tea and a piece of home-made cake! LOL


----------



## potsy (13 Dec 2011)

Carol C said:


> Gave the bike a good clean and tried to get all the mud off the tyres from riding over the fields yesterday! It was impossible to get it all off so I came in and had a cup of tea and a piece of home-made cake! LOL


My kind of fettling


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## ianrauk (13 Dec 2011)

Did someone mention cake?


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## 400bhp (13 Dec 2011)

spent 2 hours arsing about with a pair of sks mtb mudguards. The front guard was a right PITA as it was originally fitting right under the v-brake. 

Right fiddly job.

Done now though-phew.


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## HLaB (13 Dec 2011)

Nothing, unless you count cleaning my rims.


----------



## youngoldbloke (14 Dec 2011)

Put a new 12-32 cassette (7 speed) on my Peugeot 525 - now winter bike - it shouldn't work with the Shimano short cage mech, but popped the wheel back in and turned the cranks, moved through the gears. Smooth as silk. No adjustments required, didn't have to increase chain length either. Moral seems to be - try it and see!
_Edit - correction - I have just recounted my teeth!_ : The only downside could be the big jump I now have between the _21, 26_ and 32 sprockets. The cassette I had been using was a more useful _21, 24_, 28. I'm missing that 24!


----------



## HovR (15 Dec 2011)

Trued rear wheel of the MTB, and fitted a new set of wider knobblies in preparation for the snow we're predicted tomorrow. No such luxury of studded tires for me!


----------



## gbb (27 Dec 2011)

Quick clean of the Bianchi, back wheel off, hub stripped and oiled the bearings and freehub. Yes, oiled 
Fulcrums, so easy to strip, i thought about when i was a kid, we never greased hubs, just oiled regularly, they used to spin and spin so i'm going to try it on a regular basis with these.


----------



## DCLane (27 Dec 2011)

Fitted the new Shimano 105 pedals to the Ridgeback and removed the remains of the rear mudguard so I can finally fit the Crud Roadracers. Tested the pedals indoors ready for a first 'proper' clipless ride tomorrow.

Fitted the Ridgeback's pedals to the Python Impact since I'd used the Python's pedals on my dad's Christmas present hybrid. Also fitted the new light and bike computer to the Python.


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## HLaB (28 Dec 2011)

I changed a tube, if thats counts; I'm getting good at it, thats two days in a row :-(


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## youngoldbloke (28 Dec 2011)

Changed a tube yesterday too - hedge trimmings I suspect. Day before repaired my rear Crud Road Racer guard - major damage caused by piece of branch - 3rd time I have managed to codge it together using super glue and spare plastic nuts and bolts. It is getting shorter and shorter ... have to buy a new set soon I suppose.


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## HLaB (28 Dec 2011)

Patched it last night, it was my own stupid fault the p'ture. I had been riding down a narrow cycle road (residents access only) when a driver/ resident came at me fast forcing me into the gutter. I thought I'd picked up a thorn there but no it was immediately after when I started again on the steep hill in top gear (52x11) that I pinched the tube


----------



## Nebulous (28 Dec 2011)

Well I've had a whole day of fettling today, and I'm feeling remarkably pleased with myself.

My bike is showing its miles and I've been collecting bits. I probably should have waited until spring, but I decided to go for it.

So I took off the chain, front mech, crankset and removed the rings and cleaned the spider. One of the bearings was pretty much seized, and the axle had obviously been rotating inside it, so I had a quick trip to Edinburgh bike for new BB shells.

I removed the bar tape, changed all the cables, then rebuilt the whole lot. The front mech has been dodgy for a while, I bent the cage at one point and managed to straighten it, but it has never been quite right since. The whole bike is Tiagra, but I managed to get a 105 front mech in Edinburgh Bike sale for less than a Tiagra one. On the stand it is changing very well, although the trim function on my shifter seems to be borked. It gives a crack but doesn't move, which was one of the reasons for changing the mech. However small to big shift seems much better.

So I have new:-
BB cups
105 front mech
chain
cables
bar tape

I have a new rear mech in a box, and considered changing it as well, but I didn't see the point in doing it just for the sake of it.

That might not seem a lot to some of you guys, but considering a year ago I didn't even appreciate that bikes needed maintenance, I think I'm getting there!


----------



## Cyclist33 (28 Dec 2011)

Just fitted a Cateye wireless computer, a frame-mounted snack pack and a micro-pump 

Stu


----------



## Christopher (28 Dec 2011)

Removed triple chainset and cranks from old Dawes racer. LH crank was a bit tight - took some force to undo and I smacked my face on the top tube when it finally yielded. Took off inner chainring and power-sanded it down for its new paint coatings. Very pleased it turned out so well.


----------



## TheSandwichMonster (29 Dec 2011)

Went to wheel the road bike out yesterday to put in the car and take it to work with me - with the plan of getting an hour in at lunchtime to start getting rid of the Christmas weight gain. To my absolute shame, I found that I hadn't finished cleaning it after my last ride, and bits were looking a bit claggy. Shame then gave way to horror when I noticed that the rear wheel was really quite sticky, and wouldn't spin more than a quarter turn without stopping 

I popped it in the back of the car anyway - our bike usergroup at work has a dedicated bike workshop, so I wanted the use of a trueing stand and workstand. Got it there and through a process of elimination discovered that the axle was sticking... "I've got cartridge bearings", I thought, "I surely can't have cattled them so soon". As luck wouldn't have it, there was no lockring tool or chainwhip in the workshop and so all I could do was give things a bit of a clean, a squirt out with WD-40, and the application of some penetrating oil. Once I got it back home, it was off with the cassette, out with the white spirit, everything stripped, degreased, cleaned, dried, regreased, reassembled and finally lubed. To my immense relief, everything now spins freely again.

By way of pennance, I then went out and replenished my stocks of all things cleaning-related!


----------



## JosefK (29 Dec 2011)

Over the course of the last two days has seen me give the road bike a right going over. demounted and cleaned what I could that doesn't need too much readjustment.

Fitted swiss stops to the front and new lizard skin bar tape. Looking and feeling great.

Next up is the commuter which is in poor nick!


----------



## xpc316e (29 Dec 2011)

Fitted a nice new cassette, new Hollowpin chain, Sram X-7 rear mech and shifter, and trued the rear wheel on the Decathlon. I just love how it flies along now.


----------



## smokeysmoo (29 Dec 2011)

Lined up some fettling for the near future by ordering a new winter frameset


----------



## youngoldbloke (5 Jan 2012)

Just replaced rear tyre and tube after 2nd puncture in a week. New tyre is a Conti Gatorskin folding 23mm. BIG struggle to get the tyre on - hope it stretches a bit before I have to deal with any roadside inner-tube related issues.  Had to resort to a tyre lever - I could get the old tyre on using just my thumbs, but I think that one was pretty tight initially.


----------



## Chrisc (5 Jan 2012)

Nowt, rode it through all the water and muck and undid all the fettling and cleaning I did yesterday!


----------



## HLaB (5 Jan 2012)

Several p'tures an a new tyre and adjusted the mudguards :-(


----------



## Chrisc (6 Jan 2012)

New saddle, let's see if I can sort this bloody grumbling prostate out finally?
New rear tyre tomorrow with luck.


----------



## TheDoctor (6 Jan 2012)

Ermm - a roller blind, just now?
I might have to fit some SPDs to the singlespeeder tomorrow if that counts though.


----------



## Speicher (6 Jan 2012)

TheDoctor said:


> Ermm - a roller blind, just now?
> I might have to fit some SPDs to the singlespeeder tomorrow if that counts though.


 
I am sure that fitting the rollers would be easier without the blindfold, by and large!


----------



## TheDoctor (6 Jan 2012)

Your coat, Speicher?


----------



## Speicher (6 Jan 2012)

Yes, thank you.


----------



## smokeysmoo (7 Jan 2012)

Cleaned the commuter and lubed the chain, block and mechs. 
Finished fettling the gears after fitting new stealthy black chainrings on the CAAD a couple of weeks ago, then gave it a good clean.
Hoping to take some updated CAAD pics tomorrow


----------



## avsd (7 Jan 2012)

Stripped the Dawes Mono down, new BB, rear wheel(from racer), new mudgaurds and rear cog. Brakes also replaced with 105 calipers that I got cheap from a mate.


----------



## Chrisc (7 Jan 2012)

New rear tyre


----------



## AnythingButVanilla (7 Jan 2012)

I've just pumped up my tyres, adjusted the saddle and unsuccessfully tried to reset the odometer bit on my computer. All accompanied by cheese, ham and pickle toasties, a mug of Horlicks and Kerrang radio.


----------



## broomwagon (8 Jan 2012)

New bars and tape fitted yesterday and put computer on the new bars. Also fitted a couple of bottle cages...with allen keys 4 and 5mm. Altered SPDs.


----------



## HLaB (8 Jan 2012)

I fettled the water bottle out of its cage without the bike falling over, energy drink is a great hangover cure


----------



## DiddlyDodds (8 Jan 2012)

Went to look at buying s maintenance stand last week and thought "i can make one of them" so today made a bike stand for 1/4 of the price in the shop , its not perfect but it works.
Will take some pics and post if i find out the correct forum to post in


----------



## DiddlyDodds (8 Jan 2012)

Also fettled my old Falcon road bike frame to accept 105 brake calipers i got off ebay


----------



## Orange (8 Jan 2012)

Fitted new pedals, added road cleats to my new road shoes - and discovered why the Sports Direct Muddy Fox £22 ones are so cheap - on one of the shoes, one of the bolts just turns continuously and will not tighten at all! Two screws seem to be holding it tight enough but time will tell. Can't be arsed to try and post them back as faulty and have thrown all the packaging away anyway.


----------



## Salad Dodger (8 Jan 2012)

Mrs Salad broke the plastic front light mounting on her e-bike, so I have bodged a temporary mounting out of cable ties, and ordered a new velcro style rubber mount for it.
Pumped the tyres and oiled the chains on both e-bikes before we went for a trip to the supermarket on them this afternoon.


----------



## MrHappyCyclist (8 Jan 2012)

Reset the new pads on my hydraulic disc brake for the third time. Can't stop them catching (just very slightly) and there is not as much travel on the levers as there should be, but I have tried everything. Pushed the pistons right back in as far as they will go, refitted the pads and springs, put the reservoir back together, re-centred the caliper on the rotor, but they always end up with virtually no clearance between the pads and the rotor. I'll just have to see how they go tomorrow and hope for the best. At least they are stopping me well.


----------



## fossyant (8 Jan 2012)

Thurs evening stripped rear brake cable - crud on inner causing sticksion ! Wire wooled and back in. Smooth as a baby's bum.


----------



## potsy (8 Jan 2012)

Cleaned and fettled the Secteur, it had been put away for the winter but ended up using it twice on the commute before Christmas and forgot to clean it 
Put the seatpost rack onto the XC bike for now, but might get a proper rack for it and leave the other for the Secteur.


----------



## Brandane (8 Jan 2012)

While out in the rain yesterday, I noticed brown rusty gunk leaking out the bottom of my head tube (Specialized Tricross). A closer inspection today revealed what I suspected; the bottom set of ball bearings were rusty and had worn the races.
So today, bike into kitchen/workshop  and off with the bars, front wheel, mudguard, front brake, and forks. A long metal rod and a hammer, followed by half an hour of swearing, banging, and a few blows to my left hand with said hammer, and the races were out of the head tube.

Into the car and off to Dales bike shop (nearest competent helpful bike shop open on a Sunday) and they sold me 2 sealed bearing units to replace the loose bearings and races set up which had been fitted originally.

Back home and back to work in the kitchen. All re-assembled, but why was there a gap between forks and head tube? And, there was play in the forks, and it wasn't rotating smoothly? Took it apart again for investigation and found the problem. The sealed bearing is bevelled on one side, THAT is the side that mates with the head tube - doh! I hadn't even noticed that the 2 sides were shaped differently when I first put it together.

All now sorted and awaiting trial run tomorrow .


----------



## VamP (9 Jan 2012)

Broke my tubular duck in style last night, two wheelsets, one with Tufo Flexus Dry and the other FMB Super Mud. Bloody good arm workout


----------



## HLaB (9 Jan 2012)

I oiled my chain and went for a ride


----------



## colly (9 Jan 2012)

A nice little steel frame I have recently acquired was picked up today from the powder coaters. Being genetically unable to stop myself fiddling and tinkering I just had to add a splash of colour the the otherwise pristine white uber shiny finish. So a can of yellow was employed to colour and ''fade'' the bottom of the forks and rear dropouts. 
I guess I'll have to do the lugs so it sort of balances.


----------



## jayonabike (10 Jan 2012)

New bar tape on the Secteur this evening.


----------



## scouserinlondon (11 Jan 2012)

Replaced both sets of pads with new koolstops and gave breaks a good clean. I can stop again!


----------



## jayonabike (12 Jan 2012)

Fitted a new chain to the Dawes this evening.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (22 Jan 2012)

Fettled the SRAM X0 rear mech on the mtb which was chucking the chain in the spokes, low stop adjusted, not convinced by the last section of cable before the mech. Angles look all wrong, turns too tight.

Now off to muse on swapping the front mech trigger shifter for a rotary one.


----------



## MossCommuter (22 Jan 2012)

Removed old worn brake pads
Fitted new brake pads
Removed new brake pads
Re-fitted old worn brake pads
 
Who knew disc brake pads could be too thick


----------



## PoweredByVeg (22 Jan 2012)

Completely stripped and cleaned No.1 bike, it got so filthy after an Audax Saturday that it was just easier to take every single bit off and clean it that way

That'll learn me to do a winter ride down muddy back lanes with no mudguards


----------



## potsy (22 Jan 2012)

Cleaned CX bike ready for it to go for it's 1st service tomorrow.
Turned the Secteur back into the commuter for a couple of days, added rack/frame bag/Raceblades.
Also put a 3rd front light on to compliment the 2 Hope 1's, a 300lm Moon light that will be my 'mainbeam' for the unlit bits.


----------



## HLaB (22 Jan 2012)

Fitted new brake pads, so if you hear loud squealing in the next few days, that's probably me, not the brakes


----------



## fossyant (23 Jan 2012)

Fettle Fail this week. Picked up a tasty Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow last week and it's still not fitted to the best bike. Need to tidy the garage first to get to bike !


----------



## youngoldbloke (24 Jan 2012)

Swapped the new (7 speed) 12-32 cassette on the winter bike back to the previous 12-28. Hardly used the 32, and found the gaps 21,26,32 too much. So easy, compared with changing freewheels in the 'good old days'.


----------



## HLaB (24 Jan 2012)

fossyant said:


> Fettle Fail this week. Picked up a tasty Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow last week and it's still not fitted to the best bike. Need to tidy the garage first to get to bike !


If its like my Selle Italia Gel Flow and me, it maybe isn't a fail, I just couldn't get on with mine and its now on the turbo bike (thankfully only used once this year), its maybe strategic planning


----------



## smokeysmoo (24 Jan 2012)

Just fit a pair of Conti Ultra Gatorskins and new tubes to the commuter


----------



## fossyant (24 Jan 2012)

HLaB said:


> If its like my Selle Italia Gel Flow and me, it maybe isn't a fail, I just couldn't get on with mine and its now on the turbo bike (thankfully only used once this year), its maybe strategic planning


 
Look it can't be any worse than the Flite Ti I've had on the bike for years (same make) - that is an ass splitter. I like the 'flat top' saddles and have an Selle Italia XR on the fixed and it is fine. The SLR is the same shape, but a fraction of the weight. If not I'll just MTFU - it looks nice !  NOW FITTED.


----------



## MossCommuter (24 Jan 2012)

MossCommuter said:


> Removed old worn brake pads
> Fitted new brake pads
> Removed new brake pads
> Re-fitted old worn brake pads
> ...


Genuine Shimano pads fitted

all is right with the world 

Should I take those other ones back??


----------



## IanT (26 Jan 2012)

Fitted my new KEO 2 Max pedals to the bike and cleats to my lovely new Specialized BG Comp shoes. 

Spent a good 15 minutes getting used to the clip / unclip and then took the bike up the road. 

Suddenly I know what all the fuss is about - lovely.

Right - 1 set of Shimano 520 pedals to be listed on the bay.


----------



## DCLane (26 Jan 2012)

Worked on the Carrera Virtuoso this evening, mainly because the front derailleur stopped changing ... whilst going up a steep hill ... on a dual-carriageway ... with nowhere to stop  (I love my commute!)

Front derailleur fixed (cable got stuck), whilst I was at it I cleaned the chain thoroughly and looked at why the headset's wobbly. Finding out why I put it back together promptly and hope it won't fall apart on me!


----------



## youngoldbloke (28 Jan 2012)

Noticed a 'click' developing when offside pedal at 6 o'clock, suspected pedal loose, but tight as tight. Tweaked up the chainring bolts, and all is smooth and quiet again.


----------



## jayonabike (28 Jan 2012)

Just the usual, cleaned & lubed the chains & cassettes, checked the tyres for flints/glass, and wiped the bikes over with some baby wipes.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (29 Jan 2012)

Today's fettling, all using parts from my last bike (of which the frame is still awaiting powder coating and then rebuilding probably with mainly new parts). The humble Streetfinder now has, without spending a single penny


Narrower 700x32 Conti tyres
Improved seatpin and narrower saddle
Tourney front/rear mechs replaced by Tiagra/Deore
28/38/48 Suntour chainset replaced with Shimano 26/36/46 (will help a little with a laden trailer)
Brakes set up properly
 

Still to do:

The freewheel will be replaced and the Tourney shifters either with a new rear wheel, 9-speed cassette and Sunrace trigger shifters, or a 7-speed wider range screw-on freewheel and 10 year old STX rapidfire pods (Don't want to spend a fortune, otherwise I'd have just bought a higher-spec bike) but unsure about the SunRace kit as it used to be totally naff cost-cutting crap on Magna/Townsend level BSOs)
Road quill stem to pair with flat bars for a slightly less upright position (disappointed that when I found my ancient SR stem it was a 1" rather than 1 1/4" so couldn't do that today)


----------



## col (29 Jan 2012)

Fettled me sunday dinner, it was delish


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (29 Jan 2012)

col said:


> Fettled me sunday dinner, it was delish


 
On that note, I'm off to fettle a few pints of fursty fettler*

_*If that's not a beer it ought to be_


----------



## IanT (30 Jan 2012)

Removed the content of Hockley Woods (Essex) from the rear cassettes on mine and my wife's MTBs. Oh, Gear Floss - where have you been all of my life!!!

Also, gave the gears on both bikes a little tweak - shifting beautifully now.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (30 Jan 2012)

Built a shelving unit. Or at least the main part of it, I don't like making DIY noises after 8pm

It's fixed above my bed head

If I post again after tonight, it stayed up. If you never hear from me again.....


----------



## DCLane (30 Jan 2012)

Started working on the 'Lethal impact' bike whilst taking breaks between marking:


Figured out why it won't turn right and fixed that, so it shouldn't try to kill me with this
Worked out why the brakes didn't work, so it shouldn't try to kill me with this either
Stripped ready for painting. Or rather part-stripped since it's a quick paint with what's lying about
Half-painted primer on ready for paint tomorrow on these bits


----------



## HovR (30 Jan 2012)

Dismantled laptop screen and fixed dodgy hinge. The flippin' thing is almost impossible to take apart!


----------



## beastie (30 Jan 2012)

New brake pads, brake inners and outers, gear inner and outers and new bar tape.........

....... It'll probably snow now.


----------



## Gareth (31 Jan 2012)

Well, my Land Rover Visalia had a new Suntour chainset, Shimano rear cassette & chain, a new pair bottle holders and a pair of full mudguards fitted this evening. Followed by an enjoyable bomb around Mousehold and Racecourse Heaths, and I enjoyed a quick tear around Pilling Park and the easy part of Lionwood on her.


----------



## Cyclist33 (31 Jan 2012)

Tonight I fitted the cleats to my new shoes, what a pain in the ass that was, I don't even know if i did it right, but they do seem to clip into the pedals. Can't fit those tho, as no spanner.

Stu


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (31 Jan 2012)

Fettled the household bills and came to the conclusion that housemates owe me a grand total of £333

So that's a powder coating job and most of the parts that I need to rebuild my tourer into an "almost new" machine


----------



## PpPete (31 Jan 2012)

Sripped and rebuilt front wheel on my fixed hack that's been making clonking noises like a loose spoke. There wasn't a loose one, but the tensions were all over the place and all too low. Of course I'll not be able to tell if noise has gone because I replaced the tyre at the same time with a studded job in anticipation of cold weather to come.


----------



## edindave (2 Feb 2012)

Fitted new brake disc pads and bled the rear brake on the Boardman Hybrid Pro.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (2 Feb 2012)

Fitted new narrower rear wheel and 9sp cassette & shifters - quill/ahead converter, lower stem and flat bars with bar ends. Much nicer now to ride, less wobbly, more precise and the gearing will help when pulling the trailer:

From this - upright "sit up and beg" 18 speed






To this: 27 speed with narrower (32 down from 38) tyres and a faster, less "wobble-along" riding position:








The shifters are interesting....I gambled on some SunRace M90 levers, with no Sunrace M90 review that i could find, I remember SunRace being cheap tat. Time, I suppose will tell - they are a little odd with the 2 levers like the old Exage-era STI levers, both under-bar push levers. They do seem to be quite precise and sure, the downshift is quite keen, only takes a very small light push, and shifts from 9th to 3rd in one quick push - good for quick stops without being stuck in a silly gear. Upshift is a little more "clunky" and will take some getting accustomed to, my finger was reaching for the rapidfire position on the first quick tootle into town today.

The left shifter doesn't have a "trim", there is just 1,2,3 so takes a bit more careful setting up. It's a little heavy in operation too, not recommended for small hands.
Also the indicator window sits inboard of the clamp so takes up a fair old chunk of cockpit space







Thinking of buying the front wheel to match the rear, as this will mean in summer I can stick some 23s or similar on for a nippier ride (not keen on the wide cart-wheel rims that came as standard)


----------



## DCLane (2 Feb 2012)

Fitted s/h Fizik seat to the Carrera. It's black, rather than red (red Carrera) but I've had enough of a sitting on a rock-hard Selle saddle.


----------



## derrick (2 Feb 2012)

Cleaned and lubricated gear cables this evening, as i was riding in to work this morning the gears would not change properly, they feel nice again know, all this crap weather, roll on the spring.


----------



## edindave (3 Feb 2012)

Fitted new brake disc pads and bled the front brake on the Boardman Hybrid Pro.


----------



## Old Plodder (5 Feb 2012)

Friday, I swapped a 175mm crankset that came fitted on my GTR5 ; for the 165mm that I like to spin.
Why, oh why do manufacturers fit oversized cranks to all their bikes these days!!!!
(My other bikes did come with 170mm, which my knees don't mind)


----------



## Vikeonabike (5 Feb 2012)

Built a Viking snowman!


----------



## potsy (5 Feb 2012)

Fitted new gear cable yesterday, sooooo much better to have gears that actually work 
Fettled some air into the M Winters and gave them a quick spin to the park and back, might need them tomorra


----------



## GrumpyGregry (5 Feb 2012)

y'day.

Both wheels off the 2 speed hub geared Charge Plug
Original wheels fitted with Suomi ice spike tyres
18T Surly fixed cog fitted to flip flop rear
Crud race guards off
Original wheels back on - voila it is a fixed again
Front brake adjusted as the front rim is wider than my Halo Aerorage.
Lights fitted f & r ready for at least one commute in next week.

Grips off Boardman HT Pro
Front X9 trigger shifter removed and brake lever moved
New X0 front gripshift fitted
New grips fitted
Both wheels off
Conti Mountain King 2.4 (F) and 2.2 (R) removed
Bonty XR Mud tyres 2.0 (F) and 1.8 (R) fitted (They work quite well in the snow.)


----------



## deckertim (5 Feb 2012)

Cable tied my dishwasher cutlery draw. A Great bodge.


----------



## threebikesmcginty (6 Feb 2012)

Padlocked the shed door which I'd managed to leave unlocked for a few days...oops!


----------



## Linford (6 Feb 2012)

Swapped out some of the capacitors in the instrument cluster on one of my cars


----------



## edindave (7 Feb 2012)

Fixed a puncture; stripped, cleaned and greased a seized jockey wheel.


----------



## Pat "5mph" (7 Feb 2012)

With a little help from my friends (lbs, utube) changed my brake pads, fixed my front deral-thingmy not to grate on 7th back gear - but now it's stuck on middle front gear 
Never mind, I don't use the front gears anyway


----------



## Mark Grant (7 Feb 2012)

deckertim said:


> Cable tied my dishwasher cutlery draw. A Great bodge.


 Go REME!


----------



## deckertim (8 Feb 2012)

Mark Grant said:


> Go REME!


 
I've never lost it  Several similar bodges around the house....


----------



## GrumpyGregry (8 Feb 2012)

new stem and bars arrived today. going on tonight after the gym.


----------



## ColinJ (8 Feb 2012)

Does my gas fire count? It's one of those fake coal 'living flame' fires and the ignition wasn't working. I had a quick look inside and found sooty carbon deposits shorting out the electrode. A quick clean and all is well again.


----------



## Aperitif (8 Feb 2012)

GregCollins said:


> new stem and bars arrived today. going on tonight after the gym.


Took off my 60mm stem and replaced it with a 100mm, as the steering was pants, and uncomfortable.


----------



## loadz (8 Feb 2012)

Dismantled a tv/video/hifi/sky type wooden stand (quite a size) and managed to fit it into mine and 3 of the neighbours wheelie bins before they were emptied. RESULT!!!!


----------



## GrumpyGregry (8 Feb 2012)

Aperitif said:


> Took off my 60mm stem and replaced it with a 100mm, as the steering was pants, and uncomfortable.


Got a spare 110mm one if you want to stretch. Comfort be damned it's an mtb.


----------



## HLaB (10 Feb 2012)

Fitted a new chain then took the bike for a test ride to see if I needed to fit a new cassette, it doesn't seem like I do


----------



## Cyclopathic (10 Feb 2012)

Nothing bike related but did file and shape a 2p piece to make a plectrum. Thinking of selling it to Brian May for 5p.


----------



## edindave (10 Feb 2012)

2nd puncture in three days on hybrid rear wheel - running 28mm Marathon +.
It was in a different place, but I'm wondering if the tyre has reached that point when it should be replaced, if things are starting to work their way through the kevlar belt.
It's back on though and tube mended... till next time


----------



## HovR (10 Feb 2012)

Linford said:


> Swapped out some of the capacitors in the instrument cluster on one of my cars


 
Does one of your cars fly?


----------



## PpPete (11 Feb 2012)

Swopped a load of tyres around. 
Rubino 700x23 off child #4's "road bike" - complaining it was "too bumpy"
Armadildo 700 x 28 (originally 2nd hand from Dave Davenport) off the fixed and on to child's bike.
Nokian A10 studded jobs (courtesy of Jezston) on to fixed.... which will keep any further trace of snow away from a 50 mile radius around my house for the rest of the winter.


----------



## MattHB (11 Feb 2012)

Put on my raceblades  no more muddy arse!


----------



## DCLane (11 Feb 2012)

Fitted new Blizzard Sport tyres (in red) to the Carrera Virtuoso, with tape this time since there wasn't any. They'll be better than the worn-out patches on the existing front tyre.


----------



## Crackle (11 Feb 2012)

Swopped some tyres around on son2's mtn bike and took the summer tour racks off. Actually it was a couple of days ago and it was freezing and I couldn't feel my hands.


----------



## potsy (11 Feb 2012)

General clean and check over of the commuter, fitted new main light.


----------



## cyberknight (11 Feb 2012)

Took the boardman to the LBS to install a new brifter, while they were doing that i cleaned the house and had a turbo session : )


----------



## Cyclist33 (11 Feb 2012)

Gone clipless.

Stu


----------



## The Brewer (12 Feb 2012)

Made a beer and when the mash was on I fitted the Lidl rack to the Carrera. 
What a palava it was, thankfully I had some cable ties to kind of make it sturdy enough to use.
Also used up the last of my babywipes and cleaned the chain


----------



## derrick (12 Feb 2012)

Fitted road tyres to my old mtb, ready for monday morning comute, as long as there still up in the morning, lol


----------



## DCLane (12 Feb 2012)

Fitted the lights, bottle cages, pump holder and bag to the new Spesh Sectuer Comp from the old Ridgeback.

Oh, and found the missing (only) lock key for the lock that's kept the Carrera attached to a post for the past few days


----------



## HovR (12 Feb 2012)

Adjusted front and rear disc brakes and indexed front and rear gears on a friends MTB. He'd really let it go! The gears were way out..


----------



## mickle (12 Feb 2012)

New chain and ring on the three speed. The bike is now, finally, working the way it would have been if I'd set it properly to start with but was too slack three years ago.

Me, not the chain. Although it too has been slack for a very long time.


----------



## smokeysmoo (12 Feb 2012)

Tyres checked, chain wiped and lubed, front lights charged, rear lights checked. Back to commuting tomorrow after a weather induced one week lay off, and I have to say I can't wait


----------



## Pottsy (13 Feb 2012)

I was checking the chain tension and giving it a quick oil on my Pashley Guv'nor when I happened to look at the pedals. I realised I'd never removed them in the 2 years I'd had the bike and they looked a bit grubby and 'worn in' (I use the bike in all weathers). 

So I gave myself the mission of removing both pedals, which was actually very tough (full standing weight on a pedal spanner!), cleaning the threads on both the pedals and in the cranks, then carefully greasing and re-installing. 

Though in some ways this actually achieved nothing visible I came away with a glorious sense of well-being and of time well spent in a middle-aged fiddling in the shed to while away an hour type fashion.


----------



## DCLane (15 Feb 2012)

105 pedals and computer fitted to the Secteur Comp, along with adjusting the saddle. It now looks 'finished'

Work on the Carrera starts tomorrow ...


----------



## PpPete (15 Feb 2012)

Cold-set (aka bent) the rear triangle of OH's "spare bike" from 126mm to 130mm. This is first stage along the way of building it up as her "audax" bike.


----------



## Christopher (15 Feb 2012)

fitted bell to commuter. ding ding! Don't get much bell for £3.50 these days.

Mounted new 'cross tub onto wheel - but without any glue so I can get praticed at doing it - don't want to glue it on more than once!


----------



## Pat "5mph" (15 Feb 2012)

Washed, oiled, checked N/N+1
Got neighbour's kid to test drive N as I wasn't sure the headset was firmly in it's place ....


----------



## NormanD (15 Feb 2012)

Added a T bar space saver to the stem to add hight to the wireless computer, adjusted the light settings, added a click to each SPD pedals to tighten them up a little, general wipe down


----------



## loadz (15 Feb 2012)

Errrr...painted the garden fence!!!


----------



## Basil.B (15 Feb 2012)

Adjusted my Surly chain tensioner!


----------



## MattHB (15 Feb 2012)

Fitted new schwalbe ultremo's to replace the damaged rear, swapped the charge spoon off the commuter to the felt as I have an.. Er.. Spoon shaped arse it seems. Also realised I'd not done the headset up enough when I fitted the new stem the other day so sorted that too.


----------



## Cubist (16 Feb 2012)

Fitted a pair of SLX M666 brakes yesterday, including swapping some old bolt extenders for a bargain Shimano 180mm adapter on the front, and fitted a new SRAM PG980 cassette to the MTB. Went for a quick spin and bedded them in.....lovely brakes.


----------



## Arjimlad (16 Feb 2012)

I fitted some Wellgo double sided SPD pedals to my new Giant Defy 2, and was pleased that I needed to tighten up the clips rather than loosen them off !


----------



## billy1561 (17 Feb 2012)

Put new tyres on my roadie and changed the mudguards on the hybrids to full ones. Sick of getting a wet arse!


----------



## HovR (17 Feb 2012)

Fitted some new rear brake pads on the MTB.


----------



## gbb (19 Feb 2012)

Quick wash of my winter hack after Fridays night ride, oiled the chain and fixed a slow puncture ive been nursing for months..
The plus side..found the hubs on my front Tiagra wheel are a bit gritty, so next weekend perhaps i'll strip and adjust the pair of them.

Took the opportunity to oil the chain on my sons MTB. Chains well past its sell by date, as is the rest of the transmission in all probability (its left outside all the time, all weathers)...so nurse it till it starts playing up.


----------



## ACS (19 Feb 2012)

Commuter (Tricross Sport 09) badly needed some attention.

New chain, new cassette, replaced the jockey wheels, new SPD pedals and swopped the Bonty race light saddle for a Charge Spoon.

Brake pads tomorrow and a general lube. 

Took it for a 35 mile test ride, such a difference, I started to like the bike again.


----------



## Gary E (19 Feb 2012)

I don't like having to use a saddle bag but unfortunately it's a necessary evil so I've spent the last couple of hours trying to pack all of the emergency kit I usually carry into a small Topeak Propack instead of my usual medium one.

Managed to get it all in (after a lot of experimenting) and felt quite pleased with myself.

Then I looked down on the floor and saw my multi-tool


----------



## broomwagon (19 Feb 2012)

Fitted Specialized Avatar Comp gel saddle yesterday, (Harry Hall). Had a decent ride out to give it a try, via Marple, Macclesfield, Cat And Fiddle, Buxton and back down the A6 to home. 52 miles and the ring piece is in good nick.


----------



## smokeysmoo (19 Feb 2012)

Finally re-fitted the Conti 4000s rubber to the CAAD that I'd loaned to the commuter a few weeks ago. Gave the whole bike a thorough clean and detailing, (we're talking cotton buds in the calipers etc), polished the frame and forks and took some updated pics of her in the sunshine


----------



## kevin_cambs_uk (19 Feb 2012)

I decided to work out why my rear disc brake would squeak when not applied, and when applied would become quiet.
Completely new to disc brakes, anyway something fell out, so I decided to take the brake apart, and watch in amazement how all the brake fluid peeded out.........

Bleed kit on its way, but commuted with just the one brake for a few weeks, but we learn by doing !


----------



## david k (19 Feb 2012)

7.5m at an average of 13.4mph on my hybrid with loads of lights and bags n stuff on, im very happy with that, its about 1.5mph faster than normal


----------



## potsy (19 Feb 2012)

david k said:


> 7.5m at an average of 13.4mph on my hybrid with loads of lights and bags n stuff on, im very happy with that, its about 1.5mph faster than normal



But what have you fettled?


----------



## smokeysmoo (19 Feb 2012)

and just washed, dried, lubed and checked tyres on the commuter. Now ready for another wet week of commuting


----------



## derrick (19 Feb 2012)

Cleaned the chain and relubed it, looks like new.


----------



## david k (19 Feb 2012)

potsy said:


> But what have you fettled?


tried to pump up my tyre and broke it


----------



## Schooner (19 Feb 2012)

Made my first toad in t' hole


----------



## xpc316e (19 Feb 2012)

I collected my new Scott CR1 Comp road bike from the shop on Wednesday, but I only managed to take it for a quick ride until today when I fitted it with my favourite saddle, a Specialized Toupe Ti 143. I also removed the Pie Plate of Shame (aka Dork Disc). It rides so beautifully and I am really chuffed with it.


----------



## subaqua (19 Feb 2012)

stripped MTB commuter down last sunday and cleaned and put it alltogether. today was first chance to test ride it as have been away on holibobs al last week. so i have fettled

front disc pads which were replaced last week. they howled like a banshee on first ride. took em out and reseated them and they howl a bit and are getting quieter. they do stop me though.

was rather chuffed the indexing was almost bang on on the rear and only a small amount of front deraileur position tweaking was required.


----------



## HovR (21 Feb 2012)

Adjusted the front light on the MTB so that it hangs under the bars rather than sits on top, added rear light (the old one fell off on some rough terrain, grr!), lowered rear mudguard. 

Added emergency/backup front light to the road bike and moved the primary light more towards the center of the bars - Much more room on the tops of the bars now.


----------



## compo (22 Feb 2012)

Had a strange clicking sound whilst out for a ride earlier today. Couldn't find the cause but got home OK. After a cuppa I found that a couple of screws on my pannier rack were loose. A quick run round with a screwdriver and some thread lock and all's well. Note to self: I must lift the pannier bags now and then and just check the fastenings. While I was out the postie bought me a chain wear gauge. I tried it out and it told me my chain needed renewing. I have a new chain, still sealed in it's packaging, but it is a Bell brand chain from Asda and I just cannot bring myself to trust it! I have ordered a new KMC chain. I already have a couple of new freewheels.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (22 Feb 2012)

After reading the thread "kinda lucky" I've been to check the crank bolts on my bikes. Were they tight?... No, not very.


----------



## Gary E (22 Feb 2012)

Been slowly building up my new road bike (decided to give one a try after thoroughly enjoying myself last year on my Giant Escape Hybrid).

1. Fitted new Garmin Edge 800 and cadence sensor.
2. Polished the bike.
3. Fitted new (smaller) saddle bag.
4. Polished the bike.
5. Fitted Ergon GC2 grips (very comfy) obviously I went for a flat bar setup.
6. Polished the bike.
7. Fitted Shimano PD-M520 pedals and set shoes/cleats up (what's the worst that can happen?  )
8. Stood back and admired my handy work (oh and gave it a quick polish  )

p.s. - every time I get a new car I polish the living hell out of it too (until the novelty wears off!)


----------



## biggs682 (22 Feb 2012)

nothing today but do have a new tensioner to do 2moro pm


----------



## Slioch (22 Feb 2012)

Fitted a new rear light which cost £2.21 including postage from Hong Kong . Used a spot of superglue as the bracket was a bit loose. Seems very bright - will give it a roadtest tomorrow night.


----------



## HovR (22 Feb 2012)

Adjusted brakes and filed rough edges off my brake levers after my recent off.


----------



## compo (24 Feb 2012)

Just fitted a new chain, and whilst it was off gave the derailleur jockey wheels a good clean.


----------



## edindave (24 Feb 2012)

Lowered the stem on the hybrid. Out of boredom more than anything else.


----------



## Cyclist33 (24 Feb 2012)

"Unfettled" SPDs, a computer, a light and a bottle cage from my road bike, which I've sold.

Stu


----------



## subaqua (25 Feb 2012)

at this present moment in time , nothing . but later today the roadbike will have its first fettle and clean of the season ready for tomorrows ride out, after a winter of living under a tarpaulin


----------



## GrumpyGregry (25 Feb 2012)

just mickled the new gold wippermann chain I fitted at lunchtime yesterday.


----------



## potsy (25 Feb 2012)

Cleaned the CX, Mickled the chain and fitted an old Marathon+ to the front, to match the one I fitted to the rear on Tuesday.
Oh and finally got round to taking the pie plate off


----------



## Pennine-Paul (25 Feb 2012)

replaced four spokes on the rear wheel
Had to grind the old freewheel off and caught a few in the process 
twin fixed for me now
Why are freewheels such rubbish quality


----------



## totallyfixed (25 Feb 2012)

Pennine-Paul said:


> replaced four spokes on the rear wheel
> Had to grind the old freewheel off and caught a few in the process
> twin fixed for me now
> Why are freewheels such rubbish quality


Because they are made of cheese like my Keo cleats, just changed another pair, I know riding fixed is harder on cleats but this is ridiculous. Eyeing up Speedplay but not sure on the wear factor on those either.


----------



## loadz (25 Feb 2012)

Phenomenal day today. Got the bike and the cleaning kit out the garage about ten this morning and I've just finished now!!!  managed to change the battery on the comp' sensor 

That is all


----------



## Browser (25 Feb 2012)

Will be cleaning the chain of my work colleagues' Cube MTB with my shiny-new Muc-Off X-1 chain scrubber, should be interesting as I don't think he's ever cleaned it, and he's had the bike for about 2 years now


----------



## PpPete (25 Feb 2012)

Got my Tamiya connectors in the post today, only ordered yesterday. Been playing around with options to give permanent external power (and hence backlight) to the Garmin from the dyno-hub. Bought a Pedalpower Super-i-cable a while ago but only fitted it the other day, and decided their "piggy-back" arrangement was the height of fugliness, cue discussion with some nerds very nice people over in YACF - hence the Tamiyas. Fortunately I ordered a few spares cos I cocked up the first one.


----------



## Bluenite (25 Feb 2012)

Scrubbed carpet and painted walls, because nobody HERE told me not to use an electric toothbrush to clean a chain.


----------



## NormanD (25 Feb 2012)

Bluenite said:


> Scrubbed carpet and painted walls, because nobody HERE told me not to use an electric toothbrush to clean a chain.


----------



## edindave (25 Feb 2012)

Changed the tyres on the hybrid.

from Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28mm - 940g each
to Continental Ultra Race 23mm - 220g each

I make that a weight reduction of appx 1.4kg - cheeky wee stealth upgrade or what?!


----------



## MattHB (25 Feb 2012)

Had a revelation and realised (and measured with a plumb line to make sure) that my saddle was just over an inch too far back!! So sorted out my reach problem as a byproduct  long road test tomorrow cold virus permitting


----------



## potsy (25 Feb 2012)

edindave said:


> Changed the tyres on the hybrid.
> 
> from Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28mm - 940g each
> to Continental Ultra Race 23mm - 220g each
> ...


The 28's are only 740g Dave, positively lightweight 

I've gone the other way and swapped 350g tyres for 800g 32's M+


----------



## edindave (25 Feb 2012)

potsy said:


> The 28's are only 740g Dave, positively lightweight
> 
> I've gone the other way and swapped 350g tyres for 800g 32's M+


 
Och well, still a good kilogram saving - give or take!

I'm not expecting a huge difference in performance - but I ride nearly every day along a promenade frequented by seabirds who drop shellfish and crack the shells all over it leaving razor sharp booby traps everywhere so the Mara + might end up back on very quickly.

I've never run 23mm on the hybrid. I had 25mm Gatorskin Ultras on it before I put the Mara + back on last Autumn.
Just thought I'd try the 23mm Ultra Race which were the stock tyres on my road bike (Scott CR1, now running GP4000s).


----------



## Nebulous (26 Feb 2012)

I've begun to work on my new old bike, a Motobecane Sprint, as described in the special interest forum. I've dismantled, cleaned and regreased both hubs and the front caliper. It has a Maillard atom freewheel 14-28, 6 speed and a Shimano LX rear mech. The tyres seem ok - I pumped the tubes up and they held air, for a while anyway, though I intend changing them.


----------



## compo (26 Feb 2012)

I didn't think I was going to be fettling today, dammit. I went out this morning and did 20 odd miles on my hybrid. En route I decided to put it away for a week or so and get the road bike out of the shed. I pulled it from amongst all the other assorted bikes and put the hybrid in and locked everything up. As I pushed the road bike into the house the rear wheel was making a nasty noise. A quick check showed a broken spoke. I wish I had noticed it before repacking all the bikes. Anyway I had a buckled wheel that had the same size spokes so ten minutes with a spoke key and I was back in action. I went round all the spokes in the end and evened out the tensions as several were fairly loose. Amazingly after my ministrations the wheel is still true.


----------



## The Brewer (26 Feb 2012)

Fitted a cheap Bell bottle cage to the Cube and a seat post pannier.

Powered up the air compressor and checked all the bikes.

I keep the Cube in the shed and pondered what to chain the bike to......easy two full beer kegs 

Oh nearly forgot, also replaced the break blocks on the Carerra


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## Night Train (26 Feb 2012)

I have fettled a trailer today.
Arch mentioned she quite fancied having a trailer ages ago and today mentioned she could actually use one now.
So I took one old kiddie trailer, removed all the unnecessary kid control, restraint and management system and then fitted a cargo net to the remaining chassis. Instant trailer!







I also fettled a cycle computer to the tractor.
I needed to make a bracket to hold the sensor onto the axle and a bracket to hold the magnet onto the hub. The wire was then extended and the computer mount screwed to the temporary dashboard.









I now know that at the dizzying speed of 7mph I am being bounced out of my seat at not quite full throttle in third gear. I think on a flat smooth road I might get up to 10mph but not without a bullet proof chain guard in case the chain, which is under my right buttock, snaps!


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## gbb (26 Feb 2012)

My Xenon front mechs been in need of adjustment for ages now, it often sits between the two chainrings when changing down, but ive been a few months off the bike and i havnt made it a priority to fix.
So, chain off to let the mech do what it wants when i change, i grabbed the mech to try and swing it by hand...oh, there's the problem, its stiff. No WD40 to introduce into the pivot (a common remedy on my Sora front mech), so remove the little e clip, moving part of the mech pulls off, clean it all, oil the pivot pin, re-assemble...all working well.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Feb 2012)

Trued the rear wheel again on my knockabout bike (Hawk Trakatak). Also gave it a good clean - It's white underneath, who'd have thought.


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## HovR (28 Feb 2012)

Checked the bikes over. The MTB now has a new rear wheel and a set of bearings on the way, whilst the road bike has a new chain coming in the post.


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## derrick (28 Feb 2012)

Fixing up a freinds old mtb, new chain, brake cables, some road tyres, saddle and a good lubrication, should keep her going for a while.


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## youngoldbloke (1 Mar 2012)

Just finished taping the bars on the summer bike after replacing the original 2007 10 speed Veloce QS shifters with new shape ones. Indexing seems fine, so the PS shifters seem to be compatible with the older mech. Replaced all the cables and outers too so replaced the brake blocks while I was at it.

edit: Pumped up tyres, lubed the chain and went for a test ride - AOK, indexing spot on, such a pleasure to have a fully functioning rear shifter again. Think the QS shifters had innards made from Parmesan.


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## HovR (2 Mar 2012)

New chain for the Dawes has arrived! Fitted it earlier, and the bike is now so much quieter! Loving it!

The quick link is pretty neat too (haven't used one before).


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## Crackle (2 Mar 2012)

Yesterday it was a new set of suspension forks on Son no1's bike, today was three new sets of pedals on, 1 change of tyres and four chain lubes and cleans and two wheel tunes to remove a couple of kinks.

So as I did the first pedals I remembered that right was normal and left reverse thread. So armed with this in my head I set about the first right pedal. Hmmmm, tight this. Quick shock with the hammer on the spanner I think. Clunk, clunk, nothing. I'll have to take this off the stand and hit it a bit sharper like, thinks I........Wait a minute, it's the right pedal you wazack, you're tightening it. So, go the right way, easy. A few minutes later... This pedal won't screw on......nope........hmmmm.........oh! It's the left pedal and that's the right crank. You'd think after that I'd be on the ball but no. I did the exact same thing with the next bike.


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## gbb (2 Mar 2012)

Fettled...and failed today.
While off the bike (sprained ankle) i thought i'd tinker and play.
Now here's an important reminder to everyone....
Check your seatpost and even stuff like your downtube adjusters.
I know i had the seatpost out early last year, seemed fine. I havnt used the bike much in the last 6 months, i dont use it in the winter. Just thought i'd slip it out and re coppergrease it....stuck  Copious amounts of WD applied, i'll come back to that later.
Also, i knew one of the downtube adjusters seemed very tight recently. Same soaking in WD then a pair of grips was required to shift it (bloomin tight)....snap  leaving the 5mm thread in the boss.

Back to work tomorrow so i'll get my stud extractors back home, hoping it'll come out with that.


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## smokeysmoo (2 Mar 2012)

Flipped the stem on the commuter as I feeling too upright


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## derrick (2 Mar 2012)

Just going to fit new brake cables to a freinds bike, get it out the way tonight have the weekend for me, apart from working sat morning, taking the wife to Camden in the afternoon, it's her birthday she need another pair of boots to go with the 24 pairs she already has, so that leaves Sunday and ther telling me it's going to piss down all day.


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## HovR (2 Mar 2012)

Replaced knobblies with slicks on a friends MTB, and replaced/re-greased the front hub bearings on mine.

Just waiting for the rear wheel to arrive now before I can get it back up and running.


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## Night Train (2 Mar 2012)

Changed the rear tyre on Arch's FCR by borrowing one from her other bike. Simple enough job.
Tightened the suspension rubber on Tiddles and adjusted the saddle angle. What had been comfortable had become grossly uncomfortable and a bit 'nose up'. Hopefully it will be better now.


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## edindave (2 Mar 2012)

Unfettled the 23mm Conti Ultra Race tyres from the hybrid and put on some old 25mm Conti Gatorskins.
Mended two punctured tubes (- one from Monday, one from today).
23mm Ultra Race and cycle paths do not mix!


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## stumpy66 (3 Mar 2012)

Cleaned and lubed my spec Allez (winter), trued back wheel, so got brake blocks closer to rim, might actually stop me now. Just hubs to service, that can wait a few weeks.


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## The Brewer (3 Mar 2012)

My bike mount came for my garmin etrex, it doesn't fit, but have managed to bodge it with cable ties 

Need rear brake on the commuter so will pop out later


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## Ludwig (3 Mar 2012)

Fitted new chain onto the Rossin and adjusted the deraillier also adjusted the brakes on my Claud Butler.


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## cyberknight (3 Mar 2012)

Cleaned and lubed the fleet then used car touch up paint to tidy up the front mech clamp as it is looking worse for wear after 2 winters , its now a nice shade of black which nicely matches the frame colour .


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## GrumpyGregry (3 Mar 2012)

due to go out mtb'ing this morning. partner in crime arrived at mine with his lovely rockhopper in one hand and a pedal in the other. looking puzzled. he's never owned a bike as an adult before but is very very bright and very very very fit. (the sort of fitness that has him running 10km a day on average in a 90 day 1000km challenge)

the shop he bought the bike from a few months ago sold him on some upgraded Welgo magnesium pedals and fitted them on the basis the ones shipped were 'get you home jobs'. from the off, he said, they've been really stiff. so he had taken the drive side one off to see if he could loosen it. he failed. so he put it back on. he handed me the pedal. stiffer than a stiff thing, should never have been put on the bike. GT85 the hole in the crank with some kitchen towel. swarf. was it hard to get back in I enquire? Yep. oh dear...

put pedal in through back of crank in hope of cleaning things up a little, seemed to work, put it back on. tricky. very tricky, first three turns of thread on crank mashed to heck but got lucky, backed it off every time resistance felt and then went again. gently.

200 yards into his test ride the pedal fell off, having unscrewed itself. found an old wellgo pedal that came on my boardman in the shed. carefully fitted it. test ride. sorted. off we went 45 minutes late. had a great ride, the uophill was into a stiff breeze during a squalll and the downhill under blue skies. and i had a visitation 500m from the start.


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## GrumpyGregry (3 Mar 2012)

next up, pull the driver crank off the fast tourer, check bb cup tightness, clean and refit with torque wrench in hope of curing creak.


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## potsy (3 Mar 2012)

Tightened up the rubber holding straps of the Raceblade guard, pumped the tyres up a bit.
That is all


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## MossCommuter (3 Mar 2012)

I've been a first class dummy!

Didn't remove the bolt from the centre of the crank arm before screwing in the extractor... "_Blimey, this is tight_" thought I only half a turn before the crank-extractor sheared in two


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## gbb (3 Mar 2012)

Fitted second hand but good tyres (27 x 1.1/4...how many of us fit them anymore) to the wifes cheapo project bike...

Got them late last year at the carboot....£1 each. Result.


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## ColinJ (3 Mar 2012)

Foul weather is forecast for my forum ride tomorrow so I put my rear Crud Roadracer back on. I had to remove it while I used a 25C spare tyre until the replacement 23C arrived (because of inadequate clearance with the larger tyre).

While doing that, I noticed that I hadn't cleaned my chain after my last ride and it was not only dirty but rusty and hadh stiff links. I have a new chain but don't want to put it on just before a forum ride in case the cassette is worn and the new chain starts slipping. (I've had that happen in the past.) I've cleaned up the old chain and lubed it. I'll replace it after tomorrow's ride. (Note to self - keep the old chain until sure that the new one is okay. If new chain slips, put old one back and ride that chain and cassette until both need replacing.)


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## Gravity Aided (4 Mar 2012)

GregCollins said:


> due to go out mtb'ing this morning. partner in crime arrived at mine with his lovely rockhopper in one hand and a pedal in the other. looking puzzled. he's never owned a bike as an adult before but is very very bright and very very very fit. (the sort of fitness that has him running 10km a day on average in a 90 day 1000km challenge)
> 
> the shop he bought the bike from a few months ago sold him on some upgraded Welgo magnesium pedals and fitted them on the basis the ones shipped were 'get you home jobs'. from the off, he said, they've been really stiff. so he had taken the drive side one off to see if he could loosen it. he failed. so he put it back on. he handed me the pedal. stiffer than a stiff thing, should never have been put on the bike. GT85 the hole in the crank with some kitchen towel. swarf. was it hard to get back in I enquire? Yep. oh dear...
> 
> ...


 
The last time that happened to me, the bearings had seized up in the pedal . Should have torn down the pedal when I bought the bike , 20 years old when I got it . A friend of mine is still riding a ten year old Hardrock with the _get you home_ pedals.


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## Crackle (4 Mar 2012)

Cleaned and lubed four bikes, discovered one cheap broken seatpost, one stiff bb and a front mech not working properly, one kinked front brake cable, two worn pads after yesterdays mtn biking and decided to put a star nut in my mtn bike which has some weird old dia compe headset which keeps coming loose because you can only tighten it with prayers and joss sticks. So one bike is still on the stand as I need bits and I need to pencil in a longer slot for the other one.


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## stumpy66 (4 Mar 2012)

Andy Fleming said:


> Cleaned and lubed my spec Allez (winter), trued back wheel, so got brake blocks closer to rim, might actually stop me now. Just hubs to service, that can wait a few weeks.


Hubs done, headset next


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Mar 2012)

Gravity Aided said:


> The last time that happened to me, the bearings had seized up in the pedal . Should have torn down the pedal when I bought the bike , 20 years old when I got it . A friend of mine is still riding a ten year old Hardrock with the _get you home_ pedals.





1750488 said:


> "Get you home pedals". That is just bike shop kit snobbery.
> .
> Not that that is all bad.


He went back to the same LBS (Doh!) y'day to get a replacement chainset quote. £120 One hundred and twenty of our English pounds. WTF!?! "No sir, you'll have to 'upgrade' to a Hollowtech II chainset and bottom bracket'

Fortunately he rang me, I talked him out of it whilst googling Alivio octalink chainsets, an upgrade from the Acera fitted, for £30 - £35. At least he did use some skill to negotiate a deal on some proper shoes and a pair of SPD's but the LBS wanted to charge to fit the cleats!

That's my fettling sorted for tomorrow night. Swap the old pedals out, put new SPD's, (DX M647 since you ask) on and setting up his cleats followed by a jolly time watching him fall off in his own kitchen.


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## Pat "5mph" (4 Mar 2012)

Lots of gardening: re bedded strawberries, turned veg patch, planted potatoes, onions, carrots, started tomatoes, broad beans, borlotti beans, kolabi, cabbage, spinach ....


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## broomwagon (4 Mar 2012)

Stuck my CycleChat stickers on today


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## Gravity Aided (5 Mar 2012)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Lots of gardening: re bedded strawberries, turned veg patch, planted potatoes, onions, carrots, started tomatoes, broad beans, borlotti beans, kolabi, cabbage, spinach ....


 
Have to do that myself, soon . Still quite early for me , but carrots, onions, cabbage may start soon .


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## Pat "5mph" (5 Mar 2012)

Gravity Aided said:


> Have to do that myself, soon . Still quite early for me , but carrots, onions, cabbage may start soon .


Hey, done some more today tomatoes, courgettes, peppers today. They're in a small fleece covered greenhouse, till the seedlings come up. Need to start now or nothing will have a chance to ripe: here starts getting cold again beginning of september.


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## HovR (5 Mar 2012)

New rear wheel finally arrived! Re-greased and adjusted the new hub, as it wasn't quite right - Then transferred over cassette, rim tape and tire and tube - So now the MTB is back up and running! 

Just waiting for my new tires now to complete its transformation into a wet weather commuter.


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## steveindenmark (5 Mar 2012)

I fettled a couple of things;

My Garmin GPSmap 60 CSx arrived and I am trying to work that out.

My new Kickbike Sport G4 also arrived and I got that put together. But it is very cold and windy here at the moment and so it wont be having its trial run just yet.

Steve


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## Kiwiavenger (5 Mar 2012)

Just cleaned the bike up ready for its first service! Might swap the m520s soon though as the shoe/pedal combo has developed an annoying squeak


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## Gravity Aided (5 Mar 2012)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Hey, done some more today tomatoes, courgettes, peppers today. They're in a small fleece covered greenhouse, till the seedlings come up. Need to start now or nothing will have a chance to ripe: here starts getting cold again beginning of september.


 My last frost date is late April,but I'm usually okay until October . But I should start now , I may have had my last snow . Uncommonly mild winter here .


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## TheDoctor (5 Mar 2012)

I added a bell to my new crush-everything-in-its path Max Ogre upgrade


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## youngoldbloke (6 Mar 2012)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Hey, done some more today tomatoes, courgettes, peppers today. They're in a small fleece covered greenhouse, till the seedlings come up. Need to start now or nothing will have a chance to ripe: here starts getting cold again beginning of september.


 
Thats odd - I think I'm clicking on 'Cyclechat', but I keep getting these Gardening Club updates


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## Paul J (6 Mar 2012)

Cleaned real derailleur, chain, gears etc. Rear wheel is not round bought a spoke key but cannot seem to make any real difference to its shape 

Installed and calibrated my cheapo Raleigh computer on my Raleigh Scorpio


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## GrumpyGregry (6 Mar 2012)

best bike's back wheel; broken spoke replaced and wheel trued. rest of bike is in the office 20km away.
mtb; cleaned and lubed
fixed; front light fitted and carradice on back so I can commute in on it tomorrow with office clothes.

must rebuild the commuter/tourer's taco'd front wheel soon.


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## Pat "5mph" (6 Mar 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> Thats odd - I think I'm clicking on 'Cyclechat', but I keep getting these Gardening Club updates


 
When I deliver my organic home grown veggies *on my bike *to my friends .... _you_ will not be getting any


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## The Brewer (6 Mar 2012)

Not done anything, but thought about building something to see how far my wheels are out of true. The carreras rear wheel needs attention, but think I need to be in a patient mood to deal with the spokes


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## Gravity Aided (7 Mar 2012)

Patience is the best accessory for wheel truing .


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## potsy (7 Mar 2012)

Fettled the new tyres onto the CX commuter, Marathon Supremes, nice and wide for a bit of comfort, and almost half the weight of the M+.
Feel the bike is now 'finished', got all the commuter essentials like guards, rack, discs, etc.

Gave the chain a 'mickle' as there was a bit of surface rust after last nights/this mornings wet ride


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## qwiksilver (7 Mar 2012)

not nearly enough, some parts turned up today so i fitted the r/h sti converting the d/t shifter (i just couldn't wait) and my front derailleur also arrived but without the rest of the groupset im gonna hang on and do it all at once, i'm a googling lunatic l8ly looking for a l/h double sora 3300 so if anyone knows where to get 1 give us a shout (preferably new and i dont mind ordering from abroad).


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## smokeysmoo (7 Mar 2012)

Done a deal with my riding buddy for a pair of Token Accura brake calipers like these;



and if I do say so myself they look awesome on the CAAD. Just need to fit my new cables and she's good to go. I'll update the bike pic once I've finished fettling


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## Night Train (7 Mar 2012)

I have a foot pedal controlled router! 

The router is 110V and switching the transformer on and off bypassed the router's soft start and electric braking. I didn't really want to modify the router switch as I would like to remove it from the router table and use it hand held sometimes.

So I fettled some wood, a brake cable and a brake lever.





The pedal now works the switch as if hand held. A spring under the brake lever keeps it in the up position.
I just need to put a cover over the foot switch so it isn't accidentally activated, and fit an isolator switch to the transformer.


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## Rickshaw Phil (11 Mar 2012)

It was a glorious afternoon so I thought I'd nip out for a quick ride. The Hawk is easiest to get out so I go and grab it.

Why is the back brake binding? Damn, those two spokes weren't broken when I put it away on Thursday!

Upend bike, remove wheel, remove freewheel, remove broken spokes.

Fetch two replacement spokes from spares box, save time by leaving tyre on, thread spokes into place & do up nipples. Damn, what's that hissing? 

Remove tyre & tube. The second nipple has a sharp burr on it and has cut a neat 1/4 inch hole in the rim tape and the tube.

Patch rim tape and tube, get nipple without burr from spares box and go back to fitting spokes.

True wheel, refit freewheel, refit tyre & tube and start pumping up. Damn, what's that hissing? 

Patch hasn't taken (only the second time this has happened to me). Peel off patch and start again. Refit tube & tyre, pump up, refit wheel.

Put bike right way up. Damn, why's the tyre flat again?

Remove tyre & tube again, check patch - no leak evident. Check in bowl of water - valve has suddenly become faulty - WTF??!! 

Fetch old tube from spares box, refit tube and tyre, finally get to enjoy ride 2.5 hours later than planned.

That was my afternoon. How was yours?


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## smokeysmoo (11 Mar 2012)

Strewth RP, I was going to moan about getting one ruddy p******e 7 miles from home and having to fix it at the road side today, (well swop the tube at least), but I think I'll thank my luck stars instead after reading your post


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## HovR (11 Mar 2012)

Replaced batteries in both units of my wireless cycle computer - That should see me for another 6 months or so!


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## The Brewer (11 Mar 2012)

Fixed the bike sheds sticky door, I can now slip out in the early hours for a ride and not wake everyone in the street


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## NormanD (11 Mar 2012)

Changed stem to a shorter reach version, adjusted handlebar so it's raised a little on the hoods, changed pedals, added new water bottle holders, added a seat bag with tools, checked tyre pressures and adjusted on my friends new bike.

Completed a 12 mile test run /adjust where required and enjoyed the day, he'll be going out on an 18 miler on Wednesday


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## top-tube (11 Mar 2012)

Replaced brake and gear cables on my son's friends MTB, and gave it a good old clean: checked the rear and front shifters ran cleanly, and gave the bike a good old lube. Old cables/inners were so rusted, that back brake did not even work - and he goes to school on this every day! Thought I had better intervene having witnessed the shocking state of the bike on a visit to our house a couple of weeks ago. Now running sweetly, so a good deed done.


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## Night Train (12 Mar 2012)

I fettled a Wilkinsons cycle computer onto Tiddles this evening. It doesn't work.

The computer was all set up, the sensor and wiring discretely tucked away and the wheel spun round, nothing! The little cyclist symbol appears but no speed recorded.
I swapped the computer (it is the same type) from my tractor onto Tiddles and it works fine. The new computer on the tractor doesn't work so it is definitely faulty.

I will have to take the computer back tomorrow and swap it. I don't want to unpick the whole set up so I will need to see if they will just swap the computer out of another packet.


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## HovR (12 Mar 2012)

Tightened crank bolts on the Dawes.


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## st3v3 (15 Mar 2012)

I fitted my new exposure flare rear light.


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## DCLane (15 Mar 2012)

Got the new all-red Ultremo ZX tyre on the front wheel of the Secteur. Back _will not_ change; I'm off to the Velocampus to switch cassettes so I'll take it with me.

Started painting the frame blue on the 'Lethal Impact' bike. I need a proper name for it (used to be an Ammaco but there's not much left of that. It got the name 'Lethal Impact' because it's almost killed both the previous owner and myself due to non-turning, no brakes and jamming gears. All now fixed (hopefully). It'll have custom graphics done as well.


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## Cyclist33 (15 Mar 2012)

I put the 600mm riser bar from my new hybrid onto my mtb, and put the 580mm flatbar from the mtb onto the hybrid. And swapped the bar ends over too.

An hour well spent I think, except I forgot to put the computer back on before connecting the brake lever and shifter etc so now I can't tell how slowly I'm going!

Stu


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## Crackle (16 Mar 2012)

Yesterday and today: Inserted one star nut and cap to replace the the prayers and joss sticks method used for tightening a '97 vintage Aheadset and greased it's bearings too. Replaced two brake pads, one inner brake cable and noodle, greased front wheel bearings and then failed to get a BB apart (see thread on that one). Replaced two tyres, changed a fork lockout cable outer to match the brake cable colours, replaced a seatpost and adjusted the disc brakes.


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## sean8997 (16 Mar 2012)

Off with the mudgaurds today, while I was at it decided to treat the iron horse a bit of a clean too


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## ColinJ (16 Mar 2012)

I changed the front brake blocks on my Basso before tomorrow's forum ride, after some very dodgy front wheel braking on the previous ride 2 weeks ago!

What I _haven't_ done is to fit my new chain. I don't want to do it and then get half way up the first climb and discover that the cassette is worn and the new chain slips. I'll fit it after tomorrow and test ride it locally.

Hey DCL - are you free for the Hebden Bridge-Waddington ride tomorrow? It's one of the Saturday forum rides introduced after you and several others said that you were rarely free on Sundays.


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## HovR (17 Mar 2012)

Replaced the front brake cable on the Dawes today, putting it back on the road after I took the cable off yesterday only to find out it was knackered. Braking feels _so _much smoother now, and the lever returns back to the disengaged position much quicker than before. I hadn't realized quite how worn the cables had gotten.


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## stumpy66 (17 Mar 2012)

Last night i changed the cassette, chain and middle chainring on my allez, only to find the bb is less than smooth, so will need to order and chnage that next. Test run today to make sure its all ok, all seems good on workstand


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## snorri (17 Mar 2012)

Cleaned off what was left of the gunge after the tour last summer, also fitted new chainring and chain. New front wheel has a soft tyre, maybe I should treat it to a new tube. Then there's the gear oil to change tonight and the tourer should be ready for a test run tomorrow....if this infernal wind dies away.


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## Glow worm (17 Mar 2012)

Some very rare fettling success for me today. Normally I cock everything up spectacularly. Mrs G out all day so brought my Kalkhoff hybrid bike indoors, (where it is normally barred), for some fettling out of the rain. Managed to replace my old hub dynamo front light with a new one . I chose this one becasue it stays lit when at a standstill even without batteries. Even managed to connect it up to the rear dynamo light to power that as well - all before she got home. It seems to work as well. On a roll now after successfully replacing both gear cables recently.

I ordered the light in October for the winter commute and it arrived yesterday - better late than never! I'll go for a spin after dark to test the lights- I'm fairly sure they'll blow up within a few yards but at least they work now!


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## broomwagon (17 Mar 2012)

Fettled with my seat pin, dropping it about 18-20mm, raised my bars a touch and also the brake levers, retaped with new shiney black Deda tape and did a 20 hilly miler


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## Portex (17 Mar 2012)

Changed Continental winter tyres on Giant Rapid back to slicks - original tyres. Removed remains of Avon towpath on wheels and frame. Now it's raining!


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## DCLane (17 Mar 2012)

Fitted new Ultremo ZX tyre onto the Fulcrum 5's. 20 miles later I was repairing a puncture on the rear ... the state of the tyres after 60 miles isn't good, but that _may_ be due to Huddersfield's poor roads.

'Lethal Impact' bike got the bottom of the frame painted. Also fitted a decent front tyre to replace the old CST one it had. A few minutes later 'bang' and the old inner tube went, so replaced it with the mended one from my earlier puncture. Note: I'm attempting to re-build the bike at the lowest cost possible. Currently it stands me at £4 for new decals, given I'm using unwanted kit on it plus Gareth's donated paint. It'll then be loaned out to anyone who needs a bike ...

Cleaned up the Secteur after today's run.


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## paulw1969 (17 Mar 2012)

gave bike a good wipe down with baby wipes including the mech and rear cassette. Mickled the chain for the first time and was amazed at the crap off what is essentially a new chainnever had a road bike with slim wheels such as these so did a dummy inner tube change to see how long it would take me to fix a puncture roadside by swapping out an inner tube..used co2 for the first time.......didn't take long and was easier than i expected. Also used my new workstand for the first time (set that up yesterday) and was impressed, made the cleaning a lot easier! Also fitted my replacement front light.


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## Nebulous (17 Mar 2012)

I've decided to dismantle my bike and throw it away!
I've a mtb which is about 8 years old, and have been commuting on it for the past year. It needs a new bottom bracket, new rear wheel, new rear tyre and new headset bearings. I saw the same one on Gumtree at two years old for £85 and came to the conclusion the bits needed would cost pretty close to that. I'm also getting short of storage. So I've begun to dismantle it, with the intention of selling/keeping anything useful, throwing the frame away, and getting some practice at stripping things down. I've removed the trigger shift gears, the lights, the handlebars, the stem and then it grew too dark to see what I was doing, so I'll continue tomorrow.


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## paulw1969 (17 Mar 2012)

[QUOTE 1769930, member: 45"]New tyres, new pedals and sks bluemel guards fitted to my new bike.[/quote]
are the SKS guards any good? Thats what my LBS stock


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## Gravity Aided (18 Mar 2012)

I put some 700x32 tires on my Ross for the Spring weather, may go back to narrower tires once summer arrives .


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## compo (18 Mar 2012)

Don't know if this can be classed as fettling: Went out for my first longer ride on my new Trek hybrid this morning. I noticed the other day the front disc brake was slightly touching the pad as the wheel rotated. It was only a whisper so I assumed it would cure itself once the pads were bedded in. This morning it was getting on my nerves so I stopped and looked closely. One pad had a clearance to the disc and the other didn't. I assumed I would have to adjust the cable, a job for when I got home. A little while later I had one of those sudden flashes of common sense. I had had to take the wheel out to get the bike into the car to bring it home from the shop, so had I put it back into the frame properly? I stopped the bike, undid the QR, waggled the wheel and bounced the bike a couple of times and then relocked the QR. Result, no more noise from the disc. It can't have been out by more than the thickness of the paint but it was enough to put the disc out of true in the calliper. Now I have a nice quiet bike again.


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## MossCommuter (18 Mar 2012)

New tyres on Single Speed (also flipped hub to the fixed side).
New cassette and chain on commuter
New saddle on commuter
New rear gear cable on commuter
Swapped snow tyres off mountain bike back to normal tyres
Pumping up the mountain bike tyres I heard a pop so assumed I'd pinched the tube... spent 10 mins looking for the hole only to find that the pop was the track pump tube bursting, doh


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## Mark Grant (18 Mar 2012)

Stripped and lubricated a central locking solenoid on the car. it had become noisy recently.


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## sean8997 (18 Mar 2012)

Flipped the rear wheel on my new steed to go fixed, took it out for a spin around Chester, a very weird feeling not having the freewheel at lights, junctions etc got to engage some thinking mans peddling from now on!!!


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## potsy (18 Mar 2012)

2 bikes cleaned and checked, picked about 20 small slivers of glass out of the front tyre.
Mickled both chains, re-fitted frame bag and put the smaller panier on to the commuter.


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## sean8997 (18 Mar 2012)

Mickled chain? never heard that before today and now twice within a few minutes! what does it mean though?


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## 2Loose (18 Mar 2012)

Cranks off one bike and the bb was finger tight-oops, but it does.explain the noises! Brake calipers off the other with new cables and outers, wheel locking goodness.


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## HovR (18 Mar 2012)

sean8997 said:


> Mickled chain? never heard that before today and now twice within a few minutes! what does it mean though?


 
The Mickle Method.


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## smokeysmoo (18 Mar 2012)

I suspected the freehub was sticking on the Ribble as the chain was gathering up when you back pedal. Any hoo, stripped the rear hub and all seems fine. There are pawl mark in the freehub body but that's to be expected. Re-greased and re-built the rear hub and everything seems fine now so not sure where the issue was. The BB seems stiff though, not sure if this is a characteristic with Campag Veloce, (I'm a Shimano & BB30 man usually), so I'll see how it goes. 
I need to invest in a puller for the stoopid Campag power torque crank as I can't fettle it like I can BB30 or Hollowtech II


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## HLaB (18 Mar 2012)

Over the last few days, the lbs fitted a new BB and I've fitted new wheels (transferred the existing cassette) and new rear brake pads and last night in the search for resolving a creaking problem I took my chain ring bolts out cleaned and re-greased them finished in the early hours of today  , its quietened the creak, so that rather than every time I stand up its only every 2nd time


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## Fair Weather (18 Mar 2012)

Yesterday I put together a custom rear cassette for myself. 
The background to this is that I have an 8-speed rear, and the oem 11-32 cassette (11,13,15,17,20,23,26,32) had an awkward jump from 20t to 17t that didn't suit me. After some research, and a friendly commuter at work (who's as nerdy and anally retentive as I am) gave me a copy of a gear ratio spreadsheet he'd put together, I set to work.
After working out what ratios suited me (actually it's MUCH simpler to think of this in terms of cog teeth), I first replaced the 11-32 with an 11-28 (11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28) which suited me much better. 
Now if I had any sense, I would have stopped at this stage, and been happy.
The problem is, I have no sense but I have a spreadsheet. What the spreadsheet told me, in conjunction with knowing what gear I like to cycle in, was that I have a comfort zone. My comfort zone is ratios of between 2.5:1 and 3:1, or in teeth terms between 19 and 16 teeth. It's not all I use, but it's what I like to use. My original 11-32 gave me just one gear (17t) in my comfort zone, my new 11-28 gave me two. (17t & 19t). 
But what if I had a cassette that gave me every possible gear in my comfort zone? Now I appreciate if you have 9 or 10 cog cassettes, this is pretty easy to achieve. But on an 8-cog, it's more problematic. So I then started a hunt for the perfect rear cassette.
Anyway, without out trying your patience any more, I didn't find one, so I made one myself. I took a 13-23 (13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23) and a discontinued MTB 11-32 (11,13,15,18,21,24,28,32) and mixed and matched the cogs to give myself my perfect 8-cog cassette. (13,15,16,17,18,19,21,23). I had a nice ride out today and it performed very well. It's not perfect, Shimano HG is very clever and if you monkey about with it you lose some of the smoothness of operation, but it shifts well and is a joy (for me) to ride.
Best of all, I learned loads about my bike gears on this little project.


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## Salad Dodger (18 Mar 2012)

I had to fix a p*****re in the rear (motorised) wheel of my e-bike today. It's a horrible job because you cant completely remove the wheel, as the power cable to the hub motor is hard wired, and there is no plug to disconnect. So the whole job has to be done virtually "in situ". I decided to change the tyre for a (hopefully more puncture proof) one at the same time, so I had to ease that out too, and then fiddle a stiffer replacement tyre into place.
A bout of Tourettes thus occurred......

Oh, and to give myself a bit more room I had to take out both rear brake blocks, so once I had finally got the tube and tyre all back into place, I then had to rebuild the rear brake as well.

Anyway, it's done now and all appears to be working correctly. I guess I had better get hold of a p*****re proof tyre for the rear wheel of my wife's e-bike and do the same job on hers, so at least only one of us will have had a 3 mile walk home pushing a bike with a flat tyre!


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Mar 2012)

Adjusted the saddle and oiled the chain on my brothers bike, then replaced the window regulator assembly on his car and oiled a sticky lock. A well rounded day of fettling.


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## Bluenite (19 Mar 2012)

Cleaned my white handle bar tape ........time for a cup of tea.


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## Tricycleboy (19 Mar 2012)

Gonna get home and move my new 6700 ultegra shifters back up the bar a bit. Fitted them over the weekend and the weather was so rubbish i didn't get a test ride in. so the test was on my commute this morning.

Its a real pain to discover you've set something up not very well within 50meters of a 20km commute. Still some fettiling tonight and it'll all be gravy.

mmmmm.gravy.


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## TheDoctor (19 Mar 2012)

Taken the tyres on the Brommie back up to 100 psi, they'd slowly gone down to about 60-odd psi. The bike was noticeably nippier once I'd done this.


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## Tim Garrett (19 Mar 2012)

Took delivery of hiduminium bailie race bars. Will tape them up and install them on the Rory O'Brien at the weekend.


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## compo (20 Mar 2012)

Bloke in the shop said I couldn't fit my standard SKS full mudguards I had in the shed as the stays would foul the disc calipers and I would have to use clip on types. I have been looking at SKS RaceBlades and Zefal Shields etc. Today I thought let's have a look at the ones in the shed and see just what the problem really is. There wasn't a problem. I had to make a slight bend in the stay on the front to clear the caliper and a slightly more angled bend for the rear to clear the brake actuating arm, and that was it. The other side of the mudguards just fitted as normal. The mudguards are in perfect condition and the stainless steel stays will polish up nicely. It would be nice if I could find some stainless stay nuts and bolts that attach the stays to the mudguards. I could always drill a hole in through a 5mm screw, add a nut, jobs done.


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## Tim Garrett (20 Mar 2012)

Greased pedal bearings, fitted bell with charming ping.


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## HovR (21 Mar 2012)

Fitted new brake hoods, to replace the original perished ones, and new alloy cable stops to replace the cracked plastic originals - Thanks compo! Also fitted new brake cables. Cockpit now looks neater, and braking is more responsive.


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## HLaB (21 Mar 2012)

I've got an annoying clunk! when I put force on the pedals, its particularly loud when I stand up but can occur sitting down  The lbs fitted a new BB last week as there was play in the cranks and I fitted new wheels but the noise is still there  So tonight I stripped and cleaned and re greased the pedals, chain rings, gear hanger and rear derailleur bolt. As a separate item I also added new front pads.

Edit: It seems to have worked I took the bike out for a fast and challenging 22miler and it seems to have been a success


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## Cubist (22 Mar 2012)

Put new SLX brakes and shifters on the MTB, needed new cable inners anyway. Discovered what I thought was a conventional dual pull front mech was in fact a 2 speed, so will have to wait for the new build to put it on. Anyway, conventional top swing is fugly.


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## danger mouse (23 Mar 2012)

Thought I had fettled the rear bearing. Quite a bit of lateral play in wheel so managed to loosen ,repack with grease and retighten.

Seemed fine and lost the play. Smooth running, all seemed well

Then went out for a 25 miler and got back to find its loose again.

LBS view is that it is a 'cracked cone' (?) due to it being a freewheel hub.

Took a look at drive chain, forward cogs, rear cogs- all worn out.

Estimate £150 to sort out. On a bike I paid a ton for.


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## I like Skol (26 Mar 2012)

I have had a busy day in the sun giving the hybrid a good seeing to!

Finished tensioning the new wheels then fitted them so swapped rim tape, tyres, brake discs and cassette. New wheels are a whopping 77grams lighter. I also took the opportunity to strip and clean the cassette as it was packed solid between the smaller sprockets.
Cleaned the chainset as that was similarly gunked up between the chainrings.
Stripped and cleaned the rearmech, the jockey wheel bushes were bone dry 
Pulled out the rear gear cable inner from it's full length outer and cleaned/oiled that then reset indexing and stop screws. Gears now move perfectly.
Fitted new chain.
Cleaned and greased headset bearings.
Reset hydraulic caliper adjustment as new hubs are fractionally different (we're talking maybe less than 0.5mm here!)

While The chain was off I noticed the bottom bracket sounded a bit rough (Hollowtech II SM-BB51) so that will need attention sooner rather than later.

Most of the above only happened because I was fitting new wheels, it's amazing how a job can snowball. The main aim of the new wheels is strength and reliability so the small weight saving is a bonus. This should be an end to my wheel woes.

A few small bits of tinkering still to do but that is the biggest part of the work out of the way. That's the most attention the bike has had in 2 winters and over 3000 miles.
Still to do-

Bottom bracket
New chain is jumping slightly on old cassette so will see how it goes after 20-30 miles then consider a new cassette.
Cable routing needs tidying a bit and possibly swap sides for front and rear mech cables at the top of the down tube.


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## DCLane (26 Mar 2012)

Continued painting the Lethal Impact bike - about 2/3 done. Also fitted replacement tyres for it, so should be ready shortly ... mind you, I thought I'd have it all finished by now


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## 8mile (27 Mar 2012)

Tightened a rear rear bearing for the first time. Never reaslised how simple a job it was, wheels frighten me!


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## MossCommuter (27 Mar 2012)

8mile said:


> wheels frighten me!


Me too


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## HLaB (31 Mar 2012)

Just fitted a new gear cable to my Kinesis, it snapped the other day and I've been to lazy to fix it and have took the best/summer bike out instead. Now I've fixed the gears on the trainer I think I can guarantee this hot sunny spell is over, sorry folks


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## SX KYD (31 Mar 2012)

Fitted new drive belt to neighbours ride-on, then, whilst waiting for battery to charge, cut a new (larger) thread in deraileur hanger as it had stripped. Worked a treat, followed by 25 miler.
Back to ride-on....battery charged, still didn't start, poured some petrol straight into carb...vroom !


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## DCLane (31 Mar 2012)

On the Carrera fitted a shorter 70mm stem, so hopefully I can reach the hoods properly. Also cleaned the bar tape using kitchen spray cleaner.

The 'Lethal Impact' bike's now all-blue. Just a final coat on the back and re-assembly can start.


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## ColinJ (31 Mar 2012)

I fixed punctures in two spare tubes and used those tubes with new tyres on the new wheels for my Cannondale.

I found the various bits for my 10-speed cassette which were scattered about my junk box, cleaned them all and worked out which spacers to use where, then installed the cassette on my new wheel.

Put both wheels on the bike. 

Took the chain off and cleaned it thoroughly ready for wax lubing (I'm trying Wurth wax lube).

Cleaned jockey wheels and greased them.

Cleaned frame and forks.

Reinstalled chain and wax-lubed it.

Changed front brake blocks and adjusted the brakes.

Pinched pedals off my Basso (I'm one pair short).

Pinched nice titanium seat post and my comfy saddle off the Basso.

Pinched front light and GPS brackets off the Basso.


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## dave r (31 Mar 2012)

Back to work this week after my illness and back commuting, so back to normal routine, the once a week check and adjust on the fixed, check tyres for debris and pressures, check and if necessary adjust the chain tension and check anything else that seemed to need checking, this week it was the front brake that had lost its bite, cleaned the rim and adjusted the brake, whilst I was doing that noticed that there was play in the front wheel bearings, cartridge bearings, so it looks like I'll have to get the LBS to replace the bearings, washed the bike down and put it away.
Got out the geared bike for the ride tomorrow and spent a little time adjusting the front changer, the bike was in the shed over winter, I got it out last weekend for a couple of rides and noticed it wanted some adjustment.


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## Mr Haematocrit (1 Apr 2012)

Changed the setting on my Q-Rotor chain ring


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## subaqua (1 Apr 2012)

took chainset and crankarm off the botttom bracket and tweaked the BB . don't do what i did when reassembling and put the crank arm on the same position as the chainset crank arm . makes it a bit dificult to pedal. In my defence i had to do the tweaking while a hyperactive 4 yr old was screaming round me.


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## Pat "5mph" (1 Apr 2012)

Fitted schwalbe city jets: that was a job and a half! - with my limited know how 
Went round the block a few times: smooth, too smooth, scary ....


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## MontyVeda (1 Apr 2012)

blinged up the cable sleeves and replaced gear cables.

This was achieved using:

1.5m of silver braid cable sleeve
0.5m of orange cable sleeve
cable snips
allen key
grease
pliers
nipples

oo-er!

what do they call them tiny rubber doughnuts that gone on the exposed cable?


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## Svendo (1 Apr 2012)

Fixed dodgy rear shifting by replacing cable and chainstay section of outer. I think they must have got kinked when I removed the outer and coiled up the inner to convert to single speed following crash a few weeks ago.

I also properly buggered up the old cable refitting it through the lever to the handlebar section of outer, so had to put a new one in. Threading the inner from the white lever guide bit into the outer's ferrule is a MARE of a job, especially if the inner is already cut and trying to unwind itself.

Fortunately (?) I'd only fixed the shifting by replacing cable and outers a few weeks ago, and had spare outer and inners available.


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## derrick (1 Apr 2012)

Put a new cassette on the other halfs bike, gone up to a 27 tooth from 25, should help her a bit on the hills.


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## smokeysmoo (1 Apr 2012)

Fitted Charge Spoon saddle to the commuter. First run on it tomorrow, hope it lives up to it's constant high praise.


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## dave r (1 Apr 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> Fitted Charge Spoon saddle to the commuter. First run on it tomorrow, hope it lives up to it's constant high praise.


 
I've got one on my fixed, very comfortable, just found it a bit of a sod to get set up right.


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## Thomk (1 Apr 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> Fitted Charge Spoon saddle to the commuter. First run on it tomorrow, hope it lives up to it's constant high praise.


 Got one on my Charge Mixer and done over 1500 miles on it and my bottom is still smiling


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## gaz (1 Apr 2012)

Fitted new rubber on the front and rear wheels of the commuter.


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## MontyVeda (1 Apr 2012)

fixed a gaping hole in tummy with king prawn and chicken curry with rice... off to fettle a clear head with rioja.


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## gbb (2 Apr 2012)

Fitted my computer to the new Ribble.
Standard computer, oversize bars...bah...made a long screw out of some 3mm studding, two nuts locked together at one end then allowed me to screw the thing together, albeit with a large gap between each end. But it works...which is more than i was doing at work fettling the bike.


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## Cubist (2 Apr 2012)

Today I have fitted a Charge Knife to a new seatpost for my new MTB, fitted the crown race to my new Fox 140 forks (tapered steerer) and I'm off into the garage now to tidy up the workbench and set about fitting the BB and Crankset.


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## ianrauk (2 Apr 2012)

Not today, but on Saturday I upgraded my Roubaix 105 to Ultegra 6700. (Under bartape cables)
Spent most of the morning doing it but it all went well. Took it on a 60+ mile trip to Brighton yesterday and it all worked flawlessly, which suprised me


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## Cubist (2 Apr 2012)

Finished fitting the crankset, then realised I'll have to take the cranks out again to get to the direct mount screws when the front mech arrives. Oh well, at least I know what they look like on the bike now. O, and the garage is tidier than it was, and I've managed to round up most of my allen keys


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## Night Train (4 Apr 2012)

Tiddles, my Brompton, was making a scraping and dragging noise from his back wheel. I finally got around to having a look today. The mudguard was rubbing at the front end, solved with a bit of bending of the bracket, and the brakes were not centering so one side was rubbing. slight adjustment one way, then the other way then back again then a nudge back then start again, then nudge it one way, then the other, then pingfuggit as the spring slipped out sending the plastic bushes flying, then start again. Nudge it one way then the other way then back again then nudge it over then tighten and sorted!

I then lubed the seat post tube and put a hose clip on the suspension rubber to stiffen it up a bit. I think I will need to get a stiffer rubber eventually.


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## Andy_R (4 Apr 2012)

I finally got round to replacing my nasty rusty stem bolts with some shiney new Ti ones. Next job new BB.


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## lukesdad (4 Apr 2012)

Quite a lot and bored already, time on your hands is not all its cracked up to be. Oh well back to icing the knee


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## e-rider (4 Apr 2012)

fitted the tightest Michelin Pro 3 tyre ever - first time in 25 years that I've pinched a tube whilst fitting a tyre - it was tighter than a .........................!

all done now though - I tried the cheaper Michelin Lithion 2s but am going back to pro 3s - worth the extra £10


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## Blurb (4 Apr 2012)

Finally got round to truing front wheel and adjusted canti brakes on MTBSO(1). Cleaned/lubed MTBSO(2). Changed broken pedal on Brommie and lubed chain. Happy days


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## DCLane (4 Apr 2012)

Finished painting the 'Lethal Impact' bike - now just to put all of the pieces back together. Including one which I'm not sure where it fell out of  whilst the frame was upside down


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## ianrauk (4 Apr 2012)

just replaced the 105 brakes on the Roubaix with Ultegra. The Roubaix is now fully Ultegra'd up..All ready for the FNRttC tomorrow


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## potsy (4 Apr 2012)

DCLane said:


> Finished painting the 'Lethal Impact' bike - now just to put all of the pieces back together. Including one which I'm not sure where it fell out of  whilst the frame was upside down


Oh no,that's the most crucial piece of the lot


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## DCLane (4 Apr 2012)

potsy said:


> Oh no,that's the most crucial piece of the lot


 
Thanks - it's from either the headset or the seatpost. Looks a bit like a slice of celery; knobbly around it, with flat one end and sloped the other. It's an old Ammaco frame, with Suntour gears/brakes. Termed 'Lethal Impact' because it didn't steer, change gear or stop without jamming and falling over.

Given that the bikes from 1985/6 and is on it's 2+ restoration, I'm hopeful it's not important. Overall it's in decent nick apart from a rusted and scratched frame.

The Suntour stuff all seems to work properly now; it's a 3x7 system, although the brakes are ... interesting. The saddle was shot so it's getting a Boardman saddle from their carbon road bike setup. Everything has been donated from elsewhere so it currently owes me a few quid for the new decals only and the saddle's a spare from the winter bike.


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## Jenkins (4 Apr 2012)

Monday - put a new chain on the Boardman Hybrid, connected it all up, looped it onto the chain ring ... and realised I'd forgotten to take out some links to shorten it. New Shimano chain with no connecting link so had to retrieve the old connecting link from the bin and did the necessary.

Next: moved on to the Boardman Road bike to replace the chain and cassette. Carefully compared the lengths and removed the appropriate number of links from the chain, fitted and connected only to notice that I'd set it up over the guide by the upper jockey wheel instead of under. Newly fitted KMC quick links don't come apart easily do they? It was easier to break the chain, re-thread it correctly and fit the connecting link from the old chain.

At least the cassette fitting went without problems.


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## edindave (4 Apr 2012)

Replaced the saddle on Boardman Hybrid Pro, the old one had cracked (61kg too much for it lol) - thanks to l4dva who sold it to me.

Also fitted SKS RaceBlades front and rear mudguards. My rear SKS Chromoplastic had snapped in two!


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## youngoldbloke (4 Apr 2012)

DCLane said:


> Thanks - it's from either the headset or the seatpost. *Looks a bit like a slice of celery; knobbly around it, with flat one end and sloped the other.* It's an old Ammaco frame, with Suntour gears/brakes. Termed 'Lethal Impact' because it didn't steer, change gear or stop without jamming and falling over.


Sounds like the wedge expander nut from a quill stem bolt. Has it got a threaded hole in the centre? It pulls tight up against a matching slope on the bottom of the quill stem in the head tube thus wedging the whole assembly tight.


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## 400bhp (4 Apr 2012)

fannied about with sks chromoplastics and disc brakes - they don't mix. Botch job ensued.


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## DCLane (4 Apr 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> Sounds like the wedge expander nut from a quill stem bolt. Has it got a threaded hole in the centre? It pulls tight up against a matching slope on the bottom of the quill stem in the head tube thus wedging the whole assembly tight.


 
Thanks - yes, it's got a threaded hole. Now I've just got to get it back in!


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## ColinJ (4 Apr 2012)

ColinJ said:


> I fixed punctures in two spare tubes and used those tubes with new tyres on the new wheels for my Cannondale.
> 
> [... the rest]


I'd just like to report that the newly-fettled Cannondale was great to ride in the sunshine on Sunday's 103 miler! 







That's a 58 cm frame. I've made it fit by having quite a lot of seatpost exposed and flipping the stem. I reckon that I could have gone for a 60 cm frame with the saddle nearer the top tube and an unflipped shorter stem which might have looked better.


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## I like Skol (5 Apr 2012)

ColinJ said:


> That's a 58 cm frame. I've made it fit by having quite a lot of seatpost exposed and flipping the stem. I reckon that I could have gone for a 60 cm frame with the saddle nearer the top tube and an unflipped shorter stem which might have looked better.


 
But would it be any faster?!?!?!?!


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## youngoldbloke (5 Apr 2012)

DCLane said:


> Thanks - yes, it's got a threaded hole. Now I've just got to get it back in!


Don't worry about that until you put the stem back in when it should be attached to the the bolt.


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## ColinJ (5 Apr 2012)

I like Skol said:


> But would it be any faster?!?!?!?!


_"It's not about the bike!"_


So, er, no ...  (But it would look better with a horizontal stem!)


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## TheSandwichMonster (5 Apr 2012)

New chain, new cables. new brake blocks, new bar tape... Just a shame I can't get new legs!


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## HLaB (5 Apr 2012)

I've just wiped the rims, then the frame, oiled the chain an pumped up the tyres but I don't know if that counts as fettling


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## edindave (5 Apr 2012)

HLaB said:


> I've just wiped the rims, then the frame, oiled the chain an pumped up the tyres but I don't know if that counts as fettling


 
Fettling requires the use of tools. So it doesn't count 

(OK I just made that up.)

Anyway I'm loving how silent my new SKS Raceblades are compared to the old SKS Chromoplastics.


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## DCLane (5 Apr 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> Don't worry about that until you put the stem back in when it should be attached to the the bolt.


 
Thanks - stem correctly back in. As is the saddle plus front/rear brakes. Just got the chain/front & rear derailleurs to sort plus a couple of other bits and it should be ready to roll.


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## paulw1969 (6 Apr 2012)

spent quite a bit of time today fitting SKS Blumel mudgards....these take quite a bit of adjustment to look right..quite impressed with the fittings on these although to be honest haven't used any others......but they look ok now! Also washed and lubed the rest of the bike.


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## DCLane (6 Apr 2012)

Nothing on the 'Lethal Impact' bike today because ...

Secteur; re-fitted normal road wheels with inner tube change on 1
Python; changed inner tube properly after puncture on today's ride, changed light fittings
Youngests Hood Guru; fitted light, set up rear derailleur


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## Svendo (7 Apr 2012)

Yesterday I discovered the the right hand 7900 shifter had lost it's 'name plate b' outboard fixing screw. That's the screw that holds one side of the metal bit underneath the metal bit with 'Dura Ace written on it. Couldn't find the size online, but noticed it resembl;es the smaller pitched threads of computer screws. As I have a big bag of varied computer screws I sorted through and found one with a small enough head to fit, Horray! that's one rattle fixed for no money!

Buggered if I know what happened to the original screw, although it started rattling after my last crash.


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## edindave (7 Apr 2012)

Replaced chain on Scott CR1 Team, was at .75 when I checked it after last Sunday's ride.
Just got a like for like replacement, Shimano 105 chain. Previous one lasted April to April, so almost 12 months use.


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## Pennine-Paul (7 Apr 2012)

Changed my bullhorns for some downhill bars
on the fixed,I'll have to live with the decidedly non aero
position,my poor backs twinging on the bullhorns


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## PpPete (7 Apr 2012)

Swopped the quill stem on wife's audax bike for a slightly shorter one, because she was feeling too stretched out on yesterday's 200 DIY. Swopping out quill stems is such such a long winded job compared with modern aheadset stylee stems - but a converter and modern stem just would not look right on that bike. Still it's done now and so she's ready for her first 300km next weekend (while I put the "donor" bike back together).


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## broomwagon (7 Apr 2012)

Fitted two new alu bottle cages. The plastic ones I put on recently both snapped!


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## biggs682 (7 Apr 2012)

some new brake cables on Giant peleton i have just aquired along with replacing brake levers and tidying up bar tape


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## 2Loose (7 Apr 2012)

New bar tape on the roadie after balls-ing up the last lot. Not a bad job if I say so my self. 

I guess practice makes perfect!


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## threebikesmcginty (8 Apr 2012)

Pre-ride mickle on the chain.


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## Primal Scream (8 Apr 2012)

Finished instaling the garden security lights and a rack on my old mtb.


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## srw (8 Apr 2012)

Over the last couple of days the new tandem has been disassembled, packed into its flight case and reassembled. After doing that, derailleurs almost begin to make sense rather than just being a bit of magic.


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## biggs682 (8 Apr 2012)

biggs682 said:


> some new brake cables on Giant peleton i have just aquired along with replacing brake levers and tidying up bar tape


 
finished off the Giant today by adjusting rear mech so all gears select and even cleaned it as well , then a quick 1.5 mile ride


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## gbb (9 Apr 2012)

I'm doing something wrong 
The saddle on my sons hack commuter (he'd NEVER call it that, it's just a bike ) used to soak up water so i changed it last week. Now it keeps coming loose so i've not got the clamp nut set right.
So i'm out in the garden, 6.30 am, bare feet, its drizzling and i'm re-tighteneing the saddle ..again.
Perhaps tonight i'll get it all in the kitchen and do it properly. Its not rocket science 

Fettling done, back indoors to a nice early morning cuppa .

Oh, and no...its no good expecting my son to tighten his own saddle..not even at 27  . He'd have probably allowed it to fall off then ride the bike without.


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## threebikesmcginty (9 Apr 2012)

Primal Scream said:


> Finished instaling the garden security lights and a rack on my old mtb.



Garden security lights on a MTB?


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Apr 2012)

swapped the old veloce block brake calipers on the black bike for the new veloce cartridge brake calipers.

discover the shed roof is leaking and, on inspection, needs refelting. Who does mail order shed roof felt?

cleaned the fixed, post FNRttC, with baby wipes and gave the chain a thorough mickle ready for the commute this week.


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## Muddyfox (9 Apr 2012)

As its been lashing down with rain all day and i could'nt (read would'nt) get out for a ride i spent the morning in the garage taking all my stuff off the tourer and getting it back to being standard ... ready to sell 

it does'nt look like my bike anymore 

Simon


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## potsy (9 Apr 2012)

Charged all the lights up ready for my return to commuting following a week off.
That is all


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## Gary E (9 Apr 2012)

After 2 weeks out of the saddle (torn ligaments in shoulder courtesy of a left hook) I now have the shiniest bikes in the world.

With another 4 weeks to go before I can ride again (god I hope it's sooner) there's every chance I'll be down to bare metal before too much longer


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## NormanD (9 Apr 2012)

Stripped out the old (I should really say new) BB30 bearings off the bike, stripped down the new BB30 bearing and re-greased with ceramic grease (to be sure) now ready to be fitted into the bike.
removed, De-greased and cleaned the chain ready for fitting tomorrow.


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## PaulSecteur (9 Apr 2012)

Fitted Michelin pro4 Service Course... Weather looks like there will be no time to try them out before next Sundays "motion in mercia".


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## dave r (10 Apr 2012)

My fixed has had a new chain, cog and chainring tonight, the job was meant to be done over Easter but we weren't in when the postman called, it also had a new tyre fitted over Easter, new tyre on front, old front tyre on the back and the back tyre ditched, I picked up a cut on the back tyre last summer and during the miles since the tyre appeared to start breaking up internally where the cut was, the tyre went very lumpy around the cut.
The MRS is disgusted with me at the moment, two jobs done on one of my bikes and no contributions to her swearbox.


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## Kiwiavenger (10 Apr 2012)

Managed to strip down rear derailieur on the FIL's old mtb and strip down and grease the shifters. Managed to get 2 of the 21 gears working and left the cables to soak in the gt85 for a bit.

Cleaned the allez off and fitted the cheapy saddlebags from aldi/lidl fits nicely but blocks the cyclechat sticker so may have to take the sticker off and move it. Might take 1 of the 4 rear lights off to get the sticker on.

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2


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## billy1561 (11 Apr 2012)

Swopped the pads over on the hybrid for new ones, oiled the chain on the commuter.


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## Monsieur Remings (12 Apr 2012)

The difference a spacer makes???

Shocked, truly I am. This evening I swapped over my carbon wheels and put on my Ksyriums for a bout of hardcore hill climbing, coming my way some more in the next few months. I opted in the end for a separate cassette for each set of wheels and due to 500 or so miles on the other chain I opted to buy a new chain for the new cassette too. My rationale being that it will all get used in the end.

Anyway, swapped everything over and jaysus the rear mech wasn't having it, skipping all over the place as if the chain was too long but I'd already cut it down to the correct size. What else could it be? The jockey wheel was clicking up and down and the chain felt as if there was some sort of obstruction, but the KMC links were on a-okay, so what the hell? 

But there was one clue. Never before had I shifted to top gear and had the chain come off the outside of the cassette...? Decided to take the cassette off and remembered that when I'd taken off the old SRAM cassette there was an extra spacer that wasn't with the new cassette, but that must have been on the old one. Could this be the problemo? I searched frantically for it, found it and sorted it. Seem's fine now, but what a pavlova over a few mms.

I feel quite smug but I still hate quick links.


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## MattHB (12 Apr 2012)

Cleaned and polished ready for wiggle sportive on saturday. Adjusted front mech as it was rubbing when on small chainring and top of the cassette. I swear the LBS I bought it from have no idea how to set up gears.


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## youngoldbloke (13 Apr 2012)

Monsieur Remings said:


> The difference a spacer makes???
> 
> 
> But there was one clue. Never before had I shifted to top gear and had the chain come off the outside of the cassette...? Decided to take the cassette off and remembered that when I'd taken off the old SRAM cassette there was an extra spacer that wasn't with the new cassette, but that must have been on the old one. Could this be the problemo? I searched frantically for it, found it and sorted it. Seem's fine now, but what a pavlova over a few mms.
> ...


 
All that - and still time for pudding? Delia
What a palaver!


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## D7JAB (13 Apr 2012)

Installed Crud mk2 mud guards
Opening / empy box...cuppa
Reading very vague fitting instructions....cuppa
Chase dog with a bag of fittings in its mouth...
Watched fitting instructions video online...cuppa
Chase dog with another bag of fittings in its mouth, find fittings scattered over floor from ripped bag...cuppa
Fit guards
Stop dog nibbling rear guard
Cuppa.


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## Monsieur Remings (13 Apr 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> All that - and still time for pudding? Delia
> What a palaver!


 
It's Pavlova youngold.... Everyone knows that.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Apr 2012)

Cleaned the Raleigh following the wet ride the other day and Mickled the chain. Oooh shiny!


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## sean8997 (13 Apr 2012)

Fitted some Avid Shorty Ultimates onto my cross bike along with new inner cables, stopping power is so much better than my old canti's


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## gbb (13 Apr 2012)

5 speed freewheel taken off an old but good wheel to be given to a work colleague who's rear wheel is kaput, then freewheel refitted because he effectively uses the bike as a SS...no point in putting his 6 or 7 speed freewheel on.
Further dismantling of the new Ribble, application of antisieze to various screws/adjusters, then re-assemble.


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## MattHB (15 Apr 2012)

cleaned and polished the Felt after yesterdays wet sportive.

Also dremeled the damn stupid elite bottle cages so that stupid trianglular shaped tab (that holds the bottle in, but also makes it twists either left or right) is now bottle shaped. Glued a small piece of rubber to it to prevent slippage. Much better so hopefully I wont have to buy new cages as it was driving me nutso!


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## Graham1426 (16 Apr 2012)

Fitted 105 brake calipers.


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## srw (16 Apr 2012)

Graham1426 said:


> Fitted 105 brake calipers.


 Really? My bike only needs 2.

_IGMC_


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## youngoldbloke (16 Apr 2012)

Freewheeling fast downhill yesterday began to hear the 'Mavic Scream' from my Aksium freehub. Today removed cassette , cleaned everything and fed thin mineral oil into the freehub with a syringe (been here before!) Used the opportunity to clean the cassette, rear mech. Now all back together ready for test ride this afternoon.


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## Graham1426 (16 Apr 2012)

srw said:


> Really? My bike only needs 2.
> 
> _IGMC_



Lol like it.


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## mr Mag00 (16 Apr 2012)

dropped the nose, dropped and moved back about 5mms my road saddle


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## potsy (16 Apr 2012)

Cleaned and fettled the commuter after it was left in a shocking state after last weeks muddy rides home.
Re-arranged the light set up on the Secteur so I can use the front bar bag and still have a usable light 
Replaced the broken bracket on the Secteur which cost me a Smart Lunar R2 after it snapped and the light bounced down the road at 30mph and ended up a lots of bits


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## TonyEnjoyD (16 Apr 2012)

Fitted Cross-Top levers on my roadie for the wife!
Go on, time to ridicule me...


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## Brandane (17 Apr 2012)

Replaced bar tape on the Tricross. Used Sram cork tape from Chain Reaction which arrived in the usual oversize box (luckily I was at home when Postie called). Bike now looks tidier and bars feel thicker and more comfortable. Not much difference between the Sram tape and the Specialized, but Sram is about £3 cheaper. Remains to be seen how long lasting it is though.


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## HLaB (21 Apr 2012)

I've gave into the weather gods and refitted the mud guards


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## potsy (21 Apr 2012)

HLaB said:


> I've gave into the weather gods and refitted the mud guards


I'll be doing the same tomorrow


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## youngoldbloke (21 Apr 2012)

Fitted Crud RR Mk2 rear guard middle and tail pieces to replace superglued and taped repaired originals on winter bike. (Previously confirmed there was NO WAY they would fit my Ribble - butchered or otherwise!). Bought a complete set to provide spares, as more cost effective. Adjusted headset on winter bike as it was getting a bit 'notchy' - just overtight, not worn, fortunately.


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## defy-one (22 Apr 2012)

Replaced off road Kendas with City jets. Put some front/rear cheapo led lights on. Fitted a cheap trip computer and tested. 
Thought to myself " go for a ride" ......... Then it rained :-(((


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## Cubist (22 Apr 2012)

Today I fitted some tubeless tyres to my new Stans Arch EX wheelset, took the rotors and 10 spd cassette off my XC wheels and fitted them to the Arch wheels, converted the front wheel to 9mm bolt-through, and fitted both wheels to the Canyon. I then put the 9 speed cassette back on the XC wheelset, plus a pair of 160mm rotors and fitted the wheels back on the Cube. I then fitted a new Deore brakeset to the Cube and got them up and running, cleaned the Cube to within an inch of its life and refitted the grips and matched up the cockpit. Test rode the Canyon with its 2.4 tubeless tyres for about five minutes before Mrs C told me to get ready as we were going out......


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## threebikesmcginty (22 Apr 2012)

The Loafer very kindly gave me his spare Brooks spanner as I'd lost mine so I tweaked my B15!


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## User169 (22 Apr 2012)

threebikesmcginty said:


> The Loafer very kindly gave me his spare Brooks spanner as I'd lost mine so I tweaked my B15!



And how many beer bottles did you fettle with it?!


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## threebikesmcginty (22 Apr 2012)

Delftse Post said:


> And how many beer bottles did you fettle with it?!



That was a scientific experiment to test the suitability of a Brooks spanner as an opener and in answer to your question, one. A standard bottle opener was also used as a control and this was tested on two occasions. The contents of the bottles were disposed of in a controlled manner. The Brooks spanner works but isn't very effective, further research may be required.


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## srw (22 Apr 2012)

I've adjusted the front mechs of both tandem and Van Nicholas. I even think I understood what I was doing.


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## Cubist (22 Apr 2012)

Bled Cubester's rear Hope Tech M4 brake, bled my rear Deore M595 brake, fitted the seal upside down and watched mineral oil flood over the shifters. Cubester has offered to service friend's Dad's ridgeback MTB. I have decided being a bike snob is a good thing, 'cos that's horrible.........needs new chain, cassette, brake pads, cables, but worst of all has v-brake levers and shifters combined so looks a bastard to re-cable. Wheels will need bearings doing as well.


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## Cubist (22 Apr 2012)

Heavens opened this afternoon so the planned foray was abandoned. Cubester reported that his from mech was stiff so he's learned to fit new cable inner and outer, and he then checked the chain and found that was 0.75% so he's fitted himself a new chain as well. I'm always amazed at how clumsy kids are with tools and fiddly processes. (the SRAM powerlink had him beat for about ten minutes) Mrc C says all kids are like that, and I'm very precise, so am comparing him unfavourably. That's me told then!


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## Arjimlad (22 Apr 2012)

Finally gave my Defy 2 a good baby-wipe clean after a muddy ride on Weds evening, and fitted the Giant specific mudguards. It doesn't look too bad... but a 10mm spanner will be in my carry bag tomorrow in case they need further fettling...


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## HovR (24 Apr 2012)

Replaced mech hanger on a friends Carrera Vengeance today. Walked into Halfords, and was asked if I needed a hand. Told them I was looking for a Carrera Vengeance mech hanger, and they retrieved the correct product within seconds. Great service!

Refitted chain with a quick link to save the faff of re-linking the chain.


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## Pennine-Paul (26 Apr 2012)

Fitted my new(well new to me) Campag front brake won on ebay,
I'll not be using that seller again mind,
Won and paid for on the 4th April turned up this Tuesday
wrapped in 3 asda bags  and as I predicted in another thread the Shimano shoes
off my old caliper fit and work fine.


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## Edwards80 (27 Apr 2012)

I knew the front brake pads were due for replacement after the Jodrell bank ride last weekend. I ordered some but they hadn't arrived yesterday and I don't think metal on metal braking surfaces would be much good :S

... so I nicked the pads/shoes off my Mrs's rather more expensive road bike. Blimey, Don't want to give them back now! I also learnt what the little screw on top of the calliper was for after thinking the whole setup was wonky. Always best to learn this stuff 20mins before you have to leave for work


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## ColinJ (27 Apr 2012)

I have now fitted the new cassette to my Basso that I should have fitted a couple of weeks ago when replacing a severely worn chain. I knew that there was a possibility of the new chain and old cassette not working together properly, but I thought I would get away with it ... I didn't!


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## Hacienda71 (27 Apr 2012)

Removed the Crud roadracers from the carbon bike as they rub just enough to really annoy me despite lots of fettling. Wet arse or raceblades for me on that bike in the future.


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## Christopher (27 Apr 2012)

Took fixed to bits and put most of the drivetrain for the 'crosser. Removed rear cartridge bearing with a hammer and measured it. Seems a standard 6000 size (as srw said it would be!) but can't get one cone off, so might take it down to the folks' and grind flats into the axle with Dad's bench grinder. So butch I may have to wear a plaid shirt while doing so...


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## HLaB (27 Apr 2012)

HovR said:


> Replaced mech hanger on a friends Carrera Vengeance today. Walked into Halfords, and was asked if I needed a hand. Told them I was looking for a Carrera Vengeance mech hanger, and they retrieved the correct product within seconds. Great service!
> 
> Refitted chain with a quick link to save the faff of re-linking the chain.


That reminds me, I have to put a new mech hanger on the kinesis but I had to order mine into a lbs 
And seeing as my bike won't be used for a while :-( I think I'll take the mudguards off and enjoy one last ride in the dry!


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## HovR (27 Apr 2012)

HLaB said:


> That reminds me, I have to put a new mech hanger on the kinesis but I had to order mine into a lbs
> And seeing as my bike won't be used for a while :-( I think I'll take the mudguards off and enjoy one last ride in the dry!


 
Where's this mythical "dry" you speak of? Just had solid rain here for the past few days. 

Back on topic, today I put together a saddle lock out of some lightweight chain, a generic padlock, and heat shrink to cover the chain.


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## deptfordmarmoset (27 Apr 2012)

I reset the saddle on my new tourer - it has a distinct tendency to readjust itself to a stargazy pie angle mid-ride. If it does it one more time I'm going to burn it.

Meanwhile, on t'other bike, regreased my rear wheel hub (must buy a couple of decent cone spanners) and tweaked my front dérailleur. Oh, and I took another link out of my chain because it was still a bit long.

And at a bike recycling event at a local primary school this afternoon, I spent rather more time than I would have wished putting saddles up and down for differently sized kids. Still, the school made £150 to spend on cycling, a few kids got newly-serviced 2nd hand bikes at knock down prices, and the sun came out. Here's a sobering thought - a parent told me that he'd bought a bike for £90 a year ago and his son had already outgrown it - we resold it for £15 so at least it's got a new lease of life - but 1 year really isn't a long usable lifetime for a bike.


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## potsy (27 Apr 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> Removed the Crud roadracers from the carbon bike as they rub just enough to really annoy me despite lots of fettling. Wet arse or raceblades for me on that bike in the future.


Has anybody tried the 'long' version of the Raceblades?
Don't know if it's the same issue as cruds with lack of clearance/rubbing etc, but look interesting.


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## biggs682 (27 Apr 2012)

have spent a couple of hours over the last 2 nights pulling apart and refitting along with cleaning , my latest purchase a Raleigh Granada , its coming along nicely another couple of hours and it will be ready for commuting duties .


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## HLaB (27 Apr 2012)

HovR said:


> Where's this mythical "dry" you speak of? Just had solid rain here for the past few days.
> 
> Back on topic, today I put together a saddle lock out of some lightweight chain, a generic padlock, and heat shrink to cover the chain.


We're getting it for a change tomorrow, then its back to the usual stuff  So I spent an hour and a half taking the mudguards off and fitting a new hanger and decided feic it, I'm getting the good bike out.


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## fossyant (27 Apr 2012)

New pads fitted last night. Rear brake cable cleaned and refitted. Got home tonight, got showered, went to put bike away, back tyre flat. I'll do that tomorrow.


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## potsy (27 Apr 2012)

I have new disc brake pads to fit tomorow, as well as 2 bikes to sort out after all this rain.
Look out for a 'how do I' thread in know how


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## MrGrumpy (28 Apr 2012)

I have to either fix up an old MTB (and I mean ancient ) for sons cycling proficiency next week or...... I have to fit the original brakes to his Haro as all the cool kids don`t use brakes right!


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## andytheflyer (28 Apr 2012)

Arjimlad said:


> Finally gave my Defy 2 a good baby-wipe clean after a muddy ride on Weds evening, and fitted the Giant specific mudguards. It doesn't look too bad... but a 10mm spanner will be in my carry bag tomorrow in case they need further fettling...


 
Hi Arjimlad.

I've had 2 sets of the Giant 'guards for my Defy 2.5. Both rears split after a few hundred miles at the bracket that holds the mid (high point) stays - they split through the rivet holes where the guard is fixed to the stay bracket. The plastic can't stand the vibrations on our country lanes. My LBS said that it was a common problem. The first set I junked, but the second set I've repaired, and they've been fine now for several more hundred miles - and show no signs of breaking again.

I made up 2 doublers from 1mm thick plastic - I think it was the white plastic moulding you can get from B&Q in various sections 1m long. I cut 2 flat sections about 75mm and 100mm long and about 25mm wide, and trimmed them to fit inside the 'guard, the long one next to the guard plastic so that they both bridge over the metal bracket that fixes the stays, and the shorter one inside the longer one - both centred on the bracket. I used a hot air gun to get the doublers to curve to fit snugly against the guard section. The 2 different lengths should help to prevent a hard spot at the end of the doubled section, which might cause the guard to break again at the end of the doublers.

I then drilled out the rivets that hold the guard to the stainless steel stay bracket, and then drilled through the ex-rivet holes in the bracket, through the plastic doublers and bolted these together with 2 No. 4 x 10mm s/s bolts and nyloc nuts - nuts to the outside - there's not enough clearance for them to go next to the tyre. So, I now had a ~2mm thick strip of plastic sticking out either side of the stay bracket by about 45mm.

I then drilled through the 2 ends of the broken guard, trimmed square, and through the plastic doublers about 10mm from the edge of the bracket and fixed each half of the guard to the plastic doublers with 2 more of the same size bolts . Took me about an hour. Total success in beefing up a not very good guard - the design is OK, and they fit (just and after a lot of fettling to get the clearance on the brake bridge at the front), it's just the choice of plastic that's poor - too brittle.

It's not very pretty, but in stainless the nuts match the spokes and brackets. I can live with that.

Unless you have very smooth tarmac in S Gloucs you're going to need to repair those guards! Keep an eye out for cracking before they let you down miles from home.


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## Arjimlad (28 Apr 2012)

Thanks - will keep an eye on them !


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## redflightuk (28 Apr 2012)

Nothing yet today. Just bought new cassette and chainrings for the mtb. May fit them later or tomorrow morning. Fitted new brake pads last week


Cassette and chainrings fitted about 3 hrs ago


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 Apr 2012)

Fitted a new chain on the Raleigh. Despite checking the length carefully I cut it two links too short. Dunno how I managed that. It's sorted with an extra quick link but now I need to top up my spares.


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## musa (28 Apr 2012)

The seat post on my new bike.


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## andytheflyer (28 Apr 2012)

Not sure if this counts as 'Today'. It's taken me 2 months to work out why I'd had an increasingly noticeable knock on crank rotation - once per rotation. I couldn't find anything wrong with cranks or bottom bracket (cartridge type on Defy 2.5), I serviced the pedals, and the only time I felt the knock was when riding. And it was getting very frustrating. But now it's gone.

I fitted a new cassette and chain (both Shimano HG) and rear mech wheels about 300 miles ago - no problems, nice and quiet. But, over the winter I'd cleaned the chain a few times by removal (I have a quick link), soaking in FS1, brush off, wash in hot water, hang up to dry overnight in warm workshop, lube and refit - with Mickle method after every ride in between soakings.

In an effort to get rid of the knock, I applied more and more lube (FS Dry or Wet) each time I Mickled (is there a verb - To Mickle?). And eventually the knock's gone. The 50 miles yesterday and today have been like those honeymoon days when the bike was new - only the hiss of tyres on tarmac, and the wind in the hair, birds in the trees etc.

From which I conclude that I'd effectively removed all the original lube from the chain by soaking in FS1, and not put enough back afterwards, or even after Mickleing. The chain's still like new, no wear or stretch, clean shiny links and all that, and the cassette and chain rings are clean, but the drivetrain no longer creaks or indeed makes any sound at all. Perfect. And a lesson learned. Another one...... Don't clean by soaking unless you really put a lot of lube back afterwards, and not just a 'drop' per roller. Soak the bl**dy thing.


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## Andy_R (28 Apr 2012)

£30 eBay bike stripped down to bare frame and forks, ready for blasting and powdercoating. Will then be "donated" to my work bike.


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## potsy (28 Apr 2012)

New pads fitted to commuter, chain 'mickled' and frame wiped down.
All ready to get dirty again tomorra


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## ianrauk (28 Apr 2012)

2 bikes stripped down and cleaned.
About 4 hours worth of fettling in the conservatory whilst listening to the rain beat down. (With Husker Du, Therapy? and ZZ Top blaring in the background)
The Kona Honky Commuter now looks as sparkly new as when I bought it a couple of months ago and is now ready to roll for monday's commute.
The Spesh Roubaix Elite. Took everything off and apart, cleaned, greased lubed and put back together.
Removed bar tape to re-position the STI's a bit lower as I put them too high when I replaced them. So all ready for next weeks Southed FNRttC. (Though if tomorrow afternoon is dry then may go for a little spin)


----------



## steveindenmark (29 Apr 2012)

I woke up really early this morning and decided to paint a bike.

I don`t mean physically take hold of a bike and paint it. I mean take a canvass and brushes and paint a bike 

Steve


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## GrumpyGregry (29 Apr 2012)

old dressings off, new dressings on, self-fettling completed.


----------



## cyberknight (29 Apr 2012)

Put together a vacumn cleaner does that count?


----------



## Herzog (29 Apr 2012)

I'm gradually giving the Bianchi the full once over before the start of my racing season. Stripped and re-greased headset and BB, tweaked STI position.

Tomorrow I'm planning to install some Dura Ace downtube shifters on the commuter, getting rid of the semi-knackered STIs.


----------



## mr Mag00 (29 Apr 2012)

nothing im not even dressed yet, still in dressing gown


----------



## Mark Grant (29 Apr 2012)

I finally got around to building a Shimano dynohub into the front wheel of my Galaxy.


----------



## threebikesmcginty (29 Apr 2012)

1827678 said:


> After that I am not cutting the grass because it is wet. Nor am I putting training wires up for climbers for the same reason.



I see the weather's picked up, get that grass cut you slacker!



ianrauk said:


> I SEE BLUE SKY!!!!


----------



## PaulSecteur (29 Apr 2012)

Krylions fitted to new Ksyrium elites.

Check weather forcast... not going to be testing them out this week.


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## threebikesmcginty (29 Apr 2012)

1828090 said:


> OK. It is a bit damp though and it is an electric mower and there isn't an RCD breaker but if you think the risk is worthwhile.



That's the spirit!


----------



## Andrew_P (30 Apr 2012)

potsy said:


> Has anybody tried the 'long' version of the Raceblades?
> Don't know if it's the same issue as cruds with lack of clearance/rubbing etc, but look interesting.


 
They are fantastic, I couldn't fit cruds running 25mm tyres on my Specialized Roubaix. I have fitted 23mmtyres before the Raceblade Longs which may have helped.

They are really easy to fit, very easy to quickly remove/re-fit. You are left with two silver metal hangers poking out under your brake calipers (I have black calipers so may paint these Black at the weekend) if you want to keep refitting a fast and simple (tool free excercise) Fixing an inner tube may take a few minutes more roadside as you have to re-attach the holders to the wheel QR.

Zero rub (this morning was my first run with them on) Almost zero noise the only bit that made noises over bumps was the front top attachment that flaps around a bit and IMO is too long so I might cut it down a little tonight. If anything they are more sturdy/firm than my other bike that has lugs and attachments. Ran thorough loads of puddles this morning and stayed dry. They do not protect the front mech but I can live with that. Will report back on my first rainy run, sometime this week no doubt.


----------



## Paul J (30 Apr 2012)

Fettled nothing on my bike today but fixed my petrol lawnmower. The diaphram had perished so it was hunting and clogging up the spark plug as it was running rich. Only cost £2 for the part.


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## potsy (30 Apr 2012)

LOCO said:


> They are fantastic, I couldn't fit cruds running 25mm tyres on my Specialized Roubaix. I have fitted 23mmtyres before the Raceblade Longs which may have helped.
> 
> They are really easy to fit, very easy to quickly remove/re-fit. You are left with two silver metal hangers poking out under your brake calipers (I have black calipers so may paint these Black at the weekend) if you want to keep refitting a fast and simple (tool free excercise) Fixing an inner tube may take a few minutes more roadside as you have to re-attach the holders to the wheel QR.
> 
> Zero rub (this morning was my first run with them on) Almost zero noise the only bit that made noises over bumps was the front top attachment that flaps around a bit and IMO is too long so I might cut it down a little tonight. If anything they are more sturdy/firm than my other bike that has lugs and attachments. Ran thorough loads of puddles this morning and stayed dry. They do not protect the front mech but I can live with that. Will report back on my first rainy run, sometime this week no doubt.


Good stuff LOCO, will definitely keep an eye on them and get some if I can, only trouble is I've put 25's on the bike so not sure they'd fit properly?
The qr fitting bit is a slight downside but can live with that I suppose.


----------



## Slioch (30 Apr 2012)

Rear light was rattling a bit, so wrapped an elastic band around it. Problem sorted, & went out for a 25 miler this evening

BTW - absolutely cracking sunset in North Yorkshire tonight, and had a close encounter with a Barn Owl. Don't know who got the biggest surprise - me or him!


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## Camrider (1 May 2012)

Cleaned up my bike after riding through flood water on Sunday and thought I would put on a new chain while I was at it. Should have been a simple job on a hub geared bike but after it was done I had a very noisy bike. After much fiddling about it seems the KMC X8.93 does not like my Rohlhoff and protests by making lots of grinding noise at the tight spot (even after giving the chain a lot of slack).

Had to swap it out for the cheaper (and duller) Sram PC830 I got to fit my wifes commuter which works fine. I then tried the KMC on the commuter where it performs as a chain should.


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## 400bhp (1 May 2012)

Last 3 nights - completely stripped down and cleaned/greased/relubed the drivetrain, bottom bracket, derailleurs and crank.

Tomorrrow night-strip down the headset and clean/regrease.

 time now.


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## Night Train (2 May 2012)

I finally got around to putting the Lidl (or was it Aldi) spoke reflectors on my Brom. Rather then cutting them in half I did a fit two, miss two, pattern.


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## Cyclist33 (2 May 2012)

Today I've fettled an intense hatred of my ex girlfriend.

Stu


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## HovR (2 May 2012)

My new stem arrived in the post today, so I went to fit that.. Only to find out that the steerer clamp end of the new stem was shorter than the original, so I didn't have the right number of spacers. Right, off to Halford's to get some more spacers - Went to fit them, and with them all fitted the top of the steerer was exactly level with the top of the spacers! Grr! 

So I ended up having to cut down the steerer, which I bought the spacers to avoid having to do! All together now though, and the 5 degree rise (inverted) is far better than the high-rise stem that I had on before.


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## Jenkins (3 May 2012)

Having suffered yet another (very) wet commute I decided that it was time to replace the chain, cassette, tyres, brake pads and Crud Roadracers with the replacement bits I've been stocking up with over the past few weeks to the Triban. It certainly needed them as it's been my default commuter ride in anything other than perfect conditions and 2800 miles in ten months is a lot of road dirt turned into grinding paste despite regular cleaning.

Three hours of stripping the old bits off, cleaning the frame & wheels then fitting all the new parts and fine tuning the gears was rewarded with a cold beer on completion. Being on late shift this week means that I didn't start the maintenance until about 21:30 and so the beer didn't get opened until just before 1am when I'd cleaned up and put everything away.

I checked the old parts removed this morning and found that the brake pads only had a couple of mm left before the metal holder did the braking (not noticed while fitted due to dirt build up), the cassette had 2 gears with horribly worn teeth caused by chain wear (12 links = somewhere between 12 1/4 and 12 1/2 inches when measured a couple of weeks ago hence the new chain ready) and the Cruds had split in one area and were worn thin by tyre rub on another. The tyres however are still serviceable despite one of them being an old GP4000S which had done 5000 miles on the front of my Boardman prior to being fitted to the rear of Triban about 500 miles ago.


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## TheDoctor (4 May 2012)

All sounds a bit industrious. I pumped up the tyres on the Brommie.
Is 110 psi a bit overkill for Marathon tyres ?


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## tincaman (5 May 2012)

Fettled my 2010 Road team Boardman into a Scott CR1

All the old bits transferred to the CR1 frame, just the front mech missing


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## PpPete (5 May 2012)

Put the SKS Chromoplastics (mudguards) back on the VN Yukon (having taken them off for "the summer" during that warm spell in March)
Ready for a couple of days serious action now: IOW Randonnee tomorrow and a 200 DIY on Monday


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## subaqua (5 May 2012)

stripped and cleaned the rear mech to sort the ocasional chain jump. cleaned the chain , then checked it for wear and its at 0.75. went out and bought new chain . sundays fettling is fitting the chain.


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## gbb (5 May 2012)

Getting the Bianchi rebuilt at a monolithically slow pace...decided to drag it out and have a play with the siezed downtube bosses, so after endless deliberation on how to get a 4mm drill into the boss thats so so close to the downtube, a normal drill wont get anywhere near, so got me a hex drive drill set from ToolFix for less than £3, mounted that on a hex extension, mounted on a battery drill....worked perfectly. Just got to tap it out now.
Seatpost is still siezed, despite numerous soaks in WD40. Its going to work with me maybe this weekend, saddle clamp will be put in a large bench vice.


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## mr Mag00 (5 May 2012)

somebody elses saddle , rear derailleur (fubar) and rear brake (fubar too) . this is what happens when you operate public rides.


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## derrick (5 May 2012)

Iknow it ain't a bike, but they don't need anything doing to them.
Found out what was wrong with the hoover, ordered parts should be here on wednesday, wife well happy.


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## wakou (6 May 2012)

I have had my bike for about a year, it is a Specialized Tricross Sport. The front brake has always been rubbish. I have tried all adjustments, different straddle cable designs, koolstop salmon pads, but still horrible grabby judder, poor braking and incredibly loud squealing, I finally got hold of one of these:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_221733_langId_-1_categoryId_165608

And crucially one of these:






What a transformation! No squeal, no judder, and smooth progressive brakes that actually slow down the bike.
If you have a Tricross, or indeed any bike with Canti brakes, and carbon forks with inserts, I heartily recommend the Specialized fork hanger...
I think that Spesh, having basically admitted that the brakes are crap (by designing the hanger) should give them away gratis, but for £10 (Hargroves) this is the best fettling money I have ever spent.


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## MossCommuter (6 May 2012)

derrick said:


> Iknow it ain't a bike, but they don't need anything doing to them.
> Found out what was wrong with the hoover, ordered parts should be here on wednesday, wife well happy.


You're spoiling her


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## MossCommuter (7 May 2012)

Nothing.



Went to Cyclehouse in Warrington for mudguards. Shut.
Cycled on to Halfords for pannier rack. Not in stock.

Did laundry.


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## Hip Priest (7 May 2012)

*Road bike*
Adjusted rear mech
Tightened loose spoke

*Work bike*
Full wash
Cleaned & lubed chain


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## ianrauk (7 May 2012)

Complete strip down and clean of the Roubaix. It's was in a complete mess after Southends FNRttC. That's what you get for doing a SMRbtH in the peeing rain.

Part strip down and clean of the Honky Kona ready for tomorrows commute.

Also swapped over rear mechs between the Roubaix and the Kona Honky.
Roubaix now has an Ultegra 6700 Grey mech to go with the rest of the Grey Ultegra. The Honk now has an Ultegra Silver 6600 mech to go with the other silver.

3 Hours of fettling.


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## mr Mag00 (7 May 2012)

nothing! but both bikes need a clan (clean) that has to wait off to neighbours for food and drink


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## subaqua (7 May 2012)

mr Mag00 said:


> nothing! but both bikes need a clan that has to wait off to neighbours for food and drink


 
Mcdonalds or Campbells soup 

finally fitted the chain i bought on Saturday for the MTB and have sorted the front mech issue. helps if the wire runs where it shoul not where i think it should . lovely sweet changes .

then i decided to have a tweak of the road bike ( Btwin sport 1) set the Front mech up properly after i removed it a few weeks ago to clean the crud from around it properly and it too now runs like a dream . wifey says its tea time soon so can't start on fettling and cleaning daughters bike , although initial inspection leads me to beleive i am going to need new cables as she seems to have mullered the ends on them.


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## potsy (7 May 2012)

Done nothing today, both bikes are relatively clean, are running well, and have no parts in need of replacing.
Must be something I coud be doing to 'em


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## ianrauk (7 May 2012)

potsy said:


> Done nothing today, both bikes are *relatively clean*, are running well, and have no parts in need of replacing.
> Must be something I coud be doing to 'em


 
 you know what you need to to Pots...


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## Nebulous (7 May 2012)

Cubist said:


> Heavens opened this afternoon so the planned foray was abandoned. Cubester reported that his from mech was stiff so he's learned to fit new cable inner and outer, and he then checked the chain and found that was 0.75% so he's fitted himself a new chain as well. I'm always amazed at how clumsy kids are with tools and fiddly processes. (the SRAM powerlink had him beat for about ten minutes) Mrc C says all kids are like that, and I'm very precise, so am comparing him unfavourably. That's me told then!


 
It's practice - it takes time and practice to develop manual dexterity- you like me probably spent a lot of time developing it when you were young.

My grandfather had these big gnarled old hands, that didn't open properly because of contracted tendons, yet give him a penknife and a piece of wood and his skill was amazing.

I once went on a teaching course with a group of social workers, and one of the things we were asked to do was teach a physical skill, breaking it down into differennt stages. I brought in a length of rope and taught a simple backsplice. I couldn't believe how much in awe of it one of my fellow attendees was. He esxplained that he had very little manual skill, because he had always had 'mental' jobs rather than physical ones.


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## slowmotion (7 May 2012)

I've just put four masonry anchors into the concrete ceiling at work for my Lidl bike hoist. I was running out of space.


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## slowmotion (7 May 2012)

1838702 said:


> Good work, assuming it all stays there.


 I'll know in a few minutes...


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## gbb (7 May 2012)

Bianchi carbon seatpost...stuck...KIN ELLL !!!!!
Beware everyone out there, i had it out last year, all seemed fine...6 months later, not a chance of it moving.
Ive been soaking it with WD for a couple weeks now, no joy.
Ive been as brutal as i can be by hand, no joy.
Took it to work today and upended the bike, clamped the top of the seatpost in a large vice....and pull, swing, lever, twist.

Nothing for 5 minutes, not a squeek. Then there was a crack, then the sound of two components jarring together like a machine gun. Another 10 minutes of levering (seriously, 10 minutes is a long time) and it so slowly started to come.

Once out, a look down the seat tube and you can see a scab of corrosion just below the clamp slot. Scraped it out and its that white furry stuff. Drill, slotted rod and some emery tape and 'reamed' it all out.

Copious amounts of coppaslip applied, now re-assembled.

Having drilled the downtube boss the other night, now ive got to tap it out to 5mm. I have taps, but no way of getting it securely held to drive it in ( because of the space, or lack of it). Normal tap wrench is too big.
1/4 drive 4.5mm socket and extension, ground the square base of the tap gently away until it sat securely in the socket...bobs yer uncle...boss now tapped out.


Cranks off, chainrings removed and thoroughly cleaned..


All done today while at work...well if ive got to be there (oh and copious amounts of tea drank as well)


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## johnnyh (7 May 2012)

total strip, clean, and re-assemble/lube of the Trek after yet another wet and windy mini tour to the Isle of Wight and its Randonnee.
Bike back to showroom shiny, but new brake inserts needed as the rain and muck have trashed them.


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## Psycolist (7 May 2012)

After all the rain we've had just latley, fettlin has been about my only bike related activity !


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## Andrew_P (8 May 2012)

Full clean of the Roubaix, new wheels, new cassette and a new chain. First time for all these jobs, well apart from the clean and it all went well.


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## subaqua (8 May 2012)

subaqua said:


> Mcdonalds or Campbells soup
> 
> finally fitted the chain i bought on Saturday for the MTB and have sorted the front mech issue. helps if the wire runs where it shoul not where i think it should . lovely sweet changes .
> 
> then i decided to have a tweak of the road bike ( Btwin sport 1) set the Front mech up properly after i removed it a few weeks ago to clean the crud from around it properly and it too now runs like a dream . wifey says its tea time soon so can't start on fettling and cleaning daughters bike , although initial inspection leads me to beleive i am going to need new cables as she seems to have mullered the ends on them.


 
and still it jumps- closer inspection of the cvassete shows a few raised burrs on the leading edge /face of the teeth. new cassette time .


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## HovR (10 May 2012)

Took the cranks off the Dawes today to measure the axle length as I'm in the process of looking for new cranks. Noticed that the loose bearing BB had become way too tight, as the lock ring had come loose.

Hadn't serviced it in 1100 miles, so I took it apart to inspect the bearing surfaces and check the grease. All was well, plenty of grease, but still I cleaned it off and put in new - Just for good measure.

Reassembled BB, and now the mysterious clicking/creaking noise I have been driven insane by for the last 200 miles when pedaling hard has gone!


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## Erudin (11 May 2012)

Hammered the bearings out of the american bottom bracket cups on my BMiX singlespeed bike that gets left out in all weathers whilst at work. The axle was seized to one of the bearings after 5 years of neglect, made use of a metal drain cover in the road to hammer it out, ordered replacement 6204 bearings from ebay for £3.20.


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## defy-one (11 May 2012)

New specialized bodygeometry lock on grips and water holder/bottle


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## gbb (11 May 2012)

Erudin said:


> Hammered the bearings out of the american bottom bracket cups on my BMiX singlespeed bike that gets left out in all weathers whilst at work. The axle was seized to one of the bearings after 5 years of neglect, made use of a metal drain cover in the road to hammer it out, ordered replacement 6204 bearings from ebay for £3.20.


 Nowt wrong with them 
Semi seriously....in a work environment, ive had similar bearings to replace with similar damage, but no immediate replacements available. Needs must, clean out old grease/gunk with WD40, blow out with an airline, repack with grease then work at them to free them up and get them running as smoothly as they'll allow. Ive had conveyor rollers run for years with refurbed bearings like that.


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## gbb (11 May 2012)

For me today, retaped the Bianchi handlebars with celeste tape. Done a reasonably good job, not as good as the original tape, but more than acceptable.


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## subaqua (11 May 2012)

cassette arrived from CRC via wifey visit to delivery office . fitted cassette, reindexed gears to be sure , a spot of lube on the new chain thats had a weeks worth of jumping and crud . bike rides like new again.


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## derrick (11 May 2012)

Fixed a puncture, fitted new cassette to my spare wheel.


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## BrazingSaddles (11 May 2012)

Got to know the workings of a BMX after fixing a rear wheel for a kid!


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## HovR (11 May 2012)

Erudin said:


> Hammered the bearings out of the american bottom bracket cups on my BMiX singlespeed bike that gets left out in all weathers whilst at work. The axle was seized to one of the bearings after 5 years of neglect, made use of a metal drain cover in the road to hammer it out, ordered replacement 6204 bearings from ebay for £3.20.


 
Fixed a garden tractor about a month ago with front wheel bearings far worse than that. The tractor was 30+ years old, and had been sitting for 6+ years in the elements.

The bearings wouldn't spin at all, and the wheel hub was spinning on the top surface of the bearings (the one that's supposed to rotate on the ball bearings). A whole lot of WD40, brake cleaner fluid, penetrating oils/rust remover later with a decent helping of brute force and the bearings were free. Repacked with grease and they're now running fine!

Looks like you still have a good few years left in those! 

Then again, with the tractor maxing out at about 8mph, performance bearings are hardly needed.


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## HovR (12 May 2012)

Gear shifting on my Dawes was starting to get clunky and slow, so I thought I'd take the cables off and examine them.

The front mech cable was in a terrible state - The outer was full of road dirt and rust. Ran some GT85 through it, which came out the other end orange - Then repeatedly ran the inner cable through it to dislodge the dirt, then repeated the process until it was clean. After that I ran a thicker oil through the cable for lubrication.

Repeated for the rear mech cable, although it wasn't in such a state.

Shifting is now silky smooth! Could have just gone and bought new cables, but where's the fun in that?


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## potsy (12 May 2012)

General fettle and clean of the CX commuter, replaced broken light bracket on rear rack after it objected to the bike toppling sideways onto the floor the other day 
Checked chain for wear, close to needing changing after nearly 1500 miles, will do that next weekend.


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## smokeysmoo (12 May 2012)

New wheels and cassette fitted to CAAD, fettled gears, tweaked seatpost and headed out. Bike's riding like a dream again now 

Got back and glued cuts in tyres with THIS, (I'll see how it holds up tomorrow) I really do like Schwalbe tyres, but do they have to be such a soft compound?


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

1845910 said:


> 1st phase fettle today, stripping the Planet X bike down to its frame. Tomorrow it gets new cranks, bottom bracket bearings, chain, jockey wheels, cassette, wheel hub bearings, tyres and brake blocks.


Adrian what is fettle? new to all this lingo..


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## colly (12 May 2012)

I have fettled................some ply flooring in the bathroom in readiness for new tiles. (nothing bike related but there you are)


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

???????


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## Pat "5mph" (12 May 2012)

I have bedded my asparagus ..... and cleaned the bike.


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## smokeysmoo (12 May 2012)

Francesca said:


> ???????


When you apply your vaseline before your next ride you will be able to say you have fettled your undercarriage, does that help?


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## HovR (12 May 2012)

Francesca said:


> ???????


 
In this context, fettling is just a fancy word for maintaining/making changes to your bike!


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> When you apply your vaseline before your next ride you will be able to say you have fettled your undercarriage, does that help?


oh ok thanks


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)




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## gbb (12 May 2012)

FSA crankset given a light coat of black spray to tidy up the scuff marks, reassembled the chain rings, refitted to the bike, cassette fitted to new wheels, then chain fitted... All on the BIanchi of course.


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## subaqua (12 May 2012)

I think fettle might be too light a word for what has had to be done to eldests bike today.

the quick clean and adjust turned into a " well the crank feels grabby so i will take it apart and regrease" except when i took it apart there was no grease on the races, an orangy grinding paste and some spirals of swarf !! in the BB. oh and when i looked at the outer ring it was running out by at least 5mm , how the hell has a slip of a 10yr old manaed to do that to her bike- god knows i tried on mine as a kid and never managed to bend a chain ring although i did snap the bb off the frame once.

oh and then i felt the axle bearings and they were as grotty as the crank. front and rear. but at least i got to use the freewheel remover.
so thats a new

Bottom bracket, chainset, chain, derailleur cables (inners and outers) . £65 the lot from decathlon/gooutdoors so am well chuffed that not a lot of cash needed

good job i love her to bits though.

am wondering whether i should take the headset bearings aparat and regrease them too.


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## Poacher (12 May 2012)

Up at sparrow-fart to get to the local Royal Mail depot to collect the parcel my missus should have taken in on Thursday if she wasn't out gallivanting. New Stronglight Impact 34/50 chainset for the late 80's/early 90's Holdsworth I picked up for a song 18 months or so ago. The plan was that I'd swap the old Stronglight cranks off my commuter (Bob Jackson frame bought second-hand in ~1980) onto the Holdsworth, fit the new 34/50 chainrings onto the Holdsworth to reduce the climb-crippling ratios of 42/52 on a 7-speed 12-23 cassette, fit the new cranks onto the commuter, fit the old 34/52 chainrings back onto the commuter, in order to keep the ratios I've got used to, and hopefully push the chainset further out so the new front changer (an allegedly 10-speed specific one, used with an 8-speed 13-26 cassette - why would that _ever_ be a problem?) would reliably change down to the smaller chainring - it was on the limit of the adjuster screw, but still occasionally needed assistance from my right heel to change down.

What I hadn't taken into consideration was that the Impact chainrings were 110mm BCD, while the old chainrings were 86mm BCD. For those of a less technical background, this means they were not compatible. Fortunately, I realised this very shortly after I'd removed the left-hand crank from the commuter, but not before I'd almost rounded the flats on the _inner_ part of the crank remover, trying to force it further into the crank, while mistakenly thinking I was applying force to the _outer_ part of the crank remover, which is what I should have been doing to remove the crank. At this juncture, I decided that I should have insisted on staying home and working on the bikes instead of a) going with my missus to the excellent farmer's market in West Bridgford, then trekking round the equally excellent, but excessively numerous charity shops (definition courtesy of Driff Field - POCS; Proliferation Of Charity Shops), and b) starting in on the red wine before the sun was well over the yardarm. The left-hand crank went back on the commuter without a hitch (phew!). The unusual (more later!) chainset came off the Holdsworth, the new one went on with no problem, the pedals were transferred OK, and the gear changers adjusted. Wahey! Next came a change of the old, fear-inducing brakeblocks (did I mention the single-pivot Shimano Dura-Ace brakes? With the original blocks?) for new salmon Kool-Stop Continentals, and a wired Lidl computer.

Anyway, to cut a long and rambling story slightly shorter, the commuter stays as it was, while the Holdsworth has a whole new chainset, a considerably more user-friendly gear range, and an ability both to ascend and descend in a reasonably acceptable manner, while recording average/maximum speed, distance etc.

Oh, and if anyone wants a rather unusual chainset, I have one to offer. It's a Sakae Royal, with 170mm cranks, 42/52 chainrings. The unusual element is that 42 appears to be the minimum size for the inner chainring, as it's a 145 mm BCD. (AFIK the largest commonly available chainrings are 135 for Campag, with a minimum chainring size of 39).


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## Alun (12 May 2012)

Part way through fitting a topeak handlebar bag for the Alpine tour, that means discarding the crosstop levers, which means replacing the brake outer cables, which means replacing the bar tape, and the front inner cable is frayed at the end so we'll have a new one of those as well. Why is nothing straightforward ?


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

1845946 said:


> Strictly it would be to put the finishing touches to something. In this thread it is used in a wider sense to work on or maintain


cheers , how did the shoppping go tiday then?


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## Trigano (12 May 2012)

Fitted some Shimano m520 pedals to my commuter bike today, took a while [read hammer] to take the old ones off as they'd been on the bike for at least 7 years!


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## Muddyfox (12 May 2012)

I got my Ridgeback Panorama ready for its new owner ..


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

1846188 said:


> It was a score draw.


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## Francesca (12 May 2012)

I might fettle with my bike tomorrow after my long ride me thinks


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## Holdsworth (13 May 2012)

I unsuccessfully attempted to shorten the chain on the Holdsworth by 2 links with the chain tool I received with my Revolution tool kit a few weeks ago. I accidentally pushed a few too many pins out and the chain is now possibly too short now for the gear combination that are used. I now wish I read more into using the tool before heading of into the shed to attempt this task now. I will have another last ditch attempt at it tomorrow with a clear head and see if anything can be done, hopefully with a set of gloves in/on hand as that chain is filthy and my hands are still covered in black grease!


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## subaqua (13 May 2012)

Trigano said:


> Fitted some Shimano m520 pedals to my commuter bike today, took a while [read hammer] to take the old ones off as they'd been on the bike for at least 7 years!


 anti sieze compound is your friend .that or a thin smear of grease/vaseline on the threads of the new ones.


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## Holdsworth (13 May 2012)

Holdsworth said:


> I unsuccessfully attempted to shorten the chain on the Holdsworth by 2 links with the chain tool I received with my Revolution tool kit a few weeks ago. I accidentally pushed a few too many pins out and the chain is now possibly too short now for the gear combination that are used. I now wish I read more into using the tool before heading of into the shed to attempt this task now. I will have another last ditch attempt at it tomorrow with a clear head and see if anything can be done, hopefully with a set of gloves in/on hand as that chain is filthy and my hands are still covered in black grease!


 
I managed to get the chain back together eventually, unfortunately my hunch was correct and the chain is now too short. I guess a trip to the lbs is in order some time to buy a new chain. I also found that the 28t cog on my freewheel may be too large for my Shimano Exage 400 lx derailleur, the teeth just seem to mesh together and the chain struggles to get through the space in between.


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## threebikesmcginty (13 May 2012)

Cleaned the Planet X, you know with that special cleaning fluid, water. Looking good now! Mickled the chain too.


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## gaz (13 May 2012)

Cleaned the bikes, lubed the chains and fiddled with some screws. All good.


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## HovR (13 May 2012)

Holdsworth said:


> I managed to get the chain back together eventually, unfortunately my hunch was correct and the chain is now too short. I guess a trip to the lbs is in order some time to buy a new chain. I also found that the 28t cog on my freewheel may be too large for my Shimano Exage 400 lx derailleur, the teeth just seem to mesh together and the chain struggles to get through the space in between.


 
I don't understand why you need a new chain? From what I understand, you had a chain that was too long, so you shortened it, but you did so too much. Why don't you just re-attach part of the bit you took off?


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## TheDoctor (13 May 2012)

Mickled the chain on my Carbon Uberbike.
It's been squeaking like a freshly-violated gerbil.


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## smokeysmoo (13 May 2012)

Decided to de-mudguard my Ribble, (apologies if the weather turns now). Full clean and lube, tyres checked, brakes tweaked, gears checked, all good to go for the commute this week.

No excuses now, (I must have exhausted them all in the past few weeks anyway)


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## Holdsworth (14 May 2012)

HovR said:


> I don't understand why you need a new chain? From what I understand, you had a chain that was too long, so you shortened it, but you did so too much. Why don't you just re-attach part of the bit you took off?


 
Because it is impossible to get the rivets back in through the outer part of the chain once it has been pushed out fully, that's why when you shorten a chain you are supposed to push it out so far that the inner links can click out with a bit of the rivet still sticking through the outer plate. Once it's out it's out for good unfortunately. The only way I can see of getting the bike working again is to buy a new 7spd chain.


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## gbb (14 May 2012)

I would have fettled my calipers onto the Bianchi....but i cant find em 

Took them off to deep clean them a few weeks ago at work...i thought i brought them home, now i cant find them anywhere !!!
Ah well...another day.


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## HovR (14 May 2012)

Holdsworth said:


> Because it is impossible to get the rivets back in through the outer part of the chain once it has been pushed out fully, that's why when you shorten a chain you are supposed to push it out so far that the inner links can click out with a bit of the rivet still sticking through the outer plate. Once it's out it's out for good unfortunately. The only way I can see of getting the bike working again is to buy a new 7spd chain.


 
Ah, didn't know you pushed the pin all the way out - Although I believe you can put the pin back in, it's just a complete pain in the.. Not sure - Never pushed the pin all the way out.


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## Holdsworth (14 May 2012)

HovR said:


> Ah, didn't know you pushed the pin all the way out - Although I believe you can put the pin back in, it's just a complete pain in the.. Not sure - Never pushed the pin all the way out.


 
Yeah stupid me didn't read enough into the tutorials before attempting the chain-shortening and ended up pushing a few too many pins out in haste and maing it too short before finally putting it back together successfully 

At least I know for next time anyway.


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 May 2012)

Holdsworth said:


> Yeah stupid me didn't read enough into the tutorials before attempting the chain-shortening and ended up pushing a few too many pins out in haste and maing it too short before finally putting it back together successfully
> 
> At least I know for next time anyway.


Is there any reason you can't use some of the spare links plus a quick link like this.

I have had to do exactly that only a couple of weeks ago (Note to self; measure twice, cut once).


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## biggs682 (14 May 2012)

putting final touches to Raleigh richmond bike and just done quick tour of local cyclepath for test run


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## TheDoctor (14 May 2012)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Is there any reason you can't use some of the spare links plus a quick link like this.
> 
> I have had to do exactly that only a couple of weeks ago (Note to self; measure twice, cut once).


 
That should work. Nothing stopping you putting a few dozen split links in a chain if you feel like it!!

Fettled some replacement pedals onto the Brommie earlier on. The folding pedal was making an annoying 'click!' at each pedal stroke, plus I never liked the pedals much anyway. At least now I can change them without borrowing a 24mm socket and ratchet drive from work.


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## Primal Scream (14 May 2012)

I have adapted a black nylon wash bag to fit my handlebars, I used some velcro 
 looks ok.
The problem I had was that the v small rear bag did not have enough room for two tubes, puncture kit and my phone plus snack bars I know have plenty of room for my junk.


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## Erudin (15 May 2012)

Put the replacement bottom bracket bearings into my BMiX singlespeed using a headset press after packing them full of grease, and fitted a new chain and freewheel.


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## gbb (15 May 2012)

A tale of woe...
Not work related, but i was 'fettling' an exit conveyor within a complex packing machine at work. Having welded some new guide rods,I wanted to limit the amount of vertical travel on the conveyor they were fitted to, i knew the settings would be in the PLC (computer) .
Into engineering mode, enter the passwords, now...begin searching for the relevent section in the parameters. 
I'm learning the machines, never been in these particular parts of the PLC before, so steady goes eh ?

I found 'Standard Settings' in one page...hmmm, pressed it, expecting another page to open, but nothing. Phhh, its not there, sod it, exit out, i'll look later.

Half an hour later, they start the machine up, but its not working.....it begins to dawn on me...errrrr  that may be my fault.

Spent an hour reprogramming it up, saving as i went to flash memory, only to realise half way through there was a function ...'revert to previously saved confections' (or similar wording)

I'd reverted back to factory settings in the first place...reprogrammed it all manually....only to realise i could have got it all back with the press of another button.

Ah well....its a slow painful process when you're in at the deep end, usually without guidance or in depth training.


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## HLaB (16 May 2012)

I put the crank back on the BSO folder!


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## compo (17 May 2012)

Noticed a slight knock when peddling my two month old Trek yesterday. Close examination this morning showed a definate rocking on the bottom bracket when I rocked the cranks. Even closer examination showed the non drive side bearing securing ring was loose. It took a couple of complete turns and a bit to snug it back up to 35 foot pounds. All is good now and no play. The drive side didn't need touching. Whilst I had the bike upside down I whipped off the back wheel and removed the plastic spoke protector which was reverberating and making a horrible noise as I pedalled. Now I have a nice quiet bike again with a smooth action when I pedal.


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## gbb (17 May 2012)

Played around with my Powertorque chainset..i have some small pullers, fabricated a backing plate from aluminium to sit against the back of the cranks so the puller legs dont mark the crank itself, found a socket just the right size of the axle....crank off.


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## potsy (17 May 2012)

HLaB said:


> I put the crank back on the BSO folder!


Does it ride better with it on?


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## HLaB (17 May 2012)

potsy said:


> Does it ride better with it on?


Not much


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## HovR (17 May 2012)

Well, it was about time I sorted out the wheels on my road bike, which had gone out of true. My choices were either to shell out £22 at the LBS, or give it a go my self. I'd removed buckles out of very cheap MTB rims before, getting them back within about 2mm, but never attempted perfect truing on expensive wheels (the wheels on my road bike are Mavic's).

I have to say, it went pretty well! Put the wheels into a truing stand I borrowed, and got to work. The end result was wheels true to within half a mm. I pre-stressed them, they remained true - So I put them back on the bike.

Thought I'd take a quick test ride around the block - As soon as I set off I heard "ping ping ping ping" - Obviously hadn't pre stressed them well enough! The wheels came slightly out of the perfect trueness during this, however they are still a huge improvement over before.

Will probably finish the job tomorrow, but I'm still dead pleased.


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## Hacienda71 (17 May 2012)

I have just finished fettling my bottom bracket. Developed an annoying creak yesterday half way up a long climb in the Pennines, so stripped down to the basics cleaned greased and rebuilt. Also trued the rear wheel which was a little out. See how it performs tomorrow.


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## derrick (17 May 2012)

Just fixed a puncture, does that count.


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## gbb (19 May 2012)

derrick said:


> Just fixed a puncture, does that count.


 Its bike related, it involved tools...and tea i hope...so yes.

For me...
The bianchi is now roadworthy after todays fettling, which included...
Fitting the previously lost brake calipers (found them in a box in my cupboard )
Re-cabled up the gears, made a new rear outer for the section from derailleur to the chainstay. Adjusted them up first time.

Total work includes..
New Rodi Airline wheelset fitted.
Siezed (completely and utterly) seatpost (eventually) freed.
Siezed and broken downtube boss removed, boss retapped and repair completed.
Bartape replaced.
Brake calipers stripped to every last part, cleaned and re-assembled.
Cranks removed and resprayed (they were looking tatty)
Thorough going over and cleaning.
New jockey wheels fitted.

Test ride for 6 miles..all working well.


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## HovR (19 May 2012)

After hunting around town for a bike shop that stocked what I wanted, I finally bought some lubricant and applied it to my chain.

390 miles out of the factory chain lubricant isn't too bad!


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## srw (19 May 2012)

We popped into the LBS after a ride involving frustration and soreness - the stoker saddles on both tandems are causing grief. They measured sit-bones and prescribed a narrower saddle, and strongly advised a position much further forward than R had chosen for herself. And they didn't sell her the saddle we'd been looking at.

So we came home and played around. One tandem now has a male Selle Italia (which I'd rejected out of hand in favour of a titanium Brooks; the other now has the Brooks B17 narrow which has adorned by Brompton for the last 10 years. Tomorrow we'll go out and test both.

By complete coincidence, we'd passed the couple we'd bought the second tandem from on a climb out of Marlow (but didn't recognise them); we then gave up on our original route and dropped back down to Marlow where we found a cafe. They were inside as we locked up "their" tandem outside.

They live in Weybridge (40 miles south) and were on their way back from Birmingham (100 miles north). We live 15 miles north-east of where we met.


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## HLaB (19 May 2012)

I tightened the cranks on the BSO folder.


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## Gary E (19 May 2012)

Cleaned my bike and got it ready for a ride, looked out of the window and the weather was grotty.
So I cleaned my other bike, looked out of the window again and it was worse.
So I went to the gym instead  Fortunately the weather in the gym was fine


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## HovR (19 May 2012)

HLaB said:


> I tightened the cranks on the BSO folder.


 
From your last few posts in here, I'm getting the idea that these have a tendency of coming off?


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## HLaB (19 May 2012)

HovR said:


> From your last few posts in here, I'm getting the idea that these have a tendency of coming off?


You are not far wrong there


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## HovR (19 May 2012)

HLaB said:


> You are not far wrong there


 
I'd thought about getting a cheap folder just for the odd train ride with 5 or so miles cycling at either end - I guess I'll reconsider! I've looked at getting my full sized bikes aboard trains, but it seems like so much hassle - especially with 3 different trains over 3 different train companies in one trip!


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## HLaB (19 May 2012)

HovR said:


> I'd thought about getting a cheap folder just for the odd train ride with 5 or so miles cycling at either end - I guess I'll reconsider! I've looked at getting my full sized bikes aboard trains, but it seems like so much hassle - especially with 3 different trains over 3 different train companies in one trip!


I guess its how much you consider cheap is, this was a very cheap one (IIRC it was £78 +vat from Macro), I guess any cheap bike, no matter the size/type will have crank problems. Spend a bit more and you should be OK, it certainly is convenient (when the crank is not falling off) and not too bad a folding mechanism either.


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## potsy (19 May 2012)

HLaB said:


> I guess its how much you consider cheap is, this was a very cheap one (IIRC it was *£78 +vat* from Macro), I guess any cheap bike, no matter the size/type will have crank problems. Spend a bit more and you should be OK, it certainly is convenient (when the crank is not falling off) and not too bad a folding mechanism either.


Bargain  Self extracting cranks too


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## guitarpete247 (19 May 2012)

Not today but last Thursday, fitted new Tektro calipers. Front wheel needed a little truing to get the gap down to 1mm each side. Rear pretty good, trued up a couple of months ago and it's still going straight. Calipers, and levers I fitted a few months back replace some C-Stars that have been on the bike for nearly 30 years. There's a fantastic difference in braking. Brakes now stops me when I want me when I want to stop .


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## Cubist (21 May 2012)

Today I fitted my new saddle, cleaned all the grit out of the seatclamp bolt and QR. Someone on another forum asked a question abut Hope Pro 2 hub spacers, so I took Cubester's front hub apart to illustrate, and discovered the bearings were dryish. I have never greased a sealed cartridge bearing before, but used a sewing pick to remove the seal, reasoning that if it doesn't go back together properly I won't have wasted anything, and duly flushed and greased the bearing race inside. The seal went on beautifully easily so I repeated it on the other side. Sorted! .


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## rvw (22 May 2012)

Fitted new saddle to my bike - in the hopes that this will turn out to be the comfortable one I have been searching for! Next stop, trying to find the perfect (female) shorts for the other half of the equation. Any suggestions/recommendations very gladly received!


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## Jonathing (22 May 2012)

I spent the weekend entirely stripping down my fixed and rebuilding it as a track-bars, front brake only 'fixie'. Except one chainring bolt was seized so I had to abandon the entirely gold drivetrain idea and stick with the 42t that was on there giving a slightly more spinny gear than I would have liked.


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## DCLane (23 May 2012)

I've got the Secteur set up for the Way of the Roses ride on Fri/Sun, including fitting new brakes which match the bike (Clarks CPS240) 

I'm doing it on the Fulcrum 5 wheels with GP4000S 23mm tyres. Should be ... interesting. However, I'm tight for time on the Sunday so it's roads, not paths and speed, not scenery.


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## HovR (23 May 2012)

Whilst being stored for 20+ years before I acquired it, the friction shifters on my Dawes had plenty of time to corrode (strangely, the only serious bit of corrosion on the bike) which led to jumpy, imprecise, shifting.

Finding myself with some spare time today, I thought I'd fix this. So I took apart the friction shifters, and got sanding. Numerous hours and a lot of sand paper later, they're looking brand new(ish)!

Applied grease and reassembled, and now shifting is _far _smoother! Success!

Oh, and who knew that underneath all that rust there was actually Hurret branding and a decorative pattern.


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## gbb (24 May 2012)

Fettled me a dogfang onto the carbon...remembering someone here who had the chain drop onto the BB, gouging the hell out of the carbon.
Also took off the (comparatively) expensive Veloce MPS chainrings and fitted some UD chainrings instead. The idea is to save the expensive ones and refit them if i sell it in the future. Less that £20 for both ( original and new ) Campag UD chainrings off ebay...bargain.

So i stand back and look at my recent fettling on the new(ish) Ribble carbon...it was so light, so uncluttered. Ive fettled a bottle cage, computer, dogfang, saddlebag and rear light onto it. It looks cluttered aleady


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## HovR (24 May 2012)

gbb said:


> So i stand back and look at my recent fettling on the new(ish) Ribble carbon...it was so light, so uncluttered. Ive fettled a bottle cage, computer, dogfang, saddlebag and rear light onto it. It looks cluttered aleady


 
Unfortunately that happens. 

In an effort to combat it, and with the lighter evenings, I have taken the bracket off my handle bars for my XML-T6 light, and put my backup Cateye light in the saddle bag, ready to be fitted if I get caught out in the dark. Looks a bit better.


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## Boris Bajic (24 May 2012)

New front gear cable (Campag Ergo). The old one was fraying and I pierced a finger several times getting it out.

My oil-smudged whit e bar tape is now oil-smudged with pink smears over the top.

Some advice please from experts: With a new inner, I usually just put some lube along the crack on a cupped palm and run the cable through it along the whole of its length. It doesn't seem very grown-up, but it seems to work. 

What is the grown-up way of putting a bit of the slippy on a new cable before putting it into its outer?


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## HovR (24 May 2012)

Boris Bajic said:


> What is the grown-up way of putting a bit of the slippy on a new cable before putting it into its outer?


 
I put the lube inside the cable outer, and then run the cable through the end I have put the lube in. Seems to work for me, and is tidy.


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 May 2012)

I noticed the gear change on the Raleigh wasn't as slick as normal towards the end of the last ride. I didn't do anything about it then but thought I'd have a look at it this evening as it's a small tweak of the barrel adjuster.

To my annoyance the thing won't adjust correctly and no matter what I do it just gets worse. Cue lots of muttering as I get the tools and have to set it up again almost from scratch.  The cable appears to have slipped - made sure that is now tight.

So much for the simple tweak.


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## Psycolist (24 May 2012)

After yesterdays PB it was once over with the proverbial oily rag and a small adjustment to the angle of the front mech to improve the down shift onto the granny ring, it let me down twice yesterday. Then I had to garden for the rest of the day.


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## I like Skol (26 May 2012)

Fitted some new rim tape to the skinny summer road bike I aquired last autumn. The OE stuff had started to fail and in some places was not central so had slipped into a few of the spoke holes (How it hasn't punctured at 110psi i will never know!). Velox cloth tape fitted now, hardly a sexy upgrade but I feel I have saved myself a lof of grief for the future. I only spotted this when I had a trial run at removing tyres to apply some talc and make sure it could be done at the roadside with the equipment I carry. It turns out the 23c tyres can be removed by hand (just) 

I also took the opportunity to flip the stem as the low position was making my stomach feel uncomfortable on longer rides. New more upright position on the 2011 GT GTR series 3 instantly felt better.

TOP TIP: excess velox self-adhesive rim tape makes ideal packing to prevent computers rattling in handlebar mounts and saddle packs rattling in quick release mounts.


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## compo (27 May 2012)

Not today but a couple of days ago my new(ish) Trek hybrid was making all manner of creaks and groans. Going back to the oft complaint on here of similar woes I stripped the saddle mount and greased it all and removed the seat post and gave it a wipe of grease. I went out this morning and all was quiet so a successful fettle.

Also when I put the seat post back in I made it about 1" higher. What a difference that has made. I have ridden it this morning for 30 miles and my average speed is higher, I was climbing better, it is more comfortable and my legs are not aching. I see what my wife means now when she says an extra inch is not to be sneezed at.


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## I like Skol (27 May 2012)

More fettling again today, but the MTB this time. New brake pads slipped in to the XT holders and a new cable guide under the bottom bracket and a slight move around of the cable lines at the front end to improve things a little. Happy now because MTB, hybrid and roadbike are all in tip top shape and ready to go.


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## potsy (27 May 2012)

Why did I decide to wear a brand new white t-shirt to do some bike fettling? 
There is more oil on me than the bike 

Both bikes running like a dream, if only the same could be said for thier owner.


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## I like Skol (27 May 2012)

potsy said:


> Why did I decide to wear a brand new white t-shirt to do some bike fettling? .


 
Iz coz u iz stupid?


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## cyberknight (27 May 2012)

Put up a trampoline for the kids birthday, it was fun as i had to do it myself and the instructions stae its a 2 person job.


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 May 2012)

Serviced the pedals on my brother's bike as they started making an interesting variety of clicking noises on the ride yesterday. He described it as sounding a bit like Ivor the Engine at one point.

They were simply set up too tight by the factory but I took the chance to properly strip, clean, grease and readjust them. All is quiet once again.


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## cyberknight (27 May 2012)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Serviced the pedals on my brother's bike as they started making an interesting variety of clicking noises on the ride yesterday. He described it as sounding a bit like Ivor the Engine at one point.
> 
> They were simply set up too tight by the factory but I took the chance to properly strip, clean, grease and readjust them. All is quiet once again.


My bike was clicking on every left pedal stroke ,gave the pedals a blast of gt 85 and it must has removed some gunk as its all sweet again.


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## gbb (27 May 2012)

Sat there at work (yes, its sunday)nothing particually to do on the bike, looking at the wheels.. those safety stickers are annoying me. OFF they go.


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## HovR (30 May 2012)

Thought I'd take apart and clean the brakes on the Dawes today, and whilst doing so I found some date marking stamps behind one side of the caliper levers indicating they were made in 1977 - So now I know roughly the age of my bike!


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## youngoldbloke (30 May 2012)

Continued stripping down and inspecting a Ribble winter bike handed down to me recently. Definitely new rear wheel required - rim paper thin, bearings seized, and I am told the freehub had problems too. New seatpost needed too - discovered cracks in the carbon fibre. Cassette cleaned up well, chain ok. Gears and rest of drivetrain look to be ok, and headset and bottom bracket seem ok too. Tyres might have a few more miles left in them too. My hands are going to be black for the next few weeks .....


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## HovR (1 Jun 2012)

Finally got around to giving the Dawes the proper gear service it deserved! 

New Alivio rear mech fitted to replace the old Hurret mech.
Complete new gear cable set fitted.

Once again I'm enjoying riding along in complete silence (no more old noisy rear derailleur anymore!), with shifting being more precise than it has been in a long time.

Now I'm just waiting for my 14-28 freewheel to arrive, and the service will be complete!


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## HLaB (1 Jun 2012)

Might be a mistake but I've been down south and not had a chance to try it out before tomorrows Sportive but the last time I was out on my best bike (over a month ago !) my hoods were right on the edge of aerodynamic/ being able to slide off them and tomorrows Sportive starts with a 623m descent so I rotated the bars a fraction. It ends with the same 623m climb so I don't think sliding off will be the problem there!


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## musa (1 Jun 2012)

Adjusted bike seat. Tried to repairs gear and front derailleur on the defy but to no avail. Got mk2 to do


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## Chris S (3 Jun 2012)

I've just replaced a leaking Schrader valve with one from a badly perished inner-tube.

I didn't realize how easy it was, they just unscrew. You don't even need a 'valve extraction tool', you can just use a pair of tweezers!


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## potsy (4 Jun 2012)

Fettled all the broken bits from the Secteur into the bin, just need to order replacement bits now.

Cleaned up the CX as this will be my only bike for a few days/weeks, including putting on a new chain, old one at almost 1% stretch so hoping I caught it in time, or the chain checker is a bit conservative in it's measuring.
Adjusted the BB5's as there was a bit too much gap between pad and rotor.


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## Hacienda71 (4 Jun 2012)

potsy said:


> Fettled all the broken bits from the Secteur into the bin, just need to order replacement bits now.
> 
> Cleaned up the CX as this will be my only bike for a few days/weeks, including putting on a new chain, old one at almost 1% stretch so hoping I caught it in time, or the chain checker is a bit conservative in it's measuring.
> Adjusted the BB5's as there was a bit too much gap between pad and rotor.


 
Potsy you will need to get a new mech hanger, that had sheared as we had to remove the bit that was still attached to the frame. I will get the mech to you this week.


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## potsy (4 Jun 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> Potsy you will need to get a new mech hanger, that had sheared as we had to remove the bit that was still attached to the frame. I will get the mech to you this week.


Yes I know mate, the old one has been saved for reference, don't know if I need a specific one or if they are universal.
Also noticed one spoke was a bit chewed up, I think you said the wheel seemed a bit out of true, that'll be why as it's at that point it rubs on the brake pad.
I have a new wheel to match the front waiting to go on anyway, this was just a bit sooner than I hoped for 

Going to try a short easy ride tomorrow, still v sore especially my shoulder and kneck.


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## ianrauk (4 Jun 2012)

A complete strip down and rebuild of my Secteur Elite.
Ready for sale.
All 4 hours worth... looks mint.. think the buyer is going to be amazed as when he last saw it, it was in a right sorry state.


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## 400bhp (4 Jun 2012)

Potsy - if you need any help fettling/fixing let me know. I'm only round the corner


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## musa (4 Jun 2012)

Request for helpers/teachers in London or surrounding areas. Please pm me


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## potsy (4 Jun 2012)

ianrauk said:


> A complete strip down and rebuild of my Secteur Elite.
> Ready for sale.
> All 4 hours worth... looks mint.. think the buyer is going to be amazed as when he last saw it, it was in a right sorry state.


 
Was getting excited then, thought you were putting it up for sale on here


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## ianrauk (4 Jun 2012)

potsy said:


> Was getting excited then, thought you were putting it up for sale on here


 

Lol, well if he changes his mind.. you can have first dibs


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## subaqua (4 Jun 2012)

cyberknight said:


> Put up a trampoline for the kids birthday, it was fun as i had to do it myself and the instructions stae its a 2 person job.


 i like instructions that set down a challenge


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## I like Skol (5 Jun 2012)

Yet more tinkering yesterday! I did a full bearing strip and regrease on my sons 6 month old Ridgeback MX24. Glad I did as the front hub must have had a little water in it at some point as the grease on one side had gone a lovely rusty brown colour. The bearings don't appear to have sufferered so all cleaned and back together again. Why are wheel hubs (especially cheaper ones) always set too tight from the factory? I set both hubs looser after the service so no play but lovely and smooth to turn with very little resistance. All the non shimano hubs I have had my hands on recently have been tight almost to the point of grinding!

Also did the aheadset and the bottom bracket (old school axle and cups) and both kids helped and watched. They now know more about bike maintenance than many adults and although still only 9 and 6 years old are well on their way to looking after their own bikes in years to come. Oldest son was particularly interested by how the tiny adjustments to the wheel hub cones had an affect on the 'feel' of the hubs smoothness.

Just for future reference (if I write it down on paper it will get lost!) the BB from the MX24 measured up at 68-122.5. I thought the .5 must be a rough part but sure enough, a quick look at cartridge BB's show that size is indeed 122.5 axle length. In future if it is worn I will bang in a UN55 cartridge.


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## musa (6 Jun 2012)

Gave the bike a clean. Took quite a while. Using a toothpick and cotton buds for the small the bits. Gave ye chain a mickle ish treatment. Managed to the break the bracket for my rear light so I don't know what to do. Maybe ask in the wanted section of CC. 

I may have to take the conti hard shells off the (supposedly) commuter n-bike and put on the n+1 to allow the mk2 road racers to work (tyre rub on 25c's)


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## subaqua (6 Jun 2012)

not cycling stuff , but have fettled my dive kit ready for my 1st dive in nearly 3 years. dry suit fits me better than it ever did. thats down to cycling


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## potsy (6 Jun 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> Potsy you will need to get a new mech hanger, that had sheared as we had to remove the bit that was still attached to the frame. I will get the mech to you this week.


Got this today from the lbs, amazingly was the same price as the online ones I'd seen 

Have taken the rack/guards/wide tyres off the CX to turn it into my 'fast' bike for a few days until I get the Secteur up and running again.
Makes such a difference to the look of the bike, proper sleak and stealthy looking now 

Had to give it a wipe down after going 5 miles in the rain today though


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## ColinJ (6 Jun 2012)

I like Skol said:


> Why are wheel hubs (especially cheaper ones) *always set too tight from the factory*? I set both hubs looser after the service so no play but lovely and smooth to turn with very little resistance. All the non shimano hubs I have had my hands on recently have been tight almost to the point of grinding!


I found that myself recently when I changed the cassette on the Mavic Aksiums on my Basso. The rear hub felt really tight so I gave the wheel a spin raised off the ground and it stopped in less than 3 revs! I loosened it and it is much smoother now!


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## HLaB (6 Jun 2012)

I left the Steel SS out on the works veranda during the long weekend had to give it a bit of care, the back barake was seizing on.


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## Hacienda71 (6 Jun 2012)

potsy said:


> Got this today from the lbs, amazingly was the same price as the online ones I'd seen
> 
> Have taken the rack/guards/wide tyres off the CX to turn it into my 'fast' bike for a few days until I get the Secteur up and running again.
> Makes such a difference to the look of the bike, proper sleak and stealthy looking now
> ...


 
Potsy when are you working fella. I can probably get you the mech over tomorrow early eve or Friday day. Not around this weekend.


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## Janeyb (7 Jun 2012)

Serious clean of the Giant ready for Way of the Roses. Bit early but only chance I'll get for a serious clean. Stripped it down almost to bare frame and cleaned everything. Then put it all back together again including new chain and brake/gear cables. Just the adjustments to do tomorrow to get him running like clockwork hopefully. Oh and will be adding new brake pads and then cleaning and refitting mudguards. That just leaves the pannier rack to go on at end of next week and a quick once over before the off. 

Oh and a quick adjustment to squeaky seat post and cleats. And I'm sure I'll find plenty of other little jobs along the way.


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## ColinJ (7 Jun 2012)

Janeyb said:


> Then put it all back together again including *new chain* and brake/gear cables. Just the adjustments to do tomorrow to get him running like clockwork hopefully.


Make extra sure that the new chain doesn't slip on the old chainrings and cassette! I had to buy new rings and cassette recently when my new chain was slipping horribly under load on the old kit.


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## subaqua (7 Jun 2012)

ColinJ said:


> Make extra sure that the new chain doesn't slip on the old chainrings and cassette! I had to buy new rings and cassette recently when my new chain was slipping horribly under load on the old kit.


 
I know that feeling. and I changed the chain as soon as the wear indicator got close to 0.75% . for less than £40 couldn't complain much though. managed to escape with only new cassette as well


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## potsy (7 Jun 2012)

Since the really wide guards on the Tricross look all wrong with skinny tyres, I've bought a second set the correct size and been busy fitting them tonight.
I can see why people struggle to fit them (SKS Chromo's) but thanks to already having a set that I could refer to really helped.
Not too bad a job for me, just need a small hacksaw to trim the stays to the correct length and can then fit the plastic end caps.

I can now swap and change the bike between wide tyred off roader, and slicked up racer for weekends/forum rides, with or without guards


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## musa (7 Jun 2012)

Tried repairing ye front dérailleur and gear cable. Reattached gear cable but still got trouble with the front gears not moving accordingly. Hmm I'm stuck here tried playing with the screws worked for a bit but wasn't a clean change gave up and fettled the n+1, put the light brackets on. Swapped the 25c for the conti hardshells of the n bikes. Now my mk2 are fitted not a problem however I need a screw piece for the front guard


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## Janeyb (8 Jun 2012)

ColinJ said:


> Make extra sure that the new chain doesn't slip on the old chainrings and cassette! I had to buy new rings and cassette recently when my new chain was slipping horribly under load on the old kit.



Thanks Colin. The chain was only a little worn. Got a new rear cassette on anyway and front chain wheels look good. Good advice though thank you. John has his fingers crossed as his chain was really worn. All those Peak district hills must've stretched it.


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## Janeyb (8 Jun 2012)

Just finished fine tuning gear shifting. Running smoothly. This is how my kitchen looks this morning:


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## musa (8 Jun 2012)

Ive got that stand 

And bike


How did you tune the front ring. I'm having trouble aligning then when I change the gears


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## The Brewer (8 Jun 2012)

Had a dreaded P******* on a run out with my cycling friend, so better get that sorted, just needs the inner tube repairing and re-stock the saddle bag with Co2
Back in work after a week off, so going to fettle with the Carrera on this awful rainy day


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## smokeysmoo (8 Jun 2012)

Thought I'd try some reverse jiggery pokery, and re-fitted my mudguards on the Ribble. Well it's done nowt put pi$$ down since I removed them, so it can only get better!

I also levelled the Spoon on the Ribble. I've traditionally had my saddles slightly nose down, but I've not got along with the Spoon so far.

I levelled my Fizik on the CAAD before the GMC ride last Monday and found it better, so I'd thought I'd try the same with the Spoon. If this doesn't work it's being sold!


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## potsy (8 Jun 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> Thought I'd try some reverse jiggery pokery, and re-fitted my mudguards on the Ribble. Well it's done nowt put pi$$ down since I removed them, so it can only get better!


 Worth a try 

I have taken the studded tyres off the hybrid (yes I know it's Summer)  and put the wide tyres from the CX bike onto it.
I now have a back up bike again until the Secteur gets fixed.

Thought the tyres were too big at first, but it was just a bolt holding the mudguard on that was rubbing, found a slightly smaller bolt in the spares box and fitted that instead, perfect now


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## youngoldbloke (9 Jun 2012)

Removed the cranks from the 'new' winter bike, and cleaned them up. Cleaned up really well. Brakes also. Gave the frame a good clean too, now that almost everything is detached. New wheels on order, and seatpin acquired from 'bargain bin' at one of the LBSs - mint, good quality - £10.


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## HovR (10 Jun 2012)

New 5 speed freewheel with wider gear ratios for the Dawes arrived today. Simple job to take off the old one, and fit the new one.. or so I thought.

I went to take the old one out, bike on the repair stand, rear wheel out and get the freewheel remover tool out. Except the freewheel was one of the old European 2 pin ones, with the raised sockets which easily shear off, rendering your remover tool useless.. and they had.

So I got out the trusty hammer and a bit of pointy metal to remove the freewheel bearing cone, which took a bit of whacking, but it was freed eventually. Slid off the actual gears, only to do the old "hundreds of ball bearings all over the garage floor" trick, so I had to pick those up.

Now I'm left with just the pawl mechanism on the threaded hub, stuck on with 20 years of corrosion and pedaling loads. Stuck it in the vice and torqued on the wheel, until the pawl mechanism/freewheel body eventually came off the threaded hub.

After all that faff the new freewheel threaded on without issue. It's loud! Like the modern freehubs or BMX freewheels. Can't decide weather I like it or not, after being used to the near silent old one. Might open it up and apply some medium/light weight oil to the ratchet mechanism if it gets on my nerves.


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## Dayvo (10 Jun 2012)

Cracked the rim on the rear wheel of my hybrid recently and bought a new wheel yesterday.

Removed the old cassette and cleaned it in diesel: what a result! It came out like new. Too bad I didn't have time to do the front chainring, too.

Had a hell of a struggle removing the lock ring, but got there eventually with the aid of a steel pipe for extra leverage.


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## potsy (10 Jun 2012)

Re-fitted the panier rack ready for commuting duty, was enjoying the lighter feeling of not having it, but it is not really practical as it was.
Added CC sticker to new mudguards


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## Scilly Suffolk (11 Jun 2012)

Simplex Super LJ shifters fitted to the Pug; trimmed the brake outer cable which was slightly too long (forcing the calipers off centre) after fitting aero levers on Saturday.

New bottom bracket waiting to go in and brake calipers to source, then that's about all I want to do!

Unless I happen upon a 24mm seatpost, but that's another story...


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## Psycolist (11 Jun 2012)

After months of 'wondering' i took the plunge and fitted a shorter BB to my custom build today. OMG why didnt I do it months ago. Although the gear changes where working fine I always had to screw down the low movement so that it then created a really tight cable , even in the low position. I also thought the chain line was fine, until today. 2mm off the BB and everything just looks, sounds, and feels better, in fact, i'd say PERFIC.....


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## deptfordmarmoset (16 Jun 2012)

Wey hey! New gear cables! I've been meaning to get round to it for months, what with the fraying cable ends.... Having a brand new cable cutter really makes a difference but I'm not sure whether I needed the (equally new) fourth-hand tool. 

If I sold it, it would be a second-hand fourth-hand tool, and I don't even know what happened to the third-hand tool in the first place.


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## HLaB (16 Jun 2012)

The saddle on my SS was at an extreme angle  and now I'm home I decided to adjust it with a proper allen key and see if that is any better at holding it in the correct place.


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## Rickshaw Phil (17 Jun 2012)

After hitting a foreign object at speed, as described elsewhere, I have just had the dubious pleasure of replacing the broken spokes.

There were two spokes broken in the incident and as I'd had to ride about 14 miles on the damaged wheel a further two failed while removing the freewheel and retensioning the wheel. (Not counting one of the "new" ones which also broke during tensioning ).

I now have a wheel that runs true again and think I deserve a beer.


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## Melonfish (17 Jun 2012)

Had a damned good clean of the bike today, then i re-adjusted my brakes, re-fitted my comp mount because it needed a shim.
then i fitted my fathers day prezzie, a charge spoon.
some re-adjustments later and its fine, also shifted my handlebars forward a bit, get myself a better position on the bike.
pete


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## potsy (17 Jun 2012)

Put a Durano+ on the rear of the CX commuter, re-fitted rack ready for commuting duties on Monday night.
First puncture on the Krylions yesterday, piece of glass which has left quite a gash/hole in the centre tread, have glued it for now but will save it for when the Secteur is running again.


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## gbb (17 Jun 2012)

Took the sons MTB to work, Vbrakes were sticking (its left outside, all weathers) so release cables, introduce some teflon oil, clean, remove brake arms and lube bosses, All working better now.
Would have done more, but too busy working...hurumphh  .

Oiled the chain, checked the hubs for play, gave the remainder of the bike a once over. It'll do for now.


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## subaqua (17 Jun 2012)

re indexed gears on the MTBcommuter. oh and fitted a bell with a compass to replace the non working bell . it was a fathers day pressie OK


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## smokeysmoo (17 Jun 2012)

New saddle on the CAAD, no time to try it out today so former saddle still in the wings, just in case.


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## Mark Grant (17 Jun 2012)

I assisted my mate to fit a new crankshaft oil seal to my VW T4 van. A garage had supposedly done it about 18 months ago when it belonged to my employers but they either lied or were pants at fitting seals!! A couple of hours to fit a £3.50 seal, but as mates rates = zero it wasn't too bad.
Also stuck the stickers on this






See here http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/latest-project.104329/


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## subaqua (17 Jun 2012)

that chain won't stay white long


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## youngoldbloke (17 Jun 2012)

Shortened the bargain seatpost bought to replace the cracked carbon one on my 'new' winter bike using a pipe cutter. Took a long time to get through the thick aluminium, but a beautifully neat job.


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## HLaB (17 Jun 2012)

I don't know if you can call it fettling but I clipped on a guard to the SS before I went out for a wee ride today, this weather is shouite


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## Boondoggle (17 Jun 2012)

Still attempting to inflate my tyres without popping the tube, managed 40psi and no sign of problems  Tried out my fancy new Claud Butler track pump, nice. Bit of light cleaning, tried some "muck off" from Tesco......................dries streaky.


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## stevo (17 Jun 2012)

fitted lights mirror and lubed my new bike.


this was achieved with...
a screwdriver.
oil and rag.


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## HLaB (18 Jun 2012)

I borrowed the clipless (spd) pedals of my hybrid and fitted them to the 13kg SS, what a difference it makes. The plastic cages are bust on both and I pull I last longer on the uphill before grinding out and on the downhill I can pedal in confidence. I took the clip on mudguard off too  Oh an I went out for a 19.15mile loop ;-)


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## Edwards80 (18 Jun 2012)

Just replaced the entire drive train after leaving my rather stretched chain on for far too long. A bit gutted about the times that I have paid the lbs to do it on old bikes. Quite simple when you have the correct bits and bobs  Feels like a new bike again now.

Learnt my lesson about checking chain wear though :S


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## defy-one (19 Jun 2012)

New topeak saddle bag fitted & tested. Very nice


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## Dan B (19 Jun 2012)

Tightening and in-progress truing of the rear wheel spokes on my fixed, after I became puzzled as to why it felt like it was wobbling when I pedalled. Some of the spokes were so loose that the nipple was only barely protruding from the rim ...


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## HovR (19 Jun 2012)

Tightened the cup and cone bearings on my rear wheel on the Dawes yesterday, and washed down the MTB today after an offroad excursion.


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## HovR (19 Jun 2012)

After washing my MTB, I went on to a full drive chain clean. The drive chain had been neglected over the winter, and was pretty filthy. Started mickle'ing it, but decided the chain was too far gone for mickle'ing alone, and stuck it in a bottle with some solvents and shook it around.

Took the chain set off, and gave it a good cleaning. Took the RD off, cleaned it, and oiled the jockey wheels. Cleaned the cassette.

Put it all back together and lubed with Finish Line dry. I intend to mickle it weekly now that it's nice and clean, as I do with my road bike.


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## youngoldbloke (22 Jun 2012)

Almost everything back on the 'new' winter bike. New wheels have Gatorskins from the 'old' winter bike. New SKS guards on. All bolts copper greased. Just remains to refit chain, put a spare saddle on, fit pedals from the old bike, fit new brake blocks then tighten up and adjust and lube everything.


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## Kiwiavenger (22 Jun 2012)

yesterday i mickled, changed to gatorskins, put on the crud catcher mk2's, replaced the brake pads. today was spent on the fly adjusting of the mudguards and brakes! may need to replace the chain soon though


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## potsy (23 Jun 2012)

Swapped 4 tyres over, 2 onto the soon to be running again Secteur, and put 2 from the hybrid back onto the CX.
Fitted new gear cable, and indexed gears with new rear mech, re-fitted wider guards and rack to CX.

Just need to test ride the Secteur tomorrow to make sure it's OK.


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## 400bhp (23 Jun 2012)

HovR said:


> After washing my MTB, I went on to a full drive chain clean. The drive chain had been neglected over the winter, and was pretty filthy. Started mickle'ing it, but decided the chain was too far gone for mickle'ing alone, and stuck it in a bottle with some solvents and shook it around.
> 
> Took the chain set off, and gave it a good cleaning. Took the RD off, cleaned it, and oiled the jockey wheels. Cleaned the cassette.
> 
> Put it all back together and lubed with Finish Line dry. I intend to mickle it weekly now that it's nice and clean, as I do with my road bike.


 
For interest, how long did it take you?


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## 4F (23 Jun 2012)

New bar tape and new carradice Xl saddle pack in preperation for next weeks dun run


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 Jun 2012)

Removed a bit of grit from the brake blocks on my knockabout bike and reset the cables. Full braking power available now.


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## potsy (23 Jun 2012)

Nearly forgot, I also patched a couple of tubes after 2 punctures in a week have left my spares quite low.
Had mixed success with patching before so usually buy new, but thought I'd have another go, both seem to be holding air OK 
Have a few more I might as well do too.


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## spacecat (24 Jun 2012)

Partly due to the rubbish weather I replaced the cartridge bearings in my fulcrum 7's (there was play in em) and regreased and adjusted my headset. Replacing the bearings was a lot easier than I envisaged with no special tools other than a cassette remover. Around 97% easier than a cars wheel bearing!

I had to get my son to remove the wee circlips though, my eyes aren't too good though close up!

Oh, and, being incredibly sad, I removed the freehub again after putting it all back together cos I had put too much grease on the pawls which made the wheel too quiet.

But am used to the ribbing I get from the family for such things


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## Cyclist33 (24 Jun 2012)

I want to fit my new shimano spds but alas i can't find my spanner anywhere.


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## Accy cyclist (24 Jun 2012)

I've been swapping the tiny springs that are on wheel skewers around (i lost one the other day)from one bike to the other. One of my two bikes is fine with just one, but with the other the wheel refuses to go around. I went to my local bike shop yesterday afternoon but they'd closed by the time i got there.
I've also been trying to get the cork tape on my handlebars straight. It bugs(severely) me when i've been pulling on the bars during a climb, then find that it's uneven and there are gaps on the bars.


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## Pottsy (24 Jun 2012)

The chain was not running smoothly on the Guv'nor so I checked for wear and it was at .75 so time to replace. Checked all the other bikes whilst I was at it, but nothing beyond .25 on the rest. 

So I ordered a KMC Z510 HX 1/8" chain in silver which should arrive from Wiggle tomorrow. 

Since I had some time free today, in preparation I removed the old chain (couldn't get the quick link to open, had to split it) and cleaned up all the drive train. Simple job as there's only a chainring and a sprocket, no gears. Everything looks fine with no discernible wear so I'm happy a new chain should work fine. If it arrives tomorrow as expected I'll fit it and then have a test. 

I love a new chain and it all being smooth and shiny again


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## Gary E (24 Jun 2012)

Finally managed to fix a P*******r!
On the FOURTH attempt! 
First attempt - simple patch job. Flat the following morning.
Second attempt - changed tube. Flat the following morning.
Third attempt - changed tyre and tube. Flat the following morning.
Fourth attempt - new tube and new rim tape. So far so good 
On each go I did all the usual checks, inspected the tyre (microscopically!), checked for multiple holes in the tube, checked the rims (even took an abrading stick to the welded joint to smooth it a bit). I also looked for spokes protruding though/around the rim tape.
If I didn't live on my own and if the bike wasn't locked up indoors the whole time I'd swear someone was playing silly buggers!


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## Berties (24 Jun 2012)

don't think it is a true fettle but mended a puncture from this mornings ride,and it was a thorn through the tyre and both sides of the tube,thought well it will be a spare spare so proceeded with the second hole on the reverse side of the tube well that is all ok,upped up the tube when set and it just made me laugh it looked like a fat girls belly in tight lycra,the old balloon effect pulling on the tube,I am sorry it just tickled my humour


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## Poacher (24 Jun 2012)

My missus is awaiting a Brompton (Cobalt blue, hence Blue Bird) so i felt duty bound to smarten up _my_ brommy (Black Beauty - I couldn't afford fancy colours) so it didn't feel dirty in the presence of the new one, and do a full job on cleaning the bits that normally escape cleaning, plus a total clean and re-lubrication of the chain/cogs/chainring/pulley etc. After that, fitted the new Altura post pack I bought on an impulse at the York cycle show onto the old Holdsworth (as used on *highly* recommended Rutland ride organised by totallyfixed - hope I can make it to the next one!). Now need some discipline so I don't load too much stuff that I'll never need into this and the Lidl handlebar bag - maybe I should take that off to remove temptation. Oh, decisions, decisions. You wouldn't believe the variety of tools I carry on the commuter, but then again, in the last month I've been able to render roadside assistance to two absolutely gorgeous young ladies, one who needed her left-hand crank re-attaching, and one who needed a radical re-alignment of her V-brakes. Note to self - an early start to work pays dividends, if only to claim your preferred desk in a hot-desking office. (Has anyone else noticed that the main advocates of hot-desking never actually have to hot-desk themselves?)


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## HovR (24 Jun 2012)

400bhp said:


> For interest, how long did it take you?


 
I don't recall exactly, but the drive chain clean must have been around the 2 hour mark. Why do you ask?


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## stoatsngroats (24 Jun 2012)

I oiled front gear cable, and rear brake cable, cleaned the chains ( Yep both!) and prepared to fit a rear rack light - by mean prepare, I took the new light out of it's blister pack, put the batteries in and hoped I'd have some time to spend fitting it - but ran out of time


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## 400bhp (24 Jun 2012)

HovR said:


> I don't recall exactly, but the drive chain clean must have been around the 2 hour mark. Why do you ask?


 
Because it always seems to take me forever & I wondered what a benchmark was.

Probably takes me around the same-perhaps even longer, although I usually leave the parts to soak in white spirit for a few hours and come back to it.


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## derrick (24 Jun 2012)

The ******* garden, spent most of the weekend cutting down all the ivy, that we let go a bit wild, six trips to the rubbish dump to get rid of it all. i hate gardening, but on the plus side i have been doing up a freinds bike all week, i did it a couple of years ago she got it home hung it in the shed and that's were it stayed, hopefully this time she will ride it, she does seem a bit keener this time, but will have to wait and see.


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## HovR (24 Jun 2012)

Ah, I see! I'd left it far too long for a clean really, so ended up having to take off the chain and chain rings for cleaning which inevitably added more time to the job.

Thinking I may need to switch to a wet lube, as after one ride in the wet (which my road bike w/ dry lube doesn't go out in) the chain was squeaking like a newly hatched nest of birds.  Although I hate the mess caused by wet lube. Guess it'll just be a case of really keeping on top of it and mickle'ing even more regularly.


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## Accy cyclist (25 Jun 2012)

Well i'll either be fettling another puncture today or leaving it to my local bike shop. I had a look at my bike last night then i saw the dreaded flat! It's a rear one so i might as well take it in, they'll fit a new tube for a fiver, so £1.50 for their labour is worth it to avoiding all that fiddling.


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## youngoldbloke (25 Jun 2012)

Ribble refurb completed yesterday afternoon. Everything refitted, greased, lubed. All bolts tightened. Spare saddle fitted, also Keos on loan from 'old' winter bike. Temporary bottle cages and longer stem fitted (both post photo). Test ride great - quiet, smooth, and free running - just like a new bike . Soon got used to the Tiagra shifters - my 'summer' Ribble 7005SL is all Campag, and the 'old' Peugeot has downtube shifters. Will swap the saddle later, fit new bottle cages and a new 12-27 or 28 cassette, to replace the existing 12-25.


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## Strathlubnaig (25 Jun 2012)

Took my jockey wheels to bits and cleaned / relubed and put them back on, things a bit smoother now.


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## youngoldbloke (29 Jun 2012)

After about 30 miles 'running in' rides on the 'new' bike this week, exchanged saddles with the 'old' one and checked the set up. Adjusted position to match the measurements of my other bike (same saddle) - centre of bottom bracket to top of saddle, nose of saddle to c/l of stem / to c/l of bars / to hoods. Checked saddle was level, and marked KOPS position on top tube for reference. Tweaked mudguard clearance and checked all bolts for tightness.


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## potsy (29 Jun 2012)

Wiped the worst of the commuting grime off the Secteur ready for a 60 miler tomorrow, Mickled the chain and cleaned the rims.
Gave the pedals a blast of squirty oil in an attempt to quieten the creaking and groaning they are doing, maybe they are fubarred, we'll see.


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## ColinJ (29 Jun 2012)

Friends are in town for the weekend (I'm off to the pub to meet them shortly!) and we will be riding our MTBs tomorrow. Given that I hadn't ridden mine since last summer's get-together, I thought I'd check it over ... 

It turned out that the bearings in the rear hub had seized so I replaced them - probably the hardest job I've done on a bike so far. Online videos said "First, remove the endcap spacers. Second ..."

What they didn't say was that if those spacers have not been removed in 11 years, they can be a pig to get off! I stabbed my finger with a screwdriver trying to lever one off. I tried everything I could think of until I finally had a brainwave ... cone spanners! Being thin, I could get one in from the left and one from the right and get some well-balanced leverage which soon had the spacers popping off. 

I discovered that a 19 mm socket made an ideal tool for 'drifting' the new bearings in.

I was 'a-pawl-ed' to discover how fiddly it was getting the freehub back on without springs and pawls flying off and hiding under my fridge. Once I'd finally done it, I turned round with a smug grin on my face, only to discover a spacer that I should have fitted first staring back at me! Oh, b*ll*cks! More faffing about ...

Eventually, I got the job done and I now have a lovely, smooth-running wheel!

I also cleaned the cassette, rings, chain and jockey wheels. The transmission looks a bit the worse for wear so everything will need to be replaced soon. I've just been through the same process on my Basso and won't make the mistake of replacing parts one at a time again when they are as worn as this. Hopefully it will get me through tomorrow's ride okay - I didn't have time to test ride it.

I checked the brake pads and saw that the rear pads were almost worn out. Not worth trying to squeeze another ride out of them so I replaced those too.

Anyway - I'm off to have a drink and then go to watch _The Damned _who are playing at Hebden Bridge Trades Club tonight - _yay!_


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## derrick (29 Jun 2012)

Fitted thinner slicks to the commuter, looking forward to riding to work in the morning.


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## HLaB (30 Jun 2012)

When cleaning the bike last night I noticed one of the upper jockey wheel's teeth was missing so I swapped in one from an old derailleur. Today was just an unlucky road side fettle  At least the tour is on


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## Kiwiavenger (2 Jul 2012)

Last night was spent fitting a new chain and cassette, the 105 brakes and trying to replace my missing spoke! Spoke was too short so will get a bigger one and refit tonight!

Also the wife has agreed for me to cycle more in preperation for me to move further from my work!!! I see some serious climbing coming on so may be building some new, lighter wheels cause the alexrims dont cut it!

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2


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## defy-one (2 Jul 2012)

Last night was a clean with baby wipes after my tour de france (for me) of 32 miles.
I must say the bike came up like new


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## HovR (9 Jul 2012)

Wiped down and lubricated the chain on the MTB and road bike.

Decided that I wasn't quite happy with the rear gear shifting on the MTB, so adjusted the indexing.. Still not right.

So I slackened the cable off and inspected the cable under the outers, to reveal some light corrosion and crap buildup. Quick lubrication of the cables (with Finish Line Dry) and reindexing and shifting is far improved.


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## PoweredByVeg (9 Jul 2012)

Started totally stripping down No.1 bike after a very wet and dirty Audax yesterday. Still no mudguards doh!!


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## smokeysmoo (20 Jul 2012)

Fit Swisstop Flash Pro pad inserts to the CAAD, washed it, dried it, polished it, lubed it.

Sadly no time to ride it this weekend unless I can squeeze a few miles in tomorrow after Parkrun.

I'm marshalling on the run course for the Bolton Ironman on Sunday, so I won't have time to get a ride in then sadly.

[EDIT] removed guards from the Ribble, I'm going to use it today to ride to the Ironman course.


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## defy-one (20 Jul 2012)

Final adjustments to the hybrid before my epic commute into London and back tommorow. (24 miles each way)


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## Biglad82 (22 Jul 2012)

2 mugs of tea and 3 bacon cobs during my unboxing and building of the new steed (carrera subway)


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## youngoldbloke (27 Jul 2012)

Fitted new forks to the 'new' winter bike. All went smoothly. Double/treble/quadruple checked the (alloy) steerer length against the old ones before cutting with a pipecutter - lovely smooth cut. Fitted star washer with home made tool involving 5mm studding, nuts and various washers (next time I will use 4mm and leave the star washer free to move on the studding). New forks about 1.5mm longer than old so adjusted brake blocks. Gives better mudguard clearance too.


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## MattHB (2 Aug 2012)

Bit of new bike fetteling this morning, you know how it is 


Fitted top bar brake levers, look cool and will be useful off road and commuting.

Replaced the 28-11 with a 30-12 on the CX wheels

Cleaned the rims with brake cleaner, filed down pad surfaces in case of contamination and toed them in better in an attempt to prevent a 10 mile early warning when I'm braking. My god they're loud.

Will go out later on this evening and give it all a good shakedown


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## threebikesmcginty (6 Aug 2012)

Fettling a house with paint this week, could be very limited bike time, bah!


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## Alex11 (6 Aug 2012)

Fettled around with an old crankset today, cleaned it up etc.

Tomorrow a very large "fettle" will take place - repainting the frame...


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## defy-one (7 Aug 2012)

MattHB said:


> Bit of new bike fetteling this morning, you know how it is
> 
> 
> Fitted top bar brake levers, look cool and will be useful off road and commuting.
> ...




Could you tell me more about top bar brake levers? I like to use that area,when not on the hoods. Easy mod for 2300 sti shifters?


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## MattHB (7 Aug 2012)

defy-one said:


> Could you tell me more about top bar brake levers? I like to use that area,when not on the hoods. Easy mod for 2300 sti shifters?



Yeah it's dead easy to do. There are quite a few good guides on the web about how to go about it. They have the same power as the normal levers and I've found them incredibly useful for commuting as well as bumpy off road tracks.


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## Edwards80 (7 Aug 2012)

Bike had developed an annoying click/creaking noise - fortunately I had obviously incompetently installed the cranks as they just needed a bit more grease and a tighten. All silent again now ​​Glad it wasn't the BB. That's about the only thing I haven't changed on a bike now.​


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## Saluki (7 Aug 2012)

The other half is out in the stable, fettling away now. Yesterday he took off mudguards (he has second hand road bike and he is making it 'his'), put the seat to a more suitable height, cleaned it from head to toe with Muc-off (it needed it).
Today he seems to be sorting the seat to a better angle, tidying up the bar tape and putting the handlebars to a better angle. They seemed to be turned around a bit high when he took the bike for a shakedown ride yesterday. He is swapping out the pedals too.


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## Strathlubnaig (7 Aug 2012)

simple chain clean today after a few rainy rides recently, the quick link makes a heckuva difference to that particular chore.


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## fossyant (7 Aug 2012)

Ended up sorting out my daughter's friend's bike - on two nights running. Decathlon Rockrider 5.0 that has obviously lived outside with no oil, or any maintenance. Orange chain and freewheel, gears didn't change, front brake was well dodgy. Fixed brakes Sunday, gears oiled. Monday night, cleaned and stripped gear cables, oiled, refitted, gear hanger bent straight, and it changes gear now. Works fairly well other than the chainset is warped - god knows how, it's out be 5mm or so as you spin it.


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## Octet (7 Aug 2012)

Took apart two old bikes that weren't worth selling and so they are now ready for recycling.

Achieved with:
- Hands
- Allen Key
- Phillips Head Screw Driver
- Flat Head Screw Driver
- Adjustable Spanner

- Big Hammer


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## Alex11 (7 Aug 2012)

Octet said:


> Took apart two old bikes that weren't worth selling and so they are now ready for recycling.
> 
> Achieved with:
> - Hands
> ...


 
what were they :-)


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## Octet (7 Aug 2012)

Bike 1:
An ancient mountain bike, to which the brakes where gone, the frame was rusted and the wheels were rusted to the frame.
I think it was a Timber Lake, at least twenty years old.

Bike 2:
My sisters bike from when she was twelve, brakes where gone and so where the wheels, about ten years old.

Both bikes would of probably cost more to replace the damaged parts then I would get for them if I sold them on.


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## Alex11 (7 Aug 2012)

Cool! :-)


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## Jenkins (7 Aug 2012)

Decided to treat myself to a replacement set of wheels for the Triban. Nothing wrong with the originals, but they were starting to show signs of wear & tear and the replacements were (with a 10% discount) at the right price! They arrived and were fitted this morning and given a test ride this afternoon.

Can't say I noticed a difference but they certainly look better - or did until the fantastic summer weather we're having unleashed itself and now they're in need of cleaning.


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## Lincon Jackson (7 Aug 2012)

Cleaned and oiled up my gears on MTB after this mornings downpour.


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## potsy (7 Aug 2012)

Tightened up the headset on the Tricross as it felt like there was a bit of play, was also getting a bit of a creaking noise when I put the front brake on that sounded like it was coming from there.
Never done anything with headsets before, let's hope it's OK on tomorrows commute


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## fossyant (7 Aug 2012)

Headsets are dead easy these days Potsy.

Quick true of front wheel on my son's school 'commuter' bike. Re-trimmed the v-brakes and cleaned the spokes up a little. Little bits here and there - The bike is coming on nicely.


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## Alex11 (7 Aug 2012)

Spent today repainting my Dawes project!


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## potsy (7 Aug 2012)

fossyant said:


> Headsets are dead easy these days Potsy.


I'll remember that when I'm doing 35mph down brinny road tomorrow


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## youngoldbloke (15 Aug 2012)

Fitted new Miche 13-28 9X cassette to replace 12-25 on 'new' winter bike (getting plenty of use this 'summer'  ). Previous owner much fitter/has much younger legs than self. Why aren't comprehensive range of cogs available from the main manufacturers? Shimano don't do 13-28 9x. All works smooth as silk, and the 9x Tiagra short cage mech copes fine with 28.


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## Drago (15 Aug 2012)

Started fitting the hybrid 105/Ultegra groupset to me Pinnacle roadie today. Will fit new Barelli seat later.


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## smokeysmoo (16 Aug 2012)

Re-wrapped the bars on the CAAD as I wasn't happy how I'd done them the other week, happy now


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## Alex11 (16 Aug 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> Re-wrapped the bars on the CAAD as I wasn't happy how I'd done them the other week, happy now


It's satisfying when it's done and looks great! Almost transforms the appearance of a bicycle


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## BrianEvesham (16 Aug 2012)

Checked the tire pressures on mine and the lads bikes for an early morning run tomorrow, weather permitting.
Oh and fixed a puncture on my wife's bike.


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## Night Train (17 Aug 2012)

I took the SPD/flat pedals off Granville and replace them with conventional flats, couldn't get on with the other ones as I kept getting the SPD side with ordinary shoes on and the flat side with SPDs on.

I put the SPD/flats on the Ratrike, replacing the SPDs that were on there. That allows me to pedal the Ratrike with my orthopedic boot and steel toe cap boot on if I put the Ratrike on a trainer.
The pedals work out quiet well as they hang vertically with the SPD side facing back towards the seat.


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## Chrisc (17 Aug 2012)

New pedals and a kickstand on the missus Ridgeback. Mudguards, spare garmin speed/cadence sensor and kickstand on my new Spesh Sirrus toddling/commute bike. :-)


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Aug 2012)

More of an attempted fettle today. I replaced the 3 spokes that broke on my aborted ride yesterday. A further spoke broke while I was retensioning the wheel (annoying but not entirely unexpected) then after I had got the wheel true, 3 more failed when I tried to stress-relieve the wheel.

I think I can officially say that this wheel is dead. I can't trust it any more unless I was to completely rebuild it with all new spokes. A replacement is on order.


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## Octet (21 Aug 2012)

I fettled two things today, one a bicycle and one not so.
I cleaned and oiled my bicycle after taking it out for my first 40 mile ride, twice what she has ever done on a single trip so I thought she deserved a wash down 

Secondly, not a bicycle unfortunately, but I 'fettled' my home office.
I re-did all the cabling with those Velcro cable ties and I had the pleasure (sarcasm) of re-installing the OS onto my server.
I then decided to stick a whiteboard on the wall, but didn't have any wall plugs . I'm going by the logic that the four, 7 cm screws straight into a brick wall should hold up... although it is slightly wonky as holding it up with one knee, balancing with the other and attempting to get a screw in is rather hard when the spirit level won't balance on the top.


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Aug 2012)

The new back wheel for the knockabout bike came today and I've fitted it. The bearings were extremely tight so those had to be adjusted first. I'll test ride it tomorrow all being well.

I know I said the old wheel is dead but i've still put it into store for the time being and I may have a go at rebuilding it.


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## Mark Grant (23 Aug 2012)

This evening I was re assembling a frame after painting whilst listening to the radio. The frame was hanging from the garage roof.I fitted the bottom bracket and then the forks, it wasn't until I stood back to admire my work that I realised I had put the forks on coming out of the top of the headtube.


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## Salad Dodger (27 Aug 2012)

Rear (v-style) brake on my e-bike was coming back nearly to the bar, so I had it all to bits, cleaned everything and rebuilt it, and adjusted the brake shoes. Much better now.


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## Accy cyclist (28 Aug 2012)

I superglued some (recycled from other helmet) bits that you velcro your helmet comfy pads, onto my old trusted helmet. The old ones had worn down, so i was wearing a wobbly,uncomfy helmet. I can now have a comfortable, and pain free bonce!


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## dave r (29 Aug 2012)

Been a busy boy tonight, fettled the toeclips on my fixed and sorted out the wrecked tyre on my geared bike. My work have issued me a new pair of steel toe capped boots to replace the ones I've worn out running round the warehouse during the last couple of years, when I came to ride home last night they didn't work with the toeclips, I had a look tonight and the toe has a different profile to the other boots so I had the pedals of and in the workmate then straightened and rebent the toeclips to fit the new boots.
When I got home tonight the new tyre I ordered Sunday had arrived, so I put that on the front of my geared bike then fitted the old front tyre to the back to replace the tyre that I wrecked on Sunday, the wrecked tyre will be scrapped once I've cut some short lengths off it.


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## derrick (29 Aug 2012)

Started to convert the other halfs bike from 105 to Campag veloce, just got a couple of cables to finish routing then get it all set up nice for her.


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## DCLane (29 Aug 2012)

Cleaned and fettled the Carrera Virtuoso prior to sale, changed the saddle back (Fizik to Selle). Photographs on Friday, then onto eBay.

Worked on the 'Lethal Impact' Tony Doyle Ammaco and got the derailleur working, sorted the front puncture. Just the front shifters to sort.

Adjusted the handlebars and brake levers on the new Triban 3 Junior for my 8yo. Need to move the gear selector though and it wouldn't loosen.


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## Davehateshills (29 Aug 2012)

Took the bottom bracket apart (there was too much play in there) cleaned it all and treated it to some new lithium grease before putting it all back together. I also too the back wheel to bits, re-greased and adjusted the cones then cleaned and oiled the chain. Feels like a new bike.


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## Drago (30 Aug 2012)

Been getting the commuter ready for winter by chopping up a mudguard to make extensions for the mudguards that are fitted. Repacked the headset bearings with grease and fitted a small Ketter top box.


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## compo (1 Sep 2012)

My Trek has been creaking like crazy for the past week.
After reading other people's experiences with Brooks saddles I decided to go the whole works. I put a fillet of proofide all round the metal work where it touches the leather then heated it with a hairdrier so the proofide ran under the metal. A dollop on the nose nut was also recommended so it had that as well. Then the usual normal grease along the seat post and inside the seat post clamp. I have just ridden 25 miles and a silent bike again!

Upon reflection it may have been better to have done one thing at a time because although I seem to have cured the problem I don't know which bit actually effected the cure.


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## GrumpyGregry (2 Sep 2012)

Ok...

Deda Dog Fang on the mtb - needed to be slimmed down to clear the weld on BB/seat tube. interface.

Pair of Torchy Cree torches fitted to the fixed and two rear lights fitted.

Saw a bike eye mirror in Halfords this morning when I was in there buying a larger toolbox and have fitted that to the fixed to as it is my commuter and on windy days I can't always hear the car coming from behind.

After lunch... will be swapping the 18t rear sprocket for a 16t


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## bluemint (2 Sep 2012)

Picked up a hex set from to get my crankset off my tourer to give it a clean. Itching to get the massive spanner in action again I decided to get the bottom bracket out to see if it was possibly the same size as the one I bought for my commuter that turned out to be the wrong size.

It was! In goes a nice new UN55 BB.


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## potsy (2 Sep 2012)

Gave both bikes a clean and general checkover, fettled the guards into line and added an extra rear light now it's no longer summer 
Headset is now creak free after last weeks clean and grease session.


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## Deleted member 23692 (2 Sep 2012)

Never seen so much mud on the roads today so after today's ride I washed the bike, dropped the chain, rear wheel and RHS crank off the bike and gave them a good clean.

All clean and shiney now


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## Edwards80 (2 Sep 2012)

Finished restoring a 1960 Carlton yesterday. Piccys here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/smeracing/sets/72157631371703308/

Stopped me fettling my bike for the 100 today but it was more satisfying . . . and my bike was fine today!


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## PpPete (2 Sep 2012)

Only the dishwasher which was leaking. At least, I hope I've fettled it. Just put it on for a test.

Yesterday I fitted the Ergo shifters and cabled up the latest project which is intended as Mrs PpP's new audax bike. She's out on the old one today so I can't swop the drive train over yet.


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## Linford (2 Sep 2012)

Took over a livery yard today with my daughter and another girls and her parents. Huge amount of work to bring it back up as it has been abandoned for 5 years. About a dozen of us working like skivvies yesterday and today and moved 5 horses in there this afternoon. Got a fair amount of work still as there is a field on the other side of a brook with about 6 but the small bridge into it needs sorting before the horses can use it. Connected mains electric, water, and got a trailer load of hay and straw in with the 4x4 which needed taxing before getting it off the drive this morning - £120 for 6 months and probably about 1500 miles. Makes me want to knock the miles up in it just to justify the expense - a system which works in that way really is fundamentally flawed


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## smokeysmoo (3 Sep 2012)

My Charge Spoon arrived today for my Fuji fixed.

Now fitted and all is well again


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## bluemint (4 Sep 2012)

decided to touch up some chips and scratches, a particularly big patch after a few nasty chainsucks needed attention so i removed the chainring crank from my recently installed BB. it came off suspiciously easily and i found that a plastic thing on the BB was stopping it from inserting all the way, perhaps only by about half a mm. Luckily I could quickly lever it off. even more luckily, I haven't been on a ride on it yet or I would have had to buy a new crankset.

The paint job doesn't match but it's better than looking at white/bare metal patches.


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## dave r (4 Sep 2012)

Nothing major today, coming home from work there was a crash on the mini roundabout at the top of Donithorne avenue, car with most of its front missing parked at the side of the road debris everywhere, having picked my way through the debris I decided to check the tyres when I get home, checking the front tyre I notice the front wheel isn't turning as freely as it should, check the wheel and I've got a little bit of run out on the rim, rim running against the brakeblock a little, a couple of minutes with the spoke key and its all running freely now, and nothing in the tyre..


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## Stonepark (7 Sep 2012)

Added an Abus 4850 frame lock to my Cube for those quick shop stops and a Fenderbot rear light to the mudguard to back up my dynamo lights.


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## GrumpyGregry (8 Sep 2012)

it's a glorious morning for riding a bike so, naturally,I'm re-roofing my bike shed! About 80% done, just waiting for the felt adhesive to go off before applying the cap strip.


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## dave r (8 Sep 2012)

GregCollins said:


> it's a glorious morning for riding a bike so, naturally,I'm re-roofing my bike shed! About 80% done, just waiting for the felt adhesive to go off before applying the cap strip.


 
I'm in the same boat, waiting for a cooker to be delivered, and I've got fences to paint tomorrow.


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## avalon (8 Sep 2012)

Mended a puncture by sticking a patch on top of a punctured patch.


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## GrumpyGregry (8 Sep 2012)

dave r said:


> I'm in the same boat, waiting for a cooker to be delivered, and I've got fences to paint tomorrow.


Shed finished, now to see if I can rotafix my stuck fixed cog so I can gear her up a bit.


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## Mr Haematocrit (8 Sep 2012)

fitted some new jokey wheels today and cut down my seat post


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## GrumpyGregry (8 Sep 2012)

GregCollins said:


> Shed finished, now to see if I can rotafix my stuck fixed cog so I can gear her up a bit.


Edit: now 16t x 42. Rotafix rocks.


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## dave r (8 Sep 2012)

GregCollins said:


> Edit: now 16t x 42. Rotafix rocks.


 
I haven't had to Rotafix a cog yet. The cooker arrived about dinner time, leaving me with an afternoons shopping with the Mrs to do, I got started on the painting tonight and got a bit done before the light went. Having covered just over 400 miles in the last 3 weeks this weekend's down as a rest weekend, its sods law its going to be an excellent weekend for cycling. I'm off work next week so I'll have to get some miles in during the week.


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## biggs682 (8 Sep 2012)

took my recently powder coated Sun Truwel frame set down to lbs to start the re fit , and packed a bike up for shipment to its new owner .


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## RussellZero (11 Sep 2012)

I'm not a fettler, but having lost sleep over the fact I've never cleaned my chain (I know, I know) on my new road bike (since April) and wondering how much irrepairable damage I must have caused, I got a few bits and pieces off wiggle and spent a happy hour or two using "the method" on the chain and generally cleaning and fettling the rest of the bike. Never knew how much satisfaction you can get from removing the last piece of gunk from a "hidden from general view) nook or crannie, and wiping the chain with a rag and it not leaving a trace. How sad am I.  Dont want to ride it now, it'll only get dirty again.


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## smokeysmoo (11 Sep 2012)

Fitted bottle cages, (behind seat as no frame bosses), and fitted Crud Road Racers to my Fuji Feather.


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## lb81 (11 Sep 2012)

1.Took off the bar tape and adjusted the hood position/finally put on the silly little black ferrules that take out cable slack on the CX.

2.Ripped all the gears and associated rubbish off the mtb in preperation for its 'SS - without spending money - conversion', messed about with gear ratios and ways to tension the chain, also prepped the frame to remove all the cable stops at the weekend although need a new dremel and cutting discs first...


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## Night Train (11 Sep 2012)

I fitted a side stand to my Marin that I sold to a friend. I used some inner tube to protect the frame as I couldn't bare the steel stand clamp clamping onto the aluminium frame.

I miss that bike.


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## Drago (12 Sep 2012)

More fettling ahoy today. A quick service of my Elswick has turned into a nut and bolt rebuild. Will finish painting the frame today, and hopefully the various bearings I've ordered will arrive so I can finish the build this week.


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## Kiwiavenger (12 Sep 2012)

last night involved me cleaning, de-stressing and re truing the rear wheel, cleaning the pads (lots of little metal bits!) putting spoke reflectors on in preperation for the bad weather and refitting my mud guards!

today i feel really rough so havent touched the bike (was planning on a nice 15-20 mile ride this morning) but may fiddle with the front wheel and lights tonight!


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## fossyant (12 Sep 2012)

Fitted a new front mech to my daughter's NEW bike. The one fitted was crap - too much flex, and too much plastic in key points. Bike is a Carrera Luna, and everything else is a great specification - the SRAM X3 rear mech is fantastic for the price. So on went a SRAM X3 front - got it for £6.99 from CRC next day delivery - half price. Works a treat, no more sloppy front upshifts. Daughter hadden't noticed as she only uses the middle ring.


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## gaz (12 Sep 2012)

Last night I used my torque wrench for the first time. adjusted the angle of my new bullhorns on the single speed, the shop put them pointing up a little bit and it wasn't comfortable. Much better this morning


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 Sep 2012)

My gravity rack turned up this morning so I've been assembling/adjusting that...

Now I have a bunk bed for my bikes


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## lb81 (13 Sep 2012)

Hmmm single speed conversion!


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## fossyant (13 Sep 2012)

The dirt !!!

Fettled son's commuter bike - oiled chain and noticed a knocking from the bike when pedalling. Removed rear wheel and there is way too much play in a 1 month old freewheel with about 20 miles on it. Back to Decathlon tonight for a new one.

Will be 'engineering' an additional 'mudflap' for my son's bike out of an old 'pop' bottle this evening.


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## GrumpyGregry (13 Sep 2012)

last evening, out with the shot original bottom bracket in with the new Sugino one on the Plug.


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## fossyant (14 Sep 2012)

New freewheel on son's school bike - god they are sh1te ! - Poor bearings and it doesn't half make a zzzzz noise freewheeling, and that's not the ratchet. Last one lasted less than 20 miles before becoming wobbly. Decathlon's g'tee is good though, can see a new one being fitted every few months - no need to look after them !!

Mudflap is going to take some more 'engineering' and head scratching before I can fit it.


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## Boris Bajic (16 Sep 2012)

Younger boy (13) learned how to replace steering-head bearings.

We did it over 2 days (remove on day one).

Enthusiasm ranged from full-on at the beginning to _'Wish I were elsewhere' _nearer the end, but he was mostly really into it.

V-Brakes were disconnected and wheels removed like a pro. 

He'd asked to be taught these things, so I felt OK sugesting he did it.


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## gaz (16 Sep 2012)

Flipped the stem on one of my bikes (flipped it last year due to some back issues which have now passed).
Lowed the stem on my commuter


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## HovR (16 Sep 2012)

Nothing today, but yesterday whilst cleaning the bike in preparation for today's 40 mile ride I noticed that one of the jockey wheel screws was 1 turn from falling out.. Nipped it back up and all was well.

That's why I think cleaning your bike is important, it helps you notice things you otherwise wouldn't.


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## hondated (16 Sep 2012)

Literally just popped out into the garage and removed the quaill stem on my Ridgeback mountain bike and fitted an A Head stem adaptor because the butterfly bars I fitted to convert it into another tourer were a little too close so I am hoping the extra length of the new stem will solve the problem.Watching a programme now on tv about two guys stuck up on a mountain which is making me feel cold and glad my pastime is cycling and not climbing.


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## Peter88 (16 Sep 2012)

Stripped serviced and rebuilt the Avid BB7's on my commuter. went for a quick spin to check and all is good


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## MrJamie (16 Sep 2012)

Feeling quite smug after managing to fix a loose bottlecage mount boss/rivnut that was freely rotating in the frame 

Also shuffled round 3 bottle cages, attached mudguards and saddlebag to my gaspipe special, alsoswapped its pedals as one seemed slightly bent and sorted its canti brakes, so everythings fixed up and ready now


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## Mark Grant (16 Sep 2012)

This weekend I painted a couple of frames and forks VW Marina blue and some mudguards and chainguard VW Pastel White using 2 pack. Also changed the BB in my Bitsa hybrid.


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## fossyant (17 Sep 2012)

Sorted out a squeek from the fixed drive chain - removed cranks and bb, checked bb still smooth (was fine after 3.5 years of daily abuse), re-greased and re-assembled. Chain given a very good clean and wipe down. Sticky brake cable cleaned re-greased. 

Engineered a bracket for son's 'pop bottle' mud flap - great what a bit of bashing a metal bracket with a hammer can do. 'Pop bottle' flap bolted to bracket. If it get's mashed at school, another can be made from the next pop bottle.


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## Drago (17 Sep 2012)

Today I will be refitting the shifters, cable guides and rear mech to the Elswick, all freshly stripped, cleaned, polished and rebuilt.


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## Cyclopathic (19 Sep 2012)

An old Britania mini pump. Had it lying around for a while and decided to take the black paint off it to discover it's made of brass. The plunger is still in good nick and well lubricated and made of leather. It looks fantastic now I've stripped it. I think it was painted at manufacture because the solder on the end cap is quite rough and visible but it doesn't detract from its looks now. Funny to think that they wanted to disguise the fact that it was made of brass.
I wonder how much you would have to pay now for a mini pump made out of brass with a proper leather plunger. I reckon it's good for 120 psi as well. It's not ultra light weight but it aint exactly heavy either. I'm quite chuffed with it.


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## Old Plodder (19 Sep 2012)

Fitted 2 bottle cages & a seat pack to my new SS.........


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## Drago (19 Sep 2012)

The stem/headset on one of my students bikes.


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## lip03 (20 Sep 2012)

fitted a new adjustable stem! and bought a new pump so had a go with that aswel just for kicks!!


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## DCLane (22 Sep 2012)

The Lethal Impact bike had mudguards fitted, new bar tape and was fettled prior to unexpected Monday-only commuter duties.

Still needs some work on the gears though - shifting isn't great yet. Mind you, it's 26 years old!


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## Peteaud (22 Sep 2012)

Removed old (not working) cycle computer and fitted Garmin bracket.


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## threebikesmcginty (23 Sep 2012)

General maintenance on the boy's islabike - tyres, brakes, raise saddle height (again) and straighten bars (from chucking it to the floor most likely - no respeck for the wheels, kids!)


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## Deleted member 23692 (23 Sep 2012)

Gave the road bike a good clean after yesterday's ride.... followed by truing the rims and tweaking the brakes.

'tis all very clean and shine now


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## Davidc (23 Sep 2012)

What a lousy day

Pumped tyres up using compressor (all 6)
Cleaned and lubed 3 chains
Finished charging and testing all the batteries ready for dark night riding.
Swore at the rain and wished it would go away so I could go for a ride
Set up brakes on 6 wheels


Gave up and went indoors for a cuppa.


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## hoopdriver (23 Sep 2012)

Replaced spring in the right hand arm of my front cantilever brake.


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## Broadside (23 Sep 2012)

Headset bearings, the bottom set were well and truly knackered. It is still not silky smooth because the races are a bit pitted so it might be new headset time...

If i'd had known how easy and cheap it was to replace them I would have done it ages ago!


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## Kiwiavenger (24 Sep 2012)

took bits apart (stem off, seat post clamp off pedals off and wheels out) gave it a damned good clean, bit of oil (couldnt get any grease yesterday) and winterfied the bike, mudguards, second lights, spoke reflectors reflector screwed onto the saddle bag i have, mickled the chain and made sure everything is true ready for today! then felt ill so didnt ride it!


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## Jenkins (24 Sep 2012)

Replaced a punctured inner tube on my Giant CRS hybrid, fitted the bar ends that I meant to do a couple of years ago and cleaned/lubed the chain. As it was still raining outside, the Triban was also treated to a wipe down to remove the dirt accumulated when it was used yesterday due to the Giant's puncture plus a chain clean and lube and finally the Boardman's chain was also cleaned and lubed.


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## derrick (24 Sep 2012)

Fixed a puncture, thats was enough for tonight.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Sep 2012)

Stripped and regreased the wheel bearings and the bottom bracket on my knockabout bike after the slightly damp ride on monday.

Fortunately only the rear wheel bearings had any water inside and none appeared to remain in the frame. I think I got away lightly.


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## fossyant (26 Sep 2012)

Trying to dry out 2 Decathlon V100 usb backup lights. Fully rubberised, but moisture has got in last two days. Grrr. One is fine, one has a mind of it's own. Don't matter as they have a 2 year G-tee - they have until the end of the week to dry before I exchange.


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## fossyant (26 Sep 2012)

Removed valve core from a NEW Conti tube - had a tiny leak from it over last week. Regreased and refitted. Sorted.


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## dan_bo (26 Sep 2012)

fossyant said:


> Removed valve core from a NEW Conti tube - had a tiny leak from it over last week. Regreased and refitted. Sorted.


 
Contis y'see....never right from the start.


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## fossyant (26 Sep 2012)

dan_bo said:


> Contis y'see....never right from the start.


 
Fekkin hate them - it's all the LBS had at the time. Ordered Michelins yesterday !!


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## HovR (27 Sep 2012)

Heard funny creaking/grinding noises coming from the back of the Dawes on the way home today. Ran the usual tests to try and locate squeaking noises and I narrowed it down to the rear wheel/freewheel setup. Took the rear wheel off, span the freewheel - Bingo. 

Took the freewheel off and dismantled it - The innards were completely dry. I reassembled with generous helpings of grease and refitted - Fixed.

Whilst I had the grease out I also serviced the front hub on the Dawes.


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## derrick (27 Sep 2012)

Changed the saddle on my other halfs bike, third time lucky it looks the part, but will it suit her bum.


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## Octet (28 Sep 2012)

After putting my bicycle away for the night, I went to take it out for a ride to find a flat back tyre. It's my first puncture, but I managed to get the wheel off and with a bit of awkward manipulation I managed to get the tyre over the rim so I could pull out the inner tube.
I found the entire tyre to be peppered with miniscule pin pricks from a bramble that appeared to have serrated the tyre as the wheel went around.
Not exactly a successful fettle, as there where too many pricks to cover with patches, but a set of new inner tubes have been ordered.


----------



## Cyclopathic (28 Sep 2012)

I've been stripping down a Raleigh 20 (or the Triumph version but without the folding bit) and I got some one to help me bend an old Raleigh road bike frame about so that the rear drop outs will accommodate a 130mm axle. Cold forged with a big piece of wood and some string. Now you can't do that with your fancy pants carbon frames.


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## Cyclopathic (28 Sep 2012)

Octet said:


> After putting my bicycle away for the night, I went to take it out for a ride to find a flat back tyre. It's my first puncture, but I managed to get the wheel off and with a bit of awkward manipulation I managed to get the tyre over the rim so I could pull out the inner tube.
> I found the entire tyre to be peppered with miniscule pin pricks from a bramble that appeared to have serrated the tyre as the wheel went around.
> Not exactly a successful fettle, as there where too many pricks to cover with patches, but a set of new inner tubes have been ordered.


Make sure that you carefully check the inside of your tire before you put it back on. With that many holes it's possible some little thorns might still be poking through.


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## Octet (28 Sep 2012)

Cyclopathic said:


> Make sure that you carefully check the inside of your tire before you put it back on. With that many holes it's possible some little thorns might still be poking through.


 
Thanks for the tip.


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## Deleted member 23692 (29 Sep 2012)

Finally got around to replacing the crappy in-line adjusters that came with the bike for some Jagwire J2 ones. Also relocated them to where I easily reach them whilst riding, which meant two new outer cables.

And to finish off I've replaced the inner cable and dialed in both mechs.... it's all running lovely now


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## Saluki (29 Sep 2012)

Put new Shwalbe tyres on hubby's bike. He has my Giant wheels and the associated cheese tyres. He is fed up with all the incessant puncturing so has coughed up the money for new tyres. Off for a test ride now.


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## Drago (29 Sep 2012)

Gonn be removing the granny ring and big fring, plus front mech, cable and changer off the commuter tonight. I got a 36T alloy middle ring, gonna run a 1 x 9 set up. I don't need the ultra low 22T granny, and my commute rarely presents the opportunity to get jiggy on the big ring, so gonna save me some weight and complication.


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## SS Retro (29 Sep 2012)

Fitted a new upgraded 18t free wheel on my Single speed its as smooth as silk and as silent as the the night now, well pleased!


----------



## Accy cyclist (30 Sep 2012)

I've just put a new waistband cord(well an old boot lace really)into my 14 year old Ron Hill Bikesters.


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## potsy (30 Sep 2012)

Fettled the seatpost rack and lights onto the Secteur for a spot of commuting duty, though if it's wet I'll stick to the Tricross.


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## gavroche (30 Sep 2012)

repaired the puncture I had last night, cut the lawn front and back ( hopefully last time till next spring), pruned some trees, got rid of rubbish at tip, marked some student's homework and now on here.


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## Matt1705 (30 Sep 2012)

Repaired yesterday's puncture that resulted in me walking home as I'd run out of patches 
Halfway through trying to adjust the rear derailleur so it runs smoother without skipping and / or changing while I'm riding. 

Oh how did we survive before the Internet lol


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## Octet (30 Sep 2012)

Replaced my back inner tube with one that didn't have fifteen or so holes in it... I have to say, it holds the air better


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## Erudin (1 Oct 2012)

Stuck a new drivetrain on my '90's mtb which I've converted to a roughstuff tourer, the old alivio chainset was 42/32/22 so a bit undergeared on the flat/downhill. Fitted a Deore 48/36/26 chainset/mechs, KMC X8 chain and SRAM PG820 8spd cassette.


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## Crosstrailer (2 Oct 2012)

Repaired an inner tube and fitted two new continental 700x42's replacing the worn out Borough XC 45's. Changed a brake rotor also. Cant wait to get out on the bike tomorrow.


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## Firoz Taverbi (2 Oct 2012)

Alright, so it was yesterday, but I fitted mudguards onto my bike all by myself! Very pleased with myself, since I know almost nothing about DIY or bikes.
I'd also like to take a moment to mention that "fettled" is my new favourite word.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (3 Oct 2012)

(last night)

Stripped down an old 26x2.125 Raleigh BSO steel wheel with good condition Maillard hub. Overhauled the hub and gave it a good polish before relacing it onto a similarly old but tidy rim


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## Sheffield_Tiger (3 Oct 2012)

I *REALLY* hate setting up shitty old plastic coated pressed steel cantis with cheap nasty resin levers (not my bike). I can assemble a whole bike quicker than it takes to get them working in any way approaching acceptably.

I also hate changing cables in the cheapest nastiest gripsifts

So that was tonight's fettling


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## fossyant (3 Oct 2012)

Son's school bike. Wasn't shifting and jumping gears. Looked like someone has tampered with the revoshift (shimano's grip shifter) and over turned (forced) it whilst the bike was at school. A piece of tape over where the shift indicator window was had also been removed (shift indicator window was missing when we bought it).

Almost ordered another, but I've stripped it and re-built, now working again. Good job he doesn't have his best bike at school.


----------



## mangid (7 Oct 2012)

Should I be worried ?

Last Saturday got a puncture, 7am, cold and wet, and the valve core kept unscrewing every time I removed the pump hose. 

So ...

Just applied Loctite to all the valve cores on the new tubes I bought this week.


----------



## Cyclopathic (7 Oct 2012)

Today I'm stripping down a ladies Orbit Gold Medal for a good spruce up and generaly making shiny so that I can sell it for millions of pounds.


----------



## cyberknight (7 Oct 2012)

Installed a new shifter cable for the rear /rh side.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (7 Oct 2012)

added some zip ties to the new spd reflector equipped pedals on the fixed -_ just in case_ like


----------



## screenman (7 Oct 2012)

Repaired a 12inch crack in a shop front window, nothing to do with bikes but there was one in the shop.


----------



## srw (7 Oct 2012)

GregCollins said:


> added some zip ties to the new spd reflector equipped pedals on the fixed -_ just in case_ like


For strapping your feet in?

I went out for a pootle on my winter bike/commuter (a '90s Galaxy with a straight bar conversion) and discovered that the rear trigger shifter wouldn't take me down below the top three cogs. So I got around to replacing the horrible thing with a thumbshifter - much easier to set up than STI!

I also took the pointless and bodged mudguard thingies off the mountain bike I bought off a colleague (he'd used it for commuting) and attached a pump to the bottle cage bolts. So next time I'm caught out with a puncture I don't have to walk for the train...


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (7 Oct 2012)

Fettled my shed with storage drawers and stacking boxes. Meaning now I have separate boxes for mechs, cranks, seatposts, stems etc instead of having to tip the lot out when I want a crank dustcap


----------



## mark c (7 Oct 2012)

New brake blocks after 2200 odd miles on the old set


----------



## Andrew_Culture (7 Oct 2012)

Fitted a new spoke without removing the wheel or tyre, feel proud.


----------



## NormanD (7 Oct 2012)

Added light machine oil down the exposed inner cable cover (Gore ride on), one trickling drop at a time


----------



## potsy (7 Oct 2012)

General clean and lube of the Secteur after a full week of commuting duty, fettled the front light bracket into a more stable position, swapped seatpost rack for a saddle bag for light commutes next week


----------



## Oldspice (7 Oct 2012)

Removed front light, had a cup of tea,replaced batterys had more tea (this time with cake) then attached light......


----------



## Davidc (10 Oct 2012)

Had to wheel my town bike home from french conversation group this afternoon.
This evening looked and found glass had cut a nasty hole in the tyre and put a pinprick sized hole in the tube. BUT that wheel was from my wife's little used bike and had a Kenda kwest tyre on it, so decided it was time to do some tyre changing.

This evenings efforts: Take off 2 Kenda tyres, dump the damaged one in the wheeliebin, put the other aside as the spare 26".
Take the Marathons off my wheels and put them on my wife's wheels including one new tube.
Take 2 new Marathons out of their bag and put them on my wheels.
Put the wheels back on the bikes.
Mend the puncture in the other tube.
Put the repaired tube on the test rim with the now spare tyre.
Swear again at people who leave glass lying around on roads.
Pour a beer and write this - very therapeutic.

The Kenda tyres were bought as cheapies while we decided what to do about bike use and replacement. For 3 for £10 tyres they've done all-right, but I wouldn't recommend them. Too soft and very prone to getting small fragments of glass and grit embedded, also easily punctured.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (15 Oct 2012)

Finished spraying up the few non-chromed handlebars and stems that I have from various old bikes.

Touched in some nasty scuffs on a couple of kids' bikes with that old fashioned trusty Humbrol enamel.

Rebuilt a kid's 20 inch bike replacing the horrible unbranded gripshift that needs the grip of Garth to shift gears_ (what fool spec'ed those on an 8 year old's bike, really?)_ with an old, simple TY20(?) thumbshifter, and the adult size brake levers with some Tektro units that a child might actually be able to reach and use.

Need some sun tomorrow to photograph these bikes, got a few to go on the 'bay


----------



## musa (15 Oct 2012)

wash down off bike then mickled chain 
may attach mudguard for tomorrows commute


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (16 Oct 2012)

Crawled around on the shed roof in the wind and rain this morning replacing the roofing felt which had decided to fly south for the winter last night.

At last I know it's still sturdy now I've been wriggling about on top of if


----------



## Drago (16 Oct 2012)

Put some nice brown Deda bar tape on the Elswick.


----------



## Night Train (17 Oct 2012)

Fitted lights to Emily, my winter/local Emmelle hack bike. Also changed the cable to the rear canti brake and moved the bell to somewhere I could reach it. Then made up a bungie for the rear rack to hold my D lock in place.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (17 Oct 2012)

Removed both wheels from the fixed.
Moved cog and lock ring from current wheels to new tarty white ones
Put tarty white ones on.
Adjusted the brake.
Set the chain tension, and resolved to change the chain soonest. Tis almost shot.
recharged all the AAA batteries in my three rear lights
took my AyUp LED light head off and sent it away for upgrade
fitted spare AyUp light head in its place.


----------



## Cyclist33 (17 Oct 2012)

Put me winter wheels on.


----------



## asterix (18 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Fitted a new spoke without removing the wheel or tyre, feel proud.


 
Try it without deflating next.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (18 Oct 2012)

asterix said:


> Try it without deflating next.


 
It was without deflating!


----------



## asterix (18 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> It was without deflating!


 
Can you do it again please, this time videoing it. I haven't bust a spoke yet and I need to see how it's done. Ta.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (18 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> It was without deflating!


Be careful doing that. I found when trueing the wheel after a spoke replacement that the nipple had a burr. This cut a neat 1/4 inch hole in the rim tape and inner tube. It wasn't a good day.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (18 Oct 2012)

asterix said:


> Can you do it again please, this time videoing it. I haven't bust a spoke yet and I need to see how it's done. Ta.


 
The spoke broke near the hub so holding the length of the bust spoke I unscrewed it from the nipple that attaches it to the rim and removed the other half from the hub. I then fed the new spoke through the hole in the hub that was left by the duffer that had been removed and bent it about (quite badly to be honest) until I was able to use a spoke key on the nipple to screw the nipple to the new spoke. I then tinkered with the spoke key and opposite (and surrounding) spokes until they all made roughly the same note when twanged. Since then most of the bends in the spoke have straightened out, so I think I need to do the adjusting and twanging bit again.

This was all made much easier by being on my single speed.

Now sit comfortably and wait until someone who knows what they're talking about pops up, then you'll know the proper way rather than the way I made up on the hoof*.


*I don't really have hooves


----------



## asterix (18 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> The spoke broke near the hub so holding the length of the bust spoke I unscrewed it from the nipple that attaches it to the rim and removed the other half from the hub. I then fed the new spoke through the hole in the hub that was left by the duffer that had been removed and bent it about (quite badly to be honest) until I was able to use a spoke key on the nipple to screw the nipple to the new spoke. I then tinkered with the spoke key and opposite (and surrounding) spokes until they all made roughly the same note when twanged. Since then most of the bends in the spoke have straightened out, so I think I need to do the adjusting and twanging bit again.
> 
> This was all made much easier by being on my single speed.
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for that. It _sounds_ a lot easier than I imagined..


----------



## potsy (22 Oct 2012)

Fettled a new chain onto the road bike, showing as somewhere between .75 and 1 on the chain checker so should be all that is needed and hopefully cassette is not too worn.
Gave it a general wipe down and refitted the seatpost rack for the commute,

Still ignoring the CX bike as that one needs a *good* clean after last weeks off roading commutes


----------



## defy-one (22 Oct 2012)

Slammed the bars and cut an inch off the ends. Fitted some specialized bg geometry grips and bar ends to the elite


----------



## fossyant (22 Oct 2012)

Because I can't ride, fettled a bar (plastic 25mm pipe) to mount to the back of the pannier rack to mount two of the lights that were mounted to the rack stays (to make more secure).

Autoglym Super Resin and Extra Deep Gloss polish on the commuter, not that I will be getting it dirty for a while.


----------



## Sandra6 (22 Oct 2012)

This is tiny in the scheme of general fettling, but I repaired my first ever puncture today. yay me!!!


----------



## Peter88 (22 Oct 2012)

Stripped the rear hub on the commuter, took all the ball bearings out cleaned all the old grease of each component then regreased and put it back together.


----------



## Drago (22 Oct 2012)

Managed a bit of wheel trueing in the Elswick. Was rushing to get it finished as a winter drop barred road bike but with no more riding for the foreseeable the urgency has gone.

Going to replace the very clean but rather nasty Sachs-Huret rear mech with a Shimano light action job nice found in my forbidden box of mystery. It should mive the shifting into a different league, and being only 5 years newer than the bike is almost a period upgrade and still looks the part.


----------



## Drago (22 Oct 2012)

y


fossyant said:


> Because I can't ride, fettled a bar (plastic 25mm pipe) to mount to the back of the pannier rack to mount two of the lights that were mounted to the rack stays (to make more secure).
> 
> Autoglym Super Resin and Extra Deep Gloss polish on the commuter, not that I will be getting it dirty for a while.


i feel your pain bro


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (22 Oct 2012)

Got my overweight "training bike" out the shed ... its used for commuting plus 30-90 miles of weekday evening training rides.
In 4 days standing the bottom bracket had seized. W.T.F!!!!!!!!
Its a nasty piece of road bike made by avocet, wrapped in tacky parts sourced from china, and its possible the bottom bracket
has gulped water and rusted between the ball bearings.

Anyway, i stood the bike on its sunroof, removed the screw that retains the bottom bracket cable guide.
Then force fed the cheap and nasty cartridge bearing a mix of white spirit and lithium grease through the hole.

After the 2 mile ride to work the crank is looser than Lisa Sparks full of KY and within a day or two the white spirit
will evaporate leaving the grease to thicken.


----------



## fossyant (22 Oct 2012)

I think you need a new bottom bracket. You'll be pedalling shards of metal shortly.


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (22 Oct 2012)

fossyant said:


> I think you need a new bottom bracket. You'll be pedalling shards of metal shortly.


 
No play in it, so i'm assuming its been caught in time.
Its only £200 worth of steel forked road bike, sooner spend money on my other two bikes.


----------



## fossyant (23 Oct 2012)

fenlandpsychocyclist said:


> No play in it, so i'm assuming its been caught in time.
> Its only £200 worth of steel forked road bike, sooner spend money on my other two bikes.


 
£15 for a new one. If it's previously seized, play or not, expect a big failure if you are doing the 90 miles or more a week on a dodgy BB. Just warning you, as white spirit will knacker the grease. Must be a standard loose bearing BB, as you can't affect a proper cartridge bearing by putting oil into the frame.

Take the chain off and spin the BB by hand - if it rumbles, expect a failure soon. I would personally take the BB out and inspect it first. Not funny having to walk home !


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (23 Oct 2012)

fossyant said:


> £15 for a new one. If it's previously seized, play or not, expect a big failure if you are doing the 90 miles or more a week on a dodgy BB. Just warning you, as white spirit will knacker the grease. Must be a standard loose bearing BB, as you can't affect a proper cartridge bearing by putting oil into the frame.
> 
> Take the chain off and spin the BB by hand - if it rumbles, expect a failure soon. I would personally take the BB out and inspect it first. Not funny having to walk home !


 
Definitely a cartridge, but very poorly sealed against water or fresh oil ingress. Had the chain off after a 35 miler and is spinning freely without noise or rumbles.
My usual 30-35 mile training route is a big loop, with numerous short cuts back to home ... never more than
9 miles (3 hours walk) away.


----------



## GlenBen (23 Oct 2012)

Pulled a branch off the tree to chip away and make a pole. Used this pole to hammer through the headset and free a seized handlebar wedge nut thing, I dont know its actual name. This worked surprisingly well and the handlebars are out now. Forks swapped between two frames and now have a decent enough commuter, with two brakes, for no cost at all. 

(Thanks to sidevalve for the idea)


----------



## Cal44 (23 Oct 2012)

Rear wheel rubbing off brakes so I had a quick look and noticed a resonable wobble of about 3mm. Checked spokes and 3 of them were loose as you like compared to all the rest. Was quite worried about this as I have never trued a wheel before (successfully!) and was concerned I may make it worse! Tightened them up and everything was fine! Wheel now running surprisingly straight and I'm now not as scared of tinkering with the spokes as I was before (to a point) as I made a right mess of a wheel when I was a teenager once. Saved a trip to the shops and now no brake rub. Confidence for this has come from reading posts on here and watching youtube vids.....


----------



## Oldspice (23 Oct 2012)

Tightend the cap on my front tyre, the had a nap.....next time i may pay for a professional do it.


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (23 Oct 2012)

Rear shimano hub failed on my heavy road bike, two days after the bottom bracket bearing played up.
Pedalling forwards has the same effect as pedalling backwards ... 2 mile walk home so not too bad.
(I think 3-4 cable ties through the cassette onto some spokes may have provided a get me home fix?)


----------



## Cubist (23 Oct 2012)

Stans rim tape and valves onto my new wheelset, then took the 2.4 tyres off the Hope Pro 2 Wheels and fitted them to the new wheelset. No issues at all with fitting or sealing, easy tubeless experience!


----------



## danger mouse (27 Oct 2012)

Unseized a chain link. Cant work out if its due to lack of chain maintenance or too much of?
I was OCD about using my chain cleaner then read the thread about giving it a wipe only

Too much advice so little time


----------



## HovR (27 Oct 2012)

fenlandpsychocyclist said:


> (I think 3-4 cable ties through the cassette onto some spokes may have provided a get me home fix?)


 
That could work.. But it would also essentially make your bike a fixed gear, so if you tried to slow down pedaling or freewheel, things would get interesting!


----------



## mrandmrspoves (27 Oct 2012)

Had a go at putting some tri bars on my old Falcon....in the hopes that they will enable me to ride it with dodgy shoulders....but shoulder is too dodgy at moment - I gave up trying to do it one handed.


----------



## Hilldodger (27 Oct 2012)

Took the front wheel of the 'Flying Fence' (a quad made by Trevor Jarvis of Flying Gate fame) ready to fit a new rim and then flogging it on Ebay.


----------



## Night Train (27 Oct 2012)

On the Emmelle changed the 1/8 sprocket on the hub gear for a 3/32 one so he chain fits properly. This is the hub gear from a 20" wheel that I built into a 26" front rim using spokes removed from another 26" front wheel last week. The gears are selected using the indexed 7speed shifter where there are two clicks per gear change.
I also fitted a V brake lever to the canti rear brake, just to make it work, as the canti lever was running out of pull due to the sticky cables and knackered return springs on the cantis.



The Emmelle is a hack, locked with a Abus Granite Extreme D lock, that looks like crap so no one tries to steel it .


----------



## Drago (27 Oct 2012)

New sturmey rim laced to sturmey hub, bearings fitted and lured and cones properly tensioned,


----------



## potsy (28 Oct 2012)

Went to investigate a very stiff crank earlier, the bike was last used a week/10 days ago on a very muddy ride home.
Seems the left hand BB has seized, that's a job I haven't done before so set about removing the old one before I order a replacement.
Quite easy really, hopefully new one will be ordered later and delivered asap.

Can't work out why it's seized though, look away @ianrauk


----------



## dave r (28 Oct 2012)

Got up this morning looked out of the window and decided not to ride this morning. Instead I've been fettling bikes, the geared bike got cleaned checked oiled and greased, then was put way till the spring. The fixed was given its normal weekly checks and adjustments, checked the tyres for debris and put some air in them, checked and adjusted the chain, and gave it a visual inspection then a clean and oiling, I'll be using the fixed all winter. The old Dawes had a new chainring, 54 tooth, fitted, and setup, cleaned and oiled it, then I put it on the turbo ready for some turbo sessions during the winter.


----------



## HovR (28 Oct 2012)

Cleaned the bike after this mornings club ride. My full length guards were no match for the miles of muddy slurry that farmers left all over the local lanes - My poor Dawes came out absolutely covered in it!


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (28 Oct 2012)

Washed my trek 1.2a
Washed my raleigh at20
Washed my frankenstein hybrid to drop bar conversion bike-cum-tank with dslr carrier
Washed my car
Washed my other car
Washed my girlfriend

The last one is still dirty


----------



## Accy cyclist (29 Oct 2012)

I put some nice new white bar tape on. I was surprised at the result, it looks very nice. The only trouble is i don't want to touch it with my black winter gloves as they might discolour the tape when wet!


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (29 Oct 2012)

Accy cyclist said:


> I put some nice new white bar tape on. I was surprised at the result, it looks very nice. The only trouble is i don't want to touch it with my black winter gloves as they might discolour the tape when wet!


 
I'm about to replace the 1000 mile old white tape on my trek ... with black!


----------



## ianrauk (29 Oct 2012)

Accy cyclist said:


> I put some nice new white bar tape on. I was surprised at the result, it looks very nice. The only trouble is i don't want to touch it with my black winter gloves as they might discolour the tape when wet!


 

might you say?


----------



## Accy cyclist (29 Oct 2012)

fenlandpsychocyclist said:


> I'm about to replace the 1000 mile old white tape on my trek ... with black!


 

The original tape was white so i stayed with it. The bike is a Scott USA red white and blue colour scheme, i thought about red or blue tape but stayed with white. It's a bit older than yours though, 12 years and about 7000 miles i'd say!


----------



## Erudin (30 Oct 2012)

Chased and faced the BB on my Surly LHT. Bought an IceToolz BB Tapping & Facing Tool from Ebay. Was easier to do than I was expecting, the instructions that it came with was just a diagram but the parktools site had some more detailed instructions.

Threaded the taps in by hand to start with, the threads were pretty good but had some paint over-spray on them.

The facing took a bit longer as there was lots of paint on the shell faces and some metal needed removing, went slowly adding lots of cutting fluid.


----------



## fenlandpsychocyclist (30 Oct 2012)

Accy cyclist said:


> The original tape was white so i stayed with it. The bike is a Scott USA red white and blue colour scheme, i thought about red or blue tape but stayed with white. It's a bit older than yours though, 12 years and about 7000 miles i'd say!


 
I doubt if my coyote avocet will last that long, nor my raleigh at20 ... the trek should though (apart from its bar tape).


----------



## Night Train (30 Oct 2012)

I fitted the ergonomic grips and spoke reflectors, I bought from Aldi, on to Emily this afternoon.








Very blingy for a pile of dirt and rust but not bad for my incognito winter hack.

The recently rebuilt rear wheel with hub gears works ok using the ream mech shifter and the V brake lever seems to work the canti on the back wheel enough to give me brakes.

Just need some mismatched mudguards now.


----------



## potsy (30 Oct 2012)

Fitted the new bottom bracket tonight, easy job that would have been even easier if I'd remembered to put the spacer on first time round 
No time to test ride it so will continue the commute on the Secteur until I get time to give the CX a trip round the block on Friday.

Great service from CRC too, ordered Sunday night, delivered this morning


----------



## 400bhp (30 Oct 2012)

potsy said:


> Fitted the new bottom bracket tonight, easy job that would have been even easier if I'd remembered to put the spacer on first time round
> No time to test ride it so will continue the commute on the Secteur until I get time to give the CX a trip round the block on Friday.
> 
> Great service from CRC too, ordered Sunday night, delivered this morning


 
Hollowtech 2? [edit-just seen the horror show of a picture ]

It'll be fine - just has to be as tight as you can get it. I take it you bought one of those funny spanner jobbies to remove the locking nut?


----------



## potsy (30 Oct 2012)

400bhp said:


> Hollowtech 2? [edit-just seen the horror show of a picture ]
> 
> It'll be fine - just has to be as tight as you can get it. I take it you bought one of those funny spanner jobbies to remove the locking nut?



Yes mate H2, had the tools already in my kit


----------



## 400bhp (30 Oct 2012)

For someone who claims to be cack handed, you do pretty well mate.


----------



## dave r (31 Oct 2012)

Fitted a new tail light to the fixed tonight, a Blackburn Mars, had to use my ingenuity to mount it on the carrier. The Mars replaced a half watt smart that I'd been using for years.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackburn-...ght/dp/B001GAOR2U?tag=duckduckgo-canonical-20


----------



## potsy (1 Nov 2012)

Cleaned (yes you heard that right) my commuter bike as it was looking a little bit dirty after a few wet commutes this week, also fitted some new pedals which should get rid of the horrible creaking noise it's been making for ages, hopefully it was the pedals and not my knees


----------



## Leaway2 (2 Nov 2012)

defy-one said:


> Could you tell me more about top bar brake levers? I like to use that area,when not on the hoods. Easy mod for 2300 sti shifters?


 
Love em'. Mine were about £18 fitted free when I bought the bike.


----------



## youngoldbloke (2 Nov 2012)

Just inspected and cleaned winter bike brake blocks - cartridge, Tiagra. Plenty of life left. BUT discovered I had originally fitted one of each, front and rear, backwards . Speedily remedied.


----------



## 400bhp (2 Nov 2012)

potsy said:


> Cleaned (yes you heard that right) my commuter bike as it was looking a little bit dirty after a few wet commutes this week, also fitted some new pedals which should get rid of the horrible creaking noise it's been making for ages, hopefully it was the pedals and not my knees


 
Has someone stolen your identity?

2 KoM's and a clean bike.


----------



## Cyclopathic (2 Nov 2012)

Not sure what got fettled today. Will ask the butler.


----------



## potsy (2 Nov 2012)

400bhp said:


> Has someone stolen your identity?
> 
> 2 KoM's and a clean bike.




Must have been the 2kg of dirt that came off it last night 

Can confirm the creaking noise was the pedals, nice to have a quiet bike again


----------



## smokeysmoo (2 Nov 2012)

Done a deal with a mate of mine so the CAAD10 now has Ksyrium SL's back on it


----------



## MattHB (2 Nov 2012)

I managed to shear off the Alan bolt that's does up the cable pinch clamp on my CX front mech  will carry out extraction tomorrow.

Retaped the felt with black bar tape. 

Off now to go any play with my new elite qubo wireless trainer


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (2 Nov 2012)

Finally found my soldering iron and replaced the plugs on my "proper" magicshine clone (as opposed to my cheapo clone with smaller battery pack)


----------



## EltonFrog (6 Nov 2012)

I fitted bar tape to my bike today. The first time I have ever done that.

I think Ill post this in the "Whats The Scariest Thing You Have Ever Done " thread.


----------



## Leaway2 (7 Nov 2012)

Fitted 2 new Continental ultra sport. Looking forward to tomorrows commute to see how they feel.The original specialized tyres have served me well, but time to change them after covering over 6k miles.


----------



## Night Train (7 Nov 2012)

The Emmelle got some old mudguards yesterday. Today I fitted some rubber mudflaps to them. I also changed the rear brake to a V brake and renewed the cable inner and outer at the same time. The rear brake now works!


----------



## dan_bo (7 Nov 2012)

I've had some useless tendon cut away today to combat dupuytrens contracture. I'm in considerable discomfort and will be off the bike for a few weeks. Does that count?


----------



## derrick (7 Nov 2012)

I removed sky+ and fitted freesat, does that count.


----------



## dan_bo (7 Nov 2012)

Damn straight it does D.


----------



## Cyclopathic (8 Nov 2012)

Nothing yet today but yesterday was spent getting to grips with a seized on crank bolt and further complications with the sealed bottom bracket which was one of those German F.A.G pieces of utter utter utter utter (add own expletive). The bracket is screwed in with a silly design of dodad, 6 semicircular notches that take the removing tool. And they are made of some sort of plastic which although toughened are no where near as tough as oh, say putty. 
I had found a replacement that was the right size but of the same design so I decided against it in favour of a normal non sealed BB. 
Honestly there are some developments that should stay on the drawing board. Not sealed BB's, I think they're great, I mean the stupid extraction tooling and making them from plastic. All sorted now though thanks to some violent drilling and advice and encouragement from a friend.
Anyone else got experience with this particular sort of BB?


----------



## defy-one (8 Nov 2012)

Raised the stem by one spacer,for todays commute into London. Weather says NO RAIN!
Time to make that maiden commute on the spesh elite


----------



## Leaway2 (8 Nov 2012)

derrick said:


> I removed sky+ and fitted freesat, does that count.


 I did similar last weekend. Removed virgin fitted Freesat.


----------



## Steve Saunders (8 Nov 2012)

My good bike took a knock on the rear derailleur, unknown to me. The gears were a bit jumpy, which I corrected mid ride using the barrel adjuster. The first I knew of any more serious issue was when I switched to my granny gear for a 20% gradient climb and the derailleur cage was rubbing against the spokes!!! Thankfully no damage to the spokes / wheel / derailleur, and a gentle persuasion was enough to remove the 2mm mis-alignment in the hanger and I reset the cable while I was at it. Now all the gears rub smooth as :-)


----------



## ianjmcd (8 Nov 2012)

being quite nice and sunny for once this week i took both the road bike and mtb outside stripped and cleaned every bit of grim and dirt off them and then gave them a polish


----------



## ianrauk (8 Nov 2012)

ianjmcd said:


> being quite nice and sunny for once this week i took both the road bike and mtb outside stripped and cleaned every bit of grim and dirt off them and then gave them a polish


 

This makes me proud to be an Ian....


----------



## ianjmcd (8 Nov 2012)

i think my ocd has kicked into high gear im forever cleaning the bikes and hate the winter ;-)


----------



## ianrauk (8 Nov 2012)

ianjmcd said:


> i think my ocd has kicked into high gear im forever cleaning the bikes and hate the winter ;-)


 

@fossyant

Another one to join our gang Fossy.
It makes me proud.


----------



## fossyant (8 Nov 2012)

ianrauk said:


> @fossyant
> 
> Another one to join our gang Fossy.
> It makes me proud.


 
Like it. Bulk orders for Mr Sheen - group buy discounts ?


----------



## fossyant (8 Nov 2012)

PS Better not show you the MTB again - mucky this morning, although not as bad as yesterday.


----------



## ianjmcd (8 Nov 2012)

haha ive got shares in muc off ;-)


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (10 Nov 2012)

Puncture repair on the knockabout bike. It appears that I sang the praises of my puncture resistant tyres a little prematurely after the ride on wednesday.

To be fair though, the thorn had only nicked the tube and caused a slow leak. With the previous tyres it's very likely it would made a big enough hole to be flat within a mile (that's what it always used to do anyway), which would have meant a roadside repair in the dark.


----------



## compo (10 Nov 2012)

After my long ride in torrential rain a couple of weeks ago my rear wheel bearings were feeling a little rough, so I guessed the grease has been washed out. So, today I stripped it all out. At least I now know I have the correct tools if I have to do it in the future again to remove the freehub and brake disc.

The bearings were a bit dry so I regreased everything and reassembled. That blasted wheel would not fit back into the frame. Problem was I had forgotten which end I had undone to remove the axle, and in true Compo style I had refitted it the wrong way round. I didn't think it unreasonable to assume that the long end should go to the cassette side. Silly American bike, the long end went to the disc side. Once corrected all was well. Doh.

I will have to enquire if you can get aftermarket rubber caps to go over the nuts and cones to help protect the bearings from the weather.


----------



## ianrauk (10 Nov 2012)

3 bikes got a good clean today.
The Carbon jobbie as it hasn't been out in a while and the chain has some surface rust  So just a rub down and lube and back into the shed.
The new Ti jobbie had a nice big clean & lube ready for tomorrows November 100 mile a month challenge.
The Steel commuter had it's weekly strip down, full clean & lube ready for next week. It was emitting a strange creaking noise from the rear. Think it was the spokes rubbing together so out with the dental floss to get between the spokes. Fingers crossed it cured it. 

Over all it took 4 hours and 3 cups of tea.


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## potsy (10 Nov 2012)

ianrauk said:


> The Carbon jobbie as it hasn't been out in a while and the chain has some surface rust .


Saved for future use


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## ianrauk (10 Nov 2012)

potsy said:


> Saved for future use


 

Don't you dare...


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## threebikesmcginty (11 Nov 2012)

ianrauk said:


> 3 bikes got a good clean today.
> ...Over all it took 4 hours and 3 cups of tea.



Me too, well the tea drinking bit, didn't bother cleaning the bikes...


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## compo (11 Nov 2012)

I have just polished my black leather cycling shoes ready for an outing this morning.


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## mrandmrspoves (11 Nov 2012)

Tweaked Tri Bars that I have fitted to my old Falcon - they look so wrong on a retro touring bike - but managed 21 miles on it today without shoulder pain being too severe. Have also been sorting my latest purchase - A Claud Butler Urban 100 hybrid - gears needed tuning, pedals replacing, brake cables lubricating, and brakes adjusting.I also swapped the saddle over for a more comfy one and it needed a new inner tube as 3 tacks embedded in the rear tyre. All parts from my vast array of spares. The bike cost £20 so happy to add it to my collection.


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## mrandmrspoves (11 Nov 2012)

dan_bo said:


> I've had some useless tendon cut away today to combat dupuytrens contracture. I'm in considerable discomfort and will be off the bike for a few weeks. Does that count?


 
It only counts if you did it yourself - in your garage - using your cycle tool kit!

I hope that your Thatcher's finger heals well and the pain subsides quickly (Kinder thoughts than I wished Mrs T!)


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## Night Train (11 Nov 2012)

Arch and I have trued the wheels on her trailer. Not easy given the wheel bearings have a fair bit of play in them and are not adjustable!
I have also trued the hub geared rear wheel on Emily!


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## HovR (11 Nov 2012)

compo said:


> I will have to enquire if you can get aftermarket rubber caps to go over the nuts and cones to help protect the bearings from the weather.


 
If you do find a source for them can you please give me a shout - I've looked for them in the past with no success!


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## dan_bo (11 Nov 2012)

mrandmrspoves said:


> It only counts if you did it yourself - in your garage - using your cycle tool kit!
> 
> I hope that your Thatcher's finger heals well and the pain subsides quickly (Kinder thoughts than I wished Mrs T!)



THATCHER'S FINGER? 

Pass us the cleaver.


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## mrandmrspoves (11 Nov 2012)

dan_bo said:


> THATCHER'S FINGER?
> 
> Pass us the cleaver.


 
Yes she had hers done back in the 80's (though personally I think she was just developing talons!) Hence the name of Thatcher's finger.

Reminds me of when she had a stroke a number of years ago, and the news reported that there was no cause for immediate concern.....it hadn't occurred to me that there might have been!


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## Davehateshills (11 Nov 2012)

Well yesterday I gave the bike a wash down and then spent about 30 ,ins cleaning the chain with WD40 and a big old rag. I then spent about 40 mins cleaning the cassette and then had a go at both derailleur's. Finished off with a light coat of oil. I must admit that it looked like a new bike! Result - It's like riding a new bike, so mush smoother and quieter, I will have to clean more often


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## PpPete (11 Nov 2012)

Tyre on to the newly built dyno wheel , fitted that and fork crown light to OH's commuter


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## ashworthacca (11 Nov 2012)

As I'm waiting for my frame to come back from being resprayed, today I sanded down and resprayed my rusty old handlebar and stem. I also cleaned and degreased the chainrings and bottom bracket.


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## Salad Dodger (11 Nov 2012)

I had a bit of a fight with my e-bike today. I rode to the local garden centre, locked the bike up, went in for a look round and, when I came back to the bike and tried to set off, discovered that the chain had come off the front chainwheel. Maybe I had dislodged it whilst putting the D lock through the frame.

So there I was with a bike that weighs a lot and with a very comprehensive chain guard that greatly limited access, but with a few Tourettes moments along the way, I did eventually sort it. I hope it doesn't do it again any time soon.........


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## colly (11 Nov 2012)

I've been re-furbing my workshop on and off for the past 3 weeks or so. Today saw me varnishing my cutting table and putting in the last of some shelving and a 'sound proof ' enclosure for my compressor. 
Almost done.


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## billy1561 (11 Nov 2012)

Tomorrows jobs: fit new cruds to the racer (should be fun) and give the bike a clean and good lube then winterise it.


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## Christopher (12 Nov 2012)

dan_bo said:


> I've had some useless tendon cut away today to combat dupuytrens contracture. I'm in considerable discomfort and will be off the bike for a few weeks. Does that count?


 So Dan's being fettled! GWS! Explains why you weren't at Otterspool on Sat'day. Mind you the field for the senior race was so big (140 riders IIRC) it was hard to spot anyone...


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## billy1561 (12 Nov 2012)

Fitted cruds mk2's to my roadie today and they were the biggest pain in the arse to fit. Still rubbing now but ive had enough for today. Also gave the bike a good clean and a chain clean and lube.
Put all the gear away and made a brew just as my daughter turned up and asked if i could look at her bike as it was hard to peddle. Two flat tyres with no signs of a puncture. Bit of mischief going on where she works methinks 
Just starting that brew again


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## derrick (14 Nov 2012)

Gave the commuter a good clean and oil up, fitted tt brake levers to fixie, they feel really good,


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## HovR (14 Nov 2012)

So I offered to do some routine maintenance work on a family members low-end road bike the other day. They dropped it off yesterday, and I started work today.

Chain was knackered so I take that off. I then tried spinning the cranks.. The bottom bracket was more like a resistance unit! I could tell this one was going to be a right pain in the...

It's the old cup and cone style BB, so start by taking the lock ring off. Simple enough, right? Nope, it's seized solid. Commence lots of faffing about with GT85 and plenty of leverage to try and loosen this damn thing up and it finally comes off.

So now I just need to unscrew the adjustable cup to gain access to the BB, except it's also seized solid. I couldn't put enough pressure on the spanner flats to unscrew it without the tool slipping off, so that's was out of the question. Next I tried a pair of tounge-&-groove pliers on the flats, still can't get enough grip on it to prevent it from slipping off.

Next I tried a vice grip securely locked on to the exposed thread section of the adjustable cup. I could get far more grip and leverage this way, but the cup still wouldn't budge.

So I get the electric heat gun out, however this won't get the frame hot enough. So next I get the propane torch out and heat the BB shell up to a decent temperature, still no luck.

So I took the seat post out, filled the frame with GT85 and walked away, fettle unsuccessful.


----------



## Jenkins (14 Nov 2012)

Cruds now fitted to the Boardman Carbon for the winter. Both this and the Triban have also been fully cleaned, polished, chains cleaned and lubed and the cables tightened.


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## Sittingduck (14 Nov 2012)

Winter bike had a new BB fitted Yesterday and Today I cleaned the chain and trued the wheels a little bit 
May take it on the commute Tomorrow, even though there is no rain forecast (which usually means the Verenti, with no mudguards).


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## billy1561 (14 Nov 2012)

Jenkins said:


> Cruds now fitted to the Boardman Carbon for the winter. Both this and the Triban have also been fully cleaned, polished, chains cleaned and lubed and the cables tightened.


How did you find fitting the cruds?


----------



## Night Train (14 Nov 2012)

Today I had to do something with the rear reflector on Tiddles. The bracket had broken and I didn't have another one that would fit under the saddle on the seat tube. I found and fitted a spare seat clamp but that was a bit of over kill for a reflector and so decided to fit the reflector on the trolley wheel on the mudguard.

The seatpost clamp stirred an idea. I removed the Brompton block that I had fitted on Granville and placed it next to the seat clamp.
Then I went into the workshop and came out with this.






I sprayed painted it and fitted it.





Added the Brompton block.





Then clipped on the front bag.





My saddle bag still fits underneath it.





I now need to make up another Oak socket for the rear block and fit it to a second bag.


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## Arch (14 Nov 2012)

Night Train said:


> I now need to make up another Oak socket for the rear block and fit it to a second bag.


 
If you fitted the socket to a small rucksack, high up on the back of the bag, it could hang down, lowering the CoG, and also giving you a nice easy-to-carry-off-the-bike-bag. Would just need to ensure the straps didn't dangle in the rear wheel. It would still clear your saddle bag, I reckon, and although it would cover the light mount on that, it would either have somewhere suitable to mount a light on the rucksack, or you could sew a tab on...


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## Night Train (14 Nov 2012)

Arch said:


> If you fitted the socket to a small rucksack, high up on the back of the bag, it could hang down, lowering the CoG, and also giving you a nice easy-to-carry-off-the-bike-bag. Would just need to ensure the straps didn't dangle in the rear wheel. It would still clear your saddle bag, I reckon, and although it would cover the light mount on that, it would either have somewhere suitable to mount a light on the rucksack, or you could sew a tab on...



One of the ideas was to have a socket with a cross bar that any rucksack, or pannier bag, can be hung onto.
The light on the saddle bag is a secondary as there is one on the mudguard stays anyway.


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## Night Train (15 Nov 2012)

Poo! I knew putting the rear reflector on the mudguard trolley wheel bracket was a bad idea. I broke it when I flipped the wheel under!

I have just fitted a replacement that is strapped to the rear light instead.

I have also added some correx (courtesy of a local estate agent) to Arch's light weight trailer. It only weighs 3kg with the wheels!


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## HovR (15 Nov 2012)

HovR said:


> So I get the electric heat gun out, however this won't get the frame hot enough. So next I get the propane torch out and heat the BB shell up to a decent temperature, still no luck.
> 
> So I took the seat post out, filled the frame with GT85 and walked away, fettle unsuccessful.


 
So after yesterdays unsuccessful fettle I brought out the big tools (literally).

I tipped the bike upside-down (I know, I know, but it wouldn't have worked in a work stand!) and clamped a small/portable vice on to the spanner flats of the adjustable cup. I then put two fairly large bolts through the bench-mounting points for the small vice. Next step, I used a g-clamp to fasten the vice on to the adjustable cup securely to ensure it wouldn't slip off.







Next I applied heat with the blow torch, and when hot enough, put a six foot professional mechanics extension bar (OK, an old bit of a kids climbing frame) between the two bolts and levered the heck out of it until the rust gave way (which took a lot of force on the end of the bar).






I had to reset the rig a couple of times to turn it a bit more before it was loose enough to be able to be turned with set of vice grips, but I finally got it out of the frame!

Here's the state the BB was in.






Fettle successful! 

I'll get a new cartridge BB on order soon. Tomorrows job, the hubs.

Disclaimer: This isn't one of my bikes - Mine would never get in such a state!


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## Andrew_Culture (17 Nov 2012)

Nearly fettled but the wee one stood in cat shoot meaning I had to use my chain cleaning toothbrush to get poo out of the tread on her new wellies. I gave up after that.


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## Hacienda71 (17 Nov 2012)

Took the shifter off the carbon to go back to Sram and then went about building up the old Ribble frame. Can't find a spacer for the rear Mavic so it will have mismatched wheels for a couple of days, but hoping it will be ok for a half decent ride tomorrow. Not sure Swmbo will be happy when she sees the state of the kitchen.......


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## Andrew_Culture (17 Nov 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> Took the shifter off the carbon to go back to Sram and then went about building up the old Ribble frame. Can't find a spacer for the rear Mavic so it will have mismatched wheels for a couple of days, but hoping it will be ok for a half decent ride tomorrow. Not sure Swmbo will be happy when she sees the state of the kitchen.......



Why? The fruit looks fine and the walls are still clean!


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## GrumpyGregry (17 Nov 2012)

Finished converting my Boardman HT Pro mtb to 2x9 as pictured here


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## mrandmrspoves (17 Nov 2012)

Serviced 2 bicycles today. Specialized Sirrus - badly neglected by the young lad that owned it - but friend picked it up for £280 and really only needed brakes and gears adjusting, wheels truing, rear cones adjusting, hubs greasing and a general lube.

Then onto another friend's Apollo TDF (actually took it for a short spin afterwards and was surprised that it was nowhere near as awful as I expected it to be. He bought it 2nd hand and it was another neglected bicycle. Gears adjusted, brakes adjusted, wheels trued, hubs greased. Showed him how to do it but I guess he was struggling to follow as he kept saying " witchcraft" He was especially impressed with straight wheels achieved within about 2 minutes each. (so was I to be honest but I didn't want to shatter his false impression of my mechanical genius!!)

Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon - with 2 good results. Shoulders now caning - but got to keep them moving.


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## Andrew_Culture (18 Nov 2012)

mrandmrspoves said:


> Serviced 2 bicycles today. Specialized Sirrus - badly neglected by the young lad that owned it - but friend picked it up for £280 and really only needed brakes and gears adjusting, wheels truing, rear cones adjusting, hubs greasing and a general lube.
> 
> Then onto another friend's Apollo TDF (actually took it for a short spin afterwards and was surprised that it was nowhere near as awful as I expected it to be. He bought it 2nd hand and it was another neglected bicycle. Gears adjusted, brakes adjusted, wheels trued, hubs greased. Showed him how to do it but I guess he was struggling to follow as he kept saying " witchcraft" He was especially impressed with straight wheels achieved within about 2 minutes each. (so was I to be honest but I didn't want to shatter his false impression of my mechanical genius!!)
> 
> Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon - with 2 good results. Shoulders now caning - but got to keep them moving.



I only just learned how to unbuckle wheels and find it a joyous process!


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## threebikesmcginty (18 Nov 2012)

Went to buy a new spoke to replace a broken one on the Genesis, didn't have a black one and they were out of stock of spoke keys - successful LBS trip!


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## ianjmcd (18 Nov 2012)

Just Back in From an Informal Renfrewshire Ride with Pat 5mph ,Rasmus , jazloc to lochwinnoch and back to paisley cleaned and polished the bike fettled the gears a wee bit

Just waiting for It to Dry Before polishing ;-)


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## defy-one (18 Nov 2012)

Back from a ride with Mark of this parish ... cut the grips slightly to fit bar ends on my sirrus. 
The guy at specialized concept store gave me the tip ..... another reason why my next bike will be from them


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## Andrew_Culture (18 Nov 2012)

Just found that the drawstring from an old pair of jogging bottoms is perfect for cleaning deep between the cogs on my rear cassette. It's a feeling like when you suddenly realise how Columbo is going to expose the wrongun.


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## HovR (18 Nov 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Just found that the drawstring from an old pair of jogging bottoms is perfect for cleaning deep between the cogs on my rear cassette. It's a feeling like when you suddenly realise how Columbo is going to expose the wrongun.


 
Genius - I've been using a folded up bit of rag, but it always seems to get caught on the teeth and isn't thick enough. I've tried the gear cleaning brushes and have come to the conclusion that they're rubbish!


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## potsy (18 Nov 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Just found that the drawstring from an old pair of jogging bottoms is perfect for cleaning deep between the cogs on my rear cassette. It's a feeling like when you suddenly realise how Columbo is going to expose the wrongun.


You so know that a lot of us are going to be hunting for bits of drawstring ourselves now, great tip 

I went off to clean up the road bike ready for commuting duty, only to get distracted by my new T6 light, ended up spending 30 minutes fettling a bracket from a Hope V1 to fit the T6, much better than the o ring one that comes with it, now to find a spare bracket for the Hope


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## Andrew_Culture (18 Nov 2012)

Wow, I contributed something useful to the forum!


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## Night Train (18 Nov 2012)

Just fettled Arch's winter bike, inflated the tyres and lube the chain and rear mech, and swapped over for her summer bike. Also swapped the trailer hitch over too.

I know some of us are really not into obsessive bike cleaning but it could have done with a bit of a clean to reduce its weight by about 20%.


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## Arch (18 Nov 2012)

Night Train said:


> Just fettled Arch's winter bike, inflated the tyres and lube the chain and rear mech, and swapped over for her summer bike. Also swapped the trailer hitch over too.
> 
> I know some of us are really not into obsessive bike cleaning but it could have done with a bit of a clean to reduce its weight by about 20%.


 
You've not cleaned it?  It's my winter bike, I need the weight for traction!


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## mr_hippo (22 Nov 2012)

The handlebar mount for my Drift X170 is broken. I know they are only £17 but after you add shipping and duty it will be closer to £40.
I know that if you tale the complete mount off tht there is a tripod screw mount so that it fits on a tripod. I decided to drill two holes in the arm of my Minoura Space Bar and screw it to that and it works!


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## mrandmrspoves (22 Nov 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I only just learned how to unbuckle wheels and find it a joyous process!


 
Certainly a very satisfying thing to do - and always impresses people that don't know how to do it. I often get comments like "Wow I thought it needed new wheels" I have a wheel jig - which I love.....makes me feel like a pro!
(I would describe myself as barely proficient - certainly not professional!)


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## Andrew_Culture (22 Nov 2012)

mrandmrspoves said:


> Certainly a very satisfying thing to do - and always impresses people that don't know how to do it. I often get comments like "Wow I thought it needed new wheels" I have a wheel jig - which I love.....makes me feel like a pro!
> (I would describe myself as barely proficient - certainly not professional!)


 
I'd love a wheel jig! I just had the kitchen floor and half an hour before my wife came downstairs after putting the wee one to bed!

I'm considering building myself a clown bike fixie, by which I mean a bike where the hub doesn't sit in the middle of the wheel...


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## youngoldbloke (22 Nov 2012)

Really foul weather today so inspected and cleaned winter bike brake blocks (again) - cartridge, Tiagra. Reckon they have a few more miles to go before they need replacing. Adjusted clearances and checked that wheels were centred correctly.


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## robjh (23 Nov 2012)

Last weekend I noticed a serious creaking sound whenever I turned the handlebars. Was looking up how to dismantle a headset when I read that these sounds may come from dry gear cables rubbing in the ferrules on the downtube.

A couple of drops of oil, and hey presto no more creaking. Low-tech but it worked.


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## HovR (25 Nov 2012)

Took off, emptied the water out of, and lubricated all gear cables today. A mixture of road grit flung up off the front wheel and riding through a bottom bracket high flooded road had caused the gear shifting to deteriorate! 

I'll be repacking bearings tomorrow.


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## gbb (25 Nov 2012)

Puncture repaied on the wifes bike, and homebrew twin LED front lamp has lost its locknut on the input jack so it occasionally pops into the shell. Quick repair and she's away again. Gotta find a suitable locknut....


----------



## potsy (25 Nov 2012)

Studded tyres re-fitted to the ice bike hybrid, new front brake pads too, got some triple compound Clarkes ones, got to be better than the Tesco specials that are on there now


----------



## paulw1969 (25 Nov 2012)

yesteday i cleaned the bike with degreaser (it was ditched) and removed the chain............today.......tweaked brake cables......checked my xmas present (topeak saddle bag) would fit before it dissapeared until xmas.......refitted my chain after it spent the night in degreaser for a nice deep clean...checked brake/mudguard caliper tightness and checked tightness of the cleats on my shoes.


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## HovR (25 Nov 2012)

HovR said:


> Took off, emptied the water out of, and lubricated all gear cables today. A mixture of road grit flung up off the front wheel and riding through a bottom bracket high flooded road had caused the gear shifting to deteriorate!
> 
> I'll be repacking bearings tomorrow.


 
I couldn't stand the thought of my bike sitting there with water in the bottom bracket, slowly corroding away at things, so I dismantled the BB, removed all the emulsified grease and water, gave the BB shell a dousing of GT85, and it's now awaiting assembly tomorrow with fresh grease.


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## Cyclopathic (26 Nov 2012)

fossyant said:


> Like it. Bulk orders for Mr Sheen - group buy discounts ?


If you were serious about your bike you'd use t-cut and protective wax. Mr Sheen is ok after a quick wipe down but for a thorough job some automotive product is best. Not that I bother to do it on my bikes,


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## fossyant (26 Nov 2012)

Cyclopathic said:


> If you were serious about your bike you'd use t-cut and protective wax. Mr Sheen is ok after a quick wipe down but for a thorough job some automotive product is best. Not that I bother to do it on my bikes,


 
Wrong.

I use protective waxes 2 or 3 times a year, never t-cut as it's too strong. Autoglym Super Resin polish. Mr Sheen is an excellent regular use 'cleaner'. T-cut would damage the custom paint scheme I have on my best bike (over time), and it's over 22 years old and still looks like new, so I'll stick with Autoglym and Mr Sheen !


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## 400bhp (26 Nov 2012)

t-cut is just a crude filler. Fossy is right.

Pulled apart the headset on the Carrerra Subway yesterday. It's a semi integrated headset with stupid annoying sealed bearing races held in by a flamin metal spring clip.

Gave up after about an hour of trying to replace the clip after regreasing the bearings.

Just ordered a new one.

Should have ordered a different make as i reckon it's only done 1500 miles.


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## Cyclopathic (26 Nov 2012)

fossyant said:


> Wrong.
> 
> I use protective waxes 2 or 3 times a year, never t-cut as it's too strong. Autoglym Super Resin polish. Mr Sheen is an excellent regular use 'cleaner'. T-cut would damage the custom paint scheme I have on my best bike (over time), and it's over 22 years old and still looks like new, so I'll stick with Autoglym and Mr Sheen !


You have a point and t-cut is best not used regularly but on a tired old paint job a one off app can lift the colour and give it a bit more life. I'm not likely to own a bike with a paint job so sophisticated that an application of t-cut will hurt it any. I can only speak from my own experience with it which has been good, but I've only used one application followed by a bit of wax.
What's your best bike? I approve of a bike that looks good after 22 years.


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## subaqua (26 Nov 2012)

saddle clamp decided it was going to move one notch about a mile from home. so after a quick bath (me not the bike) I sorted that.

oh and put the flashing front and rear lights on as a seciondary measure


----------



## mr_hippo (29 Nov 2012)

mr_hippo said:


> The handlebar mount for my Drift X170 is broken. I know they are only £17 but after you add shipping and duty it will be closer to £40.
> I know that if you tale the complete mount off tht there is a tripod screw mount so that it fits on a tripod. I decided to drill two holes in the arm of my Minoura Space Bar and screw it to that and it works!


----------



## GrumpyGregry (29 Nov 2012)

I slipped out my dual compound koolstops and slipped in my salmon ones.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (29 Nov 2012)

I've been fitting some aluminium mudguard extensions to my knockabout bike to replace the lemonade bottle version. Looks good but more adjustments needed before it's ready.


----------



## Night Train (29 Nov 2012)

I have aluminium brazed the drawbar on my trailer.


----------



## EltonFrog (30 Nov 2012)

mr_hippo said:


>



Good grief! What the flippetty 'eck is going on there with that lot! You riding to the moon?


----------



## EltonFrog (30 Nov 2012)

I removed my Ortlieb bar bag from my Whyte Coniston today because it has been for some time now, thoroughly and abjectly pissing me off. I'm going to sell it, and I have replaced it with a rear carrier trunk bag, a much better solution.


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## mr_hippo (30 Nov 2012)

CarlP said:


> Good grief! What the flippetty 'eck is going on there with that lot! You riding to the moon?


That lot? On the space bar is a CatEye Enduro computer, Drift X170 video camera and a Garmin Edge 705; the remote for the Drift X170 is on the handlebars.
I have the CatEye in tandem with the Garmin because I sometimes get unexpeted 'spikes' on the Garmin


----------



## Drago (30 Nov 2012)

Busy day today. Gonna swap the winter tyres and wheels into the Disco. Then going to check over the commuter ready for Monday after standing idle for almost 2 months. Then going to fit the 27 x 1-1/8" conti tyres and tubes onto the Elswick I've been rebuilding.


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## Rickshaw Phil (30 Nov 2012)

Regreased and adjusted headset bearings and fitted replacement rear mudguard stays on the knockabout bike. The rear mudguard extension now doesn't flap about.

The front mudguard extension will need a bit of trimming I think. I've made it a bit oversized and it might catch if dropping down a kerb, so another little job to do before I can test it properly.

*Edit*: I couldn't leave the thing alone, so the extension has come off and been trimmed down by 1 inch. A bit of careful reshaping and I'm now confident it won't catch on kerbs but will still catch the spray.


----------



## mrandmrspoves (1 Dec 2012)

Old Linear recumbent arrived yesterday - so I have spent the morning putting it together and giving it a basic service......then went for a ride


----------



## billy1561 (4 Dec 2012)

Indexed the gears on my Cube and adjusted the rear hydraulic brake on my Trek


----------



## deanE (4 Dec 2012)

Changed the pedals on my “tourer” to spds after popping in to lbs for some new brake pads and coming out with new shoes.


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## billy1561 (4 Dec 2012)

deanE said:


> Changed the pedals on my “tourer” to spds after popping in to lbs for some new brake pads and coming out with new shoes.


Easily done...


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## HovR (8 Dec 2012)

Cleaned up and fitted a Shimano freewheel to my Dawes to replace the cheapo "Eagle" one which was making horrible noises. Big thanks to compo for that!

I also adjusted the front mudguard, as the clearances were so tight that any bit of dirt picked up by the wheel made loud rubbing noises on the mudguard. This involved bending the piece of metal which attaches on to the brake pivot bolt, which was a bit of a pain, but I got it there eventually with a bit of gentle persuasion. And a hammer.


----------



## doctornige (8 Dec 2012)

Filed and sanded a Fulcrum skewer lever after an ice-induced crash near Marple.


----------



## derrick (8 Dec 2012)

I made the chain shorter on the fixie after fitting a smaller sprocket, interesting chain connector, that was last night, today i have been decorating, just sat down, the other half is making a cup of tea, lovely might even have a biscuit.


----------



## dan_bo (8 Dec 2012)

Fitted three panes of glass into an internal window and fitted some fresh blocks onto the croadie and fitted some 23s for me first ride in a month. Decent.


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## HovR (8 Dec 2012)

Rearranged everything in my saddle bag to make everything more space efficient. Also replaced the too-short section of heat shrink covering my cafe-stop chain lock with a long enough section of inner-tube.

Hardcore fettling.


----------



## Mr Haematocrit (9 Dec 2012)

Replaced ceramic speed BB30 bearing which was noisy, and discovered a crack in my Carbon and Titanium Look pedals. Not good or cheap to replace


----------



## DooDah (9 Dec 2012)

Today I built an extension on my house, tomorrow I will be building an extension on someone elses, But everytime I fettle with my bikes, I screw something up. Hence why I don't touch my expensive bike


----------



## doctornige (9 Dec 2012)

Complete, wheels-off clean


----------



## musa (10 Dec 2012)

bike washed down wax lubed greased
replace front brake pads
cleaned back brakes (need to buy more pads to replace)


----------



## doctornige (10 Dec 2012)

Refinished a Fulcrum skewer after it got mangled in an icy spill.


----------



## HLaB (10 Dec 2012)

Fixed two of Four tubes last night discovered the third had another p'ture and the fourth a dodgy stem. So I've patched third tonight but I don't think I can fix the fourth.


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## potsy (10 Dec 2012)

Swapped the Moon light onto the ice bike ready for more offroading tomorrow, twice the power now to blind @fossyant on the TPT
Put the Garmin mount from the Secteur onto it too, must buy/beg/steal some more cable ties for when I swap it back.


----------



## musa (11 Dec 2012)

fitted my cadence kit also


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## arallsopp (11 Dec 2012)

Got annoyed with the appetite of my XT rear derailleur (which chews through cable with the ferocity of a bond villain) so rather than keep replacing the cable every 600 miles (which has sucked considerably) I've stripped it down, filed down the clamping washer, threaded the cable end through a ring of dead inner tube and clamped the whole thing in its little rubber duvet. Will let you know in 600 miles whether it was worth it or not.


----------



## Cheshire Celt (11 Dec 2012)

Fitted my new carbon rims


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## numbnuts (11 Dec 2012)

I fettled some mince pies 48 of the little buggers


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## musa (11 Dec 2012)

re fitted the cadence sensor after I put it wrong way round. Garmin, no instructions!


----------



## derrick (11 Dec 2012)

I opened a parcel from the postman, it was my new cassette does that count, can't fit it yet as i am waiting for a new chain.


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## paulw1969 (15 Dec 2012)

fitted some SKS blumels to the new Merida....not as easy when you have disc brakes. Got round it by using two light fittings which my LBS showed me how to doctor to fit the front stays........worked quite well.


----------



## Diggs (15 Dec 2012)

Finally got the Frankenbike put together from the base of my 1994 mtb and bits I had lying around.


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## smokeysmoo (16 Dec 2012)

Fitted 105 SPD-SL pedals to my lads fixed gear, and changed his tyres for something a little better than the stock Kenda tyres, (although TBH he's never had a flat on them). 

Fitted my cassette to my winter back wheel for the CAAD, but need new rim tape before I put the tyres on.

Tested my new Joe Blow Track pump, seems OK but I don't know why people rave about them. My 5 year old Decathlon track pump did the job equally well, and will now reside at work, just in case.


----------



## youngoldbloke (16 Dec 2012)

Fitted Tortec Tour Ultralite rack on the winter bike. Hope Christmas will bring a rack bag, and thus relief to bulging jersey pockets.


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## smokeysmoo (16 Dec 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> Hope Christmas will bring a rack bag.


Oi, it's Mr Christmas to you


----------



## HLaB (16 Dec 2012)

HLaB said:


> Fixed two of Four tubes last night discovered the third had another p'ture and the fourth a dodgy stem. So I've patched third tonight but I don't think I can fix the fourth.


Finally got round to repatching that tube as I had to patch another


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## cyberknight (16 Dec 2012)

new brake pads, re trued the front wheel and noticed some play in the cones so its a regrea of the hubs and check tightness when i am off over x mas.


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## paulw1969 (16 Dec 2012)

Yet more fetting today....hopefully that will be it for a while...adjusted blumels for a better fit.....flipped stem for a lower reach....measured road bike leg length and found i was 10mm out on the hybrid so adjusted and will see how i get on. Moved brakes and gear levers towards stem due to addition of bar ends......much more comfy now.


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## Leaway2 (17 Dec 2012)

The rear hub seized. Fitted a new wheel from "stock". Swapped over the cassette and adjusted the gears and brakes.
Stripping down the hub is Saturdays job. Is it difficult? (Specialized Secteur)


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## fossyant (17 Dec 2012)

I'll be re-attaching my light bracket to the pannier rack tonight, one of the cable ties snapped on the way in this morning, and the thing was hanging off with two lights on it.  It's basically a plastic pipe so the light brackets can mount to the rack. Fortunately there are two more lights on the back of the bike.


----------



## defy-one (17 Dec 2012)

Finally managed to get the flat pedals off my Sirrus .... spd rider from tommorow. Wish me luck!


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## fossyant (17 Dec 2012)

Lights re-attached with cable ties, fettled son's front light bracket (after he complained it keeps coming loose) and secured adjusting lever with a cable tie. Good these cable ties.


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## HovR (17 Dec 2012)

Stripped down a vintage bike down to the frame and forks. All the parts are nicely lined up on my workbench, and the frame is awaiting a thorough clean and polish tomorrow, along with a repack of the headset and BB.


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## Leaway2 (18 Dec 2012)

defy-one said:


> Finally managed to get the flat pedals off my Sirrus .... spd rider from tommorow. Wish me luck!


 
Good luck.


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## Boris Bajic (18 Dec 2012)

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And I ought to of did. I am a bad person. Worse than a bad person.

I went out on the fixie yesterday, knowing it was grubby and gritty from a ride a few days ago.

It was one of those rides (32 miles to a meeting and back) where you can hear the grit destroying the moving parts with every turn of the crank.

Even the grinding noises had grinding noises.

Riding it was like being a coach who tells an athlete to run through the pain barrier and ends up ruining a career.

Do bicycles accept apologies?


----------



## Pat "5mph" (18 Dec 2012)

Boris Bajic said:


> Do bicycles accept apologies?


It will cost you!


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## Pat "5mph" (18 Dec 2012)

Somebody dumped a MBSO in my back garden. Again. Done an autopsy.
Got myself loads of spare parts


----------



## dave r (20 Dec 2012)

Put Led Zeppelin on the music player on the computer, got my tools out and about an hour later my fixed had got its new wheels fitted, hopefully I will be able to get out tomorrow and put some miles on them.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Dec 2012)

not sure if fettled or murdered is the better description but either way, the one in pieces is cleaner and the assembled one is exceptionally clean, but waiting for the bars to be changed over.

I may end up with 2 bikes by the end of tomorrow, I may not - depends if I can get out to a bike shop, locate a 9mm spanner and remove a rusted bolt that holds the front derailuer cable onto the front derailuer... had to cut it off or risk threading it. then just comes the jigsaw puzzle... kept me occupied at least.








The one in bits is due new forks, stem & bars tomorrow... front brakes will probably have to follow so may work out cheaper to actually pick up another n+1 and somehow make 2 working bikes from the bits - job for another day I think.


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## Pat "5mph" (20 Dec 2012)

@SatNav: that looks like my spare room at the moment .... donations are a mixed blessing


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## Arjimlad (20 Dec 2012)

I noticed little slivers of metal under my front brake pads.. little shavings of aluminium  last night.

Whipped the brake pads off which still looked like they had plenty of wear on them and there was a nasty piece of grit embedded in one of them. Thankfully there is no damage to the rims. The Aztec pads combined with the rain had left black paste all over the wheels. Popped spare pads into the shoes but I didn't ride today due to the heavy rain forecast.

I'm going off riding in the rain because of the state it leaves my bike in.. rust spots on the bolt heads and dissolving brake pads..


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Dec 2012)

Pat "5mph" said:


> @SatNav: that looks like my spare room at the moment .... donations are a mixed blessing


 yep they are  but the rack and mud guards alone would set me back £50 if I had to buy them new, so might be worth it and one of the wheels looks half decent plus there is a stunning bell that rings in 2 tones... but is that large it may need a second set of bars just to mount it on (to the right of the 42 toothed chain ring on the floor under the crank arm....)

EDIT: dyslexic moment, bell is to the left of...


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## HovR (20 Dec 2012)

Arjimlad said:


> I'm going off riding in the rain because of the state it leaves my bike in.. rust spots on the bolt heads and dissolving brake pads..


 
Hence the need for a simple winter bike (one chainring, or hub gears, or SS/fixed) as well as your best bike. Disc brakes preferable!

N+1 is always the answer.


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## Arjimlad (20 Dec 2012)

HovR said:


> Hence the need for a simple winter bike (one chainring, or hub gears, or SS/fixed) as well as your best bike. Disc brakes preferable!
> 
> N+1 is always the answer.


 
You're right.. Perhaps I should ride the old jalopy on days like this..


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## Andrew_Culture (20 Dec 2012)

I've been attempting to fettle my sinuses.


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## cyberknight (22 Dec 2012)

Re-greased the hubs on the virtuoso and gave it the once over mechanically to check it was in good order, it needs a new battery for the computer but its not desperate.


----------



## Pale Rider (22 Dec 2012)

Lightly oiled the three-speed gear cable on the Brommie where it meets the changer.

Who'd have thought upending the bike on a wet cinder track would cause a cable to stick?


----------



## Drago (22 Dec 2012)

Carbon seat post onto the Pinnacle.


----------



## musa (23 Dec 2012)

Gave her a quick makeup touch after today's wet. Ride


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## musa (23 Dec 2012)

Oh yeah, new 800 got fitted and hooked up!


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## Lanzecki (23 Dec 2012)

Tried to true up my rear wheel. Realised that It's an art not a skill. It appears that I can do everything to bikes apart from the artistic things. 

Does anyone have a link to 'How to true wheels if you don't have an artistic bone in ya bod"?


----------



## smokeysmoo (23 Dec 2012)

Nipped up the headset on my lads fixed.

Just need to fit his cleats and then he'll be back mobile having been discharged following breaking his elbow a few weeks ago.


----------



## dickyknees (24 Dec 2012)

Changed tyres and fitted Race Blades Long mudguards


----------



## Oldspice (24 Dec 2012)

New brakes blocks (Who knew there not supposed to last 2 years) It does explain the sparks


----------



## smokeysmoo (24 Dec 2012)

Fitted SPD-SL cleats to young Smoo's new shoes.

He'll get them tomorrow and should be SPD-SL proficient by the end of the week.


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## dave r (24 Dec 2012)

Got back from my ride yesterday with some roughness in the transmission and a rear mudguard that rubbed when I was up on the pedals, taking the pedals off revealed rough bearings so they were stood in a corner and left to soak in oil, taking the wheels off I cleared a couple off pounds of dirt and rubbish from under the mudguards, whilst doing that I discovered the rear was broken, two of the rivets had pulled through, a quick rummage in the bits box produced the necessary nuts, bolts and washers to fix it, refitted the wheels and made some adjustments, will see how it is next time I ride. Looking at the pedals this morning the left was OK but the right was still rough, I dismantled, cleaned and greased it and its back to normal smoothness, one of the bearings had broken up.


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## Psycolist (26 Dec 2012)

Mostly been fetteling the kitchen sink for the last 2 days. Its always our pleasure to welcome those able to come, from the family, to our house for christmas and boxing day dinners. This year that was 10 bodies both days, but it dont half make for alot of washing up !  I've worn out a set of marigolds  Just off to the workshop to fit my new BB, crank, chain and cassette that Santa left for me


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## potsy (26 Dec 2012)

1 hour of cleaning, drinking tea, getting distracted by fiddling with the front wheel which isn't running as smooth as I'd like so needs taking apart and regreasing, only I don't have a cone spanner the correct size 
Oh, and picking about 6 pieces of glass out of the tyre and found a fairly big slash in it too, should be OK for now but will need watching carefully.


----------



## musa (26 Dec 2012)

Just finished giving my baby a wash and make up. This time tooks wheels off gave em a wash of their own. 

Polished, mickled chain so bright and shiny. Took wheel skewers out and gave it some lipstick (lithium grease to the unknown) 

Adjusted her shoes (brakes), gave her shiny teeth (lights) a wipe

Or have i gone too far in my description?


Anyways cant wait to ride her


----------



## musa (27 Dec 2012)

Seatpost taken apart and greased. Refiited, no more sounds!


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Dec 2012)

I've soldered in a new reed switch for my speedometer on the knockabout bike. It appears to work properly when I spin the wheel so I just want some dryish weather now to see if it works out on the road.


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## Psycolist (28 Dec 2012)

Had a couple of spare hours thisarvo so got to install my new drive train, chain, chain rings and cassette, that Santa bought me.  So wrapped up in the moment that I started by removing the chain --- on the wrong bike ! TWIT i thought to myself, quickly put it back and turned to the right bike. All went perfectly well from then on and completed the job in under an hour. A cup of tea to celebrate I thought to myself, so indoors I went and popped the kettle on. Realised that time was getting on and that I had better get to the shops, despite the foul weather, to get a couple of bits. Put on my wet riding clobber and off I went, on the bike I had first removed the chain from. You can probably guess what happened next  a couple of hundered yards down the road and the chain came apart, in my haste to dismount, caught my waterproof trousers on the now naked chain rings and somehow ended up sitting on the floor with the bike on top of me.  Nothing hurt except my pride, but a lesson in refitting chains now on the agenda.


----------



## Muddyfox (29 Dec 2012)

Had to repair a p***ture on the rear this morning and i also put my new Brooks B17 Titanium on the tourer .. just need some half decent weather to go for a spin now but if i get really bored this afternoon i might spend an hour or so in the garage giving it a good clean 

Muddyfox


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## Andrew_Culture (29 Dec 2012)

Another couple of punctures, switched a tyre and yesterday I fitted a new wheel and cog to my singlespeed.

It has been a good couple of days fettle-wise.


----------



## HovR (29 Dec 2012)

Had a friend tell me that the suspension fork on his bike was frozen solid, so I took it in to look at it for him.

I took the fork apart for servicing, and a huge amount of muddy water poured out of the lowers! The seals must be either a bit crap or just plain knackered.

Cleaned out the rest of the mud and water, dried everything off, and smeared the moving parts with a nice helping of oil. Put everything back together and it's as good as new, just wonder how long it will stay that way with the seals the way they are.


----------



## john59 (29 Dec 2012)

Van Nicholas Euros, seat Pillar and HollowTech II bottom bracket removed and coated in anti-seize assembly grease. Just the headset cups and other threads to do next week.

John


----------



## mrandmrspoves (29 Dec 2012)

4 days off work - so time to strip down the Linear recumbent and give it a good service. Having bought it 2nd hand and it being a 1996 model - thought I needed to do this sooner than later because although it was running well, I didn't know when it was last serviced. It stripped down very easily and the rebuild is going very well. I sanded the front forks down and sprayed them as they were slightly rusty. I have put a new chain on, and am in the process of adjusting the front derailleur as I have taken the crank forward a little further. Should all be back together by tomorrow evening ready for a ride on New Years day (weather permitting)
Photo's show that I'm a messy worker!


----------



## Jenkins (29 Dec 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> It has been a good couple of days fettle-wise.


 
If only because the lousy weather has prevented me from getting out on Thursday & Friday (my days off work) and giving loads of indoor fettling time!

Puncture repaired on the mountain bike
Puncture repaired, full clean & polish and lube on the Triban
Full clean, polish and lube on both Boardmans
Full clean, polish, lube and change of saddle to a Charge Spoon on the Giant hybrid.


----------



## smokeysmoo (30 Dec 2012)

I've been fettling my new acquisition, a Dawes Stratos.

It's had a really good clean, (but still needs a 'proper' doing TBH).

I've changed the tyres and tubes, (for peace of mind), swapped the pedals for SPD-SL, stripped, cleaned and copper greased the seatpost bolt, seatpost, quill stem, quill stem bolt and stem wedge and got a few of the gears working, the brakes seem fine but cables will get changed in due course, and I've tweaked the saddle and the bar position as well.

I'm guessing I'll need to change the cables, which is on the agenda anyway, but I'll get a few shakedown miles under her, she has been sat in a shed for several years bless her.

I've been very impressed though as everything I've tried to undo has come apart very nicely, even the seatpost yielded with only the slightest persuasion, a sure sign of care of ownership by previous custodians.

*[EDIT]* just done a quick 5 mile shakedown ride and I really like how it rides. The test ride I did yesterday was only a pootle up and down the road, but enough to know it was worth the money, but today this bike really put a smile on my face, despite me only having 50% of the gears to go at. One things for sure, if I ride this often it should certainly get me fit!


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## mrandmrspoves (30 Dec 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> I've been fettling my new acquisition, a Dawes Stratos.
> 
> It's had a really good clean, (but still needs a 'proper' doing TBH).
> 
> ...


 That frame looks huge!


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## smokeysmoo (30 Dec 2012)

mrandmrspoves said:


> That frame looks huge!


64cm 

But then again I'm a big 'un myself


----------



## Andrew_Culture (30 Dec 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> 64cm
> 
> But then again I'm a big 'un myself



Cor! How tall are you?


----------



## smokeysmoo (30 Dec 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Cor! How tall are you?


6' 5" with a 36" inside leg 

TBH it could probably do with a shorter stem, but it's fine for now.


----------



## mrandmrspoves (30 Dec 2012)

My legs would hardly touch the pedals at the top of their stroke!


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## dave r (30 Dec 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> 64cm
> 
> But then again I'm a big 'un myself


 
I'd need steps just to get on it, then I wouldn't be able to reach the pedals. 
That looks like a nice find. I had several 531 framed bikes years ago, they were always a lovely ride.


----------



## gbb (30 Dec 2012)

I lost my bar end plug on my Ribble yonks ago, been riding without it for months. Pulled the bike out the shed this afternoon to go for a ride, spied it tucked away in the corner of the shed ..Yay 
So, that was my fettling...refitting a bar end plug. Then i had a cup of tea to recover.


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## Andrew_Culture (31 Dec 2012)

smokeysmoo said:


> 6' 5" with a 36" inside leg
> 
> TBH it could probably do with a shorter stem, but it's fine for now.



I misread that last line, and frankly I'm surprised we don't have more stem jokes on this forum.


----------



## potsy (31 Dec 2012)

Decided to try and fit my upgrade brake to the CX today, all went well until I had a good look at the inner brake cable near the lever (crosstop) and noticed it was quite badly frayed.
Will now have to wait until I can get a replacement on Wednesday and do the job properly, will take the oppurtunity to remove the crosstop entirely I think, giving more room on the bars for lights 

Also the BB7's come with an in-line adjuster that the BB5's don't have, this can now be fitted too.


----------



## dave r (31 Dec 2012)

New Koolstops fitted to the front of the fixed today, attempt made to open the rear carrier light so I can change the batterys, at the moment its on the side with the screw soaking in oil, will try again tomorrow, it appears to have seized in, unfortunately its mostly flimsy plastic round the screw so I can't lean on it too hard, when its on the bike the screw isn't easy to get to and the heads a little chewed, not helped by the screw being made of best cheese.
I've also been trying to persuade my phone and computer to talk to each other without much success, I can send files to the computer from the phone, but not from the computer to the phone, sometimes it works but I can't use the file, I also can't browse the phone, something to do with permissions, thats a work in progress, I'll have another go and perhaps ask a few questions on the Lubuntu forums to see if I can solve it.


----------



## Salad Dodger (31 Dec 2012)

New handlebar grips on the MTB, and a lube of the chain and gear mechanism. If the weather is kinder tomorrow I hope to take it for a spin....


----------



## deanE (1 Jan 2013)

Finished for day. Changed over tyres to new wheels and fitted to my Sirrus, replaced brake blocks and gave it a good clean. First ride of year tomorrow.


----------



## subaqua (1 Jan 2013)

new lights on sproggo 1s bike. now she can be seen much better.new bell on sproggo 2 bike - he is happy riding along sing queens bicycle race at the top of his voice


----------



## billy1561 (2 Jan 2013)

Put identical saddle on the mtb as i have on the road bike for arse shaping purposes. Only use the mtb for commuting anyway.
Fixed a slow puncture on my daughters bike. Fully cleaned the road bike. Lubed all 3 bike chains.


----------



## Trail Child (2 Jan 2013)

Almost weekly adjustments & oiling of derailleurs. Salt & snow corrosion are starting despite daily wipe down.


----------



## fossyant (3 Jan 2013)

Trail Child said:


> Almost weekly adjustments & oiling of derailleurs. Salt & snow corrosion are starting despite daily wipe down.


 
Wash it down as often as you can.


----------



## DiddlyDodds (3 Jan 2013)

Today i put a rack on my touring bike and was really chuffed all the eye holes etc fitted spot on , ive just remembered it came off that bike in the first place.


----------



## MattHB (3 Jan 2013)

deep clean on the Felt today. BB out, dérailleur stripdown, tyres off (went through flooding yesterday) and rotated front to back. Re grease and lubed. Tomorrow, the CAADX which is shockingly overdue.


----------



## HovR (3 Jan 2013)

Did a bit more work on my project bike today, a vintage Raleigh touring bike. Cleaned up the chainset (which was completely covered in oily dirt) and refitted, along with left hand crank.

Then took the brake levers & shifters off the bars, the bars off the stem, and the stem off the bike and gave them all a good going over with some wire wool to give the aluminium its shine back. Refitted everything (sans shifters, which will be replaced for DT shifters) with plenty of grease on the quill stem.

Also refitted the seatpost and saddle.

Hoping to get the derailleurs cleaned up and fitted tomorrow, although the Peugeot also needs a clean so that may take precedence.


----------



## Trail Child (3 Jan 2013)

fossyant said:


> Wash it down as often as you can.


Hard when it's -26 C out. Baby wipes aren't taking off the salt very well. It's only a $50 beater MTB anyway. It has really impressed me though this winter.


----------



## Pale Rider (3 Jan 2013)

I'm currently using a borrowed mongrel hybrid.

Realigning the mudguard and tightening the bracket stopped a rub.

A general nipping up of the fixings was reassuring - several needed it.

The disc brake on the front squeaks, but that's OK because they are supposed to, aren't they?


----------



## fossyant (3 Jan 2013)

Washed the bike again. Needs to be clean when I shove it in the car tomorrow when I drop the thing into the garage.


----------



## sddg7tfl (3 Jan 2013)

Decided my Avocet "coyote everglades" hybrid-converted-to-drop-bar bike needed a decent wash
after completing (successfully) that 500km strava thing over christmas.

I don't know what they put on the roads of norfolk ... lets just say the frame was as oily as the chain!!

Copious amounts of citrus based degreaser were used on the whole rig, and eventually 12 tonnes of finest
norfolk soil settled on my lawn.

Think i'll do a 30miler after work tommorow now the handlebar lights have clean lenses!


----------



## biggs682 (3 Jan 2013)

another 30 mins spent on the rebuild of a mid 70's Sun Truwel tubed racer , cant make up my mind whether to fit a set of original full gaurds or a set of retro shorties !


----------



## chewy (3 Jan 2013)

Bit late, but between christmas and new year I totally striped my bike down. Cleaned EVERYTHING, touched up the paintwork and polished the frame. Regreased wheel bearings. Full set of cables.

The result: one sweet looking bike that is whisper quiet (except the panting mess riding it!) and a joy to ride once more.

Very impressed with how the bike is holding up, not bad for a Halfords 'cheapy' lol


----------



## subaqua (4 Jan 2013)

cleaned the commuter for the first time since june when i bought it. i didn't realise just how much crud would be collected under the mudguards. derailleur was stripped and cleaned too. jockey wheels run much smoother now . only ballache was replacing and readjusting the magura hydraulic rim brackes- they are a bit of a faff. need to true the wheels as there is a slight run out on both. All lubed and indexed and rides sweet. also managed to put cleats on my new mW81 winterboots . they feel great on my feet


----------



## Graham (4 Jan 2013)

Broke a spoke on my rear Shimano R500 on the way home yesterday so changed that over for a new one. Once I'd got the tyres and cassette of I thought I may as well regrease the hub as it sounded a bit grindy. This hasn't been done since the bike was new in 2008. I was quite surprised - the non-drive side still had very healthy looking grease in still. Drive side was horrible so gave it a good clean out and it now sounds a lot better. Runs smoother too, which bodes well for my attack on the Horseshoe Pass tomorrow, bring it on!


----------



## compo (4 Jan 2013)

Fitted new tubes and tyres to my wife's Raleigh Twenty, and fitted a bell onto it that I found amongst a heap of junk in the shed.


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (4 Jan 2013)

fossyant said:


> Washed the bike again. Needs to be clean when I shove it in the car tomorrow when I drop the thing into the garage.


 I thought cars got left at garages not bikes!


----------



## Andrew_Culture (5 Jan 2013)

Repaired my broken crud catcher with the spare part purchased at a reasonable price.

It was the first time I've just my workshop stand, and it was so enjoyable being able to get to both sides of the bike (and not sitting on the patio) that I also adjusted the brakes 

My bike no longer sounds like I've put a clacker in the spokes!


----------



## fossyant (5 Jan 2013)

Car fettling today. Replaced the 'new' rear anti roll bar links, one had developed play within a month. New ones on, bit of touching up of underseal here and there, callipers repainted silver (look nice again behind the alloys). Now to send the faulty links back, 12 month g'tee my butt.


----------



## HovR (5 Jan 2013)

Swapped the traditional non-aero levers on my Dawes for new Cane Creek SCR5 aero levers. Really happy with the result. The cable run looks much neater and the hoods are more comfortable.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (6 Jan 2013)

The front tube on my 'nice' bike had a slow puncture so I replaced it, I tried to fix it but can't be doing with spending forever finding an itty bitty little hole. I know there's stuck in the tyre because I also changed the tyre for a folding tyre someone kindly gave me. I 'think' I'm gradually getting the knack of fitting folding tyres but I still leave the wheel fully and pumped up for a few hours to make sure the tyre won't pop off; I think I broke the first folding tyre I tried to fit it.

Why am I telling you all this? Well then wife is upstairs trying to put our daughter down for a kip, and until I know when she's coming back downstairs I can't start breakfast.


----------



## smokeysmoo (6 Jan 2013)

All on my Dawes Stratos.

Both both brake calipers stripped, cleaned, rebuilt and had all rusty hardware wire brushed and greased.

Bars and stem stripped down. Bars have had 20 years of bar tape remnants cleaned off, stem has been sanded back, (it's a black finish that was fecked, presumably after years of inverted bike fettling by previous owners), prepped and is in the process of being re-painted, the first coat is drying as I type.

Chainset off next, (after my brew).

Chainset now fettled. After a thorough clean I decided to strip it completely. So I did 

The rings now gleam, teh spider is shining, (kind of - old Shimano 105), the chainring bolts have all been cleaned and re-fitted with copper grease to aid future fettling, although it came apart very nicely this time, (always a sign of good maintenance by the past owner IMO).

I've also now commenced spraying the seatpost to match the stem as it was quite a sorry state, but it's now drying after paint code number 1.


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## xpc316e (6 Jan 2013)

I have spent the last few days having an uberfettling session on my custom-built recumbent. It came with a home-made means of attaching a backpack to the hardshell seat, and a home-made rack made from folded sheet aluminium. The rack was not fitted when I bought it and it looked a bit flimsy. I wanted to have something that was compatible with the Topeak beam racks and trunk bags I use on all my other bikes. I bought a secondhand beam rack and removed the actual sliding rack piece, bolting that to the rack. I then purchased a couple of side frames from Chainreaction and modded them to fit. I then made up some strengthening sections from aluminium profile and bolted them to the rack. It all fits nicely now, is really stable and gives me somewhere to mount a flag. I also fitted a pair of Schwalbe Kojaks, fitted my homebuilt front wheel and its 203 mm disc brake. That needed quite a lot of filing of the caliper in order to not foul various parts. Front & rear mudguards were also fitted. A few week ago I bought an Optima stem and handlebar system from a dealer in the Netherlands, so that got fitted too. I have ordered a headrest and am hoping to fit that as soon as it gets here. I have also ordered some new cable outer in a sexy yellow, and when that's fitted I shall be ready for the rides the better weather will allow me to do.


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## mattsr (6 Jan 2013)

Just finished a major clean, much needed after commuting through the last few weeks of rotten weather! Chain also de-greased and re-lubricated, and gears re-indexed 'cos they were a bit tardy on the upshift. Also replaced a few missing studs from my Marathon winters.

I do enjoy a bit of fettling. Most satisfying.


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## Easytigers (6 Jan 2013)

Fitted two Phaarts...one to road bike, one to hybrid, after Vaselining and securely taping up (why does that sound so bad!!!). Also repaired puncture on rear wheel of road bike and came up with two things: 
1. Getting the rear wheel out of a Triban 3 is a b*tch...getting it back in is nearly as bad
2.Getting a Schwalbe Lugano tyre off is a b*tch...getting it back in is nearly as bad
Blood. sweat and tyres!


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## threebikesmcginty (6 Jan 2013)

Cleaned the Planet X after today's muddy road ride, not fossy/ianrauk standard but I did clean it. Mickled the chain too.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (6 Jan 2013)

just a minor tinkle with the 2 mountain bikes today. New seat post fitted with old saddle on my bike after needing an extra 1.5cm past the max height of the existing post, and taken it over to a zero offset/inline post as well. was surprised at the weight of the old post which equalled the weight of the new post and old saddle together, but despite the weight of the old post, it has more room to position the seat so it has been fitted to my OH's mtb...


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## Psycolist (6 Jan 2013)

Had a good tidy up in the bike shed today, replacing tools, tidying away spares, sorting whats going and whats being kept. Amazed at how much rubbish I had collected. Looked outside to asses wether I fancied braving the fog, and returned to armchair. Needed several cuppa's to recover


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## Hacienda71 (6 Jan 2013)

Just put new jockey wheels on my rear mech after the bearing had collapsed on one of the old ones. Now contemplating going for a late night test ride.


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## HovR (6 Jan 2013)

Took the computer off my main bike yesterday, and took the bike out on a club ride today. It was nice not to be bound by the computer for a change and gave me one less distraction when descending. Don't think I'm going to miss it! (That said, I do track my rides via gps in my back pocket, so I know what milage etc I've done).


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## Kies (7 Jan 2013)

Hosed down the hybrid, wiped her down and cleaned/oiled the chain/cassette. Twas a satisfying job


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## Hicky (7 Jan 2013)

Hmmmm, after a spin on the canal up to Smallbridge on the wife's(was my) Sirius, it needs the brakes stripping and adjusting.
The eldests cube needs the chain lubing, the youngests mx14 needs the brakes centering and I think the chain maybe slack there's some funny sounds from the chain guard/shroud.....all need cleaning!


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## mr_hippo (7 Jan 2013)

Not so much as fettled as ''repurposed`" I found in my spares box some old but unused 7 speed sproclets and now they have a new lease of life..


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## mattsr (7 Jan 2013)

mr_hippo said:


> Not so much as fettled as ''repurposed`" I found in my spares box some old but unused 7 speed sproclets and now they have a new lease of life..


 

Very nice. You should enter it for the Turner prize!


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## Arjimlad (7 Jan 2013)

I swapped mudguard stays around & realigned them. Gave my wheels a wipe on the rims to assist braking. Fitted a new KMC chain last week after 1500 miles or so on the original shimano one. Gave the derailleurs a good clean out when I did that job.


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## HLaB (7 Jan 2013)

I finally got round to tightening the chain tugs on the SS tonight


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## derrick (7 Jan 2013)

mr_hippo said:


> Not so much as fettled as ''repurposed`" I found in my spares box some old but unused 7 speed sproclets and now they have a new lease of life..


That's one for the Tate Modern, they pay fortunes for stuff like that,


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## Pale Rider (8 Jan 2013)

Trued a wheel on the borrowed hybrid.

I say 'trued', it's not dead straight, but it's not telling as many lies as it was.

The wheel was fouling a brake pad quite badly, it's now just feathering it on the way past.

My technical source was a three-minute vid on YouTube.

Good result for me as my knowledge of bike mechanics is limited.


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## thegravestoneman (8 Jan 2013)

Fitted a saddle bag loop to my Brooks B33 to replace the one missing when purchased (2nd or 3rd hand)

this was achieved with an old Brooks B62, a whitworths 1/4 spanner and a small pile of rust. Just got to find an old saddle bag to suit now


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## subaqua (8 Jan 2013)

Pale Rider said:


> Trued a wheel on the borrowed hybrid.
> 
> I say 'trued', it's not dead straight, but it's not telling as many lies as it was.
> 
> ...


 linky to the vid for those of us who were told wheel truing was a dark art only to be carried out by the druids of ellbee-ess


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## HLaB (8 Jan 2013)

Patched some tubes tonight if you can call that fettling, I'll pump them up after my supper to see if the patches are good.


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## Pale Rider (8 Jan 2013)

subaqua said:


> linky to the vid for those of us who were told wheel truing was a dark art only to be carried out by the druids of ellbee-ess


 

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcoSgl3qiHU


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## Boris Bajic (9 Jan 2013)

I dismantled, greased and re-assembled the rear hub of my flip-flop fixie this evening.

In truth I did nothing of the sort. I stood back while telling our youngest (13) what to do.

I had to do some stuff, because with bearings it can be about 'feel' and other such similar nonesnse.

He even enjoyed it. 

I had to do it because it was *noisy and gritty*.

Luckily, once we'd put it all back together and got the wheel back on it was *gritty and noisy*. So, the complete opposite and a resounding success.


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## Broadside (9 Jan 2013)

Had a nightmare today, I removed and stripped down the rear dual pivot brake caliper and on refitting to the bridge in the seat stay forgot to put the 2mm spacer back in. Over tightened the Allen nut before i realised the spacer was missing and the stub of the caliper poked through the nut too far so I could not get the Allen key back in. Ended up rounding off the inside of the Allen nut and after lots of swearing managed to grip the Allen bolt with some mole grips to get it off. LBS came to the rescue with a 99p replacement Allen bolt so I could go ahead with my ride this evening. 

An easy job that turned in to a 90 min saga... On the plus side the brake now works like new, I should have stripped it down long before now.


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## HovR (9 Jan 2013)

The bars on the commuter had started creaking horrendously with only the slightest bit of force on them today. I examined the bars closely for cracks etc, but there was nothing to be seen, so I regreased all the stem bolts etc. 

Success! It's now quiet again.


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## vernon (10 Jan 2013)

Replaced a 105 Octalink triple chainset after wrecking the LH crank on the old one. It's been a nightmare trying to find a reasonably priced LH crank arm and it proved to be cost and hassle effective to purchase a new complete chainset from Chain Reaction to get matching crank arm lengths.

Also replaced a skewer that had corroded badly in a front wheel after cleaning up the connectors on the dynahub.


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## potsy (12 Jan 2013)

Finally got around to getting a brake cable for the Tricross's front brake this morning, fitted it just now and all seems well.
Never fitted brake cables before and it is connected to a brand new BB7 too, just need to give it a test ride and bed the pads in a bit some time next week 
Now have the altogether more horrible job of getting the Secteur looking like a road bike again and not the mud-infested bso it resembles currently


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## fossyant (12 Jan 2013)

New Dura Ace Chain, chain rings and Deda dogfang fitted to the best bike, and a polish with Mr Sheen !


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## potsy (12 Jan 2013)

fossyant said:


> New Dura Ace Chain, chain rings and Deda dogfang fitted to the best bike, and a polish with Mr Sheen !
> 
> View attachment 17410


Ahh my eyes


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Jan 2013)

fettled 2 bikes and came out (amazingly) with 2 bikes.. decided to sort the hubs out on the Triban 3s. Always glad I have a patient OH - this was all gone in the dining room on the dining room table!

Got off to a good start, if lacking a touch of grease...





But it was all down hill from there... other side of same wheel. yuck





rear wheel of my OH's bike - not looking great...





and rear wheel on my bike - 4 month & 1,900km of UK roads. - not going to be good news.





Seems despite having the same bike, we have at least 4 different types of bearings and those in my bike (4 months old & 1,900km ) have faired a lot better than those in my OH's bike which is 5 months old & 1,000km. Though I am still fighting to completely elimate the knock from my rear hub - fear that it may not be as easily curable as my OH's was.

Jockey wheels also came off and were cleaned & re-greased and I fitted a new chain to mine. Despite being way passed the 1% marker, the new chain fits the cassette perfectly (according to Sheldon Brown's website), so thankfully I have escaped without needing a new cassette.


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## billy1561 (12 Jan 2013)

Put a shorter stem on the mtb for better fit (hopefully)


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## thegravestoneman (12 Jan 2013)

fitted cut down piece of rubber car mat between the two 'once' ridged mating surfaces of the brooks B33 cage and finally seem to have a saddle that doesn't adjust it self every time you hit a pot hole, at least after a 10 mile ride over mixed surfaces. £12.95 saved huzzah!


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## HovR (13 Jan 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> But it was all down hill from there... other side of same wheel. yuck
> View attachment 17412


 
Is that copaslip, or _extremely_ dirty grease..?


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## ian emmerson (13 Jan 2013)

Deep clean and visual check of my hybrid used for commuting duties, only minor adjustments and quick indexing needed, relubed and ready to go.
More concerned as to what I am having to clean off the bike and my clothing, not oils, crud etc and can only assume its something spilt on a section if my commute by the strange smell.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Jan 2013)

HovR said:


> Is that copaslip, or _extremely_ dirty grease..?


I think going by the one and only 'clean' side and the fact it is a £299 bike, it is extremely dirty grease! I also poured out some mud & water from my OH's rear hub as well, yuck!


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## thegravestoneman (13 Jan 2013)

ok that didn't work so now drilled and bolted thru.


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## Andrew_Culture (13 Jan 2013)

Got a bit freaked that my rear brake had jammed, until I realised I had clamped the cable on my work stand. Oops.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Jan 2013)

New rear brake blocks on the knockabout bike as the braking was somewhat lethargic on yesterday's ride.


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## potsy (13 Jan 2013)

Road bike cleaned and checked after a week of commuting grime was stuck to it, CX bike next after a 
Then a quick round the block test of the new brake caliper before it gets dark, then the longer job of swapping over all the lights back to it


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (14 Jan 2013)

just a clean.. seems to be all I have managed today, keep getting side tracked, but have ordered bits to remove BB to regrease that as well. Also have reached the conclusion that cleaning bikes is about as productive as cleaning clothes is. They get dirty almost immediately and the whole thing seems pointless - tomorrow I will get it very dirty again (unless it has snowed overnight in which case I will get the mtb dirty instead!)


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## Andrew_Culture (14 Jan 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> just a clean.. seems to be all I have managed today, keep getting side tracked, but have ordered bits to remove BB to regrease that as well. Also have reached the conclusion that cleaning bikes is about as productive as cleaning clothes is. They get dirty almost immediately and the whole thing seems pointless - tomorrow I will get it very dirty again (unless it has snowed overnight in which case I will get the mtb dirty instead!)
> 
> View attachment 17512


 
I thought that reflected light on the 'n' of btwin was a deliberate modification by yourself, I was trying to figure out what it said!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (14 Jan 2013)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I thought that reflected light on the 'n' of btwin was a deliberate modification by yourself, I was trying to figure out what it said!


 try this version... just a dining room table in it instead!


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## Psycolist (14 Jan 2013)

Both of my Redlite rears needed new batteries, took them off and opened them up, to find on one, the connecter inside had broken and came out with the batteries. Ahh well I thought, its given me good service, it must be 5 years old. So I popped around to my local Halfords, not a shop I go to much, but I know they sell these, and my LBS dos'nt.
WELL
KNOCK ME DOWN WITH A BUTTON BATTERY. They wanted £19 just for a single rear Redlite.
Is that legal to charge that much ? Wot the F*&k 
I returned home and within 10 mins on the net had secured a new set, front and rear of the same Redlite lights for £9 delivered. In the immortal words of the tv character Victor Meldrew
I DONT BELIEVE IT I just dont comprehend how such a vast difference can be justified. If anything, I would have thought that a big concern like Halfords should have been able to offer them cheaper as they can buy them in in bulk quantities and so have haggled for a better price than the LBS that I got them from via the internet. My ghast is flabbered.


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## thegravestoneman (14 Jan 2013)

having been out and about in the snow, today I have fitted a medium sized ships anchor to the back of my bike to assist the rod brakes.


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## gaz (14 Jan 2013)

Adjusted saddle angle, removed pie plate (that was a biatch) and one spoke reflector, couldn't get the second one off


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## chewy (14 Jan 2013)

Re-adjusted disc brakes, and fettled (ever so slightly) gear cables after a slight stretch in the new ones seems to have occurred!


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## subaqua (14 Jan 2013)

gaz said:


> Adjusted saddle angle, removed pie plate (that was a biatch) and one spoke reflector, couldn't get the second one off


 pie plate ??


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## gaz (14 Jan 2013)

subaqua said:


> pie plate ??


Slang for spoke protector


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## subaqua (15 Jan 2013)

gaz said:


> Slang for spoke protector


 I thought as much but being as its January and I am off real pies for the month curiosity really did get the better of me.


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## Drago (15 Jan 2013)

New seat, carbon post and rear flinger going on the Trance today, then I'm fiddling wit the shed to accommodate 3 bikes on the floor, 2 hanging up, though that still leaves 2 stashed round me Mums.


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## Cheshire Celt (15 Jan 2013)

New 3t carbon bars new 3t stem 3t carbon seat post


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## Widge (15 Jan 2013)

thegravestoneman said:


> ok that didn't work so now drilled and bolted thru.


 
What looks like part of the frame in the background of your pic appears to be in need of a bit of a polish and wax?


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## thegravestoneman (15 Jan 2013)

Widge said:


> What looks like part of the frame in the background of your pic appears to be in need of a bit of a polish and wax?


Bl**dy cheek I had just spent two hours polishing that  but seriously it's a 7 shape seat post that's original to the bike which is now 55 years old and been stored badly for the last 25 years ". but one thing at a time, the main thing is it's rideable. I think I will get it blasted and powder coated in black eventually.

View attachment 17536
View attachment 17538


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## thegravestoneman (15 Jan 2013)

ok that didn't seem to work, try the pics again


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## Widge (15 Jan 2013)

thegravestoneman said:


> ok that didn't seem to work, try the pics again


 
Nice............sorry....didn't realize I was commenting on a vintage classic!

I Like!

Best

w


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## thegravestoneman (15 Jan 2013)

No problem, the photo didn't make it too obvious.


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## andsaw (16 Jan 2013)

Rear brake block screw that holds the block in had seized and rounded off with the allen key so i got hacksaw and sawn a groove in the head and managed to use a screwdriver and some wd 40 to get it undone, drilling it out was averted.


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Jan 2013)

Refitted the old knobbly tyres on to the knockabout bike after seeing today's forecast updates. They may not be studded but work pretty well in the snow.

Now I'm ready, the snow probably won't come.


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## Drago (16 Jan 2013)

Set up the new cables and cantis on the Alpinestars I'm anticipation of the heavy snow forecast for Friday.


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## Peter88 (16 Jan 2013)

Replaced the worn outer chain ring on the commuter and took the opportunity to go from a 44 tooth to a 48 tooth, cleaned all the rings, repositioned the front derialeur and re indexed front and rear gears.


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## Drago (17 Jan 2013)

Mudguards fitted to the Alpinestars, just in time to exploit the snow!


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## compo (18 Jan 2013)

Fitted the Cateye wireless computer recently obtained from Enigma2008. The handlebar mount was for normal diameter bars and I have 31.8mm bars so instead of using the screw a cable tie through the hole secures the mount just fine. Nothing like a quality bodge engineered solution. I will fit a proper screw when I can find a longer one. I also had to buy a proper mount for the sender as I didn't fancy trusting it to a cable tie on the fork, worth a couple of quid for peace of mind. Anyway, it's all working fine.


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## HovR (18 Jan 2013)

The Deore shifters on my mountain bike were getting a bit sluggish and even freezing up in the cold. Took the covers off them and blasted in some GT85 to wash out all the old gunked up grease and they work perfectly now. There's much more of a positive click when shifting too.


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## youngoldbloke (19 Jan 2013)

New front brake inserts on the winter Ribble. Old ones had worn unevenly so adjusted caliper. Also adjusted cable to bring blocks closer to the rim.


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## inkd (19 Jan 2013)

Fitted new Tortec tour rear rack and minor adjustments to saddle and bar angle. I still want to try all saddle positions before i reach for the back pocket.


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## Hip Priest (19 Jan 2013)

Fitted new rear brake cable (inners & outers) to MTB. Failed to un-seize front mech, so I've left it overnight drenched in GT85.


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## biggs682 (19 Jan 2013)

today i fettled by fitting new rr brake pads and swapping some wheels around


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## Accy cyclist (20 Jan 2013)

I'm going to paint/touch up my silver mudguards and rear forks that ended up scratched after my new bike fell over.


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## potsy (20 Jan 2013)

25 of the missing studs from slightly over-enthusiastic bedding in of the Marathon winters replaced, piece of cake with the right technique and a bit of patience 
All lights and the aforementioned tyres swapped over to the CX for a week of off-road commuting action starting tomorrow, look out Fossy


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## smokeysmoo (20 Jan 2013)

I've stripped the old headset, (including crown race) out of the Dawes and prepped the frame for some touching up next week, thoroughly cleaned both it's mechs and sprayed another coat of satin black on the stem.

I'm expecting a few visits from Postman Pat in the next few days, so the re-build should commence apace next weekend.

Going to drop the frame into my mates LBS tomorrow to get the BB shell faced and the threads chased, he might as well true the back wheel while he's at it. I will have a go one day, honest.

Anyhoo, here's a couple of before photos I took today, and I'l be sure to update when the rebuild is finished.


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## derrick (20 Jan 2013)

Fitted a new battery to the car for tommorrows commute. will be the first time in 10 months since using the car for commutting. hopefully the snow won't stay to long. don't think it's worth buying special tyres for a few days.


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## dave r (20 Jan 2013)

I keep an old Dawes on the Turbo, when I came to use it the other day I had a flat on the back, had to pump up the back tyre before starting my session, today I changed the tube, whilst doing that I noticed play in the rear wheel bearings, sorted that out, and thought whilst I'm here I'll tweak the gears and lube it up, got it running better on the back but the front is knackered, the left shifter doesn't work and I've got it set on the outer ring with the adjuster screws, if its used on the road again I'll have to reset it to the inner ring, the outer ring is like a dinner plate, 54 tooth.
The fixed has had a wash down, it'll get it checked and polished later on ready for Tuesdays commute, I'm on holiday tomorrow.


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## thegravestoneman (21 Jan 2013)

The leather on my old Brooks B33 had started to split around the nose rivets, which is not too unusual once they start getting old. I have been up to the local saddlers to see if she could stitch it but she said that would not work. So I have drilled out the two side rivets and put in a pre-drilled length of steel on the inside of each side the leather is now supported by three rivets on each side as opposed to the original one. Finished off with a good dose of neatsfoot oil (hopefully the smell will go before the wife gets home). For you who like to pare the weight down on your bikes, my saddle and seatpost weigh in at 4 pound 4 ounce or nearly 1.8 kg I would weigh the whole bike but it's too heavy to get upstairs to the scales.


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## Psycolist (21 Jan 2013)

I'm pleased to report that yesterday, I didnt fettle anything, nor the day before, nor am I expecting to fettle anything today. In fact, I'm fettless. This was achieved by having my two lovely grandchildren stay over at the weekend to put me trough my paces. So saturday and sunday I was busy sticking, painting, being a monster, colouring in, playing 'Ride a Cock Horse' reading stories, watching 'Ben andHolly' and 'Power Rangers' being chief cook and bottle washer and generally catering to thier every whim and fancy. Today I'm in recovery mode ! Just as well really, with the weather, I dont think there would have been many miles done anyway. I guess it saved me gazing out of the window hoping for a thaw to set in.


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## smokeysmoo (21 Jan 2013)

smokeysmoo said:


> I've stripped the old headset, (including crown race) out of the Dawes and prepped the frame for some touching up next week, thoroughly cleaned both it's mechs and sprayed another coat of satin black on the stem.
> 
> I'm expecting a few visits from Postman Pat in the next few days, so the re-build should commence apace next weekend.
> 
> ...


[UPDATE] The frame is at the LBS for a face, a chase and a wheel true as well.

The BB, seatpost bolt and brake levers have arrived today. Mrs S has bought me a tin of Humbrol 68 and a paint brush for some minor touching up, (oo er Mrs). The headset, cables and bartape are already in the shed awaiting fitting.

Just waiting for the downtube shifters now, and to get the frame back, (hopefully tomorrow for the frame), and then it's all systems go


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## billy1561 (22 Jan 2013)

Put my old 700c x 35 hybrid tyres on the 29er, i was sick to death of the punctures it was receiving! Good fit and most likely better rolling.
Looked through my bits and bobs bike box last week and found my old cateye micro but no sender unit. Well i found that rascal today so i've fitted the cateye to the 29er also. Just waiting for my new riser bars to arrive then it'll be good to go


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (22 Jan 2013)

billy1561 said:


> Put my old 700c x 35 hybrid tyres on the 29er, i was sick to death of the punctures it was receiving! Good fit and most likely better rolling.
> Looked through my bits and bobs bike box last week and found my old cateye micro but no sender unit. Well i found that rascal today so i've fitted the cateye to the 29er also. Just waiting for my new riser bars to arrive then it'll be good to go


good to know you found the bits - finally bit the whatever and purchased a garmin edge 200 instead at the weekend - halfords agreed to their web price at the store so got it for £89.99 - only went in for new headlight bulbs for the car which blew one at the weekend... (only can't change the "things" because they are on a hex screw to get them out of the socket and I don't have one with a small enough handle to get into said gap and I refuse to remove the bumper... should have settled for the £6.99 fit bulb for you job from halfords, but suspect out garage won't charge much given they are already takign car apart to fix brakes...


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## Andrew_Culture (22 Jan 2013)

I made myself a coffee machine


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## addictfreak (23 Jan 2013)

Finally got round to sorting my MTB out today. It's been hanging from the roof of the garage in need of some TLC for over a year!
I have had the parts for ages, but not the will power to get out and fit them. Anyway I bit the bullet today despite it being freezing in the garage. Bottom bracket, crankset, cassette fitted, both gear cables changed. Just the chain to fit tomorrow and the jobs a good un. Best of all there were no problems whatsoever!


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## billy1561 (23 Jan 2013)

fitted new riser bars to my mtb and some ergon grips. Much better now


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## DCLane (23 Jan 2013)

Had a look at the MTB's rear disc brake. It failed on me downhill on Saturday and I need it working ASAP.

Now, web instructions left me confused, but I'm sure I wasn't supposed to be able to stick my fingers in where the disc goes and pull the pads out? 

Re-fitted with some adjustments and found the disc was warped, so a new one's ordered.

All working, for now, with new disc en route.


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## doctornige (24 Jan 2013)

Washed the road salt off ... in style


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## billy1561 (24 Jan 2013)

doctornige said:


> Washed the road salt off ... in style


 Jeez, i'd be a dead man walking if i used the bath for that! My other half grumbles with the 2 bikes that are kept in the house as it is


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Jan 2013)

Cleaned and checked over the knockabout bike. It's white underneath, who'd have thought? The new brake blocks on the rear are already half worn due to the amount of grit picked up on the rims.

Also, swapped back to the TourRide tyres in anticipation of the weather becoming less cold over the weekend.

Edit: I don't like the look of the right hand pedal. There is rust staining round the inboard bearings so that will have to come off and be serviced at some point soon. Although new pedals might be better..


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## HovR (24 Jan 2013)

Fettled the left hand crank on a friends bike yesterday whilst standing on the grassy verge of a roundabout, as it fell off part way around! 

The bike was new and the square taper BB hadn't been tightened up enough at the factory.


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## Psycolist (24 Jan 2013)

doctornige, you have my respect. Lookin after the bike like this ! The only things missing are the scented candles, rose petals in the water and glass of wine 

I however, had to spend an hour and a half in the back garden, freezin my bits off, trying to de-salt my front mech which had frozen in place. Funnily enough, I had been paying great attention to the rear mech, making sure it was washed off and loobed every day, never gave the front one a second thought. I'll know better in future.


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## HovR (25 Jan 2013)

Psycolist said:


> I however, had to spend an hour and a half in the back garden, freezin my bits off, trying to de-salt my front mech which had frozen in place. Funnily enough, I had been paying great attention to the rear mech, making sure it was washed off and loobed every day, never gave the front one a second thought. I'll know better in future.


 
I used to have that problem on my every day commuter. My solution was to take off the front mech! Don't need 2 chain rings anyway.


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 Jan 2013)

Further to yesterday's fettling, I have stripped, cleaned and regreased the pedals on the knockabout bike. The (non sealed) inboard bearings on both pedals were horrible . What was left of the grease was rust coloured and the ball bearings themselves have gone black. I hate the damage road salt does!

Add pitting into the mix and I think they have pretty much had it. I've got them running smoothly for the time being but I shall have to source some new ones to go on when the weather improves.


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## Easytigers (26 Jan 2013)

Fitted the Cree light I bought a couple of weeks ago ready for next weeks snow free commute (I hope!!!). Sorted housing for the battery pack...cut out the inner off the nozzle of a High 5 bottle. Battery pack inside the bottle and the socket bit, where the wires fit together, fits snugly into the nozzle (so tight I think it might be water proof!) with enough showing that the other end can be connected, still within the body of the nozzle...sorry said 'nozzle' a lot but couldn't think of the relevant terms. Couldn't believe how well it all fit together! Guess that means that it'll all fall apart on my maiden voyage!
Still enough room in the bottle for repair kit, tube and chain tool!


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## biggs682 (26 Jan 2013)

adjusted saddle position on new commuter for next week Dawes Sardar and finished of fettling an 80's Falcon that has been hanging around for ages , just needs some miles on it now


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## potsy (26 Jan 2013)

Taken the studded tyres off


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## snorri (26 Jan 2013)

The spring like weather has encouraged me to get my Trek hybrid back on the road.
Dumped the old suspension seatpost which I never really took to, and disliked even more when it came loose a second time and could not be tightened up. Replaced it with a conventional post.
Fitted a new battery in the computer which needed to be re-calibrated after sitting so long with a flat battery.
Inflated both tyres but no lights on this bike so no time for a test run today.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Jan 2013)

I had intended to have a ride today but when walking the dog earlier I found that most surfaces that looked wet were actually sheet ice so decided to play it safe and do a bit more fettling instead:

The front reflector on the knockabout bike snapped off in the cold so I've removed the broken bits and replaced it with some reflective tape on the headtube.

The rear brakes weren't returning properly so all the pivots have been cleaned and regreased and I also decided to check the state of the rear wheel bearings, which turned out to be okay but needed adjusting.

On top of that I've fitted new tyres to my brother's bike. Hopefully that will persuade him to do a few more rides this year.


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## Cubist (26 Jan 2013)

I've sorted out a series of quick release mounts for my GoPro. Helmet and rucksack using some Klickfast kit docks harvested from obsolete uniform






















and a chest harness using the display box plate, some pop rivets, a leather backing pad, some old velcro infested webbing and a recycled rucksack strap.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (26 Jan 2013)

tried fettl'in but still could not budge the allen key nut over the crank arm (to get at bb) so after my OH failed having obtained some tools from my step-father I rang the Decathlon... has bike had 6 month safety check, no - that could be a problem, the bike is only 5 months old, can I bring it is for one? yes - can you bring it now? yes... come home without a bike - bike is now being fettled by someone else. 

last I saw the rear wheel was off, the front & rear derauilers were off, freehub was off, rear hub was out (it is still knocking), there was not a single cable left on the bike and they asked if I could leave it with them til tomorrow - when they get my OH's bike to do the same thing to...

I feel rather lost right now!


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## Arjimlad (26 Jan 2013)

Stripped down the rear hub (Shimano) and replaced the ball bearings, regreased & reassembled. Coupled with a good clean with hot water and car shampoo, relubing the chain and general sorting out the bike rides like new now ! 

I'll strip, clean & relube the BB, headset and front hub when winter's out of the way.


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## ianrauk (26 Jan 2013)

Arjimlad said:


> Stripped down the rear hub (Shimano) and replaced the ball bearings, regreased & reassembled. Coupled with a good clean with hot water and car shampoo, relubing the chain and general sorting out the bike rides like new now !
> 
> I'll strip, clean & relube the BB, headset and front hub when winter's out of the way.


 

There's something so very satisfying about stripping down, cleaning and rebuilding hubs.


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## Arjimlad (26 Jan 2013)

Yup - especially when they run so smooth and have no play in them when reassembling ! 

And because the bike shop chap told me I'd be better having them do it .. underestimating the size of my biggest allen key.


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## ianrauk (26 Jan 2013)

Arjimlad said:


> Yup - especially when they run so smooth and have no play in them when reassembling !
> 
> And because the bike shop chap told me I'd be better having them do it .. underestimating the size of my biggest allen key.


 

I bought one of* these* to help get the ball bearings out of the hub.
BAM.. all the BB's in one go


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## thegravestoneman (26 Jan 2013)

Retentioned and True'd front wheel on Saracen road bike after finding quiet a few loose spokes. Regreased and oiled all bearings and chain as needed, Finished off with a damn good polish and autosol on the ally bits. All in all not too bad for something that has been in storage since the eighties. Just need to soak the Brooks pro in neatsfoot oil and find some new hoods for the brake levers as they have gone a bit flaky. Not to sure about the tubs though they seem to hold pressure and the rubber hasn't gone hard but I might just replace them anyway, so much for keeping my costs down, what with having to get a whole new set of wally gear too, lucky I still have my old Duegi's so I don't have to get new pedals and shoes.


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## Arjimlad (26 Jan 2013)

ianrauk said:


> I bought one of* these* to help get the ball bearings out of the hub.
> BAM.. all the BB's in one go


 
Dammit - I have one just like that - with a little LED light on the end too - use it for picking up shotgun cartridges when they eject into a prickly bush - didn't think to use it on this job.

I did make the mistake of putting all the BBs back in before attempting to reattach the freewheel 

I used a magnetised screwdriver though & got on OK. Will use the magnety thing next time though ! 

Thanks for the tip !


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## Pat "5mph" (26 Jan 2013)

potsy said:


> Taken the studded tyres off


Is this wise? 
I fell flat on my bum today, slipped on ice, while walking to the post box up the road!


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## musa (26 Jan 2013)

Gave bike a wash finally was overdue - but its rained


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## Psycolist (27 Jan 2013)

After waking up to rain, incey wincey spider climbed the spout, and out came the sun at about 11, took advantage and headed out on one of my favourite rides. Many many fields and roads underwater. After a couple of hours, returned home with an even filthier bike than i went out with. So with the sun still shining, i've just spent another couple of hours giving the bike a thorough clean, wheels and brakes off, chain and both derailleurs off, frame and forks a good wash and scrub up, dried off and a bit of a polish up. Then had a sit down at the wokbench while i cleaned both derailleurs, oil bath for the jockies, grit and filth in every little nook and krany. The chain however looked ok, gave it a close look and didnt feel any grit or muck, it is only 4 weeks old, so left it alone. The brakes really only needed a wipe over, so a quick bit af grease on the bosses, and they went back on. The now clean derailleurs also re-fitted, some WD40 on the cables so it runs into the inners from both ends while theres a bit of slack and reconnect all four. Then the chain. I felt at this point, that i had had enough, so I put the wheels back on, gave the rims and spokes a quick wipe over and came indoors and flopped into the armchair where Mrs Psycolist provided me with a nice cuppa. WHY CANT EVERY DAY BE LIKE THIS  and blow me down, m'granchildren have just pulled up on the drive


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## ianrauk (27 Jan 2013)

I fettled 2 of TTCycles bikes.
Fitted front derailleur, new gear cable and new brake cables and trued the rear wheel on the one bike.
Checked the BB on the other bike, one of the cup's has that horrid grinding feeling, so new cups needed.


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## potsy (27 Jan 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Is this wise?
> I fell flat on my bum today, slipped on ice, while walking to the post box up the road!


*must not laugh* 

New chain I fitted yesterday was skipping on todays test ride, looks like it's new cassette time.
At least I have one 'in stock'


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## derrick (27 Jan 2013)

I cleaned the oven does that count, it was a bit harder than cleaning the bikes.
I earned some brownie points


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## mangid (27 Jan 2013)

Replaced BB, glad I have a long breaker bar, could hardly turn the BB by hand once I had the pedals :-(

Then took forks off, and found this:






All that remains of the split crown race :-)


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## smokeysmoo (27 Jan 2013)

Checked the Fuji over and changed the tyres before the new owner collected it 

Then consoled myself by sticking my newly acquired DA chainset on the CAAD 

Also fettled a sticky headset on Miss Smoo's Hello Kitty scooter.


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## potsy (27 Jan 2013)

potsy said:


> New chain I fitted yesterday was skipping on todays test ride, looks like it's new cassette time.
> At least I have one 'in stock'


 
 Can't get the old one off, have replaced them on the Secteur no problem bit this one on the Tricross will not budge.
Left it soaking in some 'stuff' for a while and will have another go later, failing that I'll have to either take it to the lbs to loosen for me or risk riding it to work as is and get myself a extending bar from there to use  stoopid bike.


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## wisdom (27 Jan 2013)

I too cleaned the oven,brownie points for mee too


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## potsy (27 Jan 2013)

potsy said:


> Can't get the old one off, have replaced them on the Secteur no problem bit this one on the Tricross will not budge.
> Left it soaking in some 'stuff' for a while and will have another go later, failing that I'll have to either take it to the lbs to loosen for me or risk riding it to work as is and get myself a extending bar from there to use  stoopid bike.


Found my big spanner, success


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## Psycolist (27 Jan 2013)

potsy said:


> *must not laugh*
> 
> New chain I fitted yesterday was skipping on todays test ride, looks like it's new cassette time.
> At least I have one 'in stock'


 Nice to see somebody else likes to keep a stock of spares. I started keeping consumables like chains and cassettes after I got my rear derailleur broken by a carrier bag getting blown into it while zipping to work one day. I rely on my bike as transport to and from work and I had to shell out for a replacement without having the chance to 'shop around.' It cost me twice as much as it could have. Since then, if I see something I use, at a bargain price, I get it and use it when I need to. I'm currently on the lookout for a chain, having just used the spare, but have got a full set of spare chainrings, a cassette and both derailleurs as well as a full cable set.  IMHO It's only sensible when you rely on cycling for work.


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## potsy (27 Jan 2013)

I do it because places like Ribble do some good deals on components if you spend over £35, makes sense to buy a few things and keep them ready.
Done it with Koolstop Salmons a while ago from Spa, got 3 pairs in stock


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## JoeyB (27 Jan 2013)

I purchased some entry level Shimano SPD pedals today, after struggling with pedals and straps yesterday on a 100km ride.

Have also decided to get a 11-28T rear cassette to help out with the bigger hills when my legs are tired. Didn't want to resort to a compact group set so happy with this as a compromise.


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Jan 2013)

A puncture repair on my brother's bike today. It hasn't even been outside since I fitted the new tyres. 

It appears that it had picked up a thorn in the old front tyre, probably on this ride, which had stayed in place blocking the hole. When I swapped the tyres, no thorn meant nothing to plug the leak in the tube.


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## HovR (27 Jan 2013)

Decided to clean down and relube the Peugeot commuter ready for the week. Whilst doing this I discovered the front brake cable inner was starting to fray around the pinch bolt area. Replaced it and replaced the outer as well whilst I had it apart.

Cleaning your bike isn't just to get your bike clean, it gives you a good chance to carefully inspect everything as you're cleaning it!


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## HovR (27 Jan 2013)

Psycolist said:


> Nice to see somebody else likes to keep a stock of spares...


 
I also keep a full cable set, inner tubes, chains etc 'in stock' as spares. If I didn't do this then when something went wrong my only option to get the bike running again fast would be to pay double the price for parts at Halfords!


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## HovR (28 Jan 2013)

Decided to give the Dawes a thorough wheels off frame & drive chain clean today after yesterdays club ride. It's looking nice and shiny again!

The commuter is already dirty after yesterdays clean, don't know why I even bothered!


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## G3CWI (28 Jan 2013)

Oiled the chain on my road bike for the first time today. How often should I do that? Road bike noob.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Jan 2013)

Seat post out cleaned and greased. Headset investigated... that top nut was loose again - keeps working itself loose (the one that goes down into the headset) so stripped the entire thing down and cleaned, regreased and reassembled it... no longer creaks now!
also sussed out why my cadence meter was not working... took a long while to work it out, but my OH switched the pedals at the weekend (when I could not get them undone) and whilst he moved the holder over the cadence meter was still not working. tracked down a spare magnet (unrelated) to test sensor, fine... eventually pulled off the magnet holder on the pedal to find no magnet. He did not actually move the magnet over which was still attached to the failed pedal - luckily bins are emptied on friday's... and I now have a fully functional cadence meter again


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## Psycolist (28 Jan 2013)

G3CWI said:


> Oiled the chain on my road bike for the first time today. How often should I do that? Road bike noob.


 
MMMMmmmmm Thats sure to incite a raft of replies. Its one of those black arts that everyone thinks that thier method is the best. My chain care comprises of a weekly inspection and about every couple of hundred dry miles, or after a wet ride, a good dose of WD40 while turning the chain, then after a 10 min soak in that, dry off as much as poss, alot of dirt will come off with the excess and then a spray of dry chain lube while turning the chain again. Its generally accepted that oil will just allow the grit and dirt to stick to your chain a bit easier.


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## HovR (29 Jan 2013)

Fitted a chain and set up the front brake on my vintage Raleigh project bike. It's starting to look like a bike again! Just need to clean up the pedals, front derailleur and downtube shifter, then fit bar tape and cables and it's good to go!


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## gavgav (29 Jan 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A puncture repair on my brother's bike today. It hasn't even been outside since I fitted the new tyres.
> 
> It appears that it had picked up a thorn in the old front tyre, probably on this ride, which had stayed in place blocking the hole. When I swapped the tyres, no thorn meant nothing to plug the leak in the tube.


 
Ah the mystery of where the thorn went has been revealed then!!!


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## Rickshaw Phil (29 Jan 2013)

gavgav said:


> Ah the mystery of where the thorn went has been revealed then!!!


Not quite. The puncture we couldn't find the cause of was in the back tyre.


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## gavgav (29 Jan 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Not quite. The puncture we couldn't find the cause of was in the back tyre.


 
!!!


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## Boon 51 (29 Jan 2013)

Fitted new stem and rear mud guard on my mtb... brill.


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## HLaB (30 Jan 2013)

Just replaced the rear gear cable and rear derailleur outer on the Kinesis, geared bikes, who'd have them


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## compo (31 Jan 2013)

I dropped my forks an inch to allow me to clean out the muck from the headset and give it a coat of grease. I don't believe that my headset ( Slimstak, semi-cartridge bearings, sealed) actually needs grease but it does help weatherproof things a bit. Then I stuck my Trek up on the work stand, removed the wheels and gave the frame a really thorough wash with a brush on the end of a hose pipe. Then I repeated the treatment on the wheels. After leaving it for a couple of hours to drain I gave it a good polish with MER. Drop of oil on the chain, gear mechs and the entry and exits of the cables and I'm ready to go again.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (1 Feb 2013)

compo said:


> I dropped my forks an inch to allow me to clean out the muck from the headset and give it a coat of grease. I don't believe that my headset ( Slimstak, semi-cartridge bearings, sealed) actually needs grease but it does help weatherproof things a bit. Then I stuck my Trek up on the work stand, removed the wheels and gave the frame a really thorough wash with a brush on the end of a hose pipe. Then I repeated the treatment on the wheels. After leaving it for a couple of hours to drain I gave it a good polish with MER. Drop of oil on the chain, gear mechs and the entry and exits of the cables and I'm ready to go again.


told you - there are 6 more here that you can happily clean for me


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## addictfreak (1 Feb 2013)

Last little bit of work on my MTB, brakes bled and new pads fitted. Had to some new pedals as well, the old ones just would'nt budge off my old cranks. Tried absolutely everything, even got my son to take them into his work place, and the fitters couldn't move them either! Anyway new pedals fitted and the bike is like brand new.

First time that I have actually done all the work myself, not so much because I couldn't do it but more because I could never be bothered! But doing it myself has certainly saved me money as well as the satisfaction felt. So this is what I fitted/changed:

New cranks
Bottom bracket
Both gear cables changed
New cassette
New chain
Brake pads
Bled brakes
New pedals fitted

A parts were sourced on line, looking for best deals. But I suspect the biggest saving has been on labour charges!
Right time to ride.


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## G3CWI (1 Feb 2013)

Mikled chain. Re greased front hubs as result of advice in Taliban 3 thread. Tried re indexing gears for first time. Removed seat post (whatever it's called) cleaned off crud that got in when I had no mud guards and re greased. All ready for another spin round tomorrow. Cheers Richard.


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## HovR (1 Feb 2013)

Stripped down the commuter and gave it a good clean and service after having ridden it on salty roads for the past week or two. Also regreased the hubs, so the wheels run nice and smooth. Nice and shiny again, for now!


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## Buzzinonbikes (1 Feb 2013)

Rear mudguard came loose at 2 points. Is there anything cable ties can't do?


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 Feb 2013)

Buzzinonbikes said:


> Rear mudguard came loose at 2 points. Is there anything cable ties can't do?




Currently my front mudguard on my best bike, my rear mudguard on my knockabout bike and 3 mudguard extensions between them are held on with cable ties. If I find out I'll let you know.


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## smokeysmoo (1 Feb 2013)

Crud Road Racer 2's fitted to the Dawes Stratos, along with Tiagra calipers sourced from accountantpete 

Also whacked in some new rim tape in place of the original stuff from 1992 

The bike is now fully re-built and ready to begin commuter duties from Monday 

Hoping to get a shakedown ride in over the weekend, and I'll post some pics tomorrow as well.


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## jim55 (1 Feb 2013)

just fin ,fitted a new chain to the fixed ,put diff tyres and tubes on (bought a new back wheel last week for it )took out seatpost and greased ,fitted a new saddle (well one i had spare ),and gen gave my geared bike a look over/blow tyres up kinda thing ,,just noticed the brake blocks on my fixed were upside down(the cartridge type so when i was braking the block inserts could have slid out and were only held in by that wee grub screw


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## MisterStan (2 Feb 2013)

Commuter; cleaned, chain mickled, all moving parts lubed, front hub bearings cleaned and greased, new bar end plugs fitted, brakes adjusted and BB greased. 
Best bike; lubed and prepped for tomorrow's ride.


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## Peteaud (2 Feb 2013)

New brakes fitted.

New pedals to Mrs Auds bike.


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## musa (2 Feb 2013)

Ended spending a fortune today, I bought a new saddles from my LBS (great guys I was there for an hour half testing saddles) in the end I took the Fizik Arione home for a weeks try.
New lights bought (Hope vision 1 Number2) and Exposure Flare fitted

New hardshells to fit and brake pads


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## threebikesmcginty (4 Feb 2013)

Should be putting a new spoke on my Day-One...can't be arsed...maybe Wednesday.


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## subaqua (5 Feb 2013)

FD on daughters Triban. It suddenly started making a racket and not shifting properly. not a gradual decline but an instant overnight thing.

I think my son (5yrs old) has been at my tools and her bike. spent a lovely 90 minutes doing a complete check and had some words with him.

looks like when he gets the next size up bike his old too small one will become his bike to take apart and use tools on.

can't get annoyed as am proud he knew the right tools to use to loosen things


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## compo (5 Feb 2013)

When I got my new bike last year it came with a side stand fitted. I fairly quickly removed it. This morning I thought it could be useful on a utility bike to have a stand, for example whilst fitting the trailer, so I refitted it. What a job. To get at the bolt head I had to remove the front gear mechanism which involved removing the chain. Anyway I got it all done and reassembled the gears and hooked up the chain and stood back to admire my handiwork. It looked awful. So, off with the chain, off with the mech and out with the bolt to remove the stand, then I had to put it all back again. Now the stand can stay off. A morning's work and nowt to show for it.


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## fossala (5 Feb 2013)

Clean bike, relubed and waxed. Looking nice and shiney now.


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## billy1561 (5 Feb 2013)

Put some grease on the bolts that hold my bars in place to try and stop the creaking noises but no joy


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## compo (5 Feb 2013)

billy1561 said:


> Put some grease on the bolts that hold my bars in place to try and stop the creaking noises but no joy


Have you tried a wipe of grease actually under the clamp on the bars themselves, also on the steerer where the stem clamps.


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## thegravestoneman (5 Feb 2013)

new (to it) wheels, gear mech, chain, brake cables saddle and shortened (corridor friendly) handle bars on my lads boot sale carrera mtb so he should be okay for Uni now.

New chrome seat post bought for butchers bike will have to go back (wrong diameter)

Got to find a new block for the road bike as I apparently can't push a 13 through 17 block with a 54 chainwheel anymore it was fine when I last rode it 25 years ago so I don't know what has happened there? and struggling to find some old brake lever hoods in black and I probably won't like them when I do as mine were ergonomic, soft compound etc fancies.


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## billy1561 (5 Feb 2013)

compo said:


> Have you tried a wipe of grease actually under the clamp on the bars themselves, also on the steerer where the stem clamps.


No i haven't as i was concerned they would lose the grip. Would it be ok to do that you think?


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## compo (5 Feb 2013)

billy1561 said:


> No i haven't as i was concerned they would lose the grip. Would it be ok to do that you think?


 
My reply in the Know How section.


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## JoeyB (8 Feb 2013)

Carried out my first mechical work on the road bike last night.... replaced the rear cassette and fitted clipless pedals. Lets see what difference that makes shall we!?


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## billy1561 (8 Feb 2013)

Re installed my fizik aliante saddle. What a revelation. My back side must have toughened up since i last tried it because i never even thought about it on a recent 4 hour ride.


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## youngoldbloke (8 Feb 2013)

New chain on the winter bike (SRAM PC991), old one (SRAM) just showing .75 wear in places. Interesting to note how wear in old chain was not even - very noticeable when I stretched out new chain next to old to measure how many links needed to be removed. Everything smooth as silk afterwards.


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## Hicky (8 Feb 2013)

Just fitted new blocks to the rear brakes, thought they were sh#the this morning.....way past the use by line...eeeek! 
Lubed the chain too....The whole bike needs stripping and a deep clean/lube


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## Steve Saunders (8 Feb 2013)

Just replaced the hub in my rear wheel and rebuild the wheel, checked the dish/tension and trued it. Fitted a new disc rotor and cassette so it's ready for a test ride tomorrow.


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## compo (8 Feb 2013)

Car and bike. I went to go out in the car this morning and the battery would hardly turn the engine over. I started the engine with my battery booster starter. However between going indoors to get the starter and coming out again the radio had turned itself on. I just assumed I had caught the "on" button while reaching over for the bonnet release. I turned it off. While connecting the starter the radio turned itself on again. Every time I turned it off a minute later it turned itself on again. Now I see why a flat battery as I haven't used the car for a week. I have disconnected the radio until I can be bothered to see what's happening. I may well set it to only work when the ignition is on. I decided to give the battery a good charge off the car. I have been doing lots of very short trips and in three years I have never touched it. Removing the battery involved unbolting a bar that goes across the engine bay. Once indoors I looked inside the battery and it had almost no visible water, so onto the bike and a quick trip to the car spares shop for distilled water. The battery took 1.5 litres to top it up! So much for maintenance free batteries. Anyway it is now on charge. What's the betting I end up having to buy a new battery?

Yesterday riding my bike it developed an awful rattle. It sounded a little like the chain rubbing the front mech, which upon checking it wasn't. It turned out to be the spring clip on the rear mudguard that clips onto the cross piece of frame near the BB. It had lost a bit of it's tightness. Tonight I undid the mudguard and squeezed the clip back into shape. I noticed that the frame around the BB was looking a bit muddy so out with the wet wipes and clean it up a bit. That showed up the dirty wheels so another wet wipe. Then upon close examination the chain was full of grit so a long cleaning session to get it clean, and the cassette and chain wheels. My wife came through and took one look at all the dry mud that had come of the inside of the mudguard onto the carpet and suggested (as they do) that the hoover may be a good idea. 

The car battery is still charging.............................


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## DCLane (8 Feb 2013)

OK ... admission to make here 

I cleaned, lubricated and adjusted all the family bikes this week after a family trip to Center Parcs - son no. 1's Probike, SWMBO's Spesh Globe Daily, son no. 2's Hood Guru (not as bad as you might think!) and the Freecycle Universal kids bike we'd got - which seems to be unused, so son no. 1 is having it . I also did my Python MTB and the 'lethal impact' Tony Doyle Ammoco bike, which has been pulled back into use and is riding well despite multiple bodge-jobs to make it work properly. The Raleigh Airlite also got cleaned as it's had to go in for some warranty work.

However ... I _thought_ my Spesh Secteur was fine when I put it away in mid-December after a club run. But, taking it out of storage it definately wasn't. The chain had seized  and I've had to spend 2 evenings lubricating and manipulating all the links.

Now, I_ could_ have fitted the new Ultegra chain I've got, but hey, I live in Yorkshire. We don't do that sort of stuff. So, after a couple of evenings of fettling, it's all OK if looking a little battered and rust-remaindered. The new chain will go on shortly, but not until it's really needed.

There's also a rattle coming from the rear brake cable when it's inside the top tube - still not sure how to solve that one  . So if you're doing the Batley Bash on Sunday and you pass/get passed by a Spesh Secteur rattling like crazy, that'll be me


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## Deleted member 23692 (9 Feb 2013)

Bleed the brakes on the MTB using a kit from Epic Bleed Solutions, and very easy it was too  It's surprising how little fluid is in bike brakes


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## Blurb (9 Feb 2013)

Replaced chain on commuter. Adjusted brakes. Actually completed the job very quickly without breaking anything, result for me!


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## tincaman (9 Feb 2013)

Fitted the spare wheelset, now running on slicks instead of studs, wow! what a difference.


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## Psycolist (9 Feb 2013)

Re-cabled my utility bike today, gears and brakes, inners and outers. The gear movement had been very gritty since we had all the snow, then slush, then rocksalt or whatever they use nowadays and it must be a good 2 years since having any new ones, so while I did one, I did 'em all and they feel smooth and free again. Had to give it a test ride didnt I. Perfic !


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## Buzzinonbikes (9 Feb 2013)

Bit of road side fettling today. First ever broken spoke! Managed to tighten the adjacent two so I could get home. Dropped it off with the lbs for a new spoke and trueing as I'm not confident enough to get it perfect.


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## smokeysmoo (9 Feb 2013)

Started decorating Miss S's bedroom, oh joy


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## Martyn H (9 Feb 2013)

Replaced middle chainring on the mtb after replacing the chain and cassette last Saturday. Went out for a quick test ride and everything so quite and smooth as silk. Just the cables to replace, then I'm all ready for a day out


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## Night Train (9 Feb 2013)

Yesterday I adjusted the twist grip gear changer on the Brompton. It was sticking in 1st an loose on the bars. Christmas present tool kit came in very useful as I was on the road at the time.


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## Psycolist (11 Feb 2013)

I'm losing it. Just spent 2 hours in my bike workshop with my bikes and spares and suchlike, returned to the house to be offered a hot cuppa by Mrs Psycolist, and while waiting for the kettle to boil, she asked what I had been doing out there. 
I couldnt tell her, I had spent 2 hours doing nothing, well nothing I could remember anyway. As the tea started to thawed my grey matter I remembered re-doing the bearings on a couple of wheels, and degreasing a cassette, but for about 10 minutes, I couldnt bring to mind what on earth I had been doing ! 
Should I be worried ?


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## thegravestoneman (11 Feb 2013)

fitted a rear basket to the butchers bike, you can never have to much capacity... and damn just noticed a puncture in my rear tub on me Sara.


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## MickeyBlueEyes (11 Feb 2013)

Soled my Look cleat covers with some 6mm thick grooved toolbox rubber and a Devcon compound. When the rubber wears out I'll resole them again so I don't have to keep buying new covers.


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## HovR (11 Feb 2013)

Swapped over some rigid forks to suspension forks today for a friend. Had to fit the star fangled nut into the suspension fork but didn't have the proper tool. I'd tried just using an M6 bolt before but it is very hard to put the SFN in straight with that method.

Ended up going to my boxes of nuts/bolts/washers etc and building something very similar to this:






Worked a charm, and saved me £10.


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## thegravestoneman (11 Feb 2013)

thegravestoneman said:


> fitted a rear basket to the butchers bike, you can never have to much capacity... and damn just noticed a puncture in my rear tub on me Sara.
> View attachment 18897


 
public warning! Public warning!

It turns out the tubes on 25+ year old tubs goes a bit hard and can split at the valve. It is shocking I know, I will try to get my money back from the manufacture. Any body know if Panaracer are still going?


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## HovR (11 Feb 2013)

thegravestoneman said:


> public warning! Public warning!
> 
> It turns out the tubes on 25+ year old tubs goes a bit hard and can split at the valve. It is shocking I know, I will try to get my money back from the manufacture. Any body know if Panaracer are still going?


 
http://www.panaracer.com/home.php

Good luck.


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## Psycolist (11 Feb 2013)

HovR said:


> Swapped over some rigid forks to suspension forks today for a friend. Had to fit the star fangled nut into the suspension fork but didn't have the proper tool. I'd tried just using an M6 bolt before but it is very hard to put the SFN in straight with that method.
> 
> Ended up going to my boxes of nuts/bolts/washers etc and building something very similar to this:
> 
> ...


 
Did almost exactly the same thing last spring, specialist tools, Pah,
 Heath Robinson never needed them


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## Gravity Aided (12 Feb 2013)

Started work on this 1981 Schwinn Voyageur, this will fill my fettling schedule for some time


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## HLaB (12 Feb 2013)

Last nightb I put new brake pads on my SS took it for a test ride after tea


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## Fnaar (12 Feb 2013)

I cleaned my rims, and made sure my pump was in good order.


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## thegravestoneman (12 Feb 2013)

Committed what felt like sacrilege and dismantled my trikes rear wheels to transfer the rims on the hack I am building. My trike is not going to be on the road for probably years and I needed some rims to replace the steel ones on the hack. The trike rims are as new because there are no brakes acting on the rear rims. Front wheel now built have to remove the block of the rear so I can get rid of that steel rim too.

Needs is as needs must ho hum!!


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## thegravestoneman (15 Feb 2013)

Oops I am the last post too, anyways change of tact (slightly) new tube fitted to the Sara after fitting a new 7 cog block 13 thru 24, (the old one was a 5 cog sprint block 13 thru 17) which has meant moving spacers about and then re-centring the rim. Rear derailleur is now adjusted to suit but I think I might have to get a wider rear spindle as it is all very tight in there as I will have to open the QR up every time I need to take the wheel off. Still I might be able to hide my lack of fitness a bit better, now can't wait til tomorrow to give it a blast. Tomorrow night will be spent converting the other hack rim to the other alloy from my trike. Thanks due to my LBS for removing both blocks, as I have no removers left.


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## inkd (16 Feb 2013)

Fitted my new SKS Chromo`s without so much of a "damn & blast" swearfest! After 200+ miles on original saddle (Specialised BG Targa) my arse is still sore after 20 miles so got me a Charge spoon saddle to try.


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## Psycolist (16 Feb 2013)

Went for a little tootle to the local bootmarket today, not been this year so far, but i swear it was all the same stuff that was there in december, Anyway, I digress, from there I decided to do one of my little local loops, getting me home in time for elevenses. But about 7 miles out broke a spoke, PING it went, so y'know what I'm going to be fettling thisarvo ! Supporting the ethos of 'always keep a spare one'


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## SpokeyDokey (16 Feb 2013)

TRP CX9's (a few days ago to be honest) - finally got them to shut up with a very tiny bit of toe-out. Chuffed!


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## Peter88 (16 Feb 2013)

Not mine but a neighbour got a Boardman Hybrid Team on the c2w scheme last weekend. Talking to her on Thursday evening she said she couldn't get comfy on the bike and didn't like the gearshift or brakes and the guy at Halfords had told her on wednesday that everything was as it should be!!!
Had a look for her this morning the saddle was to low bars to high the gear and brake levers had to be adjusted to her hands as they were set horizontaly. reindexed the front and rear deraileurs. The brakes (juicy 3's) had no power in them so give them a bleed and there was air in them. 
Went for a quick ride around the local area to make sure she was happy and all was well.


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## 2Loose (16 Feb 2013)

New chain and brake pads on the Riverside 7, should setting up Magura rim brakes be quite such a swear fest?
Air in the tyres on the Defy and adjusted the front mech as I replaced the chain rings at the end of last year and haven't ridden it since. At least that was satisfyingly easy to get spot on 

I think I'm all set for spring. Yay!


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## wisdom (16 Feb 2013)

New pedals arrived from wiggle today.Fanttastic delivery,only took 2 days,fitted them today,fitted new cleats to the shoes,went for a ride and all was well.What a result.


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## biggs682 (16 Feb 2013)

cleaned up the Epic and then gave it a treat and fitted some new cables,tyres and bar tape and then went for a quick ride around the block for its maiden outing well impressed considering


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## smokeysmoo (16 Feb 2013)

Emulsioned the stairs and landing, (1st coat on walls and ceiling), and undercoated the bedroom and bathroom doors, and the woodwork on the stairs.

I hate decorating


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## DCLane (16 Feb 2013)

Cleaned the Secteur then fitted the donated SPD pedals from MacB to the Python Impact. More than a bit difficult to remove as they'd never been greased/removed before, but all done eventually. Pedals set up and I'm now SPD'd.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (16 Feb 2013)

what's the opposite of fettled? 
just wondering because what I did today means a lot of fettling over the next few days, though not quite as bad as my OH's bike. He went through his brake pad during today's ride (24km & 679m of climbing & I guess the same with decending) the result is that he now needs a new rim & new brake pads!


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## Psycolist (16 Feb 2013)

Peter88 said:


> Not mine but a neighbour got a Boardman Hybrid Team on the c2w scheme last weekend. Talking to her on Thursday evening she said she couldn't get comfy on the bike and didn't like the gearshift or brakes and the guy at Halfords had told her on wednesday that everything was as it should be!!!
> Had a look for her this morning the saddle was to low bars to high the gear and brake levers had to be adjusted to her hands as they were set horizontaly. reindexed the front and rear deraileurs. The brakes (juicy 3's) had no power in them so give them a bleed and there was air in them.
> Went for a quick ride around the local area to make sure she was happy and all was well.


 HELLFRAUDS strike again


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## cyberknight (16 Feb 2013)

new cassette on the virtuoso and put the old set on the project bike, then added shifters, cables, rear mech and brake levers to the project.
Used and old mech hanger non drive side to even out the wheel for QR wheels with a bolt on hanger, had to get the work bench out and cut it down as its mounted upside down so the slot is the right way up so the hanger was pointing up and bending on the frame.


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## MisterStan (16 Feb 2013)

Sorted out the front mech on the commuter and put a new tyre on the rear wheel. Need to have a look at the rear mech tomorrow and if I have time, I will trim the brake cables too.


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## Psycolist (17 Feb 2013)

As per previous post, new spoke fitted, wheel straightened and back on the bike. I supppoooose I'll have to go out for a ride to ensure all is well, I usually find after a new spoke, that it will need another tweek once it has been ridden on for a few miles. Also got to try out a different set of front forks that I have, once I've fitted them to my utility bike, I'll have to give that a test ride as well. Busy busy busy


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## compo (17 Feb 2013)

I took a really long hard look at my bike yesterday and I was ashamed. It was disgusting. The cassette and chain wheels looked like I had greased them with black grease mixed with coal dust, as did the chain. This morning I have given the bike a spring clean, including removing the rear mech jockey wheels, cassettes and the chain wheels and dismantling everything so I could really clean it all properly with some solvent. When I reassembled the triple chainset I had to do it twice. Once the way I thought it all went together then secondly the way Shimano designed it all to fit together 

The bike has had a good hose down and all the little nooks and crannies cleaned out. I expect first time out it will be just as bad again.


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## Twilkes (17 Feb 2013)

Broken spokes weren't broken, just one loose one and vibrating reflectors making the rest of the noise; cleaned chain and cassette, puncture repaired, brake pads changed and wheels trued. The first Sunday I can remember feeling the heat from the sun in a long time.

And tuning the spokes reminded me of this:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izDvYokFU7U


If you're into Zappa, full version is here - it's the only time I've ever seen him second fiddle to someone:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE


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## Andrew_Culture (17 Feb 2013)

Pumped up a couple of wheelbarrow tyres, which was more of a challenge than it sounds.


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## smokeysmoo (17 Feb 2013)

Decorating has continued apace 

But I have at least managed to wash, lube, pump and check the Dawes and fit a 12-28 cassette to it, and also re-indexed the gears on the CAAD


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (17 Feb 2013)

1 bike down, 1 to go...

before






after





this could be the cause of the impending rim failure - now needing new brake pads all round and a new front wheel... Oops




As a precaution I have now removed the chain from his bike because I have removed all 4 brake pads and don't want the obvious happening!

tomorrow's project... aka my bike!


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## potsy (17 Feb 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> 1 bike down, 1 to go...
> 
> before
> View attachment 19219
> ...


Do you not find it uncomfortable standing up all the time?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (17 Feb 2013)

potsy said:


> Do you not find it uncomfortable standing up all the time?


yep - and annoyingly I have forgotten to clean the seat & post so they are still rather mucky as well... add to tomorrows list
(the bikes won't go on the bike rack with the seats on because of the pannier racks -tis annoying but...)


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## compo (17 Feb 2013)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Pumped up a couple of wheelbarrow tyres, which was more of a challenge than it sounds.


 
Totally OT so apologies in advance.
Back in the 1960's I worked for a while for Waltham Forest council. I discovered that their wheelbarrow tyres were the same size as those on my Lambretta scooter and I soon had a good stock of new tyres in my shed. They were thinner than road tyres though so I quickly became very good at mending punctures. Of course the council tubes were the same size as well which helped. So, if you lived in Chingford or Walthamstow in the mid 60's and moaned about increases in your rates you can blame me!


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## Andrew_Culture (17 Feb 2013)

compo said:


> Totally OT so apologies in advance.
> Back in the 1960's I worked for a while for Waltham Forest council. I discovered that their wheelbarrow tyres were the same size as those on my Lambretta scooter and I soon had a good stock of new tyres in my shed. They were thinner than road tyres though so I quickly became very good at mending punctures. Of course the council tubes were the same size as well which helped. So, if you lived in Chingford or Walthamstow in the mid 60's and moaned about increases in your rates you can blame me!



We had similar tyres on our old Sooty van, at was like driving a bouncy castle!

I was fixing the tyres because one of my wife's gardening clients deals with flag tyres on wheelbarrows by buying a new wheelbarrow!


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## PBB (17 Feb 2013)

I recently converted the front brakes on my old Raleigh activator from cantilever to v brake and noticed today that I had fitted the brake pads round the wrong way- had put the longer edge facing forward rather than backward. Cue quick swap!


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## derrick (17 Feb 2013)

Just fitted the cadence and speed sensor for the garmin, nice easy job never even got my hands dirty, a quick blast up the road to make sure it's all working. perfect, i'am just to good.


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## Booyaa (17 Feb 2013)

I fixed my slightly askew rear wheel today. Looking forward to getting out for a ride this week sometime.


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## Poacher (17 Feb 2013)

Tightened the LH crank on my Holdsworth - it's one of those with self-extracting bolts, and it started self-extracting halfway through a 50 mile ride. Most embarrassing, as it was my first time out with the local CTC easy riders. For quite a few miles I just thought the noise was the chain rubbing against the front changer, but after many attempts at trimming, I realised my error, and for the rest of the ride I was pretty much riding right-legged to avoid loosening the crank any further. Not many multi-tools run to an 8mm Allen key!


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## Kies (17 Feb 2013)

Mickled the chain and cassette after 60 miles over the weekend


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## TheDoctor (17 Feb 2013)

I have fettled a Vauxhall Vectra space saver wheel onto a Cadillac BLS (Saab 9-3 in drag)
I then fettled it off again.
The Vectra spare was dirt cheap off that Ebay, whereas Caddy ones are made of unobtanium and rocking horse poo - there was just a compressor and a can of rubbery gunk in the spare wheel well.
The only downside is that it looks ruddy ridiculous.


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## Shut Up Legs (17 Feb 2013)

Thoroughly cleaned my bike yesterday, in preparation for this week's commuting. I still have an annoying squeal from the rear brake pads, but I'll adjust it soon. I also had to re-tighten the bolt through my front fork crown (is that the correct term for where the top bit meets the 2 bottom bits?), as the dyno-light mounted there had started to wobble (again). Perhaps I need a spring washer on each end of the bolt?


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## smokeysmoo (17 Feb 2013)

TheDoctor said:


> There was just a compressor and a can of rubbery gunk in the spare wheel well.


These are a great idea, but only ever in conjunction with a full size spare wheel as well IMO.


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## smokeysmoo (17 Feb 2013)

victor said:


> I still have an annoying squeal from the rear brake pads, but I'll adjust it soon.


Apologies if you know the score, but if not try setting your pads with a small amount of toe-in, THIS should help.

I just hook a looped zip tie over the back edge of the pad when I'm fettling them and find this gives me enough toe-in and nice quiet brakes


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## TheDoctor (17 Feb 2013)

TheDoctor said:


> There was just a compressor and a can of rubbery gunk in the spare wheel well.


 


smokeysmoo said:


> These are a great idea, but only ever in conjunction with a full size spare wheel as well IMO.


Roger that.
Although with the price of 215/55 R16 s being what it is, I'm reluctant to use anything that'll stop the tyre place repairing a visitation.
That car was obviously cheap for a reason... Still good to drive though, and v comfy


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## Shut Up Legs (17 Feb 2013)

smokeysmoo said:


> Apologies if you know the score, but if not try setting your pads with a small amount of toe-in, THIS should help.
> 
> I just hook a looped zip tie over the back edge of the pad when I'm fettling them and find this gives me enough toe-in and nice quiet brakes


 No apology needed . I just didn't get around to properly adjusting the rear brake pads yesterday, because my maintenance session was longer than usual, due to my first ever rear hub + freewheel maintenance. I'm really picky about my brake pads, too: I prefer them to be as close as possible to the rims, and with minimal toe-in, because too much toe-in can cause uneven wear on the pads. So you basically have to find that sweet spot between too much and too little toe-in.


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## wanda2010 (17 Feb 2013)

Cleaned the bike, replaced rear brake pads, de-stoned tyres and glued cuts. Just about to have a glass of wine then remembered I need to tweak the saddle a tad  That'll have to wait til the morning now.


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## subaqua (18 Feb 2013)

2Loose said:


> New chain and *brake pads on the Riverside 7*, should setting up Magura rim brakes be quite such a swear fest?
> Air in the tyres on the Defy and adjusted the front mech as I replaced the chain rings at the end of last year and haven't ridden it since. At least that was satisfyingly easy to get spot on
> 
> I think I'm all set for spring. Yay!


 
am glad it is not just me. I was under the impression that it would be as easy as changing disc pads swap them and thats it done. . no such luck. its a complete adjust and alter . still I know they will have been set correctly.


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## subaqua (18 Feb 2013)

started to refurb eldests 1st geared bike for the youngest as he has almost out grown his 1st proper bike. took solid lump of metal previously called a chain off and soaked in used cooking oil for a day- will see if it had any impact or if i need a new chain as well


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## Cyclopathic (18 Feb 2013)

Tidying the workshop and sorting out my wheels. Mostly.


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## youngoldbloke (18 Feb 2013)

Moved right foot Keo cleat to left shoe, and fitted new cleat to right shoe, LH cleat always wears down quicker so like to get as much life out of both as possible. Readjusted Front mech as cage rubbing on chain in lowest gear following emergency fiddling on Friday.


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## lejogger (18 Feb 2013)

Spent most of Saturday afternoon fettling the CX after riding it in January in the wet and then due to various factors leaving it uncleaned for the best part 2-3 weeks...
Partial stripdown involving removal of chain and cassette, a thorough clean and re-lube - I had to go a link at a time on the chain getting the rust off and the stiffness out. Must remember to never ever ever let it get in that state again! Hands and feet were numb when I finally finished!

Have ordered the KMC link removal pliers because out of the numerous 'reusable' missing link things that I've bought, I've only ever had one set that I've ever been able to manually open more than once and I'm sick of spending £4 every time I want to take the chain off! (can be quite a lot on a winter/commuter bike).

Also discovered that the bearings have gone on one of my rear mech jockey wheels, and on my right side Look Keo 2 Max pedals, and my front mech needs a re-tune because if I get enthusiastic with my change from small to big ring it falls over the top and ends up dangling by my foot on the crank. Have fixed it a number of times though and still ends up with the same results after a few rides. Could that be new cable needed or is the mech just crap? It's one of those microshift ones. Would I be better off with a proper SRAM one to go with the rest of the gruppo?


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## lejogger (18 Feb 2013)

ps thank the lord for baby wipes. The single most important discovery I have have ever made for making my life with bicycles easier


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Feb 2013)

I've cleaned the knockabout bike and replaced the brake blocks and chain this afternoon.

I also dismantled the rear derailleur with the intention of cleaning and lubing the jockey wheels, only to find that the bearings are completely stuffed. (Not unexpected to be honest.)

I've got a collection of new and used parts ready and waiting to be built into a drivetrain. Just need a hanger bracket (which is on order) and work can begin.


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## wanda2010 (19 Feb 2013)

wanda2010 said:


> Cleaned the bike, replaced rear brake pads, de-stoned tyres and glued cuts. Just about to have a glass of wine then remembered I need to tweak the saddle a tad  That'll have to wait til the morning now.


 
Rear deflation a few minutes ago. Dammit!


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## billy1561 (19 Feb 2013)

New brake pads on the front for my daughter. Old ones past the wear line


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## wanda2010 (19 Feb 2013)

^^ Isn't that the best reason to change them?


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## billy1561 (19 Feb 2013)

It is indeed but i didn't know until i took a random look.


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## HovR (19 Feb 2013)

Had a good look at the tires on both the commuter and Dawes today.

The commuters tires are starting to to get quite cut up - I picked out a good few pieces of glass and there are a few cuts down to the threads. Seems a shame to replace them though as they haven't punctured at all since I bought them at the end of August!

The Dawes isn't doing quite so bad, with only one real cut, probably because it mainly gets ridden out in the country away from the glass strewn roads.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Feb 2013)

today's project involved finding a bike underneath all the mud from the weekend and checking its pads...
also found a couple of issues that are going to need dealing with. a nasty cable rub point that has worn through the all the paint to bare metal inside a weekend of use (!) and a minor gash (removal of paint to bare metal) on the forks, also from the weekend

before






after





tomorrow's project involves finding a house inside the chaos that currently exists with 4 bikes in the house and only 2 outside. (should be the other way around) and must be done before I 'pick up' a dog I am dog sitting for the next 2 1/2 weeks, a rather large dog that will take the space of at least 2 bikes!


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## mark c (20 Feb 2013)

New brake pads and a bit of rear derailleur adjustment to keep her sweet.


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## flissh (21 Feb 2013)

Supposed to be studying this week, ( not looking on CycleChat) but the postman just delivered my new shoes. Now I'll have to put on my new pedals and try them out on my turbo!
And I had earmarked today a no bike day


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Feb 2013)

Well was meant to be a house cleaning day, but I can't really clean the house when it is full of bikes and bike bits and parts waiting to be fitted so whilst taking bikes out of the house, I just had to fit the new/upgraded parts... so my OH's bike now has new brake arms, new brake pads & new cables & housing - front & rear. Feels better even if the bike is still missing a front wheel.  (working on that one slowly).
Then my mtb needed its chain cleaning after yesterday's major clean when I re-established what colour it was! and my road bike needed a clean, de-muddying and chain cleaning & oiling. Not sure the house is any cleaner, but it is now free of bikes so that the Irish wolf hound we are dog sitting for can now get into the house!


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## flissh (21 Feb 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Well was meant to be a house cleaning day, but I can't really clean the house when it is full of bikes and bike bits and parts waiting to be fitted so whilst taking bikes out of the house, I just had to fit the new/upgraded parts... so my OH's bike now has new brake arms, new brake pads & new cables & housing - front & rear. Feels better even if the bike is still missing a front wheel.  (working on that one slowly).
> Then my mtb needed its chain cleaning after yesterday's major clean when I re-established what colour it was! and my road bike needed a clean, de-muddying and chain cleaning & oiling. Not sure the house is any cleaner, but it is now free of bikes so that the Irish wolf hound we are dog sitting for can now get into the house!


Not much point cleaning if you've got a great big hairy hound coming to stay.

I've done my pedals and a puncture on a spare inner tube that was lying around. Could get back to the books or..........


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Feb 2013)

flissh said:


> Not much point cleaning if you've got a great big hairy hound coming to stay.
> I've done my pedals and a puncture on a spare inner tube that was lying around. Could get back to the books or..........


given he is here for 2 1/2 weeks and we had him over last weekend as well, I though that some of the mud could be scrapped off the carpets before he arrived. 
+2 weeks is gonna be interesting! - he does not like hoovers, the noise they make! mind you neither do I really! so we have that in common and we both prefer to be outside, but I do have to _pretend_ to be a housewife every now and again otherwise my OH will want me to get a job!


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## Rickshaw Phil (21 Feb 2013)

A large box with two small packets in arrived earlier than expected (thanks Decathlon). So I've rebuilt the drivetrain for the knockabout bike.

I bought a new hanger bracket for the rear mech, allowing me to fit the much better old rear derailleur from the Raleigh. The one that came off was in a shocking state (about 2mm play in the jockey wheel bearings), yet still shifted sweetly to the end. Fair play Shimano.

On the front went the new Acera mech that my brother got me for my Raleigh rebuild. Unfortunately it didn't fit on the Raleigh, but has found a home now.

I've fitted the new left hand shifter which has been sitting round since Christmas (so glad to be shot of the Falcon one at last  ) and finally, fitted a pair of Decathlon bar ends. I've never had bar ends before so this is an experiment. If I like (and I suspect I may) I'll get some for the Raleigh too.


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## G3CWI (21 Feb 2013)

Decided to give the old Dawes Voyager some attention. New ball bearings and grease in front hub. New cassette, ball bearings and grease - rear hub (first time I have done this). Tomorrow I want to clean the deralleur with hot soapy water and replace the chain. LBS let me down with wrong part despite me taking the bike in. Halfords seemed more on the ball...


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## Banjo (21 Feb 2013)

Just adjusted the disc brakes on my hybrid after having to swerve round a car that stopped on a downhill bit after the brakes wouldnt stop the combined weight of me , bike and too much supermarket shopping  Luckilly managed the manouver without any drama.


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## Psycolist (21 Feb 2013)

Havnt had to fettle or fiddle for days.......Both bikes are running sweetly...........Expect I will think of something for the weekend though !


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## potsy (21 Feb 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A large box with two small packets in arrived earlier than expected (thanks Decathlon). So I've rebuilt the drivetrain for the knockabout bike.
> 
> I bought a new hanger bracket for the rear mech, allowing me to fit the much better old rear derailleur from the Raleigh. The one that came off was in a shocking state (about 2mm play in the jockey wheel bearings), yet still shifted sweetly to the end. Fair play Shimano.
> 
> ...


Now that is a proper bell


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## wisdom (21 Feb 2013)

Cleaned and re lubed the chain,wiped the frame over with pledge.On doing so i noticed the cable to the front mech was loose,had a good look round and nothing was loose or damaged so i adjusted the cable where it comes out from the shifter,all is well now.I can only presume it worked loose on the day befores ride.Will keep an eye on it.


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Feb 2013)

Following the work yesterday I tried taking the knockabout bike out for a test run this afternoon. I got all of 500 yards before it became apparent all was not well, so the ride was abandoned.

The freewheel teeth had worn so the chain was skipping under the slightest pressure in 5th, 6th and 7th. Since I had fitted the old (low mileage) chain off the Raleigh as a replacement the obvious choice was to fit the old freewheel off the Raleigh too as it had been working nicely before I changed to cassette.

This freewheel is a "megarange" style so I had to lengthen the chain again (luckily I hadn't thrown out the links yet) and now have a chain with 3 quick links in it.

On the second test ride it was great. Smooth, silent and the bar ends are something I think I should have fitted years ago, plus I have the bonus of a 34 tooth 1st gear which by my calculation gives a 20.7 inch lowest gear. I should be able to get up the hills okay with that.


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## Chappy (22 Feb 2013)

Stripped the Winter Hack today going to overhaul it slowly it really needs it.


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## A Cyclist (22 Feb 2013)

Am I allowed to post even the simple or silly ones..? if so, I fitted the Ultegra STI nameplates on my TCR .


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## Mallory (23 Feb 2013)

Installed my new jagwire cable set today. Slightly confused by some of the connectors. The POP ends didn't fit in my brakes so used the normal cable end connectors. Managed to re-tape the existing lizardskin bar tape so I can my new set for when it gets really dirty or ripped in a crash!!!

Also fitted me Swissstop brake pads.


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## Mallory (23 Feb 2013)

Installed my new jagwire cable set today. Slightly confused by some of the connectors. The POP ends didn't fit in my brakes so used the normal cable end connectors. Managed to re-tape the existing lizardskin bar tape so I can my new set for when it gets really dirty or ripped in a crash!!!

Also fitted me Swissstop brake pads.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (23 Feb 2013)

tried resolving the issues with my rear disc brakes, didn't exactly make matters worse, just added to the problem - bike now in bike shop .
seemed more sensible than making the situation any worse, and need mtb operational for next weekend and following weekend when on a mtb skill weekend... (bet it will snow hard now and I won't have the bike available to use!)


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## ianrauk (23 Feb 2013)

Just got jiggy with some Acetone and rid the Van Nich Ti of all the decals.
Now have a nice clean of logos Ti frame.

Have also fitted these.


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## threebikesmcginty (23 Feb 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Just got jiggy with some Acetone and rid the Van Nich Ti of all the decals.
> Now have a nice clean of logos Ti frame.



Job well done - the Van Nic logo looks awful?


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## GlasgowFinn (23 Feb 2013)

I've added a back light to the road bike.


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## ianrauk (23 Feb 2013)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Job well done - the Van Nic logo looks awful?


 

Actually to be fair. The logo's on the 2013 bikes are better then previous years.
At least mine were all black.


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## MickeyBlueEyes (24 Feb 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Just got jiggy with some Acetone and rid the Van Nich Ti of all the decals.
> Now have a nice clean of logos Ti frame.
> 
> Have also fitted these.


 
Ooh, me like ! Where did you get them from ?


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## cyberknight (24 Feb 2013)

Installed a sora mech to replace the rd 2300 on the virtuoso , i have burnt through 2 of the 2300`s in 3 years .


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Feb 2013)

Some of you might recall that my rear light snapped off on a recent ride. Being reluctant to throw things away if they can be fixed I decided I had nothing to lose by attempting a repair.

This design of light has plastic runners which the bike mount slots into. One of these had snapped off when I last used it and glueing it back was not an option as it would not create a strong enough joint. Instead, I took a strip of brass and have bent it to shape to match the original runners. This has been adjusted so it is a snug fit on the mount and fastened on to the lamp body in place of the originals with some car trim tape.






My modified lamp with another of the same design to compare. The strips in the middle are what's left of the old runners.





It fits  and securely enough that I can be confident it's not going to jump off the first time I go over a bump.


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## ianrauk (24 Feb 2013)

MickeyBlueEyes said:


> Ooh, me like ! Where did you get them from ?


 
*Mt Zoom*


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## derrick (24 Feb 2013)

New handle bar tape, gone for white 3T tape bike looks like new again. the original tape lasted just under two years got a bit gruby.
Also fitted the tittanium bolts to the stem, rusty bolts now gone.


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## potsy (24 Feb 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Have also fitted these.


 
Ooh, they'd look good on my Secteur


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## Sillyoldman (24 Feb 2013)

And my Surly. Lovely


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## compo (24 Feb 2013)

I fitted new pads in my rear caliper the other day and I have been unable to get the adjustment correct. They either rub the disc or have to be backed off so far they may as well not be there. Determined to sort it out today I spent a while trawling the internet reading every instructional I could find. Eventually it penetrated my brain where I had gone wrong. I wielded the allen keys and 15 minutes later the brake was perfect. Previously I didn't realise I needed to slacken the caliper fixing screws, and to screw both pad adjusters right in to clamp the rotor and centre the caliper. Then tighten the fixing screws and adjust the pads to give 0.3mm clearance and Robert is my father's brother.


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## MickeyBlueEyes (24 Feb 2013)

No major fettling, just spent time getting rid of the last weeks worth of commuting grime, now shines like a good 'un. Disappointed in how long my new blocks are not lasting  will be going back to Koolstop next weekend methinks.


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## Deleted member 23692 (26 Feb 2013)

Swapped the original headset on my road bike for a FSA sealed bearing jobbie, and took 20mm of the steerer tube whilst the front end was in bits.

All without having to resort to buying the vast overpriced special tools that bike shops try to sell you. Removal tool was made out of a £4.99 cheapo seat post from Halfords, and 5 mins cutting slots with a hacksaw... and the installation tool is a £1.99 ebay jobbie. Both worked perfectly 

MTB gets the same treatment tomorrow night


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## Psycolist (26 Feb 2013)

Not so much as a fettle, as a prepare to fettle. My utility bike has needed new headset bearings for a while now, while shopping around for a suitable replacement, found ChainReaction selling a brand new Cane Creek headset for a fiver. Yes, a five pound note, that included the P+P. Recieved it today and even though it seemed too good to be true, the jobs a good'n. Will be fitting that at the weekend ! I shall be using Ffoegs method of removal, and a couple of wooden blocks and a rubber mallet and G-clamp for fitting.


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## Deleted member 23692 (26 Feb 2013)

It looks like it's headset week  Nice bargain on yours too. 

Just did the MTB headset. So that's both done and now I've a free night tomorrow!


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## Buzzinonbikes (27 Feb 2013)

Fitted the crown race to my new fork with a piece of 32mm PVC pipe. Wasn't gonna spend £30 odd for a 'proper tool'. Done a nice job. Was quite interesting cycling home with a 2m piece of the stuff mind!


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## G3CWI (28 Feb 2013)

Sprung seat post on hybrid has been squeeking like a bed in a cheap hotel for years. Decided to investigate. Not obvious how to get it apart but filling it with chain saw oil has done the trick for now...


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## G3CWI (28 Feb 2013)

New rear wheel fitted to potential commuter bike. Needs new cables next.


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## Psycolist (28 Feb 2013)

Just cum in from the workshop after having a GOOOOOD fettling session. I've not been happy with the bottom bracket bearings on my utility bike for a couple of months now, but not using it every day, or even every week, it tends to get forgotten, until I next take it out. Anyway, took off the crank arms and removed the sealed unit that had been feeling notchy and have replaced it with good old fashioned cups and caged bearings. Not had a proper ride out, but just around the town, it felt brand new. Very pleased with the outcome and fettle therapy has made me feel good too.


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## Arjimlad (1 Mar 2013)

My Wellgo SPD pedals have been clicking away for some time. Having stripped & relubed the BB last week the click became ever more annoying.

I took them off, lifted up the rubber seal and gave them each a good squirt of aerosol-propelled grease before popping them back on again.

The ride in this morning was click-free  but the escess grease has dribbled out a little bit here & there.. nothing a babywipe won't sort though.


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## Christopher (1 Mar 2013)

Installed cheap computer on cheap commuter. It works!

Bought pack of pawl springs for Campag hub, having bent the old one to heck after 'servicing' the hub (= 'making a pigs ear of it and having to carefully re-assemble the hub'). At least the bearings are okay, and you can replace all races + bearings when they are shot, not cheap though - about £40....


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## Tribanite (1 Mar 2013)

Flipped the stem,angled the bars ..... then the phone rang and i'm now at work


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## Deleted member 23692 (3 Mar 2013)

Gave the MTB a good wash to remove yesterday's off-road crud, put my spare chain on and swapped the knobbly wheels for slick wheels ready for Tuesday's ride(s)


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## gbb (3 Mar 2013)

The wife has been complaining all winter there's a puncture that needs fixing on her bike (sounds bad, but she doesn't ride in the winter, there was never any rush).
Shamed into finally fixing it, dragged the bike out of the shed....eh, no puncture, fully inflated. When did I do that ?I ask myself ???


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## subaqua (3 Mar 2013)

rubbed the frame down on youngests "new" bike ready for priming and spraying next weekend. have all the bits from Chain reaction now and so far has come in at £90 for parts including a clarks brake set , thats the complete set cables , blocks calipers and levers for front and back at £22 . new chain , new bearings . 2 weeks time its the big reassemble and he will be helping me ( he is 5 so please wish me luck)


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## ACS (3 Mar 2013)

Bottom bracket on the commuter (Tricross sport 09) has been feeling a bit rough of late and as Its the original unit a replacement was required. Crackset off without much trouble. The 'cups' took a little more persuasion, the use of some mild industrial Anglo-Saxon appeared to have has a positive effect and off they came. Took out the BB which simply fell apart on my hands. Oh!

Good clean, lube up and everything went back together without too much effort. Took it out one a test ride and its a bit creaky so I will take another put at it tomorrow.


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## threebikesmcginty (3 Mar 2013)

Pumped the tyres on the P-X - hardcore me!


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## Psycolist (3 Mar 2013)

I spent 5 hours today, removing my front forks, headset, brake etc and installing a new threadless headset, and fit a nice set of alluminium forks, stripped to bear metal, much lighter than the old set. New cups were very stubborn but got them seated eventually, popped the new forks in and fitted the stem, put the new brake bolt through the mounting hole and just did up the nut finger tight, grabbed the wheel only to find that there isnt enough clearence in the forks to let my marathon turn without fowling on the horseshoe of the brake, so have to take everything off again and put the origonal ones back on... What a waste of a sunny sunday afternoon !


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## Monsieur (3 Mar 2013)

Nothing overly taxing...took stand, panniers and bottlw holder off Reebok and put onto Karakum.
Then attached 2 thule bike carriers to roof bars so now ready to take bike(s) to derbyshire next weekend for some scenic riding


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## Octet (7 Mar 2013)

My Road Bike is in need of a service, and considering the weather is just about to get warmer and I shall be using it more I thought I better do it now.

I'm going to be replacing the chain (which has a seized link which despite my best efforts is going to have to be removed), the brake cables and giving it a complete wash down and degrease of the cassettes etc. and re lubrication. A rather daunting task considering the most I've done in the past is change an inner tube, however Google is my friend (and the cheque book is ready for when I need to take it into the LBS for them to fix my sorrows).


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## fossyant (7 Mar 2013)

Integrated headset on fixed feeling slightly rough. Popped forks out, removed bearings, removed seals, re-greased reassembled sorted. 

Time for new ones though, not urgent but top one slightly rough. Feels smooth now refitted, so will get some ordered.


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## fossyant (7 Mar 2013)

Psycolist said:


> I spent 5 hours today, removing my front forks, headset, brake etc and installing a new threadless headset, and fit a nice set of alluminium forks, stripped to bear metal, much lighter than the old set. New cups were very stubborn but got them seated eventually, popped the new forks in and fitted the stem, put the new brake bolt through the mounting hole and just did up the nut finger tight, grabbed the wheel only to find that there isnt enough clearence in the forks to let my marathon turn without fowling on the horseshoe of the brake, so have to take everything off again and put the origonal ones back on... What a waste of a sunny sunday afternoon !



Ditch the fat tyres.


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## youngoldbloke (7 Mar 2013)

Repaired bottle cage (Giant Side Car) 

 cracked open near one of the mounting holes resulting in lack of grip when bottle inserted and possible failure if crack spread. Made small hole with hot needle either side of the crack, and wired together to strengthen. Good side entry cage for small frames, but obviously not very robust


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## compo (7 Mar 2013)

My Bontager tyres on the Trek were looking in a bit of a state so today fitted a pair of Continental Contact tyres. The Bontragers were 700x32c and the new tyres are 700x28c. I haven't ridden them yet on the grounds it was raining and that Rule 9 only applies at weekends


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## Night Train (7 Mar 2013)

Cleaned and lubed the chain, sprockets and bearings on the Brompton and then adjusted and lubed the twist shift. Then I made a luggage socket to fit on a motorbike pannier so I can have different luggage.


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## Cubist (7 Mar 2013)

As it was raining I turned an old water bottle into a battery holder for my lights. Discovered that the female end of the cable join fitted the rubber insert perfectly, so have a neat waterproof solution.


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## thegravestoneman (8 Mar 2013)

Just to show off a bit  , my bike has 'work stand' built in at least for the rear end very handy for fixing my newly acquired p#nct*re. I had to take the dog out of the basket first though. Not quite fettling but I do need to adjust the gears and brakes again while it is up there.


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## compo (8 Mar 2013)

My rear mech wasn't changing up (to a higher gear) cleanly. Click the lever and there was a delay before the chain switched sprockets. I decided not to mess about trying this and that and just change the cable and outer, which I know from many posts on this group is a common fault and cure. Once done there was no way the gears would index properly, they would go up and not down or down and not up or jump a couple of sprockets or none at all. My new outers were 5mm whilst the originals were 4 mm. In the end I took all the new stuff off. Squirted a load of GT85 through the original outers, and refitted them with a new inner cable. The gears indexed almost immediately with only a half turn on the adjuster. 

There must be a difference between pukka Shimano outers and generic outers other than simply the diameter of them.


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## G3CWI (10 Mar 2013)

Decided on a rest day so fettling. Fettled children's BSOs. Yuk. I suppose you can't expect much for £120 each. They cleaned up nicely and the gears sort of work as do the brakes (now). Cycled round the block on 18yr old son's ATB; 16 minutes. I do it in under 10 mins on my bike. The riding position seems all wrong and the frame is too small. On the plus side I feel confident in challenging him to a race, and now he's 18, the loser can buy the beer.


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## Rickshaw Phil (10 Mar 2013)

After trying bar ends on the knockabout bike I find I like them so have put some on the Raleigh as well, along with a pair of new alloy pedals (just some inexpensive BMX style ones for the time being) as I know the bearings are kaput on the old ones.





Updated cockpit.


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## jazzkat (10 Mar 2013)

I decided to put my aerobars back on my road bike to get used to my TT position before the TTing season starts.
Took the bars off only to find the carbon spacers had siezed onto the steering stem, due to sweat I guess .
So out with my two favourite tools - big wooden hammer and WD40

1/2hr later my ten minute job is finished and I've got it all back to together without breaking anything.


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## HLaB (10 Mar 2013)

My bike has been cleaned two day in a row, it'll not know what's happening but yesterdays ride was extremal wet and today's was in snow.


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## biggs682 (10 Mar 2013)

my fettling today was dry asembley of stem and bars to decide what mix i want on stem length etc etc , and fixing a puncture on the wheelchair .


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## dave r (10 Mar 2013)

No bike fettling for me today, though I did polish the fixed tonight, I was drawer fettling, we brought a new unit for the dinning area this time last year, the big drawer on it is standard modern design, hardboard bottom fitting into slots in the sides, it lasted about six months before I had to reinforce it, last week I noticed one of the bars I had fitted had come off and I was in danger loosing the contents into the cupboard below., a trip to B&Q for a wooden batten and half an hours work to fix it.


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## subaqua (11 Mar 2013)

decided against truing the wheels on the commuter myself and p[opped them into my LBS ( biketrax wanstead) they were sorted within 2 hours of me dropping them off on a busy saturday !! glad i did as the dish was wrong apparently hence the numerous loose spokes.

got home fitted them and new blocks to the Maguras, spent 20 mins yesterday adjusting the magura brakes while cooking lunch ( roasts are easy and give u lots of "free time" ),.

primed the frame for the boys bike and next thing is to rub down lightly ready for top coats


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## Trail Child (11 Mar 2013)

Raised the seat and filled up the tires of the city bike I haven't ridden since November. Loved getting out on it today, but I don't know how I managed to ride around with it with the seat so low. The back brake feels "spongy" but I have free spring tuning from the LBS for the life of the bike, so I'll let them deal with it.


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## Deleted member 23692 (13 Mar 2013)

Got home from work today to find a freshly delivered box of goodies from CRC, which immediately instigated a pre-tea fettle-fest.

First job was to fit a new chain to my MTB after suffering a snappage last week. So I've ditched the old Shimano one and gone for a KMC 9XL Silver, and very swanky it is too. My road bike got treated to a new 9XL chain as well... just to keep it happy.

Then I fitted a Topeak saddle bag bracket clip thing to each bike so I can swap the same bag between each bike, which will make my life easier 

Final fettle was to fit new inner pads to my MTB helmet as the old ones have seen far too many better days. It's supremely comfy again and feels like a new helmet now 

The last two items will have to wait a while before they get used - a 'flop stop' for when the bike's on the workstand, and a brush for cleaning in those awkward places.

And I finished just in time for tea... Happy days


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## RedBullet (13 Mar 2013)

Cubist said:


> As it was raining I turned an old water bottle into a battery holder for my lights. Discovered that the female end of the cable join fitted the rubber insert perfectly, so have a neat waterproof solution.


 

That is a brilliant idea, never thought of using another water bottle and holder to put my mechanical bits in. Will look loads better than my naff saddle bag


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## TheDoctor (13 Mar 2013)

Fitted a new set of windscreen wipers to the car


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Mar 2013)

TheDoctor said:


> Fitted a new set of windscreen wipers to the car


tis permitted - we don't want you hitting any fellow CC'ers whilst they are actually on their bikes...


----------



## mark c (13 Mar 2013)

Fitted new set of 28mm conti Contacts, bit of a tight fitting but now looking fwd to giving them a run.


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## Cubist (13 Mar 2013)

RedBullet said:


> That is a brilliant idea, never thought of using another water bottle and holder to put my mechanical bits in. Will look loads better than my naff saddle bag


I'll post some pics tomorrow.
Yesterday I stood over Cubester as he stripped and serviced my 150mm Revelation fork, new lower leg seals and glide rings, new o rings on the airspring internals, and damper assembly. New oil in damper leg and all put back together.
Today I changed the 26t granny on my bouncer to a 24, and converted Cubester's front tyre to tubeless. Need more stans jizz to do the rear. I also cleaned and rewaxed my chain. Fettletastic.


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## Psycolist (13 Mar 2013)

subaqua said:


> rubbed the frame down on youngests "new" bike ready for priming and spraying next weekend. have all the bits from Chain reaction now and so far has come in at £90 for parts including a clarks brake set , thats the complete set cables , blocks calipers and levers for front and back at £22 . new chain , new bearings . 2 weeks time its the big reassemble and he will be helping me ( he is 5 so please wish me luck)


 Brilliant. I've been getting help from my grandson eversince I got his first bike for him when he was 2. He's only 3 1/2 now but already has his own bike tool kit. I just have to re-do everything he's done once he's gone home.  But he's learning. He enjoys the basics and always wants to try something new, lacks the strength to do nuts/screws from the begining/end but he loves to finish what I start.


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## subaqua (13 Mar 2013)

Psycolist said:


> Brilliant. I've been getting help from my grandson eversince I got his first bike for him when he was 2. He's only 3 1/2 now but already has his own bike tool kit. I just have to re-do everything he's done once he's gone home.  But he's learning. He enjoys the basics and always wants to try something new, lacks the strength to do nuts/screws from the begining/end but he loves to finish what I start.


 

he loved it when i was spraying the primer on the frame. " dad , that smells great, what is it ?" "can i spray some on the fence ? " he thinks the grey primer looks good so when he sees the black frame and red/yellow forks he is going to pee himself.


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## compo (14 Mar 2013)

I looked at my leather cycling shoes and they were encrusted with 3 months of winter crud. I gave them a wash and a good polish. Does that count as a fettle!


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## youngoldbloke (14 Mar 2013)

compo said:


> ........ Does that count as a fettle!


English
*[edit] EtymologyOld English fetel.*

*[edit] Pronunciation*


Rhymes: -ɛtəl
*[edit] Noun*

*fettle* (_plural_ *fettles*)

A state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim.
One's mental state; spirits.
Sand used to line a furnace.
(Geordie, Cumbrian) A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst.
_What's yer *fettle* marra?_
(ceramics) a seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces.
(UK, dialect)The act of fettling.
(Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)
*[edit] Usage notes*

Outside of dialectical usage a fossil, used only in the phrase _in fine fettle_.
*[edit] Derived terms*


in fine fettle
*[edit] Verb*

*fettle* (_third-person singular simple present_ *fettles*, _present participle_ *fettling*, _simple past and past participle_ *fettled*)

(Northern England) To sort out, to fix, to mend, to repair.
(transitive) To line the hearth of a furnace with sand prior to pouring molten metal.
(transitive, Geordie) To be upset or in bad mood.
_Divint *fettle* yersel ower that!_
In ceramics, to remove (as by sanding) the seam lines left by the meeting of two molds.
(UK, cycling, slang) To repair or tune a bicycle.
(transitive) (archaic) To prepare. [quotations ▼]
*1595*, William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_
But *fettle* your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next...

*[edit] Derived terms*


fettler
fettling
- just about - as in to_ 'sort out'_ or _'prepare' . (From Wiktionary, other definitions are available - but avoid the 'Urban Dictionary' one ) _


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## wisdom (14 Mar 2013)

I think that you could certainly class that as a fettle,as they are cycling shoes it is a cycling fettle.


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## G3CWI (17 Mar 2013)

Changed pedals. So much easier when you turn them the right way...


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## subaqua (17 Mar 2013)

G3CWI said:


> Changed pedals. So much easier when you turn them the right way...


 been there, done that, skinned knuckles, felt stupid. welcome to the club


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## dave r (17 Mar 2013)

G3CWI said:


> Changed pedals. So much easier when you turn them the right way...


 
I never do my pedals up very tight, just nip them up, I also apply plenty of grease to the threads, but like you I sometimes struggle to remember which way to turn them.


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## HLaB (17 Mar 2013)

dave r said:


> I never do my pedals up very tight, just nip them up, I also apply plenty of grease to the threads, but like you I sometimes struggle to remember which way to turn them.


The odd phrase which somebody posted on c+ and has stuck in my mind 'into the frame to loosen'


----------



## JoeyB (17 Mar 2013)

Fitted a new saddle. Specialized Toupe Expert Plus... Now to find out if it will break me or not!


----------



## fullcycle (17 Mar 2013)

Gave it a thorough clean adjusted the front break and fitted 2 lovely bottle cages, very pleased


----------



## dave r (17 Mar 2013)

Been fettling my Verenti after the mucky ride this morning, its been cleaned and polished, the chains been cleaned and lubed, I'm having rear tyre problems at the moment, the B**** on the back wont seat on the rim properly, I've had two half hour sessions trying to make it seat on the rim but without completely curing it, its still bobbing up and down a bit, and I've come to the conclusion its a faulty tyre.


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## Cubist (19 Mar 2013)

subaqua said:


> been there, done that, skinned knuckles, felt stupid. welcome to the club


I once managed to fit a pedal to the inside of the crankarm. 

I also had a laugh at poor Cubester's expense. I got him to swap a BB for me so he could learn how to do it. I then watched him refit the left hand crank arm in line with the driveside. If I didn't think it would knack the splines I'd have let him test ride it for me!


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## Psycolist (19 Mar 2013)

Time to come clean.........I've been guilty of having furtive fettles, its been going on since November last year. Whenever i've been left alone in the house, I have been able to have just an hour or two with my secret obsession. It's been a long time coming to a head, but I cant hide it any more. My new build is finally ready to be revealed. It all started by finding an unpainted aluminium frame for sale on fleabay. It was at a price I couldnt really afford, with christmas only being 6-7 weeks away, but heart overcame head, and I went ahead and bought it anyway. Since then, I have been picking up bits and bobs, putting them in store for the day they will be needed. I've even taken parts from my good bike and replaced them with cheaper parts so that the good stuff can be used on the new one. Over the last 6 weeks or so I have started putting things together, and today, had the chance to pop out on a little 15 mile installation ride. Apart from feeling that a slightly longer stem may improve the riding position, everything else felt tip top. I'll be putting some pics up when I get a new memory card for the digital camera.
So there it is, all out in the open, at last. Please dont be too angry Mrs P...  I'll do some decorating to make up for it , promise.


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## musa (20 Mar 2013)

Went to my LBS bought some lubes
Gave the bike full wash down, realign back brakes, lube gear cables and brake cables, lube the chain, quick wipe down again with the most genius invention - baby wipes, reattach lights ready for tomorrows commute

Happy days! New jockey wheels I think next


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Mar 2013)

Fitted a new Schwalbe Marathon to my Raleigh as I was worried about a sidewall bulge/cracking on the rear. Slightly irritating as there's at least 1000 miles worth of tread left, possibly up to 2000.

Having inspected the old one I'm not sure whether it is actually failing as there is no indication of damage to the carcass on the inside. Best to play it safe I think.


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## Psycolist (20 Mar 2013)

HLaB said:


> The odd phrase which somebody posted on c+ and has stuck in my mind 'into the frame to loosen'


 I never have any trouble with pedals, its the BB cups that fox me, I now have a sticker on my workshop wall stating the relavent directions that they can be undone by.


----------



## wilko (23 Mar 2013)

Fitted a Cateye Vectra computer and some DMR V8 pedals to my new Spesh Hardrock.


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## Hip Priest (23 Mar 2013)

Took the cranks off my commuter bike. Need to replace BB but didn't have the right tool. This job will have to wait a few days, therefore tomorrow I'll be fettling my MTB to make it suitable for next week's commute.


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## HovR (24 Mar 2013)

Whilst cycling home last night my bike started making creaking noises, eventually leading to the pedaling action stiffening up. Just finished taking the old bottom bracket apart - It's a loose bearing style unit on my Peugeot. Turns out the bearing cage had started to disintegrate, leaving shards of metal in the bearing race. I'll measure up the old spindle tomorrow and order a replacement sealed unit.


----------



## BSRU (26 Mar 2013)

Replaced the tension pin on my Brooks Flyer Special, alot easier than I thought it would be.


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## billy1561 (27 Mar 2013)

Cleaned the cassettes on 3 bikes and had a go at mickling (is that a word?) the chains too. Fitted a new saddle bag to my best bike. Toyed with the idea of taking the mudguards off as i hate them but enjoy a dry bum  Will leave that until the weather shows signs of improving.


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## youngoldbloke (27 Mar 2013)

Just installed a new Sigma Computer on the 'Summer' - sorry, I meant 'Dry-Road' - bike. Always difficult to make sure you have the wheel diameter correct.


----------



## Octet (27 Mar 2013)

Managed to fit some new handle bar tape (second attempt) and some new brake cables, although I had to take it into the shop for them to put a new chain on it (plus they gave it a service). They couldn't work out why the links where so stiff either... so at least it wasn't just me being stupid!


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## billy1561 (27 Mar 2013)

When i wheeled my bike into the front room for the drivetrain clean it had 2 flat tyres. Not been on it for over 3 weeks with illness. Must have been slow punctures as would normally pump them both up prior to every use so the slows wouldn't have been that obvious.
Checked them over and one was a previous repair the patch had started to lift so put a new tube in. Other was a hawthorn sticking through the tyre. surprised it wasn't deflated quicker but the thorn must have partially sealed the hole it had made. Another new tube in


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## matthat (27 Mar 2013)

Nothing!!


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## Kies (27 Mar 2013)

Click .... click ............. Click,click click

Bought a turbo trainer


Shutdown


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## Peter88 (27 Mar 2013)

New chainset, chain and cassette fitted to the commuter.


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## HLaB (27 Mar 2013)

Last night was clean; new wheels; new chain and new cassette. Tonight was replacing the jockeys and new bar tape.


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## Cubist (31 Mar 2013)

I've converted an XT triple chainset 44, 32, 22 to 36 22 and bash using a BBG superlight bashguard. I've removed the rear mech and the old chainset off the bike, swapped the 36T ring and bash onto the new chainset. I've installed the new chainset, realigned the front mech as it was a tad high and fitted a new XT rear mech. I had to recable the new mech as the old one was frayed. I then put the chain on with a new powerlink and indexed the rear mech. I then fitted a new Garmin Edge mount to the hardtail and added new assembly paste to the dropper seatppost. Fettletastic.


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## GrumpyGregry (31 Mar 2013)

The Plug is fixed. Pestilential piece of garbage S2C hub ripped out of back wheel and tossed in bin. Spare back wheel and chain tug put back on.

Fixed it is. And fixed it shall remain.


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## GTKD (31 Mar 2013)

Took the old bike out of the garage (having had my new bike stolen a few weeks ago) and set about making it lovable again.

Adjusted the brakes and gears, tightened up loose rear wheel hub bearings, lubricated the chain. 

Now just need to replace the battery in the computer and give it a good clean and its back to it's old self. (Still miss the other bike though!)


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## Octet (31 Mar 2013)

Newly fitted chain broke, two days and only six miles after getting it put on and a whole bike service from my LBS... I'm hoping they shall resolve the issues free of charge...


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## SpokeyDokey (31 Mar 2013)

stripped bike down and cleaned it properly.

Inflated tyres - wow!


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## youngoldbloke (2 Apr 2013)

Removed and cleaned Aksium (2007) freehub, as had begun to hear/feel the dreaded Mavic 'scream'. Seems (IMO) the hub dries out over the winter when these wheels aren't used much. All well again


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## IncoherentJeff (2 Apr 2013)

My dad & his partner have expressed an interest in cycling again. So while visiting this weekend I pulled the old bikes out the shed for a quick assessment.

*Magna Extreme 500*





Not quite sure what's 'extreme' about it!  (Last used 2008)

*Hawk Trakatak (Ladies)*




No idea when it was last used, a long long time ago and rarely by the look of it!

*Emmelle Grampian*




Last used in 2004!

I blasted the years worth of cobwebs off with the pressure washer.
Scrubbed the chains clean with some Motul cleaner I had lying around for the motorbike.
Sorted the Grampian handlebars
Oiled everything.

Managed to work a tight spot nearly free in the Grampians chain, surprising the other chains cleaned up well!
As expected the tyres & inner tubes have completely perished, anywhere got any bargain 26" tyres & tubes?

Might take the Grampian for a long test ride when I visit again on Sat. Pub/town bike potential, as I always paranoid about my road bike getting stolen. I doubt anyone would steal it!


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## derrick (2 Apr 2013)

Lubed up the fixie, had a slight creek on the way home could not find anything that would cause it, so everything got lubed and tightened, will see if i have cured it in the morning.


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## Deleted member 23692 (2 Apr 2013)

MTB - Cleaned, lubed, tweaked the gears and it's running buttery smooth. Swapped the crappy 'made of cheese' crank bolts for some proper Shimano ones (at £9 a pop ). All ready to get muddied up tomorrow

Road - Cleaned , chain shortened by one link, lubed and gears tweaked (for more buttery smoothness). Greased the pedal bearings. Fitted some 4 degree reach adjusters - which is the best £3 I've spent this year  - and adjusted the brakes accordingly


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## Pumpkin the robot (2 Apr 2013)

Removed the chainset and cassette to clean them and also the steering stem to take some measurements so I can design a new, improved one that will include a mount for my Garmin and a detachable bar for my lights.


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## wisdom (2 Apr 2013)

Mickled the chain on the commuter,and tried a couple of new to me products on the roadie.These were fenwicks foaming chain cleaner and cleaning sponge.Applied fenwicks stealth lube,i'll see how it fares.Using the roadie all week for work as its forecast a dry week.


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## dave r (2 Apr 2013)

New chain on my fixed, cleaned the winters accumulated crud of the places its difficult to reach, and whilst I was doing that I changed the chainring, put a 46 on to replace the 44, gives me 68 inches instead of 65, added a half link to the chain to get the chain length where I wanted it and adjusted the rear brakes to take account of the different wheel position. Whilst I was working on the bike I had the front wheel off tyre tube and rim tape off and debured the spoke holes where the tube was damaged, The flat tonight was two small holes, pin pricks, rim side about a half an inch from the valve, some sort of damage to the tube, though I'm not sure what caused it, I debured the spoke holes just incase, the rim tape is in good condition and the spoke holes looked OK.


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## thegravestoneman (3 Apr 2013)

The cable covering on my 30 year old clarkes easyglide gear cable has started to peel and was gumming up the rear derailleur outer, so removed and peeled it off completely. On refitting managed to strip the thread on the clamp of my equally old Suntour Superb derailleur so stripped that to basics and re tapped it with an ugly old bolt that fitted the bill. So much for a sneaky round trip to York. Still all seems to be working well now


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## HovR (3 Apr 2013)

The rear wheel bearings on the Specialized MTB had developed a little bit of play after last nights ride, so I tightened them back up and all is fine again.


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## potsy (3 Apr 2013)

New jockey wheels on the CX, old ones were very worn and the drivetrain was rumbling, all quiet again now 

Might use the old ones as ninja death stars they are that sharp and pointy


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## compo (3 Apr 2013)

This will be a work in progress. Part 1. I completely stripped the project bike Raleigh I bought yesterday. I have removed everything off the frame and removed the forks. The headset is rusty so that is up for renewal as are the wheels. I spent time with a hot air gun removing all the frame decals and coloured flashes and the frame is now bare. I did a trial rub down on one of the frame tubes with a wet/dry foam pad and it comes up quite nice. There are some rust spots on the chain stays. I rubbed one down to shiny metal and it is all solid so some anti rust primer should do the trick. That's as far as I have gone today. I now have to decide what colour to paint it.


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## thegravestoneman (3 Apr 2013)

Off with the old Brooks Pro and on with the new F.W. Evans saddle, 400 grams saved for all those who care.
For those that don't know my Pro has started to split around the front rivets and I have finally admitted defeat with it. Still after almost 32 years I shouldn't complain, it was an 18th birthday present and spent 25 years drying up in my Dads loft. I will probably stick it on ebay and try to raise some more bike funds

Thank you my beloved for the new un


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## Blurb (6 Apr 2013)

3 chains mickled, commuter washed down, rear cones tightened and new saddle.


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## BSRU (6 Apr 2013)

Got fed up up of my sagging Carradice saddle bag so bought a one pound plastic chopping board and cut it to size


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## Supersuperleeds (6 Apr 2013)

Took the stock tyres off the Allez and put some marathon pluses on it. Pinched the first tube and as I got it to 100psi it went bang.

Also indexed the gears - took me all of 30 seconds to do that on the workstand.

Took it for a 30+ mile spin to check all was okay, and it was.


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## DCLane (6 Apr 2013)

Fitted a new Conti GP4000s tyre to the rear Fulcrum 5 wheel on the Secteur. New Lezyne Road Drive CFH pump fitted as well - looks  . Also fitted the Cateye wireless bike computer I got from here before Christmas but haven't done anything with  - works fine.

Now to fit the RSP one from the Secteur onto the Raleigh Airlite, along with a new rear tyre on that, which will probably be on Monday now. New chain/cassette/rear derailleur cable also needed on it next week.


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## thegravestoneman (6 Apr 2013)

thegravestoneman said:


> Off with the old Brooks Pro and on with the new F.W. Evans saddle, 400 grams saved for all those who care.
> For those that don't know my Pro has started to split around the front rivets and I have finally admitted defeat with it. Still after almost 32 years I shouldn't complain, it was an 18th birthday present and spent 25 years drying up in my Dads loft. I will probably stick it on ebay and try to raise some more bike funds
> 
> Thank you my beloved for the new un


Apparently I can't add up!! 48 minus 18 = after almost* 30* years I think


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## mark st1 (6 Apr 2013)

Fitted my trusty Gp4000's to the Tarmac and my look pedals gave it a good clean after todays ride and mastered the technique of Co2 after my epic fail today at the roadside ended with a pick up call to swmbo and her and my nipper turning up giggling and displaying the L for loser sign. Bad times


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## Psycolist (6 Apr 2013)

Took all 6 brake pads of mine and my grandsons bikes, a very thorough wipe with white spirit to clean away the winter crud, re seat and adjust, and hey presto, our bikes now stop in half the distance. Intended to clean the wheel rims as well, but the urge to ride overcame us.


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## Kies (6 Apr 2013)

Swapped my Triban cassette over onto Shimano RS10 wheels .... Enjoyed doing it myself,instead of paying a lbs


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## TheDoctor (6 Apr 2013)

Well, I've fettled my back garden into somewhat better shape, but nothing bike related.
Tidied up a whole heap of bits of slab, built a bin store, and removed a tarp and about 10 kg of sand.
I really do need to replace the brake blocks on the Ribble ratbike though.
I threw some V-brake pads onto a dual-pivot rear brake as a temporary get-me-going bodge.
A year ago...*searches for :ashamed: smiley*


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## compo (6 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> This will be a work in progress. Part 1. I completely stripped the project bike Raleigh I bought yesterday. I have removed everything off the frame and removed the forks. The headset is rusty so that is up for renewal as are the wheels. I spent time with a hot air gun removing all the frame decals and coloured flashes and the frame is now bare. I did a trial rub down on one of the frame tubes with a wet/dry foam pad and it comes up quite nice. There are some rust spots on the chain stays. I rubbed one down to shiny metal and it is all solid so some anti rust primer should do the trick. That's as far as I have gone today. I now have to decide what colour to paint it.


 
Finished rubbing down and the frame has had several coats of primer/undercoat. Now need to just give the primer a very gentle rub down, tack wipe it then start the top coats. I will do some photos soon.


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## tribanjules (6 Apr 2013)

it was so nice in the garden that i just had to get the bike stand out and err fettle the bike fleet, u know, tweak cones, oil chains, tyre pressures etc.
really relaxing afternoon


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## wisdom (6 Apr 2013)

Cleaned and lubed sons bike,my roadie and the wifes raleigh(not sure when it will get used though only 6 miles in 12 months up to now).


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## Graham1426 (6 Apr 2013)

Nice new red Prologo bar tape to replace the original white on my Cube, and sets off my red and black Garmin 500 a treat.


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## Scilly Suffolk (7 Apr 2013)

Ergo bend bars, shorter stem and a nice Regal to match the perforated bar tape: it's all about the details, right?

Just needs an Elite Ciussi and gumwall tyres and I'll be happy.... for now.


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## fossala (7 Apr 2013)

Fitted an ultegra triple (6703) groupset to my croix de fer. First time I have fitted a groupset from scratch. Have swapped over frames before but hadn't done any wire fitting.


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## TheDoctor (7 Apr 2013)

Pumped the tyres on the fixed, then went for a spin on it.


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## cyberknight (7 Apr 2013)

Replaced the bit of cable outer that goes into the rear mech on the boardman as it was not shifting smoothly as i was tensioning the cable i snapped the barrel adjuster off the back of the mech.I managed to get it back together but i have bent the split pin that holds it together so its still not right .looks on the tinternt and a new barrel assembly is about £12-15 and ribble sell a whole new mech for £34, you can guess which one i opted for as it saves the hassle of trying not to break it again and it is also in white for a white bike .




Went for the short cage with a max of 28 teeth as i changed out the wifli cassette for a 28 which is still never gets used , i run a 12-25 on the virtuoso so i might buy a 10 speed 12-25 next time.
How many chain links do you think i will need to take out changing from a long cage to a short cage ?


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## Scilly Suffolk (7 Apr 2013)

If you haven't changed the rings or sprockets since you last measured the chain, then you won't need to take any out: the rear derailleur is irrelevant.

Simplest method is to put the chain on the largest ring and sprocket, but not through the rear mech: more info here.


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## derrick (7 Apr 2013)

New bars fitted, going for a test run now,


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## Deleted member 23692 (7 Apr 2013)

I started to clean the MTB after yesterday's ride and noticed grittiness in the wheels  So after a quick trip to Halfords for some of their lovely citrus degreaser both hubs got disected, stripped of all the old manky grease, cleaned and rebuilt with creamy new grease ... also in for a degrease and clean were both mechs, crankset, cassette and chain.

Then I remembered I have another set of wheels for this bike  , so they got the same treatment too 

All that's left to do is tidy up and open another bottle


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## subaqua (7 Apr 2013)

finished spraying the frame for sons "new" bike. just the decals and then the clear coat. dunno what decals i am putting on it yet tho.

anybody got any ideas. frame is a generic boys "ATB" and son wants "boy stickers not girly stickers like on my sisters bike!"


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## GrumpyGregry (7 Apr 2013)

Took 16t cog off thefixedplug via rotafix. Put 18t cog on via rotafix. Swore at chain tug which would no longer fit. Filed chain tug to fit snuggly in trackend. Tensioned chain. Swore at dirty finger marks on clean rim. Cleaned rim. Decided chain was too tight. Retensioned chain. Swore at dirty finger marks on clean rim. Cleaned rim. Mickled chain. Swore at chain lube on clean rim. Cleaned rim. Test ride round the park. Swore at chain lube on clean rim, spokes and hub. Cleaned rim et cetera. Put dubbin (Gwax) on leather bar tape with bare hands. Now have waterproof hands. Won't wash off.

ffs!


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## biggs682 (7 Apr 2013)

replaced the brake cables on a newly acquired Roy Thame , after doing some gardening


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## Psycolist (7 Apr 2013)

Today I didnt fettle a thing, I went for a ride instead


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## dave r (7 Apr 2013)

Psycolist said:


> Today I didnt fettle a thing, I went for a ride instead


 
I did that yesterday and today, though I was fettling the fixed on Friday. I put a new chain on the Fixed Tuesday, plus a bigger chain ring, it was lovely and smooth at high cadence but very agricultural at low cadence, so I recentred the chain ring and played with chain tension, sounded a lot better but I will see how it is on tomorrows commute.


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## Kiwiavenger (7 Apr 2013)

Just removed the forks and steerer and lubed the bearings, flipped the stem, fitted new brake pads, fitted a new chain, removed the spoke reflectors and refitted the rear light.


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## Cyclopathic (8 Apr 2013)

I got the worst of some unsightly gouges out of an alloy seat stem with an abrasive sponge type thing and some wire wool. Couldn't get them all out (to do so would involve functionally reducing the diameter of the stem) but got most out and it looks a lot better.


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## gavroche (8 Apr 2013)

cleaned my mtb yesterday after 25 years ( 10 of those were just gathering dust in the garage). Still have orginal tyres and brake pads! I noticed that the chain needs changing though......one day.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (8 Apr 2013)

Fitted a new front derailleur after a nice drive to CRC.


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## compo (9 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> This will be a work in progress. Part 1. I completely stripped the project bike Raleigh I bought yesterday. I have removed everything off the frame and removed the forks. The headset is rusty so that is up for renewal as are the wheels. I spent time with a hot air gun removing all the frame decals and coloured flashes and the frame is now bare. I did a trial rub down on one of the frame tubes with a wet/dry foam pad and it comes up quite nice. There are some rust spots on the chain stays. I rubbed one down to shiny metal and it is all solid so some anti rust primer should do the trick. That's as far as I have gone today. I now have to decide what colour to paint it.





compo said:


> Finished rubbing down and the frame has had several coats of primer/undercoat. Now need to just give the primer a very gentle rub down, tack wipe it then start the top coats. I will do some photos soon.


 
Well Picasso I am not. I made a right pig's ear of spraying the top coat.
It is off to the powder coaters to be blasted and coated properly. What I should have done in the first place!


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## HovR (9 Apr 2013)

A while ago the Peugeot commuter developed a creaking/clicking coming from the bars/stem area. I solved it then by greasing the stem clamp bolt, and it was fine for a while. Slowly but surely it started creaking again, until it was getting too loud for me to ignore!

So today I loosened up the stem's bar clamp and put a large excess of copaslip on the metal to metal contact. That removed one of the creaking tones, but there was still a slight clicking, so I took apart the quill stem's expander bung mechanism and copaslip'd all metal on metal contacts as well as all threads on the stem. 

Success! It's quiet again! And there's enough copaslip in there to prevent corrosion for decades.


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## JoeyB (9 Apr 2013)

Last night I ordered a 25mm tyre!!! I'm going to replace the 23mm front and see if it improves comfort on the bike. I also ordered a Carradice Carradura Maxi saddle bag as my current Bell saddle bag has seen better days (and came from Asda)

Just now I decided to flip my stem, looking forward to seeing if that makes any difference to comfort also. I have a bike fit booked for the 15th April...can't wait!


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## IncoherentJeff (9 Apr 2013)

Discovered the Emmelle Grampian has a bent rear axle. Ordered a new one from China, getting this bike back on the road for as cheap as possible.

So I went for a snowy 26 mile cycle on the Magna Extreme 500, to cheer me up, surprised the tyres held out the side walls look perished! Until they die I'll keep using them.





Nice change to do some budget cycling after seemingly spending a fortune on the road bike


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## Cyclopathic (10 Apr 2013)

No fettling as such but did tidy and rationalise the workshop.


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## billy1561 (10 Apr 2013)

New spoke, cones tightened and wheel trued.


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## Supersuperleeds (10 Apr 2013)

Had a terrible squeak on the bike since yesterday. Identified the culprit - was the GPS bike mount - so fixed that

Changed the front brake pads and mickled the chain in preparation for expected rain tomorrow.


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## Psycolist (10 Apr 2013)

A spare 1/2hour today might have saved me some serious injury. I'm a great believer in a little maintanance very often, and in todays quick look over the bike, found that both brake pad securing screws on my back brake were loose. One was so loose that I was able to move the pad without using any tools. A VERY LUCKY ESCAPE.  But i've only got myself to blame, had them off at the weekend along with the pads on 2 other bikes, and cant have finished putting them back properly. A lesson learned. Check, double check, then check again in future.


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## TheDoctor (10 Apr 2013)

I assembled a flat pack made a table!!
I'd take a photo, but it's dark, and the table's out in the garden.
None-the-less, it's a table and I made it 

Oh, and I tightened up the headset on my fixed.


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## Pat "5mph" (10 Apr 2013)

biggs682 said:


> after doing some gardening


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## derrick (10 Apr 2013)

Fitted a Garmin out front mount to the handle bars, does that count.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Apr 2013)

Fitted 700 c's to my 1981 Schwinn Voyageur, 27" tires getting a bit few and far between. Took the bike out on a 3 mile test ride. 3 miles, because 1.5 miles into the ride, cold rain and lightning sent me back home. Pleasing bicycle to ride.


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## fossyant (11 Apr 2013)

Man cave tidy up today. Much better now, but its still rammed with bikes....

Family bikes all cleaned up for first outing of the year at weekend.


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## billy1561 (11 Apr 2013)

New bar tape on the cube and quick link put on the chain.


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## Glow worm (11 Apr 2013)

Fixed my hub dynamo on the hybrid. No idea why it wouldn't work before, I replaced the front bulb and nothing, even the back light stopped working (they're connected). Then, some guesswork, a lot of swearing, and some sheer luck, and the thing is working fine again now. A rare fettling success story for me.


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## XRHYSX (11 Apr 2013)

Removed the front cailper and gave it a good clean replaced brake pads, cable and outer then adjusted it.
Fitted a pannier rack for up and coming camping trips.
Replaced batteries in rear light.
I have had a slow p*n<7ur£ in the rear wheel for months so puled the tube out and dunked it in water, but couldn't find a leak
The tube is five years old so think it must just be perished,
So replaced with a fresh one


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## dave r (12 Apr 2013)

Fettling fail this afternoon,  I've a spare set of mudguards in the shed that are in better condition than the ones on my pearson so I thought I'd fit them, the front went on a treat, only took a quarter of an hour, the back though - I couldn't get the old back one off, theres an allen screw that screws into the bridge behind the BB that is a bastard size, I've not got an allen key anywhere that fits it, its somewhere between a 4mm and a 5mm, I suspect an english size but not one I've got, I had visitors so had to stop but I'll have a go later after having a think about it.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Apr 2013)

Cleaned my road bike, mickled the chain, re-attached rear mudguard, generally gave it some TLC, then took it for a 33.5mile ride. 

It's now dirtier than before I cleaned it.


----------



## Shut Up Legs (13 Apr 2013)

I replaced my folding 23mm tyres with wire-bead 25mm tyres (nice rugged ones, thick and with tough sidewalls), and the latter look good! 

There's a mountain about 57km (35.5mi) by road from here that I've ridden up 7 times now, but always on the touring bike, because it's better suited to the route, having 28mm tyres. The easiest route to this mountain involves using a 40km shared path called the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail - very scenic and relaxing (being off-road), but it's gravel, so I might have had problems using the road bike on it, with the previous 23mm tyres, particularly since these previous tyres have very thin sidewalls. There are road-only routes, but then it's far less relaxing, as the motorists can be... well... somewhat trying at times.

Now I'm looking forward to riding up this mountain (Mount Donna Buang) using the 8kg road bike instead of the 15kg touring bike . It's a significant ascent, being 1100m climbing over 17km (_errrm_... that would be 3665ft over 10.5mi), so I'm looking forward to seeing how much quicker I can ascend it on the road bike.

Of course, the new tyres weigh a fair bit more than the old, but having had a road bike only since November, I probably wouldn't even notice the difference, and it should extend the touring range of the new bike.


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## billy1561 (13 Apr 2013)

Thorough clean and relube of my road bike after a ride yesterday. Quite alarming how mucky it was! Then again it had recently rained in parts of the route taken so shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, she's looking good again


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## Andrew_Culture (13 Apr 2013)

Had a look at my mother in law's mtb, which used to be my wife's bike when she was a kid. The rear axle is borked and it's a horrid bike anyway so it will be donated to 'bikes for Africa'.

My father in law lent me his GPO tools that he was given in 1960 as an apprentice and they're gorgeous!


----------



## wisdom (13 Apr 2013)

Are the mostly whitworth?


----------



## arallsopp (13 Apr 2013)

Being as I am equal parts inspired and shamed by Clarion's bike storage, I've begun building proper archive and rotation facilities into the container.

Being a large steel box, it doesn't lend itself to shelves and brackets so I've set about lining the interior with deck boards. Cut to length, place top inside wall panel, bend, bend more, kick bottom into wall panel, and release. 

Now I can adorn with hooks and spars and brackets to my heart's content.


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## fossyant (13 Apr 2013)

MTB now back to summer mode for family ride. Ohh its nice to be lightweight knobblies


----------



## billy1561 (13 Apr 2013)

fossyant said:


> MTB now back to summer mode for family ride. Ohh its nice to be on lightweight knobblies rather than ice tyres


Mudguards came off my road bike last week (much to my regret yesterday  )


----------



## fossyant (13 Apr 2013)

billy1561 said:


> Mudguards came off my road bike last week (much to my regret yesterday  )



The commuter has guards on all year.


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## billy1561 (13 Apr 2013)

fossyant said:


> The commuter has guards on all year.


 
So does mine 
​


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## Andrew_Culture (13 Apr 2013)

wisdom said:


> Are the mostly whitworth?



He added metric at some point. All the GPO tools have dates. Bt/ GPO bought good tools, there's britool and king dick in there!


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## wisdom (13 Apr 2013)

Thats what i was thinking.
I have a full set of Britool and King dick spanner right up to huge sizes in whitworth and bf
Full set of AF and a lot of Metric,the newer stuff isnt of as good a quality though.
I used to have a set of bronze spanners for working on Ships fuel tanks but these have long gone.


----------



## compo (13 Apr 2013)

After a ride through the rain yesterday around muddy lanes I have given the Trek a really good spring clean, even scrubbed the tyres. Cleaned and lubed the chain. It is now ready for a 50 odd miler tomorrow so am hoping for a dry ride.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (13 Apr 2013)

wisdom said:


> Thats what i was thinking.
> I have a full set of Britool and King dick spanner right up to huge sizes in whitworth and bf
> Full set of AF and a lot of Metric,the newer stuff isnt of as good a quality though.
> I used to have a set of bronze spanners for working on Ships fuel tanks but these have long gone.



Did you also work for BT?


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## cyberknight (13 Apr 2013)

took the boardman to the LBS, i frayed the rear gear cable when i put the new mech on and flummoxed with setting it up as i have a stinking cold and just come off nights .
let them sort it out rather than me cussing at a simple job because i am to snotty and tired to think straight.


----------



## The Brewer (13 Apr 2013)

Been a good boy today and gave the cube a cleaning within an inch of its life.
The Lidl bike stand made it oh so easy and I put Shimano R500 wheels on, gears are now indexed sweetly 
Must of removed a pound of muck and really looking forward to tomorrows jaunt down the coast.....

.......Patio is a disgusting mess though, lets hope an April shower sorts that for me


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## wisdom (13 Apr 2013)

No Andrew.
RN then heavy haulage,now i just really use the allen keys on the bike.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 Apr 2013)

dave r said:


> Fettling fail this afternoon,  I've a spare set of mudguards in the shed that are in better condition than the ones on my pearson so I thought I'd fit them, the front went on a treat, only took a quarter of an hour, the back though - I couldn't get the old back one off, theres an allen screw that screws into the bridge behind the BB that is a b****** size, I've not got an allen key anywhere that fits it, its somewhere between a 4mm and a 5mm, I suspect an english size but not one I've got, I had visitors so had to stop but I'll have a go later after having a think about it.


3-16ths?


----------



## Mallory (14 Apr 2013)

Noticed my headset was a bit loose again so I un-tightened cap and stem and set about resetting bearings and re-tightening the stem.

Picture says it all


----------



## gbb (14 Apr 2013)

Dug the Bianchi out of the shed, unused since mid last year, pumped up the tyres, took her out for a spin up and down the road to check all the gears shifted cleanly, checked the seatpost wasn't seized then took some photos so I can advertise her...I need space in the shed.


----------



## Andrew Brown (14 Apr 2013)

Finished setting up new bike, fitted mudguards, pannier rack, computer, light mounts, indexed gears, bedded in new disc pads. Relax.!


----------



## dave r (14 Apr 2013)

Gravity Aided said:


> 3-16ths?


 
Thats what I thought, but it's not unfortunately, I've had another go but still can't shift it, I think its rusted in as well, I recon its going to be a LBS job.


----------



## Cyclopathic (14 Apr 2013)

Putting up hooks on which to hang wheels, tyres, tubes, victims. You know, the usual.


----------



## derrick (14 Apr 2013)

Put a chain catcher on, got to protect the Carbon.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (14 Apr 2013)

Finished the grease-fest that I began last weekend. This time Shimano M647 pedals to strip, clean, re-grease and reassemble. There be quite a few small odd bits to catch the unwary 

Silky smooooooooooth now


----------



## MisterStan (14 Apr 2013)

Commuter stripped, scrubbed, lubed and reassembled. Best bike cleaned and lubed. Wife's bike checked over and lubed. Trailer given the once over. Phew!


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## Martyn H (14 Apr 2013)

Mickled the chain, trued up the handlebars, as I noticed they were slightly askew on the last ride. adjusted the brakes, and ,as the sun was shining for the second day in a row - went for a ride. Did someone say it was a tad breezy?


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## billy1561 (14 Apr 2013)

Rear puncture fixed and front brake adjusted on my daughters bike after a 12 hour shift...


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (15 Apr 2013)

dismantelled by rear hub yet again, new bearings, fresh grease, stripped off the cassette, chain, and anything else that could easily be removed and all has been cleaned... in the process I have given up on the old wheels, new ones ordered with new cassette (want a granny gear) established I have lost a pedal reflector, the chain needs replacing (already) and 2 cables are frayed. Tyres are showing lateral cracks (humph) and my brake blocks are getting low (still some life in them yet but suspect new wheels will kill them a touch faster).

Bike is clean, kitchen and dining room are a mess and on the OH not home until Thursday list, if I can reclaim a little of the kitchen so I can cook an evening meal in...










Next on the list - my OH's front wheel on his road bike, his rear wheel on his mountain bike and 6 hours of Spanish lessons to catch up on before Thursday am. And a test ride of my bike to ensure I have not had another blond moment and that I have reassembled the rear wheel correctly (spins freely without wobble, so that's a good start!).


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Apr 2013)

I've been an assistant fettler today as my sister did some work to her bike.

I advised as she fitted a pair of new tyres and a bell, then helped set up her new Cateye computer and adjusted the rear brake and gears. All good to go when the windy weather eases.


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## biggs682 (15 Apr 2013)

got up early this morning to finish off a Sun Truwell racer that has been awaiting last bit of work , ie cables and test ride . put cables on ok , inflated fr tyre to 70 psi turned round started inflating rr one then a loud bang and fr tyre has been blown clear of rim edge on fr , so ok finish pumping rr up , stripp fr wheel out and another loud bang there goes the rr as well so 2 mild heart attacks due to noise .

and 2 punctures to sort both tubes blown apart no reason that i can see other than old tubes gone week !

after all that bike rode well on test


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## gbb (15 Apr 2013)

dave r said:


> Fettling fail this afternoon,  I've a spare set of mudguards in the shed that are in better condition than the ones on my pearson so I thought I'd fit them, the front went on a treat, only took a quarter of an hour, the back though - I couldn't get the old back one off, theres an allen screw that screws into the bridge behind the BB that is a b****** size, I've not got an allen key anywhere that fits it, its somewhere between a 4mm and a 5mm, I suspect an english size but not one I've got, I had visitors so had to stop but I'll have a go later after having a think about it.


 Is the bike an old one Dave ?
I seem to remember using BA (British Association) screws on mudguards years and years ago.
0BA being the larger, 2BA the next size down etc etc
Just a thought .


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## dave r (15 Apr 2013)

gbb said:


> Is the bike an old one Dave ?
> I seem to remember using BA (British Association) screws on mudguards years and years ago.
> 0BA being the larger, 2BA the next size down etc etc
> Just a thought .


 
The bike is quite new, a five and a half year old Pearson Touché fixed, the one on the right in this album.

http://www.cyclechat.net/useralbums/daves-bikes.11/view

Its a puzzle, I'll be taking it down the LBS at some point, I haven't got a workshop nor access to the sort of tools I'd have in a workshop it'll be the easiest way of resolving it, the current mudguard is still serviceable, it is just starting to look tatty.


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## fossyant (15 Apr 2013)

Out with the needle and thread. One of the elastic straps off my Topeak MTX bag came off tonight. It secures the pannier side. Discovered a large area of velcro had unstitched so spent an hour repairing. All sorted now.


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## Gravity Aided (16 Apr 2013)

Tightened loose downtube shifter assembly and changed all wheels to 700c from 27". Removed front rack that was truly a rear rack from my tourer (Schwinn Passage) in anticipation of getting a new front rack. Then I'll worry about more shakedown cruises on the Voyageur before I have to strip it down for a much-needed repaint. Not much work needed on the Peugeot Versailles, just a proper cleaning.


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## Bromptonaut (16 Apr 2013)

Sorted increasingly slow and clunkty change from inner to outer sprocket on my M6R.

Bit of swarf from cable outer preventing full movement of inner. Pulled out of way and snipped off with wire cutter. Lubes and tested OK.

Will need a new cable eventually but not just yet.


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## Mallory (16 Apr 2013)

Installed my new stem today.

Took off a 110mm with 6' drop and installed a 100mm with 6' rise.

Will see if this makes my ride any more comfortable


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## RussellZero (16 Apr 2013)

Fettled my garage, took the day off, assembled bike stand, wall mounts, washed and cleaned all bikes:













Love it, no more excuses for a dirty bottom
bracket,


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## Psycolist (16 Apr 2013)

wow, I'm just jealous of being able to have that much space devoted to my bikes, thats without the green eyed monster relating to your organisation !


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## Jenkins (16 Apr 2013)

Now that winter has finally finished I have been setting the bikes up for the (hopefully) better weather...

Knobbly tyres off the Kona Jake and Schwalbe Marathons fitted
Crud Racers removed from the Boardman road bike
New tyres, chain and cassette fitted to the Triban


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## XRHYSX (17 Apr 2013)

RussellZero said:


> Fettled my garage, took the day off, assembled bike stand, wall mounts, washed and cleaned all bikes:
> 
> View attachment 22081
> View attachment 22082
> ...


 I like that style of garage door, I loose so much wall space with the common up and over type. I do like a tidy work space


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## dave r (17 Apr 2013)

I've had the wheels of my fixed tonight, cleaned up the rim, removed some sharp edges and put new rim tape on, should stop my run of rimside flats.


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## HLaB (18 Apr 2013)

Put a new rear wheel on the fixie tonight (the old one had been driven in to).


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## wisdom (18 Apr 2013)

Wow nice set up.How are they supported?


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## Deleted member 23692 (19 Apr 2013)

Test fitted a pannier rack in readiness for a 4 day ride I'll be doing in a few weeks time.


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## Sillyoldman (19 Apr 2013)

Decided it was time to pluck up courage and have a first try at truing a slight rear wheel buckle. By Jove it worked. Thanks You Tube.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Apr 2013)

My new wheels (Fulcrum Racing 7 CX's) arrived on Thursday evening, (only ordered from Germany on Monday afternoon). New cassette (SRAM PG850 11-28) & chain arrived on Wednesday, but I was out all day yesterday, so after the weekly shopping was done, it was time to assemble and fit to the Triban 3. No need to adjust the rear derailuer - but I have had to adjust the brakes quite significantly and had one considerably fight with the SRAM quick link which just down right refused to close shut... Had to call in help on that front, but my OH finally managed to get it to click shut. Pray I never had to remove it again! One issue that has surfaced is that my cateye sensor & magnet are going to have to be moved to the non-drive side of the wheel - but I have no small cable ties available. I also plan to change the red water bottle cage over to another black one.

A quick test of around 1/2km has shown nothing to have fallen off, so hoping (fingers crossed) for a longer test ride later today, but I may need to get some new tyres as well because these ones are showing all the signs of perishing...






(yep - I know the rack & the mudguards are not the prettiest in the world, but they work more or less.)


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## Deleted member 23692 (20 Apr 2013)

The rack is cool - I fitted one yesterday (two posts up form yours)  Wheels look great too!

Today's task was to sort out a scuffing disc brake on my MTB, which should only be a two minute job... with bike on the work stand I gently spun the wheel and listened for the scuff, scuff, scuff sound. But as the wheel slowed down every scuff was accompanied with a mystery 'slosh'. So dropped the tyre and tube off and it very wet inside. Water had got in through the spoke eyelets so that's all been left to dry out.

Whilst cursing the rain god for flooding my rim a parcel arrived, so I had some extra fettling to bide the time whilst the tyre/tube/rim dried out. So I set to work and fitted my new saddle to my roadie, and very nice it is too


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## RussellZero (20 Apr 2013)

wisdom said:


> Wow nice set up.How are they supported?



Do you mean the garage?

http://m.evanscycles.com/products/delta/leonardo-wall-mount-ec009787


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## gaz (21 Apr 2013)

Cleaned the bike, readjusted brakes, removed pie plate. Still can't figure out how to use the jagwire barrel adjusters, they don't want to turn :/
Eugh just realised I was trying to turn the wrong thing, the adjuster for the rear-derailer is by it. Just re-indexed my gears, all working now


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## compo (21 Apr 2013)

I am doing up an old Raleigh road bike. It is totaly stripped and the frame and forks are with the powder coaters. Yesterday and today I dismantled all the equipment and cleaned, polished and lubricated where needed. The brakes and cranks have a nice lustre now I have removed the tarnishing and polished them, and the chainwheels gleam. It looks like years of grease or dirty oil protected them from the weather. That's as far as I have progressed so far. I need new pedals. the originals are too rusty to salvage, as is the chrome seat post, so if anyone has a 1" ally seat post I would be interested before hitting Ebay. I will do some photo's when I get the frame back.


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## biggs682 (21 Apr 2013)

fitted some koolstops and changed wheels over on 60's Holdsworth then took it for quick 2 mile spin


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## thegravestoneman (22 Apr 2013)

Little bit of a session on the old Sara, new head set fitted, block stripped and greased, front and rear brakes dismantled cleaned and greased. It is amazing what the lack of anything on tele can make you do.


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## thegravestoneman (22 Apr 2013)

Also just acquired a 'new' Sara (tour) one from the Madison days so is a bit modern for me (probably 1990s) as it still has down tube shifters), it is a bit of a high mileage shed at the moment but with alloy frame it will do for a winter hack to replace the unliked Raleigh I have at the moment. I have started to strip it down and have to replace or rebuild a lot of parts. I might even see if I can get some handlebar shifters and the like for it to see what the fuss is about? I will probably go for an 8 speed if the prices are favourable on ebay etc. This is all if my beloved doesn't buckle and lets me loose with our holiday money down at the local Bianchi dealer  .


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## wisdom (22 Apr 2013)

Yes i did thanks for the link.
Wizz


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## deanE (22 Apr 2013)

packed my Sirrus into bike box ready to be picked up later in week. Off to John O Groats on Friday 3 May for End to end. More concerned about the bike making its way safely to Wick than I am about the trip back to Cornwall.


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## Psycolist (22 Apr 2013)

gaz said:


> Cleaned the bike, readjusted brakes, removed pie plate. Still can't figure out how to use the jagwire barrel adjusters, they don't want to turn :/
> Eugh just realised I was trying to turn the wrong thing, the adjuster for the rear-derailer is by it. Just re-indexed my gears, all working now


 I had exactly the same experience with those adjusters, it must be a dodgy design, it cant possibly be that we are both as daft as each other.....! anywayi'd rather be riding.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Apr 2013)

Just changed the tyres on our lasses bike. I reckon the old ones had been on it at least 13 years


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## compo (25 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> I am doing up an old Raleigh road bike. It is totaly stripped and the frame and forks are with the powder coaters. Yesterday and today I dismantled all the equipment and cleaned, polished and lubricated where needed. The brakes and cranks have a nice lustre now I have removed the tarnishing and polished them, and the chainwheels gleam. It looks like years of grease or dirty oil protected them from the weather. That's as far as I have progressed so far. I need new pedals. the originals are too rusty to salvage, as is the chrome seat post, so if anyone has a 1" ally seat post I would be interested before hitting Ebay. I will do some photo's when I get the frame back.


 
I have the frame back this morning and have refitted the headset and forks. The headset fitted easily and would have been a good job if I hadn't reversed the cups. I didn't notice that the top cup was over the crown race and vice-versa. I was puzzling why the stack height was so far out before the penny dropped. 5 minutes later all was sorted. The crown race went about three quarters on before stopping. I removed it and let it sit in some boiling water for a couple of minutes to expand it then it just dropped all the way on with no persuasion. Within a few seconds it was stuck in place solid. That'll do for today. I have just ordered a pair of wheels. Time I have finished it would have been cheaper to have bought a half decent bike in the first place! This way though I can do it bit by bit as I can afford it. The bit that looks like a paint run just under the upper race is in fact a small blob of weld. I was going to grind it out before giving it to the painters but forgot so now I have to live with it.


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## Fuzzball (25 Apr 2013)

I cleaned my fixie, but only to take photos before putting it up for sale, never used since I rode it home


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## fossyant (25 Apr 2013)

Reset the headset on the fixed. Started making alarming clicks on the way home.

Popped off the stem, removed upper pre load cap and then took out the preload split washer. Cleaned and greased and refitted, noise gone.


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## Archeress (25 Apr 2013)

I have just fettled the bottom bracket for the first time ever. Never had the tools before, but now I think the Lidl worshop tool kit has almost paid for itself.

Hugs
Archeress x


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 Apr 2013)

Modified and fitted a pump bracket to the knockabout bike. It's the sort that fits on to bottle cage mounts and sits the pump to the side so it's out of the way of the bottle cage - okay, nice idea but not what I wanted.

A couple of extra holes drilled in the mount and it fits with cable ties instead and doesn't stick out to one side. I've also cut down an old helmet strap and buckle to make sure the pump won't pop out of its clip on rough ground.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (25 Apr 2013)

fixed 3 inner tubes that had been hanging off a dining room chair for "a while". 1 had 2 holes which was news to me... should have only had 1.... and another inner tube completely fails to repair though and I am now down to my last patch.


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## Deleted member 23692 (25 Apr 2013)

Fitted my lastest ebay bargain (£10), which will hopefully cure my magically descending seatpost






Serious clamping power!


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## Blurb (25 Apr 2013)

Adjusted front derailleur on commuter.
Patched\rebooted a couple of servers remotely.


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## derrick (25 Apr 2013)

Fitted a Campagnolo carbon crank, and new saddle looks great, that's a few more grams saved.


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## Cubist (25 Apr 2013)

Swapped the SLX shifters on my Cotic for a used (but nice) pair of XT shifters. Not much weight difference, but much smoother action, and nice looking alloy paddles. Needed new inner cables though, and the ones on weren't all that old.


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## Psycolist (25 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> I have the frame back this morning and have refitted the headset and forks. The headset fitted easily and would have been a good job if I hadn't reversed the cups. I didn't notice that the top cup was over the crown race and vice-versa. I was puzzling why the stack height was so far out before the penny dropped. 5 minutes later all was sorted. The crown race went about three quarters on before stopping. I removed it and let it sit in some boiling water for a couple of minutes to expand it then it just dropped all the way on with no persuasion. Within a few seconds it was stuck in place solid. That'll do for today. I have just ordered a pair of wheels. Time I have finished it would have been cheaper to have bought a half decent bike in the first place! This way though I can do it bit by bit as I can afford it. The bit that looks like a paint run just under the upper race is in fact a small blob of weld. I was going to grind it out before giving it to the painters but forgot so now I have to live with it.


 Thats a sweet lookin job. Love the tip with the water and the crown race. Any similar gems of knowledge about crown race removal ? Aso like the colour, there is just altogether too much silver and black on modern bikes IMHO.


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## billy1561 (26 Apr 2013)

New chain fitted to my cube.


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## Cyclopathic (26 Apr 2013)

Fixed a very buckled wheel using a drawer as jig. Had nothing to loose as it was completely unrideable and a new wheel with 3 gear hub would have been about £90. Not perfect but not that bad either and it rides so, result.


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## Alex11 (26 Apr 2013)

About to do some work on my SS project
Photo album coming soon hopefully!


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## MichaelO (26 Apr 2013)

Just spent an hour cleaning the bike - removed crud mudguards in hope of the sun arriving (and staying!) soon. 

And now to spend some time online investigating a SS project....fancy having a little building project


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## edindave (26 Apr 2013)

General clean and giving the road bike the once-over before Sportive Kinross tomorrow.




Clean teeth by onefivenine, on Flickr


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## Diggs (27 Apr 2013)

Stripped and rebuilt my first hub today (or that should be yesterday now).


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## RWright (27 Apr 2013)

I just finished using 60 grit sandpaper to sand off the sprue nubs (mold whiskers or whatever you want to call them) from four of my tires on my drop bar bikes. I live an exciting life on Friday nights.


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## Andrew_Culture (27 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> I have the frame back this morning and have refitted the headset and forks. The headset fitted easily and would have been a good job if I hadn't reversed the cups. I didn't notice that the top cup was over the crown race and vice-versa. I was puzzling why the stack height was so far out before the penny dropped. 5 minutes later all was sorted. The crown race went about three quarters on before stopping. I removed it and let it sit in some boiling water for a couple of minutes to expand it then it just dropped all the way on with no persuasion. Within a few seconds it was stuck in place solid. That'll do for today. I have just ordered a pair of wheels. Time I have finished it would have been cheaper to have bought a half decent bike in the first place! This way though I can do it bit by bit as I can afford it. The bit that looks like a paint run just under the upper race is in fact a small blob of weld. I was going to grind it out before giving it to the painters but forgot so now I have to live with it.



It looks lovely.


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## Leaway2 (27 Apr 2013)

Fitted new Shimano R501 wheels, Cassette, chain, brakes blocks, and rear tyre. Time for tea and a piece of cake.


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## Hacienda71 (27 Apr 2013)

New large chain ring, cassette, chain, one of the jockey wheels and fitted some aero bars for a TT tomorrow. Only had a short test ride down the road so will need to give it a blast tonight when SWMBO gets back to look after little uns.


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## compo (27 Apr 2013)

Not exactly fettled as I haven't fitted them yet. I needed new brake lever hoods for my Raleigh as the originals were brittle and cracked. I didn't realise the price of the hoods. I used to have a new pair but months ago I gave them to someone on here for his bike. Anyway searching through Ebay I came across this offer : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380629096644?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I ordered them yesterday and received them first thing this morning. The seller said the hoods were dirty. Maybe placed along pristine ones they may be a bit dull but on their own they are fine as is. Anyway I have new levers and new hoods for less than the price of hoods on their own so am well pleased. I am going to use black bar tape unless anyone with more colour sense then me has good ideas (not that back and yellow stuff thank you).


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## Psycolist (27 Apr 2013)

(not that back and yellow stuff thank you).[/quote]
AND WOTS WRONG WITH HAZARD TAPE ON Y'BARS !


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## derrick (27 Apr 2013)

Fitted a new magnet for the cadence counter, instead of a couple of tie wraps around the crank arm have fitted one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pedal-MAG...Nc1VvKaZXdROCv6LXB1XI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc on the peddle, much neater was a bit worried about the gap between the magnet and the cadence pick up, but it works fine.


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## dmj (27 Apr 2013)

fitted a specialized emt saddle bag, with spare tube, glueless punchure patches and multi tool to the seat and a pump to the frame of the allez......
then looked outside and saw the rain and stayed in with a cuppa tea!


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## subaqua (28 Apr 2013)

replaced the broken spoke on the tourer. 10 mins dead easy. tensioned by the pluck method 

then stripped down hubs on sons bike i am rebuilding for him. cones were friction/stiction welded to lock nuts so that was not easy to remove them from the axle.

rebuilt and regreased and rear derailleur cleaning up in a weak spirit vinegar solution . bottom bracket and head set today.


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## compo (28 Apr 2013)

More on my Raleigh: I have this morning fitted my front and rear brake calipers which I stripped and polished a few days ago. I also fitted my new (to me) gear mech and also the front mech. I will probably change the front mech for a Shimano when funds allow. I fitted my downtube shifters then found that the 6 speed one doesn't work properly so have ordered a brand new new pair. One minor issue on the front brakes. I am sure it should have two washers with concave faces to fit the curve on the fork where the brake mounts, one each side. I only have one. No great problem. I have also put the brake levers on the bars. I am now at a standstill until the postie has made a few visits with odds and sods I have on order.


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## Andrew Brown (28 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> Not exactly fettled as I haven't fitted them yet. I needed new brake lever hoods for my Raleigh as the originals were brittle and cracked. I didn't realise the price of the hoods. I used to have a new pair but months ago I gave them to someone on here for his bike. Anyway searching through Ebay I came across this offer : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380629096644?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I ordered them yesterday and received them first thing this morning. The seller said the hoods were dirty. Maybe placed along pristine ones they may be a bit dull but on their own they are fine as is. Anyway I have new levers and new hoods for less than the price of hoods on their own so am well pleased. I am going to use black bar tape unless anyone with more colour sense then me has good ideas (not that back and yellow stuff thank you).



I would think if you have white hoods, white tape, or a light colour at least, might look a bit weird on black tape?


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## compo (30 Apr 2013)

compo said:


> More on my Raleigh: I have this morning fitted my front and rear brake calipers which I stripped and polished a few days ago. I also fitted my new (to me) gear mech and also the front mech. I will probably change the front mech for a Shimano when funds allow. I fitted my downtube shifters then found that the 6 speed one doesn't work properly so have ordered a brand new new pair. One minor issue on the front brakes. I am sure it should have two washers with concave faces to fit the curve on the fork where the brake mounts, one each side. I only have one. No great problem. I have also put the brake levers on the bars. I am now at a standstill until the postie has made a few visits with odds and sods I have on order.


 
Came home to a big box this morning containing two nice wheels and another small package containing a new set of gear levers. Gear levers fitted in seconds. Wheels are OK. I had to adjust the hubs as the bearings were tight. Then I found the rear wheel QR wouldn't lock down properly. I had to mount a washer each side of the spindle to stop the spindle protruding outside the dropouts. It was only a very tiny amount but it was enough to cause a problem which the washers sorted completely. I am now waiting for tyres, tubes, rim tape, handlebar tape to drop through the letter box. I already have cables and outers so things are gradually coming together.

I guess it's almost time for an update photograph.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (1 May 2013)

no ride today - feeling poorly so tracked down a rattle coming through my bars when breaking... also cleaned and oiled the chain, something i was too tired to do last night when I got back home after dark...


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## billy1561 (1 May 2013)

Spent the day in the garden getting a bit of a tan as i cleaned 3 bikes! Full wash and dry then a mickle of the chains. They look great. Very therapeutic when you have the time.
Just a shame my road bike bottom bracket is knackered. I seem to have worn it out with the thrashing its had in April


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 May 2013)

Painted the mudguard extensions on the knockabout bike. They are now black which I think looks better.

My sister brought me a can of retro-reflective paint earlier in the year which I hadn't had a chance to try yet, so I've also put a few coats of this over the black. The effect is slightly strange in daylight (it would work better over white or silver) but it should help make the bike a bit more visible in car headlights.


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## Falwheeler (1 May 2013)

Spent the morning sorting out my twenty seven year old Dawes Ranger. Haven't ridden it for many years but came up quite well. Lending it to a friends niece from Germany while she visits.


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## lozcs (2 May 2013)

Diggs said:


> Stripped and rebuilt my first hub today (or that should be yesterday now).


 
Me too!

Last minute thing - only meant to replace tube due to valve leaking but noticed how rough the rotation was decided to give it a go...

No major problems other than having to pull out the washing machine to retrieve a ball bearing I'd dopped.. doh.

See how it rides tomorrow!


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## Fuzzball (2 May 2013)

Just fitted ultremo zx tyres to my road bike, fulcrum racing 5 wheels. Gator skins were a bugger to get off, and gave the bike a quick clean and the chain cleaned and oiled. That's the gators away till October though I am not sure why as I live in Glasgow in a permanent stay of just rained, raining, or about to rain. And yes couldn't resist colour coded blue to match frame!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (3 May 2013)

started this afternoon working on my triban 3. gears needed re-indexing big time after a run in period with the new cassette, chain & wheels.
then started on my OH triban 3. he needed the stem flipping,over so it was a 6 degree rise rather than drop (lower back pain) and also some tlc was needed on his brake cable which without an end cap had started to unravel but was otherwise completely fine and with plenty of spare cable, I simply re-ravelled the individual wires, chopped off an inch or two off the end and added an end cap
Next I moved over to my mountain bike - the seat post keeps sinking, so was removed, cleaned, the seat clamp removed, cleaned (lots of gravel & grit) and the inside of the seat tube (?) wiped out as much as possible - also lots of grit... reassemble and seemed OK. chain & cassette and bike also had an clean.
Finally I moved over to my OH's mountain bike and instantly could tell it was going to be trouble. there was front wheel knock, rear wheel knock - stripped both hubs down & found major damage to one of the cones (could be the cup, its the one that unscrews with the bolt...). found another one off a spare wheel that was the same size and not as badly damaged... not ideal but until I can source a new one... regreased, reassembled and now no knock on front wheel. repeated with the rear wheel and cleaned out the cassette whilst I was at it. Much smoother and no knock...
over-ran on the timing badly, OH came home whilst I was doing it and evening meal is more than an hour late, but at least 4 of the 6 bikes have had their maintenace done today. the other 2 will have to wait for another day. Also managed to make 2 batches of chocolate chip scones somewhere around my road bike... so all was not lost...


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## Diggs (3 May 2013)

lozcs said:


> Me too!
> 
> Last minute thing - only meant to replace tube due to valve leaking but noticed how rough the rotation was decided to give it a go...
> 
> ...


Yep bike is back together now but prob will need some fine tuning. I won't make the ballbearing mistake again after I tried to service a pair of pedals out in the garden


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## DCLane (3 May 2013)

Fitted the new Romin Evo Pro saddle to the Secteur.


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## cyberknight (4 May 2013)

Replaced the diaphragm in the toilet flusher, had to take the whole cistern off the wall and dismantle the lot to change a £1 bit of plastic.
Hopefully changing the saddle on 2 bikes today, only had the saddles since tuesday but the family think all my time should be spent waiting on them hand and foot


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## ziggys101 (4 May 2013)

Major Fettling session, new wheels arrived so decided to do a complete overhall at the sometime and get everything off the bike and give it a good old clean.. Hopefully be fully finished by Tuesday


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## The Brewer (4 May 2013)

cyberknight said:


> Replaced the diaphragm in the toilet flusher, had to take the whole cistern off the wall and dismantle the lot to change a £1 bit of plastic.
> Hopefully changing the saddle on 2 bikes today, only had the saddles since tuesday but the family think all my time should be spent waiting on them hand and foot


 
Those diaphragms are a right pain, I gave up on mine and fitted a complete new gubbins just to save time fixing it every other month


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## cyberknight (4 May 2013)

Got round to taking the saddle off and promptly dropped the bolt down a gap between the house wall and the drain 
Had to make a trip to Gasp ! Halfords as the LBS was shut for an m6 bolt.
lesson learned today, get more than 4 or so hours sleep a night might make things a lot easier to do ...


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## ianrauk (4 May 2013)

Changed thge bar tape on the Kona Commuter and the Van Nich... now both looking nice and lush..


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## fossyant (4 May 2013)

Got a rather nice GT MTB in the garage to fettle for my mate. A good few years old, but a full susser, XT and XTR through out, rockshock front and rear but the hydraulic brakes are goosed. The levers have busted, so that doesnt give me much hope for the callipers. It is very light.

Have advised him he may need to go to he LBS for the brakes, but I will sort the rest. Its yet another mate that picked up a bike from a mate for a song. This MTB is worth a couple of £k


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## Andrew Brown (4 May 2013)

What brakes are on it? I'll have a mint set of hydro avids coming off the new commuter when I put it on to drop bars and bb7s...


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## compo (5 May 2013)

I couldn't get the adjustment of the headset just right on the Raleigh I have just done up. To take out the play meant the bearings were too tight. Initially I put it down to simply having to let all the new bits bed in, but decided this was wrong thinking. To find the problem I have just stripped out the whole headset assembly which only took a few minutes. The fault quickly became obvious. I had installed the lower bearing cage upside down. Must have been a senior moment. Anyway, with correct orientation and all reassembled the assembly is perfect. Also, though not actually an error, I had routed the brake cables to the front of the handlebars. While the bars were off the bike, and the front brake was removed from the fork, I re-routed them behind the bars where they look better. Last night I also swapped out the semi sealed bottom bracket for a fully sealed Shimano unit. I think I can now declare the job's finished and is a good'un.


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## Deleted member 23692 (5 May 2013)

Sorted out a scuffing brake, which was due to a slightly warped disc. Rather than spend a silly amount of money on the proper tool (essentially a metal bar with a slot in it), I just used an adjustable spanner set to lightly grip the disc. A few gentle flexings later, the scuffing's gone 

Today's quick tweak took place whilst waiting for my tea to mash


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## threebikesmcginty (5 May 2013)

Two new spokes fitted to the Day-One, chain and gear selection also fettled, changed pedals on the P-X too.
Mowed the lawn an all if that could be considered fettling.


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## Breedon (5 May 2013)

Replaced my 105 triple to a double, new cassette and new chain just need to make a few minor adjustments.


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## derrick (5 May 2013)

I did not fettle anything today.


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## Hicky (5 May 2013)

After today's ride using the f-in-laws spare bike(GT outpost) it needs a total overhaul, the bb is goosed/brakes need stripping and lubing/hubs need servicing and front mech won't go in the large ring, ill probably endue with that job(he can do the wallpapering,see below).
Son no2's new(eBay) hotrock needs the mudguards raising as they are fouling the tyre and the chain lubing.
My crosscheck needs a strip clean and checking over....I have tick/creak on the left crank, could be the spd.
Boiler won't maintain dhw and keeps cycling on off, must check thermister (hope it is that) or the secondary heat exchanger is full of crud(hope it isn't that!).....two freshly plastered walls that will need priming and papering soon...I'm not worried about this as the paper hasn't turned up in the house yet,lol.


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## HLaB (5 May 2013)

Put a new chain on the fixie today and swapped its seat clamp (the original one was bent) and then went for a wee test ride.


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## fossyant (6 May 2013)

Had a good fettle of my Mates GT i drive 2. Nice bike indeed, has Rock Shox Psylo SL front and a Rock Shox rear. Both are adjustable. The rear suspension looks complex with a massive BB housing that pivots for the rear. XT chainset and shifters, XTR rear mech and LX front. Knackered brakes are Formula R4 or similar, cant quite read the lettering? Front lever is broken as the piston is snapped and the reservoir leaks, and the rears work but drag heavily. Wheels are a bit cheap, but are fine. As mentioned this was bought for £500 a number of years ago. The brakes and wheels let it down, but I need to let my mate know it will cost £60 plus to sort it with the brakes. He is short of cash at the minute as was recently made redundant. Might look at a good mechanical set.


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## Theseus (6 May 2013)

Fitted 2nd hand derailleur, cleaned & adjusted rear wheel bearings, fitted new freewheel cassette, chain and brake blocks on the Odyssey.
Removed broken mudguards from T2000 and put on a seatpost & saddle
Basic fettling ... chain clean, brake check, tyres pumped, gears tweaked on all the rest of the bikes in the shed (3 kids and another 3 of mine)
All bikes now fit and well and able to report for duty as required.

One of the advantages of having English bank holidays when the wife and kids don't.


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## potsy (6 May 2013)

Put away all my winter cycling gear


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## Boris Bajic (6 May 2013)

Took a CB Cotswold step-through bike out of the cellar for my wife to start using as a shopper again. Very uncool and very cutesy-cutesy, but what a solid piece of bicycle!

Four years in the cellar while she's been riding other stuff and it came out rideable. Air in the tyres, oil on the transmission and a wipe down.

Whicker basket, comfortable saddle, low-end Shimano triple with seven (well spread) on the rear. Nice canti brakes and just good cycle parts and levers and saddle and everything.

After an hour or so of fettling and lubing and cleaning and adjusting it is almost like new. God bless bog-standard bicycles.


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## Idoru (7 May 2013)

Tried to have a ride yesterday, got a couple of streets from home and realised I couldn't shift out the big ring on the front, so tootled back to base to get it sorted.

A couple of hours later I remembered just how mechanically inept I am, put the bike away and started shopping for a new one... that one's ruined now 

I'll have another go at it tonight when I have a bit more patience.


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## GrumpyGregry (7 May 2013)

Y'day...

Adjusted the rear mech on the black bike

Turning my attention to TheFixedPlug I

Added a rear brake and brake lever
Changed the rear wheel bearings
Fitted two pairs of PoS Elite strap on bottle cage mounts (not a patch on zefal gizmo's) and an Elite side entry cage.
Swapped a KMC singlespeed quick link for an old school reusable joining link.


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## Andrew Brown (7 May 2013)

Trying out this mickle thing since my new Sram 10 speed chain doesn't have the old type link to make and break over and over, so far so good, 3rd mickle this eve and didn't take long


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## derrick (7 May 2013)

potsy said:


> Put away all my winter cycling gear


I think you might be jumping the gun


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## Cubist (7 May 2013)

I refitted and adjusted a mate's front mech the other day. He reported that the cable had slipped out of the clamp yesterday, and he'd refitted it, but now the mech jumped from outer to granny missing the middle out. He concluded, as he'd gone through all the possible connotations, that the shifter was knacked, so he bought some new cables and a spare shifter out of his parts box up to my house. We got the bike up in the workstand and I noted there was a lot of tension in the cable. A few turns of the barrel adjuster and it was working perfectly again. Wish they were all that easy!


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## Mallory (8 May 2013)

Washed bike 1. Today and binned the crudcatchers!!! Bloody useless things


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## potsy (8 May 2013)

Fitted new brake pads on the CX, noticed yesterday that pulling the back brake had absolutely no effect 

Pads were shot, they have been on since the bike was new 16 months ago, think I've had my money's worth


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## Rickshaw Phil (8 May 2013)

Mickled the chains on my Raleigh and knockabout bike then trued the rear wheel on the Raleigh.


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## flatflr (8 May 2013)

Swapped the front mech on the LOOK from 105 to Ultegra, now the only part that isn't Ultegra is the bottom bracket and chainset, which should happen after next pay day. Think I'll wait until it's dry before I take it out.


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## Andrew Brown (8 May 2013)

Cut up a load of aluminium extrusion to make a laminar flow cabinet and fabricated a jig rather than buying the official one for 287 coins...


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## thegravestoneman (9 May 2013)

How comes you only notice a broken spoke after the bike shop has shut!!! alright I know I should have spares but.... Anyhoo I now have an ancient rustless spoke on the back wheel of my Sara to contrast with the 35 double butted stainless already there. I guess I will be down the LBS tomorrow to buy one or two spares and A wheel true enough to ride on until then....


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (9 May 2013)

Is it me, or does there seem to be a spoke fairy around at the moment. I seem to be reading about nothing other than broken spokes/wind or boredom...


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## wisdom (9 May 2013)

New pads fitted to number 2 sons bike.Whilst brake fettling strippe d the callipers off the frame cleaned and greased all pivots. Dad it stops now!
Dont know how they wear everything out so quickly.


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## Cyclopathic (10 May 2013)

Trying out various ways to improvise a shim so that I can fit my 105 front mech on my steel frame. I need to increase the effective tube diameter by 1 size. Tried cut up coke cans but it takes about 5 layers which I'm not happy with. Also tried a cut down headset converter shim but the inside diameter of it is slightly too small for the tube. I may just have to bite the bullet and spend the 3 quid for a proper one.


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## HLaB (10 May 2013)

After puting a new seatclamp on my fixie a few days back I realised it pobably had put the seat at a different height  so I checked it last night and put it to the correct height!

Also went to put a spacer behing the cassette on my geared bike but couldn't get the cassette off and bent the chain tool; geared bikes who'd have them


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## compo (10 May 2013)

Despite regularly riding the Trek I hadn't noticed just how stiff the pedals had become on their spindle. I have just had the pedals off the cranks, removed the seals and given them a good dose of oil. They now spin freely and silently!


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## mangid (10 May 2013)

Should probably have noticed sooner, only noticed when back wheel felt buckled when coming back from Reach fair with the kids.







New wheels, Ultegra wheels front and back. They apparently accept tubeless as well as clinchers, new fangled stuff. No need for rim tape, and the tyre makes a very disturbing noise as it seats itself. Managed to trap the tube first time round, and that made a loud noise when it let go.


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## Easytigers (11 May 2013)

New bar tape, bottle cages and shorter stem. Bike is beginning to feel like its mine now (although I still have to pay it off!!!)


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## potsy (11 May 2013)

mangid said:


> Should probably have noticed sooner, only noticed when back wheel felt buckled when coming back from Reach fair with the kids.
> 
> View attachment 23109
> 
> ...




Having just bought some of those myself and yet to fit I am now slightly worried 

Today's fettling is to re-fit the tyre/wheel to the Secteur after picking up the repaired wheel from the lbs (broken spoke) sorry @SatNavSaysStraightOn
It will then need a test ride before Monday's commute though that might have to wait until the rain stops


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## mangid (11 May 2013)

potsy said:


> Having just bought some of those myself and yet to fit I am now slightly worried


 
Make sure you push the tyre right down into the center, and it should go on just fine, the center is deep but you will need to push down into it. My problem was I got the inner tube stuck between tyre at the valve, school boy error, should have pushed the valve in, and inflated the tube a little before seating it all. Don't worry if you hear pinging as the tyre seats itself ;-) Off to shops soon, the old wheels, if truth be known, were running badly, and the freehub was shot, so I should fly ;-)

Just greased the V brakes as well, first time in ten years I reckon, after having noticed how sticky they were last night when putting the new wheels on.


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## mangid (11 May 2013)

potsy said:


> Having just bought some of those myself and yet to fit I am now slightly worried
> 
> Today's fettling is to re-fit the tyre/wheel to the Secteur after picking up the repaired wheel from the lbs (broken spoke) sorry @SatNavSaysStraightOn
> It will then need a test ride before Monday's commute though that might have to wait until the rain stops


 
They're great wheels ;-)


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## alicat (11 May 2013)

Took the bottom bracket out of my Pearson Touche to check all was well. Had to acquire a 24mm spanner since my 8" adjustable spanner wasn't up to the job.

Used the tines of an old kitchen fork to screw the plastic part of the crank arm dustcaps back in.


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## Supersuperleeds (11 May 2013)

I took the back wheel to the LBS and got them to change a spoke for me if that counts as fettling.


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## al-fresco (12 May 2013)

I changed the stem on my road bike for a shorter one, decided that the new one was too short and put the original one back on again. Then I noticed some play in the headset. Slackened off the steerer, tightened up the wostit - there was still play. Everything off - checked that all the bits were in the right order, seated properly and re-assembled. All paranoid now - thought I could still detect a tiny amount of play. Decided to compare it with my MTB which I've been happily thrashing around Llandegla... Oh - so THAT's what play in the headset really looks like. Tightened up the MTB headset - left the road bike alone - it's fine. Really.


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## Pikey (12 May 2013)

Stripped the road bike down to parts (cos she has done her first 500 miles), cleaned and regreased everything that needed it, solved my creaky handlebars with my shiny new torque wrench.

It felt box fresh again when i went out today!


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## Cubist (12 May 2013)

I've just bled the brakes on Cubette's XC bike, surprisingly the rear reservoir was completely dry. The front feels better too. I've also put her Charge Ladle saddle back on it, as she wants to come riding with us next week(hoorah) but it means I'll have to service the complete bike and swap the tyres, as it's been on the turbo for the last 18 months.


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## compo (15 May 2013)

A couple of hours later........
Decided I didn't like this so have now removed it and ordered different mounting brackets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been trying to work out the best way of attaching my rear lights for the Dun Run. I don't often go out at night time so when I do I just fasten the lamp to the rear carrier with a strong runnber band. I wanted something a little more robust for the overnight ride so cobbled together an old Minoura bar extender. Not elegant but it works, and it'll be dark so no-one's going to see it anyway! The elastic bands are just insurance against losing the lenses. I have lost count of how many I have lost over the years.


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## Cyclopathic (15 May 2013)

Today I am mostly swapping my old but in good nick 105 group from my ali framed GT 3000 to my Raleigh 531 frame.


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## al-fresco (15 May 2013)

Today I found a spacer that had rolled, unnoticed, into the corner of the garage - so *that's* why there was play in the headset of my road bike...


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## HLaB (15 May 2013)

I don't know how I've never had to do it before (yes I do I've done most of my risding in spds) but I fitted new spd-sl cleats last night. Drew round the old and then pu t the new ones on, so hopefully there set up near identical


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## XRHYSX (16 May 2013)

Smashed my rear light off carelessly leaning the bike up against the up turned rowing machine in the garage last night, I commute home in the early hours so need lights all year round, found an old LED light in my box of spares but no mounts to fit it to my rack.
So trimmed the mount runners off and drilled a small pilot hole in the back of the casing and used a reflector screw to mount. Sorted


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## Deleted member 23692 (16 May 2013)

This morning I've taught myself how to strip down, clean and rebuild SPD mechanisms... quite easy really 

Also swapped the cleats over on my shoes to even the wear out, as I unclip my right foot far more than my left


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## al-fresco (16 May 2013)

Ffoeg said:


> This morning I've taught myself how to strip down, clean and rebuild SPD mechanisms... quite easy really
> 
> Also swapped the cleats over on my shoes to even the wear out, as I unclip my right foot far more than my left


 
I unclip my left far more than my right - I see a niche here for a CycleChat shoe swap database!


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## gbb (16 May 2013)

Fettled...and failed, at removing a maillard 5 speed freewheel off two ancient 27 inch wheels.

I was/am building the wife a runaround out of an old ladies racer, 27 inch wheels, friction shifters. Gearings all been replaced with 5 speed gripshifts, a new but cheap Shimano RD, slightly better crankset (the original was cottered)
There's something stiff about the headset she keeps complaining about (stiffness)...which i can't detect, so its been stored for a while.
Now she wants it converted so it can go on my turbo so she can spin on it.
Got a QR 27 inch wheel from parkers, so its off with the old freewheel....well, apparently not 

First Maillard has what appear to be two notches but they're not square, so i can't even see how thats going to come off. In the shed, dig out a second wheel, maillard freewheel, but splined this time. I have the proper tool....but not the oomph to get it off....failed again.
Its going to work with me tomorrow and perhaps the aid of a vice will do it.

It may result in an epic fail...ive used vices before but once shattered a brand new Shimano cassette removal tool  Not by overtightening it in the vice...just the sheer force needed to release a previous freewheel.


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## billy1561 (18 May 2013)

Fitted swisstop flash pro greens at the recommendation of @SatNavSaysStraightOn


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## fossala (18 May 2013)

Stripping a '83 raleigh competition and cleaning/polishing every item.


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## compo (19 May 2013)

I had a wired computer on my Trek and a wireless on my Raleigh. My Trek has a threadless headset and the Raleigh a threaded. I wanted to drop the forks on the Trek a few inches to allow me to clean up inside the head and install some fresh grease. As I had coiled the wire from the computer round and round the gear cable before it goes down the fork to the sender I am unable to lower the fork. This morning I have swapped the computers round so the wireless one is now on the Trek making headset maintenance easy.


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## Booyaa (19 May 2013)

I've had to fix the front mudguards following a crash with an out of control dog! Got it fixed and found I also have a puncture on the front wheel. Back wheel looks like it might need tried as well now.... Not a good day for my first time back on the bike in a while.


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## matthat (21 May 2013)

*I'm about* to turn this *DAMMED* computer off and tighten the cone on the peddles of my hybrid as one seems to have loosened then i'm going to tweak my ride position on rd bike to match hybrid as much as possible because thats so much comfier.


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## Darcy (21 May 2013)

I've just fitted Clipless pedals to both Sectures, gave them a clean and polish with Margan Blue. After a cup of coffee I am going to fit Garmin 500.


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## compo (22 May 2013)

I'm getting worse! I fitted a new spoke this morning. While the cassette was off I decided to clean and regrease the wheel bearings. Then I forgot which way I took the spindle out. One end had a cone, spacerand a lock nut, and one end just a cone and lock nut. I decided the spacer must go to the cassette side and proceeded to reassemble it all. I then found that the wheel wouldn't drop back into the frame and sit square. Eventually I pulled up the Shimano tech doc for the hub to see the assembly drawing. I had put the spindle in the wrong way round, the end with a spacer went on the disc side. DOH. Once I had put it together correctly I fitted the wheel and spun it only to find there was a fair old kick in it. I didn't check the wheel prior to removing it to replace the spoke so I don't know if the kick was already there or if refitting the spoke caused it. By now i couldn't be bothered to find out and have put the wheel into the shop to be trued.

I'm sure I will get the bike back on the road. Eventually.


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## Booyaa (23 May 2013)

I had a go at fixing the rear wheel but decided it needs to go to the shop to be re-trued. It's a mess.


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## Boris Bajic (23 May 2013)

New chain on the fixed-gear today and re-greased (re-packed) the rear-wheel bearings.

A new chain is one of those things that just makes me happy. 

The wheel job was just weird. I've done it a million times and I still suck at it. I get grease all over my fingers and then the bearing either stay on my fingertips or plummet into the wrong part of the wheel, floor or workbench. I got it done, but I said some abrupt and slightly rude words along the way.

The chain is lovely, but wheel bearings? Cones? Cone spanners? Washers? Getting the bearings just right? What the hell is all that about and which idiot invented bicycles anyway?

Of all the things I would have hoped might get easier over the decades, this one has probably got harder.

Nice new chain though....


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## Andrew Brown (24 May 2013)

Fettled my dishwasher drain pump, discovered a rubber band and 2 chips of crockery in impeller housing stopping it turn... Drains again now, altho had to top it on its back to get to the pump, no easy access from inside like our old one


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## HLaB (24 May 2013)

Put wet lube on my chain guaranteeing it'll be good weather tomorrow so I'm off to bed now g'Night


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## HLaB (26 May 2013)

Lol, Ive had all day to fettle but I leave the new tyre till 11.30pm, no problem i can go to bed at 11.50pm but know I have to decide and fit my cadence/speed sensor and then realise I'll have to clean the bike a bit and once started I cant stop! So I'll be off to bed in a bit


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## gbb (26 May 2013)

Sometimes you start a job..half asleep as such, not thinking the whole thing through.
Wife's bike, setting it up for the turbo, so I've just swapped the rear wheel for a new QR job.
For a start, the OLN distance is different, so a little 'manipulation' of the rear triangle required.
The valve hole is a tad too big, nothing I could do about that, tube fitted and hope it holds till I get a new tube.
No rim tape...didn't even occur to me, duh. Swapped it off the old wheel ok.
Fitted wheel, she tries it, the gears are all over....doh, I need to adjust the RD of course.

No big deal really, just hadn't planned it through so each step kinda took me by surprise. All done easily in the end.


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## Cyclopathic (26 May 2013)

mangid said:


> *Should probably have noticed sooner*, only noticed when back wheel felt buckled when coming back from Reach fair with the kids.
> 
> View attachment 23109
> 
> ...


No, fair enough. The damage is barely perceptible so it's very easy to see how you might have missed this.


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## Cyclopathic (26 May 2013)

Fettled nothing yet. I am mustering my enthusiasm with coffee.


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## alicat (26 May 2013)

Today I serviced my first pair of pedals, Shimano spd pedals.


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## shouldbeinbed (26 May 2013)

New bars fitted and wrapped, neatest job I've done on it.


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## Shut Up Legs (2 Jun 2013)

I spent about 75 minutes cleaning my pride and joy today, pretty good considering I had the flu the last 2 days, so I suspect I'm better now . Must be all that cycling giving me an awesome immune system! The cleaning included, as usual:

Thorough wipe from top to bottom, of frame, and all the bits and pieces;
Extra thorough wipe of wheel rims, as the last week was very wet and the rims were covered in greasy dirt;
Removed the rear wheel, sprayed degreaser on the rear cassette, and left the wheel (cassette facing down, naturally) to drip-dry while I attended to the rest of the bike;
Wiped the chain, both derailleurs and the front chain rings, and also used some degreaser on the chain. I don't normally do this, but it had some surface rust from all the rain we got last week, and some of this rust was on the inside surfaces of the links and so wasn't so easy to wipe off;
Oiled the chain, and spun the pedals backwards to work in the oil, then wiped the excess oil off;
Put the rear wheel back on, and adjusted both brakes. I only needed to adjust the tension screws this time, as the new brake cables I installed several weeks ago don't appear to be stretching any more;
Pumped both tyres up: rear to 100psi front to 95psi, and AirZound bottle to 90psi;
Put the newly-cleaned mudguards back on.
Here's the end result! Isn't she a beauty? 







This is the nice clean drivetrain:






This is the front mudguard, an SKS. I bolted rubber flaps to both ends, and the result is very satisfactory, with very little water splashing onto my legs or the bike's frame. The rubber band on the front end is to stop it rattling as I go over bumps, and this works very well.






This is the rear mudguard, with another custom mud flap on the rear, a bit larger than on the front. It's very effective at stopping water splashing my seat post-mounted saddlebag (the mount for the saddlebag is at the top of the picture):






Not too shabby for a bike I've just passed 60,000km on, 4 years and 6 months after I bought it. It's still as quiet as the day I bought it. I love my bike, and I love cycling. That is all .


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## wisdom (2 Jun 2013)

Nice set of photos Victor


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## potsy (2 Jun 2013)

victor said:


> I spent about 75 minutes cleaning my pride and joy today, .


 
I spent about 7.5 minutes doing the same


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## Rickshaw Phil (2 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> I spent about 7.5 minutes doing the same


I knew there was something I meant to do today.


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## potsy (2 Jun 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I knew there was something I meant to do today.


I did the best one (and easiest to clean) then put the commuter on the stand and went to make a brew, it's still there waiting


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## Rickshaw Phil (2 Jun 2013)

My fettling today consisted of attempting to fit some bar ends to my brother's bike , and cutting the grips to completely the wrong length.

He says that they were already damaged from his big crash last summer and he doesn't mind getting some more. Aren't little brothers good.


----------



## Martyn H (2 Jun 2013)

More a case of what I didn't fettle - Went out for a ride came back thinking that the hills were hard today, then twigged that I forgot to check the tyre pressures before setting off


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## derrick (2 Jun 2013)

Fitted new saddle yesterday, did a 60 mile ride today and my bum feels lovely.


----------



## Salad Dodger (2 Jun 2013)

Fettled (well actually stripped all the wallpaper off) 2 bedrooms at my brother in law's new house.

He's working himself into the ground trying to get it habitable in the next 4 weeks, so he can move in when his present house is old. So Mrs Salad and I took pity on him and helped today, which sort of got the job back onto schedule......


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## musa (3 Jun 2013)

As I was cleaning the house, I discovered my flat tyre had gone flat overnight. so i gave the wheels a wash then the frame a good wash down, lubed cables and lubed the chain. Now its gleaming in the sun


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## potsy (3 Jun 2013)

Fettling my new Smart 25 lux onto the road bike as we speak, don't tell @jazloc but there was a High 5 race pack and a packet of 'bo in the box too 

General clean and fettle of the roadie ready for tonight's commute, needs a new chain fitting and probably a cassette this time too, on it's 3rd chain now.
WIll give it another week or 2 and then change them both.


----------



## Summerking (3 Jun 2013)

Cleaned my 92' Raleigh Peak steel MTB,Degreased the chain and sprockets prior to re-lubing, went to Town and got a saddle rack and 3 saddle bags for £5.50! in a Charity shop..now to fit it


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## Deleted member 20519 (3 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> Fettling my new Smart 25 lux onto the road bike as we speak, don't tell @jazloc but there was a High 5 race pack and a packet of 'bo in the box too
> 
> General clean and fettle of the roadie ready for tonight's commute, needs a new chain fitting and probably a cassette this time too, on it's 3rd chain now.
> WIll give it another week or 2 and then change them both.


 

Grr, mine still hasn't shipped


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## Supersuperleeds (3 Jun 2013)

Yesterday I fixed my eldest lads hybrid which has been rusting away in the garage since last summer- both tyres completely flat, one punctured the other just flat, mickled the chain, indexed the gears and adjusted the seat so the youngest can use it for his annual Scout bike ride next week. Only thing I didn't do were the brakes, they were perfectly fine,

I might even put one of those Smart 25 lux lights on it, I ordered two from Wiggle, but some more turned up yesterday, don't know how I got them, they had a Paisley address on them, oh well, can't have enough front lights.


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## Deleted member 20519 (3 Jun 2013)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Yesterday I fixed my eldest lads hybrid which has been rusting away in the garage since last summer- both tyres completely flat, one punctured the other just flat, mickled the chain, indexed the gears and adjusted the seat so the youngest can use it for his annual Scout bike ride next week. Only thing I didn't do were the brakes, they were perfectly fine,
> 
> I might even put one of those Smart 25 lux lights on it, I ordered two from Wiggle, but some more turned up yesterday, don't know how I got them, they had a Paisley address on them, oh well, can't have enough front lights.


 

 You better be joking!


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## ianjmcd (3 Jun 2013)

fitted two smart 25s from wiggle that incidently i dont even remember ordering to my mtb


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## kipster (3 Jun 2013)

News wheels, Fulcrum 7 CX, fitted on Friday. Old wheels are going to have the hubs replaced as the front has a pitted cone after water washed the grease away. New brake blocks fitted to compliment the new wheels, Koolstop v brake dual compound that I ordered along with some Smart 25 Lux for the rest of the families bikes. Imagine my surprise this morning when the front brake didn't work 'cos some idiot didn't tighten the cable nut on the canti enough.


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 Jun 2013)

It was take two for the bar end fitting on my brother's bike this afternoon. The new grips went on without problems, the brake/gear levers have been moved inwards to allow room and the bar ends are fitted. It all looks quite smart.

I've also fitted new grips to my sister's bike (replacing a very short set that she didn't like) and cleaned my own bikes.


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## RWright (4 Jun 2013)

The clip on my older Sansa Clip MP3 player broke off recently so I rode up to the Dollar General Store and bought some adhesive backed Velcro strips for a dollar. I now have a tricked-out bicycle helmet, with MP3 player quick mount capability. This modification may even sway me to start wearing it.


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## Boon 51 (5 Jun 2013)

Raised seat hight on my Bad Boy 2 by 5mm ready for tomorrows ride.


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## Cubist (6 Jun 2013)

Yesterday, drilled out a seized screw head on Cubester's Hope brake reservoir, and fitted a pair of gold reservoir caps which he'd earned by clearing part of the garden.

Today, well I:
Stripped a new (to me) Reba fork and de-spacered it so it's now 120mm travel, performing a lower leg service at the same time. All the air seals feel spot on, so no upper service or damper side/ MoCo service yet.
I then removed my old Reba from the Cotic, cleaned it and removed the Hope Hed Doctor, split crown race and 1.5 inch adapter ring from the 1 1/8" steerer. For sale if anyone wants one. 

I then fitted the split crown race to the 1.5" tapered steerer of the new fork, dismantled, cleaned, regreased and reassembled the Hope headset on the Cotic and fitted the new fork. It now sits approx 5mm lower on the stem, but the overall A-C fork length is about 5mm longer, so still feels right. 

Then I had to convert my front Pro II Evo hub from 9mm Thru-axle to 20mm Maxle, and fit to the new fork, fitting and adjusting the disc brake caliper. I now have a stiff front end (Ping @Fnaar )


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## Pumpkin the robot (6 Jun 2013)

Stripped my old Battaglin down that has been sat in the garden for about 16 years. Thsi involved cutting the saddle off the stem as the bolts were solid and putting the stem in a vice to remove it. Also had to cut thr handle bars off to get the forks out. At least the chainset came out and is reusable. The bearings are however knackered!
I also invested in a Mavic cosmic wheel for it and picked that up tonight from Astley Bridge.
Frame is now off to be powder coated.
Tonight I cleaned and lubed my Specialized allez for the C2C on Saturday.


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## billy1561 (7 Jun 2013)

Cleaned and lubed my road bike back to showroom condition only to find the new club i went out with went part way down a trail first part of a ride. It was like dodge city


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## musa (7 Jun 2013)

my tyre is flat for the fifith time today...repatched my tubes and pulled out a splint from inside the tyre


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## billy1561 (7 Jun 2013)

Also stripped and lubed the cleats, then put new pedals on.


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## fossyant (7 Jun 2013)

The light mounting strap on my Topeak Panniers had started to unstitch - bear in mind I had two heafty lights on it. Removed the strap, and re-attached the 'tube' for the lights direct to the back of the pannier with cable ties ! Got to love cable ties !


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## morrisman (7 Jun 2013)

Stripped the little wheely parts (stop me if I'm being to technical) from my rear derailleur and cleaned and greased them, got rid of horrible noises :-)


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## flatflr (7 Jun 2013)

New Ultegra cassette (fitted by the LBS to save buying the tools) and chain (fitted by myself). Changing feels a lot crisper on the stand, looking forward to seeing if the changes feel as good on the road tomorrow.


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## Cyclopathic (8 Jun 2013)

Yesterday I put a 16" Marathon plus on a Brompton. It was well hard. Smaller tyres can be stiffer anyway and those Marathons have got a steel bead about half an inch thick. It must have taken about 20 minutes of grunting and sweating and I had to do away with any ideas of not using a tyre lever to get tyres on so was mightily relieved when I pumped it up and had managed not to pinch the tube. If that had happened I think I would have cried. There should be a machine to do the really tough ones.


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## potsy (8 Jun 2013)

About to fettle some new wheels onto the Caad, wish me luck


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## dave r (9 Jun 2013)

Been getting some creaky noises from the bottom bracket area of my Verenti, my Verenti is on clipless and at first I thought I'd got a loose cleat, I've had problems with one of the cleats working loose, but no the cleats were tight so I cleaned the bottom of the shoe and the cleats and turned my attention to the pedals, Time Freerides, the bearings were still as tight and smooth as they were when I fitted them almost three years ago, so I cleaned them and then looked at the bottom bracket itself and that was running smooth with no play but I stripped the cranks off cleaned it up checked it over and lubed it, the left bearing is running as smooth as it was when new but theres a little roughness in the right bearing though theres no play, not too bad for almost three years and about 5000 miles, I checked the chain ring bolts and checked the cranks but all looks well, I'm hoping it just needed some TLC if not I'll have to replace the bearings.


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## Cubist (13 Jun 2013)

Guy at work mentioned that he'd trapped the brake cable on his commuter and the brakes no longer worked. Went and had a look and they were Deore LX hydraulic with dual controls. I had a couple of lengths of hose in the garage, ordered some new olives and barbs, and he brought it round tonight. New hose fitted, both sets of pads degreased and rotors cleaned, noticed his chain was in sh!t order and measured it to just under 1.0%. Treated him to my latest cast off .75%er and found it meshed perfectly well with his cassette. Rear QR skewer had a badly worn cam, so I raided my spares box for an old Shimano QR. He was well chuffed by the time we'd finished, but I was itching to wrestle it off him and give it a bloody good fettling.... an old Giant XTC with Bombers!!


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## the_mikey (14 Jun 2013)

Removed the old gear and brake cables on my road bike, installed new Jagwire cables. Cleaned and greased rear derailleur. Removed, cleaned and greased bottom bracket cups, cleaned and greased crank shaft. New exustar pedals to replace worn out look KeO pedals. Cleaned and greased headset bearings. New sealed bearings fitted in wheels. Jobs left to do: Fit new Conti Grand Prix tyres to wheels, and clean cycling shoes and re-fit cleats with some grease on the bolts to get rid of a creak.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (14 Jun 2013)

Nothing to do with the bike (still off it at the moment, still not well). The mute switch on my iPhone 3G had broken in the mute position, so today was "*operation open heart surgery on the iPhone*" day. After 2 hours work the iPhone is now back together again and working as before (camera lens is cleaner though, case repaired, on/off switch not being quite so stubborn and sim card not constantly claiming it is not installed - so relatively sucessful), but it looks like I actually need to replace the entire mute switch section & cable because the iOS is still not responding to the change in the switch position even when the internal switch is moved...





The glue was to repair a section of the back which was broken on tour when my OH dropped the iPhone breaking the on/off switch. It is not the first time I have dismantelled it.

And for the more observant... yes that is a suction cup from the bathroom... I refuse to purchase a dedicated one when I have a perfectly good set of them in the bathroom!


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## potsy (14 Jun 2013)

New chain & casette fitted to the Secteur, even took the cranks off for a deep(er) clean 

Was looking a tad dirty after a few wet commutes, pretty sure it was spotless the other day


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## ianrauk (14 Jun 2013)




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## potsy (14 Jun 2013)

ianrauk said:


>


Manchester grime too much for your southern eyeballs?


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## ianrauk (14 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> Manchester grime too much for your southern eyeballs?


 

ANY grime is too much for my eyeballs..


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## fossyant (14 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> Manchester grime too much for your southern eyeballs?



OMG Potsy. Flipping heck. I need a lie down.


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## inkd (14 Jun 2013)

New Clarks brake blocks fitted to rear on my hybrid also mudguards back on A) due to this unpredictable weather. B) removed to locate creaking sound but mysteriously has vanished after a good clean and lube of bike so refitted them.


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## Deleted member 23692 (15 Jun 2013)

Fitted some 'Aztec Road System Plus' pads and shoes to the road bike. Whilst doing so I noticed that the rear callipers wasn't releasing fully when I let go of the lever, so after a caliper clean and a cable lube, it all seems to be working wonderfully 

Just need to get out on a rice now and bed them in


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## phil_hg_uk (15 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> New chain & casette fitted to the Secteur, even took the cranks off for a deep(er) clean
> 
> Was looking a tad dirty after a few wet commutes, pretty sure it was spotless the other day
> 
> View attachment 24740


 

Was "the other day" in 2011


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## potsy (15 Jun 2013)

phil_hg_uk said:


> Was "the other day" in 2011


It could have been 

Need to go test the fettling but rain stopped play, hoping the new chain/casstte is enough and it doesn't need new chainrings, they are looking a bit 'shark-fin' like and have done a lot of miles in all weathers.
Apart from the odd small (ish) scratch it is looking like new


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## compo (15 Jun 2013)

I have just stripped, cleaned and regreased the headset on my Trek hybrid. This is the first bike I have done with an ahead headset and the first time I have done this bike so a learning experience as well. The lower set of bearings and crown race were very yucky, with a mess of dirty brown grease. The cleanup was obviously overdue. Anyway it's all clean and nice and smooth again now. Once it was all back together I realised I had the rear derailleur cable on the wrong side of the headset. Rather than strip it all down again I took the brake cable out of the lever to allow the lever brake/shifter assembly to slide off the handlebar and threaded it through the frame to move the cable to it's correct position. I thought that easier than stripping the headset again or disconnecting the derailleur cable. Funny thing is I thought I had checked cable routing before refitting the handlebars and stem. I blame Specsavers. Great fun, bikes, aren't they!


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## Cyclopathic (15 Jun 2013)

Tidying the workshop today.


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## Gary E (15 Jun 2013)

Just taken my old M520 pedals off and installed my new M540s


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## Boris Bajic (15 Jun 2013)

I spent a really charming hour or so with our rarely-resident student daughter. I was showing her around a step-through shopper and we found a wobbly wheel bearing.

She showed enormous patience as I took her tediously through cone spanners, axles, cups and all the rest of it. 

The bearings would have been changed in an ideal world but it was late in the evening so we greased, re-assembled and tightened. It was OK, but we could both feel the 'scratchiness' of the old shells. She could see stuff as it was explained, which was cheering.

She was amused that there wasn't a 'completely correct' way of sorting out bearings, or at least not one that I know. I think she quite liked learning that there is guesswork in setting some things up.It seemed to reassure her that I just sort of faffed about with the tightness until I got to the stage of 'turns freely but no wobble'.

Along the way we sorted the (hateful) canti brakes and showed some kindness to the various cables. 

She did some bits herself, including the chain - and she used the chain-wear indicator.... It is a start. Lots of questions and lots of engagement.

You may scoff that she is picking up fairly rudimentary maintenance at almost twenty, but it hasn't really interested her greatly up to now. 

I was taught some of this stuff by an elder sister, so the swings are becoming roundabouts again, or similar.


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## potsy (15 Jun 2013)

Knew it was a mistake to clean the bike yesterday, it's making a strange noise now that will have to be investigated further, it may or may not be anything to do with the fettling I did


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## phil_hg_uk (15 Jun 2013)

potsy said:


> Knew it was a mistake to clean the bike yesterday, it's making a strange noise now that will have to be investigated further, it may or may not be anything to do with the fettling I did


 

It was the mud that was holding the bottom bracket bearings together


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## potsy (15 Jun 2013)

phil_hg_uk said:


> It was the mud that was holding the bottom bracket bearings together


You are probably right Phil, @ianrauk's bike must sound horrendous if my clean one is anything to go by 

Just had the bike in bits again, can't see or hear anything obvious when it's on the stand


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## HovR (15 Jun 2013)

Stripped down the commuter for cleaning after yesterdays short-cut through a field turned out to be a bit muddier than expected. 

Found that the wheel bearings were a tad too tight whilst I had the wheels off, so I adjusted that and torqued the lock nuts down nice and tight so hopefully nothing moves again. The grease in the hubs looked nice and clean despite hundreds of commuting miles since I last serviced them, so I left that as is for now.


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## wisdom (15 Jun 2013)

Full fettle of the hybrid commuter.
After this weeks very wet rides everything was caked with gritty deposits.All cleaned adjusted and lubed,like new again.
Attention was turned to eldest sons mtb which has been languishing in the garden for 12 months,because he is rough as can be with his bike.And everything else really.
Jobs today have been remove both wheels ready for truing.(easier said than done as he had snapped the handle of the front quick release skewer).
Split the chain and removed it as it was a reddish colour and siezed in parts.
Removed all cables ready for cleaning,lubing and refitting.
Theres a bit of play in the bottom bracket which i will investigate when i get a crank puller.


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## Cyclopathic (16 Jun 2013)

Today I'm going to potter about in the old stable I use as a workshop doing little bits of this and that and listen to the omnibus Archers.


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## bicyclos (16 Jun 2013)

I fit a new computer VDO X1DW with cadence and a Navibe GPS unit on my Peugeot Audax bike ready for a big ride next week. Going out on it later today to make sure everything is spot on.


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## zophiel (16 Jun 2013)

added toe clips to the wife's cycle and a token chain catcher to mine.


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## smokeysmoo (16 Jun 2013)

Changed the wheels on the old Claud Butler I recently acquired then threw it through the woods at the end of our close 







Saddle came loose mid ride, (hence the daft angle in the above pic, and I hadn't taken any tools with me either ), got home, went to tighten it and the bolt sheared 

Looking at the seatpost I think it might be better to simply replace the lot TBH as the grooves at the top are worn away which I suspect it why it was coming loose in the first place?


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## Dan B (16 Jun 2013)

Built (well, laced) my first ever wheel. Rear wheel, but flip flip hub thus no worries about dishing it. Will probably have to stick it into the fork to true it though, don't have a jig


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## Shut Up Legs (17 Jun 2013)

I did one of my more obsessive* bike cleaning routines yesterday, leaving my commuter bike (Vivente World Randonneur) spotless . Another highlight of my weekend is that I went to a local post office on Saturday, to pick up and take home this:




It's a Park Tool PCS-10 bicycle work stand. The package weight was apparently 8kg, but by the time I got home from the post office, a 2.6km walk, my arms and shoulders felt it . I was much happier after I assembled it, though. Next weekend, I'll be doing a full front & rear derailleur cable replacement and derailleur adjustment, for the first time. Wish me luck.

* Yes, I even pulled a rag through various gaps in my front chain rings and front and rear derailleurs. In other words, if a nook or cranny had dirt in it, I targeted it!


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## lejogger (17 Jun 2013)

Well this isn't 'what I have fettled today' but more like 'what I have fettled in my free time over the past week or two'!

On the carbon bike I have removed:
Bar tape,
SRAM Rival levers,
all cabling,
SRAM Rival front mech,
headset,
cranks, pedals and chain rings,
and the bottom bracket...

...so apart from the seatpost/saddle, rear brake caliper and rear mech, I don't think there was much other than a frame at one point!

I then fitted:
a new FSA headset,
new SRAM Red shifters,
new Gore ride on Pro cables,
nearly new SRAM Force front mech,
cleaned, regreased and refitted the bottom bracket,
cleaned and refitted chain rings, cranks and pedals,
fitted new SRAM supercork bar tape...

...and then set it all up ready for yesterday's club ride to Llangollen.

All was a success apart from the rear mech cable tension being a bit out and the chain riding the teeth a tad at times, so being bike week in work, I cycled to our offices 5 miles away in my lunch break where the council had arranged for free bike checks and a lovely young lady mechanic twiddled with my barrel adjuster until all was smooth 

Apart from the indexing, the only part I sought help with (excluding youtube!) was removing the old crown race from the forks, and installing the new one. That cost me an ice cream each for the guys and gals in the shop.

Really proud to have done it all (mostly) myself and that the bike has survived thus far.

Only problem now is I have a similar job to do on the commuter bike...

...and so it all starts again


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## Svendo (17 Jun 2013)

Technically yesterday, but serviced and regreased lower cartridge bearing in the headset. Annoyingly the combined top bearing seating ring/cover bit stripped a sliver from its o-ring when I was 'persuading' it back onto the fork steerer. Still tight enough so I doubt it'll make much difference. Also did a nice polish all over, and double coat on the 'wheel spash' areas (under front fork, bottom of rear brake bridge, bottom of down-tube abd back of seat-tube).


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## Deleted member 23692 (19 Jun 2013)

Fitted some Fulcrum Quattros and Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps, to replace the Easton EA30's and Luganos that came as standard on my Cube.

I know I should really go for a ride but at the mo I'm happy just sitting here, cuddling a beer and looking at my new round loveliness


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## vickster (19 Jun 2013)

I repaired my first ever puncture this evening (well replaced the inner tube)...on the rear wheel  

I did have to walk the bike home though from the scene of the crime


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## HLaB (20 Jun 2013)

Replaced a Pawl Spring on the Bianchi and noisy free hub is back


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## compo (21 Jun 2013)

Today I fitted new pads in my disc callipers. The callipers are Shimano and call for B01 pads. I fitted Clarkes pads at less than half the price. The pads are fine, but for some reason when I put the brakes on it chewed up the springs. I had to refit the old springs which are working OK but can't see why the Clarkes springs got mashed up. They are identical to the Shimano springs. If it was just one spring I could put it down to a misfit, but not front and back, then the original ones go in with no issues.


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## Alan Frame (21 Jun 2013)

Today I converted my bike into a 9 speed.

Unfortunately, it's meant to be 27 speed. Wonder if I'll ever master indexing ?


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## billy1561 (22 Jun 2013)

Put the original mtb tyres back on the (wait for it) mtb and then put the hybrid tyres back on the (you guessed it) hybrid  
Also indexed the roadie


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## jazzkat (22 Jun 2013)

New front pads on the tourer.
Fitted a lowrider rack on it earlier in the week too, all ready for a bit of full on touring.


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## Tommy2 (22 Jun 2013)

Raised the saddles and lowered the bars on both my bikes.
Have to wait til Monday to see what it's like


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## G3CWI (23 Jun 2013)

A whole day of fettling. New bottom bracket bearing, new chain various other tasks. It all took ages due to needing numerous visits to the shop that cannot be named. Sometime my fault, sometimes theirs. Several setbacks along the way but its all done and the creak has gone. Yee-ha.

The commuting bike is back in fine fettle.


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## compo (23 Jun 2013)

Absolutely nothing fettled.

However, after working on lots of bikes, doing rebuilds and upgrades I have accumulated lots of assorted bicycle parts. These parts are to be found all over the house, tucked away in various cupboards and nooks and crannies much to the chagrin of my long suffering but never complaining wife. Today I bought a big plastic box and surprised her by going all round the house and finding everything bike related and depositing it all in the new box. I found stuff I never knew I had! Now it is all out in my shed and she can have several parts of her bungalow back again.


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## Moksha (24 Jun 2013)

Today, did a complete degrease of my bike's drivetrain using the Citrus degreaser my old school friend who works in the LBS in town recommended. Also cleaned the major parts of the bike (frame, wheels,mudguards & reflectors - new clipless pedals means one less big surface to clean!) then relubed parts needing attention and checked for wear. Decided also to sit down and try to fix the hesitant downshifting on my rear derailleur which has been driving me nuts on the longer rides. Twiddled with the barrel adjuster and made a good enough effort - it's better but there's still a little stickiness. Also got the tyres back to pressure and probably will do the AirZound at some point. 

Only thing bugging me now is the creaky seatpost/saddle of doom - at my wit's end for that fault!


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## compo (24 Jun 2013)

Moksha said:


> Decided also to sit down and try to fix the hesitant downshifting on my rear derailleur which has been driving me nuts on the longer rides. Twiddled with the barrel adjuster and made a good enough effort - it's better but there's still a little stickiness.


 
Could well be worth changing the cable outer that makes the final loop round to the derailleur. This seems to be a fairly common cause of poor downshifting.


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## compo (28 Jun 2013)

I have just changed the door lock on my Skoda Felicia. Hell of a job, three ball joints to snap undone with very poor access! Hardest bit was doing them up again on reassembly.


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## Shut Up Legs (29 Jun 2013)

I just completed my 1st ever full front & rear derailleur cable replacement and then adjustment  . I learned a few things doing it, such as:

how to clamp the front derailleur cable so it doesn't get crimped when you shift to the small ring, plus the importance of not clamping it too tight, thus causing fraying; and
the difference a minor adjustment to cable tension makes to shifting.
While learning this, I ruined 2 shifter cables, but I think it's a small price to pay. I ended up having to use a fine triangular file to file the groove in the front derailleur where the shifter cable sits, because I found it was looking pretty rough, and when I clamped the cables, they would almost straight away start fraying, snapping wires.

Both derailleurs now smoothly shift between all the rings/cogs (which I double-checked with a short ride up & down my street), and I'm very happy, because now I'm convinced I'll only need to visit a bike shop again for something major. I can now service (i.e. disassemble, clean, grease, reassemble) and/or replace the following myself:

brake and shift cables;
front & rear derailleurs (except the replacement);
rear hub and freehub body;
cassette;
chain;
front chain rings;
cranks; and
bottom bracket.
Not a complete list of what I can do on my bikes, but just being able to do the above means I won't have to visit bike shops very often any more . The Park Tools PCS-10 work stand proved to be extremely useful during this replacement and adjustment. A very nice tool, that.


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## Cyclopathic (29 Jun 2013)

9.am and I've already reconditioned the bearings on a cheapy old mtb wheel. Not a massively satisfying job as the bearing surface in the hub itself wasn't up to much but it's still a lot better than it was and has a few more miles of life.


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## Garyh09 (29 Jun 2013)

Changed my cassette over onto a new wheelset and put new wheels on my bike


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## Saluki (29 Jun 2013)

Chain cleaning in the front garden, my bike is in the bath (not filled with water before you ask, no loofah or rubber duck either) waiting for a rinse off and a polish.
I have a bit of a vibration when pedalling, it wasn't there on Thursday. I am hoping that its muck otherwise I will have to fettle properly.


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## smokeysmoo (29 Jun 2013)

Cleaned and checked the CAAD ahead of tomorrows GMC.

Thought she was clean and didn't intend anything more than a quick check over, but closer inspection revealed she was a dirty girl and needed sorting out 

Anyhoo, she's gleaming like a new pin and ready for tomorrow


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## potsy (29 Jun 2013)

Main commuting bike (Secteur) had a new chain & cassette last week, this week it has a new crankset and bottom bracket, gone from the stock Octlink to the new fangled Hollowtech 2 system with a Sora triple.

It's my second time of fitting this type of crank/bb (replaced bb on Tricross a while ago) and I think I have it sussed now, been for a 5 mile test ride and all seems well, one or two previous strange noises have gone and the old bb was looking very tired and rusty


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## Mr Haematocrit (29 Jun 2013)

Cut the steerer on my Tarmac, its lost a little more weight and is now under 6kg


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## wisdom (29 Jun 2013)

Full clean and lube following the very wet commute home yesterday.All is well now


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## potsy (29 Jun 2013)

Stage 2 of this weekends fettling session included cleaning the CX bike after a few wet commutes this week, it also was time for some new rubber and is now sporting a pair of Marathon Supremes in 32c, the old pair were 35's (which in reality are 37c) and I felt were just a bit too wide, these look much better and have a bit more clearance now under the guards.

Also swapped the seatpost & saddle from the rarely used hybrid onto it, surprisingly they were lighter than the stock CX ones, so with those and the tyres have lightened the bike by 200g


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## HLaB (29 Jun 2013)

I really should get another pair of spd-sl pedals; Ive just transferred them to the good bike for the umpteenth time!


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## morrisman (30 Jun 2013)

Today I have lowered the handle bars and raised the saddle a 1/4" on my Dawes Kalahari and now I go faster (~8%) and my knees hurt less -


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## flatflr (30 Jun 2013)

New bottom bracket fitted to the mountain bike. The original (after 500 miles) had started to make a "clicking" noise when under power so after checking everything else I decided to change it. All pretty simple after watching some videos on youtube. Old BB was well and truly shot, non drive side (not sure if that has a proper name) felt really notchy and the drive side bearing wasn't moving at all.


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## Shut Up Legs (30 Jun 2013)

I got to work this morning, and noticed that on my newly-installed FD cable, the ferrule had fallen off sometime during the commute, and the strands of wire at the end of the cable had separated from each other, so now it looks like a brush . Any tips on how to rectify this? I had a brainwave: put some heat-shrink tubing on the end of the cable to hold the strands together, then put another ferrule on. I think this will probably keep it contained until the cable wears out?


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## goody (1 Jul 2013)

You should be able to twist the strands back together if they haven't been bent. If the heat shrink is a the right size you wont need a ferrule it might look neater anyway.


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## Shut Up Legs (1 Jul 2013)

goody said:


> You should be able to twist the strands back together if they haven't been bent. If the heat shrink is a the right size you wont need a ferrule it might look neater anyway.


It certainly does! I cut the strands a bit shorter, because they were even messier when I got home from work. Then I slipped the heat-shrink tube on and heated it. No ferrule required, and the end result is very tidy . I didn't want to redo the cable just because the end of it started looking a bit messy, because somehow, even though this is my 1st ever front and rear derailleur adjustment, I got it just right, and the gear changing is smoother than before I replaced the cables. I am very happy with myself right now .


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## HLaB (1 Jul 2013)

Last night I put a new front tyre on the Bianchi (the old became the rear) and cleaned it up a bit; its in the lbs today for a compact chainset; I really should by the campag tools and learn how to do it myself.


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## Cubist (3 Jul 2013)

Last week's project was to stiffen up my front end.... on the 150 travel Canyon-framed bike. The Rockshox Revelation fork was a bit scruffy and had noticeable flex , so I set about remedying it. The best way would be to upgrade to 20mm maxle, but I wouldn't get much for my scruffy QR revs, and a decent s/h one was looking to be about £250, which I haven't got!

So, I advertised for a used fork which I could salvage the lowers from, and got a white 150 Rev with knackered stanchions. I stripped the labels, rubbed down and rattle-canned them in black silk finish plastikote. I got hold of some labels and re-stickered them, adding new wiper seals and glide rings, and adding them to the uppers of my Revelation fork which I serviced with full O ring kit a month or two ago. So, a near new fork with a maxle, but the front hub was QR only, and couldn't be adapted to run teh larger axle, so a bargain Hope Pro2 Evo front hub from Wiggle.

Next I enquired re having the hub built into the existing rim, to be told a price. However, I dropped a broad hint with the wheelbuilder who agreed to let me use his kit and he would teach me how to build it myself. So last night I built my first wheel, and a bloody good job I did too! It cost me the same as letting him build it, as I agreed to pay for his time, but the experience was worth double that!

So, retaped, valved and the tubeless tyre back on, the new setup is ready for its inaugural ride tonight. Pics later.


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## Fnaar (3 Jul 2013)

Cubist said:


> Last week's project was to stiffen up my front end....


Oh Lordy!


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## BSRU (3 Jul 2013)

After completing my personal challenge of 1,000 miles in a month(actually rode 1,100), my reward was to change my chain set on my road bike from a Shimano FCR-553 to a Shimano 105, mainly because it came with a 105 group set apart from the chain set and it always niggled me.
Also, since the jockey wheels have been screaming like little piggies for the last few days I changed them to some Tacx ceramic jockey wheels, old ones will be cleaned and kept as spares.


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## Cubist (3 Jul 2013)

Fnaar said:


> Oh Lordy!


Don't worry, I was thinking of you when I posted.....


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## Cubist (3 Jul 2013)

Pics as promised.
Maxle lowers prior to stripping, rattle-canning and re-stickering.



The finished front end


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## Christopher (4 Jul 2013)

ordered an Ambrosio rear hub from Spa today. When it arrives will measure it up - assuming the dimensions aren't in the manual - get the spokes and rim and start building...


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## gbb (4 Jul 2013)

Fettled the wifes brand new Raleigh Pioneer.
Just a pretty standard hybrid, but i can tell...she loves it.
Shop closes at 5.30, we arrived at 5.05, looked at a few...she liked that one. 'I'll get it prepared and serviced for you to pick it up tomorrow' said the guy.

That doesnt happen in our house...its today..or never. If the wife wants something, it has to be in stock, tomorrow is just not an option. Dont know why, just the way she works.
'I'll assemble it at home if thats ok' i said to the guy.
He was reluctant, doubting my ability no doubt.
'Its ok, ive built bikes from the frame up, i'll manage'

'Ok, i will chuck in a £20 lock then..'

1/2 hour tightening and checking...half an hour ride to the schools allotment to water the vegetables etc..half an hour ride back...all is well. She's a happy bunny.


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## Octet (5 Jul 2013)

I've purchased my first set of SPD pedals, Shimano E-PDM520L (White).

I've managed to put them on my road bike, but unfortunately with great difficulty. The reversed thread caught me out initially, and I ended up puncturing my hand on the front cassette as the spanner slipped.

Ouch 

I'm yet to see what sort of damage I end up doing to myself when I have my first "clipless" moment, as I still need to buy the shoes which the LBS didn't stock.


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## Rickshaw Phil (7 Jul 2013)

Stripped and regreased the wheel bearings on the Raleigh this afternoon as I've done 800 miles on the new wheels now. All was well and I probably could have left them a few hundred miles more. I now have peace of mind though. 

Decided I'm not a fan of adjusting bearings with quick release wheels. You think you've got it just spot on and tightening the lever changes the load.


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## Arjimlad (7 Jul 2013)

Took off the chain, cleaned it, took the cranks off & cleaned them too, cleaned up the derailleurs. I think the hollowtech axle is showing minor signs of wearing smooth in places, & it's time for some new BB cups.


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## musa (7 Jul 2013)

Fitted a new BB (dura ace hollowtechII) at work today, then gave chain and cassette a wash too

virtues of the job


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## Gravity Aided (8 Jul 2013)

Went through and finished up work on my Peugeot Versailles. I've decided the stem is too long, so back to the drawing board (or indoor trainer) to work out the fit issues. Odd for me at 6'5" to have fit issues concerning me being to small for a bike/component combination. Waiting on Amazon box with trekking bars for the Giant Nutra, taking that old hybrid full on touring. I think it has the proper attributes to serve me well as a compact touring bike and commuter. A good bit small for me, but gets the bars down where I need them, and a good, sturdy seat post keeps the rest of me where I need to be.


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## threebikesmcginty (8 Jul 2013)

Did a mickle, splashed a bit of 3-in-1 around the place. Must be coming up for that time of the year when the bike gets a wash.


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## Gravity Aided (9 Jul 2013)

Bars are here, Giant (for me) box from Amazin. And bar tape.


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## compo (9 Jul 2013)

I hooked up my trailer to my roadbike and went off and bought a new battery for my car. Once the battery was fitted my wife fettled my head with the clippers, so I am now a geriatric skinhead again. This afternoon I fitted a new rear gear cable and housing to my hybrid as the shifting was getting a bit iffy and it now works good again. One thing I must remember in future is to remove the wire cable from the housing before cutting the housing to length. Fortunately I had a couple of new cables in my spares box.


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## Night Train (9 Jul 2013)

I changed the bearing in the Brompton folding pedal.


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## flatflr (9 Jul 2013)

Combination of a few days fettling here. Bought new wheels (Mavic Ksyrium SLS) as a birthday present to myself and got them to throw a cassette in to the deal (11-25). Tried them out with the provided cassette and loved the wheels felt like they gave an extra gear, then swapped back over to original cassette (11-28) with the plan to build up to the new cassette in the future and have some hilly rides lined up.


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## wisdom (9 Jul 2013)

Added second bottle cage ready for the Manchester to Blackpool event on Sunday.


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## Kookas (11 Jul 2013)

Somehow lost a screw on my Crud RoadRacer mudguards, so I had to substitute it for one from Homebase. The mudguards' screws are black 12mm M4 type, but Homebase only had silver 16mm, so it looks positively ridiculous. Can't be bothered to cut it down with a saw.

Swapped out the other side, too. At least it looks balanced.


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## morrisman (11 Jul 2013)

Fitted my new Charge Spoon, and very nice it is too!


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## marknotgeorge (11 Jul 2013)

Fitted an Oxford CarrierLED rear light with built-in reflector to the carrier on my Barrossa Monaco.


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## MisterStan (12 Jul 2013)

New chain and block fitted to the best bike last night, SWMBO even allowed me to do this in the kitchen!


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## MisterStan (12 Jul 2013)

marknotgeorge said:


> Fitted an Oxford CarrierLED rear light with built-in reflector to the carrier on my Barrossa Monaco.


 
I've been looking for something like this! Is it bright enough for a full on winter commute light?


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## MisterStan (12 Jul 2013)

compo said:


> I hooked up my trailer to my roadbike and went off and bought a new battery for my car. Once the battery was fitted* my wife fettled my head with the clippers*, so I am now a geriatric skinhead again. This afternoon I fitted a new rear gear cable and housing to my hybrid as the shifting was getting a bit iffy and it now works good again. One thing I must remember in future is to remove the wire cable from the housing before cutting the housing to length. Fortunately I had a couple of new cables in my spares box.


Actually just spat tea on the keyboard - love that description!


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## marknotgeorge (12 Jul 2013)

MisterStan said:


> I've been looking for something like this! Is it bright enough for a full on winter commute light?


 
It seems bright enough to me, though I've only seen it in the hallway so far. The specs quote visibility of 500m, and it was only £6ish. However the leaflet in the box mentions it shouldn't be used in flashing mode when attached directly to the bike, and there's no other way of attaching it and it doesn't replace your reflectors. It'll do for my very occasional night riding.


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## Boris Bajic (12 Jul 2013)

Bled the brakes of my rc303. Much sweeter afterwards. I have the impression that many folk who ride disc-braked bicycles are not in the habit of bleeding them. It is worth it for the return of that sweet action. Probably from a safety perspective, too...

I was really setting up the bike for my wife, who after many tries does not really like road bikes, but likes the road. And she likes the Pace.

I fooled around with the stem and bar and saddle heights and put on my favourite fall-back tyres for MTBs on the road: Conti SportContacts. They are a wonderful tyre.

Once I'd done it all, I just *had* to put a pair of Egg Beaters on it and go for a blast. It is MUSTARD. Totally, utterly MUSTARD!!!!

Weird to blat over roads that I normally ride on a 53/39 roadie... I kept being unable to find the right gear... and the gaps between were odd for the road, too. Mustard nonetheless.

I'll put the flats back on tomorrow and it'll be hers. I am, frankly, too old and fat to use it off-road any more.


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## wisdom (12 Jul 2013)

Top fettle today.
Bought a workstand from Lidl and set to work cleaning the roadie,further fettling tomorrow,lube check everything top up tyres.Ready for the Mancr to Bpool.
It certainly makes further fettling easier,good piece of kit for the money.


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## Idoru (12 Jul 2013)

Fitted an Aldi pannier rack to my Giant comfort possible commuter bike... And didn't break anything in the process :-)


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## Saluki (12 Jul 2013)

After taking the Spesh for a free service from Halfords, we had the bike up on the stand and gave it a gear service. After halfords had it the gear changing was sloppy and occasional at best. Now its all lovely again. Lesson learned.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Jul 2013)

Trekking Bars and bar tape applied to the Giant Nutra. Very impressed at the amount of improvement $30.00 US will get you. I may have to consider this for the other bicycles.


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## the_mikey (13 Jul 2013)

Replaced the HT2 bottom bracket shells with new ones.


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## biggs682 (13 Jul 2013)

gave the latest arrival a quick lick round with some polish , swapped crankset over as original had a stuck pedal , then just before tea finished of getting another one ready for next weeks testing miles on my daily commute


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## Gravity Aided (14 Jul 2013)

My latest arrival may have to wait until the patient months of Winter set in, as it has an issue or two. Bar end shifters will be replaced with downtubes, and the seatpost will be unstuck, hopefully, but the bar end shifters and sealed hub wheels justify the US 30.00 price I paid for it.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Jul 2013)

It also has the Yamaha replacement fork, so it's been de-death forked already.


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## Shut Up Legs (14 Jul 2013)

biggs682 said:


> gave the latest arrival a quick lick round with some polish , swapped crankset over as original had a stuck pedal , then just before tea finished of getting another one ready for next weeks testing miles on my daily commute


Oh, good!  So I'm not the only one who planned to replace a crankset to 'remove' a stuck pedal. I've had a stuck left pedal on my Vivente tourer/commuter for some months, now, and have tried to remove it, but I suspect I'll end up taking the easy option, which is just to install the brand new crankset I bought a few months ago. A bit of a cop-out, I know, but I'm fed up with trying to remove that pedal.

Today on the abovementioned bike, after cleaning it, I replaced the front brake pads, re-clamped both brake cables and adjusted the brakes. All good to go for another 300km week of commuting. Is it sad that I'm sitting here on a Sunday evening, looking forward to my commute?


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## biggs682 (14 Jul 2013)

@victor in the end my lbs managed to remove stuck pedal with aid of a big vice and a huge pr of mole grips !

but had already swapped crank set over


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## Pumpkin the robot (14 Jul 2013)

Your local bike shop uses mole grips?


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## MOI (16 Jul 2013)

Tonight after work I will be fettling my Cannondale by replacing the saddle with a Charge Scoop (heard good reports about them).


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## Fnaar (16 Jul 2013)

My fettling confidence is growing apace... had new cassette put on recently (needed lower gears). It was fine for a while but then in lowest gear (only used on biggest hills) it felt like cogs and jockey wheels were rubbing together, making am annoying (but not ride-stopping) noise and vibration. Googled a bit, and tried the 'reverse the b-screw' trick, and hey presto! Not only that, but I've learned to to index my gears properly on the way, and not be scared of touching them for fear of making it unrideable. All that and a tax rebate too. Good day, all in all!


[edit: hmm, gear fettling not so good out on the road...  ]


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## Moksha (16 Jul 2013)

Not so much today but over the past few days. Replaced the chain on my hybrid as I had found the wear had proceeded past the 12 inch mark by just over a 1/16 - luckily the LBS still had some 7 speed left at closing time. Also built up my new workstand from Lidl and adjusted the front derailleur to make the shifting a little smoother. I panicked at one point as I couldn't get the chain to shift up to the highest chainring. After a night's sleep I managed to figure out what I had done and go figure it was the cable tension being too high to allow the FD to shift at all (in addition to the high limit screw). Starting from scratch and following a website's guide to the letter helped significantly! 

Also my new toy arrived after spending some time in customs: after struggling to get the unit to stay upright using the old rubber shim from an old light, I managed to secure a new daylight running capable light: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18815821/IMAG0863.jpg (The light itself is the Xeccon Geinea R, which can be had for about £42 (+ £23 customs + VAT))


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Jul 2013)

Serviced my cousin's Carrera MTB. The rear hub needs a new bearing cone on the non-drive side due to pitting, but that has had to be ordered so it's all been regreased and gone back together for the time being. 1 ball bearing and the skewer spring missing from that side too.


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## gavgav (16 Jul 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Serviced my cousin's Carrera MTB. The rear hub needs a new bearing cone on the non-drive side due to pitting, but that has had to be ordered so it's all been regreased and gone back together for the time being. 1 ball bearing and the skewer spring missing from that side too.


When you coming to fettle mine?


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Jul 2013)

gavgav said:


> When you coming to fettle mine?


Your bike will be easier as it's not done so many miles yet. When would be convenient?


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## gavgav (17 Jul 2013)

Satu


Rickshaw Phil said:


> Your bike will be easier as it's not done so many miles yet. When would be convenient?


Saturrday morning? Going to the footy in the afternoon but can do the morning. 10.30?


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## Rickshaw Phil (17 Jul 2013)

gavgav said:


> Satu
> Saturrday morning? Going to the footy in the afternoon but can do the morning. 10.30?


PM sent.


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## Kookas (18 Jul 2013)

I fitted new wheels (Fulcrum R5s) to my bike, cleaned my frame, and followed it through with a proper clean and oil of the drive train.

Before, the bike sounded ready to disintegrate into its base parts. Without the grinding from dirt-packed jockey wheels or the sticking of cheap, poorly greased hubs, the bike feels and sounds absolutely amazing. Honestly, the difference was night and day.


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## Accy cyclist (19 Jul 2013)

I put some new brake blocks on my front wheel.The old ones were showing metal! Ten quid a pair from the LBS, for the same ones on sale at eighteen quid elsewhere!


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## Mr Haematocrit (19 Jul 2013)

Found a 2010 Cevelo S2 frame set I never knew I had, inspected it and relocated it to the same place as my other spare frames. No idea what I'm gonna do with it.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (19 Jul 2013)

decided today was too hot for cycling, so fettling it was instead. under the tree in the shade. road and mountain bikes washed in lovely cool water, then it was tlc time for both of them.. the road bike has been skipping on the smaller rings on the cassette but only when out and about, not on the turbo trainer.... and the mountain bike picked up a curious rattle on last night's ride which seemed to be related to the front brake pads... so they have been extracted, cleaned and returned and the noise seems to have gone. tomorrow's mtb ride will soon test that theory.


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## Deleted member 23692 (19 Jul 2013)

Fitted two new water bottles into the cages on my road bike.... it's too hot to do anything else


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## mr_hippo (19 Jul 2013)

Can we include on here epic fettling failures? If so... I had an unscheduled deflation incident last week. The tyre was new with only 225kms on it. The tread had a small nick in it but I was only about 7 kms from home.
I remember reading somewhere, possibly on here, about repairing small defects in the tread (not the wall), with superglue so I thought I would give it a try. It works but ... only if you want to burn a hole in the tyre!


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Jul 2013)

Pedals, pedals and more pedals. I went over to service @gavgav's bike (well, more of a checkover/adjust really as it's still quite new). The one thing that it really did need was the pedals stripping and regreasing as they were quite gritty.

On the way home, my left pedal sheared off, which was rather inconvenient. I've had to buy a replacement set and since my knockabout bike and both my siblings bikes used the same pedals I was a bit concerned about them suffering the same problem so had to investigate.

The knockabout bike has gone back to an old set of pedals for the time being and the ones that came off have been stripped for inspection. I can't find any obvious fault, but not sure I trust them enough to refit as the bike tends to get some hard use.

My brother's pedals have been rebuilt using the good parts from a low mileage but externally damaged set, so they should be sorted. Looking at the spindles that came out, his would have been the next to fail.

My sister's bike will have to be checked at a later date.


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## Deleted member 23692 (21 Jul 2013)

This morning's ride included a few miles along an unfenced gated road where cattle are kept, so this afternoon's job has been removing all the splattered turd from.... well.... pretty much everywhere .


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## Gravity Aided (21 Jul 2013)

Fenders- because sometimes you are not just riding through water.


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## musa (21 Jul 2013)

Well quiet day at work so fitted some kcnc jockey wheels cheap price for them so you know




Fitted new bottle cages new brake cables greaaed stem bolts and pedals. Straightened rear fork 

Chain cleaned brakes calipers cleaned 
Fantastic job


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## Cubist (21 Jul 2013)

I had a puzzler, which was the Blackspire Stinger dropping to 6 o'clock after a few miles riding. It's mounted on the BB in place of one of the HT2 spacers, so I took off the cranks, cleaned the BB shell face, the stinger mounting plate and the inside edge of the BB cups and torqued it up to level F on the "That ain't coming undone in a hurry" scale. It survived my ride this evening, so we'll see. Oh, and then I treated the whole bike to a good clean as dust was getting in every crevice. 

Cubester then rocks up to say his rear brake was pulling to the bars without resistance. It's a Hope tech M4, so I took off the reservoir cap to discover an empty res. Cubester spotted that the diaphragm had a cut in the sealing edge, and fortunately I had a spare in the rummage part of the toolbox. That fitted and a new pair of kevlar pads, good clean and bleed and it was good to go.


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## MichaelO (28 Jul 2013)

Big cleaning session this afternoon, and replaced my chain (first time I've ever done that - the proof of whether I've done it right will be tomorrow morning on the way to work!). I'm right in thinking that new chains are fine with the lubrication they come with for the first few rides..? 

A shiny bike is a pleasure to look at


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## gavroche (28 Jul 2013)

Put a new tyre on back wheel, cleaned cassette, chain and lubricated. Also cleaned bike and put some pictures up.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Jul 2013)

Overhauled bottom bracket on my Giant Nutra Tourer.


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## RhysB (29 Jul 2013)

Trued rear wheel

Tweaked rear/front derailleur 

Think new chain is a link short, just stops. So that's tomorrow's job. May bodge it by putting another powerlink on it so there's two hmm


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## Lanzecki (29 Jul 2013)

I cleaned 1/2 of my Garage. 25*35 Feet of it. All the broken toys and dross. Found 2 kids bikes. Found many tools. And found my bike and mechanicing mad daughter's less interested in helping clean.

On the plus side I get see the floor. A bigger plus is I can lower my bikes from the roof to the floor, instead of a pile of old bits and pieces. Ohh, and I've found my workbench is wood 

Perhaps now I can do things to bikes without having to rearrange everything.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Jul 2013)

Mrs. GA says the garage and basement should get cleared out so the junkyard doesn't move out here for convenience sake.


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## MOI (29 Jul 2013)

I removed my back wheel from SS to fix a puncture, fitted new tube and new tyre ( a nice black & white rubino) blew tyre up and psssssssssssstttt , removed new (now old) inner tube and tyre and decided to get some new rim tape (now the wheel is only 140 miles old  ), so went thru stages 1 & 2 again with the added fitment of new rim tape, anyway shes a goodun now


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## GlasgowFinn (29 Jul 2013)

Fitted new SKS raceblades as the wet weather seems to be here to stay!

Changed my saddle, adjusted my brakes.


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## Christopher (29 Jul 2013)

laced up a pair of 32 wheels. About half of the componetry are out the spares box, bought the rest. Only problem is the rear hub is silver and the front black. They are for my bother who might well say thanks... but the hubs are different. Anyway time for the real work: truing the things...


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## MichaelO (30 Jul 2013)

MichaelO said:


> and replaced my chain (first time I've ever done that - the proof of whether I've done it right will be tomorrow morning on the way to work!). I


 
And another evening trying to work out what the heck I've done to my gears while changing the chain - must have knocked them or something - some weird noises going on...


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## BSRU (30 Jul 2013)

After a screeching rear wheel caused me to abort a ride, today I replaced the pawls and springs in the freehub, more importantly changed the sealed bearings, the non freehub side was lacking it's seal and looked very dry.
Hopefully I will whizz along now


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## Cubist (30 Jul 2013)

Great few hours in the garage. Cubester pinchflatted his rear (tubeless) a week or two ago. Much spinning and cursing got the hole near the centre tread to seal with latex. We were just going to ride the trails at Penmachno when he noticed it had gone flat again, and sure enough it was the same hole. I tried to fix it using worms, but they weren't having it. I ended up booting the split (about 8mm) with a piece of gaffer tape from the inside and fitted our only tube for the ride. He did very well, considering he ain't subtle in his line choice, and only suffered a blowout 200 yards from the finish line. He siad it went with a bit of a pop, so imagine my surprise when we took the tube out: 




SO, today I patched the three holes I could find in his tyre with vulcanised rubber squares, revalved it and pumped it back up with fresh sealant. So far it's holding OK. 

My hardtail needed a new chain so that was fitted, and I treated the susser to a secondhand Hope stainless BB... I got it for a song but it needed outer seals. They came yesterday so I flushed and regreased the bearings and fitted it today. I tested it out this afternoon for a couple of hours, s all's good.


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## Christopher (31 Jul 2013)

Tured front wheel, not done yet. I hate radial truing! Still have the rear to tackle, then they need riding in...


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## Hacienda71 (31 Jul 2013)

Fitted new brake inners and outers and retaped the bars on my new to me 1980 Carlton.


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## JoeyB (6 Aug 2013)

Today I swapped the wife's MTB knobbly tyres for some Schwalbe City Jet slicks. Hopefully this will make a massive difference for her! It did for me when I made the same switch on my MTB a few years ago.


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## derrick (6 Aug 2013)

Had a puncture on the way to work this morning, so i had to fix the inner tube tonight, so i have a spare to carry.


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## GlasgowFinn (7 Aug 2013)

I changed the bar tape on my road bike. 

Not as easy as it looks.


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## Gravity Aided (7 Aug 2013)

Not really Fettling, but I went to look at a bicycle frame in a bicycle shop basement in Washington, Il.
A Sekai 4000.
Still have not heard if they want to sell it, or keep it.


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## HLaB (8 Aug 2013)

Cleaned the Bianchi tonight (well last night) and tightened its rear hub in search of a clicking noise!


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## Gravity Aided (8 Aug 2013)

Did that stop the noise?


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## arranandy (8 Aug 2013)

Winter bike rebuilt last night complete with new chainset and chain. Bike had been sitting in bits since April so about 8.30 last night I just took the notion to rebuild it. 2 hours later and it was all done. I'll need to take it for a wee test ride after work today


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## alicat (8 Aug 2013)

> Winter bike rebuilt last night complete with new chainset and chain. Bike had been sitting in bits since April so about 8.30 last night I just took the notion to rebuild it. 2 hours later and it was all done. I'll need to take it for a wee test ride after work today


 
Good piece of work!


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## Kies (8 Aug 2013)

New ergo road bars fitted.lined up the shifters, wrapped with new bar tape. Two new bottle holders in black as the white ones were looking very shabby. Test ride tonight


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (8 Aug 2013)

In preparation for my John O'Groats to Land's End next month (JOGLE), a major overhaul of my expedition/off-road touring bike has been required...
washed to within an inch of its life, right down to bottle cages, spoke reflectors, toe clips, pump holder, chain, chainrings, wheels, brake pads etc all removed for wash, check over and general how is everything check? I have decided against cleaning the tyres to within a inch of their life, can't really see the point, but all spokes have been checked and none so signs of corrosion or even wear so I am really pleased with how the bikes are holding up.
front wheel retrued, brakes re-balanaced (they were showing some signs of uneven wear), new longer stem fitted, Rohloff hub oil change, chainring replaced from 38T to 40T, a new link added to chain as a result, oh and chain cleaned to within an inch of its life as well, eccentric bottom bracket removed and cleaned - actually looking really good for the 15,000km it has done. Rear light refitted.
Need to find my magnet for my cateye computer and get some suitable length cable ties to reattach cycle computer and I think one of my pedals may need new bearings - the one I lead off with. And I need to try to find a new saddle. Hate that game. For some reason the one I have on there now if no longer comfortable to my backside. Otherwise the bike is ready for some overnight weekend rides that you plan before a 'big event' but somehow never quite find the time for 







Then it was over to my OH's expedition bike - he is joining me for some of the JOGLE but work commitments mean he can't complete all of it.
His bike needs more TLC and will take a while longer to complete. His rear wheel is being rebuilt next week (by @RRSODL - thank you) due to a failing rim), but the rest of the bike also needs a touch of TLC and a very good clean. He also seems to have a pedal bearing issue, on the other side which is his lead off foot - spot the theme? After a win on the premium bonds (don't get excited it was only £25) he has treated himself to new mudguards which I need to modify to fit - rear one done, but I am still working on the front one. 

still in pieces and still very dirty...


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## Octet (8 Aug 2013)

First time ever doing a full de-grease of the bicycle chain. It's been raining and going along the country paths has left it filthy (even with a wipe down after each ride).


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Aug 2013)

I've not been keeping up to speed. Never mind.

Today I used some syntace shims to adjust a brake disc so it now sits in the middle of the caliper and added a rear SKS chromopastic mudguard to the rear of my fixed. The front will have to wait until I get two new sekuclips.


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## dave r (9 Aug 2013)

Upgraded my computer this afternoon, I've been happily running a customized version of Lubuntu 12.10, its been very good, fast, stable, reliable and no major problems. This afternoon I had some time to spare so backed everything up and upgraded to version 13.04, nice and straight forward, didn't take long and kept my configuration nicely, afterward just needed some tidying up and it was all done. so far the only teething trouble I've got is some instability in the main menu apart from that all is well.


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## Octet (9 Aug 2013)

Tried to adjust my front derailleur but failed miserably, ordered some new cables off Amazon, but found some other bits and bobs for the bicycle which I'm still trying to justify needing... anyway, basket is full and I'm waiting for it to arrive!


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## Cyclopathic (10 Aug 2013)

I have tried for about three hours to straighten a very badly deformed wheel that was bent side to side by about an inch with an eccentricity of a good quater of an inch. Although I did manage to get it fairly damned straight (within about 1mm) and a lot more central the forces I had to exert on the spokes meant that the whole alignment had shifted over to the left by a good half an inch making it fairly useless.
Have admitted defeat on this one as it is just not worth saving. It was only a budget level wheel anyway and can be replaced for about £20 but still felt like a defeat.


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## Pumpkin the robot (10 Aug 2013)

I removed my front fork and cut about an inch off the top and then machined it square to ake it nice and neat, so that I do not have a stack of rings sat above steering stem. Looks much better now. Also took some measurments so I can make my own steering stem next weekend or maybe one evening this week.
Also gave the bike a good clean and whipped the cassette off to clean that.


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## alkalinekerri (10 Aug 2013)

I cleaned and gave the whole bike the once over after five weeks of ownership, chain degrease, lube, polished it and everything, I don't want to ride it to get it dirty again now. Apparently I have a bump/bulge in my rear tyre, is this something I can fix myself?! They are new but have covered about 500 miles and I, too, am a newbie!


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## Hip Priest (10 Aug 2013)

I replaced the rear brake cable on my old road bike, so it is now ready to become my new commuter. It involved removing and replacing bar tape for the first time, which I thought would be a tricky job, but it was quite easy. Chuffed!


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## Aga (10 Aug 2013)

Well, I was going to do 50 miles with my friend today, he picked up his brand new bike from the shop, 10 miles later booooom , his tyre was dead!!! Oh well, there is always tomorrow


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## Shut Up Legs (11 Aug 2013)

Cleaned my bike, re-clamped both brake cables, and replaced the front tube. It has a Presta valve, and the screw-tip snapped off. I then trued my truing stand , because its calipers weren't perfectly centred. Fortunately, my commuter bike's front wheel is perfectly true (and perfectly dished), so I could use it to calibrate the truing stand. I'm preparing to do my first ever wheel building. I have all the parts and tools, so probably next weekend will involve some wheel building!


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## Leaway2 (11 Aug 2013)

alkalinekerri said:


> I have a bump/bulge in my rear tyre, is this something I can fix myself?! They are new but have covered about 500 miles and I, too, am a newbie!


I wouldn't risk it for the price of a tyre. Can you take it back and argue it has a fault? The wear should be minimal, but they could say you "mistreated it". Worth a try though.


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## Octet (11 Aug 2013)

alkalinekerri said:


> Apparently I have a bump/bulge in my rear tyre, is this something I can fix myself?!


 
Could just be the inner tube pinched between the rim and the tyre wall. Deflate the tyre and give it a good feel, see if you notice anything odd around the bulge area. If you do notice something, try repositioning the inner tube (either remove it completely and re-insert it or pull the tyre wall away from the rim and stick a finger under it).


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## Leaway2 (11 Aug 2013)

New cassette and chain on the Secteur.


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## marknotgeorge (11 Aug 2013)

Bah! Yesterday I bought some longer screws to adjust the brake levers on the Mad Scientist's Cuda Mayhem. Fitted one, then dropped the next one. Bent down to pick it up...

... and promptly uttered all the Anglo-Saxon I knew. I'd put my back out. So instead of going for a Sky ride this afternoon, I've been installing Nokia Suite so the Drama Queen can back up her mobile phone.


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## Martyn H (11 Aug 2013)

I replaced some very puncture prone tyres with a pair of Conti Tour Plus, repaired the inner tube with a self adhesive patch and put it back on the wheel. I later went out on an afternoon ride, only to discover a flat tyre three miles out from home. Out came the tool kit, off came the tyre only to find that the patch had partially lifted and had a layer of french chalk from the inside of the tube under it. I replaced the tube and returned home. I think I will use a traditional repair with the rubber solution glue for a stronger repair. I have used self adhesive patches without problems in the past, but couldn't help noticing how much chalk came out of the tube. Anyone else had this problem?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Aug 2013)

Martyn H said:


> <snip> I have used self adhesive patches without problems in the past, but couldn't help noticing how much chalk came out of the tube. Anyone else had this problem?


 
yes - I have a single Schwalbe tube that will not patch with the self adhesive patches at all. We have had to purchase the traditional repair kit to patch that tyre. All of the other tubes (also Schwalbe) from road, mountain bikes and tourers, are all happy to patch with self adhesive patches.


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## Accy cyclist (12 Aug 2013)

I bought this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-Bike-Maintenance-Book-Repairs/dp/1847329802 book today for £3.99. It has some good reviews.


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## Pikey (12 Aug 2013)

Stripped the road bike down to parts to pick the insectivorous fauna trapped in every crevice, bearing and lever from having it on the roof rack whilst driving back from Scotland at the weekend.

Had to bin the bar tape, shame cos it was so comfy but it was covered in fly, wasp and butterfly guts, replaced it with some Fizik stuff I had in the garage which I have decided I hate cos it looks like the grips on my dads old golf clubs.

Looks like I'll be replacing that tape tomorrow then...


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## Octet (12 Aug 2013)

Gear cable finally changed, after a slightly embarrassing and frantic posting for help on here. Completely cleaned the bicycle, decided to swap back to dry lubricant as the wet one is so messy (for the time being at least), re-positioned the brake pads and changed the handlebar tape.


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## HLaB (12 Aug 2013)

Tried lightly greasing my freehub/pawls before as that what guides suggest but the pawls were engaging to harshly (clunk, clunk as anybody who has ridden with me will testify). So I regreased them; maybe over greased this time however  I'll see how it handles tomorrow, might end up stripping it again and finding a middle ground or it might just be that the hub (7607miles old) is on the way out


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## musa (13 Aug 2013)

Front pads changed 

Touch up paint on frame.


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## dave r (13 Aug 2013)

Managed to fix the washing machine tonight, belt off and pulley loose, now not only is it working it no longer sounds like a bag of nails when its spinning.


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## fossyant (13 Aug 2013)

Nothing.

Whoop !


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## I like Skol (14 Aug 2013)

Well, Monday night actually. I called at Bro's house in South Wales while on a camping break and ended up spending the evening at camp stripping his back wheel and rebuilding the rim and spokes onto a new hub. Very therapeutic and helped a few beers disappear along the way...... 

He now has a Skol special back wheel, they are highly sought after.


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## Octet (14 Aug 2013)

Started to clear out the shed, to make room for more bicycle related stuff and/or bicycles.... it's surprising how many empty paint cans you can accumulate over the years.

Anyway, the proudest edition is the "Wall of Tools" (might need to change the name... don't want the neighbors to be getting the wrong impression). It isn't finished yet, and I'm sure over the coming years more shall be added to it however for the time being it contains pretty much all I need to maintain the roadie (including a paint brush for touch up work).


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## Archeress (14 Aug 2013)

Off topic a bit.... fettling a set of arrows. Refletching them as I think these heavier arrows will work better with the more powerful bow I'm shooting. The old vanes were a bit knackered.

Hugs
Archeress x


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## wisdom (14 Aug 2013)

Will the wall stay as tidy as its contents expand. A promising start though.


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## Octet (14 Aug 2013)

wisdom said:


> Will the wall stay as tidy as its contents expand. A promising start though.


 
Hopefully, I might need to get a new piece of wood to mount to the shed to keep up however!

It sure beats sticking your hand in the current tool box, a lucky dip of sharp points.


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## derrick (14 Aug 2013)

The front derailleur packed up the other half's bike this evenings while we were on a ride, manged to get it working well enough to finish the ride,


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## Pikey (15 Aug 2013)

Mrs P was out all day, so I smashed a four pack of Newcastle brown and spend an idyllic day building the winter bike project, which was a pile of spares and a frame really until now.


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## Deleted member 23692 (15 Aug 2013)

Took the knobby shod wheels of the MTB and slapped on the slick shod wheels


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## Archeress (16 Aug 2013)

Fitted new front and rear brake pads to my mountain bike that I use casually.

Hugs
Archeress x


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## GilesM (16 Aug 2013)

Two new Conti Race Kings fitted to my hardtail, both quite worn and a big wood screw finished the back one off last week, looking very good for tonights ride.


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## dave r (16 Aug 2013)

Just did the weekly checks on both my bikes.


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## Mattonsea (16 Aug 2013)

Prepped the bike for 10 days of cycling in Brittany. All lubed and polished , just have to do the boys bikes now.


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## SimonJKH (17 Aug 2013)

Changed the cable for the rear derailleur as the old one had been damaged in an 'off'. Went remarkably smoothly for me.


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## musa (17 Aug 2013)

Took apart my bike and Built my new bike and started assembling the other bike which requires handlebars stem wheels

Couldn't progress due to no headset and no chain set yet to be delivered


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## HLaB (17 Aug 2013)

Took my freehub apart again, to clean and grease the pawls. Tried an in between level of grease this time, I think I greased it too much the last time.


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## Supersuperleeds (17 Aug 2013)

Saw a neighbour going out on her bike and called her back and pumped up her tyres for her this morning. Her tyres were that flat they didn't register any pressure on the track pump. Does that count as fettling?


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## fossyant (17 Aug 2013)

Fixed up the gear change, brakes and saddle height on one of my kids friends bikes today. She now has a bike she can ride.


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## Kies (17 Aug 2013)

I charged my lights up!


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## Snapper88 (17 Aug 2013)

I cleaned my bike (just before it rained) reset my back wheel (was off center & could hear brake rubbing) & cleaned the gutters (again before it rained)


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## Shut Up Legs (18 Aug 2013)

*How to Make a Bicycle Silent.*
1. If you suspect a bicycle part of making noise, then

disassemble it;
clean it;
regrease it; and then
reassemble it.
2. For anything else that won't shut up, refer to step 1.






I could see the storm clouds gathering on the horizon as I worked


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## Deleted member 23692 (18 Aug 2013)

MTB has had a shower (yes in the bathroom ), then been dried off and had a liberal coating of 'GT85 splash on lotion' applied


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (18 Aug 2013)

I wanted a bike ride with my OH this morning (bullying him into it at the moment), so his bike needed some fettling before we could go anywhere.
His chain was rusted in place it is so long since he last used the bike! Nothing was going to get that working again, so it was a case of grabbing the chain tool, removing the rusted chain, counting the links, adding 3 new pairs and a quick release to the chain hanging up in the kitchen (off his expedition bike - they just so happen to be the same type chain) and then checking his tyres - air added and we could get out for our ride.... 46km later and I now need to get him a new chain for his tourer which will be in use next month...


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## HLaB (18 Aug 2013)

HLaB said:


> Took my freehub apart again, to clean and grease the pawls. Tried an in between level of grease this time, I think I greased it too much the last time.


I think Ive put it back to its original level of clunkyness; only occurring when I back pedal or pause through a stroke, only occasionally at other times


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## musa (18 Aug 2013)

Fitted mudguards recabled the gears and from brake. Bought new rear mech fitted that.


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Aug 2013)

Fixed a slow puncture (down to 20 psi after 2 weeks since I last rode the bike) and also fitted a new chainring and chain to the Raleigh. I've changed to a 44 tooth big ring to give a few gear inches more at the top end.


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## vernon (19 Aug 2013)

Pumped up the tyres on three of my bikes.

Cleaned the mud off my mountain bike.

Washed my touring bike.


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## Saluki (19 Aug 2013)

Not today but last night.
Took bars and shifters off my Defy 2, put on new bars (thanks @vickster) and Tiagra shifters purloined from hubbies winter bike. Took off the Sora derailleur and put on a Tiagra derailleur (no prizes for guessing where that came from). Fluffed up getting the chain back on so need to pop to LBS today for a new link and it will get done tonight. Must get some new bar tape. I like blue bar tape.

Over the next couple of days we will put the Sora stuff and my old handlebars on Hubbies winter hack aka his old Carerra Vanquish (the only Vanquishness about it is the frame nowadays). We are getting quite competant nowadays. We have a big book of cycle maintenance and if it all goes tits up, we have Howards around the corner.


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## cyberknight (19 Aug 2013)

CK#1`s front wheel kept catching on the brake blocks so i reset the blocks for better alignment, played with the spoke tension and finally took a hammer to the rim in a couple of spots as the wheel was fairly bent in places.
Good job i did as i noticed the washers with hooks that are supposed to hold the washer to the forks was actually lifting the wheel out of the drops outs slightly.
Runs a lot smoother now !


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## fossyant (20 Aug 2013)

Bike related. Added two shoot bolts to the garage door over and above the existing 3 locks, after last weeks attempted break in. What a palava.


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Aug 2013)

Fitted new wheels, cassette, chain and brake blocks to the knockabout bike.

The back wheel I fitted this time last year suffered quite badly from the grit and salt during the winter and is down to the wear limit already, so I put a new set on my birthday list. 
A 12 to 32 cassette replaces the 13 to 34 freewheel which will give a few more gear inches at the top end of the range for fast cruising but the bottom end is still low enough to get up the Long Mynd without difficulty.


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## Saluki (21 Aug 2013)

Moved my handlebars to a proper sort of position, one that doesn't look like I have a paper round. Moved the shifters to a much more sensible sort of place and re-taped the bars.
Hubby is now sorting out the dodgy cable. My fingers won't work well enough for cable things. Another shakedown ride will happen in an hour or so.


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## Deleted member 23692 (21 Aug 2013)

Fitted a new chainstay protector to the MTB.....


Hummmmmmm.... neoprene


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## Phil Fouracre (21 Aug 2013)

Just fitted the last bonded window into new van conversion. Going to be used as bike transport, so does it count?


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## HLaB (21 Aug 2013)

Went to fit a new freehub body but its 1 or 2 mm too long 
So fitted a new pawl spring to the old freehub body instead; I think its actually quieter but I'm not sure if its running as smoothly


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## Svendo (22 Aug 2013)

HLaB said:


> Went to fit a new freehub body but its 1 or 2 mm too long
> So fitted a new pawl spring to the old freehub body instead; I think its actually quieter but I'm not sure if its running as smoothly


 
I'm enjoying your hub saga, but I'd love to know what make your hub is?

For my part my headset lower bearing literally sounded like a bag of spanners, and has been leaking brown water when wet for a week or two. Decided I shouldn't put off servicing the bearing anymore. It was just low on grease but sounded like the balls had disintegrated. At some point I'll have to see about getting the lower race of the cartridge bearing detached from the fork/crownrace (it's corroded on) or get new forks.


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## HLaB (22 Aug 2013)

Svendo said:


> I'm enjoying your hub saga, but I'd love to know what make your hub is?


Its a campag hub on campag Kashim wheels. The rims are pristine at circa 7000miles but I'm loathe to spend too buy a £70 freehub body for the £119 wheels. If its not too noisy tonight after fitting the new pawl spring I think I'll wear them out and get new wheels next spring.


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## Sandra6 (22 Aug 2013)

Finally got around to replacing the pedal on youngest daughter's bike today. Managed to get my little finger stuck in the chain. That really hurt. 
I can't get the other pedal off though, so now they don't match.


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## Pat "5mph" (22 Aug 2013)

Sandra6 said:


> Finally got around to replacing the pedal on youngest daughter's bike today. Managed to get my little finger stuck in the chain. That really hurt.
> I can't get the other pedal off though, so now they don't match.


Give it a bath in w40, might work.


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## Sandra6 (22 Aug 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Give it a bath in w40, might work.[/quote
> My finger?!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (22 Aug 2013)

glad I am not the only one who thought that!


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## Kies (22 Aug 2013)

m324 SPD pedals fitted to the best bike in prep for fnrttc , lights charged,tyres checked and the chain cleaned/lubed. Edge 200 charged to record the ride. Love getting preped for big rides and my first social :-)


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (24 Aug 2013)

I have decided that there is a fundamental problem with cycling as a means of transport: I keep wearing out parts!

My touring bike has needed new pedals - they only lasted 1 year of touring or around 9,500 miles. I would have serviced the old ones, but having managed to prise the caps off, there was no way any of our spanners were going to reach that nut... so new pedals £18... (I have recycled the toeclips & straps though!)

My mountain bike has decided to have fairy visit overnight - cause unknown, so new inner tube because the old one has refused to patch properly even with the old style glue on patches.

My road bike - well that needed a new crankset today. I have worn out 2 of the chain rings and it was cheaper to purchase a new crankset for £45 than buy new chain rings seperately, so I have upgraded the original decathlon crankset (£35) to a Shimano FC-2303 crankset for £45. There has been a slight change in the tooth combination, going from 50/39/30 to 52/42/30 so the front derailuer has needed moving up a touch and then a few adjustments were ncessary as well. Fingers crossed because I hate indexing with avengance but can usually manage the front derailuer - not sure it is quite there at the moment, but... And apparently I have been keeping my OH happy. I had failed to notice the really baggy V neck T-shirt I was wearing is rather loose around the top, and then got on my road bike for a test ride up and down our lane  ... wondered why he came looking for me... 






Looks a touch odd now being silver rather than black, but I guess I will get used to it or get it dirty very soon with the state of my local lane again (mud after recent rains).


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## Shut Up Legs (25 Aug 2013)

Thorough clean of the Vivente tourer bike just now, so it's ready for the week's commuting. I even cleaned and greased the 5 chain ring bolts holding the large and middle chain rings, so they'll creak a bit less hopefully . I did the same for the saddle clamp and bolt, because I suspected that was creaking, also.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (26 Aug 2013)

After yesterday's interesting ride home with a very nearly snapped and totally jammed rear gear cable (bike only giving me 52/13 and 42/13 gear combinations and a set of hills lay between me and home as well as 20 miles), today was a 'fix it' day, rather than a ride it day.

So back to the bike shop for the inner & outer gear cable housing that I needed... home again, find I can't cut it because it is just to well shielded, off to my step-father's to borrow some tools... and back home again. Bike now has new inner & outer gear cable for the rear derailuer and I have managed to get the front derailer indexing sorted as well. As a 'life is going well' finale, I fitted the new bar tape we purchased yesterday. A quick test ride up & down our lane revealed that my left pedal was knocking/clunking so it has been removed and put back on (new chainset on Saturday) which seems to have resolved the problem for the time being. An early evening meal will hopefully mean that we can still get out for a ride today - fingers crossed.


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## shouldbeinbed (26 Aug 2013)

my Birdy is now almost in a usable state again,cables, chain, seatpost blocks all done. New grips to fit and I need a new dualdrive shifter rod, the one drawback is a missing cap nut for the rear hub. The old one was shredded & useless but the thread is very tight & non of my spares fit.


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## J1780 (26 Aug 2013)

I've just been messing around with the saddle height on my mtb these 29ers feel huge. I'm picky about getting it right for me....not necessarily how it should be but how I like it to be. On road bikes this doesn't seem to be a problem but the mtb is 'different'


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## I like Skol (26 Aug 2013)

Over the last 6 months my road bike had developed an annoying rattle that I put down to the internally routed rear brake cable rattling inside the frame. On my last ride I discovered the noise stopped when I stood up so began to wonder if it was actually a seatpost/saddle related noise. Putting tension into the frame by twisting the handlebars against the saddle added weight to the theory by silencing the noise so this afternoon I stripped and greased the saddle clamp and seatpost. No change, so I then realised that by standing on the pedals I also took most of the weight off the handlebars. Bingo! Blissful silence. It was the stem/handlebar clamp. The noise had been getting steadily worse to the point it could be heard over my ipod on full blast, god knows what other cyclists thought as I rattled past?


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## BAtoo (26 Aug 2013)

Started fettling the old MBK hybrid to be my pop to the pub bike, just at the stage of getting the carp off the bike, replaced a tube, pumped the tyres, some general cleaning.
I used to have a child seat on the back to carry my now 32 year old son on.

OH keeps smiling at my new interest, or did she say obsession??


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## Gravity Aided (27 Aug 2013)

Put a longer stem on my Schwinn Passage Tourer, as I had a French stem available in the correct size. Once I have all of the fit parameters finished, then I can start more restoration.


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## Spoked Wheels (27 Aug 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> After yesterday's interesting ride home with a very nearly snapped and totally jammed rear gear cable (bike only giving me 52/13 and 42/13 gear combinations and a set of hills lay between me and home as well as 20 miles), today was a 'fix it' day, rather than a ride it day.
> 
> So back to the bike shop for the inner & outer gear cable housing that I needed... home again, find I can't cut it because it is just to well shielded, off to my step-father's to borrow some tools... and back home again. Bike now has new inner & outer gear cable for the rear derailuer and I have managed to get the front derailer indexing sorted as well. As a 'life is going well' finale, I fitted the new bar tape we purchased yesterday. A quick test ride up & down our lane revealed that my left pedal was knocking/clunking so it has been removed and put back on (new chainset on Saturday) which seems to have resolved the problem for the time being. An early evening meal will hopefully mean that we can still get out for a ride today - fingers crossed.


 

Emma, you should use cable cutters really but in an emergency fit a piece of unwanted cable inside the outer before using any non cable cutter. That would protect the inside of the outer and have a smooth cable action.

I'm glad you sorted the problem though


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (27 Aug 2013)

RRSODL said:


> Emma, you should use cable cutters really but in an emergency fit a piece of unwanted cable inside the outer before using any non cable cutter. That would protect the inside of the outer and have a smooth cable action.
> 
> I'm glad you sorted the problem though


I tried 3 different sets of cable cutters on this stuff, not to mention 2 junior hacksaws and 2 full sized hacksaws... in the end I needed a small electric circular saw! I have no idea what it is made of but it is a lot tougher than the stuff that came off the bike (I just asked for road bike gear cable inner & outer....) my normal cable cutters manage the inner cable without issues - barely notice it, they manage my shimano brake cable outer without issue as well, but this stuff is unbelievably tough - we have a wonderful firework display going on in my step-father's garage... (put the old cable into the new housing so I could put it in the vice to hold it still...) next time I will get the bike shop to cut it to the sizes I want doing the damsel in distress act I think!


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## Deleted member 23692 (27 Aug 2013)

An attempt to solve a creak in the crank/pedal ended up with the bike having a bubble bath and a full clean. It's didn't sort the creak, but boy is it clean  Also gave the chain a through clean and got rid of all the dry lube I'd been using as I'm really not convinced by it.. I've gone back to wet lube now.

Oh and the source of the creak was the cleats - they both need a quick nipping up


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## Saluki (27 Aug 2013)

Moved my saddle 1/4 inch forward. Feels a bit better now.


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## I like Skol (27 Aug 2013)

My Commute machine has been making a quiet squeak on the left pedal stroke so I have swapped pedals and checked the cranks are tight as a first stab at curing the sound. I have also swapped both my fast growing sons onto bigger bikes. 7yr old has moved onto 10yr olds bike so from a 20" wheeled, 7spd MTB to a 24" wheeled MTB with a triple. 10yr old is now on a bike that was mine from 91-94 and then used by my wife until earlier this week, a 26" wheel MTB with 18" frame. My old MTB is truly the bike I honed my MTB skills on and while it is not quite the same bike, having had many, many upgrades and metamorphosis along the way, and if he can master the rigid, aluminium, non-suss bike then he will be ready to ride anything (like me ).


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## musa (28 Aug 2013)

As selling my bike included the wheelset 

Removed cassette etx. Fitted a new oair of aksium wheels fitted a cassette. New chain which i found out was too small. 

So new chain tomorrow and new hed wheels ii just bought off eBay


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## derrick (28 Aug 2013)

Pumped up the tyres ready for the morning ride, been away for a week so i have not ridden it, been riding a Cannondale hybrid while we have been away, looking forward to getting back on a proper road bike.


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## Gravity Aided (28 Aug 2013)

Too hot to ride here today 97f, so I rode the exercycle and got an old Cannondale C-30 ready for a friend, who would like to return to cycling . Hope he can handle it. Almost like a BMX with gears. I've customized it with Sram click shifters and linear brakes and a higher level set of derailleurs. It should be an interesting bicycle to ride.


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## SpokesT (28 Aug 2013)

Fitted a set of SPD cleats to my new shoes using a knife to remove the bit of the sole covering the cleat holes, a pair of antique pliers to tear the rubber off, and an Allen key to install the cleats. Job done.


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## Ciar (29 Aug 2013)

Been on holiday so had the commuter bike into the LBS, it was shown some love upgraded the chain set which is now Deore, also swapped over to Marathon plus tyres from kenda happy mediums, it moves faster and the LBS convinced me these mudguards would rock, i must admit they don't rattle, all in all my cx has been transformed


----------



## HLaB (29 Aug 2013)

Not today but last night but I put new wheels on the Bianchi last night; they claim to be 150g lighter than my old Khamsin's (not a mazzive amount but I didn't want to break the bank and a lot quieter  ) and are slightly more aero (35mm rims). Only tested them out on the rollers last night but they seemed good and without trying my rpm increased lets hope my speed increases also


----------



## Chris S (31 Aug 2013)

I found a 22 tooth sturmey Archer sprocket in my toolbox and decided it to put it on my Batavus, just to see what difference it made to the gearing. These bikes actually have Sachs/SRAM 3-speed hubs but the sprockets are interchangeable.
I'm not surprised they're usually fitted with puncture-proof tyres, in order to get the rear wheel off you also have to undo the hub brake securing arm, two chain tugs and remove part of the chaincase. You're then faced with what is effectively an oil bath. These bikes might be designed to be ridden in your best clothes but you wouldn't want to change a rear tyre wearing them.

I got the replacement sprocket on OK but the wheel then fouled on the mudguard, as the chain now needed lenghtening. I'd had a misadventure with my ASDA chain-tool the previous week so I decided not to risk it and put the original sprocket back on.

On the plus side I found that my Batavus actually has a 19 tooth rear sprocket rathter than an 18 tooth one, so it wasn't as high-geared as I thought, There was hardly any wear on the sprocket so the bike seems to have spent most of its previous life in a shed and should be around for some time yet.


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## Linford (31 Aug 2013)

Adjusted my rear mech mid ride to pull the slack out of the cable as the index on the flight deck was out of sync with the cogs on the back end.


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## Gravity Aided (31 Aug 2013)

Bought a Schwinn World Sport for a small bit of change, and will sell it on when the weather cools. Probably get new cables, a front wheel, and a brake lever. Hard to ride it otherwise, and does not impress the buyer well as it stands.


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## MrGrumpy (1 Sep 2013)

new SKF bearings fitted to the fixed rear wheel, that sorted out the wobble from it  Only thing is I could not get a hold of 6000-2RS bearings only had ZZs at work, shall have to stick an order in


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## Cuchilo (1 Sep 2013)

Moved the derailer over . Ive taken the bike back to the shop twice as the chain kept coming off and was told cable stretch , don't touch the gear set up . Ive set the gears up properly now so cable stretch shouldn't be a problem any more


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## Leaway2 (2 Sep 2013)

Had loud clicking when pedalling hard. Removed the bottom bracket and its absolutely shot. Its a wonder it moved at all. Looks like 
RPM BB7420 BC 137 X 24T Its a bit corroded. The spindle measures 115 and is square taper.
It is from a specialized Secteur. Any suggestions for a replacement?


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## biggs682 (2 Sep 2013)

managed to undo top headset locking nut after struggling for last couple of nights just the lower one to release now and then get the stem free ......... wish me luck


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## Cuchilo (2 Sep 2013)

When does fettling become OCD ? I'm just asking as I have started to spit on a tissue and clean like my mum used to do to my face


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## Gravity Aided (3 Sep 2013)

Changed my Giant Nutra back to flat bar, and put the trekking bar on my Diamondback Topanga.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (3 Sep 2013)

Cuchilo said:


> When does fettling become OCD ? I'm just asking as I have started to spit on a tissue and clean like my mum used to do to my face


 
when you are doing this whilst riding the bike concerned!


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## youngoldbloke (3 Sep 2013)

New chain on summer bike. Old one showing 0.75 on my chain checker. Took the opportunity to give the drive train a good clean. Chainrings off, cassette off, jockey wheels off. Some wear visible, but no problems with new chain/old cassette. Just needed to tweak the indexing a little when all back together.


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## biggs682 (3 Sep 2013)

biggs682 said:


> managed to undo top headset locking nut after struggling for last couple of nights just the lower one to release now and then get the stem free ......... wish me luck


right both nuts have now been undone just the stem to free of now , it looks like somebody has used loctite !


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## shouldbeinbed (3 Sep 2013)

new brakes on the roadie. The old ones were worn beyond worn, expect messages tomorrow from A&E when I brake myself over the handlebars on the way to work


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## HovR (4 Sep 2013)

Out on a ride yesterday with some friends. Coming up to a hill one of them changed to first gear and launched the derailleur into the spokes. Luckily I had the tools with me and was able to remove the snapped in half derailleur from the spokes and single speed the bike. We were even able to finish the ride, although the steep hill we were about to climb required walking up as the new gear was so high!


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## Herr-B (4 Sep 2013)

New Conti tubes and Gatorskins fitted, took almost an hour to do both wheels. Need more practice, but not with any added holes, thankyou, please!


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## SpokesT (4 Sep 2013)

Suffering with lower back pain at the mo so yesterday I took the adjustable stem from my oldest MTB and fitted it to my vintage Cougar road bike. It was my first ever venture into the world of steerer tubes, headset bearings and head stocks, and I have learnt quite a bit from it. Mainly that the bearing race in my old Marin is shot. But the effect on my Cougar has been to raise the bars by a good inch and bring them back almost two inches. No good for a headwind, though, I suppose.


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## subaqua (4 Sep 2013)

rear dynamo standlight. well fettled the whole lighting system as wasn't sure where the issue was . tested all cables so know they are good. pleased now ity all works lovely again.


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## HLaB (4 Sep 2013)

Not had a go at fettling it yet, but I might have a go at replacing a broken drive spoke; I've only replaced a non drive spoke on a front wheel before but there wasn't much to that. It'll give me an excuse to make tonight a rest night without it being too boring.


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## ufkacbln (4 Sep 2013)

A mobility scooter!

Found an elderly gentleman with a puncture, no tools, no pump, and no repair kit.

Purely by chance the adjustable spanner I carry for the Pitlocks fitted, s took wheel off, split it in two halves, repaired puncture and then reassembled - job done, and a new skill for my CV


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## Simmer (5 Sep 2013)

Broke my first spoke last night and did the walk of shame.... got a new one today and fitted it.. got my chufty medal.


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## HLaB (5 Sep 2013)

HLaB said:


> Not had a go at fettling it yet, but I might have a go at replacing a broken drive spoke; I've only replaced a non drive spoke on a front wheel before but there wasn't much to that. It'll give me an excuse to make tonight a rest night without it being too boring.


Replaced the spoke but also misplaced my spoke key and had to use the one on my multi tool so never tightened the spoke too much; thats a job for another day


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## threebikesmcginty (6 Sep 2013)

HLaB said:


> ...thats a job for another day



That won't get done then...


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## HLaB (6 Sep 2013)

threebikesmcginty said:


> That won't get done then...


It' get done before October thats when I'm giving the bike back to my Bro


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## Beebo (6 Sep 2013)

I stripped my front hub last night. My first problem came when I dropped ball bearings all over the kitchen floor. Then when I came to refit the bearings I only had 9 bearings left. I spent ages searching for the missing bearing, only to find I had packed 11 bearings into the otherside.


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## cbs (6 Sep 2013)

Yesterday I split my chain, removed chainrings, jockey wheels and cassette and gave them all a good clean before putting it all back together again. This was in an attempt to cure a strange creaking drivetrain noise that I have been getting on longer rides, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I did find that my quick release was not that tight on the back wheel when I undid it, so that may have been the problem, we shall see...

A week or two ago I fitted new Swissstop brake blocks to my wife's bike, which has improved things a little, but she could still do with some lever shims to suit her small hands.


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## MontyVeda (6 Sep 2013)

not quite my own fettling... but having not visited a barber since the 80's... i've had my hair professionally fettled, and this time i didn't exit with a mullet .

I am however, about to fettle four new brake blocks into position (It's not my favourite job, hence procrastinating here.... maybe I'll squeeze in the washing up and hoovering and dusting beforehand too)


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## biggs682 (6 Sep 2013)

biggs682 said:


> right both nuts have now been undone just the stem to free of now , it looks like somebody has used loctite !



after trying different ways of trying to free stem without an ounce of movement out came the dremmel and drill and hey presto stem removed and bike all ready for testing 2moro am


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## HLaB (6 Sep 2013)

threebikesmcginty said:


> That won't get done then...


Done :-D


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## Rickshaw Phil (6 Sep 2013)

Made myself a bracket to mount my new Phaart Bleep _and_ my existing Hella tail lamp neatly onto the pannier rack of the Raleigh. It fits (after a bit of repositioning) and is bloomin' bright with both lit, so nobody following can say they didn't notice me.

Next task is to make one for the knockabout bike too. The blank is cut and folded - will need all the holes marked and drilled sometime over the weekend.


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## HLaB (7 Sep 2013)

Fitted new front brake pads to the fixie; its a first for me front pads wearing out before the rears.


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## fossyant (7 Sep 2013)

Fettling tomorrow. New Token 16t sprocket and a KMC 510HX chain to be fitted to the fixed. £22 and will last a year. Hey, and the spocket is drilled too, looks well smart.


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## mrandmrspoves (7 Sep 2013)

Answered a Facebook plea for help from a young chap who took a tumble while riding in a local cycling group a couple of weeks ago. He had wrecked the rear derailleur and hanger and had been waiting to get replacements. The replacement hanger didn't quite fit so It needed a little help from my Dremel and my drill. I took the opportunity to de crud the chain (definitely not Mickled lately - if ever) Then I took a little play out of his rear wheel cones, trued front and rear wheels, replaced the rear gear cable as it was frayed and sticky. Adjusted the brakes and lubed them and finally replaced the bar end caps as his were missing ( A pet hate of mine - as I have seen someone who managed to impale himself following an off. If he had bar end caps on he would not have been impaled)
One happy chappy back on the road.
He fancied a quick go on my Trice - which was rather amusing because I replaced the chain a few days ago and somehow fitted it so it had to be pedaled backwards to go forwards! (Bloody amateur that I am!!) Needless to say, while my hands were dirty I sorted the Trice too.


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## Cubist (8 Sep 2013)

Finally got round to adding a full-length gear outer for the rear mech on the Cotic, after it was killed at Mabie. I used a pair of BBB hydro clamps, bloody fiddly they were too, and I'm not convinced yet. Riding the Holme valley Challenge in the morning so can test it out.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2013)

Bought an old GT Oupost All-Terra, and set it up as 26" tourer with front and rear racks and trekking bars. Took most of the day, a day well spent.


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## Shut Up Legs (8 Sep 2013)

My commuter bike cleaning (the Vivente tourer) took 2 hours today, as I cleaned and greased the handlebar stem, and the top cavity of the headset. Putting the handlebar back on the stem was fiddly, and made me wish I had several more pairs of hands! Hopefully, this will remove (or reduce) the creaking noise I've been getting lately from the bike. I just hope it's not the pedals (as one is firmly stuck) or the seat post (as that is also firmly stuck), so removing either of these will be very difficult.


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2013)

Better get off me bum and go and replace that chain and sprocket. Out for a walk in Tatton Park later so better get moving before the family do.


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## Kies (8 Sep 2013)

The T3 gears sound like they are running on gravel cogs, although cleaned and lubed.
My first indexing of the gears. If it all goes Pete tong - LBS
(Try anything once before calling in the pro's)


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2013)

Chain and sprocket replaced. XT spds bearings adjusted and regreased. SPD cleats removed, coppaslipped and left foot cleat replaced. Bike polished up.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2013)

No fettling today, riding, even though hot and humid. Next week, a bit of lake and hills action with the GT.


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## BSRU (8 Sep 2013)

Finally converted my Genesis Croix de Fer to a triple, who would have thought when you buy a triple they do not supply the spacers required as well.


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## Shut Up Legs (9 Sep 2013)

The creaking noises are gone from my bike, after several weeks of increasingly loud creaking during my commutes!  After yesterday's greasing the handlebar stem and spraying more grease on the pedals (the 2nd time I did that), my Vivente tourer has lost the annoying (and increasingly loud) creaking noises. All that remains is the usual tyre and drive train background noises, which I don't hear very well anyway. Now I can be sneaky, again .


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## Alan Frame (9 Sep 2013)

victor said:


> The creaking noises are gone from my bike, after several weeks of increasingly loud creaking during my commutes!  After yesterday's greasing the handlebar stem and spraying more grease on the pedals (the 2nd time I did that), my Vivente tourer has lost the annoying (and increasingly loud) creaking noises. All that remains is the usual tyre and drive train background noises, which I don't hear very well anyway. Now I can be sneaky, again .



I find the cure for all known creaks and noises on a bike is a good pair of earplugs.

Not that I skimp on maintenance or anything like that.


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## Deleted member 20519 (9 Sep 2013)

I fitted new shifters along with gear and brake cables (park tool cable cutters are a lifesaver!) and I fixed my clicking BB by disassembling it and regreasing it


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## Kies (11 Sep 2013)

Couldn't get the indexing quite right, so rode down to Slough and asked the lbs to help. He spotted my front derailleur was slightly twisted. 2 minutes later I had near silent gear changes on the Triban 3, and he didn't charge me anything. Top man


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## Rickshaw Phil (11 Sep 2013)

I've built up the second of my lamp brackets. I can put out lots of light to the rear of both bikes now:







Edit: Now attached to the knockabout bike:


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## jayonabike (11 Sep 2013)

2 new GP 4 seasons fitted to the winter wheels on the Enigma, and 1 GP 4000s to the rear summer wheel. Also fitted new Koolstop pads front and rear.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Sep 2013)

Gt 26" tourer had a bad rear wheel, so I went to my wheel library and found a new one, and fitted same after moving over the tires. Tried to fix my freewheel on the original wheel, but I think a pawl spring is broken. That may have to wait for winter. The freewheel seizes every now and then, in short bursts. Also took my dog to the vets to have his ragweed allergy shot, and a general fettling of the hound.


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## DCLane (12 Sep 2013)

I finally set to work on the 1980's Raleigh Team, after it's been sat for weeks. I'd budgetted £40 for repairs but the work needed on the rear wheel (spoke/hub/bearings) done in August has meant the budget went up quite a bit.

This evening, whilst sat with a cold I've fitted:

- New correctly-spaced 130mm rear wheel skewer
- Rear wheel properly set up with new tube
- Vittoria Pro Slick tyres front & rear
- New front & rear brake outers in blue, with new cables
- New Cane Creek brake hoods
- New blue bar tape
- White bottle cage

Hopefully that's it finished ready for occasional commuter duties and as a run-around in 'dodgy' places. TBH it looks too good to leave parked up in Dewsbury but I don't want to be leaving the Raleigh Airlite or Spesh Secteur there.


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## Deleted member 20519 (12 Sep 2013)

Well today I gave an old steel frame a coat of (purple ) paint. The frame had been sitting out in the shed for a few months now and I was seeing signs of rust, I thought it would have been good to get a coat of paint on it to stop that.

There's not much that needs done before the bike is rideable. I think I need:

A bottom bracket
Chainset
Chain
Brake pads
Bar tape
Ball bearings for headset

and then it should be good to go!


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## marknotgeorge (14 Sep 2013)

Fitted the long-awaited Tekro junior brake levers to the Mad Scientist's Cuda Mayhem. Her tiny fingers mean there's not much travel in the levers, so they're a little snatchy. Hopefully her lower grip strength will compensate.

I also fettled the all-important Hello Kitty water bottle holder...


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## petefastfeet (14 Sep 2013)

fettled my front brake on the commuter bike,,,,recent wet weather has worn them down.


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## Milzy (14 Sep 2013)

I fettled the old boy.


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## PeteXXX (14 Sep 2013)

Being the owner of three 16mm cone spanners, and needing a 17mm for the rear wheel on my Marin, I fettled one up to being a 17mm cone spanner with the use of a G clamp, a metal file and a vernier gauge.


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## Milzy (14 Sep 2013)

PeteXXX said:


> Being the owner of three 16mm cone spanners, and needing a 17mm for the rear wheel on my Marin, I fettled one up to being a 17mm cone spanner with the use of a G clamp, a metal file and a vernier gauge.


I like your style.


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## BSRU (14 Sep 2013)

Decided, after owning my Croix de Fer for almost 5 months, that it might be a good time to see if my Marathon Winter tyres actually fitted it.
Thankfully no problems, put the original tyres back on and hopefully it will be a long while before ice tyres are required.


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## MrGrumpy (14 Sep 2013)

Bottom bracket stripped and cleaned on ma boys bmx. Lubed the chain on the fixed. Fixed puncture on race bike which is now in hibernation! Going to clean them later but ran out of polish ;-)


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## PeteXXX (14 Sep 2013)

Milzy said:


> I like your style.


 
Cheers!


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## biggs682 (14 Sep 2013)

starting to fine tune and finish off latest build based around a Carrera Virtouso frame set i got off here from @Tanis8472 , all going well on initial first 8 miles just some basic adjustments needed .


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## Richard A Thackeray (14 Sep 2013)

Got the new Ribble in mid-June, it's had mainly dry rides, barring two torrential downpours

On Friday I noticed that the rear wheel was creaking, on dismantling the hub, I found practically dry bearings, with all the grease migrated outside the bearing races
So, regreased, & they were fine this AM

(standard/bog-stock Roval wheels)


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## king dick (14 Sep 2013)

Started to fettle this old girl today, any ideas on what she was ? 
Hoping to make a path racer type bike, wish me luck lol.


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## Deleted member 23692 (15 Sep 2013)

Swapped my Cube bottles and cages for a pair of Tacx Shiva bottles and Foxy cages.... far more secure than before


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## PeteXXX (16 Sep 2013)

Changed the cassette on my Canondale as I'd snapped one of the teeth of a while ago somehow.
Tightened the cone nut up by just under a ¼ turn on the back end of my Marin as it'd worked a bit loose.


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## Richard A Thackeray (16 Sep 2013)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Got the new Ribble in mid-June
> On Friday I noticed that the rear wheel was creaking, on dismantling the hub, I found practically dry bearings, with all the grease migrated outside the bearing races
> So, regreased, & they were fine this AM
> 
> (standard/bog-stock Roval wheels)



Got on it at 22:15 to ride home from work, & noticed a slight shimmy on front wheel, have to re-adjust cones in morning (probably run to work Tuesday though)


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## TheDoctor (17 Sep 2013)

Replaced an inner tube.
Apologies for dullness.


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## kurt909 (17 Sep 2013)

Newbie here.

I attached a bikebag and filled it with crucial tools

Cant understand people that go on rides without tools!


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## Shut Up Legs (17 Sep 2013)

kurt909 said:


> Newbie here.
> 
> I attached a bikebag and filled it with crucial tools
> 
> Cant understand people that go on rides without tools!


Well you can't take tools for every situation with you . Riding home along a shared path today, I pulled up next to a guy riding with his son, and his son's bike's left pedal had somehow become undone. He was struggling to tighten it up, but there must have been gunk in the crank arm's bolt hole, so he wasn't having much luck. Pedal spanners weigh a bit, so of course you can't take them with you, unless you're deliberately adding weight for training purposes .


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## kurt909 (17 Sep 2013)

victor said:


> Well you can't take tools for every situation with you . Riding home along a shared path today, I pulled up next to a guy riding with his son, and his son's bike's left pedal had somehow become undone. He was struggling to tighten it up, but there must have been gunk in the crank arm's bolt hole, so he wasn't having much luck. Pedal spanners weigh a bit, so of course you can't take them with you, unless you're deliberately adding weight for training purposes .



Yeah i guess its preferable to travel light :P


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## Cyclopathic (18 Sep 2013)

Changed the straight bars on my everyday commute/tank/trailer puller bike for some slightly wider riser bars. It has made the riding position a lot more comfortable but also made it very difficult to wheel through the house because of the extra width. I asked my wife how just an extra couple of inches could make so much difference but she just laughed.


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## compo (19 Sep 2013)

I set out this morning for a gentle pootle down to Epping Forest for a cuppa and a slice of her delicious bread pudding at the tea hut. As soon as I hit a slight rise I started getting all manner of horrible noises so turned round and came home. It looks like my bottom bracket is shot. It has no play that I can feel but is certainly rough and noisy so I have removed it and ordered a replacement. Looks like my road bike will get a bit of exercise for a few days while the hybrid waits for the new BB.


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## marknotgeorge (19 Sep 2013)

Can't get my head round which way to turn the spoke key to cure my wobbly wheels. I'll pack Dad off to the LBS tomorrow.


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## Chris432626 (19 Sep 2013)

Adjusted saddle to cure numb nuts while on the turbo.


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## Gravity Aided (20 Sep 2013)

GT's new tires came from Amazon today. And I took my 1981 Schwinn Voyageur apart yesterday, for a complete overhaul, polish, and a respray, as someone used spray paint to finish it last time. Well, that is my Winter.


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## wisdom (22 Sep 2013)

Full fettle following a week of commuting in very wet n windy weather
Tis the season to mickle


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## the_mikey (22 Sep 2013)

Patched a tube on the folding bike rear wheel, found a thorn through the schwalbe citizen tyre. Maybe it's time for Marathon plus.


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## john59 (22 Sep 2013)

Yesterday I replaced a rear gear cable on my 105 levers and today I was trimming the gears as the cable had stretched slightly.

John


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## Gravity Aided (23 Sep 2013)

I am currently slowly restoring a 1981 Schwinn Voyageur, washing parts before the ball game, which my Vikings lost to the Cleveland Browns. I also replaced my handlebars with wider ones for this bicycle, and am currently planning paint removal for Wednesday. It was spray painted and a bit rusty when I got it, but it rides wonderfully and is almost a perfect size


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## Linford (23 Sep 2013)

Picked up a twist and go Aprillia scooter (125 4T) from North London at the weekend as a slow burning restoration project.
Gave it a bit of a clean yesterday with some degreaser and jetwash in preperation for stripping it down, and then got it elevated to get a bit of air underneath it so I can work on it. Transmission has a few issues, so I've got to decide whether to stick with it, and sink some money in to get it right, or see if I can source an engine off bigger CC scoot to bung in there without breaking the bank. 

They don't make pasting tables like they used too


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## kurt909 (23 Sep 2013)

Attached a pump and water bottle and went on a little ride in this gorgeous weather!






Then i fettled a little bike stand out of some scrap metal and a rock..


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## alicat (23 Sep 2013)

Fixed my shopper bike after a cargo net came loose and went into the hub gear back wheel. Sprocket had moved into snap ring groove and hub gear internals had come loose.


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## compo (24 Sep 2013)

I have just been to the postal office to collect a parcel which was a new bottom bracket, come home and fitted the new BB to the Trek and refitted the crankset. And it's only 0900. I will clean and refit the chain later, you can have too much of a good thing.


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## alicat (24 Sep 2013)

Heck, can you fix the problems of the middle east - is lunchtime soon enough?


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## wisdom (24 Sep 2013)

Sons friend called round and said "could I borrow a pump please"
Anyway half an hour later.I pumped up his tyres to their correct pressures.
Turned an orange stiff chain into a smooth running mechanism that was a greyish colour.
Adjusted the one brake so it hit the rim and actually worked(it is a bmx after all).
Adjusted the wheel so that the now smooth running chain was where it should be rather than at a strange angle.
Oh and cleaned all the crap off the frame.
The result was a happy youth with a bike that he said looked and rode like new.
Result.
Now needs a bike that he can sit on without folding himself in half(he's 6 foot)


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## Gravity Aided (25 Sep 2013)

Saw a fellow like that today, 6ft+ on a 53cm frame and loose maes bars, looked like he was riding a BMX.


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## fossyant (25 Sep 2013)

Last night was a 'this needs doing' moment. Son was home and thumping his pedal, wife had phoned already. "Blah blah why won't you buy me a new bike for school" (this is a second hand well used Ridgeback as he has a £330 bike for weekends - new bike for school - no chance). N+1 he had at 11. 

Anyway, after the tantrums have stopped, we get to the point that the BB is making those awful cracking sounds - "Told you about it last year" - My calm "No ticking gears aren't BB problems" went of deaf ears. Off he stormed. 

Stripped BB, thought balls can't be bothered with old loose bearing BB's, went to Decathlon - not one BB in stock. Got home looked at existing BB, cleaned it completely. Bearings smooth and shiny, Axel no pitting, no corrosion, check cups and the same. Bonus. Re-grease with finish line, and clean out the rubber seals and all good to go. The BB hasn't been touched at all before we bought it, so was quite impressed.

Tonight, was a quick strip clean and rebuild of the headset components on the Fixed. Getting a couple of tick noises when giving it beans on the bars (I hate clicks and ticks) - it's usually the spring compression washer, so cleaned it, took off the blackened 'burring' you get on alloy components, did the same with the steerer tube, greased and back together. Should be quiet for a long time now.


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## marknotgeorge (26 Sep 2013)

Fitted one new front (without dynamo) and one trued rear wheel to the Monaco. Mickled the chain while I was at it, and I'll fiddle with the gears tomorrow when I can see to get the bike stand out of the shed.


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## wisdom (28 Sep 2013)

Usual weekend clean and lube on both bikes regardless of commuted miles.
Did the usual tyre checks and it is surprising how much glass I pick out weekly.
Just proves what a difference good tyres make.


----------



## compo (28 Sep 2013)

compo said:


> I have just been to the postal office to collect a parcel which was a new bottom bracket, come home and fitted the new BB to the Trek and refitted the crankset. And it's only 0900. I will clean and refit the chain later, you can have too much of a good thing.



Update: I changed the BB because it was creaking like crazy. It was very rough and notchy. The new BB dramatically improved things but I still had creaking. I have now cleaned and greased the seat post and fittings and the steerer tube and stem joint and the stem/handlebar joint. I now have a silent bike again!


----------



## mrandmrspoves (28 Sep 2013)

Was out cycling last Sunday with three new companions one of whose bicycle was making a clicking sound with each pedal revolution when on the largest chain ring. Swapping to the middle chain ring sorted it for a while but then it reappeared. Close inspection showed teeth damaged on both chain rings so I said I would fix it for her. After scouring eBay for some bargains I got two good rings for £42 and fitted them today. Fiddly job getting the middle chain ring bolts in place because the teeth on the smaller ring blocked their access - but managed eventually. Was thinking it might have been easier to take the crank off - but thought it easier not to. Once installed a quick spin demonstrated that the clicking was still present. I had checked the bottom bracket and all had seemed smooth but today I detected just a little bit of play so out came the crank extractor. Then I discovered that I hadn't taken a large enough spanner or 1/2 inch drive with me to undo it - so out to my car where I have a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar...put the crank remover on the crank and it came undone in my hand... cause of clicking found and crank now installed nice and tight. In all my years of repairing bicycles I have never found a bottom bracket so loose it could be undone by hand. I have met many that moved mm by mm with me using a massive flat edge adjustable spanner and considerable effort. All in all I prefer them loose.


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## Doyleyburger (28 Sep 2013)

Pumped my tyres up using a Presta to Schrader adapter (£1.25 off eBay)
So much easier and quicker now that I can use my compresser to do this. 
Less than a minute : DONE !


----------



## wisdom (29 Sep 2013)

In reference to the post on the vintage section."been wanting to post on here for a while now".
Well. Further strip down of the dawes project.Every bolt undid easily.
Stripped out bottom bracket,again all came apart easily it was qute pleasant working on basic cycle engineering. Everything was so simple on the bikes manufactured. 30+ years ago.
Nothing appears to be made of cheese.
The bearings and races in the bb are perfect,just the old grease had hardened..


----------



## Venod (29 Sep 2013)

Well I had an annoying click when I put the pressure on the pedals, it wasn't there when spinning along just when pressure was applied, I have previously removed chain checked it for wear, cleaned lubed & refitted, removed crankset & checked the free spinning of the bearings in their cups, noise still there, cycled today in a different pair of shoes to eliminate any cleat problems, noise still there, checked frame for cracks ! ( getting desperate now) removed crankset again removed bearing cups The right hand one was not completely tight ( may have been the problem) removed cassette & freewheel cleaned & refitted, took the bike to the bottom of the hill near home & put some pressure on all the way up, no clicking to be heard ! lets hope I have cured it, a longer run is needed before I can be sure (fingers crossed) it was driving me crazy.


----------



## tnr319 (29 Sep 2013)

Been upgrading my wife's ebike to disc brakes on the rear. Well been at it for three days!  After getting all the parts and fitting the disc and caliper I've found out that the brake cable I got was way too small. I need a tandem brake cable, all 3 metres of it cause of the weird routing. Also the pannier rack won't fit now. Well it just means more shopping trips


----------



## alicat (30 Sep 2013)

Swapped the cap nut on the rear wheel axle of my hub gear shopper bike (non-drive side). Phew it was a case of the nut thread being stripped on two successive nuts not the bolt. Will return the unused files to Halfords.


----------



## alecstilleyedye (1 Oct 2013)

swapped tyre, tube and cassette onto a different rear wheel…


----------



## uclown2002 (1 Oct 2013)

roadside inner tube replacement after *P* visit.


----------



## subaqua (1 Oct 2013)

i found the adjusters on the magura levers today rather than fiddling to re align the pads at the wheels . RTFM i spose


----------



## cyberknight (1 Oct 2013)

Fixed a punctured inner tube, checked tightness of chain ring bolts and greased pedal threads.
waiting for delivery of a new chainring and chain so fingers crossed the rear cassette is ok although i do have a good condition one is spares.
Also planning to change the stem on the subway to a 100 mm as the stock 80 mm(?) one feels to upright and i cant mount the garmin on it.


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## PeteXXX (2 Oct 2013)

Greased up the BB and Headset of my old '70s Tesco bike. They needed a touch of lube as they've never been 'maintained' until now..


----------



## EltonFrog (2 Oct 2013)

I have started to put back together my 43 year old Dawes Kingpin that has been bits for over a year.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Oct 2013)

Stripped a 1981 Schwinn Voyageur of a bad spray paint job, for the most part.


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## marknotgeorge (4 Oct 2013)

Nobody did _anything_ yesterday?

Got my bike back from the LBS, where it went in for a service and get the front derailleur finally sorted. So I've begun preparations for mounting the Sun on my handlebars the Cree light I have on order, by installing this here Busch & Müller universal light bracket. I've put my little Cateye light on there to free up space on the handlebars. The Cree will go on the handlebars so it's easier to switch on and off. I tried to get the front reflector on too, but the B&M mount's not wide enough.

Here's a pic:


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## EltonFrog (4 Oct 2013)

Today and yesterday. I was doing more work on my Dawes Kingpin, put the refurbished wheels back on, the chain, mudguards, brake levers, gear lever, each part cleaned and de-rusted, lubricated/greased. Still quite a bit to do.


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## Shut Up Legs (6 Oct 2013)

Mmm... what haven't I fettled today?  I just spent about 4 hours on my Vivente tourer that I use for commuting. Parts due for replacement all at the same time were:

both wheels;
rear tyre;
cranks;
both pedals;
front chain rings;
chain; and
rear cassette.
I would have built the wheels myself, as I've started teaching myself wheel building, but I left it too late, and my bike badly needed the new wheels. Both rims were concave, and the rear wheel was starting to buckle under the pressure. So, not wanting to build my first ever pair of wheels under time pressure, I just took the parts to a local bike shop and let one of the experienced wheel builders there take care of it. He did an excellent job of it, too. They're the same as the old set: Shimano hub on rear and SON dynamo hub on front, DT Swiss Alpine III triple-butted spokes and DT Swiss TK540 touring rims. They look great .

As for the cranks, I wouldn't have replaced them, because the old ones are still fine, except that one of the pedals is stuck, and I had tried various methods of removing it, to no avail. Also, both pedals were completely worn out, and because one was stuck, I couldn't replace it. So I decided to buy another crankset. I can try to remove the stuck pedal at my leisure, and then the old cranks can be spares.

Here's a few pictures of my pride and joy, the Vivente tourer that I've done just over 65,000km on over 5 years.

A nice collection of spare parts:






Bike all cleaned and ready to receive spare parts:





Lovely new wheels :





The new parts:





The truing stand and wheel dishing tool I used to check the new wheels were true:





The updated bike:





A close up of the drive train, with nice shiny new cassette, chain and crankset:





And of course, new cleats, as the old ones were also pretty worn out:





Actually, the shoes are looking pretty worn out, too, so I'll have to replace them some time soon.

I love my bikes .


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## alicat (9 Oct 2013)

Good job, Victor


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## DCLane (10 Oct 2013)

Not much today; I fitted a new* tyre to the Viking Targa DD24 surprise arrival, meaning it's all ready to go when I need a bike for really bad weather/going to dodgy areas (Dewsbury/Batley/etc).

The seller had said the front wheel needed a new hub. Nope - the nuts needed tightening, that's all.

* Note for 'new' read 'spare with some tread left down the side of the house from a summer project'.


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## ianrauk (12 Oct 2013)

Replaced the stock Ultegra Jockey Wheels with some nice silver one's from those very nice people at Hope.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Oct 2013)

Waxed my 1992 Trek 720 hybrid, which I got off Craigslist after selling my Schwinn Passage, Giant Nutra, and a Giant Cypress I had around. Money enough for bills and a Trek. My next drop bar road bike, a 1981 Schwinn Voyageur, will be ready by spring. It got a second coat of paint today. (Navy Gray)


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## wisdom (13 Oct 2013)

Well it was time to put the 1979 dawes fleur "racer" back together.Jobs done today are.
2 new tyres (amber walled),and tubes fitted to the cleaned up wheels.
Bottom bracket stripped out,regreased and refitted.
New inner and outer brake cables fitted.(at least 3 hands needed to tension weinmen centre pull brakes).
New inner and outer gear cable fitted,and adjusted.
New selle italia saddle fitted.
Mudguards put back on.
Everything checked,lubed and rechecked.
Now ready to pass on to my daughter.Photos prior to the above work are in the vintage section under the post"Ive been wanting to post on here for a while now i can"Should anyone be interested


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## derrick (13 Oct 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Replaced the stock Ultegra Jockey Wheels with some nice silver one's from those very nice people at Hope.
> 
> View attachment 30713


What you did not use blue ones.


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## derrick (13 Oct 2013)

Fitted a full set of Kool stop salmons on the bike this morning, went for a ride this afternoon they feel so much better than the Shimano ones i fitted a little while ago, much smoother quieter and they seem to stop quicker, am impressed with these, have just ordered a set for the other half, they also say they are kinder to the rims, so if you are using expensive wheels that could be a bonus, time will tell.


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## ianrauk (14 Oct 2013)

derrick said:


> What you did not use blue ones.




This is my no logo, non blue bike. Just silver and black.

Blue ones I would have for my other bike.


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## alecstilleyedye (14 Oct 2013)

new gear cables and bb cable router for now winter bike…


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## fossyant (15 Oct 2013)

Car serviced today, then moved onto the MTB this evening. New chainset at the ready, but new BB in the post as my previous BB axel is too long. Mechs cleaned, chips and scratches touched up. Cassette and wheels tomorrow, then I will be fitting the studded tyres and mudguards (bear in mind I won't be back on a bike till November). I'll most likely ride the MTB to work off road at first, rather than the fixed.


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## Kies (15 Oct 2013)

Flipped the stem (T3 deda 60mm) as I was putting too much weight on hands.


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## TheDoctor (15 Oct 2013)

Changed the saddle on the commuting bike. I managed to unscrew the LED light that was fitted to the old saddle and get it on the new one. It's only slightly wonky...


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## fossyant (16 Oct 2013)

New chainset now fitted to the MTB as the new BB arrived in the post. Spot on, and no need to adjust front mech. Just need to fit winter tyres, guards and lights ! 19 days until I can ride again !!


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## RedRider (16 Oct 2013)

Full SKS chromoplastics re-fitted to the single speed commuter using p-clips etc (one year later thanks again to @dave r who told me it was possible) . Tell you what, using the (lidl) workstand makes things easier.


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## dave r (16 Oct 2013)

RedRider said:


> Full SKS chromoplastics re-fitted to the single speed commuter using p-clips etc (one year later thanks again to @dave r who told me it was possible) . Tell you what, using the (lidl) workstand makes things easier.



Good job well done by by the sound of it, my back needs replacing, its the original that came with the bike 6 years ago, I've done the front and have the replacement back, unfortunately the screws are seized in solid, and ones an odd size, so I'll have to get the LBS to free things up for me.


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## ColinJ (16 Oct 2013)

[Yesterday]
I pumped up the tyres on my ex's bike, adjusted the brakes, and fitted lights for her. She told me that she was going to go to work on her bike because she doesn't like the 35 minute walk home at night now it is getting dark so early. TBH, I had my doubts that she would do it (given that the outward journey involves riding up a 600 ft hill which includes some steep ramps), but a mate came down the hill as she was going up it. He came round here to tell me that he had spotted her double and was pretty surprised to find out that it was actually her. (It's a tough hill for somebody who is near-enough a non-cyclist.)

She told me that she'd got off the bike and walked the steep bits, but there's no shame in that. Her journey home took just over 10 minutes, and she had gone the long way round to avoid a treacherously steep and slippery descent.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (16 Oct 2013)

New rear wheel. Different rim width to the one it's replacing
I forgot how damned fiddly Suntour SE cantis are. Especially with pannier rack arms getting in the way.


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## DCLane (16 Oct 2013)

Fitted a new rear derailleur plus rear mech hanger to youngest son's Ridgeback MX20 MTB along with a new chain and a full set of cables. It all works as well ... eventually! It completes the conversion from frame + broken 5-speed (free bike) to 6-speed using some recycled parts from his old rusty Hood Guru bike and some new bits.

Given I've never done any of the above AND it'd been converted to single-speed earlier this year as a stop-gap I'm  and


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## beastie (17 Oct 2013)

Fettled Bodged a mudflap on the commuter using some cut up tyre and 2 zip ties.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Oct 2013)

Added racks to the Trek 720(hybrid/touring) and GT Outpost Trail (Mountain, but rigged for 26" touring). Quite the fettling session, as the Trek required brake cables pass _through_ the rack. Also, another coat of paint for the Voyageur. More sanding, and first coat of clear scheduled for Saturday.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (20 Oct 2013)

Broke my Chinese Magicshine mounting.
Fixed my Chinese Magicshine Mounting. I love Araldite.

Took the Airzound off the trike as that is away for the winter now, at least for urban riding. Rigged up an oversize handlebar mount for it from the spare Magicshine ring and fitted that to the main bike


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## compo (23 Oct 2013)

My old Raleigh road bike still has it's original straight steel seatpost. I have been intending to get an allow micro adjust one when I could justify the expense. I had the post off the bike today and have been unable to get it back solidly so it doesn't move. There are a number of slight dents in the post, I guess where the frame has clamped to it over the years. Anyway for now I have cut a couple of shims from a tin can which have temporarily fixed the slipping and I have finally been convinced to order a new alloy micro adjust post from Ebay.


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## Leaway2 (24 Oct 2013)

After fitting a new bottom bracket, the chain was not changing correctly. I decided to fettle the front Derailleur. wish I hadn't bothered What a pain trying to adjust the damn thing and its still not perfect, although the limit stops are OK now.


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## Asa Post (24 Oct 2013)

Replaced the brushes on my Crud Roadracers, put new tyres on the MTB, and installed Deda Dog Fangs on both bikes.


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## gbb (25 Oct 2013)

With a MTB spoke, I kept a grape packing line operating at work...an emergency repair that may be permanent.
For the techies...metal detector belt, driven by a mini vari speed AC motor, via a miniature flexi coupling to the belt roller. The pin sheared allowing the motor to run, but no drive to the roller. NO spare pin, its going to be a bodge with whatever I can find. 2mm Dia pin, no screws that size...I cant find anything, not even a 2mm drill bit that I might have been able to use somehow. Hmmm, there's an old spoke in my box...1.98mm 
20 minutes later, 8 people are working again and 1800 punnets of grapes per hour can roll off the line...all with the aid of a bicycle spoke


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## derrick (25 Oct 2013)

Fitted new tyre this evening before i went for my evening ride.


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## dave r (27 Oct 2013)

My geared best bike has been cleaned, polished lubed and put away until the spring, I'll be on fixed all winter. I've put the Smart light back on the fixed, the lens on the Blackburn Mars I had on it has fallen off and disappeared, I've also put a new tube on the back, I had a rare puncture on Friday and put an old patched tube in, thats gone back in the shed as a spare, and I gave the bike its normal weekend check over.


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## compo (28 Oct 2013)

Now changed the old straight, rusty, dented chromed seat post on my Raleigh for a nice new modern one. I had a heck of a job fitting it. I think the seat tube had deformed to suit the old dented seat post so I had to spend some time with a socket in the frame and some persuasion with a hammer to round it out again. Anyway all done now, and the well greased seat post (ally into steel) now slides in and out like I can't say what.


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## fossyant (29 Oct 2013)

Decided to get the dremel tool out tonight. Two old broken cat eye front lights and a number of handle bar brackets. Cut the clipping mechanism out of the cat eye light body, and hopefully will make this into a quick release bracket for one of the twin U2 lights. You can tell I'm bored.


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## Booyaa (29 Oct 2013)

Attached new grips with small bar ends to the bike this evening, and a new saddle bag! Also switched over the bottle cage and pump holder. An exciting evening for me.


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## biggs682 (30 Oct 2013)

re attached 1 fr gaurd stay after watching the previous nut rattle itself undone on way home at lunch time


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## gaz (30 Oct 2013)

Done some more work on my handle bar swap. Wrestled with the hoods on my old bars (why did shimano re-design the hoods so that it's bloody difficult to remove them from bars). Finally got them on the new bars, just need to tape the bars and I'm ready to go.


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## PeteXXX (31 Oct 2013)

Nipped up the bottom bracket and headset on my Town & Tesco bike.


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## fossyant (31 Oct 2013)

New grips and new brake cables (inners and outers) on the MTB. The original grips have been there since purchase about 20 years ago !

Got some new frame transfers on order as the current ones are starting to come off (well have been for a few years), so these will go on next week when they have arrived.


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## compo (1 Nov 2013)

Fitted a cheapo wireless computer to my road bike. I don't expect it to last long but hopefully will do me until I can spare the cash for a better one.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (3 Nov 2013)

New exhaust middle and rear sections replaced this morning

What's this got to do with bikes?

Well, not a lot except........ however dirty the dirtiest, cruddiest, thick-oiliest bikes are a pleasure to work on compared to rolling around in the gutter as the rain hammers down, getting soaked through with dirty road water as you struggle to separate 2 pipe sections with minimal elbow room on a set of 8" ramps.

Bikes are so much more civilised machines to work on. I'll not complain about dirty bikes ever again (well, at least not until I get around to looking at the heap of filth and rust that I was proudly presented with last week with a "got this free, isn't it great, please can you make this safe for my little boy")


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## PeteXXX (3 Nov 2013)

Brakes bled on my Cannondale Trail SL4 this afternoon.


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## dave r (3 Nov 2013)

Changed the gearing on my fixed tonight, I'd been running a 46x18 67 inch gear and it felt a smidge tall into the wind on rolling Warwickshire lanes this morning so I changed it to a 44x18 65 inch gear, I fitted a new chainring, shortened the chain, centred the new chainring on the spider and set chain tension whilst I was working on the bike it got checked, cleaned and polished ready for tomorrows commute.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Nov 2013)

Fitted a rack to my Electra Townie, and fettled the neglected derailleurs. This led to a 10 mile test ride. More cleaning and wax as well.


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## fossyant (4 Nov 2013)

New Posh stickers applied to the MTB...


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## compo (4 Nov 2013)

Had a tube explode through an unseen split in my rear tyre this morning. As usual with these things it happened miles from nowhere. A leather patch inside the tyre and a spare tube got me home. Closer examination of the tyres showed that both front and rear needed changing. This side of Christmas, unless I get desperate they have no chance of new ones so for the time being I have replaced them with my old Bontrager tyres the bike originally had when new. They are a bit worn but will do for a while until after Christmas.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (4 Nov 2013)

After a sudden brake fail, front pads replaced.

This prompted a revamp of my front mudguard - after swapping to disc forks and drop bars on an originally flat-bar V-brake setup, the mudguard stays were bent at ludicrous angles and still fouled the cable adjuster - managed to make some other stays and clips from a different guard fit. Ruined a pair of VAR cable cutters though cutting the stays down...bah. What I WANT to know is where my Park cutters went that I used to own...

Then finally got fed up of the rear brake combination of the two most infuriatingly fiddly things known to man. Suntour SE cantis, and with the lack of a brake hanger, a Tektro Power Hanger. They worked on my old wheel but this slightly wider rear wheel, I've never got them right. So, switched to Vees, a brand new pair of which just happened to be in my brakes drawer and I will have to ride on the tops with the interrupter levers which seem to have enough cable pull as opposed to the STIs, at least until my Travelagent arrives in the post

Finally pumped up the Airzound as for some reason, it got a lot of use today!


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## DCLane (4 Nov 2013)

New Shimano HG40 chain on the Raleigh Airlite 100 commuter, although with a thorough clean of the drivetrain.

Why does Shimano make a quick-link that doesn't work? In the end I gave up with it.

The Raleigh Team was set up for wet-weather commuter duties; brakes checked. It just needs some new gear wires and that's the refurb finished.


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## HLaB (5 Nov 2013)

Its just gone midnight, so it was yesterday but I put the winter wheels on the bike, mudguards and chain. Disappointed with the KMC quality control however, took the brand new chain out of the box, cut it to length only to find one of the pins missing from the other end. I carefully put the removed pin in but I've also put some quick links in my saddle bag just in case. Finished a tad late so it was just a quick test run on the rollers.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Nov 2013)

MTB build finished by installing bottom bracket, fitting chainset and setting up front mech. Crimp ends onto all cables and then take for a test ride in the peeing rain...

...to the pub. Where I proceeded to get fettled!


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## HLaB (6 Nov 2013)

Trued my front wheel and hopefully adjusted my front mech fractionally to stop chain rub. It ran perfectly with an Ultegra cassette on mavic wheels but is fractionally off with a sram cassette and planet x wheels.


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## Gravity Aided (7 Nov 2013)

Oiled the cassette on my Electra, and attached a new, better kickstand. And replaced the valve caps that look for all the world like .357 magnum bullets. Anodized blue aluminum valve caps. Do not want to send the wrong message . Thinking about fenders.


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## redflightuk (7 Nov 2013)

New brake blocks on the road bike tonight.


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## Biker Joe (8 Nov 2013)

The only thing I didn't like about my Carrera 'Vanquish' was the color scheme.
I found the 'green' to be rather 'sickly' to my eyes so I gave the bike a makeover.
FROM THIS:-






TO THIS:-






I'm happy now.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Nov 2013)

Looking good. Now it matches the seatbag and saddle accents


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## Biker Joe (8 Nov 2013)

Gravity Aided said:


> Looking good. Now it matches the seatbag and saddle accents


And my clothing accessories.( Red cycle jacket, red & black helmet, red & black cycling mits, black tights with red piping.)
You've gotta look good.
All those black and red accessories and a 'Green' bike?.................Aw, come on!


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## youngoldbloke (8 Nov 2013)

Biker Joe said:


> And my clothing accessories.( Red cycle jacket, red & black helmet, red & black cycling mits, black tights with red piping.)
> You've gotta look good.
> All those black and red accessories and a 'Green' bike?.................Aw, come on!


 Getting a bit off-thread but have you noticed how many 2013/14 bikes have _*green*_  bits? Don't get it myself - renders them totally un-saleable IMHO .


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## Biker Joe (8 Nov 2013)

I would like to add that I took the 'Vanquish' out today and it definitely goes faster.


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## dave r (8 Nov 2013)

I got home from work dinner time took the lights wheels and computer of my fixed chucked it in the car and took it down Albany Cycles, about an hour and a half later they text me to say it was ready, they'd managed to get the seized in screws out of the rear mudguard. Tonight I've fitted the new rear mudguard and cleaned the parts of the back of the bike that can't be reached normally, I no longer have a bike with a black mudguard on the front and a silver one on the back, the only problem is that I've got to order some more Secu Clips, the ones on the bike are knackered.


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## PeteXXX (11 Nov 2013)

New Bottom Bracket fitted to Town & Tesco bike.


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## HLaB (13 Nov 2013)

My chain suddenly started jumping last night, guessed what it was (and had carried a quick link), the new chain I had fitted a couple of hundred miles ago (last week) was missing a pin and I had to use another to join it; that weak link was starting to fail last night. So I fixed that and a rear p'ture and took the bike for a short test ride and its shifting perfectly


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Nov 2013)

Dismantled my old Puch Toledo eBay buy. Shame the frame has bubbled paint and rust - not a lot but to spoil it enough, not sure if powder coating after rust treatment would be worth it., it's old but only a gas piper

But what a joy - for an old bike, everything undid easily. Cotter pins came out with a couple of taps, even the drive side fixed bottom bracket cup came out without breaking a sweat


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## fossyant (13 Nov 2013)

Guards and snow studs fitted to the MTB for cold commutes, or off road muddy commutes. Unlikely the missus will let me ride this week.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (14 Nov 2013)

refitted my front mudguard... 2 screws and some old inner tube to 'tie' it on where it won't attach at the brakes. did the job nicely. might make it a touch tidier when it is not raining...


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## rbreid (15 Nov 2013)

Not cycle specific but fettled this over the last few weeks.

As bought at car boot sale




As is now


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## PeteXXX (16 Nov 2013)

rbreid said:


> Not cycle specific but fettled this over the last few weeks.
> 
> As bought at car boot sale
> View attachment 32611
> ...



Nice job!!


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## PeteXXX (16 Nov 2013)

Collected rear wheel from Pitsford having had a new spoke fitted and trueing up. 
Bike back together and ready go ride now..


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## rbreid (16 Nov 2013)

PeteXXX said:


> Nice job!!


Thankyou @PeteXXX Presented it to son in law who loves old tools, and uses them


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## Blurb (16 Nov 2013)

New chain and rear sprocket on the Brompton. That circlip was a bugger!


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## DCLane (16 Nov 2013)

Fitted a spoke for the first time after the Secteur broke one this morning.

However, I couldn't get the Suntour freewheel removed from the Raleigh Team so that'll have to wait for it's new spokes.


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## rbreid (16 Nov 2013)

Fitted a beautiful piece of French loveliness to the Jensen....TA decaluer front rack


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## Shut Up Legs (17 Nov 2013)

I added a link from a new chain (now my source of spare links) to the chain on my Vivente tourer/commuter, as the chain I'd installed on it several weeks back was a link too short, which was affecting the front derailleur's shifting. Hopefully the shifting will now improve. I guess my upcoming week of commuting will soon determine if that is the case or not .


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## cyberknight (17 Nov 2013)

Only putting new cleats on the winter shoes today , been busy all week fixing pc.


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## matthat (20 Nov 2013)

Just replaced inner and outer gear cables on hybrid!! Synced in and working 1st time front and back, bit nervous riding to work at 5.30 in morning as that was too easy, normally takes me at least 3 hrs of messing!!!


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## cosmicbike (20 Nov 2013)

Replaced the 105mm stem on my Trek with a 90mm, hopefully make me feel a little less 'stretched'


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## Biker Joe (20 Nov 2013)

cosmicbike said:


> Replaced the 105mm stem on my Trek with a 90mm, hopefully make me feel a little less 'stretched'


Should do the trick. . I hope it makes you feel more comfortable.


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## cosmicbike (20 Nov 2013)

Biker Joe said:


> Should do the trick. . I hope it makes you feel more comfortable.


 Me too, find out tomorrow on the trainer, I'm allowed 2 x 10 minute stints, nice and easy..


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## Jenkins (20 Nov 2013)

Cleaned, lubed & winterised 3 bikes...

Triban 3: Crud Road Racers off and SKS Raceblade longs fitted, but with the Crud's tail piece that protects the chainrings used instead of the SKS's short piece. Surprisingly it bolts straight on without modification.
Boardman: Crud Road Racers (removed from the Triban) fitted with a spare tail piece used.
Kona Jake CX: Knobbly tyres (Schwalbe Smart Sam) fitted in place of the Gatorskins.


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## youngoldbloke (23 Nov 2013)

Shortly before due to leave this morning discovered flat rear tyre on winter bike, having pumped it up last night in readiness for todays club ride. Large hole in Gatorskin, with large hole in tube below - explosive event sometime in the night? Lucky maybe as I think the tyre must have been seriously damaged last time out without me knowing. It's terminal for the tyre and tube anyway. Fortunately had an old one in the shed, fitted plus a new tube, and managed to get to start of the ride with the route sheets in time. Then, on the run itself assisted rider fix another unplanned deflation - his first! What fun, with freezing fingers. Never rains but it pours etc etc.


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## J1780 (23 Nov 2013)

Had a wheel replaced under warranty recently so my son 'helped ' me to put a tube and tyre on. While we were at it we greased saddle and seat post and cleaned the chain.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Nov 2013)

Gave the commuter a good clean and bodged a little saddle bag into a frame bag on the ice bike so I can quickly switch the front lights between bikes in a morning.


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## HLaB (26 Nov 2013)

Well it wasn't today but I put a new rear tyre on the Kinesis last night, new tube in the front (my previous patched tube seemed to be loosing pressure over night ) and I lowered the saddle by 5mm after a lbs removes the rounded bolt; a bike fit reccomended 10mm but I didn't want to do it all in one go! And not really fettling but I ordered som new ball bearings for my rear wheel.


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## derrick (28 Nov 2013)

New shifters changed the bar tape and cables to black, all new cable inners and got it all indexed nicely, need to road test tomorrow evening make sure it's all good for the weekend. it looks a lot more stealthy with all the black on it. and that extra bit of carbon.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-centaur-red-10-spd-powershift-ergo-carbon-levers/


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## Gravity Aided (29 Nov 2013)

Lost pressure in my rear tire, right in the garage at home, so I changed out tires and tubes on the Electra before Thanks-Giving at relatives, but thinking I will see what white sidewall tires look like tomorrow.


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## derrick (29 Nov 2013)

Gravity Aided said:


> Lost pressure in my rear tire, right in the garage at home, so I changed out tires and tubes on the Electra before Thanks-Giving at relatives, but thinking I will see what white sidewall tires look like tomorrow.


Gruby.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Nov 2013)

I may see how the weather goes, may have to scrub the launch if too cold.


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## matthat (29 Nov 2013)

Pre fettle post!! Tomorrow I shall be replacing front and back brake blocks and cables, hopefully this will go as easy as my gear cable change last week. I see this as the easier job but I have a feeling it might not go as planned!!!


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## HLaB (29 Nov 2013)

matthat said:


> Pre fettle post!! Tomorrow I shall be replacing front and back brake blocks and cables, hopefully this will go as easy as my gear cable change last week. I see this as the easier job but I have a feeling it might not go as planned!!!


If you've done gears, you'll do brakes no problem. I have to fit new sealed bearings myself and I'm hoping its as easy as fitting open bearings!


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## derrick (29 Nov 2013)

After changing the bar tape on my bike the other night, the other half liked it so much she asked if i could do her bars, so we both half black bars, used specialized phat bar tape with the gel pads, feels really comfortable, should soften the ride. time for a beer.


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## rbreid (29 Nov 2013)

Just fitted Backburn lowriders to Mercian 'sans' braze ons.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Nov 2013)

That is a fine rack design, and you can always add a top rack to that one as well. Thinking about it for a 26" tourer build.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Nov 2013)

Tires changed, as are tubes . Pretty cold doing it as well, 32f or 0c. Black Friday, or I would have bought new tubes to replace the spares I used. Last thing I intend to do is go to a department store today. Mayhem and chaos aplenty. Another nice fight at the Wal*Mart on YouTube this year, becoming a Holiday Tradition.


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## HLaB (30 Nov 2013)

Road Side Fettled a broken link


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## jifdave (30 Nov 2013)

swapped 8 speed 2300 shifters for 10 speed 105

swapped 8 speed cassette for 10 spd cassette + new chain.

new cables, bar tape. then a sneaky 20 miles to test.


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## HLaB (30 Nov 2013)

Been, fixing my chain (cleaned the drivetrain first), new jockeys, new brake pads and tightened my rear hub and changed front wheel. Was originally going to replace my sealed bearings in the rear hub but realised it was loose and the axle wouldn't come out so I sealed it back up 

Oh, not exactly fettling but I went for a wee test run on the rollers to check it was OK it seems so fingers crossed.


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## fossyant (2 Dec 2013)

Busy weekend. Finally off loaded my mates MTB after it's been in my garage 6 months after I serviced it for him. Managed to get a load of kids stuff out of my garage to a charity car boot. Sold a fair amount, but donated books/games and toy cars to the charity at the end, so that's cleared a load of room and now I can serivce my bikes with more room ! Just need to sell my daughters 18" BMX and a 6volt electric ride on trike now !


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## threebikesmcginty (2 Dec 2013)

I've gotta wash my bike, it's really filthy, my laziness still outweighs my guilt though.


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## Asa Post (3 Dec 2013)

New chainset fitted to the road bike. The middle ring was so worn that the chain wouldn't stay on when pedaling. Other rings not so bad, but bad enough to need replacing. New chain installed as well.
Due to difficulties getting the pedals off, and persuading the quicklink on the chain to join together properly, it took much longer than it should have.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (3 Dec 2013)

my mother gave me a +50 pieces 3 dimensional glass jigsaw puzzle with no picture and some missing pieces... I finally have made this from it... (some of the missing pieces have been reconstructed using glass glue. Apparently it is now straighter than it was originally! I have asked my step-father to try a touch harder next time he breaks it because it only took me 5 days to glue all the pieces back together!


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## Gravity Aided (4 Dec 2013)

Uranium Glass?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (4 Dec 2013)

Gravity Aided said:


> Uranium Glass?


yes. Handmade in Denmark but the label has come off and I can't find the name of the manufacturer or anything even vaguely similar online - was thinking it would be easier to replace it. For some reason it has sentimental value (not known what because neither she nor my 2nd step father have been to Denmark together) and both of them were quite upset about it.


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## Dan B (4 Dec 2013)

Last night I found a pair of cartridge-type brake blocks that I thought had been stolen along with the bike that I thought they were attached to when it was stolen, and this lunchtime fitted them (with new koolstop dual compound inserts) to the front brake of my commuter. Might have a fighting chance of stopping the bike when it's raining, now






lovely shine on the old blocks, too :-(


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## ShipHill (4 Dec 2013)

I got fed up with the front deraillier on my Muddier Fox. I couldn't fathom out how to adjust the damn stupid thing. It wouldn't shift up to the big clanger and would go off the inside of the small clanger so I put the chain on middle clanger and took the whole gear change mechanism off. I now have a 6 speed which is plenty for my 1 and a bit mile lazy jaunt to the spaceship factory.


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## Gravity Aided (5 Dec 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> yes. Handmade in Denmark but the label has come off and I can't find the name of the manufacturer or anything even vaguely similar online - was thinking it would be easier to replace it. For some reason it has sentimental value (not known what because neither she nor my 2nd step father have been to Denmark together) and both of them were quite upset about it.


Here's a nice site about "Vaseline Glass" as uranium glass is called here. Collectors quite mad about it.
http://www.vaselineglass.org/


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## compo (5 Dec 2013)

compo said:


> I have just been to the postal office to collect a parcel which was a new bottom bracket, come home and fitted the new BB to the Trek and refitted the crankset. And it's only 0900. I will clean and refit the chain later, you can have too much of a good thing.



Original post in September, 2013. ^ This BB was a UN26 and it has failed after just 3 months, so today I have fitted a new UN55. Hopefully it will last a little longer. I can only assume the UN26 was faulty from new. These things happen occasionally and there is no point getting excited or worked up over £6.


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## ColinJ (7 Dec 2013)

The rear tyre on my Basso had gone flat so that needed sorting. I took out the old tube and discovered that somebody in the past (not me) had repaired a puncture with a self-adhesive patch which had finally split. I peeled off the old patch and glued on a more permanent one but the tyre went down again overnight. When I checked again, I discovered that the new patch had not fully 'taken'. I put that tube to one side and replaced it with another pre-repaired one from my junk box. That stayed up overnight so I cleaned the cassette and the underside of my rear Crud Roadracer before putting the wheel back in.

I then cleaned the jockey wheels and Mickled the chain.

While I was at it, I adjusted the rear shifting because the rear mech had been slightly hesitant shifting to bigger sprockets.

Oh, and the front shifting to the big ring had been iffy for a few rides and it had been annoying me so I sorted that out while I was at it.

Everything seems to be working smoothly on the stand. The weather was foul today so I did not fancy a test ride. If there is a break in the showers tomorrow, I'll go out for a couple of hours and see how the bike performs now.

PS I decided to have a go at removing and replacing the tyre without using levers. I have had combinations of tyre and rim in the past that would have required me to have the finger strength of a large gorilla, but my current combination of Lithion tyres and Aksium rims turned out to be doable - hard, but not b***ard hard!


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## ColinJ (8 Dec 2013)

Follow up ...

I double-checked my bike while it was still up on the stand and noticed that there was a rumbling sound when I used the biggest sprocket. A half turn of the 'B-screw' fixed that.

The other thing that I had forgotten to do was to adjust the position of my Deda Dog Fang; follow my signature link (below post) for a description of what they do. I had changed my small chainring from a 30 tooth to a 26 and lowered the Fang to be alongside the top of the teeth of the new little ring. I found, however, that the chain was tending to fall onto the Fang and get stuck there rather than being deflected back onto the ring. I raised the Fang by about the height of the chain and adjusted its angle until the chain always dropped onto the little ring, no matter how clumsily I shifted down from the middle ring. I made sure that the chain never makes contact with the Fang in normal operation.

The bike seems much quieter and smoother in every gear combination now. I'm hoping that it works as well on the road as it does on the stand. I am a bit hard of hearing but on quiet roads I had sometimes noticed noises coming from the bike.


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## Buzzinonbikes (10 Dec 2013)

THE BEST fettling ever! Attached a bit of old inner tube with some discreet cable ties on my rack where my Ortlieb bags connect and wow! A nice snug fit and absolutely zero rattle or sliding around! Also did the same for where the gear cables touch the head tube and now a sublime silent ride has finally been achieved. Loving it!


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## MontyVeda (10 Dec 2013)

I am currently fettling a pile of planks into a sink unit.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Dec 2013)

MontyVeda said:


> I am currently fettling a pile of planks into a sink unit.


Well done. Admire anyone that can do that. Wood hates me.


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## MontyVeda (11 Dec 2013)

Gravity Aided said:


> Well done. Admire anyone that can do that.* Wood hates me*.


me too... it deliberately changes size between measuring and cutting


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (11 Dec 2013)

a quick 'tinker' before my ride down to the dr's & back. Seems my front brake block had been knocked whilst the bike was in the car over the last few days and this am was not allowing the front wheel to spin. It would not be persuaded to go back where it originally was or even budge at all, so it was kind of a 10 min dodge job because I had an appointment to get to. (Ideally I really need to take the calliper off and reseat it properly but I suspect it will be awkward and not want to come off and I don't have time to fix it properly before the weekend). slackened off the brakes until block that was causing the problem was close but not touching the rim anymore and then adjusted the other one using the allen key so it is now at its max adjustment and thankfully now my front wheel spins freely and my brakes work again.... will have to investigate more closely on Saturday (but bike has to operational again for Sunday) and suspect that corrosion is going to be a problem when it comes to dealing with this issue....


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## PeteXXX (13 Dec 2013)

Rear hub on the SL4 stripped and cleaned. New bearings fitted. Freehub stripped, cleaned and oiled. Test ride around the block. Sorted.

Now I'm offf to work a 12 hour shift.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Dec 2013)

decided to fettle the bike rather than the house that I am meant to be doing - much more interesting! 

so chain is off soaking in a pan of warm chainsaw oil and getting all the road crud off, bike's inside because it is pouring with rain and I need to touch up a rather large scratch on the paintwork... one that is going to take rather a lot of time to fix I think... (acquired last week brick wall verses bike when chaining it to some railings)
Much work needed... that's my thumb for size reference!


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## fossyant (13 Dec 2013)

Charging AA batteries after my son nicked loads for his RC cars. charged about 24 today, only to go back in said cars.


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## compo (14 Dec 2013)

After my fight with the ditch and tree this morning I have ordered a new wheel. Just to check the forks for distortion I fitted my road bike wheel in the forks, after removing the disc calliper which fouled the spokes. It sits perfectly centrally and a very gentle ride down the street showed up no problems. There is no sign of physical damage to the head or anywhere else so it looks like I got away with only wrecking the wheel.


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## Biker Joe (14 Dec 2013)

compo said:


> After my fight with the ditch and tree this morning I have ordered a new wheel. Just to check the forks for distortion I fitted my road bike wheel in the forks, after removing the disc calliper which fouled the spokes. It sits perfectly centrally and a very gentle ride down the street showed up no problems. There is no sign of physical damage to the head or anywhere else so it looks like I got away with only wrecking the wheel.


I'm glad you're OK.
You shouldn't really be riding your bike up a tree or swimming in a ditch. I wouldn't bother trying either again.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Dec 2013)

A most eventful morning. glad to hear you are okay, Compo


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## compo (14 Dec 2013)

I'm giving up ditches, they only supply a certain amount of pleasure.


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## Supersuperleeds (14 Dec 2013)

compo said:


> I'm giving up ditches, they only supply a certain amount of pleasure.



This isn't you then


----------



## nickyboy (16 Dec 2013)

A tale of a Chinese toilet.
Here in a pretty decent hotel in Xi'an China. All has been ok re the plumbing so far. Without deliberately trying to be indelicate, just had a rather large dump.However, the flush mechanism seems to be faulty. So I was stuck with either ringing the front desk and getting some poor unfortunate to , ahem, deal with it or I had to deal with it myself.
Cistern wouldn't fill so the only option was to find something big enough to take plenty of water, fill it in the bath and then pour it down the toilet and hope for the best. Hotel rooms sadly don't come with buckets. However, they do come with waste paper bins. It looks watertight-ish so I went for it and stuck it under the bath tap. It worked fine. A couple of bin fulls down the loo and nobody would have been any the wiser.


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## J1780 (16 Dec 2013)

Just ready to replace water inlet valve on one of the cisterns. Job made easier by two kids calling me every second or simply breaking into world war 3 all on their own.


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## MontyVeda (16 Dec 2013)

kids can be easily fettled by simply placing them in a box... in the loft.


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## cosmicbike (16 Dec 2013)

No bike fettling today, indoor cycling results in little wear and muck.
But I have painted the stair string this morning, now I only have to fit the ballestrading, defo post - Christmas


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## J1780 (16 Dec 2013)

MontyVeda said:


> kids can be easily fettled by simply placing them in a box... in the loft.


 I wish


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## HLaB (16 Dec 2013)

I don't know if it can be classified but I spent a few hours cleaning my bike last night (why do I always leave things like that till 11:30pm ) Judging by the state of despite only havin been cleaned 2days before it must have been wetter than I though yesterday


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## Supersuperleeds (16 Dec 2013)

HLaB said:


> I don't know if it can be classified but I spent a few hours cleaning my bike last night (why do I always leave things like that till 11:30pm ) Judging by the state of despite only havin been cleaned 2days before it must have been wetter than I though yesterday



I cleaned mine on Saturday, only ridden it to work this morning since then and it is already over due another clean.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (16 Dec 2013)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I cleaned mine on Saturday, only ridden it to work this morning since then and it is already over due another clean.



same here - though my commute was yesterday and the bike & I were filthy by the time I got home last night. That bad the bike was washed down before I did anything else, mud/much being so much easier to get off whilst still wet.


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## HLaB (16 Dec 2013)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I cleaned mine on Saturday, only ridden it to work this morning since then and it is already over due another clean.


I use Finish line Teflon Wet Lube and usually get up to a week (longer in the summer) before I have to clean/relube. It may be coincidence but since I used GT85 a few weeks back that has dramatically reduced.


----------



## GlasgowFinn (21 Dec 2013)

New tyres on the road bike as the old ones were wearing out. New Gatorskins.


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## J1780 (21 Dec 2013)

Gatorskins are a very fine choice imho. I find them to be very good but a pain to get on the rim.


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## youngoldbloke (22 Dec 2013)

J1780 said:


> Gatorskins are a very fine choice imho. I find them to be very good but a pain to get on the rim.


Depends on your rims. I have no problems getting them on Aksiums or R501s - thumbs only (folding tyres).


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## Buzzinonbikes (23 Dec 2013)

Absolute pro level fettling if I do say so myself right here...
One of the seat stay arms from my rack was annoyingly fouling the brake cable, so I removed it and rocked 1 arm for a bit. Not noticed any major problems but I thought it would be better with two. Anywho... found a longer bolt in my collection, cut it down to size and used this rather dashing cut down length of ball point pen tube to accomodate the extra length. I'm quite fond of it now, rather Christmasy


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 Dec 2013)

Buzzinonbikes said:


> Absolute pro level fettling if I do say so myself right here...
> One of the seat stay arms from my rack was annoyingly fouling the brake cable, so I removed it and rocked 1 arm for a bit. Not noticed any major problems but I thought it would be better with two. Anywho... found a longer bolt in my collection, cut it down to size and used this rather dashing cut down length of ball point pen tube to accomodate the extra length. I'm quite fond of it now, rather Christmasy


I may nick that idea - the rack on my brother's bike is a bit closer to the brake cable than I'd like.


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## GlasgowFinn (23 Dec 2013)

J1780 said:


> Gatorskins are a very fine choice imho. I find them to be very good but a pain to get on the rim.



Aye, they were a bit of a pain. American Classic wheels. Got there eventually though.


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## Buzzinonbikes (23 Dec 2013)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I may nick that idea - the rack on my brother's bike is a bit closer to the brake cable than I'd like.


Go for it! Definitely makes the brakes spongey if it touches.


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## youngoldbloke (24 Dec 2013)

Just won a tug of war with a thorn picked up cycling through the floods today. Very firmly fixed in the tyre (Gatorskin). About 5 mm long, and 2mm in diameter at the tread end - nicely sanded by contact with the road. It had stayed inserted in the tube too so enough pressure remained to get me home, when I realised why it felt a bit spongey. Very easy to find the puncture anyway, new tube in and ready to go again. Would normally avoid hedge cuttings, but it was hard to see much through the muddy waters!


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## PeteXXX (28 Dec 2013)

Stripped the front hub on the full sus. Cleaned, lubed and reassembled and a 3 mile ride to roadtest. 
Then off to work


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## ianrauk (28 Dec 2013)

A total strip down, clean, re-grease and re-lube of the commute bike (Kona Honky Disc).
A nice couple of hours of fettling and cleaning.
Now looks like a brand new bike. 
No commute until the 6th so I can just sit there and admire how nice it looks...


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## Sillyoldman (28 Dec 2013)

Full wash down after todays ride. The lanes were filthy with mud running off the fields. Chain cleaned and lubed. Canti brakes stripped down and posts re-greased. Can't wait to go out tomorrow and get it filthy again.


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## compo (29 Dec 2013)

After a couple of months being told on boot-up that my laptop's internal battery is almost dead I have just replaced it after studying how on You Tube. Now I have to reset the BIOS date, time etc.


----------



## fossyant (29 Dec 2013)

Treated the bikes to their own dehumidifier in the garage. Only a cheap one from Aldi. Works fine but not a patch on the much more expensive one in the house.

So dehumidification and a heater tube. My bikes are spoilt.


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## Biker Joe (29 Dec 2013)

fossyant said:


> Treated the bikes to their own dehumidifier in the garage. Only a cheap one from Aldi. Works fine but not a patch on the much more expensive one in the house.
> 
> So dehumidification and a heater tube. My bikes are spoilt.


You could end up moving in with them.


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## young Ed (29 Dec 2013)

ianrauk said:


> A total strip down, clean, re-grease and re-lube of the commute bike (Kona Honky Disc).
> A nice couple of hours of fettling and cleaning.
> Now looks like a brand new bike.
> No commute until the 6th so I can just sit there and admire how nice it looks...


not only for commuting  slip a cheeky non commute ride in!

anyway i have continued fitting new front derailer cable and am going down to finish now and i will also give her a little wash 
Cheers Ed


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## ianrauk (29 Dec 2013)

young Ed said:


> not only for commuting  slip a cheeky non commute ride in!
> 
> anyway i have continued fitting new front derailer cable and am going down to finish now and i will also give her a little wash
> Cheers Ed




You think I only have the one bike?


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## Supersuperleeds (29 Dec 2013)

ianrauk said:


> You think I only have the one bike?



Mileage you do, you only need one


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## young Ed (29 Dec 2013)

ianrauk said:


> You think I only have the one bike?


oh course niot if i thought that i shouldnt be here!  but if you have several bikes then you surley don't have time to sit down and admire one bike you should be in the saddle!  
Cheers Ed


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## ianrauk (29 Dec 2013)

young Ed said:


> oh course niot if i thought that i shouldnt be here!  but if you have several bikes then you surley don't have time to sit down and admire one bike you should be in the saddle!
> Cheers Ed




indeed.. but have you seen my mileage ticker below? Are you begrudging me a rest from the bike?


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## Robeh (29 Dec 2013)

kask 50 road helmet Quality bit of kit for the money...http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kask-k50-road-helmet/


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## Ian193 (29 Dec 2013)

Put bottle cages and mirror and lights on the new road bike that I picked up this morning


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## Robeh (30 Dec 2013)

SRAM QuickView Computer Mount...http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-quickview-computer-mount/
decent price but not sure off the quality.being delivered today.


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## smokeysmoo (30 Dec 2013)

Fitted Crud Race Pac guards to the old MTB, checked the tyre pressures and whacked some lights on it. 

Damn, I've got no excuse not to ride it now 



Robeh said:


> SRAM QuickView Computer Mount...http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-quickview-computer-mount/
> decent price but not sure off the quality.being delivered today.


I think I'll be getting one of these shortly. I had a Design Cycles FLIPLOC one with my last Garmin, and TBH I had no complaints about it other than it being US import only, and you've guessed it I got stung by HMRC


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## Robeh (30 Dec 2013)

smokeysmoo said:


> Fitted Crud Race Pac guards to the old MTB, checked the tyre pressures and whacked some lights on it.
> 
> Damn, I've got no excuse not to ride it now
> 
> ...


user reviews seem good unlike the bikeradar review


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## smokeysmoo (30 Dec 2013)

Robeh said:


> user reviews seem good unlike the bikeradar review


Yeah I was very happy with it.

Anyhoo, I've just ordered the Sram one from Wiggle myself


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## alecstilleyedye (30 Dec 2013)

new chain and dinner plate 11-32 cassette, new rear tyre and new bar tape for my trusty old carrera…


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## Robeh (30 Dec 2013)

smokeysmoo said:


> Yeah I was very happy with it.
> 
> Anyhoo, I've just ordered the Sram one from Wiggle myself


just fitted it seems ok and will do the job..


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## cosmicbike (30 Dec 2013)

Mickled the chain on the road bike. Only done 200 miles on road, and another 160 on the trainer, but I've been lazy so it was filthy...


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## Salad Dodger (31 Dec 2013)

We were away at Center Parcs for the weekend, and my bike developed a p*****re on the last night, which I fixed this morning. Turns out that an old patch on the tube had finally given up the struggle to keep holding air in.

Whilst I was fettling, I also fitted a wireless computer which I bought at Aldi months ago, but never got round to putting on. All set now for my new year "fitness" (or perhaps it should read fatness) purge...


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## derrick (31 Dec 2013)

Fitted new Derailiers, waiting for it to stop raining so i can check them out.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (31 Dec 2013)

fixed 5 fairy visits...  in the space of 1 ride with 2 bikes & riders. Think that qualifies as a record.... (4-1 to my OH before you ask!)


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## cosmicbike (31 Dec 2013)

Must be a NYE think, my son's bike had a visit from the fairy, so taught him how to fix. Now the bike just needs a good scrub, guess who's doing that..


----------



## jifdave (1 Jan 2014)

Got a torque wrench for Christmas and bought a new stem and bars soon after. Royal Mail didn't deliver the goods when they were supposed to but I was desperate to play with old torquey. 

So I loosened then retightened some bolts but made a big sin and moved my seat post up. 

I have since ridden it and hurt my knees :-(

The moral is. Don't fettle for the sake of it or don't move things if they were fine in the first place!


----------



## Gez73 (1 Jan 2014)

Added a reflector to my new SKS Longboards as they come without! Ended up finding one on a German site and it's a SKS spare too. They could have 'spared' me and included it themselves! Did come with bracket and drilling the two holes required was easier than I thought. Also replaced the back brake blocks and gave the Brooks a proofhiding. Commuting two more days this week.


----------



## fossyant (1 Jan 2014)

Dusted off all the bikes after cutting and making a stables for my daughter's toy horses in the garage, so everything covered in sawdust.

Fitted part worn Conti 4 seasons to the Ribble for winter training. Just awaiting SKS raceblade longs to arrive now, and will be all set for hilly winter rides (the fixed is a bit hard work up some of the local lumps).


----------



## Flying Dodo (1 Jan 2014)

Lots of fettling - seeing as it's been raining for more than 24 hours without a break here in Luton.

On Rebecca's single speed Brompton, I've been fitting the Kinetics 8 speed conversion. It all works, although I've found the chain fouls the rear triangle as it folds, so I need to get a slightly longer bottom bracket. Although whilst browsing for that, I've also seen some options for fitting a front dérailleur as well, which has got me planning more changes.

On the Circe Helios, I've fitted the Brompton front bag fitting I got for Christmas, so that I can carry even more stuff on it.

On my Planet X Ti Sportive, I've fitted another Christmas pressie, which was a USE Alien Ti seat post, which replaces the naff looking Alu one which was all scratched. It was a real pain to fit though. But it looks very nice & bling.

For the commuter bikes for myself and Rebecca, on a spare set of wheels for both bikes, I've sorted out and fitted studded Marathon Winter tyres, ready for when the snow hits, so I just have to swap the wheels over rather than risk breaking fingers trying to swap over tyres.


----------



## Christopher (2 Jan 2014)

dropped by Condor, bought a stainless steel track cog to replace the one that is wearing out, also got spare puncture strips in the form of a 8cm square sheet so you just cut out a patch, most pleased as it is very high-quality flat rubber. Also picked up a back issue of Rouleur for £3 and didn't think much of it, won't be buying it again even at that price. I don't worship cycling like the writers do. Some nice pics though.


----------



## Globalti (2 Jan 2014)

Not bikes; plumbing. Fitted a parallel expansion pipe to my solar panel cylinder to prevent the shower pump from sucking in unheated water through the circuit I had inadvertently created between the expansion pipes for the house cylinder and the solar, giving us tepid showers in winter. It's taken me three years to figure out this mistake and a couple of hours to rectify it - now we don't have to keep fiddling with the temperature control. Bliss.


----------



## Roadrider48 (2 Jan 2014)

Changed both tyres and tubes, and de-greased and re-lubed the chain....and thoroughly cleaned the rims, spokes and hub whilst the tyres were off.


----------



## jifdave (2 Jan 2014)

New bars and stem on my bike.

Found out what I considered tight on my bike was actually over 14nm so my old 6nm stem did well to take that. Glad I don't have a carbon bike or it would be ruined lol. 

Also fitted new fulcrum Quattros/cassette/chain to my brother in laws bike and a new 105 front mech.


----------



## uclown2002 (2 Jan 2014)

New chain, cassette and bottom bracket First time doing a BB so happy with that.


----------



## fossyant (3 Jan 2014)

Raceblade longs shoe horned onto my Ribble 653. Fronts took a bit of work but they are on and look smart (as far as guards go). That's currently 3 of my 4 bikes with guards at the moment.

Also replaced the crank magnet for the Garmin with a rare earth one (I've already done this to my Herety) - simple job of just popping the magnet on the end of the pedal spindle - as the spindle is recessed slightly, there is no chance of it falling off.


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (3 Jan 2014)

fitted my birthday present (cadence sensor and new garmin edge 500) to my road bike. now just need to fathom out how to use the 500... lots more info than the 200 I previously had (now with my OH)...


----------



## Cyclopathic (4 Jan 2014)

Mended a puncture today but put the patch on backwards. It didn't work. I felt stupid. Luckily I checked it before re-fitting so felt a little less stupid than if I'd put it all back together only to have to take it apart again. The japes never stop around here I tell you.


----------



## ianrauk (4 Jan 2014)

Full strip down of the Kona Honky Inc commuter after Thursdays very wet century ride.
All now nice and sparkly clean ready for Monday's (what's looking like) very wet commute.

Also replaced the disc pads front and rear and a new pair of Spesh Armadillo boot's for the bike.


----------



## smokeysmoo (4 Jan 2014)

Sram out front mount fitted to Rihanna. Simple, cheap and does the job


----------



## Salad Dodger (4 Jan 2014)

The bike rack was nearly falling off the garage wall, so 4 new rawlbolts fixed into the wall today have hopefully done the trick. (Awaits crashing sound from the garage as 2 mountain bikes and their rack fall off the wall, damaging the 2 e-bikes parked below).....

And Mrs Salad discovered damp on the inside of our bedroom window cill today. Seems that the sealant on the outside of the windows has failed, so I have smarmed plenty more sealant on it today, before the next deluge arrives overnight. Hopefully it will do the trick, but I anticipate that it wont be aesthetically satisfactory to Mrs Salad, and will have to be done again. On the other hand, the windows are basically knackered, and will have to be replaced in the Spring.


----------



## rbreid (4 Jan 2014)

A cautionary tale....... Don't encourage your children to cycle....There are consequences Or if you do then fit a padlock to your toolchest
Went to get my headcup removal tool to finnish stripping a frame down....no tool!!!!!! Text to No1 son...he has it. Won't be free to drop it back for a couple of weeks
Solution...make one....simples. A rake through the parts bin, old steel seat post  10 mins with hacksaw and file








Job done


----------



## biggs682 (4 Jan 2014)

an hr today was spent cleaning the chain and associated parts on daily commuter , cant complain as first time done for a while


----------



## wilko (5 Jan 2014)

Fitted a new inner tube and adjusted the brake blocks so they don't rub when on the move.


----------



## alans (5 Jan 2014)

Fitted new brake blocks,front & rear,to the Longstaff.
The bike now stops on a tanner using the front brake but the rear brake is less effective.Perhaps a new cable will improve the performance of the rear brake.


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (5 Jan 2014)

Stood and watched my OH repair his 8th puncture from our New Year's Eve ride.... attention to detail is not a strength of his 
2nd hawthorn finally found sticking all the way through the thickest part of the tread... (now all I need to do is buy more inner tubes (none left without patches) and more patches...)


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (8 Jan 2014)

today was a clean the bike and get the toaster fixed day... bike cleaning took a while, it was filthy and the chain, chainset & cassette have been found to be silver again... I also found a red & black bike underneath the brown & black covering... tis a shame it went dark on me whilst I was cleaning it otherwise I would have proof - but my OH is home tonight, so she has had to go to be outside rather than having the sitting room to herself.

Then it was launch an attack on the toaster - my OH (at the weekend) had failed to notice that a small bottle of bike oil had found its way off the shelf above the toaster (the bike shelf) and fallen into the toaster. He still failed to notice that the bread did not sit into the toaster properly and turned said toaster on... or at least tried to... bike oil has now been extracted from toaster, and whilst the bike oil is no longer usable, the toaster has been reassembled and amazingly works! Happy days.


----------



## fossyant (9 Jan 2014)

New pads on the commuter. The old ones have vanished rapidly this last week !


----------



## potsy (9 Jan 2014)

fossyant said:


> New pads on the commuter. The old ones have vanished rapidly this last week !


Just had to do that too, saw they were getting quite low last week but the 'metal on metal' noise on the way home last night convinced me it was time to put some new ones on


----------



## fossyant (9 Jan 2014)

Wasn't quite that close - only 2 or 3 mm's. This damp, dirty and gritty weather eats them. Get less wear when it's hissing down.


----------



## potsy (9 Jan 2014)

M


fossyant said:


> Wasn't quite that close - only 2 or 3 mm's. This damp, dirty and gritty weather eats them. Get less wear when it's hissing down.


Mine usually last a good while, braking to a stop from 12mph doesn't stress them too much


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## fossyant (9 Jan 2014)

potsy said:


> M
> 
> Mine usually last a good while, braking to a stop from 12mph doesn't stress them too much


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## Supersuperleeds (11 Jan 2014)

Changed both tyres on my lads bike and switched the brakes to cartridges. Both tyres and the brakes were the original ones from when I bought him the bike a few years ago and were long over due replacing.

Washed the ice bike and adjusted the rear brake so it works.


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## fossyant (12 Jan 2014)

New panniers fitted, but needed to come up with a new mounting solution for my c&b seen rear lights. Popped to homebase for some L shaped brackets that were pre drilled. 

Undid one of the screws on the ortlieb pannier mounting point, and slid the bracket under. Put in a new longer bolt and tightened up. Bolted c&b seen light to it. As these use 18650 packs and I don't have spare batteries, I took two batteries out of the 4cell pack and placed them in a spare pack. So have a battery pack in both panniers now, but running on two cells (same voltage less mah). This is OK though as I was running both lights from one pack.

Whilst doing this I had a good look at the rear wheel in daylight. They are badly worn, so it looks like new wheels.

Was planning on a complete new set, built by myself, but just seen some Planet X AL30 track wheels for just £120. The rims I want cost £90 alone, plus hubs and spokes would put parts at over £150. Hmmm


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## alans (12 Jan 2014)

I have removed the pannier rack from the Longstaff.It encourages me to use a racktop bag into which I put too much stuff which never gets used;as evidenced by yesterday's ride;but I still have to drag the weight up the hills.
The rack's most usefull contribution was to provide a platform for my rear light so I have also fettled a new arrangement for fixing the back light.
In the past I've done upto 200km rides with only a Topeak wedge pack containing p.r.k.,mullti tool,tyre boot,latex gloves,tyre levers & spare inner tube so I have previously demonstrated to myself that I do not actually need more.
Less weight on the bike compensates slightly for the mince pies,Xmas pud & cake currently hanging around on my hips.


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## rbreid (12 Jan 2014)

Made 'flint catchers' for the Gameson today.
Raw materials. Stainless 2mm spokes and chain saw fuel line internal diameter 2mm





Form mount round a 6mm drill bit.









Form the business end. Seatpost makes a good former.


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## rbreid (12 Jan 2014)

Assemble








Finally fit to bike with 1mm clearance from tyre




That will keep the 'fairy' at bay


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## sackville d (12 Jan 2014)

Put a new chain on winter hack but before that,I dismantled the 9 speed cassette and deep cleaned it. The pulley wheels and chain rings also got the treatment so the drive train is now tip top.

Checked tyres and found a nasty cut in the front tyre that went through all the skins of a nearly new Michelin Pro 3.A close call. Replaced with a Pro4


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## fossyant (12 Jan 2014)

Bit of browsing and I've ordered some Navigator Street deep section wheels from Dolan. £130 delivered and they include a track Sprocket, lock ring and axel nuts. Just got to hope my existing rims don't explode in the next couple of days.


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## Lincov (12 Jan 2014)

I got a new Trek hybrid as an identical warranty replacement for my old one last week and my wrists have been hurting ever since. The main thing I can think of is the handlebar rotation, as the isozone handlebars tend to force my hands into a certain position, so I've just rotated them round. Hoping that's the fix, only other thing I can think of is saddle angle, which may have changed between bikes (height was set as same).


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Jan 2014)

The fettlin' today should have been a quick and easy job... why is it never so easy?
It was meant to be a slide the old cartridge pads out, slide new ones in job before going out for promised bike ride.

Several hours later, lunch at home, 3 bike shops and way too many driven miles, I now have new cartridges for the existing new pads I had lined up... 3,500 miles after the pads were put on, they don't want to leave. The 2mm allen key nut (thing) holding the pads into the cartridges won't come undone on 3 of the 4 cartridges and even 2 bikes shops and several hack saw blades have failed to shift them (idea being to make allen key head into a flat head screw driver head instead because allen key rotates in at least 1 of the nuts)... so new cartridges needed because bike is needed tomorrow 8am and soaking in WD40 to try to shift them is going to take too long.

Bike has also been cleaned to within an inch of its life - think of putting wheels in kitchen sink (much to my OH's disproval ), chain is still soaking in oil and about to start the re-assembly ready to be using bike again in the morning. 

Also came back home with a new set of Spech BG Women's Deflect gloves as well purchased from birthday money (nice discount from the Spech store in Chester - thank you ). My old BG Deflect gloves (purchased in Helsinki back in October 2011 whilst we were on tour) are thread bare in most places now after 2 years almost constant use so it was time to replace them for winter riding at least.

Now if I take long enough to put the bike back together and leave the chain soaking in oil for a touch longer (say until dark ) I should get away with keeping the bike in the house overnight and not having to unlock it in the morning... how's that for a plan?


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## Gravity Aided (12 Jan 2014)

Diamondback Outlook(2011), tuned and adjusted after buying, then a short ride of 5 miles, and a cleaning, mickling, and waxing session so this singular paint and decal job stays nice.


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## Gravity Aided (12 Jan 2014)

fossyant said:


> Bit of browsing and I've ordered some Navigator Street deep section wheels from Dolan. £130 delivered and they include a track Sprocket, lock ring and axel nuts. Just got to hope my existing rims don't explode in the next couple of days.


Here's hoping. Rim explosions can be nasty. Had a fellow just start a metric century when he stopped due to a "funny noise". It was the rim sidewall, detaching at the weld and squeaking against his brake blocks.


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## fossyant (12 Jan 2014)

Gravity Aided said:


> Here's hoping. Rim explosions can be nasty. Had a fellow just start a metric century when he stopped due to a "funny noise". It was the rim sidewall, detaching at the weld and squeaking against his brake blocks.



I have exploded my fixed rims before. For some reason I wear out the back first, probably more road grit. I get about 18 months from them. The rears are looking rather worn. You usually get a dent first from pot holes, but it's time for new ASAP. I just can't build a set for the price of the Dolan Navigator Streets.


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## User33236 (12 Jan 2014)

Today I got round to completing the Sora to 105 upgrade on one of my bikes. Had to wrap new bar tape and index the gearing. Been putting off the bar tape for a bit but, despite it being my first ever attempt, I'm very happy with how it turned out


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## PeteXXX (12 Jan 2014)

Several links removed (and saved) from new Shimano chain to fit on the road bike tomorrow.


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## shouldbeinbed (13 Jan 2014)

Sorted out a mounting and suitable attachment block from odds and ends to semi permanently fix my new magicshine-a-like headlight in place of the reflector bracket above my Brompton front wheel. Solid and non juddery, off my (already crowded) narrow handlebar and fits perfectly into the fold with the battery pack safely attached too, fixed a white reflective slap band round the stem tube as a replacement front reflector.
Also stuffed my lightweight waterproof jacket into the frame tube for the odd heavy rain shower that catches me.

Cleaned and lubed the chain & re-fitted its marathon winters to my Ute bike in anticipation of a bit of snow or ice in a few weeks.


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## User33236 (14 Jan 2014)

Cleaned all exposed sections on gear cables on the CX and extremely lightly greased them to resolve sloppy downshift (indexing was fine).


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## Sheffield_Tiger (15 Jan 2014)

I didn't go down the cellar at all today. No bicycle tinkering at all, I just got fettled on Budvar Dunkel in my local hostelry


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## inkd (15 Jan 2014)

Swapped out the stock Tektro pads in the Defy with some Ribble bargains, Aztec cartridge brakes  Also added a BBB rear clamp on mudguard for the very wet roads at the moment, It does`nt look too bad.


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## HLaB (15 Jan 2014)

Put 2014 Fulcrum 7s on the kinesis, a new tyre on the front and the old front on the rear. I also put new brake blocks on the rear and a new chain. Hopefullythe cassette is not eorn otherwise I'll need a new one and will have to put the old chain back on as a temporary measure.


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## IncoherentJeff (15 Jan 2014)

Gave the road bike a full service & major clean, don't think it liked the 1 foot deep flood water I cycled though on Monday.  Maybe I should swop to the mtb/pub bike till the weathers back to normal.


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## Gravity Aided (16 Jan 2014)

Another coat of wax on the Diamondback, in case I and a friend go out on the trails this weekend, or I just go by myself.


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## OldCanal (16 Jan 2014)

rbreid said:


> Finally fit to bike with 1mm clearance from tyre
> View attachment 36129
> 
> That will keep the 'fairy' at bay



Thought you might be interested to see this offering :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-NOS-...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3a88029fd4
Methinks you could develop your ingenious method into a profitable little business (seriously)!!


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## Cubist (17 Jan 2014)

I cleaned the bike after a good long towpath spin (I like to think of it as turbo training without the sweat.....) then fitted a Marsh Guard to the front end.
Checks revealed a sloppy seat post QR so that was whipped off, cleaned and lubed, reset the angle of my saddle and moved it back an inch.


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## rbreid (17 Jan 2014)

OldCanal said:


> Thought you might be interested to see this offering :
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-NOS-...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3a88029fd4
> Methinks you could develop your ingenious method into a profitable little business (seriously)!!


Used to churn them out when I had my bike shop. Made a bend former specifically for them. Could make 30 sets in an hour of a winters evening. That would suffice for shopstock for the year. Sold them at £5 a pair. In my collection of vintage parts I've got the ones you referred to plus the short version.


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## Doyleyburger (17 Jan 2014)

Changed my handlebars today ! 
Outed the giants standard size bars for a set of FSA omega compact bars (oversize) .....Thanks @Dusty Bin .

Standard .......




New bars....




Tried to put back the bar tape.....will do for now.....


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## Dusty Bin (17 Jan 2014)

good job 

Hopefully that improves things?


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## rbreid (17 Jan 2014)

Bye Bye French thread....Hello 9/16 x 20








Thats the crankset ready for next weeks build


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## rbreid (17 Jan 2014)

A tip when tapping used cranks, always insert the tap from the rear of the crank. That way any previous damage to the thread from poor pedal fitting will not draw the tap off line.


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## simon.r (17 Jan 2014)

Replaced a mudguard. Feel free to learn from my mistake - if you buy a mudguard that's a bit too wide to fit your fork, don't trim a section out. It WILL break


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## rbreid (17 Jan 2014)

simon.r said:


> Replaced a mudguard. Feel free to learn from my mistake - if you buy a mudguard that's a bit too wide to fit your fork, don't trim a section out. It WILL break
> 
> View attachment 36488


An effective repair can be made by drilling out the rivets holding the mount replace with M5 screws/nuts holding a pannier mounting strap. drill through the guard to the front of the brake bridge and fit another couple of M5 screws/nuts to hold the strap at that end. Bridges the weak point. You do need to have the clearance of course.


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## simon.r (17 Jan 2014)

rbreid said:


> An effective repair can be made by drilling out the rivets holding the mount replace with M5 screws/nuts holding a pannier mounting strap. drill through the guard to the front of the brake bridge and fit another couple of M5 screws/nuts to hold the strap at that end. Bridges the weak point. You do need to have the clearance of course.



I did consider doing something like that, but decided to take the easy way out and buy a new (narrower) set of guards!


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## OldCanal (17 Jan 2014)

rbreid said:


> Bye Bye French thread....Hello 9/16 x 20
> View attachment 36486
> 
> View attachment 36487
> ...


Is this another 49D?


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## rbreid (18 Jan 2014)

OldCanal said:


> Is this another 49D?


Yes, Got either Ta cyclotouriste or Stronglight 49D on all my bikes bar one. Great cranksets, not too difficult to find in 165mm crank length (I'm short in the leg dept) and so adaptable chainring wise. Single/double/triple at a whim.


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## Gravity Aided (18 Jan 2014)

That TA board used to be the best board in the business, IIRC. Had the largest choice of cranks and chainrings, everything else paled by comparison. Followed closely by Stronglight.


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## DCLane (19 Jan 2014)

Having set out with one tube and needing 2 together after only 6 miles I gave up and decided to fix the bikes littering the conservatory:

- The Raleigh Team finally got the NOS rear derailleur properly set up with a new chain. The frame had had the derailleur bracket bent when it failed so some brutality was called for.
- Decathlon Sport got a new chain, a shorter stem and brake pads that work (Clarks CPS240) as Decathlon's own don't stop anything
- Spesh Secteur got new rear pads and 2 new tubes!

All fixed and hopefully that's it for a day or so ....


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## Salad Dodger (19 Jan 2014)

No cycle fettling today.

Instead, I lubricated the locking mechanism for the back door, so hopefully it doesn't jam shut (again). Also fettled the apple tree in the garden, which was horribly overgrown. I hope it survives my pruning, as it is also the main feeding station for wild birds in the garden.......


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## cyberknight (19 Jan 2014)

Went to oil chain last night after a wet and mucky commute home hte day before and th chain had practically seized in the shape of the jockey wheels around the rear mech.Had to do a good mickle and individually wiggle each link .I had only lubed it at the start of the week and it had done less than 100 miles since then.


derrick said:


> After changing the bar tape on my bike the other night, the other half liked it so much she asked if i could do her bars, so we both half black bars, used specialized phat bar tape with the gel pads, feels really comfortable, should soften the ride. time for a beer.


Bought 2 lots of that 6 months ago and i still havent got round to putting them on.


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## derrick (19 Jan 2014)

cyberknight said:


> Went to oil chain last night after a wet and mucky commute home hte day before and th chain had practically seized in the shape of the jockey wheels around the rear mech.Had to do a good mickle and individually wiggle each link .I had only lubed it at the start of the week and it had done less than 100 miles since then.
> 
> Bought 2 lots of that 6 months ago and i still havent got round to putting them on.


It's a nice bit of tape.


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## Jenkins (20 Jan 2014)

Day off work and housebound awaiting Dynorod to sort out a blocked drain so I set about cleaning & lubing all bikes to remove the latest layer of winter road cr*p.

Four hours later (including coffee breaks) and all ready to go.






and the weight saved (with a puncture kit for reference)


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## HLaB (22 Jan 2014)

Just cleaned my bike and fitted a new cassette, fitted a new chain last week but it didn't marry with the old cassette in one gear so I've changed it.


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## Christopher (23 Jan 2014)

Major fett'lge on the fixed: replaced rear wheel bearings, serviced headset, changed front ring from 40t to 44t (old one was worn paper-thin), lengthened chain, shortened chain, cut up a bright pink plastic bottle and bolted it to the rack to act as a mudguard (works great!). Thing fairly hums along now - it was seriously under-geared 62" (40x17), now it has a much more sensible 68". The work also eliminated that dreadful creaking which must have been a loose headset.


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## DCLane (23 Jan 2014)

Fitted Schwalbe Ice Spiker tyres plus a cassette onto a spare set of wheels I got given with my (now my son's) Felt Q200 MTB.

Fitted a new cassette onto the Decathlon Sport 7.1 as the new chain was slipping; had clearly gone too far.


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## compo (24 Jan 2014)

A couple of weeks ago I went out in a downpour, through deep floods, mud on the road and generally enjoyed myself on my hybrid. I am sure you can imagine the state of my bike when I got home. Did I mention the yet another broken spoke. Anyway I have given the bike a thorough, though slightly early spring clean, fitted a new back wheel and the bike has sat unused for the past fortnight. Determined to go out tomorrow and start getting my legs back in motion I have tonight mickled my chain and oiled other exposed bits that move. It is now raining again so probably after splashing through my ride tomorrow it will need doing again when I get home.


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## Fifelad (25 Jan 2014)

Adjusted my mudguards on the winter bike for the umpteenth time to stop an annoying rub. Did it in the comfort of the kitchen as the wife was out . When she asked what I had done today I told her I had done 45 mins on the turbo (true) and "tweaked" the mudguards. "In the shed ? its freezing in there " she said, "Yes I replied lying through my teeth, "just a 5 min job "


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## cyberknight (25 Jan 2014)

Took the commuter to the shop, headset went loose and when i tightened up enough not to wobble about it was very stiff , no good for riding as it would lock in a certain angle .
Yes i know i can do it myself if i had the time and a headset press, i could use a screwdriver but TBH the LBS is good and always charge reasonable rates.


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## Hacienda71 (25 Jan 2014)

Think I am losing it....Cleaned the mtb before tomorrows ride at Llandegla. I suspect it won't stay clean very long.


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## potsy (25 Jan 2014)

Hacienda71 said:


> Think I am losing it....Cleaned the mtb before tomorrows ride at Llandegla. I suspect it won't stay clean very long.


Blimey skolly will be furious if you turn up with a clean bike 

My fettling today consisted of taking the knackered tyre off the rear of the Secteur, replacing it with the front and putting a new one on the front.
Tomorrow i will be putting a new cassette on the Caad if it will accept a 12-30, it came with a 12-28


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## HLaB (25 Jan 2014)

Not much of a fettle but the front mudguard bracket snapped a few weeks back, sks sent me a replacement and I've only just got round to fitting it, fihure I might need it tomorrow :-/


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (26 Jan 2014)

Hacienda71 said:


> Think I am losing it....Cleaned the mtb before tomorrows ride at Llandegla. I suspect it won't stay clean very long.


did mine after the ride when we got home. New brake blocks fitted to my OH's bike yet again... running theme on his mtb...
and I think his rear wheel will be needing some new cup, cones & wheel bearings this week as well... that is after his road bike gets its new wheels, cassette, chain, brakes pads, brake cables (inners & outers) and something else I can't quite remember right now! Still trying to talk him into a new mtb! can you believe it?


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Jan 2014)

After a few weeks of having a headset looser than a wino's bowels I've tightened it. I can't believe how easy that was. Tighten the cap before the stem bolts!

'Facepalm' as the kids say.


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## Arjimlad (27 Jan 2014)

I had been finding it hard to get in the correct gear at the back. Shifters adjusted to shift up happily would not shift down properly. If they were adjusted to shift down properly, would not shift up !

So I took off the chain and gave it a good wash and degrease, and did the same for the derailleur too. After cleaning the cables and blasting the outers with GT85 I reassembled, relubed everything and now have much better shifting .


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Jan 2014)

I have murdered my husband... fettled my husband's bike today.

New wheels because I was fed up of replacing the bearings in his rear hub (stock decathlon wheel) and this time around it needed cup & cones as well... So Shimano R501's were put on with a new SRAM PG-850 12-26 cassette and SRAM PC-850 chain. He needed new brake pads, 1 new brake shoe (one of them would not unscrew and the allen key just clicks in the nut to remove the old pad... will have to take a hacksaw to the screw later on) and both brake cables replacing. Regretfully he also needed new chainset which I didn't spot when I surveyed the damage to his bike prior to purchasing the parts needed, so has had to have the old outer and middle chainrings off my old cassette. Luckily the 8mm allen key that holds the crank arms on would not come off - I say luckily because I would have just swapped the chainset over and probably not have picked up on the fact that my old crank arm was 170mm and his is 175mm so he would have been left with odd length cranks - and that would have been very embarrassing!

Right up until the new chainset being required I had managed to keep the cost of the repairs to his bike down to a sensible £99... so cheaper than replacing the bike but...

From this (look at the middle chainring )






to this on 2nd hand parts (not ideal - these were actually take off my bike as too worn )





and the end result...





Anyone want to lay any bets that he actually notices a difference? 
Nahhh... me neither.


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## wisdom (28 Jan 2014)

You're handy to have around . He's a lucky guy.


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## Shut Up Legs (28 Jan 2014)

Having noticed a loud creaking sound coming from my front derailleur when changing from the middle to large chain ring on my commute home yesterday, I sprayed some grease on its spring last night, and this morning it was nice and quiet! . Now I just need to do something about the headset, because the noises coming from it are rapidly approaching "symphony" status .


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## Jenkins (28 Jan 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> I have murdered my husband... fettled my husband's bike today.
> (Snip) Regretfully he also needed new chainset which I didn't spot when I surveyed the damage to his bike prior to purchasing the parts needed, so has had to have the old outer and middle chainrings off my old cassette (snip)



What make chainrings or what level of groupset (Sora, Tiagra, 105, etc) were they from as I have to replace the chainrings on my Triban (I have been advised that Sora or 105 triples should fit). The only difference is that the outer ring on mine look like the middle on your husbands.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Jan 2014)

Jenkins said:


> What make chainrings or what level of groupset (Sora, Tiagra, 105, etc) were they from as I have to replace the chainrings on my Triban (I have been advised that Sora or 105 triples should fit). The only difference is that the outer ring on mine look like the middle on your husbands.


I replaced his with the ones from my old triban 3. I fitted a 1/2 price Shimano 2303 (52/42/30) chainset to my bike (Shimano 2303 Square Taper Triple Chainset 8-speed) which I picked up for £44.99 when Evans Cycles were clearing their stock. I am currently looking at Shimano Tourney A073 Triple 50/39/30 Square Tapered Chainset (£47.99) for his T3... but that means dropping him from a 175mm crank arm length to a 170mm and I'm not sure how much difference it will make to him... need to measure him and put it through a crank arm calculator and check his other 2 bikes to see what they have. From what I can tell you need to be careful that you get a triple that is 8 speed compatible (assuming your Triban has a 8 speed cassette on it). That is the biggest restriction for us from what I can tell and I knew we need square taper for the BB which I don't want to have to replace - that is actually OK!

You could look at just changing your outer chainring if the other chainrings are OK. It would be easier and cheaper if you don't have the crank removal tool - you only need an allen key for that.


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## HLaB (29 Jan 2014)

Put new clarks brake pads holders & pads on the fixie and lowered the saddle and rotated the bars similar to my recent bike fit and on the 4 and a bit mile ride to get milk it felt great :-)


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## shouldbeinbed (1 Feb 2014)

New mudguards and SQR block on the Cannondale ute bike. Far more of a PITA than I anticipated as I needed to adapt the guards slightly to fit the rather odd original rear set up. Took the original weighty rack off to be replaced maybe with a better one if I start to miss it.


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## cyberknight (1 Feb 2014)

Got the commuter back yesterday , LBS says the rh shifter is pretty worn and even with new cables the shifting is not fantastic.
Changed the wheels for some "new" wheels as the old ones were grinding so they will be as back ups , new brake pads and checked seat height as i have been getting aches on the inner thigh after putting the saddle up so i have gone back to my stock measurements .
On the Boardman replaced the old frame stickers with fresher ones and put a sticker over where the top tube had been dinged to the metal .


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## Roscoe (1 Feb 2014)

Having watched a few YouTube videos, hopefully, I have correctly tightened/adjusted the headset on my old Trek. There was a lot of play and noise from it. Also tightened the rear brake cable that seemed to have slipped.

Normally have no confidence in doing anything other than cleaning the bikes. My usual reaction to even a minor mechanical is to head for my excellent LBS. However, I have decided to bite the bullet and try to do a bit more fettling myself. Thank goodness for you tube, very helpful!


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## fossyant (1 Feb 2014)

Quick oil and check over of the Ribble for a run out tomorrow of 50 miles.


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## marknotgeorge (2 Feb 2014)

Fitted some bleeding edge technology today...



PanoBike by marknotgeorge, on Flickr

A Topeak PanoBike Bluetooth LE speed & cadence sensor. Bleeding edge, because my Samsung Galaxy SIII has not long had the Android 4.3 update to support BTLE, and although the hardware on my Lumia 925 supports it, there's as yet no programming API. So all the software's a bit shaky. Still, it's something for the future...


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## dave r (2 Feb 2014)

Stripped, cleaned, regreased and reassembled the right pedal on the fixed, it had been a little rough and noisy for a couple of weeks, I lubed it last night but it was still rough and noisy on todays ride so it got the full treatment tonight, I must get round to a replacement, I think these pedals are on their third bike, while I've got the card out some more clips would be a good idea, these have done several winters and are getting rusty.


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## Big Nick (3 Feb 2014)

Moved the shifters and brake levers on the missus's bike while she was out with me on her first bike ride for around 15 years with my bike multitool, all added to her first adventure out on it!!


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## Leaway2 (3 Feb 2014)

Cleaned bikes and adjusted front dérailleur on the Specialized secteur. The cable is frayed so ordered a new one.


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## cardiac case (4 Feb 2014)

Lunchtime I took the nearly new tyres (about 200 miles) off my old bike and put them on the new bike.
It now almost freewheels uphill. 

I just love Conti Sport Contact's


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## Cavalol (5 Feb 2014)

Puncture no 4 in the same flipping tube on my Trek mountain bike. Also replaced rear skewer in the hope it will cure a weird problem I'm having, plus fitted a second hand computer I found on a bike I bought. Currently batting against Indian 'technology' with a cheap new bike I bought too!


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## dave r (5 Feb 2014)

dave r said:


> Stripped, cleaned, regreased and reassembled the right pedal on the fixed, it had been a little rough and noisy for a couple of weeks, I lubed it last night but it was still rough and noisy on todays ride so it got the full treatment tonight, I must get round to a replacement, I think these pedals are on their third bike, while I've got the card out some more clips would be a good idea, these have done several winters and are getting rusty.



I've now given up on these pedals, they were still noisy on the way to work Monday so I had another fettling session Monday night, but without improvement and a replacement set has been ordered. A new set of bearings might have done the trick, but I had none in the bits box, and with the age of the pedals, I had started to wear away the metal platform, replacement seemed the best option.


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## cosmicbike (7 Feb 2014)

Following on from a very rough sounding, and feeling, bottom bracket on my Trek earlier this week, suitable tools were ordered from Wiggle, but not a new BB as I couldn't find out for the life of me what size it was. Anyway, removed this afternoon, cleaned the grit out, noting none in the bearings (it's a sealed Octilink), and it feels really smooth in the hand Still, ordered a new one to keep in the drawer, and put the bike back together again.


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## Rickshaw Phil (7 Feb 2014)

Serviced the wheel bearings on the knockabout bike as it's done 1000 miles since fitting the new wheels back in August. The front was absolutely fine but I was disappointed that the rear drive side bearings are pitting already and the balls were pretty much wrecked. (Quando hub if anyone is interested.)

Looks like it'll be cheaper to buy a new hub than replace the freehub and bearing cone  so have replaced the ball bearings and I'll just run it until it gets too rough then replace the wheel.


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## Octet (7 Feb 2014)

I complete overhaul of the road bike.

Today I've taken off the wheels and cleaned the frame thoroughly. I've removed the brake callipers and given them a good oil and clean as they where sticking when trying to release. I've removed the front chain cogs and given them a good scrub as well as touching up a couple of scratches on the frame with a bit of white enamel paint.

Tomorrow I'm going to the LBS to get some more brake pads, and then I'll replace the current ones and re-adjust. I'll then re-wrap the handlebars with new tape and give everything a once over polish with GT85.

On Monday when my parcel from Wiggle hopefully arrives, I'll then clean out the wheel bearings and re-grease them.

That should be everything.


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## arranandy (8 Feb 2014)

Fitted new bar tape on my winter bike. The previous tape had done 3 winters and was well past its best. Also stuck a chainstay protector on my best bike


----------



## dan_bo (8 Feb 2014)

Repainted the kitchen wall after a water leak stain has dried.


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## Jenkins (8 Feb 2014)

Finally got round to changing the chain rings on the Triban and, just for good measure, I also changed the chain and cassette as I'd purchased some spares when CRC were having a clear out. 

The only problem is that the chain & cassette probably wont be on there for long as I've just purchased a 9 speed shifter & dérailleur at a price it would have been rude to turn down and I just happen to have spares of everything else I need!


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## zophiel (8 Feb 2014)

oiled the chain. put some sealant round the shower and some draft excluder round the front door.


----------



## cosmicbike (8 Feb 2014)

Stripped, cleaned out the hardened grease, degreased, regreased and re-assembled the bottom bracket on my lads new second hand MX24


----------



## Octet (8 Feb 2014)

Following on from my previous post, my order from Wiggle arrived today! 

I've fitted the new brake pads and aligned the front. I've re-stuffed the bearings in my front wheel, however I couldn't for the life of me get the cassette off the rear wheel. When I say I couldn't, it is well and truly stuck... I even bent a spanner trying (and it wasn't a cheap one). My guess is they put it on with a pneumatic drill during the manufacture, and as such I have had to send it into the LBS for them to try and remove it.


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## Doyleyburger (9 Feb 2014)

Had to adjust both derailleurs today. Been having issues ever since I took the bike for a service. 
Anyway I keep getting a lot of slipping in the mid range gears lately, normally when changing down. Also the chain seems to come off an awful lot these days. 
Filtered through YouTube And found this guy 'velotique' who seems to explain things ever so slowly which is a great help as you can follow the video more thoroughly. Turns out the limit screw needed adjusting on the front derailleur, as it was coming over too far which was causing the chain to slip off. Not only that but it was set far too high.
The jockey wheels at the back needed adjusting and I fiddled around with the limit screws again. 
All seems good now but will know more tomorrow when I go out for a good spin. 
Relatively proud of myself


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (10 Feb 2014)

Doyleyburger said:


> Had to adjust both derailleurs today. Been having issues ever since I took the bike for a service.
> Anyway I keep getting a lot of slipping in the mid range gears lately, normally when changing down. Also the chain seems to come off an awful lot these days.
> Filtered through YouTube And found this guy 'velotique' who seems to explain things ever so slowly which is a great help as you can follow the video more thoroughly. Turns out the limit screw needed adjusting on the front derailleur, as it was coming over too far which was causing the chain to slip off. Not only that but it was set far too high.
> The jockey wheels at the back needed adjusting and I fiddled around with the limit screws again.
> ...


any chance of some links please? I have my OH's front derailleur to look at today. I am not convinced it is set up correctly and from what I can tell it has either seized up or has the same issues... once I had the new cable fitted (he broke the cable trying to change chainring on it yesterday  brute force was the culprit I personally believe...) it was unable to change at all but will happily move way too close to the seat post stay... (and I hate and loath indexing with avengeance - I just seem to have this blind spot when it comes to derailleurs - give me a hub any day) thanks.


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## HLaB (10 Feb 2014)

Wasn't today but Saturday but it was minor fettling, rotated my bars up to the bike fit dimensions they had slipped (I think I might pu them back down a bit; transferred my old ultegra brake shoes to the new tektro callipers and put a old full length front mudguard on.


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## fossyant (10 Feb 2014)

New downtube shifters ordered for my Ribble. Finally going to 8 speed !!

Lots of sprockets on the way from Smokey too !!


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## Boon 51 (10 Feb 2014)

Dont know if you have or do fettling questions but I have one?
I need to flip my stem no problem, but do you adjust the brake levers down slightly when retightening?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (10 Feb 2014)

Boon 51 said:


> Dont know if you have or do fettling questions but I have one?
> I need to flip my stem no problem, but do you adjust the brake levers down slightly when retightening?


erm why? when you flip the stem, you will be taking the handlebars off (or drops depending on which bike)... and you have to rotate them back to the correct position, so there should be no need to adjust the brake levers... or have I missed something completely here each and every time I have changed stems?


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## Octet (10 Feb 2014)

Finished servicing my bicycle, my LBS managed to get the lock nut off, however when I came to put it back together I couldn't work out where this one washer went.... I'm sure it'll be fine but I'm about to give it a quick spin to find out.

It's better than waking up tomorrow, getting ready to ride to work and finding out the wheel falls off then!


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## Boon 51 (10 Feb 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> erm why? when you flip the stem, you will be taking the handlebars off (or drops depending on which bike)... and you have to rotate them back to the correct position, so there should be no need to adjust the brake levers... or have I missed something completely here each and every time I have changed stems?


 
Sorry SNSSO.. Bad explanation.. I dont mean the brake levers I mean the handle bars with the levers still attached.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (10 Feb 2014)

Boon 51 said:


> Sorry SNSSO.. Bad explanation.. I dont mean the brake levers I mean the handle bars with the levers still attached.



OK - just rotate to where they used to be... so yes...


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## Boon 51 (11 Feb 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> OK - just rotate to where they used to be... so yes...


 
Thanks..


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## HLaB (11 Feb 2014)

Not a major task but I cleaned up and lubed the bike (the front derailleur was sticking ) last night. Then I rotated the bars down by a couple of degrees.


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## Mo1959 (11 Feb 2014)

Just fitted a new chain and cassette. Had done a chain before but this was my first cassette. Haven't been out to test it yet though......may all fall to bits!


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## compo (11 Feb 2014)

For the first time ever I have actually succeeded in truing a mountain bike wheel. It is off my BSO MTB, an old chromed wheel. I wasn't going to pay to have it done, the wheel isn't worth it. It had two kicks in it and they straightened out quite easily. I intend replacing them with alloy wheels when I get a bit of spare cash. I also found the wheel had a bent axle, so a new one is on order.


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## HLaB (11 Feb 2014)

Put a new rear tire on the fixie, the old one looked like it had life still but something had poked through it side wall so I changed it.


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## Buzzinonbikes (12 Feb 2014)

Stripped and rebuilt my hubs for the very first time ever. Was surprised at how easy it is with the help of our Sheldon and park tool website. Replaced the bearings and the front needed one new cone. Living the dream!


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

Nothing is ever easy is it?
Just done my first flip of the stem but now I have an issue.
I removed the bars, undone the side screws and top screw and removed the stem so ok so far, but inside the stem there is a metal sleeve which sticks out at the bottom but when flipped it sticks out at the top.. but I can't move the sleeve
So on standard set up the sleeve sticks out at the bottom and flipped it sticks out at the top is this alright?
It dont feel as if its right but I dont know.


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## youngoldbloke (12 Feb 2014)

Boon 51 said:


> Nothing is ever easy is it?
> Just done my first flip of the stem but now I have an issue.
> I removed the bars, undone the side screws and top screw and removed the stem so ok so far, but inside the stem there is a metal sleeve which sticks out at the bottom but when flipped it sticks out at the top.. but I can't move the sleeve
> So on standard set up the sleeve sticks out at the bottom and flipped it sticks out at the top is this alright?
> It dont feel as if its right but I dont know.


Photos?


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## Linford (12 Feb 2014)

I have been teaching myself how to MIG weld over the last few weeks. It has taken a while to get all the bits together (auto mask, the right grinding and cutting disks, a local source of cheap CO2, regulator, flow meter etc etc 
Here is a test piece I put together last night
I need to figure out what is causing the browning (oxidising) on top of the weld (too much shield gas or not enough) 40mm x 20mm x 2mm wall mild steel practice tubing


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

youngoldbloke said:


> Photos?


 
Photos as the bike is or stripped down.


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## youngoldbloke (12 Feb 2014)

Boon 51 said:


> Photos as the bike is or stripped down.


showing the stem and sleeve and the steerer?


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

This is as it stands on the bike.. the sleeve pokes out at the top and the top spacer moves at the back or saddle side but not at the front as the stem is holding it down.


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

If you notice on the second picture there is a gap betwwen the stem and the spacer which wasn't there before..


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## youngoldbloke (12 Feb 2014)

Maybe post in Technical Know How - can't really see what is going on - sorry


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

youngoldbloke said:


> Maybe post in Technical Know How - can't really see what is going on - sorry


 
I'll do that but thanks anyway..


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## compo (12 Feb 2014)

@Boon 51 Is the metal sleeve you refer to simply a shim to allow the stem to fit the steerer? Once you flip your stem and get a gap between spacer and stem is the gap even all the way round or just part way round. Looking at your photograph of the stem fitted "right way up" the space between the top of the stem and the top of the steerer doesn't look the same all the way round, although this may be the camera angle. I am wondering if there is a slight angle on the stem top which will stop it sitting square on the spacer when upside down which would account for the gap. Sorry for the garbled explanation, I would never make a technical author.


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## Boon 51 (12 Feb 2014)

compo said:


> @Boon 51 Is the metal sleeve you refer to simply a shim to allow the stem to fit the steerer? Once you flip your stem and get a gap between spacer and stem is the gap even all the way round or just part way round. Looking at your photograph of the stem fitted "right way up" the space between the top of the stem and the top of the steerer doesn't look the same all the way round, although this may be the camera angle. I am wondering if there is a slight angle on the stem top which will stop it sitting square on the spacer when upside down which would account for the gap. Sorry for the garbled explanation, I would never make a technical author.


 
Thanks compo it was the shim that was causing the problem.

Once I found out the shim would push out and be turned round it was easy.. I did try the first time to move the shim but I just didn't use enough force as I'm a bit ham fisted and didn't want to bend or break it..
When you have the shim out you can see it is angled.. like most things once you have done it once its easy..
Cheers mate..


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## marknotgeorge (12 Feb 2014)

Linford said:


> I have been teaching myself how to MIG weld over the last few weeks. It has taken a while to get all the bits together (auto mask, the right grinding and cutting disks, a local source of cheap CO2, regulator, flow meter etc etc
> Here is a test piece I put together last night
> I need to figure out what is causing the browning (oxidising) on top of the weld (too much shield gas or not enough) 40mm x 20mm x 2mm wall mild steel practice tubing



The oxidation could be caused by the angle of your torch, or the shroud is full of crap, giving poor coverage. CO2's not the best gas to use - I got a good deal on a bottle of Argoshield Light from BOC through a contact on the Volksworld website, I think. And that steel doesn't look too clean. MiG is the prince of welding, it likes shiny...


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## Linford (12 Feb 2014)

marknotgeorge said:


> The oxidation could be caused by the angle of your torch, or the shroud is full of crap, giving poor coverage. CO2's not the best gas to use - I got a good deal on a bottle of Argoshield Light from BOC through a contact on the Volksworld website, I think. And that steel doesn't look too clean. MiG is the prince of welding, it likes shiny...


I ground it back to bright metal about 5mm from the end of the bar and all the way along the mating piece. Sometimes it comes up gunmetal, sometimes like that. Will have another play tomorrow evening, thanks for the advice


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## arranandy (13 Feb 2014)

New headset bearings just fitted to cyclocross bike. Took about 15 minutes. Easy peasy


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## Shut Up Legs (13 Feb 2014)

arranandy said:


> New headset bearings just fitted to cyclocross bike. Took about 15 minutes. Easy peasy


Glad to hear that, because I'll have to do the same for my Vivente tourer I use for commuting, this weekend. The headset is getting very noisy, because I've left its maintenance too long. Plus I haven't touched a headset before, so this one's new to me.


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## Linford (13 Feb 2014)

Just playing with wire feed speed and amperage on my welder tonight (practice)


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## fossyant (13 Feb 2014)

Sprokets arrived from smokeysmoo today. These were riveted, but a quick blast with the dremmel had the cassettes split. Now have some useful sprockets to match up the ratios on both road bikes.


----------



## Pennine-Paul (15 Feb 2014)

fitted new ball bearings to the bottom bracket
last lot lasted 9000 miles,not bad for £4


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## Stu Plows (15 Feb 2014)

Tried to fix rear derailleur on Peugeot, just not having it though. It doesn't seem to want to spring back... I must be missing something with it.

Removed saddle aswell as my old man has some leather to re-cover it how I want 

Next job, change rear bearings in the Ribble and find out where grinding around bottom bracket is coming from exactly.


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## screenman (15 Feb 2014)

Emulsioned the walls of the office this morning whilst keeping my post count up on here, who says men cannot multitask.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (15 Feb 2014)

yesterday - fitted the new front derailleur to my OH's road bike and actually managed to index it correctly and get it working!  I may just have sussed out indexing after all this time!


----------



## Big Nick (15 Feb 2014)

New gear cables, the previous ones have lasted 20 years!

The new ones made a hell of a difference and the shifts are very smooth now, a worthy £5 upgrade!


----------



## dave r (15 Feb 2014)

Fitted new pedals and toe clips to the fixed, straightened and rebent the toe clips to take my steel toe capped boots. Gave the fixed its weekly check, tires for debris and pressure, chain tension, I also tried better centring the chain ring on the spider to try and ease the slack spot in the chain, checked brakes and gave the bike a visual inspection to make sure alls well.


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## PeteXXX (17 Feb 2014)

P*nct*re fixed in front tyre of Town & Tesco SS bike. Must have been a slow as it was OK when it went in the shed a few days ago. I noticed it yesterday evening when I was looking for a hose connector.


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## lip03 (17 Feb 2014)

cut my bars down finally after promising I would do it for months! been putting it off as I seem to feel comfier with a narrow set of bars (holding the bars by the brake/gear levers to "try it out") but didn't want to cut a lump off my bars then not like it and have to buy new bars!! took the plunge and seems to me that I made the right choice also swapped out my brake pads as they were low, all in all a good afternoon.

also fitted a new bottle cage!


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## Glow worm (17 Feb 2014)

Replaced both brake cables and tightened the rear gear cable. Minimal swearing too. I must be getting better at this fettling lark.


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## Kiwiavenger (18 Feb 2014)

I have re wrapped my bar tape (too scared to do it before but nice shiny deda carbon effect stuff and relatively easy) replaced the bottom bracket, gear cables, re indexed, mickled the new ish chain replaced cassette, re greased headset bearings (and lost one of the little blighters! New headset replacement bearings on order)


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## Doyleyburger (18 Feb 2014)

Got a slow puncture on my Sunday ride. Didn't know it till Monday morning when I saw the tyre was dead flat. Anyway replaced the tube and patched the punctured one. 
Got a new chain coming today as I'm still having gear issues. 
(slipping all the time)
Wanted to fit it today but I quickly realised after watching countless videos on YouTube that I'm not going to do it without the chain removing tool to release the pin.
So iv ordered one......should be here in couple of days ready for weekend. 

So nothing really fettled today


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## fossyant (18 Feb 2014)

New pads will be fitted at lunch before I head off to another site.


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## HLaB (18 Feb 2014)

Nothing major but I took the wheels, tires and rear cassete off to make sure things were dry; the seat post was stuck though (its only been in that position a couple of months )


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## uclown2002 (18 Feb 2014)

Replaced rear inner brake cable as it was getting jammed in front housing. Flushed outer with GT85 as didn't want to replace my new bar tape if I could avoid it. Worked ok today so fingers crossed!


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## The Brewer (18 Feb 2014)

Had my maintenance head on today, so after a good clean of the commuter I set about the other jobs I'd been leaving.
Brakes readjusted, should last a couple more months
Replaced chain, couldn't for the life of me find the chain pliers and found the wire stripping pliers will compress the link......then I found the chain pliers 
Tyres replaced with Bontrager hardcase 25mm, had no problems with them on the Sunday fun bike and the commuter got treated
General rub down and greasing. Brake pivots, pedals and adjusted mudguards

Pleased with myself I'll have a beer watching the telly


----------



## GuardTwin (18 Feb 2014)

My chain fell off a week ago as i changed to the wrong gear.
This was achieved with...
Cold hands 
talking to the chain "come on...please for me!"
Soap and warm water.
A coffee to reward myself for some reason.

No idea why I thought it would be a good idea to change the gear...maybe i was curious on what it would feel like on this bike as I have not tried every single gear yet.


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## ACS (18 Feb 2014)

On the commuter

New cassette
New chain
Checked the BB
New pads front and back. Front brakes now squeal loudly in the key of 'E' instead of ''G,' which makes a change.
Moved the seat post up a smidge - hey no more creaking, so it wasn't the BB was it?


----------



## jazzkat (19 Feb 2014)

I've done a good bit of fettlin' these last few days.
Built a pair of wheels for the tourer
New brake levers (to replace the awful uncomfortable oe ones), rewrap the bars and changed the gearing on the fixie (back to 48-16)
Finally got round to cutting the steerer tube down on my geared bike (it's only taken 4 years to get round to doing it!)


----------



## PeteXXX (19 Feb 2014)

Brakes bled and pads checked on full suss. New pads ordered!


----------



## Pennine-Paul (19 Feb 2014)

went for a test ride on my first self built track wheel down to evans at the velodrome to pick up a new carbon brake lever


----------



## HLaB (19 Feb 2014)

Not fettled yet but I going to put the cheap fixie saddle on my better bike and try to use it as a lever to free its seatpost


----------



## Asa Post (19 Feb 2014)

Got a low battery warning for the Powertap, so put in a new battery and found that the Garmin wouldn't recognise it. Fiddled for an hour or so with no success, then went through the kitchen bin until I found the battery I'd just thrown away, and put it back in.
Worked first time. 

New battery showing 2.8v, old battery showing 2.3v.


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## compo (19 Feb 2014)

I have put a fair bit of weight on since last Autumn, which could account for my Bontrager rear wheel on my Trek hybrid giving up the ghost. I have replaced the wheel but have decided to put the bike in the shed and use a mountain bike instead for a couple of months until I can get my weight back to manageable levels. I might even ride the Dunwich Dynamo on it, I will have to see how I get on. Today I have removed the pound shop mudguards from the MTB, adjusted the brakes, fitted a rear carrier and pannier bags and generally tidied the bike up. I have also been busy online and ordered some full, conventional mudguards for it and some new brake pads. I want to replace the knobbly tyres for some slicks to make the bike more road friendly but can't afford it right now. It may not be a bad thing because we are not really out of danger of snow yet!


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## HLaB (19 Feb 2014)

HLaB said:


> Not fettled yet but I going to put the cheap fixie saddle on my better bike and try to use it as a lever to free its seatpost


Success :-)


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## maltloaf (19 Feb 2014)

I bought a set of open pro rims built onto shimano 105 hubs on ebay a couple of weeks ago, the spokes felt far too loose to me and sure enough it was going out of true almost every ride. Today I upped the tension on every spoke by a half turn then stressed them and re-trued the wheel and after a brief test ride they already feel much stiffer. Time will tell.

I also built a bike from scratch (my first build) and I'll try to post that soon with some pics. Everything done apart from front derailleur, bar tape and some finishing off.


----------



## IncoherentJeff (20 Feb 2014)

Used a kitchen blowtorch to remove two stubborn cotters. I'd tried & failed to remove them before, I eventually gave up and whacked the old Raleigh frame in the loft for a year. But today success!

I'd planned to strip the corroded crank back to bare metal but it turns out it's completely different.
One is a Nervar 170mm crank and the heavily corroded one measures 165mm. Looks like I need a new crank then.
I also discovered both cotters had been shimmed with bits of metal measuring tape!


----------



## morrisman (20 Feb 2014)

Refitted my Charge Spoon to see if I get on with it better now I'm a stone lighter. Rode 10 miles and it seemed fine


----------



## maltloaf (20 Feb 2014)

Finished my bike build. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5258929/kiron/sideleft.jpg 
also sorted out the gears on my main bike. Wouldn't go into the smallest cog since i degreased it all. Had to adjust the limit screw to fix it which is a new one on me.


----------



## Robeh (20 Feb 2014)

onelife ID.....http://www.onelifeid.com/


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## Goonerobes (20 Feb 2014)

Cleaned & re-greased front & rear hubs, changed headset bearings & removed & cleaned seatpost, all for the first time.
As a not particularly mechanically minded person I'm as pleased as punch with myself & would like to thank my friend "Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" for his assistance!


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Feb 2014)

managed to fettle 3 of the 7 bikes in this household today (as well as get a ride in). Feeling like a full time mechanic at the moment.

My bike needed a new chain & a wash down after today's muddy ride, and I also adjusted the angle of the drops this morning before my ride. Seems more comfortable now but time will tell - planning a big ride (longest since returning to the UK) next week so that will be the real test. And while I was fitting the new chain, I took the liberty of washing my rear wheel down giving the cassette a really good clean. It's silver again! Also balanced my front brake pads because I noticed that one of them is wearing faster than the other, only been on the bike for 500km and I am hoping for 10 times that from them, so shall have to keep an eye on the balance there...





(after today's muddy short ride - but then it looks like this after every ride at the moment!)

My OH had another flat tyre this morning, so baled and took the car, leaving me to fix his flat. He had one on Wednesday morning as well, 'fixed' that one himself and cycled to work. I had him check his tyres at lunch time and they were OK, but this morning it was not the case. A quick inspection of the inner tube showed the same shaped and sized cut in the inner tube and it took me less than 3 seconds to locate the cause (which he couldn't find ). A piece of green glass, duely kept to show him when he gets home later.... his observation skills sometimes leave a massive amount to be desired!





Somehow this was not visible to my OH .

Then my OH old mountain bike - this is an epic, work in progress. It is being stripped and serviced prior to going to my brother-in-law. Luckily my BIL does not use mountain bikes for trails, because its trail life is well and truly over. It will now be for commuting along a canal which it should be OK for but today saw the start of the work. It also had a flat tyre but this one has me defeated because even putting the inner tube in water I can't find the leak... so the rear wheel has been stripped down but will still need new bearings & cones before I am done (as will the front). The rear wheel and cassette have been washed to within an inch of their life - as has the inner tube trying to find the leak and the tyre trying to find the culprit. Chainrings, crank arms and pedals are off, brakes are off (front & rear) and I am slowly working on the rest (BB, headset, seat post, cables, derailleurs. It will also need a new saddle before we are done.)

And finally the kitchen is clean again, just in time for him to get home and not notice I have had 2 rear wheels in the kitchen sink cleaning the mud off them...


----------



## smokeysmoo (21 Feb 2014)

Just stuck an IZONE Pulse rear light on the CAAD.

It was cheap as chips, (and bumped a small Wiggle order up so as to avoid paying for P&P), and I just wanted a small discrete yet bright be seen light for general use.

Looks great and seems to work really well, job done.


----------



## HLaB (21 Feb 2014)

Took my lights of the bike when I got back from the pub, does that count as fettling!


----------



## kedab (21 Feb 2014)

nothing today - but i did get a torque wrench & kit for my birthday last week and i now know exactly how tight i'm doing stuff up...which isn't actually true cos i don't know how tight a newton meter actually is so i have no frame of reference...but anyway, that's what i got and i can now heed the little marks on the bike that tell me how tight the bolts should be..which is comforting.


----------



## gbb (21 Feb 2014)

Cleared the shed of circa 12 assorted wheels, a multitude of asst tyres, backbox, saddle and an old frame...I found a bottle cage .
wheels tyres and asst bits donated to a small LBS who buys from police auctions etc and rebuilds what he can..a one man operation but hes got a fair sized unit to house it all....and the bottle cage fitted to the Ribble to replace a cracked one.
Took me circa 2 years to clear the shed of cr&p as the wife calls it... shes the happiest bunny on the street


----------



## maltloaf (21 Feb 2014)

Robeh said:


> onelife ID.....http://www.onelifeid.com/


I looked at those as I cycle alone mostly but decided it was less likely that anyone finding me would bother going to a website rather than ringing a simple number so I got a dog tag made up. My name and dob, my partner's name and phone number.

Was about £4 from eBay for two tags


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## fossyant (22 Feb 2014)

Giving the bike a rest (me actually) as I've been in a fair amount of pain last few days. The Ribble got upgraded to 8 speeds after my new down tube levers arrived. Used a couple of the sprockets smokeysmoo sold me and now have the same ratios as on the Herety. Cassette and chain given a thorough clean after last Sundays mucky fest.


----------



## Hacienda71 (22 Feb 2014)

Fitted a new to me set of rock shox and disc brake to my 9 year old sons new to him secondhand Giant mountain bike. 
Cut the steerer by 10mm and cut down a spare Poundland rear brake cable to fit. 
Now to get him out on some trails.


----------



## fossyant (22 Feb 2014)

Forgot to mention, took my rollers down from the garage roof and gave them a good clean. Down side is the drive belt has perished in the last 18 years they have been up in the roof. New one ordered from Ribble.


----------



## cyberknight (22 Feb 2014)

Replaced the 2300 shifter on the commuter as the old RH one was on its way out according to the LBS , it was getting so i got a random gear every shift depending on what cable got pulled even with new cable+ outers .Replaced with a second hand one i got a while back so lets hope its ok as i am still fine tuning it .
Also replaced the front brake cable and i am in the process of changing the bar tape to spesh phat as i suffer with tingling fingers linked to trapped nerve ( have physio ) .
Last but not least i shall be taking the btwin wheels off and sticking the stock carrera wheels back on as the btwin ones are like riding with a couple of bricks in the tubes .Bought these at x mas with some crimble money but seems i made a wrong choice so i shall just keep them as back up wheels .


----------



## Shut Up Legs (23 Feb 2014)

I did a thorough clean of the bike, taking about 1 hour and 45 minutes, but noticed that my pedals are wobbling slightly, even with the star nut on the left pedal done up as tight as my hands could do them. It looks like I may need to replace the HT-II bottom bracket soon. I already have a replacement, so will do that next weekend.


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## compo (23 Feb 2014)

Bottom bracket failed on me yesterday on my Giant MTB. Looking at the state of it and the trouble I had getting it out of the frame I reckon it's been in there since the bike was new. I have no idea what make it was as it was too rusty to make out much writing on it but I don't think it is a Shimano. Anyway, a Shimano UN55 is now ordered for a replacement.


----------



## jayonabike (23 Feb 2014)

No ride today, but spent the afternoon giving 2 of the bikes a good going over. Both bikes had the chain & cassette cleaned and re-lubed, brake blocks checked and relined, tyres checked for flints and pumped up to 100psi, every nut tightened to the correct torque and both frames polished. Note the whisky glass on the speaker which has been filled a couple of times.


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## PeteXXX (23 Feb 2014)

New rear brake pads fitted on the Marin full sus.
Trip computer fitted and calibrated on the Defy 2


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## hondated (23 Feb 2014)

Recently fitted some trekking bars to my Roberts and quite liked them when I used them on a ride out last Wednesday but after giving it a great deal of thought today I put the drops back on.
Just as well I have plenty of cables because knowing me by next week end I might have decided to refit the trekking bars.


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## themosquitoking (23 Feb 2014)

Cleaned the relatively new commuter and fitted new brake pads to replace the ones made of sandpaper it came with, also cleaned, relubed and checked cables on the wifes new bike.


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Feb 2014)

A clean, changed brake blocks and fitted a new front tyre to the knockabout bike, swapping the old front onto the rear.

I got the new tyre just over a week ago and had planned to save it until I'd worn the old rear down a bit more, however the rear was flat when I got the bike out so having to take the tyre off anyway I thought I might as well do the swap.


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## Robeh (25 Feb 2014)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-co2-tyre-inflator-set-with-2-cartridges/
cheap as chips


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## fossyant (25 Feb 2014)

The Ribble 653 has been autoglym polished with Ultra Gloss finish.  New pads fitted, so I am halfway through those 8 pairs I got from Halfords last week.

The rollers now have a drive belt delivered from Ribble for a bargain tastic fiver. Not that I will bother riding them, my son wants to ride it.


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## wisdom (26 Feb 2014)

Full strip down of the hubs all regreased chain had its usual mickle.
Brakes stripped and cleaned put back onto frame and lubed.
Cables adjusted . everything cleaned and checked.Its been my winter commuter so has has a bashing.Not sure weather to have it powdercoated in the summer or use it as it is.


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## compo (26 Feb 2014)

compo said:


> Bottom bracket failed on me yesterday on my Giant MTB. Looking at the state of it and the trouble I had getting it out of the frame I reckon it's been in there since the bike was new. I have no idea what make it was as it was too rusty to make out much writing on it but I don't think it is a Shimano. Anyway, a Shimano UN55 is now ordered for a replacement.



New BB fitted today, also new V brake pads front and rear.


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## compo (1 Mar 2014)

Following this mornings ride I have swapped out my 1.90 knobblies on my Giant MTB for a pair of slick 1.50's. Also as I am using the MTB for general use I fitted new mudguards.


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## wisdom (1 Mar 2014)

Not a bike fettle but a bike related fettle.
The footplate of my joe blow sport was rusty.I decided to rrmove the plate rub it down and repaint it with black hammerite.
I have to say it looks good.


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## Cubist (1 Mar 2014)

I've dropped the stem on the IBIS by 10mm, cleaned lubed and adjusted the drivetrain and got the inner jockey on the MRP chainguide to spin freely.


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## GrumpyGregry (1 Mar 2014)

Swapped the track cog on the fixed from a 13T to a 15T and fitted a new saddle.


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## Mr Haematocrit (1 Mar 2014)

Fitted a swat kit to my mtb


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Mar 2014)

Put some helicopter tape on the frame of the Tricross and shifted the lights from the deceased Sirrus onto it. I need to change the pads on the Felt but that can week until next week.


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## Shut Up Legs (2 Mar 2014)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Put some helicopter tape on the frame of the Tricross and shifted the lights from the deceased Sirrus onto it. I need to change the pads on the Felt but that can week until next week.


Just out of curiousity, @Supersuperleeds: what happened to the Sirrus that has made it unusable?


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## Supersuperleeds (3 Mar 2014)

victor said:


> Just out of curiousity, @Supersuperleeds: what happened to the Sirrus that has made it unusable?



Got hit by a car the other week, bent one of the seat stays, lovely curved bumper shape in it.


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## GrumpyGregry (3 Mar 2014)

a rubbing disc brake


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## the_mikey (3 Mar 2014)

Fitted replacement saddle on the summer bike, fitted new gatorskins on the winter bike.


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## Stephen C (3 Mar 2014)

In the past week, I've replaced the whole drive train on my commuter; Stronglight Zicral 52 and 42 tooth chainrings, HG-50 chain, 13-23 HG-50 cassette, BBB jockey wheels, and new RS11's as my old wheels were knackered. Also replaced all the cabling whcih has made a huge difference. Feels like a completely new bike now


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## uclown2002 (3 Mar 2014)

52/42 chainset with 12-23 cassette. You must be super strong or have no hills!


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## Stephen C (3 Mar 2014)

uclown2002 said:


> 52/42 chainset with 12-23 cassette. You must be super strong or have no hills!


It's a triple, so 52/42/30, but I live in Cambridgeshire, so no hills and never have to use the inner chainring. I swapped from a 12-25 cassette to 13-23 cassette to give more choice in the middle, which is where I spend 90% of the time!


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## Cubist (4 Mar 2014)

A few jobs today. Last week Cubester was complaining about poor quality changes on his Canyon. He also lost the chain a couple of time on big descents. I sourced an MRP chainguide and went to fit it yesterday to find it specified a 32 -36 maximum outer ring, and his is 38, so that's back up for sale. However, I then looked for other potential sources of shifting and retention issues, and refined the limit adjust on his front mech. I then found that the rear mech wouldn't drop onto the 11t cog, and saw that the rear mech outer cable was too short. Basically I'd fitted it with insufficient length to allow for the movement of the rear chainstay, and as the suspension has traveled it's pulled the cable taut, through the cable ties and left it too short and under too much tension at the rear mech. I'll have to nip to the LBS for some outer unless anyone can tell me where I put that spare length of SP 41 I bought last year? 

I then fitted some new Ibis grips to the Ibis. Identical in every way to the SRAM grips I had on it which had big chunks missing from a couple of tree strikes and a big sliding off up at the quarry, except they have the IBIS logo and were only a tenner in a clearance offer.


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## IncoherentJeff (4 Mar 2014)

Stripped the parts off the old Raleigh frame, starting to get back into this after finally removing the cotters last week. 
Time to choose a new paint scheme while I remove the old paint.


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## fossyant (4 Mar 2014)

Cleaned and oiled the MTB after today's ride. Mickling the chain and noticed a cracked link. 9 speed KMC chain. As the link was near the quick link, I just shortened the chain slightly. New one is on order.

Replaced the tyres and tubes on the fixed to Michelin Pro 4 Endurance.


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## arranandy (5 Mar 2014)

Fitted pedals and bottle cages to my new bike - a Wilier Zero 9 - last night. Also adjusted the saddle height. Hoping to get out for a ride on it Friday afternoon - weather permitting


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## BAtoo (5 Mar 2014)

A little fettling on GFs new bike getting it ready for her, swapping lights & bottle holder over to start with, nothing too serious so far - that's now 3 bikes to fettle!!


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## GrumpyGregry (5 Mar 2014)

I have spent the whole day annoying colleagues by spinning a White Industries ENO freewheel around and around.


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## youngoldbloke (5 Mar 2014)

Rattle fettle - trying to cure annoying noise finally traced to rear mudguard fixing to chainstay bridge. Rubber (tap)washer inserted between guard and metal, but suspect I will also need to cushion the fixing under the brake bridge too - piece of inner tube favoured option.


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## compo (5 Mar 2014)

I set out this morning for a ride but 1/2 mile in my left hand crank worked loose. Having just fitted a new bottom bracket I knew there was a possibility this could happen and had my crank tool in my panniers. Unfortunately I didn't have a spanner to turn the crank tool so I had to go home. No great drama, I tightened it all up and then enjoyed my ride out. This afternoon I looked at Shimano's recommended torque settings for crank bolts and decided to torque them up. I was surprised at just how much more doing up they needed to get to the 45nm needed. They wont come loose again! I wouldn't mind changing the hex head bolts for socket head bolts, something to consider for the future.


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## Christopher (7 Mar 2014)

Repaired a cut in the sidewall of a Vittoria tyre by sewing it up Dr Frankenstein-style with dental floss, then put a conventional patch on the inner and put some glue goop over the lot for protection. Let it dry overnight and have been using the tyre for the last two days, no issues so far.


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Mar 2014)

I have a long weekend coming up, starting tomorrow. I plan to replace my tourer/commuter's bottom bracket, front large/middle chain rings, chain and rear cassette. It's going to be fettlicious, I can tell you . Should be a very, very smooth ride to work on Tuesday.


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## Robeh (7 Mar 2014)

waiting to order a fameset from Ribble when they have it back in stock


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## alans (7 Mar 2014)

Fitted a Cateye wireless computer to the tandem.
It worked only intermittently


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## Big Nick (7 Mar 2014)

Adjusted the brake calipers so the wheels now run free without the discs rubbing/creaking

They were pretty badly set up from standard and now run freely, should be good for any extra couple of mph!!!


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## HLaB (7 Mar 2014)

Not really fettling but ove just cleaned my drive chain for tomorrow's ride. Might put my summer wheels on for Sunday, its too late tonight.


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## wisdom (8 Mar 2014)

Tootled off to the garage for the weekly mickle and general clean especially after Friday mornings commute in torrential rain.
Well I had a visit overnight from the you know who.Glad I didnt discover the present at 0630 on Monday morning. 
Sorted it out by putting new tube in and set about repairing the old tube as a spare after removing a huge and I mean huge thorn.I found the patches I had were hard and thought they were past it.Off I went to the lbs and spent £24.00 
They had some shiny things on the shelves i couldnt resist.


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## alans (8 Mar 2014)

wisdom said:


> They had some shiny things on the shelves i couldnt resist.


 
BTDTGTTS
at one time I thought I had found a cure* for that but my lbs owner undermined my resolve with an invitation to "take it/them with you & drop the £ in later in the week when you are passing"
Quite a good sales technique because when I went in to pay for it/them I had the wherewithal to buy something else

*I took no method of payment into the shop when I went in for a browse & chat


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## compo (8 Mar 2014)

Just fitted a new computer to my Giant MTB. It is wireless for road functions but wired for cadence. Whilst I understand what cadence is, I now have to find out why I need it to pootle around the lanes.


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## potsy (8 Mar 2014)

A few weeks ago I fitted a new battery to my Garmin 605 to keep it going a bit longer until I'm ready to upgrade, today one of the side buttons came off so I can no longer switch between screens.
Stuck a bit of plastic in the gap and covered it in tape, works again


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## IncoherentJeff (8 Mar 2014)

Adjusted the position of the handlebar, brake levers & shifters on the rigid MTB and took is for a 9 mile test ride round Carsington Water. So much more comfortable! 
One note is the new rear tyre slightly rubs under hard pedalling up hill, further tweaking required.


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## Kies (8 Mar 2014)

Removed the kickstand from the Sirrus, gave it a quick clean and adjusted the brakes.
Put some lovely shimano's on the Defy, quite satisfying to remove the cassette, and transfer to the new wheels. Indexed the gears (hardly needed but hey), wanted to do a ride on the Sirrus so have left changing the tektro brakes to 105 for tommorow.


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## mk6golf (9 Mar 2014)

Currently finishing installing my vertical bike storage in the outbuilding to save some space.


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## alans (9 Mar 2014)

I've fettled more fence into a vertical arrangement & fettled the garden furniture out of hibernation onto the patio & under the gazebo


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## John the Canuck (9 Mar 2014)

first 'real' maintenance last night - finished at 3am so classed as 'today'

my TREK FX 7.2 had a MTB cassette 11-32 in 8speed
never used the 11T - so bought the tools and fitted a Shimano 13-30 8speed [closer steps] - but a bitch getting the old lockring off

with the wheels off - removed the axles and cleaned/lubed the balls and cones
bought ''Rock and Roll'' bearing grease - great stuff.................
however with the bike upside down on the kitchen table - managed to snap the [cheap] plastic brackets holding the LED lights......

being epoxied as we speak........


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## Goonerobes (9 Mar 2014)

New wheels, tyres, cassette & chain fitted today, first attempt at all of this so Tuesdays test ride could be interesting!


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## HLaB (9 Mar 2014)

Put my summer wheels and a new chain on the bike last night (you heard it folks its officially summer), although I may take them off again for my training session on Tuesday night.


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## jayonabike (10 Mar 2014)

Replaced the bottom bracket on the Enigma (first time I've done this). Watched the video @ianrauk posted up (thanks) and cracked on with it. Cleaned the bottom bracket shell up first, along with the chain set, slapped a bit more grease on the cups and put it all back together. 
Also replaced the brake pads on my sons bmx.


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## JoeyB (11 Mar 2014)

In readiness for the IOW Night Ride on Friday, I fitted a 12-30t rear cassette last night. I should have done my homework first as I got completely confused by spacer'gate lol

Turns out Tiagra rear cassettes don't require the shimano spacer...but as I have Mavic rims they DO require the Mavic supplied spacer to still be used (as Mavic rims by chance happen to be 11 speed ready).

Took it out for a ride this morning and all is good.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (11 Mar 2014)

Still dismantling the current 'project in hand'.... an old Spech Rockhopper that is being retired from active duties, serviced and given to my BIL for commuting along a canal towpath. today the cleaning it all day... with more dismantling involved. some parts now ordered (new front hub axle and need some mtb gear cable inner & outer - seem to have every other combination (mtb brake cable, road brake cable, road gear cable, just not mtb gear cable...is it any different?), still can't get the BB out though - don't think I am strong enough. that one will have to wait until my OH gets home, so project back on hold. Deadline is 29th March so I have a little time yet thankfully!


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## PeteXXX (11 Mar 2014)

Left hand (foot?) pedal disassembled due to the head of the tension adjuster screw being mulla'd. 
It was unuseable until it could be adjusted as, once clipped in, it was impossible to unclip.




Cleaned, adjusted & working. Fun to reassemble though! Those springs are made of strong stuff


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## BAtoo (11 Mar 2014)

Fettled the Tiagra front and rear mechs today as I had gear jumping behind and a rubbing guide at the front. Not sure what I did at the back apart from cleaning and fiddling a little with the adjuster; front mech I fiddled a lot! Up & down, left and right, cable off and on a few times, high & low screws - eventually did it all in the right order and it now works fine!!


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## alans (13 Mar 2014)

alans said:


> I've fettled more fence into a vertical arrangement & fettled the garden furniture out of hibernation onto the patio & under the gazebo


 
Fettled the final post & panel into place.All that remains is to cut the top of all the posts level using a bubble onna stick (a.k.a. a spirit level)


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Mar 2014)

New chainset, bottom bracket, chain, cassette and mudguards on the knockabout bike.

Knowing that the old chainset was getting to the end of its life and not being entirely happy with the gearing set up last time I upgraded, I had a look round and found an FSA 48-36-26 chainset for £30. That was fitted yesterday along with the bottom bracket and chain, but the cassette was too worn to work with the new chain so I had to get one of those too. (It's only been on since last August. )

The old mudguards were getting past it too (they were on their third bike, so not doing too badly) so I've invested in a set of Tortec reflector guards. I had to make some tweaks to the lamp bracket on the rack as the lights fouled the reflector on the guards.





New look for the spring.


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## compo (13 Mar 2014)

This afternoon I stripped the drive train on my Trek FX and thoroughly degreased and cleaned it. The cassette, chainwheels and the chain are now silver again instead of 'orrible oily black and my rear mech gleams. It was pleasant working out in the sunshine. As we all know what a bike looks like I haven't bothered with photographs.

I also cleaned the filter in the fish pond pump. The water flow had ceased completely. A good clean soon had the water flowing again.


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## Cubist (14 Mar 2014)

Managed to track down the missing length of SP 41 and discovered it was exactly the right length for Cubester's rear mech. At the same time I researched the MRP chain guide, and discovered I had got the right one after all, I just had to dismantle it to fit it. So this morning was spent changing the outer cable ( and of course now the inner was too short, so that had to be swapped too) and fitting the chain guide. 

He also brought home a mate's Carrera Banshee which had an inoperative front brake. That's now had its front caliper dismantled, as it was completely contaminated with brake fluid. I've reseated the bleed nipple, removed the now junk pads, degreased the rotor and freed up the seized the pistons. Flushed with new brake fluid and bled, but the hose weeps at the reservoir/lever end, so new inline connector and pads ordered. I hate to be a snob, but that is one horrible heavy clunker of a bike. Typically, the seat is slammed right into the tube, the rear Raidon shock has no air in it to speak of and the fork stanchions are showing signs of rust in the chrome finish. The Clarks Skeletal brakes feel very wooden. I don't know how to break it to the owner that its heading for the scrap heap unless they spend a fair amount of cash on replacement parts.


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## alans (15 Mar 2014)

Fitted cleats to my stoker's new carbon soled road shoes.Next step(is there a pun there?) is to fit proper* spd pedals to the stoker's cranks on the tandem.
*atm she is using trainers & the flat side of combination pedals.
We had a short trial ride with the cleated road shoes & the heavier spd side of the pedals always falls to the underside & trying to clip-in & also flip the pedal is a frustration too far.


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## DCLane (15 Mar 2014)

Fitted a Framesaver to the Raleigh Team. I'm not sure it works, but I hope it does.

On the Tricross I fitted a new rear brake cable plus outer, given that the previous owner had simply taped one to the frame.

Prepped Decathlon Sport for sale; changed wheels back with appropriate tyres, other bits done.


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## lip03 (16 Mar 2014)

Free bike I got for the missus has had the full treatment today out in the sun. new tubes, clean, lube, tighten.... and a little ride to the shop to test it out :-)


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## biggs682 (16 Mar 2014)

itoday i have been getting the Trek Navigator t10 ladies hybrid we picked up yuesterday ready for its new life as a turbo bike that all the family can use .

cant believe how much caked on crud i got off from the jockey wheels and between the gears on the rear cassette !

after doing the above and replacing the chain we have constant drive so alls good and ready to go


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## jayonabike (17 Mar 2014)

I fitted a new bottom bracket, cassette, chain & brake pads to the work/pottering around town bike. I gave the chainset a good clean up while it was off as well as the bottom bracket shell and whacked plenty of grease in there before putting the new bracket in. Put it all back together and took it out for a 8 mile run to check it's all o.k.


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## HLaB (17 Mar 2014)

Took some brokrn mudguards of a mates bike.


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## ComedyPilot (17 Mar 2014)

Took the front brakes off my bike, and hen put them back on, adjusted and ready to roll again.


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## compo (20 Mar 2014)

I have spent the afternoon going over a Barracuda MTB I have been given to do up for myself to use. I have been trying to remove the BB cups ready to fit a sealed unit. The fixed cup came out easily but the adjustable cup just doesn't want to shift. I have now mucked things up good and proper. I decided to try the nut and bolt method that works well on the fixed cups. I fitted a nut and bolt and tightened it up from inside the BB shell with a socket and ratchet. The cup didn't move at all but unfortunately the thread on the bolt has stripped so I cannot now remove the bolt as it just goes round and round. I suspect I will have to drill it out. I'm not bothered about the cup as it will be scrapped so drastic measures are now called for. Once the bolt is out I will still have the problem with the cup. All good fun!


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## Gravity Aided (20 Mar 2014)

I have an Electra Townie, which is a crank forward bike. I use it rather like a recumbent, and like it quite well. I have had problems with pinch flats due to the narrow 26" rims and the fact that a lot of weight on this bike rests on the rear wheel. I fitted wider box rims and higher gearing in the hope of making this bike more dependable, as well as more of a goer. Changing out tires will help a bit as well, then extensive testing will be required. I am more than willing to take long scenic bike rides to advance sciences' cause.


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## compo (20 Mar 2014)

compo said:


> I have spent the afternoon going over a Barracuda MTB I have been given to do up for myself to use. I have been trying to remove the BB cups ready to fit a sealed unit. The fixed cup came out easily but the adjustable cup just doesn't want to shift. I have now mucked things up good and proper. I decided to try the nut and bolt method that works well on the fixed cups. I fitted a nut and bolt and tightened it up from inside the BB shell with a socket and ratchet. The cup didn't move at all but unfortunately the thread on the bolt has stripped so I cannot now remove the bolt as it just goes round and round. I suspect I will have to drill it out. I'm not bothered about the cup as it will be scrapped so drastic measures are now called for. Once the bolt is out I will still have the problem with the cup. All good fun!



Update: I drilled out the bolt. Thankfully it was mild steel so a hole through it then a good smack with a hammer collapsed the thread and it fell out. Only took a couple of minutes. I have also now removed the stuck cup. I needed a decent drift to allow me to get some force to tap it round with a hammer. Having nothing better I used the scrap BB spindle I had removed and it worked a treat. It did require a lot of fairly positive smacks with the hammer to get the cup to move, and I had to use the hammer and drift until the cup was half out before it really freed enough to use grips. So, skilled engineering nil, hammer and drift one!


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## PeteXXX (20 Mar 2014)

Nearly at the fettling stage.. 
Two spokes purchased today to replace the ones I broke at Chicksands t'other day. Fitting fettle will take place over the weekend.


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## Rouge79 (20 Mar 2014)

Finally removed a tiny piece of metal from inside the front rim of my new bike. Bloody annoying that rattling about.


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## HB_Dude (20 Mar 2014)

Treaded the Spesh to a full drive train clean and lube.
And of course a quick check to make sure none my nuts were loose, well the ones on the bike anyway.


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## alans (20 Mar 2014)

I have removed a Brooks B17 Narrow from the mtb & a Trek women specific saddle from Marj's E-folder for trialling on Carol's tandem.
I have also found some ye olde fashioned toe clips & a babbage engine in the bitsbox for use on said tandem.
All this probably qualifies as unfettling so a genuine fettling post is likely in the immediate future.


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## compo (20 Mar 2014)

More work on the Barracuda Exon freebie. I am reluctant to spend money on it until I know if it is comfortable to ride and working OK. After my trauma with the bottom bracket cup I have cleaned the threads up and both cups screw in and out smoothly now. As it is all I had, and further to my comment about not spending money yet, I have fitted a semi-sealed BB I have had kicking about. It is a 124mm I bought for a Raleigh road bike but never used it whereas the one I removed is a 122 mm, but just for experimental purposes it will do. I have also fitted a used chain, again temporary. I have given everything a thorough clean as it was covered in green mould and moss where it had lain in a garden for years. I just have to fit new brake and gear cables and it will be good to go. I will do a photo when the job is finished.

If anyone has a 1 1/8 quill to Ahead adaptor sitting unwanted I could put it to good use. Obviously in exchange for some beer tokens


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## Alistair thomson (20 Mar 2014)

I only changed my inner tube after a puncture tonight .


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## alans (21 Mar 2014)

Two hours precious riding time was expended on fettling the tandem....
changed both pairs of pedals
changed both saddles
swapped the babbage engine for one that functions correctly
applied bar-phat gel & tape to pilot's h'bars
repaired a p*n*t*r* to front inner tube


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## icky (21 Mar 2014)

New tape on bars , altered seat hight and lowered bars with spacers then went over on ankle and sprained lateral ligaments so no ridding for me for a couple of weeks


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## Shut Up Legs (22 Mar 2014)

Hi all . Just a quick question about disposing of old wheel rims. I thought "no problems, I'll just bend it in two so it fits into my general rubbish bin", because I figured it probably wasn't recyclable. Only problem was: it didn't bend!  The wheel rims I've been using for my Vivente tourer/commuter are very strong. Suggestions, anyone? Are they recyclable? Can I bend a rim to double it up, without injuring myself?


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## compo (22 Mar 2014)

victor said:


> Hi all . Just a quick question about disposing of old wheel rims. I thought "no problems, I'll just bend it in two so it fits into my general rubbish bin", because I figured it probably wasn't recyclable. Only problem was: it didn't bend!  The wheel rims I've been using for my Vivente tourer/commuter are very strong. Suggestions, anyone? Are they recyclable? Can I bend a rim to double it up, without injuring myself?



Whether you can double up the rim depends how strong you are! It wouldn't take many minutes to cut the rim into smaller segments with a hacksaw or use a hammer to flatten the profile which would make it easier to bend.

I live near a couple of gypsy sites and they are always out in their Transits looking for scrap so anything metal just gets placed near the road and within an hour it is usually gone.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (22 Mar 2014)

victor said:


> Hi all . Just a quick question about disposing of old wheel rims. I thought "no problems, I'll just bend it in two so it fits into my general rubbish bin", because I figured it probably wasn't recyclable. Only problem was: it didn't bend!  The wheel rims I've been using for my Vivente tourer/commuter are very strong. Suggestions, anyone? Are they recyclable? Can I bend a rim to double it up, without injuring myself?


round our way and with our family, wheel rims are much valued (better if they still have the hub & spokes). They are excellent for canes to be tided to and growing beans or sweet peas up!


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## PeteXXX (22 Mar 2014)

Two new spokes fitted to the full sus. Front bearing nipped up and a 6 mile test ride.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (22 Mar 2014)

Solved my issue of having to constantly fine-tune standard vees with road levers

Got around to fitting the mini-vees, with the mudguard. Crude, but undeniably effective!


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## Gravity Aided (23 Mar 2014)

Finished fitting the Electra Townie 21D with wider rims to avoid pinch flatting problems from preposterously narrow rims it came with. Tires play nicer with everything, indexing went well, gearing is a little higher, but it needed to be. Box rims over deep vees seem like something I would have specced this bike with in the first place. Had all sorts of fun working out gearing, brakes, and tires. I also went to the LBS and got a bottom bracket removal tool ordered for newer sealed bottom brackets(22tooth) and saw the passenger train from Texas arrive.


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## ComedyPilot (23 Mar 2014)

Changed my brake pads front and rear for a fresh set, and degreased, cleaned and oiled my chain using my new chain keeper so I could get wheel-side of the jockey wheels with the wheel out and turn the pedals.


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## morrisman (23 Mar 2014)

Decided that I no longer needed my mudguards now that spring has sprung so set out to remove them. When removing the rear wheel I found that when my LBS had serviced my bike they had tightened the nuts beyond the capability of my saddle bag spanner, had to use my socket set. Glad I discover this at home, on the bike stand rather than in the rain at the side of the road when fixing a p*ncture.


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## gbb (23 Mar 2014)

Two wheeled, but the engined variety, my sons 100cc Speedfight scooter has been playing up. Sunday morning became scooter fettle time..
plug out, some deposits found, wire brushed and refitted.
Transmission case off, found the clutch cover was loose...ooer, the clutch slides on its shaft as well. The retaining nut was loose. Sorted until I can get a new nut. That was a disaster waiting to happen if the nut had come right off.
One brake lever switch was assumed faulty, covers off, test switch..yes faulty, new one ordered.
Airbox removed, filter checked.

It was behaving very badly, quite bogged down and thirsty, it certainly ran better on a test ride...hopefully wiill get the full thumbs up tomorrow.

Slept very poorly last night, felt jaded all day...good to have something to focus on.


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## Cubist (23 Mar 2014)

The story of the carrera banshee continues. I removed as much of the pitting as I could from the fork stanchions, and t cut them to reduce any chances of shredding the wiper seals. Cubester removed and decontaminated the front rotor using IPA and steel wool, and I showed him how to service the bearings. He also, under my tutelage, replaced the front brake reservoir inline connector which was weeping brake fluid, and changed the brake pads. The grease in the wheelbearings was very sparse, and they'd been over tightened. We dismantled the cassette and gave it a good clean. The chain is less than .75%, and no sign of transmission wear, so that's a bonus. We'll check shifting tomorrow, but it doesn't feel too bad. The rear shock had about 40 psi in it, so no wonder it rode like a pig. The seatpost was slammed into the tube, and when we tried to adjust it the clamp bolt was threaded. Fortunately I had a used QR seatclamp that fits it. I've drained a load of water out of the frame, so I daren't look in the BB or headset......they don't grind, so I'll leave we'll alone unless the owner wants me to check them.

I was shocked at the weight of the wheels. The rear, with tyre, rotor and 68 speed cassette weighs more than both of my wheels on the Cotic complete with tyres and so on. We managed to weigh the complete bike, and it weighs over 17 kg.


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## compo (25 Mar 2014)

A couple of weeks ago I was given an old Barracuda frame that was covered in moss and dirt from living under a pile of old timber. Much elbow grease and hunting through my spares boxes I have managed to make it into this and finished the job this morning. It's a little tatty cosmetically but it's a mountain bike for heaven's sake, it's supposed to be. I have some replacement grips/bar ends coming. When I get a few quid spare I want to get a quill to ahead adaptor so I can use a different stem and change the bars. 

My son-in-law can have his Giant MTB back now!


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## cyberknight (25 Mar 2014)

Nowt bike related , supposed to put this up for kids today but its been cold and raining all day


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## uclown2002 (25 Mar 2014)

cyberknight said:


> Nowt bike related , supposed to put this up for kids today but its been cold and raining all day


The kids?
You moving the kids out of the main house to get your bikes in?


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## cyberknight (25 Mar 2014)

uclown2002 said:


> The kids?
> You moving the kids out of the main house to get your bikes in?


I am moving out to get a good nights sleep, normally one or the other ends up in our bed, 4 am this morning got kicked out of our bed by the 6 year old .


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Mar 2014)

Brake blocks on my brother's bike. He complained of poor braking on our last ride and I did an adjustment while we were out but noted they seemed to be unevenly worn so recommended replacements.

Fitting the new ones today I found that the metal backing of the right rear block had been exposed and if it had worn just a quarter of a millimetre more the metal would have been in contact with the rim.


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## cyberknight (26 Mar 2014)

cyberknight said:


> Nowt bike related , supposed to put this up for kids today but its been cold and raining all day


Had to ring the company up, they did not send the base and as it was all packed up i did not check yesterday as it was raining , they said it ended up in another customers order !!!!


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## DCLane (26 Mar 2014)

The Framesaver on the Raleigh Team left the rear derailleur wobbly so I bought several correct hole-sized washers and tried them. It now fits great and I'm  . Stupid me won't cross-thread a rear derailleur ever again.

Also I sold the Decathlon 7.1 Sport for a lot more than expected so fitted a new rear brake cable as the old one had a kink in. Seller's Dad collected this eve and paid cash 

Son's Ridgeback MX20 had the Bikeability bad treatment on Mon/Tues; they moved the saddle down, tilted it up, pushed the light sideways and generally messed up a good setup _again_ - the last time being when it was cancelled half-way through in November. His knees were almost touching his elbows on it  . Saddle's now level and properly set.

Finally, son no 2's Decathlon Triban Junior got SPD's fitted and he's been trying to get used to clipping in and out. A lot of patience and practice is going to be needed there.


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## HLaB (27 Mar 2014)

Well its gone midnight, so it was actually yesterday I fettled. Stripped the 105 derailleurs and shifters off the bike, as well as the bar tape and started to fit ultegra and new cables inners and outers. I also put a new fsa 52t chainring on.


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## Cubist (28 Mar 2014)

After Saturday's mud sweat and beers ride I put the Soul in the garage without cleaning it. On Monday morning I was greeted by the sight of an orange chain.  We'd ridden in a lot of loamy woodland, and the mud must have been acidic. I therefore took the chain off and removed all the surface rust from the plates, then checked the rollers for damage. Rewaxed with Finish Line dry ceramic in the warmth of the kitchen to ensure complete coverage, it has scrubbed up really well and still checked at well under .75%. The bike then got a full strip down and wash yesterday. Today I have lubed both mechs, replaced brake pads front and rear with Kevlar pads after cleaning the calipers, wire woolled the rotors with IPA, t cut some bits of the frame, freed up the roller on the chain guide, cleaned the Reverb and fitted it using new carbon assembly paste, de-gunged the cassette, refitted the newly waxed chain, sorted out the XT trail pedals with GT85, indexed the gears and adjusted the tyre pressures back to 25/30 psi. There's a bit of grumble from the rear wheel bearings. Nothing to worry about yet, it's barely audible, but something to keep an eye on.


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## Peter88 (28 Mar 2014)

Replaced the freehub on a Shimano hub, cleaned checked and regreased the ball bearings and inside of the hub bodythen rebuilt it all. Took approx 1hour.


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## HLaB (28 Mar 2014)

It wasn't today but actuall the last two nights. I stripped the cables, deraileurs, shifters and chainrings and bar tape off the bike and fitted a new 52t chainring, new ultegra derailleur, new ultegra shifters, new cables and new bar tape. The shifters too a little longer than I anticipated, had to work out the new routing (my old ones were external and these are internal) and cut the cables to length. If I get time tonight, I'll put a 11-28 cassette and 25mm tyres on my spare wheels (fit them time dependant), new pedals on the bike and shift the shim from below the right cleat of my old shoes (which are about to fall apart) to my new shoes.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Mar 2014)

from this (no hubs in wheels, new gear cables, new brake cables, new outers for both....)





to this





still need to do the chain and rear indexing, but otherwise it is ready to be handed over to its new owner (brother in law) to be retired from active service and used as a commuter along a canal towpath.


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## cyberknight (28 Mar 2014)

Tidied up the garden and bike shed to make room today , everyone else tends to go in the garden shed and sling stuff in , time for a bit of OCD cleaning


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## alans (28 Mar 2014)

Fitted a new saddle to Carol's tandem;stoker position


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## Supersuperleeds (29 Mar 2014)

Gave the Tricross its first proper cleaning, my standard not @ianrauk standard, though I did take off the bottle cage and even re greased the bolts when I put it back on


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## ianrauk (29 Mar 2014)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Gave the Tricross its first proper cleaning, my standard not @ianrauk standard, though I did take off the bottle cage and even re greased the bolts when I put it back on




Something rather then nothing my friend..


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## HLaB (29 Mar 2014)

Put a new 11-28 cassette (same as on the then current) and 25mm tyres on my spare wheels and swapped to the bike. Once I done that I fettled the gears a bit.


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## MrGrumpy (29 Mar 2014)

Cleaned both bikes chains oiled looking sparkly :-D pity they are not likely to see the light of day for the next two weeks :-/ easter hols and kids to look after


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## Gravity Aided (30 Mar 2014)

Traded in my vaunted Electra Townie and Diamondback MTB for a 1995 Cannondale H-600, lighter, faster, better components. Drivetrain problems at shop proved to be chain misdirected through the derailleur, so I re-threaded the chain and Mickled well the same. I also adjusted derailleur cable tension and cleaned the frame. A little rust to remove, and some new cables will put us on the road to a great flat bar tourer. I will also try some low rider pannier racks for the front, as this is equipped for low riders, having braze-ons for the mounting bolts. Pictures to come.


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## Shut Up Legs (30 Mar 2014)

Today's fettling completed the comedy of errors that has been the last four weeks for me . 4 weeks ago, I removed the large and middle front chain rings, chain, rear cassette and bottom bracket, in preparation for replacing them all. The only problem was that I'd bought the wrong middle chain ring!  The crankset, which I'd replaced last year, only has 5 bolt holes, meaning that the small front chain ring bolts onto the middle chain ring, but I'd bought a middle chain ring without the 5 extra bolt holes to hold the small chain ring. After a bit of internet searching, and queries to the kind folk on CC , I ordered a suitable middle chain ring from SJS Cycles.

Two weeks later, it arrived, and eagerly installed all the parts: bottom bracket, front and middle chain rings, chain and cassette. Then more trouble arrived: I had major problems adjusting the derailleurs, and after much faffing around, realised that the chain was a link too short, which makes it very difficult to adjust the derailleurs so they smoothly shift between the middle and front chain rings. I'd run out of time, so decided to ride my road bike for a third week, and sort out the tourer's chain next week.

So last weekend, I tried put an extra link on the chain, learning a valuable lesson, which is to always leave the pin partly on the removed link, or it's damned near impossible to insert it onto the target chain. I broke a chain breaker finding this out . Giving up in disgust, I rode the road bike for a fourth week.

Yesterday, I inserted an extra link on the tourer's chain, and rode the bike down to a nearby bike shop, because two rear USB lights I'd bought there were missing a few pieces, so I had to return them to get replacements. Partway there, as I was putting a bit of pressure on the chain, it snapped and went flying I know not where, leaving my bike chainless . I walked the rest of the way to the bike shop, and got them to replace the chain for me.

Now my tourer is ready for the coming week's commute, finally! Riding the road bike has been nice, but it's not as well suited for commuting in mixed weather conditions as the tourer is: it doesn't have clip-on mudguards like the tourer, so gets very filthy in rainy weather, or when there's puddles around. Plus the tourer is more comfortable, has more puncture-proof tyres, and handles the bumps better, having 28mm tyres compared to the road bike's 25mm. It also has an AirZound horn, unlike the road bike. I'm also very fond of the tourer, having ridden over 70,000km on it over the 5.5 years since I bought it. These Vivente tourers are hardy steeds .


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## smokeysmoo (30 Mar 2014)

Adjusted my saddle very lightly nose down after my nads were complaining on today's ride 

Also finally re-wrapped my bars with some nice new Sram bartape, in black of course


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## gbb (30 Mar 2014)

Been working for the last 7 days and still got 5 to go so no real desire to get out this weekend...but, a chance to clean and fettle.
Chain split, removed and cleaned, refitted with a quick link.
Rear wheel removed, axle out, freehub pawls greased (very light grease) so that will quieten down the Fulcrums a bit.


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## Salad Dodger (30 Mar 2014)

Mrs Salad's e-bike (which has not been used at all for quite a few weeks) has "died". I tinkered with it ineffectually today, then got on the interweb to locate some local bike shops. Will ring around a few tomorrow, to see if anyone can assist.......


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## PeteXXX (30 Mar 2014)

New bar tape wound onto the bars of the Defy 2.
New SPD-L pedals fitted to the Defy 2
Worn out cleats replaced with shiny new ones ready to get clipped into the new pedals tomorrow.


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## G3CWI (30 Mar 2014)

Both bikes cleaned. Jockey wheels removed and de-greased. Gears re-indexed. Changes to cassette on road bike to improve chain line. Chains cleaned, oiled and cleaned again.

Bike stand is one of the best bits of kit I have bought. Makes these jobs much easier.


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## maltloaf (2 Apr 2014)

Needed a new bottom bracket and my fsa one is £30. Spotted an offer of chain set including bottom bracket for £43 so took the opportunity to replace my fsa omega with an fsa gossamer.


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## Poacher (8 Apr 2014)

Decided it was about time to improve the braking on my old Holdsworth - I've had some cycle jumble Shimano RSX dual-pivots kicking about for a while, and they _had_ to be more effective than the Dura-Ace single-pivots. While I was at it, the Dura-Ace brake levers with completely perished hoods could be replaced with some neater, albeit unbranded, levers to allow cable routeing along the bars. All went well; discarded the old bar tape, cleaned the bars and wrapped some new (to this bike!) tape of exactly the wrong shade of blue to complement the red, black and chrome frame.

Then, since it was such a nice day, I started to clean and service the old brakes and levers. When refitting the cable clamping bolt on the second brake, a slip of the hand led to the grooved flanged washer falling to the ground and unerringly finding the 1cm gap between the patio and a low garden wall pier, which has been the final resting place of so many small parts over the years. When it's just a standard nut or spoke nipple, I shrug and carry on. This was different - a highly specialised part, without which the brake was useless.

With the aid of a Tesco 3w led torch, I could see the washer and tried to retrieve it with an old spoke, but only managed to dislodge it to somewhere out of sight. Now beginning to become more than a little frustrated, I fetched a large hammer and bolster chisel from the outhouse and attacked the concrete of the patio to try and widen the gap. Tough stuff, that concrete, and I had little effect short of burying the washer under some more debris. Straightening up, I cracked the back of my head on the overhanging capstone, lifting it slightly from its pillar (it was already loose, thank goodness).

Right, that's blumming it! In a fit of pique, I set about demolishing the pier, course by course, until I could see and reach the washer. Now I just need to buy some cement and builder's sand and revive my long-forgotten and decidedly mediocre brick laying skills. The long-suffering Mrs Poacher was unexpectedly understanding - I suspect she may want the wall refashioning, rather than just rebuilding as it was.


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## PeteXXX (8 Apr 2014)

Poacher said:


> Decided it was about time to improve the braking on my old Holdsworth - I've had some cycle jumble Shimano RSX dual-pivots kicking about for a while, and they _had_ to be more effective than the Dura-Ace single-pivots. While I was at it, the Dura-Ace brake levers with completely perished hoods could be replaced with some neater, albeit unbranded, levers to allow cable routeing along the bars. All went well; discarded the old bar tape, cleaned the bars and wrapped some new (to this bike!) tape of exactly the wrong shade of blue to complement the red, black and chrome frame.
> 
> Then, since it was such a nice day, I started to clean and service the old brakes and levers. When refitting the cable clamping bolt on the second brake, a slip of the hand led to the grooved flanged washer falling to the ground and unerringly finding the 1cm gap between the patio and a low garden wall pier, which has been the final resting place of so many small parts over the years. When it's just a standard nut or spoke nipple, I shrug and carry on. This was different - a highly specialised part, without which the brake was useless.
> 
> ...


Good job matey! And just think of all the extra useful bits to retrieve as well.
No wonder Mrs P was happy.


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## PeteXXX (8 Apr 2014)

No walls to demolish, just a pre ride lube and a post ride clean for the hardtail today..


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## Gravity Aided (9 Apr 2014)

Promised pictures from post # 2592. I added trekking bars and some new cabling, as well as frame, handlebar, and seatpost bags. I also changed pedals and added miles on the bicycle.


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## HLaB (9 Apr 2014)

Nothing major, put tri bars on the bike last night and a new bar plug to replace the one I lost in Flanders


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (9 Apr 2014)

In true fettlin' style I have yet to actually start on the problem that has had me out fettlin' all day... 

But in the meantime, the bike has been stripped, wheels & spokes washed, new tyres put on, rear brake calliper removed, cleaned & replaced, jockey & pulley wheels removed, washed, deemed warn out and put back on (no spares), rear cassette removed, cleaned & put back on, chain removed, cleaned & put back on, and the bike washed to (almost) an inch of itself life...

I shall now start on the right STI lever problem that caused me to start this work in the first place. 

In the meantime, here is a picture of the bike (apologies for the quality, it seems my camera phone also needs some fettlin' - I can see condensation on the inside of the lens 






View it whilst you can - tomorrow I am back on the commute and it won't stay this clean for more than 100 meters if that!   

Edit: don't tell my OH but the front STI lever issue was a 30 second fix. WD40... one look inside the STI lever told me all I needed to know... rather embarrassing really!  But on the bright side of things, I can change gear again so I'm happy.


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## Easytigers (9 Apr 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> In true fettlin' style I have yet to actually start on the problem that has had me out fettlin' all day...
> 
> But in the meantime, the bike has been stripped, wheels & spokes washed, new tyres put on, rear brake calliper removed, cleaned & replaced, jockey & pulley wheels removed, washed, deemed warn out and put back on (no spares), rear cassette removed, cleaned & put back on, chain removed, cleaned & put back on, and the bike washed to (almost) an inch of itself life...
> 
> ...


Hi SatNav,
Also have a Triban 3...looks like you changed the crank...what did you change it to and did you have to replace the BB (and was it expensive???)?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (9 Apr 2014)

Easytigers said:


> Hi SatNav,
> Also have a Triban 3...looks like you changed the crank...what did you change it to and did you have to replace the BB (and was it expensive???)?


Hi
I changed to a Shimano FS2300 crankset (discountined hence the silver rather than black so won't bother with link!). 30/42/52 which is right at the max of what the front derailleur can take(front is meant to be max 50 teeth). BB was replaced under warranty by decathlon. Cost as £44.99 (half price) from Evans when they were clearing their stock - stock crank from decathlon is £34.99.


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## Easytigers (9 Apr 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Hi
> I changed to a Shimano FS2300 crankset (discountined hence the silver rather than black so won't bother with link!). 30/42/52 which is right at the max of what the front derailleur can take(front is meant to be max 50 teeth). BB was replaced under warranty by decathlon. Cost as £44.99 (half price) from Evans when they were clearing their stock - stock crank from decathlon is £34.99.


Thank you! The crank on mine is fine for now (touch wood) but just thinking about future replacement :-)


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## Gravity Aided (10 Apr 2014)

I figured out the creak coming from my Cannondale, it was the pedals. Replaced with an old set of resin pedals until I run across some suitably big bear trap pedals.


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## HLaB (10 Apr 2014)

Cleaned and took my winter wheels off (I'd had them on for Flanders) and put the summer wheels back on last night for tonight's club TT. Still not feeling the best though, so I doubt it'll make much of a difference.


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## Steady (10 Apr 2014)

Since my Triban 3 is a month old the cables had stretched for the front derailleur (back still shifting fine!), unfortunately the front mech is the worst part on the bike for me to touch, always ends up worse than when I started. 

Trial and error had me throwing the chain onto the frame, and then reversing my actions, to reverse the again which finally meant I worked out which way to turn the barrel adjuster and it wasn't to hard after that!


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## Leodis (10 Apr 2014)

My head kept telling me to buy GP4000s 2 in red, so I went for...






2014 version, they do look the dogs over the new GP's and nearly half the price.


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## DCLane (10 Apr 2014)

Spesh Secteur got the following:

- Replacement brake calipers; Ultegra 6700 ones with new cables
- Replacement RH 105 shifter plastic cover as the old one had cracked
- Further lowering of the bars; they're now at the lowest they'll go


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## youngoldbloke (10 Apr 2014)

Replaced the cracked reflector on the SKS mudguard on the winter bike with a Spanninga Pixeo combined reflector and LED light. Only one setting - on (or off),as flashing lights are not legal in Germany. I think these are sold fitted to SKS mudguards in Germany - the holes in the mudguard for the reflector were exactly right for the new light.


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## Twotter (12 Apr 2014)

I'm starting off this fettling lark nice and easy...I flipped the stem on my Allez this morning to try a slightly more upright position


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## gavgav (12 Apr 2014)

@Rickshaw Phil has fettled my bike for its 1000 miles service!  Top man!!


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Apr 2014)

gavgav said:


> @Rickshaw Phil has fettled my bike for its 1000 miles service!  Top man!!



A good clean. Front wheels bearings inspected and regreased. Back bearings on these hubs need a tool I haven't got so will have to wait until later - they run smooth with no play so they'll do for a bit.

2 Schwalbe Marathons fitted (they're quite tight on these rims) The rest was a general checkover really - checking for wear/play and that everything was tightened up properly (which it wasn't, but is now ).


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## Basil.B (12 Apr 2014)

Spent a couple of hours trying to fit a new tyre to my wheel, so tight!
I had also fitted new rim tape, which I think was the cause of the problem.
I managed to get the tyre on just, after I removed the rim tape.
Now got to get a thinner rim tape and let the skin heal on my fingers.


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## Shut Up Legs (13 Apr 2014)

Gave my Vivente tourer/commuter, which had been rained on all week, a thorough clean, also replacing the rear pair of brake pads. It took 2 hours, because the rain had caused dirt to get into every crevice on the bike, and the chain had a bit of brown surface rust. I had given it a quick wipe several times this week, but when it rains all week, sometimes that's not enough. Now my pride and joy is all sparkly-clean again for the upcoming commuting week .


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## cyberknight (13 Apr 2014)

Commuter has had an odd creaking when out of the saddle from the stem/ headset area so yesterday i took the stem off and cleaned /lubed anything that might creak including the bolts.Then i loosened off the headset and put a good squirt of grease top and bottom before putting it all back together /
No time to test it yet and i am not sure if i shall ride today as i had a bonfire of old wood shaving that caused so much smoke that i had to go put it out so i have a headache and a sore throat.


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## Supersuperleeds (13 Apr 2014)

Did my usual fettling trick today. I decided to have a go at adjusting the BB7 brakes on the Tricross. Made the rear one worse, so left the front one alone, trip to the LBS on Tuesday now required. I think they might actually need new pads. Every time I try a new job I end up going to the LBS, completely useless at fettling is me


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## cyberknight (13 Apr 2014)

Re greased the commuter`s rear wheel bearing and installed a new rear brake cable.
High stop on the boardman needs a tweak too


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## PpPete (13 Apr 2014)

Mickled the chains on the audax machines after a long day out yesterday on the Elenidd.
Decided MrsPpP needs a new back wheel, rim was already rather worn and the hub bearing now pretty rough too.
Came back inside and spnt loadsamoney online.


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## KneesUp (13 Apr 2014)

Inner tube changed on my £26 eBay bike - it came with a 650b inner tube, as it turns out, so not surprisingly there was a big tear around the valve. At least it was easy to find. Put in an old tube which has two patches, but holds air. Also swapped the tyre for a spare one that's slightly less off-road, given that I am riding it on road for the time being - the one that came off has loads of life and is a rather retro-tastic Farmer John's Cousin - it would be a waste to wear that out on road.

As for the bike that will be my road/commute/tow-path bike - it is now almost stripped. Today I finally managed to free the left hand crank after a good soak in penetrating oil. I still can't loosen the stem though, so it's upside down and full of vinegar in an attempt to soften the rust at the moment.


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## smokeysmoo (13 Apr 2014)

Spent another day trying to fettle me after my accident last Friday 

Co-codamol and I are now best of friends.


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## cyberknight (13 Apr 2014)

Be ca


smokeysmoo said:


> Spent another day trying to fettle me after my accident last Friday
> 
> Co-codamol and I are now best of friends.


Be careful not to take them for too long, the downer is massive when you stop taking them .


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## arranandy (14 Apr 2014)

SKS raceblades fitted to my 3rd best bike. A surprisingly easy and quick job.

Chuffed as I now have a summer wet weather bike instead of having to ride my clunker of a winter bike.


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## Old Plodder (14 Apr 2014)

Re adjusted handlebars on the s/spd, slightly higher, as I haven't been out on it lately, but soon.....


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## biggs682 (14 Apr 2014)

replaced close ratio rear block for less racy one only to find chain skipping on smallest gear .... grrrrr


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## Kies (15 Apr 2014)

Replaced the Tektro brakes with 105's bought on here - a most satisfying job in doing it oneself. even remembered to put a peice of card in the rear before tightening the pads up (toe in)
they definateley stop a lot quicker than the tektro's


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## RebornBumbler (15 Apr 2014)

Tried out my newly-delivered square taper crank puller on the soon-to-be-replaced riveted triple. Drive side went a dream - much more trouble with the other crank's bolt until I realised it's *not* reverse-threaded (doh!)

All nice and clean now, but it's being replaced in a few days anyway...


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## compo (16 Apr 2014)

I have recently built up an old Barracuda Exon MTB. I didn't like the rusty quill stem and nasty bars so today I fitted a quill to ahead adaptor and an adjustable stem and a set of oversize handlebars I have had in my shed for some time. It certainly changes the look of the bike.

Before: http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad346/briarman/Photo0089_zps0e6e571f.jpg

After: http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad346/briarman/Photo0093_zps6f257a0b.jpg


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## Old Plodder (16 Apr 2014)

Well I went out on the s/spd yesterday & found the bars to be too wide, so out with the hacksaw this morning, & now they are about 2.5" narrower.
(Also ditched the pedal reflectors as they were preventing me getting my shoes into the half clips cleanly.)


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## Deleted member 23692 (16 Apr 2014)

Just swapped the disc brake pads on my MTB... 5 mins easy work means I can forget about them for another year or two (or more)

Gotta love hydraulic discs


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## fossyant (16 Apr 2014)

Rear cable disk is sticky on daughters bike. Needs new cable, but couldn't find anywhere in Prestatyn that sold any. Removed it, cleaned up and fitted a new outer. Working much better, but still need an inner cable. Out and about tomorrow to Anglesey, so I may just have to call into a bike shop, or at least Halfords in Rhyl.


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## cyberknight (16 Apr 2014)

Painted a picket fence .


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## Sods_Laur (16 Apr 2014)

installed a bottom bracket on my new frame. feel very pleased with myself, this is far beyond my normal ability!


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## Poacher (16 Apr 2014)

Rebuilt the brick pier which I destroyed last week (post #2600). It looks decidedly, er, _rustic_.


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## Old Plodder (17 Apr 2014)

Fitted a better saddle & a rear rack to my s/spd, plus fitted upturned cutoff drops & a nicer saddle to my GT5 road bike.


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## HLaB (17 Apr 2014)

Prepped my carbon bike last night for tonight's TT (its not been used since last year, October iirc), put the tri bars on, pedals on, pumped the tyres, oiled the chain and moved the seat to the same height as my other bike.


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## cyberknight (17 Apr 2014)

Painted the bike shed .


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## Spoked Wheels (17 Apr 2014)

My Ti bike had developed a clicking noise from the BB area so today I figured that it was happening when I put weight on the pedals so after checking the frame joins it was time to check for a loose BB. I thought this was a good time to remove the cranckset and BB and give it a good clean and re grease. Glad to say the clicking noise is now gone and the bike is ready for Saturday's club run.
Edit: Further to my Thursday post.
Yesterday I fitted some latex tubes, I had read that latex tubes improve ride comfort so I thought "yeah, I'd like some of that". Today I've completed a 50 miles ride and I have to say that they do improve the ride but the difference is not huge. Will have to see how annoying is to pump the tyres every other day to decide whether latex tubes are worth getting . I found them not harder to fit than any other tube so no issues with that. My ride is pretty comfy already so I guess that makes it a little harder for me to notice any attempt to improve comfort.


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## cyberknight (19 Apr 2014)

New chain and brake calipers on the virtuoso .


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## Saluki (19 Apr 2014)

New stem on my Giant, then put the Giant stem on Hubster's Boardman. Everybody is happy now.


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## cyberknight (19 Apr 2014)

cyberknight said:


> New chain and brake calipers on the virtuoso .


Feck, needs a new cassette as well


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## DiddlyDodds (19 Apr 2014)

Made a small stand for sitting the bike on to clean it


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## Boon 51 (19 Apr 2014)

Adjusted the saddle to point down by 2/3mm as I seem to using the drops more, it seems to be a lot better for it.. so that good.


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## Shut Up Legs (21 Apr 2014)

I installed my new GoPro Hero3+ camera on the helmet strap mount, and the older Hero3 on my right seat stay. The latter was a bit tricky, as I had to keep it away from the brake cable, mudguard, etc. I also attached one of those digital camera lanyards to the GoPro (on its rear door hinge), and looped the lanyard around my seat post mounted rear reflector.

I don't know how stable the GoPro's mount parts are when subjected to daily commutes. My commutes are 14 hours a week in any weather, so it will be interesting to see how it holds up. Hence the lanyard: just in case. If any of you have these camera mounts, and would like to share your own accounts, feel free .

I would have preferred to use the Hero3 without the Battery Bacpac attachment, but it just doesn't last for my afternoon commute without it, as the total elapsed time is about 100 minutes, and I found that without the Bacpac the GoPro sometimes stopped recording a few km before I got home. Of course, I could accept that I won't always record that bit, and go without it anyway, which would save me about another 50g of weight. It's nice that the Hero3+ is about 65g lighter than the Hero3+Bacpac, and (from my initial tests) will last for my whole afternoon commute .


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## Twotter (21 Apr 2014)

Replaced headset top cap....and remembered to be gentle tightening the bolt....ahem


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## wisdom (21 Apr 2014)

Multiple fettles today
1 put new rear brake cable on the well known auction sites bargain bike.mickled the chain and re indexed the gears. All nice and smooth now.Stops too.
2 went to the daughters who's mountain bike was "making a funny noise". Mickled the chain.indexed the gears.pumped up the tyres put 45psi in instead of the 5psi that was in them.raised the handlebars to which she said thats a lot better. Result.
3 adjusted the seat and bars on the bike I restored for her. Nice to see it back in use and I have to say looking good. Its had all new inner and outer cables. New chain and everything has been stripped and greased.pic below.


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## EltonFrog (22 Apr 2014)

I installed some Bontrager Race X Lite IsoZone Pads Tops on my handle bars today, hopefully to stop getting tingly hands on long rides.


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## youngoldbloke (23 Apr 2014)

Rose Xeon bars angle adjusted minimally, and stem lowered by 10mm. Headset tweaked as it had loosened up a bit over the first few hundred miles. Later punctured for the first time on this bike, pleasantly surprised that I could get the Mavic Yksion tyre off and on again without levers.


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## flatflr (23 Apr 2014)

Fitted new bar tape to the Look. The old white tape was getting really dirty, tried cleaning it but it didn't really work to decided to replace it. Wasn't easy to get it looking great but no tucks or creases. Just wait for the accident report when it unravels, gets caught in the front wheel and I go A over T over the bars...


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## Crackle (24 Apr 2014)

Started turning my 90's mtn bike into my camp touring bike. Began by greasing the bearings on both wheels which needed it. Didn't really notice I'd stuck the rear axle back in the wrong way around until I put the cassette back on and thought, that looks funny.....cue reverse the procedure and re-fit axle.

Quick links aren't so quick when you spend five minutes looking for the one you dropped before giving up and going furtling in the kitchen draw for the spare one.

Then I punctured a tube putting a rear Nimbus on. First time I've ever done that.....miffed.

I need a new bb as well. Might give it to the LBS to do as I don't have the tool nor a great history with BB's


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (24 Apr 2014)

sadly fitted the pannier rack to my new road bike - first 'commute' since buying it at the weekend. I was enjoying having a road bike look - nice while it lasted.


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## gbb (24 Apr 2014)

Grandsons Mongoose BMX, rear wheel locked up...
Inspect...strip, axle and freewheel locked up,, its got the cheapest nastiest, crappiest freewheel you ever saw, all integrated around the axle cones. Balls on one side of the freewheel have gone...literally gone.
So its off to the LBS for some 4mm balls at some stage. It'll be on a wing and a prayer, the cones are quite bad, the cup on one side doesnt look much better.
It'll be worth a try till he gets a new wheel.
Mongoose =cr&p.


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## mrbikerboy73 (25 Apr 2014)

Prepared my old winter bike for my girlfriend to use, removed mudguards, quick clean, pumped up the tyres, squirt of chain lube. Oh, then a quick 20 mile test ride


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## Asa Post (25 Apr 2014)

Fitted a new rear derailleur to replace the one that suffered an unfortunate accident last Sunday.






I tried to fix it on Wednesday, but found when adjusting the gears that the only way to keep it from hitting the spokes was to have the jockey wheels under 3rd gear, rather than first. That was because the hanger was bent, so I ordered a replacement which came today.
And while I was at it, I put a new cable on as well.


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## gbb (26 Apr 2014)

Bitterly dissapointed, but not really surprised at my grandsons Mongoose BMX he asked me to look at...I cant pedal it he said.
Rear hub stiff, stripped..the freewheel is mounted on the axle by cup n cones both sides, 4mm balls...made of cheese. One sides gone altogether. Damn cr&ppy stuff. Im getting very disillusioned at the cr&ppy way so much stuff is made nowadays..its JUST fit for purpose....but only just.
Scrap value only, I'll have to keep my eye out at the car boots for him, he doesnt use it that much anyway...it doesnt warrant spending too much on it .


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## Doyleyburger (28 Apr 2014)

Nothing exciting, but iv had a new cassette that I ordered from wiggle sitting in its box for a couple of weeks. Finally got round to fitting that today.....




After Saturdays terrible weathered sportif I noticed my pads also need replacing. Better start shopping then


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## threebikesmcginty (3 May 2014)

Crackle said:


> Started turning my 90's mtn bike into my camp touring bike.



Ooooh look at the muck in here.


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## mrbikerboy73 (3 May 2014)

New brake pads and SPD pedals on the Hardrock Pro. chain lubed and tyres pumped up. Tested the
pedals out, they're great


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## PeteXXX (3 May 2014)

Not technically a bike fettle, nor was it all done today but I think I can sneak it in here....

My 15 yr old garden seat was all on the wonk, with rusted bolts and screws, and wobbled dangerously to one side or t'other when sat upon.

A few days ago I dismantled it (by drilling out the bolt heads, and tapping the shank through). Sadly, the weather was a bit miserable to re-stain the slats and spray the metalwork that day.






Yesterday, I stained and sprayed several coats of stuff over the components.

This afternoon, I reassembled my favourite garden seat.






Job done!

I reckon it's OK to post it in the bike fettling forum as this is the place I sit when contemplating fettling summat on the bike, have a post-fettle rest, a pre-ride coffee and a post-ride beer or cuppa.
Or just planning my next ride or thinking about the previous ones...


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## fossyant (3 May 2014)

4 bikes all Mr Sheened (only one mine) and a new brake cable fitted to my daughter's bike.


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## arranandy (4 May 2014)

just took me over 2 hours to fit new brake pads (front & rear) to my Cannondale Bad Boy. I thought it would be a simple case of old pads out, new pads in but I ended up having to strip down both brake calipers, clean the pistons, fit new seals (which luckily my LBS had in stock), fit new pads then top up and bleed the system. What a palaver! Going to head out after dinner for a quick test run


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## John the Canuck (7 May 2014)

wasn't thrilled with the 'economy' 42/52T crankset on the Peugeot
riveted pressed rings



.
so bought - stripped- cleaned - polished a used 36/50T




if I'm happy with the gears ratios - I will lower the front mech
anyway - much happier


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## youngoldbloke (8 May 2014)

New chain on the winter bike. As the weather was so inclement used the opportunity to clean the rest of the drive chain - cassette off, chainrings off, mechs given a good spring clean, and all back together again, now waiting for the rain to stop before going for a test run.


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## Deleted member 23692 (8 May 2014)

Given the bike a quick once over as I'm doing a 4 day tour round Cheshire tomorrow (Friday-Monday)


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (8 May 2014)

@Rickshaw Phil my OH's bike again! this time replacing the jockey wheels...

old of the left, new on the right. he recons they would have lasted a while longer yet!


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## Spoked Wheels (8 May 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> @Rickshaw Phil * he recons they would have lasted a while longer yet!*
> View attachment 44580



I agree


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## Jason.T (8 May 2014)

Made myself a bb30 installation press 

X2 machined bearing holders 
X4 washers
X3 nuts
X1 threaded rod 
X4 cut offs from BSP pipe 

Total coat £6 

Not tried it out yet, hopefully get the chance over the weekend


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (8 May 2014)

RRSODL said:


> I agree


I had reached the conclusion that when the chain was eating into the lower level of plastic (bottom left) that perhaps it was time for a replacement...


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## Rickshaw Phil (8 May 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> @Rickshaw Phil my OH's bike again! this time replacing the jockey wheels...
> 
> old of the left, new on the right. he recons they would have lasted a while longer yet!
> View attachment 44580


To be fair, they look in better condition than the original ones that came off my knockabout bike.


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 May 2014)

Fitted pedals to the knockabout bike and to my Brother's bike. The shoes I wore yesterday had no grip on the pedals when I was caught in the rain and it appears that Doug has been having similar problems with his even in the dry, but neglected to mention it .

We got the same BMX/MTB style that I already have on the Raleigh which have pins and grip nicely regardless of the shoes and the weather conditions.


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## wisdom (10 May 2014)

Full fettle today of the commuter following an extremely soggy Thursday and Friday commute.


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## Jenkins (11 May 2014)

Finally tracked down the creaking noise that's affected my Triban for the past couple of weeks. 

Started with the usual suspects - re-tightened every bolt on the seal post, stem, chain rings, derailleur, brakes, mudguards, etc with no result. 

Checked the cranks - rock solid so not the BB. 

Rear wheel tight in the frame, no loose spokes and cassette fully tight. Front wheel appeared to be solid in the frame but, while checking the spokes there was the creaking noise - not loose spokes but the wheel turned out to be fractionally loose despite the QR feeling correctly tightened. Only a quarter turn of the nut was required and peace has returned

At least it's had a full service and now just needs a clean and lube.


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## mrbikerboy73 (11 May 2014)

Spent 10 minutes fitting a Cateye Micro Wireless to my MTB and the rest of the day trying to work out how to use the over complicated, user unfriendly device


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## Kies (11 May 2014)

A new 60mm stem on the Elite ....


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## EltonFrog (11 May 2014)

The wife and I removed the cassette and axle, bought a new one and bearings and refitted it to my wife's bike.

First time I have ever done anything like that.


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## DCLane (11 May 2014)

Busy weekend:

- Son no. 1's Felt Q200 needed work; the chain came off on the smallest crank ring and rear brake inop. A bent crank tooth un-bent, new rear brake cable, fully lubricated and adjusted.

- Whyte 805 cleaned and lubricated.

- Tricross prepped for sale.

- Son no. 2's new race bike (Trek 38cm) adjusted, new brakes and pedals fitted.

- Son no. 2's damaged Decathlon; bent rear mech unbent, fork out. Need a new fork.


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## Arjimlad (12 May 2014)

Took off the derailleur, stripped it down as far as I could, blasted it with GT85 cleaned & relubed all moving parts.

Now I have one click gear changes up AND down - which I have not had for a few months over the winter ! 

The derailleur was the last thing to try, and was up for replacement if this fettle didn't sort it, so it must have heard me threatening to bin it.


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## Arjimlad (12 May 2014)

And gave the bike a good clean & wash as well. Lovely ride in to work today !


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## PeteXXX (12 May 2014)

Knog lights fitted to Road bike.
Checked chain on Town & Tesco bike and decided that at about 20 years old, it's still got a few thousand miles left on it.
Cleats fitted to new Shimano shoes. No time to road test today as work beckons.


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## KneesUp (12 May 2014)

I have in my pocket 4 little bolts, four little nuts (stop laughing) and 8 washers, all for the princely sum of £1.20. Tonight I shall have toe-clips attached to the pedals rather than in a box under the kitchen sink, saving me from the ignominity of wet soles/bumpy road/looking like an idiot with feet all over the place accidents.


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## mrbikerboy73 (12 May 2014)

Cleaned the Defy and my SPD SL shoes.


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## arranandy (12 May 2014)

Yesterday afternoon 3 bikes cleaned and lubed. Winter bike stripped down to the bare frame in preparation for a full rebuild over the next couple of months


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## raleighnut (12 May 2014)

[QUOTE 3077442, member: 259"]Took the Nokkian ice spikers off the old MTB and stuck the semislicks back on, as the chances of snow at this time of year are vanishingly small. [/QUOTE]
T ain't June yet fella


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## cosmicbike (15 May 2014)

Removed and repackaged the bearings on my SPD pedals, got a nice 53t oil print on my jeans for my troubles


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## I like Skol (16 May 2014)

Preparing the fast bike for tomorrow to make sure it is running silky smooth so I can beat @potsy on the training ride. Something that has been bugging me almost since I got this bike around 3 years ago is that the gear change down onto the small 11T sprocket has never been brilliant and has been the reason for a lot of fettling and tweaking of cables, hanger alignment, stop screws and indexing in the mean time.

Tonight I took things apart (again) and decided that the rear derailleur spring looked a bit gunky and possibly this was binding when it was almost fully closed and was stopping the mech action. It was while cleaning this spring that I noticed the parallelogram rear plate was slightly bent at one of the pivot points. I did drop the bike on it's first outing when new as I hit a patch of slightly damp mossy road at slow speed and fell over sidewards, banging the mech and it seems this is why I have always been troubled with the gear problem. Knocked things back into shape and now the gearshift is as sweet as a nut, RESULT


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## potsy (16 May 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Preparing the fast bike for tomorrow to make sure it is running silky smooth so I can beat @potsy on the training ride. Something that has been bugging me almost since I got this bike around 3 years ago is that the gear change down onto the small 11T sprocket has never been brilliant and has been the reason for a lot of fettling and tweaking of cables, hanger alignment, stop screws and indexing in the mean time.
> 
> Tonight I took things apart (again) and decided that the rear derailleur spring looked a bit gunky and possibly this was binding when it was almost fully closed and was stopping the mech action. It was while cleaning this spring that I noticed the parallelogram rear plate was slightly bent at one of the pivot points. I did drop the bike on it's first outing when new as I hit a patch of slightly damp mossy road at slow speed and fell over sidewards, banging the mech and it seems this is why I have always been troubled with the gear problem. Knocked things back into shape and now the gearshift is as sweet as a nut, RESULT


I've been busy fettling my summer bike too, shortened the chain by 2 links for weight saving (and because some numpty left it a bit too long when I they fitted it the other week)


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## fossyant (16 May 2014)

Fettled no bike stuff, but tomorrow is remove bathroom tiles, switch bath round, new taps, re-plumb, remove electric shower, tile, then fit new shower. Lots to do.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (17 May 2014)

yesterday - not bike stuff... ride on lawnmower.. my step-father hit the concrete edging to the border of his garden, and after the lumps of concrete had stopped flying around, I had to take the blade off it for him (he had a hip replacement recently that was not very successful...) so that the blade could have the chunks removed from it, ground down and re-sharpened. Then we took the sander to post for the parasol which stands in a metal thingy which fills with water, the wood absorbs the water and won't come out... it spilt last autumn so was left (after a considerable fight extracting it) to dry out in the garage over winter... after sanding it down, it now slots in nicely through the top of the table and into the thingy... I left him to oil it down to reseal it!


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## biggs682 (17 May 2014)

well today i have started work on a 90's Giant Peleton i picked up a few weeks ago , wheels have been in for a regrease and true up down at lbs ,

rear wheel was too flat spotted to do much with so out came 1 of my spares so swapped tyre over rim to rim , and then replaced brake cables fr & rr along with un raveling 3 layers of bar tape right down to original white Giant tape .

starting to get there


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## Andrew_Culture (17 May 2014)

I FINALLY started building my new bike, by which I mean transferring everything off my old bike to put onto my new bike. My old frame was a Ribble Audax (I think) that was too big for me, now I have a Bianchi, er, something or other that's the right size. Here's how far I got today:







Apart from the seat tube being too big for my current seatpost, the cables from my old bike all being the wrong lengths, finding a random flat tyre on the rear of my 'donor' bike, my daughter getting covered in grease, the steerer on the forms appearing to be woefully short, finding a lump worn out of said steerer where it 'goes carbon', forgetting entirely to buy a braze-on adapter and the BB apparently being too wide for the hole it went pretty well!


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## TeeQue (17 May 2014)

Been fettling the Ribble ready for my first ever triathlon tomorrow. Fitted a second bottle cage, pumped up the tyres with my new track pump and attempted to make it look slightly more appropriate for a competitive cycling event by removing the mud guards which in turn required the brakes to be adjusted. 

All set now though just not sure if I am!


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## cyberknight (17 May 2014)

Took the virtuoso to the LBS to sort out shifting issues and installed a shorter stem on the project bike 
After much deliberation i worked out with the bits i have in stock i can get in on the road for £36 with bits from wiggle so looks like it will be N+1


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## potsy (17 May 2014)

Ordered my fettling bits at 8pm Thursday night from Ribble, arrived this morning at 9am, great service 

So tomorrow's job will be to fit a new chain and cassette to the commuter.


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## Andrew_Culture (17 May 2014)

Seatpost shims exist. this makes me happy.


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## fossyant (17 May 2014)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Seatpost shims exist. this makes me happy.


Decathlon is a good source for seat posts including shims.


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## wisdom (17 May 2014)

No bike work allowed today.
swmbo directed a full garden fettle.
still it was nice n sunny


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## Thomk (17 May 2014)

mrbikerboy73 said:


> Cleaned the Defy and my SPD SL shoes.


I also cleaned the Defy although sadly my SDP's remain mucky


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## Rickshaw Phil (17 May 2014)

In the middle of a bike maintenance course at the moment and one of the things that has come up is that the grease I've used on the threads when assembling my bikes isn't recommended as it tends to set over time unless it's kept moving (meant for bearing races).

Stripped, cleaned and regreased the threads on _all _the parts I've applied it to on both bikes (and certain parts on my brother's bike).

I now have peace of mind again.


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## cyberknight (17 May 2014)

wisdom said:


> No bike work allowed today.
> swmbo directed a full garden fettle.
> still it was nice n sunny


Just mowed the lawn,put soil in raised border , added 3 trellis`s and watered the borders.
Still need to track down source of creak when standing up when riding uphills .


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## Booyaa (17 May 2014)

Had to replace an inner tube after the back wheel exploded around me after inflating the tyre. Was in the garage so I got a right fright.


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## DCLane (17 May 2014)

Started work on the Ridgeback Platinum frame I bought from djb1971.

Fitted the Shimano 2300 crank, front & rear mech plus bars/shifters and Shimano 105 brakes.

Cables and chain to do, but fitting 2300 gear cables are a pain.


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## GrumpyGregry (18 May 2014)

Built my new Sunday best


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## Gravity Aided (18 May 2014)

Put an old Esge front fender on my Cannondale, as I could not make the rear fender work, but there is a Planet Bike Eco Rack back there for any spray thrown up by rain showers when riding home from church tomorrow. (Have to ride the bicycle home, as Mrs. GA does not wish to sit through 2 masses, and I have to be Lay Eucharistic Minister at one, and Thurifer at the other.) I got the Esge Fenders from an old Khalkoff Bicycle at a pawn shop I go to . I also adjusted the Cannondales' derailleur, and rode 17 miles


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## Eribiste (18 May 2014)

Made up a little handlebar mounted route card clipboard, which together with the Cateye Strada will hopefully give me reliable satlessnav for a forthcoming Audax.


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## Andrew_Culture (18 May 2014)

fossyant said:


> Decathlon is a good source for seat posts including shims.



I'm yet to experience the joy of visiting a Decathlon store.


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## arch684 (19 May 2014)

nothing yet.developed an annoying squeak once i find the source then it will be fettled.


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## GrumpyGregry (19 May 2014)

This evening I fettled the back brake, rear mech low stop screw, checked all the fastenings with a torque wrench and mickled the chain on the new ride (post #2706) after its first 50km shakedown ride y'day.


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## Razzle (19 May 2014)

Half a turn on the rear derailleur cable tensioner and all is well again


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## Kevoffthetee (19 May 2014)

Freed the seat post on the pug to raised the seat to its correct height, damaging the plastic mount/guide in the process. Also adjusted the brake and gear cables then topped the up the air in tyres.

Adjusted the gears on the mtb then split the saddle when adjusting so now I need 2 saddles and 1 seat post when pennies allow. Add that to 2 new mtb tyres and I looking forward to pay day


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## biggs682 (19 May 2014)

some fine tuning of latest arrival and replaced an inner tube on another project


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 May 2014)

Found a spare nipple and after re-tuning all the spokes by ear (some were a long way off being a that same tension as others on the same side) re-trued my OH's front disc wheel. took a little lateral thinking because normally I just use the brake pads as my guide, only with a disc wheel this doesn't work... so another use for a cable tie... Wheel is almost completely true again (less than 1/2mm movement out of line, best I can do anyhow!) and the spokes all sound very similar when compared to other spokes on the same side... time will tell and if that fails, its a bike shop job!


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## compo (21 May 2014)

Not exactly fettled yet but my next project. Just been to Welwyn Garden City to pick up some frames I got on Ebay, £6 and change for the lot. It is only really the Raleigh Max MTB in the foreground that I wanted, but I will strip anything useable off the other ones and they can then go out front for the gypsies. I recently built up a Barracuda framed MTB but it was a tad too small so the Raleigh will be a lot better.


----------



## arch684 (22 May 2014)

waiting for a delivery. they said between 7am and 9pm so cleaning bikes and looking for things to fettle


----------



## cosmicbike (22 May 2014)

Nothing bike related unfortunately, but I have spent 3 hours fitting a cat flap into the new door. She had better bl##dy use it


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## fossyant (22 May 2014)

A slight clunk/clack sound started to appear from the headset this week. It's usually a sign that the compression washer for the top bearing has become 'polished'. Popped the stem off, removed the compression washer, cleaned it up with the dremmel, greased it up and back in. Quiet as a mouse this morning. 

I find I have to do this about once a year. You can see the contact edges of the washer become 'black' with aluminium residue, remove this and all is quiet. Sometimes there is blackening on the alloy steerer, which again needs removing.


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## Gravity Aided (22 May 2014)

@fossyant , that's good to know. I just got my first bicycle with a threadless headset this week, (somebody gave me a Specialized Hardrock they could not fix) and I have to go through it, and probably do a rebuild on the back wheel. Meanwhile, Fettlefest 2014 continues on the Schwinn Voyageur.


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## Arjimlad (22 May 2014)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I'm yet to experience the joy of visiting a Decathlon store.



I'm like a kid in a toyshop in the French ones, they have cycling gear and shooting/hunting gear !


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## fossyant (22 May 2014)

Gravity Aided said:


> @fossyant , that's good to know. I just got my first bicycle with a threadless headset this week, (somebody gave me a Specialized Hardrock they could not fix) and I have to go through it, and probably do a rebuild on the back wheel. Meanwhile, Fettlefest 2014 continues on the Schwinn Voyageur.


 
It's like a cracking noise, and it does get worse, but it's always been down to the 'polishing/glazing' of the ahead compression washer and the steerer. You just need to clean up the surfaces. It's also similar to what makes plastic cleats squeek. I find that after wet rides, my Look cleats pick up black aluminium deposits. Sand these off and all's quiet again.


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## robbiejp77 (22 May 2014)

Just fitted a set of Fulcrum Racing Zeros with Open corsa cx's and latex tubes, within two minutes of testing i hear pssssst, bloody puncture!!!! nice wheels though feel much much better than my Aksiums.


----------



## BAtoo (22 May 2014)

Changed my tyres in preparation for my charity cycle ride next week. Put on the new Gatorskins and new tubes. Wasn't going to change the tube on the 2nd wheel as it was undamaged but I managed to break the end off the valve when I removed the pump! 
So that was 3 tyre changes all in about 40 minutes....


----------



## HLaB (22 May 2014)

Put a disc cover on the Bianchi to see if it'll make me any faster in a tt.


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## Arjimlad (23 May 2014)

Sick of my creaky BB, I stopped at the bike mechanic's house on the way home on Wednesday evening. He is a retired teacher & lives at the end of my road. Having got the right qualifications, he set up his hobby into a small business offering servicing & repairs.

Neil had mentioned the possibility that the BB shell had not been properly fettled when the bike was new, when I discussed my creaky BB with him earlier.

I had stripped it at the weekend, checked that the facings were bare metal & clean, cleaned everything up & regreased it before reassembly. Yet the creaking remained.

Whilst I watched, Neil dismantled the BB & confirmed that the cups still had plenty of life left. He took out a specialist BB alignment tool, inserted the blocks into the threads and gently ground off a very little metal on each side of the BB shell, before reassembling it to the correct torque settings.

After two years of trying by myself to get the BB to stop creaking, and on its second set of BB cups, I am delighted to report that the creak has completely gone, after 20 minutes' work with the right tools, by an expert.

The next day's riding was a revelation and I found I was able to push along harder than ever without having the squeaky creak to worry about.


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## Diggs (24 May 2014)

I've just fitted my first star fangled nut! Without the expensive tools natch 
Even managed to avoid a trip to A&E as a bizzarely stored boning knife fell out of the tool cupboard (note to self - speak to Mrs D in a calm voice about storage)


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## mrbikerboy73 (24 May 2014)

Centralised the offset rear wheel on the Carrera (sort of) and tried repeatedly to get the trim to work on the left Sora Fightdeck shifter after cable replacement. It's work in progress.....


----------



## uclown2002 (24 May 2014)

Butchered my first attempt at wrapping bar tapes!
Yes I watched those videos!
CBA to redo so will have to live with it.


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## Gravity Aided (24 May 2014)

Finished my Voyageur today, 1 year and 4 months later.
I snapped my old Esge front fender on my Cannondale on my ride this noonday,
(overzealous gravel application by my township,)
so I'm off to buy some strip aluminum and remake them.
Oh, and buying bar tape for Voyageur.


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## smokeysmoo (24 May 2014)

Nothing as I couldn't be @rsed to go to the shed in the incessant rain 

I have got a new BB to fit to the CAAD though. Heard a slight creak type noise last time out, got home and stripped it, cleaned it, greased everything and re-fitted it. Still feckin' did it on a quick test ride 

As I hate any type of noise it was an easy decision, new BB ordered early last week, and it was a bargain to boot at £18.95 for a Dura-Ace FC-9000 HTII one as well 

Might fit it tomorrow if A) the weather holds up and B) I fancy stripping it down again for the second time in 7 days


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## IncoherentJeff (25 May 2014)

Due to the monsoon conditions I decided to stay indoors & service my Carrera Virtuoso. 
Also changed the bar tape for the 1st time ever, the white tape it came with new was pretty horrendous after 2 years, looking good with some dark blue Deda tape. Not perfect I admit but quite chuffed for my 1st attempt.


----------



## Shut Up Legs (25 May 2014)

I cleaned the bike as usual, and watched lots of dirt leave the chain after wiping then oiling it. After the 2nd wipe, I oiled then wiped it again, and it's now as smooth as a baby's bum!  I also did one of my easier rear derailleur adjustments. Due to cable stretch from installing new derailleur cables a week ago, the rear shifting was bad, so I simply turned the barrel adjuster on the rear of the rear derailleur about a half-turn, and all was good again.


----------



## smokeysmoo (26 May 2014)

New DURA-ACE FC9000 BB cups fitted to the CAAD, (£18.95 off eBay  ), but sadly still got a creak from somewhere, so the investigation continues 

Back to the BB though, I was amazed at the reduction in size from the Ultegra bearing cups I removed to the new DA ones. Shimano even supply an adapter tool, (thankfully), that fits the standard HTII spanner as the new cups are so much smaller.

I'm not doubting DA quality, (never will TBH), but it does make you wonder about durability when they decrease the size of such a critical load bearing part.

Watch this space I guess ................................................................................

[EDIT] every nut and bolt checked and I'm off for a ride to see if I can hear anything untowards. Note to self, turn music down so you can listen


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## Gravity Aided (26 May 2014)

Pedals. That's where my BB creak was.
_BB is watching YOU!




_


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## Salad Dodger (26 May 2014)

Having dashed around to get the lawn mowed and the edges strimmed before it rained, I then retreated to the garage, and re-fitted a pair of panniers to my e-bike. Then had a bit of a tinker with the wall mounted bike hanger, which holds our 2 MTBs, so that the garage door no longer makes contact with the bikes when it's opened. Finally, fitted some old rear lights to my MTB and wife's e-bike, with the aid of some trusty cable ties. Now all the bikes have got a rear light in situ. (We use LED torches as front lights, and swop the mountings from bike to bike as necessary, as they are only velcro'd in place). Time for a cup of tea now.........


----------



## compo (26 May 2014)

I have cleaned and degreased my chainwheels and rear mech jockey wheels, and fitted new cassette, chain and gear cable inner and housing.

Which lubricant for the chain doesn't turn into a black mush.


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## wisdom (26 May 2014)

Youve started something now regarding chain lube


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## Arjimlad (27 May 2014)

Replaced rear derailleur cable outer at the back. Should make for better shifting !


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## Robeh (28 May 2014)

compo said:


> I have cleaned and degreased my chainwheels and rear mech jockey wheels, and fitted new cassette, chain and gear cable inner and housing.
> 
> Which lubricant for the chain doesn't turn into a black mush.


 try this lube....http://www.wiggle.co.uk/purple-extreme-synthetic-lubricant/


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## arch684 (28 May 2014)

set up front mech on my giant rincon. fitted new cable and adjusted. ( pain in the butt ) .


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## Doc333 (28 May 2014)

front disc was squeaking and doing my head in, so being a newbie I did what I have been told to do and looked the problem up on youtube. Got out my Alan keys and followed the instructions ....... worked first time and now have awesome quiet brakes again


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## Brava210 (28 May 2014)

Polished it AGAIN....


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## Gravity Aided (29 May 2014)

Polished and adjusted the brakes on my Schwinn racer, then traded it to the pawn brokers for a Schwinn CrissCross, an early hybrid, in an exciting shade of purple.


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## cyberknight (29 May 2014)

Greased bottom bracket threads and pedal threads on the project build, but of a swine to get the LH crank off as the bolt holding it on was really worn so off to the LBS at the weekend for a new bolt .
Originally i thought the BB was in wrong but turns out it looks like it had not been greased enough was was not flush on the drive side so lets hope the creaking has been cured.
Indexed the commuter to counter cable stretch .


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## jazzkat (29 May 2014)

Just put a new saddle on the fixed, one of them, there Spa cycles leather Warfe thingies. And very nice it is too!


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## Shut Up Legs (1 Jun 2014)

I just spent 1.5 hours thoroughly cleaning my Vivente tourer, which is my commuting bike. The chain needed oiling twice before the black gunk stopped running out of it, but it's heaps better now . I'm definitely not a fan of derailleur adjustments, though. I had to adjust the front derailleur again, and it's still not quite right .


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## cyberknight (1 Jun 2014)

Transfered gaurds, rack ,lights and garmin to the new commuter.


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## alans (1 Jun 2014)

As we approach the longest daylight hours period of the year I fettled into operation my dynamo front light





I found the correct roundtoit after only 21 months


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## Mark Grant (1 Jun 2014)

I collected all my daughters stuff from Uni today, including her '70s Coventry Eagle which hadn't had much in the way of attention over the last 8 months. I noticed a bit of a wobble in the rear wheel which was due to a broken spoke, I was going to fit a new one but instead decided to replace the steel wheels (terrible braking) with some new alloy wheels. So onto Ebay and bought a pair along with a new freewheel and chain. The rest of the bike was given a good clean in anticipation of the shiny new wheels!


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## shouldbeinbed (1 Jun 2014)

drilled out my snapped bolt & got my rear rack & guards properly fitted again.


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## DCLane (2 Jun 2014)

Did this on Sunday, but now have photos:

Finished for now the Ridgeback Platinum from @djb1971 and took it for a test ride: http://www.strava.com/activities/148180049






It's currently got the kit from my damaged Raleigh Airlite - so for now it sports Shimano 2300 crank / levers / etc. with new Tektro brakes from @SimonJKH and I've kept the old cables / wheels as it's a temporary installation. It'll get Shimano 105 (from the Secteur) or a Dura Ace 7800 set shortly when I've a full set of kit with new cables and bar tape plus matching bottle cage then.

Secondly, I finished the Raleigh SP150 build; repaired the original seat, fitted a new headset, crankset and front mech, used the Bars / shifters / rear mech / rear brakes from my £10 Viking Targa and bits of other stuff plus a front V-brake from @Snapper88 . It'll do as a runabout:






Oh, and the Raleigh Team got a new Raceblade XL mudguard set.


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## djb1971 (2 Jun 2014)

DCLane said:


> Did this on Sunday, but now have photos:
> 
> Finished for now the Ridgeback Platinum from @djb1971 and took it for a test ride: http://www.strava.com/activities/148180049
> 
> ...



Good to see it back on the road, brings a tear to the eyes. We've shared some epic times, good and bad!

Glad you've mentioned changing the cage, it's a bit........red

Hope you have plenty of happy miles on it


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## DCLane (2 Jun 2014)

Thanks @djb1971 - the frame was certainly in excellent condition.

The plan, albeit for now, is to turn it into an audax bike - with the eventual aim of London-Edinburgh-London 2017.

In the meantime, whilst Zurich insurance and British Cycling's lawyers argue the toss about my damaged Raleigh Airlite, is to use it as a commuter - hence the 8 speed setup and the bits from the Raleigh.


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## Basil.B (2 Jun 2014)

Cleaned and polished my Macinato singlespeed, first time in a year.


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Jun 2014)

I hate fettling. I decided to change the pads on the BB7s on the commuter tonight. Back ones done fine, front ones the bloody cylinder inside where the pads sit and that pushes in and out on the pads has come off, no idea how to get it back on or even if it should come off. Bike totally unrideable. Will have to go to work on the road bike tomorrow if it isn't raining, or the hybrid if it is. Trip to LBS tomorrow dinner time to sweet talk them into fixing it for me.


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## djb1971 (2 Jun 2014)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I hate fettling. I decided to change the pads on the BB7s on the commuter tonight. Back ones done fine, front ones the bloody cylinder inside where the pads sit and that pushes in and out on the pads has come off, no idea how to get it back on or even if it should come off. Bike totally unrideable. Will have to go to work on the road bike tomorrow if it isn't raining, or the hybrid if it is. Trip to LBS tomorrow dinner time to sweet talk them into fixing it for me.




It just pushes back in, there's a metal split washer on the ball end of the cylinder that closes as you push hard. 

I've done it too


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Jun 2014)

djb1971 said:


> It just pushes back in, there's a metal split washer on the ball end of the cylinder that closes as you push hard.
> 
> I've done it too



I'll be buggered if I can get the thing to push back in, cheers anyway


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## djb1971 (2 Jun 2014)

I put a bit of copper grease on it, screwed the dial all the way into the caliper then pushed the piston back in. A plastic tyre lever may give you more leverage. It's awkward but doable, I did it on front and rear when I dismantled the calipers.


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## HLaB (3 Jun 2014)

I don't know why get the urge to fettle at 11pm. Put the seat post back in the TT bike (a road bike with clip ons), I snapped the clamp a few weeks ago. I then decided whilst I was playing about with it to move my saddle forward 5mm and try it out on the rollers. I then decided to pump the tryes up to find that my disc cover didn' quite give enough space for the track pump head, so I had to open the top of that, pump and refit. I then decided to remove the second bottle cage and whilst I had the grease out greased some other bolt heads. I then remembered I'd have to adjust the campag limit screws so my deraileur does rub against the disc. Then I noticed it was nearly 1am and went to bed


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## Kevoffthetee (3 Jun 2014)

Finally got the red bontrager r2's off the purple (lilac) pug and replaced them with black Rubino's, instant improvement. What was suprising was the state of the r2's after only 100 miles wini mini splits everywhere. I also tweaked the spd shoes and the seat post.

I was going to strip the 13-23 cassette in preparation for the 11-26 and also the bar tape for the new jet black tape but it started raining and tbh I didn't want to start if I couldn't finish.


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## youngoldbloke (3 Jun 2014)

Keo cleats fixed on replacement shoes from Wiggle. Took me ages to get them right the first time, job I don't enjoy at all.


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## F70100 (4 Jun 2014)

Broke a rear wheel spoke during ride to Cromer three weeks ago. Acquired star key (to remove brake disc), cassette removal key and chain whip, replacement spoke (and a couple of spares) whilst on hols last week so first job after getting back from work today was to fettle it. Job done. Most difficult thing was removing and refitting plastic chain guard thingy - need four hands for that one.

Days off and a good forecast for next couple of days so I'm off to break another spoke  the tea & cake shops again!!


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## EltonFrog (4 Jun 2014)

Gave my road bike (Trek Madone) a good clean today, I even took the chain off, which I have never done before, it was really clogged up, as was the rear cassette and removed and cleaned the jockey wheels. Took off, checked and refitted the tyres, polifshed the frame, and generally gave the rest of the bike a thorough going over to the best of my ability. Five hours cleaning!


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## HLaB (4 Jun 2014)

Put a new front tyre on my quattros. Now off to check if the directional arrow is the right way; I know it doesn't matter performance wise, its just cosmetics  Besides it'll take my mind of other non bike related things for a bit.


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## Deleted member 23692 (4 Jun 2014)

MTB - Swapped the SDG Bel Air saddle for an SDG Circuit MTN - after 6 years for faithful use the Bel Air was giving me bum some jip, so I've gone for the mountain version of my road bike saddle... which is super comfy

And to keep the road bike happy, I've put some Shimano A600 pedals on in place of the M530s


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## Gravity Aided (5 Jun 2014)

Added new 700x25s to my Cannondale, to replace the 700x38s on it. Those will go on my Schwinn CrissCross, as the ancient cloth sided tires are going for naught on that one.


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## gbb (5 Jun 2014)

2wheels but not pedal powered...welded the broken bracket on my sons 100cc scooter.
10mm spanner, ditto socket and ratchet, wire brush, a rather expensive inverter stick welder (given to me by my previous employer when they went bust, first time ive used it in two years)...two 1.6mm stainless rods...and a cup of tea.

If I say so myself...a perfectly acceptable job. S/S rods flow beautifully, well pleased. So is my son.
No welding mask either..point, shut eyes, mentally visualise the surface, weld.


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## KneesUp (5 Jun 2014)

Removed drop bars from late 70's Peugeot to go on mid 90's Muddy Fox. Somehow managed to split open the end of my finger.


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## Kevoffthetee (5 Jun 2014)

I got home after a ruby and was eager to fit the new (er) cassette to the back of the pug. Only left the bloody chain whip at work 

A shame because I was going climbing tomorrow night and hoped the extra 3 teeth would make a difference


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## youngoldbloke (5 Jun 2014)

Replaced the factory fitted Mavic tubes in my Yksion tyres with Michelin AirComp Latex. Surprised to find that the latex tubes are actually heavier by a few grams, though the valve lengths are much the same. Also interesting that thumbs were the only tools required to get the tyres off and on again.


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## Tim Joyce (6 Jun 2014)

done a little to my new bike, lizard skin clear patches for cable protection, DMR frame chain bounce protector, lizard skin front suspension boots/covers, merida bottle & cage & bought some basics like a matching Merida under seat bag, merida flip out multitool, lezyne glue less puncture kit, merida helmet & glasses, Royal racing 2014 jersey & Royal 30 fingerless gloves.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (6 Jun 2014)

Finally got my act together and after some fettling in the garden (unblocking some very badly designed and badly blocked drains which involved finding a grid 12 inches below the soil level covered with plastic to stop soil getting in, it being totally blocked with debris other than soil, the entire drain pipe for the lower 2 foot being totally blocked and yeh, you got the idea....) anyhow, I have finally gotten around to fitting my summer tyres (from 23c schwalbe durano pluses to 23c conti GP40000S's which I have never tried before) to the bike - so it is guaranteed to rain for the entire weekend now. (At least the flood warnings have been downgraded to yellow from their previous red of yesterday!)

Also tinkered with the rear gear indexing using the cable adjuster to take into account the cable stretch for the new bike, and fitted the left hand adjuster block (8 degree) to the STI's. The bike came with a 4 degree adjuster block glued into place... now wondering if I should glue the 8 degree one in, but I will see how life goes. Still waiting for the right hand adjuster block to arrive... chain didn't need fettling or cleaning or anything...

Now to decide if I really want to get my MTB out and change the chain... the old one has started to slip if I put pressure down on the pedals, but not sure I really want to find out if I need a new cassette as well especially as I won't be using the bike (or any bike) for the next few weeks following my op on Monday...


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## Kevoffthetee (6 Jun 2014)

Kevoffthetee said:


> I got home after a ruby and was eager to fit the new (er) cassette to the back of the pug. Only left the bloody chain whip at work
> 
> A shame because I was going climbing tomorrow night and hoped the extra 3 teeth would make a difference


 Took the wheel into work and changed the cassette in someone else's time. It's just a shame it's lovely and sunny in the garden and I've cracked open a bottle of Rioja


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## youngoldbloke (6 Jun 2014)

Tweaked the cable adjusters to take up cable stretch on the Ultegra 11 speed. Noticed how tight the clearances are, slightest drift away from perfect adjustment and you begin to hear it.


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## alans (6 Jun 2014)

The tension in the stoker's spd pedals.


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## PeteXXX (10 Jun 2014)

The bike shed window was cracked, yellow and was similar to looking through the rear view mirror of a 1968 MG







It is now so clear that it cannot be seen!!


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## fossyant (11 Jun 2014)

Fixed puncture on my lads school bike (yes N+1) over the weekend. Got home last night to find chain royally jammed after dropping off the granny ring, so badly the chain was 'twisted' and unuseable. Despite what my lad says 'no i didn't try to pedal', the deep gouges to the BB shell and granny ring say otherwise. I think I will be bodging a 'dog fang' out of some old rear light brackets as I've got loads.


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## Stephen C (11 Jun 2014)

Bike has been creaking louder and louder over last week, so stripped down the cranks etc, replaced the bottom bracket (it was feeling very crunchy...), re-greased and oiled everything I thought moved...and the noise is still there!!! Ah well, the pedals turn a lot smoother now, next job is to sort out the "ticking" rear wheel, I think the bearings are not happy...


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## goo_mason (11 Jun 2014)

Gave the chain a wipe down and a relube after a good soaking in the rain to and from work yesterday. Surprisingly clean still (after the complete clean I gave it at the weekend whilst cleaning the bike & replacing the rear pads) - I'm very impressed with the White Lightning Wet lube I got recently. I've been using Finish Line Wet for years and years, and used to having a black, manky chain that rusted hours after any wet rides. No rusting a no crud now!


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## youngoldbloke (12 Jun 2014)

10mm longer stem fitted. Knowing that I always get the cables 'confused' when I've done this in the past I loosely fitted the new stem on the bars next to the old one, so was able to simply lift the old stem off the steerer and drop the new one in its place - cables undisturbed! Worked a treat. But I can never quite get the stem to line up with the front wheel accurately, as I noticed when I rode the bike, so a bit more fiddling fettling required. Any tips, anyone?


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## ColinJ (12 Jun 2014)

The saddle on my Basso had broken so that needed replacing. I had a spare saddle which I could use for now, but then I discovered that the Allen bolt on the saddle clamp had rounded off. It was a cheap old seatpost, so I was not too bothered about that, except for it leaving me with another problem. Then I remembered that I had a spare seatpost in my junk/spares box. Fingers crossed that the diameter was right ... It was! So, that was the seating sorted out.

The other problem with the bike was that the transmission had started squeaking, rumbling and feeling rough on my hard century ride last Friday. I thought that the bottom bracket or chain might be dying on me. In fact, the problem was that my experiment of lubing the chain with chain saw oil was a gloopy failure - the thick oil was a dirt magnet! I cleaned 90% of the muck from the chain while it was on the bike, then took it off and got most of the rest off using degreaser, cotton buds, rags and an old toothbrush. I also took the rear mech. to bits and degunked and lubed the jockey wheels, and cleaned the cassette and chainrings.

Oh, and I also scrubbed the wheelrims. Braking on my long ride had been a bit iffy at times. It felt like the rims had got some greasy/oily deposits on them.

I just went out and did a hilly 40-miler and the bike felt transformed! It was much quieter, the gear changing was slicker, and I could swear that the pedalling was easier. (In reality, I doubt that I could really sense the reduced friction in the drivetrain, but it sounded more efficient! )

*PS *I did another hilly ride today and my bum is starting to complain - the spare saddle was a spare saddle for a reason! I must buy a replacement and donate this one to someone with narrower sit bones ...


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## PeteXXX (12 Jun 2014)

Rear derailleur on the SL4 hardtail gently eased back into shape after I bounced off a rock on the last ride on it. I didn't want to 'fix' it miles from home in case it snapped. Derailleurs do that when being 'fixed'. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bike shed emptied, swept, cleaned and re-organised.






Half of the stuff, and 3/5ths of the bikes... Still, sorted for another year now


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## wisdom (12 Jun 2014)

Interesting tools leaning against the wall.


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## PeteXXX (13 Jun 2014)

wisdom said:


> Interesting tools leaning against the wall.



A tool for every purpose... lol


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## djb1971 (13 Jun 2014)

I've finally removed 30mm of carbon steerer. It's had the spacers sitting on top of the stem for a year so I thought it was about time I got it done

The bike looks better for it, slammed stem, no spacers


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## Supersuperleeds (14 Jun 2014)

Managed to change two cassettes today and a chain, I only broke two chain whips, one chain tool and a spoke in the process.

The chain was a doddle, putting on the new cassettes was a doddle, the problem was undoing the old cassettes

I think I should leave this fettling lark to the lbs.


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## Shut Up Legs (15 Jun 2014)

I did various things to the commuter bike yesterday and today:

removed rear tyre and checked it for glass***, as I had a puncture on Friday night riding home. As I expected, there were various-sized chunks of glass embedded in the tyre.
replaced a missing bolt and nut for the rear clip-on mudguard. The previous one made a break for freedom on one of my commutes this week.
adjusted the position of my two front handlebar-mounted lights, as they were too close, actually touching.
put a red rear reflector on my right chain stay.
re-clamped the rear derailleur cable and adjusted the derailleur again, because the chain skipped constantly during my Friday night ride home, very annoying because you can't accelerate smoothly when it's doing that.
and of course, thoroughly cleaned the bike, and wiped, oiled, wiped, oiled then wiped the chain .
Now it's ready for another week and 300km commuting.

*** aka _bogan droppings_


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## Robeh (15 Jun 2014)

project almost finished at a cost off £569 so far..


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## wisdom (15 Jun 2014)

Robeh said:


> View attachment 47811
> project almost finished at a cost off £569 so far..


Wow really nice.nowt else to add


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## ColinJ (15 Jun 2014)

It turns out that I didn't tighten the seatpost clamp enough on my bike's recent fettling. The saddle gradually lowered itself by an inch over a couple of rides. I thought that something was wrong, so I measured its height when I got home after the second ride.

I noticed that the front derailleur cable had frayed and would soon have snapped, so I replaced that today. In doing so, I realised that the problem I have been having getting the chain onto the big ring (plus it rubbing on the chain once it finally gets there) is due to the bottom bracket being too long. I suspect it is >= 117 mm but I probably only need 113-115 mm. Even with maximum adjustment on the front mech. endstop, I can't get the cage of the derailleur far enough out.


----------



## Robeh (16 Jun 2014)

wisdom said:


> Wow really nice.nowt else to add


new chainset..


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## fossyant (16 Jun 2014)

Went out with the Scouts for 5 miles down the canal. One crash and one puncture. On picking up crashed bike found brake not working and forks on wrong way Sorted both in a couple of minutes. Less than a mile later puncture. Hole to small for roadside fix so put a brand new 26" tube in a 24" wheel. Some of the kids bikes were downright dangerous. Mostly no brakes.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (16 Jun 2014)

Retrieved my Coppi roadie from Son1. Thorough cleaning and lubing, treated it to a new chain & tyres and put its SPD pedals & rack back on. 

Looking forward to riding to work even more than normal tomorrow morning


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## Supersuperleeds (16 Jun 2014)

fossyant said:


> Went out with the Scouts for 5 miles down the canal. One crash and one puncture. On picking up crashed bike found brake not working and forks on wrong way Sorted both in a couple of minutes. Less than a mile later puncture. Hole to small for roadside fix so put a brand new 26" tube in a 24" wheel. Some of the kids bikes were downright dangerous. Mostly no brakes.



I did the scout ride tonight as well, adjusted one seat and amazingly no punctures


----------



## Roscoe (17 Jun 2014)

Replaced the disc pads on the Kona MTB, old one's were well worn and squealing. Stopping power now greatly improved, however, squealing as bad as ever. Time to buy some disc degreasing and clean the discs I think.

Cleaned and lubed the chain/cassette etc on the road bike. I had previously been using Finish Line dry lube, however, on a whim, bought some fancy Muc Off ceramic dry lube. Never again! I have never seen so much grit etc attractted to the chain in dry conditions. Never had this issue with the Finish Line, so it's back to the old favourite.

I am impressed by the Muc Off chain degreaser spray, works a treat.


----------



## cosmicbike (17 Jun 2014)

Gave the hybrid a clean and mickle. Group ride tomorrow so can't turn out with a grubby steed! Anything 14 miles plus puts it over the 1000 miles Mark, and so far has only had a new bottom bracket @ 700 miles.


----------



## ColinJ (17 Jun 2014)

ColinJ said:


> It turns out that I didn't tighten the seatpost clamp enough on my bike's recent fettling. The saddle gradually lowered itself by an inch over a couple of rides. I thought that something was wrong, so I measured its height when I got home after the second ride.


(First sign of madness, replying to oneself ...? )

I lubed the seatpost clamp bolt so I could tighten it more easily without feeling like I was going to round the Allen socket on its head. The post is staying where it should now. It is amazing how much difference a couple of cm in saddle height make!


ColinJ said:


> I noticed that the front derailleur cable had frayed and would soon have snapped, so I replaced that today. In doing so, I realised that the problem I have been having getting the chain onto the big ring (plus it rubbing on the chain once it finally gets there) is due to the bottom bracket being too long. I suspect it is >= 117 mm but I probably only need 113-115 mm. Even with maximum adjustment on the front mech. endstop, I can't get the cage of the derailleur far enough out.


The BB may be a bit long, but I managed to get the mech to move further out by winding the inline cable adjuster out as far as it would go. Pulling the cable tighter before clamping it would have done the same thing but that was tricky without a 3rd hand. The big ring is much more usable now.


----------



## Razzle (17 Jun 2014)

Trying to stop the seatpost slipping down into the frame when i'm sitting on it = delivery of Fibre grip - Put that on just now and going to go for a quick spin just after 8 when i've finished remote support.


----------



## gbb (17 Jun 2014)

Ribble Sportive Racing, Fulcrum 5s, Veloce..annoying light creak. Various checks, seatpost, stem, headset..nothing. Been riding it like that for maybe a month. Tonight, pre ride I decided the rear needs some air..undid the valve cap...huh, that didnt seel right..rear wheel is really quite loose.
Thats the second or third time its QR has come undone. Cant remember which manufacture QR they came with, but its prone to slowly coming undone apparently.
It stilll creaks a bit, but much improved.


----------



## raleighnut (17 Jun 2014)

gbb said:


> Ribble Sportive Racing, Fulcrum 5s, Veloce..annoying light creak. Various checks, seatpost, stem, headset..nothing. Been riding it like that for maybe a month. Tonight, pre ride I decided the rear needs some air..undid the valve cap...huh, that didnt seel right..rear wheel is really quite loose.
> Thats the second or third time its QR has come undone. Cant remember which manufacture QR they came with, but its prone to slowly coming undone apparently.
> It stilll creaks a bit, but much improved.


A set of Allen key (security) skewers are only about a tenner and will hold the wheel much better and what weight is the key.


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## fossyant (18 Jun 2014)

raleighnut said:


> A set of Allen key (security) skewers are only about a tenner and will hold the wheel much better and what weight is the key.


 
Good old Shimano Skewers are the best I've found.


----------



## wisdom (18 Jun 2014)

Well there was no fettling planned . However when I got the roadie out for this mornings commute I had been visited by you know who so it was a quick change of footwear and out came the hybrid. Now home from work so the fettling with tyre levers starts.Why is it always the rear wheel?


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## shouldbeinbed (18 Jun 2014)

Hub gear @wisdom? They can be a right PITA.

Fettling: someone had a go at my battered Gumtree special MTB at work the other day, I've been putting right their amusing handywork on trashing my brakes. Also added a set of probably gimmicky tool filled bar ends but have admitted defeat on the out of true rear wheel, its too bad for my meagre skills - trip to LBS tomorrow to see if he fancies a go. Be cheaper to buy a cheapo wheel but I'm keen to see if quite so negelected a rim can be made good again.


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## Razzle (18 Jun 2014)

Razzle said:


> Trying to stop the seatpost slipping down into the frame when i'm sitting on it = delivery of Fibre grip - Put that on just now and going to go for a quick spin just after 8 when i've finished remote support.




Happy to report my fettling seems to have worked *touch wood* seat post hasn't moved


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## HLaB (18 Jun 2014)

When this game finishes, as if it never 50mins ago  I'll take my disc cover off pump my tyres up and refit!

Edit: Done and oiled the chain for good measure


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## Roscoe (19 Jun 2014)

Took the mountain bike out last night for a wee blast, first time since changing the front disc pads.

When I fitted and tested them on Sunday, they were squealing like nobody's business. Cleaned the disc with white spirit and gave it a once over with wet and dry, still squealing.

Out for a ride last night, no squeal and brakes working beautifully, result!


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## raleighnut (19 Jun 2014)

To stop my discs squealing I find that a good 2/3 grab and release repeats work well, seems to take any glaze off the pads.


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## PeteXXX (20 Jun 2014)

Headset dismantled, cleaned, lithium greased and reassembled on the Defy 2.
Rear wheel bearings the same. Sadly no time for a test ride as I'm off to work soon.
Post fettle ride planned for tomorrow.


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## compo (20 Jun 2014)

I have this morning replaced the straps in my Lidl supplied helmet. The original straps were very soft and were fraying, and when they got a bit damp, either through sweat or rain, they stretched. I bought some nylon webbing of the same width and spent a pleasant hour re-threading the new webbing all through the various bits in the helmet.


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## raleighnut (20 Jun 2014)

compo said:


> I have this morning replaced the straps in my Lidl supplied helmet. The original straps were very soft and were fraying, and when they got a bit damp, either through sweat or rain, they stretched. I bought some nylon webbing of the same width and spent a pleasant hour re-threading the new webbing all through the various bits in the helmet.


Is Harlow up north


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## compo (20 Jun 2014)

raleighnut said:


> Is Harlow up north


 
No, but my mother was a Scot!


----------



## biggs682 (21 Jun 2014)

well today i test rode my latest build based around a Charge Juicer frameset i got from a n other CC 'er .

all went well on first 20+ miles so fingers crossed , sorry about poor pic


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## GrumpyGregry (21 Jun 2014)

Big ride tomorrow. 111 miles on a single-speed. Need to get fettling...

Saddle swap, Charge Scoop to Brooks Swift.
Small saddle bag fitting = Carradice Zip Roll
Second bottle cage fitting = anything I find spare in the shed
Front brake lever torquing down as it isn't solid when honking at present
Click'R pedals swapping out with my XT's off the tourer/commuter

and i might put 28 on instead of 25s, for comfort like.

and then I'll be sorted. Apart from physically. I expect to suffer a fair bit.

111 miles on a single-speed. Stupid idea.


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## raleighnut (21 Jun 2014)

GrumpyGregry said:


> Big ride tomorrow. 111 miles on a single-speed. Need to get fettling...
> 
> Saddle swap, Charge Scoop to Brooks Swift.
> Small saddle bag fitting = Carradice Zip Roll
> ...


Good luck and fair weather fella


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## GrumpyGregry (21 Jun 2014)

raleighnut said:


> Good luck and fair weather fella


I think it will be a long slow day. could be a solitary one too. Of the five lads who said they'd do it with me, only one of whom has an imperial century under his belt, only one is now setting off with me tomorrow morning. And he is under instructions from his missus to rail bail at the first hint of trouble!

It's going to be a case of persuading him from 100km, which he's done before, to 161km for his imperial ton and then going with the "only another 19km and its 111 miles" (my sponsorship target distance) before trying to reel him in with "once around the town? Only another 21km and it's a double-century!" all the while hoping I've got the gearing right for the four big climbs in the middle and my legs and head last the distance.


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## GrumpyGregry (21 Jun 2014)

GrumpyGregry said:


> Saddle swap, Charge Scoop to Brooks Swift.
> Small saddle bag fitting = Carradice Zip Roll
> Second bottle cage fitting = anything I find spare in the shed
> Front brake lever torquing down as it isn't solid when honking at present
> Click'R pedals swapping out with my XT's off the tourer/commuter


Done.
Sticking with the 25s. Where the heck is my Etrex?


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## jazzkat (21 Jun 2014)

Well I've had a productive morning. 
Lots of tyre swapping, new tyres on the fixed (gone for 25mm paselas), the old tyres (only 12months old) from the fixed replace the almost worn out tyres on the road bike (racer) in anticipation of my trip to France. While I was at it I replaced the brake blocks (koolstops) and swapped the saddle for a white one (I know, I know!) and replaced the bar tape to match (I'm a tart!). 
So both bikes suitably blinged up
I'm going to watch the tour of Switzerland now while planning tomorrows ride,


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## Robeh (21 Jun 2014)

Total Build cost £610


----------



## roadrash (21 Jun 2014)

This
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/malcolm-smith.158901/#post-3142368


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## Saluki (21 Jun 2014)

Gear service on both the carbon bikes. Gave the Boardman a quick clean and the PX a proper clean, and polish, taking all the lights off and everything. I even got my white seat white again with the aid of some wetwipes. Checked all the spokes and then took the bike out for a quick 18 miler in the sunshine.


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## KneesUp (21 Jun 2014)

I found my allen keys! So I've tightened up the brake block that's been loose all week, which means I can go as fast as I am able on the way home again


----------



## Roscoe (22 Jun 2014)

I am useless! Took me 30 minutes to get the back tyre off a Kona Nunu to fit a new one! I don't ever remember taking so long to unseat a tyre. God help me if I need to do that on a ride. 

Disc pad replacement also took an age then struggled to get the wheel back on. One of those days!

Might look to do one of the Evans maintenance courses.


----------



## Roscoe (22 Jun 2014)

In other news, finally managed to free the nut and get the back wheel off the Trek. Looks like winter salt has wrecked the cassette and the bearings. Might just buy a new wheel/cassette combo. 

Oh, and the return spring/lever snapped on one of the rear brakes, so that needs replaced too. 

I should leave maintenance to the experts, there always seems to be something needing fixed. 

Does anyone ever have bikes that run perfectly?!


----------



## Roscoe (22 Jun 2014)

Dreading fitting a new rear tyre to the road bike after the afternoon I've had! 

Mechanically minded I am not!


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## raleighnut (22 Jun 2014)

Roscoe said:


> In other news, finally managed to free the nut and get the back wheel off the Trek. Looks like winter salt has wrecked the cassette and the bearings. Might just buy a new wheel/cassette combo.
> 
> Oh, and the return spring/lever snapped on one of the rear brakes, so that needs replaced too.
> 
> ...


All of mine..........til they go wrong


----------



## Arjimlad (22 Jun 2014)

Put this together... rather well made birthday present !


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (25 Jun 2014)

New bottom bracket on my brother's bike.

We went out for a 20 miler today and a little after 10 miles I noticed his bike making an odd clunk. After stopping to check and finding no obvious cause (no play, nothing loose) we continued but it got steadily worse until it was a thump that reverberated through the frame twice every revolution of the pedals.

Grabbing the cranks and manipulating them I still found no play and no feel of grinding but it did clunk once - which I didn't manage to get it to repeat.

I've done a swap as I happened to have a new one the right size in my collection of spares and all is now silent again. 

Now it's out there is a very, very slight grittiness when turning the spindle. I'm surprised such a small fault made such a lot of noise.


----------



## Gravity Aided (25 Jun 2014)

Peugeot Weekender- I have not cleaned the rust from this, but I did remove some old wire locker bins attached as a carrying basket to this, and I also put a front brake on it. I also pumped up the tires and did some other light maintenance. As I was testing the bike, a little child 2 doors down from me observed that I had a tiny bicycle. I got it from a Pawn Shop in trade for another bicycle I was not using, I checked the bike, removed the locker bin, and checked the mechanicals as well as splitting the bicycle apart for transport. The internal wiring for the electricals still seems to be there, BTW.


----------



## Specialeyes (25 Jun 2014)

Cable stretch and non-indexing gears on the Tarmac - fixed!
Squealing front disc on the Tricross - fixed!

I then contemplated, for a good 5 minutes, switching some flat pedals onto the Tricross for a trip to Sainsbury's, before deciding instead to simply take a pair of crocs in my rucksack and stay clipless - then came back through the woods. Lovely evening, and not disturbed, thanks to my newly-silenced front brake


----------



## Spoked Wheels (26 Jun 2014)

On my ride the other day there was a section of off road riding and my bike with 23c tyres was not very good on it so I had the brilliant idea to fit wider tyres to my winter bike and use that next time. One problem though, the winter bike has fenders fitted for 23c tyres. The 28c tyres would not fit with the fenders on so I had to re-adjust them but for some reason that wasn't a 5 minutes job. I officially declare that fitting fenders is the job I hate the most.


----------



## EltonFrog (26 Jun 2014)

Gave my mountain bike a bloody good clean today, and removes he stupid plastic plate they put on the rear wheel, tough little sods they are took me five minutes to get the bugger off. I found a couple of chips on the paint work wich upset me a bit cos the bike is only about six weeks old, but I did have a crash on Tuesday so it's to be expected I suppose. Anyway it looks smashing now, it won't stay like that for long.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (27 Jun 2014)

I've de-stickered the rims on my Fulcrum Quattros. I'm not sure whether they look any better, but they must be a damn sight lighter.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (27 Jun 2014)

Hmmm.

Stem properly torqued on tourer as the bars were creaking
Fitted dyno front light and rear light on tourer
Removed front wheel from tourer
Removed front wheel from best bike
Removed 28c Conti Gatorskin Hardshell from best bike wheel
Put gatorskin and tube on dynohub wheel from shed bought off here ages ago
Put new tyre Vittoria Open Pave tyre and tube on best bike
Put wheel back on best bike
Put dynohub wheel on tourer
Wired it all up
Fitted Extrex 20 mount to bars
Fitted bell (yes really) to bars

Have to swap the tyres on the back wheels tomorrow; I can just about cope with the wheels on the tourer not matching but I have to have the same tyres front and rear.....


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Jun 2014)

Retensioned and trued the back wheel on my sister's bike. The last wheel I trued was done on a professional stand and was so much easier than this one.


----------



## Spoked Wheels (27 Jun 2014)

Being having issues with lose BB lately so I picked up a tip from @ianrauk the other day and today I put it to practice. Hopefully it works and I don't have to re-tighten the BB for a while.


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## ianrauk (27 Jun 2014)

RRSODL said:


> Being having issues with lose BB lately so I picked up a tip from @ianrauk the other day and today I put it to practice. Hopefully it works and I don't have to re-tighten the BB for a while.



Remember to mark the BB and frame. Will make it easier to spot any movement.


----------



## Spoked Wheels (27 Jun 2014)

ianrauk said:


> Remember to mark the BB and frame. Will make it easier to spot any movement.


I did


----------



## ColinJ (27 Jun 2014)

I'll tease you with a big fettling job, nay - conversion, due when more parts arrive, either tomorrow or early next week ...

My 'best bike' is a Cannondale with a 53/39 chainset. That would be fine except that I seek out very steep hills - lots of them - and even though I am getting fitter and can heave my way up most short climbs on my 39/29 bottom gear, I would rather spin up them in lower gears.

My current top gear of 53/13 lets me pedal up to 35-40 mph but I only ever hit those speeds downhill, and I am happy to get my chin down on the bars and freewheel at those speeds and above.

The bike is overgeared for how I want to use it so I decided to put a triple chainset on it. I was considering various combinations of chainrings... 53, 52 or 50/42, 40 or 39/32 or 30, but have bitten the bullet and gone even lower - to 48/38/28. That means that I will use the big ring more often and stay on it longer. I will be able to climb more hills on the middle ring. I will be able to get up even steeper stuff on the, er, 'grandparent' ring. In fact, the only thing I will lose out on is top end speed that I can't really manage, and don't really need! 

I found a very nice triple chainset at a good price at Spa Cycles, a Stronglight Impact triple, and they got it to me only 21 hours after I ordered it! 







I have a new chain and bottom bracket on the way, and already have a new front mech which I hope will work ok with that choice of rings. (It's an Ultegra derailleur and it is designed for 52/39/30 so it might not. If it doesn't work properly it will go on eBay and I will find one that _does_ work!)

I'll report back when I have done the conversion. If all goes well, I might test it on the fearsome local climb of _Mytholm Steeps_! 

PS The original 10 speed Campagnolo Chorus front derailleur works perfectly with the chainset so I did not need to change it! I just had to lower it slightly.


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## Cubist (27 Jun 2014)

Ordered an Ultegra BB for my Cube road bike. There was a creak in the old one which translated into a grumble on the workstand. Merlin are selling Ultegra BBs for £12.50 so I treated myself. When I came to remove the old one the drive side cup wouldn't budge. I broke a cheap half-inch drive socket wrench I was using on the cup socket, and ended up taking it to the LBS. Bob in there used a longer wrench and I steadied the bike while he stood on the wrench arm. When I removed the BB cup the locking compound was bunched up at the outboard end, and there were some flakes of swarf evident. We checked the threads for damage, but it was fine. When I fit a BB to a new frame I use an old cup to chase the threads before screwing in the BB, but I guess some Deutscher gorilla simply used a long bar to force it into mine when he built it. Anyway, the new BB went in absolutely square with no effort until the thread compound, so all's well. I was half-expecting to make a warranty claim on the frame. Given what I found, I expect Gunther Der Gorilla had overloaded the bearings which was why they went west after eight months' use.

Once the BB was in I took the opportunity to reset the front mech, learning that a compact double takes some finesse to set the trim properly. Sweet as the proverbial nut now. Oh, and I adjusted the brakes while it was in the stand and tweaked an errant spoke for good measure.


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## ColinJ (27 Jun 2014)

As you can see - I decided to stick with the tried-and-tested square taper BB! 

(I decided I can't afford Campagnolo prices these days, which is why I haven't stuck with Campag parts for this conversion. I know that the mix of manufacturers will offend the purists, but tough - if I had the cash, I would still choose Campag, but I don't, so I didn't!)


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## Cubist (27 Jun 2014)

ColinJ said:


> As you can see - I decided to stick with the tried-and-tested square taper BB!
> 
> (I decided I can't afford Campagnolo prices these days, which is why I haven't stuck with Campag parts for this conversion. I know that the mix of manufacturers will offend the purists, but tough - if I had the cash, I would still choose Campag, but I don't, so I didn't!)


All my tools are set up for Shimano Hollowtech 2. However, I have a Gusset 24 in my Soul and a stainless steel Hope BB in my Ibis. I like the colour coordination and rebuilability of the aftermarket ones. Both have replaced the original Shimano units and run very nicely. Reminds me, I need to order a new 1/2 drive socket!


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## User33236 (27 Jun 2014)

Spend half my lunch break tweeking the disc brakes on my CX. Stopped so much better on the homeward commute.


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## vernon (28 Jun 2014)

I replaced the rear tyre on my Woodrup Chimera. I was going to adjust the belt tension too while I was at it but having checked the tension with the tension checking tool I found that it's still within the recommended tension range after 3,500 miles of touring, FNRttC, and a few audaxes. It's still awaiting its first adjustment from new.


----------



## Gravity Aided (29 Jun 2014)

Put straight riser bars on my Cannondale H 600, replacing the previous trekking bars. Very nice look, uncomplicated.


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## Roscoe (1 Jul 2014)

New Schwalbe Durano fitted to the rear wheel of the Carrera. Only bought the one after the previous weekend's nightmare of getting the tyre off the mountain bike.

Shouldn't have worried, took less than 10 minutes, was actually a pleasant experience. Job done, need to order one for the front wheel now.


----------



## BrynCP (1 Jul 2014)

Today I managed to take off a broken rear hanger, put on a new one, attach the derailleur and adjust its limits and re-link the chain and put it on! And surprisingly it's now ridable!

Shifting is still rather poor/noisy so I'll have to tackle that another day or at least it's now ridable to the LBS if needed, still a chance that the derailleur is damaged I guess.


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## BrynCP (2 Jul 2014)

Adjusted the gears after today's ride. Seems there is less rub now when rotating the peddles on the stand at least. Have to have another ride tomorrow to test real life shifting.

My back wheel is quite out of true too. Debating whether I should try this myself or not! I'll probably end up with either an egg for a wheel, or worse, a 50p.


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## Shut Up Legs (6 Jul 2014)

This thread was on page 3! I guess you lot are too busy riding here, there and everywhere in the fine Summer weather to be bothered with fettling .

I gave my commuter bike an extra thorough clean yesterday, taking longer than usual (2 hours), because the chain had some built-up muck in it. My method was to

use a rag to wipe the chain, rear derailleur including jockey wheels, front derailleur and chain rings;
use numerous cotton buds to push muck out from between the pairs of outer plates on the chain, a slow but effective approach;
use degreaser spray on the rag, then hold the rag around the chain while spinning the pedals, to remove as much of the remaining muck as I could;
removed rear wheel, sprayed degreaser on the cassette, then used a rag to remove the excess degreaser, to have the cassette cogs looking shiny;
put rear wheel back on, then applied chain oil to both sides of the chain and both jockey wheels, spun the chain for a while with a rag around it; then
repeated the above step, since the first application of chain oil always has some black muck oozing out of the chain, so it's best to do the same again.
I had a _very_ smooth ride to work this morning .


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## Dogtrousers (6 Jul 2014)

I dismantled, cleaned, polished, greased and remantled a pair of weinmann sidepulls. But I couldn't find a thin enough spanner to hold one of the nuts while I lock the other against it. Oh well, they aren't needed for another month or so. Plenty of time to look for one


----------



## Accy cyclist (7 Jul 2014)

I swapped a worn out brake block on the front brake with a good one from the back brake. Mean i know but i hardly use the back brake.


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## Kevoffthetee (7 Jul 2014)

Thanks to German efficiency my almost impossible to find Shimano m191 crankset and KMC X8-99 chain arrived after 2 working days. I had no option but to be just as efficient.

I know it's not black but when there are non left Anywhere and you want a direct swap your a bit limited. I also found it strange when following advice on chain length, it seems too short but what do I know


----------



## Salad Dodger (7 Jul 2014)

The safety handle/switch of my ancient Flymo finally busted today. It has been a bit dodgy for many months. 

I took it to bits and have superglued the broken plastic parts, and "splinted" them with bits of rawlplug. Give it a few days for the glue to set, and a trial run will establish whether it's fixed, or f**ked.......


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## Dogtrousers (8 Jul 2014)

Salad Dodger said:


> The safety handle/switch of my ancient Flymo finally busted today. It has been a bit dodgy for many months.
> 
> I took it to bits and have superglued the broken plastic parts, and "splinted" them with bits of rawlplug. Give it a few days for the glue to set, and a trial run will establish whether it's fixed, or f**ked.......


Quite a few years ago my dad had a similar problem and I amazed him by getting replacement part off the net. What amazed him was not so much that it was available and the right part, but that I actually ordered it and didn't get it wrong. If the splint method doesn't work have a look at www.espares.co.uk


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## raleighnut (8 Jul 2014)

Dogtrousers said:


> Quite a few years ago my dad had a similar problem and I amazed him by getting replacement part off the net. What amazed him was not so much that it was available and the right part, but that I actually ordered it and didn't get it wrong. If the splint method doesn't work have a look at www.espares.co.uk


Dads can do that to you I think mine used to be amazed that I could get dressed in the mornings 
EDIT he never did get the one Pink one Lime Green sock thing in the 70s


----------



## Salad Dodger (8 Jul 2014)

Dogtrousers said:


> Quite a few years ago my dad had a similar problem and I amazed him by getting replacement part off the net. What amazed him was not so much that it was available and the right part, but that I actually ordered it and didn't get it wrong. If the splint method doesn't work have a look at www.espares.co.uk


Thank you - I will keep that in mind if my home brewed repair doesn't work.....


----------



## Roscoe (9 Jul 2014)

Schwalbe Durano's now fitted front and rear to the road bike.

Now just need to source a prostate friendly saddle from eBay.


----------



## PeteXXX (9 Jul 2014)

My Crank Brothers multitool end screw came off inside the case yesterday at Cannock. I had to Jemmy it gently out of the case and catch the bits and pieces that dropped out.
Today, I reassembled it correctly. I intent putting a drop of loctite on the threads as soon as I can to avoid the 3D jigsaw of putting it back together in the correct order!!!


----------



## marknotgeorge (9 Jul 2014)

The Mad Scientist has been complaining that the Revoshift on her bike is too hard to use, so I fitted a push button shifter.


WP_20140709_19_07_01_Pro.jpg by marknotgeorge, on Flickr


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (9 Jul 2014)

little bit of fettlin' on both my touring bike and my road bike today.

the touring bike (known as Original Cindy) needed checking over, cleaning/dusting off (it is stored inside), a saddle adding, chain cleaned and lubed, but still need to fix one of the toe clips and check out a stiff brake cable - have til Tuesday when I go on a solo tour to sort that, and may also remove the front pannier racks because they won't be needed.
the road bike (known as Serenity) has been cleaned, 8 degree sti wedges added, brakes adjusted and chain waxed and is ready for Friday's attempt on my first every 100 mile ride!


----------



## fossyant (9 Jul 2014)

I'm not riding for a few weeks, but got collared by a neighbour to fix a puncture. He dabbled in getting a road bike a few years back and got me to fit clipless pedals, but he had real dodgy knees. Anyway, he turns up with a wheel that was off some cheapo bike. No name stuff, some unknown Polish make tyre that was distorted massively sat on the rim without air. I replaced with a spare tube - Specialized one (probably worth more than the whole wheel). The tyre was so easy to pop off, really badly made. Anyway, didn't ask for the 6 quid as he is a nice fella, just said "there you go, replaced the tube". The fella was really grateful. I don't mind helping out, and we suspect he put out our bins for collection when we were away for a couple of weeks recently, so a favour deserves another.


----------



## Cyclist33 (9 Jul 2014)

You replaced a tyre with a tube??


----------



## fossyant (9 Jul 2014)

Cyclist33 said:


> You replaced a tyre with a tube??



Noo... funny lad.....


----------



## shouldbeinbed (9 Jul 2014)

minor rear mech tweaking on the way home and resetting my bar end mirror on the same side.

I think my bike has taken a knock I don't know about.


----------



## fossyant (9 Jul 2014)

I should word it better


----------



## IncoherentJeff (10 Jul 2014)

Spent the evening doing battle getting my Fuji Allegro frame back to a road worthy state...

- Stem & handle bars refitted.
-New brake levers, cables & pads fitted.
- new 2nd hand wheels fitted with new tubes & tyres and bearings lubed.
- Roughly set up the gear-shifting, will need fine tuning. Trying to decide whether to keep the stem shifters or change to more familiar down tube shifters?
- been defeated by clearance issues with full mudguards & called it a day.

Ready for some new bar tape, new pedals, a polish & a test ride tomorrow


----------



## gavgav (10 Jul 2014)

After my ride in a total deluge on Tuesday, this evening I cleaned the chain and re-oiled. @Rickshaw Phil will be proud!


----------



## moo (11 Jul 2014)

The plastic inside my 2300 shifter broke clean off - the part keeping the cable end in place. I will need to find a second hand replacement, but for now I've bodged a fix with some inner tube and superglue. It seems to be working well atm


----------



## TheJDog (12 Jul 2014)

New pedals on this evening, but I'm getting over a stinking cold so won't be out this weekend


----------



## Gravity Aided (12 Jul 2014)

MKS Lambda pedals on order, new saddle fitted to Cannondale H 600, maybe different bars or a different configuration of bars over the weekend, I'm going to wait and see how the saddle works out first, and go from there.


----------



## alans (12 Jul 2014)

I decided to re-fettle the saddle back to it's original position on the Longstaff.
Then I spent some time experimenting with various saddle bags & support brackets & lighting positions to achieve the optimum configuration for night riding.

So currently I have a Carradice Camper Longflap on a Carradice Classic Saddlebag Rack attached to a Brooks Swallow with ti. rails.
I have also re-fiited the Campag aero seat post.

Attached to the rack is one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/

which will carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld600-super-bright-5-led-rear-light-25000mcd-prod1956/

or one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld1100-10-led-opticube-rear-light-prod10788/


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Jul 2014)

alans said:


> I decided to re-fettle the saddle back to it's original position on the Longstaff.
> Then I spent some time experimenting with various saddle bags & support brackets & lighting positions to achieve the optimum configuration for night riding.
> 
> So currently I have a Carradice Camper Longflap on a Carradice Classic Saddlebag Rack attached to a Brooks Swallow with ti. rails.
> ...



The TL-LD1100 is an excellent light, though possible a touch chunky - not one for hanging off clothing only to be mounted on a bike. Wonderfully bright and last ages on flashing mode with only the 1 strip flashing (very bright even with only the 1 level flashing) never needed any other lights with that one. I run it off AA rechargeable batteries and have done for years and years.

The only thing I am a touch confused about is how you plan to use that rack light fitting with either light? What rack have you got? I use this light fitting (minus the cable ties which are not needed for my rack) http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-rear-carrier-mounting-bracket-prod15303


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## alans (12 Jul 2014)

This,which will accommodate either of the lights I have linked to,

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-b...for-tl-ld-100-110-120-500-600-ae100-prod4504/

is attached to this

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/

which in turn is secured to this

http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&product_id=136&under=range

hth

I too use the bracket you have linked to;on the rear of my pannier racks


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (12 Jul 2014)

got you now...


----------



## Cyclopathic (12 Jul 2014)

Nowt. I'm having a day off. May well not fettle anything tomorrow either.


----------



## Kevoffthetee (12 Jul 2014)

Cyclopathic said:


> Nowt. I'm having a day off. May well not fettle anything tomorrow either.


+1

I'm taking it easy before a 65 miler on the mtb tomorrow morning


----------



## GrumpyGregry (12 Jul 2014)

Forecast for tomorrow looks "changeable" so I've put mudguards on the sunday best (shocking I know) fitted a new mudguard mounted light on the rear one in the process, put some ego boosting top tube decals on it, complete with cross of st. george, and used some cherry blossom restoration creme on the black brooks bar tape which is looking rather grey.

and I found some saddle tensioning instructions on the brooks website so have tweaked my saddle a touch too.


----------



## ufkacbln (12 Jul 2014)

Tightened the remaining button on the Schlupmf HSD and lubed it.

Ordered a replacement for the one that fell off last week!


----------



## DCLane (12 Jul 2014)

Spent today finishing off the donated Raleigh Magnum from @CarlP  :

Frame cleaned and de-rusted
Replacement wheels bought via eBay with replacement tyres (£17 in total) after I realised the originals were too far gone for my skills
New Clarks anti-rust chain
New gear and brake cable outers and inners in white (Jagwire £9)
New Deda bar tape and ends (free from Halfords earlier this year)
Everything else tightened, lubricated, greased, adjusted etc.

Given to the neighbours son and only afterwards did I realise I hadn't taken a photo 

Also, I got the Benotto finally working; rear wheel sorted and gave it a first test ride. The carbon seatpost is still stuck  and the brakes are on the very downward part of the handlebars European style =  confused & scared


----------



## cosmicbike (12 Jul 2014)

Replaced the stock Tektro front caliper on my Trek 1.2 with a nice shiny 105 item.
And gave the bike a wipe over and mickle.
And put the new barbeque together with the kids.


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## EltonFrog (12 Jul 2014)

DCLane said:


> Spent today finishing off the donated Raleigh Magnum from @CarlP  :
> 
> Frame cleaned and de-rusted
> Replacement wheels bought via eBay with replacement tyres (£17 in total) after I realised the originals were too far gone for my skills
> ...



Im pleased it went to a good home, shame you didn't take a photo.


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## DCLane (12 Jul 2014)

CarlP said:


> Im pleased it went to a good home, shame you didn't take a photo.


 
Don't worry  - it's gone next door for him to test-ride it * and they'll be some fettling needed yet. I'll get a photo at some point then.

* note: he's 6' 4" and it fits him perfectly as is. I can't even get close to the pedals so it's got a 'bike stand only' setup.


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## danielstucke (13 Jul 2014)

Brakes and gears on my road bike, Mrs S's bike and the converted Orange MTB / toddler carrying commuter, all on the lovely new Elite Workstand that Mrs S bought me for my birthday and all in prep for next weekend's big getaway to the Pyrenees


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## ColinJ (19 Jul 2014)

My rear tyre went soft when I was 3 miles from home on Thursday's ride. I tried limping back on it after pumping it up but it went down again so I stopped to top it up a second time. The tube's valve core then blew out! I don't know if that was the cause of the original problem, but I couldn't find any sharp objects in the tyre. Damn lucky that the valve didn't fail on a fast descent ... 

Anyway, when I went to put a spare tube in, I noticed that the tyre had worn out. Not only was there a flat area all round the tyre, but the threads were starting to break through what was left of the rubber. It got me home, but I was not going to ride that tyre again.

I ordered some replacement Michelin Lithion 2s from Planet X on Thursday night and they arrived this morning. [I think the Lithions are a good general purpose 'training' tyre. I haven't had many punctures or cuts on mine, the rolling resistance seemed ok, I've had no problems in the wet, they were fairly comfortable, and fairly hard-wearing. Planet X are doing them at the bargain price of £11.99 at the moment so it is worth picking up a few.]

I replaced the worn out tyre today and cleaned the wheel rim and cassette while the wheel was off the bike.

I cut a 6 inch length out of the scrap tyre to carry as an emergency 'tyre boot' on rides. (A get-me-home measure in case I ever get a bad cut in a tyre.) I have cut the beading out of either side. I always have a length of gaffa tape with me, so if the worst comes to the worst, I will tape the 'boot' inside the damaged part of my tyre.

Oh, and I had been keeping an eye on my front brake blocks and decided that it was time to replace them. I might have got one or two more rides out of them but I wrecked a rim doing that once when the blocks wore out half way down a steep descent in the wet! You can't stop braking on a 25% hill with a tight bend coming up ... It is a false economy to destroy a £75 wheel for the sake of £5 worth of brake blocks!


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## slowmotion (19 Jul 2014)

The Sealey AK623 torque wrench turned up in the post. 27-108 Nm for a bargain £25 inc postage. I tightened up the crank bolt to 45 Nm. Oh I love that clicking sound!


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## Roscoe (20 Jul 2014)

Charge Spoon fitted to road bike. 

3 punctures on this mornings ride! May be due to not putting enough pressure in the back tyre. Have been feeling lots of bumps/ stones when riding. Now pumped up as much as I can, no pressure gauge so fingers crossed.


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## cosmicbike (20 Jul 2014)

Put the new Vax vacuum cleaner together. Whilst not cycling related it did earn me some much needed brownie points


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Jul 2014)

I was given three old bikes by @gavgav's dad a little while ago as he was having a clearout, so I had a go at fettling the first of them today.

The bike in question is a low-end Raleigh all terrain bike, probably early to mid 1980s vintage. It's a smaller size than I usually take but fortunately has a longish top tube and there is enough adjustment in the seat post and stem to make it fit me without exposing the limit marks.

I've cold-set the rear triangle to take a set of wheels and tyres I had lying around (replacing the heavy chromed steel rims and perished tyres), cleaned and regreased the bottom bracket (Ashtabula type - horrible and on its last legs), adjusted the rear derailleur to take 7 speeds instead of 5, set up the brakes and gone round it liberally with an oil can.

It would benefit from some new parts but it lives and will be suitable as a town runabout :


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## cyberknight (20 Jul 2014)

Greased seatpost and wheelbearings on Vanquish , installed m530 pedals on subway .


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## Shut Up Legs (20 Jul 2014)

Anyone have tips on how to remove a firmly-stuck rear cassette? I overdid the tightening of it when installing, and now it really, _really_ doesn't want to come off.


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## ColinJ (20 Jul 2014)

victor said:


> Anyone have tips on how to remove a firmly-stuck rear cassette? I overdid the tightening of it when installing, and now it really, _really_ doesn't want to come off.


Use the QR to hold the cassette tool in place (if it is like one of these), and use something long and strong (length of scaffold pipe! ) to get plenty of leverage on the spanner?


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## Shut Up Legs (20 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Use the QR to hold the cassette tool in place (if it is like one of these), and use something long and strong (length of scaffold pipe! ) to get plenty of leverage on the spanner?


Thanks @ColinJ, that sounds like a good approach. I don't need to worry about damage to the wheel, either, as it's one that I was about to swap for a new pair. I just wasn't ready to swap the cassette yet, as it's far from completely worn out.


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## Buzzinonbikes (21 Jul 2014)

Finished building up my new frame. The only thing different from the last frame it was all on is I installed my Exposure Strada remote switch UNDER the handlebar tape. Looks stealthy and works great! No more cables!


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## JoeyB (21 Jul 2014)

I have lowered my stem on the steerer but I now have a large chunk of steering showing topside... whats the best method for cutting down a carbon steerer?


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## wisdom (21 Jul 2014)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I was given three old bikes by @gavgav's dad a little while ago as he was having a clearout, so I had a go at fettling the first of them today.
> 
> The bike in question is a low-end Raleigh all terrain bike, probably early to mid 1980s vintage. It's a smaller size than I usually take but fortunately has a longish top tube and there is enough adjustment in the seat post and stem to make it fit me without exposing the limit marks.
> 
> ...


Looks good for what youve had to do


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## Rickshaw Phil (21 Jul 2014)

wisdom said:


> Looks good for what youve had to do


Yeah, it's not bad. The old wheels and tyres made it look in a much worse state than it actually is. I reckon a different derailleur, indexed shifter and new BB bearings will make all the difference (about £20 worth of bits if I shop around) and I have some old mudguards that will go on too.


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## Robeh (21 Jul 2014)

Chain Catcher....http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201102924...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649


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## kurt909 (21 Jul 2014)

Changed my saddle angle

Made a DIY spacer for front brake


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## smokeysmoo (21 Jul 2014)

In an attempt to stop the dog barking at the back fence I've been fettling another fence today so that he can't get to the bottom one. (there's logic in there..................................somewhere!).

Frame built and concrete setting.




Frame painted and concrete set, but dog still laughing at me I think!



Uprights painted on one side ready to go on tomorrow 



Just need to fit the uprights and build the gate and the pooch will be laughing on t'other side of his face 

UPDATE: 22/07/14

Job done


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## HovR (22 Jul 2014)

Did some work on my brothers recently bought, second hand, mountain bike today. Had quite a few adjustments to make, had to service the forks... But what genius decided that this was the best way to route cables..?!


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## Shut Up Legs (23 Jul 2014)

Now, if I lived in the UK, I'd be making smart comments about the bike having been assembled in Halfords (or is that Hellfrauds?)


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## EltonFrog (24 Jul 2014)

Today and yesterday, new gear cables and covers and new bar tape. Cable was a bit of a faff for the front derailuer for me, I had never done maintenance like this before and I got in a muddle with it, but all works fine and next time I'll know what I'm doing.


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2014)

Top tip

When you are in a hurry to put a new chain on because you are in a rush to get out on your bike in the sunshine, remember that the length is determined by chain round the big ring and the big sprocket (directly, not through derailleur) plus a pair of links. NOT small chainring and small sprocket ...!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (24 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Top tip
> 
> When you are in a hurry to put a new chain on because you are in a rush to get out on your bike in the sunshine, remember that the length is determined by chain round the big ring and the big sprocket (directly, not through derailleur) plus a pair of links. NOT small chainring and small sprocket ...!


which reminds me, I need to ring my bike shop (not local) tomorrow to sort out some new headset bearings before my next tour... 
She was creaking a touch this last week in the heat and there are signs of rust being in there... still they are the original and have covered +10,000 well laden miles... can you remind me again tomrrow please


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2014)

Looks like my new chain will feature 2 masterlinks now! (SRAM always said that you should only use one, but I can't see the harm since masterlinks appear to be as reliable as normal links.)


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Looks like my new chain will feature 2 masterlinks now! (SRAM always said that you should only use one, but I can't see the harm since masterlinks appear to be as reliable as normal links.)


I've run a chain with three in (don't ask) without issues. I wouldn't worry about it.


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## KneesUp (24 Jul 2014)

HovR said:


> Did some work on my brothers recently bought, second hand, mountain bike today. Had quite a few adjustments to make, had to service the forks... But what genius decided that this was the best way to route cables..?!
> 
> View attachment 51175


Has it had the stem changed? Looks like someone has swapped the stem and not paid attention when putting the new one on. Don't ask how I know.


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## KneesUp (24 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Looks like my new chain will feature 2 masterlinks now! (SRAM always said that you should only use one, but I can't see the harm since masterlinks appear to be as reliable as normal links.)


As is well known, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. So it can't be any worse to use 2 than 1


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2014)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I've run a chain with three in (don't ask) without issues. I wouldn't worry about it.





KneesUp said:


> As is well known, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. So it can't be any worse to use 2 than 1


I've put a length of chain back in using the second masterlink and all is well so far (I went out and rode 50 yards up a 20% climb and the chain did not slip). 

The old chain was working ok but had about 1/16th inch of stretch over 12 pairs of links. I thought if I changed it now I would probably avoid needing to buy a new cassette and chainrings. (I left the previous chain on too long and had to change the rings and cassette at the same time because the new chain slipped.)


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## Doyleyburger (25 Jul 2014)

Nothing too exciting but I put new bar tape on yesterday. I'm sick of grubby white tape so I went for grey. I also put it over the old tape for extra cushioning......so comfortable now. The only difficulty I had was getting the end plugs to push in properly with the two tapes in place


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## ColinJ (25 Jul 2014)

Doyleyburger said:


> Nothing too exciting but I put new bar tape on yesterday. I'm sick of grubby white tape so I went for grey. I also put it over the old tape for extra cushioning......so comfortable now. The only difficulty I had was getting the end plugs to push in properly with the two tapes in place
> View attachment 51438


Ah, you prefer grubby grey tape ... 

It looks nice, but I gave up on non-black tape because of the difficulty of keeping it clean. (So, of course, I have a white saddle on one bike, which got covered in oily handprints after my mechanical problems on Wednesday!)

I got a mate to put new bar tape on both of my road bikes last week (he is better at it than me). I gave him a new pair of Look-alike cleats in return for his work.


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## Doyleyburger (25 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Ah, you prefer grubby grey tape ...
> 
> It looks nice, but I gave up on non-black tape because of the difficulty of keeping it clean. (So, of course, I have a white saddle on one bike, which got covered in oily handprints after my mechanical problems on Wednesday!)
> 
> I got a mate to put new bar tape on both of my road bikes last week (he is better at it than me). I gave him a new pair of Look-alike cleats in return for his work.


Yes, it remains to be seen how long the grey will stay clean......I would imagine the next time it will be black


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## Robeh (25 Jul 2014)

Doyleyburger said:


> Yes, it remains to be seen how long the grey will stay clean......I would imagine the next time it will be black


i use this bar tape cheap and dont show dirt lol..http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-Bike-...cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item51bb4e3fd4


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## compo (26 Jul 2014)

Been getting a creak lately and just for once it looks like it was the bottom bracket. The non drive side crank bolt wasn't very tight, although the crank was secure, but when I put the BB tool onto the metal sleeve it just undid by hand. I then turned my attention to the drive side, and although the BB wasn't actually loose it was nowhere near to torque. I can't blame anyone else, I fitted the BB a few months ago but didn't use a torque wrench. I also suspect I may have forgotten the final fastening of the non drive side collar (metal with the UN55) when putting it in. Anyway, I have just stripped it all, cleaned and greased everything and reassembled it all, using a torque wrench this time. I may also need some pedals as there is a bit of play in both of them, but I will see how my BB is tomorrow first.

(What's the betting the creak is my seat post)?


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## wisdom (26 Jul 2014)

Full clean, adjust and lube of the roadie. Now ready for next weeks commute. Whilst mrs wizz was reclining in the sun I made a pull for the back gate out of some scrap rope I had in the garage. I just can't sit still


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## threebikesmcginty (27 Jul 2014)

I'm gonna fettle my PX and Genesis into my LBS while I'm on holiday and get him to do some of the rubbish jobs I've been putting off for far too long.


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## sackville d (27 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Top tip
> 
> When you are in a hurry to put a new chain on because you are in a rush to get out on your bike in the sunshine, remember that the length is determined by chain round the big ring and the big sprocket (directly, not through derailleur) plus a pair of links. NOT small chainring and small sprocket ...!


Colini, no , say it aint so!?!

On a different line, spent yesterday putting Ultegra Di2 on my PX. Consisted of shifters,front and rear deraileurs external wiring, new bar tape and saddle,new 11 speed chain and external battery.The external wiring has just vanished against the matt black of the RT58
Went for a spin this AM and can report only good things


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## ColinJ (27 Jul 2014)

sackville d said:


> Colini, no , say it aint so!?!
> 
> On a different line, spent yesterday putting Ultegra Di2 on my PX. Consisted of shifters,front and rear deraileurs external wiring, new bar tape and saddle,new 11 speed chain and external battery.The external wiring has just vanished against the matt black of the RT58
> Went for a spin this AM and can report only good things


Very nice!

I added the extra length of chain back in, but have now shortened it again by a pair of links because the rear mech could not take up the slack properly in small ring, smallish sprockets. That is because I replaced the 30 tooth granny ring with a 26, which is slightly exceeding the nominal capacity of the mech. I checked that the bike can still safely go big-big, which it can. I would never deliberately run that gear, but mistakes can happen, and I would not want to risk breaking something.

I got chainsuck a couple of times before shortening the chain. Hopefully it will be ok now. I also think the chain might have slipped under heavy load on one sprocket, though it could just have been a gear adjustment issue. I will be cautious in that gear on steep climbs, just in case.

I am surprised at how much smoother the bike feels with the new chain on. I must change them more frequently in future.


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## alans (27 Jul 2014)

Fettling by pictures......
Fitted one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-bracket-support-544-0980-for-tl-ld-100-110-120-500-600-ae100-prod4504/

to one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/

to one of these

http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=147

to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld600-super-bright-5-led-rear-light-25000mcd-prod1956/

adjacent to one of these
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=43 
in green/honey

Fitted one of these

http://www.topeak.com/products/Xtras/BarXtender

to the seat post so that it extends backwards between the seat stays to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld1100-10-led-opticube-rear-light-prod10788/

using one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-h34-flex-tight-bracket-22-32-mm-prod15578/

Fitted another 

http://www.topeak.com/products/Xtras/BarXtender

to the stem to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-uno-front-light-black-prod26387/

in it's previous incarnation & one of these

http://www.hopetech.com/product/1-led-light/


IYSWIM

Reply
Quote
Notify


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## sackville d (27 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Top tip
> 
> 
> ColinJ said:
> ...


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Jul 2014)

Today's fettling started with a bit of dialogue:

Jen (my sister): Is this chainring supposed to have a crack in it?

Me: (still looking at what I'm doing on my own bike) Oh, it's alright, they stamp odd shapes into the chainrings to make the shifting smoother (looks over and sees the crack Jen is talking about). Oh........ no, it's not supposed to be like that!

The middle ring has cracked right through at the point where one of the shifting ramps is stamped. Fortunately it doesn't look in imminent danger of failing so we go ahead with the ride but as soon as we got back I fetched a used chainset out of my spares box and replaced the damaged one, along with the bottom bracket which was starting to feel really rough.

A bit of setting up later and it now rides and shifts gear smoother than before.


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## fossyant (27 Jul 2014)

Fettling will be tomorrow. On the sub standard lockers fitted to our new offices. No rails or ventilation. That will be fixed tomorrow, taking in some PVC pipe with pipe cutters and will wedge a piece in at the top to act as a rail. Will then place a usb powered fan in the bottom to air my sweaty kit. If it's been raining, the wet waterproofs will have to come into our new office, where I will get told to get lost. Charming


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## ColinJ (28 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I also think the chain might have slipped under heavy load on one sprocket, though it could just have been a gear adjustment issue.


I was getting the problem again today so I checked the gear indexing and found that no matter how I adjusted the indexing, the chain sometimes moved up or down two gears rather than one when shifting. Sometimes it shifted one gear, but seemed like it was trying to shift an extra one.

I just had a brainwave and went down to check the bike. Sure enough - I have put the new gear cable on the wrong side of the clamp bolt. I am almost certain that this is causing a mismatch between the indexed steps of the derailleur and the gap between sprockets. I will put the bike on the workstand tomorrow, move the cable to the other side of the bolt, and see if that sorts the indexing out.

Sheldon Brown suggests that friction between gear cables and the guide under the bottom bracket can cause problems on flexible bikes when putting big efforts in. I have noticed that when I stand up on my steel-framed Basso on steep climbs, after a few pedal strokes the front mech cage starts to rub on the chain and I have to trim its position with the shifter. a few more pedal strokes and the problem recurs. I will put some grease on the guide tomorrow and see if that helps to alleviate the problem.


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## PeteXXX (29 Jul 2014)

Time to change the jockey wheels..







Out with the old..












In with the new.

It took slightly longer than expected as one of the bolt heads was a bit mullered so I had to carefully tap the allen key in to be able to crack the Loctite.


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## Pauluk (29 Jul 2014)

Riding over a tow path bridge today I changed down at the front and up at the back at the same time. Done this hundreds of times before without incident but this time I must have been applying too much pedal pressure to get over the humpback bridge. 

The chain came off at the front and some how doubled over itself and jammed, two links abreast, right between the bottom bracket housing and inner cog wheel. The whole thing was ridged with no play in the chain. No matter how I tried I couldn't release the chain.

Luckily I was able to break the chain with a splitter tool and unthread the chain to provide some slack. Having removed the chain from the rear cogs and derailleur I was able to gradually ease the front jam.

I was quite pleased with myself as I've never swapped a chain before on the trail, under pressure to get to work.

I'm now wondering if I should carry a crank extractor as I think it would have been easier to remove the crank set to free the chain.

As anyone else had this problem of a jammed chain at the front.


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## Salad Dodger (29 Jul 2014)

I put a new (adjustable) stem on my mountain bike today. I hope that angling the stem up a bit more than the virtually flat one which was fitted before, will ease some of the neck pain that I get on long rides. Time will tell.....


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## Pauluk (29 Jul 2014)

Salad Dodger said:


> I put a new (adjustable) stem on my mountain bike today. I hope that angling the stem up a bit more than the virtually flat one which was fitted before, will ease some of the neck pain that I get on long rides. Time will tell.....


I did the same because I was getting some pain between my shoulder blades. The adjustable stem did the trick. Hope yours goes as well as mine Dodger.


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## ColinJ (29 Jul 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I just had a brainwave and went down to check the bike. Sure enough - I have put the new gear cable on the wrong side of the clamp bolt. I am almost certain that this is causing a mismatch between the indexed steps of the derailleur and the gap between sprockets. I will put the bike on the workstand tomorrow, move the cable to the other side of the bolt, and see if that sorts the indexing out.
> 
> Sheldon Brown suggests that friction between gear cables and the guide under the bottom bracket can cause problems on flexible bikes when putting big efforts in. I have noticed that when I stand up on my steel-framed Basso on steep climbs, after a few pedal strokes the front mech cage starts to rub on the chain and I have to trim its position with the shifter. a few more pedal strokes and the problem recurs. I will put some grease on the guide tomorrow and see if that helps to alleviate the problem.


I clamped the cable on the correct side of the bolt and went out for a ride. The gear changing was transformed! I only had one iffy change which I am putting down to friction in the rear gear cable. I really should have changed the cable outer when I changed the inner. I have now greased the cable where it runs through the bottom bracket cable guide. I will probably squirt some lube down the outer before my next ride to see if that removes any residual friction.


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## Spoked Wheels (31 Jul 2014)

I swapped my old el cheapo Aldi computer for my yet unused speed / cadence sensor of the Edge 800 so that I can use an old bike as a dedicated bike with the turbo trainer in the winter months. It works a treat 

I can now upload / keep track of my turbo trainer sessions as well.


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## arch684 (31 Jul 2014)

just changed my giant rincon mountain bike into a giant rincon road bike . fitted new forks wheels drop handle bars brake levers all new cables bar tape and tyres and set up front and rear mechs . was at it for 7 hours


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## DCLane (1 Aug 2014)

Got a slashed tyre and tube on the Raleigh Team on the way home from work thanks to a load of brown glass all over the road.

Now normally I've the adjustable spanner with me when I ride it, but I'd left it at home  so couldn't undo the wheel nuts; they're not quick release.

So, trying a trick I'd done when riding back from the BBC filming in May, I undid the electrical tape that holds the Raceblade mudguards firmly in place (there's clips/tie straps as well), taped over the slash and onto the wheel rim. Several loops of tape later, along with tightening the valve screw it pumped up OK.

Got enough pressure in to ride the 6 miles I had left home, stopping and re-inflating a couple of times 

It's still got air in 6 hours later


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## Cubist (2 Aug 2014)

We're off to Scotalndshire in the morning, so today was spent fettling the IBIS. Good clean and lube, bled the rear brake , at the same time noticing the pads were unevenly worn. Respacered the caliper to perfection and added a new pair of Superstar Kevlars to the XT caliper. I then added new Stans fluid to the tubeless tyres. The number of healed holes in the tyre now numbers over sixty, with a couple of bigish slits. I'll pack a tyre boot and some vulcanised rubber sheeting just in case!

Cubester's Canyon-framed wonder was next. Cleaned, lubed and tyres had new jizz added. 

His girlfriend's Dad then appeared with a Trax full suss behemoth. Apparently Cubester had offered to fettle it as the chain was doing strange things. It's her sister's bike. A quick spin round the yard showed some odd feel. It was very steep at the front and my foot caught the front wheel. The fork was the wrong way round. Good old Halfords! 

It's been a long time since I fettled a quill stem, and needless to say the expander was seized into the steerer tube. Loads of GT85, and a T handled 8mm socket and mallet eventually shifted the bastard. Cubester was in awe at the way the quill stem worked, and had never seen a threaded headset before. Fortunately I had a 32mm spanner left over from the "golden era" so I could show him how it works. 

The chain was "doing funny things" because the rear mech had taken a huge clatter at some point. The cage was sitting in the spokes, and the stop-screw angling it onto the hanger was bent. Fortunately it's all made of cheese so I was able to gently straighten the screw and realign it. It wasn't short of oil, in fact the chain needed to be cleaned thoroughly. Otherwise the gears seemed to work pretty well. The bars are a bit bent, but nothing I could do about that. I als unseized teh front fork and managed to introduce about 30mm of buttery smooth and well damped suspension movement into it 

The rear preload screw was wound right up to max. I found that a Hollowtech BB tool fits the adjuster ring and wound it right off. With my 15 and a half stone weight on the saddle the rear shock compresses about 5mm. So that's great.

Gobsmacked by the heft we decided to weigh it. 17.7kg. FFS!


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## cyberknight (2 Aug 2014)

Puncture to mend and changing both my compacts to 50/36 chainrings


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## ufkacbln (2 Aug 2014)

Just practiced Necromancy.... does that count as fettling


My wife's Bionx battery had stopped charging and was dead.

So fitted to the trike and put trike on rollers.

15 minutes of "regenerative" cycling and it started charging (different charging circuit).

Now charging on the mains charger, hopefully problem sorted


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## Colin_B (2 Aug 2014)

I have made a mudflap for my front mudguard. Hopefully it will keep my feet dry. Being new to cycling and fettling I didn't know how big to make it. I have had a little test ride and all seems good so far


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## RebornBumbler (2 Aug 2014)

Replaced my (replacement) 12-27 HG50 cassette with a 11-28 HG80 which I managed to get hold of for twenty quid.
I didn't really need the extra tooth, but have recently missed the 11 for the odd descent.

It's surprisingly light too.

I'll probably replace the 34 chainring with a 36 if this cassette works out.


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## Asa Post (2 Aug 2014)

Fitted a rack and panniers to the new folder


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (6 Aug 2014)

Fitted a new headset to my expedition bike after it developed an interesting creak when the weather was hot.
Bottom bearings were shot... so gritty and unsmooth. now just have to hope I have reassembled it all correctly! Only got the 4 parts left over


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## derrick (6 Aug 2014)

After breaking a shifter last week, i have sent it of for repair as it is under warranty, it's going to take a few weeks and i need the bike this weekend for the London 100, So this evening i have fitted new shifters, all road tested and ready to go.


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## alicat (9 Aug 2014)

Installed the headset (first time ever) on the bike I am rebuilding. Fitted the bottom bracket, cranks, pedals, wheels and chain. Cracked the bb non-drive side cup and found it didn't matter. Fitted the rear derailleur. 

Went to fit the saddle and found some gunk down the seat tube. Lost a rag down the seat tube trying to extract all the gunk. Got it out using a wire coat hanger. 

Patted myself on the back and called it a day. Getting up early tomorrow to do the rest.


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## Asa Post (9 Aug 2014)

Fitted mudguards to the folder.


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## wisdom (10 Aug 2014)

PeteXXX said:


> Time to change the jockey wheels..
> 
> View attachment 51892
> 
> ...


They are very nice.What make are they and what mech are they on?


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## wisdom (10 Aug 2014)

Bikes prepped for next weeks forecasted wet commutes and made 2 trays of flapjacks (might even get some if son doesnt find em)


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## cyberknight (10 Aug 2014)

wisdom said:


> Bikes prepped for next weeks forecasted wet commutes and made 2 trays of flapjacks (might even get some if son doesnt find em)
> View attachment 52924


They had one of the judges from materchef ( the one with hair ) on the cycle show last week who makes his own flapjack in rice paper as he cant get on with gels etc , apparently rides sportives etc and a fixie around town to burn off the 6000 calories a day he eats at work .


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (10 Aug 2014)

My training partners Avail which had a farms worth of cow shiz attached to it, indexing out and barely shifting onto the 53 ring. 

My own bike which just needed a light clean/degrease/relube/polish all with superb Muc-Off products (not affiliated in any way)

She bought breakfast yesterday for my troubles


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## PeteXXX (10 Aug 2014)

wisdom said:


> They are very nice.What make are they and what mech are they on?


They are ~these~ on a Delore LX mech. Good service as well. Ordered one lunchtime and they arrived the next morning.


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## alicat (10 Aug 2014)

Day 2 of bike rebulid

Spent too long trying to get the gunk out of the head tube using a bottle brush and WD40. How on earth did it get there?! May need to revisit it with a hose pipe one day when it isn't raining.

Spent too long agonising over the difference between brake cable ferrules and gear cable ferrules, some bits from cables that don't seem to belong anywhere and the right cable run for the brake and gear cables. Going to get up early before work and do what I should have done all along - copy my other bike!

Pleased I worked out a suitable inner for the braze on bottom bracket cable guide - the ptfe liner from a gear cable housing. Found the solution from some judicious Googling.


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## Doc333 (11 Aug 2014)

Had some new wheels built a few weeks ago and going over some terrible tarmac on Saturday, it sounded like some spokes had worked loose? I got home and had a look on YouTube, then went and bought a spoke spanner and carried out a tightening exercise. Got back on the bike and thought I must have done something wrong because the sounds I got from the wheel were like a piano being tuned (Just for a second or 2) then silence thank god. 

Without tightening each spoke to its limit, how do you know when enough is enough? I just did a part turn on each spoke as nothing seemed really loose?


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## raleighnut (11 Aug 2014)

Doc333 said:


> Had some new wheels built a few weeks ago and going over some terrible tarmac on Saturday, it sounded like some spokes had worked loose? I got home and had a look on YouTube, then went and bought a spoke spanner and carried out a tightening exercise. Got back on the bike and thought I must have done something wrong because the sounds I got from the wheel were like a piano being tuned (Just for a second or 2) then silence thank god.
> 
> Without tightening each spoke to its limit, how do you know when enough is enough? I just did a part turn on each spoke as nothing seemed really loose?


You're then supposed to release the twist you've just put into the spoke after tensioning by turning the key back a bit, plus squeeze the pairs together to stress relieve at their crossing point.


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## PeteXXX (11 Aug 2014)

Cups & cones cleaned and greased and new bearings fitted on rear hub the Marin.
2 or 3 mile post fettle tootle to road test...


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (11 Aug 2014)

Doc333 said:


> Had some new wheels built a few weeks ago and going over some terrible tarmac on Saturday, it sounded like some spokes had worked loose? I got home and had a look on YouTube, then went and bought a spoke spanner and carried out a tightening exercise. Got back on the bike and thought I must have done something wrong because the sounds I got from the wheel were like a piano being tuned (Just for a second or 2) then silence thank god.
> 
> Without tightening each spoke to its limit, how do you know when enough is enough? I just did a part turn on each spoke as nothing seemed really loose?


there's also a recommended tension that they should be at, measured with a spoke tension meter http://www.parktool.com/product/spoke-tension-meter-tm-1 ...


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## Garry A (11 Aug 2014)

Re greased head set bearings as some water had got in, how much grease is enough?
Cleaned rear deraileur jockey wheels and had a look inside my forks to see how they worked.


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## alicat (11 Aug 2014)

Day 3 of bike rebuild

Worked out where most of the surplus gear cable bits go and the gears seem to change okay most of the time.

Spent most of the evening arguing with my cantilever brakes. Will get up early tomorrow again to sneak up on them unawares.

Next job will be to adjust the headset when I have some brakes to test against. That will be another first.

The bike is taking shape more slowly than I hoped but at least it is all going in the right direction most of the time.


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## PeteXXX (12 Aug 2014)

New SPD-SL cleats fitted to the clogs. Just as well they turned up today as the previous pair where only just hanging in there!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Aug 2014)

Finally fitted the new dynamo light to my OH's touring bike. He didn't need a new light, it was just that we have garmin's now and a few other bits that need charging via a 5v USB port and the new light has both a cache battery and a USB charging port on its handlebar mounted On/Off/Main beam switch and it was cheaper than a dedicated USB charging port that mounts into the headset... and resolved a few issues with spade adaptors at the dynamo...

All I need now is to get the bike down from upstairs (easier said than done due to spiral staircase etc) and set up the beam correctly because as you cycle faster, this light raises the beam higher...







Hopefully we will get to test the USB charging options this weekend on our mini-tour which is a shake down (for my OH mostly) for our holiday in a couple of weeks when this new toy should come in very useful


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Aug 2014)

User14044mountain said:


> Looks good SNSSO
> 
> I've got an ordinary front hub on my Nomad (Hope 32spokes) and wondered how much the dynohub slowed the bike down? I'm thinking of getting one but struggle to do more than about 40 miles fully loaded and wouldn't want to reduce my range? Do you notice it?


nope - the SON28's we have are exceptionally good (worth every penny) and there is little to no noticeable drag when something is turned on to run and I know my OH does not notice it at all.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Aug 2014)

User14044mountain said:


> Thanks - I may just get on the phone to SJS cycles then
> 
> Currently I use battery powered lights and a Powermonkey with a solar charger. The trouble is that it takes so long to charge the battery pack, that I struggle to keep the phone and the Garmin powered up.


yep - we bought both... went with the powermonkey extreme and currently thinking it takes a while to charge! SJSC may also mention the other device I have come across... now what was it called again... it is £160 verses the £90 I got the light for (from Germany)... ahhh can't remember what the headset thingy is called but it was expensive and I wasn't sure about it tbh though the battery cache is larger but you ran into issues with the adaptors off the dynamo hub for running 2 things at once - needing a spade doubler or manually switching things around...


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Aug 2014)

User14044mountain said:


> Is it this Terrain Tout? The Cache battery seems to be £65 and quite a bit cheaper. But I'm guessing that the £90 light does everything (acting as a light and a charging device).


yep - that's the doubry (first one - we don't have an e-werks device)... we went with the light because it seemed simpler and I know that the german engineering is good... B&M are excellent - really liking the light - even came with the battery cache charged so that you could flash the light on and off before you had even fitted it...


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## wisdom (13 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> yep that's the doubry (first one - we don't have an e-werks device)... we went with the light because it seemed simpler and I know that the german engineering is good... B&M are excellent - really liking the light - even came with the battery cache charged so that you could flash the light on and off before you had even fitted it...


This seems complicated to me.Does the light need a dynamo or can It be just charged.Sorry for sounding thick as i still use battery lights.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (13 Aug 2014)

wisdom said:


> This seems complicated to me.Does the light need a dynamo or can It be just charged.Sorry for sounding thick as i still use battery lights.


the light is specifically for bikes with a dynamo front hub. It then allows you in addition to using the light, to charge any USB devices whilst you are cycling which is useful on tour when you don't have access to electricity to charge said USB devices (iPods, smartphones & GPS devices). It has a backup battery cache so that when you stop, you don't loose all light from your front light and can still see and be seen. The same cache also allows for charging of USB devices which benefit from a constant supply of power rather than an on/off which stop/start cycling can give. (hope that helps)


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## Leodis (13 Aug 2014)

exposure tracer on order from Wiggle, needed something easy to move between bikes and powerful. Least if I have any problems I know Wiggle will refund without issue.


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## fatjel (13 Aug 2014)

New back mudguard on the carerra yesterday looks a bit crooked but oughta work.
bought a garmin 200 at the same time ...


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I'll tease you with a big fettling job, nay - conversion, due when more parts arrive, either tomorrow or early next week ...
> 
> My 'best bike' is a Cannondale with a 53/39 chainset. That would be fine except that I seek out very steep hills - lots of them - and even though I am getting fitter and can heave my way up most short climbs on my 39/29 bottom gear, I would rather spin up them in lower gears.
> 
> ...


I caught a bad cold soon after buying the chainset and felt too rough to work on the bike. When I started to feel better 3 weeks later, I wanted to catch up on my riding so I rode my other bike. The Cannondale revamp got put on hold until the last few days.

So ... I went to take the old bottom bracket out and discovered that the end cup had become loose enough to undo with my fingers, no spanner required. That would explain the occasional clunking sound the last time I rode the bike! I don't know how that happened with an English-threaded BB, with thread directions designed to prevent that.

I replaced the BB with a Shimano UN55. I needed a BB with Shimano (JIS) standard square taper, and that BB is a reliable workhorse which is really cheap. It might be a few grams heavier than an expensive one, but I'm not bothered about that. 115 mm axle (spindle?) length to suit the Stronglight triple chainset. The new chainset sits in the optimum position on the Cannondale on that BB. The BB needs running in - it is a bit sluggish to turn, but I'm sure that a couple of rides will soon loosen it up.

I did not even try using my new Ultegra triple front mech because I read that it needs >= 13 tooth step between middle and big rings to work properly, and my new chainset has only a 10 tooth step. I took a good look at the original Chorus double front mech and it looked like it should work. I tried it, and it did! The Ultegra mech will go on eBay in the near future.

I had been told that the left shifter would work fine because it can pull plenty of cable and has multiple ratchet points to allow trimming front mech position on the middle ring. It works fine, so that's another expense avoided!

The original medium cage rear mech has enough capacity to work with my new setup.

I checked the old chain and it only had 1/32 inch of stretch/wear so I decided to keep it. It should work ok with the new rings. I cleaned and lubed it and It certainly works fine with the bike on the workshop stand. The chain does not feel loose on the rings.

I finally found a problem with the new triple setup. I managed to get the shifting to work across all 30 gear combinations (including 'safety checks' on the undesirable cross-chained big-big and small-small combinations) but the rear mech rumbled badly on the biggest 2 sprockets when on the granny ring. My rear mech does not have a conventional 'B-screw' but it does have a grub screw to do the same job, located behind one of the jockey wheels. It did not have enough range to completely get rid of the rumbling. I was feeling a bit miffed until I read a suggestion to make a shim to put between the spring-loaded tab on the derailleur and the tab on the end of the dropout on the frame. I made a suitable shim by cutting a strip of metal out of the lid of a baked bean can and folding it enough times to make it the right thickness. After a couple of experiments. I managed to nudge the rear mech to a position which works efficiently and quietly in every gear - yay!

What else did I do?  Oh yes ...

I cleaned the bike
I adjusted the endstops on both mechs
Tweaked the indexing on the rear mech
I adjusted the position of my Deda Dog Fang (chain catcher) to suit the new chainset. I can't get it quite low enough for the granny ring, but I think it will still make it very hard to drop the chain
A mate has put new bar tape on for me
Bent the bottle cages in slightly to stop oversize bottles rattling
Put a rubber band round the case below the backplate of my Garmin GPS to stop that rattling
I adjusted the position of one of the brake blocks which had been a bit low on the rim, and centred the brake which had been nearly rubbing on one side
I took up some slack on the brake cables to allow me to get the slightly worn brake blocks nearer to the rims. (I was having to pull the levers through 50% of their travel before braking started.)
I put my Look pedals back on the bike. Now that I have low enough gears on the bike to be able to avoid walking up steep climbs, I want to use my Look pedals and Sidi shoes on this, my best bike.

Still to do ...

Pump the tyres up. I have latex tubes on that bike and they lose about 10 psi per day. They are almost flat now
Once the tyres have the right pressure in them, take the bike off the stand and tighten the pedals on the cranks
The rear wheel is slightly out of true so that needs correcting. I might have a go myself, or leave it to a more experienced mate who is less likely to make the wobble worse!
Put new Look cleats on my Sidi shoes and double-check that they are set up properly
Go for a test ride when I have a dry sunny day to suit my best bike!


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## wisdom (14 Aug 2014)

Been busy then.Hope all works out ok on the test ride.


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2014)

wisdom said:


> Been busy then.Hope all works out ok on the test ride.


Cheers. The Cannondale used to be a summer only, no steep hills bike. Now I will use it on all rides except in bad weather.


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2014)

I put the new cleats on my Sidis and went for a 5 minute test ride on the bike, including climbing a short stretch of 20%. I included my DIY shim under the left cleat which I made to partially compensate for my left leg being shorter than my right. I think it helped reduce the backache I experience on long rides, though probably 2/3 of it is due to lack of fitness, flexibility, and core strength.

My feet definitely felt more stable and supported on the Look Delta pedals, but they were also much harder to unclip than my loose SPDs had been. I felt nervous on the climb in case the gears slipped and I had to dismount in a hurry. In fact, the gears were fine but it will take me a ride or two to get used to the Looks again after well over 5 years of riding SPDs.

I have now put a small amount of grease on the surfaces on the front and back of the pedals which cause friction when trying to unclip. The cleat positions were slightly out so I have adjusted those. (I like a slightly heels-in foot position.)

I may have to raise the saddle slightly to compensate for the different shoes and pedals.

All in all, I feel very pleased so far with the new set-up, but I won't know for sure until I have done a decent length ride on the bike.

I would like to get hold of another GPS mount so I don't have to keep swapping the current one between bikes. Ditto for my stem-mounted phone bag - I like to have my phone handy on rides, not so much as a phone, more for its camera.

Speaking of the camera in the phone - I took a few pictures before the test ride ...

New chainset and pedals





New Cinelli bar tape





Shim to rotate rear mech





It is amazing how dirty everything looks close-up, considering that I had just cleaned the bike!


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2014)

I've raised the saddle by about 8 mm now and will see how that feels on a proper test ride tomorrow, if I can get out before the rain sets in for the afternoon.

I also noticed a few patches of dirt that I had missed (e.g. the undersides of the brake calipers) so I took a baby wipe to them. While I was at it, I noticed that the wheel rims had a greasy film on so used the baby wipe on them too. I was a bit shocked by how black the wipe ended up!

I'll carry a big screwdriver so I can adjust my cleats again while out, if I have to. I'm not going to carry it in my pocket or in my Camelbak bag though in case I fall off the bike. Road rash or a broken collar bone would be bad enough, but a screwdriver blade through the spine or internal organs does not bear thinking about ...  I'll fix it to my seatpost with a small bungee cord!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (15 Aug 2014)

Ahhhhh - men.... can I kill him please... OK carry on reading this because I could have let him kill himself really, would save me a task for this evening!

Finally managed to get my OH to bring his Thorn Nomad down the spiral staircase last night so that I could check it over (apparently we don't have enough space in the sitting room for 2 of them for a couple of days....) anyhow I made the mistake of looking at it when I fitted the new dynamo light the other day (whilst it was on the landing) and noticed that the rear brake balance was out... and so was the front brake balance and it needed a clean and the Rohloff hub is leaking on the drive side again making the chain a total mess of the wrong type of oil (that is going to have to wait though).

So having just taken it outside to clean it (easier to balance clean brakes than mucky ones) and cleaned off all the crap of the chain, not only have a found some damage to the frame (nothing major and nothing that a few good layers of undercoat and paint won't cure) I looked at the rear brakes. No issues there, re-balanced easily... but the front brake was another matter altogether. the lever felt funny (yep apparently it has been like that for a while - not returning to its 'home' position very quickly (count 5-10 seconds) and brakes just not really being OK... so find the keys to the Ortlieb barbags - no easy task (we leave them locked on all the time and simply keep all of the contents in a cotton bag which we lift out as and when needed)... remove fight merry hell with the bag to get it off the attachment.... and take one look at the brake cable and swear loudly. The outer cable sheath is broken at the joint into the lever... Now swear loudly at my OH who is not here to hear me thinking back to all that torrential rain we cycled through on the last tour last year (including snow) and think RUST masses of it... and thank my lucky stars that when I ordered the new light from Germany I took advantage of the Shimano Brake sets (front & rear cable plus caps, ends and very long section of outer sheath) being only £6 when I order them from Germany.... New cable inner, new cable outer and guess what - no balance issues at all... only thing I don't have a replacement for is that funny little plastic tube that goes into the fixed bend on the brakes - that is shot to pieces as well, not to mention full of crap - rust colour crap. It's back in their now full of clean lithium grease but no longer well it was already badly split, its just a longer split now... 

Strangely the front brakes now work and didn't need rebalancing... MMMMMEEEEENNNNNNN ahhhhhhhh  

(yep I feel better now thank you...) Off to ring SJSC... need some parts before our big tour to get that Rohloff hub oil leak dealt with - tis just a seal that has failed. (and think his headset bearings need replacing as well)...


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## ColinJ (15 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Ahhhhh - men.... can I kill him please... OK carry on reading this because I could have let him kill himself really, would save me a task for this evening!
> 
> Finally managed to get my OH to bring his Thorn Nomad down the spiral staircase last night so that I could check it over (apparently we don't have enough space in the sitting room for 2 of them for a couple of days....) anyhow I made the mistake of looking at it when I fitted the new dynamo light the other day (whilst it was on the landing) and noticed that the rear brake balance was out... and so was the front brake balance and it needed a clean and the Rohloff hub is leaking on the drive side again making the chain a total mess of the wrong type of oil (that is going to have to wait though).
> 
> ...


I'm sure you have reported in the past that your OH is capable of doing these jobs but for some reason doesn't, and doesn't even tell you when they need doing. I'm a bit baffled by that - if I had somebody volunteering to do my repairs for me, I would keep a list of jobs topped up for their attention!


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## ColinJ (15 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I've raised the saddle by about 8 mm now and will see how that feels on a proper test ride tomorrow, if I can get out before the rain sets in for the afternoon.
> 
> I also noticed a few patches of dirt that I had missed (e.g. the undersides of the brake calipers) so I took a baby wipe to them. While I was at it, I noticed that the wheel rims had a greasy film on so used the baby wipe on them too. I was a bit shocked by how black the wipe ended up!
> 
> I'll carry a big screwdriver so I can adjust my cleats again while out, if I have to. I'm not going to carry it in my pocket or in my Camelbak bag though in case I fall off the bike. Road rash or a broken collar bone would be bad enough, but a screwdriver blade through the spine or internal organs does not bear thinking about ...  I'll fix it to my seatpost with a small bungee cord!


Post-fettling test ride report:

The new saddle height feels right. I might try moving the saddle forward a couple of mm, but it felt pretty good where it was. I just felt that I was sitting ever so slightly forward of the widest part of the saddle which is where I think I will be most comfortable. I'll do a few hundred miles with the saddle as it is, then push it forwards and try again and see what I think.

The new cleat alignment feels right. I have 9 degrees of float on the pedals and before it felt that too much of the float was outwards, where I did not want it. I like to turn my heels in a degree or two when riding, and I wanted a quicker release when turning my heels outwards. That's all sorted now.

I might slightly reduce the shimming under my left cleat, but I will do a couple of long rides first to see how I get on. (I can feel that there is now more height between foot and pedal on the left side (which is a negative) but it compensates to a degree for my shorter left leg and will hopefully reduce my back problems on hard rides (which is a positive).

Now then, the answers to 2 big questions

Q: How well does the new gearing work mechanically? A: Very well indeed! I have not changed the derailleurs, shifters, or chain, and had to rotate the rear derailleur with a baked bean can shim (!) to get it to work properly, but it shifts quickly, quietly, and reliably. I did a hilly 11 mile test ride this afternoon during which I repeatedly shifted up and down through all 30 gears and didn't experience one flunked shift. I am chuffed!
Q: How well did I get on with the new gear ratios? A: As I hoped - very well indeed! The big ring is more usable - I can spin the 48 much more easily than the old 53. I don't think I will miss the one gear at the top end that I have effectively lost. The middle ring is great. I now have a 38 instead of a 39 and that makes it possible to stay longer on the middle ring up some fairly steep climbs. I did a few stretches of 12-15% in 38/29 and felt comfortable. I would drop down onto the new little ring for longer or very steep climbs, but the 38 ring with a 23, 26 or 29 sprocket is ideal for sprinting up tough little rises, especially with the lightness and stiffness of the Cannondale frame. The little ring gives me a luxury 28/29 gear which will enable me to survive stretches of 25+%, and be really nice on longer climbs of 10-20%.

All in all, that is £80 just over £85 well spent [I had forgotten the new bottom bracket], and I hope to recoup some of that by selling my old double chainset and bottom bracket.

If you are struggling on steep hills, you might like to consider such a conversion on your bike if you think that you would prefer using a triple, rather than a compact chainset with a huge cassette.


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## ColinJ (15 Aug 2014)

I forgot to mention that the chainline is very good when on the middle ring and the biggest sprocket. On my Basso, it always feels and sounds like I should not be cross-chaining that much. On this new setup on my Cannondale, the chain didn't complain at all, and the angle didn't look worrisome. I won't very often go to the other extreme of the cassette from the middle ring because the big ring is much more inviting now once the speed hits about 20 mph.


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## potsy (15 Aug 2014)

Fettled a spare set of Raceblades to the Caad so it can be used for a few commutes and not just for dry weekend rides.

Also added/changed the frame protector patches, now instead of being bits of mismatched electricians tape it is proper clear stuff I've had in stock for ages but hadn't got around to fitting.

It now has lights fitted too as they will be needed soon with 7pm finishes.


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## ColinJ (15 Aug 2014)

potsy said:


> Fettled a spare set of Raceblades to the Caad so it can be used for a few commutes and not just for dry weekend rides.
> 
> Also added/changed the frame protector patches, now instead of being bits of mismatched electricians tape it is proper clear stuff I've had in stock for ages but hadn't got around to fitting.
> 
> ...


When I was doing my CAAD-fettling, I noticed that there is a lot more clearance for CRUD Road Racers than there is on my Basso. I'm sure I could fit them and never get the annoying rubbing noises that sometimes affected the Basso's rides in wet weather. The thing is, I want my Cannondale to be my fair-weather bike so the guards would normally not be needed. Of course, what happened on today's test ride was that the rain forecast for later in the afternoon arrived early and caught me out! My lovingly cleaned bike ended up covered in gunk, and so did I ...

I think I might get some CRUDs for the Cannondale and then take them off most of the time, only refitting them for rides which might turn out wet, when I still want to ride that bike (holidays, forum rides, events).

I might bodge split SKS mudguards on the Basso the way I did about 10 years ago, because that avoided the rubbing issue ...


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## Kevoffthetee (15 Aug 2014)

I decided to finally fit the new kmc x8-99 chain to Le Pug. Well overdue

The downside was I noticed my wheels are needing a major retune as there is a fair old bevel as the wheel goes around, but I'm going out on a pacey 40 miler tomorrow lunch time.

I'm already in the dog house with the missus so don't think I'll get away with going out for a spoke key and tinkering for ours


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## arch684 (15 Aug 2014)

changed a 42 32 22 chainset to a 48 38 28 and adjusted the front mech


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## Kevoffthetee (16 Aug 2014)

Kevoffthetee said:


> I decided to finally fit the new kmc x8-99 chain to Le Pug. Well overdue
> 
> The downside was I noticed my wheels are needing a major retune as there is a fair old bevel as the wheel goes around, but I'm going out on a pacey 40 miler tomorrow lunch time.
> 
> I'm already in the dog house with the missus so don't think I'll get away with going out for a spoke key and tinkering for ours


With my wife otherwise occupied I set about truing the wheel, I'm a lot happier than I was but it'll definately be putting her in for a service before the winter


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## Cyclopathic (16 Aug 2014)

Spent about half an hour servicing a crappy folding pedal because the ones I had in stock were 9/16ths and this was a 1/2 inch fitting. Customer left it with me saying he'd had the pedals recently fitted by Halfords. Managed to get it working a bit better but told him to take it back as a pedal should last more than 5 weeks. Honestly servicing those cheap plasticv pedals is a real exercise in futility.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (16 Aug 2014)

Kevoffthetee said:


> With my wife otherwise occupied I set about truing the wheel, I'm a lot happier than I was but it'll definately be putting her in for a service before the winter


The wife or the wheel?


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## Kevoffthetee (17 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> The wife or the wheel?


The wife, I'm buying a new bike


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## ufkacbln (17 Aug 2014)

The "Stand up aids" arrived last week from HP Velotechnik and I have just fitted....

Remove headset cap, insert adapter into headset and replace with longer bolt
Now slide aids onto adapter and tinker position of arms and grips to suit











Makes a massive difference to the ease of mounting and dismounting

.. and if you are brave enough to steer without brakes, it now has direct AND indirect sterring!


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## raleighnut (17 Aug 2014)

Cunobelin said:


> The "Stand up aids" arrived last week from HP Velotechnik and I have just fitted....
> 
> Remove headset cap, insert adapter into headset and replace with longer bolt
> Now slide aids onto adapter and tinker position of arms and grips to suit
> ...


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## ColinJ (17 Aug 2014)

I decided to move the saddle forward by about 8mm on my Cannondale. It didn't feel bad where it used to be, but I kept shuffling back onto the wider part of it. The forecast has improved for tomorrow so I will try to get out and see what I think of the new position.

If it feels better, I will try it 4mm further forward. If it doesn't, I will move it back 4mm.


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## potsy (18 Aug 2014)

Completed the fettling of the Caad,
Bottle cage and new bottle fitted,
Topeak Tri-bag fitted (handy for snacks or camera on leisure rides) 
Tidied up the protective tape on the front guard,
Fitted a rear light to the seat stay and cable tied one to the saddle bag,


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## I like Skol (18 Aug 2014)

potsy said:


> Completed the fettling of the Caad,
> Bottle cage and new bottle fitted,
> Topeak Tri-bag fitted (handy for snacks or camera on leisure rides)
> Tidied up the protective tape on the front guard,
> ...


Argh, you're killing it! Are you determined to break it's spirit? That bike should be unencumbered, free and wild. Take it all off again and let it fly....


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## potsy (18 Aug 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Argh, you're killing it! Are you determined to break it's spirit? That bike should be unencumbered, free and wild. Take it all off again and let it fly....


Just wait I fit the rack and the M+


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## ColinJ (18 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I decided to move the saddle forward by about 8mm on my Cannondale. It didn't feel bad where it used to be, but I kept shuffling back onto the wider part of it. The forecast has improved for tomorrow so I will try to get out and see what I think of the new position.
> 
> If it feels better, I will try it 4mm further forward. If it doesn't, I will move it back 4mm.


It did feel better on a 23 mile ride today.

I feel inclined to leave the saddle alone now because the clamp is in the middle of the rails and I don't think it will feel much better if I move it again.

I am feeling a familiar discomfort at the base of my left little toe. I used to get that in the past when using the Look pedals and Sidi shoes. I will have to investigate what is causing the problem because if a 23 mile ride starts the discomfort, long rides are (literally) going to be a pain! I'll try doing the strap across the end of the shoe up less tightly in case the shoe is squeezing the toes.


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## arranandy (19 Aug 2014)

Stripped-down my Wilier last night. One of the chainstays snapped right round last week so I think its a right off.
The only thing I couldn't remove was the Campag Centaur chainset - do I need a special tool for this?


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## raleighnut (19 Aug 2014)

arranandy said:


> Stripped-down my Wilier last night. One of the chainstays snapped right round last week so I think its a right off.
> The only thing I couldn't remove was the Campag Centaur chainset - do I need a special tool for this?


You may, if its the same as mine there is a 10mm headed allen bolt in the centre of the crank which holds a hirth coupling together. You could try using a 10mm ring spanner on the long arm of a 10mm allen key to reach it and still be able to turn it but they are meant to be tight, if that fails its a special tool.


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## arranandy (19 Aug 2014)

raleighnut said:


> You may, if its the same as mine there is a 10mm headed allen bolt in the centre of the crank which holds a hirth coupling together. You could try using a 10mm ring spanner on the long arm of a 10mm allen key to reach it and still be able to turn it but they are meant to be tight, if that fails its a special tool.


 
Thanks, I'll try that


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## ColinJ (19 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I am feeling a familiar discomfort at the base of my left little toe. I used to get that in the past when using the Look pedals and Sidi shoes. I will have to investigate what is causing the problem because if a 23 mile ride starts the discomfort, long rides are (literally) going to be a pain! I'll try doing the strap across the end of the shoe up less tightly in case the shoe is squeezing the toes.


I suppose it is a bit odd quoting myself over and over, but it makes sense since my posts follow on from each other ... 

I loosened the strap today and my toe _did_ feel more comfortable. I decided to measure the width of my left foot and compare with the right. I was thinking that the left might be slightly bigger, but it turns out that the right is about 8 mm bigger. I can't figure out why that isn't the foot feeling the pressure. Maybe the left shoe is actually slightly tighter than the right ...? Anyway, the looser strap helped on a short ride today. I'll see how I get on tomorrow when I hope to be out for a few hours.

Oh, I just remembered ... I am wearing a compression sock on my left (gammy) leg when off the bike. Maybe that is putting a bit too much pressure on the foot? (If so, tough, because it is helping reduce the swelling in my left calf when standing.)

*********

This evening's fettling is sponsored by @Globalti! He generously donated a used pair of Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX tyres (like these) for me to try out on my Cannondale. I reckon there is probably a few hundred miles of use left in them 

I wanted to see if I could tell the difference in ride quality between my usual bargain-basement Michelin Lithion 2s and more expensive tyres. I bought some latex tubes earlier this year after Globalti raved about them, and I agreed with his assessment. These tyres are a taster. Gti says that his latest Veloflex tyres are even better, so if I like the Vittorias, I think it is likely that I would love the Veloflexes.

The tyres have red sidewalls, which just happen to match the Cannondale's paint job! 

The bike is smelling nicer now ... I bought some talc to dry-lube the tyre/rim/tube interfaces and did not notice that it is scented. The last lot I had was unscented.

The tyre labels specified pressures of 8-10 bar. I normally run 6-7 bar on the Lithions. I decided to compromise and try the tyres at 7 bar front and 7.5 bar rear. I'll see how they feel. If they are comfortable at those pressures, I will try a bit more. I think 8-10 bar sounds like too much pressure for Yorkshire roads but maybe the higher thread count of these tyres really will make a big difference.

I fitted the Vittorias this evening after dark, and I do not have lights on the bike so I will wait until tomorrow to do the first test ride. I'll let you know what I think of the tyres once I have given them a good thrashing!


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## Globalti (20 Aug 2014)

Let us know Colin. I'm so in love with the Veloflex that I don't think I will ever be able to go back to another tyre. I even emailed Ribble and they confirmed that they've got plenty left under their special offer. I started the Veloflex at 110 psi and am now running them at 100, which is the minimum pressure. I guess for racing you'd run them at the maximum of 140. Quite apart from the ride quality they feel fantastically "planted" and secure as well as silent, which in my book means less energy is being wasted. In the shocking conditions of the Ride London 100 they felt super-secure, especially on polished wet city tarmac.


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## Garry A (20 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> The bike is smelling nicer now ... I bought some talc to dry-lube the tyre/rim/tube interfaces and did not notice that it is scented. The last lot I had was unscented.



First time I've ever heard of this, everyday is a school day eh


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## Globalti (20 Aug 2014)

Whaaat? You've never used talc to fit tyres? Jeeze.....!


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

Globalti said:


> Whaaat? You've never used talc to fit tyres? Jeeze.....!


I've just had a premonition, based on your comment about latex tubes being delicate. I was careful fitting the Vittorias and did not use tyre levers, but there were a couple of times where a cm of tube got pinched ...

[Goes to do a pre-ride check ...]

Damn - the rear tyre has gone flat! 

I will replace the tube with a butyl one, but that will somewhat invalidate my test for the back tyre since both tyre and tube will have changed. I suppose if the back of the bike still feels really good, then that would be a big thumbs up for the tyre.


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I had bought 50 pairs of vinyl gloves to protect my hands when working on the bike. I had tried latex gloves in the past but they easily ripped, and were too 'sticky', pulling on tools, chains etc. The vinyl are much stronger and slippier, which is great for mechanic's duties. £2.99 from a local market stall.


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## Ian H (20 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I've just had a premonition, based on your comment about latex tubes being delicate. I was careful fitting the Vittorias and did not use tyre levers, but there were a couple of times where a cm of tube got pinched ...



Do you inflate your tubes before fitting? I find a slight amount of pressure helps in getting them seated and helps avoid pinches. I then reduce the pressure as needed while working the tyre on to the rim.


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## Butty1972 (20 Aug 2014)

This is going to sound pathetic... but I'm very proud of myself in that I managed to fit crud catcher mudguards last night and adjust the brakes on my hybrid... Always nervous I'll end up carrying load of bike bit to my LBS whenever I think about anything involving allen keys...


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## Ian H (20 Aug 2014)

Last time I had a bike shop do work for me was when I bought components to build up a new bike in 2002 and Mr LBS insisted he'd build it for free because it was such a nice frame. A couple of weeks later I was rebuilding the wheels. Over the next weeks I redid almost everything. (Probably) never again.


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

Ian H said:


> Do you inflate your tubes before fitting? I find a slight amount of pressure helps in getting them seated and helps avoid pinches. I then reduce the pressure as needed while working the tyre on to the rim.


I normally do, but the latex tubes are so stretchy that at first I didn't, fearing that I would stretch the tube that I was fitting. I soon discovered that it was way too easy to pinch the tube, so I blew air into it by mouth to avoid excessive pressure. No further problems, but it looks like the damage was already done.

I am toying with the idea of sticking a butyl patch on the latex tube ... It seems wrong to do it but I have read that a lot of people do. I will take a look at the tube and see what the damage is. If it isn't too bad, I will patch it and reuse it.

I had better go and do it now or this ride will never happen!


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

Blimey - what a faff! 

TOP TIP: Latex tubes are incredibly stretchy, so if you get the tiniest of tiny holes in the tube, the hole can stretch when the tube is pumped up. When the tube is not under pressure, the hole can close back up again. You don't really want to put a lot of pressure in the tube when it is not being held back by a tyre, for fear of over-stretching it. Therefore, such a closed-up tiny hole can be very hard to find. I blew a little air into my punctured tube by mouth and held the whole tube underwater. I waited for 5 minutes and not a single bubble emerged!

It finally dawned on me what was happening so I went round the tube, taking a 3 inch section at a time and stretching that underwater. Eventually a stream of bubbles emerged. Stop stretching, the bubbles stopped. It was impossible to see the hole when the tube was not being stretched so I marked it with a biro before getting my puncture kit out.

I patched the hole with a standard patch. Yes, that will introduce a stiffer section on the otherwise super-flexible tube, but I don't think it will be a problem. We'll see ...

Anyway, I am having a mug of tea now before going out on my ride. If the damn tyre is flat again by the time that I am ready to leave, I will use my other bike instead!


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## numbnuts (20 Aug 2014)

I just cleaned the car it had cobwebs on it


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

numbnuts said:


> I just cleaned the car it had cobwebs on it


That suggests to me that you don't really need it!

If you use it so infrequently, it would probably be cheaper to hire a car or use a taxi on the few times that you need 4-wheeled transport?


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## Globalti (20 Aug 2014)

Yes you can patch latex tubes! And no, it won't affect the ride. And yes, it was exactly that kind of faff that persuaded me to go back to butyl or lightweight butyl.


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## marknotgeorge (20 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> That suggests to me that you don't really need it!
> 
> If you use it so infrequently, it would probably be cheaper to hire a car or use a taxi on the few times that you need 4-wheeled transport?





ColinJ said:


> That suggests to me that you don't really need it!
> 
> If you use it so infrequently, it would probably be cheaper to hire a car or use a taxi on the few times that you need 4-wheeled transport?



I use my car practically every day, and I still get intrepid arachnids setting up home in the lee of my door mirrors. And yes, I do use the door mirrors...

My fettling? Spent a couple of minutes fitting the stay kit to the Velo 55 Kids mudguards on the Mad Scientist's Cuda Mayhem. It doesn't really need the stay, but I figured it would protect the main bracket by damping vibrations. I was going to fit the trigger shifters to the Drama Queen's bike, but it's a bit dark over Bill's Mother's, as they say raand ere, so that'll wait till later. 



SKS Velo stays by marknotgeorge, on Flickr


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## cosmicbike (20 Aug 2014)

Sat in the afternoon sunshine with a cup of tea and fitted an AXA Defender lock to my hybrid, which is starting to look more like a tourer with all the bits being bolted to it. Whilst probably not the best lock in the world, combined with the cable it will do nicely for cafe stops.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Aug 2014)

tried to take the sprocket off my OH's rohloff hub and failed. not strong enough... round 2 comes later on after tea, with my OH's assistance! 

Anyone who has read enough of my 'fettlin' will know that this is a re-occurring theme! Oh well... can't win them all.


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## toptom (20 Aug 2014)

Fitted a new seat and seat post to my cadd 10 and replaced the the bearings in the rear wheel


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2014)

toptom said:


> Fitted a new seat and seat post to my cadd 10 and replaced the the bearings in the rear wheel
> View attachment 53882


You have rather a lot of tilt on your saddle! I have experimented with that setup in the past, and it always ended up with discomfort on long rides.

I have a Fizik saddle on my Cannondale too, and I find that the fore-aft position of the bike is critical to comfort. I have a hint of downward tilt to take pressure off the nose of the saddle, but the main thing is to make sure that I am sitting on the wide part of the saddle. That is slightly raised relative to the front and is enough to keep one's 'nads out of harms way, which I assume is why you have tilted your saddle down?

I moved my saddle forward by 8 mm a few days ago and that helped a lot.


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## I like Skol (21 Aug 2014)

Phew, that was close! After a beer last night I got tempted to give the old girl a wash down with some soapy water 

Luckily I hesitated (and drank another beer) and decided it would be enough to remove and store the front pannier rack until it is needed again and take off the hideous yellow/pink bottle cage that also doesn't get used. The commuter hybrid looks ever so slightly more racy now 

It's a good job I changed my mind, that one moment of madness could have undone 2-3 years of hard work


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## potsy (21 Aug 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Phew, that was close! After a beer last night I got tempted to give the old girl a wash down with some soapy water
> 
> Luckily I hesitated (and drank another beer) and decided it would be enough to remove and store the front pannier rack until it is needed again and take off the hideous yellow/pink bottle cage that also doesn't get used. The commuter hybrid looks ever so slightly more racy now
> 
> It's a good job I changed my mind, that one moment of madness could have undone 2-3 years of hard work


Even I am slightly disgusted (but also a little bit proud too) 

Went to change the pads on my disc braked CX yesterday (or day before, my memory is going) but they had some life left in them so they were just cleaned up a bit, couldn't work out how to get the front ones off so will attempt that once I've had a look on You tube


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## martint235 (21 Aug 2014)

Put new gear cables onto the MTB commuter. Also fitted a new front mudguard. Was going to do the brakes too but work called 

Later I'll be putting flat pedals onto the SS and a new saddle.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Aug 2014)

My OH took the sprocket off for me last night (the usual  issues for me preventing me from being able to) and I was able to look at his Rohloff hub and see what the problem was today. It didn't take long to spot the cause.






Filthy inside as well as outside.





Yuck





Some female TLC needed....

Ahh much better...





the wear mark tells me which way around the sprocket had been on so I will take the opportunity to put it on the other way around - it is a reversible one after all.





After lithium grease has been generously been applied, I reassembled it...

Now to look at the gear changer. Whenever it is taken off, we take the opportunity to clean it and apply fresh lithium grease...





One half - btw for those that do not know, if you ever come across someone with a gear change issue on the Rohloff hub and they are 'stuck' in a wrong gear (or missing some of their gears) an 8mm spanner will manually change the gears. (Note that the gear changer should read 14 (for a 14 speed hub) otherwise getting into the black box is much more difficult than it needs to be!) and if they are missing some gears the probability is that the gear changer on the bars and the hub were not in the same gear when it was reassembled... I know this because...   there is a reason I started doing my own maintenance you know 





And now nicely clean. I filled this with lithium grease - good dollop and reassembled and hopefully that is the last of the oil leak. It's nothing major, just a pain because it wears parts out faster than it needs to, and if this fails which I will know by the end of day 1 on the tour, the hub will go back to Rohloff for them to deal with under warranty...

Next task will be to change the 40T chainring to a 38T chainring to give one lower gear for cycling both the Wrynose and Hardknott passes in the Lakes in a couple of weeks time!


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## I like Skol (21 Aug 2014)

Almost forgot, I swapped the crappy, loose, creaky combination M424 SPD pedals that I have never liked for some smart new XT M780s earlier in the week.









I never ride in 'normal' shoes and didn't like the lumpy feel from these pedals even when I did and they had developed a terrible creak from the cleat interface that I couldn't cure no matter what I did, including new cleats (but turning up the ipod a bit more worked quite well!).

XT pedals for the commuter **Bling!**


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## potsy (21 Aug 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Almost forgot, I swapped the crappy, loose, creaky combination M424 SPD pedals that I have never liked for some smart new XT M780s earlier in the week.
> 
> View attachment 53937
> View attachment 53938
> ...


I have those same XT pedals on my Caad, very nice


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## djb1971 (21 Aug 2014)

Just converted a 3x10 to a 1x10

Zee FR shadow plus rear mech, hope narrow/wide retainer ring and a new zee shifter. 

The ring is 30t, should give me 23" for climbing on a 29er. I just hope its easy enough for all day in the mountains, carrying my junk. I've not bothered with a chain guide, hoping the ring and mech work okay without. I'm just going to test it tonight before the big bank holiday bivvy.


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## Spoked Wheels (21 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> View attachment 53932



Is that the wheel I rebuilt for you? I hope it still going strong


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Aug 2014)

RRSODL said:


> Is that the wheel I rebuilt for you? I hope it still going strong



it is and it has survived my OH very well! So far no issues with it and still perfectly true - mind you it has not seen much use since last Septmeber other than this weekend just one...
Off on a 2 week tour in 10 days time with some bigger climbs and no doubt he will want to go off sprinting up them there hills... (Wrynose and Hardknott passes in the Lakes but some thing over Yorkshire way as well... ) that should test things out especially if he spots someone else on a bike and if they are a roadie...  ...


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## smokeysmoo (21 Aug 2014)

Cold set the rear triangle on my Raleigh ready for it's new wheels when they arrive


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## PeteXXX (21 Aug 2014)

Headset bearings removed, cleaned and re-greased on the Marin. No gritty sounds when the bars are turned now..


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## Spoked Wheels (21 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> it is and it has survived my OH very well! So far no issues with it and still perfectly true - mind you it has not seen much use since last Septmeber other than this weekend just one...
> Off on a 2 week tour in 10 days time with some bigger climbs and no doubt he will want to go off sprinting up them there hills... (Wrynose and Hardknott passes in the Lakes but some thing over Yorkshire way as well... ) that should test things out especially if he spots someone else on a bike and if they are a roadie...  ...


I know


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Aug 2014)

RRSODL said:


> I know


don't worry. I have him down to 2 panniers and a rackpack... from 4 and a rackpack.. he can even lift the bike up! dropping down to the 38T front as well (Rohloff now permit the 38/17 combination inside warranty).... that should slow him down a touch and prevent him from putting too much strain on life!


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## biggs682 (21 Aug 2014)

well today i have fettled 3 hire bikes that were hired out at a local "park" , not one of the 10+ bikes hired out were adjusted to fit the hirer so muggins here road along putting saddles up and down to make the kids more comfy .

apart from that a great 1.5 hrs worth of charity riding thanks kids


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## the_mikey (21 Aug 2014)

New jockey wheels in my old 9 speed tiagra derailleur.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (22 Aug 2014)

treated my touring bike to only its 2nd set of brake pads, but don't worry, it only got front pads. There was probably a couple of thousand miles left in the front pads, there is certainly plenty of life left in the rears... they have only done 10,500 miles most of that at 'world' laden touring weight.





old verses new... still some life in them, but time to treat the bike to new... and remember that I don't need to worry about 'running' out and eeking the absolute max out of everything anymore... and I am off on a 2 week tour soon... 

Also on the list of repairs today is my sleeping bag... It has a hole and that means the down can escape...




So time for an inner tube patch as a repair! OK - I know what you are thinking, she has finally lost the plot!  send in the white coats, but I kid not. I have found they stick really well to all sorts of things including the tent groundsheet & footprint and are still going strong after many years of use and both were in very frequent/daily use for nearly a year! So lets see how well they work on the sleeping bag.



It passed the sticky test immediately... and it has passed the stretch test... looking good so far. Will test the compression sack test over the next couple of nights, but looks to be a neater job than my last repair on this bag which encountered an interesting issue of each and every stitch pulling down out of the bag with the cotton thread. I ended up gluing and stitching that repair on!



PS - self adhesive inner tube patches also work really well on waterproofs when you have had a disagreement with barbed wire!


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## youngoldbloke (22 Aug 2014)

New bearings in the rear R501 wheel. Took off the freehub and cleaned it out as well as I could without dissembling it (oil seal at back removed and rinsed out with lighter fuel). After drying, copious amounts of grease sprayed in. Freehub sounds better, but still rough. Probably new bearings needed in the freehub itself. All back together and ready for a test ride after lunch.


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## youngoldbloke (22 Aug 2014)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> PS - self adhesive inner tube patches also work really well on waterproofs when you have had a disagreement with barbed wire!


 or brambles. Good tip!


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## ColinJ (22 Aug 2014)

youngoldbloke said:


> or brambles. Good tip!


Or temporary 8 ft high wire fences which jut out onto the pavement near building sites in Hebden Bridge!


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## Hop3y (22 Aug 2014)

Fettled my wheels and my seat post as someone at my work decided to loosen them before I set off home as a practical joke...

I'm the only person at my work who commutes by bike, rather dangerous if you ask me.

I'm going to find them and Liam Neeson them.


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## wisdom (24 Aug 2014)

Thorough clean of everything ready for the coming months.Looks good for a five year old bike used for daily commute whatever the weather


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## SimonJKH (24 Aug 2014)

Had a productive little session on my old steel fixed gear machine. I finally managed to figure out how to replace the old school 'axle and cups' bottom bracket for a shimano sealed unit job, and replaced the crappy cheap-as-chips crankset from ebay with a rather smart Miche track crank. It means I've gone from 46T to 48T, but that just means I'll go faster, right?


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## jayonabike (24 Aug 2014)

Spent the afternoon giving my commuter/around town bike (a Dawes Century SE) a 'deep clean' ready for winter.
Chain off and soaked in white spirits then re lubed. Cassette, front and rear derailleur cleaned. Chainset off and cleaned. Bottom Bracket re greased. Forks out and headset bearings cleaned and re greased. Brake pads checked and cleaned as well as the callipers and the frame a polish.


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## Robeh (25 Aug 2014)

jayonabike said:


> Spent the afternoon giving my commuter/around town bike (a Dawes Century SE) a 'deep clean' ready for winter.
> Chain off and soaked in white spirits then re lubed. Cassette, front and rear derailleur cleaned. Chainset off and cleaned. Bottom Bracket re greased. Forks out and headset bearings cleaned and re greased. Brake pads checked and cleaned as well as the callipers and the frame a polish.
> 
> View attachment 54267
> ...


cant belive your cleaning the bike indoors lol my missus would be having kittens if i did that lol
nice bike by the way....


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## Batgirl (25 Aug 2014)

I was happily cleaning / wire wool session on wheels of a new to me (very dirty cheap old bike) yesterday on the deck.. it started raining.  
Hubby had gone to get me a pump (as he couldn't find one in his shed), and came back to surprise that I wasn't indoors working on the bike.. I had put her in the shelter for a bit.. so of I went and ended up sat in my kitchen for the afternoon. 

I've posted pics of the bike in £20 purchase (beginners section) so won't do so here, but I'm sure now reading these threads that it classes as 'fettling'? Just not on a posh bike. reuse /recycle till I find out what I like for my N+1


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## Robeh (25 Aug 2014)

Batgirl said:


> I was happily cleaning / wire wool session on wheels of a new to me (very dirty cheap old bike) yesterday on the deck.. it started raining.
> Hubby had gone to get me a pump (as he couldn't find one in his shed), and came back to surprise that I wasn't indoors working on the bike.. I had put her in the shelter for a bit.. so of I went and ended up sat in my kitchen for the afternoon.
> 
> I've posted pics of the bike in £20 purchase (beginners section) so won't do so here, but I'm sure now reading these threads that it classes as 'fettling'? Just not on a posh bike. reuse /recycle till I find out what I like for my N+1


what a difference a tidy up made lol


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## Batgirl (25 Aug 2014)

Robeh said:


> what a difference a tidy up made lol


Thanks  it's no work of art but I'm pleased for my first ever attempt on a cycle - and I REALLY enjoyed too.  Gutted it's raining as she's getting wet till I can get her to my horses yard where she'll live in a stable while I'm learning to ride a good distance, I can see a bike shed build in my future.. waterproof of course. lol


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## Glow worm (25 Aug 2014)

Managed to true my rear wheel with minimal swearing just now. It's not perfect as I don't have a wheel truing stand, but at least it's no longer rubbing on the brake pads. A really exciting way to spend my birthday! At least the wheel doesn't resemble a figure of 8 like the last one I attempetd to fix. It seems that despite my chronic cack-handedness at any fettling related activity, I do finally seem to be getting slightly better at this bike maintenance lark.


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## arch684 (27 Aug 2014)

was up in the loft this morning and found my sons 1989 challenge hurricane bike.I bought him it when he was 14 he's now 39 and as it was such a lovely day i took it into the garden and stripped down to the bare frame.I cleaned all the chrome and the chrome wheels with diet coke and tin foil.what crap bikes they were anyway i will fit new cables and brake blocks and give it to the charity shop. I will build it back up tomorrow maybe


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## ScotiaLass (27 Aug 2014)

Robeh said:


> cant belive your cleaning the bike indoors lol my missus would be having kittens if i did that lol
> nice bike by the way....


I sort my bikes out in the front room....as long as hubby can see the tv he's happy


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## Gravity Aided (28 Aug 2014)

Traded my Cannondale for a Fuji Touring IV frame, and bought a ladies Nishiki Ambush for some good grade parts to bring the Fuji into the 21st Century with 700c Wheels and a little more modern cantilever brakes. About half done. The Fuji has the whole touring bicycle attributes, including spoke holders and three bottle cage mounting points. It came with a touring triple chainring as well as quad butted steel tubing. At my size, you don't pass up a 24" full touring frame when you run across it. And it weighs the same as the Cannondale H-600.


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## cosmicbike (29 Aug 2014)

Yesterday. Fitted Conti GP 4000 II's to road bike. Went with 25c so hoping for a little more comfort..


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## Shut Up Legs (30 Aug 2014)

After having replaced my front chain rings, chain and rear cassette, I just fiddled with the derailleurs, and found that perfect combination of barrel adjuster, cable clamp and index screw positions that gives perfect shifting on all front chain rings and rear cogs!  I love it when that happens.


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## martint235 (30 Aug 2014)

My first ever successful installation of v brakes. They actually feel like they'll work


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## Shut Up Legs (31 Aug 2014)

Having taken care of the touring bike yesterday (derailleur adjustment), just now I spent over 90 minutes thoroughly cleaning the road bike. It's a 2013 model Specialized Roubaix Expert SL4, and a thing of beauty (especially when just cleaned) .


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## DaveReading (31 Aug 2014)

Finally ditched the dreadful Tektro pads that came with my tourer and fitted Kool Stops, made a world of difference to my braking. Chose the "rim-friendly" black compound rather than the salmon although the latter is said to be better in the wet, so I might use that when I re-shoe my trusty old steel-rimmed Raleigh runabout.

Been reading up on wheel truing in preparation for tackling my front wheel, which has developed a distinct wobble since my off a couple of weeks ago.


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## potsy (31 Aug 2014)

Gave the Tricross a quick spit and polish, well, lubed the chain 

Have decided it is getting close enough to winter to put the 'big' light back on, hopefully the batteries will be fine once charged as they haven't been used for a while.
Slight 'tilt' adjustment to the saddle as I have been slipping forwards on rides and hadn't gotten round to sorting that until today.

Will have to overcome my fear of fitting bar tape soon, not done it before and have been putting that off too, in desperate need now as both sides are badly in need of new.


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## martint235 (1 Sep 2014)

martint235 said:


> My first ever successful installation of v brakes. They actually feel like they'll work


Well I'm still alive so they work. Front ones squeal a bit though so need to toe them in. You would have thought that in the 15+ years I've had the bike, someone would have sorted that out. Also iirc the mantra of MTB braking was that it should be possible with two fingers per lever and miraculously I can actually do that on mine. 

Also need to fit new cables.


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## Drago (1 Sep 2014)

Hop3y said:


> Fettled my wheels and my seat post as someone at my work decided to loosen them before I set off home as a practical joke...
> 
> I'm the only person at my work who commutes by bike, rather dangerous if you ask me.
> 
> I'm going to find them and Liam Neeson them.



Forgive me, but that really chuffing annoys me when arrissholes tamper with bikes. A female west mids bobby suffered serious back injuries that ended her career when a twot of a colleague loosened the seat post clamp. She had to retire, he was prosecuted to assault and lost his job. It isn't remotely bloody funny.

Anyway, to business. Alas, only fettling.for me today is to finish the tiling on my kitchen floor


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## Paulus (1 Sep 2014)

Changed my SPD's on my Tourer back to flat pedals with toe clips and straps so i can go to the shops without having to wear my cycling shoes.


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## slowmotion (1 Sep 2014)

I cleaned and indexed the front and rear derailleur. The rear works fine... the front one now comprehensively jams. I must have looked at half a dozen YouTube clips and I still can't make it work. I booked a gear service at the LBS.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Sep 2014)

Cleaned and greased the dry bottom bracket. I don't believe this BB has seen grease for a while, but magnifier inspection of races in the cups yielded no damage, so I just re-greased and off we roll. I also tightened the crankarms, as the were quite creaky. Now, all is well. Day after tomorrow, will fit racks and 700x28 tires until cold weather sets in, then back to 700x37s, in case of snow or ice or unforseen happenings such as hail.


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## Batgirl (2 Sep 2014)

We have indeed fettled though technically it's a new day.. 
My old jalopy bikes chain seems to have been an original, we couldn't find a link.. and the tool we bought broke trying to remove a link... so.. OH opted for more is less... and got out an angle grinder - a small one, but even so. 
Sparks flew... but the chain is no more. Cut very well so I was impressed with OH's skills - measured new one.. and had to pay bike shop to cut off one link and give me a linking thingy (technical term) to put it back on with. 

Started removing old stickers, and gave the gears a good scrub down - wd40 to the controls and themselves and they've come up nice n' clear now. I am not going to get ALL of the gears as the crank section is not coming right out to the third sproket but this is just a project bike so will leave this for now, we adjusted them best we could - if it become a problem will get LBS onto it. 

Just waiting for tyres to arrive... impatient now... from Tredz, then we're ready to put them on with new inners and chain of course.  

Seat bolt sorted today too - though want a new stem as mine is rusty despite brushing it up previously. Seat height increased.  

Fettling continues tomorrow on stickers and if tyres arrive happy days!


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## Batgirl (2 Sep 2014)

slowmotion said:


> I cleaned and indexed the front and rear derailleur. The rear works fine... the front one now comprehensively jams. I must have looked at half a dozen YouTube clips and I still can't make it work. I booked a gear service at the LBS.


I'm having this problem with the third sprocket.. it reaches nicely over 1 and 2, but is slightly too the inside of the third sprocket so think it may need an LBS in time. I am thinking I can function on 12 gears rather than 18 for a while as I'm a novice.


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## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

@Batgirl, raise the white flag and book yourself in. The front derailleur is a bit of a bugger really.

I extend my sympathy.


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## Batgirl (2 Sep 2014)

slowmotion said:


> @Batgirl, raise the white flag and book yourself in. The front derailleur is a bit of a bugger really.
> 
> I extend my sympathy.


Thanks will defo mark it down on the 'to be done by LBS' list... I think they'll have a heart attack when they see my old bike though after seeing their stock today. haha


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## dave r (2 Sep 2014)

Over the last few weeks my fixed has been getting a bit rough, but I've had to wait for pay day to do something about it, having got what I needed I set to work last night, new tyre on the front, old front tyre on the back, back tyre ditched, the racelights I use have been discontinued so I'm using one of the replacements, Bontrager AW1 racelite hard case, new chainring, cog and chain fitted, new front brake blocks fitted, the kool stop salmons I normally use have got difficult to get in the country, available abroad though, so I've fitted some clarks and I'll see how they do.


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## Batgirl (2 Sep 2014)

Another bit of fettling today was to remove 2 out of 3 decals from the bike. It's left a kind of under print on the main body of the bike and it's two colours so the join is there, but had planned to put some decals / hi vis strips or chevrons there, so will make sure I 'accent' what is left behind. 
The remaining decal is just the makers name and is pretty much intact / tidy so have left that for now.


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## HovR (2 Sep 2014)

Batgirl said:


> I'm having this problem with the third sprocket.. it reaches nicely over 1 and 2, but is slightly too the inside of the third sprocket so think it may need an LBS in time. I am thinking I can function on 12 gears rather than 18 for a while as I'm a novice.



Sounds to me like your limit screws are set incorrectly. It's really quite easy to adjust! 

If you look on the front dérailleur (the mechanism that actually pushes the chain on to the next gear) there should be two small phillips/cross head screws, one should have a small "H" written next to it, the other a small "L", which stand for high and low limit.

These screws stop the dérailleur going too far and pushing the chain off the end of the cogs, but if they are adjusted incorrectly they can also stop you getting in to the gears at the more extreme end of the ratios. In this case your largest gear on the chainset.

If you unscrew the screw marked with a "H" this should allow the dérailleur to move slightly further out, and hopefully get in to the biggest gear (assuming the cable has been fitted correctly). Do small adjustments at a time, half turns of the adjustment screw are good, then go for a small test ride up the street.

If the chain comes right off the end then you've unscrewed it too far.


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## Robeh (2 Sep 2014)

bought these off amazon...http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0073FNYPI/ref=pe_385721_37038051_TE_3p_dp_1
bargain


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## HovR (2 Sep 2014)

Another fettling session with my brothers cheap Amazon road bike, the Coyote Route 66. There was a nasty knocking noise coming from the headset when out of the saddle despite it being appropriately adjusted.

I took the stem and spacers off to find a very rusty steerer. Forks wouldn't drop out. Gave it a couple of good whacks with a lump of wood. The forks still weren't moving, so I removed the two rubber seals which can sometimes prevent the fork from sliding out. Still nothing. The upper race was corroded on to the steerer. A very large pair of pliers to grip it eventually got it off.

The headset turned out to have sealed cartridge bearings, which were very worn and dry. In an attempt to make this repair free I removed the seals, flushed out the bearings with GT85, removed the GT85 with compressed air, then trickled a large amount of heavy oil in to the bearings. This freed things up a bit, and I was able to replace the seals and reassemble after sanding down the rust from the steerer.

Amazingly it actually worked. Headset is now silent, hopefully for another few months, until I persuade him to buy a proper bike. 

There was still a bit of noise coming from one of the cheap stock plastic pedals though. It was completely dry, and one of the non-serviceable kind... So I drilled a hole in the plastic pedal body and filled the sucker with oil.  Bit of iso to clean the oil off the pedal body, then cover the hole with some duct tape. Job done!

Rest assured that on any other bike both of these would have been replacement jobs, but I don't think this bike has a whole lot more time on the road left until it's replaced!


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## Batgirl (2 Sep 2014)

HovR said:


> Sounds to me like your limit screws are set incorrectly. It's really quite easy to adjust!
> 
> If you look on the front dérailleur (the mechanism that actually pushes the chain on to the next gear) there should be two small phillips/cross head screws, one should have a small "H" written next to it, the other a small "L", which stand for high and low limit.
> 
> ...


Thanks  will have another look when put hte chain on but we did adjust the screws and I was stood up on a retaining wall / part of the garden where I could look down on the derailleur while hubby adjusted them - sadly it doesn't seem to want to go past hte edge of the biggest sprocket. 
will try again though - or get LBS onto the case if it limits me once I'm back riding. I haven't been able to use the gears so far so have all that to come. It was part of the reason to strip the bike down a bit and do a few jobs at the same time. 

Hubby is hinting at my getting an N+1 next year, so this really is a cheap project for me to learn on but also to use to commute and not worry about it being at the station.  
Appreciate the full explanation though, it'll help me to know which way need to turn the screws for best effect and confirms we were in the right area.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Sep 2014)

HovR said:


> Another fettling session with my brothers cheap Amazon road bike, the Coyote Route 66. There was a nasty knocking noise coming from the headset when out of the saddle despite it being appropriately adjusted.
> 
> I took the stem and spacers off to find a very rusty steerer. Forks wouldn't drop out. Gave it a couple of good whacks with a lump of wood. The forks still weren't moving, so I removed the two rubber seals which can sometimes prevent the fork from sliding out. Still nothing. The upper race was corroded on to the steerer. A very large pair of pliers to grip it eventually got it off.
> 
> ...


Actually, I saw a coyote out by Route 66 the other day.


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## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

HovR said:


> Sounds to me like your limit screws are set incorrectly. It's really quite easy to adjust!
> 
> If you look on the front dérailleur (the mechanism that actually pushes the chain on to the next gear) there should be two small phillips/cross head screws, one should have a small "H" written next to it, the other a small "L", which stand for high and low limit.
> 
> ...


 
I can do the limit screws OK, and also set up the cage height. What totally defeats me is getting the cable tension right using the barrel adjuster so that the indexing works. I have a triple so it might be a bit harder than a compact. Actually, I'm probably just useless.


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## HovR (2 Sep 2014)

slowmotion said:


> I can do the limit screws OK, and also set up the cage height. What totally defeats me is getting the cable tension right using the barrel adjuster so that the indexing works. I have a triple so it might be a bit harder than a compact. Actually, I'm probably just useless.



Indexing is a bit fiddly, but really once you get the gist of it it's just a case of making an adjustment, testing it, adjusting again, testing again etc. until you've got the correct cable tension. Starting with no gear cable attached, and the barrel adjuster screwed most of the way in:


Set shifter to lowest 1st gear, the dérailleur will naturally sit in 1st gear with no cable attached. Thread the cable through the pinch bolt of the dérailleur and pull it nice and taught, then tighten down the pinch bolt.

At this point there will almost certainly still not be enough tension in the cable. This will be evident as the dérailleur will struggle to shift to a bigger/higher gear. Unscrew the barrel adjuster, a half turn at a time, to increase the cable tension. Go on a little test ride down the street between each adjustment until it's shifting as it should.

If you've added too much cable tension the dérailleur will struggle to shift down to a smaller/lower gear. To fix this lower the cable tension by screwing in the barrel adjuster. You're probably in the right region now, so make adjustments a quarter turn at a time, again with a test ride between each adjustment.
That's really all there is to it. If it won't shift to a larger cog, add cable tension. If it won't shift to a smaller cog, remove cable tension. After you've done it a few times it sort of becomes second nature, and you can get the cable tension pretty damn close on the first adjustment.

And of course if you have a work stand you can just test it in the stand, rather than riding down the street. Although you may actually want to test ride it for the final adjustment!

And of course this will work for an ideal situation where only the indexing needs adjusting. If there's an issue else where with the bike, such as mis-matched shifters and dérailleurs, old cables etc, then you'll struggle to get it working well even with all the indexing knowledge in the world!


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## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

HovR said:


> Indexing is a bit fiddly, but really once you get the gist of it it's just a case of making an adjustment, testing it, adjusting again, testing again etc. until you've got the correct cable tension. Starting with no gear cable attached, and the barrel adjuster screwed most of the way in:
> 
> 
> Set shifter to lowest 1st gear, the dérailleur will naturally sit in 1st gear with no cable attached. Thread the cable through the pinch bolt of the dérailleur and pull it nice and taught, then tighten down the pinch bolt.
> ...


 Thank you HovR! That advice is much appreciated. I have a workstand and I'll give it go tomorrow.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Sep 2014)

I attached a rear rack to the Fuji, as well as fitting narrower 700x28 tires and changing the saddle again, this time a Terry Liberator I got on a hybrid I bought for parts and spares. I only got a 3 mile ride in today, as I had a pinging spoke I could not trace down. As well as a puncture, unrelated to spoke. I also went to a large sporting goods chain store and got a pair of tubes and a third bottle holder (for fuel for the Trangia). I think I am up to date for the Fuji, except the need to craft a tang to hold the front rack, and fitting of same. And rust removal from spokes, nothing serious, just surface, but I may have a new front wheel built , or order spokes and do it myself, as it looks like another long winter.


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## jayonabike (4 Sep 2014)

The new winter wheels (Fulcrum 5's) turned up from Wiggle, as well as the new 4 season tyres from Evans. So I popped them both on the Enigma and put the Fulcrum 1's away till next spring. Put on the AssSaver mudguard and the bike is now ready for winter.


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## Cubist (6 Sep 2014)

I put the saddle back on my road bike after I lent it to someone for an extended test ride. 

I then converted my Coitc Soul to 10 speed. A bit of a windfall and I was able to get hold of an XT 11-34 cassette, a RH XT shifter, an XT M786 clutch mech and a KMC X10 93 EL chain. I stripped out the old parts, including removing the BB mounted chain guide and replaced it with a BB spacer, then refitted the cranks after a good clean. I've kept the old rings, an XT 22 tooth granny and a Deore 36 tooth as they work well enough, although I might sell the bits I've taken off to raise some cash for some Blackspire or Middleburn rings. Swapped the cassettes over on the freehub, fitted the shifter and rear mech and spent a happy half hour adjusting the mech so it's sweet as it can be. I used the big to big plus two links nonsense and ended up taking another two links out before the chain ran the mech properly.Just finished cleaning and photographing the old stuff to sell.


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## PeteXXX (6 Sep 2014)

Defy 2 cleaned and lubed up ready for my ride tomorrow. New rear light fitted.
Touristique cleaned and lovingly fettled all over before storing away until the next time I take it for a spin.


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Sep 2014)

Yesterday I adjusted (again ) the derailleurs on my touring/commuting bike, and today I installed a new mini-pump and pair of tyres on the road bike. I had used the road bike for 2 days commuting last week but had left replacing the tyres for too long, and I needed to use my existing mini-pump on Thursday's commute home. It was very difficult to use, so I bought another one. This one (unlike the previous) I tested, and found it was very easy to use. It has a flexible hose with Presta head on one end and Schrader the other, and both screw onto the tube valve, making it easy to pump up the tube without struggling to keep the pump head attached to the valve.

As for the new tyres, they're 700x25C Marathon Plus, and I didn't need tyre levers to remove the old or install the new tyres, so it didn't take long to do it .

I also transferred a pair of cleats, and inner soles, from an old pair of cycling shoes which were falling apart, on to a brand new pair.

Yesterday I also fettled (in a manner of speaking) my face, shaving my Winter beard off (and various grey hairs with it) and getting my hair trimmed. It's taken a decade off my age!


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## Gravity Aided (7 Sep 2014)

I added the bottom fuel bottle holder and fitted a front rack to my Fuji. Just need to add a bell, and ride through Normal Thursday, as the transit system will be giving away bicycle lights and talking about bicycle racks on buses, and how to use them.


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## compo (7 Sep 2014)

My rear brake cable snapped this morning during my ride. No great drama as long as I remembered not to use it to slow me down! Anyway new cable now fitted. New disc pads fitted while I was at it as the pads were well worn down.

On the same run I also had a puncture and a cut in the tyre that penetrated right through the casing. I glued a large patch to the inside of the tyre and fitted another tube and it got me home ok, so I guess a trip to the tyre shop is called for tomorrow.


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## potsy (7 Sep 2014)

Big light put back onto bike ready for the next commute, added the newly acquired Topeak Tri-bag to use as the battery carrier, also dug out my buff/skullcap/Autumn gloves.

Caad to have a wipe over and polish next ready for a leisure ride tomorrow.


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## SpokeyDokey (7 Sep 2014)

Sorted sharp cracking noise over rough surfaces.

Was the headset top cap - how on earth it made such a racket is beyond me. Fixed with a smear of grease on the bolt and underside of cap.


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## compo (8 Sep 2014)

I have just removed my rear wheel and removed the tyre, tube, rim tape, cassette and disc rotor ready for it to go to the shop later for truing. I know that it isn't strictly necessary to remove the cassette and disc for truing but it is a good chance to give them a thorough clean.


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## I like Skol (8 Sep 2014)

potsy said:


> Big light put back onto bike ready for the next commute, added the newly acquired Topeak Tri-bag to use as the battery carrier, also dug out my buff/skullcap/Autumn gloves.
> 
> Caad to have a wipe over and polish next ready for a leisure ride tomorrow.


Glad to hear it, I'll see you in the bike shed.

I had to fettle my MTB this weekend. After a thrash around Clayton Vale in the rain and mud on Saturday for me we had a family ride planned around Derwent and Howden Reservoirs on Sunday. Trouble was, Mrs Skol didn't feel confident doing the bumpy stuff on her current folding electric bike so I had to use my hybrid and 'adapt' the MTB to suit her  Off with the SPDs to be replaced with some pinned flat pedals and then swap my Charge spoon for an old, female specific saddle we have knocking about from her last bike. It even had pink hi-lights 

The ride was a great success and she was whizzing along with the kids very confidently, in fact it was the most confident I have seen her on a bike for many years. When I commented on this she replied that she really liked my bike, it felt very solid and safe 

What have I done? It's my GT Zaskar and she's not having it.......


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## potsy (8 Sep 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Glad to hear it, I'll see you in the bike shed.
> 
> I had to fettle my MTB this weekend. After a thrash around Clayton Vale in the rain and mud on Saturday for me we had a family ride planned around Derwent and Howden Reservoirs on Sunday. Trouble was, Mrs Skol didn't feel confident doing the bumpy stuff on her current folding electric bike so I had to use my hybrid and 'adapt' the MTB to suit her  Off with the SPDs to be replaced with some pinned flat pedals and then swap my Charge spoon for an old, female specific saddle we have knocking about from her last bike. It even had pink hi-lights
> 
> ...


I didn't say when the next commute would be 

Please tell me there are pictures available of the new look mtb?


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## wisdom (8 Sep 2014)

Been busy apple fettling.Result should be ready in January 2015.


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## Richard A Thackeray (9 Sep 2014)

Fitted new brake-blocks & chain on the Ribble, this morning

I was surprised by how much the blocks had worn, given that it's not been used every working day, as I try to alternate running & riding (I got it in June last year, via the 'C2W scheme')
I got distracted whilst shortening the chain though, & took 2 links too many out, so now it's at full stretch on the 50x19, then again, that's the lowest I run to, on the big ring 

Old rear blocks, at the top;


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## compo (9 Sep 2014)

I wanted to fit my newly trued wheel to my bike this morning, but when I collected it from the shop the mechanic showed me why it had suddenly gone out of true. A fine hairline crack had developed around the rim, about 4 spoke holes length. The wheel is scrap. He did suggest getting a rim and relacing it but the labour on a fairly inexpensive wheel would hardly make sense so I have ordered a new wheel. If I can find a cheap rim I might have a go myself at relacing it, it can't do any harm.


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## arch684 (9 Sep 2014)

compo said:


> I wanted to fit my newly trued wheel to my bike this morning, but when I collected it from the shop the mechanic showed me why it had suddenly gone out of true. A fine hairline crack had developed around the rim, about 4 spoke holes length. The wheel is scrap. He did suggest getting a rim and relacing it but the labour on a fairly inexpensive wheel would hardly make sense so I have ordered a new wheel. If I can find a cheap rim I might have a go myself at relacing it, it can't do any harm.


go for it the more things you try the more you learn


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## threebikesmcginty (9 Sep 2014)

Paulus said:


> Changed my SPD's on my Tourer back to flat pedals with toe clips and straps so i can go to the shops without having to wear my cycling shoes.



I use those one-sided SPD/flat so you go down the shop in your Berkies.


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## Drago (9 Sep 2014)

My pick up truck.


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## Paulus (9 Sep 2014)

I have a lot of fettling to do on my next project. A work mate has just given an old Raleigh racing bike, 25 inch frame and everything is painted olive green, and I do mean everything. The Head badge, frame, centre pull brake calipers, the cranks and also the small racing mudguards. There is no clue as to what model it is as the decals seem to have been removed before painting. It has Weinmann 10 speed gearing with centre pull brakes. I am guessing it is a late 70's early 80's model.. it will keep me busy over the lengthening autumn evenings.


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## the_mikey (9 Sep 2014)

New cleat on my right shoe, the left takes a lot longer to wear out.


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## smokeysmoo (10 Sep 2014)

Fitted a set of SKS Bluemel guards to the Raleigh Record Sprint.

So it's ready for winter riding and I've got no excuse when it rains


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## Gravity Aided (11 Sep 2014)

New saddle to the Fuji, as well as a seat bag and mudguard. Front mudguard will happen when I get out the metalworking tools and paint remover and make a rear mudguard into a front mudguard, and I need to add a bell, then this bicycle needs to be over for now. Probably have gotten 3-4" of rain in the past 24 hours, so hopefully Saturday may actually see some cycling accomplished


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## Arjimlad (11 Sep 2014)

New gear cables - and new outers at the handlebars on my Defy 2. They had rubbed against the brake cables and gone rusty !

Changing had been very poor for some time and I had changed the rear derailleur outer and cable to try to alleviate it.

I was surprised how little time it took with a proper cable cutter tool and how easy it seemed to index the gears afterwards. Need to ride it a bit now and let it all settle in..


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## DCLane (11 Sep 2014)

The Spesh Secteur has had a wobbly bottom bracket and clicking from the RH side for a few weeks.

Fitted a new Ultegra 6700 bottom bracket this lunchtime - thanks again Velocampus, Leeds.

And ... the clicking's still there. At least I know it's the RH pedal!


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## ColinJ (11 Sep 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Now then, the answers to 2 big questions
> 
> Q: How well does the new gearing work mechanically? A: Very well indeed! I have not changed the derailleurs, shifters, or chain, and had to rotate the rear derailleur with a baked bean can shim (!) to get it to work properly, but it shifts quickly, quietly, and reliably. I did a hilly 11 mile test ride this afternoon during which I repeatedly shifted up and down through all 30 gears and didn't experience one flunked shift. I am chuffed!
> Q: How well did I get on with the new gear ratios? A: As I hoped - very well indeed! The big ring is more usable - I can spin the 48 much more easily than the old 53. I don't think I will miss the one gear at the top end that I have effectively lost. The middle ring is great. I now have a 38 instead of a 39 and that makes it possible to stay longer on the middle ring up some fairly steep climbs. I did a few stretches of 12-15% in 38/29 and felt comfortable. I would drop down onto the new little ring for longer or very steep climbs, but the 38 ring with a 23, 26 or 29 sprocket is ideal for sprinting up tough little rises, especially with the lightness and stiffness of the Cannondale frame. The little ring gives me a luxury 28/29 gear which will enable me to survive stretches of 25+%, and be really nice on longer climbs of 10-20%.
> ...


I have now done hundreds of miles on this new gearing and it has exceeded my most optimistic expectations!

I have climbed lots of steep stuff, done scores of miles on rollercoaster roads which have me shifting up and down through the gears every few seconds, and done some fairly high speed wind-assisted runs down flat A-roads. I have only managed to overshift and drop the chain onto the granny ring instead of the middle ring a couple of times, and that was because I was being very careless with my shifting - if I click the left Campag thumbshifter one click at a time, the shift is perfect, but because it is so reliable I sometimes just click it three clicks and throw the chain straight down to save time.

Now I need to get the old chainset on eBay to recoup some of the cost!


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## Robeh (11 Sep 2014)

when i get my cycle to work voucher i will be getting one off these..........http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Synapse-105-5-Disc-2015-Road-Bike_73606.htm


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## compo (12 Sep 2014)

compo said:


> I wanted to fit my newly trued wheel to my bike this morning, but when I collected it from the shop the mechanic showed me why it had suddenly gone out of true. A fine hairline crack had developed around the rim, about 4 spoke holes length. The wheel is scrap. He did suggest getting a rim and relacing it but the labour on a fairly inexpensive wheel would hardly make sense so I have ordered a new wheel. If I can find a cheap rim I might have a go myself at relacing it, it can't do any harm.



Update: New wheel received today from Evans, delivered by DPD. Now ready to head off out for a ride tomorrow.


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## Cyclist33 (12 Sep 2014)

Just done some wheel swappage... Fell off and bent my Vision Team 30s, well the rear one anyway, last week, so dusted off my old hybrid wheels and they, bizarrely, seem to have improved with hibernation!

Not the lightest ever though - 1180g/900g naked weight, so after trialling them on my steel bike for a week, enjoying the comfort and assurance, I've just swapped cassettes etc and put them on my Giant Defy, and put the Fulcrums back on the Jamis.

Happy days - me feelz a ride coming on tomorrow!


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## Drago (12 Sep 2014)

My complimentary carbon seat post arrived today thanks to Wiggle. Not going to fit it just year cos i want to fondle it a while.


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## Cyclist33 (12 Sep 2014)

Complimentary?!

[Splutter] how so?


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## Drago (12 Sep 2014)

My new Felt bike was mis described as having one. When it arrived with a alloy post I complained, and after a bit of negotiation I got a.£60 FSA carbon post for gratis. Very happy with Wiggle, and will continue to use them with glee.


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## Cyclist33 (12 Sep 2014)

Drago said:


> My new Felt bike was mis described as having one. When it arrived with a alloy post I complained, and after a bit of negotiation I got a.£60 FSA carbon post for gratis. Very happy with Wiggle, and will continue to use them with glee.



So will I, although glee is probably the wrong word... I bought some wheels from them recently but they were absolutely shocking, but to be fair Wiggle took them back at their own cost and issued a quick and full refund.


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## Drago (13 Sep 2014)

I had heard bad things, but to be fair they went to expensive lengths in the end to sort it, and I had threatened to simply send the bike back at their expense, so I took a firm stance. Either way, they made some effort to make me happy, so I'll reward that with some future custom. I've always found Evans customer service to be superb, sorting out hassles virtually instantly, but they simply didn't have the bike I wanted.


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## fatjel (13 Sep 2014)

Cleaned the mud from yesterdays estuary adventure and pumped the tyres ready for the crown audax in the morning..
Bikes in fine order not so sure about rider


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## themosquitoking (13 Sep 2014)

@Nomadski and i helped a mate partially rebuild his sons bike, he got new wheels, shifters, casette, cables and chain for his birthday. He's a lucky boy. Amazingly it ended up being cheaper to get him 10 speed tiagra shifters and casette than 9 speed sora was. We were upgrading from 8 speed sora with thumb shifters. A few false starts but all in all once we started doing things in the right order everything fell into place fairly quickly.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 Sep 2014)

Rode out for saddle adjustment ride, wound up fettling brakes, as the saddle seems to be at the right angle right off, but the brakes had some cable stretch.


----------



## fossyant (15 Sep 2014)

The fixed commute bike is back on the road. Super fast deliveries from Chain Reaction and bike-discount.com, ordered Friday, delivered Monday am.

New brake levers, cables and bar tape fitted. New replacement skid lid too. All ready to go when I am recovered from my crash. Still in big trouble with the boss.


----------



## Twotter (18 Sep 2014)

Brooks Team Pro removed & Charge Spoon fitted.....test ride to follow


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## Drago (18 Sep 2014)

Dug through my Forbidden Box of Mystery and dug out a sweet Ritchey seat post and some carbon headset spacers which I duly fitted to Mrs Dragos Pendleton road bike.


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## Shut Up Legs (18 Sep 2014)

fossyant said:


> The fixed commute bike is back on the road. Super fast deliveries from Chain Reaction and bike-discount.com, ordered Friday, delivered Monday am.
> 
> New brake levers, cables and bar tape fitted. New replacement skid lid too. All ready to go when I am recovered from my crash. Still in big trouble with the boss.


Deliveries are never that fast when I order from CRC . The parcels probably get to Australia quickly enough, but it's the last stage that really eats up the time. That's where they pass the parcel over to the one-legged rickshaw operator to carry it to my suburb.


----------



## arch684 (18 Sep 2014)

stripped down a 1981 bsa tour of Britain for cleaning


----------



## DCLane (19 Sep 2014)

Not bike-related but shoe ...

I snapped a wire on my Spesh BG Comp shoes so checked the BOA website. They do free wire replacements 

A week later and a new wire plus tools and spool have arrived. The instructions were OK if confusing but I've eventually fitted the wire / spool / new cap. Me  and I've no longer got a broken shoe.


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## Drago (19 Sep 2014)

Fitted some painfully sexy titanium skewers to the felt. A nice bit of carbon and titanium seat goodness also found its way on there.


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## arch684 (20 Sep 2014)

replaced bearings on head set and bottom bracket of the bsa tour of Britain . I hate cotter pins


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## PeteXXX (25 Sep 2014)

Front brake pads replaced on the full-susser.

A dab of glue on my helmet where the padding had become detatched.


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## youngoldbloke (25 Sep 2014)

Cleaned, lubed and put the 1992 Peugeot 525 Comp back together, and refitted the original Lyotard pedals and clips and straps in preparation for a 'vintage' get together. I still have my Diadora shoes from that time too. The Crud RoadRacer guards aren't quite in period (!), but look quite good on the bike anyway (I may take them off for the get together).


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## DCLane (25 Sep 2014)

Busy evening:

- Replaced the bottom bracket on the Ridgeback Platinum and fitted a new rear tyre so I've one red and one blue one.
- Replaced the plastic bit on my Dura Ace 7800 pedal (RH) - now need to do the LH as well
- Dismantled, cleaned and greased the faulty Joe Blow Sport II pump so it now works


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (26 Sep 2014)

dusted the cobwebs off my mountain bike (been about a month since it was used and I have been on holiday on another bike), thrown the spiders out, removed the chain (slipping and over 1% stretch), replaced with new one... washed the bike down, greased a few bits and test rode it up the local steep incline - chain not slipping now under very heavy pedal pressure... but I have to say the squeal that the brakes have acquired needs a little tuning (plus some ear plugs) front and rear brake squeals clash superbly!  Still I won't need to let people know I am around...

Should be set for tomorrow's ride...


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## Drago (26 Sep 2014)

Fitted a new reverse light switch to the truck.Hosed off some of the blood from all the orphans, puppies and nuns I've slaughtered while driving it.

I may have made that last bit up


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## Psycolist (26 Sep 2014)

After having my 'off roader' stripped and polished within an inch of its life while the front forks where away for a service, ( 5 weeks felt more like 5 months) I've got it back on the road, I mean OFF ROAD ! Happy ? you could say that. Cant stop smiling. I've often wondered if I had to get rid of either my hybrid/roadie or my off roader, I wouldn't be able to choose. I think I now I know, without fear of contraception, it would be the hybrid to go ! But, having said that, PLEASE GOD, don't ever make it have to happen. P.S. One of the garden elves let it slip that Santa has just taken delivery of a new set of wheels that may be heading my way in a few months time.


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## gbb (26 Sep 2014)

Friend of the wifes, single mum, bit of a lovely nutcase, her cheap bike (Probike) split the rear tyre and tube.
I donated a tube I no longer use (mtb), she brought a cheap tyre, wife and I went over , they drank tea, I fixed bike (and drank tea)
Rear tube and tyre fitted.
Rear hub notchy and a bit tight. No tools or equipment for that so dribbled plenty oil down the freehub \axle, that let the wheel spin far more freely.
Pumped up hopelessly low front tyre.
Checked front hub, bit tight as well, dribbled oil through the cones.
Oiled chain, wipe, wipe wipe.
Adjusted brakes.
Dribbled oil into pedals.
Chatted plenty, drank tea.

Quite happy, she said it was like pedalling through treacle before, I explained why,she was so happy she'd be able to get on it again.

Like others ive helped, she was really appreciative that I'd given it some tlc. No... no thanks needed, I love tinkering with them, even BSOs. Its turned from a poorly cared for, difficult to ride machine...to something that is actually rideable.


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## IncoherentJeff (26 Sep 2014)

Stripped the decals off the USA Daytona (made in China, sometime in the early 80s).
Applied my own decals, a little painting and stripped the bar tape.

Building it as a budget bike for nipping to the shops on. Missed a delivery from CRC so work has halted till I get to the post depo.


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## DCLane (26 Sep 2014)

Fitted a new cassette to son's Felt 95 Junior - with 16 and 18 tooth rings, so hopefully he'll be OK for an U10's race tomorrow (18 tooth max) and U12's next year (16 tooth) with a 50/34 crankset.


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## Shut Up Legs (27 Sep 2014)

After giving my tourer/commuter bike its weekly clean, I replaced the Specialized Armadillo All-Weather 700x28C tyres with the ones I used to use: Schwalbe Marathon Plus, because the latter, although heavier, have far superior puncture resistance. I had only used 1 pair of Specialized tyres on this bike, to see if they were worth continuing with, but I prefer the Marathon Plus tyres (especially when well-meaning but bicycle-illiterate local councils surface roads in coloured ground glass, of all things ).


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## gavgav (27 Sep 2014)

Given my bike the once over, ready for the 60 mile sportive I'm doing tomorrow.

Checked all bolts and screws are tight. Some of the pedal screws were loose AGAIN @Rickshaw Phil !! 

Chain looks ok for tomorrow but will need a clean and re-oil
Soon me thinks!


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Sep 2014)

gavgav said:


> Given my bike the once over, ready for the 60 mile sportive I'm doing tomorrow.
> 
> Checked all bolts and screws are tight. * Some of the pedal screws were loose AGAIN *@Rickshaw Phil !!
> 
> ...


Some loctite would stop them doing that. However, as we already know the bearings were pitting at the last service I think now might be a good time to think about investing in some better ones.


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## Supersuperleeds (27 Sep 2014)

Cleaned the Tricross and took it to the lbs for some TLC. Also cleaned the Allez and tweaked the indexing


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## Elybazza61 (27 Sep 2014)

Yesterday finally got round to cutting the steerer tube on the Ridley;had to bodge a bolt/block of wood to knock the star nut further down but all went smoothly after that with the help of a Park tool cutting jig and an Aldi saw.
Looks much,much better without the spacers on top and also with the addition of a Raceware 3d printed out front mount.


----------



## J1780 (27 Sep 2014)

Cleaned chain, cassette and chainring cleaned the whole bike and replaced the brake pads. Finally a polish and lubed drivetrain. Bike looks well for the ride tomorrow morning.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Sep 2014)

Did a little metalworking to make a Sterno 3 legged stove fit a Trangia, by putting 3 slots in the legs to recieve the lip that goes around the middle of the Trangia, placing the stove exactly 1 inch below the pot, where it needs to be.. I found this in an estate sale, which also had a room full of cameras. Not Kodaks. Leicas, Voightlaenders, and Nikons mainly. Also lots of camping equipment.


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## Shut Up Legs (28 Sep 2014)

J1780 said:


> Cleaned chain, cassette and chainring cleaned the whole bike and replaced the brake pads. Finally a polish and lubed drivetrain. Bike looks well for the ride tomorrow morning.


That's risky, you'll bring on the 'new bike' weather if you keep that up


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## J1780 (28 Sep 2014)

victor said:


> That's risky, you'll bring on the 'new bike' weather if you keep that up


Funny you mention that!!!! We haven't had 'new bike' weather here for weeks this morning I got up all looked well so I got the bike out and went for a ride.....25kms in and the heavens opened this continued for around 5kms and then it was all four seasons in one 65km ride type weather. Typical but at least I'm not the only one it happens to.


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## IncoherentJeff (2 Oct 2014)

Managed to collect my parcel from the Royal Mail depo, so new brake levers, brake cables (inner & outer) and some nice new red bar tape on the USA Daytona.

A quick true of the wheels soon & she'll be good for riding.


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## potsy (2 Oct 2014)

New tyres on the Caad, wanted to see how wide a tyre it would take and am pleased that my gamble to buy 28's worked out ok and they fit comfortably.
Also upgraded the old pedals on the CX to some Shimano XT's, bit lighter, hopefully better quality so all good.

What sort of extra speed can I now expect after having it go from a 14kg bike down to a 13.9kg one?


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## Blurb (4 Oct 2014)

Replaced chain and 13T for a 14T sprocket on the Brommie.

Also, fitted a new Marathon plus. Used the cable tie method and just about managed it. I kid you not when I say my thumbs actually bled getting the damn thing on.


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## cyberknight (4 Oct 2014)

New hanger on the vanquish + reindexed gears
New chain on the baordman + new chainstay stickers
Changed tyres on the vanquish from stock ultra sports to gators.


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## wisdom (5 Oct 2014)

You smell nice the good lady said
I know said i
What is it she asked.



GT 85 was my reply i was just getting the bike ready for next weeks commute have you seen the forecast.


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## Christopher (5 Oct 2014)

Peeled, filed and installed a seasoned ash shaft from one of my trees onto a croom. Swaged the holding pin too.


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## wisdom (5 Oct 2014)

Christopher said:


> Peeled, filed and installed a seasoned ash shaft from one of my trees onto a croom. Swaged the holding pin too.


Should that be crook?If not whats a croom? Nice to see old crafts.put a piccy on.


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## IncoherentJeff (6 Oct 2014)

Touched up the stone chips & scratches on the Fuji Allegro using Ford Panther Black metallic paint. It's a great match


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## KneesUp (8 Oct 2014)

Tried to fit my new steerer extension - in fact I did fit it, but then I took it off because it turns out the ahead converter that came with the bike is a rare beast - a 1" ahead converter. S0 I need a new stem tomorrow if I am ever to get the height. Put the old steerer / ahead converter back.

Then fitted new cantilevers, so front and back now match. Frayed the cable on the rear so had to trim it, meaning the yoke is far to high.

Notice on adjusting the front one that the wheel had a wobble because the bearings were loose. Took it off and gave it a spin and it was gritty as chuff, not surprisingly. So stripped down the hub and cleaned and greased it - and took the opportunity to turn around the directional front tyre I put on backwards ...


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## Gravity Aided (9 Oct 2014)

The wheel on my Specialized Hardrock had a wobble as well. When I stripped down the wheel, I found the axle had sheared at the hub edge. I'll have to find a new wheel, and worry about replacing the axle later, I think. As someone had given me the bike, unable to diagnose the wobble problem, I think it's worth a wheel.


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## smokeysmoo (15 Oct 2014)

Yesterday I fettled the worn heel lining on my walking boots.

I was quoted around £20 by Timpsons yesterday but thought I'd give it a whirl myself.

I didn't have any denim material, (this is recommended by a thread I saw), so I thought I'd try with a piece of synthetic chamois.

I cut a small piece first to fill the hole that had appeared and glued it in place, then cut the main piece, glued the back and stuck it in.

Walked 5 miles in them today and never felt a thing, happy days


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## Gravity Aided (15 Oct 2014)

Fitted an old Nitto Technomic stem to my Fuji. My experiment with a lower bar did not prove any faster, and I think it cost me speed on climbs. Better results with the higher stem.


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## Crackle (15 Oct 2014)

My shed were I keep my bikes. Someone tried to get in and failed. I've now added an extra door bolt and another outside padlock. Still need to bar the window, which is big but the bikes are all chained to two wall anchors and some locked together with u locks. Considering a PIR light but I hate them.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Oct 2014)

I've been working on the Specialized Hardrock. New rear axle, new brake levers and shifters with cables.


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## gavgav (18 Oct 2014)

Fitted my new lights. Not sure of the position chosen for rear light yet. It's a strip light with rubber bands to fix it to the bike. Currently attached to rack but might ask @Rickshaw Phil for his thoughts!!

Also gave the bike a good clean, as it was filthy from my ride on Thursday.


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Oct 2014)

gavgav said:


> Fitted my new lights. Not sure of the position chosen for rear light yet. It's a strip light with rubber bands to fix it to the bike. Currently attached to rack but might ask @Rickshaw Phil for his thoughts!!
> 
> Also gave the bike a good clean, as it was filthy from my ride on Thursday.


I'll have a look.


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## Shut Up Legs (19 Oct 2014)

I just finished cleaning my road bike and touring/commuting bike. The latter now has a new front wheel, as the previous one was too buckled, thanks to the motorist who got out of a car and pushed me off my bike 2.5 weeks ago. Now it seems that the sideways wobble the tourer's rear wheel was developing over the last few months is too major to ignore. I'll have to get one of my local bike shops to true it for me. I would have a go at it myself, but I want to use this bike for a long ride in 2 weeks and don't want to risk my amateurish truing skills making the wheel worse.

My left hand still hurts from falling off the bike 2.5 weeks ago. I think I came close to breaking something, and now, although it is slowly getting better, I can still feel some pain and tightness in the tendons of the hand, although I do have full mobility and it doesn't affect my cycling. I wonder if the person who pushed me off the bike regrets doing this, or whether they just forgot about it days after the incident?


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## Goonerobes (20 Oct 2014)

A full "wheels off" clean for the bike today following yesterdays sportive & some new Continental 4 seasons put on for the winter months.


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## youngoldbloke (21 Oct 2014)

Fitted new Bottom Bracket to winter Ribble. 'Upgraded' to Ultegra as CRC had them for 10.99 - would have been 10% less if I'd remembered they'd had a 10% off offer at the weekend! Hope it will solve the 'cycling with the brakes on while making a horrible clicking noise' symptoms I'd begun to suffer over the weekend . (The old cups were done up amazingly tight )


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## gbb (25 Oct 2014)

Pre ride fettle on the Trek 7100FX which has had a siezed FD for so long its embarrassing...lazy bogger me.
So, WD40 liberally used, muscle flexed to work it free, oil applied to give a longer lasting lube..lubed chain as well. Lovely smooth transmission now, just need a tweek to refine the shift between the 28 and 38 .
The whole bikes getting a bit long in the tooth now, but its generally reliable barring the wheels that were replaced with budget ones long ago. A useful bike when you dont fancy munching miles , better for just getting out there and not mullering yourself.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (25 Oct 2014)

Finally got around to switching my tyres back to my winter ones after I spotted a rather deep gash in the tread of my front tyre (road bike) and whilst I didn't have a flat, sadly the tyre is a write off. It goes all the way down to the lining cutting through the canvas and threads. Shame as the tyre had only done around 5,000 km and looked pretty good for double that again! 

Then I had a look at my rear brake cross lever which wasn't returning all the way, regreasing the brake cables solved that one and finally whilst the wheel was off the bike, I had a look at my front wheel bearings to see why there was lateral movement in the wheel... One of the 17mm nuts was lose ish. A slight tighten and all fine again.

Then on to my mountain bike and switched the tyres back over to the mid tyres from the semi slicks they were in and tried using the brake disc cleaner to stop the squealing. Stopped the rear squealing but the fronts still squeal superbly despite cleaning the disks and pads. Oh well. That can be another day!


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## Hacienda71 (26 Oct 2014)

Changed the frame bearings on my Stumpjumper FSR. G clamp and assorted sockets did the trick and the play seems to have gone. Also put some new M424 pedals on to make it a bit more practical for knocking around with the kids


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## Elybazza61 (28 Oct 2014)

Not today but over the week-end I fitted Challenge Grifo pros to the Mavic/xt wheels plus new discs,cleaned the Ridley after the club ride and mostly stripped the old Trek hybrid down for it's (probably slow) conversion to a rigid forked drop bar commuter which I'm trying to do as cheaply as possible ;especially as I have been looking at Ridley Helium frames thanks to Bike etc and Cyclist magazines.


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## gbb (28 Oct 2014)

Two wheels but motorised, my sons scooter.....13 years old, and needs frequent minor fettling. If its not one thing, its another. Today, exhaust hanger bolt has snapped.
Oh fer chrissakes, could be a bogger, steel bolt in alloy engine but as the head of the bolt had sheared off, it left 8mm of the remaining bolt sticking proud...which just required a turn with pliers to unscrew.


----------



## I like Skol (28 Oct 2014)

When I got home from today's 12hr shift I HAD to put replacement pads in my XT disc brakes. They have been getting a bit noisy for a while so I guessed they were ready to be changed but they weren't high on the priorities list. The last couple of days has been accompanied by an intermittent scraping that was getting more and more persistent until today when it was constant and no matter how loud I turned up the volume on my ipod it could still be heard 

Anyhow, these came out....






... and have been replaced with genuine Shimano metallic pads. Serenity returns 

Next job on the horizon is a chain, cassette and middle chainring swap as the current ones are getting quite tired.


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## derrick (28 Oct 2014)

spray painted my Tandem frame today, all i have to do now is fit it all back together again.


----------



## raleighnut (29 Oct 2014)

I like Skol said:


> When I got home from today's 12hr shift I HAD to put replacement pads in my XT disc brakes. They have been getting a bit noisy for a while so I guessed they were ready to be changed but they weren't high on the priorities list. The last couple of days has been accompanied by an intermittent scraping that was getting more and more persistent until today when it was constant and no matter how loud I turned up the volume on my ipod it could still be heard
> 
> Anyhow, these came out....
> View attachment 60207
> ...


I think you got the last possible mile out of them.


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## gbb (29 Oct 2014)

Shed in garden re roofed. I noticed a damp patch in the corner last time I got the bike out....the shed's about 15 years old so it's done ok. Old felt off......ooer. looking at the state of the roof panels, its a new roof next year...but this new felt will see it through the winter ok.....and keep the bikes n stuff dry.


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## Shut Up Legs (2 Nov 2014)

After falling off my tourer/commuter bike on October 2nd (or being pushed, rather ), I've had a few problems getting it back on the road again:

On Sat Oct 4th, I took the badly-buckled front wheel to a bike shop to be trued by an expert (because I still haven't learned do do that useful task myself, but it's on my TODO list), and picked it up On Wed 8th.
Unfortunately, it was still too buckled to be of much use, so I wasted a bit of money there .
On Sat 11th I left new front wheel parts (I'd already ordered these online months ago: planning ahead ) with the bike shop.
On Sat 18th I picked up the new front wheel, which is of course perfectly true, so I'm happy with that .
Unfortunately, the back wheel had been going out of true for several months, and now also needed truing , so on Sat 25th I left the back wheel at the bike shop to be trued.
I picked up the trued back wheel yesterday.
Today, I did some fettling on my pride and joy (I've done massive kms on this bike, so I'm pretty attached to it).
I put the back wheel on the bike.
I then took the pedals off and thoroughly cleaned and re-greased them.
I took both cranks off, and the bottom bracket, cleaned and re-greased them all, then reassembled. The bottom bracket definitely needed the clean, as it had months of Winter gunk accumulated on it.
The left crank was missing the plastic insert that sits between the 2 bolts where it's attached to the axle, but I found a spare one in my cupboard of miscellaneous old bike parts.
Now the bike has super-smooth pedaling, 2 perfectly-true wheels, and should be ready again for commuting . I'm looking forward to riding it again.


----------



## DCLane (2 Nov 2014)

A couple of things;

The Secteur:

was switched to it's 'winter' wheels and the 'summer' wheels got a set of new GP4000s tyres ready for 2015.
New Shimano 5800 pedals fitted as the old Dura-ace 7800's were clicking, even with new plastic covers
 
The Ridgeback Platinum had:

Bottom bracket re-threaded, bottom bracket and crankset re-fitted - my thanks to the LBS in Mirfield for this bit
Replacement rear derailleur and new chain
New rear gear cable inner and outer
Rear wheel trued


----------



## Cubist (2 Nov 2014)

First bit of fettling for a while yesterday. I had trashed my rear derailleur on the Ibis, and had shortened the chain to singlespeed it back to the car park. After ordering and fitting the new chain and mech I found that the chain skipped badly on the cassette on the 28t cog, and closer examination showed that several of the teeth were bent just enough to stop the chain meshing properly. No amount of tweaking and twisting was going to work so I gave up and ordered a new cassette. It was interesting lifting the bike into the workstand after my recent gallbladder op, but it's now running sweet as a sweet thing with a new chain and cassette. May even be able to ride it in a day or two......


----------



## Drago (2 Nov 2014)

Trimmed my beard this morning. Was starting to look like Brian Blessed.


----------



## Cubist (2 Nov 2014)

Drago said:


> Trimmed my beard this morning. Was starting to look like Brian Blessed.


Gone from full beard to Victorian handlebar and chops with a single stroke of the trimmer yesterday. My excuse was that it's Movember, but Mrs Cube is starting to cotton on to the fact it may be just to wind her up while I'm on CSL.


----------



## Venod (2 Nov 2014)

Made & calibrated a spoke tension gauge & built some wheels with Stans Crest rims & Shimano XT hubs.


----------



## young Ed (2 Nov 2014)

victor said:


> I just finished cleaning my road bike and touring/commuting bike. The latter now has a new front wheel, as the previous one was too buckled, thanks to the motorist who got out of a car and pushed me off my bike 2.5 weeks ago. Now it seems that the sideways wobble the tourer's rear wheel was developing over the last few months is too major to ignore. I'll have to get one of my local bike shops to true it for me. I would have a go at it myself, but I want to use this bike for a long ride in 2 weeks and don't want to risk my amateurish truing skills making the wheel worse.
> 
> My left hand still hurts from falling off the bike 2.5 weeks ago. I think I came close to breaking something, and now, although it is slowly getting better, I can still feel some pain and tightness in the tendons of the hand, although I do have full mobility and it doesn't affect my cycling. I wonder if the person who pushed me off the bike regrets doing this, or whether they just forgot about it days after the incident?


i realise this a while ago but i must have missed something, what happened? do you have a vid?
Cheers Ed


----------



## potsy (2 Nov 2014)

New front and rear lights fitted to the Caad and a new rear light to the CX bike (Smart R2's)
Frame bag also fitted to both to carry the essentials, this also frees up the seat post for mounting a spare rear light.

Wednesday the CX got a pair of M+Tour for winter riding/off road stuff.


----------



## Racing roadkill (2 Nov 2014)

I've replaced the cleats on my shoes. I managed to find a LBS who had some blue shimano's. Jobs a good'un. I'll be building up my new rear wheel as well.


----------



## Gravity Aided (2 Nov 2014)

Replaced the front derailleur twist shifter with a thumb shifter on my Specialized Hardrock. I also replaced the handlebars and some cables. Bicycle is now reliably functional, and quite fast for a mountain bike, by my reckoning.


----------



## wisdom (2 Nov 2014)

The joys of motoring. If it had been a bike it would have been sorted and back on the road in no time.Wife picked up the puncture whilst out shopping.


----------



## Andy clarke (2 Nov 2014)

arch684 said:


> changed a 42 32 22 chainset to a 48 38 28 and adjusted the front mech


Is that all that needed doing?


----------



## arch684 (2 Nov 2014)

Andy clarke said:


> Is that all that needed doing?


no but it was all I could be arsed typing


----------



## Colin_P (2 Nov 2014)

Well yesterday.

Refurbished an old set of Sora 3300 calipers.

From this (I did the first one before grabbing the camera) old and tarnished 20 year old dull ally.

























Not sure if I am going to fit them to the bike. Current calipers are non branded (I think pro-stop or something similar) and wondering apart from the aesthetics if there is any benefit on doing so. Both sets are identical size wize so the question is do I swap the almost brand new ones for 20 year old ones?


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (2 Nov 2014)

Plenty of cleaning today. The Raleigh was the muckiest it's ever been after yesterday's ride and I think I had half of Shropshire clogging up the mudguards, so the wheels to come off to clear them.

The knockabout bike wasn't as dirty but frustratingly had a flat rear tyre yet again when I got it out, which turned out to be due to another split tube. That was the last one out of that batch and the replacement seems to be made of thicker rubber so hopefully it'll last a bit better.

I'd hoped to also do some work on one of the old bikes I was given earlier in the year but the weather has turned wet so that'll have to wait for another day.





The failed tube - this is the third that's developed these bulges either side of the valve which have eventually split.


----------



## raleighnut (2 Nov 2014)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Plenty of cleaning today. The Raleigh was the muckiest it's ever been after yesterday's ride and I think I had half of Shropshire clogging up the mudguards, so the wheels to come off to clear them.
> 
> The knockabout bike wasn't as dirty but frustratingly had a flat rear tyre yet again when I got it out, which turned out to be due to another split tube. That was the last one out of that batch and the replacement seems to be made of thicker rubber so hopefully it'll last a bit better.
> 
> ...


I've had a couple of them lately, Specialized tubes in my case


----------



## Venod (2 Nov 2014)

The spoke tension gauge I made, an old number plate, the locking bar off a ladder rack, a random spring, a handle of an old bike rack, bit of wood off an old chair, a bit of aluminium channel.


----------



## Gravity Aided (2 Nov 2014)

That's a very fine bit of work there, @Afnug . Very practical.


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## Venod (2 Nov 2014)

Gravity Aided said:


> That's a very fine bit of work there, @Afnug . Very practical.



Thanks, I would not normally use a tension gauge, just feel & sound of plucked spokes but the Stans Crest rims only require 95Kgf maximum, so I thought I ought to try & comply with that.


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## Shut Up Legs (3 Nov 2014)

I'm taking apart my road bike's bottom bracket, a Shimano SM-BB6700. It's in pretty good condition, considering I've ridden the bike in all weathers and for at least 5000km now. I was a bit nervous about undoing the 2 sides of the BB, because I'm new to carbon road bikes and don't know how much banging they can take . In any case, with the help of a BB removal spanner and a rubber mallet, the 2 sides of the BB came off reasonably easily.

As I'm doing a 200km with 4000m climbing sportive in January, I'm considering replacing the road bike's front chain ring, chain and rear cassette. The large front chain ring is already showing signs of shark-tooth syndrome, so probably won't last more than another few 1000km anyway.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (4 Nov 2014)

Swapped the gritty bearings in my Fulcrum Quattros for some silky smooth ceramic hybrid ones, and reassembled with ceramic grease.


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## biggs682 (4 Nov 2014)

started to swap the bars and stem over on my Freddie Grubb ready for re cabling later in the week


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## Accy cyclist (7 Nov 2014)

Colin_P said:


> Well yesterday.
> 
> Refurbished an old set of Sora 3300 calipers.
> 
> ...


Nice work! Can i ask how you got them so shiny?


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## Accy cyclist (7 Nov 2014)

I got my old Carrera Virtuoso back from the LBS. I've had a new rear wheel and new brake blocks fitted plus a general cables etc tidying up. Some might question why i didn't buy and fit them myself but the lad there does a good job and charges minimal labour,and it's nice to drop off your old cluncker and get it back a week later looking like new! ! Anyway the only downside were the pedals. I wanted him to fit some pedals with chrome clips i had from another bike, but he couldn't get the originals off(they've not moved in 17 years)so i spent an hour and a half back home unscrewing the fiddly seized up nuts off the chrome clips,then fitting them to the original pedals and threading the leather straps through the pedals.The next job is de-greasing(many years of muck)the gears and chain and polishing the bike up.


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## Colin_P (7 Nov 2014)

Accy cyclist said:


> Nice work! Can i ask how you got them so shiny?



Nothing more than some Autosol metal polish and Dremel with a felt bob.


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## Accy cyclist (7 Nov 2014)

Colin_P said:


> Nothing more than some Autosol metal polish and Dremel with a felt bob.



Would Duraglit or Brasso do the job?


----------



## Colin_P (7 Nov 2014)

Should do but you will have to use a lot of elbow grease!


----------



## Accy cyclist (7 Nov 2014)

Colin_P said:


> Should do but you will have to use a lot of elbow grease!



Ok thanks.


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## raleighnut (7 Nov 2014)

Accy cyclist said:


> Would Duraglit or Brasso do the job?


Autosol leaves a waxy coating on the surface to protect it, Duraglit may but Brasso does not and I'd avoid it like the plague, or spray with Pledge after polishing.


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## Accy cyclist (7 Nov 2014)

raleighnut said:


> Autosol leaves a waxy coating on the surface to protect it, Duraglit may but Brasso does not and I'd avoid it like the plague, or spray with Pledge after polishing.



We used to swear by Duraglit when we had "loads of chrome" bikes as children. Perhaps we got it wrong?


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## raleighnut (7 Nov 2014)

Unprotected aluminium and roadsalt is not a pretty sight.


----------



## martinclive (7 Nov 2014)

Bought a second hand winter commuter to replace my single speed (SS) - spent 3 hours doing the following last night (SS being sold Monday)

Spd Sls off new bike (NB) (save them for summer) Spds off the SS and onto NB and old wellgos on SS
Moved the pump mount under the bottle cage, garmin mount and the light brackets etc from SS to NB
Took old cut up Bontrager race lites off the SS and took the Schwabe Luganos off NB and put them on SS, put new Gatorskins on the NB
Swapped the saddles over
Removed the old mudguards from the SS
Thought about putting new brake pads on the SS but changed my mind as old ones have some life
Cleaned up the SS as best as possible for the sale
Hoovered the kitchen to get rid of the mess I'd made!
NB in car to go to bike shop to get the rear wheel trued ready for riding next week
Just need to fit new race blades to the NB once back and will be ready to go
I'm not particularly good or knowledgeable on this stuff but was very satisfying to see the two bikes sorted and finished!


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## Racing roadkill (8 Nov 2014)

martinclive said:


> Bought a second hand winter commuter to replace my single speed (SS) - spent 3 hours doing the following last night (SS being sold Monday)
> 
> Spd Sls off new bike (NB) (save them for summer) Spds off the SS and onto NB and old wellgos on SS
> Moved the pump mount under the bottle cage, garmin mount and the light brackets etc from SS to NB
> ...


Pretty much bang on there. Top bombing


----------



## Accy cyclist (8 Nov 2014)

Colin_P said:


> Nothing more than some Autosol metal polish and Dremel with a felt bob.



Well i bought some and i've used it. Yes it does a good job! Unfortunately i stood on the tube and it flew out onto the carpet! Damn! it took some effort to get it off!


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## Colin_P (8 Nov 2014)

Accy cyclist said:


> Well i bought some and i've used it. Yes it does a good job! Unfortunately i stood on the tube and it flew out onto the carpet! Damn! it took some effort to get it off!



I know it is a cliche but ....... pictures or it didn't happen. I'm not talking about polishing your carpet but the bike bits your have shined up.

It is an amazingly satisfying activity.


----------



## Accy cyclist (8 Nov 2014)

Colin_P said:


> I know it is a cliche but ....... pictures or it didn't happen. I'm not talking about polishing your carpet but the bike bits your have shined up.
> 
> It is an amazingly satisfying activity.


I wish i could post some pics! After Christmas when i get my new phone i'm going to post pictures galore but until then you'll have to take my word for it. The bike's not complete yet but as soon as it is i'll post some pics...after Christmas of course.


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## Eribiste (9 Nov 2014)

New bar tape applied yesterday, once the rain stopped long enough to get out and have a go. I haven't done this before with modern hooded brake levers, so I watched a few youtube vids to get some idea of what to do. Then I did it a different way. I note that pretty well all the videos start from the bar ends and finish by the stem, which requires some insulation tape to secure the bar tape. Following a suggestion by Nigelnaturist I started from the stem, which obviates the need for the insulation tape. Wrap direction was from inside to outside, so my grip on the drops should apply self tightening forces.


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## wisdom (9 Nov 2014)

Looks very neat.How long it stays white is another story.


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## Robeh (9 Nov 2014)

agree good job,i hate white tape...


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## Racing roadkill (9 Nov 2014)

White tape means you keep your hand in with replacing bar tape.


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## Racing roadkill (15 Nov 2014)

Job's a good'un


----------



## User33236 (15 Nov 2014)

Swapped the stock wheels on my CAADX for a set of Kinesis Crosslight CX. Minor tweaking required to brakes and rear indexing but less than expected. Now to start the weekly chain cleaning regime on the rest of the fleet.


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## KneesUp (15 Nov 2014)

Having bought aload of components over the last few months (bars, stem, cantilevers, brake levers, bar ends, headset etc.) and built up a commuter-thing on a 700c hybrid frame, I am considering stripping it all off and building it on to my rigid MTB frame.


----------



## Racing roadkill (15 Nov 2014)

New pedals for the faithful old crosstrail, and a pedal spanner, I'm just off to put them on.


----------



## SimonJKH (16 Nov 2014)

After TWO rear punctures in one nine mile commute (with more than my fair share of flats over the preceding weeks) I have binned the onza preda tyre I bought purely because it was on sale when I was putting the bike together, and fitted the semi-worn Conti GP 4 seasons I had in the shed. Let's see if that improves things...


----------



## Racing roadkill (16 Nov 2014)

SimonJKH said:


> After TWO rear punctures in one nine mile commute (with more than my fair share of flats over the preceding weeks) I have binned the onza preda tyre I bought purely because it was on sale when I was putting the bike together, and fitted the semi-worn Conti GP 4 seasons I had in the shed. Let's see if that improves things...


It's that time of year, when the puncture fairy does her worst. No tyres (except solids) are puncture proof, even the best ones can still get a puncture.

I'm considering trying these out,

http://tannus.co.uk/products.html


----------



## Robeh (16 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> It's that time of year, when the puncture fairy does her worst. No tyres (except solids) are puncture proof, even the best ones can still get a puncture.
> 
> I'm considering trying these out,
> 
> http://tannus.co.uk/products.html


depends on the price,they look pretty good.


----------



## bpsmith (16 Nov 2014)

I think I saw that they are £99 each, when I saw them on Twitter.


----------



## Robeh (16 Nov 2014)

bpsmith said:


> I think I saw that they are £99 each, when I saw them on Twitter.


Thats A Major Investment In Tyre's


----------



## bpsmith (16 Nov 2014)

Robeh said:


> Thats A Major Investment In Tyre's



Yup. A real gamble imho.


----------



## Donger (16 Nov 2014)

Robeh said:


> agree good job,i hate white tape...


 So what are your views on green and yellow tape then? You might gather from this picture that I'm not much of a fettler. This repair to my trip computer seems to be holding, though, and will probably still be in place long after I am dead and gone. Classy.


----------



## Poacher (16 Nov 2014)

Following an excellent respray job by Dave Yates, Bertie is no longer Bertie. It's now a rather lovely sparkly cobalt blue. When I was checking the old headset for refitting, I noticed a crack in the crown race, so that will now be relegated to an old Bob Jackson frame for very occasional use. Bought an alloy Stronglight A9 for the Superbe frame, along with the proper tools for the job (Cyclus crown race setter and headset press - cheap from Rose bikes thanks to the favourable exchange rate) and finally plucked up courage to fit it this afternoon. Damn scary applying hammer blows to fit the crown race, and glad the headset cups went on relatively easily. Phew!


----------



## youngoldbloke (16 Nov 2014)

bpsmith said:


> I think I saw that they are £99 each, when I saw them on Twitter.


£99 *a pair* on the website


----------



## bpsmith (16 Nov 2014)

youngoldbloke said:


> £99 *a pair* on the website



That's a lot better to stomach, albeit more than twice the cost of a pair of GP4000's.

I am intrigued though, I must admit. Go for it, but post back with a review!


----------



## Turdus philomelos (16 Nov 2014)

Because of my rack bag and pannier bag I struggled to place a rear light. My John came up with this solution fettled out of aluminium. 
I have just noticed I've lost me rear reflector. Off to the internet to purchase another.


----------



## biggs682 (16 Nov 2014)

fitted sks clip on guards to my Ian May commuter ready for winter


----------



## martinclive (17 Nov 2014)

martinclive said:


> Bought a second hand winter commuter to replace my single speed (SS) - spent 3 hours doing the following last night (SS being sold Monday)
> 
> Spd Sls off new bike (NB) (save them for summer) Spds off the SS and onto NB and old wellgos on SS
> Moved the pump mount under the bottle cage, garmin mount and the light brackets etc from SS to NB
> ...




Having done all this - have a really bad rattle..............................

Get home shake the bike - nothing
Turn it upside down - sliding noise of something in the seat tube
Remove seat post fingers in - ouch shards of carbon
Get the torch - couple on inches of snapped carbon seat post sliding inside the seat tube - but of course won't come out the top as narrow
2 hours later with coat hanger chisel and screwdriver I broke it up enough to get the last bit out (see attached)
No more rattles hopefully!


----------



## Racing roadkill (17 Nov 2014)

I finally got round to building up my new rear wheel for the roady.






I upgraded from a 105, to an Ultegra cassette. It's actually noticeably lighter. That was quite a surprise.


----------



## MisterStan (17 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> I finally got round to building up my new rear wheel for the roady.
> 
> View attachment 61915
> 
> ...


Marginal gains.


----------



## cyberknight (18 Nov 2014)

Will be installing a new BB on the commuter today if the postie delivers, the old one fell apart as i took it out to check the size !


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## tiermat (18 Nov 2014)

cyberknight said:


> Will be installing a new BB on the commuter today if the postie delivers, the old one fell apart as i took it out to check the size !



That would be suboptimal!


----------



## toptom (18 Nov 2014)

New rear brake pads on the the CAAD 10 and good clean and chain and cassette cleaned and oiled


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## Racing roadkill (21 Nov 2014)

New Durano plus etape's, for the roady. Halfords had them for under 30 quid each, add the BC discount, happy days. Grade 6 puncture protection, and a nice sticky compound.


----------



## themosquitoking (21 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> New Durano plus etape's, for the roady. Halfords had them for under 30 quid each, add the BC discount, happy days. Grade 6 puncture protection, and a nice sticky compound.
> 
> View attachment 62243


But...the logo isn't lined up with the valve.


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## Racing roadkill (21 Nov 2014)

themosquitoking said:


> But...the logo isn't lined up with the valve.


It is on the other side, the print is (slightly) differently positioned on each side. Anyway, I _won't _get any punctures, so I don't need the alignment.


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## Racing roadkill (22 Nov 2014)

New pedals (clipless of course) on the new crosstrail, to replace the God awful toe strap bollix numbers it came with. This is part 1 of a fettle fest today. I've got to put the new wheelset on the roady, and fit the computers to the old crosstrail and the new crosstrail. Then I have to sort the indexing on the new crosstrail, as Halfords excelled themselves yet again, with the set up. It's showing 1 on the right hand indicator, and the rear dérailleur is at minimum, but the chain isn't on the 36t sprocket . How bloody hard can it be?


----------



## jack smith (22 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> It is on the other side, the print is (slightly) differently positioned on each side. Anyway, *I won't get any punctures*, so I don't need the alignment.


Uh oh... You said the magic words..


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## Racing roadkill (22 Nov 2014)

jack smith said:


> Uh oh... You said the magic words..



But seriously, you'd have to be shot at by a sniper to get a puncture from those tyres. They _could _puncture, but it's pretty unlikely, it'd have to be a sidewall or a tube rupture realistically.


----------



## Racing roadkill (22 Nov 2014)

The new lid arrived today  It's a serious bit of kit.


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## jack smith (22 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> But seriously, you'd have to be shot at by a sniper to get a puncture from those tyres. They _could _puncture, but it's pretty unlikely, it'd have to be a sidewall or a tube rupture realistically.


You never know the way some nutters act in the uk, someone up my way got shot in the head at a sunday league game lastweek!


----------



## Supersuperleeds (22 Nov 2014)

Just changed the brake pads on the Felt hybrid for my eldest lad after he complained the brakes weren't working. I bought the pads for it at the beginning of the year and never got round to doing the job, to say they were worn is an understatement


----------



## Gravity Aided (23 Nov 2014)

New tires, replacing disintegrating old tires on my Trek 800 winter bicycle. Also fettled gearing so it works better when I swap the wheelset from my Specialized Hardrock to the Trek. The Trek 800 is doing much better now, broke 3 personal bests on the test run after the fettle. Also placed a new headlight from the Fuji Tourer on the Trek 800, as the Fuji has been placed in the basement to shelter from the winter and also be the trainer bike. Overhaul on the Fuji first, then the Trek 800 when winter closes its icy grip on the outdoor riding. Planning on sealed bottom bracket harvesting from unsuitable donor bike frames tomorrow, before it turns cold again.


----------



## Racing roadkill (23 Nov 2014)

I took the new bike for a shakedown run. I sorted the indexing issue, it's as sweet as a nut.


----------



## downfader (23 Nov 2014)

I just put the "emergency" pedals on my Genesis. The DMR V8 flats need servicing, got the relevant tools coming on wednesday. Already bought the grease  Doesnt matter how much grease you put on the thread, either, pedals are always a blighter to remove! :-0


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## avsd (23 Nov 2014)

Fitted rear dynamo light today - B&M Toplight Line Brake. Nice and bright. I will use a secondary battery light as a backup.


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## Racing roadkill (24 Nov 2014)

downfader said:


> I just put the "emergency" pedals on my Genesis. The DMR V8 flats need servicing, got the relevant tools coming on wednesday. Already bought the grease  Doesnt matter how much grease you put on the thread, either, pedals are always a blighter to remove! :-0


 
Yep, I find a liberal dose of MO94 / GT85 / WD40 left for a bit, and they come off nice and easily. I got the V12 flats off of the new crosstrail, and replaced them with some SPD / flat trekker's. They work really well as flats or SPD, some dual use trekker pedals don't work so well, but the SPD mech is raised on these, so it does work very well.


----------



## Elybazza61 (24 Nov 2014)

Lots of fettling at the week-end.
Fork steerer got cut by the LBS Saturday so was able to fit them properly yesterday along with the mechs,brakes etc ready for cables and setting up.

Also got the steerer cut on the On-One forks for the Trek re-build and fitted;also cut the bars and tried the old Mavic wheels,haven't wired up the rear mech yet so won't know if it'll play ball with the rear wheel.Also still have to cable-up the brakes.


----------



## KneesUp (24 Nov 2014)

Over the weekend I took the following off 700c hybrid-thing:

handlebars, stem, brake levers, cantilevers, bar ends, saddle, rear derallieur, chain

I then put them all on 26" MTB-thing, shortened the chain, cleaned and re-greased the front hub and put new tyres on.

Tonight I will tighten the stem as the handlebars rotated while I was on the hoods on a fast-ish downhill bit, and it was mildly terrifying!


----------



## downfader (24 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> Yep, I find a liberal dose of MO94 / GT85 / WD40 left for a bit, and they come off nice and easily. I got the V12 flats off of the new crosstrail, and replaced them with some SPD / flat trekker's. They work really well as flats or SPD, some dual use trekker pedals don't work so well, but the SPD mech is raised on these, so it does work very well.



I think the weather gets to them after a while no matter what I apply. Hot and cold, dry and wet - I've ridden in all and that probably attacks the grease a little.


----------



## Levo-Lon (24 Nov 2014)

Gave my HT a good clean after yesterdays wet mucky ride out. 
Changed the front back to hans dampf 2.35 as the skinny i fitted last week was a bit naughty..left the skinny on the back ..


----------



## Levo-Lon (24 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> View attachment 62312
> 
> 
> New pedals (clipless of course) on the new crosstrail, to replace the God awful toe strap bollix numbers it came with. This is part 1 of a fettle fest today. I've got to put the new wheelset on the roady, and fit the computers to the old crosstrail and the new crosstrail. Then I have to sort the indexing on the new crosstrail, as Halfords excelled themselves yet again, with the set up. It's showing 1 on the right hand indicator, and the rear dérailleur is at minimum, but the chain isn't on the 36t sprocket . How bloody hard can it be?




Are my eyes failing or are the pedals on the wrong side??

i use shimanno and that looks like It should have the small cut out at the front?


----------



## Racing roadkill (25 Nov 2014)

meta lon said:


> Are my eyes failing or are the pedals on the wrong side??
> 
> i use shimanno and that looks like It should have the small cut out at the front?



They do look back to front, when I put them on I thought I had put them on back to front, but I double checked the spindle markers, and the stamps on the pedals to make sure, and they are just a bit odd looking, the 'L' is on the left, and the 'R' is on the right, if you look carefuly you'll see the L stamp at the back of the pedal in the shot. It's not until you actually ride the thing that you realise why they look like they do. The SPD side has to be in that orientation, or the shape of the flat side would be wrong (long bit towards the back, not the front). They are very good, and cheaper than the equivalent Shimano's.





That's the right hand pedal (with the R stamp at the back)


----------



## Levo-Lon (25 Nov 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> They do look back to front, when I put them on I thought I had put them on back to front, but I double checked the spindle markers, and the stamps on the pedals to make sure, and they are just a bit odd looking, the 'L' is on the left, and the 'R' is on the right, if you look carefuly you'll see the L stamp at the back of the pedal in the shot. It's not until you actually ride the thing that you realise why they look like they do. The SPD side has to be in that orientation, or the shape of the flat side would be wrong (long bit towards the back, not the front). They are very good, and cheaper than the equivalent Shimano's.
> View attachment 62520
> 
> 
> That's the right hand pedal (with the R stamp at the back)


Not to worry ill pop off to specsavers lol


----------



## shouldbeinbed (25 Nov 2014)

I have achieved my personal nirvana of an absolutely silent drivetrain. New chain & cassette, adjusted just right and wet lubed to within an inch of its life. Bliss.


----------



## fossyant (25 Nov 2014)

New UN55 BB fitted to the fixed. The old UN53 did almost 6 years in all weather of commuting daily so can't complain. Managed to get the new BB for £8.99. The UN55 comes with a metal locking cup, rather than the plastic ones on the other models.


----------



## Slioch (27 Nov 2014)

Similar to the previous poster - completed fitting new UN55 BB to my winter road bike. Took it out for a 20 mile spin, and the clicking noise which was starting to drive me bonkers has now ceased. Happy days.

Also toed-in the rear brake blocks on my MTB as they were getting a bit screechy and I was scaring too many dog walkers on the local cycle paths.


----------



## Racing roadkill (28 Nov 2014)

I _finally _managed to get the angled hydraulic brake press tool and cassette tool on a stick, that I'd had a (much more difficult than it should have been) job getting. Good old Decathlon at Surrey Quays had both. Halfords really gripped my logs yesterday. I ordered them on line, they phoned me on Wednesday to say they were in. I turned up, only to be told they hadn't turned up. I wasn't exactly polite. I ordered them with Amazon, they confirmed the order and gave me my delivery date by email, the following day, I got an email to say they have been delayed, and they'll let me know when they will be sent. Order duly cancelled. It's starting to become an emerging theme with bike bits. It's not like they are made of unicorn spunk or something.


----------



## numbnuts (28 Nov 2014)

I've been making parts for my trike stand


----------



## the_mikey (28 Nov 2014)

I wiped the chain on my winter road bike...


----------



## Gravity Aided (29 Nov 2014)

Also getting some sealed bottom bracket work done, having a look at some unused or lightly used ones on the bicycles in my donor group, cleaning and measuring. These will be for the older used mountain bike, and I'll be ordering new for the Fuji Tourer. I'm also considering moving all the groupset and wheels from my Lambert Viscount over to a Raleigh Grand Prix frame. This will be my short distance racer, or at least pretty racy for me. I have to complete measuring to determine whether it can be adapted to my requirements. I've already replaced the cottered crankset, so that's the big job out of the way.


----------



## PeteXXX (29 Nov 2014)

I gave the SL4 a pre-ride fettle this morning in readiness for tomorrow's ride. I decided to drop the front forks out to clean and lube the headset. Sadly the top ballrace disintegrated... 
Tomorrow I'll use another bike


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (29 Nov 2014)

One of my Pharrt Bleeps fell apart when I took the batteries out to charge them this morning , so a dab of superglue has been applied which seems to have done the trick.

I've also finally got round to fitting the new parts to the bike I was given earlier in the year. It's an early Raleigh ATB style (no model name) which I've updated by cold setting the frame to take a set of alloy rim wheels I had spare.  The original derailleur wouldn't cope with the mega-range style freewheel on this wheel so I got a cheap Sunrace long cage mech and matching indexed shifter. With the 46 tooth chainring I should have a range of approx 34 to 88 gear inches which will be great for trips into town and possibly the odd commute.

I've also fitted new bearings to the Ashtabula type cranks so those are nice and smooth now. Next step is to fit the old mudguards off the knockabout bike and get a rack to make it into a load lugger.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (29 Nov 2014)

Changed the brake pads on our lasses bike, first new pads on it ever, bike has to be at least 15 years old.

Cleaned the road bike and mickled the commuter


----------



## ColinJ (29 Nov 2014)

fossyant said:


> New UN55 BB fitted to the fixed. The old UN53 did almost 6 years in all weather of commuting daily so can't complain. Managed to get the new BB for £8.99. The UN55 comes with a metal locking cup, rather than the plastic ones on the other models.


I fitted a UN55 BB when I converted my Cannondale to a triple chainset earlier in the year - they are amazing value for money!

Speaking of the Cannondale ... I have put it to one side for the winter, but I spotted something when I walked past it yesterday. I am using latex tubes on the bike and had read that they are so flexible that they can find their way out of the tiniest hole so I have been watching out for that. The tubes are a very light blue colour and I thought I saw a hint of it on the front tyre. Closer inspection revealed a hole in the tyre only about 1.5 mm wide but the tube was starting to find its way out! I removed the tyre and immediately lost sight of the hole, it was that small. I shone a bright light from the other side of the tyre and eventually found the hole which I have now patched from the inside. It would not have been a problem at all with an ordinary butyl tube, but I didn't want to risk a front wheel blowout with the latex one.


----------



## wisdom (29 Nov 2014)

ColinJ said:


> I fitted a UN55 BB when I converted my Cannondale to a triple chainset earlier in the year - they are amazing value for money!
> 
> Speaking of the Cannondale ... I have put it to one side for the winter, but I spotted something when I walked past it yesterday. I am using latex tubes on the bike and had read that they are so flexible that they can find their way out of the tiniest hole so I have been watching out for that. The tubes are a very light blue colour and I thought I saw a hint of it on the front tyre. Closer inspection revealed a hole in the tyre only about 1.5 mm wide but the tube was starting to find its way out! I removed the tyre and immediately lost sight of the hole, it was that small. I shone a bright light from the other side of the tyre and eventually found the hole which I have now patched from the inside. It would not have been a problem at all with an ordinary butyl tube, but I didn't want to risk a front wheel blowout with the latex one.


You were lucky there.Think I will stick to traditional rubber tubes.


----------



## ColinJ (29 Nov 2014)

wisdom said:


> You were lucky there.Think I will stick to traditional rubber tubes.


Yes, it is a bit worrying! @Globalti mentioned this kind of problem in a post earlier in the year. I like the ride quality of the latex tubes but I wonder if the subtle improvement over butyl is worth the potential problems?

I might give ultralight butyl tubes a go. Mind you, they could exhibit the same worrying characteristics.


----------



## bpsmith (29 Nov 2014)

The missus treated to a new saddle. Not ferried, as such, as took 30 secs to fit. Test ride tomorrow.


----------



## bpsmith (29 Nov 2014)

Suppose I could say I fettled this with my neighbour earlier though.


----------



## Racing roadkill (29 Nov 2014)

I put the new wheelset and Garmin Edge touring on the roady, and went for a Gran Fondo 11 finishing ride. Oddly, it was the route where I got sent into the weeds a couple of weeks back. Still, I got it (by 1Km) . The Durano + Etape's are bloody good. I rode through a load of pointy sharp stuff at a junction by accident, nothing went through the tyres.


----------



## wisdom (30 Nov 2014)

Usual weekly mickle and bike clean on the commuter.New upgraded brake pads fitted front and back.Everything checked over for tightness on the bike.Tyres pumped to correct pressure and tread checked for flints and bits of glass.Ready for next weeks daily commute.


----------



## Globalti (30 Nov 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Yes, it is a bit worrying! @Globalti mentioned this kind of problem in a post earlier in the year. I like the ride quality of the latex tubes but I wonder if the subtle improvement over butyl is worth the potential problems?
> 
> I might give ultralight butyl tubes a go. Mind you, they could exhibit the same worrying characteristics.



Since giving up - regretfully - on latex I've been using lightweight butyl and they seem to offer a good compromise; they ride nicely with none of the extreme fragility of latex. However the best improvement in ride and comfort and overall "plantedness" in the feel of the bike has come from fitting a pair of Veloflex open Corsas, which can't recommend more highly, a truly excellent tyre especially in wet conditions. I will never go back to my old Michelin Pro 4s.


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## Rickshaw Phil (30 Nov 2014)

Cleaned the knockabout bike after it got really filthy commuting last week and serviced the rear hub which I've been putting off and which also turned out to be pretty filthy. The bearing surfaces on the drive side are pitting quite well now. Surprisingly it still runs quite smoothly with no play, but I think a new wheel will be a good idea before too long. 

I've also fitted the old set of mudguards to the other bike I mentioned yesterday and given it a bit of a test ride. It's too small for me really but the stem and saddle have enough adjustment to make it useable for short trips. I'm not overly impressed with the new shifter and might revert to the original non-indexed one if I can't make it work the way I want.

Edit: I've also sewn one of the fixing straps back onto my panniers. A nice mix of fettling today.


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## Elybazza61 (30 Nov 2014)

Got everything on the Helium over the week-end so just need to set everything up now.

Also fitted the v-brakes to the Trek commuter and cleaned the Icarus and P-X cross.


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## ColinJ (30 Nov 2014)

Globalti said:


> Since giving up - regretfully - on latex I've been using lightweight butyl and they seem to offer a good compromise; they ride nicely with none of the extreme fragility of latex. However the best improvement in ride and comfort and overall "plantedness" in the feel of the bike has come from fitting a pair of Veloflex open Corsas, which can't recommend more highly, a truly excellent tyre especially in wet conditions. I will never go back to my old Michelin Pro 4s.


How are the Veloflex standing up to use? How many miles have you done on them? Any cuts or other damage?

I might give them a go next year after my current cheaper tyres have all worn out. (One of the tyres you gave me earlier in the year is going to last into next year. I have put the Cannondale away until the spring and there is still some life left in the tyre.)


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## Globalti (30 Nov 2014)

Probably only done 500 miles on them and the front still has the full cross-hatched pattern on the tread while the rear has lost a little of the sharpness but still has the pattern. I've had two rear punctures but both were on wet gritty roads. The first puncture cut a couple of threads in the carcass so as a precaution I glued a patch onto the inside and there's no sign of bulging around the small cut.


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## biggs682 (30 Nov 2014)

readied my latest stead an easly 80's Carlton Corsair for its new role as commuter bike with occasional early am rides if it behaves itself


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## Arjimlad (1 Dec 2014)

After 2 winters my rear Giant mudguard snapped off at the bracket by the brakes. The plastic snapped 75% of the way across. So, on Sunday afternoon I fitted a new rear mudguard. This also involved cleaning the bike and wiping the chain.

6 miles in today and the new mudguard seems OK so far.. there are some hideously boneshaking bits of road round here which did for the old one. Thankfully I don't have to use them all that much.


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## DCLane (1 Dec 2014)

Yesterday I fitted my new Shimano R501 wheels to the commuter bike and a new Shimano 105 front brake as the old one was too long.

Also the Spesh Secteur got the broken spoke on the DT Swiss wheels mended.

I now just need to mend the broken spokes on each of the Raleigh Team's wheels, fix the Benotto, look at the Raleigh Clubman, fit the new forks to the Decathlon Triban Junior with new brakes, etc. etc.


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## Racing roadkill (2 Dec 2014)

Lovely


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## Dirk (2 Dec 2014)

I changed the tyres on my wife's vintage Mixte for a new pair of Michelin Dynamic Classics.
I think the old ones had been on from new - must be 40 years old!


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## Racing roadkill (2 Dec 2014)

The one I put on the new wheelset, was so nice, I bought another one.


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## Smurfy (2 Dec 2014)

Brake blocks on the commuter are now properly adjusted


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## bpsmith (2 Dec 2014)

Racing roadkill said:


> View attachment 63102
> 
> 
> View attachment 63103
> ...


What machine of awesomeness is that?


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## Racing roadkill (3 Dec 2014)

I took the roady out, to go and pick up my new (frankly quite awesome) fold up chain hook tool ( it beats using a bit of coat hanger / a knackered old spoke). I tried out my new Garmin Edge Touring whilst I was at it. 'Twas a lovely day for a ride as well.


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## hondated (3 Dec 2014)

Stripped down my daughters Halfords mountain bike that she never uses in preparation for building up a Thorn F & F that I am anxiously waiting to receive in the post.
OK definitely low spec but it will get me on the road and I can then set about upgrading it when I can afford to.
Have to tell family to forget buying me books for Christmas and instead give me money I think.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Dec 2014)

Recieved Shimano clipless pedals by post, and bought a bicycle computer for the Fuji today, as I'm getting ready for the trainer season.


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## Cubist (4 Dec 2014)

Not so much today, but a few days' worth of fettling. Way back in the mists of time I built a bike for Cubester's 13th birthday and I got a Magura Thor 140AM fork for it. The fork has been used on and off for four years, but now he's riding my old canyon-framed bike which has a 150mm RS Revelation on it, so the Thor was shelved. I decided to sell the Thor and set about servicing it. A lower leg service is simple, you simply remove the lowers, clean them up, put new wiper seals and foam glide-ring in the leg and squirt in a few cc's of fork oil. Except when I tried to remove the the bottom leg adjuster to get at the hex slot I found it had corroded into place. A trip to a mate who is braver than I am and the adjuster (essentially a hex key with a retaining system of captive ballbearings in the inside of the lower damping leg) was removed. When I split the lowers the inside was bone dry, and there were signs of corrosion around the wiper seal seats. Those have been cleaned out with wet and dry, and I've got a set of Fox 32mm wiper seals and glide-rings in the spares box. They look the same, so I'll try them today. If not, Magura ones are £15. 

Next, there was a weep of oil from the compression damper so I googled "Thor fork service" to discover that none of their tech docs tell you how to do it. I rang round to discover that Magura insist you take them to a specialist to service them. A quick check found only two places that will do that, and they charge £100 for a complete service. Not one to spend £100 unless I have to I set about dismantling the compression leg. The gold platform compression adjuster knob pulls out and exposes the tiny torx screws holding the lockout dial onto the top of the damper. those removed and the dial slides off. The top of the damper assembly has shallow 28mm spanner flats, and so I treated myself to a big adustable spanner ( a socket has a chamfer that won't reach the flats as I discovered that day) and that simply unscrews. The offending oil seal is an O ring on the threaded section of the assembly which was twisted and ungreased, so it was carefully picked out and inspected, regreased and replaced.

Curious to see how the damper worked I then made a couple of basic errors. It has a platform damper and blow-off system working on plungers and springs. It has an adjuster that is seated via some captive bearings to give a clicky effect, and a central tube that holds the plunger. I had a couple of "pingfukkit" moments with a wayward captive ballbearing and bolloxed the reassembly so it wouldn't go back together properly. Sweating now because of the potential £100 bill I spent about three hours desperately trying to reassemble it. I got it looking right a couple of times but it wouldn't seat back in the leg properly until I eventually realised I had got a small component in the wrong order on the upper assembly. During that sweating period I discovered that a new damper assembly was another £100 if I absolutely had to replace it, all the more incentive to get it right. 

However, the might of logic and a calm period in the kitchen under some halogens eventually found me putting it all back together again and eventually ready to screw it back in. I had to ask around to discover that it probably takes about 60ml of 5 weight suspension fluid in the damper leg, so that has now been added and the damper replaced. Phew. 

Only thing now is that I have a fork that I won't sell because I can't be 100% certain it'll work properly, so I'm going to put it on the Soul to test it out. If it works I may treat myself to a new frame to put it on........


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## Supersuperleeds (4 Dec 2014)

On Monday my rear light got water in it and I couldn't turn it off without removing the batteries. By this morning it had dried out and is now working so slapped some Vaseline along the rubber seal. This was one of the first tips I read on this site, so big thanks to whoever it was that posted it. 

I know, I should have used the Vaseline BEFORE the light got wet.


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## I like Skol (4 Dec 2014)

I fixed my latest 4x4 Landrover toy with a shimano product today. Can you guess what it was/what I did?


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## Racing roadkill (4 Dec 2014)

I like Skol said:


> I fixed my latest 4x4 Landrover toy with a shimano product today. Can you guess what it was/what I did?


No


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## Gravity Aided (4 Dec 2014)

I like Skol said:


> I fixed my latest 4x4 Landrover toy with a shimano product today. Can you guess what it was/what I did?


You used the springs from a Shimano fishing reel to repair the Land Rover starter, thereby enabling you to save our little village. Thank you, Senor McGuiver.


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## Accy cyclist (5 Dec 2014)

I managed to loosen the seat stem of my ancient Carrera. It hasn't moved in 18 years but some WD40 and lots of elbow grease finally shifted it! Then when i tried it an inch higher i didn't like it so i put it back to where it was before.


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## shouldbeinbed (7 Dec 2014)

Repurposed my wife's barely used step through bike as my snow one. Studdy tyres, proper winter lubing and oil rig level lighting added to it. Ironically its been snowing while doing it. Bring on the white stuff.


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## bpsmith (7 Dec 2014)

Gave both bikes a thorough clean today, in between hailstone showers. Then swapped the tyres around. Long story, but Defy now has the GP4000S in 25 flavour and the Sempre Pro has the Hutchinson Equinox fitted in 23.

The Conti's are the better tyres but the Defy is taking over Winter duties now. They were a tad wide on the Bianchi though mind you, so will give the Equinox a try and replace if poor.


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## Chris S (8 Dec 2014)

Yesterday I changed a broken spoke for the first time. I figured that if a child in a Third World sweatshop could build a complete wheel then it couldn't be that difficult. It wasn't.


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## Dirk (8 Dec 2014)

Just cleaned our two road bikes.
Funny how the Missus always manages to get hers dirtier than mine on the same route!


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## Racing roadkill (8 Dec 2014)

I took the chain off of my winter hack crosstrail, bunged it in the bargain ultrasonic bath, that I got from Lidl, and then re lubed it and popped it back on.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Dec 2014)

I started work on building up an old Raleigh Grand Prix(1971) with some Viscount parts. Cotterless crank installed, now on to wheels and derailleur. A work in progress, mainly to be completed during winter blizzards.


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## slowmotion (11 Dec 2014)

I waited for the Thinline Jagwire barrel adjusters to arrive by post, posted on 4th December, First Class. It wasn't all bad. The thumb twiddling excersises will stand me in good stead with my Campagnolo Veloce shifters.


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## arch684 (11 Dec 2014)

Cold set an old steel frame to take a 7 sp cassette from a 5 sp freewheel. fitted new triple chainset new bb and chain.fitted another set of wheels.still to fit shifters and cables


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## shouldbeinbed (13 Dec 2014)

Finally given in and put a rack on my commuter MTB and fixed the sticky rear brake cable.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Dec 2014)

Bought a little moto tool at my local box store, for a little finer work than my beefier metal working tools are capable of. I also got a big chuck key for the drills. This key has 4 sides, too big to lose, and covers all the sizes. And new drill bits. Purchasing that leads to further fettling on a grander scale.


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## gavroche (14 Dec 2014)

Put together my new office chair my wife bought me for Christmas.


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## Dirk (19 Dec 2014)

Changed the cassette on my Focus Cayo from an 11- 28 to an 11- 32. Got some big hills around here! Running 52/36 chain wheel which was just a step too far for my old legs!
Also tinselled up both the hybrids ready for the Bike Shed 'Santa Spin' tomorrow. Did a pair of Xmas themed helmets as well.


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## Gravity Aided (20 Dec 2014)

When I tried to raise the garage door this morning, the screws snapped out of the plate attaching the motor arm to the door itself, and the door fell to the ground. My older dog shook his head, sighed, and turned to go back in the house. Spent most of my time before work fitting door attachment plate to a new site I made on the door. Got done directly before I had to leave for work, and finished torque down when I got home from work.


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## Arjimlad (20 Dec 2014)

Got up in a bad mood - but cleaning my bike put me in a good mood ! 

It had got really dirty. I had kept the chain clean and the rims/brakes but the rest of it was shamefully mucky. 

A lot of rust coloured gunk came out of the bottom headset ball race thingy so I also took the forks off, removed the sealed bearing and took it to bits, cleaned the rust off, took the balls out, cleaned & regreased the thing before putting it all back together. 

A new set of headset bearings will be sourced when winter salty roads have passed. The clean & regrease made the steering loads better.


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## gavgav (24 Dec 2014)

My bike had had its Christmas present, a good wash (filthy from recent rides) chain cleaned and oiled, gears adjusted slightly (been jumping from 7th to 9th) and filed off a couple of sharp plastic edges from recent light fittings.


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## flyingfish (24 Dec 2014)

Ditched the pathetic Tektro rear brake from the Voodoo & fitted a Shimano . Problems solved!
Pete


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## Robeh (24 Dec 2014)

Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor Strap..
dhb Vaeon Roubaix Pro Padded Bib Tight..
High5 EnergySource 2.2kg
xmas present to myself..


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## Gravity Aided (25 Dec 2014)

Removing BB from Fuji Touring Series IV prefatory to measuring spindle and BB shell for sealed bearing unit. Replacing chain as it is, according to new chain checker, 90% worn. Components are showing some age, but not the frame. I think with a few renovations, this bicycle could easily run another 30 years.


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## flyingfish (25 Dec 2014)

Dismantled a Xmas dinner, going to regret it on Saturday


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## bpsmith (25 Dec 2014)

Set up the rear mech on my Winter bike from scratch again, as had a noisy 11T...and wanted to try out my new Park 4th hand tool. 

Turned out to be the High screw was slightly out and the chain was rubbing on the 12T next to it. Indexing is meaningless if this is wrong to start with. Not surprised though, as was set up when my Zonda's were on there and hadn't been used since n+1 arrived and wheels were swapped. Sounds perfect now.

Then lubed the chain after cleaning it a week or so back and it being sat in the garage awaiting some new Ceramic Lube. Ready for a Boxing Day ride...


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## Gravity Aided (26 Dec 2014)

Removed stubborn spindle from crankset, determined to start over with new sealed BB and used or new crankset, as old was quite worn. Not only were the threads on the spider stripped when I got it, but the teeth are also quite worn. Luckily, I've also got a lot of good replacement candidates lying about that may be helpful. I also have yet to remove the fixed cup, as it is also quite fixed in place, so I shall have to make a fixed cup removal tool when I go by the hardware on Saturday. All wheel considerations are positive for both sets of wheels, cogs and hubs all in good shape, so I'm ordering a sealed BB and chain for next week, I guess. No hurries, I'm sure the old weather is about to clamp down here.


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## DCLane (26 Dec 2014)

Went into the bike parts store (i.e. the shed) for a rummage to see if I could collect the bits for the Carrera magnesium build. It arrived all dismantled so I've started to put it together.

Originally it was a Carrera Vengeance from 2002 built by Merida (who build Halford's Carrera range). Their version was a Merida 909 - but mine is all green with the black forks:





So far:

Fitted seatpost and (temporary) saddle with the one supplied going in the bin as it's broken
Found a pair of Cinelli bars, removed the shifters from them. Fitted the bars.
Found a pair of 8-speed shifters bought from @shaun o'shea on here and selected these.
Tried several brake calipers. Found two that fit but not great; 1 black front (v. basic), 1 silver rear (new Sora).
Found the Carrera wheels bought from @cyberknight . Yet to be fitted on their 2nd project bike.
Now need:

28.6mm stem as the one on the bike is 27.2mm
Front and rear derailleur - hopefully from @Drago
Crankset (ordered)
Green saddle (en route from Hong Kong)
Green bar tape - found in pile of bits
Green cable outers - also found in pile of bits
Possibly a better pair of (matching) calipers
I want this on the road ASAP, preferably by the end of next week. Photos to follow.


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## DCLane (27 Dec 2014)

Fitted Ice Spiker tyres to the GT Timberline.
Removed all the coloured tape from the GT fitted by the previous owner, who also painted stripes/bits red and Hammerite green  . All the black/white bits are tape, now removed, all the red/green are paint.






Fitted the Cinelli bars to the Carrera above and the Carrera wheels. I'm stuck now until the crankset arrives.


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## cyberknight (27 Dec 2014)

Got a good deal on fleabay locally for a set of cheap wheels for the commuter so i installed them today which included a retrue. rim tape , changing cassette over from the 501`s and tyres /tubes.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Dec 2014)

Put a 2" 5/8" bolt, 2 nuts, 1 by the bolt head, with some lockwashers, and one outside a large washer on the outside, as a fixed cup remover to take the old fixed cup off the Fuji Touring Series IV, as it had frozen in place. Once I tightened down on the assembly, continued clockwise turning freed the fixed cup, with the assistance of some penetrating oil. It was a Sheldon Brown spectacular that only cost me about $3 worth of hardware and about 20 minutes' effort. I have now gotten out the digital calipers and measured up for a sealed bottom bracket which, if it lives up to most sealed bottom bracket lifespans, may see me out.


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## shouldbeinbed (28 Dec 2014)

Just changed the MTB to knobbly wheelset and made sure the Spike bike is ready for a commute in 6 hours time.

*I love insomniacal tendencies*


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## Gravity Aided (29 Dec 2014)

Got an unused crankset from a binned Raleigh SC40 I found after someone had broken the derailleur hanger, apparently on one of its first rides. Practically no wear on the bicycle whatever, so it has been a parts donor since, as the frame is only 18" and I ride about 23" frames. I will use its' sealed bottom bracket on my 26" tourer project, as it does not fit the BB shell on the Fuji Tourer.


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## Dirk (29 Dec 2014)

Put my missus' car battery on charge after it failed to start this morning. Meant to do it yesterday, when it struggled to start. The cold last night killed it!


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## Supersuperleeds (29 Dec 2014)

Changed the front brake cable, including outer, on my lads bike, also adjusted the rear brake for him. He's going to get a bollocking when he gets in though as he's let the chain go rusty, gave it a good spray of GT85 but he can try and clean it up properly his self.


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## potsy (29 Dec 2014)

Gave the winter commuter a wipe down, somebody must have put it away dirty a few weeks ago and forgot about it


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## NorvernRob (29 Dec 2014)

Got a Yokozuna reaction cable set and thought about fitting it - but my rear wheel needed trueing anyway, so I dropped the bike off at the LBS for them to do the lot and took my lad sledging instead.


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## Gravity Aided (31 Dec 2014)

Bought a 1991 Schwinn Woodlands mountain bike, an old rigid frame MTB made of Reynolds 500. Quite nice and light, but someone attempted to make a single speed out of it, for whatever reason. I have removed the retainer clips from the wheels and put the wheels on the Trek 800 for tomorrow's club run in very cold weather. 1.6 inch narrow tires, very nice considering the rest of the bicycle is middle of the road. I'm fixing it up for some yet to be defined usage. I've put used thumb shifters on, and will put brakes on the front, where they were removed for some single-speed/hipster reasoning, give her a good clean-up and a used sealed BB, and give it a spin. It may be the best candidate for a 26" tourer yet. The scale will tell the tale. Schwinn had this bicycle made in Hungary.


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## Dirk (1 Jan 2015)

Put a Garmin mount on my wife's road bike.


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## Cubist (1 Jan 2015)

A fine day's fettling in the garage yesterday, converting one bike to a 1x10 setup and servicing some bits and pieces in between. First I took the chainsets off both MTBS. The Soul was running double n bash with 36 24 Blackspire rings on an XT M770 triple chainset, 11-34 cassette with a GS (medium cage) XT clutch mech , and the Mojo was running XT M785 38/26 with an 11-36 cassette and long cage XT clutch mech. I removed the chainrings from the M770 and fitted a Superstar Components IO (narrow wide) 32T single chainring, in the middle position using spacers to pad out the chainring bolts. The Hope SS BB in the Mojo was sounding a bit rough, so I removed the BB cups, bearing shields and seals, and flushed out the old grease with GT85 and replaced with fresh marine grease. 

Next I took the GS Shadow plus mech off the Soul and fitted a OneUpComponents RAD cage. This conversion allows crisp shifting on an expanded cassette eliminating B tension issues and jockey/cage clearance on a 42T cog. Next, I removed the XT 11-36 cassette from the freehub, and fitted a 42T OneUpComponents 42T expander, removing the 15 and 17T cogs and replacing them with a 16T to improve ratios. The cassette is therefore now 11-42 which coupled with the 32T chainring gives me much the same bottom gear as the previous setup. The advantage is that you simplify the setup, losing the weight of the shifter, front mech and cables. A net loss of 300g makes quite a difference to the overall weight of the bike. It now weighs a pretty decent 28 1/2 lb. (12.9kg) Tuning the gears was more straightforward than I thought it would be, and it now shifts beautifully. 
So, front mech and shifter removed and nicely sorted.

Next I replaced the 26T granny on the 785 double chainset with a 24t and fitted it to the Soul. I used the long cage shadow plus mech off the Mojo as I had increased the overall capacity, refitted the chain and tuned the gears.


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## Levo-Lon (1 Jan 2015)

^^ keep thinking about a Soul Cubist, I do like what ive read about these frames..


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## alecstilleyedye (1 Jan 2015)

tidied my cycling bits drawers (one for tools, one for components, one for consumables and cleaning kit)…


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## Robeh (1 Jan 2015)

2 for a tenner..bargain....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121261422684?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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## Cubist (1 Jan 2015)

meta lon said:


> ^^ keep thinking about a Soul Cubist, I do like what ive read about these frames..


Go for it, couple of hundred quid finds a used frame. They are every bit as good as people say.


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## NorvernRob (2 Jan 2015)

NorvernRob said:


> Got a Yokozuna reaction cable set and thought about fitting it - but my rear wheel needed trueing anyway, so I dropped the bike off at the LBS for them to do the lot and took my lad sledging instead.



......Now wish I hadn't bothered. They couldn't fit the rear brake outer as it was too stiff and kept pushing the caliper to one side (common sense tells me you'd trim a tiny amount off until it didn't) so they fitted a different outer.

I pushed the bike outside this morning for a ride and the rear wheel was rubbing, went to turn the adjusters on the caliper and one was seized solid - as soon as I tried to turn the Allen key the spring adjuster shattered. On inspection it had been overtightened so much it had seized, I couldn't even turn the broken adjuster inside the bolt whilst holding it with pliers! There's absolutely no need to tighten them fully anyway as they just move the spring that centres the caliper. They've obviously done it whilst trying to stop the caliper moving with the stiff outer.

Luckily it's just a small part that's broken, but they've also indexed the rear gears wrongly (there's a full shift of movement in the shifter when in lowest gear, when I index it as per Sram's direction there is none). Not only that but the loop to the rear mech looks slightly too short for Sram as it likes a straight entry into the mech.

I didn't even bother ringing the shop (Evans), I ordered a replacement set of adjusters, took some photos of the broken parts and sent them along with a very angry email to head office. First and last time I trust my bike with those clowns,


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## DCLane (2 Jan 2015)

Fitted the crankset and rear derailleur to the magnesium Carrera Vengeance. Changed the stem bolts and it now seems to fit. Also fitted SPD-SL pedals, bottle cage and changed the front brake; I'd bought a rear Campag Veloce (for the commuter) and a front turned up (thanks tri-sport_resort on eBay  ), so that got swapped with the basic one. At least the silver colours now match; Campag front, Sora rear. Frame purchase photo below - new one to follow 

Now ready for a front derailleur, green tyres (due to arrive Mon), green bar tape and green cable outers. Oh, and a green saddle that's on it's way. Then it's chain, cable inners and ready for use.







Oh, and don't complain about the green-ness; it'll be for sale in March when I've finished what I need to use it for


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## alecstilleyedye (3 Jan 2015)

commuter/winter/climbing bike treated to new bottom bracket and rubino pro tyre (recently), and today a new adjustable deda elementi stem with some new black handlebars (i was a bit of a cheapskate and re-wrapped the bars in the old tape). the bike has now, aside from the frame, had every single component part replaced since bought new in 2004…


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## Racing roadkill (4 Jan 2015)

I built a V8, then I went and got an inline four, and built that as well. I took my bike to get the inline four, because the traffic was craptacular today.


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## gbb (4 Jan 2015)

My old Trek 7100fx has been filthy for ages. Its currently being used by my son who doesnt care one jot about it other than as a method of transport to work...thats not a complaint, he's not and never will be an enthusiast...so, 
Nail brush and a bucket of soapy water, tyres now particually clean, ditto the rims, and a quick go over the frame.
The chain would have been lubed...but I can't find the oil ..typical.


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## Racing roadkill (4 Jan 2015)

I cleaned my roady today. It was filthy.


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## Arjimlad (4 Jan 2015)

Changed the back tyre as threads were coming out of the sidewalls. It didn't have much rubber left anyway. Also sanded the brake blocks on the rear to remove dirt & grit from their faces.


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## Orville (4 Jan 2015)

Boxed up Christmas decorations and cleaned up the garage they are stored in. That means the bike portion was cleaned and reorganized too.


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## subaqua (5 Jan 2015)

not today , but last Friday I cleaned the commuter /tourer and sorted the shockingly bad shifting .

this is why it was so bad









the frayed inner at the shifter was just slowing the cable down enough to make the changes poor and jerky . the cable was the 2.5 yr old original with stupid miles and changes on it. I did put a small amount of lube on the bushing it passes through though just to be sure


----------



## Elybazza61 (6 Jan 2015)

Fitted new 'old' Shimano pdm540 pedals courtesy of toeknee of this parish to the Planet X,nicely pre-scuffed for the hard-core look.


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## Chris S (6 Jan 2015)

The bottle-dynamo lights on my Batavus were getting dimmer and dimmer until they would only work when the wheel was rotated backwards. Somebody had already suggested turning the tyre around so I gave it a go and now the lights work perfectly. The only trouble is that the unidirectional tyre now points backwards, so any water will be directed towards the centre of the wheel instead of its edges. However, there is so little tread left on it I don't think this will be a major problem.


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## Levo-Lon (6 Jan 2015)

Just a wash and fork , chain clean after yesterdays muddy outing..
might put the easton wheels with the hans dampfs 2.35 tubeless evos back on as I was spinning up a lot on the gloop.


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## compo (7 Jan 2015)

I have this morning removed my wireless bike computer and fitted a Raleigh badged wired unit. I got fed up of the wireless one going haywire when running my Cree light or using the external battery pack on my smartphone. I have wired up the lights just to test and the display on the computer stayed rock steady.


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## DCLane (7 Jan 2015)

This lunchtime I repaired 2 broken spokes on each of the Raleigh Team's wheels. Thanks Leeds City Council for your potholes - I think I've hit all £100 million of them 

Ridgeback Platinum commuter cleaned and lubricated after riding home carrying one of the repaired wheels [_note: this is not advisable _ ].

Then I set to work on the Carrera Vengeance. Fitted the front derailleur, 3rd different saddle in black/green  (and yes, I've a 4th option coming - a lime green saddle), different bottle cage and then started on the cables. Cable outers done and gear cables roughly fitted.

Still to do: brake cable inners, chain, green tyres, adjustments.

One last option: bar tape. Do I go *lime green* (to match the bike) or black? Hint: I've some lime green bar tape spare  - it's in the photo!

Oh, and an obligatory photo to date:


----------



## Gravity Aided (7 Jan 2015)

DCLane said:


> This lunchtime I repaired 2 broken spokes on each of the Raleigh Team's wheels. Thanks Leeds City Council for your potholes - I think I've hit all £100 million of them
> 
> Ridgeback Platinum commuter cleaned and lubricated.
> 
> ...


I would suggest black. Doesn't look bad like lime green will after a few miles


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## Orville (8 Jan 2015)

DCLane said:


> This lunchtime I repaired 2 broken spokes on each of the Raleigh Team's wheels. Thanks Leeds City Council for your potholes - I think I've hit all £100 million of them
> 
> Ridgeback Platinum commuter cleaned and lubricated after riding home carrying one of the repaired wheels [_note: this is not advisable _ ].
> 
> ...



Reminds me of my all celeste Bianchi!


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## Orville (8 Jan 2015)

Very nice Rr. Enjoy!


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## Robeh (8 Jan 2015)

£85 on a front wheel bearingon my car.
Thank god my brother is a macanic so i payed trade and 0 labour charges


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## bpsmith (8 Jan 2015)

Robeh said:


> £85 on a front wheel bearingon my car.
> Thank god my brother is a macanic so i payed trade and 0 labour charges


Great spelling/grammar in Wiltshire...


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## subaqua (8 Jan 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Great spelling/grammar in Wiltshire...


 lets hope you always have perfect spelling and grammar then


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## Robeh (8 Jan 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Great spelling/grammar in Wiltshire...


 i got my point over,why dont you make a sensible comment instead off posting a insult??????


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## compo (8 Jan 2015)

Robeh said:


> i got my point over,why dont you make a sensible comment instead off posting a insult??????



It makes them feel awfully superior.


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## Robeh (8 Jan 2015)

compo said:


> It makes them feel awfully superior.


Tell me about compo,really isnt any need TBH


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## bpsmith (8 Jan 2015)

subaqua said:


> lets hope you always have perfect spelling and grammar then


It pretty much always is. Happy hunting.


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## bpsmith (8 Jan 2015)

Robeh said:


> i got my point over,why dont you make a sensible comment instead off posting a insult??????


I make plenty of sensible comments on here, thanks.


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## Elybazza61 (8 Jan 2015)

Well the Trek commuter re-build is turning in to a bit of a saga.

Headset just wouldn't set properly so stripped it all out today and fair to say bottom bearing and the cups are F.U.B.B*(ball bearings fell out of the holder on removal due to the metal being worn and the cups have nice wear marks all over.
Decided to remove the cups with the time-honoured cheapo bit of metal and 'persuader';both came out really easy and without damage to the frame.
The only thing is I'm now thinking of stripping the frame and getting it re-painted at work(thinking white with simple blue Trek logos);it's only supposed to be a hack though so it's not really worth it but the imagination is forging ahead of reality at the moment which includes looking at Hope headsets.

In other fettling news got tyre,tube and cassette fitted to the Shimano rear wheel I bought for turbo use;no excuses now.

*Best to look it up!


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## Ian H (8 Jan 2015)

Finally got round to replacing the knackered headset on the old fixed. That should last until the new frame is built.


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## toptom (8 Jan 2015)

Fitted new cassette to my CAAD 10 and cleaned up the brake pads


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## DCLane (8 Jan 2015)

Carried on with the Carrera Vengeance build from last night. It now has Rubino green/black tyres, cables are fitted and the chain.

Needs adjustments though; the rear derailleur's not adjusted well (only is in the top 4 gears on the cassette) and I'll need to adjust the front derailleur.

Also, still to do the bar tape!


----------



## shouldbeinbed (10 Jan 2015)

Just given the Brompton new brake cartridges and the cleaning, lubing and TLCing of its life. Astonished at the amount of crud that it had accumulated, even had the pump in bits to let it have a dry and clean out. Can't wait to be out on it tomorrow.


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## raleighnut (11 Jan 2015)

Elybazza61 said:


> Well the Trek commuter re-build is turning in to a bit of a saga.
> 
> Headset just wouldn't set properly so stripped it all out today and fair to say bottom bearing and the cups are F.U.B.B*(ball bearings fell out of the holder on removal due to the metal being worn and the cups have nice wear marks all over.
> Decided to remove the cups with the time-honoured cheapo bit of metal and 'persuader';both came out really easy and without damage to the frame.
> ...


A fantastic Wishbone Ash song and yes the initials have the same meaning.


----------



## DCLane (11 Jan 2015)

Finished off the Carrera Vengeance winter bike. It weighs 9.6kg with the pedals on, so I'm pleased overall given it's got Shimano 2300 components.

I've now two saddle options: black or green ...












Which is best?

As for bar tape, I'm probably going 'lime green' it's now lime green for the 2-3 months it'll be used over winter. Then black from then onwards.


----------



## Racing roadkill (11 Jan 2015)

DCLane said:


> Finished off the Carrera Vengeance apart from the bar tape. It weighs 9.6kg with the pedals on, so I'm pleased overall given it's got Shimano 2300 components.
> 
> I've now two saddle options: black or green ...
> 
> ...


Green saddle


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## wisdom (11 Jan 2015)

Well dc lane that looks superb, almost too good for a winter bike.
Did the build cost a lot? Fancy building one up myself if not too dear.Was going to get the old steel orbit re powder coated etc.but I may just leave it as it is because it has all its original bits.
If a build like yours is cost effective might just have a go.
BTW Green saddle for me.
Wizz


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## Mrs M (11 Jan 2015)

Looks fab, green saddle.


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## DCLane (11 Jan 2015)

wisdom said:


> Well dc lane that looks superb, almost too good for a winter bike.
> Did the build cost a lot? Fancy building one up myself if not too dear. BTW Green saddle for me.


 
Thanks. I simply went into the shed and thought to myself "I've got enough bits here for a bike ...". Looking around I found most of the parts already. I had the shifters, wheels ( @cyberknight - see, they're back on a Carrera  ), rear derailleur, bar tape, stem, pedals, etc. but bought the crankset and a green saddle (£3.50 from eBay!). The frame and carbon forks (with seatpost, saddle and stem) were just over £40.

@Drago supplied the front derailleur  . The tyres were from @Andrew_Culture's prize draw.

Total build cost to me has been about £70 plus the parts in stock.

My suggestion is ... give it a go.

The crankset's probably going to change; I've bought a square taper old Shimano 105 one which will give me 53/39 rather than the current 52/42.

Next up is this which is just getting wheels re-done, tyres, cables, a better saddle, bar tape and possibly brake hoods. It's too big for me so I'll decide what to do with it when I'm done:


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (11 Jan 2015)

Very tame compared to the above ^^ but I've set up the new wheels I had for Christmas ready to use on the knockabout bike. New rim tape + tubes, fitted the TourRide tyres, cleaned out the bearings and relubricated with some better quality grease (glad I did as the one side of the front wheel had very little in) and adjusted up the bearings (which were slightly tight as supplied).

All ready to fit but looking at the forecast I shall leave the other wheels & snow stud tyres on for a bit.

The bike has also had a clean and mickle ready for the next commute. Mustn't leave it so long next time after riding on the salty roads as there were spots of rust forming on the chain and cassette.


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## Elybazza61 (11 Jan 2015)

raleighnut said:


> A fantastic Wishbone Ash song and yes the initials have the same meaning.



One of the first gigs I went to was to see them at the Hammy Odeon(as it was then) and the drummer 'explained' the title before they played it.


----------



## Gravity Aided (11 Jan 2015)

Cleaned inspected and greased the headset on the Fuji Touring Series IV. Went flawlessly, the advantage of a quality product. Waiting for a parts order to Amazon as soon as I have checked over everything again, don't want to have to replace something else, this bicycle may have places to go in the spring. Best if all is in readiness for the possibility of an early arrival of good weather.


----------



## The Brewer (11 Jan 2015)

Good ole afternoon of fettling. After a general tidy up I had room to start in the shed. Halogen heater on...brrrr 

Fitted new rear mech hanger to the Carrera and adjusted frame to accept it with a persuasive hammering. Must of put some power down to break the rear mech and bend the frame. New gear and brake cables, plus mickled the chain.
Broke the seatpost clamp by over tightening  Defy and Tarmac posts are much thicker, so was resigned to not using the Carrera on tomorrows commute when I thought of using Little Brewer's Carrera clamp. Same make so a perfect fit, just need to get one ordered before she realizes its gone


----------



## RedRider (11 Jan 2015)

Brake pads replaced on the front, been meaning to do it since last weekend. SKS rear Mudguard reflector screwed tight. So, that's what the annoying rattle was.


----------



## Orville (11 Jan 2015)

Cleaned up the spin bike and replaced the friction pads. Took down the outdoor Christmas lights now that the little cold snap is over.


----------



## Gravity Aided (11 Jan 2015)

Eliminated squeak in the bracket of the recumbent trainer, so it's quiet now.


----------



## howdenbiker (11 Jan 2015)

An odd one, laid a new base for the shed that is going to hold my bikes :-) also got the commute bike on the stand and gave it a good wipe down and oiled the cogs and chain.


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## Andrew_Culture (11 Jan 2015)

After a couple of rides with the rear durrelier clanking against the spokes on the big cog at the back I thought I had better take a look. Needless to say after my slight adjustments my bike is now booked in with the Bike Doctor to be seen to by someone who knows what they're doing.


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## Racing roadkill (12 Jan 2015)

I put yesterday's bike up on the stand, checked the tyres for any pointy stuff, they were all clear, so I put a patch over the small hole in the rear tube (the position of which was marked for me by the slime meaning I didn't have to take the wheel off to do it).


----------



## Robeh (12 Jan 2015)

Andrew_Culture said:


> After a couple of rides with the rear durrelier clanking against the spokes on the big cog at the back I thought I had better take a look. Needless to say after my slight adjustments my bike is now booked in with the Bike Doctor to be seen to by someone who knows what they're doing.


sounds Like The Limit Screw Needs adjustment or the cage is bent?


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## compo (12 Jan 2015)

Peugeot Premier that I have been playing with, with the Dunwich Dynamo in mind. It had odd brakes front and rear. Today a matching pair of Weinmann 500's arrived and are now fitted, and certainly improve the look of the bike. Also I had a 5 speed freewheel on it temporarily, but also today a 6 speed arrived, so that is fitted. It would benefit from powder coating, but that takes a bit more money than I have to spare at present. I am also considering a pair of aero brake levers, but that is not a priority. I haven't kept a detailed list of prices I have spent so far but it's no more than £60 including the new back wheel at £30.


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## Andrew_Culture (12 Jan 2015)

Robeh said:


> sounds Like The Limit Screw Needs adjustment or the cage is bent?



Turns out the hanger is bent, I have zero idea who that happened.


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## Robeh (12 Jan 2015)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Turns out the hanger is bent, I have zero idea who that happened.


Yep thats another common reason is a bent hanger


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## Andrew_Culture (12 Jan 2015)

Robeh said:


> Yep thats another common reason is a bent hanger



I'm possibly being simplistic, but my first reaction was 'but I haven't fallen off this bike yet!'


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## alecstilleyedye (12 Jan 2015)

fitted a new inner tube at work (bike had been left there over the weekend), rode home and tightened the adjustable stem (it was lifting slightly)…


----------



## DCLane (12 Jan 2015)

Began work on the Raleigh:






Trued the front wheel and fitted a replacement Rubino pro slick tyre. Then cleaned the Thun gold crankset.

My attention then turned to the brakes; the Weinmann levers have seen better days so a replacement pair of aero levers on their way.

Removed the saddle and the seatpost is free but rusty internally. I'll spend some time on this later and a different saddle will be fitted; there's a spare Tioga on that matches. I _may_ need to change the seatpost as well but hopefully not.

The big problem with it is the paintwork; it's scratched/chipped all over with red splodged on over what seems to be a late 80's respray and ideally needs a full repaint. I'm not doing that as a) I'm too short to ride it and b) it's over my (meagre) budget for the bike.

Photos shortly ...


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## Elybazza61 (13 Jan 2015)

Fitted my free Lezyne light from Pro Cycling on the Planet X with an old holder from some e-ghey front lights as I don't want to use it as a helmet light.Will do until I get some proper Lezyne ones.
The light is pretty good though,especially for free and I think the subs offer is still on at the moment.


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## Hyslop (13 Jan 2015)

What have I fettled? 2 inner tubes thats what! How feckless can you be?The moral being,if you are bored,with weak,sore fingers,dont sit in front of the telly changing inners using levers.Youll only depress yourself and thats what telly is for.All this in aid of a spare wheel for the turbo!


----------



## cashy293 (14 Jan 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Gave both bikes a thorough clean today, in between hailstone showers. Then swapped the tyres around. Long story, but Defy now has the GP4000S in 25 flavour and the Sempre Pro has the Hutchinson Equinox fitted in 23.
> 
> The Conti's are the better tyres but the Defy is taking over Winter duties now. They were a tad wide on the Bianchi though mind you, so will give the Equinox a try and replace if poor.



That an excuse for your lack of doing any of the hard work last Sunday??


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## Andrew_Culture (14 Jan 2015)

Rear hanger has been fixed. Unfortunately when I picked up my geared bike from the bike doctor I had to drop off my Singlespeed as I just bust it while fitting a new chainring. Oops.


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## bpsmith (14 Jan 2015)

cashy293 said:


> That an excuse for your lack of doing any of the hard work last Sunday??


You're only doing the hard work at the front, if the person behind is close enough to enjoy the slipstream! I couldn't catch up most of the time!


----------



## DCLane (14 Jan 2015)

Cleaned the youngest's cross bike; he was showing off how much oil he could get on himself at last night's roller training session.

Next week it'll be none


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## PeteXXX (16 Jan 2015)

New chain fitted on the Marin this morning after a snappage last time I rode it..


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## fossyant (16 Jan 2015)

After the spate of robberies from work I've been out and bought an alarmed padlock. The hoop is big enough to fit on my seat tube. If knocked it bleeps and then if knocked again it goes off. Bloody he'll it's loud. Good job I didn't fiddle with it in the office, it came fitted with batteries.


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## youngoldbloke (16 Jan 2015)

fossyant said:


> After the spate of robberies from work I've been out and bought an alarmed padlock. The hoop is big enough to fit on my seat tube. If knocked it bleeps and then if knocked again it goes off. Bloody he'll it's loud. Good job I didn't fiddle with it in the office, it came fitted with batteries.


What brand/model is it? Heavy? I've often thought about getting one.


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## raleighnut (16 Jan 2015)

fossyant said:


> After the spate of robberies from work I've been out and bought an alarmed padlock. The hoop is big enough to fit on my seat tube. If knocked it bleeps and then if knocked again it goes off. Bloody he'll it's loud. Good job I didn't fiddle with it in the office, it came fitted with batteries.


Ditto, Linkies please.


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## fossyant (16 Jan 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Ditto, Linkies please.



Maplin. Rolson Alarm Padlock. £10.99. 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/alarm-padlock-n85ja?gclid=CJqV2q7rmMMCFarjwgodniIABQ


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## bpsmith (16 Jan 2015)

Bought a Park Tool dérailleur hanger tool, as no amount of tweaking the Defy gave quiet use of the 11T. Amazed at how quick and easy it was to use and adjust. Really simple...and noise completely disappeared.

Full strip and clean required on the Defy though. Last weekends ride wasn't the best of weather and now bike looking the worse for it. Front mech seized briefly when cleaning the chain. Planning to take it to bits and give it some tlc.


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## DCLane (16 Jan 2015)

Finally managed to get the pedals off the GT Timberline; soaked for a week and then brute force from myself and my eldest son - me standing on each pedal and him with a giant adjustable plus lump hammer beating the adjustable. He's 14 and likes using brute force on things.

They've probably sat unmoved and unlubricated since 1990.

Replacement SPD's greased and fitted. I'm planning on using it tomorrow on the ice as I fitted Schwalbe Ice Spikers to the wheels.


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## Racing roadkill (17 Jan 2015)

Unfortunately the BB disintegrated so badly, that it left one of the collars in the frame when I removed it. I'm going to have to cut it out, because the teeth on the collar are gone. I'm not sure I can be arsed, given the age of the bike, and the fact I have other bikes I can use. I'll give it a go later, if it's not coming out without too much of a fight, I'll strip the rest of the bike down and junk what's knackered.






That's the replacement, which looks much better.


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## raleighnut (17 Jan 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> View attachment 77139
> Unfortunately the BB disintegrated so badly, that it left one of the collars in the frame when I removed it. I'm going to have to cut it out, because the teeth on the collar are gone. I'm not sure I can be arsed, given the age of the bike, and the fact I have other bikes I can use. I'll give it a go later, if it's not coming out without too much of a fight, I'll strip the rest of the bike down and junk what's knackered.
> 
> View attachment 77140
> ...


Use a cold chisel as a 'drift' and just work in opposing quarters mm by mm it'll come out.


----------



## Racing roadkill (17 Jan 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Use a cold chisel as a 'drift' and just work in opposing quarters mm by mm it'll come out.


That's pretty much what I was thinking too.


----------



## Hacienda71 (17 Jan 2015)

Changed the bearings on the front hub of my Spesh Stumpy. A lot easier than the rear on my roadbike.


----------



## Dirk (17 Jan 2015)

Full service and thorough clean of my Giant Escape hybrid.
Good as new again!


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (17 Jan 2015)

Fettled brakes on the new bike so they are closer to the rim. Still feel like cheese but a little better, will do until new pads arrive.
Fitted new computer and replaced batteries in rear lights. I could tell they haven't been as bright but didn't realise by how much until I'd changed them. 
Gave the bike a good wipe down, surprising how much crap gets everywhere without mudguards!


----------



## DCLane (17 Jan 2015)

After a morning in the sleet and rain I needed to do some fettling:


Hosed down, cleaned & lubricated the Whyte 805 I'd used this morning.
Spent more time on the Raleigh Clubman; fitted a Rubino Pro Slick rear tyre and cleaned/trued the rear wheel. Fitted a new chain and replacement Tioga saddle after cleaning the seatpost/bracket. It just needs new brake levers (en route) with cables and tape added when the levers arrive.
The GT Timberline got new Vavert black/white grips. Getting the 25 year-old ones off wasn't easy but spraying with GT85 always helps.
The Carrera Vengeance received a replacement crankset; I wasn't too happy with the Shimano 300EX 52/42 one I'd fitted so it got a Shimano 105 53/39 old square taper one.
Also the Raleigh RSP150 retro MTB got some new RSP 281 forks in matching orange which I'd sourced. Hopefully that'll solve the fork problem it has.
A busy afternoon!


----------



## howdenbiker (17 Jan 2015)

Bike got absolutely covered in mud on a tow path so it needed a good hosing down when I got back.
Then I put it on the stand and brushed out the remaining mud. Cleaned the chain and oiled.
Thought the back disc brake wasn't working but discovered I'd trapped the cable in the stand clamp!!!
Will be fettling the brakes soon as they have taken a bit of a bashing over the last couple of months.


----------



## Psycolist (17 Jan 2015)

Neighbours son popped in with a MESH ?? jump bike he had got at the local booty. Needed a bit of TLC. It was a strange combination of cheap un-branded wheels, brakes, bars and stem, but a nice Shimano chain set and continental vertical tyres A very brief fettle with two loose spokes, fitted two new brake cables along with a general once over the proverbial oily rag and Robert was his fathers brother. Oooooh, forgot the front puncture. Got his self a perfectly acceptable ride, but, yeah gods, it was heavy, I mean proper heavy. It nearly took me with it when I tried to up-end it. I didn't weigh it but I guess it tipped the scales at about 20kg. A big old lump for a 12 year old to heft about. Goodness knows how you would ever "jump" with it. I doubt it would get off the ground at less than 40mph.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (18 Jan 2015)

Cleaned & mickled the knockabout bike in the rain. It's supposed to freeze again overnight so tyre pressures on the snow studs have been dropped in anticipation of a slippy commute.


----------



## Psycolist (18 Jan 2015)

In view of the forecast, I figured today should be a fettle fest. In December my front suspension forks developed a metallic 'clong' when I take to the air. It has been the subject of much surfing and investigation to try and find the cause. Biggest issue was narrowing down the specific model that I should be looking at the diagrams for. They are the Rockshox Duke with U-Turn and Pure Delight insert, being at least 10 years old, Easy enough to find the diagrams, but there seem to be so many variations ! I had already taken the forks apart twice and tried to figure out what could be wrong, looking for worn parts, and comparing build to diagrams. I had also purchased several 'service kits' supposedly suitable for my make and model, and 'up-dated' a couple of the parts, all without any improvement in that metallic 'clong' when at full extension. Today, I stripped the forks, took apart the separate components and let common sense take over. I replaced all the 'o' rings, washers and plates that I had yet to use from the service packs, and looked at what was left over. I figured there could only be two contact points, 1 in each leg, that could come together when fully extended. There were also 2 suitably sized fibre/rubber washers that seemed not to be mentioned in any diagram or service sheet. I installed these washers in the appropriate area, carefully cleaned everything, and re-built the fork. Everything went back on the bike, a quick scrub of hands with Swarfega and a trial outing was taken. Just hopping down the kerb outside my drive was met with a solid 'thud' instead of 'clong'. A couple more trips up and down the kerb and a quick outing in my local woods confirmed that the 'clong' had been banished. Un equalled pleasure with every thud ! The only downside was that it actually turned out to be a nice day, chilly, but bright and sunny for the most part, and I missed out on getting a few miles in the saddle. But when all thing considered, it was a day well spent.


----------



## TheDoctor (18 Jan 2015)

Taken the 40T Stronglight chain set off the commuter, and fitted a triple from the spares heap with a 36T (!!) single ring, and a set of PDM324 SPD's.
That gives me gears of 79, 68, 59, 53, 45, 37 and 30. Perfect!


----------



## anotherDave (19 Jan 2015)

I decided to fix a niggle on my D lock carrying bracket. My tinkering has made things worse, captive(?!) nuts are now rattling around inside a sealed body.

Superglue to the rescue in the morning!


----------



## Dirk (19 Jan 2015)

Adjusted the rear mech on my Giant hybrid as it had decided not to engage top gear for some reason.


----------



## howdenbiker (19 Jan 2015)

Used a soft paper towel to wipe the marks from my new purchase, pictures to follow......


----------



## jayonabike (20 Jan 2015)

Fitted a new 105 crankset, front & rear derailleur, cassette and brifters to my Dawes Century. Nipped over to the LBS so they could do the cables and fine tune the gears. Once home I wrapped the new bar tape I bought over there.


----------



## compo (20 Jan 2015)

Washed my Trek (polishing later). Renewed the disc pads for the front wheel.


----------



## Psycolist (20 Jan 2015)

Part of my daily commute has recently become oddly dark, much darker than it ever used to be. Some street lighting seems to have been switched off permanently, or it could be to do with the new hotel being built in that stretch, but I felt I needed something brighter at the front. Took delivery of a Cree XM-L today and had a spin around after fitting it Whoa ! how bright is that, dose the job though, no danger of riding into a pallet some oik has pulled into the road using this beasty.


----------



## bpsmith (20 Jan 2015)

Last weeks ride was cold, wet and dirty, so stripped the front and rear mechs off tonight. Front was very gritty and difficult to shift, so decided to do both. Some real crap came out of there!

Got carried away and took the cassette off for a thorough clean too.

New chain ready to fit, so going to get the crank off next to complete the cleaning process of the drivetrain.

Probably going to get the brake callipers off too...to finally clean and Wax the frame!

My parents didn't know what to get me for Christmas, so got me some Muc-Off bike wax.


----------



## compo (20 Jan 2015)

I have just updated my video drivers and cured severe flickering on Thunderbird that has been driving me crazy for days since a Windows update.


----------



## PeteXXX (21 Jan 2015)

New pads fitted to the front brakes on the SL4. Front and back bled.


----------



## fossyant (21 Jan 2015)

Psycolist said:


> Part of my daily commute has recently become oddly dark, much darker than it ever used to be. Some street lighting seems to have been switched off permanently, or it could be to do with the new hotel being built in that stretch, but I felt I needed something brighter at the front. Took delivery of a Cree XM-L today and had a spin around after fitting it Whoa ! how bright is that, dose the job though, no danger of riding into a pallet some oik has pulled into the road using this beasty.



Welcome email to the XML club. Really need mine on a shared path on part of my route. Let's me pick out pedestrians and dogs then drop the light as I approach. They are invisible otherwise.


----------



## compo (21 Jan 2015)

I salvaged several odd socks that my wife had put out for rubbish. They have gone into my wiping rags bag in the bike shed.

I have also today fitted a new ahead stem, using a quill to ahead adaptor, and new bars to my Pug, and have ordered a pair of aero brake levers.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Jan 2015)

I decided to ask for a pair of Crud Roadracer mudguards for my birthday this week. I bust the last pair after riding over a load of twigs which had been littering the Calder Valley Greenway, which is my route for avoiding traffic on the A646 if I am riding home at busy times.

My original plan was to wait until I buy a CX bike and put mudguards on that, but that purchase could still be months away. I have been avoiding riding when it is cold and wet so it is worth buying the Cruds (currently just under £20 at Wiggle) so I get out more often in the mean time. Even if I only use them for 20 or 30 rides, that would be £20 well spent.

I put them on my Basso tonight. I am hoping to get a 100 km road ride in before the end of the month to get me into the 'metric century a month challenge' for 2015, and I don't want to use rainy days as an excuse for not doing it. OTOH - I didn't fancy getting sprayed with cold, mucky water all day either.

As usual, the Cruds were a bit fiddly to squeeze on. There is very little clearance on my bike and the Cruds have to be perfectly adjusted not to rub. TBH - once a bit of muck gets under them, they will start making noises. It's the price to pay for bodging guards on to a bike not designed for them. Noises can be kept to a minimum by riding through *shallow* puddles to sluice the muck out. I also use a garden spray to rinse under the Cruds when I get home.

I'll take a picture of my bike when I do my next ride and will add it below.


----------



## youngoldbloke (24 Jan 2015)

Tip - carry a teaspoon with you for cleaning out the mud when its more than the puddle rinse can cope with 
You'll have to take the wheels off but its much more effective than the usual handy twig.


----------



## Hacienda71 (24 Jan 2015)

After a recent mtb ride with @dan_bo decided to change my pads as they were making a reet racket. Probably just as well I did. One pad had no pad left and part of the spring had worn away. Sounds much better now.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (24 Jan 2015)

Fixed a puncture on our lasses bike this morning, think that is only the second time she has punctured and she must have had the bike a good 15 years.

Also changed the jockey wheels, cassette and pedals on the Sirrus (okay I got the LBS to do them )


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (24 Jan 2015)

Fitted Clark's pads to the new bike, hopefully will stop a hell of a lot better now.


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## HLaB (24 Jan 2015)

Well it was last night but on cleaning the chain I noticed part of a link outer had broken off so I fitted a new chain and was delighted it never skipped once on today's hilly ride; if it had as well as being a pain I'd have to fit my spare cassette pronto. Ideally I would've tested it before the ride but I never had time.


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## compo (24 Jan 2015)

Fitted a pair of aero brake levers to my Peugeot and taped up the handlebars. I was a bit disappointed with the tape, it came up a little short on the tops.


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Jan 2015)

Finally got round to fitting the new wheels to the knockabout bike along with brake blocks and chain (new cassette already fitted earlier). I should get a few running-in rides before the weather is due to go icy again.

After getting used to the snow studs for the last month and a bit, the Tour Ride tyres seem quite skinny.


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## Spoked Wheels (24 Jan 2015)

A new front derailleur arrived this morning so I changed the crappy front derailleur the bike came with. Fitted a new cable and adjusted the front brakes. What a difference makes a good derailleur . I took the hybrid for a 6 mile test ride and I'm happy as Larry with the job I did.


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## bpsmith (24 Jan 2015)

Stripped my Defy down earlier in the week. Needed a new chain, so took the opportunity to clean both mechs thoroughly whilst off the bike. Cleaned the cassette off the bike too.

Decided to rebuild yesterday, but noticed a frayed cable on the front one and the back one was trouble indexing on all sprockets.

Outer for rear brake was also too short, when I fitted 105 callipers to replace the poor Tektro which came as standard.

New set of cables fitted, using the Jagwire Road Pro kit. Inners and outers for brakes and gears. Never done this before, so just took my time copying what came off and then made a longer outer for the rear brake.

Took me a while getting it all set up from scratch, but well worth it and the shifting is perfect now. So much smoother and more direct feeling. These Jagwire cables are amazing!

105 brakes are so much better than the Tektro's and not even worn the pads in yet obviously too. Very pleased.

Replacing the cables means replacing the bar tape. First time for this too and chuffed with the result.

Thoroughly enjoyed the fettling. Waxed the frame whilst it was stripped too. Overall it looks better than when I bought it.


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## Jenkins (24 Jan 2015)

Striped the Triban of the lights, mudguards,bottle cage and everything else I want to keep, full clean and lubricate and them photograph in the sunshine as it's gone up for sale on Ebay.

Mudguards transferred to the Boardman as a temporary measure until I pick up my new Whyte Sussex. 

Wheels swapped between the Boardman (was Campag Zondas) and the Van Nicholas (was Mavic Aksiums)


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## ColinJ (25 Jan 2015)

I did a 100 km ride with the Crud Roadracers on my bike today. Within 10 minutes of setting off, the noises from the front were really annoying me. I forgot what I learned with my last pair. I really don't have much clearance so setup is critical.

I discovered before that my weight on the bike bends the steel forks enough to cause scraping noises that I don't get with the bike in my work stand. The inevitable grit pickup at this time of year makes things worse.

I'd only gone and fitted the 2 little self-adhesive pads to the front guard again, either side of where the cable tie is attached. They are probably there to stop the guard from rattling, but all they do for me is to push the guard too close to the tyre. I will remove them tomorrow.

Here's a picture of the bike with the guards fitted:






Ha - I've also forgotten to align the 2 rear stays! I didn't notice on the last pair until I looked at some photos of the bike. I left the mounts on the bike when I broke the last Cruds, so they are still in the same positions. The left rear mount is too high.


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## Cubist (25 Jan 2015)

Well this week I have transferred all the running gear from the Cube onto a brand new Planet X pro Carbon frame I got on Gumtree for a song with my Christmas money. Now with 105 Chainset, brakes and brifters, with Ultegra mechs and Aksium wheels it seems to be pretty good. I've had a couple of running in rides, but find the bars too narrow, so I've ordered a 46cm bar to go with my broad shoulders. Other than that it is incredibly smooth and quiet, a joy to ride. Cube finishing kit is a bit weighty so I've also found a nice barely used Easton Carbon seatpost on eBay. Pretty pleased with my first road bike build.... Couple of learning points like threaded barrel adjusters on the downtube rather than inline, but other than that it is a lot less complicated than a MTB build. I've been staying down at Mum's bungalow so I haven't been near a camera, but will post up a pic or two when I've put the finishing touches to it over the next couple of days.


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## Levo-Lon (25 Jan 2015)

Gave the bikes a good wash down after yesterdays outing.
changed the 42,28 sram chainwheels for the 38,24 as I struggled in the mud with the 42 ,28 more clearance too with the 38..


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## ColinJ (25 Jan 2015)

meta lon said:


> Gave the bikes a good wash down after yesterdays outing.


Ooh, good point - it was cold and dark when I got home yesterday and I was tired, so I skipped the usual bike wash.

There had been a lot of salty grit on the roads, which is probably now eating away at the metal bits of the bike. I will clean it this afternoon.


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## howdenbiker (25 Jan 2015)

Had a morning in the bike shed as other half was giving a lesson on felting. Changed a tyre that I'd given up on previously, cleaned two steel bikes and gave my commute bike a good going over, it's getting filthy every day I use it at the moment.
Put some hangers up to so I can keep the bikes up high and give me some more space.


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## Psycolist (25 Jan 2015)

After a Sunday morning outing on my hybrid, I decided it was time to change the handle bars on my utility bike. A job I have been promising myself I must do for weeks. I got the new riser bars on flea bay before Christmas, but hadn't had the time or inclination to install them. While I was at it, I started to clean the bike, and thought, as I was going to have to re-cable it, because the new bars were higher and wider, I would switch the rear derailleur to a rapid rise version. I got all the old stuff off the bike, undid the chain link, then with a bowl of soapy water, removed three months worth of road rubbish, and wiped over the other parts with baby wipes, drying/polishing with paper towels as I went. Then I replaced the derailleur, popped on the new bars, put the brake levers and shifters in place. That's as far as I got, but with a bike that's looking a lot cleaner than before. Got Tuesday to myself this week, so hope to finish off then.


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## ColinJ (25 Jan 2015)

I washed yesterday's grit off the bike. The Crud mudguards had made a big difference to how dirty the bike had got. I'd say that it only had about 10% of the grit on it that a 100 km winter ride would otherwise deposit.

I checked why the Cruds were so noisy yesterday. Sure enough, poor setup and the little felt pads stuck to the tops of the guards had pushed the guards to within about 1 mm of the tyres! I could hear the front tyre rub once per revolution so the wheel is probably at least 1 mm off being round. I took the pads off and pulled the guards up as much as I could and careful adjustment of the stays changed the profile of the guards so they fit better. I think I now have nearly 2 mm clearance. That is still close enough for bits of mud and grit to get trapped and make a noise, but hopefully it will not be doing it for hours at a time now!

The other problem I had on yesterday evening's ride home as it got dark was that bumps in the road were messing with my front light. If the power is flicked on and off, the light advances to the next mode: Bright->Medium->Dim->Flash-SOS-in-Morse code(!)->Make-every-epileptic-within-100-metres-go-into-fits-stupidly-bright-fast-flashing-mode->Bright-> ... 

I had a good look inside the light and can see the problem. There is a spring loaded contact connecting to one end of the battery pack. I need to put something like a rubber grommet round this contact to act as a spacer which will prevent the battery pack bouncing to and fro every time I hit a bump and causing power glitches. I'll do that tomorrow.


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## slowmotion (26 Jan 2015)

The bike's still filthy. I spent the time I should have been washing it getting a coax cable from the nest box camera into the sitting room. No tits yet, but somebody has been in there. There's a smudge on the nest box floor.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Jan 2015)

Over the week-end got the front mech adjusted on the Helium and finished(sort-of) this;







Also got some digging and tidying done in the garden,got a Tivo upgrade from Virgin and ordered some nice new pillows for a good nights sleep.


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## ColinJ (26 Jan 2015)

ColinJ said:


> The other problem I had on yesterday evening's ride home as it got dark was that bumps in the road were messing with my front light. If the power is flicked on and off, the light advances to the next mode: Bright->Medium->Dim->Flash-SOS-in-Morse code(!)->Make-every-epileptic-within-100-metres-go-into-fits-stupidly-bright-fast-flashing-mode->Bright-> ...
> 
> I had a good look inside the light and can see the problem. There is a spring-loaded contact connecting to one end of the battery pack. I need to put something like a rubber grommet round this contact to act as a spacer which will prevent the battery pack bouncing to and fro every time I hit a bump and causing power glitches. I'll do that tomorrow.


I tested the light by throwing it at a pillow. Sure enough, it advanced a mode every time I did that.

I just made a shock absorbent washer out of a piece of pipe-lagging and put that round the spring-loaded battery contact. As a result, I can now hurl the light at the pillows as many times as I like and the light is not affected! I'll check it on a bumpy ride to see if the problem really is cured.

I forgot to do the chain when I cleaned the bike yesterday. The combination of salty grit from Saturday and warm water from washing the bike on Sunday had left me with a seized up chain covered in rust spots this morning. I have lubed it and will give it an hour for the lube to soak in, then I will wipe the chain down.

_DON'T LEAVE DAMP, SALTY GRIT ON YOUR BIKE - WASH IT OFF AFTER A WINTER RIDE! _


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## Racing roadkill (26 Jan 2015)

Today I chiseled out the remains of the knackered BB from my winter hack. I ended up using a flat head screwdriver bit from my socket set, and a hammer. It worked a treat. I shall now crack on with getting the new BB cranks and chain rings on.


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## Justinslow (26 Jan 2015)

Today and the last few days (much to the wife's disgust) refurbed my old Saracen mtb with new freewheel, chain, rear v brake, EZ fire shifters and gear cables (instead of the rubbish gripshifters), wider bars, saddle, headset, BB and took the old poor RST forks off and gave them a clean and some new grease inside. Set up front and back gearing, tried a new crankset that I come across cheap, but that didn't work so got a refund. 
Most enjoyable and the first time that I've done a lot of these things, but with some research and "you tube" guides was ok, easily as enjoyable as riding the thing!
And put a new saddle on the roadie and replaced the bar tape but did this inside the house where it was a lot warmer.





The garage was a bit of a mess...


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## Scotchlovingcylist (26 Jan 2015)

Fitted my charge spoon to my new bike, couldn't get on with the OEM felt one


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## ColinJ (27 Jan 2015)

Justinslow said:


> Today and the last few days (much to the wife's disgust) refurbed my old Saracen mtb with new freewheel, chain, rear v brake, EZ fire shifters and gear cables (instead of the rubbish gripshifters), wider bars, saddle, headset, BB and took the old poor RST forks off and gave them a clean and some new grease inside. Set up front and back gearing, tried a new crankset that I come across cheap, but that didn't work so got a refund.
> Most enjoyable and the first time that I've done a lot of these things, but with some research and "you tube" guides was ok, easily as enjoyable as riding the thing!
> And put a new saddle on the roadie and replaced the bar tape but did this inside the house where it was a lot warmer.
> View attachment 78008
> ...


Ha ha - I have finally seen somewhere that makes my 'bike shed' (what most people have as a living room) look relatively tidy!


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## Orville (27 Jan 2015)

It was a snow day in my neck of the woods so lots of shovelling. I did manage to get 45 minutes on the turbo trainer though.


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## clid61 (28 Jan 2015)

Ice bike serviced whilst watching last hobbit lol


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## fatjel (28 Jan 2015)

Finally got the defy to change into all 16 gears and stay in said gears when I decide. After a few weeks of constant index knob fiddling
I fitted a new rear mech. 10 minutes fitted and adjusted .. No more gear probs.

I've had the thing less than a month and so far it's had a new crank arm and a rear derailieur

It's fair to say we haven't bonded as yet. I saw a skip whilst out earlier and was sorely tempted

I think I probably should have sent it back


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## ColinJ (28 Jan 2015)

RE-fettling report!

My front light is now vibration-proof! I had it on throughout a bumpy ride yesterday to test it and it remained in the original mode, rather than changing mode randomly every couple of minutes.
My new Crud Roadracers were a lot quieter. They were almost silent for the first hour, which admittedly was partly due to the fact the main roads no longer had so much grit on them. Once I got on to quiet lanes, my tyres picked up residual grit and the noises started, but they were not so loud that I wanted to rip the guards off the bike, which is how I felt before the adjustments!
Clean, well-lubed chains are _A Good Thing_! Honestly - I could actually _feel_ the difference when pedalling after putting up with the manky chain on my previous ride. (I realised that it was not my 100 km ride which had caused the problem, but a 50 km ride a few days earlier. I had noticed that the bike felt sluggish throughout the 100 km ride, and it was the chain that was to blame.) The bike looks a lot nicer when clean too.


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## Hill Wimp (28 Jan 2015)

First bit of prepping on my new tourer, a Ridgeback Voyage. Removed the second water bottle holder on the down tube so that i can fit one of those top tube bags where i can store my lock whilst on tour. I also started to alter my touring spd pedals to fit my shoes. 

Rain stopped play.


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## compo (28 Jan 2015)

I have just fitted a pair of Vittoria Zaffiro, 700c x 25 to my road bike. What a job that was! It was very hard getting the old tyres off and harder still getting the new ones on. I can't say I am looking forward to having to do it on the side of the road. I think a tube of KY jelly in my tool pack is called for, but no-one will believe me what it's for.


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## PeteXXX (28 Jan 2015)

New brake pads fitted to the rear end of the Hardtail before this mornings ride. It stops much quicker now


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## Psycolist (28 Jan 2015)

Had a great off road session yesterday, discovered several new trails for the future, did get really mucky, but well worth it. What wasn't worth it was a visit from the pu%^$*re fairy and found a flat rear tyre to come home on from work today. It meant a slow hobble home, managing to kick the ground twice and put a foot down a pothole, all three events effecting my bad leg, already sore from my days labour. Managed to be very short with Mrs Psycolist upon getting home, then having to grovel an apology, Wot am I like ! --------now got to go out in the freezing cold to put a new tube in (that's the fettling bit). As bad a day today as yesterday was good. !


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## DCLane (28 Jan 2015)

The retro GT Timberline which I've been using recently doesn't like staying in the top ring. Oh, and the new rear tyre kept catching today so ... front derailleur adjusted, rear wheel trued. Hopefully that's it and it'll work properly now


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## Sigh.tm (29 Jan 2015)

polished my wilier using a cloth


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## Scotchlovingcylist (29 Jan 2015)

I read that completely different 



Sigh.tm said:


> polished my wilier using a cloth


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## ACS (29 Jan 2015)

I fitted stabilisers to my 4 year old granddaughters first proper bike this afternoon. The sight of her testing riding the bike down our drive brought some light into a very sad day (family bereavement).


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## Psycolist (29 Jan 2015)

Finished cabling my utility bike, after changing the bars. I will wait until the weekend and finish the 'fine tuning' in daylight hours.


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## alecstilleyedye (29 Jan 2015)

was going to replace a tube but park-patched a flat rear. the workstand at work made getting the rear wheel off a bit less messy…


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## Justinslow (30 Jan 2015)

Took apart the headset on my wife's MTB cleaned and regreased, no more notchiness or stiffness, how very satisfying.
Swapped tyres from her bike to mine as hers were better than mine  she won't notice.


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## raleighnut (30 Jan 2015)

Justinslow said:


> Took apart the headset on my wife's MTB cleaned and regreased, no more notchiness or stiffness, how very satisfying.
> Swapped tyres from her bike to mine as hers were better than mine  she won't notice.


I take it you'll be on puncture duty.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Jan 2015)

Fettled MTB as after last weekends mudfest I couldn't be bothered and unpacked/rebuilt my good bike


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## potsy (30 Jan 2015)

Supposedly 5 minute job of mickling the rusty looking chain for tomorrow's commute turned into an hours fettling as I discovered the bottom bracket was stiff and grindy.
Luckily I had one in stock from when they were on offer a year or more ago, and it's a slight upgrade as the old one was Tiagra and this one is Ultegra.


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## shouldbeinbed (30 Jan 2015)

Just putting some new longer mudguards on the winter hack. The snow stud tyres are throwing more crud over me than the current shorty guards can handle.


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## Mireystock (31 Jan 2015)

Cleaned all the crud and muck from the drivetrain and cassette and re-oiled it. Other general fettling included checking everything for tightness.

Cup of tea time now.


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## RedRider (31 Jan 2015)

1)Adjusted front brake.
2)Mistakenly re-fitted same tube with faulty valve onto rear wheel two times on the trot.
3)Faulty tube cut in half.
4)Having a cup of tea before trying again. Note to self: Better double check that front brake while at it.


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## Dirk (31 Jan 2015)

Awful weather here today, high winds and heavy rain, so I stripped the wallpaper in the living room.


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## gavgav (31 Jan 2015)

Far too windy for cycling today and so took the opportunity to give the bike a good clean, as it was covered in mud from previous rides, and mickled and oiled the chain. Needed to get out into the very fresh air to avoid the germs that my Brother is harbouring. He has proper flu, not the "man" variety and says it's the worst he's felt in his life. Hasn't eaten for 3 days and has been vomiting, coughing, sneezing, shivering, sweating, aching, the full works. I do not want that!!!!!!!!!


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## Glow worm (31 Jan 2015)

Replaced the rear gear cable. At least tried to. As usual completely cocked it up. The indexing is all over the place and the barrel adjuster seems to do fark all. Somehow the upper jockey wheel has moved to within an inch of the cassette. LBS it is then next week. I never learn, but them sodding You Tube vids make things look so damn easy. Sigh....mutter,,, grumble.


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## Justinslow (31 Jan 2015)

I've just copied this from my post in the MTB section, it pretty much explains what I've been doing lately!


So I kind of got carried away, doesn't that just always happen!
Here's a list of what I replaced:

KMC Chain £6.98
Shimano 7 speed freewheel £8.49
VP square taper bottom bracket £9.99
Shimano fcm 131 chainset £17.99
Shimano 7 speed and 3 speed EZ Fire shifters/levers with gear cables £15.31
Acor headset £24.95
Shimano Alivio rear V brake £13.49
Clarks 72mm V brake pads £5.98
Took apart, cleaned and regreased front forks (free)

That's a total of £103.18 inclusive of delivery charges where applicable.

Because I got carried away I also added:

Charge Spoon £12.50 (second hand) thanks @@davester65
Savage 660mm DH bars £11.97
Ritchey pro Truegrip 6 £5
Elite Custom Race bottle cage x2 (one to house a tool kit) £17.98
Swapped better tyres from the wife's MTB (free)

So that's a further £47.45 so a grand total of £150.63 I did all the work myself so there were no labour charges.

So basically I've spent £150 on my bike that isn't worth £150! Proving its pretty uneconomic to refurb an old bike. But, looking at it another way I've spent £150 instead of spending £300+ on a new bike thus saving myself £150+ .
And doing the work myself has been thoroughly enjoyable, Ive done things on the bike I've never done before. I borrowed a work stand from a mate who also had a pedal arm extractor tool and BB extractor tool. I also bought a chain splitter for £11.50 which I'm sure will come in handy in the future.
It's never going to be a "great" bike in modern terms, and I know a lot of the parts I've used are "budget" but I think I've shed nearly half a kilo, It will do me just fine for my ambling around, and giving it a brief test ride has been a revelation! The gears actually work - one click, one shift, the brakes work, the steering is smooth and taut again, the drivetrain is smooth and quiet, just need to give it a proper shakedown now, all in all very pleased .


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## fatjel (1 Feb 2015)

Smacked the mech hanger with a lump of wood , ( 3ft of 4x1 for the technically minded) result no more ghost shifting.
Just been for a 50k test ride and the giant was very well behaved
Gonna need a bigger saddle bag tho


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## Elybazza61 (1 Feb 2015)

New chain and rear cog on the Trek fitted plus adjusted the levers on the Helium.


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## fossyant (1 Feb 2015)

Rear puncture on way home on the MTB (a first with Snow studs). Had a right struggle pulling what was probably half a cocktail stick out of the rear tyre. Had gone through both sides of the tube so I binned it. Took me ages to get it out, over an inch long.


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## Ian H (1 Feb 2015)

Neat get-me-home repair.


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## Justinslow (1 Feb 2015)

Ian H said:


> Neat get-me-home repair.


Oh bollocks! But good solution!


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## youngoldbloke (1 Feb 2015)

Ian H said:


> Neat get-me-home repair.


Had to try similar to hold a Bickerton together when the bottom of the seat tube fell apart on the far side of Guernsey - didn't really work too well, don't think I had enough rope


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## wisdom (1 Feb 2015)

Ian H said:


> Neat get-me-home repair.


Nice get you home repair.
Dare i ask how it happened?


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## Ian H (1 Feb 2015)

Just old age, I think. The frame is a 60s Holdsworth renovated about 20 years ago. I got out of the saddle near the crest of a hill, there was a loud crack, and everything went rather floppy. Luckily that piece of rope was on the ground where I stopped. It got me the 15 miles home.


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## DCLane (1 Feb 2015)

Decided to do some bits:

The green Carrera Virago's been great except for the rear derailleur which had seen much better days before I used it in the build. I bought a Sora 8-speed one so that got fitted; still to index it fully but it looks to shift better. Also the chain was fitted properly as it was far too slack.

The Raleigh Clubman got replacement brake levers (Shimano to replace Weinmann ones that had no outers and rusted nuts) and brake cable outers/inners. One side of bar tape done and the other will be done tomorrow. Photos of before and after then ...

Still to do tomorrow eve:

- Finish Raleigh Clubman bar tape. Take photos.
- Clean Raleigh Team. It's filthy. 
- Clean Ridgeback Platinum. Ditto. 
- Fit new mudguard thing to Whyte.
- Make something fit GT Timberline that resembles mudguards.

I've also got to chase up the Benotto that's been upside down in the LBS for 4 months 

Then a tidy-up of the bike parts is needed to see what I have left. Read that as "a pile of scrap bits to give away and a spare Dura-Ace set that I need to find a use for".


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## raleighnut (2 Feb 2015)

Ian H said:


> Neat get-me-home repair.


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## Levo-Lon (2 Feb 2015)

Changed a few bits for this weeks planned night ride.
changed my dropzone for the reverb 'quicker ' as less time to think in the dark.
dropped tyre pressures to 20psi..from 24. Hoping for more grip on rooty stuff..
changed the 710mm 20mm rise to 720mm 40mm rise..less chance of otb


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## clay_bs7 (3 Feb 2015)

Threw on some new bar tape and pedals on my road bike last night. Adjusted the seat post height and stem as I feel a bit stretched out.


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## TheDoctor (5 Feb 2015)

This was more than just today...




My new road bike built up! It's a new Ribble winter frame, with all the bits from the late lamented Carbon Uberbike. Ambrosio forks, Shimano 105 / Sora components, RS30 wheels, 12-30 cassette and a 50-34T compact.
Note blue cables, blue anodised cable caps and crimped ends, and distinctly non-matching bar tape.


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## Accy cyclist (5 Feb 2015)

The left peddle on my "winter hack" has been clicking for the last month or so driving me crazy! My LBS couldn't fathom it, i even posted about it on CC but all suggestions didn't work. I solved it yesterday. Loads of WD40 sprayed inside the peddle did the trick!


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## I like Skol (5 Feb 2015)

Just pottering about the house doing some odd jobs and will shortly be replacing the rear gear cable housing on the MTB. Going from partial housing to a full length to see if this improves the shifting performance when riding in the gloop. My hybrid has this arrangement and just seems to work all the time, regardless of conditions and only needs any lube about every 5k.

I did spend some time earlier fixing the hinges and a crack in the body of my large plastic tool box and this got me pondering an issue that often troubles me. If I use many of my tools to repair my other tools is this irony or something else?


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## potsy (5 Feb 2015)

Mild fettling only today, fitted a new battery to my Nightvision jacket's light (slightest knock seems to turn the stupid thing on and if you don't notice then it can be on ages until you next use it)

Also fitted a new seat post bag to the Caad, an Altura Aero pack, looks good and means I can now use that bike a bit more for commuting once the weather improves, only problem is the mounting bracket, you have to remove the seat post to slip it over which makes switching it between bikes tricky, have looked at getting a spare for the other bike(s) but they are £17 each 

Test ride of the Tricross yesterday has confirmed my bottom bracket fettling was successful, will have to try to remember to clean that bike after it's been out on the muddy trail and not leave it for days like I sometimes do.


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## I like Skol (5 Feb 2015)

Well, just a quick test of the new cable arrangement and initial impression is that this is the sweetest gear shift I have ever had on this bike. If it stays this good throughout the off-road 30 miler I am doing on Saturday it will be well worth the few extra cable ties around the down tube keeping the cable outer in place


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## I like Skol (5 Feb 2015)

potsy said:


> Mild fettling only today, fitted a new battery to my Nightvision jacket's light


My XL Night Vision Evo arrived today and as you predicted, it is too big. Not overly long, in fact I hope the large isn't any shorter, but far too much girth. These jackets are clearly aimed at the pie eating pygmy end of the market....... 
With luck Wiggle will come through with the goods and I will know before I need it on Sunday?


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## potsy (5 Feb 2015)

I like Skol said:


> These jackets are clearly aimed at the pie eating pygmy end of the market.......


My xxl is a perfect fit


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## I like Skol (5 Feb 2015)

potsy said:


> My xxl is a perfect fit


Like I said......


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## Scotchlovingcylist (5 Feb 2015)

Cleaned and oiled, saddle position tweaked and finally ordered some SKS mudguards.


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## Ian H (5 Feb 2015)

New fixed frame ready to build.


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## Robeh (5 Feb 2015)

*Garmin Out in Front Mount Edge* mount..£7.89

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111507902...49&var=410502010520&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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## Hacienda71 (5 Feb 2015)

Due to a bit of unexpected precipitation in Macclesfield this afternoon I thought a mudguard was in order. So lacking real mudguards I printed off a template for an " Ass Saver" got a clear plastic cover from an old report and cut out and folded myself the said device. Worked fine no dirty stripe up the back of my white softshell. Jobs a goodun.


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## Rickshaw Phil (7 Feb 2015)

Serviced @gavgav's bike. Was surprised to find how little the chain had worn (probably due to his style of riding) but disappointed to find that the rear brake pads had worn unevenly so needed replacing and that there was a pit in the left rear wheel bearing cone, which the LBS couldn't find available as a seperate spare part so I've had to order an axle.

Last time I serviced the pedal bearings I noted that they were quite badly pitted and recommended that Gav got some new ones. He hasn't yet, and as expected the unsealed bearings were pretty filthy but the pitting has worn down to a fairly smooth track  so they'll probably go on for a while now..... go figure.


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## DCLane (7 Feb 2015)

Had a bit of time in the afternoon so I:


Finished off the bar tape on the Raleigh Clubman and re-did the front wheel bearings. It's finished, or as much as I'm going to do, so here's the before/after pics:
October:





Now:





It's got a single 53-tooth Thun crank:





Also worked on a few other bits:

Cleaned the Ridgeback Platinum. It needed it!  I also fitted some new front pads.
Cleaned the Carrera Virago after a club ride this morning.
Fitted new front pads to the GT Timberline. Looks like the old ones were original = 25 years old.
Fitted tyres/tubes/Ultegra cassette to my 10yo's Pro-Lite Bracciano 650c race wheels. They're very light. 
Changed the tyre onto the spare rear wheel on my Raleigh Team. It won't fit properly though so I'll look again tomorrow.


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## howdenbiker (7 Feb 2015)

No work on the bikes today, tinkered with the shed put some bolts through the hasp to improve security.


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## howdenbiker (8 Feb 2015)

After my ride, it being such a sunny day I had a ride out on each bike, it was an interesting experience to try one after the other.
My winter bike is ally with carbon forks and much heavier and not as smooth over the road, however it is the only one I'd use in the winter.
I had a first ride out on my new carbon bike, felt very wrong at first but adjusted the seat and much better, I think it will take some getting used to but certainly a smoother faster ride.
Next the Raleigh, titanium and steel mix, as smooth as the carbon and (probably due to a more comfy saddle) felt better. 
Finally my Rossin, all steel but still with plenty of give and felt lively on the road, it has Chorus gearing so has a lovely smooth gear action.


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## DCLane (8 Feb 2015)

Last job for the weekend; the Raleigh Team blew several more spokes last week on the rear wheel. There aren't many original spokes left thanks to Leeds City Council's poor road maintenance . The commute's 12 miles each way and I'm sure they keep all the road funding for the north of the city. Going south it's like a wasteland at times. Typical Leeds riding roads:





I have a couple of spare wheels already organised so changed the tyre over and fitted this instead; it's now running Rigida front & rear wheels. Not a matching pair but close enough.


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## Psycolist (8 Feb 2015)

Had my first ever go at sorting out a BMX's gyro. Neighbours kid asked if I could sort it out. Its a very ingenious design. Not something you can cobble together. So off I went to the internet to see if I could find a replacement, to find Chainreaction selling whats needed for 99p. Result.99p, it must be costing them more than that in p+p.............!


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## DCLane (9 Feb 2015)

Having used the Carrera Virago on Saturday the fit _didn't feel just right_. However, the bike does feel fast. So tonight I ...

Fitted a new Ritchey WCS longer stem I had
Fitted a new Deda RS01 layback seatpost
Re-greased a spare front Shimano WH-R535 front wheel and fitted it.
The back wheel's still to be done but it feels better. It looks better as well, which is probably just as important


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## Mattonsea (10 Feb 2015)

New rim tape on the Issac, then a bit more work on my Dolan X . I decided as a January project to strip it down and treat it to new mechs, bearings ,cables . Plus a set of
Schwable X tyres . Next on the list is to sort out #3 sons Xrated BMX.


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## Psycolist (10 Feb 2015)

Nabbed a set of retro 3X7 brake shifter combo st-ef28 on fleabay to replace the shifter/brake levers on my utility bike. ( they had seen better days when I fitted them and were only ever temporary ) Got the old ones off, installed the new ones and got the gear cables fitted tonight, I will do the brakes on another evening. Thinking I may treat myself to a new pair of grips while I am doing it. Will pop along to LBS tomorrow and see what he's got. I prefer the wrist resters. Will have to see what's in stock.


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## xzenonuk (11 Feb 2015)

trying to sort out my gears, thought i had em but during a 19 mile ride i spent half off them adjusting the barrel adjusters lol

think i got it sorted now


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## Rickshaw Phil (11 Feb 2015)

The axle for @gavgav's bike came yesterday & I fitted it this evening along with the new chain.


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## gavgav (11 Feb 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The axle for @gavgav's bike came yesterday & I fitted it this evening along with the new chain.


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## DCLane (11 Feb 2015)

@Rickshaw Phil - does @gavgav not service his own bikes? If this is a public service you're offering, do you mind doing mine for me too?

This evening I:

Fitted a tyre to the spare rear Shimano WH-R535 front wheel and fitted it. Then
Re-greased the rear Carrera wheel.
Only to find the WH-R535 wheel's worse that the Carrera was  . Ah well, that's tomorrow's job and it looks better anyway!

The bike's off to my university's workshop tomorrow to see if we can sort out the derailleur issues it has. Still to do:

Fit new front derailleur to the Secteur, which has been sat in a box for 6 weeks.
Re-grease the rear Shimano wheel on the Carrera.
Oh, and organise the collection of my Benotto which has been upside down in the LBS for the past 4 months where they've tried to soak out the stuck seatpost (and failed).


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## Bazzer (12 Feb 2015)

Did maintenance today on my old Raleigh hybrid, which should see it through this year, for the times my main road bike isn't suitable; brakes adjusted, new chain, headset bearings and rear axle.
Axle wasn't as bad as I was expecting, despite it having non caged bearings.
Minor adjustment to seat post on main road bike and gave both bikes a wipe down.
Overall well chuffed with how the bikes look and looking forward to tomorrow and the weekend making sure everything works as I want it to.


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 Feb 2015)

Fitted a OneUp Rad cage to my shiny new XT Shadow+ rear mech 

I'm just waiting on Superstar to release their 42 tooth sprocket, and then i'm all good for a 1x10 drivetrain


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## Robeh (13 Feb 2015)

*Shimano FD-5700 105 10 Speed Front Mech Braze on...£17.75...*


*http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351180051154?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT*


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## MisterStan (14 Feb 2015)

Today I have fitted a new bottom bracket, Ultegra chainset, new chain and cassette, pedals and a longer stem to the Giant. Have gone from compact to standard double. New gear cable for the front derailleur and had to move it up to accommodate the larger ring. Checked the shifting, which seems ok. Didn't have time for a test ride, but will do that first thing tomorrow.


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## slowmotion (15 Feb 2015)

A new Campagnolo Veloce front derailleur came in the post. I ordered it at silly o'clock on Thursday night from ChainReaction. I have been studying it very closely and will try and get it working on Monday. I always have terrible problems with FDs.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Feb 2015)

I put brake handles on my Schwinn Woodlands expedition tourer project today. I will put brakes on Wednesday, and perhaps reactivate the gearing. It had been made into a homebrew single speed, and the front brake and handle had been removed, but now I am returning it to its 24-speed glory, complete with drop bars. Very nice bicycle, for a Hungarian built Schwinn.


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## DCLane (15 Feb 2015)

Not much:

- Got the cadence meter working on my youngest's cross bike
- Changed the tyre on the Benotto and fitted a different front wheel. Replacement Specialized Toupe 130mm saddle fitted. Seatpost still stuck though after 4 months soaking in lube 
- More work on the Carrera; the magnesium frame is reacting with the rear brake  so I cleaned, lubed and greased it.

Sorted some of the stuff in the shed; there'll be a big sale soon.


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## Hugh Manatee (15 Feb 2015)

Nothing today. However, I discovered the cones on the rear wheel of one of the fleet have gone loose. That'll give me something to do on Wednesday morning as I have the day off! It is an old lx hub that I have never been too impressed with as the cassette body lost its click very early on. It's a first generation parallax hub so I suppose it has hung on OK.


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## ColinJ (15 Feb 2015)

Today, I had to do an emergency fettle when out on bike ...

My rear shifting had almost packed up. I could shift between the easiest 3 sprockets but could not shift to the 6 highest gears. It wasn't much of a problem on the 5.5 mile long climb up through Cragg Vale, but I did not want to freewheel on all the downhill sections thereafter.

I got off the bike and discovered that the pivots on the rear mech had almost seized. I hadn't cleaned them well enough when the bike got covered in salty grit before I fitted mudguards to it a couple of weeks ago. I got hold of the derailleur and forced it through its entire range of motion a few times and that freed it. I'll clean and lube it before the next ride.

I also need to clean/lube the chain because it was starting to squeak towards the end of today's ride.

Oh, and the wheel rims have got greasy again so my brakes were only working at about 50% power - not good on fast Yorkshire descents!

I did a quick bike clean when I got home, but I had to catch the shops before they closed. I'll do the job properly tomorrow.


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## screenman (15 Feb 2015)

xzenonuk said:


> trying to sort out my gears, thought i had em but during a 19 mile ride i spent half off them adjusting the barrel adjusters lol
> 
> think i got it sorted now



Rear mech alignment.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Feb 2015)

DCLane said:


> Not much:
> 
> - Got the cadence meter working on my youngest's cross bike
> - Changed the tyre on the Benotto and fitted a different front wheel. Replacement Specialized Toupe 130mm saddle fitted. Seatpost still stuck though after 4 months soaking in lube
> ...


Might be time for more extreme measures on that seatpost.


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## screenman (15 Feb 2015)

Raked over the gravel drive 75yards x 5 yards trouble is it looks nicer now but I cannot ride the road bike on it.


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## DCLane (15 Feb 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> Might be time for more extreme measures on that seatpost.


 
Possibly - it's carbon fibre in a steel frame. I'm doing my best to avoid the hacksaw.


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## raleighnut (15 Feb 2015)

DCLane said:


> Possibly - it's carbon fibre in a steel frame. I'm doing my best to avoid the hacksaw.


Take it out in the rain...........................................I've read that carbon fibre melts in the rain. ..................not sure where I read it though.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Feb 2015)

You may have to cut off the seatpost and use a chisel or screwdriver to peel the layers from inside the seatpost out. Wear a mask when you do this, as the fibers may be harmful to your lungs. That's what another fellow told me when I was removing some carbon fiber anyway.


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## LimeBurn (16 Feb 2015)

New bar tape to the tandem as the yellow & black Camo stuff was just far too 80's


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## ColinJ (16 Feb 2015)

ColinJ said:


> My rear shifting had almost packed up. I could shift between the easiest 3 sprockets but could not shift to the 6 highest gears. It wasn't much of a problem on the 5.5 mile long climb up through Cragg Vale, but I did not want to freewheel on all the downhill sections thereafter.
> 
> I got off the bike and discovered that the pivots on the rear mech had almost seized. I hadn't cleaned them well enough when the bike got covered in salty grit before I fitted mudguards to it a couple of weeks ago. I got hold of the derailleur and forced it through its entire range of motion a few times and that freed it. I'll clean and lube it before the next ride.


It seized again - it turned out to be the inside pivots because I had forgotten them and only lubed those on the outside!


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## Ian H (16 Feb 2015)

Must admit the chain on the fixed had a few stiff links, as I discovered when I removed everything from the broken frame. However, after a good clean and lube it'll have to do on the temporary frame. I'll invest in a new one when the shiny new frame arrives. I _might_ just put the blingy new chainset on then, though that would be the last of the original components from 1983 finally gone (would it then count as a new bike?).


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## raleighnut (16 Feb 2015)

Ian H said:


> Must admit the chain on the fixed had a few stiff links, as I discovered when I removed everything from the broken frame. However, after a good clean and lube it'll have to do on the temporary frame. I'll invest in a new one when the shiny new frame arrives. I _might_ just put the blingy new chainset on then, though that would be the last of the original components from 1983 finally gone (would it then count as a new bike?).


Triggers Broom.


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## Ian H (16 Feb 2015)

Ship of Theseus, originally.


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## the_mikey (16 Feb 2015)

Cleaned and greased my Exustar look compatible pedal bearings and crank threads. No more creaking (for now..)


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## Spoked Wheels (17 Feb 2015)

Amazing chain of events this morning. I was looking for a video that explain cup and cone hub servicing when I remembered that I had a hub that perhaps needed servicing. I bought this Dura Ace hub on gumtree for a tenner over a year ago. It was described as "not working properly" I simply bought it for spares as it was the wrong spoke count but I would be building myself a wheel set on Dura Ace hubs one day, incidentally, I should be doing that shortly. So I went looking for this hub, in my mind the hub had a bent axle or similar. The packet had not been opened so for all I know I could have had a dead cat in there  the hub felt a little rough so I thought this is a bearings problem. I removed the first set of ball bearings that come in a retainer and examined everything and everyrhing was good, even the original shimano grease it seemed. I was praying to find something wrong wih the other side bearings only..... so the first 4 loose ball bearings were fine but then I found one that had a lot of pitting and then two more. Cone and cup were fine. Did the old ball pen test and all good. So digging inside the spare parts box a found 3 new sets of ball bearings..... replaced the bearings put the hub back together and I now have a Dura Ace hub that looks and feels like new  - there is my next rear touring wheel I guess  it always pays to have spare ball bearings


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (17 Feb 2015)

Fitted the toe straps to both of my bikes today and planning to go and test the straps on my road bike shortly! Another thing to get used to as I spent ages getting used to toe clips without straps, now ready for the next step!


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## raleighnut (17 Feb 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> Fitted the toe straps to both of my bikes today and planning to go and test the straps on my road bike shortly! Another thing to get used to as I spent ages getting used to toe clips without straps, now ready for the next step!


Nice pedals.


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## Nytsom (17 Feb 2015)

Put new grips on the old Orange C16R that I've converted in to a hybrid bike for the wife; she mad me a nice (large) mug of coffee while I did the wee job. then re-adjusted the front mech on the Giant OCR 3. time for a nice mug of tea now! Too cold for me to go for a ride today..


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (17 Feb 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Nice pedals.


Matches the rear hub on the bike!
Such smooth parts!


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## fossyant (17 Feb 2015)

Happened to be in Evans at Chill Factore on Sunday (been playing at indoor sky diving again) and grabbed some Hoy bar tape in black (of course). The Clarkes Carbon effect stuff wasn't much good, the finish had pealed off in 6 months, despite the previous Cinelli Carbon effect having lasted years of daily commute.

Very impressed with the Cork tape, and to top it off it comes up with some nice laser etched alloy bar ends, with allan key expander bolt.


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## Levo-Lon (18 Feb 2015)

Converted my 2x10 sram xo to 1x10 narrow wide with slx clutch mec and shifter off the HT bike
the new 38,24 front spider I got last year has 104 bcd so I can have superstar narrow wide fitted and bash.
only noticed yesterday when considering a big spend..glad im a nosey bugger or id have wasted a lot of cash for nothing.
the oe 42,28 spider is 120bcd pita and bloody expensive for Everything.
my HT is now xo 1x10 with a chain guide, so all good in the tinkering stakes today.


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## Eribiste (19 Feb 2015)

I've replaced the chain and cassette on my Boardman after nearly 5000 miles, and the gear shifting is much better. Presumably the side flex in the old chain was preventing completely clean shifts on the cassette.


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2015)

Eribiste said:


> I've replaced the chain and cassette on my Boardman after nearly 5000 miles, and the gear shifting is much better. Presumably the side flex in the old chain was preventing completely clean shifts on the cassette.


I have noticed a similar thing in the past.

My winter tip for the day ... If you are having the same problem as me in cold conditions with your bike lube getting too viscous to apply easily, place the container in very warm water for a while before use. I was surprised how much easier it was to do my chain with warm lube.


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## Psycolist (19 Feb 2015)

I've been spending my evenings building a new wheel set. Ambitious, but I had nothing to lose. The rims on the old wheels both had nasty dinks on them, not my doing, but the spokes and hubs were of a good enough quality, that I wouldn't want them to go to waste. So after a good few hours surfing the net looking at wheel sets, and realising that I couldn't afford anything of equal quality, I started looking at rims. I found a pair of Exal LX17 rims, which seemed to have reasonable write ups, and also described as 'forgiving' for the novice, for a little over £20. So I dismantled the old wheels over last weekend and have spent the last couple of evenings re building onto the new rims. After a few false starts, trying to get the lacing and spacing right, I fitted the new builds last night and took them for a ride today. First impressions.....NICE !. Well worth the effort. The most difficult part of the process was getting the wheel round. I've got it to within a couple of mm on both of them. Getting them straight was easier, as well the dishing. I used my rim brake settings to adjust them to run straight and central, but keeping them round meant a little more ingenuity. I ended up stretching a loop of fishing line across the stays/forks, and moving it back and forth as required. If todays outing is anything to judge by, then I have a lightish, strongish, quality set of wheels that will do me for many miles. Plus I got a bit of an ego boost knowing that I had managed to complete a task that I had never tried before. Chuffed


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## arch684 (19 Feb 2015)

Psycolist said:


> I've been spending my evenings building a new wheel set. Ambitious, but I had nothing to lose. The rims on the old wheels both had nasty dinks on them, not my doing, but the spokes and hubs were of a good enough quality, that I wouldn't want them to go to waste. So after a good few hours surfing the net looking at wheel sets, and realising that I couldn't afford anything of equal quality, I started looking at rims. I found a pair of Exal LX17 rims, which seemed to have reasonable write ups, and also described as 'forgiving' for the novice, for a little over £20. So I dismantled the old wheels over last weekend and have spent the last couple of evenings re building onto the new rims. After a few false starts, trying to get the lacing and spacing right, I fitted the new builds last night and took them for a ride today. First impressions.....NICE !. Well worth the effort. The most difficult part of the process was getting the wheel round. I've got it to within a couple of mm on both of them. Getting them straight was easier, as well the dishing. I used my rim brake settings to adjust them to run straight and central, but keeping them round meant a little more ingenuity. I ended up stretching a loop of fishing line across the stays/forks, and moving it back and forth as required. If todays outing is anything to judge by, then I have a lightish, strongish, quality set of wheels that will do me for many miles. Plus I got a bit of an ego boost knowing that I had managed to complete a task that I had never tried before. Chuffed


well done and i bet you want to do it again


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## fossyant (19 Feb 2015)

Wet ride home, bike not too dirty, but chain covered in crap from the cycle route. Poked crap out with an Allen key, wiped, wiped, lubed and wiped again. Was sounding like a popcorn machine tonight (fixed gear).


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## Psycolist (21 Feb 2015)

Fork fettling today.....received my new mtb Rockshox Sids yesterday.  Spending the afternoon fitting and tuning to my liking, Hopefully get out on them tomorrow before the rain sets in. And in reply to Arch, not straight away, but its certainly a job I would try again.


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## DCLane (21 Feb 2015)

Set up my 10 year-old's Felt F95 Junior race bike for the new season which for him starts on 7th March at York; new Pro-Lite A24's in 650c size, gears set for Under 12's.

We've got the bike down to 8.8kg with pedals which is about as light as it'll get; given Felt's 'official' weight was 8.6kg I'm presuming this was without pedals/tyres/etc. as we weighed it at 9.6kg on receipt.

Still probably needs new bar tape (mildew on white tape  ) and checking over properly. That'll be next week.


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## Gravity Aided (21 Feb 2015)

Started work on different cantilever brakes for touring bike, new BB ordered and chain as well. Brakes were a tad rusty, so they are soaking in some vinegar for a few days. Trying to modernize a wee bit, and make as many fixtures Allen Bolts as possible, and replace and renovate most of the moving parts. But winter has been severely cold this month, so this, my expedition tourer project, and the indoor trainer have gotten the attention and the $$ this month.


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## Smokin Joe (22 Feb 2015)

Carbon steerer cut to size and forks fitted to new frame. The worst bit over, now for the build


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## DCLane (22 Feb 2015)

Did a number of things:

- Cleaned the mildew of my youngest's Felt road bike 
- Fitted a new SRAM 8-speed chain to the Ridgeback Platinum.
- Fitted a new Shimano Claris rear derailleur and new Shimano Tiagra rear brake caliper to the Carrera. That should _hopefully_ solve both the gear-changing issue and stop the old Sora brake caliper reacting with the magnesium frame 

Oh, and I re-built a rear derailleur using the Carrera's damaged Shimano 2300 one and bits from a Sora 3300 part I'd bought but wouldn't work properly. New skills are always helpful


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## Smokin Joe (22 Feb 2015)

Follocks!!

Got the wrong size seat tube clamp


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## Exile (22 Feb 2015)

Had a spare few hours whilst the O/H was away, and decided to take the opportunity to get the CX bike back on the road. Full brake change (rotors, callipers, inners, outers) and took the cross levers off as I never use them and they were taking up valuable bar space. Changed over the wheels to the set without four broken spokes on the rear (that'll be my fettling for next weekend, perhaps), including swapping tyres and tubes, and finally re-wrapped the bars in fresh tape. Then it was just the simple matter of getting the brakes running smoothly (so much easier with the new mech/hydro hybrids) and giving the chain a clean and lube.

Quite chuffed with just how much I got sorted today, even if my first attempt at wrapping drop bars isn't the prettiest thing to look at.


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## Cp40Carl (22 Feb 2015)

Put new brake blocks and brake cables on my Felt QX60. I got the bike 2nd hand and have been learning as I go with it. Just ordered new chain and gear cables so back to YouTube for me...

Got the whole lot off e-bay / Halfords clearance for about £20 (new and branded as well). New cassette after that. I can't seem to stop...


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## Gravity Aided (23 Feb 2015)

May start planning on getting the expedition tourer completed, decorated and ready for the St. Patricks' Day Parade.


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## slowmotion (23 Feb 2015)

I stuck my hand down the yard gulley that was clogged up with four years' worth of leaf debris from the gutters, squirted it down with a hose pipe, and went back inside with frostbite in my right hand. I thawed it out under the hot tap and managed to open a can of Belgium's finest.


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## Gravity Aided (23 Feb 2015)

Well on the road to recovery, then?


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## uclown2002 (23 Feb 2015)

DCLane said:


> Did a number of things:
> 
> - Cleaned the mildew of my youngest's Felt road bike
> - Fitted a new SRAM 8-speed chain to the Ridgeback Platinum.
> ...



Do you get the chance to ride a bike? You're always fettling!!


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## threebikesmcginty (23 Feb 2015)

slowmotion said:


> I stuck my hand down the yard gulley that was clogged up with four years' worth of leaf debris from the gutters, squirted it down with a hose pipe, and went back inside with frostbite in my right hand. I thawed it out under the hot tap and managed to open a can of Belgium's finest.



A can?!


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## Arjimlad (23 Feb 2015)

Renewed the chain on my son's Giant Terrago MTB. I was surprised to find very little wear on my own chain.


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## DCLane (23 Feb 2015)

uclown2002 said:


> Do you get the chance to ride a bike? You're always fettling!!


 
Oh yes 

Winter commuting hasn't done some of the bikes any favours. I've also built some and re-built several others in this past year. Only one more re-build to go before the spring.


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## Leaway2 (23 Feb 2015)

Replaced the bearings in my rear R501 and replaced the cassette on my Secteur. I was about to replace the chain but noticed there was wear on the middle chainring so ordered a new one from CRC.
So I will be commuting on the Cannondale this week.


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## ColinJ (23 Feb 2015)

Something very frightening had been happening on recent rides on my Basso which seems to have been due to a troublesome rear hub so I gave it a good fettling this afternoon.

I did 2 rides on the bike on heavily gritted roads at the start of January during which it got covered in salty grit. After that I fitted some new Crud Roadracer mudguards to try to keep the bike (and myself!) a lot cleaner. 

I have just fettled the hub and it is clear that I did not clean the bike well enough after those rides because I discovered that the cassette and hub were starting to corrode from the salt. There was a lot of friction in the hub and some gunk around the pawls. The QR had almost seized inside the axle.

A neglected hub and cassette ...





It all feels a hell of a lot better now. The rear wheel spins much more freely and there is no hint of the wheel driving the chain round when freewheeling, which it was previously starting to do - a sure sign that the hub needed attention!

Post-fettling ...





I'll do a test ride in the next few days and will soon find out if the 'squeal of death' has been fixed! I was getting it every 4 or 5 miles on the last couple of rides.


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## Smokin Joe (23 Feb 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Something very frightening had been happening on recent rides on my Basso which seems to have been due to a troublesome rear hub so I gave it a good fettling this afternoon.
> 
> I did 2 rides on the bike on heavily gritted roads at the start of January during which it got covered in salty grit. After that I fitted some new Crud Roadracer mudguards to try to keep the bike (and myself!) a lot cleaner.
> 
> ...


Do clean those spokes, they're disgusting.


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## ColinJ (23 Feb 2015)

Smokin Joe said:


> Do clean those spokes, they're disgusting.


That was AFTER I cleaned the spokes! 

(TBH - I just gave them a quick wipe after my last ride, but I cleaned the rims because they were a bit greasy and my braking was being affected.)


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## ColinJ (23 Feb 2015)

BTW - they are supposed to be black, not silver!


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## mark c (23 Feb 2015)

New Tyre on back wheel as current Durano is on closer inspection shot. But pleased with the number of trouble free miles.


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## Psycolist (23 Feb 2015)

After all previous attempts at carrying/ mounting my camera, I managed to create a bracket to fit my mini MD80 camera to my bars. Then forgot to pick up the camera up for my daily commute, so still don't know wether the bracket will mount the camera giving an adequate view. Bah ! 
P.S. It was bloomin cold in the extremities here today, and I didn't dress for it. I'm sure my ear lobes had icicles on them.


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## Gravity Aided (26 Feb 2015)

Vinegar worked well on brake component rust and corrosion. Parts are all clean now, and awaiting reinstallation inside, as I'm getting some more snow and cold weather outside. Things are improving here, now regularly getting in the 20's Fahrenheit, maybe 30's next week.


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2015)

ColinJ said:


> I'll do a test ride in the next few days and will soon find out if the 'squeal of death' has been fixed! I was getting it every 4 or 5 miles on the last couple of rides.


It has fixed the problem! I did a very hilly 100 km ride yesterday and the bike was great. My poor old body wasn't so good, but that's another story ... 

I'll take the hub to bits to clean and lube it a couple of times a year in future.


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## MikeW-71 (26 Feb 2015)

Replaced the gear cables and outers on the MTB. This has been outstandingly successful and has improved the shifting 200%

It has always felt really stiff on shifting even when new, and was a real bugger to get indexed. Now the shifters are as light as I always thought they should be and indexing was spot-on straight away


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2015)

MikeW-71 said:


> Replaced the gear cables and outers on the MTB. This has been outstandingly successful and has improved the shifting 200%
> 
> It has always felt really stiff on shifting even when new, and was a real bugger to get indexed. Now the shifters are as light as I always thought they should be and indexing was spot-on straight away


Sorting out my Basso's brake cables might be my next fettling task. The rear brake has had too much friction in the cabling since I flipped the stem (the cable was really a bit too short but I just about got away with it). It has got worse recently though, and the brake now only half releases so it is time to tackle the problem.

I might wait another month and do it once this winter is over and the roads are grit-free again. My new Crud Roadracers are keeping 95% of the salty crap off the bike, but some inevitably gets where it shouldn't.


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## Smokin Joe (26 Feb 2015)

Fitted stem, bars and brifters. Also installed Tektro rear brake off the old bike and new 105 front which came with too short a sleeve nut. I had another which was too long and had to cut it down. Then for the umpteenth time in my life I cut the front outer too short and had to use the one intended for the rear instead.

LBS tomorrow, by which time the 105 chainset, BB and rear mech should be here.


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## Levo-Lon (26 Feb 2015)

Serviced and set up my fox rear shock as it was way over due..lovely now.
fitted a 40t expander to the fs yesterday..as 1x10 is hard work so a little bit more at the back for them up bits


----------



## si_c (27 Feb 2015)

Toe clips on my pedals broke today  Took them off, left hand pedal wasn't spinning properly, so took the opportunity to see what the inside of one looks like 

Grease inside had turned to a paste, so cleaned axle and bearings, regreased and put back in. Just been to tesco to get some milk, and the clicking sound that's been driving me mad for the last month has disappeared


----------



## ColinJ (27 Feb 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Sorting out my Basso's brake cables might be my next fettling task. The rear brake has had too much friction in the cabling since I flipped the stem (the cable was really a bit too short but I just about got away with it). It has got worse recently though, and the brake now only half releases so it is time to tackle the problem.
> 
> I might wait another month and do it once this winter is over and the roads are grit-free again. My new Crud Roadracers are keeping 95% of the salty crap off the bike, but some inevitably gets where it shouldn't.


I had a quick look today and to my surprise the friction is at the handlebar end of the cable - I thought it would be at the brake end and be due to road crud getting inside the outer.

I dripped some thin oil down the cable and worked it in and that has half-fixed the problem. Fixing it properly would involve a new cable and outers and redoing the bar tape. I'll sort it out when my irritation with it overcomes my laziness!


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (28 Feb 2015)

A clean of the knockabout bike as it was especially filthy from commuting duties this week and fitted some new tyres to the Raleigh.

I've been toying with the idea of some more sporty tyres for a while (was thinking of Schwalbe Kojak or Marathon Racer) and noticed that On One had Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres at £15 each which are quite a bit lighter than the current Marathons and claim to be fairly puncture resistant. First impressions on a quick test are that they give a more supple ride than the Marathons despite having them pumped up harder. It's quite blustery out so was difficult to tell if they are faster. I await better weather conditions for a proper test ride.


----------



## Gravity Aided (28 Feb 2015)

I fettled some bikes for the big giveaway at the county courthouse parking deck. One BSO and a GT outpost. I gave the GT a test ride outdoors in the 10F weather. A very short test ride. A very nice bicycle.


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## Robeh (1 Mar 2015)

put a pair off schwable Lugano's 25c on my winter bike,i took them off my Cannondale synapse 105.
i didnt think they would run with my Crud Roadracer mk2's but they fit just perfect.
im sure i read somewhere they would only run with 23c tyres


----------



## BigAl68 (1 Mar 2015)

I was sorting out the brakes on my carbon bike at 5am and then had to fit a tub to the steel bike out on a ride this afternoon. All good as both bikes running like a dream


----------



## Dirk (1 Mar 2015)

Adjusted brakes and gears on my wife's Olymique Mixte and raised the saddle about 1/4" for her. 
Put new chain on my Motobecane Special Sports, took rear brake apart and reassembled it correctly (someone had previously left a couple of washers out), adjusted position of bars and saddle.
Cleaned both.


----------



## ColinJ (1 Mar 2015)

Robeh said:


> put a pair off schwable Lugano's 25c on my winter bike,i took them off my Cannondale synapse 105.
> i didnt think they would run with my Crud Roadracer mk2's but they fit just perfect.
> *im sure i read somewhere they would only run with 23c tyres*


It depends entirely on the bike!

My mate can't even get 25C tyres to fit on his bike and Cruds don't fit even with 23C tyres.

I can put 25C tyres on my Basso but then not get the Cruds on. I put 23C tyres and Cruds on instead.

There is quite a lot of clearance on my Cannondale. I haven't tried, but I reckon I could easily put 25C tyres and Cruds on that bike. It's my fair-weather bike though so I won't be putting mudguards on it.


----------



## ChrisEyles (1 Mar 2015)

Finished fettling the Vee brakes on my wife's commuter today after receiving some helpful advice on here. TBH they're still not quite perfect, and I'll be asking the nice people at the LBS to set them up (pretty please) when we get some new brake blocks soon. But they do the job, and no longer rub constantly on the rim, so job's a good 'un.


----------



## Elybazza61 (1 Mar 2015)

New chain fitted to the Icarus as the old one was somewhat shagged.


----------



## Smokin Joe (1 Mar 2015)

New PX Pro Carbon build finished, apart from the bar tape. The friggin' about trimming cable outers is the worst part of any build, checking and re-checking the length before you cut to make sure you get them just right. I'd already cut the front brake outer too short yesterday meaning an emergency dash to my LBS for a replacement.


----------



## Gravity Aided (2 Mar 2015)

Fitted brakes to the expedition tourer Schwinn Woodlands, had to do a wee bit of metalwork due to the front cantilever brake hanger being bent, and out of round, which was probably the reason the previous owner removed the front brakes and single speeded the bike. Trued and aligned the fitting, and added all brakes back to the frame. I'll set cables on Wednesday, and should nearly be done.


----------



## Kevoffthetee (2 Mar 2015)

After work I started the project of fitting claris shifters to my peugeot optimum 531 Reynolds. I wanted to do it so that once I have the money for a new bike it could be converted back to its original state and was lucky enough to find brand new shifters, drop bars and tape which has just been removed from a new Boardman race sport.

All cables were there as well so all I needed was a quill stem adaptor and stem. Everything came off in one piece and can easily be put back on, bringing her back to standard at no extra cost. The only snag I've hit is that modern bikes don't have outer brake cable running all the way from front to back so I need to find a tidy looking joiner as I don't want to remove the bar tape for the sake of a brake cable.

Once I have this ill fine tune her and take her out on the clubs development ride this weekend.

I might even buy her come white wall tyres to match the White charge saddle and bar tape


----------



## raleighnut (2 Mar 2015)

Kevoffthetee said:


> After work I started the project of fitting claris shifters to my peugeot optimum 531 Reynolds. I wanted to do it so that once I have the money for a new bike it could be converted back to its original state and was lucky enough to find brand new shifters, drop bars and tape which has just been removed from a new Boardman race sport.
> 
> All cables were there as well so all I needed was a quill stem adaptor and stem. Everything came off in one piece and can easily be put back on, bringing her back to standard at no extra cost. The only snag I've hit is that modern bikes don't have outer brake cable running all the way from front to back so I need to find a tidy looking joiner as I don't want to remove the bar tape for the sake of a brake cable.
> 
> ...


Use an in line adjuster.


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## DCLane (2 Mar 2015)

The front derailleur's been playing up on the Secteur for months, certainly at least 6 months. It'll sometimes work and sometimes stick - requiring me to unclip and kick it. That doesn't work well, particularly on a fast club run  , so I too the opportunity to:

Fit a new Ultegra 6700 front derailleur.
Fit a new Ultegra 6700 chain
Index the rear derailleur.
Basic prep for a 200k audax on the 16th done which was needed since I haven't ridden this bike since November.

Also the Raleigh Team has been put into use with the bad weather we're having. The rear wheel needed trueing so that got done and a general check-over, lube and grease. All good. I forget how good the bike is, ride it and then think again about whether it should be sold. However, needs must so it'll be on sale later this month.

I've cheated with the Ridgeback Platinum commuter; it needs the headset doing after the winter so that's gone to the LBS. When it comes back it's being treated to an upgrade; Dura-Ace 7800 crankset, front & rear derailleurs, new Pearson bars, Ultegra 6700 shifters, Ultegra cassette. The aim is to turn it into a long-distance audax bike for the 400 and 600km PBP qualifiers (it'll still have to cope with commuting though!).

Also fitted some new jockey wheels to an old Shimano 600 derailleur plus cleaned the Shimano 5700 front derailleur I removed earlier.


----------



## Gravity Aided (3 Mar 2015)

Recieved sealed BB today, so I'll be fitting that, and the new chain and different crankset to the Fuji Tourer on Wednesday.


----------



## raleighnut (3 Mar 2015)

DCLane said:


> The front derailleur's been playing up on the Secteur for months, certainly at least 6 months. It'll sometimes work and sometimes stick - requiring me to unclip and kick it. That doesn't work well, particularly on a fast club run  , so I too the opportunity to:
> 
> Fit a new Ultegra 6700 front derailleur.
> Fit a new Ultegra 6700 chain
> ...


They are seductive little beggers those old Raleighs, even the derided 18-23 tube ones. They just feel so 'right' on the road, My (super) Equipe (the red and white one) rides lovely.


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## Levo-Lon (3 Mar 2015)

Converted back to 2x10 and fitted MK 2.2 on the rear and a 2.1 maxxis advantage on the front , went for a 25mile ride...lovely, big tyres and 1x10 for xc..........nah


----------



## arranandy (3 Mar 2015)

I was going to fit a new chain and cassette on my winter bike this evening. Unfortunately I just broke the key in lock of my garage door. Now waiting for a locksmith


----------



## bpsmith (3 Mar 2015)

New tyres fitted and chain lubed after washing on the weekend. Now back to ready.


----------



## Mireystock (4 Mar 2015)

Just a wash and a chain lube last night after a mucky ride.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (4 Mar 2015)

Did a bit of cleaning up and minor adjustments on the fixed gear and the ladies bike, tightened my lock ring up on the fixed and removed 98% of the Horrid blue paint that was on my top tube. Quick sand and wipe with WD40 it'll do until summer when I strip and re-spray it. Next on my list is still new handlebars and new brake pads on the front wheel.


----------



## andytheflyer (4 Mar 2015)

Given the increasingly clement weather, the lengthening daylight, the snowdrops and the soon to be budding daffs, and since last week my even more partially-retired status, I woke the Defy up from its winter slumbers in its centrally-heated garage. Wash with car shampoo, then Mickle the chain, pump the tyres up, spin everything over, ping the spokes, lube the brake pivots, tweak the cable tensions, set the Cateye wireless to 700c, change the batteries in the Etrex, followed by a couple of hundred yards around the 'Close, and we are ready to go. Pity the bike 'bent winter hack is looking a bit left out.

Hey ho, 1 day a week at work eh? Now, where to go tomorrow? Wind is brisk W, so that looks like a N or S cafe run then.


----------



## Diggs (4 Mar 2015)

My shoes! With GT-85. No longer squeak round the new office, so I guess they'll just know me as 'guy with clicky ankle'. Doubt if GT85 will work on that.


----------



## si_c (5 Mar 2015)

Replaced middle chain ring as it's become so worn it's started slipping. Had to take the crank off as it was so greasy the chainring had stuck. Must clean bike more often.


----------



## Pumpkin the robot (5 Mar 2015)

I cut the fork steerer down so it no longer pokes me in the face when I am riding. I also fitted a new cassette, which has made everything a lot smoother. Didn't realise the old one was so knackered. I cleaned up a set of wheels I had sold and removed the cassette from them. Gave everything a good clean and then went for a pleasant eveing ride.


----------



## PeteXXX (5 Mar 2015)

Yesterday's fettle as it's gone midnight... Headset bearings removed from the Marin so I could clean them up and measure them to track down a new set.


----------



## MisterStan (5 Mar 2015)

Early morning fettling session for me; got to @martinclive's place early so I could swap a cassette for him as he was fitting shiny new wheels. Somehow managed to nick my thumb doing this, probably on those sharp aero spokes he got! He did make me a cup of coffee (waiting for me when I got there!) and also gave me a plaster.


----------



## Gravity Aided (5 Mar 2015)

New sealed bottom bracket, chain, different crank set, and different brakes are all now installed on the Fuji


----------



## Asa Post (5 Mar 2015)

New brake pads and jockey wheels fitted to the hybrid.
Pedal extender fitted to the road bike. Now experimenting with cleat positions.


----------



## Psycolist (5 Mar 2015)

Gave the off roader a proper going over this arvo/evening. I've got 5 days off work and plan to make the most of every minute I can in the saddle.


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## si_c (5 Mar 2015)

Just replaced the rear derailleur cable for the MTB. Had to get a pair of cable cutters to do it though, my old pair of wire cutters weren't up to the task.


----------



## format (5 Mar 2015)

new spds and cleats on the bike after coming unclipped on the fixed gear one too many times. Never realised silver cleats were worse at retention than black ones.


----------



## DCLane (6 Mar 2015)

The Carrera Virago's been playing up; the chain keeps slipping despite several attempts to get the indexing right.

So I took it into the workshop at work on Thursday to see what I'd done wrong 

The mechanic there looked, checked and said "it's indexing correctly but the chain looks odd".

I'd fitted a new KMC X8-93 chain - turns out it was all a single-speed chain in the box (bought from Chain Reaction!).

New Z8S chain bought and fitted this evening; it runs fine now.


----------



## Cp40Carl (7 Mar 2015)

New gear cables front and back plus KMC chain on hybrid. Ran it up and down street for couple of hours wandering why new chain so noisy. Had put it through rear gear mechanism incorrectly! Duh!


----------



## si_c (7 Mar 2015)

Had to untighten the front mech cable on the MTB, overtightened it when I put it on thinking when it loosened it would be fine. Couldn't shift down from big chainring. Being lazy made more work, who'd have thought it


----------



## confusedcyclist (7 Mar 2015)

Full service, total cost, £0. Excluding new tyres. Felt good to get out there in the sunshine after a serious session the garage. Decided to take the fenders off when I got back seen as though spring is here!


----------



## Gravity Aided (8 Mar 2015)

I was down at the bike cave fixing bicycles for the West Side Revitalization Project, and repaired a Gitane( Basic 10 speed) and a Fuji Boulevard, which I'll have to find a bottom bracket for, as this one's bb is so far gone it cut a 1/8" groove in the bb axle. A really fine commuting bike, once it is rehabbed. Then I went home and repaired winter's damage to my Trek 800, as the rear brake return springs had gone quite awry.


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## raleighnut (8 Mar 2015)

confusedcyclist said:


> Full service, total cost, £0. Excluding new tyres. Felt good to get out there in the sunshine after a serious session the garage. Decided to take the fenders off when I got back seen as though spring is here!


Ne'er cast a clout til May be out, that goes for mudguards too . There will be more snow yet, bound to be.


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## DCLane (8 Mar 2015)

Began prepping the Raleigh Team before it goes on sale; Raceblade XL mudguards removed, lights removed, rear derailleur cable replaced.

To do; switch the tyres to Michelin Dynamics, change the front deralleur cable, change the chain and clean the wheel chrome. Those will be done this week.


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## confusedcyclist (8 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Ne'er cast a clout til May be out, that goes for mudguards too . There will be more snow yet, bound to be.


Still got studded tyres on the MTB!


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## Psycolist (8 Mar 2015)

A gorgeous couple of days for riding,  who wants to fettle in this weather. ?


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## Gravity Aided (8 Mar 2015)

Finished brakes on the tourer, and mounted same to the trainer, along with cleat and shoe fettling, the new system looks complete. New bb, new drivetrain, clipless. That's the big winter project, now a little training on getting in and out of pedals whilst on trainer.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (11 Mar 2015)

Made a start today to try and make a chopped down handlebar for my fixed gear, started by chopping a bar down and then got to a dead end as the hex heads on my stem are sheared! So not got any further! Time to get a new stem to complete the project!


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## raleighnut (11 Mar 2015)

Look a tad too short to me, good luck.


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## si_c (11 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> Made a start today to try and make a chopped down handlebar for my fixed gear, started by chopping a bar down and then got to a dead end as the hex heads on my stem are sheared! So not got any further! Time to get a new stem to complete the project!


Nicely done  Although the width of those is way to narrow for my tastes  Could try drilling the heads out to try and save the stem, seems a waste to replace it for want of a couple of hex bolts.


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## arch684 (11 Mar 2015)

Fitted a new front derailleur (triple) and cleaned the chain as i had it off anyway


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (11 Mar 2015)

May be an option, though I was thinking it Would be the perfect be excuse to get a shorter stem, the one I have now isn't bad but a tad on the long side and I'm not a fan of the top of it as its not got a proper top... They usually have a rubber cap but mine doesn't have one! So it collects water in the rain :/


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (11 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Look a tad too short to me, good luck.


Bars I have on at the moment feel like I'm riding with my arms stretched out compared to my roadie drop bars, not a great fan of the MTB bar setup.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> May be an option, though I was thinking it Would be the perfect be excuse to get a shorter stem, the one I have now isn't bad but a tad on the long side and I'm not a fan of the top of it as its not got a proper top... They usually have a rubber cap but mine doesn't have one! So it collects water in the rain :/


Perhaps some silicone bathtub sealer?


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## Psycolist (11 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> Made a start today to try and make a chopped down handlebar for my fixed gear, started by chopping a bar down and then got to a dead end as the hex heads on my stem are sheared! So not got any further! Time to get a new stem to complete the project!


Jeeeeeez, With bars that narrow, your steering is gonna be really twitchy don't you think ?


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## Racing roadkill (11 Mar 2015)

The left hand (chain ring) shifter, on the Boardman Roady, was not playing ball on Sunday's club ride, so I doused it in some WD40. It still wasn't playing ball, so I hit it with a hammer. It's working now.


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## Racing roadkill (11 Mar 2015)

I remembered I had a nice clean 105 10 speed (11-25) cassette in the drawer. So I put it on my spare rear wheel. I've no Idea if it will get used, but it's nice to have a ready to go option, if I ever suffer a rear wheel failure.


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## SSmatty (11 Mar 2015)

I resurrected my old bike as a single speed.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (11 Mar 2015)

Psycolist said:


> Jeeeeeez, With bars that narrow, your steering is gonna be really twitchy don't you think ?


I think because the mountain bike bars on currently is quite wide it looks smaller than it looks, still wider than my drop bars


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## SSmatty (11 Mar 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> Perhaps some silicone bathtub sealer?



Surely you can scrounge up a top cap, if that's the problem?
(See how I didn't say issue?)


----------



## totallyfixed (11 Mar 2015)

Stripped out the wheel bearings on my Mavic open pros rear wheel, ordered new rim for front wheel so have that to build plus new chainring, rear sprocket, headset bottom race bearings and finally touch up the paint work, then I shall have breakfast before I change the tyres .


----------



## DCLane (11 Mar 2015)

Worked on my youngest's Felt 95 Jr race bike after it broke in his race at York last Saturday. New rear derailleur plus new cable. We'd done a quick temporary fix but this was a replacement one. Set up (limited gearing) for his next race on Saturday in Bradford.

I used the now spare gear cable from the temporary fix on the Raleigh Team so it's got 2 new ones.


----------



## raleighnut (12 Mar 2015)

SSmatty said:


> Surely you can scrounge up a top cap, if that's the problem?
> (See how I didn't say issue?)


I suspect he's got a quill stem.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (12 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> I suspect he's got a quill stem.



& 



SSmatty said:


> Surely you can scrounge up a top cap, if that's the problem?
> (See how I didn't say issue?)



Will be getting a new stem, it's only a basic MTB stem, when I have a spare 5 I'll be popping to a lbs near the in-laws who should have just the thing for the job  I'll find a pic to show the current one


----------



## ChrisEyles (12 Mar 2015)

Just fettled the rod brakes on my roadster, and finished off the bike  

It's the first time I've *ever* had to use a hacksaw and file to adjust a set of brakes!


----------



## The_Cycling_Scientist (12 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> &
> 
> 
> 
> Will be getting a new stem, it's only a basic MTB stem, when I have a spare 5 I'll be popping to a lbs near the in-laws who should have just the thing for the job  I'll find a pic to show the current one



See attached... Top has no plug, and is where the hex head is to remove.. Thankfully that nut isn't sheared so can remove stem for replacement.


----------



## Psycolist (12 Mar 2015)

Had to replace a spoke nipple tonight. Was checking the alignment on a home brew pair of wheels, and found a nipple just turning without tightening. Thought it was going to be the spoke, but turned out to just be a dodgy nipple. All good and nice and straight again. Also checked all the tyre pressures while I was out there.


----------



## raleighnut (12 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> See attached... Top has no plug, and is where the hex head is to remove.. Thankfully that nut isn't sheared so can remove stem for replacement.


An inventive bit of bodgery there. I like.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (13 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> An inventive bit of bodgery there. I like.


The bike's nickname Is frank... Short for Frankenbike... It's had so many bits just shoved together over the years


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## Tojo (13 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> The bike's nickname Is frank... Short for Frankenbike... It's had so many bits just shoved together over the years






Bikeinstine surely......! We used to call those sort of steeds.....Bitzas when I built bikes from anything that I found lying around unwanted, or I bartered for or swapped.....


----------



## Racing roadkill (13 Mar 2015)

I cleaned the road bike properly today.


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## Racing roadkill (13 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> The bike's nickname Is frank... Short for Frankenbike... It's had so many bits just shoved together over the years


I've got a couple of those. They are made from the corpses of crashed / worn out bikes, all cobbled together and sprayed with WD40 (bike) of course


----------



## Piemaster (13 Mar 2015)

New wheel with Nexus 8 hub and roller brake on the longtail bike. A replacement for a cassette and disc arrangement.
Surprisingly the supplied gripshifter cable was long enough and the mechanical disc brake cable/lever was a straight swap over to the roller brake. A bit of fiddling got the Acera rear mech to play nice as a chain tensioner, though a proper one will replace it at some point. Needs a new single chainwheel to replace the triple - the big ring is _very_ worn.

Even the M+ tyre swapped over easily. I'm now suspicious I've missed something and the wheel will fall off when I get out on it.


----------



## Kevoffthetee (13 Mar 2015)

STI conversion complete - just a shame I have my eye on a new ride


----------



## toptom (14 Mar 2015)

Had rotor Q rings fitted to the Scott CR1


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (14 Mar 2015)

I mated an Garmin eTrex mount to a K-edge Garmin Edge mount 






This is attempt No.4 to get a decent out-front mount for an eTrex - the previous prototypes involved Tate Labs, MORSA and SRAM mounts.... and numerous eTrex ones have been chopped up in the process . 

Finally I have a neat lo-pro and sturdy one .


----------



## DCLane (14 Mar 2015)

Secteur's set up for the 200k Red Rose Ride tomorrow.


----------



## clid61 (14 Mar 2015)

These my Michelin erilium are fraying on the side walls . £40 quid a set st buy a bike ,


----------



## si_c (14 Mar 2015)

Stripped down and cleaned the MTB, front pads getting a bit worn, so swapped them with the rear ones. Readjusted all the gear and brake cables. Relubed and whatnot.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 Mar 2015)

Started work on the brakes for the expedition tourer, got out the Specialized Hardrock and ordered a longer seatpost, did a 7.2 mile ride and adjusted the brakes some more.


----------



## Tojo (15 Mar 2015)

Put the mtb spd's on the road bike (as I didn't want to look like a T**t with silver Sidi road shoes and jeans) and went round to my mates on it with a backpack full of beer to watch the rugby.....


----------



## The_Cycling_Scientist (15 Mar 2015)

Ffoeg said:


> I mated an Garmin eTrex mount to a K-edge Garmin Edge mount
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks really neat, looks like you've got a rather pretty photo of it too! I've done similar things in the past to get bike lights mounted in the right place (it's a bit easier with cheap and cheerful £8 led lights and brackets galore in my collection)


----------



## NorvernRob (15 Mar 2015)

Took the chain off and degreased it, fitted new jockey wheels and adjusted the bearing preload on the rear hub. Now fully ready for summer!


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (15 Mar 2015)

Gear shifting on the knockabout bike hasn't been as slick as I'd like lately and there's been an intermittant squeaking while pedalling. Having ruled out a trapped rodent I thought it about time to semi-retire the Tourney rear mech and swap it for the Acera one I bought in a sale about two years ago.

It's fitted and set up and now everything shifts very sweetly again.

The Tourney mech has had new jockey wheels and has been fitted onto the old ATB I was given a while back, replacing a new but cheap Sunrace mech which I found disappointingly poor even for use on a "pub bike". That now shifts pretty nicely too which will encourage me to use it more often as my town runabout.

Written down this all sounds really easy but I was slightly hindered today by Rubens (cocker/springer spaniel cross) who kept demanding to play and when I wouldn't, ran off with the jockey wheels.


----------



## mustang1 (15 Mar 2015)

New chain and cassette. Cleaned bike, adjusted saddle and brakes.


----------



## Archeress (18 Mar 2015)

Non cycling related, but I have just fitted a new head cork to my flute. I'm quite pleased with it and it is now playing much nicer.

Hugs
Archeress x


----------



## Tojo (18 Mar 2015)

changed rear short cage mech for med cage so I can use my 11-32 cassette....


----------



## The_Cycling_Scientist (18 Mar 2015)

Today has been a very productive bike day! Assembled my ladies brand new bike, and managed to get the bars off my old the fixed gear so no need to go getting a new one.
One ladies bike:




And the new bars fitted (very much like bullhorn bars) and not to wiggly when riding ether 






http://s178.photobucket.com/user/TJ_Fluffy131826/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zps0xwjogwo.jpg.html
Managed to cut the old sheared bolts off and replaced them with new ones. So it was a easy swap over! I may have to adjust the brake levers as looking at the photo I've spotted they're wonkey! And now I want to get a smaller lever for the front brake and new pads all round


----------



## cyberknight (20 Mar 2015)

New rear mech, front mech and chain on the commuter , alls running sweet till i tried to ride it ...............







cassettes to worn to mesh with chain , b^%&^&^*&(*!!!!


----------



## Tojo (20 Mar 2015)

cyberknight said:


> New rear mech, front mech and chain on the commuter , alls running sweet till i tried to ride it ...............
> 
> 
> 
> ...






OOPS.! new + old don't mix, more spending needed......Sorry.....


----------



## cyberknight (20 Mar 2015)

Tojo said:


> OOPS.! new + old don't mix, more spending needed......Sorry.....


New cassette £11.50 from wiggle , the joys of running 8 speed = cheap  , trouble is it will not get here for monday so it will be the MTB for mondays commute.


----------



## Sea of vapours (20 Mar 2015)

My Park Tool DAG2 dérailleur alignment tool arrived today, a fairly expensive bit of kit which I'd deliberated long over before buying. Worth every penny! About 20 minutes after unwrapping it, my gear shifts were considerably improved with relatively minor tweaks to the hanger. I wish I'd bought one months ago; it would have saved much fiddling around trying to get the indexing that little bit better.


----------



## Tojo (21 Mar 2015)

Sea of vapours said:


> My Park Tool DAG2 dérailleur alignment tool arrived today, a fairly expensive bit of kit which I'd deliberated long over before buying. Worth every penny! About 20 minutes after unwrapping it, my gear shifts were considerably improved with relatively minor tweaks to the hanger. I wish I'd bought one months ago; it would have saved much fiddling around trying to get the indexing that little bit better.




got one straight away after doing my bike mech course, people give me a bike to fix and they say is its not indexing properly.....ok nee probs and the first thing I check is alignment....cause you can spend ages trying to tweek if its out.....Also now you've got one you can sort you're mates gears out and become the guru, one thing tough the wheel has to be true and sitting right in the dropouts. I bung one of my own wheels in, that I know is true and go from there....


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## Supersuperleeds (21 Mar 2015)

Reindexed the gears on the road bike as they were not running smoothly on last weekends ride and mickled the chain. Also gave the commuter a quick clean and mickle as well


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## I like Skol (21 Mar 2015)

Just fitted some Discobrakes brake pads to my XT commuter brakes. Have had to remove a hardly used pair of genuine finned pads from the front as they seem to be contaminated with something. Have given them a run through the dishwasher and cleaned them up with sandpaper but they still had the friction coefficient of oiled ice!
It's a bit weird as the rears are fine and still lock up the wheel at the merest squeeze. If any were going to get contaminated you would expect the rears to suffer.

At least the Discobrakes sintered pad is a lot cheaper at a little over £5 a pair as opposed to £15-20 for the Shimano version


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## Gravity Aided (21 Mar 2015)

Continued work on bottom bracket of Fuji Boulevard at cycle rehab center, found some old Shimano STI shifters that were broken(for Fuji Tourer) and got and installed a longer(even yet) seatpost on my Specialized Hardrock. I also removed old cables from shifters, as well as removed the grips before soaking the whole shifters in WD-40.


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## DCLane (21 Mar 2015)

Prepped the 1986 Raleigh Team for sale:

New front gear cable
New Clarks anti-rust chain
Re-fitted Michelin Dynamic tyres and polished the rims
Re-fitted the bar tape
Cleaned and lubricated things
Changed the pedals to standard ones
It'll be sad to see it go but needs must; most of my bikes are having to be sold due to a change in personal circumstances. I've done over 1100 miles in 18 months and it's been a dependable workhorse.


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## Mark Grant (21 Mar 2015)

I went out to do a century today, just leaving Berkhamstead I went to change into the big ring, there was a 'jolt' from the brifter and nothing happened! Looked down to see a slack cable beside the downtube! First thought was a broken cable and I'd be spinning like crazy until I got home. Stopped at the next roundabout to find the cable clamp on the front mech had let go of the cable. Reattached the cable and off I went.


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## Gravity Aided (21 Mar 2015)

DCLane said:


> Prepped the 1986 Raleigh Team for sale:
> 
> New front gear cable
> New Clarks anti-rust chain
> ...


Sorry to hear about the change in circumstances, @DCLane . I had a lot of great bikes stop by and visit during the last great economic unpleasantness, hard to see them go, but I gave them a good upbringing and sent them out into the world in peace, and paid a few bills into the bargain.


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## HLaB (21 Mar 2015)

Fitted a new rear derailleur last Sunday, to replace a broken one and finally got round to puting new tape over the new cables today. Also removed my crank set and bb so I can stick another in tomorrow. Meant to do it in a one go but I got sidetracked by the Footy, Rugby and editing some vids of today's ride, this is one of them
https://instagram.com/p/0fyZcFTc5k/


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## Kevoffthetee (22 Mar 2015)

I've just finished setting up the gears after doing and STI conversion to Le Pug. I also checked all bolts using my new topeak torque tool. It was only a fiver so thought I'd give it a go.


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## wisdom (22 Mar 2015)

DCLane said:


> Prepped the 1986 Raleigh Team for sale:
> 
> New front gear cable
> New Clarks anti-rust chain
> ...


Hope you raise a good amount and your circumstances change again for the better.Good luck.


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## Spoked Wheels (22 Mar 2015)

I put the bike on the stand with a list of jobs to do, nothing urgent but I ended up just cleaning and polishing 

I wanted to change the front dérailleur while I added a barrel adjuster BUT as they say "if ain't broke...." so I left the two jobs for latter 

Next job was to fit the new wheels so I brought them out and placed them next to the bike and they looked fantastic BUT I built the wheels as a reward to myself for loosing a bit more weight and sadly I'm not quite there yet so I gave the bike a quick clean and I went for a ride instead


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## mr_cellophane (22 Mar 2015)

Bled my brakes. I have never done this before so was more than pleased how easy it was. Now I have a rear brake.


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## Cyclist33 (22 Mar 2015)

Not today but late last night, fitted some noo tyres to the steel bike and some noo bar tape. It sounded good on paper and I suspect performance and comfort to be impressive. Ruined the looks tho lol.

And today, washed my MTB with the help of my young lad.


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## Cyclist33 (22 Mar 2015)

oops!


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## Deleted member 23692 (22 Mar 2015)

The pedals on the hybrid were squeaking slightly after today's ride, so they've been regreased. 
Once they were fitted back on the bike, I noticed the road bike's pedals weren't as slick as the hybrids, so they had to be regreased too.
And then I did the dumb move of checking the MTB's pedals, and guess what? They are now regreased.


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## HLaB (22 Mar 2015)

After a ride on the commuter I transferred its 34/50 to my Ti bike and took it for a test ride, to check out the new rear derailleur indexing etc. Never skipped a beat on a 32miles test ride :-) What was funny was near a village I was fiddling with different gears to ensure everything was ok an a bloke scalped me, so I accelerated and sat on his wheel for a bit. I then returned the favour, he didn'tseem to like the Scalping Lol and when we came to a busy A road roundabout he desperately overtook and weaved through the rbt, drivers must have loved him 
The rbt actually cleared shortly later so I scalp him again and this time dropped him, I think I had around 85miles in my legs :-D


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## DCLane (22 Mar 2015)

wisdom said:


> Hope you raise a good amount and your circumstances change again for the better.Good luck.


 
Thanks - it's likely to be short-term only but the clear-out is also needed. Lots of kit has already been sold/donated/given away with some more to come. 3-5 more bikes to be sold leaving me with 2-3 (commuter/audax/MTB) so I won't be left with nothing to ride


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## Gravity Aided (23 Mar 2015)

Received some Shimano brifters yesterday, I have succeeded in removing the corroded cables and cleaning the mechanisms of old grease by flooding them with WD-40, and everything seems to be coming back to rights. These may see service on the Fuji Tourer, once they get all fettled and can pass a reliability test or two. A good soaking is taking place at present, with the hoods removed so they may be properly cleaned. It is also my thought to update wheel and cog to assure proper indexing. New SKS fenders are also in the plan.What a lovely little money pit this bicycle is becoming!


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## Elybazza61 (23 Mar 2015)

Over the week-end re-fitted the chainset on the Icarus after replaceing the bb and fitted some nice Vittoria open pave cg's with latex tube on to the zondas(only to break a valve yesterday)


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## Psycolist (23 Mar 2015)

Had the MTB apart giving it a proper spring clean on sunday and fitted a pair of Conti 2.2 Race Kings for these dry days we are having. It meant sacrificing a days riding but on the upside I managed to put a nice layer of topsoil over my rockery from all the crud I washed off the bike.


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## MrGrumpy (23 Mar 2015)

My fettling for today was strip out Bb30 BB and clean regressed. Same with headset. Made some tweaks to the shifting on rear sram derailleur. Then washed and polished bike. Will probably now not ride it all week due to weather


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## gbb (24 Mar 2015)

I'm getting lazy.
Started giving the Ribble a clean, got as far as washing it, quick wipe, got bored with going any further so fitted a new Sram chain...just because. Ive no idea how the old (original Veloce) one is, I might be being a bit premature but what the hell. New spring, new chain. Just waiting for a delivery, then off out for a spin.....c'mon delivery men


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## si_c (24 Mar 2015)

Cleaned the rear derailleur out, all the pulleys were caked in crap, took the opportunity to disconnect the cable and add a bit of lube down the whole length of it. Disappointed that it's shifting no better, but then I had no complaints before either 

Oh, and I took the rear wheel off, cleaned and regreased all the bearings and reoiled the freehub.


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## Dirk (24 Mar 2015)

Checked the wife's hybrid over, ready for her shopping trip tomorrow.
Also cleaned and checked my Focus Cayo Di2 over, ready for a hilly 30 miler tomorrow morning.


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## Drago (24 Mar 2015)

Gave the car a much need clean...

It gets used for toting my mountain bikes, so is kinda bike related.


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## ColinJ (24 Mar 2015)

A friend came over on her bike from Haworth this morning. She mentioned that she'd had a fright trying to brake on the way down into Hebden Bridge. (it is quite steep and narrow, and parked cars often make it singletrack in many places so oncoming vehicles can cause problems.) I took a look at her bike and saw that the rims were covered in black, greasy gunk so I got a scouring pad and some washing up liquid and scrubbed them for her. I then rinsed the suds off using my trusty 5 litre garden spray. That fixed the braking problem.

In the course of doing that, it became clear that either her bike's bottom bracket is seriously worn or it has come loose. I showed her how to check for problems by rocking the cranks laterally. (I could move the ends of the cranks in and out by almost a cm!) I do not have the tools to suit her Hollowtech BB so I told her to take the bike to her usual bike shop ASAP and get them to sort it out.

I accompanied her home and when I got back I decided that my wheel rims could also do with a clean. My brakes were still working but I'd had to use 50% more force on the levers than I should do. I cleaned the rims, and gave my bike a good wash while I was at it.


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## Drago (24 Mar 2015)

Her rim was covered in a greasy gunk?!!!


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## ColinJ (24 Mar 2015)

Drago said:


> Her rim was covered in a greasy gunk?!!!


Well, there you go ... I _anticipated_ that someone would post something like that so I reworded before posting. I actually posted "I_ took a look at her bike and saw that the rims were covered in black, greasy gunk_", but don't let that spoil your fun!


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## raleighnut (24 Mar 2015)

ColinJ said:


> A friend came over on her bike from Haworth this morning. She mentioned that she'd had a fright trying to brake on the way down into Hebden Bridge. (it is quite steep and narrow, and parked cars often make it singletrack in many places so oncoming vehicles can cause problems.) I took a look at her bike and saw that the rims were covered in black, greasy gunk so I got a scouring pad and some washing up liquid and scrubbed them for her. I then rinsed the suds off using my trusty 5 litre garden spray. That fixed the braking problem.
> 
> In the course of doing that, it became clear that either her bike's bottom bracket is seriously worn or it has come loose. I showed her how to check for problems by rocking the cranks laterally. (I could move the ends of the cranks in and out by almost a cm!) I do not have the tools to suit her Hollowtech BB so I told her to take the bike to her usual bike shop ASAP and get them to sort it out.
> 
> I accompanied her home and when I got back I decided that my wheel rims could also do with a clean. My brakes were still working but I'd had to use 50% more force on the levers than I should do. I cleaned the rims, and gave my bike a good wash while I was at it.


Hollowtech 2 has no adjustment, it is just fit new external bearings. Good news is they are less than £20 and you can swap em in 10 minutes easily.


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## ColinJ (24 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Hollowtech 2 has no adjustment, it is just fit new external bearings. Good news is they are less than £20 and you can swap em in 10 minutes easily.


She said that she hadn't noticed any problems with the bottom bracket but about 2 minutes later I heard a loud CLUNK from it as we climbed out of town ... I have never seen a bottom bracket that loose which was still so rideable!

Her LBS will sort her out.

She is not mechanically minded, which is fair enough, but I suggested that she should either learn a few basic checks to do herself, or put the bike in for servicing more regularly so problems get spotted sooner.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (25 Mar 2015)

My fettling attempts today were unsuccessful, wiped over my rear hub on the drive side to assess the damage done by my chain skipping off and wrapping itself around the axle. Turns out its chewed up the retaining ring that holds the bearings in... Did try re-shape it without luck as it just pops back out again... Looks like I need to buy new parts! Sad times... Also did a little wipe, clean and lubricant check on the Mrs new cycle.. All was good for her bike


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## raleighnut (25 Mar 2015)

The_Cycling_Scientist said:


> My fettling attempts today were unsuccessful, wiped over my rear hub on the drive side to assess the damage done by my chain skipping off and wrapping itself around the axle. Turns out its chewed up the retaining ring that holds the bearings in... Did try re-shape it without luck as it just pops back out again... Looks like I need to buy new parts! Sad times... Also did a little wipe, clean and lubricant check on the Mrs new cycle.. All was good for her bike


The cone holds the bearings 'in' the rest just keeps the muck out.


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## MisterStan (26 Mar 2015)

I have two pairs of 105 SPD-SL pedals, both have more wear on the left pedal, obviously you can see I prefer to unclip my left foot first/at traffic lights etc. Managed to remove the plate that holds the cleat in and swap from the right hand side pedal from one pair to the left pedal of the other pair. Should get another six months out of them now I reckon.


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## Vikeonabike (26 Mar 2015)

Today I have fettled my beard!
Retuned to goatee from full tramp mode!


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## pauldavid (26 Mar 2015)

Drago said:


> Gave the car a much need clean...
> 
> It gets used for toting my mountain bikes, so is kinda bike related.



You wanna ring the rozzer's quick!

Looks like someone has given that L200 a crap rattle can camo paintjob and fitted a plastic air brick grill to the air intake!


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (26 Mar 2015)

raleighnut said:


> The cone holds the bearings 'in' the rest just keeps the muck out.


yep I've got to hunt out a new dust cover or maybe take it off and attempt a re-shape... going to leave it until next week as I've got loads of other bits to contend to.. bikes have been put away whilst I've got a van on hire and moving a ton of stuff from flat to in-laws for a temp re-location whilst finances improve! Pfft.. Money eh? God bless in-laws though mine are Diamonds


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## Psycolist (26 Mar 2015)

Have spent more time pushing my bike and mending punctures than riding this week. Kept checking the tyre for something wrong, a thorn or pin, glass, anything. Turns out that when replacing a broken spoke last weekend, I created the smallest sharp edge on the inner wall by careless use of a screw driver. That little edge has cost me nearly £20 quid in tubes, and given me a couple of scary moments of sudden deflation. Lesson learned !


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## JMAG (26 Mar 2015)

My old Raleigh Pioneer Classic was looking very tired and I spotted some rust so decided it was time to do something about it.

















This is just primer. I dropped it off at the bodyshop I work at this morning for the colour coat.


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## Gravity Aided (28 Mar 2015)

Fettled the chain on my Fuji, will put flat pedals on tomorrow as it leaves training mode. Also repaired a few bikes this morning for others.


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## gavgav (29 Mar 2015)

Yesterday - fitted my old saddle back onto the bike, due to continual knee problems since using new saddle. Hoping it will sort things but will have to see.

Today - having upgraded to an iphone6 this week, I ordered myself a new bike mount and so removed the old one and fitted the new one. Luckily there is plenty of room in my shed, to shelter from the howling gale and driving rain outside!

Seemed to be going ok until I realised I had put the ruddy thing on upside down .

Not to worry, removed and turned it the right way round and re-tightened!

Was going to wash the bike today, as its filthy, but no chance in this weather!


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## DCLane (29 Mar 2015)

The Spesh Secteur's chain snapped taking the rear mech with it. So yesterday;

New Ultegra chain; the previous one had done under 200 miles and was buckled all over
New rear derailleur cable
New rear mech
Fitted the Miche Excite wheels (plus cassette) I'd picked up off eBay after swapping the tyres
Unbent the rear derailleur
Hopefully it now all works


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## alecstilleyedye (29 Mar 2015)

adjusted front brake and replaced blocks in rear...


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## Psycolist (29 Mar 2015)

Spent my day in the workshop sheltering from this mad march weather, but put the time to good use by having a spring clean and replacing ALL my tools into their proper homes, instead of having to hunt around for everything. Finally have a clean clear bench, and a tool chest that's sorted properly. Also started trying to weed out some of the 'unwanted' spares that I have accumulated over the last couple of years. I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to spares, never like to dispose of anything, because you never know when it may come in useful. I've found brake cables no more then a foot long, saddles with the stuffing hanging out, single pedals, rusty chains, 1/2 head sets, broken mudguards, and all manner of assorted debris that is now destined for the tip. A good days sorting. ! But I would rather have been riding


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## totallyfixed (29 Mar 2015)

The last touch to my Brian Rourke 853 fixed, I fitted SKS Longboard mudguards. I have now done the following to it : Built a new front wheel, put in new bearings on the rear, replaces the caged bearings in the bottom headset race for loose bearings, tightened the bottom bracket, put on new chainring, sprocket and chain, new saddle and handlebar tape, touched up the paintwork. The most time consuming? Fitting the pesky mudguards, something I have done many times over the years and always manage to forget you need three hands, an independent brain for each finger and the ability to swear loudly under your breath while having the patience of a saint.


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## Dibs (29 Mar 2015)

My only fettling today was adjusting the bottle cages, 1 was too low and looked odd compared to the other.

Now both look in harmony...


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## Hacienda71 (1 Apr 2015)

Swmbo is away for a few weeks as fil is not good, so got a bit bored and built this up as a beater from various bits and pieces from two old bikes.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Apr 2015)

Hacienda71 said:


> Swmbo is away for a few weeks as fil is not good, so got a bit bored and built this up as a beater from various bits and pieces from two old bikes.
> View attachment 84439


Your beater bikes look better than my premier steeds.


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## Dirk (2 Apr 2015)

Minor electronic adjustment to the Di2 rear mech on my Focus Cayo 2 prior to yesterday's ride.
Gear change is now sweet as a nut!
Why couldn't my LBS sort it when it went in for it's first service? It only took me a minute.


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## DCLane (2 Apr 2015)

Adjustments to the front derailleur on the Carrera magnesium roadie. I've also moved the saddle a bit - hopefully it'll fit better.

Cleaned and prepped my youngest's race bike for tomorrow's race in York.


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## Racing roadkill (3 Apr 2015)

I swapped the rubber brake blocks on the Boardman Roadie, for ceramics .

Then I finished chiselling out the remains of the broken BB, from the Btwin hybrid, and put the new one in. I'll put the new chainrings and cranks on tomorrow, then another frankenbike will live


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## Paul139 (3 Apr 2015)

Picked up my ss/fixed yesterday, rear brake removed today. 
Gave my Focus Cayo a good clean, ready for a good ride this weekend.


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## Kevoffthetee (4 Apr 2015)

This morning I fitted my new triple compound Uberbike brake blocks and adjusted the angle of my saddle and drop bars down as I felt too upright and braking felt awkward. I also tweaked the front mech and took the pug out for a test right, first one after converting to Brifters

Soon clocked up 500m climbing and decided that was enough for a test ride


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## Supersuperleeds (4 Apr 2015)

Nothing fettled today, but I do have three very filthy bikes that need cleaning, might do them tomorrow


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## Gravity Aided (5 Apr 2015)

I was given a medium frame old Specialized Sirrus, which will barely fit me at 6'3", but I've been giving it the walk-around, as well as getting the hot-water heater up and running . I re-lit the pilot light, that's about my extent of plumbing skills. I also repaired and cleaned a Trek 730 at the free bike giveaway preparations, and got a couple of others cleaned.


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## gavgav (5 Apr 2015)

My nephew is with us for Easter and with the glorious warm sunshine arriving this afternoon he was keen on getting his BMX out, without stabilisers . I've tried to encourage him before, but he hasn't been keen on losing them.

Bike hasn't been used for a good 18 months and so there was a fair bit of fettling needed!

Removed stabilisers, raised seat post, tightened and adjusted brakes, adjusted gears, pumped tyres up and he was ready to go.

Managed a few laps of the lawn, with a combination of me holding him and the odd slow tumble off, but it's a start.

I love being an uncle


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## Elybazza61 (5 Apr 2015)

Yesterday gave the Icarus a good clean after the club run;was only going to be a quick wipe over but once I started realised it needed a bit more tlc.

Friday was spent re-adjusting the front mech and headset on the Helium.


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## HLaB (5 Apr 2015)

Took the mudguard brackets off and put my summer wheels on, then noticed the rear was nearly worn out so I swapped it for a new Pro 4 Endurance.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (6 Apr 2015)

Repaired my rear shifter, jammed by the displaced cable end, half way to Dunford Bridge. Running on four gears wasn't enough!


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## Racing roadkill (8 Apr 2015)

I've finished recommissioning 'Lazarus' today. I'm just on a shakedown ride at the moment. All seems fine so far. The wonders of a new BB and chainset


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## Dirk (8 Apr 2015)

Took the time today to do a total Spring clean and fettle on my Giant Escape City hybrid.
Everything taken apart - wheels out, forks out, seat out, bottom bracket out, pedals off, brakes off, cables checked - the whole shebang!
Everything cleaned and inspected in minute detail, before being adjusted if necessary and then carefully reassembled. 
Just ordered new cassette, chain and brake pads which needed replacing.
Ready for another year's hard use.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Apr 2015)

Worked on Specialized Sirrus today, as it needs only a wee bit of fettling to be ready for a test ride. Will try for a run this afternoon if thunderstorms hold off.


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## Supersuperleeds (8 Apr 2015)

Took the ice tyres of the Sirrus yesterday, so apologies in advance when we get the inevitable icy spell.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Apr 2015)

Yay team Sirrus !


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## Racing roadkill (8 Apr 2015)

https://www.strava.com/activities/281560433







I finished up fixing up my good old station / winter / snotter. Then went out for a quick shakedown run. Good as gold


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## bpsmith (8 Apr 2015)

New hanger and chain fitted to the Bianchi. Hanger adjusted and rear dérailleur refitted and tweaked. Rear wheel bearing preload and rear brake adjusted too. Second bottle cage fitted ready for warmer weather.


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## jim55 (8 Apr 2015)

Finished this new Bb crank chain and pedals , new tubes fitted and gen messing about with it , it's on turbo but I need it on road for a shakedown


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## jim55 (8 Apr 2015)




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## Gravity Aided (9 Apr 2015)

Break in the weather, here the fettled result. Specialized Sirrus frame with some Shimano Sora bits thrown on, on the roll at Ziebarth Road.


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## Dirk (9 Apr 2015)

Today I installed the wicker wine basket and wine bottle, as well as the requisite floral spray, on my wife's Olympique mixte; and a moustache on the bars of my Motobecane. All in readiness for Saturdays 'Velo Vintage' run.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (9 Apr 2015)

Today I was pulling chains apart, removing a link from one bike ready for sale and tinkering my fixed so it's got tension in the chain again, managed to re-shape the dust cover for the bewrings on my old Campi hub too so it's not going to spill beans or ingress dirt on rides! 
Happy as Larry now as one of my two bikes are ridable again


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## Drago (9 Apr 2015)

Hung up a faux vintage tin cycle advert sign in the man shed. Admired my bikes.


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## Erudin (10 Apr 2015)

The cheap cup-and-cone bottom bracket on my wife's bike was rusty and worn out, found a correct size sq. taper replacement cartridge bb in my spares box but the left plastic cup was missing.

The only other cups I had in stock were Hollowtech II, I tried an old one for size and it fitted perfectly


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## Dirk (10 Apr 2015)

Today I put a new cassette and chain on my Giant Escape City hybrid.
After a total Spring 'fettle', the other day, the bike is now as good as new.


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## howdenbiker (11 Apr 2015)

Took the rear cassette off my Rossin, cleaned it but will be replacing it with a new cassette when it arrives, better gearing for climbing hills!


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## Paul139 (11 Apr 2015)

Fitted some new pedals and toeclips with double straps to my Quella.
Going out for a test ride with them tomorrow. Wish me luck!!


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## howdenbiker (11 Apr 2015)

What are those pedals?


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## Paul139 (11 Apr 2015)

howdenbiker said:


> What are those pedals?




These are they.

http://www.highonbikes.com/vp-components-road-bike-pedals-with-double-toe-clips-straps-vp-365.html


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## howdenbiker (11 Apr 2015)

Thanks, nice looking pedals, I've been looking for some for one of my older bikes


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## Paul139 (11 Apr 2015)

howdenbiker said:


> Thanks, I've been looking for some for one of my older bikes




They have an eBay shop which is how I ordered them and had them delivered free to local Argos store. Saves missing a delivery.


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## HLaB (12 Apr 2015)

Swapped the cranks on my bikes a couple of weeks back and only just got round to fitting a gear cable/ adjusting the front deraileur  For some reason with the sti's though I always end up make a faff of the first job, taking ages, routing the cable incorrectly and wasting it but do the subsequent replacement in under a minute


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## Psycolist (12 Apr 2015)

Had to adjust the front derailleur, the shifting had all gone a bit loopy after my off road excursions yesterday. All back to normal now though..


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## Psycolist (12 Apr 2015)

Drago said:


> Hung up a faux vintage tin cycle advert sign in the man shed. Admired my bikes.


That's the best days fettling reported so far this year


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## Deleted member 23692 (15 Apr 2015)

I've decide to [attempt to] adapt my now redundant front mech shifter to become a trigger for a dropper seatpost on my MTB. So I set too stripping off the plastic casing to have a good butchers at the innards in an attempt to suss how it worked and which bits would need to be removed. Having identified the wee ratchet pawl that needed to come out I carefully removed a tiny e-clip which would enabled me to pry the two sides apart to get at said pawl... all going well so far 

Ping  - in the blink f an eye I'd gone from holding a shifter to trying to catch a collection of parts as the mechanism disintegrated under spring pressure and bits went everywhere. It's not going too good now 

So now I had the fun trying to fathom out...

a, do I have all the parts?
b, which bits don't I need?
c, how the hell does this go back together?​Two curse filled hours later I have a re-assembled and modified one lever 'dropper post trigger shiftier lookalike' . So I can now use the exiting rear mech cable routing to get to the get seat tube which will make it all look very factory when finished.

Next task is to save up for the dropper post


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## Drago (15 Apr 2015)

Nothing cycle wise, though I have been online browsing bmx stems for my Cleland build.


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## ACS (15 Apr 2015)

New pads in my helmet because I just couldn't stand that unique aroma and taste any more.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Apr 2015)

Fenders for tourer, SKS Commuter Bluemels. I also went to nearby hardware store for spinach and kale seeds, a cylindrical ice cube tray and a patch kit for tubes.


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## wisdom (15 Apr 2015)

Think the change is long overdue


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## HLaB (15 Apr 2015)

Prepped the TT bike; well put tri bars and aero wheels on the road bike for tomorrow's TT. Still don't know if I'll ride, at the moment my staved thumb says no, but at least its prepped and who knows by tomorrow night!


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## Robeh (16 Apr 2015)

wisdom said:


> Think the change is long overdue
> View attachment 85783


blimey you defo got your moneys worth out off them


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## Robeh (16 Apr 2015)

1 x LifeLine Performance Carbon Road Brake Inserts - Pack of 4 Shimano
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-performance-carbon-road-brake-inserts-pack-of-4/


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## Dirk (16 Apr 2015)

Readjusted seat height on my wife's Giant Dash, after her mate rode it the other day.
Cleaned and checked my Focus Cayo ready for the next foray.


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## benb (16 Apr 2015)

Fitted new chain, and, because I left it too long, a new cassette.

My laziness cost me £20 LOL.


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## wisdom (16 Apr 2015)

Robeh said:


> blimey you defo got your moneys worth out off them


I think I did.


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## nellsbellzz (17 Apr 2015)

fitted new wheels to my trek


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## howdenbiker (18 Apr 2015)

My Rossin was mostly Campag except the brakes and the rear cassette was 11-21 which combined with 52-42 at the front made hills a distant hope (at my age and fitness level!) Have put on a new 13-26 Campag rear cassette and some used Chorus brakes, much better on a brief road test.


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## Psycolist (19 Apr 2015)

Had what I thought was a little tickle on fleabay and picked up a pair of the old Rockshox Psylo forks. Spent Friday eve fitting them, Saturday trying them out and Saturday evening re-fitting my existing forks. I used to really rate the Duke and Psylo range............how things have moved on ! Its made me realise how good my current forks are though.


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## Kevoffthetee (19 Apr 2015)

New un55 bottom bracket fitted, Claris long cage rear mech, 11-32 cassette and new gear cable. Shame it's raining otherwise I'd go test it


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## Deleted member 23692 (19 Apr 2015)

Gave the MTB chain a wash today and I'm glad that I did, as I found this...






I've no idea how long it's a been like that, but I'm sure glad it held out long enough to be discovered at home.


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## shouldbeinbed (19 Apr 2015)

The garden.

Will be checking Brompton over later ready for my first commute for a few weeks now I'm better again.


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## Twotter (19 Apr 2015)

In my never ending quest to avoid tearing my soft pink parts to shreds I've spent this morning swapping saddles (again). So my Cube now 'sports' a Brooks Team Professional of leathery goodness, and my Charge Spoon has been banished to the knife and fork drawer. Savlon permitting we may see a test ride later this week!


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## anothersam (20 Apr 2015)

Changed tyre (Conti GP4000s) due to old one having innertube struggling to emerge through slit in sidewall. Was almost as perturbed by typographic change on new tyre as I was by the hole.


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## wintergreen (21 Apr 2015)

New tyres. marathon plus tour 700x40, new Chromoplastic mudguards to cover them and a new rear rack.
Followed by a couple of hours out in the sun with my co-pilot.


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## fossyant (21 Apr 2015)

Forks out of the commuter. Getting a little clicking when climbing out of the saddle. As ever, the compression ring for the headset had blackened where it contacts the alloy steerer and left a ring of blackened alloy on the steerer. 10 minutes with a little sand paper to remove the deposits, regreased and reassembled.

Find I need to do this once in a while (6 monthly).


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## HLaB (21 Apr 2015)

Put new brake pads in and added a 25mm tyre instead of the 23mm; that and the general cleaning and lubing for a long ride.


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## swee'pea99 (22 Apr 2015)

Was planning to fit a new chain and replace bearings in left pedal, but something came up so I settled for shifting the rear wheel to take up some slack in the chain, and pulling through some cable to tighten up the brake. Surprising what a difference even five minutes can make...


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## Racing roadkill (22 Apr 2015)

I got one of these.





I've been checking the tension of everything that will fit between the wheels .


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Apr 2015)

Swapped the tyres on the Raleigh. Having now done a couple of hundred miles on the Vittoria Voyager Hypers I find that although I like them, my average speed seems much the same as on the Marathons fitted previously.

I've changed back to the Marathons to test this and also because the forum ride at the weekend may involve sand covered paths so I thought a treaded tyre may help.

On a short test ride I can feel the extra weight but rolling resistance seems less when up to speed. A few rides will show up the differences.


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## Tojo (23 Apr 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> I got one of these.
> View attachment 86450
> 
> 
> I've been checking the tension of everything that will fit between the wheels .



You should have Just bought a guitar tuner, Spokes have pitch when they are right, ping them, same as bolts on a pipeline, they ping when you hit them, if one goes bonnng instead of ping it's not right........


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## busman (23 Apr 2015)

Tojo said:


> You should have Just bought a guitar tuner, Spokes have pitch when they are right, ping them, same as bolts on a pipeline, they ping when you hit them, if one goes bonnng instead of ping it's not right........


ha ha ha


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## philtalksbx (24 Apr 2015)

Transferred all sorts of running gear onto the Orbea frame to migrate to Campy as an experiment, and got it back on the road this evening, well worth it, it's a lovely bike.

The new arrangement has Veloce shifters to suit the rear mech, and the Racing 5s have some 25mm Duranos, lovely. Previous setup had a tripleTiagra front crankset which the shifters can't handle, so I'm only running two of the rings temporarily and on the lookout for a compact - any ideas?


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## Drago (24 Apr 2015)

I'm building a sort of Cleland replica-ish and the stem I ordered arrived. My job for the day was to use some paint stripper to remove the screen printing from the alloy,


----------



## swee'pea99 (24 Apr 2015)

Finally installed new chain on the fixie, which ended up leading to a replaced sprocket too.


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## DCLane (26 Apr 2015)

A busy weekend:


More work on the Benotto; the stuck carbon seatpost is finally out  and a new Fred Salmon Racing one arrived and in after the Miche one I had was too wide. It's got matching black tyres and new brake cables plus outers and replacement Rosso Corsa brake levers. Just the bar tape to do and then it's on sale.
The Ridgeback Platinum was stripped ready for an upgrade. I've always thought it'd really benefit from a top-end groupset, but it'll have to make do with Ultegra 6700 levers plus Dura-Ace 7800 cranks/mechs. New Pearson bars and Ultegra levers fitted. Front Shimano 2300 mech off; the Dura-Ace replacement needs a smaller hanger bracket (ordered). The rear mech wouldn't budge at first; soaked it overnight and the Claris one is out plus the Dura-Ace one in. Shimano 2300 crankset came off OK but the bottom bracket won't budge  . That's off to the LBS tomorrow for their help.
GT Timberline was cleaned, lubricated and got a different set of mudguards; I hated the look of the grey ones I'd ordered once fitted so I swapped them half-length clip-ons. Much better looking.
From this:





To this:





The new ITM Aero 3.0 wheels got Conti GP4000S tyres instead of the Spesh S-Works ones. They're far too soft for general use so I'll save them for racing/Time Trialling.
The new Fulcrum 5 wheels got GP4000S tyres off the old set. However, no spacer was supplied for the cassette as a 10-speed rather than 11; I managed to dig one out of the shed so that's done. The old set is to go on sale this week.
Not bad for a weekend when I've also been at university studying plus ordering a new C2W bike 

However, the Spesh Secteur has a creaky bottom bracket (Ultegra and <1000 miles  ) so that's for Thursday's fettling.
Plus the Whyte MTB needs a new chain (ordered).
Oh, and the rear Shimano WH-535 wheel on the Carrera Virago magnesium has an axle nut that won't undo - so it's going to my uni workshop.

This bike stuff is never-ending


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## Stephen C (26 Apr 2015)

My bike has taken another step towards being a true "Trigger's Broom", I've done my first forks change from the original steel pair to a new carbon version, also requiring a front brake replacement. So now I just have the frame, bars, stem, saddle and seat post to go, I'm starting to wonder at what point I should've given up and replaced the whole thing!


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## DCLane (27 Apr 2015)

I finished the Benotto with some new bar tape - so it ended up on eBay. After 9 months it's gained a moveable seatpost!


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## wisdom (28 Apr 2015)

DCLane said:


> A busy weekend:
> 
> 
> More work on the Benotto; the stuck carbon seatpost is finally out  and a new Fred Salmon Racing one arrived and in after the Miche one I had was too wide. It's got matching black tyres and new brake cables plus outers and replacement Rosso Corsa brake levers. Just the bar tape to do and then it's on sale.
> ...


I like the muudguards fitted to the bike


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 Apr 2015)

Fitted a new speedometer to the knockabout bike. Just before the forum ride at the weekend the old one lost its memory for the second time this year (fourth time in the last two years) and had to be reset, so I thought it was probably about time it was retired.

The replacement is just a basic wired one but it's still nice fitting something new and shiny.

I also checked the rolling circumference of the front wheel to find that the new tyre I fitted 14 months ago is bigger than the previous one (same make & model so I didn't check) meaning the speedo has been under-reading since then.


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## Tojo (28 Apr 2015)

Replaced chain and jockey wheels on the MTB and tweaked the indexing on the road bike while I had the stand out, out on one of them tomorrow depending on the weather.......


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## DCLane (29 Apr 2015)

The Ridgeback Platinum is back from the LBS; old square taper bottom bracket off, new Ultegra 6800 bottom bracket on. They even fitted the Dura-Ace crankset for me.

I got bored marking this afternoon and took an hour out to properly fit the Ultegra levers along with the blue cables I've got.

Just waiting for the front derailleur bracket now ...


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## alecstilleyedye (29 Apr 2015)

put the rear mudguard back on (it's on of those aldi ones that clip on and off). also had the seatpost slip this morning, so had to remedy that before the return leg…


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## Gravity Aided (29 Apr 2015)

Changed saddles on my Specialized Sirrus this afternoon, and fiddled with seat post settings. Gave her a 12 mile or so run this afternoon. More fettling required.


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## DCLane (30 Apr 2015)

Not me, but the Bike Hub in Leeds; been looking at the Spesh Secteur and it's creaking. A replacement Ultegra bottom bracket has been fitted; hopefully this will solve it.

The other one had done less than 1000 miles, so


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## Psycolist (30 Apr 2015)

I've been fettleing with parts no man should have to fettle with. My old Dad has been in for a total knee replacement and I have had a couple of weeks living in with him while he gets a bit of mobility back again. Lets just say that I don't want him to hurry and have the other one done......! I have had jobs to do and seen sights that nobody but your closest family should have to endure.  He is well on his way to being independent again though so the worst is behind us and I CAN SLEEP IN MY OWN BED TONIGHT


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## Kevoffthetee (30 Apr 2015)

I decided to have a short setup lap around the village and tweaked the gears and brakes after I changed the clarisRD, cassette and chain. I took a final test ride, rolled over what must have been a sharp stone and blew the side wall out of my last 25mm tyre. Question is do I pay over the odds for new tyres at halfords or evans or swap the 23mm rubinos off the mavic192's and put them on the R500's for the weekend until I can get some from wiggle or CRC?


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## andytheflyer (2 May 2015)

Gear changes (larger to smaller) on the RD on my 'bent have become a bit iffy in the last few miles - I suspected cable drag. Took the cable off and wiped the inner (looked fine), and tried some oil (just in case). RD Deore mech taken off bike, cleaned with FS10, oiled and checked - very free and plenty of spring tension - 6 yo but only done about 2000 miles. Put old cable back on, no better, so off to buy some new outer.

Fortunately I had a new inner as the LBS hadn't got one - it's longer than the std 2100mm cables - I buy tandem cables at 3m long.

Re-assembled with Shimano compressionless outer (wires run along the length of the cable), new ferrules and no oil.

Bingo. Perfect shifting. Done 54 miles today in the rain and not a shift missed. Result.


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## Gravity Aided (2 May 2015)

Got a Schwinn Impact in a church sale today, I've fixed up the shifting in anticipation of an eventful test ride. 231/2" frame, large for a mountain bike. It's a rigid frame, so may finally be a good expedition tourer. (at last)


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## goody (2 May 2015)

Changed front and rear pads and front offside spring on the wifes discovery (land rover not dawes). Didn't get out on the bike and she's at work now so need to sort my own dinner.


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## RebornBumbler (2 May 2015)

Replaced the rumbly no-name (possibly FSA) BB bearing on the Felt F85 with a Shimano UN55. Felt a bit lighter, and a whole lot smoother. The original had done at most 2000 miles, but to be fair it did take me right through the winter.


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## BrynCP (2 May 2015)

In the last couple of weeks, I have successfully:

Replaced an FSA BB on my Felt Z85 with a new Token BB (similar to above post, but got almost 5k out of mine. Went with Token as the smallest UN55 is too long for my bike (103mm) )
Replaced the front tyre as the original Felt tyre had a few cuts and was showing a bit of wear; it had done almost 5k too
Replaced the chain, a KMC x10-93, like for like; this is the third chain the bike has had in almost 5k
Adjusted the front dérailleur as it was hard to shift up and rubbing in the highest gear. The barrel adjuster took some persuading.


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## Gravity Aided (3 May 2015)

Schwinn Impact now has narrower tires after my ride today. I had to get a ride home after my tube failed. When I changed the tires, I went to some 26" Bontragers in a narrower tread. I've moved the wider tires to my Specialized Hardrock, and removed the rack from when it was the winter bike, and also placed that rack on the Impact. The Impact is a great riding bicycle for a $20.00 US church sale find. Before it went to the sale, it appeared someone had replaced both the rear cogs and chain. In the tradition of this thread today, also considering replacement of BB with Shimano UN55.


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## howdenbiker (3 May 2015)

Replaced the saddle on my Rossin for a newly acquired Brooks Colt from ebay. Also put on some Chorus brakes to match the rest of the Campag on the bike, the old ones were Shimano rx100's.


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## raleighnut (3 May 2015)

howdenbiker said:


> Replaced the saddle on my Rossin for a newly acquired Brooks Colt from ebay. Also put on some Chorus brakes to match the rest of the Campag on the bike, the old ones were Shimano rx100's.
> View attachment 87615
> View attachment 87616
> View attachment 87617


Very nice.


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## gavgav (3 May 2015)

Given the chain a clean and oil. Also tried to fit the kickstand that @Rickshaw Phil kindly bought me for my birthday. He had supplied some M4 bolts, which had proved to be too small when we tried to fit 2 weeks ago. I bought a couple of M5 bolts yesterday, which proved to be too big when i tried to fit today .


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 May 2015)

gavgav said:


> Given the chain a clean and oil. Also tried to fit the kickstand that @Rickshaw Phil kindly bought me for my birthday. He had supplied some M4 bolts, which had proved to be too small when we tried to fit 2 weeks ago. I bought a couple of M5 bolts yesterday, which proved to be too big when i tried to fit today .


I'll have a look when I can. Could be paint clogging the threads.


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## Saluki (3 May 2015)

Changed my saddles over on my bikes. The Pro Carbon now has the Selle Italia on, the CX now has the Spesh Riva BG on.


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## Blurb (3 May 2015)

New cassette,chain, and mudguards on commuter. Damn potholes killed my old 'guards, so bought some nice Chromoplastics this time.
Shorter stem on Tricross.


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## goody (3 May 2015)

Rear mugdard broken in two, araldite and cable tie repair.


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## HarryTheDog (3 May 2015)

Off the bike for around 3 weeks so decided to go through it with a fine tooth comb. Found the non-drive side BB bearing very stiff. A google search found this strangely common. Found a vid online on how to take the sealed ceramic bearing apart, had a go and yes it probably needs a new one as I have beaten the hell out of it for the last 3 years. Now this is where the fun begins. They are FSA carbon K-light cranks. I got them secondhand hardly used for a whole 120 quid 3 years ago. At the time I found a bearing on e-bay for 40 quid. Now new, the only english threaded ones were 145 to 199 quid for a bearing! jesus wept! ( found a italian threaded one for 119) . Now you cant use any other FSA shell because these are especially thin at 6 mm normals are 7 mm have to be 8200 model. I had done a couple of searches on ebay, looked like a was going to have to get one from the USA for about 120 quid however on a last 3rd search one came up in the UK, listed 1 minute ago. New without box, 80 quid. Result! Snapped it up. I bet the seller was surprised.


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## jnrmczip (4 May 2015)

Took out the forks and cleaned the bearings which were causing a squeak that was getting rite on my nerves and spoiling the ride. Job done dirty hands but silence is golden


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## si_c (5 May 2015)

Bottom bracket started making grinding noises when out on Sunday, took it off yesterday it's not a sealed cartridge unit like I thought (damn you LBS) and the cage holding the bearings had disintegrated, leaving a tangled mess and loads of loose bearings on the drive side. No wonder it felt rough.

Replaced with brand new shimano unit.


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## The_Cycling_Scientist (5 May 2015)

Yesterday I fettled my old Fixed gear into a town style bike as being hunched over too far is a bit far over for me with my back still not 100%
The swap of bars saw a swap of front forks, both tyres to my gatorskins and new brake levers. (I need to change the cables and trunking to accomidate the new brake levers so for now I only have the front brake and the rear is cable tied to the frame for now. 
the aim is to next get new grips that look a little bit more old fashion. new brake lines and fit a rear light. there may be more tweaks but for now it is keeping me happy. I may also concider getting a coaster brake hub and making up a rear wheel for if I fancy going single speed  Here's a couple of shots:


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## Psycolist (5 May 2015)

In a spare 1/2 hour I removed my suspension seat post from my MTB for a quick check over and lube. All seemed fine, no concerns regarding wear so slapped a bit of grease on the moving parts, re assembled and re fitted. Now I seem to have an annoying 'creek' when riding. I guess I should have left well alone. Who knows when another 1/2 hour will present itself to remedy my error.  Anyway, I would rather be riding than fetteling.


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## busman (6 May 2015)

Going to try and take the axle out of my rear wheel to see if its cracked.


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## Salad Dodger (6 May 2015)

Today I made a helmet carrier to go on my rucksack. (The idea was borrowed from a rucksack I saw online). My rucksack has a elastic arrangement on the outside, presumably to be able to strap a jacket or something on the outside, for immediate access. But I could not find any way to use it to SECURELY hold a crash helmet.



So I cut the bottom off a plastic bottle and used a cable tie to secure it to the elastic on the rucksack.








To use it, poke the plastic bit through one of the vent holes in the helmet (not whilst you are wearing it!!!!)




Pull the elastic tight with the spring toggle that is already on it, and voila!


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## wisdom (6 May 2015)

[QUOTEi"Salad Dodger, post: 3680518, member: 8278"]Today I made a helmet carrier to go on my rucksack. (The idea was borrowed from a rucksack I saw online). My rucksack has a elastic arrangement on the outside, presumably to be able to strap a jacket or something on the outside, for immediate access. But I could not find any way to use it to SECURELY hold a crash helmet.
View attachment 88081


So I cut the bottom off a plastic bottle and used a cable tie to secure it to the elastic on the rucksack.

View attachment 88083
View attachment 88084


View attachment 88085


To use it, poke the plastic bit through one of the vent holes in the helmet (not whilst you are wearing it!!!!)

View attachment 88086


Pull the elastic tight with the spring toggle that is already on it, and voila!

View attachment 88087
[/QUOTE]
Great Idea and a nice neat job.
Perhaps we could start a thread"show us your inventions" Bet it would throw up some great ideas.


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## raleighnut (6 May 2015)

wisdom said:


> [QUOTEi"Salad Dodger, post: 3680518, member: 8278"]Today I made a helmet carrier to go on my rucksack. (The idea was borrowed from a rucksack I saw online). My rucksack has a elastic arrangement on the outside, presumably to be able to strap a jacket or something on the outside, for immediate access. But I could not find any way to use it to SECURELY hold a crash helmet.
> View attachment 88081
> 
> 
> ...


Great Idea and a nice neat job.
Perhaps we could start a thread"show us your inventions" Bet it would throw up some great ideas.[/QUOTE]
I've modified a receptacle for helmets


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## fossyant (6 May 2015)

New drivechain on the Fixed. Front chainring, sprocket and chain. £53

Front 46T ring - Miche Advanced (lovely rings), Fixed 16T (Token) drilled sprocket and my usual KMC 510HX 1/8th chain (won't use owt else).

Silky smooth and quiet.

The previous Miche Front ring has done about 5 years commute which isn't bad.


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## Gravity Aided (6 May 2015)

New rim tape for the Schwinn Impact, after another blow-out. Previous job was not very good, so I've used a heavier cloth tape this time. I also re-taped the handlebar extensions, as the previous bar tape was getting mucky.


----------



## Lilliburlero (9 May 2015)

New (flat) pedals and saddle fitted today. I also had a tinker with the brakes and gears and all is good. I`m learning, slowly but surely


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## alecstilleyedye (9 May 2015)

twice had to put chain back on. washed and lubed two road bikes and supervised the same on my son's…


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## Gravity Aided (10 May 2015)

Finished work(for now) on the Fuji Touring Series IV, then took her for a test spin, flatted, patched tube and returned home just as rain began. I added SKS Bluemels Fenders today, as well as racks and a light from Aldi. They are really fettling my local Aldi, knocking brick out, removing interior, but still selling and open for business.


----------



## bpsmith (10 May 2015)

Stripped front calliper on number 1 bike. Replaced inner and outer also. Swapped pads in from number 2 bike to see how much better they are than stock. Test ride imminent.


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## Psycolist (10 May 2015)

I found that 1/2 hour today and was unable to find any reason why the seat post is creaking. Perfectly fine until I loobed the moving parts, ever since it has creaked. It was getting on my wick so much, I swapped over the post with my spare. Further investigations can wait for a rainy day. Otherwise a general check over of both steeds, checking brake wear, tyre pressures, mickled the chains, cleaned some gunk off the jockies. Then the wife found me and that was that for the rest of the daylight hours.


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## Gravity Aided (11 May 2015)

Adjustment of rear wheel, and a 15 mile test ride on the Fuji Touring Series IV, all well, no flats, beautiful day.


----------



## BigAl68 (11 May 2015)

I fitted a new big ring, cassette and chain on the planet x and balanced the brakes on the ken bird over the weekend.


----------



## I like Skol (11 May 2015)

I seem to have spent the last week or two trying to play catch-up with the Puncture Fairy . Only one puncture on my bike but the kids have been picking them up for fun. I have had to purchase some new tubes, a couple of repair kits and I also fitted some Velox rim tape to a wheel on my hybrid after it's puncture highlighted a potential problem. The rubber/plastic rim tape had deformed massively and was sagging right down into the spoke holes, so much so that the tube had pimples showing where it had stretched into the holes that were still there even when the tube was deflated. I don't know how I have managed to end up with the cheapy rim tape as the other wheel has been fitted with Velox tape and I built these wheel myself, must have been on an economy drive at the time?
Anyway, 4 wheels stripped and re-inflated in a quick session this morning. Talc flying everywhere and now all bikes in the fleet ready to roll again


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## Racing roadkill (11 May 2015)

Brake blocks on the Btwin hybrid.


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## Hugh Manatee (11 May 2015)

What started as a simple replacement of the jockey wheels turned into slightly more. The crusty paint and rust had been bugging me on and off since I got this frame. I had even gone as far as getting the exact shade matched and a rattle tin mixed.
Off with old paint then. I think my paint stripper has gone off as it didn't even start to do what it said on the tin! So, I used a softish wire brush attachment on an angle grinder. I was wearing eye protection which explains why four strands of supersonic wire came of the thing and hit me in the face. Not one hit the safety glasses! Instead they buried themselves in various parts of my face. 

A couple only slowed down when they reached bone. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt as much as it did pulling them out again however!

I got the rest of the paint off wearing a welding mask with the dark glass taken out! You see it here after the primer and first coat of topcoat has gone on. I'll put the rest on and the lacquer later.

I still haven't changed the sodding jockey wheels.


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 May 2015)

Seeing as my MTB is running a 1x10 drive train, I've re-purposed the LHS shifter to become a remote trigger for a dropper seat post. As such it uses the same cable run under the cross bar but instead of going down to the rear mech it turns upwards to a KS LEV post. 

It took a fair bit of fiddling with to disconnect the ratchet mechanism inside the shifter - in fact I had to learn how to assemble one when it fell apart in my hands . But it was worth it and I think the finished article looks quite factory .


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## anothersam (12 May 2015)

Re-purposing a shifter to become a remote trigger for a dropper seatpost sets the bar kind of high for "fettling". Next project: wirelessly plugging it into your neural circuitry.


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 May 2015)

Nargh.... it's nothing more than opening up the shifter and removing an 'E' clip and a couple bits of metal. Not much harder than servicing shimano wheel hub bearings TBH


----------



## raleighnut (12 May 2015)

Do you ever forget and have an 'ooh yer ba5tsrd' moment when the seat suddenly vanishes.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (12 May 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Do you ever forget and have an 'ooh yer ba5tsrd' moment when the seat suddenly vanishes.


I'm sure there will be a learning curve, as I struggle to remember that it's not a gear shifter any more.

I think I'll refer to them as a 'seatless moments'


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## raleighnut (12 May 2015)

Ffoeg said:


> I'm sure there will be a learning curve, as I struggle to remember that it's not a gear shifter any more.
> 
> I think I'll refer to them as a 'seatless moments'


----------



## HLaB (12 May 2015)

Swapped the shimano freehub body on my fulcrum quattros for a campy one so I could resurect the bianchi as a TT bike. Put a new tyre on that wheel and a disc cover on too. It'll need a new headset and probably a new bb but thats a job for another day, ;-)


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## Racing roadkill (13 May 2015)

Fitted the new bargain Selle Royal saddle, to the roady. It's a bit good .


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## I like Skol (13 May 2015)

I like Skol said:


> Talc flying everywhere and now all bikes in the fleet ready to roll again


Maybe I spoke too soon 
Even though I pulled 2 mahoosive thorns out of the rear tyre of oldest sons MTB (one had gone in for the puncture, other had gone though a nobble and came out of the sidewall without touching the tube) the tyre is now soggy again despite not moving since the previous repair. I checked the tyre carefully for foreign objects but will have to revisit the job to try again


----------



## RWright (13 May 2015)

I just took apart a pair of SPD SL 105 pedals because one of mine was not spinning as freely as the other. I took out the axel and removed all the bearings and cleaned and greased everything. Everything seems to be working fine now. Doing it over a small bucket was a very good ideal.

I now have a to figure out what is wrong with an older pair of platform pedals I have not been able to get sorted. The left pedal spins freely counter clockwise but clockwise it was difficult to spin freely after about four or five revolutions. I took them apart and cleaned and greased the bearings and everything else, and got it spinning freely in both directions but after about five miles it was doing the same thing again. That is the reason I was putting the SPD SL pedals back on the bike.


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## I like Skol (14 May 2015)

I like Skol said:


> Maybe I spoke too soon
> Even though I pulled 2 mahoosive thorns out of the rear tyre of oldest sons MTB (one had gone in for the puncture, other had gone though a nobble and came out of the sidewall without touching the tube) the tyre is now soggy again despite not moving since the previous repair. I checked the tyre carefully for foreign objects but will have to revisit the job to try again


Went back to this this morning and got the tube in a bowl of water to do the job properly. Turns out the thorn that I thought had missed the vital organs had actually just nicked the tube enough to allow a very slow leak. Couldn't find it even with the tube blown up like a bloated Bratwurst but putting it into water revealed the steady pop, pop, pop of bubbles.
All back together again now so fingers crossed.


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## Glow worm (16 May 2015)

Wahey! Captain Cack-handed here has just managed to replace the front derailleur cable. Only took an hour and I only cocked up a couple of times. Remarkably, just been out for a test spin and it only bloody works too! Shifting perfectly.
Off for a lie down now.


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## busman (18 May 2015)

I have just removed a broken spoke and fitted a new one.
May sound simple to some but I've never done it before and I'm happy with the out come.
To make things better the wheel is true.


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## si_c (18 May 2015)

Shortened my chain this morning after the powerlink broke on a ride yesterday. Had to put the chain in my backpack and use the bike as a kickbike as I forgot the chaintool 

I understood the principles, but fixing it in the rain this morning before heading out was something new


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## Arjimlad (20 May 2015)

I fitted some SKS mudguards to my new Giant Revolt last night. Took about an hour and a half.









The rears went on fine. The disc brake is within the rear triangle and the discreet holes in the bridges on the seat and chain stays were really useful.

A quick google image search gave me some ideas for bending the stays around the disc brake at the front so that took a bit longer. I had a longer bolt to fit to the forks to help the stays get over the brake.

I've yet to take them out on a ride to see how they rattle..

I couldn't get them any closer to the wheel.


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## Racing roadkill (20 May 2015)

I spent an hour or so, tweeking the front mech on my roady so it's just right. The new rear cable I fitted last week, failed again, so I thought I'd investigate. There was a piece of cable guide in the shifter, that had caused the cable to fail twice in quick succession, so I took it into my local Halfords ( the one in the quays shopping area in Southampton) big cudos goes to the guy called Terry in their bike department. He managed to get the cable out, sort out the shifter, replace the cable, and get the bike back to me in a couple of hours, and it only cost me a tenner (9 quid after B.C. discount).


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## wisdom (23 May 2015)

New wheel fitted on the back. Chain stripped of wet lube in the hope that the newly applied fenwicks stealth will bring some 
bike thoroughly cleaned and lubricated.


----------



## PeteXXX (23 May 2015)

New freehub body and associated washers and nuts fitted to the Marin full-sus.

A post fettle test ride determined that it needed nipping up an eighth of a turn to take out a bit of excess play.


----------



## Gravity Aided (24 May 2015)

Change to narrower rims and tires(700x28) on the Fuji Touring Series IV, with a smaller cogset to keep me moving along on a couple of distance rides. I may do some loaded touring afterward, so I may have to go to a larger rear cog for that.(already have the wheel built and trued). I'm also seriously considering dropping down tube shifters for brifters. Time to catch up with the 21st century.


----------



## Dirk (24 May 2015)

Not fettled myself - but LBS fitted Shimano Di2 sensor to my Focus Cayo and reprogrammed the Di2 software. I now have gear positions, gear ratios and battery voltage displayed on my Garmin 510.


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## HLaB (24 May 2015)

Fitted new aero bars (with bar end shifters) and a forward seatpost to one of my bikes to try and turn it into a dedicated TT bike.


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## Drago (24 May 2015)

was out checking tyre pressures on Woman's Prius when a feller on a Merida Tri bike stopped and asked if I had any tools, as his non drive side crank arm was about to drop off. One quick nip up later and he was on his way.

Oh what a good boy am I.


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## DCLane (24 May 2015)

After the 10-mile TT I swapped the 8-speed cassette I'd put to use on the aero wheels back for it's normal 10-speed to be used on the Ridgeback Platinum; they'll be needed for the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride on the 6th of June (then back to 8-speed for a 15-mile TT on 14th).

Then the 8-speed cassette went onto an old DT Swiss wheel off my Secteur, with new Rubino black/green tyre fitted.

Both then went onto the green Carrera I'd just raced on this morning. Back to commuter duty for this bike - it's not being used for racing for another month.

Following this I cleaned up the front and rear 2300 mechs and 2300 crankset which were originally on the Raleigh Airlite and latterly on the Ridgeback Platinum. All 3 are to be used on an Eastway 4.0 frameset I've bought via eBay over the weekend.


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## gbb (24 May 2015)

I checked the tyres for hardness with my thumb, satisfied myself they were ok...then rode off into the distance.
This maintenance lark is killing me...


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## iandg (24 May 2015)

New seatpin in the fixed, klick-fix fitting for a bar bag on the audax/tourer


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## HLaB (24 May 2015)

Moved the ski poles back and took the bike for another test ride. On the ride I felt constrained and moved the aero bars pads out. Whilst my front derailleur was shifting, it was rubbing a bit. There's no inline/barrel adjusters on the bike hoever, so I shifted to the wee chain ring (but left the chain on the big ring), undid the cable bolt slightly, pushed the derailleur to its outer extents, held it and pulled the cable tight and re-tightened the cable. It now shifts perfectly and there's no rub :-)


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## biker grove (24 May 2015)

Swapped out my Hutchinson Equinox for a pair of Rubino Pros.


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## DCLane (25 May 2015)

Cassette swapping day;

My youngest's hillclimb on Saturday was made harder by him doing it in 34 x 25, rather than a 26 or above.

So we took the 11-28 cassette from my new Wilier Izoard and swapped it with his cross bike, as he's having the same issues. I got his 12-25 cassette and he got my 11-28.


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## subaqua (25 May 2015)

fixed a knackered dive torch. which can be used as a bike light.


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 May 2015)

A weekend of fettling for me (taking my time over it):





















When I got my Cytech 2 qualification I promised my brother I'd make some wheels for him. A year on and it's become a bit more urgent as the wear marker has completely gone on his back wheel, so parts were obtained from Spa Cycles and I've built what are only my 5th and 6th wheels.

Since the old back wheel was the screw-on freewheel type it made sense to upgrade the drivetrain as well so it's now a 24 speed with a 22/32/44 chainset so hopefully Doug will be able to breeze up hills he used to struggle on.


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## wisdom (25 May 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A weekend of fettling for me (taking my time over it):
> View attachment 89848
> 
> View attachment 89849
> ...


Nice job well done.


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## Gravity Aided (26 May 2015)

Smaller crankset for the Fuji, trying to find that sweet spot between guts and gearing. Think we've hit on the all-around combination. Test ride looks promising.


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## Mireystock (26 May 2015)

Total de-grease/ de-mud of derailleur and the chain, wash off and re-oil.


(Not sure whether it classes as fettling as such, but hey, it gave me 20 minutes of happiness !)


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## wisdom (26 May 2015)

Mireystock said:


> Total de-grease/ de-mud of derailleur and the chain, wash off and re-oil.
> 
> 
> (Not sure whether it classes as fettling as such, but hey, it gave me 20 minutes of happiness !)


I would think that It certainly counts as fettling


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## Drago (26 May 2015)

Fitted new chain and BreezeBlockers to the Frankenbike.


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## I like Skol (28 May 2015)

Wife and kids went to bed early last night and I got a bit bored so cracked on with a job I've been meaning to do for over 12 months.

My road bike originally came with a generic front hub that went rough and pitted the cones in the first six months. It also had a nasty steel Q/R so I bought a Tiagra front hub to match the rear, mainly for the Q/R as it was about the same price to buy the full hub as an individual Q/R. The original front hub was stripped and cleaned and rebuilt without so much preload and has ran fine since but I have always planned to swap the hubs over and bought some Swiss DT double butted spokes for the job.

After a beer or two I started the job...





Now have this just waiting to be tensioned up today.





And peeping through the valve hole reveals this, a small detail but it matters to me


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## TheJDog (28 May 2015)

Greased my pedals and my cranks but there is still a bit of a creak. I'm assuming BB now. Pressfit BB30, so I don't think it would be the first one to go a bit noisy.


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## si_c (28 May 2015)

Not so much fettling or me, but dropped my frame over at C&G finishes in Liverpool. Hope to have a shiny "new" bike by next week


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## mythste (28 May 2015)

For the last few weeks I've been getting increasingly worried at the amount of force required to unclip from my cheap shimano SPD pedals. Thought I'd squirt a little WD40 in the mechanism and would you believe, better than new.

Wish I'd been less lazy about it and tried sooner, actually bruised my knee trying to unclip the other day! Not sure it constitutes "fettling" par se - but I'm chuffed none the less!


----------



## Red17 (28 May 2015)

Just fitted a 10mm longer stem - need to give it a run to see what it feels like this evening.


----------



## Twotter (28 May 2015)

Took the Brooks off my Cube and fitted my shiny new ISM Adamo Road saddle....happy soft pink parts to me


----------



## biggs682 (28 May 2015)

had a 30 minute session this morning re cabling and re taping some bars on my Ian May the 2nd that will be going up for sale soon


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 May 2015)

I like Skol said:


> And peeping through the valve hole reveals this, a small detail but it matters to me
> View attachment 90089


I'm with you on that. I did the same on Doug's wheels (and also built them so the labels on the rims are read from the drive side of the bike).


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## DCLane (28 May 2015)

No _actual_ fettling, but I went and collected all the bits needed to build the Eastway R4.0 frameset into a bike.

Found the crankset and front/rear derailleurs I'd cleaned last week.
Took the old bar tape off the Raleigh Airlite 100 handlebars which was worse for wear following 2 winters of commuting on it. After 6000+ miles it's probably a bit 
Found a Clarks anti-rust 8-speed chain, a pair of old Carrera wheels, a bottle cage, some bar tape and cables.

Just need the bottom bracket to arrive and it's all ready for a quick build at some point into the summer and prepping for winter use.


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## bpsmith (29 May 2015)

Straightened the rear hanger after somebody knocked my bike over last weekend. Giant hangers are like toffee!


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## raleighnut (29 May 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Straightened the rear hanger after somebody knocked my bike over last weekend. Giant hangers are like toffee!


By design, better than trashing a frame.


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## bpsmith (29 May 2015)

raleighnut said:


> By design, better than trashing a frame.


Indeed. I have no misconception as to their function. Merely pointing out that the Giant hangers are a lot softer!

Easier to correct last night, but only required because they bend at the first sign of any touch.


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## Rickshaw Phil (29 May 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Straightened the rear hanger after somebody knocked my bike over last weekend. Giant hangers are like toffee!


What @raleighnut said.

It might be worth getting in a spare hanger or two. This one won't be as strong having been bent and bent back so may break if it happens again.


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## bpsmith (29 May 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> What @raleighnut said.
> 
> It might be worth getting in a spare hanger or two. This one won't be as strong having been bent and bent back so may break if it happens again.



Top of my shopping list. Nothing like getting caught out, when you actually know it's got a weakness.


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## PeteXXX (30 May 2015)

Mudguards fitted to the Defy 2 due to me expecting a rather inclement bit of weather tomorrow on a 100 miler.


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## ChrisEyles (2 Jun 2015)

Re-packed the bearings on the quill pedals of my ten speed last night... one of the pesky bearings went skittering off across the floor never to return - I need a solution to this, since it's not the first (or second, or third) time this has happened to me! I'm returning armed with a pack of 5/32" BBs to finish the job tonight, ready for a metric century around Bristol with a friend at the weekend


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## Gravity Aided (2 Jun 2015)

You've got the idea. So long as you have a ready supply of bearings about, you'll never lose one again. Also, a work surface covered in cotton duck may help.


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## ChrisEyles (2 Jun 2015)

I usually use a lunchbox hovering under the bearings to catch them, but it is fiddly and despite all evidence to the contrary I often ditch the safety wire and think "ah, it'll be fine, I'll just catch them if they drop out" - bad idea! A non-bouncy surface to work on is a good idea though, I will go with that in future. 

Haha, I already have packs of bearings in many other different sizes, but you're right, I never seem to lose bearings for which I have a ready replacement!


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## si_c (5 Jun 2015)

Got the bike back from C&G this afternoon 

Put it straight in the stand when I got home tonight












Frame



__ si_c
__ 5 Jun 2015





 and fitted the bottom bracket before I even thought of taking a photo 

Spent the evening putting it together, few minor problems, the cranks are old, and the shimano BB is too wide, I measured it, but the tapers are different. Need new BB. Also the dish on the rear wheel is wrong. Also don't have a tool to get the crown race on properly, I thought of trying to tighten the headset to force it on, but then figured I'd ruin the bearings. Trip to an LBS tomorrow to sort them out. Any tips on a good one on the Wirral, thinking of Birkenhead Cycles if they're ok?

Only got a couple of things to do now, need to put the cable guide on the BB tomorrow, and cable up the gears, once I've done that, pump the tyres and put the bar tape on.

Anyway, here she is more or less assembled.













Almost ready



__ si_c
__ 5 Jun 2015


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## Gravity Aided (6 Jun 2015)

Very nice . Fan of the taller Peugeots myself. Good luck with the BB situation!


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## threebikesmcginty (7 Jun 2015)

I haven't fettled anything today but @Crackle said I had to post here.


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## ScotiaLass (7 Jun 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> I haven't fettled anything today but @Crackle said I had to post here.


Me neither but I did a few days ago...


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## Crackle (7 Jun 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> I haven't fettled anything today but @Crackle said I had to post here.


I need a close up of this alleged gold chain which looked suspiciously rusty.


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## Gravity Aided (7 Jun 2015)

Fettled Austro Diamler into running condition, adding a new chain, I also added blue bar tape to match lettering. I still have to adjust shifting a bit, and add a granny gear to the front, but a 26 tooth gear in the proper bolt circle diameter is something I don't have available at present. I then went to work on the Specialized Sirrus for next weeks 100KM, changing out the wheelset and padding the trekking bars as well as adding a water bottle cage.


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## threebikesmcginty (7 Jun 2015)

Crackle said:


> I need a close up of this alleged gold chain which looked suspiciously rusty.



Your wish, etc...


----------



## Crackle (7 Jun 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Your wish, etc...
> 
> View attachment 91077


I like the way you've retained an air of mystery with the focus.


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## threebikesmcginty (7 Jun 2015)

Crackle said:


> I like the way you've retained an air of mystery with the focus.



Talk to Steve Jobs, it's his fault.


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## Chris S (7 Jun 2015)

I fitted a pair of 'genuine' Sturmey Archer serrated wheel nut washers to my Raleigh. They crumbled the second time I did up the wheel nuts. They weren't so much made of cheese as made of stilton.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (7 Jun 2015)

Dismantled the fixie 'beater' and boxed up loads of bits to go to my mates garage. New baby means less room for bike stuff


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## Gravity Aided (7 Jun 2015)

Tightened up the brakes on my Austro-Daimler and rode around the block. Good feel to the brakes now.


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## Cubist (7 Jun 2015)

Got my bike back from Wheelies with its nice new frame. A rush of blood and a modest windfall has seen me upgrading the remaining 105 components to Ultegra and swapping out some ss bolts for titanium. Carbon bars have finished the weight weenie project. With superstar elite three zeros, ultremo tyres and without pedals, it weighed in at 7.10 kg. I've healed enough to contemplate riding it this week. Just a few gentle flat miles...... It's been five weeks since my accident!


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## bpsmith (8 Jun 2015)

Raised the saddle by 10mm, as seemed too low compared to winter bike. Massive difference from height and slight set back from lifting the saddle on sloping seat tube. Muscles aching in upper thigh and butt suggests it's now about right!


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## Arjimlad (8 Jun 2015)

The headset bearings on my new Giant Revolt were squeaking and wheezing when I turned the bars, so I undid the pre-load screw, loosened the stem bolts and dropped the forks enough to squirt a little WD40 branded lithium grease around & about.

All tightened up again and squeak no more !


----------



## gavgav (10 Jun 2015)

Given the chain a clean and oil, and the bike a clean ready for my holidays. Although it looks like the heavy rain will wash it down on the roof of the car during the journey up on Saturday!

Looks to be dry after that though and so I'm hopeful of getting plenty of rides in next week


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## Mattonsea (10 Jun 2015)

Cleaned the bottom bracket ceramic bearings , ready to meet my new 105 crank


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## bpsmith (10 Jun 2015)

Adjusted my left cleat, as part of tracking down the cause of my left knee pain.

Weird thing was, I use the same shoes and cleats on two bikes and only happens on the nicer one.

Anyway, adjusted angle by 1mm and noticed that the right cleat was then at the same angle, but further to the left, so brought the shoe in closer to the crank.

Adjusted to match on left cleat and test rode the same 20 mile route as last week, when pain hit after 6 miles...

...zero pain tonight and I really pushed it on the short steep digs too. Even into the wind on return leg. Result!


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## si_c (10 Jun 2015)

Tightened cables, raised saddle and stem a touch as didn't feel totally comfortable. Added rim-tape, it's surprising how easily it is to overlook when building a bike up for the first time  but 2 punctures on the run into work in exactly the same place... Tomorrows job is to patch the two tubes.


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## I like Skol (10 Jun 2015)

Getting a clicking noise when pedalling so once home from the commute decided to try out my new KMC missing link pliers to remove the chain while I check out the BB bearings.

Pliers worked a treat and avoided the usual mucky fingers which result from wrestling with the link bare handed. Only problem was that due to an oversight on my part I let go of the loose end of the chain while it was under tension from the rear mech and the resulting flick of the chain sent half of the quick link bouncing across the driveway and under the car. I found it after only around 10 minutes of looking 

Turns out the Hollowtech II bottom bracket is on it's last legs. Also checked the chain for wear and found it was just at 0.75% wear so that is another job to do over the weekend.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Jun 2015)

Bought new grips in Peoria, changed grips and saddle on Specialized Sirrus for the Metric Century on Saturday. As well as cleaning mulberries from the frame. I also added a water bottle cage.


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## PeteXXX (11 Jun 2015)

Mullered seatpost clamp bolt drilled out and replaced with a shiny new pair of bolts on the Defy2.
A job I've been meaning to do for ages (since I realized one bolt could not be undone a year or so ago. (Can't rush these things, you know!))
Seatpost unseized, post and interior of frame cleaned and lightly lubed. Seatpost re-inserted, but 1.5 cm less as I want to try a higher saddle position.


----------



## Tom B (11 Jun 2015)

Bought myself some Ergon Grips for the commuter....

Spent the last week fiddling with the angles to get them suiting me....

Still not perfect, but better


----------



## DCLane (11 Jun 2015)

Today I tested the 3 main road bikes; Carrera Virago, Spesh Secteur and Wilier Izoard.

It told me what I thought but didn't want to know: the Carrera isn't the bike to time-trial this weekend. So on the Wilier this evening ...

I've changed the seatpost and saddle, saving 300g
Sora 3500 50/34 crankset removed and Ultegra 6700 53/39 crankset fitted, saving 140g
Tomorrow I'm changing the wheelset for the lightweight one I have, with cassette change, plus fitting the TT bars from the Carrera onto it. Then testing again.

I've Ultegra 6700 shifters plus 105 rear derailleur to fit so it's moved to 10-speed, with Spesh Tarmac bars but not this weekend.

Oh, and the Carrera's TT days are over. It's back to commuting for this magnesium bike. Ex-Halfords team it may be, but time has moved on.


----------



## Levo-Lon (12 Jun 2015)

Applied some frame protection wrap to the chain stay and a sticker or 2 to stop cable rub.
the new build is sparkling clean..


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## Racing roadkill (17 Jun 2015)

I encouraged the wheel reflectors to fall off, and removed the toe straps (fitted as standard), on my new steed. It looks a little less 'special' now. Its already running Hollowtech II cranks and chainrings, so straight on with the better cranks / chainrings then


----------



## Gravity Aided (18 Jun 2015)

Put new shifters on the Fuji Tourer, now to sort the brakes.


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## ColinJ (18 Jun 2015)

I have just taken delivery of a used Cannondale CAADX cyclocross bike and have been reassembling it this afternoon. I stopped to make myself a coffee and thought I'd write an interim fettling report! 

NOTES: When removing the bike from the box, I discovered that the axle of one hub had put a small scratch on the down tube of the bike. It isn't a problem for me because the bike is 'pre-loved' and already bore the scars of its former life. I knew that when I bought it. Well, now it has 7 or 8 scratches, small dents and chipped paint patches, rather than 6 or 7 ... The kind of thing that any 1 year old used CX bike would have. Having said that - if you are boxing up a bike for sale or to take on holiday, it would be a good idea to put pipe lagging round the main frame tubes to protect them, and perhaps slip and extra sheet of cardboard either side of the box to stop the axles breaking through if the box gets manhandled, which it probably _will_!

Job #1: I put the wheels back on so I could stand the bike up to work on it.

NOTES: I had been told by the previous owner that he had swapped out the original Schwalbe Sammy Slick tyres before they'd had much use. He put them back on for me and they look as though they have only been ridden once! The wheels look very clean too, but I suppose that is one advantage of disk brakes - no rim wear.

Job #2: Reattach the handlebars. The bars had been removed from the stem so the bike would fit in the box.

NOTES: All the cables were still in place. I have never used Shimano road shifters before so the Tiagras will take some getting used to. I normally use Campagnolo shifters which use an inner lever like a Shimano STI shifter, but it does the job that the outer lever does. I reckon I will be doing accidental upshifts for a while when I am trying to do downshifts! These shifters still use external gear cables which look plain, er, _messy_! I am used to nice tidy hidden cables. The hoods do feel pretty comfortable though. I'll see how I get on with the bike. I might upgrade to a better groupset in the future.

The bars are good and 'chunky', a much bigger diameter than I am used to. Nice new bar tape too.

The stem looks shorter than what I am used to, but it has a different angle too. I will have to ride the bike to see if it suits me.

Job #3 was to reattach the rear derailleur which had been removed from the frame for its own protection in transit. 

NOTES: I would have wrapped it in bubblewrap or in a Jiffy bag and ziptied that inside the rear dropouts, but it had been left loose. Again, not a problem this time but prevention is better than a cure - wrap and secure that mech!

Job #4: Reattach the seat post and saddle.

NOTES: The original saddle has been replaced with what looks like a Charge Spoon. I know that some people really rate those saddles but I have never ridden one. I'll see how I get on with it. If it suits my a*se then it stays. If not, I'll put on a Planet X Arione clone which I have in my spares drawer.

Job #5: Put a pair of SPD pedals on the bike.

NOTES: It came with some cheap, nasty Wellgo flat pedals. I'll keep those for when my nephew visits. He is about the same height as me but is not really a cyclist. He might want to cycle with me but I don't think he would take to riding my spare bike in SPDs.

Job #6: The headset seemed knackered, but it turned out to be just over-tight. I adjusted it and all seems ok now. 

NOTES: I'm not sure how the bike was ridden the way that headset was - it had _'digital'_ steering rather than _'analogue'_! I.e. the bearings were so tight that steering could only be done in discrete steps instead of a smooth and continuous turning motion. Maybe the stem took a knock in transit, upsetting the headset adjustment? 

Job #7: Remove 4 reflectors.

NOTES: Yes, I know, they don't weigh much and the day might have come where somebody might have spotted them on a gloomy ride, but they just didn't look _right_!  

Job #8: Weigh the bike! 

NOTES: The bike isn't quite finished yet, but I gave way to curiosity ... It does feel pretty light compared to my chunky steel mountain bike. Much closer in weight to its cousin, my CAAD5 road bike. As it stands now, the answer is ...

REMAINING JOBS:

I'll see how I get on with the gearing on the bike as it is, but I know myself and I know the rugged countryside that I ride in, so this will probably be done sooner rather than later ... The stock cassette on this bike is a 12-28 but I just checked and the one on the bike now is a 12-30. That's an improvement for my steep local climbs, but I am probably going to extend the gearing range. I have triples on my 3 other bikes so a 36/30 bottom gear isn't quite low enough for me. It will be _most_ of the time, but not for those coming to awkward '_25% offroad climb into a headwind at the end of a long, tiring ride_' moments which do tend to crop up from time to time in my cycling life! I am thinking of swapping the 36 chainring for a 34 and/or the cassette for an 11 or 12 to 32 or 34 or even 36. The huge cassette might need to be made usable by replacing the 10 speed Tiagra road rear mech with a 9 speed MTB mech, which I have read work fine with 10 speed Shimano road shifters.

I need bottle cages. Red bottle cages. They would look nice with the bike's colour scheme!

The bike has mudguard and rack mounts. I don't think I want them on the bike full time, but I might buy guards for it and fit them for the winter. I have an old rack which might fit. Some bodging potentially needed to fit around the rear disk brake.

I'll see how I get on with the brakes. I have read mixed reports on the Promax Render Rs. If I don't like them, I will replace with something else. maybe Spyre Hy/Rds?

I have read mixed reports on BB30 bottom brackets too. If I get the incurable creaking problem, then a new BB would need to be found!

And that's that! I had thought that I would like to build a CAADX up to my own spec, but Cannondale do not sell the frames separately. I am looking on this as a potential 'donor' bike. I got it for over £300 below the list price so if don't like something on the bike I will be happy to buy new parts for it and sell the old bits. At the end of this process, I should have a very nice CX bike indeed!


----------



## si_c (18 Jun 2015)

The rear derailleur on the road bike has come to the end of it's 30 year life. I was tightening the gear cables as they have loosened over the last week or so, and unfortunately the thread on the derailleur where I screw in the bolt has completely gone. I knew it was a bit ropey, but there is nothing there now.

Fortunately wiggle has a sale on, 105 10spd rear mech for £20. Popped into cyclesurgery down the road and they price matched. Gonna put it on tomorrow, not sure how I feel about a modern rear mech being used with friction shifters, the 105 doesn't have the same vintage look. I'd rather have gone for something a bit more in keeping, but it'll do.

Cleaned up the MTB as well, pumped up the tyres and whatnot.


----------



## Racing roadkill (18 Jun 2015)

Game on.


----------



## dan_bo (18 Jun 2015)

ColinJ said:


> I have just taken delivery of a used Cannondale CAADX cyclocross bike and have been reassembling it this afternoon. I stopped to make myself a coffee and thought I'd write an interim fettling report!
> 
> NOTES: When removing the bike from the box, I discovered that the axle of one hub had put a small scratch on the down tube of the bike. It isn't a problem for me because the bike is 'pre-loved' and already bore the scars of its former life. I knew that when I bought it. Well, now it has 7 or 8 scratches, small dents and chipped paint patches, rather than 6 or 7 ... The kind of thing that any 1 year old used CX bike would have. Having said that - if you are boxing up a bike for sale or to take on holiday, it would be a good idea to put pipe lagging round the main frame tubes to protect them, and perhaps slip and extra sheet of cardboard either side of the box to stop the axles breaking through if the box gets manhandled, which it probably _will_!
> 
> ...


When we racing then Col?


----------



## Racing roadkill (18 Jun 2015)

Righto, I've spent the last few minutes sorting stuff out.






That's the Aksiums and the new cassette done. A quick fettle of the indexing has got it running sweetly.





I found these in a box, I don't usually run flat plats, but these are quite nice (I have no idea where or when I bought these). Job jobbed .


----------



## ColinJ (19 Jun 2015)

dan_bo said:


> When we racing then Col?


Are you trying to finish me off? 

I think CX is probably the worst possible cycle sport for me to try! I can't really cope with extreme intensity and my bike handling skills are poor ...

I'm thinking more in terms of my meandering scenic forum rides, only with less road!


----------



## swee'pea99 (19 Jun 2015)

Fixed a puncture. Or, not really a puncture. A flat though, definitely. Damn thing just suddenly blew up, for no apparent reason. I wasn't within 20 feet of it at the time. Don't think it's used to a splash of sunshine...


----------



## dan_bo (19 Jun 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Are you trying to finish me off?
> 
> I think CX is probably the worst possible cycle sport for me to try! I can't really cope with extreme intensity and my bike handling skills are poor ...
> 
> I'm thinking more in terms of my meandering scenic forum rides, only with less road!


Pffft.


----------



## zacklaws (19 Jun 2015)

ColinJ said:


> NOTES: I'm not sure how the bike was ridden the way that headset was - it had _'digital'_ steering rather than _'analogue'_! I.e. the bearings were so tight that steering could only be done in discrete steps instead of a smooth and continuous turning motion. Maybe the stem took a knock in transit, upsetting the headset adjustment?



Keep an eye on the headset Colin, what you are describing sounds like what is called "Notching" and it can be caused by the bearing in the headset being "Brinnelled" and if its the case then it will need replacing. I had one doing it once and it was awful, you did'nt steer round corners, you tacked, constantly altering your steering line, not so bad on your own, but turning in a group made it even more noticable. Hopefully it may have just been overtightened and there is plenty online about the problem to help, Just rotating the bearing in the headset resolved it for me but only for a short while as it would start again eventually, the LBS looked at the bearing and straightaway condemmed it.


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## ColinJ (19 Jun 2015)

zacklaws said:


> Keep an eye on the headset Colin, what you are describing sounds like what is called "Notching" and it can be caused by the bearing in the headset being "Brinnelled" and if its the case then it will need replacing. I had one doing it once and it was awful, you did'nt steer round corners, you tacked, constantly altering your steering line, not so bad on your own, but turning in a group made it even more noticable. Hopefully it may have just been overtightened and there is plenty online about the problem to help, Just rotating the bearing in the headset resolved it for me but only for a short while as it would start again eventually, the LBS looked at the bearing and straightaway condemmed it.


I must admit that it wouldn't surprise me. I hope to get out on the bike later today once I have found out how to adjust the brakes, and checked the pads for wear.

Oh, I forgot to put the weight of the bike in my other post ... without pedals, bottle cages, mudguards or GPS - about 10 kg/22 lb. I can see it ending up at 11 kg/24 lb. That is slightly heavier than I expected but no big deal since I am a pretty big rider and I will not be racing. It is a LOT lighter than the MTB it will be replacing on many rides.


----------



## Karlt (19 Jun 2015)

Replaced old 1980s brake levers and downtube levers on a late 1980s Raleigh with nice new comfy Claris brifters picked up from Ebay for £30 and a pair of cable end stops. Scored the gear cables from Halfords for £2 each including the outers and ferrules. Rear derailleur is a bit imprecise so I probably need to shorten the run from shifter to cable end stop but otherwise a massive improvement. I think the only original parts on this bike now are the frame, derailleurs, bars, headset and stem. Decided at the beginning it was not a good enough nick frame to warrant preservation so went for modernisation.


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## Jenkins (19 Jun 2015)

Not really fettled as nothing needed changing, but I spent around 4hrs this morning & afternoon cleaning all 6 bikes and then mickling all the chains.


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## DCLane (22 Jun 2015)

I collected the Eastway R4.0 frameset I'd bought last month from the LBS. Having tried and failed to fit a bottom bracket, as it just wouldn't screw in, I got them to fit one of theirs and the crankset for me. They're getting used to my odd eBay purchases. Originally it looked like this:






This afternoon I spent a bit of time with my youngest fitting some bits I'd collected for the build. Most are from my old damaged Raleigh Airlite, which subsequently went on the Ridgeback Platinum. They've been in the way of other stuff in the shed so fitting them onto the bike before something got damaged/I got damaged by SWMBO seemed sensible. So ...

Front and rear derailleur fitted (ex-Raleigh/Ridgeback). The rear that was in the box had a stiff screw and wouldn't go on so I swapped it for a spare.
Handlebars fitted (ex-Raleigh/Ridgeback) as the ones on are from a Spesh Tarmac and will be going on the Wilier
Shimano R501 wheelset fitted
White bottle cage fitted
Brake drop checked with wheelset in; Miche Performance rear and Tektro R539 front fitted, both with red pads
gear cables in, outers to do
Still to be done:

SKS Longboard mudguards to order and fit
Cable outers - I've blue but red/white also might look good
Brake cable inners
Chain
Blue rear tyre to match
Bar tape
Adjust and test
It's to be a winter commuter for November onwards so there's no hurry.


----------



## ChrisEyles (23 Jun 2015)

Spent yesterday afternoon fixing up three work bikes (two BSO MTBs and one okay-ish Giant MTB). Much fettling was required! 

New pedals on one bike
New inner tube on one wheel
Straighten out and then true up a rear wheel (this was a first for me, but went really well)
Full set of new brake blocks on one bike
Adjust the brakes on all bikes to be functional (I hate setting up cantis/V-brakes)
Tighten up the BB on two bikes to fix badly wobbing cranks (one required one of those Shimano tools which I didn't have - used a hammer and screwdriver)
Tighten up the hub locknuts on two rear wheels
De-gunking drivechains and re-lubing cables/chains/de-railleurs/brake pivots etc

One problem left: one of the freewheels is no longer really freewheeling... it keeps sticking, dragging the chain and RD with it. GT85 and a drop of chain oil in the bearings didn't seem to do the job either. If anyone's got any fixes I'd love to hear and give them a go, otherwise I guess just replace it. 

Quite a satisfying afternoon, and they all run a lot better than when I started. I suspect I am now going to be inundated with requests to have a look at everyone's personal bikes though!


----------



## Levo-Lon (23 Jun 2015)

So after deciding not to give this frame away for silly money..i went on ebay and spet £120...
I have some nice wheels on way and new tyres and tubes...brakes and flat bar levers..few bits and bobs and a headset..
ive fitted it out as a 9 speed slx deore mix with a 36f 34r set up for now as ive got no 44t chain wheel.
should be a decent nip to bike..


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## Arjimlad (24 Jun 2015)

A rude awakening for me today... my son went out with his Explorer scouts on a bike ride last night, and one of them had a puncture so he was very late home as he walked back with his mate.

My son gets up at 6.30 to do a paper-round on his bike.

I got out of the shower at 7am to find him moaning that he had a puncture & couldn't fix it fast enough to be on time for his paper round.

So there I was, sat outside the house in my dressing gown swapping the tyre and tube over for him at 7.10am. Lovely morning !


----------



## Chris S (24 Jun 2015)

I needed to tighten up my propstand but didn't have an 8mm Allen key. I just bent an 8mm bolt through 90 degrees and used that.


----------



## bpsmith (24 Jun 2015)

Fitted Blue Shimano cleats and they rock!


----------



## si_c (28 Jun 2015)

Spent last night teaching myself how to use "proper" puncture repair kits, got a couple of old tubes that needed patching as I hadn't got round to them, quite easy once you've practiced a bit. Got one tube that now has half a box of patches on 

Also put some new tyres on the road bike, the ones on previously had no puncture protection at all, and the rear tyre had a deep gash in it and I could almost see the inner tube through it. Put on some Vittoria Rubinos, cheap but as long as they stop the punctures on the commute thats fine by me for now.


----------



## RedRider (28 Jun 2015)

Fresh bar tape, new chain and replaced rear mudguard yesterday.

The old tape had worn thin to almost breaking point and the new standard black cork feels plush with a psychological boost.

I bought a KMC singlespeed chain but when I tried to shorten it it didn't fit my chain tool. This happened the last time I replaced the chain but I'd forgotten. Walked back to the shop and exchanged it for an 8-speed again. Apparently the small Park tool doesn't like single speed chains, even 3/32 width. So more of a faff than anticipated but now a quieter ride.

The LBS gave me an old but matching rear guard they had lying around. The last one had snapped a month ago and was held together with blue tape.

So alongside a new saddle fitted last week the bike now feels back up to scratch.


----------



## Philip51 (29 Jun 2015)

Just finished transferring all the add-ons from my old 531ST Galaxy to the new aluminium CB Malvern. Its ok, very comfortable but slower/heavier than the Dawes. I thought ali was supposed to be light? My first bike with brake lever shifters and disc brakes. Fantastic. Made a mudflap from an old truck inner tube using instructions from a forum. I thought it was this one but I cant find it. Maybe it was the CTC one.. Wish I'd made it longer now but I made a card template and have loads of rubber left. Anyone any views on the best size for a mudflap?


----------



## Levo-Lon (30 Jun 2015)

Finished the sensa build..headset took ages..
Wow this is a slick bike with flats and 9 speed slx gears..9.8kg..not to bad considdering the parts bin


----------



## PeteXXX (30 Jun 2015)

GT85 squirted over the Town & Tesco SS bike..

2nd bottle cage fitted to the Defy2 as it's going to be hot hot hot on my next ride!


----------



## Garry A (30 Jun 2015)

Fitted m520's, a water bottle and a race rocket mini pump to the Defy 3.


----------



## tfg71 (30 Jun 2015)

got the bike home , then spent a couple of minutes working out how to remove the pedals on it . once I realised the obvious they were off and the basic cheap pedals were put on.


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (30 Jun 2015)

Proper strip down, new bottom bracket and a bloody good clean!




Stickers added, a little childish to some I'm sure but its my bike so there


----------



## Kevoffthetee (30 Jun 2015)

I'm fettling a bottle of vino collapso in the garden, I may adjust the brakes on Le Pug but that's unlikely


----------



## fatjel (1 Jul 2015)

Put a new B.B. in the Giant today in the hope the clicking and graunching noises would stop.
Which sadly didn't happen .. 
New chain and cassette should be here tomorrow , have a spare crankset so hopefully all be good as new soon
Has done about 6000 km so probly all needs changing anyway


----------



## Kevoffthetee (1 Jul 2015)

I've eventually got round to swapping my RX100 brake calipers for some shiney new(er) r561's in black. I decided to get all geeky and weighed them and the difference was a massive 4grams each 149>144grams

I also found a couple of strange holes in my Gatorskin tyre which I've never noticed before ??


----------



## HertzvanRental (1 Jul 2015)

Sod all !! Too hot !!


----------



## Gravity Aided (1 Jul 2015)

Adjusted brakes on the Schwinn Impact, then took it for a spin. All was well.


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## Jenkins (2 Jul 2015)

Kevoffthetee said:


> I also found a couple of strange holes in my Gatorskin tyre which I've never noticed before ??



Wear indicators. When you can't see them it's time to replace the tyre.


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## Kevoffthetee (2 Jul 2015)

Jenkins said:


> Wear indicators. When you can't see them it's time to replace the tyre.


REALLY, seams off to had 2 random holes


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## si_c (2 Jul 2015)

Wife's bike has started rattling something chronic. Loose chainguard, somehow the BB has worked it's way loose on the drive side, and the chainguard had a lot of play in it, tightened it up, much better now. Still a bit of a rattle from the mudguards, but one thing at a time


----------



## Garry A (2 Jul 2015)

Swapped my crap (I.M.O) 11-32 SRAM cassette to a Shimano 12-25 which shifts better. Never needed the dinner plate cogs.


----------



## Spoked Wheels (2 Jul 2015)

Fitted new inline barrel adjuster and a new front derailleur cable. Happy with the result.


----------



## Drago (2 Jul 2015)

Opened a box full of Hope seat clamps and wheel QRs for my 650b build.


----------



## Jenkins (2 Jul 2015)

Today I have been preparing for the delivery & construction of my new bike shed on Friday...





...By demolishing my old one


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## DCLane (3 Jul 2015)

Done a few bits today:


New tyre and cleaned my son's Felt F95 Jr ready for Holme Moss tomorrow on his 11th birthday
Cleaned the Secteur as it needed it 
Cobbled together a rear derailleur for the Eastway R4.0 build from bits I had and finished the bike after it broke the rear hanger on 1st test (thought it was bent). The finished bike is below, with contrasting blue / red / white aiming to match the frame.





It just needs the mudguards fitting, since PBK didn't sent fitting bits with them and aren't responding  and then it'll be ready for winter commuting duty.


----------



## fatjel (3 Jul 2015)

So following the Giant defy's new BB not solving the clicking problem I fitted new crankset, chain and cassette..
Once done ran my finger over the back wheel spokes and one kinda fell out..
Oops maybe that's where the noise was from
Drive over to Evans at Gatwick and £135 lighter have new Aksium wheelset.
Youngster served me was really good .. Very friendly , and knowledgable
Anyways new wheels, new cassette . new chain and crankset fitted off for a test ride
Felt noticeably lighter.. and rides very nice(weighed it later and is now 9 kg dead)
Still f****** clicks tho


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## Gravity Aided (3 Jul 2015)

Bottle cages fitted to Schwinn 26" tourer, and olde fashioned cyclocross pad/bag for where the top tube and seat tube intersect, light fitted, all prepared for a trip to Downs tomorrow for pancakes and sausage at the volunteer fire department. maybe even a trip to Towanda for the parade and festival.


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## HLaB (6 Jul 2015)

Lowered my TT bars and replaced the internal cable inners and outers. The supplied outer were too short for the entire internal meaning the inners were too tight and too tight a corner was enough to shift cogs


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## DCLane (7 Jul 2015)

A number of bits on a damp morning:

Adjusted my youngest's brakes on his cross bike. He's been complaining about not being able to stop. I did make the point that if he's racing he shouldn't need to stop 
Swapped the tyres on my GT Timberline; the Schwalbe Hurricane's have gone onto a replacement NOS Mavic M400 set and the Raleigh knobblies onto the Shimano Exage wheels. Took the 'disc' off the back of the cassette as well.
Also took the opportunity to adjust the brakes on the GT - the front now stops!


----------



## Arjimlad (10 Jul 2015)

Wife's out for the evening so after daughter's gone to bed I had a happy hour loosening cables, relubing the outers and putting them all back together. Pumped tyres up and general sorting/ cleaning.


----------



## threebikesmcginty (11 Jul 2015)

Fettled this shed from a kit last weekend, just putting a timber floor in it today. It's a bit too good just for stuff I rec.


----------



## martint235 (11 Jul 2015)

Cleaned and greased the crank bolts on the commuter, fitted a new bottle cage (that's the end of the £35 carbon bottle cages I bought when I first bought a road bike, both bikes now fitted with £5 SKS cages that I really like). Re-indexed the gears while it was up on the stand.


----------



## Brava210 (11 Jul 2015)

Tried to fit a Phone bag but gave up cause I ordered the wrong one


----------



## stoatsngroats (11 Jul 2015)

After a gentle 22 miler, fitted Marathons F+R to the tandem, and now looking forward to some decent rides during the rest of the summertime, so, this month then a total replacement list of 2/3 CRs, a rear DR, added a Megarange cassette (wow isn't a 34 low!) and then the rubber!


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## bpsmith (11 Jul 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Fettled this shed from a kit last weekend, just putting a timber floor in it today. It's a bit too good just for stuff I rec.
> 
> View attachment 95779


Dunster House?


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## raleighnut (12 Jul 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Fettled this shed from a kit last weekend, just putting a timber floor in it today. It's a bit too good just for stuff I rec.
> 
> View attachment 95779


Nice, we've got something quite similar in the garden but its got chairs, a stereo and a small widescreen TV (10.5 inch 'Widescreen' LED) and its a summerhouse.
If I refer to it as a shed then Maz is prone to belting me one (if she's in range)


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Jul 2015)

I was going to go for a ride but was very slow and lazy today so decided to do some fettling instead. 

I've been meaning to check the new wheels on my brother's bike to see if my handiwork is still running true, which I'm glad to say it is. I still found room for a bit of fine tuning but am very happy with how they've come out, especially as they got used on some pretty rough tracks while up in The Lakes.

While the stand was out I thought I'd also check my own bikes over. They also both benefited from a bit of tweaking and are now running straighter than the average cheap wheel. The ones on the Raleigh are doing the job just fine at the moment but I can't help thinking how nice a wheel-set like Doug's would look on it (in silver rather than black).

Final task was to fix a puncture. I'd noticed that my front winter tyre had gone quite soft in storage but the back has held pressure so I finally got round to investigating it and found an inch long hawthorn embedded. That's all sorted, ready for next winter then. (Tries not to think about the )


----------



## Saluki (12 Jul 2015)

Gave Eric, my CX a good old clean and whatnot. You should have seen the state of his jockey wheels  I must be a terrible parent to have let them get in that state. All nice and clean now, polished too. Chain all clean and dry lubed, ready to go out and play in a little while later tonight. Actually, might take the roadie as I don't want to get Eric all filthy quite this soon.


----------



## HertzvanRental (12 Jul 2015)

I cleaned my golf clubs!!


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## threebikesmcginty (12 Jul 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Dunster House?



It was this lot, chosen because they had the right size and design. Floor went in today, all done!

http://www.tuin.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Storage.html


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## Arjimlad (12 Jul 2015)

Wobbly left crank!





Stripped BB cups to find the axle a tad worn. Measured OK with the vernier gauge so I'll have to clean it up and renew the borked cups.

No idea how I let it get so bad!


----------



## shouldbeinbed (12 Jul 2015)

Put the marathon racers (haha) back on tbe the Cannondale Ute and wiped over the brake rotors and pads while the wheels were off. 

Will see tomorrow if that part of my pedestrian alert system has been compromised.


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## bpsmith (12 Jul 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> It was this lot, chosen because they had the right size and design. Floor went in today, all done!
> 
> http://www.tuin.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Storage.html


Nice! Similar looking in build to our Dunstee House, hence my question. Ours is a bit smaller though.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Jul 2015)

Fettled Peugeot Shopper stem to stern, including recalcitrant stem and fittings thereto. I was going to commute on it, but as the bottom bracket is so low, and my feet quite large, that may not be a good idea. Height wise, just tall enough for me at 6'3", but it may be destined for neighborhood chores. I also added new bars to the Specialized Sirrus, new grips and bar ends. Schwinn Impact got it's headset tightened after its 45 mile sojourn of the other day, and the iimpending commute on Monday. Ice cream may be in the offing.


----------



## EltonFrog (13 Jul 2015)

Today I installed an *Italian Road Bike Mirror* on my bike, as experiment to see if they're any good. I imported it from the US because I cold not find them for sale here. Expensive but a neat mirror if it works.


----------



## Elybazza61 (14 Jul 2015)

Got a Charge saddle to try so fitted that to the Planet X and also adjusted the brakes.


----------



## Arjimlad (15 Jul 2015)

New BB cups installed alright, but I borked a torque wrench !

Set it for 24Nm (the max setting) intending to nip the cups up once I had got to that range but the square drive snapped off !

Amazon are replacing the torque wrench which was new in June and had only done some headset work hitherto.


----------



## Tom B (15 Jul 2015)

Elybazza61 said:


> Got a Charge saddle to try so fitted that to the Planet X and also adjusted the brakes.



Which one did you get? I keep meaning to try a spoon, but there s always something else needing the money!


Today, well, yesterday i have fettled some new Oxford surprisingly decent mudguards onto SWMBOs commuter machine, realigned my front deraileur after it was shaken/bashed of line on a really too rocky for a commuter bike decent from peel tower & changed an innertube three times on a MTB after i seem to have acquired a batch of dogy innertubes where the valve blows out!


----------



## Elybazza61 (15 Jul 2015)

Tom B said:


> Which one did you get? I keep meaning to try a spoon, but there s always something else needing the money!



Got a spoon;on loan from someone at work who couldn't get on with it.
Seemed good this morning on a 42km commute especially as it's still pretty new.


----------



## Garry A (15 Jul 2015)

Rebuilt a small brick 'battlement' on my wall.

I'll never be a brickie 

Oiled my Defy's chain and gave the frame a wipe


----------



## Levo-Lon (15 Jul 2015)

The lad said can youhave a look at my old GT..
brakes are bad as are the gears and a few other bits...
well he fitted new pads And left the pad pins out!! Didnt tighten caliper bolts!!!!!!! about right for him.lol
gears ...7 speed cassette and a 8 speed shifter..managed to get that indexed..
forks were solid..strip clean and grease..
tyres were soft so ive done a full service and he has a nice tidy commuter for his keep fit kick.

and the all over clean was free too....


----------



## si_c (15 Jul 2015)

Fiddled with the rear derailleur a little, cable getting a bit slack when on the smallest sprocket, didn't want to run the barrel adjuster out too far. Wiped, re-oiled, and wiped the chain.


----------



## gbb (18 Jul 2015)

Wiped chain, lubed, wiped and lubed again...to stand in the shed, will be wiped again before next ride, loosened the seatpost (carbon to carbon frame, dont know if theyre prone to siezing so playing it safe) made sure it was free, retightened.


----------



## andytheflyer (19 Jul 2015)

Everything.

In advance of next weekend's Legend of Gelert around Snowdonia thought I'd better check out the Defy. Planning ahead, and buying myself a well-overdue birthday present (the Park Tools work-stand (the home version)) I stripped the Defy to the frame and BB. Then ordered a new middle ring and bolts - it's serviceable, but not for much longer. Cartridge BB is fine - replaced a couple of years ago.

Cleaned, TCut, car polished and then waxed the frame and forks. Now gleaming. Changed the chain suck frame protector (it's 6 years old!).

Soaked the calipers in FS10 overnight and they came up a treat - gleaming. Dropped out the fork, cleaned and re-greased the headset bearings. Soaked RD and FD and chainrings overnight in FS10 and they also came up a treat. But, I'm changing away from the dry lubes as the crust of wax they leave behind is really tough to shift - my LBS suggested using the wet version, so will give that a go.

Fitted new gear cables (inners and outers), polished the black plastic Defy 'guards and refitted, junked the old chain at 0.75 wear and fitted yet another new KMC X-93 chain (are there any other makes?) with new quick link and then spent an hour getting the old indexing and limit screw adjustments and cable tensions just right. What used to be a nightmare job with the bike upside down on the garage floor is now a work of simple pleasure with the gears at chest level in the work-stand. A tweak here - yes - can see what that did, just a bit more and a tweak on the cable tension, yes - nearly there. Ah, bliss! Silent shifting. All fixings re-assembled with CopaSlip. Seat tube out, cleaned and re-greased. All the pivot points had a drop of oil.

Remembered to set the bars and forks to dead ahead, and tightened the stem bolts. Re-set the brake pad spacings just so, (must remember to order new KoolStop pads - these are OK, but not for much longer), bottle cages, computer sender unit and pump mount back on, and test ride. Silent, smooth, like new, but with 10,000 miles of battle scars on the frame.

But, why oh why did I not buy a work-stand years ago? That Park Tools PCS9 must be the best £70 I ever spent - even if Yodel did deliver it to next door's shed thinking that was No. 3. Idiots.

Well, the bike's ready for the climb out of Beddgelert up to the Pen-y-Gwryd, even if I'm not.


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## bpsmith (19 Jul 2015)

I have the PCS10 and agree @andytheflyer, it is a necessity in my mind. So much easier for working on and for cleaning too.

As for my fettling, I have cleaned the bike, lubed chain and topped up the frame wax. Then adjusted my cleats, as were too far forward, and moved the saddle forward slightly to compensate for the foot being further forward after clear adjustment.

1.5mm cleat adjustment and 3mm saddle adjustment has me just about perfect now. Ride yesterday was so much more comfortable and power improved. Surprising how the tiniest of adjustment helps so much.

Marginal tweaks!


----------



## si_c (19 Jul 2015)

Fettled the wife's bike tonight. Tightened up the BB as it had worked its way loose :S Slight rattle from the mudguards, so realigned and then tightened up rear brake cable a touch.


----------



## Hill Wimp (19 Jul 2015)

My front mudguard on my tourer.

It got crushed on the train from Brussels to Ghent on Thursday and was rubbing my wheel.

It's not now


----------



## HertzvanRental (19 Jul 2015)

Hill Wimp said:


> My front mudguard on my tourer.
> 
> It got crushed on the train from Brussels to Ghent on Thursday and was rubbing my wheel.
> 
> It's not now


Have you left for Bruges yet?


----------



## Hill Wimp (19 Jul 2015)

HertzvanRental said:


> Have you left for Bruges yet?


Have you not read my post in "Your ride today" ????????


----------



## cyberknight (19 Jul 2015)

I had some roof membrane left from loft repairs so i added it internally under the shed roof.


----------



## HertzvanRental (19 Jul 2015)

Hill Wimp said:


> Have you not read my post in "Your ride today" ????????


No!!


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## HertzvanRental (19 Jul 2015)

HertzvanRental said:


> No!!


I repeat, have you left for Bruges yet?


----------



## DCLane (19 Jul 2015)

New Clarks anti-rust chain onto eldest son's Felt Q200 MTB.

Tightened up my youngest's RH shifter after it was loose following a crash in training on Tuesday. I can't do much about the scrapes on the shifter though *

* he went down hard on a corner, got up, won the race at the end of training and only then realised that there was blood all down him and on the bike


----------



## Hill Wimp (19 Jul 2015)

HertzvanRental said:


> I repeat, have you left for Bruges yet?


Yes and arrived.


----------



## HertzvanRental (19 Jul 2015)

Hill Wimp said:


> Yes and arrived.


Interested in your view. I prefer Ghent to Bruges- not quite so "touristy".
Where from Bruges?


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## Hill Wimp (19 Jul 2015)

I know Bruges well, been here loads of times as i live so close in Deal. 

Now i have been to Ghent it wins by miles for me. It has so much more soul. Not as big as Bruges but way better imho.


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## HertzvanRental (19 Jul 2015)

Hill Wimp said:


> I know Bruges well, been here loads of times as i live so close in Deal.
> 
> Now i have been to Ghent it wins by miles for me. It has so much more soul. Not as big as Bruges but way better imho.


Are you going up to the coast? If so, recommend a ride on the tram. Go along to Knokke,nice ride, nice town! Lots of designer shops!!


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (19 Jul 2015)

Headset adjusted on the Raleigh, two bikes cleaned, and I've fitted two Marathon Winter tyres which I couldn't resist getting when I saw that On One has them reduced to £13 each. These will get some running in miles on dry roads soon and will hopefully be even better than the Snow Studs when the icy weather next comes round.


----------



## bpsmith (19 Jul 2015)

New front and rear gear cables fitted. The first time I have attempted a replacement on a bike with internal cabling.

Surprisingly straight forward, which was a pleasant surprise. The only specialist tool needed was a flat length of thin plastic cut to size to fit up the letterbox opening in the frame at the BB. Inserted plastic into letterbox, fed cable in from the top, and it deflected off the plastic and out of the frame. Result!


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## Mireystock (20 Jul 2015)

Two new tyres and a new inner tube on a hand me down BMX for my lad.

Good bit of fun, fettle on !


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## I like Skol (20 Jul 2015)

@doughnut will feel much better knowing I did `a doughnut` today on the MTB! Indexing was a bit off so I shifted up and down the cassette a couple of times to try and work out what was wrong and then CRUNCH!
Rear mech stuffed into spokes, now need a new hanger and XT mech . At least the wheel is ok 
Whipped out the chain tool and now have a single speed until I can get replacement bits.


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## PeteXXX (21 Jul 2015)

Replaced fraying rear brake on my old single speed Town & Tesco bike. Adjusted offside brake bloc so it actually touches the Tim in the correct place now.


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## Tin Pot (21 Jul 2015)

Tried out my new bike stand - quite an impressive bit of kit IMO. 

Applied degreaser to the cassette, chain and "other moving parts" and "worked in with cycle specific brush". Applied more degreaser. Rinsed. Looked just as crappy before and after!
Applied lubricant.

Washed the rest of the bikes 9 months of dry cycling crud with Muc-Off. Cleaned the rims.

I'm not convinced by either activity. It's cleaner. But I've had better results with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge.


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## Levo-Lon (23 Jul 2015)

Converted the meta to 1x10 with a 32t narrow wide and a 42t expander..to compesate for the loss of the 24t front


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## Racing roadkill (24 Jul 2015)

I got this.







Indicators hell yeah


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## alecstilleyedye (24 Jul 2015)

attached a torelli aria mini pump (about the oldest thing i've got, cycling-wise) to my ribble r872 via an old, slightly broken, topeak pump mount that attaches via the bottle cage mount, so it sits upright on the seat tube next to the cranks. as the pump is red and the mounting is black, the carefully crafted black and red colour scheme is maintained, as is the italian components preference…


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2015)

Yesterday:

Fitted an 11-36 MTB cassette to my CAADX and replaced the little ring with a 34. My bottom gear is now a much more ultra-steep-Calderdale-climbs-friendly 34/36 rather than the old 36/30 - about 27% lower. That required fitting a MTB rear mech (I used a 9-speed medium cage XT mech which is moved just the right distance per click by 10 speed Shimano STI shifters) and a new chain.






Fitted 2 bottle cages. They were supposed to be red to match the red bits on the frame and forks but when they arrived they were more a purple colour. I can live with that! Also fitted new SPD pedals. I usually use M520s but thought I would give the chunkier M530s a go to see if the bigger platform actually does feel more comfy underfoot.






I replaced the inefficient Promax front disk brake with a nice TRP HY/RD hybrid brake (cable pull, hydraulic pistons). The rear Promax is efficient enough to lock the back wheel, so I will live with that for now. I might upgrade it later. PS I will change the position of the QR lever - that looks wrong! And I will shorten the front mech cable slightly because too much is sticking out. 






Today:

I have been having problems with the freehub on my Cannondale CAAD5 road bike. Several times a ride, the pawls did not engage when trying to start pedalling again after freewheeling. Damn annoying, and sooner or later it would have caused an accident or left me stranded. I think the circlip-like spring which operates the pawls had lost tension so I replaced it this afternoon. Fingers crossed that the problem is fixed because I am doing my Settle forum ride tomorrow and I have not had time to test ride the bike! I don't want to get stranded in the wilds of the Dales!

Oh, and I scrubbed the cassette while I was at it.


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## Robeh (30 Jul 2015)

New 105 5800 11 speed chainset and Hollotech ii BB fitted on my boardman.
11 speed chainset is compatable with a 10 speed set up..


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## Racing roadkill (30 Jul 2015)

Robeh said:


> New 105 5800 11 speed chainset and Hollotech ii BB fitted on my boardman.
> 11 speed chainset is compatable with a 10 speed set up..


But you'd have to run spindle reducers


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## Robeh (30 Jul 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> But you'd have to run spindle reducers


i have removed the PF BB30 and replaced it with a shimano hollowtech ii BB so no need for spindle reducers.


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## ColinJ (31 Jul 2015)

The new gearing on my CAADX took some tweaking to get it to index. I was struggling to get it to work properly up and down the whole cassette on both rings. I finally got it right yesterday by doing the following ...

I shortened the length of gear cable outer going to the new 'Shadow' rear mech. These mechs have a different action to the older conventional design and they do not need a big loop of cable.
I took a pair of links out of the chain. I had erred on the side of caution when fitting the new chain, preferring to shorten it if I got it too long, rather than having to try and lengthen it if I made it too short! Once I had the bike on the stand and changed through all the different gears, it became obvious that the chain was slightly long.
I lightly lubed the gear cable where it went through the 2 lengths of outer.
I adjusted the b-screw to get the mech as close as possible to the big sprocket, without causing any rumbling.
I had to finely tweak the inline cable tension adjuster to find a position which worked going up and down the cassette. 

The whole business seemed far more tricky than it normally is. I think that I will probably have to adjust the indexing fairly frequently to keep it working properly.

If it makes @I like Skol and @doughnut feel better, I absentmindely adjusted the low-gear endstop when I meant to adjust the b-screw. The result was inevitable ... I overshifted and dumped the chain down the back of the cassette. Fortunately, I was only turning the pedals slowly by hand with the bike on the stand, so I was able to stop the wheel immediately before any damage was done. (Hopefully! I have had spokes break weeks after such an incident in the past, because they had been damaged and I had not spotted that damage.)


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## andytheflyer (1 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Yesterday:
> 
> Fitted an 11-36 MTB cassette to my CAADX and replaced the little ring with a 34. My bottom gear is now a much more ultra-steep-Calderdale-climbs-friendly 34/36 rather than the old 36/30 - about 27% lower. That required fitting a MTB rear mech (I used a 9-speed medium cage XT mech which is moved just the right distance per click by 10 speed Shimano STI shifters) and a new chain.
> 
> View attachment 97560



Spooky. Don't recognise the wall but that looks just like my Defy rear end! Just done almost exactly the same mods. 12-36 9 spd cassette, XT Shadow 9spd mech - but left the triple rings alone (50/38/30). Mech works a treat and there is more take-up yet in the cage - could easily go down to a 28 on the front I reckon.

That gives me a 22" bottom gear. Can't quite climb the side of the house, but it sure feels like it. It may be slow at that gear but at least my knees are not complaining.

Should be able to get up the Old Horseshoe Pass now.


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## Gravity Aided (1 Aug 2015)

Rubbing compound and polish on the paintwork of the Raleigh Sports and the Schwinn Impact, followed by wash and wax. Different saddle for the Raleigh while its original Brooks B-72 is in rehab.


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## Tin Pot (5 Aug 2015)

Read chapter 7 of Zinns Art of Road Bike Maintenance yesterday.

"Centre-pivot side pull caliper" is no longer an incantation to me.

Today I adjusted my front brake tension.


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## ColinJ (5 Aug 2015)

The tweaked gears on my CAADX worked really well on the test ride.

The new front disk brake also works much better than the one it replaced. Unfortunately, the brake causes juddering when braking hard. I'm going to try to reduce or eliminate that because it is really annoying. Things to check for:

Headset not tight enough?
Pads not bedded in properly yet? (I think I did enough hard braking to achieve that, but maybe not.)
Rotor bolts not tight enough? (A mate bolted it on while I was doing something else, so I should check.)
Contamination of the rotor or pads. (They are new so they should be ok, but you never know.)
Calliper alignment.
I put a new Veloce bottom bracket on my Basso. Surprisingly, this one went in fine after greasing the threads. I could not get a lighter, more expensive Centaur BB to go in straight without side-loading the bearings and causing them to bind. The Veloce BB is a heavy-duty sealed unit which seems to be able to cope with the misaligned threads in the BB shell.

Having replaced the BB, I put the old chain back on which I then cleaned and lubed. 

I think the chain, cassette and middle ring are sufficiently worn that I might as well now ride them to the point of failure (or annoying sloppiness) since they will all need replacing. Ideally, they would last me through to next spring because this is my main winter bike and I'd rather not expose a new drivetrain to winter road salt and grit.

I put a Planet X saddle on the Basso. It is hard to replicate position between bikes when they have different types of saddle, and this one felt a bit out so I have now tweaked the setup. I have raised the saddle by about 7 mm and brought it forward by about the same distance. I discovered that it wasn't quite on straight so I realigned it to point at the stem.

I will be taking the Crud Road Racer mudguards off my CAAD5 and putting them back on the Basso where they belong. After that, I will put a new cassette and chain on the CAAD5. I'm hoping that the current worn chain has not done too much damage to the chainrings since the chainset was new only about a year ago. I'll have to see if the new chain slips.

Once the mudguards have been removed, I will take the 23C Lithion 2 tyres off and keep them as spares for the Basso. I have some 25C Rubinos which I want to try on the Cannondale but they wouldn't fit under the Cruds. 

The Rubinos are red and black so they might look nice with the bike's red paintjob. I want to see how they tyres ride compared to the Lithions. The Rubinos are even cheaper so if they grip and roll well, then they are a real bargain. If not, I will wear them out and never buy them again. I also want to see if I can notice any improvement in comfort. (Not a scientific experiment though, because I will be changing two variables at once - tyre size AND tyre type.)

The freehub problem on the CAAD5 seems lessened since I replaced the pawls spring, but the pawls have failed to engage once or twice since then. I might take another look inside while the cassette is being changed.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Aug 2015)

Put proper bolts in Raleigh Sports' fender, and replaced the old rear tire, which had a two inch tear in it. I thought for sure I had a broken spoke! Tried to find a rear rack for it, but none have legs long enough. I also put a better rear rack on the Schwinn Impact, and cleaned and relubed the chain and adjusted the brakes. After a long search, I found an Eagle Oiler from the 1960's which oiled the hubs of my fathers Raleigh as well as the Raleigh Sports of mine in these times.


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## fatjel (6 Aug 2015)

Fitted a new seatpost to the Kaffenback.. I've been using the one off my MTB so needed one.
Is an "Exotic matrix 11" carbon post . Took it for a 20 mile test and felt surprisingly comfortable


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## Tin Pot (6 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> The tweaked gears on my CAADX worked really well on the test ride.
> 
> The new front disk brake also works much better than the one it replaced. Unfortunately, the brake causes juddering when braking hard. I'm going to try to reduce or eliminate that because it is really annoying. Things to check for:
> 
> ...



I'm trying the Vittoria Rubino as well tomorrow on the rear for the same reasons.


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## ColinJ (6 Aug 2015)

The headset on the CAADX _WAS_ a bit loose so I tightened that. I also tightened the brake caliper mounting bolts. The rotor bolts were already nice and tight. I did a quick test ride on the bike and there was about a 50% reduction in front brake judder when braking hard. I will see if it improves after the pads have bedded in a bit. At least the judder is bearable now, and the brake is quieter too,

Change of plan for the Basso ... I am buying some used 10 speed shifters from @oldgreyandslow and am going to convert the bike to 10 speed. The old 9 speed parts will be used on a bike for my nephew to use while he works out whether he likes cycling enough to merit a better bike.

The Basso was squeaking on this evening's ride. I previously thought it was the old bottom bracket but it is still happening with a new BB. I now suspect the jockey wheels. I'll take them off to clean and lube them tomorrow.

I put front and rear lights on 2 of my bikes. I don't really like riding in the dark, but they will allow me to go out in the evening while it is still light and just do a few minutes after sunset on the way home. I did that this evening.


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## Kevoffthetee (7 Aug 2015)

I set about finding a rattle on the front of the defy. I nipped a couple of spokes and checked alignment and all seemed fine. I also put 1/4 turn on the front derrailer as I'm not sure it was set, either that or I'm just not getting on with the ultegras 3/4 shift on the FD with 'a bit extra in case you need it" on the small ring


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## Tojo (8 Aug 2015)

As per usual I have over the past couple of days sorted out mates indexing problems as they decided to go a bit far in in cleaning their bikes and unbolting things then when they put them back on (haphazardly) , it doesn't work, oops......well it keeps me thinking......


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## Neiltluck (9 Aug 2015)

After a 30 miler in the sun this morning, I got back and made the obligatory brew. 

Then I set to dismantling the bike, decreasing, cleaning, polishing, waxing, reassembling, re-lubing, re-torquing her. Ready for anything now she is. 

With several brews/beers/ feeds this process took pretty much all day including the ride. 

Absolute bike heaven


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## Gravity Aided (10 Aug 2015)

Bought a Univega Via Carisma yesterday, Did some cleaning, lubing, and adjusting and, with a different set of wheels the bike was ready to go. Rode it yesterday, and fitted mudguards and leveled the rear rack today. A very quick, practical bike is the Univega, well made and finished.


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## ColinJ (10 Aug 2015)

Me again ... I don't normally do this amount of bike fettling but I had all 3 of my bikes out of action and then bought another one which needed upgrading so I am in the middle of a bit of a fettle-fest! 

Today, I took the Crud Road Racers off my CAAD5 and put them back on my Basso, where they belong. I put them on the Cannondale back in May for a horribly wet Tour de Yorkshire sportive, but my Basso was out of action for months with bottom bracket problems so the best bike became an all-weather bike. Unfortunately, it paid the price! The once pristine transmission got worn out.

Guards being transferred to the Basso meant that I now had clearance to put my new 25C tyres on the CAAD5. While I was at it I also cleaned the wheels and put new tubes in.

I cleaned the rest of the bike, and put a new cassette and chain on. The jockey wheels were gunged up so I took them off and cleaned and lubed them. I'm hoping that the chainrings will be ok with the new chain. I will go for a test ride once the evening traffic has died down a bit.

I finally remembered to put new front brake blocks in. I have been making the old ones last, but I was in danger of one wet ride wearing them out and endangering my front wheel rim. (I wrecked a wheel once when over-worn blocks failed on a long descent!)

I will be upgrading the Basso to 10-speed at a later date, but I'll stick with it as 9-speed for now since it seems to be working ok and I might as well wear out the chain and cassette before scrapping them.

Hopefully, that will be 3 of my 4 bikes back in decent working order.

The last bike on the list is my Rock Lobster MTB. The rear disk brake definitely needs sorting out. The front seems ok.

I can't remember what state the transmission is in, it having been a couple of years since I last rode it. It's possible that might need a good seeing to.

I suspect that the suspension forks will need repressurising since they haven't been pumped up for a long time. PS I just checked and they might be ok. They don't totally collapse when I press down on the bars, but it will take a test ride to be sure. I'll fix the brake first.


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## Illaveago (10 Aug 2015)

Polished the frame on my Raleigh with some G3 and a wrag. 
Replaced 4 rusty chromed drinks bottle screws with some nice stainless ones. 
Had a cup of tea.


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## MikeW-71 (10 Aug 2015)

Put mudguards on the Revolt.... Well, the LBS did.

They also fettled on the new Brooks Cambium saddle for it too


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## ColinJ (10 Aug 2015)

MikeW-71 said:


> Put mudguards on the Revolt.... Well, the LBS did.
> 
> They also fettled on the new Brooks Cambium saddle for it too


Er, the title of the thread is _WHAT HAVE *YOU* FETTLED TODAY_, not _WHO DID YOUR FETTLING FOR YOU_ TODAY!!!


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## Illaveago (10 Aug 2015)

I had another go later on with some 2500 wet and dry and some more G3 it came up looking a lot better.
I have now had a couple glasses of red.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (10 Aug 2015)

Put the chain back on the Raleigh Merlin ready and took it home for restoration.


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## MikeW-71 (11 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Er, the title of the thread is _WHAT HAVE *YOU* FETTLED TODAY_, not _WHO DID YOUR FETTLING FOR YOU_ TODAY!!!


I put the rack back on


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## ColinJ (11 Aug 2015)

Follow-up to my afternoon of fettling ...

The new tyres are 25C which I chose to see if they were more comfortable on our rough local roads than the 23C that I normally ride. I was pretty shocked to see that I was supposed to pump them to between 100 psi and 130 psi! I don't even pump 23C tyres to 100 psi so I wasn't going to go that high on bigger tyres. (Generally speaking, the bigger the tyre, the lower the pressure needed.)

I put 95 psi in the back and 85 psi in the front and set off on my test ride. I only made it a couple of miles before feeling that both the bike and my body were getting shaken to bits by every bump in the road, and there are lots of them round here! I stopped and let some air out of each tyre. What a transformation! I felt much happier riding along after that. The tyres still rolled ok and I didn't feel that I was in any danger of getting pinch punctures.

I checked the pressures when I got home and found that I only had about 60 psi left in each tyre! I think that is probably a bit _too_ low, so I am going to try 70 psi front and 80 psi rear next time. (I always put about 10 psi more in the rear than the front because more weight is on the rear of the bike and there is no point in letting more vibration through the bars than I have to.) If those pressures are ok, I might add another 5 psi or so and see how that goes. I find that there is usually a pressure 'sweetspot' which gives both good performance _and_ reasonable comfort. That pressure is nearly always significantly lower than most people think it should be.

It was great riding with a new chain and cassette. The gear shifting was a lot better and the bike was quieter. I was still getting a slight ticking noise though, once per pedal stroke. I think that it is either due to a prematurely worn bottom bracket, or maybe to a slight burr on some teeth on the chainrings catching on the chain? I might take the rings off and file off the burrs to see if that helps. Well, at least the new chain doesn't slip on the old rings.


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## robjh (12 Aug 2015)

Some minor emergency fettling at the roadside mid-commute this morning. The bolt that holds my rack onto the rear non drive-side dropout has worn loose, and seems to have stripped the thread from the hole so that it now turns endlessly without getting tighter. I had judged that it would hold for a few days but this morning was rattling like b*ggery so something had to be done.
I used a zip-tie to fix rack to frame, then a yard of gaffer tape to pull it tight and stop it rattling. Not a long-term fix but it'll see me through until I find a friendly bike-shop that can re-thread the hole. The joys of improvisation.


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## DCLane (12 Aug 2015)

Having been away I worked on the Ridgeback Platinum I'm taking to France for PBP:

- New rear brakes and front ones cleaned
- Cleaned, lubricated and greased all over ... hopefully that'll clear the annoying bottom bracket rattle that isn't the bottom bracket
- Navy blue paint applied to (numerous) chips
- Batteries in lights
- New bike computer batteries
- Kit set up for a PR photoshoot at work today.

Still to do:

- New cleats
- New GP4000s tyres to go on tomorrow eve


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## Illaveago (12 Aug 2015)

Put some more Sikaflex on a torn saddle trying to restore it, smoothing it over whilst it was setting. Oh I am a cheap skate! I am trying to keep some of it's originality. I need to find some flexible ivory coloured paint. It's looking a bit like a zebra at the moment.


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## threebikesmcginty (12 Aug 2015)

Nothing today I just wanted post #4000.


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## robjh (12 Aug 2015)

[QUOTE 3850030, member: 259"]I was full of good intentions, and I went to the bike shop at lunchtime to get some things to fettle, but the idle sods had closed for lunch.[/QUOTE]
Were you looking for the thread 'what haven't you fettled today'?


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## DCLane (12 Aug 2015)

Last bit of PBP-related bike fettling:

On the Ridgeback: new GP4000s II tyres fitted - in black/blue they match the frame well, but not the red/black ITM wheelset.

However, the Ridgeback developed an alarming creaking at the bottom bracket end today; it looks greased enough and I'm not tempted to pull it apart 24 hours from leaving.

The Ultegra bottom bracket's under 1000 miles old so I think I'll chance it.

The final photo pre-PBP:







@djb1971 - that's what I've done to your old frame. Ultegra/Dura-Ace components, Rizik R3 seatpost, Pearson carbon bars, ITM Aero wheelset. OK now?


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## Tin Pot (13 Aug 2015)

Picked up some supplies from the local bike shop: latex gloves, grease and electrical tape.

Or was that the local knocking shop (LKS)?
I forget which.


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## PeteXXX (13 Aug 2015)

Pre-fettle eBay order of some new sintered brake pads for the Marin.


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## Illaveago (13 Aug 2015)

Touched in a load of scratches on my Raleigh i'll put some lacquer on tomorrow. picked up a wheel from a friend its got a few spokes missing,cleaned up the rear cluster with some Gunk,had to get a hacksaw blade to scrape off years of dried on oil and grit.


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## ColinJ (13 Aug 2015)

I fitted a triple to my Cannondale CAAD5 last year. I was surprised (but very pleased!) to be able to get it to work with the old ergopower shifters and derailleurs.

I have done about 4,000 miles with that setup and it has performed well, but eventually I wore out the chain and cassette, which I replaced a few days ago and have discussed above.

Yesterday's ride took me up a very steep climb for which I needed my little chainring but I discovered at the foot of the climb that I could not get the chain to shift down by operating the shifter. The chain was scraping on the inside of the derailleur cage but it would not shift. I got off the bike and adjusted the lower gear endstop but it made no difference so I pushed the chain down by hand and then it worked fine (apart from a lot of noises which will be investigated over the next few days).

The same thing happened on another couple of steep climbs so I resolved to sort the problem out back at home.

I just spent 20 minutes trying to work out what was going on and decided that it worked with the old worn chain because that was more flexible sideways. The chain was bent far enough by the mech to slip past the next tooth coming up and trying to hook it. The new chain is much more rigid and so does not deflect enough to be pushed off the middle ring.

So ... Why wouldn't the mech move over further and do its business? It wasn't an endstop problem because the mech was not even touching the endstop. I could take the screw adjuster out and it made no difference. It wasn't excess cable tension, because I disconnected the cable and still had the same problem ...

I thought about a bodge fix involving either bending the outer plate of the mech or turning it so it was no longer parallel to the chain but both were bodges too far!

Then I had a closer look and spotted what the problem was! Here's a photo illustrating it. Look at where the end of the screwdriver is pointing inside the red ring. There is a small metal tab against which the derailleur spring acts. That tab was jamming against the seat tube when the mech was swung over to shift to the little ring. It wasn't surprising, because that mech was only designed to work with double chainrings and the endstop would normally prevent it moving that far.







Anyway, once I realised what was going on, I took the mech off and filed about 0.5 mm off the tab and that gave the mech enough extra movement to work reliably every time and I think the shifting will improve as the chain loosens up.

Now I need to get rid of the offending noises. They could be due to worn rings and/or bottom bracket. I'll take the chainset off and see how smoothly the BB turns. I think the problem is probably due to worn rings. If so, I'll check to see whether they can be turned or filed, and if not I will replace them.

This is my best bike and I just want to sort out the remaining little problems to get it working perfectly again because I have big plans for it next year!


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## bikingdad90 (15 Aug 2015)

Not bike related in the slightest but I have been fitting out my airing cupboard with shelving and carpet since we took out the condensing system and replaced with a combi. Still need to gloss and paint.


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## Tin Pot (15 Aug 2015)

Not <splutters> bike related ?!

<swoon>

Nice work. I'm sure a tin of lube would sit in there nicely


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## wisdom (15 Aug 2015)

Mrs Wizz's bike has laid unloved for many years in the back of the garage. She dropped a hint that she may have a little ride out with me she stressed the word little.
Great excuse to fettle her old raleigh so here it is.Cleaned, lubed, tyres pumped up and all is well.It weighs a ton but should do the job well enough.
ive posted a pic of the hub.Is that the date of manufacture?











The first pic is of a newly shortened mudguard as the original was broken.Looks ok though I think.


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Aug 2015)

Dog sitting today so with no chance of getting out for a ride I did some fettling instead.

For starters the front gear cable on the Hawk (knockabout bike) needed replacing as it was corroded. This turned out to be far worse than it first appeared and was on the verge of snapping so I'm glad I didn't put it off any longer. I bought replacements for both cables but the rear one is still in good condition apart from needing a spot of lubrication. Gear shifts are now like new again.

Next, chains were replaced and hubs serviced on both the Hawk and the Raleigh. The cassette on the Hawk was okay but the one on the Raleigh had gone too far and the chain skipped badly on a short test, so I had to replace that too. Then I had trouble getting the gears to set up afterwards which turned out to be a ball of hair tangled in the upper jockey wheel bearings so the derailleur had to come apart to sort that. Naturally during this operation I dropped the bearing bush which bounced somewhere out of sight into the undergrowth.





After trying and failing to find it, the simplest solution seemed to be to fit the new Alivio derailleur that I bought earlier in the year to replace this one when it wore out. This completes the set of Alivio components in the drivetrain and I look forward to trying it out.

The missing bush from the original derailleur was found shortly after I'd finished fitting and setting everything up  so I've cleaned and lubricated it and it'll be good as a spare.





I finally have a workstand and it makes tinkering so much easier.

Edit to add: Rubens (the dog) thinks I've been very boring today and has been sulking.


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## andytheflyer (15 Aug 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Dog sitting today so with no chance of getting out for a ride I did some fettling instead.
> 
> .................
> View attachment 100244
> ...



Doesn't it just!I think that's a great piece of kit for the money - and it collapses down. Very pleased with mine.


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Aug 2015)

andytheflyer said:


> Doesn't it just!I think that's a great piece of kit for the money - and it collapses down. Very pleased with mine.


Yes indeed, not as sturdy as the workshop stands I trained on but plenty sturdy enough for most domestic fettling. There are some jobs I've been putting off which I may get round to now.


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## gbb (16 Aug 2015)

Sunday and working. Part commute by car then the last 6 miles by bike. 
Took the opportunity to remove the forks, clean the headset bearings, slap a load of grease all over then re-assemble.
Chain got a wipe after being oiled last week, just to keep it clean (ish).
Removed old frame protection tape on the head tube for the cables and renewed with insulting tape.


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## Tin Pot (16 Aug 2015)

Worked on the rear wheel:
New inner tube
New tyre
New brake pads






Cleaned chain, cassette and brake set, using soap, water, brush, degreaser, lube, rags...but they didn't clean up as well as Id hoped:










But not bad I suppose!


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## Kevoffthetee (16 Aug 2015)

I tweeted the saddle height and angle before the cluuuurb 40 miler and what a massive difference it makes. The bikes have started making a quiet rattle at the front and scratchy noise from the back which could just require lube'ing. Shouldn't though after only 2 rides


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## velovoice (16 Aug 2015)

Assisted my partner (a qualified bike mechanic) with servicing and repairs to a road bike that's part of the Luton & Dunstable Cycling Forum's Recycle program: 






Then held stuff and handed him stuff while he carried out some upgrades to my crappy cheap London Town Bike:


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## ColinJ (16 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> View attachment 100361
> 
> 
> View attachment 100352
> ...


I haven't got my glasses on so I can't tell for sure, but aren't the smaller sprockets very worn?


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## Tin Pot (16 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> I haven't got my glasses on so I can't tell for sure, but aren't the smaller sprockets very worn?



I don't have anything to compare it to  It's my first road bike 

Tell me they are and that its crucial I buy a new cassette or bad things will happen!


----------



## ColinJ (16 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> I don't have anything to compare it to  It's my first road bike
> 
> Tell me they are and that its crucial I buy a new cassette or bad things will happen!


Actually, you do have a comparison ... the shape of the sections between the teeth on the biggest sprocket which look more like what they should do.

If I am right, then your whole transmission will need replacing at some point soonish i.e the chain, cassette and very possibly the rings too. The chain was probably used for too long and has worn the other bits. If you replace chains before they get that bad then you prolong the life of the other, more expensive parts.

If you put a new chain on a worn cassette, it will probably slip straight away. If you keep an old worn chain and put a new cassette on, then the new cassette will get worn very quickly and then you will be back in the same position.

You might as well carry on now though until you start having problems. At some point, the chain will start to slip and then you will have no choice but to replace the parts. Having said that, it can really improve the feel (and sound!) of a bike to replace the worn parts so if you can afford it and it needs doing, go ahead and do it now.


----------



## Tin Pot (16 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Actually, you do have a comparison ... the shape of the sections between the teeth on the biggest sprocket which look more like what they should do.



I don't quite understand that?

I've measured the chain, in metric it's 25.6cm(edited) for ten links so ready to change but shouldn't have destroyed the cassette.

Watched a couple of YouTube clips that talk about building up a trailing edge on the favoured cogs. I'll check for that.

----

In fact looking at the picture pre-clean I posted, the third and fifth cog/sprocket/whatever have a tooth with a corner off.

Hmm. That might've been from the original set up when shifting those middle gears was a problem.

New chain, or new both?


----------



## Elybazza61 (16 Aug 2015)

Slammed the stem on the Helium(well apart from a tiny spacer) to see what it's like now I'm a bit more flexible although it does look a tad ridiculous with a big pile of spacers on top.
Will see how it goes and if it's ok will get the LBS to cut the stem although I'm sort of tempted to have a proper bike fit there and a Fizik saddle fit as well.
Got to look at the left pedal as had some hassle clipping in yesterday but think the cleat itself may be foobard.


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## ColinJ (16 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> I don't quite understand that?


The shape of the gaps between the teeth should be the same everywhere on the cassette. The gaps on the big sprocket look fairly unworn, nice smooth curves. The gaps on the smaller sprockets look elongated - worn.



Tin Pot said:


> I've measured the chain, in metric it's 24.6cm for ten links so ready to change but shouldn't have destroyed the cassette.


Then it has 'anti-worn' - it has shrunk!  (One pair of links should be an inch, or 2.54 cm so 10 pairs of links on a new chain should be 25.4 cm. Did you mean 2*5*.6 cm?)

2 mm is actually a fair amount of wear over 10 pairs of links and it is hard to be precise in measuring to the nearest mm. it could even be a tad more than that.

The chain should have been replaced by now. It is just a question of how much it has worn the cassette. Sometimes new chains slip on cassettes that don't even look particularly worn, but I think from those 2 photos that your cassette _does_ look worn. It would be easier to tell if I was looking at in real life in good light with my glasses on. I have just had to replace a cassette on one of my bikes because the chain started slipping, and it didn't look more worn than yours.

Anyway, as I said above - I reckon you have already passed the point of no return so you might as well carry on until you get a slipping chain and then replace everything. 

NB A slipping chain could be nasty if you were standing out of the saddle and making a hard effort at the time so I would be careful climbing steep hills or sprinting. If you remain seated, then it is more annoying than dangerous.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Aug 2015)

Oh, and I had left it too long so it meant buying a new chain, new cassette, _and_ new chainrings which cost me about £90. It would have cost less than £20 for the chain alone showing that it is a false economy to try to get maximum life from a chain!


----------



## Illaveago (16 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> I don't have anything to compare it to  It's my first road bike
> 
> Tell me they are and that its crucial I buy a new cassette or bad things will happen!


 
I think the sprockets are okay it's the lighting that makes them look worn and that the teeth have a lead built in, the first tooth is different from the next and the next.


----------



## PeteXXX (16 Aug 2015)

I had to lay down under a mates landrover today (on a filling station forecourt) and twat the starter motor with a hammer to get it started...


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## Illaveago (16 Aug 2015)

I cleaned two rusty chrome steel wheels with some wire wool and oil, one came up looking pretty good but the other one needs some more work on it.
Painted some white paint on the Raleigh saddle that I am trying to fix and was then told that the paint bottle had leaked onto the carpet of my wife's car. Spent the next half hour washing the paint off with some cellulose thinners and kitchen roll. Left the windows open for a few hours.


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## Tin Pot (17 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> NB A slipping chain could be nasty *if you were standing out of the saddle and making a hard effort at the time* so I would be careful climbing steep hills or sprinting. If you remain seated, then it is more annoying than dangerous.



I regard myself as a man of reason, but you sir have cast _the Evil Eye_ on me, and are unaware of the strength of your powers.

I have had no problems of note to date this year, until today when climbing the 25% gradient at Church Hill where I stood up and wrenched the rear wheel out _completely_.

I don't know how I didn't fall.

Add to that, the chain coming off the granny ring three times!

What the...? @ColinJ put down the pins and effegy of my bike!!

Note to self: Learn how to put the bike back together before fettling again.


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## ColinJ (17 Aug 2015)

Oops ...! 

As for jinxing ...


ColinJ said:


> I admit it - _I *am* ColinJ-inx!_
> 
> Svendo was slow in catching us. I said that perhaps he'd had a problem - he had - a puncture.
> 
> ...


----------



## Tin Pot (17 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> I think the sprockets are okay it's the lighting that makes them look worn and that the teeth have a lead built in, the first tooth is different from the next and the next.



I've looked at these again very closely, on one sprocket there seems to be a pattern:

2,3,4,2,3,5

In each group the teeth are noticeably different. I don't really have the vocabulary to describe the differences, but each group is identical leading me to think it could be by design.

In a Veloce cassette, should each tooth be identical?


----------



## HLaB (17 Aug 2015)

Took the shimano cassette & hub off my turbo and changed them for campy ones, who knows on day I might even use it :-/


----------



## youngoldbloke (17 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> I've looked at these again very closely, on one sprocket there seems to be a pattern:
> 
> 2,3,4,2,3,5
> 
> ...


Is it a Veloce Cassette? I thought it was a Miche? Just looking closely at one, (9 speed) and virtually every tooth is slightly different. I would buy a new chain and try it, if it slips - so be it, but I think it may well be OK


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## Illaveago (17 Aug 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> I've looCriterion wasese again very closely, on one sprocket there seems to be a pattern:
> 
> 2,3,4,2,3,5
> 
> ...


I have just checked the rear cluster on my old Raleigh Criterium and have found that on each sprocket the thickness of each tooth varies in a batch of three. I think it is something to do with the idexing system.
It used to be a lot simpler to tell if sprokets were worn in the old days, if you saw a row of shark fins you knew that they needed replacing.


----------



## Illaveago (17 Aug 2015)

I am just about to fettle my computer. It is talking jibberish, it keeps missing out letters.


----------



## biggs682 (17 Aug 2015)

started to piece together all the parts require to convert one of my Aendes to single speed


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## Kevoffthetee (17 Aug 2015)

I got the bike out, looked at it, put it back and started fettling a bottle of Malbec


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## biggs682 (18 Aug 2015)

biggs682 said:


> started to piece together all the parts require to convert one of my Aendes to single speed



this took another step forward this morning as we know have a drive line fitted just need to run the rear brake cable through the top tube next and then it gets easier


----------



## Robeh (18 Aug 2015)

bought some off this great for chain and cassete cleaning,pour it into a container soak chain etc overnight
job done 

No Nonsense Heavy Duty Degreaser 5Ltr £7.99

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668


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## Gravity Aided (18 Aug 2015)

Adjusted my front brake.


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## Tin Pot (18 Aug 2015)

Adjusted lower limit on front dérailleur
Checked gear changes

Adjusted bike fit according to Bike Dynamics static fit:

Dropped seat 4cm, giving a saddle to BB measure of 65cm
Setback seat -2.2cm
Dropped handlebars the last ring as some compensation to the seat height reduction.

Moved cleats to just forward of back most.

Pushed rests forward on tri bars (not on bike yet) and installed pads.


----------



## Illaveago (18 Aug 2015)

Whilst I was trying to clean up an old chrome wheel that had gone all rusty this evening a tiny bug bounced off my ear and landed on the ground beside me.

As I was looking at it I thought should I feel sorry for it or should I yell at it to be more careful in future.


----------



## ColinJ (18 Aug 2015)

I have put 2 new chainrings on my CAAD5. I had already put a new chain and cassette on and thought I might get away with keeping the old rings, but the new chain was making a lot of noise and I think it was because of wear on the small and middle rings. Once I compared the old rings with the replacements, it was fairly obvious that the old teeth were significantly worn.

The old rings were made of 'Dural' which is a softish grade of aluminium and they only lasted me one season. I've spent more this time and got 'Zicral' rings which are supposed to last much longer. I'll eventually see if the extra life justifies the extra cost.

The big ring looked ok so I didn't change that.

Now for a test ride ...

[Time passes ...]

I am back from a 21 mile test ride ...

Verdict ...? _That's better!_ The gears are working nicely now. The shifting is better, and the transmission feels more 'direct' without the sloppiness of the old worn parts. The bike is MUCH quieter - various noises had been annoying me and they have almost disappeared now. The elusive ticking sound has pretty much been eliminated. The old big ring does seem to be working fine. I don't use the big ring as much as the middle ring and when it is used, the load is spread over more teeth so it wears less.

The other thing I forgot to mention above is that I bought a 36 tooth middle ring to replace the old worn 38. It is a subtle change but it makes sense for my riding. The big ring is only a 48 and the smallest sprocket is only a 13 which means that I can use the big ring much more than I could on other bikes that I have owned. That means there is not the need to have a biggish middle ring. By using a smaller middle ring, I now have 3 sensible ranges of gears which don't overlap too much if cross-chained combinations are discounted. The big ring is good for 15+ mph = flat, undulating or downhill roads. The middle ring is ideal for about 10-17 mph = undulating roads and moderate climbs. The little ring is good for steep climbs and moderate ones climbed at up to about 12 mph.

I found that the steps between the rings now are such that I wasn't having to do a double shift when changing between them, I felt happy enough staying on the same sprocket for at least a few pedal revs. I didn't get that feeling of having to spin like mad, or my legs seizing up when I changed rings without a corresponding shift at the back.

Oh, and one last quick fettle was done by a mate who is better with a spoke key than me. I noticed a bit of a wobble in the rear wheel. He reduced that by about 75% but didn't want to go any further because the spoke tensions were diverging too much. Ideally, he would like to spend more time on the wheel and do it properly but I told him not to bother. I think it will be ok.


----------



## Levo-Lon (19 Aug 2015)

Sent rear shock off for seal service,re-gas and new damper oil...trying a firm called RSF mtb suspension in Plymouth as mojo etc are rather expensive ..


----------



## Illaveago (19 Aug 2015)

I've just been trying some Meguiars metal polish on the rims I cleaned last night it has made them a bit shinier but I think that they are a bit too far gone for it to

make much difference. It does work well on ally bringing it up like chrome.

Whilst I was fiddling I thought I would clean the rear cluster of old crud and saw the point of having a fixed wheel or single speed.


----------



## ColinJ (19 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> Whilst I was trying to clean up an old chrome wheel that had gone all rusty this evening a tiny bug bounced off my ear and landed on the ground beside me.
> 
> As I was looking at it I thought should I feel sorry for it or should I yell at it to be more careful in future.


Yikes, chrome wheels ... I had them on my childhood bikes and they were very scary in wet conditions. Braking was awful and I had some very near misses! Example ...


----------



## Illaveago (19 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Yikes, chrome wheels ... I had them on my childhood bikes and theI'vere very scary in wet conditions. Braking was awful and I had some very near misses! Example ...


These have got dimples in the rim as a sort of way of improving braking in the wet. Whether it worked or not I've no idea. I think braking expectations in the

Sixties and Seventies weren't high on the list of priorities. I think we relied on shoe soles if things got desperate.


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## ColinJ (19 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> These have got dimples in the rim as a sort of way of improving braking in the wet. Whether it worked or not I've no idea. I think braking expectations in the
> 
> Sixties and Seventies weren't high on the list of priorities. I think we relied on shoe soles if things got desperate.


50% braking power in the dry was tolerable, but 5% in the wet was another experience altogether!


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## mustang1 (19 Aug 2015)

Clipless pedal tension.


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## Illaveago (19 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> 50% braking power in the dry was tolerable, but 5% in the wet weather another experience altogether!


Chromed steel wheels came as standard equipment fitted to most cycles in the 60s and 70s, in fact I did not realize that my Holdsworth had ally wheels I just 

Thought that the chrome looked dull.


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## Illaveago (19 Aug 2015)

I am beginning to worry . I have been working on refurbishing some old chrome wheels to restore another cycle and I have totally forgotten what they 

Were like to ride.


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## ColinJ (19 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> Chromed steel wheels came as standard equipment fitted to most cycles in the 60s and 70s, in fact I did not realize that my Holdsworth had ally wheels I just
> 
> Thought that the chrome looked dull.


Yes, I was a child of the 60s so my first 2 bikes' wheels had chromed rims - nasty things! (They can _look_ nice if you keep the rust off them, but poor braking and relatively heavy weight - not good characteristics.)


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## ColinJ (19 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> I am beginning to worry . I have been working on refurbishing some old chrome wheels to restore another cycle and I have totally forgotten what they
> 
> Were like to ride.


Just avoid riding them in the wet?

Maybe there are some special brake blocks that work with them in the wet, but the standard ones on my bikes certainly didn't.


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## Illaveago (20 Aug 2015)

I have just been outside putting on some Hamerite rust removing gel on another rusty chrome wheel. This wheel looks pretty bad in places so I have put it back 

in the garage to work. In the meantime I have made myself cup of tea and a homemade blackcurrant jam on toasted sandwich.


----------



## Milkfloat (20 Aug 2015)

Wife is away with the kids - so I thought I would treat her bike to some TLC and sort out a raised stem. So last night was, new wider tyres and tubes, an adjustable raised stem and because of the stem, longer cable inners and outers. She better ride the damn thing now.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (20 Aug 2015)

Been working on a Dawes Galaxy (sadly not mine) over a couple of evenings this week. I'm under instructions to service but not to replace anything unless I _really _have to so it's been a case of cleaning, regreasing and adjusting.

It's obviously been stood for a long time and whoever has serviced it before (professionally, I'm told) likes their bearings set tight . When the bike was converted to flat bars they also seemingly didn't know/didn't care that V-brake levers aren't compatible with cantilever brakes. Not a lot I can do about that but adjust them to work as best I can.

Just the pedals left to do and I have to say it's scrubbed up nice. Wonder if I can persuade the owner to part with it at some point?


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2015)

Hmm . I just noticed a cut in one of my new tyres, which has only done a hundred miles or so. It hasn't gone all the way through (yet) but is big enough to be concerning. I might try superglueing it shut, though I suspect that wouldn't last long. And/or, I might put a patch inside the tyre behind the cut, just in case.


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## Illaveago (20 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Hmm . I just noticed a cut in one of my new tyres, which has only done a hundred miles or so. It hasn't gone all the way through (yet) but is big enough to be concerning. I might try superglueing it shut, though I suspect that wouldn't last long. And/or, I might put a patch inside the tyre behind the cut, just in case.


 Can you get hold of some Sikaflex or Tiger seal it is a flexible polyeurathane adhesive, they use it for bonding in windscreens. I have been using it to repair a couple of my saddles. It costs about £10 for a tube the size of bath sealant.
I was thinking you may be able to smear some into the split and let it set overnight. you can wash off the excess with white spirit before it dries.


----------



## si_c (20 Aug 2015)

Had a bit of a nasty creak from the cranks when under load (standing / hills / junctions) and put it down to the BB being JIS and the cranks ISO (according to Sheldon this can work fine). Not had any problems as such, but took the cranks off to inspect them, and noticed that the BB has caused some slight damage to the crankarms as the spindle is wider than for ISO, so tightening the cranks to the spindle had caused a set of ridges to form towards the outside edge of the holes. Half hour with a pair of files, and I've removed the ridges, and widened out the holes a bit so they accomodate the JIS spindle.

Seems to have fixed the problem.


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> Can you get hold of some Sikaflex or Tiger seal it is a flexible polyeurathane adhesive, they use it for bonding in windscreens. I have been using it to repair a couple of my saddles. It costs about £10 for a tube the size of bath sealant.
> I was thinking you may be able to smear some into the split and let it set overnight. you can wash off the excess with white spirit before it dries.


Sounds like it might work, but the tyre only cost £10 so I am not going to buy £10 worth of stuff to fix it! I may have something similar in the cellar, however. I'll have a look tomorrow.


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## Illaveago (21 Aug 2015)

I thought that if you could lay your hands on some it might be worth giving it a try. I thought that super glue might set hard! It was just an idea and as you say 

If a tyre costs as little as that you might as well replace it.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> If a tyre costs as little as that you might as well replace it.


I have ridden on the tyre a couple more times and am keeping an eye on the cut. So far, it hasn't got worse but I think I will do something to stop it widening.

Even though the tyre only cost £10, it was only a couple of weeks old so I am reluctant to scrap it unless I have to.

Today's fettling ... Something a bit different - I fettled a tool for future bike fettling!

I found an old chain's master link particularly tough to remove recently. I tried the usual technique of cleaning the link and squeezing it as I tried to slide the two halves apart but it was still really difficult to do so there was much cursing!

I looked at the Park Tool master link pliers on CRC [HERE] but decided that £11.99 was a bit much for a tool that would only get used a few times a year. I went down to a local corner shop and bought a cheapo pair of long-nose pliers instead and filed them down to do the same job. Total cost £1.49 and about 10 minutes of filing! I just tested my DIY master link tool and it worked perfectly. 

Top view






Side view


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## Cubist (27 Aug 2015)

Just finished a very satisfying new build. Used On One Carbon 456 frame off eBay, some bargain Hope cranks 32t single spider less chainring, and 30mm threaded BB, 11-42 cassette, Magura Thor AM 140 fork out of the spares bin, Hope pro2 Evo hubs on Stans Arch Ex (off the Soul) XT shifter and rear clutch mech with Rad cage, SLX brakes, Answer ProTaper Carbon 740 bars off the Soul, reverb dropper and charge spoon, Nic 2.25s running tubeless. All in weighs in at 24lb (10.9kg. ) Feels like a right hooligan. Great fun fitting the BB and cranks...all very different to Hollowtech, looks 'kin awesome. Range on the gearing feels good, can't wait to get it down to the quarry or up to Norland to see what it can do. Great slack front end and short snappy chainstays, but front wheel lifting on my steep driveway. Should be a doddle to pop the front end up.


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## Illaveago (27 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> I have ridden on the tyre a couple more times and am keeping an eye on the cut. So far, it hasn't got worse but I think I will do something to stop it widening.
> 
> Even though the tyre only cost £10, it was only a couple of weeks old so I am reluctant to scrap it unless I have to.
> 
> ...


Nice bit of fettling there, I usually find the pliers pinch my fingers. Those links can be stubborn at times.
Your tyre problem i have been assuming that you are using inner tubes


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## Illaveago (27 Aug 2015)

My wife has planned what i'll be doing over the next week, she seems to have omitted bike fettling!


----------



## Asa Post (27 Aug 2015)

Yesterday's fettling.

Morning: The front derailleur on the road bike has been misbehaving, so time to fit a new cable. New cable fitted and tested. The change up is fine, but it won't change down at all. The lever moves but there is no click, and nothing happens. I'm stuck in the big ring. Release the cable at the derailleur, and the spring pulls the chain to the small ring - so spring is OK. Better have a look under the hood. Pull rubber forward and operate change-down lever. I hear a tinkle and look on the floor to see a small, rectangular piece of metal with a threaded hole in the middle of it . It isn't obvious where it's come from as there is no corresponding screw to be seen in the changer. 

Afternoon: take bike to LBS and leave it with them. Mentally prepare self for hefty bill.

Evening: Put smooth tyres on the flat-bar bike to use until the road bike is fixed.


----------



## Poacher (27 Aug 2015)

Got the track pump out to top up the Bromptons. Mine, OK, Mrs Poacher's, front OK, back nearly flat and refused to inflate. Removed rear wheel, itself a non-trivial task, removed marathon tyre, found cause - a spoke-induced puncture. Why oh why do Brompton penny-pinch on their cheap plastic rim tapes? 
Patched tube (yes, some of us still do this!). Cleaned rim, used half a roll of Velox cloth tape, refitted tube and tyre, marvelling at the ease with which my new Var lever got the tyre back on, and got the rear wheel back in place, an even trickier proposition than removing it. Job's a good un.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (27 Aug 2015)

Yesterday's fettling: Fitted new brackets to both bikes to take a Busch & Muller headlamp, meaning I can retire the oldest of my existing ones. The old lamp was a pretty good one when it was new but looks feeble compared to the latest one. Looking forward to giving that a proper test.

Also fitted a new Marathon tyre to the front of the knockabout bike & swapped the old front to the rear. Frustratingly the displaced TourRide tyre still has useable tread left on it, but was getting a bit too prone to picking up punctures and an old cut in the tread had started to open up which can't be good.It's done well over 7,000 miles though so I think I've had my moneys worth.


----------



## ColinJ (27 Aug 2015)

Illaveago said:


> Nice bit of fettling there, I usually find the pliers pinch my fingers. Those links can be stubborn at times.
> Your tyre problem i have been assuming that you are using inner tubes


Yes, I currently use clinchers and tubes on all my bikes though I am curious about tubeless tyres so next time I buy new wheels, I will probably buy some that are designed to take tubeless.



Rickshaw Phil said:


> Also fitted a new Marathon tyre to the front of the knockabout bike & swapped the old front to the rear. Frustratingly the displaced TourRide tyre still has useable tread left on it, but was getting a bit prone to picking up punctures and an old cut in the tread had started to open up which can't be good.It's done well over 7,000 miles though so I think I've had my moneys worth.


Blimey, I would be happy to get that mileage from my tyres! I don't know exactly what I do get, but it is probably more like 1,500 - 2,000 miles. They certainly don't last a whole year.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (27 Aug 2015)

I'm not liking the flat side of the Shimano XT T-780 pedals on my commuter in wet weather as they are a tad too slippy. So I've swapped them for some levely Superstar Nano-X flats, and all I can say is WOW! 

Now I've superglue like grip


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (27 Aug 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Blimey, I would be happy to get that mileage from my tyres! I don't know exactly what I do get, but it is probably more like 1,500 - 2,000 miles. They certainly don't last a whole year.




To be fair, they are touring tyres so built for durability rather than speed. The one just removed did do a long stint on the front before being swapped to the rear as well which helped get the mileage that high.


----------



## Tin Pot (29 Aug 2015)

Prepping for a new chain






New Veloce cassette ordered too


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (29 Aug 2015)

Just a general clean & mickle of the bikes today. With the amount of sand that's come off the knockabout bike you'd think I'd been riding on a beach.


----------



## cyberknight (29 Aug 2015)

Changed the tired gator skins for rubino pro`s on the commuter.


----------



## DCLane (29 Aug 2015)

A few bits and pieces:

- The Carrera Virago magnesium bike got a replacement set of FSA Team 30 wheels with green/black tyres and a new 8-speed cassette. It also needed a new rear derailleur cable.

- I've put together an Eastway R4.0 from the frameset plus parts I had. It's been adjusted and now needs testing before adding mudguards. That'll be the winter bike.

- Finally my old GT Timberline retro MTB had a new chain (looks like it was the 25 year-old original on it  ). Also the rear clip-on mudgard has been a pain; the bracket is too big for the rear seatstay so I fashioned a new one for the side that won't fit from a light bracket, some electrical tape and a cable tie - fits well now 

Last thing for today is to fit new rim tape to stop one of my spare wheels blowing tubes


----------



## Elybazza61 (30 Aug 2015)

Cleaned and checked over the Helium after Thursdays spill yesterday and got to do the same today(or tomorrow) to the Planet X as it's been a bit neglected and the rear mech is not shifting accurately.


----------



## alecstilleyedye (30 Aug 2015)

well, yesterday, two new tyres and one new tube plus fix of dodgy head stack with 3mm spacer (thanks to cc for the advice)


----------



## Tin Pot (30 Aug 2015)

How annoying is chain shortening without a chain tool?

VERY.

I'm off to buy one of these:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-tools/topeak-universal-bike-chain-tool


----------



## Gravity Aided (30 Aug 2015)

Fitted mudguards to the Schwinn Impact, and added longer drop bars. Makes the whole commuting situation much more comfortable.


----------



## Tin Pot (30 Aug 2015)

My Kingdom For An 8mm Allen Key!






Annoyed with the rear dérailleur - I set off on a bike ride, only for the left crank to come loose.

FFS.

I'm starting to regret taking up fettling.


----------



## cyberknight (30 Aug 2015)

Repaired the wiring on the mower as i managed to mow the cable as i had "dad dad " interruptions every 30 seconds yesterday .


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## themosquitoking (30 Aug 2015)

cyberknight said:


> Repaired the wiring on the mower as i managed to mow the cable as i had "dad dad " interruptions every 30 seconds yesterday .


Hope the mower was plugged into an RCD somewhere along the circuit.


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## cyberknight (30 Aug 2015)

themosquitoking said:


> Hope the mower was plugged into an RCD somewhere along the circuit.


Yup.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (31 Aug 2015)

Added my usual paraphernalia to my rejuvenated Birdy, sorted the hub gear indexing out and took it for a test ride. 

Found that I've managed to shred the pedal thread in the LH crank with my last change of pedals. Bum!


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## jayonabike (31 Aug 2015)

Gave the work bike a 'deep' clean. Cassette, chain off and cleaned with white spirit. Crank off and cleaned. Bottom bracket re-greased. Polished the frame, cleaned the wheels and spokes. Gave it a right going over


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## youngoldbloke (31 Aug 2015)

jayonabike said:


> Gave the work bike a 'deep' clean. Cassette, chain off and cleaned with white spirit. Crank off and cleaned. Bottom bracket re-greased. Polished the frame, cleaned the wheels and spokes. Gave it a right going over
> 
> View attachment 102259


Hope that wasn't a nice white rug before you started!


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## PeteXXX (31 Aug 2015)

youngoldbloke said:


> Hope that wasn't a nice white rug before you started!


Or the settee.....


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## PeteXXX (31 Aug 2015)

Today I started to fit the SKS mudguards to the Canyon but gave up. Maybe they should have packed the instructions in the enormous box they sent it in.
Phone call to the UK office is planned for tomorrow morning.


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## Gravity Aided (1 Sep 2015)

You got a box? Mine were just mounted to a cardboard sheet with instructions in some language I don't understand. Nice deal at the LBS, though. The Schwinn is complete, except for when I go to the roundabout Thursday evening on my commute to get free front and rear lights from the transit system. That'll make it easier for the Express bus to see me when he cuts me off whilst going into the transit station.


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## Tin Pot (1 Sep 2015)

Faffed about with the brakes on my Trax TFS.1, tightened the tension on the rear but no bloomin idea why the front brake squeals like a pig.


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## andytheflyer (1 Sep 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> Faffed about with the brakes on my Trax TFS.1, tightened the tension on the rear but no bloomin idea why the front brake squeals like a pig.


Toe in - plenty of advice on here - try a search. (assuming not disc brakes!)


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## PeteXXX (1 Sep 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> You got a box? Mine were just mounted to a cardboard sheet with instructions in some language I don't understand. Nice deal at the LBS, though. The Schwinn is complete, except for when I go to the roundabout Thursday evening on my commute to get free front and rear lights from the transit system. That'll make it easier for the Express bus to see me when he cuts me off whilst going into the transit station.







That was the box they came in!


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## Tin Pot (1 Sep 2015)

andytheflyer said:


> Toe in - plenty of advice on here - try a search. (assuming not disc brakes!)



Yeah, that's what all the advice says but I can't see evidence of it, nor a way to correct it.


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## threebikesmcginty (1 Sep 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> You got a box? Mine were just mounted to a cardboard sheet with instructions in some language I don't understand...



English?


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## Gravity Aided (1 Sep 2015)

threebikesmcginty said:


> English?


No, Flemish or the sort. Fender application was pretty straightforward, and instructions in the hardware packet were in proper English. I don't put the black plastic ends on the fenders for this bicycle, and that's always the fiddly bit for me, so all went swimmingly.


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## Gravity Aided (1 Sep 2015)

PeteXXX said:


> View attachment 102302
> 
> That was the box they came in!


That's a pretty Canyon, BTW, @PeteXXX .


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## PeteXXX (1 Sep 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> That's a pretty Canyon, BTW, @PeteXXX .


Thank you. It's the Inflite 8.

I phoned Canyon UK this morning to be told there are downloadable instructions on their site. I told him I had looked and couldn't find any. He checked and could not find them either but sent me a link to an Evans vid I'd already seen. Oh, the joy of a 30 minute phone call to find out absolutely nothing useful...


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## andytheflyer (1 Sep 2015)

Tin Pot said:


> Yeah, that's what all the advice says but I can't see evidence of it, nor a way to correct it.



https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/squealing-rear-break.181763/#post-3743189

IIRC, the leading end of the pad needs to touch the rim first, you can alter the angle of the pad with the rim by slackening the nut holding the pad, and rotating the pad slightly - there's a ball joint in the mounting post arrangement. Assuming you have V or cantilever brakes that is. Can't remember by how much the pad needs to be rotated, but try a thick bit of card at the trailing end of the pad to act as a spacer while you tighten the nut. Better bike mechanics than me will be along to correct me - but you get the idea. A bit of T&E will be required.

Some pads are noisier than others (IME) - I use KoolStop (Salmon or salmon/black mixed) and these are very quiet and the best I've ever used.


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## raleighnut (1 Sep 2015)

andytheflyer said:


> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/squealing-rear-break.181763/#post-3743189
> 
> IIRC, the leading end of the pad needs to touch the rim first, you can alter the angle of the pad with the rim by slackening the nut holding the pad, and rotating the pad slightly - there's a ball joint in the mounting post arrangement. Assuming you have V or cantilever brakes that is. Can't remember by how much the pad needs to be rotated, but try a thick bit of card at the trailing end of the pad to act as a spacer while you tighten the nut. Better bike mechanics than me will be along to correct me - but you get the idea. A bit of T&E will be required.
> 
> Some pads are noisier than others (IME) - I use KoolStop (Salmon or salmon/black mixed) and these are very quiet and the best I've ever used.


+1 for a bit of card, normally use the stuff that the pads come attached to.


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## Illaveago (1 Sep 2015)

I had a look at my friends cycle computer trying to figure out why it isn't working properly I think the problem may be either the sensor or the contacts. I couldn't try it on my bike as it had different contacts.
Went out to my garage later and started cleaning off some rust stains off an old cycle frame with G3 and elbow grease, it is starting to come clean.
Hoping to pick up an old frame and parts on Saturday.


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## Spoked Wheels (3 Sep 2015)

Getting ready for winter I decided to service the cartridge bearings on my Novatec hubs. There were no signs of anything wrong with them despite doing somewhere between 5k and 6k miles since the last time they got some TLC. I have no idea how long sealed cartridge bearings last, I have replaced many for other people but I only service mine. The grease behind the freehub body was ready to be replaced but the grease inside the cartridges was in better shape..... no signs of any water at all, mind you the only time they see rain is when I'm out on a ride.... never go out when it's already raining  and I never use a pressure washer.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Sep 2015)

I traded my weighty Univega which I've had all of a few weeks for a 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher Marlin. I think it needs enough work to keep me busy for a while. In fact, it may just see me out. I'm planning lots of things for this 29er, I had a replace a broken front shifter (SRAMx4) with a thumb shifter for now, but that I will replace, along with disk brak padz in the near term, as well as tires, I would guess. Pedals are also quite sad, and will be replaced before its next ride. I plan to overhaul the Suntour suspension forks, or replace them with something lighter. Maybe a new sealed BB, crank, followed by headset, better brakes. Truly nice frame, though. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to bust this bike up. I'm going to go to a lot of trouble making it XC worthy again.


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## Tin Pot (3 Sep 2015)

New Veloce cassette arrived.

Teeth are inconsistent just like the current Miche, so the purchase may have been unnecessary.

Can't replicate the chain changing itself on the bike stand so I can't adjust it.

Bike is unusable with it slipping on the hills.

Wondering if it could be micro adjustments with the shifters giving me problems.


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## steveindenmark (3 Sep 2015)

I took my Koga World Traveller into my LBS for a health check after my big off a couple of weeks ago. Both wheels were rubbing slightly and he is going to give it a careful look over.


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## Illaveago (4 Sep 2015)

I've been working on my Raleigh Criterium in preparation for a ride with my friends later on this evening. I found the stiff link which was 
Causing it jump out of gear, decided that I would fit a new chain . Armed with a dot punch , nail ,nut , block of wood and a hammer I eventually 
Separated the chain. That pin was stiff!
Now on with the new chain . Why is it a chains main ambition in life is either to roll around in the dirt or to try to make you pinch your fingers
Whilst trying to fit the split link? With the new chain on I span up the rear wheel, slight rumble from the axle bearings , it will be alright for now.
A few more things to do then it should be ready.


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## Jenkins (4 Sep 2015)

I gave my sister's bike a quick service. It only needed a clean & lube of the chain, tightened up of a couple of cable, pumped the tyres back up to 65psi (from 15!) and a quick wipe down which isn't bad as it was last done over 6 months ago.


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## Illaveago (5 Sep 2015)

IOTE="Gravity Aided, post: 3885651, member: 20259"]I traded my weighty Univega which I've had all of a few weeks for a 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher Marlin. I think it needs enough work to keep me busy for a while. In fact, it may just see me out. I'm planning lots of things for this 29er, I had a replace a broken front shifter (SRAMx4) with a thumb shifter for now, but that I will replace, along with disk brak padz in the near term, as well as tires, I would guess. Pedals are also quite sad, and will be replaced before its next ride. I plan to overhaul the Suntour suspension forks, or replace them with something lighter. Maybe a new sealed BB, crank, followed by headset, better brakes. Truly nice frame, though. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to bust this bike up. I'm going to go to a lot of trouble making it XC worthy again.



[/Q Its nice to have a challenge.
Site


Gravity Aided said:


> I traded my weighty Univega which I've had all of a few weeks for a 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher Marlin. I think it needs enough work to keep me busy for a while. In fact, it may just see me out. I'm planning lots of things for this 29er, I had a replace a broken front shifter (SRAMx4) with a thumb shifter for now, but that I will replace, along with disk brak padz in the near term, as well as tires, I would guess. Pedals are also quite sad, and will be replaced before its next ride. I plan to overhaul the Suntour suspension forks, or replace them with something lighter. Maybe a new sealed BB, crank, followed by headset, better brakes. Truly nice frame, though. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to bust this bike up. I'm going to go to a lot of trouble making it XC worthy again.


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## cyberknight (5 Sep 2015)

Added a disc pannier rack to the subway, the seatpost rack i had always felt like it carried the weight to high .I did have to do a bit of a bodge on the top support as the one supplied was not long enough so i joined them together to make one long one .


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## Illaveago (5 Sep 2015)

OTE="cyberknight, post: 3889219, member: 4970"]Added a disc pannier rack to the subway, the seatpost rack i had always felt like it carried the weight to high .I did have to do a bit of a bodge on the top support as the one supplied was not long enough so i joined them together to make one long one .[/QUOTE]


Its good to improvise.


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## steveindenmark (7 Sep 2015)

A couple of good results today.

My Charge Spoon arrived today so I put it on the bike and went for a 30 km ride. It was comfortable. Im thinking of changing my Brooks B17 for the Charge Spoon for next years Lejog. I really like the B17 but the big down side of it is that it is so heavy. I wont substitute comfort for weight so I will stick with the Charge Spoon for a few hundred Kms and see how we get on.





I dropped into my LBS for a chat and a coffee and just happened to mention I would like to raise my bars a bit as my Koga came with a flat bar. Ken wandered off to his hidey hole and came back with a touring bar, complete with Koga grips to match my bike. £20 fitted. They make a huge difference. Very comfortable. A great result.


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## bpsmith (7 Sep 2015)

Pair of wall mounts fitted. Both bikes look so much better, hanging nice and nearly together.


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## Illaveago (7 Sep 2015)

Went over my Carlton frame with some T cut trying to remove some rust stains. They are really noticeable on a white frame.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2015)

Illaveago said:


> Went over my Carlton frame with some T cut trying to remove some rust stains. They are really noticeable on a white frame.


As I am learning, from this example I picked up the other day. Once I replace a lot of the fittings, she should really go. Found by a semi-trailer at an ongoing garage sale/junque shop near me.



How could I pass on a bike named this?
The original derailleur gives an idea as to the as found condition of this bike.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2015)

Illaveago said:


> IOTE="Gravity Aided, post: 3885651, member: 20259"]I traded my weighty Univega which I've had all of a few weeks for a 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher Marlin. I think it needs enough work to keep me busy for a while. In fact, it may just see me out. I'm planning lots of things for this 29er, I had a replace a broken front shifter (SRAMx4) with a thumb shifter for now, but that I will replace, along with disk brak padz in the near term, as well as tires, I would guess. Pedals are also quite sad, and will be replaced before its next ride. I plan to overhaul the Suntour suspension forks, or replace them with something lighter. Maybe a new sealed BB, crank, followed by headset, better brakes. Truly nice frame, though. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to bust this bike up. I'm going to go to a lot of trouble making it XC worthy again.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





This bikes' had a tougher life than Mazeppa.


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## Illaveago (8 Sep 2015)

I was wondering if you had named the bike after yourself. A nice find.


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## steveindenmark (8 Sep 2015)

No fettling but Christmas came early.

My new helmet arrived to replace the one I destroyed a couple of weeks ago. I also received my new Elite Winter gloves and a Berghaus Pacalite raincoat. The good thing with the raincoat is that it has a foldaway hood with peak that can be worn under the helmet.

Winter is coming and Im ready for it :0)


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2015)

Illaveago said:


> I was wondering if you had named the bike after yourself. A nice find.


No,it's a Bikes Direct brand. Couldn't pass it up


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## Gravity Aided (8 Sep 2015)

Currently waiting in the dentists office,waiting for fettling of a premolar


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## Cubist (8 Sep 2015)

Bought a secondhand wheelset the other day, but the bargain price was reflected in the seriously graunchy bearings. I therefore set about servicing the rear hub. They're Superstar Components Switch hubs on Stans Crest rims. 

Once I had managed to get hold of some exploded diagrams, and rudimentary instructions I managed to split the hub, remove the axle and the freehub body. The rough feel to the outboard (Non Drive Side) hub bearing was explained as soon as I popped the bearing seal. It was full of all sorts of snot. I flushed it with GT85, blew it through with the compressor airgun, and regreased it. It still feels a bit notchy, so a new one ordered. The inboard bearing (Drive Side) feels fine, and once flushed,, blown through and regreased it runs smoothly. Same story with the freehub. The outboard bearing is toast. Rusted solid. 
A new freehub complete with bearings and pawl springs is thirty quid, so I figured the worst that could happen would be I'd need to replace the freehub, so set about knocking he bearings out with a makeshift drift. The inboard bearing was fine, so once again flushed, greased and resealed. 

However, I needed to press it back in, so treated myself to a 150mm M10 coachbolt and found a 21mm sparkplug socket that acts as a drift/press. Using 50mm washers and using the hubs internal spacers as internal guides I refitted the inboard bearing with my ghetto bearing press. I've ordered a couple of 6902 RS bearings for the knackered races and will fit those when they arrive. Quite a feeling of satisfaction.


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## Rickshaw Phil (8 Sep 2015)

Went over to have a look at the bike @gavgav's dad has bought and to give it the once over. It's a clean, tidy bike and just needed the gears setting up, the brakes adjusting and the tyres pumping up to make it good to go. I'd like to give it a proper service but that'll have to wait until later on.

It was after dark when I got back so while in a bike-tinkering frame of mind I have finally taken the Raleigh out to set up and try out my new light (a Busch & Muller). I'm very impressed: a bright, even spread of light which is all going on the road where you want it and isn't dazzling to other road users.
It's pretty good used on its own and in conjunction with the existing Hella lamp the lights on the bike are now better than the dipped beam on my car  -

Just need to get it set up on the Hawk too ready for those dark winter commutes.


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## Stu Smith (8 Sep 2015)

New Headset fitted today..
The old one had seen over 10 years service in all weathers.
Removed the old headset and toddled off down to the LBS to be told a new one would cost me £35 and I would not be able to re-fit without having a headset press, have you got one the bike shop guy asked? No I haven't got most other tools required for basic bike maintenance but...
"Would you like to book your bike in for our mechanic to replace the headset". I replied "how much would that cost then"...£70 sir, should I book you in then?
"No thank you" I replied..

Travelled across town to another Bike shop and purchased a Hope headset for £18 and some free advice, then off I trotted home and wow 45 mins later new headset fitted and the bike feels brand new...

Warm glow inside


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## biggs682 (8 Sep 2015)

project Aende single speed had the finishing parts fitted this morning except the pedals so will fit them 2moro ready for a road test


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## Cubist (8 Sep 2015)

Stu Smith said:


> New Headset fitted today..
> The old one had seen over 10 years service in all weathers.
> Removed the old headset and toddled off down to the LBS to be told a new one would cost me £35 and I would not be able to re-fit without having a headset press, have you got one the bike shop guy asked? No I haven't got most other tools required for basic bike maintenance but...
> "Would you like to book your bike in for our mechanic to replace the headset". I replied "how much would that cost then"...£70 sir, should I book you in then?
> ...


That's a serious bargain for a hope headset.
Was the advice based on a block of wood and a hammer perchance? I have a proper wooden carpenters mallet for headset cups.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (9 Sep 2015)

At home:

2 old clunker BSO's rebuilt with good but not A1 parts from my "not for resale" pile. Bound for the Calais refugee camp. Very much bitsas, and some ferrous oxide - but all running smoothly and safe.

At work:
What's wrong with this picture (and I don't mean the floor needing sweeping!)






Everything now facing the right way


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## biggs682 (9 Sep 2015)

biggs682 said:


> project Aende single speed had the finishing parts fitted this morning except the pedals so will fit them 2moro ready for a road test



And here it is after it's first short ride, just need to decide silver or black wheels now, favouring black at mo


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## Illaveago (9 Sep 2015)

I quite like the way it looks at the moment . The alloy rims match the other bright work and make the wheels look slim whereas I feel that black wheels might 
Make it look like you have got balloon tyres. I may be wrong ,you do what pleases you. Nice looking bike whatever.


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## Stu Smith (9 Sep 2015)

Cubist said:


> That's a serious bargain for a hope headset.
> Was the advice based on a block of wood and a hammer perchance? I have a proper wooden carpenters mallet for headset cups.



Didn't realise what a bargain the headset was until checking the internet this morning 
Yes the advice was a block of wood and a hammer. I used a rubber mallet and some patience, I also didn't wreck the frame as the original LBS suggested I would.
I had been putting this job off for a while because getting the correct headset seemed a minefield.


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## srw (9 Sep 2015)

Last night I failed to get the front wheel off my Brompton. The skewer for the dynohub feels a bit corroded. I'm going to have to try again at the weekend with Stilsons rather than little pliers.


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## Illaveago (9 Sep 2015)

I have been cleaning up an old BSA Tour De France frame that I picked up on eBay. I intended to use the parts to make up a Carlton frame. I've lent it to my brother for the time being. In the meantime whilst cleaning the bitsI have discovered that the bike has seen little use. The paintwork is rusty and tatty and a 
horrible orange suggesting that the bike had been ridden and then stored in a damp shed over the years.
I have left some of the chrome parts soaking in rust removing gel at the moment they have a few rust spots in places. The ally bits are still bright and shiny.


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## Mattonsea (9 Sep 2015)

Since the kids have all taken to cycling ,the work had quadrupled . So today was MY DAY of fettling , ready for a trip to Winchester a complete rebuild was put back together , and new cages!!


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## Bollo (9 Sep 2015)

Mattonsea said:


> Since the kids have all taken to cycling ,the work had quadrupled . So today was MY DAY of fettling , ready for a trip to Winchester a complete rebuild was put back together , and new cages!!


Feck me Matt, way to put pressure on a man! Mind you, if all your bolts aren't tight, the first quarter mile of our ride will find them out.

Does looking up the message formats for the Di2 Ant+ private protocol count as fettling?


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## Mattonsea (10 Sep 2015)

Bollo said:


> Feck me Matt, way to put pressure on a man! Mind you, if all your bolts aren't tight, the first quarter mile of our ride will find them out.
> 
> Does looking up the message formats for the Di2 Ant+ private protocol count as fettling?


No that's just reading.....


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## Illaveago (12 Sep 2015)

It's raining, listening to Aneka Rice, haven't fully woken up yet but I've made the coffees.


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## raleighnut (12 Sep 2015)

Fitted the new track pedals to the Raleigh Equipe, starting back on 2 wheels with the dodgy leg is scary enough without being clipped in. 

these, in a fetching red anodised finish, only cost me £12.99 in the Leicester store

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fwe/alloy-track-pedal-ec040114


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## stumpy66 (12 Sep 2015)

Cleaned and regressed the headset on my defy, stripped the rear hub on my genesis (105/Mavic open pro) cleaned out, fresh grease and cleaned the cassette. Just the front hub and headset and that's it ready for the winter runs.

Took the cranks off my Sabbath, cleaned and refitted- hopefully dry tomorrow so I can get a run instead of cleaning them


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## Illaveago (12 Sep 2015)

Had a go at the Carlton. The stem and seat post were seized in ,gave the thread on the forks a good wire brush to remove rust sprayed it and the seat 
Tube a good spray with W D40 and let it soak in. Sprayed up inside the forks to let it penetrate from the other side. Returned later fitted an old wheel in the forks 
An old pair of straight handlebars in the stem and twist. I was lucky some slight movement, a bit more spray twist the other way and out it came, a nice rusty colour. Fitted an old saddle to the seat post and out it came. I thought that I was going to have resort to more extreme measures.


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## DCLane (12 Sep 2015)

Aero bars fitted to the Wilier Izoard for tomorrow's 50TT plus checking to make sure it's OK.

Also a different rear brake caliper (Tektro R556 vs Miche Performance) fitted to the winter Eastway R4.0 as the Miche was catching on the rear tyre a bit.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Sep 2015)

I have been fighting the cranks off my Trek Marlin 29er since I got it, PB Blaster, leaving the crankarm puller on the bike, a four foot persuader/cheater bar, all the usual things would not work. Time to call in my force of last resort...



The angle grinder does what time, patience, and loving care will not, while filling the garage with sparks and metal dust. What's not to love? And, I got to wear the whole metalworking outfit, leather gloves, goggles, mask. After an hour of cutting, and a couple of taps with a hammer, all was resolved without damage to the bicycle. The BB was shot, the pedals were broken and seized, and the crankset was corroded in place. Then I threw a temporary crankset in just to see how this bicycle rides with good running gear and pedals, and it was fantastic. I love riding this bicycle. Proper size BB on order, in for a penny, in for a pound.


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## Illaveago (13 Sep 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> I have been fighting the cranks off my Trek Marlin 29er since I got it, PB Blaster, leaving the crankarm puller on the bike, a four foot persuader/cheater bar, all the usual things would not work. Time to call in my force of last resort...
> 
> 
> 
> The angle grinder does what time, patience, and loving care will not, while filling the garage with sparks and metal dust. What's not to love? And, I got to wear the whole metalworking outfit, leather gloves, goggles, mask. After an hour of cutting, and a couple of taps with a hammer, all was resolved without damage to the bicycle. The BB was shot, the pedals were broken and seized, and the crankset was corroded in place. Then I threw a temporary crankset in just to see how this bicycle rides with good running gear and pedals, and it was fantastic. I love riding this bicycle. Proper size BB on order, in for a penny, in for a pound.



A bit drastic but then if its the only option left ! At least it worked out alright in the end. They dont make things easy by putting that chain wheel in the way.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Sep 2015)

When all else has been tried, and the BB is not very functional, this seems to be the best choice, although some folks probably wouldn't care for cutting red-hot steel in a shower of sparks, it's kind of my upbringing.


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## srw (13 Sep 2015)

srw said:


> Last night I failed to get the front wheel off my Brompton. The skewer for the dynohub feels a bit corroded. I'm going to have to try again at the weekend with Stilsons rather than little pliers.


It came off today, and after being attacked with wire wool and grease is now running smoothly. We observed that the black Brooks briefcase really needed a black Brooks saddle, so the brown one was switched to my straight handlebar hack road bike (brown saddle and mauve frame? Not entirely sure). I failed to identify what was causing the slow puncture on the front wheel of my main road bike, but I added rim tape anyway and rubbed down a burr in the rim - which should have been nowhere near the tube. I also found a few flints, one of which might have been the problem. I mounted my new SON dynamo wheel to the bike in preparation for next weekend's FNRttC, along with the Schmidt light, and also swapped the Carradice mount onto my smaller bag from the big touring bag.

Then I took advantage of having the GT85 in my hand to cure the very annoying creaking loo door which has been bugging us for several years. Let's see if RVW notices in real life before she reads about it here....


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## Kevoffthetee (13 Sep 2015)

dowsed my rear wheel hub in wet lube after soaking it in GT85 for a few days. I had a horrible scratchy noise on the last club run and that was the last thing I could think was some fine grit in the sealed hub?

it done the trick and all was quiet except the clunking of 2nd 3rd 4th cog on the rear cassette as the gear cables must have stretched and I didn't have time to sort them


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## bozmandb9 (13 Sep 2015)

OCD time today. Cleaned bike with babywipes, including cassette, oiled chain. Wished I wasn't so knackered from athletics, still will be able to go out tomorrow to test my new tubs.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Sep 2015)

Cleaned and relubricated the bearings on three sets of pedals. I should have done it earlier in the year really and two of the sets were quite mucky inside.

The one pair needs new ball bearings but I haven't got any in. Will have to redo those when I can get some.


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## HarryTheDog (13 Sep 2015)

According to the weather forecast its supposed to rain everyday next week, also its starting to get darker so I decided it was time to turn my cross bike back into its foul/wet weather commuting guise. On went nearly 2kg of rubber in the form of 35c marathan plus tyres,proper full size mudguards and light mount for my exposure strada death ray light. Bet it wont rain now.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Sep 2015)

Fettled a new crown onto my seatpost, as the other was some cheap thing that had been cobbled on to an otherwise nice seatpost, and didn't hold the saddle securely. This one is solid as a rock, after some during-the-ride-fettling.


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## Illaveago (14 Sep 2015)

Another seized handlebar stem. Appearances can be deceptive, no sign of corrosion but it just wouldn't budge. I tried the grip the front wheel between
my feet and twist on a pair of straight bars but no movement .
Today I used a more drastic method, grip the front forks between two large blocks of wood firmly in the vice, spray loads of WD40 ,place a pair of straight bars
through the stem and twist. You should have seen those forks twist. A loud crack! Uh! Try the other direction another crack, followed by more as it slowly
started to move. More Wd followed by more twisting,full rotation and it still wouldn't come out. It is no wonder it was in a skip, labour costs would have written the bike off. Now for another block of wood and a large hammer to Tap underneath the handlebars. Sometime later it came out.
There is one drawback with caged bearings in that you need to take things apart in order to fit them.


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## cyberknight (15 Sep 2015)

I have been given a bike by the neighbours for mini ck that will be the right size next year and i have sorted out the ripped seat and snapped brake lever from spares, when it arrives i will replace the twist shifter with a thumb shifter as it is stiff and he cant get on with it and there is no play to adjust the rear mech .
Frame is good and it had new wheels before i was given it and TBH the way he treats possesions in general a new bike would be destroyed so for the sake of £10 worth of parts + bits out of my spares ............

He can ride it but cant touch the floor properly to stop yet .


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## SpokeyDokey (15 Sep 2015)

Bashed my RD with the lawn mower the other week - indexing has been off since.

New hanger adjustment tool arrived from Wiggle today and the thing is now straightened - very easy job.

Only a little bit out but enough to make a difference.


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## Tin Pot (22 Sep 2015)

Indexing.

I wish I'd videod it so you could watch and compare with the YouTube instructionals.

At one point I wondered if I'd have to carry it to a bike shop.

All seems well, but I missed the dry spell to go and test if it's still slipping under load.

Otherwise it's into the LBS tomorrow afternoon.


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## Supersuperleeds (26 Sep 2015)

The commuter has been making a right racket this week, it was so bad on Thursday that I went to work on the road bike on Friday, Anyway get up nice and early this morning and give the commuter a good clean and set off for the bike shop for them to sort it as my maintenance skills are crap to say the least. Well bugger me, the bloody thing was silent, took it for a 5 mile ride and not a squeak so never bothered with the bike shop.

So this morning I fettled something but I have no idea what.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Sep 2015)

Mrs. GA off with her school chums, so I had an XL fettling session after a flat on my ride with the Trek 7200. I replaced some broken spokes after removing cassettes from 2 wheels with broken spokes on the drive side, as I had the breaker bar and cassette remover out anyway. I replaced the broke spokes on the 7200 rear wheel, cleaned and regreased, while it was cassetteless. I trued the wheel very closely, as I ride with a narrow brake gap. I also put a new tire on, as when I bought the 7200, it had a very thin tire on rear, almost new on front. I had this occur with another bike previously, and it was the same tire as this tire was, by my good fortune, so I added that one to the rear wheel I also fitted a new SRAM shifter and a bottom bracket to my Trek/Gary Fisher Marlin, as well as cranks. New tires (Hutchinson Pythons) and the other shifter may go on today.


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## TheJDog (27 Sep 2015)

Not today, but yesterday I put a new chain and cassette on my bike and my word, what a difference. It actually changes gear each time every time now. Admittedly, my chain wear gauge practically fell right through when I went to judge the wear. Oops.


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## HarryTheDog (27 Sep 2015)

Today I replaced my ancient 9 year old Ultegra shifters with some nice new ones. They still worked perfectly but the shadow of the clothes lines was really annoying me when I had my lights on. Rather chuffed that after guesstimating the tension on the gear wires, when I came to index the gears the rear just needed 2 quater turns of adjustment and the front was spot on.
old shifters below


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## velovoice (27 Sep 2015)

Straightened the backward-sloping rack on my Cross Check. It was on rock-solid so don't know how it happened:





(Yesterday, I greased the Speedplay pedals and swapped the stem out. Total 'cockpit' now measures the same as my custom bike. )


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## si_c (1 Oct 2015)

Removed the touring pedals, put some Shimano M530 SPD pedals on as the old MKS ones were proper slippery when wet. Also got some SKS raceblade XLs and put them on. Finally replaced the FD with a newer shimano 105 jobby, as the old sachs huret one was starting to get a bit graunchy, and I figured £20 was better then stripping and regreasing it again. Unfortunately the previous owner wasn't too careful, and even after an hour with wire wool there were still rusty spots. Finally, replaced the old 8spd 11-25 cassette with a new Tiagra 12-30, which should be much better with the 52-42 at the front.


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## Drago (1 Oct 2015)

Been very lazy of late, done nothing to progress my Pace 650b SS build, so today I sat down and cleaned all the Hope finishing kit with a GT 85 soaked rag. Shiny like New.


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## Psycolist (1 Oct 2015)

Got my off roader up on the stand to give a once over with an oily rag. No issues found, didn't even need any brake adjustment. Couple of nips to a couple of spokes and job done. Made me think about getting my winter wheels out though, so took them out of their bag and fitted tyres and tubes ready for a switch over when the bad weather kicks in properly.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Oct 2015)

Still considering chainrings etc. for Trek Marlin, new shifters for the 7200.


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## Illaveago (2 Oct 2015)

Started putting my Holdsworth back together, sprayed the rear chain stays silver the other day and cleaned the frame with some Tcut. I removed the bottom bracket as it felt notchy,gave the axle a clean and it is fine so I'll put it back with some new bearings today.Gave the Brooks leather saddle some leather treatment, it used to be black it has faded over the years and is now brown. Cleaned the Campag rear mech, one of the idlers is stiff so i'll give that a clean and grease today.


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## Sbudge (2 Oct 2015)

Re-indexed the di2 as the bone-shaker surface on my canal ride seems to have nudged things a bit.


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## Psycolist (2 Oct 2015)

Odd reason for a fettle tonight. Bought some new shoes last tuesday. Shoes I wear to work, Shoes I wear while cycling to work. Well, they must be a bit wider than my old shoes, because every time the crank arm circles past the sole of my new shoes, it rubs and squeaks.  They rub and squeak to such an extent that I sound like a demented mouse going down the High Street. .......So, tonights fettle, change my peddles for a wider pair, so no more squeaking in the morning


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## si_c (3 Oct 2015)

Psycolist said:


> Odd reason for a fettle tonight. Bought some new shoes last tuesday. Shoes I wear to work, Shoes I wear while cycling to work. Well, they must be a bit wider than my old shoes, because every time the crank arm circles past the sole of my new shoes, it rubs and squeaks.  They rub and squeak to such an extent that I sound like a demented mouse going down the High Street. .......So, tonights fettle, change my peddles for a wider pair, so no more squeaking in the morning



I had that a month or two back, took me ages to work out what that really annoying squeak was.


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## Jenkins (3 Oct 2015)

A very busy day of fettling today.

Collected my sister's bike and fitted new disk brake pads front & rear
Completed my first ever bottom bracket replacement on my Planet X and replaced the chain as well.
Full clean of all five of my other bikes including wheels and lubing of chain 

I didn't realise that replacing the BB (SRAM GXP) was as easy as it turned out to be until I looked at the videos on Youtube, so the purchase of a Park BBT-9 has saved me some money in the long run as I have 3 bikes running SRAM and 1 with Shimano that appears to use the same fittings. Unfortunately the other 2 run Shimano Octalink style which look more complicated and more tools required.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Oct 2015)

Tried another crank on the Trek Marlin, still not overjoyed. Probably go back to original replacement crank, and just change the big ring. Or I may change to a new FD, as the old one is pretty knackered.


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## robjh (4 Oct 2015)

The freehub started making loud metallic clangs this week, so I swapped it for a nearly-new one I had sitting round on a spare wheel in the garage. It fitted fine onto the wheel, though I noticed that the inside was just slightly different from the old one, with the bearings sitting a little further back. I fitted it without a problem, then put it back on the bike and spent the next hour wondering why I couldn't get the locknut tension correct, or the freehub kept sticking and sucking up the chain.
Then it dawned on me -doh! - that when changing over the freehub I needed to change the cone as well, as different-shaped the cups and cones come as pairs. That done, all is now well.
Another mistake I won't make again.


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## Gravity Aided (5 Oct 2015)

Readjusted the old FD on the Marlin, and repositioned the same. All is well. Couldn't test ride very far, as root canal tooth from 2 weeks ago got removed today. Win some, lose some. Tomorrow is another day. Unfortunately, I have not stored up numerous fettling projects for the winter. Maybe do some wheel building, or create some alcohol stoves for camping.


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## PeteXXX (5 Oct 2015)

Plenty of post ride fettling in the sunshine yesterday.
General lubing and sprucing up of the bikes including a pre-winter tyre change (including the removal of several thorns and puncture repairs) on the Full Susser. Off with the Michelins and on with the Muddy Marys.


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## Psycolist (5 Oct 2015)

robjh said:


> The freehub started making loud metallic clangs this week, so I swapped it for a nearly-new one I had sitting round on a spare wheel in the garage. It fitted fine onto the wheel, though I noticed that the inside was just slightly different from the old one, with the bearings sitting a little further back. I fitted it without a problem, then put it back on the bike and spent the next hour wondering why I couldn't get the locknut tension correct, or the freehub kept sticking and sucking up the chain.
> Then it dawned on me -doh! - that when changing over the freehub I needed to change the cone as well, as different-shaped the cups and cones come as pairs. That done, all is now well.
> Another mistake I won't make again.


Very wise parent once said " There is no such thing as an error that hasn't been made before, its just that we have, so far, yet to make those errors ourselves" A forum like this is great for sharing that type of experience, even if your post only stops one other person making that same mistake, it makes it worthwhile.
Maybe a new thread could be created to document this type ' problem solving ' ?


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## 13 rider (8 Oct 2015)

Just spent the last two and a half hours fitting crud road racer mudguards to my giant defy so I can still ride it in the rain without it melting that quickly .At no time was there any swearing or cursing .OK there was lots of swearing and cursing God that was a fiddly job  but all done and everything seems to be ok .Thought the rear would be the hardest so did that first and not to bad but the front proved more difficult due to the shape of the forks (not circular) and had to keep adjusting position to get clearance .Will test ride tomorrow I am quite impressed with them up to now and amazed I actually managed to fit then myself I not know for my mechanical skills


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## mangid (10 Oct 2015)

Fixed some Portland Design Works full metal fenders to my fixie. Took ages, the mounting brackes for quick release axles needed to be drilled for the 9mm axles, got thru many drill bits, and the holes are interesting shapes, but they do at least go on. The rear mudguard needed to be bodged a little, removed the seat post mount, and drilled a couple of holes for attaching to the 2 bridges. Final job looks good, IMHO ;-)


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## Colin_P (10 Oct 2015)

I finally carried out an upgrade I've been thinking about for a long time on my old Hybrid.

Such is the age of the bike it previously had a 7 speed freewheel on it. It was on its second wheelset due to the brakes wearing the rim down to the wear markers. The current wheel wore very quickly and the bearings, despite my best efforts to maintain them, were making a right old racket. I also have a habit of snapping axles, the freewheel design isn't too good at lasting when 18 stone is taking the bike over terrain a mountain bike would be better suited to.

So today it was done.

Bought a cassette type rear wheel and a lovely megarange 12-32 cassette where previously it had a 12-28 freewheel. A nice easy job if you have the tools. I was a bit worried about the index but got round it by omitting the top gear which I hardly ever use anyway. I adjusted the small cog stop screw accordingly, then re-set the top gear 'base' cable position and then wound the big cog stop screw out a tad. Effectively I've moved the derailleur swing in towards the spokes a bit, in fact by one cog width. 

Everything indexes and changes gear perfectly, very pleased as I was a bit worried if it would work. I've yet to try it properly but had a very short spin just up and down the road to test it under load, the 32 tooth cog is going to be a lovely lovely thing to use on them there hills! Offroad hills mainly on farm tracks and paths.

Also changed the brake blocks yet again! I seem to go though these like hot cakes!


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## Wolf616 (10 Oct 2015)

My gears weren't changing very well and the front derailleur was rubbing so I started pissing around with the limit screws for some unknown reason. After about 15 minutes of cursing and the occasional twist of the barrel adjuster I realised I'd farked it up more than it was at the beginning and so spent the next 15 carefully re-adjusting everything back to how it was.

I'm a top mechanic - willing to offer a discount to all users of CycleChat for my services


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## Gravity Aided (10 Oct 2015)

Test rode the Marlin, with different chainring,and all worked quite well. 1.5 miles per hour hour faster over the same course. Oh, and I fixed an MP3 player I got in a garage sale and figured out how to upload music.


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## Spoked Wheels (11 Oct 2015)

Swapped a 52T chainring for a 50T on my winter bike..... lovely!!!! I did a 40+ miles yesterday and I felt the difference.

Swapping the chainring took 5 minutes top. Readjusting the front derailleur took twice as long. (Shimergo Triple)


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## bpsmith (11 Oct 2015)

Stripped the rear dérailleur on my Bianchi as clicking again. Realised that cage was bent, so duly straightened. Also increased the Tension while cage was off. I now have a B tension screw that actually does something.

60 mile test ride yesterday and it was bliss!


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## Trembler49 (11 Oct 2015)

Cleaned the rear cassette and derailleur and now realised I need a new cassette, and probably chain.


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## SpokeyDokey (11 Oct 2015)

Nothing.


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## HLaB (11 Oct 2015)

Lol, I've not got round to it either. About 60miles into a 106 miles ride yesterday, I snapped a gear cable, didn't help I was in the middle of the relative hilly Rutland. Tightened my limit screw so I had a slightly easier 34x13 or 50x13. Got back about 4.30pm but didn't bother fixing it until around 7pm, 'got plenty of cables'. Lol, I did but they were all brake cables (both campag and shimano. So I cleaned up and reindexed the commuter and used it for today's ride. On the way back I remembered that a new lbs had opened just two miles from my door and as they have a few shops they might be open on Sundays. They were so I popped in for a few. Seven hours later, they are still sitting on the table


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## Gravity Aided (11 Oct 2015)

Partially respoking a 700c wheel, and harvesting a hub from another, if I ever get out of this laundromat.


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## Pumpkin the robot (11 Oct 2015)

Swapped wheels over, fitted new tyres, chain and chain set. I also cleaned the shoot pit of a garage out it is now just a poo pit, but I can work in there!


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## Gravity Aided (11 Oct 2015)

Martin Archer said:


> Swapped wheels over, fitted new tyres, chain and chain set. I also cleaned the shoot pit of a garage out it is now just a poo pit, but I can work in there!


On my list for Wednesday, I'll reclaim the garage so I can make a workshop and little studio space so I can take better pictures of stuff that breaks or falls apart. Or that I make.


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## HLaB (12 Oct 2015)

HLaB said:


> Lol, I've not got round to it either. About 60miles into a 106 miles ride yesterday, I snapped a gear cable, didn't help I was in the middle of the relative hilly Rutland. Tightened my limit screw so I had a slightly easier 34x13 or 50x13. Got back about 4.30pm but didn't bother fixing it until around 7pm, 'got plenty of cables'. Lol, I did but they were all brake cables (both campag and shimano. So I cleaned up and reindexed the commuter and used it for today's ride. On the way back I remembered that a new lbs had opened just two miles from my door and as they have a few shops they might be open on Sundays. They were so I popped in for a few. Seven hours later, they are still sitting on the table


Finally got round to fixing it last night, thought my shifter was Fuchiama at first but I unscrewed the side plate to find the cable had snapped 1cm back from the cap and that was jamming the mech. 
.


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## Elybazza61 (12 Oct 2015)

Over the week-end fitted Axiom 'guards to the Planet X which went on without too much hassle;only downside is wheel removal will be more hasssle as the guards fit on the axles with adaptors,good for bikes with no guard mounts though and they even fit around the calipers fine.






Also started the 1x10 conversion so fitted the XT mech,Stronglight 48t chainring and new chain;works ok-ish but need a new cable and probably an in-line adjuster to get it set-up properly.Rode it this morning and the mech changes ok,just the extreme ends of the cassette are a bit flaky;lovely and smooth though so I'll perevere with it.


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## Illaveago (12 Oct 2015)

I raised the handlebar stem on my Carlton today and gave it a test ride to see how it felt. The test ride was also used to try to find a chrome plated cap which fits in the crank of a TA Stronglight, so the route was going to be what I had ridden a few days ago. I wasn't going to set any PB times as I was trying to spot an object the size of a bottle top, I covered 4 miles in 50 minutes. It is amazing how many how many bottle top sized objects you can find when you are looking for one, sadly they were all bottle tops.
The work I had done had improved the ride although I freewheeled most of the way. I am beginning to like the way the bike feels.


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## mustang1 (12 Oct 2015)

New koolstop yellow v-brake pads.


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## Accy cyclist (13 Oct 2015)

I cut a piece of an old inner tube out and made a chain slap guard for my old Scott bike. Then i fitted some new Clarks brake pads on the front.


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## Turdus philomelos (13 Oct 2015)

In homage to oor Lizzie


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## Karlt (14 Oct 2015)

Limit screw and indexing on rear of commute bike. Looking at it I think that the 12-30 cassette really wants a medium cage derailleur, as I can either have the chain too short to run 52x30 or too long to run 40x12 - or both. I know these combinations shouldn't be used anyway but it's indicative that the RD's struggling a bit and the spring is being stretched and relaxed to its limit.


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## migrantwing (14 Oct 2015)

I _*was*_ going to get the drill out and put some hooks up to hang the bikes in the brick shed that I have. I've had the dreaded man flu for a week, just coughed and now I have pain down my right leg and lower back and can hardly move. FFS!


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## HLaB (14 Oct 2015)

Spotted a bit of a cut in my rear tyre tread. Probably could be fixed with super glue but I never had any to hand but I did have a tyre, so I fitted that. Its been a funny day here weather wise too; mostly crisp clear and dry but the occasional shower is getting blown in on an easterly, so I bodged on a rear mudguard as well.


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## HertzvanRental (14 Oct 2015)

Fitted triple chainset to Claude Butler. Also needed to change FD, but found a NOS, silly cheap on e-bay. Only had time for a whizz around the block, but, so far, everything seems ok.Also fitted some lights and a bottle cage. I'm worn out!!


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## Hacienda71 (15 Oct 2015)

Fitted a dropper on my mtb to try to offset some of my crap technique when descending. Will try it out Sunday am at Macclesfield Forest.


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## Illaveago (18 Oct 2015)

I thought I would see what the BSA Tour De France was like to ride, I have got a pair of old chrome wheels so I thought I would pop them in. Wouldn't fit! The gap wasn't wide enough. Emptied out half of my garage to get my hydraulic ram. Connected it up, slowly easing the frame out. Suddenly I felt my leg getting cold and wet. Sadly it comes with age! The piston seal had given up. 
Now more fettling to do washing my jeans. The wheel now fits.


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## Chris S (18 Oct 2015)

Somebody had dumped a loop-framed Raleigh Chiltern by the recycle bins on my estate. I pumped up the tyres, adjusted the toggle chain so that it was in middle gear (the trigger shifter was broke) and took it for a ride. i was quite impressed. I was going to take it to a local bicycle recycling charity but now I might keep it for a pub bike. The lack of crossbar should make mounting and dismounting easier when I'm under the influence of alcolhol


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## Kevoffthetee (18 Oct 2015)

Change the terrible giant stock pr3 tyres to lithion2's and fitted th SRAM garmin mount to the Defy. Then it started raining so didn't get a chance to go out, might go and get muddy later on the MTB


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## ColinJ (18 Oct 2015)

Not a bike fettle, but the laptop I have been fettling is the computer that I use for plotting all of my forum rides, and also what I normally use to post on Cyclechat, so I think I should get away with mentioning it ... 

It is an old laptop but it is fine for what I do so I don't see the need to buy a flashy new one. The hard drive was getting a bit full, however, and it has developed a few bad sectors over the past year so it was time for a new, bigger drive. I fancied trying an SSD (Solid-State Drive) for a performance improvement, power-saving, and to make the laptop more rugged. I know a couple of people who killed the HDDs in their laptops by being a bit clumsy with their machines while the drives were saving files. With an SSD inside, I can use my laptop on my lap without that worry. Unless I drop it or spill a drink over it, it should be fine.

I was up until 04:00 cloning the old HDD on a USB backup device, and then beginning the transfer back to the new SSD. I got tired and left it to finish the transfer while I snatched a few hours sleep. I have been using my tablet in bed to type this, but now it is time to go downstairs to find out whether I am now in SSD heaven, or SSD hell. Past experience tells me that there is bound to be some unforeseen problem leading to an unbootable laptop and a day off the bike, scouring the internet for advice. I am about to go downstairs, and I may be some time ... Wish me luck!


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## ColinJ (18 Oct 2015)

Noon on the first day. ColinJ holds his breath, powers up his laptop and ...

... hears 2 sharp beeps - 'No bootable devices'!

This could be a long day - time to put the kettle on!


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## jayonabike (18 Oct 2015)

Put a different set of wheels on the Ti bike, adjusted the brakes, cleaned the cassette, fitted a new chain and removed and cleaned the jockey wheels.


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## ColinJ (18 Oct 2015)

[_Now on my SSD-powered laptop_ ]

Blimey - I thought I was going to get really stuck there, but a combination of tweaks got the computer working again! It seems to be quite a lot snappier than it was when working from the old HDD.

There is still work to be done. I had cloned the old 60 GB HDD and copied that over to the new 128 GB SSD so a chunk of over 60 GB of the new drive is currently wasted. I'll work out how to extend the partition later, but I thought I would take a coffee and CC break first!

PS The partition has now been extended (using WinPE, Diskpart, Extend) to fill the drive so I have plenty of free space. I am doing a bit of housekeeping to clear out a lot of junk files and then I think I will clone the new drive and keep that as a backup.

And tomorrow ... I'll get back to riding my bike!


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## fatjel (18 Oct 2015)

Fitted the new wheel with SP dynamo to the Kaffenback.. Is a bit heavier than the Aksium that normaly lives there
Seems to not spin as freely either.. 
Fitted the B&W light to the forks and we have Light !
Oh if it were that simple.. The light is designed to fit on the same bolt as the brakes
The Kaffenback has disc brake and no hole in the forks either
Managed to use the reflecter bracket from the old carrera with a longish bolt and very rusty washer.
Bolted to the right hand fork now .Looks crap but works.. 
The wheel came with a little bag with little plastic bits in which I put somewhere safe on thursday
Longest job of the day was finding said bag which contained the plug to wire up the light
Shall be up early to test it properly before it gets light


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## Karlt (18 Oct 2015)

Still struggling with that RD - it either doesn't want to go on the largest cog or the back of the cage hits the spokes. I think it's bent. Well, I was going to replace it anyway.


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## Spoked Wheels (19 Oct 2015)

I serviced a set of wheels with Shimano 105 hubs. 

Cup and cone bearing adjustment is always a matter of trial an error, not matter how many times you this. The last two times I did this I got it spot on very quickly so I thought "I think I've mastered the technique " but today it took 4 and 5 attempts to get it right. Anyway, the job is done now and wheels are ready for another year.


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## Karlt (19 Oct 2015)

[QUOTE 3961061, member: 43827"]Could it be that the gear hanger is bent? Do you have access to a hanger adjuster tool to test it?[/QUOTE]

It could be and no I don't. It's quite a likely option thinking about it. I'll give it a visual inspection before I ride home tonight - it's probably more likely than the derailleur itself, thinking about it.


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## Karlt (20 Oct 2015)

Karlt said:


> It could be and no I don't. It's quite a likely option thinking about it. I'll give it a visual inspection before I ride home tonight - it's probably more likely than the derailleur itself, thinking about it.



Well what do you know - that explains why I had to adjust the indexing _away_ from the lower gears - normally as cables stretch you'd expect to have to go the other way - and the problem with hitting the spokes on the lowest gear - the derailleur is tilted towards the wheel - and the tilt seems to start at the hanger.


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## Karlt (22 Oct 2015)

[QUOTE 3963057, member: 43827"]I do a lot of work on my and my friends' bikes and find the hanger adjuster tool a great help. I know it can be done visually but I prefer using the tool. Costs around £20 if I remember correctly but well worth it.[/QUOTE]

I might have to get one. Took me a while to get it sorted the other night. Of course, being tilted knocks out the indexing so if it works at the top of the cassette it doesn't work at the bottom. Now it's straight it's working fine. Or as fine as a derailleur built for early indexed 6-speed can on 8-speed with a relatively cheap Claris brifter


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## Slioch (23 Oct 2015)

Just finished upgrading the groupset on my Carrera Virtuoso Halfords special from 2300 to full Tiagra. This is my winter bike, and I've always promised to treat myself to an upgrade as and when finances allow.
The parts upgraded are...
Brifters
Cables
Rear & Front derailleur
Cassette
Chainset
Chain
Bottom bracket
Brake calipers

Took me 3 evenings to get it right. Seems to be all working ok on the stand, so looking forward to a proper test ride tomorrow.
Fingers crossed 

Oh, and the old components have scrubbed up well with a bit of life left in them yet, so will be donated to the The Bike Rescue Project in York for recycling.


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## HLaB (23 Oct 2015)

Tightened the barrel adjuster on the T2 and pumped it tyes up to 105psi, if you can call that fettling :-/


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## Gravity Aided (25 Oct 2015)

From Wednesdays trading spree, I finished fixing and tightening handlebar on my Electra Deluxe Classic 3, then rode 12 miles on it.


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## DaveReading (25 Oct 2015)

Decided to revolutionise my chain maintenance regime as I seem to have been using the world's stickiest oil - chain, RD, rings and cassette are caked with black gunge, though TBH my shifts are fine so I was tempted to leave well alone.

First task was to try to find the quicklink under the black gunge.

That done, my next instinct was to Google for a new chain from a local supplier, as I couldn't face cleaning it, but the Scot in me balked at paying 8 quid for something that might not be necessary, so it was out with the degreaser and toothbrush. After an overnight soak and a good scrub, it was clean enough to do a wear check, only a couple of percent elongation so good enough for a few hundred miles more. Obviously I didn't then stick it in the dishwasher to finish the cleaning process, rinse it out and then 10 minutes in the oven at 50C to dry it out. Oh no.

With a chain that I could eat my lunch off now, time to look at the rest of the transmission. It was clear that both the chainrings and cassette were going to have to come off to clean them properly. I couldn't face taking the crank off, so I made do with undoing the spider bolts so I could get two of my triple rings off, and just cleaned the granny ring in situ. I'd had my SRAM 8-speed cassette off before, so I knew that I could split it into individual cogs which made cleaning it a lot easier.

With everything spotless and reassembled, I reached for my newly-acquired bottle of ProGold and pondered how to apply it. After experimenting with a syringe (without a needle) and getting most of it on the floor, I settled on a paintbrush to apply the ProGold individually to each link followed by a final wipe to remove any excess.

A quick ride around the block confirmed that everything was working smoothly, not sure if it was my imagination but pedalling seemed marginally easier now I'm not shifting all that crud around. Riding to the pub later, so we'll see if it's still easy on the way back uphill after a couple of pints.


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## youngoldbloke (25 Oct 2015)

DaveReading said:


> With everything spotless and reassembled, I reached for my newly-acquired bottle of ProGold and pondered how to apply it. After experimenting with a syringe (without a needle) and getting most of it on the floor, I settled on a paintbrush to apply the ProGold individually to each link followed by a final wipe to remove any excess.


You need a 'blunt needle' to go with the syringe. Sold for refilling printer ink cartridges. It will be more efficient and ecomomical than the paintbrush!


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## Profpointy (25 Oct 2015)

not bike related, and a week since rather than today, but huge bungled but finally sucessfull fault finding on my hoover - a quite expensive but not very old Festool which connects up to a power tool (eg sander) as well as normal hoovering. Did a load of dust-extracted sanding - machine died, leaving a lot of not extracted duat on the floor. Fuse Ok, took it apart - power ti the board, no power to motor. Lots of debugging (live) with multimeter as well as reaistance checks and decided the control board was faulty - a £60 part - ouch! This detects when a power tool is connected and fired up to automatically turn on the hoover. Motor itself works if direct to mains. Ok I'll ditch the board just to check if it will work in fully manual mode instead - stuff the too-hot trip switch - I'll do without. Now no longer works - wtf? Turns out it was an intermittent break in the mains lead - so all the other careful debugging was leading to random results. So rejoin all the cables I'd cut to test stuff, cut 12" of dud bit off the cable and job's jobbed. Anyoing as if I'd spotted the fault in the first place would have taken 15 mins rather than most of an afternoon. And if the cable had actually not decided to work for a bit whilst I first checked it would have been much easier too.


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## DaveReading (25 Oct 2015)

youngoldbloke said:


> You need a 'blunt needle' to go with the syringe. Sold for refilling printer ink cartridges. It will be more efficient and ecomomical than the paintbrush!



Thanks. Come to think of it, I've probably got some of those somewhere from the time I used to have endless fun refilling my inkjet cartridges.


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## Psycolist (25 Oct 2015)

Not so much 'todays fettle', more like the last 3 weeks fettle. Pleased is a tad understated. Picked up a very shabby Big Sur frame off Fleabay about six weeks ago. Spent a couple of weeks planning an sourcing the bits I was short of, then three weeks ago I started. Two weeks were spent sanding and preparing the frame, and last weekend spraying and stickering. This weekend spent building, and, as I hope you can see, the result is great. So far I have only had a poodle up to town and back, I hope to get out into the rough stuff next weekend.


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## wisdom (25 Oct 2015)

New work bench built in the garage along with a massive vice which om sure will come in handy


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## Gravity Aided (25 Oct 2015)

Converted Raleigh Technium 460 to 700c from 27". Greased bottom bracket on Schwinn commuter , a drop bar 26" old mtb conversion, and added a couple of missing screws to my Electra Classic Deluxe3, the ones that hold the cable to the Shimano Nexus 3 speed. I may add a front brake, as this is a coaster brake now, I just don't trust my chain that much! It does make for a nice clean bike when no cables are around, except the one that controls the three speed.


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## Chris S (28 Oct 2015)

Gravity Aided said:


> I may add a front brake, as this is a coaster brake now, I just don't trust my chain that much! It does make for a nice clean bike when no cables are around, except the one that controls the three speed.


Good idea - the chain slipped off my AW hub at the weekend. The axle nut had worked slightly lose and the sprocket was now at a slight angle to the chain.


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## Illaveago (28 Oct 2015)

I fitted a new Aldi wireless computer to my Carlton Competition, pumped up the rear tyre and then went out for a ride with a friend this afternoon. We took our time and covered over 27 miles. I felt as though I could have gone further but the Sun was going down and we needed to get back.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Oct 2015)

Tires on the Raleigh Technium 460, and a short ride around the block, as I was cleaning the garage after having had to make a trip to Peoria which took most of the morning. Then I went to the LBS and bought some Bontraeger Hard Case 700x28 tires . The Raleigh just needs handlebar tape and a good cleaning and greasing to be ready for the roads. Hopefully, it will be a while before snow, ice, and salt make their appearance, and I have to resort to the Trek Marlin. The Technium is aluminum, but only the main triangle, the rear triangle and forks are steel. Way too many corrosion possibilities there.


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## SpokeyDokey (29 Oct 2015)

Nothing (again).


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## ANT 666 (29 Oct 2015)

Fitted new bearings to two sets of hope hubs. I was surprised how easy it was.


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## si_c (31 Oct 2015)

Removed old bar tape, it was getting quite filthy, scuffed and marked from commuting every day. Put some cinelli cork on. My wrapping was far far better this time around than last time. It almost looks like it was done by someone who knows what they were doing.

Adjusted the rear mudguard a touch, re-tensioned the front derailleur and adjusted the limit screws, wasn't shifting so nicely after the derailleur got bashed when I hit a bit of diesel on a RaB last week and the bike went sideways. Much better now, benefit of using friction shifting though, if it was indexed it just wouldn't have worked at all.


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## Illaveago (31 Oct 2015)

si_c said:


> Removed old bar tape, it was getting quite filthy, scuffed and marked from commuting every day. Put some cinelli cork on. My wrapping was far far better this time around than last time. It almost looks like it was done by someone who knows what they were doing.
> 
> Adjusted the rear mudguard a touch, re-tensioned the front derailleur and adjusted the limit screws, wasn't shifting so nicely after the derailleur got bashed when I hit a bit of diesel on a RaB last week and the bike went sideways. Much better now, benefit of using friction shifting though, if it was indexed it just wouldn't have worked at all.


You can easily compensate if it goes out of adjustment.


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## the_craig (31 Oct 2015)

Changed my pedals to Clipless and put cleats on my new shoes. I tried to footer about with the fitting but I'll get a good run under my belt and try fine tuning it. 

Unclipping is tricky.


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## 3narf (31 Oct 2015)

The boy's new bike! Now the front brake works properly.


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## Gravity Aided (31 Oct 2015)

Lots of fettling getting done, as rain and wind seem to accompany any day off I might have. Currently wrapping handlebars on the Raleigh Technium, and resolving a few issues like sticky stuff on the bicycle from some sort of tape or something, and getting the bottle cage mounts sorted(I've found Techniums to be notorious for this, this is my third, but first with indexed downtube shifters and higher end components) as well as brake adjustments and tuning for a big trial run, probably tomorrow. Very impressed by a couple of jaunts around the block.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (31 Oct 2015)

Wohoo! Sheffield Cycle Jumble this morning so lots of fettling done

Sorted my rear braking woes (Suntour SE cantis do not work well with Tektro power hangers when there is a lot of mudguard clearance) with some Dia-Compe 987s for £3

Sorted my weak springed LX rear mech with a replacement Deore - just needed a good clean - £3

Was looking for some spacers and a slightly shorter stem - found a nice Gusset stem - brand new, nice and shiny, with a long clamp so no need for spacers and just the right length and angle - £5.50

Needed a new cassette - got a nice hardly used 11-34 for a tenner

All in all I had a £160 basket saved at SJS cycles waiting to check out - without the stem! With bits from the jumble and a new disc rotor from LBS today, spent £80 including the stem and got more than was in the online basket


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## andytheflyer (31 Oct 2015)

Fitted a second Minoura Space Grip - I now have one on the front DR post on the recumbent with a Fenix and a simple white light on flash, and the Cree T6 on the second Space Grip on the bars so that I can physically dip it if it's dazzling someone coming the other way. 

Just ordered one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld610-led-rear-light/ and a belt clip to replace one of those nasty cheap Chinese LEDs on the back. I have a Smart 5 LED on the back too - but they don't seem to be available any more - the Cateye looks close.


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## Psycolist (31 Oct 2015)

I've had the week off work, had planned lots of bike related activity, but apart from Tuesday, when I had an epic off road adventure, I've been looking after my two grandchildren. Its been Armies with the model soldiers , Tea parties with the dolls , Hospitals, Shops, Garages, Scalextric and hot Wheels, and the high light was watching a film called Gnomeo. Maybe tomorrow if I'm lucky, I can clean the off roader from Tuesdays outing.


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## Gravity Aided (1 Nov 2015)

Oh, and I took an old stainless water bottle and made an adapter to put a Trangia at the right height within a Sterno folding stove for any cycle camping I might do this autumn. The Raleigh required Goof-Off to remove the sticky stuff. But it is now ship shape


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## HLaB (1 Nov 2015)

A bit of a failed fettle from me. Went to fit new mudguards only to find the front brake caliper bolt completely seized. I've managed to get the actual brake off but the nut is almost impossible. I say almost as thanks to a lbs owner on Faceboke, who suggested I screw a 6mm bolt in stead of the brake and then use it to hammer the nut out, I've got it about 5mm out but I gave up around 9pm when I thought the hammer might be annoying my neighbours. I'll try again in the morning :-/


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## Gravity Aided (1 Nov 2015)

HLaB said:


> A bit of a failed fettle from me. Went to fit new mudguards only to find the front brake caliper bolt completely seized. I've managed to get the actual brake off but the nut is almost impossible. I say almost as thanks to a lbs owner on Faceboke, who suggested I screw a 6mm bolt in stead of the brake and then use it to hammer the nut out, I've got it about 5mm out but I gave up around 9pm when I thought the hammer might be annoying my neighbours. I'll try again in the morning :-/


Almost time for the angle grinder.


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## hedder2212 (1 Nov 2015)

Put some old tires onto the winter bike, it did have a brand new set of City jets on it but being such a cheap skate, they are expensive tires for me and i don't want to use them through winter  Also adjusted the rear brake and bodged the front one, For some reason the calliper bolt to the frame would go all the way in, used a brake pad spacer behind the bolt and now it sits nicely and brake works better than it did before


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## hedder2212 (2 Nov 2015)

Yet another successful bodge to the winter bike. 
I needed to fit a rear pannier rack to the bike without it interfeering with the rear cantilever brake, i didnt want to go out and spend any money on a new pannier rack so pulled one off the shelf from one of my old bikes. Using a old steel reflector bracket and bending the original frame attachment on the rack i managed to get it on without it being anywhere near the brake and to keep with the bodging thing i have going on, i used some calliper-frame bolts to fix the rack to the bike


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## ANT 666 (2 Nov 2015)

Yesterday took the front end off the MTB as it needs new fork seals. Today the weather was fantastic so put it all together again with new brake cables and went off into the hills for a few hours. shorts, lightest shirt i have, bloomin lovely on top of the berwyns about 22 degrees or so. 
I'll do the seals as soon as they get here.


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## HLaB (2 Nov 2015)

A bit more success in the fettling today :-) Got in tonight and with only two -three taps of the mallet the brake nut, seeped in wd40 the last few days, came out. Afterwards I applied a little black touch up paint to the scratches I'd made to the forks the days before when the nut wouldn't budge. I found an old nut off a rear brake I can use temporarily until I get a replacement but the commuter once the paint dries is ready for guards.

I also took the Fulcrum wheels off my campag bike, the rear having a disc cover and removed the freehub so I could swap them for the shimano carbon clinchers on my ti bike, the wheels will be hung up for winter but the bike will stay out with guards. Put 25mm tyres on the Fulcrum's too!

I'll put guards on the commuter and the ti tomorrow now they are prepped.


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## Elybazza61 (3 Nov 2015)

Last night replaced the rear mech cable on the Planet X(actually the only mech cable as it's now 1X10).

Old one had frayed so was slipping (wild guess but prob why it wasn't shifting right)so new cable and one bit of outer replaced as it was a bit short and an in-line adjuster fitted.

Almost right straight off the bat,only a small tweek of the adjuster and b-screw needed.

Seemed ok on today's commute so will see how it goes.

Pretty pleased as I had it done in about half an hour as well including removing and re-fitting the bar tape


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## hedder2212 (3 Nov 2015)

The mother of all "get me home only" bodges was performed today.
Brake cable snapped on my morning ride, luckily not too far from my friends house.. Popped to his... no spare brake cable but no problemo, the king of bodges i am  two old cable hangers flattened and welded together, Cable then bolted into the "pinch"?? bolts and brake working once again. Got me to wilko where i purchased a new cable and then back home where the bodge was quickly undone and cable replaced. 

EDIT - edited for spelling mistake corrections.


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## ANT 666 (3 Nov 2015)

Changed the gear cables on the MTB Sachs 8 speed twist shifters, what a bitch of a job, no easy way to do it, all springs and bits of plastic, quite a job to sort it all out,but got there in the end.


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## dave r (3 Nov 2015)

andytheflyer said:


> Fitted a second Minoura Space Grip - I now have one on the front DR post on the recumbent with a Fenix and a simple white light on flash, and the Cree T6 on the second Space Grip on the bars so that I can physically dip it if it's dazzling someone coming the other way.
> 
> Just ordered one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld610-led-rear-light/ and a belt clip to replace one of those nasty cheap Chinese LEDs on the back. I have a Smart 5 LED on the back too - but they don't seem to be available any more - the Cateye looks close.



http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LISMRTR1W/smart-lunar-r1-rear-led-bike-light-1-watt

http://www.planetx.co.uk/s?q=rear+lights


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## HLaB (4 Nov 2015)

Should have been more productive fitted the front guard to the commuter, cutting down the mudguard stays as necessary but its rubbing when I tighten the brake caliper, a bit more fettling I think 

So in order to have a bike for tomorrow i fitted a race blade long to the other bike, OT sks have made several mods to the race blade longs. The frame clips are o rings rather than U rings, the guard clips are metal and look much more robust and the mud flap are smaller and are pre attached, hopefully that will stop things flying off at speed


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## andytheflyer (4 Nov 2015)

dave r said:


> http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LISMRTR1W/smart-lunar-r1-rear-led-bike-light-1-watt


Thx @dave r , I have one of these (not a Smart but identical) so fitted that instead of the 5LED, and added the new Cateye too.

Had to scavenge the brackets bin to find something that fitted the Smart mount, and dismantled the Cateye mount to use the bit I needed, so that I could bolt these to the neckrest on the Performer. A bit of drilling and bolting, all done. Had to point the Cateye down a bit as it was very bright looking straight into the LEDs and I think it would be too much at eye level for a car driver. Cateye on constant and the Smart on flash. Should keep the cars away at night on the lanes.

Also fitted a Terracycle Fastback seat pack to give me somewhere to store a few bits when out and about. Plenty of room for the normal (tubes, tools), shower jacket, phone, plus a bit for flapjack, cake, more cake, gloves etc. Jersey pockets don't work on a recumbent........


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## Psycolist (4 Nov 2015)

Finally got around to cleaning the off roader, O-M-G That will teach me to leave a clean for over a week. I think the chain is a lost cause, every movement sounds like its impregnated with grit, & the rear derailleur had to be completely stripped down. The frame and wheels were caked in material similar to concrete. I ended up removing the wheels, took the tyres off and put them to soak in warm soapy water. They still are not as clean as I would like but I've run out of energy to get them any better. I soaked all the mud on the frame and rims with a gentle hose, then, once softened up, blasted with the pressure washer. Still not got it all put together again yet, that will have to wait for another day. I've left the chain soaking in Muc Off and see what tonight brings.


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## hedder2212 (4 Nov 2015)

Little bit of fettling with the winter bike AGAIN today. 




Bottom bracket developed a wobble. 




Luckily because of the bottom bracket type, i had a old bmx that donated some parts and the winter bike is back in action again. Next is to tackle mudguards.


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## raleighnut (4 Nov 2015)

Nice.


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## dave r (4 Nov 2015)

andytheflyer said:


> Thx @dave r , I have one of these (not a Smart but identical) so fitted that instead of the 5LED, and added the new Cateye too.
> 
> Had to scavenge the brackets bin to find something that fitted the Smart mount, and dismantled the Cateye mount to use the bit I needed, so that I could bolt these to the neckrest on the Performer. A bit of drilling and bolting, all done. Had to point the Cateye down a bit as it was very bright looking straight into the LEDs and I think it would be too much at eye level for a car driver. Cateye on constant and the Smart on flash. Should keep the cars away at night on the lanes.
> 
> ...




my original smart light after many years service just stopped working.
I have a carrier on the back of the fixed, I have a carrier fitting light plus on of these http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light 

fitted to the carrier using one of these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/


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## Drago (4 Nov 2015)

A Kia Sportage MAF. It's bike related, as I was on the way to buy some new rechargeable batteries for my bike lights when the dreaded dash light of doom winked on.


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## HLaB (4 Nov 2015)

Changed the front tyre on the commuter from a 25mm to a 23mm, it now fits fine in the front mudguard. I'll make a quick bite now and fit the rear.


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## HLaB (5 Nov 2015)

HLaB said:


> Changed the front tyre on the commuter from a 25mm to a 23mm, it now fits fine in the front mudguard. I'll make a quick bite now and fit the rear.


Realised I had to cut the stays down, so that never happened and fitted the rear tonight!


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## ANT 666 (6 Nov 2015)

New fork seals on MTB and got the winter bike sorted for tomorrows club run.


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## hedder2212 (6 Nov 2015)

Snapped both gear cables on the winter bike today. If im honest i was pushing my luck with how old the old cables were but atleast i got my moneysworth out of them 

Decided that while i was doing gear cables i would clean the rear mech up a bit and put a new (3 rides old - 45 miles max) chain on so thats on my to do list for tonight. Got the old cables completely off and old chain off ready.


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## Elybazza61 (6 Nov 2015)

Tyres fitted to the old Mavics for the ss project and then put on to set the brakes up and then fitted the bar tape.Stuck with the bb though as I don't have the right tool.

Also partly dismantled the Helium for it's winter hibernation,now all tucked away in a Planet X bike bag ready to spend the next few months in the back bedroom/music room.


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## Jenkins (6 Nov 2015)

Cleaned and lubed the Kona following Wednesday's filthy weather, then fitted new brake pads in the Whyte and the Cube.


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## youngoldbloke (11 Nov 2015)

On the old Ribble winter bike - new brake blocks, jockey wheels, and tightened up the preset on the L:H crank, and retorqued the crank bolts. Discovered the cassette lockring was only finger tight too (naughty!). All sorted plus a general clean up ready for the winter.


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## GrumpyGregry (11 Nov 2015)

removed the 720mm race face flat bars and flatish stem from the Big Dummy and replaced them with 640mm wide 40mm rise Surly Open bars, and a high-rise stem I had in the shed. Much more sit-up-and-beg now, and thus more comfortable to ride.


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## hedder2212 (11 Nov 2015)

Removed both tyres ready for it to receive new tyres. The old rear tyre blew out on a ride yesterday and i know the front is close to going too. 
Got some V-Brake callipers waiting to go on the front, Just need to find another pair for the rear and some niceish levers so i can do a V-Brake conversion. 

Think there is a small crack in the weld on the BB shell, Yet to inspect it properly but if it is, ill just give it a quick weld next week.


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## shouldbeinbed (11 Nov 2015)

the handlebar mount piece of the bracket broke on my favourite bar bag. thanks to halfords changing their brackets every 15 minutes and not carryings spares I've had to buy a cheap basket from Asda, have the whole set up apart to put the new block onto my bag and bracket onto the bike.


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## Doyleyburger (11 Nov 2015)

Picked up an old Richard Virenque Peugeot bike on Sunday. Ordered a few parts which arrived today





Upgraded the old quill stem and handlebars complete with new tape. Also put brand new schwalbe 25c tyres on amd trued up the wheels.




Just awaiting new gear cables and she's good to go. You may see it for sale on here very soon


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## Poacher (11 Nov 2015)

I'd forgotten how bleddy awkward Crud Roadracer Mk2 s can be to fit. So far I've only got the rear onto my Sid Standard, and it rubs like a..... rubbing thing, whatever I try to do. Probably doesn't help having 25mm tyres, but even so......

may have to take it off and only ride the Sid when weather permits. At least I do have alternative bikes.


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## fossyant (11 Nov 2015)

Turned the auto start stop back on (Garmin) ! Wondered why my commutes were taking much longer on ride time. Idiot ! Blamed it on a dodgy Knee.


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## Mireystock (12 Nov 2015)

Massive clean and re-oil/general love yesterday. I found two little bits of the Glos-Sharpness canal towpath from last weeks jaunt. (Tiny golden gravel pieces.)


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## hedder2212 (12 Nov 2015)

Fitted new tyres. Unstuck the seatpost. Adjusted front brake and now i can do stoppies. happy now


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## GoldDust (12 Nov 2015)

Just brought myself a brand new spanking rd bike. C Boardman to be precise . So I have been very busy with it last few days tweaking and perfecting everything


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## Jenkins (12 Nov 2015)

Still awaiting delivery of the Mk2 SKS Raceblade Longs as the plastic clip on the rear guard of my original pair has broken. Meanwhile I've bodged a fitting by taking the mud flap off and putting a bolt through there to hold it to the brake bridge clip - essentially using it upside down and permanently fitted.


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## Citius (13 Nov 2015)

GoldDust said:


> Just brought myself a brand new spanking rd bike. C Boardman to be precise . So I have been very busy with it last few days tweaking and perfecting everything



Does that include wrapping the bars in clingfilm?


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## gbb (14 Nov 2015)

Not today but been waiting for the pc to upload photos...
Wifes hybrid, she's been asking to have her lights refitted, its been a while since she's used it in the dark, way over a year.. so
An Enix 14v Li-ion 4x 18650 pack mounted in the topbox.





Homebrew 2x Cree (I think) LEDs, probably 1watt each fitted with a Cateye bracket bonded to the housing..




Cables run from topbox/battery to the light..light now plugged into external charger..




nd remarkably, the battery pack has sat in a box for waaaay over a year and still had loads of power straight away...




Job done, she's happy.


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## themosquitoking (14 Nov 2015)

New rim tape and valve fitted to my tubeless wheel, i was having a real problem getting it to inflate.


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## Psycolist (14 Nov 2015)

With the amount of rain in the last 24 hours, I've just switched over to my Alberts in the hope of a few miles in the mire tomorrow, fingers crossed.


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## HLaB (14 Nov 2015)

My rear mud guard started to rub at the end of last week's ride so I removed it for the Wednesday night and today's fast rides as the roads were dry on Wednesday and in morning but quite a bit of rain fell this afternoon and tomorrow's a social ride so I refitted them and hopefully worked out what was rubbing so if it happens again, I can fix it on the ride.


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## Profpointy (14 Nov 2015)

another (non-bike) day of muppet-worthy fettling but ultimately successful !

My very old, but rather good Mission amp working only on one speaker. After a bit of trouble shooting, decided one set of inputs were dodgy, so using another set all was well. After a bit more fiddling, with it running with board removed loose on my dining room table, managed to short something and the bloody thing wouldn't work at all ! Presumably had bust something on the input or pre-amp half.
None the wiser fiddling around trying to test transistors in situ (bearing in mind I don't really know what I'm doing).

Turn to ebay - looks like I can get another (the same) for a hundred quid or so, or what about these Quads and Naims?

After tea, tried one more thing, which it couldn't possibly be - the separate box booster power supply fuses (inside the box, not the plug I might add) - which it couldn't possibly be, and sure enough all works lovely again.

Luckily I'd not yet started bidding on fleabay !


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## Gravity Aided (15 Nov 2015)

Built a little stove for Esbit out of a small Altoids tin, a sink strainer, some hardware cloth, and a bit of aluminum flashing . As I cannot seem to get an Esbit stove around here, all of a sudden.


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## cyberknight (15 Nov 2015)

Put the new wheelset on he Boardman,man the freewheel is loud!


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## hedder2212 (15 Nov 2015)

Cable tied the pannier bags onto the bike after some little twonker tried to nick them and got caught by me and a friend. 
me - "alright mate what are you doing there then"
him - "none of your f*cking business"
me - "well it is because its my f*cking bike you twit" 

action to teach the little sod a lesson may or may not have been taken... 
Cable ties will take care of that never happening again


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## HLaB (15 Nov 2015)

hedder2212 said:


> Cable tied the pannier bags onto the bike after some little twonker tried to nick them and got caught by me and a friend.
> me - "alright mate what are you doing there then"
> him - "none of your f*cking business"
> me - "well it is because its my f*cking bike you twit"
> ...


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## hedder2212 (15 Nov 2015)

HLaB said:


>


I just poured water over the little sod... I might keep some just for that though


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## Elybazza61 (15 Nov 2015)

Gave the Planet X a quick once-over before the working week;just a swab down,chain clean and gear shift check,plus an adjust on the pads.Also gave some squirts of ACF-50* on some of the more delicate parts to help against corrosion.

*It's this if anyone is wondering;

http://www.acf-50.co.uk/acf-50.htm

Used to use it on my long gone R1(motorcycle),really good stuff but like wd-40 don't get it on the tyres.


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## Tin Pot (15 Nov 2015)

Argh.

Just as the sun yes goes I remember I need to clean the tonne of mud off my bike from Wednesday.


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## Dec66 (16 Nov 2015)

Front brake pads, Avid BB5.

The one on the piston side wouldn't go in properly. A dose of Muc Off to clean away amassed road detritus revealed that the pin in the centre of the piston was somewhat proud of its surroundings (not in the Yorkshireman way, but in the "get your little hex key out and do me up" way).

A spot of adjustment to the cable and a quarter turn slackening of the QR lever, and hey presto; quiet, working front brakes.

I was so emboldened I did the rears too. Plenty of meat on the pads, but a pain in the bum to find the spacer washers which dropped off the frame as I removed the caliper.


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## gbb (17 Nov 2015)

Even a brand new bike out the box can benefit from fettling.
Just got an cheapo Activ Oakland hybrid from Amazon. Raleigh designed alloy frame, steel forks, 3x6 speed with triggershifts, rack and mudguards..its ok for the money...its all I need. £150, 

Out the box, assemble., front wheel is (as expected from a cheap import)..tight and grindy. Slacken off axle, oil, re-adjust, or should I say adjust properly...it now spins like a goodun.
Did the rear as well. 
Front wheel had a very slight wobble, maybe 3mm at one point. Contacted Amazon, suggested a partial refund to cover the cost of re-truing...they agreed, £20 off, so its cost £130. 
5 minutes with a spoke spanner...hehehe, not perfect but quite acceptable.

Cheap wheels...didn't expect much different for the money, but you realise average joe bike buyer probably wouldnt even realise the hubs were too tight.


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## wisdom (19 Nov 2015)

New brake pads fitted front and back on the commuter.The ones on have been hammered in this last 2 weeks of rain.Treated it to a new rear cable inner as well as the one on was the original. It's done well been on for 5 years.


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## Spoked Wheels (23 Nov 2015)

Yesterday I decided to try to cold set an old frame. I had looked into Sheldom Brown cold setting method and I didn't buy it, probably the only suggestion I haven't thought it was very good one.

I have a hub bearing presser that I thought it would be just the tool to cold set an old frame. It turned out to be a straight forward job and now I'm a very happy bunny.

I love it when a plan comes together


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## rdfcyclist (25 Nov 2015)

I've made a Rookie mistake recently as I didn't realise just how thread-bare my tyres were. After a blowout this afternoon I think it's time for two new Gatorskins this evening.


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## Profpointy (25 Nov 2015)

rdfcyclist said:


> I've made a Rookie mistake recently as I didn't realise just how thread-bare my tyres were. After a blowout this afternoon I think it's time for two new Gatorskins this evening.
> 
> View attachment 111053



cripes ! Never mind new tyres, you need to invest in new glasses .

(not quite done that but have similarly neglected a very slack chain, which came off - amazingly I didn't despite it being a fixie


----------



## hedder2212 (27 Nov 2015)

I haven't fettled anything recently BUT today i decided to put work on the back burner for a few hours. 

GF *NEEDED* new tyres putting on her bike so that she could get to work, she had a slip the other day in the rain and has lost confidence in her old tyres. Put the Schwalbe city jets on that were on my winter bike onto her bike, they have only done 40 miles or so on the winter bike so were near new. 

Put the tyres that were on her bike onto my winter bike so i can use it to go and fetch my new tyres tomorrow. 

I'm going to look at a bike tomorrow that i know will need some work doing to it to get it upto scratch so i may be doing quite a bit of fettling over the next few days.


----------



## hedder2212 (29 Nov 2015)

Both gear cables snapped on a ride into town today. 
All cables including brake cables replaced, Chain removed, scrubbed, refitted and lubed. 
Headset bearings desperately need replacing but im going to just stuff the headset with grease so it can wait until i have time to go back to the LBS to get some more. Id order them online but id rather support a local shop, even if it does cost just that little extra..


----------



## PeteXXX (29 Nov 2015)

No bike fettling today, but the bike shed was treated to several of new planks and lots of squirts of spray bitumen due to some leakage going on.






As it's been precipitating it down since the fettle was done, I will be able to check in the morning to see if its worked.


----------



## Elybazza61 (30 Nov 2015)

Yesterday was mostly spent cleaning and fettling the Planet X and the Icarus and re-fitting two tyres after punctures.

Was going to fit the chain tugs to the Weigh but didn't get around to it.


----------



## si_c (30 Nov 2015)

Swapped out stock brake pads on the front to some koolstop salmons. The others still have loads of life left in them (~2000mi), but given the crappy weather, I'd rather have some better ones. Will see how they go on the commute tomorrow. Also gonna clean up the front wheel, make sure the surfaces are all nice.


----------



## Truth (30 Nov 2015)

PeteXXX said:


> No bike fettling today, but the bike shed was treated to several of new planks and lots of squirts of spray bitumen due to some leakage going on.
> 
> View attachment 111405
> 
> ...


Did it leak then or not and more importantly did you finish the San Miguel?


----------



## fatjel (30 Nov 2015)

Swapped the seat post on the Kaffenback for a Promax carbon one.
Has a bit more layback and a smaller saddle fitting thingy which suits the 
Brooks saddle better. Weighs a bit more than the old one tho.

Gave it the once over and the front pads have nearly had it. 
3860 km according to strava .I would have expected longer
Is the first time I've done any distance with discs


----------



## Spoked Wheels (30 Nov 2015)

Fitted Marathon plus tyres on my winter wheels. 

Just need to sort out the mudguards now


----------



## HLaB (30 Nov 2015)

Cleaned up the commuter and fitted a new chain.


----------



## Pumpkin the robot (30 Nov 2015)

I took the cassette off, gave it a clean. Cleaned the chain and chain rings. I also fitted the mudguards and that seemed to stop it raining here!


----------



## hedder2212 (4 Dec 2015)

Fitted some new lights to the Saracen Hylander.
I haven't been riding much lately because i now work from home so im going to start putting the miles in at night.
Also cleaned and lubed the Saracen. Ready for her first proper outing tonight.





I think these will do for the route im planning to take.


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## Psycolist (4 Dec 2015)

I had all my lights and computers off all our bikes for an evening of fitting new batteries and recharging the rechargables. This included the rechargeables that I carry as spares, and replacing the others that I also carry. This was achieved by spending nearly £15 in my local supermarket and 6 hours waiting for the chargers to do their job. That should be us sorted for the rest of this year, before any more charging needed anyway, & the new dry cells will be fine until the clocks change again. This is on the assumption that the Christmas fairies don't send us any new stuff of course.


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## dave r (5 Dec 2015)

My fixed has been treated to a replacement chain, chainring and bottom bracket

Man At Work


----------



## Gravity Aided (5 Dec 2015)

Added a beam rack to the Raleigh Technium, and made tea on my folding Esbit stove as I did so. I also made windscreen for the alcohol stove.


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## Vikeonabike (6 Dec 2015)

It was on Thursday ... But my position has been fettled ... Proffessionally


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## Tin Pot (6 Dec 2015)

Vikeonabike said:


> It was on Thursday ... But my position has been fettled ... Proffessionally



How much did she charge?


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## hedder2212 (6 Dec 2015)

dave r said:


> My fixed has been treated to a replacement chain, chainring and bottom bracket
> 
> Man At Work
> 
> ...


and why is that cup not full of tea?


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## Supersuperleeds (6 Dec 2015)

I cleaned the commuter yesterday, first clean for a few weeks, I wouldn't say it was overdue but grass was growing out of the trapped mud on the mudguards.


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## 13 rider (6 Dec 2015)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I cleaned the commuter yesterday, first clean for a few weeks, I wouldn't say it was overdue but grass was growing out of the trapped mud on the mudguards.


Good to see your keeping up your maintenance routine ​


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## Supersuperleeds (6 Dec 2015)

13 rider said:


> Good to see your keeping up your maintenance routine ​



I have to be careful, I don't want to over do it


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## gavgav (6 Dec 2015)

Removed the Selle saddle that I tried on my last ride and hated, returned to the trusty Specialized which will be the one I stick with now. Too many attempts at finding another and failing!!


----------



## youngoldbloke (6 Dec 2015)

Put Turbo tyre on the 'dry weather bike'. Managed to remove tyre and fit new without resorting to any leverage device other than my thumbs


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## bpsmith (6 Dec 2015)

Deep clean of the best bike. Was caked after last ride. Ready for a full strip down, to put away until the salt has been and gone.

I bet that plan doesn't last!


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## dave r (7 Dec 2015)

hedder2212 said:


> and why is that cup not full of tea?



It was, I just needed a refill.


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## Elybazza61 (7 Dec 2015)

Yesterday I re-set up the rear mech on the other halfs Avail after her spill and gave the XLS a quick rub down before this weeks commutes.


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## dave r (7 Dec 2015)

dave r said:


> My fixed has been treated to a replacement chain, chainring and bottom bracket
> 
> Man At Work
> 
> ...



First days commuting on my fixed since my fettling session, its back in stealth mode, smooth as silk and quieter than a church mouse.


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## nickyboy (7 Dec 2015)

Started to get some worrying grinding noise in the headset and some rust coloured water from it. I'm rubbish at fettling so with some trepidation I checked the GCN youtube vid and opened up the headset.
They get dirty don't they? Cleaned it all up, regreased the bearings. But they looked knackered.

Went for a ride today and the headset was crap, probably even worse then before. So I took the bearings out and went to the LBS (the bearings have no serial numbers). Got the nearest replacements and then I fitted them myself and reassembled the headset. Good as gold


----------



## ianrauk (13 Dec 2015)

A long fettling day today.
The Van Nich was stripped down and completely cleaned, greased and re-lubed after the very mucky night ride from Cambridge to Home.

The commuter was also stripped down. Including one of my favourite fettling jobs... cleaning and greasing the wheel hub bearings. Also swapped over the rear derailleur (Shimano 105) to an Ultegra one that I had lying around spare.
I noticed that the chain was stretched and the cassette was a bit worn, so new ones on order. Along with new brake and gear cables. Might as well give the bike a little overhaul. So that will be next weekends job,


----------



## Supersuperleeds (13 Dec 2015)

I saved myself some fettling today by using the commuter for my ride today as it was already filthy from last week, and it can stay filthy until next weekend, will mickle the chain as needs be during the week.


----------



## HLaB (13 Dec 2015)

Not exactly fettling but I cleaned my bike again. The chain/cassette seemed to have stayed fairly clean after yesterday's drenching and cleaning but the frame/wheels seemed dirtier than yesterday :-/


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## hedder2212 (13 Dec 2015)

Took the front brake pads off ready for a new set to go on tommorrow. Ive worn them down good an proper


----------



## Psycolist (13 Dec 2015)

A miserable week........no fettling, no riding, just work, work, work, ( i'm in the postal / delivery sector ) & the only riding I have managed was to and from work, To cap it all my Mrs decided to agree to have the grandchildren stay over Saturday night,  so that mum and dad could get their Christmas shopping done ! So after I finished work on Saturday there were games of Monoploy, Snakes and Ladders, Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur, Pac Man and Ludo to play, and deliberately lose at.  Sunday had been set aside for putting up the decorations, so spent all day making sure the 3 & 6 year olds didn't fall off ladders or hammer pins into the dining table, trying to get last years lights to work, then once they had gone home at about 5-30, take everything down and do it all properly, then clear up all the mess from their overnighter.  So at 8-30, sitting down to an early supper, late dinner of Beans on toast before falling exhausted into bed, ready for the morning alarm to go off. Best weekend since we had them stay over in the summer hols.


----------



## Elybazza61 (13 Dec 2015)

Cleaned and fettled the Icarus after this week-ends rides;got to change the tube in the rear tyre as the valve is faulty.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Dec 2015)

Psycolist said:


> A miserable week........no fettling, no riding, just work, work, work, ( i'm in the postal / delivery sector ) & the only riding I have managed was to and from work, To cap it all my Mrs decided to agree to have the grandchildren stay over Saturday night,  so that mum and dad could get their Christmas shopping done ! So after I finished work on Saturday there were games of Monoploy, Snakes and Ladders, Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur, Pac Man and Ludo to play, and deliberately lose at.  Sunday had been set aside for putting up the decorations, so spent all day making sure the 3 & 6 year olds didn't fall off ladders or hammer pins into the dining table, trying to get last years lights to work, then once they had gone home at about 5-30, take everything down and do it all properly, then clear up all the mess from their overnighter.  So at 8-30, sitting down to an early supper, late dinner of Beans on toast before falling exhausted into bed, ready for the morning alarm to go off. Best weekend since we had them stay over in the summer hols.


I feel for you, I used to work in the photographic business, and things were non-stop from our Thanksgiving until New Years. Then slow until people went stir crazy in February, and went on vacations to Florida and the Caribbean.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Dec 2015)

Did a little more work on a camping stove project, decorated the house, and put up a new mailbox, as the old one was rusty. The new mailbox is plastic.


----------



## contadino (20 Dec 2015)

I just managed to take around 95% of a buckle out of my back wheel and got the front one pretty much spot on.

This is a job that I've been bricking myself about as the wheels are old, my only set, and two LBSs have said the wheels were not fixable. On top of that the wheels are 27" ones which don't exist here in Italy so replacements have to come from Germany or the UK. I've never done any wheel truing before.

Armed with a spoke key and a couple of YouTube videos I gave it a shot and am pretty impressed with myself.

I think that maybe one of the spokes on the back wheel is borked at the rim end, as it just seems to unwind any tightening I applied so I'm going to investigate whether that's something I can address myself. That's why I couldn't get that wheel spot on.

Very chuffed with myself.


----------



## HLaB (22 Dec 2015)

Cleaned and lubed the bike after a wet ride. Doh, I'd forgotten that I was going to change the chain, did that after tea.


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## Psycolist (23 Dec 2015)

Last bike cleaning session of the year. mickled chains and greased/loobed the cables, checked all my tyre pressures tweeked a couple of spokes to remove a slight wobble, adjusted brakes, just a general check over  of all the working parts. Had a sweep around the workshop and general tidy up.  Hoping for many cycle and bikel related goodies to come my way over the next few days. That should include several storage items that will help free up some precious space.  I thought I would take the opportunity to wish all members of this forum a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS  and hope you all have a very GOOD NEW YEAR ! See you all in 2016


----------



## Pumpkin the robot (25 Dec 2015)

Fitted the new Dura ace calipers I got for the bike a few months ago. Removed the chainset and cassette, cleaned and lubed them and put them back on. Traced a squeak that I thought was a DI2 cable rubbing on the inside of the frame to the rear brake cable ferrule, which was corroding in the frame. Replaced that and applied a bit of grease around it.


----------



## Spoked Wheels (25 Dec 2015)

Just fitted new Marathon tyres to my MTB and re-aligned the disc brakes.

Hoping to do a ride on boxing day


----------



## cyberknight (25 Dec 2015)

Trued the wheels on my lads new bike, they must have settled whilst in the shed awaiting x mas day .


----------



## hedder2212 (26 Dec 2015)

New Batteries in the lights. 
Removed bottle cages and cleaned them.
Thats it.


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## HLaB (26 Dec 2015)

Might pump up the tyre's on my bike but that hardly counts as fettling


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## bpsmith (27 Dec 2015)

Swapped tyres and cassettes around from Fulcrum's and Zonda's to new FFWD wheels.

FFWD's on the Bianchi. Zonda's now on the Defy again. Can't wait for a test ride, maybe tomorrow morning.


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## contadino (27 Dec 2015)

Fitted the bar tape that I got for Xmas. Not something I've needed to do for 30 years, but it looks pretty good.

I was a little worried about tape being short - it seems a common complaint - but the Tenn Outdoors stuff was plenty long enough.


----------



## Elybazza61 (27 Dec 2015)

Cleaned the Icarus and cleaned up ad re-greased the free-hub on the Zondas which had a bit of a wobble;much better now(hopefully).


----------



## hedder2212 (29 Dec 2015)

First time doing anything to the claud butler so decided to do a proper clean up of it...
Discs, derailleurs, Chain, Cassette and crankset removed and cleaned up in the parts cleaner.... all sparkly now 
New gear cables, Grips, bottom bracket tyres and innertubes 
Cleaned and polished up the forks, frame and wheelset 
Taken it for a quick test ride around the block  rides booooootiful


----------



## biggs682 (30 Dec 2015)

had a tinkering session last night on a 80's Peugeot road bike and stripped the headset and bottom bracket and then put it back together again with some fresh grease feels a lot smoother now


----------



## Gravity Aided (2 Jan 2016)

Set my Raleigh Technium up on the trainer today, got a proper old training tire put on, and had a go, after adjusting about every bolt one can find on an old Minoura Mag-Trainer.


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## Jenkins (2 Jan 2016)

A quick bleed of the front brake in my Cube and it's now back to normal rather than the lever going all the way back to the bar if I don't give it a few squeezes first


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## subaqua (2 Jan 2016)

Full strip down and clean of the commuter. Which involved putting the new dynamo front light on, the new front wheel as it went past truable , which then led into resetting up the Magura hydraulic rim brakes and new brake blocks. Oh and a new front mudguard as I finally found the clicking noise ( broken stay bracket) 

Only the frame forks and bars are the original now . Triggers broom bike !


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## hedder2212 (2 Jan 2016)

Cleaned the Claud Butler.
Cleaned the Saracen, Tuned the gears, Put new brake pads onto it, Pumped up the tyres. Ready for my brother @redvision95 to pick up tommorrow.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (3 Jan 2016)

Fitted my new handlebars (thanks @gavgav ) and stem to the Raleigh.





New look for the New Year






Out of curiosity and because the weight of my bike has been commented on elsewhere, I did a bit of weighing and the new bits save 370 grammes. Not too bad.


----------



## dan_bo (3 Jan 2016)

My knee after I spakked it on a rock at Gizburn. 

BTW Gizzy trail centre needs a good fettling after the monsoons.


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 Jan 2016)

dan_bo said:


> My knee after I spakked it on a rock at Gizburn.
> 
> BTW Gizzy trail centre needs a good fettling after the monsoons.


That doesn't sound ideal. Nothing too serious I hope?


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## dan_bo (3 Jan 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> That doesn't sound ideal. Nothing too serious I hope?


Nah. Flesh wound.


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## Rickshaw Phil (6 Jan 2016)

Just something simple this time. When I got my Busch & Muller lamp it came with an optional rubber hood which prevents light from it spilling upwards and spoiling your night vision. That was always a bugbear of mine with the Hella lamp I also use and my attempt to stop it with bits of tape was never very satisfactory.

I've therefore spent a few minutes with an offcut of inner tube and some car body trim tape and made my own anti-dazzle hood.






Not a great photo but it gives the idea. Wish I'd done that ages ago.


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## martint235 (6 Jan 2016)

Bit late but I fitted two new Durano tyres to the commuter on Monday to replace the Marathons I've been having issues with. I've got a new cassette and chain for both the commuter and Lelly but need some dry weather to get the workstand out.


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## derrick (6 Jan 2016)

New chain and cassette fitted Tuesday was hoping to make it last till the spring but the shifting got a bit rough so i bit the bullet. The shifting is so smooooooooth, feels like a new bike. Luvely.


----------



## the_craig (7 Jan 2016)

Tonight, I fitted my new front dérailleur. I also took my rear dérailleur off and gave its a good clean and greased the jockey wheels. Then I renewed my cables, both inners and outers. 

I would love to say she's running sweetly but the thought of indexing gears and adjusting brakes is giving me the fear. 

Maybe that can be tomorrow's fettling...


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## Gravity Aided (7 Jan 2016)

Made an alcohol camping stove from an old water bottle and a strip of carbon felt.


----------



## Cold Snail (7 Jan 2016)

I built a hack bike out of some bits found in the garden.






Cost just under £20 for the tubes, cables, chain and a couple of brake bits.


----------



## Tin Pot (7 Jan 2016)

What with all my tube troubles I've missed this thread - I'm overdue a fettling!

Just fitted a rear, matching this time, Gatorskin Ultra 23mm.

Wiped her down with some random cleaning spray and kitchen towels.

Something is up with the shifting since I took the rear off for the first flat, front derailleur is out as well, grinding the mech when on the little ring, and jumping or not shifting on the rear.

So I'm aiming for a break in the weekend rain to get it into the bike stand and sort it properly over a cup o tea and the Zinn manual


----------



## Spoked Wheels (7 Jan 2016)

I fitted my Marathon Plus replacement tyre and I fitted my new Ortlib Classics panniers.


----------



## Strathlubnaig (7 Jan 2016)

Replaced the bottom bracket bearings on the winter Allez, rear wheel bearings up next.


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## Tin Pot (8 Jan 2016)

Might have a problem with the the skewer.

Setting of at a traffic light this morning I found my rear wheel off kilter and jammed against the clamp of the rear mech.

Releasing the skewer last night had been some work, a bit of grinding that I thought was just dirt.

To free the wheel I released it no problem, but screwing it back in just span round.

I jiggled the wheel a bit set it again and it went in and screwed down ok.

Is something odd happening here, or did I just poorly seat the wheel both times?

Ride another two hours on it without problem, but I've got the ride home to contend with if something really is up.


----------



## Chris S (8 Jan 2016)

My rear reflector was half full of water, making only the top half operable. I bored a hole in the bottom to let it out.

I was amazed by the amount of water that had managed to make its way in through the tiny gaps. I can now see why people have problems with rusting brake cables on loop-framed bicycles, were the cable points upwards to the caliper.


----------



## gbb (9 Jan 2016)

Trek 7100fx, getting a bit long in the tooth now...my son uses it for commuting and he's terrible with bikes so while he's off, took it back and give it some tlc.
Wheels off, clean, strip and service both hubs.
Detatch brake cables, lightly rusty inside, wipe down, lubricate, refit.
Chain given a thorough wipe., oil and wipe.
Jockey wheels relieved of a mountain of crud.
Seatpost out, clean, a little antisieze applied.
Saddle has been had by his dog , taped up and made somewhere near good.
Tomorrow, new front V brake pads and dial everything in.

No doubt it'll be In a terrible state again in a feq weeks, he really is cr&p with bikes.


----------



## gbb (10 Jan 2016)

To follow yesterdays work...
Front V brake cable bolt wouldnt undo easily, very very tight with corrosion. Bolt removed with a bit of wrestling, thread re-tapped to 6mm.
New pads on the front.
Adjust front brakes, adjust gears, goes quite well now...still looks like a clunker though


----------



## palinurus (10 Jan 2016)

New brake pads and new tyres for the commuter today, next up is a full transmission rebuild- but since I've committed to that I'll run the current stuff until my cog looks like a ninja star.


----------



## wisdom (10 Jan 2016)

Full fettle after the recent extremely wet commutes.everything cleaned and lubed.Ready for the next bout whatever it may be.


----------



## Elybazza61 (10 Jan 2016)

Basically cleaned winter crap off three bikes.


----------



## HarryTheDog (11 Jan 2016)

On Friday whilst commuting my bike started to vibrate and make a noise when free wheeling at speed above 20mph. I did not have time over the weekend to look at it but today I had to stay at home ofr the burglar alarm people so carried out a full investigation and clean up of the bike.
I took the freehub apart and found the pawls and teeth of the freehub body looked ok, though the springs may have felt a bit weak. cleaned it up, bit of light teflon grase and the dam thing still does it when I spin it up fast when on the workstand. Oh well off to the LBS with that I have exhaused my experise on that. I had to move tyre and cassette onto a spare wheel so I can use it tomorrow.
I then investigated my right pedal as I got the odd creaking noise from it, Oh thats simple I thought its wobbly ( Speedplay pedal) I'll just tighten it. turned out it was not the pedal. The metal thread insert in the carbon crank was coming adrift. On googling I find this is fairly common on FSA K Force Lights. I bought them secondhand 5 years ago so cant moan too much. I had 3 cranksets hanging around, 2 were too long ( 172.5) but found a nearly brand new Shimano 170mm but in silver that came off my wifes bike. Luckily I had BB bearings to suit. Didnt like the 50/34 rings so put the 52/36 off my old crank, then decided chainring really was too worn so put a new one I had bought a while ago on. See comparison below. Finally the bike is ready but looks a bit wierd with a mainly black bike with silver crankset and black chainrings.


----------



## Spoked Wheels (12 Jan 2016)

My Tortec mudguards arrived yesterday and I fitted them on my lunch brake. Much easier to fit than the SKS mudguards. It took 40 minutes and they look great. The SKS took 2 hrs + several attempts to make it better over the last 2 years and they still look cr4p.
Only criticism of the Tortec so far is that the bolts they provide aren't long enough for some bikes. Good job I had what was left over from the SKS set.

To be fear to SKS I think my biggest mistake was trusting Wiggle with the measuring. I wanted to ride 28c tyres so I bought what Wiggle suggested. The wheels were always rubbing so I swapped tyres to 25c. I read the other day that you should buy the next size up, which makes total sense.

I now believe that if I had bought the next size up, that would have been under 1 hr job.


----------



## Arjimlad (18 Jan 2016)

I had a rattling & loose riv-nut on the chainstay bridge on my Giant Revolt. I have emailed the company who sold me the bike in May 2015 to see about a warranty repair, but in the meantime managed to silence it with a dribble of superglue before screwing the mudguard back on. The guards have only been on for a couple of months so it is a bit disappointing that the riv-nut has worked loose. It does not look like an easy repair to me, if the Giant frame warranty does not respond to the claim.


----------



## martint235 (18 Jan 2016)

Saturday rather than today. Fitted a new cassette and chain to the commuting bike, Weldon. I've got another cassette for Lelly but can't decide if it's time for a new one yet. The gears aren't misbehaving as I also repaired the damage I did to the lever by hitting a big pothole near Ebbsfleet.


----------



## dave r (20 Jan 2016)

After my close encounter with the hedge trimmings on Tuesday the Fixed was brought in tonight, the tyres were checked for anything that might be in the tyre that hadn't got through, the tyre pressures, wheel alignment and chain tension were checked and tweaked. And the new pair of Koolstop Salmons were fitted to the front.


----------



## Colin_P (23 Jan 2016)

Saturday night is the night for....

Jet washing the bike, drying it off and using an airline to get all the water from the nooks and crannies, fixing a puncture. The joys of having a lit dry garage.


----------



## biggs682 (23 Jan 2016)

fitted 2 prs of tytres to 2 bikes


----------



## HLaB (24 Jan 2016)

Not a major task, I fitted koolstops pads to the rear of my bike.


----------



## gbb (24 Jan 2016)

Not so much fettling but post ride today, the Ribble was filthy. For the first time, I followed others suggestions and used baby wipes...brilliant.
What the heck have I been faffing around with before


----------



## Psycolist (24 Jan 2016)

Had my first proper off road outing yesterday, and again today, then had to spend hours trying to clean the mud and grit out of the moving parts. My bike performed faultlessly, as usual, a shame my legs didn't perform quite as well.  Anyone got any tips of getting the grit out of the chain ring teeth, anything that is not quite as tedious as individually wiping out each individual tooth with a rag pad. At least it was a reasonably sunny while I was working on it, sunnier than while I was riding actually. A very pleasant weekend all round.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (26 Jan 2016)

Nothing (again).


----------



## Jenkins (26 Jan 2016)

One puncture patched - the replacement tube I was going to use went in the bin as it had been in the saddle bag for so long that the multi-tool had rubbed through the plastic bag and ruined the tube.
Two bikes de-mudded and lubed.


----------



## Cold (26 Jan 2016)

Currently hacksawing a broken seatpost out of an old MTB that I was given looks like it's going to be a long process.


----------



## tfg71 (27 Jan 2016)

Fitted mudguards to my old gt Palomar. Few new swear words added to my vocabulary. Was going to fit rear pannier but that won't go on so it's going back to shop. Just need to get the chance to get out and see if the guards will stay in position.


----------



## Psycolist (27 Jan 2016)

Started stripping down my winter build. It looked lush, very happy with the cosmetic out come, but wasn't happy with the way it rode. Certainly didn't feel as good as my current off roader. Bottom line was that it didn't give me confidence. But I enjoyed building it and putting it through its paces. So I am taking it back to basics, changing the bars, gearing and tyres then putting it up for sale as a hybrid. It will do someone a turn. I also started to polish up the ally frame of my dismantled road based hybrid. First impression is that its going to take more time and effort than I thought it would.


----------



## HLaB (29 Jan 2016)

Pumped up a tyre I had to deflate to get passed the brakes. Whilst doing so wondered if I should change it. A moment later the decision was made for me  so the tyre's changed now!


----------



## Tin Pot (29 Jan 2016)

Note to self:

When cleaning screws don't wipe them down with same cloth that has lubricant on it.

Bottle cage screws? Gone

Pump holder screws? One left.

Sigh.


----------



## DCLane (29 Jan 2016)

The Eastway got cleaned after a week's commuting.

And the Merida MD-3 cyclo-cross is nearly finished - cables, chain, wheels, spacers, etc.; just a rear brake disc to fit and it's done.


----------



## Pumpkin the robot (29 Jan 2016)

Picked up the new to me Caad 9 and adjusted it to to fit. I also swapped the saddle for my preferance of the charge spoon, in snow camo flavour! I have matching bar tape to fit tomorrow after I have taken it for a spin!


----------



## DCLane (30 Jan 2016)

Finished off the Merida Cyclo-Cross MD-3 using a frameset bought from here. It's had:

Paint chips touched up
Deda 26 bars and stem
New Ultegra bottom bracket
New Tiagra 4600 crankset and front derailleur
New Sora 3500 shifters and rear derailleur
9 speed Ultegra chain I had left over
Cane creek cross levers
Mavic XM319 wheelset with used Sammy Slick tyres
Avid 1 disc brakes
New Selle Italia Seta saddle
Elite side entry bottle cage
White SPD pedals
Some spacers
Boardman red bar tape - yes, it's red. But it was also only £2
The obligatory photo:







There's a couple of teething problems; the headset isn't fitting properly so it's a temporary (but working) bodge and the rear brake disc isn't great. Otherwise it's OK although I think the bars were a bit low so they're up more in than the photo.


----------



## Tin Pot (30 Jan 2016)

I Fettled a Basketball hoop.

But it was nice to be out in the garden using tools and making The Boy happy.


----------



## hondated (31 Jan 2016)

Yesterday shortened my chain on my Bianchi ML3 triple as I have just rebuilt it after trying a Compact yet again. I thought when determining the chain length you placed the chain around the biggest sprocket and chain ring and added a link and a half but it seems that is too long.
Cleaned and oiled chain.
After that I re indexed the gears and I was surprised to not find a B screw on my Campag rear mech.
Today this afternoon I am going to try once again to re true the front wheel on my Audux. Should last until I manage to get some more money for new wheels.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (31 Jan 2016)

New front brake blocks fitted.

Greased pedals.

Greased BB.

Checked all bolts for tightness with torque wrench.

Got bored after doing this lot, was going to clean it as it's looking pretty grim tbh, but couldn't summon up any further interest so I left it as it is. At least it is in decent and safe working condition. It'll get a spritz after the next filthy ride later this week.


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## Elybazza61 (31 Jan 2016)

Cleaned and fettled the Planet X after it's recent inactivity;might even get some proper commutes in this week.


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## Tin Pot (31 Jan 2016)

Found replacement frame bolts, applied lithium grease, tightened up.

Hosed her down, wiped over with washing up liquid, attention to the rims, hosed down again. 

Wiped dry.

Wiped chain, reapplied wet lube, sprayed live on front derailleur and cranks/BB.

Checked brake alignment.

Replaced battery in Polar FT1 with a CR2032, a bit of a tight fit as it wants a CR2025, and lost one of the four watch back screws in the process. At least I have HR back online 

Took her to the garage for a good session but couldn't find the turbo spindle.


Already for the first commute of Feb.


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## Glow worm (31 Jan 2016)

Finally tracked down the source of the annoying clicking sound on each crank revolution- turned out my chain ring bolts were very loose indeed. Now nice and tight and the clicking has gone 
I'll be checking the bolts more regularly from now on.


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## Big John (31 Jan 2016)

Built a winter training wheel with a new Shimano Claris hub and rim/spokes I had knocking about in the shed. I'll not profess to being an expert wheel builder but I enjoy it and they seem to last.


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## wheresthetorch (31 Jan 2016)

Patched son's MTB inner tube *again. *Think I've finally got the culprit out of the tyre (with a bit of help from Mrs WTT's better eyesight).


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## cyberknight (31 Jan 2016)

Got an elite volare turbo so i set up the pain cave  , ie in the bike shed .The next job is to put the turbo tyre on a spare wheel.


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## hondated (31 Jan 2016)

Big John said:


> Built a winter training wheel with a new Shimano Claris hub and rim/spokes I had knocking about in the shed. I'll not profess to being an expert wheel builder but I enjoy it and they seem to last.
> 
> View attachment 117578


Well don BJ I struggle to re true a wheel and aspire to building my own.


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## Deleted member 23692 (2 Feb 2016)

Swapped the round narrow/wide 32 tooth chaining on the MTB for a new swanky 32 tooth oval jobbie... and very nice it is too.

A bargain too at the promotional price of £15.07 from Superstar


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## PeteXXX (2 Feb 2016)

Tube replaced after yesterday's visit from the p*ncture fairy and a slow in the replacement tube. 
New brake pads fitted while the wheel was off.


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## Illaveago (2 Feb 2016)

I have unpacked the spin bike that arrived today and have been assembling it. Just have to put the batteries in and wait for my wife to try it out.


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## beastie (3 Feb 2016)

Fitted new brake blocks, pads. Installed new wheels (built by @Spoked Wheels )
Spent 3 hours making a £10 set of Halfords mudguards fit the 25 mm new tyres. Tools used included cable snips, pliers, blow torch, file, saw and of course cable ties


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## Spoked Wheels (3 Feb 2016)

beastie said:


> Fitted new brake blocks, pads. Installed new wheels (built by @Spoked Wheels )
> Spent 3 hours making a £10 set of Halfords mudguards fit the 25 mm new tyres. Tools used included cable snips, pliers, blow torch, file, saw and of course cable ties
> View attachment 117804



Looking good!!!

Good job with the mudguards!!!! I think, after looking at your mudguards, I'll have another go at fittings mine 

How do you rate the saddle? 

I have that crackset on my winter bike


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## Fnaar (3 Feb 2016)

Front and rear brake blocks changed and adjusted on the winter roadie


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## beastie (3 Feb 2016)

Spoked Wheels said:


> Looking good!!!
> 
> Good job with the mudguards!!!! I think, after looking at your mudguards, I'll have another go at fittings mine
> 
> ...


I had to file a hole and used cable ties instead of the brackets. Took a lot of fettling. 

The saddle is really comfortable. I had a Charge Spoon for 3 or 4 years and liked it. It was fine for 3 hours or so. Back to back rides, when the first ride was 4 hours or more, I had a lot of discomfort.
The SMP is great. Much more comfortable and especially the next day after a long ride.


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## dave r (3 Feb 2016)

Today it was a team effort, firstly down to the LBS with the rear wheel off my fixed for truing, picked it up this afternoon and the fella from Ride had done an excellent job. Tonight I got the tyre and tube fitted and the wheel back in the bike and straight in the frame, adjusted and cleaned the chain, and then checked the tyres for debris, they had been hedge cutting in Withybrook Lane yesterday and I'd picked up a puncture, so tonight I was searching for anything that hadn't got through but was still lurking in the tyre. While I had the bike in the house and the tools out I got the noisy right pedal off then stripped, greased and adjusted it, finally got the polish out and gave the bike a good polish.


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## Psycolist (3 Feb 2016)

Picked up a VERY sad looking pair of RockShox Duke XC forks at an auction. The lower legs were in awful condition, really really bad. No top cap on one side, missing perspex RockShox logo on the same side, paint work was more peeled than paint, but what I could see of the stations, crown and steerer looked ok.. Had a chance to dismantle them tonight. Better than I could have hoped, the stantions were near perfect. Now it just so happens that I have a set of Duke legs from an old set that had had the steerer damaged, along with all the innards. So a marriage made in heaven has given me a very nice set of retro XC forks that will give many a modern fork a good run for their money, and all it cost was a little foresight in keeping the old bits and £6 to the auction house. Happy days.


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## fossyant (4 Feb 2016)

Snow studs, guards and rack removed from the MTB. On went the On-One Chunky Monkey 2.4's - fatties indeed. Rear has been left flat as I'm awaiting a new cassette and chain, so will need to come off (can't get past the canti's inflated). That's it for today, my back wasn't happy.

New saddle on the way too so that will be sorted tomorrow. Getting ready for when I can ride again.


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## Illaveago (4 Feb 2016)

I recovered my saddle! I mean both senses of the word, it was an old Sells Royal gel saddle that the cover had disintegrated with age. I thought that I would try re-using it by replacing the cover with an old chamois leather. I ripped off the old material cleaned the plastic frame with white spirit and glued the leather on . Once the glue had set I took it for a test ride.B.............! Rock hard , the leather is a good friction material, I think I'll have to wax it to make it a bit more slippery. The cover withstood my 4 mile test ride but the saddle is really hard so I won't use it that often.


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## Tin Pot (4 Feb 2016)

Put on tri bars. Haven't adjusted fit yet. Will see if I survive the commute first...


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## Accy cyclist (5 Feb 2016)

Not me but the lad in my LBS put some new bearings in my back wheel and put two new links in my chain.all for a tenner! I asked him how long it took him and how much of that was labour. An hour, so it was £7.50 labour and £2,50 parts was his reply. I gave him 13 quid and told him to charge a tenner an hour not £7.50 in future.


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## Elybazza61 (5 Feb 2016)

Cleaned and fettled the Icarus for tomorrow's club ride;found a glitch on the chain/chainset when on the inner ring and bottom cog,think it's a bent tooth but as it's on a combo I never use I'll leave for the mo and sort out at a later date(unless of course it get's worse).
However looking at tomorrow's forecast and still recovering from flu I may give it a miss,will see how bad it is in the morning;if I don't go at least the bike will stay clean


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## Tom B (8 Feb 2016)

Around 18 months ago i fitted some SKS chromoplastics to my commuter.

Ever since I have meaning to fettle them by replacing the bridge fastener by drilling and bolting the guard to the frame.

A few weeks ago I bought myself some 30C Winter Stud Tyres for mounting on some spare wheels and using on icy days.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-winter-spike-road-tyre/rp-prod118113

The use of the slightly larger Tyre necessitated a bugs dick worth of extra clearance so i finally got around to properly attaching the guards.

I also added a spoiler to the front guard, I had been getting wet feet simply as a function of where the guard ended and where my feet naturally rest. I had considered margarine tubs, neoprene etc but in the end just bought the man for the job






http://www.highonbikes.com/accessor...-spoiler-pro-mud-flap-35mm-mudguard-part.html

I was skeptical that this part would be big enough so I bought




too.

However i need not have feared the smaller spoiler does the job... It sort of has two flaps underneath one I think kills the waterflow and one the airflow which stops the water being driven back towards me feet.

So i put the larger airbrake on the rear!


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## Illaveago (13 Feb 2016)

This is the saddle that I recovered. The marbled effect is due to the fact that it was an old used chamois leather. I have gone over it with 600 wet and dry used dry, it feels like suede now.


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## Proto (14 Feb 2016)

Repaired a recurring puncture for my youngest daughter (she hadn't found the flint that had penetrated the tyre) and fitted a race number bracket to my middle daughters race bike. Unashamed willy waving photo attached!


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## Tin Pot (14 Feb 2016)

Cleaned the bike, attention to the rims.

Adjusted the race blades.

Reset the front brake pads after some squeeling last week.

Reindexed the rear d. Got my lowest two gears back. Not entirely happy as I had to do a slightly different process to that documented last August, but we'll see.

Paintwork looks like it's taking a bit of stick on the rear stays.

Any suggestions on crimps for the gear cables? Two have fallen off and the cables start to splay.


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## raleighnut (14 Feb 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Cleaned the bike, attention to the rims.
> 
> Adjusted the race blades.
> 
> ...


Most bike shops sell 'antifray' cable ends, I get em for 5p each. (normally buy a quids worth at once)


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## HLaB (14 Feb 2016)

Cleaned the bike and fitted new front pads fitted the rears last week.


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## Elybazza61 (15 Feb 2016)

Cleaned the Icarus;full wheels off proper clean too.


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## redvision95 (17 Feb 2016)

Ive been using abusing the saracen for a while and decided to dip my toe into the whole wrenching on my bike thing (if i screwed up id of just called my brother) 

New brake pads, New tyres, New chain, New cassette and a really good clean... I didn't know the wheels were silver underneath all that grime  I've managed to re grease the headset bearings without screwing that up and even managed to do a slight adjustment to the rear gears to get the lowest gear running smooth again


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## Tin Pot (17 Feb 2016)

Bike not perfectly shifting, but feels amazing after the last fettle. Stronger, taller, faster(!)


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## Tenacious Sloth (17 Feb 2016)

Yesterday I fitted a new longer-reach 105 rear derailleur, 11-32 cassette and chain to my CAADX, and then went for a 50 mile ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/495135196

Nothing fell off and the gearing was much better for me.

Graham.


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## gbb (17 Feb 2016)

Despite a day off today, weathers crud and I was busy all morning so no ride but..got the hybrid out (fairly budget Raleigh Glendale), it had a slight buckle on the front wheel straight out of the box. ?.pah, I got the bike reduced and gave it a quick tweek at the time. Today, a more detailed tweek and its now almost perfect.
No wheel jig, not even a spoke spanner.
No, a finger against the fork and the rim and a pair of pliers 

Wouldnt do that on a good bike mind.


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## HLaB (17 Feb 2016)

My old wheels whilst still having good hubs and are true had a bit of a groove in the front rim and a broken spoke on the rear drive. I was going to hope they lasted another month but I'm still waiting for JE James to process my spoke order and in the meantime saw some good offers on tyres and wheels so I got them and fitted them tonight :-)


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## Arjimlad (18 Feb 2016)

My son's Carrera Crixus was in a shameful state, he had not informed me that the rear brake was bad and the pad had worn down to show some metal.

After replacing the brake pads I realised the wheel was buckled as well.

My first effort only made it a whole lot worse.

I left it for 45 mins and watched a Youtube video about wheel truing. Second go and the wheel is nearly 100% true. Pumped up his tyres, cleaned & oiled the chain and he's good to go.

Just need to get him to clean the thing now.


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## Archeress (18 Feb 2016)

I commited the cardinal sin of letting the chain wear too far on my MTB (well it has only done 800 miles since new) so fitted a new cassette and chain. Cleaned the jockey wheels while the chain was off. Also adjusted the front disc brake, both caliper position and cable. Then whilst on a roll adjusted the reach of the brake levers for my small hands (something Evans Cycles told me couldn't be done on this model when we bought it) after finding a little spring loaded screw.







I also would like to ask... my fiance has a hybrid with an 8 speed cassette with 12-26 teeth. He always complains about climbing hills, so is there any reason I couldn't fit a 11-32 teeth 8 speed cassette like I have on my MTB?

Hugs
Archeress x


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## Fnaar (19 Feb 2016)

I have a crappy old exercise bike that dates from about 1990 ... given to me by a friend (in about 1995) who no longer used it.
It sort of lost tension/resistance about 8 years ago, and I haven't used it since... it's been gathering dust in our junk room.
So, the other day, I finally decided to look at it, and either fix it or junk it.
It was surprisingly easy to sort the tension out once I'd taken it apart, and it is now fully functional again (if v. basic) and will do me for mornings when wind/ice etc stops me going out for a proper ride, plus the occasional evening exercise session.


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## Pikey (19 Feb 2016)

Took the front wheels off my trike to replace the rim tape after my involuntary deflation yesterday caused by the narrow crappy stock tape rolling up on itself and exposing the tube to the spoke end bits.

Replaced it with this nice thick mtb stuff from the shop, just had to cut it down as it was meant for 24 inch wheels and mine are 20's.

Whilst I was there, gave the brake discs a clean for good measure.


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## NorthernDave (19 Feb 2016)

Since getting my bike back from the wheel repair I've refitted all my essential kit - saddle bag, lights, etc and the new out front mount I bought for the Garmin Edge.
I also attempted to clean the original white bar tape, but will sadly have to concede that it's beyond help. I'll put up with it until the spring and get some new then. 
Will have to decide if I'm going to stick with white, or try something more sensible (like dirty grey?). Yellow would fit with the colour scheme but I suspect that will be nearly as bad as white...


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## Asa Post (19 Feb 2016)

NorthernDave said:


> I also attempted to clean the original white bar tape, but will sadly have to concede that it's beyond help.


It may be too late for you to try it, but I clean mine with small dabs of Swarfega rubbed in with a toothbrush.


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## Cuchilo (19 Feb 2016)

Buff it with a baby wipe every now and then . Buff it with a pack of baby wipes now though


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## NorthernDave (19 Feb 2016)

Asa Post said:


> It may be too late for you to try it, but I clean mine with small dabs of Swarfega rubbed in with a toothbrush.


Sounds worth a try - cheers.



Cuchilo said:


> Buff it with a baby wipe every now and then . Buff it with a pack of baby wipes now though


Worth a try too. Thanks.


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## HLaB (19 Feb 2016)

The stitching on the nose of my fizik saddle is starting to come loose so Im sending it back so swapped it for an old saddle tonight.


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## alecstilleyedye (21 Feb 2016)

wash and lube of mine and son's bikes after 20k of muddy roads this morning.


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## DCLane (22 Feb 2016)

Finally, after 2 Novatec freehubs and finding that the wheel wasn't a Novatec as described by the seller  , my youngest's Campag freehub arrived for his carbon tubular wheels today.

A bit of a faff but it fitted fine in the end. Just to get the tubular tyres fitted for racing on Saturday, along with carbon pads.


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## Fnaar (24 Feb 2016)

Front derailleur on my winter roadie... wasn't changing to big ring very well... undid it all, cleaned it all up, watched a youtube on how to do it properly, and now changing very nicely indeed


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## Jenkins (24 Feb 2016)

Chains on 4 bikes cleaned and lubricated, quantity of dried on mud removed from the front dérailleur on the MTB and a large quantity of GT85 applied so it now works.


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## derrick (25 Feb 2016)

Spent the afternoon fitting new cables, Gear and brake, Fitted new tyres and gave it a good clean up and lube, Problem is i don't want to take it out on the mucky roads now. Also did a bit on the MTB i am building for my grandaughter.


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## Milkfloat (25 Feb 2016)

I have been curing dodgy shifting on my winter bike. After monkeying around for hours over the last couple of months with a slightly bent derailleur hanger, which I straightened repeatedly, I tried new cable (inner and outer), new cassette and new chain and still had dodgy shifting. In the end I got a new hanger and from opening the packet to perfect shifting took less than 10 minutes. 

I have spent hours fiddling and swearing over the last few months and solved it immediately when I stopped trusting the wobbly hanger tool from Wiggle and just got a new hanger for less than a tenner. Lesson learned.


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## Spoked Wheels (26 Feb 2016)

I serviced a headset and on fitting everything back I noticed the top cup was not tightening. A new expander is needed but if I find a bolt that is 10mm longer I might fix the problem that way.

Also, my wife reported the dryer had stopped working so thanks to Mr Google I found a way to diagnose the problem with a voltmeter and then a trip to my local specialist to get the parts and replace them. Wife was very impressed


----------



## tfg71 (26 Feb 2016)

put a pair of city jet tyres on my gt palomar , was going to swap over my handle bar but the one i got is a little to short 
had to take of the cheap mudguards as the bits where they attach to the forks stops me releasing the front wheel.


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## si_c (26 Feb 2016)

New front brake shoes and pads for my Wife's town bike, swapped old pads out to the rear. Put some new pedals on the MTB as I'd regreased the old ones, and forgot to put a couple of bearings back in and it was creaking horribly. The crank arms are coming to the end of their life though, took me ages to get the pedals to engage the threads on the left side. Upgrade time I think. The horror.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Feb 2016)

Lots of fettling today.

Swapped the Dura Ace chainset on to the Helium with the ultegra one now sitting on the Icarus.New chain and jockey wheels also put on the Icarus and everything set-up.
Seat post adjusted due to the shorter cranks and stem raised a few mill,will see how it goes on the club run/100k ride tomorrow.

Oh and new brake pads fitted to the Helium;all I can do on that until the wheels arrive in March.


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## DCLane (26 Feb 2016)

I've fitted tubular tyres for the first time this evening 

My youngest's race bike has received:

Carbon wheels with a Campag freehub (3rd try, different hub type when 6 weeks later we finally found it was a Powerway one, not a Novatec ). All done now though.
Continental Competition tubular tyres fitted with tub tape
Discobrakes carbon pads, Swissstop ones removed for now
Seems to shift OK but we'll find out tomorrow. It may need a spacer for the rear cassette but that's all.


----------



## DCLane (27 Feb 2016)

The commuter bike's had a big mechanical recently when the rear mech snapped. So:

New rear mech hanger and replacement rear derailleur on the Carrera Virago which I use for commuting. The damage has scraped the magnesium frame so I'm hoping it's OK.
Cleaned and lubricated the Wilier Izoard after 2 rides today; 50 miles into the hills then round a track with my son's race team for another 20.
New chain and replacement wheels for the winter bike - an Eastway R4.0. So far it's done 2500+ miles this winter and the drivetrain's suffering.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (27 Feb 2016)

I cleaned the Sirrus today then rode it to the LBS for new pads, chain and cassette.


----------



## IBarrett (27 Feb 2016)

Sorted some things on my new Giant Defy2 to make it ready for my first proper ride on it tomorrow morning.
Fitted new Swiss stop brake pads, shimano m530 pedals, lights and Garmin. Flipped the head stock to lift the bars, and set the seat height to the same measured length from crank to seat as on my other bike.
I'm quite looking forward to getting out on 'Jonny Foreigner' tomorrow.


----------



## Blurb (28 Feb 2016)

Replaced broken spoke and dead trip computer. New inner tube


----------



## 0lonerider (28 Feb 2016)

Replaced the inertubes I borrowed over winter


----------



## Gravity Aided (29 Feb 2016)

Put a little short front rack ( like you see on Amazon) on my touring / commuter rig so I could carry one pannier without being imbalanced. Pannier sits on the top of the rack and fastens to the bars. I also plan to mount a Cree headlight to the front of the rack.


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## redvision95 (29 Feb 2016)

Adjusted the brakes and pumped up the tyres on this.... 




Will be taking my Saracen for a bit of a long ride tomorrow, Will be giving that a good clean and a few tweaks as the cables will have stretched.


----------



## Elybazza61 (29 Feb 2016)

Planet X XLS got it's fortnightly clean up and fitted the Hutch Sectors although with tubes at the moment,will hopefully re-fit them tubeless next week-end.

Checked the other half's Avail as it has a very slow puncture/valve issue but left it for now as it takes a few days to go down,think it's a dodgy valve rather than an actual puncture.

Icarus ran ok after Fridays semi re-build but front mech will need a re-fettle and new cable.


----------



## dave r (1 Mar 2016)

I had my Eastway out of the shed this afternoon and fitted new chainrings and a chain, when I brought the bike last summer I spent some time experimenting with different chainring combinations, I've now decided to go back to the traditional front chain ring combination that I have used for decades, so I fitted a 42/50 chainring combination reset the front changer and fitted a new chain this afternoon.


----------



## DCLane (1 Mar 2016)

Set up my youngest's Argon for his first race of the season on Saturday, following some work done over the weekend.

I've done my bit. Now he's got to do his.


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## HLaB (2 Mar 2016)

Swapped the campag frehub body and cassette on my direct drive turbo for a shimano freehub body and a SRAM cassette.


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## Elybazza61 (4 Mar 2016)

Fitted a new cable to the front mech on the Icarus and re-set it up,lowered the saddle a bit and moved it a tad forward too.

Looks like I'll be cleaning it tomorrow or Sunday as the club run looks like it'll be a tad damp.


----------



## Turdus philomelos (5 Mar 2016)

New wheels, chain and cassette. It's going to be riding a new bike.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2016)

Gah.

When people who have never used STI's before wander around going "how do these work then?" pulling and heaving at them on the shop floor


----------



## mustang1 (5 Mar 2016)

Took the new ultegra pedals off my road bike and replaced with m520 for walking enablement. Yes, a super six with MTB pedals looks odd but a guys gotta walk. I might get xt pedals soon as the 520s are rather heavy (and xtr too pricey).

Actually to the heck with that, I think I'll just get a new bike.


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## DCLane (5 Mar 2016)

Cleaned son's Argon after this mornings race (not great but OK result)
Then took the Principia TT bike out for an adjustment ride
Finally I set up the Wilier for tomorrow's audax. I've decided to go 'fast' rather than 'steady' so am leaving the Ridgeback Platinum at home.


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## HLaB (5 Mar 2016)

My Arione has been back a Fizik as the nose stitching had started to come lose. The replacement came this week so I collected it from the lbs and swapped it with the old spesh saddle I was using. The spesh saddle went back on my commuter :-)


----------



## cyberknight (5 Mar 2016)

Installed the cadance sensor and Garmin 500 I bought from @Gert Lush ,all works but it needs a new battery for the chain stay big,robbed it from the heart sensor ATM.


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## HLaB (5 Mar 2016)

Just done a wee bit of fettling between Kenny's sprints. The cassette on the direct drive turbo was clicking slightly so I looked it up on the web and swapped the 2mm spacer that I use on my other shimano hubs for the two 1.3mm ones a very tight fit but hopefully it solves the click


----------



## cyberknight (6 Mar 2016)

mustang1 said:


> Took the new ultegra pedals off my road bike and replaced with m520 for walking enablement. Yes, a super six with MTB pedals looks odd but a guys gotta walk. I might get xt pedals soon as the 520s are rather heavy (and xtr too pricey).
> 
> Actually to the heck with that, I think I'll just get a new bike.


I use A 600s on my road bike , i think they look good  
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-a600-spd-touring-pedals/


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## wisdom (6 Mar 2016)

Both the hybrid and the roadie fully cleaned and adjusted.Both chains Mickled ready for tomorrow's commute.Depending on the weather will decide in the morning which to take. .......Dad will you clean and oil mine whilst you doing yours.Came a request from in the house.So 18yr olds mtb done too.It was nice working outside in the sunshine.


----------



## palinurus (6 Mar 2016)

Attempted fettling today but succeeded in bungling, mostly.

Wanted to replace the entire transmission on the commuter. While removing drive side crank didn't screw the extractor far enough in and extracted the threads rather than the crank. Farked it up a bit further with a second crank extractor.

Couldn't get my sprocket off either. Took to whacking the chain whip with a hammer which didn't help but it made me feel better, until I skinned a knuckle.

Sent email to LBS to book bike in.


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## rovers1875 (6 Mar 2016)

Replaced bottom Bracket and outer chainring on sons MTB. Never done one before but quick check on you tube and it looked straight forward.
result new (not bent and worn ) chainring which turns nice and smooth, no movement or grinding. 
Even treated the chain and cassette to a good clean, The drive train hasn't looked so good in years.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (7 Mar 2016)

Sorted out a few final tweaks on my Birdy to get it just so, put my winter tyres on the Cannondale Ute so the MTB can go to charity to free up a bit of shed space.


----------



## Racing roadkill (7 Mar 2016)

I changed the chain, cassette and jockey wheels on the Triban today. I found out that Shimano don't supply the screws for the Jockey wheels, with the new ones. So wished I hadn't binned the screws I had already, cue having to fish through the bin to get them back. All done now.


----------



## palinurus (7 Mar 2016)

Screwed down a couple of creaky floorboards.


----------



## dave r (7 Mar 2016)

My fettling today amounted to putting a new tyre on the fixed and assembling a small self assembly table.


----------



## Elybazza61 (8 Mar 2016)

Put the new Fabric scoop shallow race(ti version) on the Icarus with the Ultimate taken off to go on it's proper home the Helium.
With the Charge spoon on the Planet X just need to get a white Elite for the Weigh.


----------



## GuyBoden (8 Mar 2016)

At last I found/fitted a sealed bearing that actually fitted my old 1inch steerer and integrated head tube. The crown race was badly pitted, so had to be removed too.


----------



## Illaveago (11 Mar 2016)

I had started to do an oil change on my car and discovered that the oil filter was the wrong size. I needed a short fat one where as the new one was tall and thin. It was a good job I hadn't drained out the oil.


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## Nibor (11 Mar 2016)

mustang1 said:


> Took the new ultegra pedals off my road bike and replaced with m520 for walking enablement. Yes, a super six with MTB pedals looks odd but a guys gotta walk. I might get xt pedals soon as the 520s are rather heavy (and xtr too pricey).
> 
> Actually to the heck with that, I think I'll just get a new bike.


Get egg beaters so light


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## TheJDog (11 Mar 2016)

My shift lever broke on the way round the park last night, so I bodged it into the middle of the cassette until I can get the lever repaired or a 'new' one off ebay.


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## dave r (11 Mar 2016)

Having ridden my geared bike for the first time in five months yesterday, I'd been on fixed all winter, I discovered I had the saddle a shade too low and the gears needed a little fettling. So this afternoon I raised the saddle a couple of MM and spent an hour fettling the gears. 

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment#article-section-2


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## redvision95 (12 Mar 2016)

Lights have now been swapped over from the Saracen to the Raleigh. 
Was going to take the pannier bags and rack off of the Saracen but I'm leaving them on for the buyer as they wont fit the Raleigh that and because I couldn't be bothered with any more fettling today


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## biggs682 (13 Mar 2016)

Stripped and cleaned the headset and replaced the brake cables on the Wester Ross .


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## postman (13 Mar 2016)

Pumped up the tyres,cleaned it with GT 85.Might go out tomorrow,i have not been out since late October.


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## Elybazza61 (14 Mar 2016)

The week-end was mostly spent messing about with tyres;

First the other halfs Avail had a slow punture which I couldn't find at first but ended up being a tiny flint cut so new tube in and will repair the original at a later date.

Rest of the time was spent converting the Archetypes to run the Hutchinson Sectors tubeless;lots of faffing with sealant and much pumping(oo-err) and they are on but still not quite bedded in properly yet,they are sublime to ride though so will persevere.


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## RoubaixCube (15 Mar 2016)

faffed around the with the Gamin Edge/GoPro mounts again after wrapping my SJCam clone in Copper tape as another forum suggested

Not my camera but you get the idea...







Looks a bit naff now but the idea works a treat - My Edge 200 doesn't take forever to connect (if not connecting at all) now.

Im using the Garmin 'Out-In-Front' mount which has support for a GoPro underneath






I always prefered having the camera on the bar rather then my helmet anyway as its a more stable platform. the SJCam clone is still on rear cam duty.

I think for longer rides that are in excess of 3hrs, I might move the SJCam clone to the front and have a USB cable running from it to a powerbank to give it at least a full 11hrs in 720p (or about 3-4hrs in 1080p i think) Less faffing around swapping the battery every 90mins.

Ive heard i can even power a light like a MagicShine or similar from a power bank. The power bank that i own can output 2.4amps so it should work fairly OK.


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## Levo-Lon (15 Mar 2016)

Put a new Conti Trail King 2.2 black chili protection tyre on my Cube front wheel to match the new ish rear one. Next day tyres deal at 39quid.
not keen on the Hans Damph fitted from new.


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## ianrauk (19 Mar 2016)

I sent my (worn) wheels off to DCR Wheels for new rims and a service.

As per usual David has done a stirling job. Glad to have them back. I have been using my spares, a pair of Ultegra's for the last month. Though the Ultegra's are good wheels. These are so much nicer  So all nicely swapped back over ready for tomorrows ride.


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## Levo-Lon (19 Mar 2016)

Removed sealed front wheel bearings from my DTSwiss wheels on the cube..
Total clean and re-grease.wheel was rumbling and felt gritty..now its smooth again.
8 months of mud and washing..so not too bad.
ill fit new bearings next time.


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## redvision95 (19 Mar 2016)

I've spent some time building a hack bike today. 
Nicked a few bikes out of my brothers (@hedder2212 ) scrap pile. Using his old Raleigh Mantis as the base for the bike.
Wheels from a "Gola" full suspension BSO with some nice beefy Kenda tyres. Some shiny V-Brake callipers with Clarke Levers fitted, New Cables and pads. Going to eventually just junk the front dérailleur when I find a suitable Single Chainring Crankset, but for now its stuck in one gear at the front with no gear cable or lever. 6 Speed on the rear for now running in friction mode. Some Bar ends from another Junker in the pile. Handlebars came off of a 20 inch BSO as did the rear dérailleur. I only wanted a bike that I could leave locked with a crappy lock in a rather................. undesirable area and I've got just that. Total cost = £9. Just need to find some grips on one of the bikes in the scrap pile and job is done.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Mar 2016)

Three bikes cleaned and lubricated then I replaced the brakes and levers on the knockabout bike. I had the new parts for Christmas but didn't want to fit them until the worst of the winter weather was over.

That just leaves the handlebar, frame and forks from the original bike now.


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## Gravity Aided (19 Mar 2016)

Raleigh Technium cleaned, lubed, and adjusted for the summer. I brought it up from the trainer in the basement as I hardly had to use the trainer this year, winter was not that bad .I set about checking the rear wheel for true and round, as well as all the usual. The I fitted some 28mm tires and checked the bearings. I also opened and greased the bottom bracket. This is one of the few bicycles I have not converted to a sealed BB. I also worked on the steerer tube, and re-greased those bearings as well as the quill stem. I then cleaned the bicycle and moved my Trek Marlin winter bike to the basement. I replaced it in the garage with the Raleigh Technium. Spring has arrived, in my neck of the woods.


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## martint235 (20 Mar 2016)

New saddle fitted to Lelly and replaced rear brake blocks. Was going to replace the chain and cassette and front brakes but couldn't be bothered. Cut the lawn instead


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## redvision95 (20 Mar 2016)

Changed the brake cable routing on the rear brake of the hack bike. Cable tying it to the frame instead of it going through the internal frame routing. I can now do "mad skidz" as the local youth call it.


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## cyberknight (20 Mar 2016)

Did my drop bar conversion on the subway, in the photo gallery .


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## IBarrett (20 Mar 2016)

New rear cassette fitted on the weekend bike yesterday by the LBS so this morning I oiled the chain and tweaked the back brake. It was lovely to ride on today. No more crunching gears. Perfick


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## KneesUp (20 Mar 2016)

Got all the bikes and bits of bikes out of the shed to assess what needs doing. Put them all away again.


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## Deanie81084 (20 Mar 2016)

Yesterday new rear casette and train.
This morning adjustment to the rear brakes, pads will need to be replaced soon.


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## Elybazza61 (21 Mar 2016)

Yesterday put the Helium back together;new wheels,saddle,chain and chainset all on.Just got to adjust the rear brake and it's ready for a test ride;put the old bar tape on at the mo,will put the new matching black DSP on when it's properly set-up.


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## shouldbeinbed (21 Mar 2016)

I gave the Birdy a bit of a seeing to this morning, having cruelly neglected it in its filthy state for a week. The wee beastie runs smooth and silent again now.

I've also talked son 2 through repairing his puncture on the phone - he can strip a gun and bivouac for fun on his cadet fieldcraft but something as simple as tyre levers and patches ............


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## Elybazza61 (22 Mar 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Yesterday put the Helium back together;new wheels,saddle,chain and chainset all on.Just got to adjust the rear brake and it's ready for a test ride;put the old bar tape on at the mo,will put the new matching black DSP on when it's properly set-up.




Now mostly done with just some adjustments after a first shake down run;







That's the third time I've uploaded that now.


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## Mark Grant (22 Mar 2016)

I replaced the BB on a tiny Specialised Hot Rock, belongs to a 5 or 6 year old boy we know.


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## Pennine-Paul (22 Mar 2016)

Replaced the bb on the fixie,the last one only lasted a month! 
The one previous to that 14 months


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Mar 2016)

After the mudguard problem yesterday (described here) I had a quick look in the shed and was delighted to find an old one with just the fixings I needed. It's all been secured and adjusted plus the brake blocks tinkered with (filing off a lip that had formed through wear - new ones needed before long) and it's all ready to ride again.

I suspect it's probably about time to think about retiring the current guards. They are both doing their job just fine but the front was damaged in a crash over four years ago so looks bad where it is delaminating.


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## Levo-Lon (22 Mar 2016)

Gave the road bike a fettle..indexed and a light oil.
back on the turbo for now.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 Mar 2016)

The rear internal hydro hose on my Planet X was making a bit of a racket so I took the crankset off, BB out and removed guide screw on the rearstay to give me more slack hose. I cut an ASDA value car washing sponge up into neat strips and through the BB shell, packed out the seat-tube, rearstays and downtube.

Then reassembled the bike.. I'm hoping it works and I got enough sponge either side of the hose, a quick test suggests a positive result #topbodge


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## si_c (24 Mar 2016)

Replaced the BB on my road bike yesterday, was using 115mm spindle, swapped it out for 122.5mm, as the chainline was a bit off, and the crankarms were coming a little too close to the front derailleur. Seemed good on the commute this morning.

Also taped up the nut on the saddle clamp. I have a very narrow saddle, and it was protruding ever so slightly after I moved the seat back a little. I hadn't noticed, but it put a hole in a pair of jeans. Hopefully the tape will work until I can file the bolt down.


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## redvision95 (24 Mar 2016)

SJ4000 arrived today and as expected I had issues with the mounts. 
Didnt matter how tight i did them up, they kept moving all the time. 
A few washers from old brake pads later and some sanding of the mounts, they no longer move. 
Ive had to use two of the mounts included just to get the mount to face in the right direction.


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## gavgav (24 Mar 2016)

The bike has had a much needed clean with my new hose. Not pressure wash, before @Rickshaw Phil jumps out of his skin ! Then cleaned and re lubed the chain


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## Asa Post (24 Mar 2016)

redvision95 said:


> SJ4000 arrived today and as expected I had issues with the mounts.
> Didnt matter how tight i did them up, they kept moving all the time.
> A few washers from old brake pads later and some sanding of the mounts, they no longer move.
> Ive had to use two of the mounts included just to get the mount to face in the right direction.


I had the same problem, tried the same fix, and after struggling on for a few weeks the mount broke.
I replaced it with this. I also got these. Never had a problem since.


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## redvision95 (24 Mar 2016)

Asa Post said:


> I had the same problem, tried the same fix, and after struggling on for a few weeks the mount broke.
> I replaced it with this. I also got these. Never had a problem since.


I have some old GoPro mounts on standby just in case but the mount seems OK for now. Having issues getting the camera to charge at the moment.


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## redvision95 (25 Mar 2016)

Friends son borrowed my hack bike and somehow the cable ties on the rear brake cable snapped 
Thicker cable ties were needed. three in total now instead of two. that should do the trick.
brakes working again and now i can stop 
GT85 applied to chain and freewheel. Front wheel bearings stripped and regreased. wheel running nice and smooth


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## Chris S (25 Mar 2016)

My Sturmey Archer 3-speed wouldn't change cleanly into top gear. The cable was properly adjusted so I assumed the internals were worn and swapped the whole wheel. I had exactly the same problem with the new one! I then noticed that a link in the toggle chain was rusted solid. I sprayed it with WD40 and wriggled it back and forwards until it was free again. It fixed the problem - the rusted link was preventing all the tension being released from the cable.


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## Illaveago (25 Mar 2016)

I was having a shuffle around in my garage, I dug a load of bikes out and tried to see if I could get one of a pair of ladies bikes working for my wife. The first one I tried was a Raleigh, I popped a couple of of ally wheels in but found it was too tall even with the saddle lowered. It weighed a ton. The next one I tried was a Claud Butler. I put a pair of steel 27 inch wheels in as they were the only ones I had, they seemed to fit and the bike felt a lot lighter than the Raleigh. I have now to free the seat post so my wife can try it for size.


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## ianrauk (25 Mar 2016)

Stripped the headset on my commuter today. The Pinnacle Pyrolite. Was making a bit of a slight clicking noise. So off with the handlebars, dropped the fork, took all the bearings and seals out. Cleaned and greased. Now all silent again.


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## redvision95 (25 Mar 2016)

Rear wheel bearing collapsed on the non drive side on the hack bike. No problemo. 
Another wheel out of @hedder2212 `s scrap pile fitted and shes on the road again 
This is by far one of the most fun bikes I've had  I'm now riding it more than any of my other bikes, even when i can take one of my nicer bikes


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## PeteXXX (25 Mar 2016)

Slow p*ncture that I acquired on yesterdays ride was fixed this morning before heading out for a few miles. 
Also a quick fettle of the front dérailleur so stop rubbage occurring on a few of the top gears.


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## Illaveago (26 Mar 2016)

I was having fun with a tyre yesterday, as soon as the air pressure built up the bead would pop out. I compared both wheels ,tyres and tubes and they all look the same. My friend had a similar problem with his motorcycle tyre which he eventually managed to fix. I'll have another go another day.


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## Tenacious Sloth (26 Mar 2016)

PeteXXX said:


> Slow p*ncture that I acquired on yesterdays ride was fixed this morning before heading out for a few miles.
> Also a quick fettle of the front dérailleur so stop rubbage occurring on a few of the top gears.




"Rubbage. What a lovely word.

I notice it's already in the free dictionary as an alternative to rubbish, but I much prefer your usage. 

Graham


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## PeteXXX (26 Mar 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> "Rubbage. What a lovely word.
> 
> I notice it's already in the free dictionary as an alternative to rubbish, but I much prefer your usage.
> 
> Graham


Thank you. Please feel free to use it


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## redvision95 (26 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I was having fun with a tyre yesterday, as soon as the air pressure built up the bead would pop out. I compared both wheels ,tyres and tubes and they all look the same. My friend had a similar problem with his motorcycle tyre which he eventually managed to fix. I'll have another go another day.


Small ratchet strap at two points of the wheel to hold the tyre down while you inflate it is how we do it with the motorcycles when they are being tricky  might work with a bicycle......


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## Gravity Aided (26 Mar 2016)

Yes, it does,in some instances, although you may need a thinner webbing due to spoke placement. I've also used an old inner tube.


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## Illaveago (26 Mar 2016)

Gravity Aided said:


> Yes, it does,in some instances, although you may need a thinner webbing due to spoke placement. I've also used an old inner tube.



At the time I was thinking along similar lines, cable ties sprang to mind but as the bike was too big for my wife I put it on the back burner.


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## User33236 (26 Mar 2016)

Fettling today was restricted to Mrs SG's commuter. New chain and RD cable. 

Thank goodnes for IR-1 kit. Made the job a breeze


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## Gravity Aided (27 Mar 2016)

Started work on my Specialized Expedition, working on the remains of a cheesy front suspension that may be replaced with a solid fork, or get rebuilt. Being a tall fellow, I'll probably need to get cracking on that fork repair, as I think it has a rather long neck on the fork, which may be hard to source. Great bike frame, just needs someone to catch up on some past needed maintenance. Like from when it was initially bought. Wheels, though untended, seem good. True, good rolling, just need a couple spokes.


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## robjh (27 Mar 2016)

A big fettle in progress today. I'm replacing a split rim with a new one, and the easy part is done - I've transfered the new rim onto the spokes, by the old method of taping the two rims together and moving the spokes one by one.





the hard bit comes now. I'm setting aside a day to true the wheel.


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## john59 (27 Mar 2016)

Replaced my training wheels with my lighter Ultegra's which now have a new set of Rubino tyres. I also cleaned the cassette and chain.


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## Elybazza61 (27 Mar 2016)

Cleaned the Planet X before the rain came,took the chain off to soak as it was in a bit of a state.


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## Illaveago (27 Mar 2016)

I dug out a couple of bent Rodi Vuelta 700 ally rims I had in my garage, I thought I would have a go at straightening them up. They were a bit S shaped, so with a few blocks of wood, a large rubber mallet and a true wheel I set about it. A lot of banging, checking and some time later they are pretty close. I will have another go another day once I have found some hubs.


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## biggs682 (28 Mar 2016)

A bit more tinkering and cleaning for me this morning and i have a rear mech where the jockey wheels now spin freely


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## Gravity Aided (28 Mar 2016)

Well done, well done, @biggs682


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## midlife (28 Mar 2016)

biggs682 said:


> A bit more tinkering and cleaning for me this morning and i have a rear mech where the jockey wheels now spin freely
> 
> View attachment 122984



one of these underneath?





Suntour VX GT Luxe.....

sHAUN


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## biggs682 (28 Mar 2016)

midlife said:


> one of these underneath?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



thats the one i couldnt see a why of splitting the frame and getting the top jockey pulley out


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## midlife (28 Mar 2016)

IIRC the lower allen key pivot bolt goes all the way to the back and holds the frame *and* the jockey wheel in position........

Shaun


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## numbnuts (28 Mar 2016)

Fitted windscreen wipers to the car


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## alecstilleyedye (28 Mar 2016)

converted a five-speed road bike to ss, replaced horrid steel wheels with aluminium ones. need to replace the rear cabling and also, ideally, swap out the bb for a cartridge that will allow me to fit a lighter stronglight ss crankset.

it's for my eldest daughter who, barring a disaster in her a level exams, is off to cambridge; flat as a pancake, no gears necessary and ss should make the bike more maintenance-free. no point having the bike out of action until i come to visit if she hasn't the cash for a bike shop repair, or hasn't made friends with a fellow student who knows his way around a bike…


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## redvision95 (28 Mar 2016)

Another day another rear wheel 
Instead of taking both of the wheels off to put city jets on them I decided to just find two wheels out of the scrap pile with tyres that arent big off road tyres and fit those wheels instead. I've only done the rear wheel, Ill do the front tomorrow


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## slowmotion (28 Mar 2016)

Using Halfords' car shampoo and a rinse in the shower, I gave the bike its first clean of 2016.


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## Tenacious Sloth (28 Mar 2016)

slowmotion said:


> Using Halfords' car shampoo and a rinse in the shower, I gave the bike its first clean of 2016.



Im not sure that'll do your hair any good. Make sure to use conditioner afterwards.


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## HLaB (28 Mar 2016)

Not really fettling but a prayer for forgiveness; I'd left my drive chain uncleaned for three rides and only cleaned it tonight


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## DCLane (28 Mar 2016)

Two jobs:


Cleaned the Secteur after taking it up Holme Moss in the snow.  I've covered 12,600+ miles on it to date and most things are still working fine (although the brakes, f&r derailleurs, saddle and wheels have been upgraded).
Cleaned the newly-arrived Raleigh Medale. The previous owner must have thought liberal coats of 3-in-1 oil would keep things running. I've not cleaned so much oil gunk off a bike ever. The upside of the oil residue was a well-preserved drivetrain that's now all clean and shiny. The tyres were duly pumped up and off down the road for a test ride; it all works but I'll not be using the very-cracked tyres any further.


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## RoubaixCube (30 Mar 2016)

Sunny outside - was gonna head out to my LBS to give my front derailleur some love but couldnt be arsed. I tried to adjust the cable tension a little but the adjuster doesnt seem to be doing anything. Will take it to my LBS this Friday before the CC pub meet.

So i decided to make a cuppa and settle for a nice breeze and hazy sunshine out in the garden giving the bike a clean and some routine maintenance. drivetrain was a little dirty but not that bad but I did dodge a maintenance bullet by not taking it out in the rain we've had here in the past week. Last time i gave the drivetrain some love was probably more than 3 weeks ago i think so decided it was a good time to get it done.


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## Tin Pot (30 Mar 2016)

If I take off the rear derailleur for a clean up, will it be a huge fricking hassle getting it back on?

I'll be using Zinns book as a guide.


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## si_c (30 Mar 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> If I take off the rear derailleur for a clean up, will it be a huge fricking hassle getting it back on?
> 
> I'll be using Zinns book as a guide.



Should be quite simple. You just need to remember to thread the rear cage properly, it's quite easy to route the chain outside the cage by accident and then spend a couple of miles wondering what the god awful noise is .

Zinn's a good guide, won't go wrong with it if you're careful.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Mar 2016)

Got my electric lawn mower going, cut my grass, and got done just as the rain set in. I also measured and ordered forks for aforesaid Specialized Expedition. I also stood around and watched someone else change the oil in my car. I deal with busses enough, so car fettling is up to others.


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## redvision95 (30 Mar 2016)

Finally forced myself to attempt to fix the brake squeal on the hack bike. New front pads fitted. Mucked about with the rear brake too.
Ready for a meeting in one of the roughest areas I know tomorrow... SJ4000 mount removed for that ride, dont want it going missing.
Will chuck it back on before I take a trip to see a friend tomorrow afternoon. Really need to get around to putting a front gear cable on but cant be bothered


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## DCLane (30 Mar 2016)

Played some more with the Raleigh Medale; the drivetrain's now all cleaned from the mass of oily gunk covering it  . It's got 5 clean cogs on a freewheel and I now know the wheels are Rigida week 24 1979.

Also the wheels have been trued in preparation for new tubes/tyres this weekend.

The cables all work fine and I'm loathed to change them although I need a single proper cable end from that era to match. The chain's perfectly fine as well, which was a surprise.

So ... just new tyres/tubes and bar tape to do.


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## Tin Pot (30 Mar 2016)

slowmotion said:


> Using Halfords' car shampoo and a rinse in the shower, I gave the bike its first clean of 2016.



Pics or it didn't happen!


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## slowmotion (30 Mar 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Pics or it didn't happen!


 I'm afraid I'm not allowed to post dirty pictures.


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## redvision95 (30 Mar 2016)

Just had a fettle with my long suffering mobile phone. 
Replaced the trackpad thing on my Blackberry Curve 9320.


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## Tin Pot (30 Mar 2016)

si_c said:


> Should be quite simple. You just need to remember to thread the rear cage properly, it's quite easy to route the chain outside the cage by accident and then spend a couple of miles wondering what the god awful noise is .
> 
> Zinn's a good guide, won't go wrong with it if you're careful.



Well Zinn says don't feck about with the derailleur itself, just overhaul the jockey wheels, so I'll do that and reindex as its simple enough.

It was only a whim, not to address an issue anyway. If it ain't broke...


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## redvision95 (31 Mar 2016)

SJ4000 mount back on with some cut up sponge to soften the vibrations a bit.... 
New rear brake pads.


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## DCLane (31 Mar 2016)

Fitted new tyres and tubes to the Raleigh Medale I bought on Monday, re-greased the front wheel and finished cleaning the rest of the grime. I now need to metal-polish the wheels, fit new bar tape and possibly re-grease the headset and it's done.


----------



## Salad Dodger (1 Apr 2016)

Gave both e-bikes a check over. Mrs Salad's one just needs tyres pumping up, but mine needed some playing about with the derailleur to get it to select gears properly. Hopefully it will be OK now.


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## Elybazza61 (1 Apr 2016)

New Lizard Skins DSP bar tape on the Helium so all done now(until I see some nice shiny Dura-Ace bits for it);will post some updated pics up asap.


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## robjh (1 Apr 2016)

re-tightened the freehub body. I relubed it last weekend, reattached it but after a day's riding I noticed a wobble in the wheel that I eventually traced to a slightly loose freehub body. It seems tight again now but time will tell.


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## redvision95 (2 Apr 2016)

Removed old rear dérailleur and found out why it wasnt shifting into any of the gears apart from two, it looks like a spring inside the dérailleur itself has snapped. Fitted a Shimano Tourney dérailleur onto the bike, I'm now getting 4 out of 6 gears, I'm going to spend some time on YouTube refreshing my mind on how to set up and tune gears. Hopefully I will have all six and possibly even the front gears working by tonight. Total spend on hack bike so far, £13.50 and still hasn't been stolen despite being left in some really sh*tty areas with a sh*tty lock


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Apr 2016)

Gave the Tricross a long overdue clean and took the ice tyres off the hybrid, so if it gets icy next week I am to blame. Oh and put the panniers back on our lasses bike after it came back from the lbs looking like new.


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## 13 rider (2 Apr 2016)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Gave the Tricross a long overdue clean and took the ice tyres off the hybrid, so if it gets icy next week I am to blame. Oh and put the panniers back on our lasses bike after it came back from the lbs looking like new.


If the weather's terrible next week we know who to blame


----------



## ianrauk (2 Apr 2016)

I used this most excellent video from @Globalti to clean and regrease both top and bottom headset bearings in my commuter.


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Apr 2016)

13 rider said:


> If the weather's terrible next week we know who to blame



That must be a TMN to be? Calling @User13710


----------



## Supersuperleeds (2 Apr 2016)

User13710 said:


> Congratulations. Is it your first?



Yes


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Apr 2016)

User13710 said:


> You'll soon get fed up with them .



Maybe, but you always remember your first


----------



## Salad Dodger (2 Apr 2016)

About 10 posts ago, I commented on checking the ebikes over. Went into the garage today and my ebikes front tyre was flat. Yes, a visit from the p*****re fairy. Very fortunately, the bikes motor is in the back wheel, so fixing a flat front tyre was straightforward. Hopefully it is holding up, but I do have a spare tube in the camper van just in case........


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## doog (2 Apr 2016)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Maybe, but you always remember your first



We arent so super now are we mate...rovrum ffs That aside ive done some fettling, stopped posting on waccoe for one after 9 years..

Rebuilt my Tricross for my next tour.....and done the bastard BB30 bearings on a CAAD10 after fettling a bearing press...or two bearing presses...the first was a disaster..


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## Rickshaw Phil (2 Apr 2016)

Decided to give slick tyres another go so the Marathons have been swapped for the Vittoria Voyager Hypers that have been knocking round the garage for the last year.

First impressions: they are just as noisy as I remember (like a failing wheel bearing) but light, grippy and give a lovely supple ride. Perhaps I'll learn to love them this time.


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## derrick (2 Apr 2016)

Just fitted Di2 to the Cervelo.After building a new bike for the other half with Di2, Thought i might have it myself.The frame was not built to take Di2 so a bit of fettling was done, Stripped the frame down to get all the wires into frame, After a bit of jiggery pokery i managed to put all wires down the seat tube. Battery went into seat post, I had to drill one hole for the main cable in the top tube, That was not a problem as the part i drilled had been reinforced to take the original gear cable, Found a nice grommet to fit so it actually looks original. I have to change the Campag freehub for a Shimano one, I thought i had one but it turned out to have different size bearing in it, So will sort that monday, in the mean time i have an old set of Fulcrum racing 3s. Will fit them in the morning, Then out for a shake down ride.
PS Just sitting down with a well deserved beer.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Apr 2016)

Removed bottom headset bearing races from my Specialized Expedition, as I await a solid fork to replace the suspension fork. Quite easier than I thought it would be, the big flat chisel I used walked that race right off the stem. Then I fettled a Pizza Margherita for dinner as the bearings soaked peacefully in a jar of warm degreaser in the garage. And the wind dropped below 40 miles per hour, with gusts to 60.


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## Tin Pot (3 Apr 2016)

Cleaned the bike, changed the front brake pads, tightened the front brake cable and rear derailleur cable.

Was just starting indexing when the rain came, so need to finish off today.


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## wisdom (3 Apr 2016)

Well as spring is here.We are hopefully past the worst of the weather (although plenty of rain is forecast this coming week). I have given the commuter bike a thorough clean and strip down.All was regreased new brake blocks fitted.I used Ashima ones again as they are very good (dual compound).They have come through winter very well and offer excellent wet weather stopping.Finished off by removing the spd pedals stripped and regreased them.And coppaslipped the cranks. 
Finally wiped frame over with gt85 did the tyre pressures and she looks as good as new.


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## Slioch (3 Apr 2016)

Finally got round to cleaning the winter bike. It was filthy, and I mean really really offensively filthy.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Apr 2016)

I removed all fittings and such from the Specialized Expedition, and am currently soaking all in degreaser or, if rusty, vinegar. I also scrubbed the filthy frame and gave it a wipe down with WD40. I can't ride again today, due to the 50+ mile per hour winds, so I'm fettling, instead. I'm expecting a new fork for the Expedition by post this week.


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## MichaelO (4 Apr 2016)

Replaced a snapped rear gear cable - a first for me. Surprisingly easier than I was expecting!!


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## Nibor (4 Apr 2016)

New Chain and cassette on the road bike 11-34 smooth as silk now.


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## The Mighty News (4 Apr 2016)

A 27 miler yesterday along the coast of Sunderland, as we circled back around the back of Nissan an honourable mention to the smiley happy waving lady cyclist going the opposite way. apologies for not waving back, I was knackered :-)

so basically I fettled myself


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## Elybazza61 (4 Apr 2016)

Yesterday was re-fitting the chain to the Planet X and sorting another flint puncture on the better halfs Liv,think Giant tyres must be made of cheese.


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## Illaveago (5 Apr 2016)

Popped into town to pick up the blue 700 tyres I ordered as my prezzy. They look quite nice, I hope they go with the bikes.
In the afternoon I had a bit of another go at truing up one of the buckled wheel rims and whacked my finger.


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## Alberto Balsam (5 Apr 2016)

Cleaned the chain (and lubed it) and cassette on my road bike til they looked like new (really!) Went out for a 12 miler afterwards and they're back to looking like I haven't bothered...


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## doog (5 Apr 2016)

Alberto Balsam said:


> Cleaned the chain (and lubed it) and cassette on my road bike til they looked like new (really!) Went out for a 12 miler afterwards and they're back to looking like I haven't bothered...




Did the same. A spotless bike, dry roads and a weather forecast that had unbroken sun on it and zilch on the rain radar. 10 Miles out it hammered down and I retreated home (followed by torrential rain and hail all the way) with the bike covered in crap...


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## Alberto Balsam (5 Apr 2016)

Glad it's not just me that gets the owd 'surprise rain'. T'was the story of my life through winter..


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## RoubaixCube (6 Apr 2016)

Got the new bike in, Built it - took a long break and had a few cups of tea and only just now finished switching the tyres over to Rubino Pro's & adding M540 pedals. The pedals are just a placeholder for the time being.

Not quite skilled in the tuning of brakes just yet so Imma leave that to my LBS when i take it to them either this sunday (if theres no SLR)

*Actually this is piss easy (after watching a youtube vid)*

I should have the tools needed to swap the wheels over tomorrow. I need to pick them up from evanscycles, so i'll get around to switching the wheels around when i have a moment. Sadly I dont think i'll have it ready to take out on the SLR as im back to work again for the next 3 days and sunday will literally be my next day off. I dont think i'll chance taking it on the road with wonky brakes either.

*It shall be ready for the ball!*


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## RoubaixCube (7 Apr 2016)

tried to remove the wheels off my triban for a swap. Couldnt get the front wheel off the Triban so gave up. Tuned the brakes on the cube, Im still using the Mavic Aksium Elite wheels but im putting a lot of pressure on them if i decide to take the bike out on the road. According to Mavic - I must not exceed 18 stone on the wheels so im already pushing it.

Im done messing with the bike for tonight, I'll try mess with it again tomorrow after work. Though the temptation to ride the cube to work is pretty hard to dismiss as it will/should be a nice day tomorrow...

Ive also not sorted out the insurance for the bike yet and if im going to take this baby out then i will *NEED* some insurance on the thing. last thing i need is to have it written off on the first ride by an idiot driver and im stuck paying for a bike on finance that doesnt exist anymore


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## 13 rider (8 Apr 2016)

In prep for my new wheels for my roadie I treated it to some new brake blocks . Put new wheel and cassette on and now struggling in get gears smooth a may need a new chain ? .The original done 2300 miles so it might be time . Stopped for a coffee before another go at indexing
Edit 
After more adjusting bit the bullet and new chain acquired from Lbs fitted and everything now running smooth and changing OK. Hopefully test ride later.
Wheels are Alex rims from superstar components replacing original giant pr2 wheel with giant tyres . gone for continental GP tyres on new wheels


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## HLaB (8 Apr 2016)

I used an older wheel for flanders last week and put a new free hub body changed the tyre and usedthe cassette from the other wheels which had been running smooth with my current chain. In between the turbo cassette was slipping last night so I transferred the good cassete chain combo to that. Tonight was easier I put the cassette on my better wheels, puth them back on the bike and pumped the tyres up :-)


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## palinurus (8 Apr 2016)

Bolt holding my headlamp was seized. Although I bent and partly rounded off my allen key I persisted and triumphed! (this generally never happens)

Stuck it back in with some anti-sieze stuff on the threads.

Tomorrow fitting mudguards. fark my luck.


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## DCLane (8 Apr 2016)

Prepped the Principia TT2 Light for it's first TT tomorrow; this one on the V910 course near Garforth.

Then prepped my son's Argon for his race at Elland.


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## RoubaixCube (9 Apr 2016)

Noticed the front brake lightly rubbing against the front tyre this morning. Just checked it out and had to re-align the pads and adjust the calipers. All running smoothly now!


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## palinurus (9 Apr 2016)

Fitted my mudguards. Thought I'd be clever and use the quick-release safety things on the rear as well so I could pull the wheel out easily if I puncture (fixed so wheel comes out the back way). After I finished realised they stopped me getting my 15 mm ring spanner onto the nut so I'd have to undo them anyway. Had cut stays to length beforehand so they'll stay that way.


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## clid61 (9 Apr 2016)

New chain , 9 speed long cage xt rear mech and new 10 speed 12,34 cassette. My mountain goat gearing for the Atlas mountains in 10 days


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## 13 rider (9 Apr 2016)

clid61 said:


> New chain , 9 speed long cage xt rear mech and new 10 speed 12,34 cassette. My mountain goat gearing for the Atlas mountains in 10 days
> View attachment 124248


Wow thay s some granny gear ! Is that 34 front 34 rear . That should get you up anything


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## betty swollocks (9 Apr 2016)

I finally had enough of rattling panniers because the pannier hooks do not clamp over the rack rails tight enough, even with the spacers provided. So, out came the sugru, which stuffed into the hooks and left to harden, gives the tightest possible fit.
Job done!


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## clid61 (9 Apr 2016)

13 rider said:


> Wow thay s some granny gear ! Is that 34 front 34 rear . That should get you up anything


I wish 36 34 ,close though . Been in the atlas mountains last 2 years on a compact and 11/28 on my road bike . struggling now tbh ! So taking the comfort bike


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## DCLane (10 Apr 2016)

Fitted bar tape to the Raleigh Medale and test-rode it down the street. All's good.

I've also polished the rims with Brasso. Finished photo:


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## palinurus (10 Apr 2016)

Fettled my brain today by falling asleep on a sun lounger in the garden.

Cleaned a couple of bikes too, but for forms sake and not with any particular gusto.


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## wisdom (10 Apr 2016)

Tried, tried and tried again to get the pedals off the cranks on the old orbit . absolutely no chance as theyve been on since the 80's when it goes for powder coating ill have to look for a new set of cranks and chainrings just so I can fit new pedals.Anyhow rebuilt the rat trap pedals new grease etc.
Interestingly the pedals are an unusual size not 15mm af or whitworth.and an allen key in the vice(inside of the pedals) wont shift em


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## biggs682 (10 Apr 2016)

One pedal stripped and re greased got the other side to do now or very soon


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## HLaB (14 Apr 2016)

Changed the Shimano freehub body on my fulcrums last night so I could use them with my Campagnolo equipped bike, shouldn't have bothered!
*PCC TT - LOL, One of those days :-D*
Parked closer to work so I could make the TT in time,
Got back to a smashed wing mirror!
Made good time down the A1 though,
Got changed and was ready to go!
One problem though I'd last used the front wheel on the Kinesis which has morel clearance!
A friend came to the rescue though and we did a quick wheel swap!
I didn't get off to the best of starts on the TT, mainly because of the headwind and my lack of confidence on the bars, with it having been 6 months since I last used them,
Things improved though, I got more confident and my average speed started to go up,
Then disaster struck a rear wheel p'ture with nearly 5 miles still to go!
Now I'm home I find out I've lost one of my magnetic pins :-D

Oh I forgot to say, it started p1shing doon 5 secs after the p'ture!


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## Tin Pot (15 Apr 2016)

So as I'm build a Tri conversion I buy every Veloce component except the shifters today before cycling home.

What snaps on my commuter today?

FFS.


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## Garry A (15 Apr 2016)

Cleaned all the dirt from my Defy and fitted some new Durano folding tyres.


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## HLaB (15 Apr 2016)

Removed the campagnolo cassette on my Fulcrums, stripped the disc cover and changed the free hub body back to use my shimano equipped bike for the weekend. Whilst doing so I thought my chain was a bit stretched so I changed it for a cheaper chain (I have a dearer chain and cassette but I want to keep them new for few weeks time), hopefully the chain won't jump on the old cassette. Fixed a tube and blew up the rear tyre only to find a hole in the side wall (I was keeping a new tyre for a few weeks too, but its been pressed into service early.


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## RoubaixCube (15 Apr 2016)

drivetrain maintenance after todays wet weather. switched over to some wet lube as more wet weather is forecast.

Gave the bike a wipe down too but ultimately pointless as it will be raining when i head to work tomorrow too.


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## DCLane (16 Apr 2016)

This afternoon I:


Cleaned and prepped the Wilier for tomorrow's GHS Memorial ride. It had clearly got damp last time out around the Hammerstones race circuit, on a dry day. Sorted with lube as it'll get an upgrade shortly.


Dismantled my youngest's Felt F95 Jr which has been sold. It's off to the Czech Republic via Oxford. It's packed into it's original cardboard box.


As I'm keeping the Felt Q200 MTB I replaced the damaged crankset with a Shimano M171 and some M540 pedals.


Prepped the dung-heap that is the Carrera Virago for commuter duty next week.

The Secteur's gone to the LBS for a new bottom bracket, outer and inner cable set and some bar tape as I'm too busy next week.


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## alecstilleyedye (16 Apr 2016)

got the summer bike out. at first, for some reason, it wouldn't back-pedal, but a bit of lube and turning on the stand seemed to fix it. did the job on the club run today


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Apr 2016)

Made some extra holes in the side flaps of my Spa Nidd saddle so that I can lace it up properly as the way it is spreading out has been causing some comfort issues.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (17 Apr 2016)

Finally got rid of the ridiculously wide MTB bars on the commuter....but no, not replaced them with anything narrower!

Some careful cable routing needed to fit Sunrace M90 pods. Ergo grips and double-taped at the main contact points







Next thing to fettle is the workshop floor!....





Who says that Tourney doesn't work with 9-speed and a 22-36-48?.....


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## alecstilleyedye (17 Apr 2016)

washed car and both bikes…


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## screenman (17 Apr 2016)

Caravan car and bikes washed. I was going to go out for an hour but lucky for some guy I decided not too. I was putting something from the garage back into my car and looked down the drive to see a cycling shirt walking by, not on it's own but attatched to a body that was pushing a bike, I run well OK maybe not run but waddled quickly down the drive and shouted after him. Turns out he had about 6 miles to get home, a flat phone battery and a puncture, so into the garage a quick tube change a cup of coffee and he was on his way, this was certainly better than going out on my bike.


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## Tenacious Sloth (17 Apr 2016)

Replaced the guide and tension pulleys on the Merida and built a new front wheel for the CAADX.

Graham


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## Poacher (18 Apr 2016)

Yesterday I gave a new lease of life to a peach mirrored deco clock bought off the 'bay; dismantle, removing old 30-hour mechanical movement in the process, clean and polish brass bits, paint base with hammered black finish, increase size of central hole with a diamond file, fit back together with a quartz movement with hands exackerly the right size, including a silent sweep second hand. Job's a good 'un.




Having garnered some important brownie points, I was allowed some time today to clean and grease an old Suntour Cyclone rear mech, which had lain unloved in the spares box for years, ever since an accident destroyed the inner limiting screw housing. Don't know whether I dare to use it again, unless I fit a plastic disc to keep it out of the spokes, but I'd almost forgotten what a beautifully designed piece of kit it was.


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## si_c (20 Apr 2016)

Cleaned the road bike down completely after seeing some other peoples cassettes in another post, and looking at my black one. Removed loads of black paste from between the sprockets  Completely relubed everything.

Swapped the old nervar crankset for an unused 105 unit as the old ones were pretty worn and starting to slip occasionally under power. Did look at replacing the chainrings with new but it's surprising how expensive 122bcd rings are, and given that I had the crankset and BB sitting around, and they cost just over half the cost of the chainrings, opted for that.

The bike is moving closer to being full 105 now, which is a little saddening as I wanted to keep it fairly original, but practicality dictates otherwise. And a 50-34 is shockingly different to the 52-42 I had got used to.


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## Stevec047 (22 Apr 2016)

Well I have had my new Spoon Charge saddle sat on the shelf for a couple of weeks ready to be fixed to the bike but due to just wanting to get out on the bike it kept getting forgotten plus I really needed to purchase a set of ball ended hex keys as the ones I currently had were pretty basic. 

So tonight I popped over to halfords and picked up a set of their bike hut set for £9.99 as they come with a lifetime guarantee which I have used in the past for a ratchet and cracked spanner.

Now with the right tools it was a simple job to fit the new saddle and move it slightly forward well actually right the way forward as I have a very short reach in my arms. Think t Rex. I also have rectified the issue of the old saddle dipping down at the front so this should stop me sliding off the saddle now.

Anyway that's all sorted and a new big saddle bag now contains 2 new inner tubes, bike tool, pump, small lock, full finger gloves, ******** repair kit and an array of spare battery's. Yeah I know there was no need for such a big bag but I rather have a place to store everything rather than having it all clattering around in my jersey pockets which will be used for fruit and snacks.


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## Psycolist (22 Apr 2016)

After allowing my old hybrid frame to gather dust in the corner of the workshop for the last couple of years, I decided to see what was in my spares cupboard with a view to a re build. Happy to find pretty much everything needed.  So have spent 3 hours thisarvo putting it all together, with a view to using it as my utility/bad weather ride. I have not long had a new hybrid that I absolutely love,  and don't want to have to go fitting carriers or brackets to it when I need to take the garden refuse to the recycling depot on my trailer  So with another hour or so spent fettling tomorrow, I should have resurrected the old girl and got her back on the road.  TBH, the only reason I stripped her down was that the bare aluminium frame had started to oxidise  so she was no longer the great looking frame that it was 5 years ago. I have spent two years with only an MTB,  which was fine, but I did miss the longer road rides.  Now with 3 to choose from, I wont have any excuse to NOT get on the saddle, just 3 times the maintenance !


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## BalkanExpress (23 Apr 2016)

Managed to lever the patio door back into it's frame.

Why am I posting here?

Well, I used my pedal spanner to do it


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## Jamieyorky (23 Apr 2016)

Both bikes washed and lubed, normally wash the Cube after every ride but was so tired after the ride yesterday, the commuter gets a wash every couple of weeks and I must say for a 2008 Saracen it's still looking rather well, I was going to sell it and get ribble audax but I may just keep it and upgrade the groupset.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Apr 2016)

Two bikes cleaned and the road bike indexed. Put a rack on my lads hybrid and cut the grass! Plenty of brownie points for me


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## steve50 (23 Apr 2016)

New 11-32T cassette fitted to my boardman today, I have been struggling on some of the steeper hills with the 11-28 fitted, should be a bit more doable now.


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## danbhardy (23 Apr 2016)

I've been trying to make 2 crap bikes into 1 good bike. Struggled massively and now just have a pile of bits on the floor and 2 naked frames (I managed to swap the bb's though so chuffed with that!!)

Tomorrow is a trip to Halfrauds to source a hanger or new derailleur as I think I buggered the ones I've got lol


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## raleighnut (23 Apr 2016)

Only slightly bike related but the Bakelite handle on my Wok broke, it's a 2 piece bit of plastic held together by rivets and one of the plastic bits broke.
My handlebar tape wrapping skills were used to spiral some black electrical tape around it to hold it together, result.


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## raleighnut (23 Apr 2016)

danbhardy said:


> I've been trying to make 2 crap bikes into 1 good bike. Struggled massively and now just have a pile of bits on the floor and 2 naked frames (I managed to swap the bb's though so chuffed with that!!)
> 
> Tomorrow is a trip to Halfrauds to source a hanger or new derailleur as I think I buggered the ones I've got lol


I don't think Halfords stock the one you need, if I'm right this is the one that does the job.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...od406/&usg=AFQjCNE2ZaqUyAb760D2pQqFtXVoFvOFWw


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## midlife (23 Apr 2016)

Poacher said:


> Yesterday I gave a new lease of life to a peach mirrored deco clock bought off the 'bay; dismantle, removing old 30-hour mechanical movement in the process, clean and polish brass bits, paint base with hammered black finish, increase size of central hole with a diamond file, fit back together with a quartz movement with hands exackerly the right size, including a silent sweep second hand. Job's a good 'un.
> View attachment 125295
> 
> 
> ...


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## danbhardy (23 Apr 2016)

raleighnut said:


> I don't think Halfords stock the one you need, if I'm right this is the one that does the job.
> 
> http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjuje2UuaXMAhWjKcAKHZhuBQQQFgiEATAJ&url=http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-compatible-rear-gear-hanger-bracket-prod406/&usg=AFQjCNE2ZaqUyAb760D2pQqFtXVoFvOFWw



I think I might just get a new derailleur and be done lol, need it running by Monday morning


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## dave r (23 Apr 2016)

My usual weekly check, tyres for debris, brake check and a visual check for anything that might look like a problem, and as I've had a intermittent click on the last couple of rides a check for loose fittings.


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## HLaB (23 Apr 2016)

Ive done quite of fettling this week, well for me anyway.
Last Friday I put a new chain on one of my bikes, it slipped on the Saturday ride so a new chain went on
Last Sunday I put new cables on that bike (Inners, outers, gears and brake) and retaped the handlebars.
My rear disc cover was rubbing on the frame slightly with my new wider quattros so on Wednesday I pressed my older/ narrower quattro into action putting the cover on it. Before doing so I had to replace a broken spoke and change the shimano freehub body for a campagnolo one. At the same time I needed to change the front 25mm tyre for a 23mm tyre. Subsequently found I had to replace a stretched pawl spring too.
Today I put my better wheels on the first bike and transferred the new tyre and cassette and the matching front tyre. I also put a better chain on it.


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## BigSteev (23 Apr 2016)

Today? I fettled a R5 Dura-ace Di2 into existence, a new KMC chain and drivetrain clean on a P5 then built up a P3 with Ultegra Di2, Zipp 404s &GP4000s.


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## cyberknight (24 Apr 2016)

Wallpapering kids bedroom .


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## Shut Up Legs (24 Apr 2016)

Just spent about 100 minutes cleaning my pride and joy, the Vivente touring bike I've been using for commuting the last 7.5 years and almost 100,000km. As well as cleaning it, I adjusted the brakes, reclamping the brake cables, and gave the chain a thorough wipe, oil and wipe again.
Naturally, the frame has accumulated a nice collection of nicks, scratches and scrapes, but the bike still works fine. So it should, given that every part except for the handlebars and brifters has been replaced several times, due to the old parts wearing out. It's now ready for another week of commuting, in (variable) Autumn weather.


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## Slioch (24 Apr 2016)

Fitted new SKS mudguards to my Dawes Galaxy this week. The struts needed to be cut shorter to match the size of my wheel, but being a bit of a pussy I didn't cut them short enough, and there was about 1cm of daylight visible between the mudguard and the tyre.
I thought this would be fine and went out on a ride, but it kept nagging away in the back of my head. 
I finally cracked this morning and I've just nipped that extra cm off, so they are now perfect. 

They need a new addition to The Rules - "No daylight shall be visible between mudguard and tyre"


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## Sheffield_Tiger (24 Apr 2016)

Laced an old spare alloy rim onto a 25-year old Sachs-Maillard hub which as of this morning had a rusty steel rim laced to it from an early 1990s Raleigh Pioneer

Re-using the spokes, all undid lovely except one that sheared. Cost of replacing that and building a useable utility wheel from my spares cellar - 80p

I like those old maillard hubs that were on lower-end affordable bikes. Many of them still going strong unlike some of the lower end hubs made today


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## bikingdad90 (24 Apr 2016)

Yesterday I fettled stuff to go in the loft and then put it in the lot after it was bagged up. I also took down a baby gate, built a bookcase, swept down the driveway so it looks pretty, followed by household chores.

Today I have fettled my new Kaffenback. I swapped the seat from old bike, added pannier rack and mudguards.

I also fettled the garage. I rebuilt some inherited shelving, sorted the rubbish out with a trip to the skip and looked at lots of screws stored in old tobacco tins, all courtesy of my Grandfather in law. Just need to sweep the floor, set the turbo up with tv then the man cave will be complete.


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## robjh (24 Apr 2016)

New chain, cassette and jockey wheels, and new gear cable and housing front and back. While I was at it I took off the front derailleur and cleaned and de-gunked it. Shifting hasn't felt this good in a long time.


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## RoubaixCube (24 Apr 2016)

Finally got the new wheels on the cube. Im proud of myself because i did it all myself instead of letting my LBS do everything for me and charging me a pretty penny for it.

Its amazing how easy some of these things are go do so long as you have the right tools.

Anyway. Got the new wheels on adjusted the tension on the gear cables and fine tuned some of the brakes for the new wheels.

Still going to take her down to my LBS for an opinion of my own handiwork after all i did assemble what little i had to assemble when the bike arrived in a box. I do t mind giving then a few quid just to have a looked over. Last thing i need is the bike falling apart on a long ride!


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## raleighnut (24 Apr 2016)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Laced an old spare alloy rim onto a 25-year old Sachs-Maillard hub which as of this morning had a rusty steel rim laced to it from an early 1990s Raleigh Pioneer
> 
> Re-using the spokes, all undid lovely except one that sheared. Cost of replacing that and building a useable utility wheel from my spares cellar - 80p
> 
> I like those old maillard hubs that were on lower-end affordable bikes. Many of them still going strong unlike some of the lower end hubs made today


Maillard hubs, low end, wash your mouth out. All right they ain't Campagnolo but I had a couple of wheels laced up with 78-79 Maillard 'Wideflange' hubs (albeit stripped/cleaned/polished and regreased/rebuilt by me) and they're like Silk to the point where when you've got fed up waiting for them to stop spinning (after a wash and a few drops of oil into the cones) and gone off to make a coffee to find they are now 'see-sawing' until they come to rest with the valve at the bottom.
I will concede that the mileage on them was unknown when I got them but the material quality and hardening is far superior to most hubs today.


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## tfg71 (24 Apr 2016)

took everything out of my garage , to tidy it up.
ended up swapping saddle on my bike for a new charge spoon. swapped the saddle on the bike my wife is using for a slightly different style ( hoping this prevents the cycling with father jack syndrome she developed with the last one). started to strip the old apollo nitro ( dont laugh ) to practice maintenance on. cut up the spare carpet we had lying in the garage and disposed of it. this having a 2 day weekend is no fun.


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## HLaB (24 Apr 2016)

Last minute fettling, what could go wrong  Noticed a bit of play in my BB a few weeks back decided at the last minute I better change it. If I've done my sums right it'd done 9500 road miles and a bit of roller and turbo miles, so I suppose that's not bad. Luckily I had one to hand and thankfully my neighbours haven't complained about the mallet banging!


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## srw (25 Apr 2016)

Yesterday I got the tandem ready for next week's FNRttK. I reattached the rack and swapped the conventional front wheel for the dynamo wheel. Then I took the dynamo light off my solo bike and put it onto the tandem, and reattached the conventional front wheel. I also attached some rear lights. As usual, it was the supposedly simple - bodging thick bits of rubber and inner tube onto the rack to hold a rear light bracket - that took the time. I went hunting for electrical tape to help, only to find it once I'd finished in the box in front of me.

I didn't reattach the mudguards. The rack-top bag acts as a reasonably effective rear mudguard, while if it rains I get wet. At the moment the Norwegians are predicting dryness.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (25 Apr 2016)

raleighnut said:


> Maillard hubs, low end, wash your mouth out. All right they ain't Campagnolo but I had a couple of wheels laced up with 78-79 Maillard 'Wideflange' hubs (albeit stripped/cleaned/polished and regreased/rebuilt by me) and they're like Silk to the point where when you've got fed up waiting for them to stop spinning (after a wash and a few drops of oil into the cones) and gone off to make a coffee to find they are now 'see-sawing' until they come to rest with the valve at the bottom.
> I will concede that the mileage on them was unknown when I got them but the material quality and hardening is far superior to most hubs today.



I never said the hubs were low end. I said they were fitted to lower end bikes. Such as the 6-speed steel rimmed, gas-pipe Raleigh pioneer base model. And the Raleigh Lizard mountain tank

And I love them. Alongside the 90s Exage hubs in a similar pattern, they just keep rolling


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## raleighnut (25 Apr 2016)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> I never said the hubs were low end. I said they were fitted to lower end bikes. Such as the 6-speed steel rimmed, gas-pipe Raleigh pioneer base model. And the Raleigh Lizard mountain tank
> 
> And I love them. Alongside the 90s Exage hubs in a similar pattern, they just keep rolling


Sorry, wrong end of the stick kind of moment.


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## gbb (25 Apr 2016)

In a moment of boredom I thoight I'd have a general fettle on the Ribble.
Handlebars off, forks out, clean and wipe the headset bearings,,, all looks and feels ok, a little lubricant and re-assemble.
Wheels out, clean the fiddly inacessible bits of the forks etc, started a general clean, notice the RD is caked in gunk....then I get a call...'Marcella has started on tv'

Ah well, to be continued....


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## Fnaar (25 Apr 2016)

Cripes-a-lordy! How many tubes have I changed in my lifetime? Too many.
But was just changing tube on bike I bought just before Christmas... a slow puncture (leaky valve, turned out to be).
The tyres are new ones to me (Vittoria Rubino Pros)... a right bugger to get back on.
And I managed to pinch/puncture 2 brand new tubes in the process of putting the tyre back on.
Third time worked 
Don't normally have any problem with this.
Anyone else find Rubino Pros a bugger?


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## derrick (25 Apr 2016)

Put a new rim on a damaged Mavic wheel, Took me a while to get it right, But i now have a descent set of spare wheels.


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## shouldbeinbed (25 Apr 2016)

Got the family stable of bikes ready for better weather, fettled the BSO MTB I've picked up for nothing for sons GF to potter about on.

Got round to taking the Marathon Winters off my Ute bike too. Oldham Council are gritting main routes tonight and snow is threatened for the next day or so.


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## Illaveago (25 Apr 2016)

I have been cleaning and repairing some binoculars I bought in an auction on Saturday. I was a bit worried as to what I had bought as I couldn't remember what lots I had viewed the previous day.
It turned out that there are a few nice ones in there, a WW2 Kershaw 6x30 pair in pretty good condition ,a pair of Miranda 7x50 which my brother in law bought. 2 Ross of London 9x35s , and my favourite a pair of Swift Newport mk2 10 x50's in pretty poor condition. A fter stripping down and a good clean I have managed to get a few of them working again. The Swift 10x50 despite having a chip on one of the prisms is performing well, it just needs a shim put in the focussing barrel to put the collimation right.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Apr 2016)

Miranda always had good glass, in camera lenses. Some were on a par with Nikon, back in the day. Swifts were also a fine binocular, sold well as an alternative marque to some of the pricier offerings.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Apr 2016)

Trued a wheel at work yesterday, as my bike has taken the worst of some bad roads around here, and had to change the tube as well. I just worked in five minute increments between bus runs. Then some thunderstorms came, so my bike had to ride home anyway. So now I can do a better truing job, at leisure, as at home I'll just mount the spare wheel set.


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## Tenacious Sloth (27 Apr 2016)

Swapped the disc rotors and cassette onto my new self-build wheels and fitted to the CAADX ready for tomorrow's commute. I shall now be flying up the hills.

Graham


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## 13 rider (27 Apr 2016)

New chain fitted to the hybrid commuter . Bought a Shimano chain with their quick link as I thought it would be easier .Not impressed with the quick link  a few swear words may have been uttered and my thumbs hurt now . Think I use the chain tool and pins next time


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## Tom B (27 Apr 2016)

Went for a quick ride out to the shops on Monday. Got a bit giddy clattering along the canal tow-path cobbles at a fair rate of knots when I was somehow overtaken by my own rear light. Somehow the backup light had detached itself (it was superglued in) presumably hitting the wheel and flying past me, bouncing along the path half a dozen times before just as it was about to stop falling into the canal and sinking! 

Good job it cost about £2-50. Ended up going to the shops via the bike shop for a new-one fitted today.

With that in mind does anyone know of a propper reassuring screw on clamp fitting for the Lezyne 900XL ?


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## redvision95 (29 Apr 2016)

Fitted some new grips. Huge improvement over the original grips.


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## Stevec047 (30 Apr 2016)

Purchased a new set of wheels with tires today nothing special just some Weinman xr18 as an upgrade to the bog standard so called components brand that were fitted to the bike but had seen better times.

Hub wise they are running on a set of Quando kt tech I am guessing these are of the budget end of the range but they feel alot smoother than the old ones and seem to spin for longer so that can't be too bad.

Tyre wise I went for a pair of schwalbe lugano as opposed to gator skins as again I had no bench mark to compare them too other than the bontrager sport tyres currently on the bike and the fact that almost all of the guys I went out with last weekend swore by these and the next ones up with better protection. Oh and I love the reflective trim to the edge of the tire.








Just removed the cassette from the old wheel which I was supprised to see was a fixed until with just the 11t being separated from the rest. Shram branded which was a surprise as the bikes new have shimano fitted.

Wheel weight wise they are a little lighter than the original so hopefully help with hills the other nice thing is the fact that they don't have the deep aero effect that the old ones had which when hit by side winds gave me a bit of a scare.


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## Turdus philomelos (1 May 2016)

Not just today but over the past few weeks in preparation for Girol d'italia. I don't think Segan is riding but his jersey is included any how.


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## Tin Pot (1 May 2016)

Mounted brakes and derailleurs.

Rear derailleur binded even though I was using a torque wrench at the correct Nm.


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## briantrumpet (1 May 2016)

Finally got round to replacing big chainring, chain and cassette on the commuter. Let's just say that I'm not a great one on maintenance, and the combination had got as sloppy as a sloppy blancmange. I was about to do the same on the nice Colnago, until I remembered that the new chainring hasn't been delivered yet.


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## Tenacious Sloth (1 May 2016)

Spent a couple of hours getting my wife's 20 year old Dawes Stirling roadworthy.

10+ years of shed grime cleaned off, a couple of cables freed and lubed.

Just need to get a couple of inner tubes, tyres and rolls of rim tape tomorrow and it should be good to go for the single ride she'll do before retiring the bike to the shed for another 10 years!



Graham


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## wisdom (2 May 2016)

Well my giant defy had a little bit of play in the front wheel.Cones needed a wee bit of adjustment.Simple 2 minute job!!!!!!
On looking I thought the bearings felt a little notchy too.No problem clean and regrease.Bearings and races were clean and not pitted so regreased and reassembled.THEN one of the cone locknuts dropped nicely through the decking.I could see it but couldn't retrieve it with a stiff piece of wire as it was lying flat and perilously close to a drop down to the wall. Time to get the screwdriver out.Wait a minute I had an old 4 pronged grabber in my toolbox from when I used to service hgv's.It just squeezed through the gab and gripped the nut.Gentley lifted it to below the decking.Threaded a gas welding rod through the nut.Gingerley turned it and up through the gap it came.Reassembly was then straightforward apart from the usual faff of tightening and slackening the cones until they were just right.
SIMPLE 2 minute job eh.
If only the wasn't shining I would have done it in the garage.


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## RegG (4 May 2016)

Just fitted Swiss Stop Green pads to the shoes on my Ultegra callipers. Went on very easily and will try them out later. Did notice the old (about two months) pads on the rear had picked up some grit which explains the noise the back brake was making on Sunday!


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## Garry A (4 May 2016)

Got some cone spanners yesterday so I decided to clean the front wheel bearings even thought they didn't need it. Another skill acquired. Attached a second blue Elite custom race bottle cage to my blue defy.


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## BalkanExpress (6 May 2016)

Fitted a new pair of Veloflex Master 23mm. 

Actually I did this yesterday, but my thumbs were throbbing so much by the time I finished that I couldn't type


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## biggs682 (6 May 2016)

Fitted these new ( http://www.gearbest.com/bike-parts/pp_320291.html ) GUB GC-008 flat pedals to my daily commuter


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## Stevec047 (6 May 2016)

Not specifically today but after purchasing a cadence/speed sensor from lidl the other day I realised I needed to have my phone on show to see what was happening so I raided a box of Go pro brackets and bits to see what I could come up with.

I already had a cheap skin for my phone and had the bracket to mount a go pro to the bars but needed to figure out how to mate the two bits together. Found a tripod mount which had a flat surface and some super strong double sided tape. 

It's a bit bodge and bulky but it will do until the end of the year when I will treat myself to a garmin.


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## screenman (6 May 2016)

Topped the tyres up on the 29er after converting to tubeless a week back. Now if I could include what I fettled at work that would be 7 different cars.


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## hifinut (7 May 2016)

Just made a hanger /work bracket out of an old kitchen utensil /pan rack ,it is good strong one too


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## DCLane (7 May 2016)

Set my youngest's race bike up for his race tomorrow. Otherwise nothing as I can't lift/twist anything heavy


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## Tin Pot (7 May 2016)

Fettling is only fun when you don't have a deadline! Can't train tomorrow because of it, and if it's not sorted tomorrow I can't commute!

So no training tomorrow, enjoy the sun, another trip to the shops, try to finish both bikes.


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## shouldbeinbed (10 May 2016)

Brompton service done, sticky rear brakes had particular attention and are working like new.


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## Fnaar (10 May 2016)

Creaking crank on a bike bought second hand (love the bike, but have had increasingly creaky crank on last 2 rides). Investigated, tightened crank bolts, also chainring bolts were a little loose... quick test ride, problem sorted. 
Will test on a longer ride later in the week.


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## Jenkins (10 May 2016)

New brake pads fitted to my Boardman, Whyte, Kona, Cube and Van Nicholas.


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## jim55 (10 May 2016)

A second hand 105 caliper fitted to my s/s , it needs a new cable as I noticed a bit of fraying but it's ok for now just not super smooth,it's got koolstop (red) pads fitted ,15 quid from eBay , il have to get a new cable ,on another note I'm running 46*18 and it's a bit spinny ( I can't get my cadence up as some can- just a side effect of getting older ) I have a 53 tooth chainring , du think it'll b too big a jump? ( 46to 53) I rem I tried 53*16 on fixed before and could hardly get the pedals moving once stopped


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## dave r (10 May 2016)

jim55 said:


> A second hand 105 caliper fitted to my s/s , it needs a new cable as I noticed a bit of fraying but it's ok for now just not super smooth,it's got koolstop (red) pads fitted ,15 quid from eBay , il have to get a new cable ,on another note I'm running 46*18 and it's a bit spinny ( I can't get my cadence up as some can- just a side effect of getting older ) I have a 53 tooth chainring , du think it'll b too big a jump? ( 46to 53) I rem I tried 53*16 on fixed before and could hardly get the pedals moving once stopped



Your 46x18 is a 67.6 gear inches

your 53x18 is a 77.9 gear inches

so its a big jump. I'm in my mid 60's and would prefer a 44x18, but we're all different, what suits one won't suit another.


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## jim55 (10 May 2016)

I'm 47 and think I could push a wee bit more quite easily , say a 48 then , it's a flip flop hub and its 16t fixed but I prefer a freewheel sometimes , il look for a chainring about 48 , failing that it'll b a smaller freewheel


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## HLaB (10 May 2016)

If you can call it fettling, I stuck a 23mm tyre on my better front wheel so I could use it in all my forks. It previously had a 25mm tyre which could only fit in one fork.


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## dave r (11 May 2016)

jim55 said:


> I'm 47 and think I could push a wee bit more quite easily , say a 48 then , it's a flip flop hub and its 16t fixed but I prefer a freewheel sometimes , il look for a chainring about 48 , failing that it'll b a smaller freewheel



That gives a 70 inch gear and should give you a bit of pace on the flat while giving you a good chance of getting up the hills.


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## RoubaixCube (11 May 2016)

Trying to get my SPD-SL cleats set up but it seems theres a lot more to it then simply bolting them on  I get in a position where i can clip in just fine but clipping out is a nightmare. I almost fell off the bike! I think its better i leave the Cube with standard SPD pedals for the time being.


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## RegG (13 May 2016)

I degreased the chain, chainrings and cassette on my partners Liv Avail this morning and became concerned  when I noticed that the teeth on the big ring at the front (FSA Gossamer chainset) appeared to be different heights - immediate thought was are they wearing already? Being fairly new to this game and not afraid to admit a lack of knowledge I rang my trusted LBS and, as usual, the very helpful young man explained that the teeth on the big ring of an FSA set do vary in height. It is FSA's method of ensuring a smooth change from the little ring to the big one. Shimano do it slightly differently with the teeth on their rings being the same height. You learn something everyday!


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## Tenacious Sloth (14 May 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Spent a couple of hours getting my wife's 20 year old Dawes Stirling roadworthy.
> 
> 10+ years of shed grime cleaned off, a couple of cables freed and lubed.
> 
> ...



Decided to do a more thorough job which I finished today. The renovation included:

1. Stripped, cleaned and reassembled both wheel hubs with new grease and ball bearings.
2. Trued and tensioned both wheels.
3. Fitted new rim tape, inner tubes and tyres (Michelin Pro 4 Endurance).
4. Fitted new cassette, chain and rear mech.
5. Replaced all gear and brake cables.
6. New brake pads.
7. New saddle.
8. Fitted new mudguards.

Looks great and rides really well now. Let's hope she rides it.

Graham


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## Gravity Aided (14 May 2016)

Schwinn Impact bicycle had some problems of chain rub, I tracked it down to the BB, which had a worn/bent pedal axle (and cups!!). I replaced it with a sealed BB cartridge, and had a time of fitting the sealed BB cup due too the threads being a bit bad. The sealed BB side went in just fine. I also changed out my saddle for a less cushiony and narrower saddle. I also replaced a doorknob in the house which had broken, and bought Mrs.GA some new hedge clippers while at the building and outdoor supply big box store.


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## Supersuperleeds (15 May 2016)

Washed the commute, didn't change the tyres even though the front one has a few decent cuts in it. Will probably come back and bite me on the arse but there is still loads of tread left on it and can't bring myself to change it just yet.


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## Levo-Lon (15 May 2016)

Just flipped the stem on the road bike as my neck gave me a lot of grief after todays ride..

im thinking new bike might be needed....


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## PeteXXX (15 May 2016)

New brake pads fitted on the CX.
There was a bit of wear left on them, but not much! Quick half mile test ride to bed them in and then a post-pedal fettle for a final adjustment.


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## Tin Pot (15 May 2016)

Have I cut the chain too short?


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## fossyant (15 May 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Have I cut the chain too short?
> 
> View attachment 128507



Way too short. The chain needs to be useable on all sprockets, just in case you shift up to big big. That will rip your mech off.


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 May 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Have I cut the chain too short?
> 
> View attachment 128507


Just a tad.

Some instructions on sizing a chain here: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing


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## Elybazza61 (15 May 2016)

New Hope retainer chain ring fitted to the XLS and chain shortened as it's a 44t;all set-up and ready for tomorrow.

Plus swapped cassettes over on the Helium for next week-ends sportive from a 25 to 28.


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## Tin Pot (15 May 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Just a tad.
> 
> Some instructions on sizing a chain here: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing



I followed Zinn and campag manual.

Smallest chain ring and smallest sprocket, 15mm gap. Derailleurs perpendicular to floor. Obviously done it wrong.

Is there anyway to recover a short chain? Campag want £25 for five "ultra links"


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## burntoutbanger (15 May 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Decided to do a more thorough job which I finished today. The renovation included:
> 
> 1. Stripped, cleaned and reassembled both wheel hubs with new grease and ball bearings.
> 2. Trued and tensioned both wheels.
> ...


If she doesn't ride it, will you marry me?


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## Tenacious Sloth (16 May 2016)

burntoutbanger said:


> If she doesn't ride it, will you marry me?



Depends. Do you do back rubs?

Graham


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## Paulus (17 May 2016)

Slight adjustment of my rear simplex mech as it wouldn't stay in 1st gear and kept slipping into 2nd. Now all OK.


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## Starchivore (17 May 2016)

I put on new tyres this weekend, which for someone like me is something to be pleased about. I did burst one tube but I think it was cheap and rubbish anyway...


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## Garry A (17 May 2016)

Stripped off chain rings, cassette, chain and jockey wheels. Degreased, rinsed, dried, and then stuck the lot back on the frame. Sparkling.


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## si_c (17 May 2016)

Some slight play in my rear wheel, so decided to tighten the nuts a touch last night, also took the cassette off so I could give it a proper clean while watching tv.

Unfortunately there was a thick black paste underneath the locknut on the cassette, which reminded me I hadn't regreased the hub since the end of winter like I'd meant to.

Complete strip down and rebuild of the rear hub done. Slight pitting on the BB on the freehub side, but it's a cheap hub and I'm planning on replacing the wheels at some point soon so just cleaned them all up and reassembled.

Runs a touch smoother now, and quieter. Not 100% sure I've got the cones tightened properly, I spent about 45minutes last night, but couldn't get it so I was happy. Might take it to the shop and ask them to take a quick look.


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## fossyant (18 May 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> I followed Zinn and campag manual.
> 
> Smallest chain ring and smallest sprocket, 15mm gap. Derailleurs perpendicular to floor. Obviously done it wrong.
> 
> Is there anyway to recover a short chain? Campag want £25 for five "ultra links"



That was the Shimano setup as well for ROAD systems, but that was before everyone fitted chainrings to the back. 

You just need to ensure that the chain will do big big as it will be curtains for components. If small small doesn't work either, you need a longer cage mech.


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## Tin Pot (18 May 2016)

fossyant said:


> That was the Shimano setup as well for ROAD systems, but that was before everyone fitted chainrings to the back.
> 
> You just need to ensure that the chain will do big big as it will be curtains for components. If small small doesn't work either, you need a longer cage mech.



I used the big/big without derailleur method and a shim 5800 chain today and sorted it out.

Sorted out cables, cassette locking, housings, tensions, gears, brakes, stem tension...and took the new bike out up and down the road and it started pissing down and with lightning! But...IT LIVES! 

Amazing generosity from *Halfords Byfleet* today - I was there buying said chain and cable cutters. The mechanic only gives me a missing link for free, and then gives me a 26mm hex socket from his own tool box, because it was "ridiculous" that they didn't stock them...


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## Gravity Aided (19 May 2016)

Changed the saddle on my commuter.
Back to leather Chinese saddle from Amazon, a great saddle.


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## Stantheman (19 May 2016)

Not sure if this counts, but, I fettled a fellow worker. He's an annoying niggle getting on my nerves......argggg, that's better.


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## rugby bloke (19 May 2016)

Not so much fettled as bodged - The first time I went to change gear using the left shifter the whole mounting had become loose. On closer inspection it appeared that a nut was missing or the bolt was broken. Had a rummage around my saddle bag and found some micropore tape to bind the mounting back onto the handle bar. Used micropore tape rather than electrical tape as it would not mark the handle bar tape. Was a but worried it might not survive the rain but got me around the whole ride functioning perfectly.. Going to have to get it sorted by someone who knows what they are doing though.


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## Garry A (19 May 2016)

Washed my hybrid after it got covered in muck yesterday. Need to strip and deep clean the drivechain but waiting for a box of nitrile gloves and a crank puller to arrive first.


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## dave r (20 May 2016)

Gone fishing, theres a sign on the door, gone fishing  . A few weeks ago I broke a spoke, I got the LBS to fix it and re-true the wheel, the spoke had snapped just below the nipple but there was no sign of the nipple, a couple of weeks later I hit a bump and it dislodged the nipple and gave me an annoying rattle on the back wheel. So tonight when I was giving the bike a thorough clean and check I removed the back wheel stripped of the tyre and tube and went fishing in the rim for the nipple, ten minutes later and the offending item was in my hand and I can look forward to a bike running in full stealth mode again.


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## Tenacious Sloth (21 May 2016)

Changed the rear 140mm disc brake rotor on my CAADX for a 160mm one.

Bike washed and lubed and ready for next week's commuting duties.

Graham.


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## fossyant (21 May 2016)

Nothing today. After yesterday's marathon polishing a mate's kid turd of a bike. Magician skills needed recharging today.


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## Garry A (21 May 2016)

Took the drive train off my Giant Roam 2 and degreased it. Re assembled and lubed the chain.


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## derrick (21 May 2016)

New PF30 BB in cervelo P2. For a friend.


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 May 2016)

Yesterdays fettling on the knockabout bike:

Pedal service, rear wheel bearing service, new chain, new cassette.

I should already have done the Spring service on this bike after all its muddy, gritty, salty winter rides but have been putting it off. I couldn't ignore it any longer when a clank from the left pedal developed during the commute home on Thursday then got worse on Friday so it needed looking at.

The right pedal showed signs of having had a hard winter but fresh grease and new ball bearings sorted that. I was a little shocked though that the innards of the left pedal were bright orange with very little watery grease left. Oops! That might have something to do with falling off into a ford back in January. Fortunately once it was all cleaned up the bearing tracks were in reasonable condition and it all runs quite smoothly with some new balls and grease.

I was going to just do the pedals this time as the weather was threatening rain (no workshop so I have to work outside) but a check of the chain showed it to be well past its best and the cassette is visibly worn on a couple of gears so I couldn't leave those and of course it would be silly not to service the rear wheel bearings while the cassette was off so I ended up doing that while sheltering from the rain as best I could. Glad it's done though.


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## gavgav (22 May 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Yesterdays fettling on the knockabout bike:
> 
> Pedal service, rear wheel bearing service, new chain, new cassette.
> 
> ...


When you doing mine?  Next weekend would be good for me as I'm away in London....


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## velovoice (22 May 2016)

Carradice SQR bagman support fitted. One step closer to having the Brompton ready for touring in the south of France in two weeks' time!

http://velovoice.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/brompton-touring-mods-part-ii.html


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## Karlt (23 May 2016)

Yesteday, but cobbled together a quill stem from a neighbour's Tesco BSO and the rest of their c. 1995 Trek hybrid into a useable workhorse with handlebars at a sensible height for the owner. The integrated shifters are knackered though so if the owner wants to make use of it outside of the top six gears or so I'll nick the BSO brake levers and buy some cheap 3x7 shifters and make a fully working useable bike out of it.

In other news, nothing exciting. New chain and cassette (it's 8 speed so it's cheaper to use both until the chain starts risking buggering the chainset and then replace both) on road bike.


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 May 2016)

gavgav said:


> When you doing mine?  Next weekend would be good for me as I'm away in London....


That can be arranged I'm sure.


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## gavgav (23 May 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> That can be arranged I'm sure.


Will chat to you tomorrow evening about it


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## Sheffield_Tiger (23 May 2016)

Fettled an old storeroom:

Finally claimed some proper workspace at work instead of trying to do full services in the middle of the shop floor with a camping table to double as workbench and tool storage. This square footage was purely used to store...coat hangers!! Hangers now evicted, dirty old soil pipe boxed in and the beginnings of a workbench.

Tool board up tomorrow.. Painting will have to wait and be done in sections since I need to work in it right away


----------



## srw (24 May 2016)

I've finally got everything attached to this old Trek mountain bike I'm converting into a heavy-duty hybrid. The chain's too long, the brakes need proper adjustment, the rear derailleur needs properly adjusting and the front derailleur doesn't seem to want to index against the revoshift shifter I've put on it after throwing out the horrible trigger things I got it with.

It's going to get thrown in the car tomorrow so that once I've done the Brompton at the weekend I can put it on the stand and make sure it all actually works.


----------



## srw (25 May 2016)

srw said:


> View attachment 129592
> 
> I've finally got everything attached to this old Trek mountain bike I'm converting into a heavy-duty hybrid. The chain's too long, the brakes need proper adjustment, the rear derailleur needs properly adjusting and the front derailleur doesn't seem to want to index against the revoshift shifter I've put on it after throwing out the horrible trigger things I got it with.
> 
> It's going to get thrown in the car tomorrow so that once I've done the Brompton at the weekend I can put it on the stand and make sure it all actually works.


It turns out that the rear brake is just about OK (but it's a cheap one) and the front brake, although not adjusted properly, doesn't make the bike unrideable. It also turns out that the front derailleur is working properly, although it needs some fine adjustment.

And, of course, a new chain means I need a new cassette. Doh!


----------



## Elybazza61 (25 May 2016)

Chain on the Helium cleaned and lubed as I may commute in on it tomorrow.


----------



## Deleted member 23692 (25 May 2016)

Decided to go 25mm on the road bike, so just fitted a pair of Conti GP4000s II tyres, and very nice they are too


----------



## Dirk (27 May 2016)

Just spent the whole morning doing a full clean, check and service on our touring bikes.
All ready for our Tour de Devon in just over a weeks time.


----------



## Karlt (28 May 2016)

Tracked down rattle on road bike - loose cassette lock ring. Whodathunkit?
Boy #1's front disc brake doesn't rub any more. Hydraulic discs are all new-fangled to me but I sorted it in the end.


----------



## PeteXXX (28 May 2016)

I had to remove and de-grass the bottom jockey wheel whilst out on an off-road ride today. It was barely turning and was likely to damage it if I'd carried on riding.


----------



## bikingdad90 (28 May 2016)

I built a train track for the little boy about 4mtr long.


----------



## midlife (28 May 2016)

chris harte said:


> I built a train track for the little boy about 4mtr long.
> View attachment 129953



Reminded me of this 






Shaun


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## Tin Pot (28 May 2016)

Gatorskin detonated overnight - can't imagine how. I got home after 30 miles weds night and hung it up. Today it's got a slash about an inch long in the side.

Smashed my hands to pieces for thirty minutes getting the mofo off, new one on 25mm this time easy to do.


----------



## Goofball (28 May 2016)

Fitted new cable end, cable holders, cable, rear derailer and gear cable.


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## Chris S (29 May 2016)

I found a dumped MTB wheel and wondered if I could lace a Sturmey Archer hub into it. I don't have a freewheel extractor so I removed it by undoing the lockring using a hammer and a punch. It wrecked the freewheel but I didn't need it anyway.

I removed the spokes and they were 262 mm long, just the correct length according to an online spoke length calculator. I went ahead and laced the hub into the wheel using Sheldon Brown's guide.

Everything went really smoothly until I tried to tighten up the spokes - they were too long. I then realized that I'd put the external diameter into the calculator instead of the internal one. It was an interesting learning experience anyway.


----------



## ColinJ (29 May 2016)

chris harte said:


> I built a train track for the little boy about 4mtr long.
> View attachment 129953


I wouldn't describe a 4 m long child as 'little'! 

(On the subject of 'tall' ... Where are all these super-tall people coming from? I used to be tall when I was a teenager - at. 6' 1" I was towering above most of my schoolmates. These days I am often looking up to younger people. There is a woman who works in one of the local shops who must be at least 4" taller than me!)

**************

Anyway - back to fettling ... I was given some bike parts today, including a 12 cm stem. I have been riding flipped 11 cm stems for years but have been feeling ever so slightly too upright so I put the (flipped) 12 cm stem on my Cannondale CAAD5 to see if that new position felt better. I only did a short test ride afterwards and will reserve judgement until I have done a few longer rides.


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## Rickshaw Phil (29 May 2016)

Servicing @gavgav's bike. I've decided that bleeding hydraulic cycle brakes is not going on my list of enjoyable jobs.


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## ColinJ (29 May 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I've decided that bleeding hydraulic cycle brakes is not going on my list of enjoyable jobs.


I've decided that messing about with bleeding cable cycle brakes is not on my list of enjoyable jobs either.


----------



## Chris S (30 May 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I wouldn't describe a 4 m long child as 'little'!
> 
> (On the subject of 'tall' ... Where are all these super-tall people coming from? I used to be tall when I was a teenager - at. 6' 1" I was towering above most of my schoolmates. These days I am often looking up to younger people. There is a woman who works in one of the local shops who must be at least 4" taller than me!)


Yes, I've noticed that as well. I used to be the tallest person in my class and the youngest. A group of teenagers walked past me the other day and they were all taller than me.


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## DCLane (30 May 2016)

Prepped my Secteur and my youngest's for our Coast-to-Coast ride this week:

- Pannier racks fitted to both
- Cleaned both
- Fitted my Shimano RS21 white wheels with 25mm GP4000 tyres on rather than the 23mm I usually have. I like the white-wheel look rather than the traditional black it usually has.
- Fitted 25mm tyres to his rather than the CX tyres that are on for cross training and his commute


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## Jenkins (30 May 2016)

Changed the bottom bracket on my Planet X and fitted new rim tape to both wheels. Then changed the inner tube that exploded 5 minutes later (I hadn't noticed that it was pinched by the tyre which appeared to be seated properly)

Attempted to change the bottom bracket on the Whyte, only to find I'd measured it incorrectly and ordered a 110mm when I needed a 103mm so had to reassemble using the old unit. Instead I put the new unit on the Plug even though that takes a 113mm and it seems to be OK.


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## PeteXXX (30 May 2016)

I squirted GT85 in the general direction of everything, barring the brake blocks and rims, on my 25 yr old (ish) SS pub bike, then did 21 miles for a test ride.. Yep, still works


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## redvision95 (31 May 2016)

Purchased a Hawk Trakatak for pennies this morning as my new work hack bike and after a quick spin around the park, I set about changing everything on it. 
There were some horrible grip shifters on there on a 18 speed drive-train, Up to 21 speed now with thumb shifters in friction. 
The original canti brakes needed upgrading big time. V-Brake calipers and Levers fitted. Huge improvement. 
The tyres were no good. Schwalbe City Jets fitted with new innertubes. The grips were past it, Some new grips fitted. 
TopPeak Phone mount fitted. 
All I need to do tomorrow is fit some lights (I finish at 3am usually so need them on during summer) Get my handlebar bag mounted and cable tied on and put the new chain on. 
All done so far with parts from the parts bin, New cables were from a £4 multi-pack and the innertubes were £5 for two. total spend so far £29. Not bad


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## Kajjal (31 May 2016)

Have an old 1996 orange c16r hard tail. Fitted new shifters , regreased the headset, fitted new wider riser bar + grips and will get some new tyres tomorrow.

The bike handles very differently to modern bikes and has v brakes. Strangely the gear change is a lot smoother than modern bikes. (3 X 8). Great fun to ride.


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## Kajjal (31 May 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Servicing @gavgav's bike. I've decided that bleeding hydraulic cycle brakes is not going on my list of enjoyable jobs.



It's one of those jobs if you think about it and are careful it is very easy after the first time. As soon as you are interrupted by the wife etc. you suddenly realise you need four arms and two pairs of hands


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## Rickshaw Phil (31 May 2016)

Kajjal said:


> It's one of those jobs if you think about it and are careful it is very easy after the first time. As soon as you are interrupted by the wife etc. you suddenly realise you need four arms and two pairs of hands


Not my first time though. It's one of the things I had to learn and get right to pass the Cytech 2 course.


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## derrick (31 May 2016)

Lowered the stem 10mm. Will see how it feels on Thursday, If it feels good i will leave it, Ready for the Cambridge Grand Fondo.


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## redvision95 (1 Jun 2016)

Fitted a chain and the lights. 
Not going to bother with the handlebar bag. Just going to put the tools in my rucksack.


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## shouldbeinbed (1 Jun 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Servicing @gavgav's bike. I've decided that bleeding hydraulic cycle brakes is not going on my list of enjoyable jobs.


With you on this. It is a job I delegate to the professionals.


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## Kajjal (1 Jun 2016)

Kajjal said:


> Have an old 1996 orange c16r hard tail. Fitted new shifters , regreased the headset, fitted new wider riser bar + grips and will get some new tyres tomorrow.
> 
> The bike handles very differently to modern bikes and has v brakes. Strangely the gear change is a lot smoother than modern bikes. (3 X 8). Great fun to ride.


Fitted new tyres today and took it down a mountain fire road. It was different having 26" wheels compared to 29" and the original 145mm stem made the handling interesting


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## redvision95 (1 Jun 2016)

Kajjal said:


> Fitted new tyres today and took it down a mountain fire road. It was different having 26" wheels compared to 29" and the original 145mm stem made the handling interesting


But thats what makes it fun


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## redvision95 (2 Jun 2016)

Only picture I have of my bitsabike. Though today I fitted a pannier rack and a rear mudguard.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Jun 2016)

Fuji Crosstown 3.0 purchased used as a commuter. Chain oiled and wheels trued, now awaiting new, non-suspension seatpost, and the scrounging of a rack and fenders to fit. It's a 2012, I don't know how the bike rack at work will react to a bicycle less than a quarter century old.


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## Elybazza61 (3 Jun 2016)

Helium cleaned and checked over ready for Sundays TOC fondo.


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## DCLane (3 Jun 2016)

The rack came of my youngest's Islabike after our C2C this week.

Then I got told the bike store/garage was a mess by SWMBO. It's now all organised - wheels sorted and stacked, all parts sorted and organised properly. 'Bits and bobs' in a proper set of containers. Tyres/tubes/chains/etc. all set out with associated parts and accessories next to each. It looks like know what I'm doing 

What she _doesn't_ know is in that doing the 'sorting' I've lost the space for Tim's Islabike. Hmm ...


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## Jamieyorky (4 Jun 2016)

Fitted new Sora front and rear mechs to the winter/commuter. Was running in branded rear Shimano but Sora makes it feel alot better.


----------



## numbnuts (4 Jun 2016)

Made some sourdough bread


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## DCLane (4 Jun 2016)

Fitted an Aerojacket disc cover to the 100mm carbon TT wheel. It _mostly_ fits flat but I won't find out the impact until it's tested. Oh, and the Principia TT bike got a new stem bolt (old one was rusty) and front/rear derailleurs adjusted.


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## PeteXXX (4 Jun 2016)

CX washed and lubed after a slightly mucky ride.
Defy 2 lubed, wiped down with GT85, and prepped (again) for the Norwich 100 tomorrow.


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## Blurb (4 Jun 2016)

Cleaned/inspected 4 of the 5. Thankfully no fettling as such this weekend.


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## ianrauk (4 Jun 2016)

Changed the old rear 105 derailleur on my commute bike for a new Ultegra one (The commuter is slowly being upgraded to all Ultegra)


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## Richard A Thackeray (5 Jun 2016)

Early this morning, I took the chainrings off my blue Ribble, to clean them properly, after washing it yesterday afternoon

Plus, I took a couple of spacers (almost an inch worth) off the Gran Fondo steerer-tube, to drop the bars, as they were higher than my winter/work bike (the aforementioned blue Ribble)
Now, I've got to get it cut down, but it's a carbon steerer, might leave it to the 'LBS'?


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## Supersuperleeds (5 Jun 2016)

Our lasses chain came off the cassette and got trapped between the wheel and cassette, managed to get it out, eventually, and we carried on our ride. Indexed the gears when we got home, also fixed a puncture on her front wheel, the tyre was completely flat.

In between the ride this morning with our lass and fixing her bike I went out and tested the new wheels on the Allez.


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## Rickshaw Phil (6 Jun 2016)

Today's fettling in pictorial form:



















A new bike for the colleague from whom I have just bought a Dawes Galaxy. It's just as well I have an understanding boss.


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## HLaB (7 Jun 2016)

Started to put a frameset together, well put the headset together, put the forks in, put the saddle on the seat post and inserted that and added the vee brakes. I was going to do more but I'd got the wrong type of bottom bracket


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## derrick (7 Jun 2016)

Put the spacers back under the stem. I took them out as i thought it would make me more aero. It probably did, but i think i am to old to be aero.


----------



## Illaveago (7 Jun 2016)

Fitted a new set of front disc pads to my car , there was some material left on the old ones but they would have needed replacing soon. It was warm out there working in the sun, but it was quite easy changing them.


----------



## ColinJ (7 Jun 2016)

I had fitted a longer stem last week. I thought that I had adjusted the AHeadset properly but I heard a few minor clunks from the front of the bike on a short ride today so I tightened it up. I was surprised how much I could tighten it without the bearings getting 'notchy'. When I have done this in the past, the difference between 'loose and clunky' and 'overtight and notchy' was fairly subtle. (I did have clunks, but rocking the front of the bike with the front brake on did not produce noticeable movement of the steerer.) The steering still works fine now and the clunking has gone.

There are some other noises to eliminate. I am still getting a mysterious ticking noise during hard efforts. I think it is due to the chainring bolts not being tight enough. I now have the strange pinned tool used to stop the slotted nuts rotating so I will get the bolts nice and tight and see if that fixes the problem. Even though the noise sounds like it is coming from the chainring/BB area, I wonder if it might actually be caused by the cassette lockring not being tight enough?


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## shouldbeinbed (7 Jun 2016)

A Cowhorn bar that I had in the shed put onto the Brompton replacing the S bar. Cowhorn sawed down 3/4 inch or so for aesthetics and to take the folded bar safely off the floor. New slightly longer front brake and gear cable fitted to accommodate the slightly longer reach, moreso when folded.

The only niggle drawback is having to sacrifice the Zefal Dooback mirror for a Zefal Spin that better accommodates the bend of the bar.

Quite poor photo of the end result


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## Jenkins (7 Jun 2016)

I had to take the 25mm tyre I've been running on the front wheel of my Ventus off and go back to running a 23mm as there was only minimal clearance - it was rubbing on the inside of the fork occasionally Also when grit got picked up by the tyre it couldn't clear the front underside of the fork so got caught up in the hollow and rattled around. The only way to release it was to stop and roll the wheel backwards.


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## srw (8 Jun 2016)

I discovered that the new-style Brompton brakes demand that the brake cable is fed sharp-end first - the old-style ones could be set up while the cables are still in the outers.

So that's a pair of brake cable inners I need to get tomorrow, and while I'm getting the inners I might as well replace the outers too...


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## HLaB (9 Jun 2016)

Put together a TT bike/frame last night. All was going well (inc the internal routing) until I got to the simplest of jobs, the kmc chain which refused to join. Apparently KMC have changed the design of the 11sp quick link making it harder to install! Probably go home tonight and do the same job in seconds!


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## HLaB (10 Jun 2016)

I was right the chain with the pedals on took seconds to join and the indexing was quite smooth. The brakes were spongy though and I frayed the front cable trying to adjust it. Its annoyingly routed to the inside of the caliper making it a bit fiddly. So I'll replace and tape tonight then its good for Saturday :-)


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## DCLane (10 Jun 2016)

My youngest's going to get a Giant TCR composite 50cm frame for his winter bike. Over the past few weeks whilst recuperating I've bought the frameset, with accompanying Ultegra 6600 crankset and brakes, plus the other parts needed.

In a mad thought this evening, since there's a smaller frame ending on eBay that _would_ fit him, I roughly put it together (bars, stem, seatpost, saddle, wheels) and let him try. It just fits so will do.

Now I can built it properly. The crankset needs to be the smaller one I have plus a few other changes but it'll fit.

The frameset:


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## dave r (12 Jun 2016)

A first for me, I stripped and lubed the headset bearings on my Eastway. I'd never stripped an Ahead headset before, though I did plenty of threaded one in the past. The one on my eastway was smooth enough but a little noisy, sounded dry, when I stripped it there was plenty of grease but it was black and mucky, the top bearing wasn't too bad but the crown race was orrible, I cleaned it all up, lubed it and reassembled it. Adjusted it, took it for a ride around the block and readjusted it and it feels and sounds a lot better now.


----------



## alecstilleyedye (12 Jun 2016)

new brake blocks for daughter 1's bike, purchase of new cable for daughter 2's. re-greased grouchy integrated headset and gave commuting bike a wash and lube…


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## Tojo (12 Jun 2016)

Stripped my MTB in anticipation of the new groupset arriving tomorrow, fingers crossed......


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## gbb (13 Jun 2016)

Ribble New Sportive, bars have got a tad rocky and a couple trys at the headset havnt improved it much so re-mounted the bung then re-adjust everything.., all good now.

Went to Screwfix on the way home and brought some chainsaw oil. Home, clean chain with cloths, apply chainsaw oil, wipe and wait for next ride.

Couple of light acratches on the top bar have annoyed me, mostly because of my carelessness...partly because its unsightly. T Cut...took 50% of the light scratches off.


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## Dirk (13 Jun 2016)

Fettled the caravan and towed it up to the Cotswolds for a week. Going to watch the Aviva Women's Tour on Thursday as they come through Ilmington.
Chilling out with a couple of beers and a good book now.


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## Tojo (14 Jun 2016)

Tojo said:


> Stripped my MTB in anticipation of the new groupset arriving tomorrow, fingers crossed......



Didn't fe*king arrive Ribble lied to me last Friday, Saying it was despatched, lie, lie looked up the tracking yesterday and it only came up @ 1600hrs that the courier had picked it up and was with them..........


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## RoubaixCube (14 Jun 2016)

changed the just the rear brake pads on the triban just to see if it made any difference. Stock decathlon pads almost feels like its made out of chalk


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## Glow worm (14 Jun 2016)

My gears were not indexing correctly and also slipping at unexpected moments. A bit disappointing just 200 or so miles after a full LBS service. Anyway, I've re-indexed them, adjusted cable tension and hope that cures the slipping too. Adjusted the front mech slightly too as the chain had started rubbing on it in higher gears. Seem to have cured that, so all in all a successful fettle with minimal swearing for a change.


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## subaqua (14 Jun 2016)

My new bike! So that's adjust mudguards as they have moved in transit , refit handlebar to stem ,fit pedals . Been for a spin round block oooooh it's nice .


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## RoubaixCube (14 Jun 2016)

I got extremely bored so i ended up just switching out the front brake pads also. should definitely notice the difference now  (kool stop brake pads)


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## DCLane (14 Jun 2016)

Fitted a new rear tyre (red Rubino) to the Secteur as it's the only bike I can ride at the moment. One red tyre, one black for a week or so.


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## Tojo (15 Jun 2016)

.....New groupset arrived and is on ye olde Orange.....But still waiting for brake levers from another supplier........


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## EltonFrog (15 Jun 2016)

I cleaned and greased the headset on mine and the wife's road bikes, but I think I've got to do it again because I may not have used enough grease.


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## gbb (17 Jun 2016)

Hunted high and low for my Campag cassette removal tool...then couldnt find my home made chain whip...I really must get more organised.
Cassette off, thorough clean, RD got a bit of a clean and degrease with WD, chain wiped etc.


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## tyred (17 Jun 2016)

I put my Royal Mail Pashley back together


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## raleighnut (17 Jun 2016)

tyred said:


> I put my Royal Mail Pashley back together
> 
> View attachment 132175
> View attachment 132176


Nice.


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## tyred (17 Jun 2016)

raleighnut said:


> Nice.



Thanks, I am pleased with it. I just need to refit the original lights once I've cleaned all the contacts and I think it needs some bar ends.


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## raleighnut (17 Jun 2016)

tyred said:


> Thanks, I am pleased with it. I just need to refit the original lights once I've cleaned all the contacts and I think it needs some bar ends.


I'd swap the handlebars for some Ergotec 'Toulouse' bars, 





Similar to 'North Road' but less rise.


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## tyred (17 Jun 2016)

raleighnut said:


> I'd swap the handlebars for some Ergotec 'Toulouse' bars,
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The thought had crossed my mind as the original bars were bent and dangerously rusty but I robbed some bits from a junked MTB. I have the bar ends to suit but have mislaid them.


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## tyred (17 Jun 2016)

It was really rusty when I got it



Pashley Royal Mail bike by braveheart1979, on Flickr


Pashley Royal Mail bike - Sachs Spectro 3 gear cable by braveheart1979, on Flickr


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## lazybloke (17 Jun 2016)

Fitted new bottom bracket and compact chainset a couple of days ago in preparation for The Fnrttc and Ditchling tonight. Have just finished the job by moving the front derailleur and fitting/adjusting a new cable.
All road-tested successfully (famous last words)


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## Jenkins (17 Jun 2016)

Spent this morning fitting all the following pieces:


> (from the "What have you bought..." thread)
> Bottom bracket for the Whyte
> Disc rotor & resin pads for the Cube
> Full cantilever brake set for the Kona
> 16T freewheel (& removal tool) for the Plug


Then spent the afternoon watching it rain heavily so, apart from a quick spin round the block as each one was finished, I've not had a chance to properly check the work but all seems good.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (17 Jun 2016)

During an awful wet and gritty week of commuting the knockabout bike developed a rythmic thump through the back brake for which I couldn't see an obvious cause but had my suspicions.

I was able to investigate properly this evening and unfortunately as suspected the braking surface has worn down to the point where a crack has developed on the inside face of the rim. I've swapped over the tyre, tube and cassette to one of my winter wheels which is also past its best (worn bearings) but should keep me mobile until I can sort a replacement.


----------



## Nibor (18 Jun 2016)

Rebuilt my brothers Pace RC35MXCD forks with new elastomers on his 90s Orange P7


----------



## PeteXXX (18 Jun 2016)

Defy 2 lubed, polished and generally fettled all over, then polished again with a GT 85'y cloth, in readiness for the London to Brighton to London tomorrow.


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (18 Jun 2016)

Nibor said:


> Rebuilt my brothers Pace RC35MXCD forks with new elastomers on his 90s Orange P7



I have no idea what that means, but it sounds really, really technical.



Graham


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## DCLane (18 Jun 2016)

I've started building my youngest's winter bike; a 2004 Giant TCR Composite 1 50cm frameset which came with crankset, front derailleur and brakes - all Ultegra 6600. It was sold with a broken rear mech hanger and I had a new one fitted by the LBS since the screw was damaged and I couldn't remove it.







Today I've fitted:

Replacement Shimano 105 5700 crankset with 165mm arms as it'd fit him better. Basically new and because he's short.
Ultegra 6700 front derailleur instead of the 6600 one.
Ultegra 6700 rear derailleur.
Felt carbon seatpost and Radial saddle.
Zipp bars and Cinelli Dinamo stem.
Ultegra 6700 shifters.
Bottle cage and (all important) Garmin holder.
Still to do:

Adjust shifters so he can reach
Cables
Chain
Wheels/tyres and fit the Ultegra 16-27 youth cassette.
No photos as the one above was the seller's photo.

The intention is that he'll use it over the winter as well as for indoor club training and commuting to/from school. It'll mean his Islabike can go as well. If needed it'll also be a back-up race bike.


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## User19783 (18 Jun 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> I have no idea what that means, but it sounds really, really technical.
> 
> 
> 
> Graham



Pace racing forks are and still the dogs b*******ks, 
The company are still in business iirc, 
I had a pair years ago, carbon fiber with 100mm travel, 

Well done @Nibor for keeping the these forks alive.


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## Elybazza61 (18 Jun 2016)

Fitted Cinelli bars and stem plus saddle and pedals to the Weigh single speeder.


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Jun 2016)

I have a bike to look over which is intended for @gavgav's nephew. Bought for a fiver I'm told, and at a glance it looks reasonably nice but whoever was maintaining it previously didn't have a clue. All fixable I believe but the spares box is going to get quite a bit of raiding as it's a no budget repair.

I looked at the bottom bracket this evening which proved to be beyond saving. Fortunately I had a suitable used one in the spares box so that's the first bit fettled. Plenty more to go.


----------



## subaqua (19 Jun 2016)

finally put the new disc wheels on the MTB . I now realise how buckled the front was after my off ! was cheaper to buy a pair of crossride than 1 replacement wheel only. 
plus my OCD would have left me hating if the wheels didn't match. I started a few days ago and did the front but when i started the back i realised I needed the mavic spacer as the cassette is a 9spd and the bit it mounts onto is suitable for 9 to 11 spd. 

all sorted and i like how the valve hole is right where the Mavic crossride name is . lined the tyre name up with this too. rides amazing and it has flat spokes woooo posh. 

now to fettle the bars on the commuter


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Jun 2016)

A little bit more fettling on behalf of @gavgav's nephew. Checked over the headset - it has cartridge bearings so not much I could do other than inspect them and adjust. They seem okay (smooth and with just enough stickyness to suggest they are well greased) and the steering now turns freely after readjustment.

The (mismatched) pedals were next and as with the bottom bracket there was no grease in them but lots of dirt. I suspect the bike has been kept clean by regular pressure washing.Although in a bit of a state they have cleaned up reasonably well and now turn freely and fairly smoothly with fresh grease and adjustment. Being cheap and quite battered I don't think it's worth doing more than this.

Still more to do but it's started to rain so that may be it for today.


----------



## dave r (20 Jun 2016)

After having to wait for the rain to stop I spent this afternoon on the learning curve. Car body repairs, my old car is now 13 years old and under attack from the tin worm. I've never done rust repairs before but this afternoon I filled a small hole in a sill, dealt with a couple of patches of surface rust and applied primer. Just got to apply top coat and I'm done.


----------



## rugby bloke (20 Jun 2016)

A new set of Shimano SPD's and learnt how to use them ... only 2 falls during practice, proper training ride to come on Wednesday.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (20 Jun 2016)

A bit more on the childs bike I'm currently fettling: Rear wheel bearings cleaned out, regreased and rebuilt. Unlike the bottom bracket, these did have grease in them but it was the consistency of fudge so not much help.

For some reason the bike had the wrong rear derailleur fitted. A rummage through the spares box turned up one of the correct type in dirty but otherwise good condition so I've cleaned that up and done a swap The cable was too frayed to reuse but I found one that was just long enough once trimmed to work on this bike and also a bit of outer cable to replace the bit that loops round to the derailleur which was badly kinked. It now indexes.

It's coming together but still a few more jobs to do before the final set up.


----------



## Felix79 (21 Jun 2016)

I set up my cleats and put my SPD-SL pedals on my bike. I then spent 15 minuets sat on the bike practicing clipping in and out again.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (22 Jun 2016)

Last bit on the childs bike. Yesterday I started with the front wheel which is clearly new but old stock as there no wear on the rim or bearings but dust and a bit of surface rust on the hub. As with most cheap wheels the bearings have been well overtightened so I stripped and regreased anyway before adjusting and they are very smooth.

I then turned my attention to the rear wheel again which was badly out of true. The rim has been bent sideways at some point and two siezed nipples plus a third that rounded off didn't help matters at all. It all took longer than expected so I had to leave it.

Coming back to the wheel today, a bit more time spent in a fresh frame of mind have helped make it usable if still rather wobbly.

That done, it was down to final setting up. The rear derailleur set up easily as expected. The front was more tricky as it is heavily worn and causes the chain to snag. Lots of tinkering has made that work fairly well.

Brake blocks were all over the place but are nicely lined up now and the oil I put on the cables the other day has worked its way in so I don't need to replace them as I thought I'd have to.

All done for a grand total of £0 on parts. Personally I think £20 spent on a new back wheel would be worthwhile but some persuasion may be required.


----------



## gavgav (23 Jun 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Last bit on the childs bike. Yesterday I started with the front wheel which is clearly new but old stock as there no wear on the rim or bearings but dust and a bit of surface rust on the hub. As with most cheap wheels the bearings have been well overtightened so I stripped and regreased anyway before adjusting and they are very smooth.
> 
> I then turned my attention to the rear wheel again which was badly out of true. The rim has been bent sideways at some point and two siezed nipples plus a third that rounded off didn't help matters at all. It all took longer than expected so I had to leave it.
> 
> ...


Fabulous, thanks ever so much!! You will be rewarded suitably 

It will be fine for riding around the caravan site and down the short half a mile to the beach, for Jake, which is the intention. I know what you are saying about the wheel, but dad doesn't want to spend that because he says he could have bought a cheap new bike if he was going to spend the money.

As a knockabout for very short distances it will be superb.

Thanks again.


----------



## PeteXXX (23 Jun 2016)

After a fairly mucky ride today, I hosed down, brushed and soapy sponged my full suss. After drying it, I leaned it against the bike shed to dry properly before wiping over with a GT85'y cloth.
Unfortunately, before that happened, it started precipitating it down, so I had to restart the process half way through again.
I now have a clean, dry and shiny bike.


----------



## fossyant (23 Jun 2016)

Put my N+1 Boardman FS Pro 650B together, and cleaned and polished it up after negotiating a big discount as the bike has sat in the Halfords store room for 2 years. One cracking bit of kit for £1k, discount of £600. The fork and shock are worth £700 alone. Touched up the little scratches it had.


----------



## DCLane (23 Jun 2016)

At lunchtime I popped to the Bike Hub we share with Leeds University with the Dawes Impact I picked up earlier this week to give it a check over.

All's very good; the chain appears new and everything worked perfectly. The seatpost moves fine. The whole bike just needed lube, cleaning the dust off and a wipe down. 

Given that it's been stored for some years I'll need to fit replacement tyres and it'll need both new brake hoods and bar tape.

This evening I've prepped my youngest's Argon for the Under 12's race at Stockton tomorrow night - it's part of the National Championships but is a series of youth races.


----------



## Elybazza61 (24 Jun 2016)

Clean and check over for the Helium before tomorrows club ride.

Plus a quick clean of the Planet X and chain off for a good clean;might put the 105 mech and 11-28 back on as I'm not using the biggest cogs on the big cassette now with the 44t chainwheel.


----------



## Garry A (24 Jun 2016)

Fitted my new Merlin hand built wheels to the Defy along with a new 11-30 cassette and new chain.

Cleaned up the mess I made doing the above


----------



## Jimidh (25 Jun 2016)

A busy afternoon doing some minor stuff

Changed 2 sets of tyres on both mine and my sons MTBs - Rocket Rons on the front and Racing Ralphs on the rear.

Fixed a puncture on my Carrera that I use on the turbo - God knows how that happened as it hasn't bee out the garage in a year!

Readjusted the mudguards on my Giant as they have been rattling and doing my head in.

Cleaned my CX after my mucky ride in Thursday night.

Cleaned down and prepared my Felt for club ride tomorrow morning.

Nothing complicated ( because I would make a mess of it) but still a satisfying afternoon.


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 Jun 2016)

After a week of working on other people's bikes in the evenings I finally got round to starting on the new-to-me Dawes Galaxy. It's in good condition generally but had been converted to a flat bar with V-brake levers working the canilever brakes  so needed that sorting for starters.

My plan is to convert back to drop bars with cross top levers plus bar end shifters and to make it 9 speed at the rear with 46-34-24 chainrings at the front to give a really broad spread of gearing. This will be my first drop bar bike since I was at school so is quite exciting for me.

I don't have all the parts to hand so today was just making a start. I swapped the bars first and they do look nice but it feels like a stretch to the hoods where I expect to do most of my riding. I think the 100mm stem is a bit too long so an 80mm one is now on order.

Next up I started to swap the chainrings. Unfortunately my used and abused crank puller chose this moment to strip its own threads so I couldn't do the inner ring but I have swapped the middle one for a 34t Spa Cycles zicral one which I was pleased to find a perfect fit.

My plans for the chainrings mentioned above and an 11-34 cassette unfortunately rather exceeds the capacity of the original Shimano STX rear derailleur so a Deore one has replaced it.






My starting point for the day......





..... and where I left off with toe clips removed, new handlebar etc.fitted plus middle ring, rear derailleur and cassette. The saddle is the B17 I used to have on the Raleigh and suspect may be more comfy with a racier riding position.


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## bikingdad90 (25 Jun 2016)

DCLane said:


> This evening I've prepped my youngest's Argon for the Under 12's race at Stockton tomorrow night - it's part of the National Championships but is a series of youth races.



How did it go? Looked like a good line up.


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## Jamieyorky (25 Jun 2016)

Mrs doing the garden all afternoon so I managed to get the commuter and the Cube washed and lubed plus a hour or so tittivating with the 1951 Robin Hood Sports.


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## DCLane (25 Jun 2016)

chris harte said:


> How did it go? Looked like a good line up.



Thanks for asking; not great - he didn't get into the front group so spent too much time riding on his own. It meant he got tired but it's a good lesson learnt and onto the next race this Wednesday a bit closer to home.

The line-up was good for most of the races with a tight, fast circuit.


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## DCLane (26 Jun 2016)

Tonight I (almost) finished my son's winter bike, which was started last weekend (see here) by:

Fitting brake and gear cable inner and outers
Fitting an Ultegra chain
Adjusting said cables
Just the bar tape to fit and it's all done bar adjustments. He's not keeping the Superstars Components wheels in the photo however much he wants red wheels:


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## DCLane (27 Jun 2016)

I cleaned the Principia RSLe that arrived today and adjusted the rear mech:





It needs paint chips touching up, a chain and bar end plugs.

Also fitted bar tape to my youngest's winter bike (the Giant TCR Composite above) so it's all done. It'll be out on the Richard Dunn track tomorrow evening having a shakedown.


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## raleighnut (27 Jun 2016)

I had a good fettle at the trike today, I needed to make a new support bracket for the battery rack (the one I'd made 2yrs back had snapped due to my bit of 'hooligan offroading antics') and it had spat the 'dolly chain' off (the one that transmits power from the 6 speed axle to the rear twin wheel axle)
All back to A1 condition now.


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## fossyant (27 Jun 2016)

Popped some XT M8020 trail pedals on the new Boardman FS Pro. Added a little more pressure into the rear shock having read up on the correct sag settings. Awaiting the dropper seatpost, and some heli tape. Might get chance for a spin tomorrow.


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## Nibor (28 Jun 2016)

DCLane said:


> I cleaned the Principia RSLe that arrived today and adjusted the rear mech:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Humbrol do an enamel that would be a close match to that I think it is shade 222


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## dave r (28 Jun 2016)

Working on the car again today, tidying up the rear wheel arches, rubbed down a few rust patches and sprayed on primer, just top coat to do tomorrow or Thursday, it depends on when the rain arrives.


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## fossyant (29 Jun 2016)

Fitted the dropper post to the Boardman MTB and heli-taped where the cables run.

I had about 1-2cm to play with in seat height when fitting the post - they only go down so far due to the collar ! Phew.


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## gbb (30 Jun 2016)

GP4000 S II's fitted to my Fulcrum 5s on the Ribble.
Tight to get off, tight to get on but not too bad.
My first folding tyres..bugger I must admit, I miss the wire bead, gives a tyre some body. Folders just seem more difficult to get into the rim properly.


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## Glow worm (30 Jun 2016)

In a probably fruitless effort to get rid of a mysterious clicking noise during each revolution of the cranks, I've replaced my pedals with new ones (flats). Haven't given them a go yet, but if the clicking is still there tomorrow there will be a lot of swearing.


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## ColinJ (2 Jul 2016)

Glow worm said:


> In a probably fruitless effort to get rid of a mysterious clicking noise during each revolution of the cranks, I've replaced my pedals with new ones (flats). Haven't given them a go yet, but if the clicking is still there tomorrow there will be a lot of swearing.


On the off chance that the old pedals were mountain bike SPD type ... I have Shimano M520 pedals on my Cannondale. I had a mysterious clicking noise from the bike every time I was pedalling hard and it took me a long time to track down the source of the noise. It turned out that the Phillips/Posidrv(?) screws fixing the top plates on the pedals had come slightly loose. Tightening them got rid of the noise. Remember to do both sides of both pedals!

Speaking of annoying noises ... I was checking the bike today to make sure that it is in good order for my gruelling Yorkshire Dales forum ride from Settle tomorrow. I noticed a faint but irritating squeaky clicking noise when I operated the front brake. That turned out to be due to friction in one of the springs in the brake calliper. A drop of lube on the spring eliminated the noise. I have gone round the bike lubing every moving part except for the transmission which I will do later with a better quality lube after cleaning the chain.


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## Elybazza61 (2 Jul 2016)

Yesterday was mostly spent re-building the Weigh ss with the new ISO bb,Exage callipers,bottle cage and the Veloflexes were put on the wheels with latex tubes.

Might give it a go tomorrow.


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## dickyknees (3 Jul 2016)

Started an oily rag restoration on this.
BB proved to be clean and smooth, gears are good. 
Inspected the headset bearings, both cages looked OK, cleaned and new grease applied.
Still need to adjust the headset properly, can't quite get rid of the play without the steering being too stiff.

Marin Eldridge Grade 1991


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 Jul 2016)

Did a bit more on the Dawes Galaxy. This session was a bit of a disaster really but the brakes are all assembled and work correctly which is nice.

The drive side crank still won't come off though and I've broken the new crank puller trying. Worse, the bike flung itself on the floor when I turned my back for a second so I have gouges out of the brand new RH shifter and rear derailleur which haven't even been wired up yet.


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## gavgav (4 Jul 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Did a bit more on the Dawes Galaxy. This session was a bit of a disaster really but the brakes are all assembled and work correctly which is nice.
> 
> The drive side crank still won't come off though and I've broken the new crank puller trying. Worse, the bike flung itself on the floor when I turned my back for a second so I have gouges out of the brand new RH shifter and rear derailleur which haven't even been wired up yet.


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## raleighnut (4 Jul 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Did a bit more on the Dawes Galaxy. This session was a bit of a disaster really but the brakes are all assembled and work correctly which is nice.
> 
> The drive side crank still won't come off though and I've broken the new crank puller trying. Worse, the bike flung itself on the floor when I turned my back for a second so I have gouges out of the brand new RH shifter and rear derailleur which haven't even been wired up yet.


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## Shut Up Legs (4 Jul 2016)

I banished the banshees from my brake pads. I don't know how the caterwauling little buggers got stuck in there, but they made enough noise! A bit of angle adjustment, and no more screeching.


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## biggs682 (4 Jul 2016)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I banished the banshees from my brake pads. I don't know how the caterwauling little buggers got stuck in there, but they made enough noise! A bit of angle adjustment, and no more screeching.



Got them to release from one of my fleet

stripped and greased the bottom bracket this morning on the Wester Ross


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## RMurphy195 (4 Jul 2016)

Checked tyre pressures using a BBB pressure gauge. Rear was 40, front was 30psi! So much for the thumb test on modern tyres ... (Vittoria Randonneur Pro 700x32)


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## Jamieyorky (4 Jul 2016)

Delivery from wiggle arrived at work today, my new charge spoon and some deda bar tape. Got home ate tea, did pots then got onto more important things.... Fitting them to my winter/commuter bike.

Coming along nicely for a old saracen.


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## fossyant (4 Jul 2016)

Checked why I was getting heal strike on the Boardman FS. Cleats on my old shoes are rather worn, checked with new shoes and no such movement. Time to replace cleats.


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## dave r (4 Jul 2016)

Changed the tube on the front of my Eastway, it had developed a slow leak, it was very soft and wanted pumping up before every ride, prime suspect is an old patch near the valve.I also stripped out the chainset cleaned it, regreased it and reassembled it, I've had a slight creak under load on it like I've got a loose crank, how that works on Tiagra I've no idea, this is the first time I've worked on it, I'll see how it is next time I ride it.


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## Elybazza61 (5 Jul 2016)

New pads fitted to the Graham Weigh last night and calipers adjusted;all hunky dory today on a couple of short hops to and from the stations.


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## biggs682 (6 Jul 2016)

Fitted some new pads to the front of the Wester Ross and hopefully kicked the squealers out for good


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## DCLane (6 Jul 2016)

I finished the Dawes Impact quick jobs list; new cables plus bar tape fitted to go with the new hoods and replacement tyres. All done and rideable.


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## Richard A Thackeray (8 Jul 2016)

After 3 years, I had to replace the BB bearings on my (blue) Ribble yesterday
For a couple of months, it had been showing signs of play; with the cranks at the 08:10 position (& the drive-side at '10'), there was about 3mm of play at the end

With the relevant Hollow-Tech spanner & a new BB, I replaced it yesterday morning
It took a fair bit of knocking through, a rubber mallet wasn't working, so a ball-pein hammer (& block of wood) completed the task

I wasn't prepared for how bad the drive-side looked
I'm not sure if that's muck that has managed to work its way in, or powdered bearing?
It's quite possible, that it was just running on the bearing casing, going by the play exhibited upon removal

I'm not proud of letting it get into that state, but I guess it's had 3 (fairly) all-weather useage, hard years, & was only a Tiagra component

A work-collegue has just replaced his (work-bikes) head-set & B/B with Hope componants, but then again, those are in a Surley frame, so a lot higher quality than mine

* Next step;*
Get the sealed (& press-fitted) bearings replaced in its front wheel (Vision Team 30), as there's play in that


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## DCLane (8 Jul 2016)

Cleaned my youngest's Ridgeback MX24 for sale.

I also found time to finish the Principia RSLe - the brakes were European style so swapped them round. All good and a proper test is to follow.


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## arch684 (8 Jul 2016)

Fitted ultegra front and rear mechs and shiffters and bar tape


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## burntoutbanger (8 Jul 2016)

New rear brake blocks for my Vitus Vee-1 city bike, stock ones that came on the bike were never very good and may have possibly been further contaminated with some WD40, replaced with some cheap £3.99 Clarks blocks which although budget are still a significant upgrade!


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## Elybazza61 (8 Jul 2016)

Trek hybrid re-built for shopping duties and general hacking about.

Not quite done as some extra work was needed;bb replaced and front wheel bearings needed sorting(not really right but usable).

Need a chainring for the cranks I was given(basically new Amazon buy originally) as the ones on there are for different pitch than a 9-spd chain;old Stronglight one will work so will swap in the old inner one I have on the Weigh when the 46t one I'm putting on that arrives.

Only other things needed are to find the other new 'noodle' I have for the front v-brake and set up the Sram rear mech when I find the manual to cable up the shifter.Oh and some fittings for the rack.


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## Richard A Thackeray (9 Jul 2016)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> After 3 years, I had to replace the BB bearings on my (blue) Ribble yesterday
> For a couple of months, it had been showing signs of play; with the cranks at the 08:10 position (& the drive-side at '10'), there was about 3mm of play at the end
> 
> I wasn't prepared for how bad the drive-side looked
> ...


I levered the covers & seals off the old ones
The drive-side was dry & brown, with pronounced visible play in the bearing-races
The left, was dry, but still smooth



arch684 said:


> Fitted ultegra front and rear mechs and shiffters and bar tape


I was unaware that Ultegra bar-tape was available!


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## Salty seadog (9 Jul 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Trek hybrid re-built for shopping duties and general hacking about.
> 
> Not quite done as some extra work was needed;bb replaced and front wheel bearings needed sorting(not really right but usable).
> 
> ...




Whats with the two tone handlebar...? Is there a reason or am I seeing things?


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## Elybazza61 (10 Jul 2016)

Just Italian bling! Bargain Selcof jobbies from Planet X.


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## Richard A Thackeray (10 Jul 2016)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> After 3 years, I had to replace the BB bearings on my (blue) Ribble yesterday
> For a couple of months, it had been showing signs of play; with the cranks at the 08:10 position (& the drive-side at '10'), there was about 3mm of play at the end
> 
> I wasn't prepared for how bad the drive-side looked
> ...



What they looked like, after levering the dust-caps, and seals, out
Drive side lowest


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## HLaB (10 Jul 2016)

Cleaned up the good bike last night and noticed that the non driveside crankarm had cam a cm away from the frame. Repositioned it and tightened it and after a high cadence ride (at times) it seems to be OK but it spurred me to fix the spare bike which had an annoying creak when I used it for a 50miler last Sunday and hopefully I've solved it (a couple of chainring bolts were loose).


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## Gravity Aided (11 Jul 2016)

I took and old Raleigh Rampar that had been single speeded, put the parts on my 1972 Raleigh Grand Prix(larger Frame) , but have yet to put the chain and brakes on. Nice Metropolis single speed cranks, and a generous rear cog. Very light for a Grand Prix. The frame appears to have been Carleton built. Some time ago, I removed the cottered cranks, and that was the code on the crank. It also has the original brake hoods with Carleton logo.


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Jul 2016)

Success!!  After my previous problems trying to get the drive side crank off the Dawes I had time to have another go at it this evening using a new crank puller. I tried the application of heat again plus a bit of additional "persuasion" and it has come free.

Inner ring changed, middle ring refitted as I noticed I hadn't lined the markings up nicely first time, and the bottom bracket has been removed and reinstalled with grease on the threads. That will do for today and I can move on to wiring up the gear shifters next.


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## HLaB (13 Jul 2016)

Swapped the 110mm stem on my TT bike for the 120mm stem which was on my other bike. I'll need a new 120mm stem but after a quick 5mins test in the car park it feels better.


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## Shut Up Legs (13 Jul 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Success!!  After my previous problems trying to get the drive side crank off the Dawes I had time to have another go at it this evening using a new crank puller. I tried the application of heat again plus a bit of additional "persuasion" and it has come free.
> 
> Inner ring changed, middle ring refitted as I noticed I hadn't lined the markings up nicely first time, and the bottom bracket has been removed and reinstalled with grease on the threads. That will do for today and I can move on to wiring up the gear shifters next.


Excellent. Now you've done that, can you drop over to my place, and unstick my tourer's seat post? It's been stuck firmly for over 2 years, so will give you heaps of entertainment.  The weather here is even fairly mild for the middle of winter.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Jul 2016)

Chain is on the single speed.


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## DCLane (14 Jul 2016)

An early morning of sorting bits out before work, so:

Pedals removed from the Carrera Virago and flat pedals on as it's for sale. They weren't a matching pair anyway.
SPD's put on my youngest's new MTB instead of flats
Principia RSLe's shifters adjusted as they were sticking out rather than in (I'm an 'inny') with new front & rear Swissstop blue brake pads.
My youngest's Giant TCR winter bike got Durano S Etape tyres - the ones with a 'Yorkshire Rose' on.


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## si_c (14 Jul 2016)

Swapped the cassette on the road bike. Had changed the chain on Saturday, but the chain was skipping on a couple of the sprockets in the middle of the block, so just left it too long before changing the chain (6000km).


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## rovers1875 (15 Jul 2016)

Converted SWIMBO's recently purchased Orange Diva MTB from 1 x 9 to a 2 x 9 with new 36 / 11 cassette, chain, front mech and new changer all for less than £60 It was actually easier than I was expecting. Now just need to convice her that a day over at Clayton Vale will be much better than shopping.


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## Elybazza61 (16 Jul 2016)

Chain lengthened on the single speed after fitting the bigger chainring;test ride tomorrow.


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## Mo1959 (16 Jul 2016)

My little Charge Grater hybrid thoroughly cleaned and chain and cassette replaced. Love this little bike.


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Jul 2016)

I'd intended to get the Galaxy ready to ride today. Cranks on, chain fitted, go to fit gear cables......... oh!  Shimano supply the outers cut to length already in the kit I bought (I hadn't checked but had assumed the cable in the box was a coil to be trimmed down as required) and their idea of the correct length is roughly 7 inches per side shorter than mine. 

I have some outer gear cable in the spares box, but not enough and in any case it's Clarks which is a bit down-market for this build. Fortunately it appears that Stan's Cycles is open on a Sunday so they will be getting a visit early on tomorrow.


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## HLaB (16 Jul 2016)

Nothing spectacular but on Wednesday night I swapped my road bike stem (120mm) for the TT bike stem (110mm) after today's ride I bought another 120mm and fitted it to the road bike, it marginally shorter in height than the old one so I needed an extra spacer on top. I also decided to put my garnin out front mount which had been on another bike on the road bike.


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## si_c (16 Jul 2016)

Filed out the fork dropouts on my "new" Peugeot tourer, as they were 8.6mm instead of the 9mm for a standard axle. Vintage madness.


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## gavgav (17 Jul 2016)

The gears had been playing up when shifting down, on the last few rides and so spent some time this morning making adjustments and also gave the chain a good clean and oil, due to it sounding a bit rattly on Thursdays ride.

Gears were better, but not quite right and so a quick further adjustment on a test ride and they shift perfectly now


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## Gravity Aided (17 Jul 2016)

Fitted a front brake to the single speed for testing and rides around the neighborhood. I'll fit a rear brake as well before I get out on hills.


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## Rickshaw Phil (17 Jul 2016)

The Galaxy is ready. Gear cables fitted (more of a faff than I expected), gears set up (amazingly easy ) and finally I've wrapped bar tape for the first time which wasn't too bad but I feel I probably could have done a better job. They'll do though.

The finished article:






It feels nice on a couple of test rides. Looking forward to taking it out to stretch its legs, so to speak.


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## gavgav (17 Jul 2016)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The Galaxy is ready. Gear cables fitted (more of a faff than I expected), gears set up (amazingly easy ) and finally I've wrapped bar tape for the first time which wasn't too bad but I feel I probably could have done a better job. They'll do though.
> 
> The finished article:
> View attachment 135192
> ...


Looking forward to joining you for a ride, with that in use!


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## cyberknight (21 Jul 2016)

Put a new BB on the commuter , good job as the old one was about to fall apart when i took it out .6000 miles i guess from a truative powerspline BB in all weathers .

I also trued the front wheel and faced the front brake pad as their was some grinding going on in places.
it does need a new chain but im on shutdown in just over a week so it can wait .


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## Salad Dodger (21 Jul 2016)

I belong to a local ukulele band, and I thought it might be fun to add an extra visual and sonic element to our performance.

A good rummage round the local junk shops yielded a washboard (£12), so today I have fettled it:

Fashioned a shoulder strap from some rope.
Added a percussion woodblock for extra sonic variation.
Rummaged in the loft for some metal guitar fingerpicks to use in lieu of thimbles

and the band's percussion section is good to go.

Anybody got a small, light cowbell off a drum kit that they don't want? I have got a cowbell lurking in the loft, but it's big and heavy. It will unbalance the precision build of my Acne washboard......


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## Elybazza61 (21 Jul 2016)

New chainring fitted to the Trek shopper plus a used but ok chain,still have to set the mech up.

Fitted new cable on the front v-brakes but not finished as I lost the will to live(I hate v-brakes),plus a bottle of red was ready so,,,,


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## lutonloony (21 Jul 2016)

A non fettle in fact, I was having problem with FD rubbing on chain, big ring, only top 3 gears not rubbing. Only when I checked previous posts did I discover "trimming" . Nice of Evans to tell me about it when I bought the bike


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## Illaveago (27 Jul 2016)

I have been out in my garage fitting some brackets so I can hang a few of my bikes up so that I have got some room to move. It was boiling hot underneath that metal roof with the sun blazing down on it.


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## RedRider (27 Jul 2016)

Rear brake pads replaced. As usual a smear of olive oil on their backs helped them slip into place. (Extra virgin Italian, they're Campag after all.)


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## si_c (27 Jul 2016)

Did a touch of work on the new Pug, had already removed the BB cups, but I had been unable to remove one of the cotter pins previously, as a result of which I had half a useable BB. Problem as this is french thread. So I took an angle grinder to the axle this evening, so I can now strip down and clean the cups, and put in the new bearings and axle that arrived today. 

Just need the chainset, stem, handlebars, brake levers, replacement brake pads and chain.
Edit: Oh and a new set of 27" wheels.


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## KneesUp (27 Jul 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I have been out in my garage fitting some brackets so I can hang a few of my bikes up so that I have got some room to move. It was boiling hot underneath that metal roof with the sun blazing down on it.


Imagine how the cat on top of the roof felt.

I dragged the OHs bike out of the shed the other day, and fitted the v-brakes of our daughters 16" wheel bike because the cantilevers were a pain to adjust. Not being sure if the brakes were mini V or V, I decided today to put the brake levers off the kid's bike on too to be sure the cable pull matched. It now stops with much more vigour than before, although I think I must have got some grease on the rear blocks because it doesn't bite at the back like it does at the front.


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## eggman (28 Jul 2016)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Bent the front mudguard on my commuter bike recently so just fitted a new one using the fixings from the old one which had already been bent around to suit the disc brake.
> 
> This was achieved using:
> 
> ...



Thank goodness you clarified 'WHAT' INSTEAD OF 'WHO' It adds a new dimension.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Jul 2016)

Lots of fettling on a skive day;

Vittoria open paves and latex tubes fitted to the Hunt wheels after failing to fit the IRC's; Helium cleaned and checked before a test ride tomorrow and Sundays Ride London/Surrey.

Other half's Avail cleaned and recalcitrant Sora rear mech adjusted(still not 100%,think it might be a bent hanger or mech,might have to try a spare 105 mech I have).

XLS cleaned and lubed plus Fitted one of the IRC Roadlite tubeless on the rear Archetype;went on ok and sealed with the co2 thingy so will change the front as well and see how they roll;obviously a tyre/rim mismatch with the Hunts.


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## Jenkins (28 Jul 2016)

Returned my Charge Plug 0 back to original trim and gave it a quick clean before listing it on Ebay. SPDs off, flat pedals back on, , original front wheel refitted instead of the R501 with QR and both original tyres refitted instead of the Gatorskins I've been using. Left my choice of 46t chainset on there but with the original 42t setup included as part of the sale.


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## robjh (28 Jul 2016)

Replaced the headset bearings on my aging Giant TCR. They are an unusual size on a 1-inch steerer tube and no longer readily available, so it took a bit of searching and £30 to find a replacement, but they fitted nicely in the frame, and all seems well so far. It's now 11pm so I'll try a first post-fettle ride tomorrow.


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## si_c (29 Jul 2016)

Cleaned all the crap off the BB cups on the new Pug, and then spent some time watching QI and polishing the fronts of both, neither is perfect, there's a fair bit of discolouration on them, but they're 44 years old, so I'll let them be. 

Tomorrow's job is to fit them and the axle, decided to put my existing 52/42 Nervar crankset on for the time being, rather than a new Sugino XD2, just because I promised the wife I wouldn't spend a fortune on it like the last one.


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## si_c (31 Jul 2016)

Fitted bottom bracket to new pug. Also new RD, found out the FD is top pull not bottom pull, need to find a new one. Fitted cranks to new pug.

Got a new seatpost for the old pug, which is now fitted, and saddle height adjusted properly (old one was a little worn and slipped ever so slightly). Added some WD-40 to the pedals as there was a slight creak, and emptied, checked and refilled my saddlebag, in the process I realised that I hadn't replaced the inner tube after the last deflation incident. That was about 900km ago, whoops.


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## Accy cyclist (31 Jul 2016)

I lost another bar end plug thingy today. The ones i've been taking off old bikes to replace them have all been a bit loose, that's why they fall or get knocked off. I searched in my little bike bits box in the knowledge that you'll always find a spare bar end and low and behold i found a pair. These are a bit tighter and the one i used needed a bit of palm hammering to get it in. Hopefully it'll stay there longer than the others.


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## si_c (31 Jul 2016)

Accy cyclist said:


> I lost another bar end plug thingy today. The ones i've been taking off old bikes to replace them have all been a bit loose, that's why they fall or get knocked off. I searched in my little bike bits box in the knowledge that you'll always find a spare bar end and low and behold i found a pair. These are a bit tighter and the one i used needed a bit of palm hammering to get it in. Hopefully it'll stay there longer than the others.



I have the same problem. Always the right hand side too. I just use electrical tape when it falls out now, ugly but effective.


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## Accy cyclist (31 Jul 2016)

si_c said:


> I have the same problem. Always the right hand side too. I just use electrical tape when it falls out now, ugly but effective.




Yes it's the right hand one with me too. In the past i've taped the bar end to make it wider then knocked it in. It always seemed to hold.


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## youngoldbloke (1 Aug 2016)

Solution is to use plugs with an expander inside like the BBB ones


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## si_c (1 Aug 2016)

youngoldbloke said:


> Solution is to use plugs with an expander inside like the BBB ones


Nice, thanks


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## Jenkins (2 Aug 2016)

Yesterday's late commute home was the first where it was noticeably getting dark and lights were required so today was spent charging endless batteries.


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## lutonloony (2 Aug 2016)

Jenkins said:


> Yesterday's late commute home was the first where it was noticeably getting dark and lights were required so today was spent charging endless batteries.


Need a dislike button!


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## Buck (3 Aug 2016)

Fitted cleats to my new SPD-SL shoes (getting the screw in one of the holes was a pig on both shoes )

Also removed my SPD pedals now on my MTB again) and swapped them with my SPD-SL ones. (All greased and lubed too!


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## Shut Up Legs (3 Aug 2016)

MAJOR fettling coming up this weekend. I've bought new wheels for my touring / commuting bike (a Vivente World Randonneur), and will be putting those on, as well as a new rear cassette, chain, 3 front chain rings, and 2 pairs of brake pads. I've already prepared the wheels by putting new tyres on them, since my existing tyres are also pretty worn out, and the new cassette on the rear wheel, so fitting the wheels shouldn't take long. I think the longest part will be the fiddly operation of putting the new chainrings on the righthand front crank spider: I always have to clean it, put a bit of grease on the chainring bolts, etc., so it takes a while.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Aug 2016)

I found a bicycle with the wrong sized fork in a recyclers' pile the other day. The fork proved to be the right size for my Specialized Expedition that had the suspension fork fail on it, and the bike frame turned out to be a very nice Giant mtb. I went past the recyclers yesterday, and all the bikes were gone. I changed the bearing races, and everything fit together nicely. So I replaced a suspension fork with a solid fork and got a frame for my next project(and there's always a next project) for less than $10 American.


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## Illaveago (4 Aug 2016)

I have been cleaning up an old wheel I got recently, I've always liked the look of large flange hubs so I thought I'd take a chance.


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## raleighnut (4 Aug 2016)

Done a good job on that hub.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Aug 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I have been cleaning up an old wheel I got recently, I've always liked the look of large flange hubs so I thought I'd take a chance.


Normandy?


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## Illaveago (4 Aug 2016)

raleighnut said:


> Done a good job on that hub.


Thanks , it came attached to an alloy tubeless rim which has loads of old glue still stuck to it. Some of the spokes are loose and the bearings may need greasing. Work in progress.


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## raleighnut (4 Aug 2016)

Illaveago said:


> Thanks , it came attached to an alloy tubeless rim which has loads of old glue still stuck to it. Some of the spokes are loose and the bearings may need greasing. Work in progress.


If you strip the bearings out soak the cones and locknuts in a bit of vinegar then rinse and soak in oil (even warm the oil up a bit) will bring those up great.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Aug 2016)

Tubeless? or tubular?


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## Gravity Aided (4 Aug 2016)

I fitted the handlebars to the Specialized Expediton project today, and removed most of the paint from an old Fuji road bike frame. Tomorrow, we'll be off to steel wool and sandpaper, after another round of caustic, I think.


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## Illaveago (4 Aug 2016)

The hub is a Mallard and is stamped 25 81. I'm not sure if that means anything as I have an old rear Maillard small flange hub which is stamped 07 88 which I think is from the 60's.
The rim is AVA and the tyre is a De Alesessandro Special.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Aug 2016)

Illaveago said:


> Thanks , it came attached to an alloy tubeless rim which has loads of old glue still stuck to it. Some of the spokes are loose and the bearings may need greasing. Work in progress.


Once it cools off, I think I may have some wheel renovations to do as well, especially with getting some of the old glue off the rims. Get all ready to get the Olmo back on the road.


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## Tom B (5 Aug 2016)

After two weeks riding around French seaside and driving around with the bikes on the roof. I've spent the morning degreasing, degritting and relubing.


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## shouldbeinbed (5 Aug 2016)

New BB fitted to the Brompton, tuw return of click free cycling.


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## Shut Up Legs (6 Aug 2016)

After preparing my new commuter bike wheels last weekend, by putting tubes and tyres on them, and a cassette on the rear wheel, I installed them today, along with a new chain and new 3 front chain rings. It took about 2 hours, because I tend to take my time doing it, and involved:

removing the old wheels and storing them in case anything went wrong with installing the new.
removing both pairs of brake pads, since they needed replacing also, having next to no rubber left.
removing the chain.
removing the 3 front chain rings, and cleaning the dirt off the chain ring bolts and spacers, then greasing these.
installing the new 3 front chain rings on the right-hand crank spider.
removing, cleaning, regreasing and reinstalling the bottom bracket, which was looking pretty dirty.

putting both new wheels on the bike.
installing the chain. This was the most frustrating part, because I always have trouble joining the ends together. I used a recently-purchased quick link tool (a bit like an oddly-shaped pair of pliers), but didn't have much luck with it, and ended up just pulling the 2 chain ends together with the quick link halves loosely connected to each end, then joining the quick link halves. It's at times like these you wish you had 4 hands instead of 2. 
I also cleaned the hard-to-reach parts of the bike while the various parts were off.
This was before lunch, so after lunch I'll install the brake pads, adjust them, then do some minor front and rear derailleur adjustment, and the bike should be ready for next week's commuting (and tackling The Hill again).


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## Shut Up Legs (6 Aug 2016)

All done, now. Another 45 minutes, and I replaced all 4 brake pads, adjusted the brake cables and pad angles, then took the bike for a quick test ride down my street to check that no banshees had hitched a ride. Now the commuter bike is ready for more commuting. I keep meaning to check the total distance it's gone, too, because it's very close to 100,000km now, and I've had it for about 7.75 years.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Aug 2016)

Sandpaper and steel wool today in auld Fujiland. Most all ready for paint on Wednesday. Weather permitting. Also cleaning fittings for the Specialized Expedition project, and the single speed should be complete this afternoon, and test ridden.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Aug 2016)

Single speed is great. As it's an old Carlton/Raleigh Grand Prix from 1972, it's light, and maneuverable to a point just short of being squirrely.


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Aug 2016)

I turned the high limit screw on my commuter's front derailleur anticlockwise by a quarter-turn.


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## youngoldbloke (7 Aug 2016)

Fitted adjustable stem to bike I intend to use on turbo following hip replacement op. + 60" - so bars now almost level with saddle, and I've left them pointing upwards so as to reduce the reach. It really looks ugly! Mate visiting tomorrow to help me fit the bike on the turbo, then I've got to work out how to get my leg over, (as it were ).


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## arch684 (7 Aug 2016)

Fitted an ultegra chainset and bb also new cassette and chain


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## raleighnut (7 Aug 2016)

Took the TT bike out of hibernation and gave it a lookover/clean and adjust, not had it out for nearly 3yrs.


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Aug 2016)

raleighnut said:


> Took the TT bike out of hibernation and gave it a lookover/clean and adjust, not had it out for nearly 3yrs.
> View attachment 138365


Did anyone ever mention to you that your TT bike has antlers?


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## raleighnut (7 Aug 2016)

Shut Up Legs said:


> Did anyone ever mention to you that your TT bike has antlers?






It ended up that way through trying to get 'comfy' on it, I'd originally fitted 'Aero' extensions with the bar-ends in em and proper 'bar end' brake levers in the Bullhorns but couldn't get on with those so fitted the changers in the end of the handlebars and used 'interrupter' brakes as the only levers.
The handlebars then got rotated until I found the most comfortable angle for me on that bike.
The top thingy is a mount for lights as I was riding a 12-15 mile 'loop' at night when the roads were at their quietest.


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## Starchivore (8 Aug 2016)

Got a standard apollo Halford's mountain bike, new boxed from a friend, for my girlfriend.

I'm not much of a practical man. But it's now all set up.... apart from the bleeding front brake! After much puzzling, I've realised that I'm not crazy, the cable housing is several inches too long! I didn't expect that from a brand new bike. 

Took me a while to figure out as I'm not really used to these centre-pull style brakes. Am going to trim the housing down this week.... first time for everything- wish me luck.


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## arch684 (8 Aug 2016)

Fitted a front mech to my giant rincon mtn bike which is now a flat bar road bike with 3x9 and 48,38,28 chain rings


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## Elybazza61 (8 Aug 2016)

Trek mutant'shopper' hybrid near enough done and given a run yesterday plus Planet X xls cleaned and lubed for more commutes and the better halfs' Liv given a quick clean,will prob give the Weigh ss a quick check tonight for tomorrows commute.


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## rb58 (8 Aug 2016)

My £20 Raleigh has new tyres and brake blocks, tripling its value.


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## Starchivore (9 Aug 2016)

Starchivore said:


> Got a standard apollo Halford's mountain bike, new boxed from a friend, for my girlfriend.
> 
> I'm not much of a practical man. But it's now all set up.... apart from the bleeding front brake! After much puzzling, I've realised that I'm not crazy, the cable housing is several inches too long! I didn't expect that from a brand new bike.
> 
> Took me a while to figure out as I'm not really used to these centre-pull style brakes. Am going to trim the housing down this week.... first time for everything- wish me luck.



Right, I was completely wrong as usual. The cable housing was the right length. I hadn't fitted the thingy into the thingy at the front of the bike. Yeah.

So nearly all done now. I should really try to learn.


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## Jenkins (9 Aug 2016)

Replaced the rim tape on both (Superstar Components) wheels on the commuter Van Nicholas. Great wheels, let down by poor tape as both these and the pair fitted to my PlanetX suffered blowouts caused by the tape slipping and exposing the spoke holes.


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## Gravity Aided (10 Aug 2016)

Considered purchasing a used lawn tractor. More fettling on the way soon.


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## Starchivore (11 Aug 2016)

Starchivore said:


> Right, I was completely wrong as usual. The cable housing was the right length. I hadn't fitted the thingy into the thingy at the front of the bike. Yeah.
> 
> So nearly all done now. I should really try to learn.



I did it and now have the tepid glow of minor achievement.


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## dave r (12 Aug 2016)

Mudguard bodging this afternoon, I hit a section of rough road on my way back yesterday and rattled the rest of the way home, the rear mudguard bracket had broken, the problem was that it was a part of the mudguard not a separate item as a lot of them are. Fortunately I had a spare mudguard bracket in my bits box and I was able to make it fit.


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## Starchivore (12 Aug 2016)

dave r said:


> Mudguard bodging this afternoon, I hit a section of rough road on my way back yesterday and rattled the rest of the way home, the rear mudguard bracket had broken, the problem was that it was part of the mudguard not a separate item as a lot of them are. Fortunately I had a spare mudguard bracket in my bits box and I was able to make it fit.



That sounds like a decent job done. My mudguard on my steel bike is held on by black tape, and I've had to extend its coverage at the sides using masking tape as the edge cracked off. (These are those plastic crud-racers though, quite fragile).


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## dave r (12 Aug 2016)

Starchivore said:


> That sounds like a decent job done. My mudguard on my steel bike is held on by black tape, and I've had to extend its coverage at the sides using masking tape as the edge cracked off. (These are those plastic crud-racers though, quite fragile).



I'm running a pair of these on my Eastway,

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Speedshield-Road-ALUXX-Mudguards-Defy-Avail-_85664.htm

so they are a bit of a bodge job from the start, they're not long enough at the front so they are cable tied to the seat tube.


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## RoubaixCube (14 Aug 2016)

checked brakes on both bikes.Fitted the Carradice SQR mount to my Triban as i'll be using my Super C Audax for commuting now unless otherwise. Considering changing the bar tape on the Triban but its still got a few hundred miles on it still -- praise the black bar tape!

Call me stupid (or dumb - whichever is more applicable) but I think my Cube carries on rolling for a lot longer per pedal/crank rotation with the carradice saddlebag attached - I was almost coasting my way to the train station earlier for the CC:SLR. I also noticed this effect while I was on the Dunwich Dynamo Ride but I wasnt too sure if it was because I was wheel sucking the other cyclists or just having most of the weight located at the back of the bike. 

I dont think its some sort of placebo effect from not having a rucksack hanging off my shoulders.


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## Elybazza61 (14 Aug 2016)

Checked over the Planet X XLS;indexed the rear mech and set up the disc calipers plus a quick wipe over for the chain.


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## Deanie81084 (17 Aug 2016)

Changed the chain, casette, brake blocks and all of the cables at the weekend.

Gears need a little bit of adjustment but will do that as I go along.


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## stoatsngroats (20 Aug 2016)

Fitted pitlock front wheel and aheadset to the Fuji, for the OH.
This afternoon, changed a clicking 6700 BB for a 6800BB, first time for me, bt would be happy to do this again - no changes to FD, and clicking has disappeared, so hopefully this is resolved now!


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## Biff600 (20 Aug 2016)

Fitted a new saddle to the fixie and adjusted the brake as it was making hell of a racket


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## ColinJ (20 Aug 2016)

Recent fettling ...

The right Campagnolo Chorus shifter on my Cannondale CAAD5 lost its clunky clicks last year. It was still indexing but it was becoming increasing hard to be sure that a gear change had taken place, and I thought it was only a matter of time before it packed up altogether so I looked up how to service it. There are some excellent videos on Youtube showing how to do it.

It is a fiddly process, but ok if you take your time and do it properly. If you decide to do the same, make sure that you don't lose any of the parts when you disassemble your shifter. Oh, and there is a washer-like metal plate which needs to go in the right way up. I failed to notice that there is a small indent in the plate and put it in the wrong way up. That does not work ... I had several attempts to get the shifter shifting, but it was jammed. Eventually I realised where I had gone wrong and put the plate in the right way up. I reassembled the shifter and it is now good as new, with a reassuringly positive clunk every time that I change gear!

I have recently realised that I needed a longer stem. (It only took me about 15 or 16 years to finally accept that I am better off with a 'long and low' position rather than a 'short and high' one!) I had an old long stem which I used to check the new position. The position was good but I did not like the stem so I decided to buy a new one that size. I had a stem fail on me once when one of the 2 bolts holding the front plate on stripped its thread (I had overtightened it). I prefer to have the type that has 4 bolts holding the plate on, so there is less chance of a catastrophic failure - the 3 remaining bolts should hold the bars in place long enough to stop!

I had wanted stiffer bars after buying a CAADX last year which has nice stiff oversize bars. I therefore made sure that the new stem was for oversize bars and bought new bars as well. I bought very compact bars which, in combination with my new position, mean that I can finally get comfortable on the drops. The position feels good on the hoods, on the tops, and on the drops.

So that was a reconditioned shifter, new stem and bars ...

In the process of fixing the shifter and fitting new bars, I decided to tidy up the cabling. The cables had been a bit too long before so I shortened and rerouted them. I think they now look a lot neater, and braking and gear shifting are unaffected by the change. I can still rotate the forks through 180 degrees without the cables pulling, so all seems well.

It seemed a shame to do all that and not fit new bar tape too. A mate normally does my taping for me but he was away on his hols so I did it myself. I am not very experienced at that job so the first attempt was pretty bad. I decided to have a second go and carefully unwound the tape and made a much better job of it second time round. Not perfect, but good enough to not bother with a third attempt. I put Marsas shock absorbing foam strips under the tape to reduce the inevitable increase in road shock transmitted to my hands by the stiffer bars and stem.

So, I now have a much better position on the bike, and the front end looks and feels a lot better. I decided that I would treat myself to some nice (nearly) new wheels too, Campagnolo Neutrons, which I bought from @gbs.

The Neutrons have a 12-30 cassette which is a subtle improvement on the 13-29s that I have used up until now. Having a slightly higher top gear and lower bottom gear suits the hilly terrain round here without creating massive steps anywhere in the range.

The old chain on the CAAD5 was starting to stretch so I took that off and replaced it with a new one. I cleaned the rear mech and rest of the bike while I was at it. I adjusted the derailleur endstops and tweaked the indexing. The transmission is working very nicely now. The one remaining annoyance is a slight ticking sound when I pedal hard. I have been trying to eliminate this for some time. I reduced it by about 50% but something still isn't quite right, so the hunt goes on!

I am doing some reshuffling of kit. The chain and old wheels from the CAAD5 will go on my 9-speed Basso which will soon be upgraded to 10-speed. The stem and bars from the Cannondale and levers and wheels from the Basso will go on a singlespeed bike which I am building using an old Specialized Allez alloy frame/forks.

I still haven't put mudguards and rack on my CAADX CX bike. I want to get that done before the winter.

My MTB has been out of action for a couple of years with a faulty brake. I'd like to get that back in action again too.

So, I have a busy autumn of fettling ahead of me. All being well, I will have a stable of 5 working bikes before the winter: Best road bike, bad weather road bike, CX bike (which could double up for light touring duties), a singlespeed bike for going to the shops on and for tearing up and down the flattish A646 when visiting friends in Hebden Bridge, and the MTB for offroad rides that are too gnarly for the CX bike.


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## doog (20 Aug 2016)

Can we do retrospect ..as in one week

About to pop off on tour last weekend and dismantle BB and find its fubar....fit new Hollowtech 2...sourced on sat from my crappy (but now favoured LBS)

Front hub wibbly so dismantle and find bearings and cups totally cream crackered...new wheel..no choice..cant order no time...Halfrauds do a bombproof wheel that weighs as much as a bloody great bomb...have a ferry to catch so go for it and its been...okay. It was true but unless my food and drink deprived eyes are playing up its starting a slight wobble loaded up with kit after miles of eurovelo 4

Load up bike pre tour and trusty cheap front rack develops a sideways motion that could be detrimental to my long term health if it impacts with the spokes on a downhill.......new Tubus rack ordered from SJS...just in time...its more rigid than the bike frame and probably cost more than a bike frame


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## HLaB (20 Aug 2016)

If it counts, just went to wipe down and oil the bike and the back tyre is completely flat . Changed it but the old tube pumped up fine and only goes down slowly. I hate p'tures like that as there's no obvious cause. I suspect the valve is damaged


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## johnnyb47 (20 Aug 2016)

Rain stopped play today and put an end to three hours work chainsawing in the back garden that resembles the Amazon forest , so I turned my attention to my old bike and changed the old original vintage weinmann brake blocks to some more up-to-date ones. The front brake cable and outer was also changed as it was showing signs of age. 
All good fun :-))


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## Buck (20 Aug 2016)

After Thursday's ride proving to be a little rattly and today's weather to dictate a no-ride, I decided to have a fettle to see if I could find the source and remove, or at least improve this. 

Two suspects:- saddlebag and headset. 

A check over the bike had everything else a-OK

Headset was definitely loose (dang those potholes) - I could twist the spacers easily by hand. 5 mins later this was all sorted and the stem also nice and secure. 

I removed the saddlebag and shook it (simple but effective). It rattled. Emptying it I found a couple of pound coins inside that were rattling against the plastic former inside. I removed everything (tyre levers/patches/spare tube/multi-tool/spare house key) and repacked all nice and tidy and rattle free. 

Needs a ride to check properly but that'll have to be next week now!


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## ColinJ (21 Aug 2016)

HLaB said:


> If it counts, just went to wipe down and oil the bike and the back tyre is completely flat . Changed it but the old tube pumped up fine and only goes down slowly. I hate p'tures like that as there's no obvious cause. I suspect the valve is damaged


I had that happen on a recent ride. I couldn't find anything penetrating the tyre or any holes in the tube but eventually I spotted that the base of the valve was damaged. I thought it had been caused by clumsy installation but further investigation showed that the rim tape was fractionally too far round, exposing one edge of the hole through which the valve fits.

I sorted the rim tape out and fitted a replacement tube. I then did a ride which went ok but found that the new tube lost about 40% pressure overnight. I investigated that problem, thinking that perhaps I had missed something embedded in the tyre. Nope ... The problem was that the valve core was not quite in tight enough. (When I held the inflated tube underwater, I found that a small bubble of air escaped from the valve every 7 or 8 seconds.) I tightened the valve core and the leak stopped.

Pure coincidence that I had 2 obscure unrelated problems with the same wheel in 2 days!


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## Drago (21 Aug 2016)

Got a friends Trek that he's horribly neglected by leaving it on his balcony for years which I'm going to try and resurrect today.

When that's done I'm going to waxoyl the doors and cavities on the car.


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## raleighnut (21 Aug 2016)

Had a weird one yesterday, Maz was complaining that her Dawes gears were 'slipping' (Nexus 7 hub) so I had a look thinking it would just be cable adjustment but no.
About 6 weeks ago she'd somehow got a bungee strap caught around the sprocket whilst at her sons and he'd cut it off and unwound it and the bike rode fine so she'd come home and ridden the bike about twice a week since. What the cord had done though was to force the split-ring that retains the sprocket out of its groove and allow it to half come off with just the changer mech holding it nearly in place. Luckily no catastrophic damage had occurred but it has worn the 3 little driver tangs down a bit as they slowly worked their way around and the 'slip' was when they moved past the recesses in the hub where the drivers locate (the sprocket was sitting where the wire ring fits in the groove)
After that was sorted I gave it a bit of a 'service' finding loads of things were loose/rattly, I do wish she'd tell me when the bike starts making a 'funny noise' so I can fix it.


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## Asa Post (21 Aug 2016)

Replaced the rear Schwalbe Durano + on the road bike with an identical tyre. 
The old one had done c. 11,000 miles and never punctured, but developed a bump where the inner lining had split.


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## Gravity Aided (21 Aug 2016)

Prepping the old Fuji Sports to become an upright road bike. I've removed the paint and prepped in readiness for new paint. The old was a horrible yellow, over black, over very worn original paint.


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## Mrs M (21 Aug 2016)

Sorting the lights today.
One of my wee bullet lights on the Pashley flew off yesterday and I lost the little shaped bracket, but I have footered about and got them both back, more securely, I hope 
Also managed to get the Moon front light on the road bike, tight squeeze but made it 
Ready to roll


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## raleighnut (21 Aug 2016)

Mrs M said:


> View attachment 140668
> View attachment 140667
> Sorting the lights today.
> One of my wee bullet lights on the Pashley flew off yesterday and I lost the little shaped bracket, but I have footered about and got them both back, more securely, I hope
> ...


Those back lights are sooooooo cooooooool.


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## Salty seadog (21 Aug 2016)

HLaB said:


> If it counts, just went to wipe down and oil the bike and the back tyre is completely flat . Changed it but the old tube pumped up fine and only goes down slowly. I hate p'tures like that as there's no obvious cause. I suspect the valve is damaged



The old tube with the puncture being inflated outside the tyre will expand and therefore be at a much lower pressure, so low it may not be enough to force air through a tiny puncture hole. Inside the tyre the pressures are much greater,

Try getting an inner tube to 100psi on its own and see how much space is left in the room your in....

Actually that souns fun, wheres my joe blow....


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## dave r (22 Aug 2016)

Leaky toilet wastes don't you just love em.  Ours started leaking 10-12 month ago, we had the plumber out and he changed our solid one for a flexy one, no leak for a few months, then we had the emergency plumber out late one Saturday night because every time we flushed the toilet we had waste running down the wall down stairs, no leak for a while, this weekend it started leaking again. this morning I went up and took apart the flexy pipe soil pipe connection cleaned it and reassembled it. I also took up the boarding in that corner, the floors not in good condition and I boarded it a few years ago, and cut a bigger notch in it to give the pipe more space to sit in, the flexy pipe is almost on the floor at the connection, I'm now waiting to see if the leaks cured, I've left the lino up to give the floor a chance to dry out, if it don't I'll have to have the plumber out again.


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## Elybazza61 (23 Aug 2016)

Yesterday evening was spent swapping the Grifos out and some old Randonneurs in on the spare wheels for the Planet X so I can use it while sorting the repair on the IRC tyre that I thought I'd repaired.

Also toe'd-in the pads for the carbon wheels on the Helium a bit and seemed to 'bite' a bit better this morning;impressed so far with the Wiggle Lifeline pads.


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## Garry A (23 Aug 2016)

Got some r540 spd-sl pedals today so fitted them to the Defy and adjusted to loose setting.
Fitted the m520 spd pedals that came off the Defy onto my Roam.
Placed the Decathlon own brand spd pedals that came off the Roam into storage.
Stuck the cleats onto my new Shimano Ro65 shoes.
Now if only the rain would stop.


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## ColinJ (23 Aug 2016)

ColinJ said:


> The one remaining annoyance is a slight ticking sound when I pedal hard. I have been trying to eliminate this for some time. I reduced it by about 50% but something still isn't quite right, so the hunt goes on!


I tightened the cassette lock ring and about 75% of the remaining 50% of the original ticking has now gone! It has therefore been reduced to about 1/8 of the original annoyance factor. I can barely hear it in traffic now, but on quiet climbs it still slightly irritates me.

I just want to be able to cycle in peace, without noises from the bike distracting me._ To be continued_ ...


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## doog (23 Aug 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I tightened the cassette lock ring and about 75% of the remaining 50% of the original ticking has now gone! It has therefore been reduced to about 1/8 of the original annoyance factor. I can barely hear it in traffic now, but on quiet climbs it still slightly irritates me.
> 
> I just want to be able to cycle in peace, without noises from the bike distracting me._ To be continued_ ...



Is it worth loosening and tightening up your rear wheel quick release...that solve my ticking issue that I thought was BB related. Apologies if already done, I read the tip elsewhere and it saved a whole lot of pain.


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## HLaB (23 Aug 2016)

Stupidly at the weekend thought the bolts for the TT bars were lose and tightened them, I think the bolt only tightens so far and after that it goes loose again  and I tightened it to that loose again position  On the tempo commute this morning it came more loose, took a multi tool to it this evening but that was only a proverbial elastoplast as the bolt is hard to reach and had to wait until I got home to a proper hex key.


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## ColinJ (23 Aug 2016)

doog said:


> Is it worth loosening and tightening up your rear wheel quick release...that solve my ticking issue that I thought was BB related. Apologies if already done, I read the tip elsewhere and it saved a whole lot of pain.


I have recently changed the wheels so that got done when I made the change. Then I had 2 rear wheel tube problems so the wheel was in and out another couple of times. And then I took it out again to tighten the lock ring. So ... I reckon it has had plenty of reseating/tightening.

The BB is the one thing that I haven't changed/adjusted. It feels okay, no play, and spins well. It has only done about 3,000 dry miles so I'd hope that it doesn't need replacing. It seems to be in nice and tight. It is a fairly cheap Shimano square taper type so it wouldn't cost much to try a new one. If a new BB fixed the problem, then I would sling the old one. If a new BB didn't eliminate the problem then the BB isn't the source of the ticking noise and I'd keep the old one as a spare.

PS I forgot to check to see if the ticking noise is still there when pedalling hard out of the saddle. If it isn't, then that points to the saddle/seat post. The other thing I could try is to pedal hard no handed to see if the bars/stem/headset/shifters are causing problems. (I'm not great at making big efforts without holding the bars so that could be tricky. Anyway, the stem and bars have just been replaced, and one of the shifters removed and serviced so I think the problem lies elsewhere.)


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## Shut Up Legs (23 Aug 2016)

My touring/commuting bike's freehub seized up yesterday. It's the first time a freehub on any of my bikes has done that. Fortunately, I was able to unjam it by pushing it anticlockwise with my hand and it was freewheeling OK for the rest of the ride home. I'll have to replace it with another one and then have a go at cleaning and greasing the old one when I have the time. It's not really "old", though, as it's part of a new pair of wheels only in their 3rd week of use.


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## stearman65 (23 Aug 2016)

Had my second ride in the park on my newly acquired Claud Butler Stratos. After the first try, I had difficulty releasing the main joint, eventually I gave it a strong tug & it released. Today I asked the wife to bring the WD40 to the park, when I assembled the bike I gave the main joint a squirt or two. Did my tour of the park, stopping at the cafe for a rum n raisin single scoop, back to the car, tried the main joint release & bingo it had worked.


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## Tin Pot (27 Aug 2016)

New wheel bearing, rear discs and pads...£981 

Maybe I should sell the car and buy a new bike every year to save money.


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## ColinJ (27 Aug 2016)

I am making more progress with the mysterious 'ticking' noises which have been annoying me when I am riding my CAAD5 ... 

The bolts for the right cleat were already _fairly_ tight, but I was able to tighten them quite a lot more and that has significantly reduced the level of the noise.

I also remembered something that I had noticed last year but then forgot about ... I wear a medical dog tag and it was swinging against the zip on my cycling jersey when I was cycling vigorously. I now wear it dangling down my back when riding.

The remaining noise levels are _almost_ quiet and infrequent enough to forget about.


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## cyberknight (27 Aug 2016)

not a lot , regreased the seatpost on the commuter as it was creaking but otherwise everything is sweet atm.


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## HLaB (27 Aug 2016)

P'tured 2 rides in a row and Ive got a big ride coming up so I put a new tyre on. Also gave the bike a good clean.


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## shouldbeinbed (27 Aug 2016)

The Birdy now has a shiny new derailleur as its chain tensioner and I can fold it wirhout unshipping the chain again. Forgot I'd need a multi speed chain to fit through the cage tho.


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## dave r (27 Aug 2016)

I checked over my Eastway this morning and it looks like Thursdays off has just resulted in a scuff in the bar tape and a slight, easily sorted, buckle in the front wheel.


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## BobTunnt (28 Aug 2016)

Fitted the new MTB tyres I bought yesterday.


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## Nigelnaturist (28 Aug 2016)

Not so much today, but this month, tyres, cables, brake blocks and I got a new head set, its almost like a new bike.


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## User33236 (28 Aug 2016)

Bought myself a second hand TT bike mid week so yesterday was spend making it 'fit'.

Saddle adjusted and new, slightly shorter, stem fitted before the most important job..... switching the brakes round so rear brake was on the left lever as previous owner had set it up European style.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Aug 2016)

Tweaked the front mech on the Helium and then gave it a clean and then gave the XLS a quick rub down;got to do the repair on the IRC tubeless sometime soon.


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## Supersuperleeds (28 Aug 2016)

Put new pedals on my eldests bike. Took the old ones of okay, took me ages to get the left pedal on, bloody idiot that I am kept turning it the wrong way


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## DCLane (28 Aug 2016)

A bit of a saddle swap today:

My youngest's been complaining about the saddle on his winter bike (I fitted a test saddle from Radial cycles so I could let him find out what it was like for me). At the same time the Adamo TT saddle I'd bought to test doesn't work for me so ...

Radial saddle removed from his winter bike and onto the TT bike to try for myself
Spesh Avatar saddle from his race bike onto his winter bike
Spesh Phenom saddle onto his race bike
In addition I gave the Formeula 700 I bought yesterday a going over: cleaned, lubricated and derailleurs adjusted, SPD's fitted plus new brake pads front & rear. It still needs cross tyres and some paint but it's ready for him going to school next month.


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## iandg (29 Aug 2016)

Off today thanks to 'compensatory rest' as I was called into the lab at 4.30 am this morning and didn't get home until 6.30 am. Made progress with the fixed build - tyres, guards, brake lever, front light and saddle fitted. About to order a dyno-hub front wheel


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## DCLane (29 Aug 2016)

New Ultegra front caliper on the Wilier Izoard.

Wheels trued on my son's Formeula 700 and paint chips painted. Fortunately Humbrol black matches the black paint exactly as there were lots of them. However on removing the wheels to do the painting I've discovered they both need re-greasing. That's another job to do before next Tuesday.


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## Blurb (29 Aug 2016)

Fitted my first clipless pedals today to give them a go on the Ventura. Had a moment whilst practicing up and down my road. Grass verge is very comfortable :-)
New cassette and chain on the commuter.


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## Elybazza61 (30 Aug 2016)

Can of worms opened up yesterday.

After me and the better half giving the Avail and Helium a quick swab down after the morning ride I decided to have a fettle of the Trek 'shopper',the gears had been a bit iffy so tried to re-set them up only for the Sram shifter to die.

So,after a bit of messing with the shifter trying to get it to work,thought I'd change tack and do what I'd been thinking about lately and actually turn it in to a drop-bar tourer/workhorse.

Had a look in the box of spares and found the old 105 10-spd flightdeck shifters a set of Deda bars and an old Deore(8 or 9 spd) long cage mech;all fitted only to remember that I didn't actually have any cables long enough,so fettling stopped and Macbook on and some cheap Clarks cables and pads ordered along with some bar tape from Planet X.

Once I get the cables I'll see if the mech and shifters will play nicely together;if not I do have a 105 mech but it's a short cage so limited to a 28 max cassette I think so may have to look at something else that would work,prob older 105/ultegra/tiagra long/medium cage 10-spd.


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## smokeysmoo (30 Aug 2016)

Good deed of the day yesterday, did a quick service on a friends niece's Townsend kids BSO.

It had apparently been in our local Hellfrauds to be fettled but come out even worse.

Gear cables weren't fitted into frame lugs, (so no front mech), tyre pressures were low, brakes were over adjusted so wheels didn't spin, and chain was filthy.

No parts needed, brakes and gears adjusted properly, chain thoroughly 'Mickled', tyres inflated correctly, everything else checked front to back and a good wash made for one very happy kid


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## Nibor (30 Aug 2016)

Mrs M said:


> View attachment 140668
> View attachment 140667
> Sorting the lights today.
> One of my wee bullet lights on the Pashley flew off yesterday and I lost the little shaped bracket, but I have footered about and got them both back, more securely, I hope
> ...


What are those rear lights they are excellent


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## mythste (30 Aug 2016)

Mudguards back on the Genesis. It was a fun month...

Also swapped out the 11-28 for an 11-32, which im quite proud to have done myself! However, question for anyone thats done this sort of thing before. When tightening the new cassette lockring (in this case 105 11 spd) It didnt seem to be a smooth linear tightening, but almost creaky tightening. I know it says 40nm on the ring which I put down somewhere between "bastard tight" and "stupid tight". All looks alright... When will I know if its not?


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## Nibor (30 Aug 2016)

they are almos ratcheted in their locking ring don't worry


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## mythste (30 Aug 2016)

Nibor said:


> they are almos ratcheted in their locking ring don't worry



I was hoping someone would say that! Yes, Ratcheting perfectly decribes the feeling, thanks


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## Mrs M (30 Aug 2016)

Nibor said:


> What are those rear lights they are excellent


They are Soma silver bullet lights.
Took ages hunting for them and finally found on EBay.


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## shouldbeinbed (31 Aug 2016)

New rear sprocket on the Birdy to finish the rear end drivetrain refurb off. 

And 

I have had to imprpvise a violently destructive solution to remove its front mudguard that has been well and truly attached for the past 14 years of all weather riding. The torn to pieces of it are off and I've managed to get all of the bolts removed ready for the new ones arriving


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## Psycolist (31 Aug 2016)

A neighbour called in this evening, and asked if I could do anything with her saddle. Sadly, the answer was NO ! It had come adrift from the rail on one side and split down the middle. While she walked round to Hellfrauds to price up a new one I stopped the front brake pads rubbing on the rim and freed the wheel to actually spin with some liberal doses of WD40 to the inner cable, adjusted the rear V brake so that it actually gripped the rim when moving the lever. Honestly, the bike was a death trap without a working brake. She uses it to visit her home help ladies so relies on it on a daily basis. I also noticed that the tyres, apart from having very low pressure, were very worn. When she returned, without a saddle, I had a proper good moan at her about the condition of her bike. She has agreed to leave it with me for a few hours at the weekend so that I can work my magic and bring the beast back to a safe and rideable condition, get her gears working properly, do a proper job on the brakes, fit new tyres and get a different saddle sorted out. Honestly, if you rely on a bit of gear to be able to earn a living, I would have thought that a bit more care would be taken to make sure it was in OK condition, but apparently not. Ahh well, I will enjoy the challenge.


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## shouldbeinbed (1 Sep 2016)

Done and ready to roll again. 

I may switch the rear derailleur chain tensioner for a short cage one at some time but I was impatient to get it sorted and ready to roll again so grabbed the only one available.


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## Nigelnaturist (1 Sep 2016)

New chain and clean of RD, FD chainset and cassette.


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## Elybazza61 (1 Sep 2016)

Not fettled as such but been trying to help someone here at work who thought it was a good idea to drill a set of (cheap) carbon forks to get some (cheap) calipers to fit.

It's been a long saga of him spending money on lots of cheapo bits on bikes that are at the end going to be worth feck all(one of which was a Muddy Fox MTB which he lost money on) and not make any difference,just to try and make them lighter.

Weird thing is he earns a fair bit more than me too;at least he hasn't messed his nice Mekk up yet.


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## iandg (2 Sep 2016)

New tyres and rear brake blocks on the cross-check and adjusted the position of the levers on the bars. I was well chuffed that I got the tape off without ripping it and could re-use it - then on the trail this afternoon I toppled on a technical section and ripped it in a couple of places on brambles


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## Nigelnaturist (2 Sep 2016)

New cheap saddle as my other has split.


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## DCLane (2 Sep 2016)

Preparation for my club's 120-mile ride on Sunday and my son going back to school:

The Wilier Izoard got 2 new GP4000s tyres and some Swissstop blue pads.
His Formeula 700 got 2 Conti CX Pro tyres and the wheels re-greased.


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## rockpig (3 Sep 2016)

New wheels arrived yesterday. Just cheap Mavic Aksium ones but it means I can have the original set with knobbly tyres for when the kids want to go for a charge along the canal path and a set with slicks for on the road. Thought I'd bought everything (wheels, disc brake rotors, tubes, cassette) then found the cassette is attached using a lock ring. Heading off to LBS this morning to buy the tool to tighten it up. Doh! Really should have done a bit more research. Thought the cassette span onto the wheel and locked itself. Think that's called a freewheel rather than a cassette. You learn something new everyday.


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## RoubaixCube (3 Sep 2016)

Cleaned the triban after a rather dusty towpath ride earlier in the week. strangely enough i decided to clean and grease my shifters as well for the first time. Degreased & lubed with GT85 but i dont have more thicker grease for keeping it lubed for longer. I'll need to pop down to halfords i think. 

I have some LM grease that my dad used to use on his car in the shed somewhere but im not quite sure where that is or if its suitable.


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## palinurus (3 Sep 2016)

Had a look at the old Trek Navigator that I sometimes use to go to the shops on. The back brake cable was so rusty it wasn't moving. Replaced both cables, inners, then noticed the rear wheel had some play, pulled out the bearings and they were all pitted, cones also and presumably the insides of the hub. Cleaned it up and re-greased it, stuck it all back together- it was better (it'll get me the 1 mile to Sainsbury's until I get around to finding a cheap 26" wheel). BB needs replacing too!

Also- when I put the wheel back in it wasn't centred and the QR wouldn't clamp properly. I'd almost given up when I found the missing extra spacer on the ground.

I should get rid of it really- no room to store it with the others in the Asgard locker, it's currently under a bike cover.


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## Jenkins (3 Sep 2016)

Put a new inner chainring on my 13 Alpha so it's now running my preferred 50/38 gearing up front.


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## MPChurch (4 Sep 2016)

Yesterday my new parts arrived!

In rebuilding my cannondale supersix evo with Di2 and FSA carbon finishing kit.

So, on went the new system and kwing bars, followed by the shifters. Fully cabled up the gears and brakes. Still no battery so I couldn't set the gears. 
The bb386evo replaces the stock fsa gossamer chainset, but the axles are a different lengths. Nearly died on realising that one (obviously not enough research into the kit I was buying). Managed to find a bb386-bb30 adapter on wiggle, so that's been ordered.
Once I can get the new chainset and battery on I can set the gears, take it out for a spin, get the bars and shifters into their final position and wrap the bar tape. 
I'll post some pics when is done.

Today I get to service the brompton.


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## Buck (4 Sep 2016)

After a nice ride out today which included a short section past a farm that meant the road was covered in mud and slurry , I needed to give the bike a really good clean !! (Me too but I had a shower as soon as I got in !!)

Youngest Buck helped me and we got it up on the stand and plenty of cloths and hot water and it was clean again.

Whilst it was on the stand, I decided to remove the front fork and check/regrease the head bearings.

Never having done this I had watched a video or two and was amazed how much gunk was in the headtube. A good clean and a regrease followed by a careful reassembly and job done


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## MistaDee (9 Sep 2016)

Fitted my new light mcfk stem (95grams for 120mm)

https://www.bike24.com/p276971.html


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## si_c (10 Sep 2016)

New wheelset, as the rear rim on the old one had buckled completely, it will go in my pile of broken stuff. Will probably try my hand at wheelbuilding one day, so might be useful.

Also replaced the rear shifter cable, front brake cable, and repaired the front brake as the barrel adjuster had snapped. Also put new tires on the bike as the new rims are wider (17mm internal not 13mm) so didn't really want to put 23c tires on. I'd bought some bontrager aw2 25cs a while back ready for winter, so they've gone on too.

Just need to go for a ride and make sure it all rolls nicely.


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## Elybazza61 (11 Sep 2016)

Got the new Schwalbe s-ones on the Archetype wheels and filled with sealant.Will get a first ride tomorrow.


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## stoatsngroats (11 Sep 2016)

First fitting of raceblades today, I think they look ok, and ready for a wet comute, hopefully though, not this week!


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## si_c (11 Sep 2016)

Stripped down the RD, removed jockey wheels and cleaned out most of the paste that had formed underneath the plates. Relubed and put back together again. I think it's running a touch quieter than it was, but to be honest can't really tell, it wasn't exactly noisy before, but figured giving it a clean wouldn't hurt as I'm probably not going to do it again before spring.

Job for next weekend: New bar tape. Already have it but got distracted by Sunday Lunch out and the Vuelta.


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## Jenkins (15 Sep 2016)

New rear brake disc & pads to my Whyte Sussex.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Sep 2016)

Got the Trek hybrid/tourer/hack thing finished(ish) yesterday.And today got the Tortec rack on which arrived from Wiggle;quick test ride to do the shopping and mostly ok just some adjustment needed for the front mech.

Also today started re-cabling the Planet X with shiny new Shimano cables;still to finish that yet.


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## jarlrmai (17 Sep 2016)

New headset bearing.


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## Stevec047 (17 Sep 2016)

Today I have fettled with the bike and replaced the 11/28 cassette to a 11/32.

I have given it a little test on the turbo and think I better pick up a new chain as it's skipping like a bloody kangaroo on the 32. Originally I thought it may need a bit of trimming but that didn't work. Then I worried that the top jockey wheel was catching but common sense prevailed and realised that it would never be the case. So the only obvious option is a stretched chain. To be honest I don't really know how much milage the bike had pre my purchase all I can tell you is I have added just under 900 miles since last october.

Oh an I have also put some new screw tight bar ends on as the push in plug ones I had kept falling out and I may have lost them in the boot of the car since last weekend.

Not bad for a wet and windy Saturday.


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## jarlrmai (17 Sep 2016)

Yeah sounds like you'll need a new chain, check your crank rings as well.


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## DCLane (17 Sep 2016)

My youngest managed to puncture one of his tubs in his race last Saturday and he's racing tomorrow.

So this morning was spent fitting a new tub to his race wheel - the taped-on one was a pain to get off but I'd pre-stretched the new one so at least it's on and ready for a trip to Darley Moor.


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## Gravity Aided (18 Sep 2016)

Brakes,(but not pads yet) wheels, tires and tubes all added to the Specialized Expedition Project, which, at last writing, had just found a new rigid fork by happenstance at a recycling yard. Front and rear derailleurs hooked up the other day, and seapost as well as saddle added.


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## Elybazza61 (18 Sep 2016)

Planet X finished with mudguards back on and flashy DSP tape;











And Trek the Mongrel after yesterdays test ride,just needs a better sale and front mech fettle;






Next job will be a re-cable and a fettle of the Icarus winter bike,probably next week-end ready for the club run October mudguard rule.


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## kipster (18 Sep 2016)

Recabled the winter bike as the gear changes were lazy, although ran short of cable outer so had the bodge one bit, new bar tape went on as well. Checked, cleaned and greased the summer bike bb bearings after being caught out in the torrential rain on Tuesday evening.


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## Mrs M (18 Sep 2016)

Just repositioned the handlebars on the Pashley slightly, a bit lower down.
No longer resemble Mr Froome, zooming along with elbows sticking out  but much more comfy


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## burntoutbanger (18 Sep 2016)

New front brake blocks on my single speed and while I was at it adjusted the chain tension and rear brakes too. Planning a hill climb on it next weekend so want it in tip top shape.


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## iandg (18 Sep 2016)

New SP dyno-hub from Spa Cycles on the Audax/Tourer. The Schmidt that was on the bike is going on the work bike


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## Robeh (18 Sep 2016)

just ordered these Bargain...https://www.radialcycles.co.uk/cont...qw7eP9lRxTNI13BphwXR1UbfZ0BcVEAkl8aAumB8P8HAQ


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## iandg (18 Sep 2016)

Robeh said:


> just ordered these Bargain...https://www.radialcycles.co.uk/cont...qw7eP9lRxTNI13BphwXR1UbfZ0BcVEAkl8aAumB8P8HAQ


Great tyres


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## dave r (23 Sep 2016)

A part fettle today, My fixed has been awoken from its summer slumber. Its been washed down and cleaned. I've had the BB out for a clean and a grease, and I've replaced the chainset, I've brought a nice Lasco one from Velosolo, 165 cranks with a 44 tooth chain ring, 44 front 18 back gives me 64.5. gear inches. http://www.velosolo.co.uk/lasco.html I've also replaced the chain and checked the bike over generally. Unfortunately I'm going to need a half link to get the chain set up right and the bike also needs a new back tyre. So I've started getting the bike ready for winter but for now the jobs waiting for parts.


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## Goggs (23 Sep 2016)

I fitted new handlebars, grips & pedals and the bike feels wonderful.


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## DCLane (23 Sep 2016)

I'm getting a grinding through the pedals from the Principia RSLe when pedalling but not freewheeling. "that'll be the bottom bracket" I thought.

So this afternoon I took out the old Tiagra 4500 one and fitted a nice Ultegra 6700 bottom bracket.

But the grinding is still there!


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## dave r (23 Sep 2016)

DCLane said:


> I'm getting a grinding through the pedals from the Principia RSLe when pedalling but not freewheeling. "that'll be the bottom bracket" I thought.
> 
> So this afternoon I took out the old Tiagra 4500 one and fitted a nice Ultegra 6700 bottom bracket.
> 
> But the grinding is still there!



Don't you just hate it when that happens! Any idea what it might be yet?


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## Ajax Bay (23 Sep 2016)

Robeh said:


> just ordered these [Conti GP 4 Seasons - twin pack]


Good price indeedy. Let us know whether they are as wide as they're meant to be. My 28s only measure 26mm on a 15mm rim.


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## DCLane (23 Sep 2016)

dave r said:


> Don't you just hate it when that happens! Any idea what it might be yet?



I'll swap the crankset for something else as a first start. It may also be the chain / pedals or rear derailleur. It's not the wheels, as I've tried that already.

The issue is that it's a 2009 bike which appears to have been used for a short while and then stored so I'm dealing with minor issues.


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## si_c (26 Sep 2016)

New bar tape, properly attached pump and holder to the bike using zip ties so it's on the seat tube (no seat tube bosses). Also refixed my mudguards using zip ties, totally secured, and not going to lose bolts as I often ride rough roads, and lost 2 bolts this last month despite tightening them properly.


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## Bariton (26 Sep 2016)

Watched several Youtube vids on how to adjust bike gears. Got my bike "jacked up" in the garage and got the front & rear shifters properly adjusted. No rattles and straight into gear, first time every time!


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## Goggs (26 Sep 2016)

I replaced my 14cm wide SR Prestige saddle with a new 16cm Sportourer FLX Man Gel Flow De Luxe one. I haven't ridden it yet but my hopes are high.

http://www.sportourer.com/index.php/work/flx-man-gel-flow-deluxe/?lang=en


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## Elybazza61 (29 Sep 2016)

Fitted some e-bay old stock sks mudguards to the better half Raleigh mob and then did the Bike register marking kits to her Avail and my Icarus.

Plus fettled the front mech on the Icarus as it'll probably used for what looks like a damp club run this Saturday.


----------



## jay clock (29 Sep 2016)

New elbow pads on my profile aerobars. New ones are a full velcro fix and avoid the sharp metal edge digging in to the arm


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## robgul (29 Sep 2016)

Pure vanity - fitted some very smart vinyl cut stickers with my name to the top-tubes of two of my bikes.

Rob


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## Dark46 (29 Sep 2016)

Yesterday I had to adjust the cable for the 50/34 changer as it was taking two movement's of the levers to change


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## guitarpete247 (29 Sep 2016)

I cut loads of little rocking horses out of acrylic on the laser cutter for prospective students at open evening. I then helped them bolt them together. Some very polite children.


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## Justinslow (30 Sep 2016)

Bought 105 5700 shifters, brakes and front mech, new brake inner cables and bar tape. Upgrading from Sora 9 speed to 10 (already had the 105 rear mech) so been busy stripping it down and replacing. Got a 105 crankset coming to put on too. Got in a bit of a muddle with my cables but otherwise had a lovely time in the garage. Only downside is the cost of all the parts and the tools that I've bought that I've always borrowed off people, it was time to get my own stuff. Loving the look of the bike now with 105


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## Elybazza61 (30 Sep 2016)

Justinslow said:


> Bought 105 5700 shifters, brakes and front mech, new brake inner cables and bar tape. Upgrading from Sora 9 speed to 10 (already had the 105 rear mech) so been busy stripping it down and replacing. Got a 105 crankset coming to put on too. Got in a bit of a muddle with my cables but otherwise had a lovely time in the garage. Only downside is the cost of all the parts and the tools that I've bought that I've always borrowed off people, it was time to get my own stuff. Loving the look of the bike now with 105



Pics needed


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## Justinslow (30 Sep 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Pics needed


Yes, haven't finished though, give it a day or two....


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## Elybazza61 (1 Oct 2016)

After not working very well on today's ride I re-cabled and set-up the front mech(again) on the Icarus;now hopefully working correctly and trimming in big and small rings;test ride(probably) tomorrow.


----------



## dave r (1 Oct 2016)

dave r said:


> A part fettle today, My fixed has been awoken from its summer slumber. Its been washed down and cleaned. I've had the BB out for a clean and a grease, and I've replaced the chainset, I've brought a nice Lasco one from Velosolo, 165 cranks with a 44 tooth chain ring, 44 front 18 back gives me 64.5. gear inches. http://www.velosolo.co.uk/lasco.html I've also replaced the chain and checked the bike over generally. Unfortunately I'm going to need a half link to get the chain set up right and the bike also needs a new back tyre. So I've started getting the bike ready for winter but for now the jobs waiting for parts.



I've finished fettling my Flyer tonight. I've put a new tyre on the front, SCHWALBE Durano Plus, moved the old Bontrager front tyre to the back and scrapped the tired rear tyre. Whilst I was doing that I've fitted a half link into the chain, Male to Female Half Link, and adjusted the length of the chain. I've also fitted replacement toeclips and straps, the old ones were tatty and rust marked, adjusted the brakes and given the bike a polish. My fixed is now ready for winter, I'm planning a ride tomorrow to check it all out, but it seems a shame to get it mucky.


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## Pat "5mph" (1 Oct 2016)

I have serviced my rear hub, fitted a new cassette, adjusted the rear brake cable, polished the saddle


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## raleighnut (1 Oct 2016)

Pat "5mph" said:


> I have serviced my rear hub, fitted a new cassette, adjusted the rear brake cable, polished the saddle
> View attachment 146217
> View attachment 146218
> View attachment 146219
> View attachment 146220


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## Mrs M (1 Oct 2016)

Pat "5mph" said:


> I have serviced my rear hub, fitted a new cassette, adjusted the rear brake cable, polished the saddle
> View attachment 146217
> View attachment 146218
> View attachment 146219
> View attachment 146220


Wow, well done


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## Pat "5mph" (2 Oct 2016)

Mrs M said:


> Wow, well done


I'm not a newbie at this, just don't post very often about my mechanic's erm .. skills.
Some attempts in the past did not go well, like when I cross threaded a new freewheel, had to bin the whole lot


----------



## macp (2 Oct 2016)

Fitted new grips to my MTB and they are excellent and fitted a Charge Spoon saddle


----------



## bruce1530 (2 Oct 2016)

Adjusted a rubbing mudguard. Adjusted brakes. General lube and check. Found a pedal with a problem (see other discussion)


----------



## PeteXXX (2 Oct 2016)

Seat post on my granddaughter's bike raised by yet another inch and a half as she seems to never stop growing!


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## slowmotion (2 Oct 2016)

The gutters.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Oct 2016)

Finished tuning up the Specialized Expedition, quite good now, just a tweak or two to the front wheel to align it a bit better, I'll get out the truing stand Wednesday as I wait for the mower repair fellow . As I don't think they will take kindly to my truing a wheel in the vet's office as the dogs get their jabs.


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## Pat "5mph" (4 Oct 2016)

Major fettling for me the last two days! Plus the chance to play about with my high value and low value torque wrenches.
Two wheels with disk brakes, disemboweled, new bearings wrapped in fresh grease, just in time as there was hardly any grease in them, new cassette, new chain.
Obstacles: nobody said the disk bolts need a T25 bit, after I've spend an hour trying to find an allen key to fit!
You Tube to the rescue, just as well there was a T25 in my newly acquired torque wrench 
Also, according to You Tube, the value of the torque for disks is stated on them: not on mine, goes without saying, had to Google that.
Broke a plastic dust cover: substituted with a generic rubber washer from the tool box.
Back wheel would not sit in the dropouts. I knew there was something wrong with the axle, went back to it this morning with a fresh brain, reopened the wheel again ... I had put a cone in the other way round! 
Cassette and chain back on, now the gears don't work!
Rode the bike in single speed to Katy the best bike mechanic around: it was nothing of my doing, bent rear derailleur, squint front derailleur, buckled back wheel, front wheel not aligned because of wonky pads.
Take heed @flyingfifi that's why my gears were playing up in the Lakes!
Some pics:





this hub is slightly pitted, will do the winter.

Why is there a big hole under the forks? Who knows, I'm closing it! 

Clean bike, new cassette and chain, yes!


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## screenman (4 Oct 2016)

Fixed dishwasher, that is worth many brownie points in this house.


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## flyingfifi (4 Oct 2016)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Major fettling for me the last two days! Plus the chance to play about with my high value and low value torque wrenches.
> Two wheels with disk brakes, disemboweled, new bearings wrapped in fresh grease, just in time as there was hardly any grease in them, new cassette, new chain.
> Obstacles: nobody said the disk bolts need a T25 bit, after I've spend an hour trying to find an allen key to fit!
> You Tube to the rescue, just as well there was a T25 in my newly acquired torque wrench
> ...


put a cork in the forks


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## Gravity Aided (5 Oct 2016)

Pat "5mph" said:


> View attachment 146614
> Why is there a big hole under the forks? Who knows, I'm closing it!


I think the hole is there for the attachment of brakes, reflectors, and racks, in bicycles so equipped.
The cork is a good idea, in case water gets thrown from the tires up the headset, and washes the grease out, rusting the bearings as well.


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## ColinJ (5 Oct 2016)

*Bike:* My Cannondale CAAD5 will only be ridden for another week or two before being put away until next Spring but I am doing an audax ride on it on Sunday so I thought I would check it over ... 

I recently put the saddle up by a few mm but decided to put it back to its old height. My legs are different lengths so the ideal for one is not the same as that for the other. It feels better choosing the height that is best for the shorter leg. I was slightly overreaching with that leg with the saddle up.

I also made sure that the saddle now points straight ahead. I had accidentally turned it very slightly clockwise when I had raised it.

The bars also needed a slight realignment to bring the left side back towards me a few mm. 

I am hoping that those tweaks reduce a slight niggle that I have picked up in my lower back on the left side.

I have been doing more detective work to try and quieten the bike. I have reduced the ticking/clicking noises that it previously made but they still bug me somewhat. I notice an occasional rattle from the front of the bike which is proving equally hard to eliminate. I have tightened everything that I can think of, checked for flapping cables etc.

*Non bike:* The bathroom light switches had been playing up so I took the front plates off and discovered that one pair of wires had come loose. I have pushed those back in and tightened the grub screw to hold them in place. Let there be light. And there _WAS_ light!


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## Salad Dodger (5 Oct 2016)

The back gate keeps rattling in the wind, so I have (hopefully) stopped it with a few adjustments to the latch.

Likewise, a couple of fence panels alongside the house were rattling against the concrete fence posts, so a couple of wooden wedges have (hopefully) cured the problem, at least for the time being.


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## ColinJ (5 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I have been doing more detective work to try and quieten the bike. I have reduced the ticking/clicking noises that it previously made but they still bug me somewhat. I notice an occasional rattle from the front of the bike which is proving equally hard to eliminate. I have tightened everything that I can think of, checked for flapping cables etc.


YIKES!!! 

I went back and had another look for the source of the front-end rattle on the bike. I convinced myself that the headset must still be too loose. I went through the usual routine and it seemed fine. I applied the front brake and tried to rock the bike backwards and forwards with the wheel locked. Minor clunks ... Tightened the headset. Repeat. More minor clunks ... No way did the headset need to be tighter than that! 

And then I noticed that the front brake was loose! I had previously checked that the bolt holding it on from the back of the fork was tight enough and it had seemed pretty solid. Closer inspection revealed that some light corrosion had stopped the bolt moving when I had tried to tighten it. I applied a bit more force and broke the thin layer of rust. The bolt was then clearly not tight enough, so I adjusted it and sorted the brake out.

I reapplied the brake and rocked the front-end; silence - d'oh! 

I'll go back out there in a minute and redo the headset adjustment because I reckon it is too tight now. The forks still turn freely, but I have never tightened a headset that much before and I would rather use the minimum tightness necessary, rather than the maximum that I can get away with.

I'll ride the bike tomorrow and see how it feels and sounds!


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## PeteXXX (5 Oct 2016)

No actual bike fettling for a couple of days, but I applied a coat of waterproof to the bike shed roof as a precautionary pre-winter precaution. 

Just in case, like...


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## Salad Dodger (6 Oct 2016)

No bike fettling, but I put a plastic shim under the saddle of one of my guitars, to raise the strings a bit. Fret-buzz cured!


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## Rickshaw Phil (8 Oct 2016)

A new back axle for the Galaxy. That should get a bit more life out of the original STX-RC hub before I need to invest in new wheels.

After that I replaced all the cables on the Raleigh plus the cable hanger for the front brake. After changing the stem and handlebar at the start of the year the new lower position meant the cables were too long and the run of that front cable was cramped under the bar. Being 10 months since the swap I'm fairly sure I like the new riding position so finally got round to sorting out the rest.

While the bike was being worked on I also checked on the chain and have replaced it.

I hadn't realised how sticky the old cables had got until doing the test ride. It's like a new bike again.


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## Biff600 (9 Oct 2016)

I've been away working in Barcelona for the past 11 days and come home to this horrible wet stuff, so no riding for me today.

Instead I have flip-flopped the wheel on my flip-flop hubbed fixie, replaced the straight bars from the aero ones and replaced the cheap and nasty front brake for a shiny, new 105 item instead.

Just need for it to dry up now..........


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## DCLane (15 Oct 2016)

A busy afternoon so far:

- Cleaned and re-wrapped the LH side bar tape of my youngests' Giant TCR Composite

- Cleaned my Principia for commuting next week

Then I fitted wheels, tyres, bottom bracket, crankset, front & rear derailleurs to the Graham Weigh frameset I bought from @rugbyleaguebiker using most of the parts I got in the set. I've a spare pair of rim-brake cross wheels which have gone on instead at the moment. Still to do on this project:

- cut down the forks to fit
- shifters
- chain
- cables
- bar tape
- find and fit some cantilever brakes

I then pulled out the winter bike, my Eastway R4.0 and realise now photos would've helped here. It's been away under cover outside since March and this week was the first time I'm physically OK enough to get to it where it's stored. Unfortunately it wasn't pretty: dirt, mess and a completely rusted chain that any Mickling would never solve. So it got ...

- A new chain
- Complete and total clean
- New bar tape. The kids have chosen a light blue tape that came with the parts for the Graham Weigh and that's getting green or black tape instead as it'll be white and green when I'm done.

I then started on the bike I've been avoiding - the Felt Q200 that put me in intensive care in April. More than once I have thought "scrap it, it nearly killed you". But no: having looked it over a few months ago it needed a RH shifter - the lens on the LH one is broken but works. The RH one was broken and bent. The bars are OK but it needs new front brake bits.

I stripped off the old shifter/brake combo (a Shimano ST-EF51 thing) and fitted a new rear gear cable, adjusting that so it works properly. The front brake's a mess so the cabling was stripped down ready for new parts. Everything else seems OK but the fork's no longer moving as it's rusty. It'll be used for snow/ice only so that is fine - no more MTB trail riding for me unfortunately.

I also need to fit mudguards to my and my youngest's commuter bikes before Monday.

On a non bike-related note we also finished taking down our giant climbing frame (a Houtland Adventure Tower with slide). My teenager's been attempting various bolts for a couple of weeks - it's now down and ready to be sold once a new bolt pack is bought.


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## Salty seadog (16 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> *Let there be light*



"Fiat Lux" My old school moto.


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## raleighnut (16 Oct 2016)

Salty seadog said:


> "Fiat Lux" My old school moto.


I thought that was the prayer drivers of Italian cars uttered just as it was getting dark.


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## Deleted member 41544 (19 Oct 2016)

DCLane said:


> A busy afternoon so far:
> 
> - Cleaned and re-wrapped the LH side bar tape of my youngests' Giant TCR Composite
> 
> ...



Crikey that is a busy day!! Glad the cross bike is going to be put to some use! I think it will look quite cool built up and be interesting to hear how well it performs. Gonna be cheeky here but if you don't ask you don't get, after emptying my stable I've bought a '99 kona mini mula part bike for £50 + postage of e bay, i'm going to build it up as a rigid go anywhere bike. I've got most of the stuff to finish the build, but I put both my 9 speed cassettes in the bundle you took. I'd be ever so grateful if I could have one back?


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## DCLane (19 Oct 2016)

rugbyleaguebiker said:


> Gonna be cheeky here but if you don't ask you don't get, after emptying my stable I've bought a '99 kona mini mula part bike for £50 + postage of e bay, i'm going to build it up as a rigid go anywhere bike. I've got most of the stuff to finish the build, but I put both my 9 speed cassettes in the bundle you took. I'd be ever so grateful if I could have one back?



Of course - I've just got to get it to you. Either it'd be 5-ish Friday if I take a wider route home from Leeds or I'm possibly off to Birkin on Saturday on the club ride so could drop it off on the way back around 12. Are either/both of these OK?


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## Deleted member 41544 (19 Oct 2016)

DCLane said:


> Of course - I've just got to get it to you. Either it'd be 5-ish Friday if I take a wider route home from Leeds or I'm possibly off to Birkin on Saturday on the club ride so could drop it off on the way back around 12. Are either/both of these OK?



Don't be coming out of your way, not in Friday traffic. I'll be in on Sunday around dinner time. Thanks a lot


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## Jenkins (20 Oct 2016)

Today I have mostly sworn at mudguards.

Decided not to put the SKS Longboards on my hybrid, but on the Whyte instead. This involved removing the own brand ones fitted which went OK until trying to undo the bolt fixing them to the chainstay bridge which just wouldn't budge. It didn't help that it was a 3mm allen key fitting with very little working room due to the location. When it was finally off, it was replaced with a 4mm key fitting bolt for better purchase if required in the future and then it was on with the task of cutting mudguard stays, and finding where all the little fittings pnged off to in the shed when trying to set the new guards up. The old Whyte guards were then fitted to the hybrid with little fuss.

After that, five of the bikes were treated to a quick clean and a mickling of the chains.


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## DCLane (20 Oct 2016)

rugbyleaguebiker said:


> Don't be coming out of your way, not in Friday traffic. I'll be in on Sunday around dinner time. Thanks a lot



It's OK - it'll turn a normal 12 mile commute into a 25 mile one. That makes it worthwhile by bike - Friday looks better for me anyway so I'll leave it the other side of your side gate if you're not in if that's OK?


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## Biff600 (20 Oct 2016)

Changed the 100mm stem on my road bike for a 60mm one. 

Nipped out and did 26 miles and..................

Yippee. !!! No more pins and needles in my hands, (still have a slight ache between my shoulder blades though)


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## Gravity Aided (21 Oct 2016)

Traded in my Specialized Expedition for a K2 Astral, as the Specialized was saved from its deteriorated condition, and was ready for trade on something faster and lighter. The Astral will make a fine winter bike. Nice groupset, good wheels for the money. Very nice hybrid, along the lines of the Specialized Sirrus.


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## T4tomo (21 Oct 2016)

I realised when cleaning my best bike last night that the rear brake blocks were shot, so ended up nicking the reasonably new Swiss stops off a bike a rarely ride and doing a switch over front and rear. That does mean I have a bike with no rear pads now until I get some ordered, but no rush as I doubt it will get ridden until my son grows a few inches.


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## Salty seadog (21 Oct 2016)

The oven, racks soaking in a slimy corrosive mixture that works wonders, the inside cleaned and sparkling, door off glass out and cleaned.


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## numbnuts (21 Oct 2016)

Been doing up my MTB for the winter, today fitted a new computer, adjusted the brakes, gears and oiled the chain and now it's all ready for the mud


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## DCLane (22 Oct 2016)

Cleaned the Wilier after my ride to Birkin and with BBM's chaingang this morning: https://www.strava.com/activities/752227451

Then I continued working on the Graham Weigh frameset from @rugbyleaguebiker . It's gained shifters and canti brakes, although I'm not at all happy with the fit of the brakes. The original Shimano wheels have been swapped with Bontrager ones - more spokes and can take wider tyres so should be better for cyclocross use.

Hard work here was done on the decal residue: after an hour with nail varnish remover all the residue was off the seatstays and seat tube but I've given up with the downtube. It must have been a different glue used so I'm off to eBay for a big decal! Preferably green with a touch of pink and purple as that'll be the new colour scheme.

It was this:







First photo now it resembles a bike:






Still to do:

- Measure and cut down the forks
- Change the rear cassette to a 9 speed
- Cable outers and inners and canti brake cables
- Chain
- Bar tape, which'll be the spare lime green one I have


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## Shut Up Legs (23 Oct 2016)

I spent 2.5 hours cleaning my tourer/commuter bike and the road bike. The former got dirty from the ride back from a local bike shop, where it had its freehub body serviced. I'd cleaned it last weekend before bringing it to the shop, but then I got rained on heading home from the shop yesterday, because spring hasn't sprung here yet. The latter bike I'd used all week as the backup commuter, and got rained on several times, so it was filthy.
Both bikes got a chain oil and full wipe of the drivetrain, so they're both ready to use again.


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 Oct 2016)

My fettling has been spread over the weekend. I don't know if anyone remembers but I had to refit an old rear wheel to the knockabout bike back in June due to a failing rim and 4 months/1366 miles later have _finally _got round to fitting a replacement.

I bought 2 new rear and 1 front which with the old useable wheels gives me three workable sets. A bit of swapping round of tyres gives a set of Marathon, Marathon Winter or Snow Stud available as required.

Being inexpensive wheels I stripped, greased and adjusted the bearings before fitting as I find they last better this way. I've also changed the gear inner and outer cables (I don't remember this bike ever shifting this smoothly - Shimano outers are worth the little extra IMHO) and shortened the brake cables which were too long after having lowered the handlebars earlier in the year.

Finally, I've fitted a fork crown mount for my B&M Ixon lamp just to see how it compares to the handlebar mounts I'm used to.

I need to order spare chains and a couple of cassettes then I should be all set up for a winter of commuting.


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## RoubaixCube (25 Oct 2016)

Installed the new brake calipers -- sadly the rear brake cable was in rather bad condition so that will definitely need to be replaced tomorrow.


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## steve50 (25 Oct 2016)

Fitted Handlebar extender and new front light, taken bike for a quick ride round the block in the dark and am very impressed with the light,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252380965204?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
also purchased power pack for the light and converted power lead to usb to suit, works a treat.


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## Old Yellow (25 Oct 2016)

Washed my bike after a mucky ride yesterday, then started cleaning my wife's 87 Dawes Lady Galaxy mixte so that we can decide what to do with it. It has been in the shed for about 15 years since she last rode. She wants to ride again, but needs something easier to ride now, so the Galaxy will have to go to a new home!


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## alecstilleyedye (25 Oct 2016)

new chain rings (well worn 42 and 52 replaced by new 39 and 53), new chain, new cassette, new lifeline clip-on mudguards which are the first ever mudguards i've fitted with no swearing involved…


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## dave r (28 Oct 2016)

Fettled my Eastway this afternoon before it goes into hibernation for the winter. It got washed down after its last ride, this afternoon it got a good polish, greased and oiled, whilst I was doing that I tightened the front wheel bearings that had started to work loose, I also put a new Durano Plus tyre on the front, transfered the old front to the back and ditched the well worn back tyre. I also checked the chain and was surprised to find that it wasn't as worn as I was expecting, it'll still need replacing when I get the bike out in the spring, its the second chain on this cassette and it looks like I'll get a third, this year is my first year retired and I've done more mileage on the geared bike than I used to do when I was working, then I did most of my miles on my fixed.


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## DCLane (29 Oct 2016)

Bits and pieces today:

- Cleaned my Wilier Izoard and my son's Giant TCR after our ride this morning: https://www.relive.cc/view/759153323

- Then set to on the Felt Q200 I crashed on. A proper check this week revealed a crack so it's been dismantled for parts: wheels off, new crankset off, rear derailleur and hanger plus other bits off and out for scrap. Anything left on it is either broken or rusty.

- Fitted a different saddle and a rear mudguard to the Raleigh Pioneer Trail I bought this week. That'll take over MTB-style duties from the Felt.

- Swapped the brakes on the Graham Weigh project as I wasn't happy with the canti brakes I had. Tektro Oryx fitted and I'm happier.

- Got my Eastway R4.0 out for winter commuter duties. Lights on and it's ready to go.

To do tomorrow:

- Fit mudguards to my youngest's Formeula 700. We've found a pair that _should_ fit.
- Fit decals to the Graham Weigh project plus (hopefully) a replacement bottle cage and then get the cables done. I'll also measure the forks for cutting if I've time but want to do that properly so it may have to wait a few days.
- If I get bored I _might_ have a go at fitting the front mudguard to the Raleigh but it's too wide at the moment: out with the measuring stick and a big knife.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Oct 2016)

Fettling clearing out the garage to make room for the second car for winter, and also getting the K2 hybrid some different tires, found while clearing out the garage. Going from wide hybrid tires 700x37 to 700x28, and fitting a different saddle.


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## Elybazza61 (31 Oct 2016)

Yesterday morning was spentstripping and cleaning the other half's new hybrid,details here;


Link has been removed as the thread involved will hopefully be deleted on my request.


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## DCLane (31 Oct 2016)

The Eastway winter bike's LH pedal's bent. I sort of remember back in March thinking "is this working right?" and clearly never did anything about it. Oh and the front brakes were more worn than I thought. Going downhill wasn't the best place to find this out on the first 'winter' outing.

So ... it's got a new pair of front brake pads and a used Ultegra 6620 pair of pedals.

And I fitted a pair of mudguards to my youngest's Formeula 700 commuter. They were Cycraguard ones I'd had sat waiting for a pair of wide-enough tyres and he pinched them before they could be used on my Raleigh Pioneer. Lots of weird fittings but I got them there in the end.


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## DCLane (1 Nov 2016)

My youngest's Argon race bike has been pulled out of storage since it's needed for a training session tomorrow instead of me having until next March. It's had urgently:

- Adjusting to fit a Youth B rider from a Youth C
- New titanium stem bolts
- 3T 25 Ionic stealth seatpost. That was a weird thing to fit.


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## postman (2 Nov 2016)

I have put the winter cover on the outside tap.


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## NorthernDave (4 Nov 2016)

Decided to go out on the Road Comp early doors tomorrow given the forecast, shamefully the first ride on it since I bought the Pro Carbon in August 

So I pumped up the tyres and fitted the "proper" CREE front light, rather than the 'be seen' one that's been on it all summer.


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## CanucksTraveller (4 Nov 2016)

After over two months off the road my Giant is at last mechanically complete with a new shifter on, and all the cables fitted. The final fettle was a drive train degrease and clean, bar tape fitted, and a tighten up and check of all the Allen bolts. Roll on Sunday!


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## HLaB (5 Nov 2016)

Put full guards on the commuter. The fork break bolt hole has been drilled a little low so I'll have to change the 25mm tyre for a 23mm. I stuck a clip onguard on the rear of the other bike but I've misplaced the clips for the front and IIRC the front bolt is seized :-/


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## Shut Up Legs (6 Nov 2016)

I fitted a Deda Dog Fang to the tourer/commuter bike, in case the shifting to the small chain ring (of a triple) ever becomes a bit ruff.


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## Elybazza61 (6 Nov 2016)

Busy fettling week-end.

Now that we have been confirmed as the proper owners of the Giant Escape we bought from a local charity(lots of dialogue with Bike Register and Cambridge Parkside Police) more progress has been made and it's now up and running

New tyres fitted and brake blocks, new chain and fresh cables for the rear mech.


This was how it looked when we got it;







Removal of these;





One of the tyres was a bit worn I think






A clean and fettle and it now looks like this;





Have some more bits to come which are mudguards' rack, more cables(it'll now have all black outers),a new Liv saddle and I need to get some of the rubber boots for the v-brakes.

Rides really well and the indexing is good so very happy although not as much as the better half is.

In other fettling news the clicking bb on the Planet X was replaced with a new Tiagra one so that should be set now for the winter.


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## wisdom (6 Nov 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Busy fettling week-end.
> 
> Now that we have been confirmed as the proper owners of the Giant Escape we bought from a local charity(lots of dialogue with Bike Register and Cambridge Parkside Police) more progress has been made and it's now up and running
> 
> ...


Nice tidy up.you have done a good job.Belting bike now.


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## ColinJ (6 Nov 2016)

Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #1

I got the knackered headset races out of the head tube of a frame that I am building into a singlespeed bike, and the old crown race off its fork. 

I fitted the new headset races to the head tube. I will be taking the fork round the corner to a mate to get the crown race hammered down into place. (He has a suitable piece of metal pipe which will fit over the steerer tube.)

It was that mate who gave the frame and fork to me. He had already used a lot of grunt to remove its corroded-in old bottom bracket. I cleaned up the manky BB threads and installed a new BB, which the same mate had also kindly donated to me.

A flurry of singlespeed bike construction fettles should follow!


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## ColinJ (7 Nov 2016)

Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #2

I used my mate's crown race tool to bash the race into place.

I carefully took the bar tape off my Basso's handlebars; I should be able to reuse that at a later date.

I then removed the bike's old, worn 9-speed Ergopower controls. (The Basso will be upgraded to 10-speed later, once I have finished the SS bike. I have some suitable 10-speed Ergopower controls which I bought off another CC member a year or so back.) 

I removed the now redundant shifting parts from the controls so they are now merely brake levers, which is all that I need for the SS.


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## midlife (7 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #2
> 
> I used my mate's crown race tool to bash the race into place.
> 
> ...



Just out of curiosity what Basso have you got? Mines a Reef 

Shaun


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## ColinJ (7 Nov 2016)

midlife said:


> Just out of curiosity what Basso have you got? Mines a Reef
> 
> Shaun


Many years ago I bought a Basso frame/fork on eBay. It is a steel frame made from oversize tubing. I got a mate to take all the parts off another bike of mine and build up this bike with them. So, it is a one-off variation on an old Basso Viper. It has a modified Campagnolo Racing Triple chainset and the original Campagnolo Athena groupset.

It has featured in many of my old rides so I am sure that I will be able to dig up a photo ... hang on.

Ok, here are two for the price of one! Given how rare this frameset seems to be, it is a bit of a coincidence that there are at least 2 of them in the Calder Valley. This photo was taken on a forum ride when I was intercepted by local ride @sackville d, who had ridden out to deliberately, accidentally bump into me and compare bikes!  (Mine is the one with the hi-tech pedestrian warning device on the bars!)


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## postman (7 Nov 2016)

A non cycling fettle.Been over to the in laws in Lancashire.Sorted the back garden out.Weeded between the paving slabs and cleared moss off the walls and slabs.Three hours it took.


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## ColinJ (8 Nov 2016)

Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #3

It suddenly occurred to me that the 58 cm Specialized Allez frame that I am using on my singlespeed project didn't look as big as those on my other 58 cm bikes, but then I realised that it is compact style frame. I don't know why I hadn't noticed that before! 

It shouldn't have any real bearing on its suitability for me, but it makes it harder to compare the partially-built bike to my others. It is difficult to compare a fully-built bike and a partially-built one which is a different shape, by holding the latter next to the former!

I have installed the forks and am using a stem which I had been using up until recently on my Cannondale CAAD5. The stem is 12 cm long. I had replaced the stem on the Cannondale with a 13 cm one and lowered it. The new lower, longer position suits me so I am keen to get as close as possible to that on the SS bike. The stem fitted to the Cannondale has a slight rise on it but the 12 cm one on the SS is pretty much parallel to the ground.

I'll build the rest of the bike and will then see about tweaking the setup.

I have put a 15 mm spacer under the stem but I also have 10 and 5 mm spacers available, should I need to lower the stem later. I have a 20 mm spacer but that puts the stem a bit too high on the steerer tube, which has been cut fairly short. I can always flip the stem if I need to raise the bars.

I put a tyre on the Khamsin front wheel that I will be putting on the Basso to replace its Aksium front wheel which I will be moving over to the SS bike. The rear Aksium is also going to be moved. I have noticed that it is a bit out of true but the spoke nipples that need to be tweaked seem to be seized. I'll try some penetrating oil on them and see if they loosen. If not, I'll put up with the minor wheel wobble!

More construction/fettling tomorrow!


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## dave r (8 Nov 2016)

Shed fettling this afternoon. My shed has several windows which are just squares of clear plastic held in place by wooden batons, the trouble is there is a void underneath them and the windows have a habit of slipping down leaving a gap at the top. This afternoon I removed the offending plastic squares and the batons and put nails in from the outside just underneath the sills to stop the plastic squares slipping down and reassembled everything, I've done all but one, the one that meant emptying half the shed to get at, I'll do that one when the weather's better.


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## Elybazza61 (9 Nov 2016)

Rest of the bits came from Wiggle today for the better half's Giant/Liv so we did a 'loose' fit of the 'guards and rack;






Still have to get some rubber boots for the v-brakes and fit the rest of the outers and there's a saddle coming from e-ghey too but it's starting to look good.

Better half has also been busy with the Auto-Glym paint restorer/polish which is bringing the paintwork up nicely,she's also going to look for some white nail polish today to touch up some scratches.


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## sackville d (12 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Many years ago I bought a Basso frame/fork on eBay. It is a steel frame made from oversize tubing. I got a mate to take all the parts off another bike of mine and build up this bike with them. So, it is a one-off variation on an old Basso Viper. It has a modified Campagnolo Racing Triple chainset and the original Campagnolo Athena groupset.
> 
> It has featured in many of my old rides so I am sure that I will be able to dig up a photo ... hang on.
> 
> Ok, here are two for the price of one! Given how rare this frameset seems to be, it is a bit of a coincidence that there are at least 2 of them in the Calder Valley. This photo was taken on a forum ride when I was intercepted by local ride @sackville d, who had ridden out to deliberately, accidentally bump into me and compare bikes!  (Mine is the one with the hi-tech pedestrian warning device on the bars!)


What are the chances hey? Even the same size. Awesome frame, butter smoothe ride, even with an alloy fork.
I rejigged mine around for my 50th birthday and had an awsome fettle putting a mix of D.Ace and Ultegra 11 speed on it
so that it now looks like this


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## PeteXXX (12 Nov 2016)

Mudguards fitted to the CX for the winter rides. 
They went back on easier than I thought, with very little adjustment s neede to prevent rubbage..


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## Elybazza61 (12 Nov 2016)

More work on the better halfs' Giant/Liv.

Mudguards and rack fitted, plus new front mech cable and all fresh outers.Also new saddle fitted and set up.

















Still some little bits to do like cable ends and the front 'guard stays need cutting.


Other fettling was on the Planet X,levers raised a bit and brakes fettled and a very crappy chain cleaned and lubed.


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## shouldbeinbed (12 Nov 2016)

16T sprocket on the Birdy to make it a tad nipper on the flat.

Nice to know that the Nexus hub is as user friendly as the Alfine for simple jobs like this.


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## shouldbeinbed (12 Nov 2016)

Oh, new old pedals too, nice narrow 80s tourer type that I like. Good and grippy. 

Debating whether to put my B17 narrow Brooks onto it or leave the Brompton saddle in place. I do like it and find it plenty comfy.


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## Hugh Manatee (13 Nov 2016)

Repaired my old Profile Durango XC bars. I bought these way back in the early 90s (I think) when the World Cup round was held near Plymouth. It was a gloriously hot and sunny weekend and I still have an image in my head of John Tomac whilst trying to catch the leaders, (having punctured) jumping the entire section known as "The Pipeline" crossed up. 

It was a great weekend and I got these bars as used by Ned "The Lung" Overend! The years have taken their toll and one of the threads destroyed itself. Two quills like on an old stem, provide the attachments for the bars themselves.

I drilled out the hole slightly and cut a new M8 thread. I haven't got a lathe (boo!) so used my pillar drill and a file to machine down the hex head of the stainless steel bolt. I then trimmed down the bolt l night an used an angle grinder to cut a slot for a screwdriver.

The result will hopefully last a few more years. The bar width is 546mm.


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## Jenkins (13 Nov 2016)

Finally got round to finding the reason for the stiff drive train on my Boardman - the upper jockey wheel was dry of grease, but loaded with muck. Cleaned, re-greased and reassembled and running much better. However I've ordered a new dérailleur as I compared both jockey wheels with my other bikes and realised just how badly worn down the teeth were. New jockey wheels were £15 or a complete shiny new SRAM Rival dérailleur for £33 -.


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## DCLane (13 Nov 2016)

The Raleigh Pioneer Trail I bought a couple of weeks ago has a tiny, tiny crankset. So today, having tried and failed on Wednesday since the bottom bracket was too short, it got:

- A 122.5mm new bottom bracket to replace the existing 113mm one. That appears to have been in since new and was clunky
- A Shimano M171 triple crankset
- Shimano M540 pedals
- SKS Velo 65 rear mudguard which should be for a 26" wheel but fits fine

Everything runs much smoother now.

It still needs a different front derailleur and new chain, along with a new gear cable, as the old one was fitted to the bottom bracket. That _may_ be done this week. New brake pads are also needed - the old (original?) ones have loads of tread but squeal.


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## bruce1530 (13 Nov 2016)

Fitted replacement mudguards,
Adjusted brakes.
Fixed the knob on the cooker.


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## steve50 (13 Nov 2016)

Fitted new deda 44cm handlebar to the Boardman and applied new boardman bar tape.


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## Andy_R (13 Nov 2016)

Clipped my toenails, and burst a blister. Good to go now.


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## ColinJ (13 Nov 2016)

I have to do some pre-fettling fettling ... 

My singlespeed bike project has been brought to a temporary halt by an unexpected problem - I went to remove the cassette from the Aksium wheel that I will be using and discovered that the lock ring is stuck. I don't know if it is actually corroded in or whether it was just done up stupidly tight. At any rate, I managed to break my chain whip without getting the b*st*rd lock ring off!

I am going to try and make a new chain whip from an old (redundant) threaded headset spanner and then will have another go.


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## palinurus (14 Nov 2016)

Had to remove two fixed sprockets in two days. Not a job I look forward to.

First one I almost gave up with until I took a club hammer to the handle of my chainwhip.

Second one the hub wasn't built into a wheel and I managed to get it off by sticking the hub into a vice at work. I'd given up on it but a colleague asked about the chainwhip and I decided to give a demonstration, at which point it came off just like that!


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## HLaB (14 Nov 2016)

Couldn't get any purchase on my front brake bolt. Fearing it had seized I unship the actual brake and unscrewed it. I was expecting a bit of s struggle but it was actually very easy and clean. I'll put a new nut on and fit the guards after tea


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## si_c (14 Nov 2016)

Picked up some left hand thread screw remover tools today. Took out the rounded bottle cage bolt and the broken bottle cage and replaced it. Quite easy to use the tool, once you figure out which of the heads is best. I was thinking i needed a smaller one at first but it turns out the larger m8 was best as it gripped the head and pulled it out.


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## GuyBoden (16 Nov 2016)

Had an interesting few hours yesterday taking off a 1980's Shimano Uniglide hub to change some spokes in the wheel and clean/grease the loose bearings.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Nov 2016)

Quick fettle last night on the XLS to sort the cadence sensor out with a fresh tie-wrap as the problem was it was moving about on the crank arm,also gave the chain a wipe-over as it's been pretty wet and mucky the last couple of days.


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## si_c (17 Nov 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Quick fettle last night on the XLS to sort the cadence sensor out with a fresh tie-wrap as the problem was it was moving about on the crank arm,also gave the chain a wipe-over as it's been pretty wet and mucky the last couple of days.



If you have a steel axled pedal, just pick up a 10mm neodymium magnet and put it on the pedal axle. It'll never move.


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## ColinJ (18 Nov 2016)

The weather turned nasty here today so I am not going to go out on my bike. I want to get a turbo session in this evening to keep my legs working. The only problem is - I have pinched the shifters from my Basso (current turbo trainer bike) and cannibalised them to use the brake levers on my singlespeed project. Without any gear cables on the bike to adjust the derailleurs, it defaulted to a stupid gear. I will be upgrading the Basso to 10 speed in future but that will have to wait until I have finished the s/s bike.

I needed a quick fix to get the Basso usable on the turbo. The front mech could be held in place for the middle ring using its low gear endstop screw so I did that. I tried doing the same with the rear mech but I could only move the chain up one sprocket with the short official screw. That gear is much higher than I want to use so I had a hunt through my junk boxes and found a long screw with the same thread. I pushed the mech up by hand and screwed the new endstop in as far as it would go to hold the mech in that gear.

The Basso is temporarily a s/s turbo bike with a 39/17 gear ratio. I can put stupid amounts of resistance on the turbo so I don't need a higher gear than that, but I can still pedal at a decent cadence with the turbo resistance set to minimum.

If the sleet stops for a while I am going to go out and buy some drill bits to use to make a chainwhip out of a redundant headset spanner.


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## Elybazza61 (18 Nov 2016)

Finished the better halfs' Giant;cut the 'guard stays down, levelled the saddle and put on the chain stay and frame protecters.

Then gave the Icarus a once-over before tomorrows club ride.


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## Nigel182 (18 Nov 2016)

New "Old Skool" Tyre fitted to the 29'er
now waiting for a rear to match
found a rear should be here soons


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## Gravity Aided (19 Nov 2016)

Currently moving all my bicycle repair gear to my basement, as well as tools and workbench, so cars can come in the garage. Then I'll start work on my G.LaPierre Tour de France. This job may happen quickly, as in the States our Thanksgiving Holiday falls, as always, on Thursday, and we get Friday off as well, so I have 5 days off in a row, as I have Wednesday off regularly. The LaPierre has good paint, so it won't be a heavy duty steel-up restoration, like the currently stalled Fuji project, nor require welders to get involved, like the Olmo .


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## HarryTheDog (19 Nov 2016)

Went to put on new chainrings ( well a powermeter Powertap C1 chainring) which need compact chainset 110 BCD, so had to take my old 130 BCD's off. couldn't get the old cranks off, the crank end retaining hex bolt was completely rounded off. So had to resort to drastic methods.ie a grinder. Also then noticed my rear rim/wheel ( Mavic Kyserium Equippe) could maybe do with replacing soon, suprised as barely a year old has done around 6000 miles. Also tyre has a nice groove in the sidewall. Luckily I have a spare wheel ( Shimano Ultegra) to get me through next weeks commute.


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## simon.r (19 Nov 2016)

I thought it's safe to say that rim's past its use by date


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## HarryTheDog (19 Nov 2016)

Turns out the Ultegra wheel had also gone well through its wear marker ( don't particularly like them anyway) and also another wheel I found in the shed ( shimano R500) also had no-existent wear markers.Put them out for the tip so I won't be temted to use them again. No way was I going to put a carbon on for winter or my hardly ever used Mavic A120 32 spoke touring wheel ( wiegh's a ton) so resorted to stealing a Coles Rollen wheel off my wife's bike. she never rides it anyway. Massive faff swapping cassettes and tyres but finished now.
I do like the Ksyrium's so will look out for a bargain for Xmas, seems there are some 2016's about, or maybe a Campy Zonda .


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## DCLane (19 Nov 2016)

Cleaned the Eastway R4.0 after a week's commuting and this morning's rain-fest: https://www.strava.com/activities/779608543

Also fitted a front derailleur and new chain to the Raleigh Pioneer Trail - it's now got a 52/39/30 setup which is much better than the 39/30/22 it had. It's not shifting cleanly though: need to think about this one.

I've been slowing building up a Graham Weigh frameset that I bought from here into a bike. Today the rear wheel got a 9-speed cassette and a chain fitted. It's also cabling time; all cable outers done in black, gear cables done and the rear brake's done but the front brake needs a stem cable guide (ordered). Everything then just needs adjusting before the green bar tape goes on and finally the front forks will need cutting down to fit better.


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## GuyBoden (19 Nov 2016)

Treble bar tape. 

I've wrapped another layer of bar tape on the Winter bike, I already had double, so now that's treble bar tape. My logic was that if double feels good, treble might feel better. It does look bulky, but it's very comfy over the rough country lanes.


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## HLaB (19 Nov 2016)

Changed the bottom bracket on my commuter.


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## Vantage (19 Nov 2016)

Not strictly a "done today" job, but I've spent the last week sanding away that crap black paint that adorns every cycle component made these days from my adjustable stem, new flat handlebar and seatpost...then polished them to a mirror-like finish, fitted them (converting bike to a flat bar tourer) fettled the brakes and gears, fitted the snow tyres and went for my first ride since friggin August. It handled nicely


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## KneesUp (19 Nov 2016)

I've had a Ribble Winter/Audax frame with bottom bracket and cranks in the bike shed for quite some time - I bought it off Vernon. I've also got a set of cheap wheels and bars with brake levers I got from @broady and a seat post I picked up at a t car boot, along with a rear mech. I also have stashed some brakes, a casseette and a front mech from a cycle jumble. Last week I bought some cheap (i.e. horribly coloured) carbon forks off Planet X. Today I put all those parts together along with a saddle I found in the parts bin (the back of the shed), the gear levers off my dad's 70s Peugeot and a band new (woo hoo) headset and cabling, so all I need now are some pedals and bar tape, and I have a slightly weird looking road bike with an temporary long cvage mech.


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## broady (19 Nov 2016)

Picture @KneesUp please!


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## KneesUp (19 Nov 2016)

broady said:


> Picture @KneesUp please!


They'll have to wait until it's light  I should add that I've lost the adjustable stem I bought from you (it's about somewhere, I just can't find it) which I was going to fit so I could mess about with angles before committing to buying one, so at the moment it has the stem frommy other bike meaning that brilliantly that I have no rideable bikes now, despite spending quite a while messing about fettling.


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## broady (19 Nov 2016)

Where abouts are you??
I think I've got some stems sat in the garage


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## KneesUp (20 Nov 2016)

broady said:


> Where abouts are you??
> I think I've got some stems sat in the garage


Cheers. I'm 60 miles up the M1 - I picked the wheels up as I was going to the pub with a friend who lives 5 minutes away from you. That said, I havent' seen him for ages and it's nearly Christmas


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## KneesUp (20 Nov 2016)

broady said:


> Picture @KneesUp please!


I think the rear mech is medium cage actually. What is certain is that the cable slipped and the cheap non series cable holder shredded it she I tightened it. It still works but the lever needs a big pull until I replace it.


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## ColinJ (20 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> If the sleet stops for a while I am going to go out and buy some drill bits to use to make a chainwhip out of a redundant headset spanner.


I eventually did go out and bought a suitable drill bit. I came home drilled 2 holes in the spanner and broke the drill bit! Cheap nasty crap ... (I suspected that £1 was not to buy a quality bit, but could not be bothered walking the extra distance from the ironmongers to the building supplies company.)

I had intended to drill 3 holes but thought that I might get away with 2. Then I ran into a problem attaching the length of old chain to the spanner. My chaintool couldn't get in because the spanner got in the way. I had a go at hammering the chain rivet in. That had the predictable outcome ...

I removed the now mangled link and decided that I would bolt the remainder of the chain onto the spanner instead so I headed for my junk box to look for suitable nuts and bolts. I really must clear out that box. I was having to remove loads of stuff to get to the odd nuts and bolts at the bottom. Old screwdrivers, a hammer, 2 junior hacksaws, spare sealed bearings left over from when I stripped down the hub of the rear wheel of my mountain bike, a socket set, that old chunky chainwhip that I haven't been able to find for years, a steel rule, a flat file, a round file ... HANG ON* ... THAT CHUNKY OLD CHAINWHIP - *_D'OH!!!!!!!!!! _

I took it over to the waiting wheel and had the lock ring off in seconds!

Singlespeed bike construction will recommence once I have had my afternoon coffee.


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## Elybazza61 (20 Nov 2016)

Weekly clean of the commuting XLS.


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## TheDoctor (20 Nov 2016)

Fettling a front light onto the Brompton that (hopefully) won't enhinder the fold.
I have to get a train at ludicrous-and-still-dark tomorrow morning.
Eek


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## Tenacious Sloth (20 Nov 2016)

Managed to tweak the load on the rear wheel hub of my CAADX without the use of the correct size cone spanner or removing the cassette. It's not perfect, but will do for the time being.

This is one of the stock wheels that came with the bike that I use through the winter with some giant 35C Marathon Plus concrete tyres on them.

They have Formula hubs which don't impress me much. The bearings are about as smooth as a slug wearing a cravat and the freewheel is starting to rumble.

I've ordered some cone spanners in the correct size and will have a better go when my garage warms up a bit. May even replace the bearings and freewheel if I can source the correct parts.

Graham


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## ColinJ (20 Nov 2016)

Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #4

Now that I have finally got the troublesome lock ring free, I am back to building my S/S bike.

I took the cassette off and cleaned up the 19-tooth sprocket that I will be using on the S/S. I worked out how many spacers were needed to get the sprocket aligned with the chainring and my guestimate looks almost perfect - I placed a steel rule along the ring and the sprocket and all looks good. The spider was not fully tightened onto the bottom bracket at the time though so the ring will move slightly inwards when it has been. If necessary, I can move the sprocket one spacer closer to the centre of the wheel.

I have mislaid the bolts which hold the cranks on! I know that they will be somewhere amidst my tools and spares but my workshop area (corner of kitchen!) is very disorganised and they are currently hiding. I will hunt for them later this evening or maybe tomorrow.

This way of making a S/S does concentrate a lot of force on one part of the splines on the freehub. Normally, you would be going up and down through the gears so different sprockets would be handling that force at different times in the ride. On the S/S, everything would be concentrated through one sprocket worth of spline. (I suppose that some of the load could be taken through the spacers, but not much, I reckon.) Nevertheless, I have done this before and rode thousands of miles on the bike without wrecking the splines.

I took the 52-tooth ring off the turbo trainer-bound Basso and cleaned that. The 53-tooth ring that I had intended for the S/S is now going on the Basso. (It won't get used while the bike is on the trainer, but it will also be a spare bike for the road so I want to get it upgraded to full working order once I have finished the current project.).

It turns out that the two chainset spiders are a slightly different design. The old 'Racing Triple' spider on the Basso has 5 separate small arms. The spider that I am using on the S/S is from the old 10-speed Chorus chainset which I took off my CAAD5 when I replaced it with a Stronglight triple. That spider has 4 small arms and the 5th chainring bolt screws into the back of the right crank. It means that the little pin which is designed to stop the chain getting stuck between the crank and big ring will be in the wrong place on both bikes. I may well swap the rings back again later but I think a lower gear on the S/S and a higher top gear on the Basso both make sense. I will just have to be careful not to drop the chain off the RHS of either big ring.

I tried fitting just the big ring to the S/S spider but the bolts will not fully do up without the inner ring being there. I could go out and buy some washers tomorrow but I had an interesting idea ... perhaps I could refit the 39-tooth inner ring and make the new bike a 'double singlespeed' i.e. a 2 x 1-speed? 

I am not putting gear shifters or derailleurs on the bike but there will be a chain tensioner. I don't know if that will have enough travel to take up an extra 13-teeth worth of chain but if it is _does_, I can try changing the chain between rings by hand if I decide to venture up into hills too steep for a 52/19 gear. I will optimise the chainline for the 52/19 but will see what happens if I switch the chain over to the 39-tooth ring. If it works, I'll keep that arrangement in place. If it doesn't work then I will buy the washers and turn the bike back into a real S/S.

The wheels are now on the frame and the project is beginning to look more like a bike, and less like just a pile of parts! Although the saddle and bars are not needed at the moment, it won't take long to fit them and the more bike-like the project becomes, the more incentive I feel to finish it.

I am already looking at locks. I often arrive home from a ride on Sundays with only 30 minutes or so to spare before the local Lidl and Morrisons shut (4 pm). I want to be able to come home, pick up my rucksack, swap bikes and dash to the shops. I don't want to leave my CAAD5, CAADX or MTB in public while I shop but this project has not cost me much so I will be happy to take the small risk of some cheeky toerag nicking _this_ bike.

PS

Added this evening:

Seat post
Saddle
Handlebars
Front & rear brakes
Chain tensioner
Chainset-52/39 for possible double singlespeed with manual change between rings


To be continued ...


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## ColinJ (20 Nov 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Managed to tweak the load on the rear wheel hub of my CAADX without the use of the correct size cone spanner or removing the cassette. It's not perfect, but will do for the time being.
> 
> This is one of the stock wheels that came with the bike that I use through the winter with some giant 35C Marathon Plus concrete tyres on them.
> 
> They have Formula hubs which don't impress me much. The bearings are about as smooth as a slug wearing a cravat and the freewheel is starting to rumble.


You posted while I was typing out my lengthy post above ... I have a rumbling hub on my rear CAADX wheel too - I had forgotten that, since it is a few months since I last rode the bike!

Also - I think that the BB30 bottom bracket might be starting to make the infamous creaking noises. There were a few sounds like that coming from the BB area just before I got home last time.


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## Tenacious Sloth (20 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> You posted while I was typing out my lengthy post above ... I have a rumbling hub on my rear CAADX wheel too - I had forgotten that, since it is a few months since I last rode the bike!
> 
> Also - I think that the BB30 bottom bracket might be starting to make the infamous creaking noises. There were a few sounds like that coming from the BB area just before I got home last time.



I built some wheels for the CAADX With Shimano hubs and Pacenti rims shod with Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tyres that I've used throughout the summer months and have been really pleased with them. But following a puncture on my morning commute at 6am in the pitch black and pouring rain have decided to go with the stock wheels/Marathon Plus combination throughout the winter months. Much, much heavier, but worth it to keep the puncture fairies at bay.

My BB30 seems to be behaving (4300 miles so far) - but now I've said that it will no doubt start creaking tomorrow morning. 

I'm assuming that the freehub body will be a straight swap-out with a standard Shimano unit?

It seems very difficult to get information on the correct replacement hub bearings without taking the old ones out, and I don't want to do that as I need to use them daily.

Graham


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## HLaB (20 Nov 2016)

Does fixing a p'ture or cleaning the bike count as fettling?


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## Illaveago (20 Nov 2016)

I took the old handlebar tape off the Puch Alpine and discovered that it must have been the original tape as it still had the Puch plastic bungs in. I have kept the old tape it's the old vinyl type, I may be able to reuse it at some time in the future. I have replaced the old tape with some cheap foam tape. I wasn't sure which way round it went as there wasn't any glue to give me an idea, so having tried it one way I finally settled with the bevelled side out.


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## ColinJ (20 Nov 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> I built some wheels for the CAADX With Shimano hubs and Pacenti rims shod with Michelin Pro 4 Endurance tyres that I've used throughout the summer months and have been really pleased with them. But following a puncture on my morning commute at 6am in the pitch black and pouring rain have decided to go with the stock wheels/Marathon Plus combination throughout the winter months. Much, much heavier, but worth it to keep the puncture fairies at bay.
> 
> My BB30 seems to be behaving (4300 miles so far) - but now I've said that it will no doubt start creaking tomorrow morning.
> 
> ...


I'm not an expert on wheels. I just search for info and usually find what I am looking for. I found THIS which looks potentially helpful. I thought I had some 6000 bearings in my spares box but they are in fact 6001 type which are a different size. If I get round to taking a look at my hub in the near future, I will report back below!


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## twentysix by twentyfive (20 Nov 2016)

Took the inner tube out, removed the offending thorn from the outer, did the patch sticking thing, allowed things to heal and refitted tyre and tube. 

These hedge trimmer things are a PITA.


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## DCLane (22 Nov 2016)

New front brake cable on the Eastway winter commuter - after it went yesterday downhill  

I'm still working on the Graham Weigh. Today the front cable guide arrived so both brakes are now set up. I've measured for the fork cutting - twice - so that'll be done soon. Then bar tape and finished.


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## ColinJ (22 Nov 2016)

DCLane said:


> New front brake cable on the Eastway winter commuter - after it went yesterday downhill


Yikes!

I have worried about that kind of thing for years, but so far avoided it. Some of our local descents are so severe that the only sensible thing to do would be to deliberately slide the bike sideways and fall off as gently as possible before gaining too much speed. The trouble is you would only have a second or two to make the decision and it would take a lot of guts to actually do it ...

I have had front tyre blowouts twice on such descents. The first time I was being (TOO!) closely followed by a double-decker bus. I managed to stop without falling off and the bus driver reacted fast enough that the bus ended up a couple of metres _behind_ me rather than a couple of metres _over_ me! The second time was one second after I got to the bottom of a hill. I had already scrubbed off most of my speed so though I _DID_ fall off that time. I only suffered minor cuts and bruises and a car coming the other way that I rolled in front of also stopped in time!

And now, the saga of the singlespeed project continues ...

Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #5

Right, forget the idea of 2 x S/S; I put a chain on the bike and one look at it told me that there is a very good reason that derailleurs have 2 sections and 2 jockey wheels! The chain tensioner cannot possible tension a significant length of spare chain. So, a proper S/S bike it will be! 

My first attempt gave me a fairly good chainline, but I couldn't quite get the chain to stay on reliably. Closer examination showed that I needed to move the sprocket one spacer nearer to the centre of the wheel. I made the change and I'd say that it is now within about 1/3 of a spacer thickness of perfect. I would have to get some thinner spacers to get it better than this and I don't think that is necessary because the chain now stays on.

The chain tensioner was designed to pull the chain down. I didn't like it! It was pulling the slack chain away from the underside of the sprocket, reducing the chain wrap round it. That would increase the wear on the teeth because the pedalling load would be concentrated on a small number of teeth at any one time. It also makes the chain more likely to come off. I looked at the tensioner and decided that I should be able to reverse its action. I took it to bits and managed to reassemble it in such a way that it now pulls _UP_. It seems much better this way. The chain now wraps round half of the sprocket rather one third (or less) and the chain is much straighter going over the jockey wheel on the tensioner, which I think is _A Good Thing_. 

I have been fiddling about swapping between the 52 ring and the 53, and shortening the chain. It turns out that the chain length is critical. Too long and the tensioner was not really coping. I couldn't get it right with the 53. I shortened the chain and it was just too tight to get on. I figured that the very slight reduction in diameter of the 52 ring relative to the 53 would fix the problem and it _DID - _I can get the chain on, it stays on, and the tensioner pushes up enough to pick up the slack.

So, all is well now, eh? Not quite! The chain passing over the jockey wheel is too noisy. Every combination of chainring size, chain length, and direction of chain tensioning has been noisy. I took the jockey wheel out of the tensioner and greased it; still noisy! I took a jockey wheel out of an old derailleur that I had lying about, cleaned and greased that, and swapped it for the tensioner's jockey wheel; same noise!

The noise is a slight clunk as each link of the chain engages with a tooth on the jockey wheel. At slow cadences, the noise is subtle but I can feel the clunk by placing a finger on the end of the chain tensioner. As the cadence is increased the clunk gets louder and eventually becomes an annoying, rasping buzz. One of the nice things about a well-setup S/S bike is how quiet and efficient it is. That noise would drive me mad; I have to eliminate it! 

It is a new chain and it came in an umarked bag so I wonder if it is a cheapo copy of an SRAM chain? I might try a bona fide SRAM chain in its place, but then the other one would go to waste. I'm not sure what else I can do though ...


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## raleighnut (22 Nov 2016)

If you have horizontal dropouts then there is no need for a tensioner but if the frame has fixed dropouts (vertical) then you are stuck with one.


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## Wetdog (22 Nov 2016)

I used my gifted to me bike stand today and sorted my derailleur out. All gears now sweet as a nut.
It feels good to work successfully.


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## ColinJ (23 Nov 2016)

raleighnut said:


> If you have horizontal dropouts then there is no need for a tensioner but if the frame has fixed dropouts (vertical) then you are stuck with one.


It has vertical dropouts!

I've found lots of people online complaining of the same type of noise problem. I've also found people saying that the noise problem diminishes or goes away once the chain has been run for a while.

The chain has the factory grease on it. I don't normally lube a new chain because I think that the grease probably does quite a good job but I am tempted to go and drip some lube on the chain to see if it makes a difference. Blow it - I'm off to try! I will report back shortly ... 

PS

I'm not sure that the dry lube helped that much. I think it made a _slight_ difference.

What made a _BIG_ difference was adjusting the tensioner so it did the _minimum_ amount of tensioning rather than the _maximum_! It had been set to take up as much of the slack in the chain as possible. I changed that so it still took up _enough_ slack but was putting much less vertical pressure on the chain.

There is still _some_ noise but it is rather artificial running the bike on a stand in a quiet room. I think with my head 4 feet further above the chain and with wind and traffic noise to mask the transmission noise, it might now be okay ...

I need to put the pedals on and connect the brake cables and then the bike will be ready to test. I will check that all is well before I put the bar tape on. (I am going to try reusing the old brake cables but I may need to replace them so there is no point in doing the bar tape yet because it might have to be taken off again!)


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## DCLane (23 Nov 2016)

I've finished the Raleigh Pioneer with the front derailleur properly adjusted (no photo).

Also the Graham Weigh's been finished: the forks were cut down earlier, cables adjusted and the bar tape is on. The parts came from @rugbyleaguebiker and it now looks like this:







It _did_ look like this originally plus a pile of bits and blue parts but I took the green off the seatpost as a colour base:


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## ColinJ (23 Nov 2016)

DCLane said:


> I've finished the Raleigh Pioneer with the front derailleur properly adjusted (no photo).
> 
> Also the Graham Weigh's been finished: the forks were cut down earlier, cables adjusted and the bar tape is on. The parts came from @rugbyleaguebiker and it now looks like this:


I'm confused ... If it is a Graham Weigh frame, why does it say 'GIANT'? 

Also, are those the final positions of the saddle and bars? It looks like it would fit someone small with tiny legs and a relatively long body (or arms).


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## DCLane (23 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I'm confused ... If it is a Graham Weigh frame, why does it say 'GIANT'?
> 
> Also, are those the final positions of the saddle and bars? It looks like it would fit someone small with tiny legs and a relatively long body (or arms).



It's not a Giant - although has Giant Connect forks hence the introduction of some green Giant decals: there was some decal residue I couldn't get off and Graham Weigh's own decals look awful.

And yes, it's a kids / tiny adults bike. The seatpost goes up ... a lot ... which means it'll fit normal humans as well.


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## HLaB (23 Nov 2016)

Put a new tube in a tyre but I've not pumped it up yet


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## Tenacious Sloth (24 Nov 2016)

HLaB said:


> Put a new tube in a tyre but I've not pumped it up yet



Thanks. Keep us informed...


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## si_c (24 Nov 2016)

Fitted new semi-permanent light. Cheapish ebay job, not so much for seeing than to be seen. Just running it on flashing mode.

Light fitted relatively easily with a rubber o-ring, but the battery pack proved more awkward, the straps on the unit were really loose as they were designed for an ahead stem rather than a quill stem so I couldn't tighten them sufficiently. Put the power pack in my saddle bag and routed the cable so I could attach it to the rear brake cable with electrical tape. It's more secure than it could be otherwise and it's also less likely to get soaked in the saddle bag.


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## ColinJ (24 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> What made a _BIG_ difference was adjusting the tensioner so it did the _minimum_ amount of tensioning rather than the _maximum_! It had been set to take up as much of the slack in the chain as possible. I changed that so it still took up _enough_ slack but was putting much less vertical pressure on the chain.
> 
> There is still _some_ noise but it is rather artificial running the bike on a stand in a quiet room. I think with my head 4 feet further above the chain and with wind and traffic noise to mask the transmission noise, it might now be okay ...
> 
> I need to put the pedals on and connect the brake cables and then the bike will be ready to test. I will check that all is well before I put the bar tape on. (I am going to try reusing the old brake cables but I may need to replace them so there is no point in doing the bar tape yet because it might have to be taken off again!)


Singlespeed construction fettling: episode #6

I keep fiddling with the chain tensioner but I can't quite get it quiet enough! I really do need to just ride the bike and see what the noise is like then. It took me most of this year to quieten my CAAD5 to the point where it no longer bugged me and I like it now. I really don't want to go back to having a noisy bike again ...

The brakes are now connected and I have put the pedals on. All that remains is to put the bar tape on and mounts for lights and my Garmin. I'll do those last few jobs after I have been to the shops and had something to eat.

If the weather is ok later, I'll ride a few miles up and down the valley to see how the bike is, but not go too far away in case I have a problem and have to walk back with the bike!

*PS*

I put the bar tape and lights on the bike. I found a rear reflector in my tool drawer while I was looking for some black electrical tape to finish off the bar tape; I put that on the seatpost below the rear light.

I double-checked everything and found that I hadn't tightened some important bolts enough, so I sorted those out. 

The headset wasn't quite tight enough, which was odd because I remembered doing it and hadn't ridden the bike yet ... It turned out that there was not enough of a gap between the top of the steerer tube and the top of the stem. The cap through which the adjuster bolt passes was bottoming out on the steerer. I put a 5 mm spacer above the stem to give the cap something to push against. That did the trick. 

The bike was looking and feeling pretty good for something which only cost about £60! (It was going to be £50 but I decided not put an old chain on and used a new one from my spares box instead. Call that an extra tenner.)

I weighed the finished bike and was pleased to find that the total weight including lights, reflector, pedals and a bottle cage was ~9 kgs or ~19 lbs - not bad for bike made mostly from old/spare parts! 

I just had to go out for a quick test ride after I finished! I only did a couple of miles, including a two small climbs. The bike's new chain, perfect chainline, and lack of a rear derailleur were immediately obvious. I have set the chain tensioner to apply the minimum force necessary to keep contact with the chain so it is not introducing much friction. The transmission just felt so efficient!

I have been going on about the noise from the chain tensioner. I went out at 11 pm when there was not much traffic about. There was a stiff breeze blowing and the wind noise was masking any noise from the chain/tensioner combination. I could still hear a slight rumble from the tyres on the road though so I took that to mean that the tensioner noise is probably not going to be a big issue; we'll see!

I'll take some photos of the bike tomorrow in daylight and post them below.


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## Salty seadog (24 Nov 2016)

HLaB said:


> Put a new tube in a tyre but I've not pumped it up yet



How many miles have you done on it?


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## HLaB (24 Nov 2016)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Thanks. Keep us informed...


Lol just pumped it up and guess what......nothing spectacular happened


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## ColinJ (25 Nov 2016)

My 'new' singlespeed bike!







Yes, there is some slack in the chain! I backed off the chain tensioner to quieten the bike. Once the chain starts to wear I will get the tensioner to take up any increased slack. It runs fine like this.






This view shows the excellent chainline that I achieved. I used a 19-tooth sprocket from an old cassette and spacers from 2 old cassettes to fill the rest of the freehub. You can see the On-one 'Doofer' chain tensioner, modded by me to pull the chain up and wrap it round more of the sprocket. It normally pulls down and tends to peel the chain away from the sprocket, which I did not like.






One of the 2 old Campagnolo Ergopower controls used on the bike. The gear shifters were getting very worn so I stripped them out, converting the controls to simple brake levers. I have some newer Ergopower 'brifters' to replace them on the other bike.






Doofer pushing chain up (slightly). It gets noisy if I set it to push harder.

It has been an interesting project and a bargain at only £60 for the new parts. I am looking forward to riding it up and down the local valleys, and one or two of the gentler climbs. I'll see what I can get up on the 52/19 gear without breaking the bike or myself!

A few last jobs to be done ...

I have a temporary 9-speed quick link on the 10-speed chain. It would probably be ok to leave it but I would rather play safe and replace it with a permanent 10-speed link.
I'll possibly put mudguards on the bike. I intend to put guards on my cyclocross bike for bad weather rides, so I might not bother.
Buy a d-lock for shopping trips on the bike. I'd like one with a mounting bracket that I could bolt on to where the second bottle cage normally goes.


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## dave r (25 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> My 'new' singlespeed bike!
> 
> View attachment 152529
> 
> ...



Looks good to me, nice job!


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## User19783 (25 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> My 'new' singlespeed bike!
> 
> View attachment 152529
> 
> ...


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## si_c (25 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Stuff



Looks really good. One thought though, would removing a link or so from the chain not remove the slack, allowing you to tension the chain manually?


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## ColinJ (25 Nov 2016)

si_c said:


> Looks really good. One thought though, would removing a link or so from the chain not remove the slack, allowing you to tension the chain manually?


The frame has short semi-vertical dropouts so I can't move the wheel (much) to tension the chain. With a 53-tooth chainring, I couldn't even get the chain on. I dropped down 1 tooth to a 52-tooth ring and the chain does go on now but has that small amount of sag. If I took a pair of links out then the chain would be too short again. I suppose it might work if I took a pair of links out and put a half-link in, but I will be happy with this setup as long as the chain doesn't start to fall off. There might be problems when the chain wears but I don't think it would stretch enough to be able to take a pair of links out.


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## greekonabike (26 Nov 2016)

I was attempting to fit some cheap mud guards when I snagged the front derailleur cable and promptly cocked up all the gears. 

After watching several tutorials on how to fix this I made an attempt at it and somehow made it worse. 

I then phoned the local bike shop and walked the bike in there earlier this morning.... Defeated. 

GOAB


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## si_c (26 Nov 2016)

greekonabike said:


> I was attempting to fit some cheap mud guards when I snagged the front derailleur cable and promptly cocked up all the gears.
> 
> After watching several tutorials on how to fix this I made an attempt at it and somehow made it worse.
> 
> ...



When you get the bike back, ask them what you did and how they fixed it. Learning opportunity.


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## greekonabike (26 Nov 2016)

I didn't get the opportunity to ask them as they were really busy, went through all the gears and they seem ok but may need a bit of adjustment once the cable has stretched. 

GOAB


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## Jenkins (26 Nov 2016)

On Thursday I had a call from my mum asking if I could replace the inner tube on her bike due to a puncture. Popped round and had it done and tightened the rear light bracket in the time it took to have a cup of coffee.

Had another call from her this morning - turns out I'd made the usual mistake of having loosened the v-brakes to make wheel removal & replacement easier, I forgot to re-attach the cable. Thankfully she's a slow rider and there's nothing in the way of downhills on her route into town...

My sister wants me to give her bike a quick check over, but thankfully that's got discs.


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## Elybazza61 (27 Nov 2016)

Not bike fettling but repaired my old Castelli neoprene overshoes with a wet suit repair kit off the 'bay; hopefully will prolong the life of them.


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## Jenkins (27 Nov 2016)

Finally got round to replacing the front brake assembly on the Cube as the original item had developed a leaking seal at the oil reservoir. Also fully degreased & cleaned the rear rotor and replaced the pads with the old pads from the discarded front unit as they had become contaminated with something resulting in a nasty squeal and a lack of performance.


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## KneesUp (27 Nov 2016)

You may recall from earlier in the thread that I've been collecting parts for my 'how cheaply can I put together a bike' project, which weirdly has quite interested my kid.

Last night I fitted a rear guard salvaged from my dad's old bike (which now has fatter tyres, so the guards don't fit) I couldn't get the front one to go on as I don't have P clips large enough for the new forks, which being carbon are way fatter than any I've had before.

It's now rideable, and I had a brief window before a birthday party / swimming / visit to in-laws in which to ride it. I discovered that it feels a lot quicker than my other bike (26" fully rigid mountain bike converted to drop bar utility / touring thing) but that 23c tyres and badly dressed roads are literally a pain in the arse. I also discovered that the front brake blocks need cleaning and probably replacing as they sound like sandpaper, and that the slightly stiff link I though would probably be ok was not at all ok for most of the ride, resulting in it sounding like someone cocking a shotgun when it skipped almost every chain length, but it was hardly doing it at all in the end, so I'll keep an eye on that.

All I need now is to get bigger P-clips so I can attach the front guard - although I may go all out and buy some 'fender stay adaptors' I also need to get some slightly more modern down tube shifters. It seems that in the late 70s shifters had a smaller diameter,so pulling less cable per degree of movement than they do now - or at least the Simplex ones I've fitted do, so you have to pull them about 170 degrees to get from one end of the cassette to the other. Oh, and I need to wrap the bars once I'm certain I'm happy with them. And the saddle could do with being a tad higher and further back.

The ex-mountain bike has 1.5" tyres and a rather naff sounding, but actually quite comfortable 'Bodyfit Spring Classic' sprung saddle - which I bought with very, very slightly damaged packaging from Halfords for one whole pound, having spotted it when buying a car battery. A sprung saddle on a bike with tyres that fat seems a bit of a waste, so I might swap it onto the Rubble, at least until the local road repair backlog is cleared.

So - more fettling to do, but I can also ride it now, which is nice.


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## Postmanhat (27 Nov 2016)

Felt very slow today, which I put down to the manflu, then became aware of an increasingly significant, non lung-related, rattle. Turned out that three of the chainring bolts had come out and the remaining pair were very close to joining them. Luckily my multi-tool had the appropriate allen key size. Anyone else had this happen before? Or not realise till it was too late?

Something else to add to the ever-growing pre-ride checklist.


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## KneesUp (27 Nov 2016)

Postmanhat said:


> Felt very slow today, which I put down to the manflu, then became aware of an increasingly significant, non lung-related, rattle. Turned out that three of the chainring bolts had come out and the remaining pair were very close to joining them. Luckily my multi-tool had the appropriate allen key size. Anyone else had this happen before? Or not realise till it was too late?
> 
> Something else to add to the ever-growing pre-ride checklist.


I've taken them out of chainsets so I can mix and match chainrings, and then when I've gone to my bit box months later they have mysteriously disappeared, but I've not had them fall off the bike!


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## si_c (28 Nov 2016)

Chainstay snapped on the Pug. It's salvageable, but currently unrideable. This left me without a decent commuter, so had to get my "new" Pug ready to ride. Nothing on the frame really, just a bottom bracket and chainset. Put an old pair of wheels on, along with the saddle and brake levers from the old pug. Cleaned the headset that came with it, and replaced it along with new bearings and a load of grease. The frame came without a stem or handlebars so I had to fit a spares, this was complicated by the 22mm internal diameter for the fork steerer tube (yay! old 70s french frames), so I had to sand down the diameter a touch to get it to fit.

Fitted cables (harder than I expected due to odd cable routing), the brakes and chain. I omitted fitting the mudguards for the moment, opting to keep the build as simple as possible (rear mudguards are integrated with the rear rack, and I'm not 100% certain I want that on). 

Finishing touches were the simplex retrofriction gear levers to replace the awful plastic friction levers, along with new bar tape. The handlebars are a little narrower than I'd like (40cm c-c), but they have a nice flare to them on the side, which I quite like. All in all not too difficult a build.

Total cost including frame is under £100, but I had some parts lying around and salvaged from the other bike, taken it out for a short spin (~1mile), and it handles rather differently from the old one, I'm not as comfortable on it, but part of that will just be getting saddle height dialled in and getting used to the narrower bars.


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## si_c (28 Nov 2016)

si_c said:


> Chainstay snapped on the Pug. It's salvageable, but currently unrideable. This left me without a decent commuter, so had to get my "new" Pug ready to ride. Nothing on the frame really, just a bottom bracket and chainset. Put an old pair of wheels on, along with the saddle and brake levers from the old pug. Cleaned the headset that came with it, and replaced it along with new bearings and a load of grease. The frame came without a stem or handlebars so I had to fit a spares, this was complicated by the 22mm internal diameter for the fork steerer tube (yay! old 70s french frames), so I had to sand down the diameter a touch to get it to fit.
> 
> Fitted cables (harder than I expected due to odd cable routing), the brakes and chain. I omitted fitting the mudguards for the moment, opting to keep the build as simple as possible (rear mudguards are integrated with the rear rack, and I'm not 100% certain I want that on).
> 
> ...



Figured I'd add a photo. Gearing is a little high as I found on the way in. 13-21 at the back and 52-42 at the front. Need to replace the freewheel at the back too as the smallest sprocket skips.


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## Dec66 (28 Nov 2016)

Knackered rear wheel off the B'Twin, along with non-knackered front wheel.

Gave the old girl a clean.

Cassette off, with new toolkit. That was a bugger, the locking ring was very well screwed in.

New Vredstein Fortezzas onto new Shimano R501's.

Cassette onto new rear wheel.

New wheels on, and a little test ride up and down the road in the freezing cold.

Ate the two little bags of Haribo which dropped out of the package with the toolkit, as a reward (thanks, Tredz).

I feel all manly, now.


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## greekonabike (29 Nov 2016)

Played around with the barrel adjuster on the shifter and managed to get rid of a very minor but irritating chain rub.

GOAB


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## ColinJ (30 Nov 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I keep fiddling with the chain tensioner but I can't quite get it quiet enough! I really do need to just ride the bike and see what the noise is like then. It took me most of this year to quieten my CAAD5 to the point where it no longer bugged me and I like it now. I really don't want to go back to having a noisy bike again ...
> 
> I have been going on about the noise from the chain tensioner. I went out at 11 pm when there was not much traffic about. There was a stiff breeze blowing and the wind noise was masking any noise from the chain/tensioner combination. I could still hear a slight rumble from the tyres on the road though so I took that to mean that the tensioner noise is probably not going to be a big issue; we'll see!


I have now been out on the bike and ridden a 38 km loop with over 500 metres of climbing. I knew that I could do the Cragg Vale climb because I did a test ride up there in the equivalent gear on my CAAD5. Later in the ride I climbed up Lumbutts Road from Hollins Lane. That is much shorter but significantly steeper than the Cragg Vale climb. I managed ok - it was about as hard as I currently want to do in the 52/19 gear though. So - a good choice of gear for the routes I will be riding this winter. If I get fitter and lose more weight then there are a couple of stiffer climbs which will probably become tolerable too.

I was right about traffic noise and wind noise masking the noise from the chain. I can hear the chain though when the wind drops and there is no traffic about. The noise is just bearable; any more and I would get very irritated by it. I am hoping that as the chain wears, the noise will decrease rather than increase!


ColinJ said:


> I double-checked everything and found that I hadn't tightened some important bolts enough, so I sorted those out.


I missed the bolts on the stem holding the bars on ... I felt that something odd was happening on the ride which turned out to be the bars slowly tipping forward when I hit bumps in the road! Now tightened.

Possible changes now: bigger tyres, mudguards, lock.

PS Headset loosened slightly on the bike's 3rd ride. That has now been tightened too.


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## Deleted member 41544 (30 Nov 2016)

DCLane said:


> I've finished the Raleigh Pioneer with the front derailleur properly adjusted (no photo).
> 
> Also the Graham Weigh's been finished: the forks were cut down earlier, cables adjusted and the bar tape is on. The parts came from @rugbyleaguebiker and it now looks like this:
> 
> ...


 Turned out to be a tidy little bike. How does it ride?


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## DCLane (1 Dec 2016)

rugbyleaguebiker said:


> Turned out to be a tidy little bike. How does it ride?



Surprisingly well - it's gone to the son of one of my club-mates to get him riding. We'll see it back at some point ...


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## Elybazza61 (1 Dec 2016)

No fettling as such but had to do a speedy tube change as the rear had a puncture and I only noticed it as I was about to leave work to catch a train;10 minute swap a dash to the station and the train was leaving just as I got there,first time it had been on time all week.

Double checked it at home later but really must re-install it tubeless again this week-end.


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## I like Skol (1 Dec 2016)

Small jobs always turn into big ones!

Dropped the chain checker onto the commuter chain last week and the 0.75% side fell into place but the 1.0% didn't. Time for a new chain I thought and might as well change the cassette as I'm pretty sure this one is on its 2nd and maybe the 3rd chain. Checked my records and cassette with chain was fitted in Aug 2015 although for some reason I haven't made a note of any subsequent chain replacements. THIS post suggests a new chain some time in early-mid 2016 which kind of fits.
Anyway, while I was at it I decided to service the rear hub as that was long overdue. Shimano XT hub still in great shape. I also noticed what looked like a crack developing in the brake disc. This is original to the bike and is a Tektro item that has done over 15,000 miles.





The close up pictures I have taken make me wonder if it isn't actually just a scratch or gouge. I do seem to remember taking a pair of grips to one of the discs some time ago to correct a slight wobble....










There is also some damage on the other side that doesn't quite line up further discrediting the crack theory...






I shall run the disc for the time being and now need to service the front hub and headset at some point. Chain and cassette fitted so the back end is all good for winter.


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## Jenkins (2 Dec 2016)

New dérailleur, cassette & chain fitted to the Boardman and a new Avid BB7 disc brake to the Whyte.

New computers fitted to both.


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## Elybazza61 (4 Dec 2016)

Cleaned the Icarus after a few weeks neglect and repaired the rear S-One tyre on the Planet X and re-fitted tubeless again.


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## si_c (7 Dec 2016)

Gearing was really really high on the new pug, with a 52-42 chainset and 13-21 6 speed freewheel giving me a low gear of 53", so I bought a new Shimano 14-28 freewheel to give me closer to 40" which is probably just about bearable.

Took the bike up to my Dad's on saturday to change the freewheel as I couldn't get it off with a long handled wrench and he has a bench vise. Started unscrewing the freewheel and it was rather stiffer than I had anticipated, then really easy, then hard again. Bloody thing was cross threaded and removing it completely stripped the threads off the rather nice vintage Exage hub I was using.

After a brew to steady my rage, I bought a new rear wheel online for £30 including delivery, Quando hub and Weinmann rim, but I didn't want to spend any significant money at this time of year. Arrived today, freewheel threaded on nicely, tires swapped, tube inflated. Hiss. Removed the tube, checked, filed down a slight burr, new tube, inflated. Hiss. Checked the rim tape, pretty shite, so swapped over the conti rim tape from another wheel. Third tube, inflated to 120psi all good, will give it a test run tomorrow.


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## PeteXXX (7 Dec 2016)

Full Sus washed down properly from a mucky ride a few days ago. Couldn't do it before due to the hosepipe being frozen up (and I didn't want to put the bike away wet).
When I took the light bracket off, I dropped a small nut. I had to use a magnet to find it in the gravel.. Before the nut was found, a JC clip from my old Marin Hope brakes that I lost last year attached itself to the magnet!! Shame I don't still have that bike or those brakes. It's in the spares tin now though


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## 13 rider (8 Dec 2016)

After last nights abandon commute due to puncture bike was recovery from friends garage . Rear wheel removed tube out . Inflated and it seems to be ok .Tried locating leak in a bowl of water and nothing finally by pressing the tyre really hard located the leak right where the value meets the tube so tube binned new one fitted all ready to go .
Things I learned removing the rear wheel with the topeak pannier rack is a bit of a pain as the rack fouls the quick realease and my cheap halfords tyre levers are cheap because there made of cheese would really have struggled by the side of the road with them . Thankfully I have some metal ones in my bike workshop (shed) . So I need a new tube and some better trye levers


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## gbb (8 Dec 2016)

Day off today, using a lieu day while I feel sluggish with a cold, so time maybe to have a play on the bike.

Cassette off, Fulcrum feehub out (pitifully easy on the Racing 5s), clean, apply oil to the pawls, clean sprockets (why I don't know, they don't look that much cleaner when they've got some age to them), re-assemble and refit.
Rear caliper off, (no reason, just because) good clean, check the freeness of it all, apply antisieze to appropriate nuts etc, re-assemble.
Good wipe of chain and RD.
General clean but TBH, it doesn't look that much different.
Seatpost out (carbon seatpost, carbon frame), clean and refit (amazing how sludgy and gritty it was down there)

Good to give everything a once over though, for safety reasons if nothing else.

Out for 6 miles just to make sure everythings ok. No problems found.


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## ColinJ (8 Dec 2016)

I have started putting my old Crud Roadracer mudguards on my singlespeed bike. As always, it is a fiddly process to get them not to rub when clearances are tight. I was getting a noise from the front guard once per revolution of the wheel. I thought that it was probably due to the wheel being out of true but that turned out not to be the case - non-true was in fact _un_-true!  The problem is due to a kink in the tyre. I have taken a couple of pictures which try to illustrate the defect. They are not that clear, but you can see that something is not quite right.












I have had that problem before and it turned out to be due to the tyre breaking apart from the inside. That's a scary problem, so I whipped the tyre off to check it from inside. I can't find any problem with it! I used a magnifying glass to get a really good look but couldn't see anything wrong; I ran my fingers round the inside but could not _feel_ anything wrong. 

The tyre looks like it is only about 40% worn so I want to carry on using it if possible so I have marked the tyre where the bulge is and will check it again after every ride now to make sure that it is not getting worse.

The Crud guard will stop me forgetting about the problem. It will start rubbing again if the bulge gets even slightly bigger.

I want to fit the rear guard but somehow I have lost 1 of the 2 mounts plus its 2 rubber o-rings. I could understand if I had mislaid 1 of the 3 parts but to lose all 3 makes me think that I have put them all down somewhere. I will be able to bodge a mount if I have to but it is annoying to have lost these parts. I must have another look in a minute.


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## si_c (8 Dec 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I want to fit the rear guard but somehow I have lost 1 of the 2 mounts plus its 2 rubber o-rings. I could understand if I had mislaid 1 of the 3 parts but to lose all 3 makes me think that I have put them all down somewhere. I will be able to bodge a mount if I have to but it is annoying to have lost these parts. I must have another look in a minute.



I know how that feels, lost one of the drawbolts for my pug somehow, thought I'd put them all in the same place, now not sure that I had it in the first place as I got it just as a disassembled frame, they're an odd size too, 4mm. Ordered some new ones, but it's still annoying.


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## greekonabike (8 Dec 2016)

I bought some really cheap 'universal' mudguards for £7.50 to see me through winter. Cut to today and I'm in the workshop attempting to install them. Back one goes on relatively easily but then I get to the front. The 4mm Allen bolt supplied with the mudguard is about 5mm too short to get through the top of the forks. 

I rummage around in the box full of bolts I never use and can't find anything the same size with an a llen bolt head... So I've chucked it on with a wingnut for now. I'll be popping down the hardware store tomorrow to get the right bolt. 





GOAB


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## si_c (8 Dec 2016)

greekonabike said:


> I bought some really cheap 'universal' mudguards for £7.50 to see me through winter. Cut to today and I'm in the workshop attempting to install them. Back one goes on relatively easily but then I get to the front. The 4mm Allen bolt supplied with the mudguard is about 5mm too short to get through the top of the forks.
> 
> I rummage around in the box full of bolts I never use and can't find anything the same size with an a llen bolt head... So I've chucked it on with a wingnut for now. I'll be popping down the hardware store tomorrow to get the right bolt.
> 
> ...



Hacksaw the bolt to length, job done  Easy to remove for summer


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## greekonabike (8 Dec 2016)

si_c said:


> Hacksaw the bolt to length, job done  Easy to remove for summer



The mudguards actually slide onto an l bracket so they're actually quite easy to remove and then the brackets stay on in case I need to put the guards back on again. I'd cut the bolt down to length but it's already annoying me that the front and back bolts aren't the same. Luckily my local hardware shop does individual bolts so I should have some luck in the morning. 

GOAB


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## Biff600 (8 Dec 2016)

Not much today, cleaned the bike after the manky ride yesterday. Put it on the TT and had half an hour on there. My ICE stickers arrived, so i stuck one on the bike and one on each helmet.

The weather doesn't look like it's going to improve for a while so the TT may get to earn it's keep !


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## ColinJ (11 Dec 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I want to fit the rear guard but somehow I have lost 1 of the 2 mounts plus its 2 rubber o-rings. I could understand if I had mislaid 1 of the 3 parts but to lose all 3 makes me think that I have put them all down somewhere. I will be able to bodge a mount if I have to but it is annoying to have lost these parts. I must have another look in a minute.





si_c said:


> I know how that feels, lost one of the drawbolts for my pug somehow, thought I'd put them all in the same place, now not sure that I had it in the first place as I got it just as a disassembled frame, they're an odd size too, 4mm. Ordered some new ones, but it's still annoying.


I searched the obvious places for the missing bits but they were nowhere to be seen. I suddenly had a brainwave - the most obvious place of all was on the bike from which I had removed all of the other parts ... _D'oh_ - There it was, still attached to the old bike! 

Having found the missing mount, I finished putting the mudguards on the singlespeed and did a 25 mile test ride. The bike is slightly heavier than before and a bit noisier over bumps, but so what ... it is a bike for winter rides. A few hundred grams isn't going to kill me and lowering my tyre pressures a bit helped quieten the bike.

That's 115 miles ridden on the singlespeed and no significant problems with it so far.


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## ColinJ (13 Dec 2016)

ColinJ said:


> The problem is due to a kink in the tyre. I have taken a couple of pictures which try to illustrate the defect. They are not that clear, but you can see that something is not quite right.
> 
> View attachment 153756
> 
> ...


I did another couple of rides on the tyre but I was not happy with it so I just took it off to find out what was going on. A visual inspection with the tyre deflated doesn't show that anything is wrong but my fingers could feel the problem. The tyre was definitely breaking up out of sight inside the rubber!

I discovered that it became obvious if I flexed the tyre. I've tried to show it in this picture. You can clearly see that the tyre is not bending the way that an intact tyre would.






I have replaced it and will put the tyre on the bike which I only use on my turbo trainer to see if I can get it to fail in safety! (I think at some point it will explode in use and that would not have been any fun whatsoever if it had happened on the front wheel of a bike doing 50 mph down a hill!)


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## Elybazza61 (13 Dec 2016)

Garmin cadence sensor fitted to the XLS and paired succesfully with the Garmin 500.


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## Biff600 (13 Dec 2016)

Elybazza61 said:


> Garmin cadence sensor fitted to the XLS and paired succesfully with the Garmin 500.



I've never understood why it has to be placed on the non-drive side crank arm.


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## Elybazza61 (14 Dec 2016)

Biff600 said:


> I've never understood why it has to be placed on the non-drive side crank arm.



Probably covering themselves as there is less chance of anything happening if one of the straps breaks,if it's on the drive side it could jam in the chain in theory.


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Dec 2016)

New middle chainring on the Raleigh today. When I fitted the new chain at the end of October it seemed okay on a test ride but on an extended commute it became clear that the new chain didn't want to play with the old chainring. With the weather and other distractions this is the first time the bike has been out since then. The new chainring is Deore spec (chainset is Alivio) so I'll be interested to see if it lasts any longer.

Also cleaned the knockabout bike which was truly filthy after a century then commuting last week. The rear brake blocks were down to the minimum after only 600 miles (admittedly very muddy and gritty ones) so those have been replaced too.


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## ColinJ (15 Dec 2016)

@Oldfentiger met me in Todmorden to give me his old Garmin eTrex Legend HCx. In its day (8-10 years ago) that was a top GPS. This one is generally in very good condition but Oldfen had left it in a drawer for years with batteries in. The batteries had leaked and corrosive battery chemicals had damaged the battery compartment. It seemed a shame to chuck out the GPS but not worth paying a shop to fix it, so Phil donated it to me to see if I can revive it. I am using an even older and less powerful eTrex so if I can get this one working it would be a significant upgrade for me.

So, here you go ...

Garmin eTrex Legend HCx fettling, part #1

This is the device I am talking about:





I thought that I might be able to get away with cleaning the battery contacts, or maybe wedging in some folded up pieces of cooking foil to make a better contact. That didn't work ... It wasn't long before one of the battery contacts fell off. The corrosion had obviously trashed it. I needed to dismantle the device ...






You can see the disintegrated battery contact.

In this picture you can see that the contact is no longer there ...






When I had a look inside the case I discovered that one of the internal power wiper contacts had gone. You can see two metal pads on the printed circuit board, There are supposed to be flexible metal wipers feeding power from the batteries to those pads. Wiper #1 and pad #1 are fine. Wiper #2 has vanished and pad #2 was corroded.






I have cleaned up pad #2 and will solder a wire onto that to connect to a new spring battery contact. I'll have a think about what to use for the replacement contact. I could use part of the old contact but I think I might improvise one using something else.

I'll report back when I have replaced the contact. If it works then I will need to get some double-sided adhesive tape to seal the sides of the GPS and attach its rubber surround.

Watch this space ...

PS Thanks for the GPS, Oldfen!


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## ColinJ (16 Dec 2016)

ColinJ said:


> I'll have a think about what to use for the replacement contact. I could use part of the old contact but I think I might improvise one using something else.


I might just use thin single-core cable, strip a length of it and wind that into a coil to form a contact. The batteries are a tight fit so the negative end of the battery should wedge that coil of wire against the end of the compartment ... That is an easy thing to try. If it works, fine. If not, I will have to come up with something more sophisticated


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## ColinJ (16 Dec 2016)

I have now ridden a total of 187 miles on my singlespeed bike and the chain finally came off today. I was in fairly heavy traffic on a narrowish road with a gradual descent and I felt pressured into riding faster than I normally do on the s/s. I have just calculated that I was pedalling at a cadence of about 110 rpm. The road surface is bumpy and I could hear the chain tensioner slapping about, and then the chain came off ... I probably should have slowed down but impatient drivers were getting too close and it felt like one of them would inevitably go for a dodgy overtake if I didn't get out of their way ASAP.

I'm not too disheartened - the setup had been very reliable up to that point and that was a fairly extreme test. I put the chain back on and observed that it is now slightly slacker than it was 187 miles ago so I adjusted the chain tensioner to push the chain up harder. The push was a bit too subtle before. Now, I can really see the deflection of the chain over the jockey wheel.

The chain was damn mucky! It was squeaking after a couple of wet rides so I wet-lubed it. I did a couple more rides before putting mudguards on the bike and a lot of dirt seems to have stuck to the chain in between.

I have draped a rag over the chain to remind me to clean it before my next ride. 

Oh, and I need to do something about the front piece of the front mudguard. The Cruds can be noisy and this one is flapping about and rattling against the underside of the front brake calliper. I tried wedging something in there but it fell out on the ride and the rattling noise returned. I will stick several layers of gaffer tape together to form a thick self-adhesive pad and use that.


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## Elybazza61 (16 Dec 2016)

Just a quick check over of the Icarus before tomorrows club ride.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Dec 2016)

Some more done today.

Quick look over the better halfs' Escape;sorted an annoying noise which was the front mech cable end tapping against the cranks so cut it down a bit more, bent it towards the frame and a new cable end.Then had a look at the front wheel bearing and slightly adjusted it; it's better but will probably need a proper strip down.

Then on to the neglected Graham Weigh single speeder; the success was getting the old Garmin speed/cadence sensor off the Planet X working and re-paired with the Edge 500 and a dedicated set-up for the Weigh.

Less successful was trying to fit the old mk2 Road Racer 'guards; after much faffing I got annoyed and broke the rear so I guess I'll be riding it without for the moment and an hour or so I won't get back .Will be looking out for some SKS Raceblades next.


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## ianrauk (18 Dec 2016)

An absolutely filthy commuter. Just one weeks commute and the bike is a mess of South East London's finest grime and filth. 











So, a partial strip down and full clean and lube.










No doubt to be repeated next week.


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## DCLane (18 Dec 2016)

Cleaned the Eastway R4.0 commuter and the Principia RSLe.

Then set to on a Trek FX 7.3 that I picked up: partially dismantled as all I wanted was the wheels, the bars and a RH shifter. The rest'll be up for sale as a frameset:


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Dec 2016)

ianrauk said:


> An absolutely filthy commuter. Just one weeks commute and the bike is a mess of South East London's finest grime and filth.
> View attachment 154617
> 
> 
> ...


Good job you can't see what mine looks like at the moment.


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## GuyBoden (19 Dec 2016)

I've gone all oval and fitted a Sakae ovaltech crankset, I already use an oval Shimano Biopace on my winter bike, I like the feel of the oval rings, even though I ignored them as a gimmick in late 1980's, maybe they're better for my old legs.


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## Salty seadog (19 Dec 2016)

Picked up today and took it for a shakedown ride at Bedgebury park. Made some adjustments to the saddle and brake lever positions. oh, and put a couple more psi in the forks.


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## si_c (20 Dec 2016)

Cleaned the chain and relubed, and oiled pivots on derailleurs and brakes on the purple pug as I'm trying not to let them get salty and sticky. Added a bottle cage using some elite straps as the bike has no braze-ons.

Swapped the pedals for some m520s instead of the flats given that I'm now going to be using it as my primary bike.


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## SpuddyJones (20 Dec 2016)

Since getting my Ribble R872 Ultegra Di2 a few months back, I've not yet stripped it and done a proper clean. I am ashamed to say there was some slight surface rust on the chain so I've give the whole bike a good going over - looks as good as new!


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## Salty seadog (21 Dec 2016)

GGJ said:


> Just after I cleaned my MX30 freewheel I saw an offer on a Spanish bike website for the said freewheels. Well as mine has over 3000 winter miles on it and starting to show signs of wear on the teeth I decided to bite the bullet and buy 3 for around the same price as buying one here in the UK. It's taken 10 days to arrive and turned up in the post this morning so I changed them over this morning.
> 
> Old on left new to right
> View attachment 154901
> ...



Surely thats just down to the fact that the rear of the tooth is the contact point with the chain.


My fettling consisted of turning the lower limet screw on the front derallieur of the Montpellier 3/4 of a turn as the chain got thrown of on the inside this morning after an adjustment.


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## numbnuts (21 Dec 2016)

I've just fettled some vegetable samosa


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## Elybazza61 (22 Dec 2016)

Fitted the Raceblade longs to the Icarus with no issues,just have to fit the club flap.


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## marknotgeorge (22 Dec 2016)

I wrapped these for the girls' Christmas presents:





I've got to pick the bikes up from my sister's (where they've been hiding) tomorrow. Then it's fit racks, mudguards, lights and bottle cages.


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## robjh (22 Dec 2016)

I cleaned and regreased the front hub on my road bike. I have progressively taken apart and serviced the whole front of the bike over the last week or two looking for the elusive source of a light flicky-clicky sound, until I had nowhere else to look but the hub - I noticed too that it started and went away as I tightened and loosened the quick-release on the front skewer, so it must surely have been that. 
It sounds fine on the work stand now, but tomorrow's ride will be the proof of the pudding.


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## si_c (22 Dec 2016)

Bikes been getting covered in gunk, especially after my ride yesterday, brakes were starting to squeal too.

Took it over to the garage and gave it a hose down and cleaned and dried it off. Also relubed everything, hopefully should be good now.


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## marknotgeorge (23 Dec 2016)

So, way back in September I was looking at bikes for the girls, and not finding much in my budget. The bike for 14-year-old Drama Queen was fine - a Rockrider 340 from Decathlon would've done the trick. But one for 11-year-old Mad Scientist was proving troublesome. Everything of similar price to the Rockrider was made of pig iron, and aluminum bikes like the Cuda Mayhem she's already got were pushing the top end of the budget.

One day I was mooching on eBay, and I saw a chap selling Mongoose Rockadiles ex-display for £110. I also saw he was selling Mongoose Switchback Comps in XS and S sizes for £130, so I snapped them up. It meant a trip to Chatham, but it was worth it. The chap, working out of a lockup, was very helpful and let me choose from the several of each bike he had. They're 2012 models, it seems, and there's the odd scuff here and there if you look closely, but for the money they're spot-on. The Rockadile has a 21-speed Tourney groupset with Revoshift changers, and the Switchback an 8-speed Altus rear derailleur and a 3-speed Tourney up front, with EZ-fire changers. Once bought, I stored them in my sister's garage until fetching them this afternoon.

As we mostly do cycle tracks as a family, and are thinking about a micro-tour in the summer, I fitted rear pannier racks and SKS Velo mudguards with the optional stays. I thought the removable Velos would allow us to maybe do some mud-plugging if I can find myself a second-hand MTB at some point. I also bought some cheap, but approved, battery lights from Amazon and a couple of water bottle cages from Wilkos.

Fitting went well, apart from the whirlpool of oblivion tools and fixings enter whenever I do a bit of DIY. The Switchback's frame and forks have fittings for disk brakes, and the stays for the front mudguards weren't long enough to be bent to allow them to be bolted to the fork. A rummage in Dad's toolbox resulted in two shirt lengths of metal with holes of the right size. Result!

I think they'll be happy...


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## ColinJ (23 Dec 2016)

The handlebars on my self-built singlespeed bike are a bit scrawny compared to the oversized chunky bars on my two Cannondale bikes (road and cyclocross). I had some old bar tape so I used that to double-wrap the bars. They are much more comfortable now.

I have just bought a very heavy u-lock to secure the singlespeed bike on local shopping trips. A frame clamp came with the lock. I fitted it to the bike, but I am not happy with it. The lock rattles and it is so heavy that I think the clamp will fail sooner rather than later. (Lots of online reviewers say the same thing.) I also don't like the appearance of the clamp on the top tube. I am going to remove it and will use an old inner tube to carry the lock messenger bag-stylee. I will have to be careful not to fall off onto the damn thing or I will probably end up with broken ribs!


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## Shut Up Legs (24 Dec 2016)

Fettling coming up. I need to put a new front wheel on my commuter bike, since a motorist here very generously bent the old one out of shape for me. I'm just hoping the fork isn't bent also. It was a low-speed impact, so I'm guessing it's not bent.


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## Shut Up Legs (25 Dec 2016)

Shut Up Legs said:


> Fettling coming up. I need to put a new front wheel on my commuter bike, since a motorist here very generously bent the old one out of shape for me. I'm just hoping the fork isn't bent also. It was a low-speed impact, so I'm guessing it's not bent.


New wheels are on, and I also removed and re-greased both pedal axles. All it needs now is a test ride, which will definitely tell me whether the fork got slightly bent. There's no visible damage, so hopefully the forks are OK. I won't do the test ride now, though, as it's 31 degrees here and only 12pm, heading for a top of 37.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Dec 2016)

Developed a creak on the turbo trainer. Off came the headset,BB crankset, cassette, cleaned chain too.

^Probably at the point of needing a checkup anyway but I found the creak ---- seatpost


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## raleighnut (25 Dec 2016)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Developed a creak on the turbo trainer. Off came the headset,BB crankset, cassette, cleaned chain too.
> 
> ^Probably at the point of needing a checkup anyway but I found the creak ---- seatpost


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Dec 2016)

raleighnut said:


>


I wasn't  at the time, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty stripping a bike


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## Elybazza61 (25 Dec 2016)

Christmas pressie Knog Oi! bell fitted to the XLS,hopefully bods won't walk in front of me now in Cambridge

Oh and put one of these on the Helium,just need a Belgian beer cap now(St Stefanus in the fridge at the moment);


http://www.ninerbikes.com/yawyd


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## Shut Up Legs (26 Dec 2016)

I just cleaned a glue patch off the top tube of my road bike. Some time ago, I'd removed one of those unnecessary stickers you get when you buy the bike, but hadn't removed the glue patch. I shopped around for tea tree oil, since I was told that removed such patches quite well, but didn't find any. I had some peppermint oil, though, which also works very well. Now my bike (and the whole spare (aka "bicycle") room) smells of peppermint.

I also just took the commuter bike for a short test ride, to check that the front fork was OK, after that car impact a few weeks ago. Fortunately it is: only the front wheel got bent. So now both bikes are ready to use.


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## Dogtrousers (29 Dec 2016)

Winter? Bring it on!












Winter



__ Dogtrousers
__ 29 Dec 2016


















Winter Tyres



__ Dogtrousers
__ 29 Dec 2016


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## GuyBoden (29 Dec 2016)

Put a new Marathon plus tyre on the rear........... No more punctures ever again


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## gbb (29 Dec 2016)

Not so much fettled but came across my Park tools chain checker tonight while having a clear up in the nether regions of my cupboard.
Now, I thought I haven't done that much mileage this year, shouldn't read too bad....
The.75 just...only just slipped in. Bugger, I can't remember if that was my second or third chain on the Ribble, probably the third.
Ah well, better start looking for a bargain. IIRC, this Sram chain I got really cheap.


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## PeteXXX (29 Dec 2016)

GuyBoden said:


> Put a new Marathon plus tyre on the rear........... No more punctures ever again


Oh dear .... now you've gone and done it!!


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## PeteXXX (29 Dec 2016)

I measured the hole and thread on my crank and old pedals so I could ask the good folk of CC which size I needed to order.


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## greekonabike (30 Dec 2016)

I was down the town earlier and saw the following:

This kid (maybe early teens) was cycling accross a pedestrian crossing and as he got to the other side he promptly fell off his bike and hit the pavement. The back wheel had fallen out of the drop out and they were both standing there looking at the bike (a new Carrera mountain bike) with confused looks. I managed to sort the wheel out and tightened the QR but something just didn't feel right so I told him to walk it to the bike shop round the corner to have a look at it. It was my good deed for the day and hopefully his wheel doesn't randomly fall off again.

GOAB


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## Tin Pot (30 Dec 2016)

Guerilla Fettling. I like it


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## numbnuts (30 Dec 2016)

I'm fettling some polvorones so far so good


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## Elybazza61 (30 Dec 2016)

Quick rub down of the Icarus as it was getting a bit grubby.


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## NeilM (30 Dec 2016)

I'm currently building up a 'gravel' bike from a frame and forks I bought at Bespoked Bristol this year. The frame is steel and was built 15 plus years ago as a cx bike. More recently it became a demo / display piece for the builder Mark Lemstra. Anyway I found yesterday that the rear brake cable bridge (canti brakes) was threaded for a cable stop / adjuster but with a much finer and smaller diameter thread than the dozens of random brake cable adjusters I have knocking about.

So, this mornings fettle was to take a stainless steel bottle cage bolt of a suitable length, drill a 2m hole right through it and then enlarge the hex portion of the cap head out to 5mm. Job done, one brake cable adjuster screw.


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## greekonabike (30 Dec 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Guerilla Fettling. I like it



It was an interesting scene. I'd just seen an old mate of mine pass me at full on warp speed on his bike and he turned around to come and have a chat. Just as he pulled up we heard this clatter of metal and this kid just kinda flew across the pavement. He was with a mate that was walking and they just looked so confused. They were just kinda prodding around the rear triangle and the wheel was just knocking about. Being the nice bloke I am I told him to come over and helped him out. Unfortunately I'd just turned the helmet cam off. I neglected to ask whether the bike had been put together by halfords or whether it had been ordered off t'net and self assembled.

GOAB


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## dave r (31 Dec 2016)

A couple of minor fettling jobs today, my Genesis Flyer is now resplendently wearing a new charge spoon saddle, the old one had split, and new click R pedals, single sided with a platform one side. My first ride in 2017 I will be riding fixed and clipless for the first time after years of riding fixed with clips and straps.


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## freiston (31 Dec 2016)

I cobbled a mudguard mounting rear light bracket for my battery back-up (I have a rack-mounted dynamo light but it is hidden from side view when the panniers are on the bike) the threads do tap into the nylock nuts; apologies for messy background:






I also put some new handlebars on and replaced the NVO sleeve and stem with a more usual stem and spacer set-up (with spacer-mounted bell); the stem, spacers and bell-spacer don't seem to have matching external diameters - this is not so noticeable in the flesh. I made a right hash-up of finishing off the handlebar tape and this definitely needs further fettling - probably with thinner tape. The cables were a b*tch to position on the handlebars - which have cable channels on the rear of the bar.

From this:






to this:


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## NeilM (31 Dec 2016)

Carrying on with the gravel bike, the front brake cable hanger that I ordered arrived today, so I fitted it...and immediately didn't like it or the amount of clearance it gave to the stem, so from the parts draw I found one of several longer drop hangers left over from one of many single speed builds that my son left scattered about the place when he left home.

The longer drop hanger is black and I wanted silver, it is also 1 1/8" rather than 1" which the steerer tube is. This is not a massive problem as the stem is 1 1/8" and there is a spacer sleeve installed, except the sleeve is a sort of top hat shape, with a small integral ring / stop at the bottom and because of the depth of the new hanger I really need a plain sleeve. More looking through parts draws and I find what I want, but everything is a snug fit, so hammers, drifts and a little brute force later it all looks good, even with a black hanger. Done.

Next job install the brake cable and adjust the canti's. Sorted.

Last job, clean up a Wright W3N saddle that arrived today. Fortunately we are a horse riding household, so out came all the leather cleaning kit. The saddle looked fine but multiple applications of saddle soap proved it to be absolutely filthy. So, dubbin worked into the underneath with a tooth brush and the top is now drying off slightly before I start work on it.


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## NorthernDave (31 Dec 2016)

Fettled the Road Comp ready for a New Year's Day ride tomorrow, including sorting out the misaligned and intermittently rubbing front brakes (so easy I've no idea why I didn't do it straight away), lubed the chain and swapped the old metal Planet X bottle cages for the composite Elite Pria Pave ones I took off the Pro Carbon when I got the carbon bottle cages for that bike - something else that I should have done weeks ago, but I'm sure that the reduction in weight will make all the difference...


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## Salad Dodger (31 Dec 2016)

greekonabike said:


> I was down the town earlier and saw the following:
> 
> This kid (maybe early teens) was cycling accross a pedestrian crossing and as he got to the other side he promptly fell off his bike and hit the pavement. The back wheel had fallen out of the drop out and they were both standing there looking at the bike (a new Carrera mountain bike) with confused looks. I managed to sort the wheel out and tightened the QR but something just didn't feel right so I told him to walk it to the bike shop round the corner to have a look at it. It was my good deed for the day and hopefully his wheel doesn't randomly fall off again.
> 
> GOAB



It's bloody frightening when your rear wheel falls out of drop outs. Especially if you are trying to ride across the A21 at the time.......


But as regards fettling, today Percy the Panda (my daughter's car) urgently needed a new back tyre, the old one being both borderline illegal and deflated courtesy of a large screw through the tread. Seeing as how she needed to drive for about 2 hours to go to a party tonight, and that the car has one of those godawful space saver spare wheels, I had to take the wheel off and get it round to a local tyre place, where a new tyre was fitted, then back home to refit Percy's new paw.........

But at least my daughter paid the bill, even though she did jib at it being as much as £38.


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## gavroche (2 Jan 2017)

I made a drop-down arm from the ceiling to hold my tablet at eye level for when I use the bike on rollers.


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## Pale Rider (2 Jan 2017)

Following a fall by one of the members of my group this morning, I've put the studded tyres onto my 20" bike.

Should have done it earlier, but I think I delay fitting them in an effort to mentally shorten the winter.


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## Pale Rider (2 Jan 2017)

greekonabike said:


> I was down the town earlier and saw the following:
> 
> This kid (maybe early teens) was cycling accross a pedestrian crossing and as he got to the other side he promptly fell off his bike and hit the pavement. The back wheel had fallen out of the drop out and they were both standing there looking at the bike (a new Carrera mountain bike) with confused looks. I managed to sort the wheel out and tightened the QR but something just didn't feel right so I told him to walk it to the bike shop round the corner to have a look at it. It was my good deed for the day and hopefully his wheel doesn't randomly fall off again.
> 
> GOAB



Some Carreras still have a cheapo freewheel and they tend to break axles.

That might not have caused the wheel to fall out, but it could explain why the quick release didn't feel right when you reassembled it.

There may have been some play in the wheel, but sometimes there isn't when it's all pulled together by the quick release.


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## PeteXXX (2 Jan 2017)

Not a 'fettled today', but it will be tomorrow morning. 
When I got back from today's ride on the full suss, I noticed that the CX has a slow p*ncture in the rear tyre from yesterday's soggy ride.


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## 13 rider (2 Jan 2017)

Came off the giant road bike on ice today at 8 miles .Moved the brake lever a tad which was just shoved back on the road . Bike behave ok for the next 24 miles . But got back and bike got full wash and inspection and brake lever shifter lined up and tighten . Thankfully no further damage found


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## Hedgemonkey (2 Jan 2017)

13 rider said:


> Came off the giant road bike on ice today at 8 miles .Moved the brake lever a tad which was just shoved back on the road . Bike behave ok for the next 24 miles . But got back and bike got full wash and inspection and brake lever shifter lined up and tighten . Thankfully no further damage found


Me too, the impact with the ground pushed the front brake lever round the bars and scuffed the bar tape, but luckily that was all, bruised knee, grazed elbow and dented pride. So once home realign stuff.

it was b***dy icy in places.


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## DCLane (5 Jan 2017)

Not fettled but 'returned to standard'. My Wilier Izoard XP is going to be sold and with someone interested I replaced the changes with standard parts I'd kept (crankset, wheels, stem, seatpost, saddle, pedals) although I couldn't find the original brakes so fitted some new Campag ones instead.

I then fitted a new bottle cage to my youngest's Giant TCR (he broke it!) and a front mudguard to the Raleigh Pioneer.


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## Jamieyorky (6 Jan 2017)

Quick gear tune on the Cube this morning while the wife went shopping, fitted my garmin mount which i got for xmas and gave the bike a good bit of tlc.










Then went on to fit my front rack onto my new tourer.


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## Psycolist (7 Jan 2017)

That is a smooth looking bike, I have a thing for bare aluminium, but that dark blue must come in a very close second. It looks like quite a small crank from this picture. What size rings are you using ?


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## Jamieyorky (7 Jan 2017)

Psycolist said:


> That is a smooth looking bike, I have a thing for bare aluminium, but that dark blue must come in a very close second. It looks like quite a small crank from this picture. What size rings are you using ?




There 175mm triple with 48/38/28 chainrings.


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## Spoked Wheels (8 Jan 2017)

I should have posted yesterday but....

Yesterday, I prepared my grandson new Islabike Beinn large, new to him anyway. I bought it for him last month and it had very minor things that needed looked at, before I give it to him.

The idea was to do a full service and I began by servicing the front hub. Adjusting the brakes and retouching the paint work on the rear of the drive side. Fitted new grips and when I went through the gears I noticed the chain would not drop to the highest gear.... I missed that when I bought it. The gears run smoothly through the cassette except the smallest cog. On inspection I noticed the adjustment is at it max so the previous owner already tried to fix the problem. On further inspection I think the problem is with the derailleur hanger. I don't have the tool to check it so I'm considering to buy one as it is handy to have one with 5 other bikes in the house. In the meantime I noticed the hanger looks, identical to me, to the hanger on another bike so I ordered it from Halfords and I'll pick it up today.

The bike looks lovely and they are really well made. I'm very impressed with it. I'm sure Reuben is going to love it


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## gavgav (8 Jan 2017)

Gave the bike a wash down, to clear the mud from yesterday's ride, in time for @Rickshaw Phil to arrive and fit my new cassette and chain .


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## Rickshaw Phil (8 Jan 2017)

As mentioned above ^^^, fitted the new chain and cassette to @gavgav's bike, which went well.

After riding home I cleaned off the knockabout bike following the century ride yesterday. It took rather longer than usual as the bike was really filthy.


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## Pat "5mph" (8 Jan 2017)

gavgav said:


> Gave the bike a wash down, to clear the mud from yesterday's ride, in time for @Rickshaw Phil to arrive and fit my new cassette and chain .


It is good practice to clean your bike before handing it over to a mechanic: next time, to go the extra mile, also take the chain and cassette off for him


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## gavgav (8 Jan 2017)

Pat "5mph" said:


> It is good practice to clean your bike before handing it over to a mechanic: next time, to go the extra mile, also take the chain and cassette off for him


Yes, indeed @Rickshaw Phil said next time it will be my turn to have a go, let's hope I took enough mental notes on how to do it


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## Leaway2 (9 Jan 2017)

New gear cable fitted after it snapped on the way into work. Thanks to the chap in Halfords who "sourced" me out a new cable as there were none on the shelves. A nice touch at the shop is that they have installed a track pump out side.


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## marknotgeorge (9 Jan 2017)

Fitted the Ergon GP2 grips and the Knog Oi bell to the Hendricks. The grips are fine and well-made - the bar-end plugs fit so well I had to cut slots in the fins of the second one to let the air out as I fitted it! I'm not especially convinced by the Oi, yet. If you fit it tight enough to stop it moving, it doesn't make much of a sound.


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## Psycolist (10 Jan 2017)

Jamieyorky said:


> There 175mm triple with 48/38/28 chainrings.


Must just be the angle the picture was taken from. I usually find I run out of gears with a 48 largest ring, but I do not/ can not spin up my cadence the way some do. I prefer to run quite low revolutions per minute, and find that a 48 leaves me feeling like I have run out of gears. Then again I have never ridden a bike loaded up with luggage, I guess you are always going to need different gearing if you are riding fully loaded.


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## NorthernDave (10 Jan 2017)

This evening, I have been mainly changing an inner tube...





If you read the "Your ride today" thread (and let's face it, who doesn't?), you might remember that the weekend before last I encountered Farmer Palmer and his mate hacking hedges to bits, and that this weekend I noticed I'd acquired a very slow puncture (not enough to stop me getting 50-odd miles in though).

So tonight has been the first chance I've had to fettle it.
The big selling point of Gatorskins is their resistance to all things pointy, which is just as well as I'm out of practice at tyre removal and there was a bit of huffing and puffing to be had getting it off the rim. At least I was in a nice warm kitchen than at the side of the road...
It didn't take long to find this beauty stuck through the tyre once I'd removed the tube - it was a darn sight pointier to start with as it took a lot of persuasion to get it back out of the tyre - in fact I think I'd have really struggled to remove it at the roadside.





Anyhow, all done, quick check of the tube and the inside of the tyre to make sure it was just the one, then opened a spare tube to find Halfords had kindly sold me some with the 60mm long valves, which would have looked stupid. 
Fortunately I had one with the right length valve, so I got that out and fitted, then wrestled the Gator back onto the rim.
Pumped up, all checked and sitting nicely and back on the bike only to have a grating noise when I gave it a spin to make sure it was sitting properly.
a check revealed that the mudguard had shifted, so that was a nice easy fix.

All done and ready to ride! And good practice in case I get another visit from you know who...


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## lutonloony (10 Jan 2017)

Is this purely bike fettling ?


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## greekonabike (10 Jan 2017)

gavroche said:


> I made a drop-down arm from the ceiling to hold my tablet at eye level for when I use the bike on rollers.



Sounds like something I'd do. I gaffa taped some stuff together today and gave it my seal of approval.

GOAB


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## Salty seadog (10 Jan 2017)

Had a fiddle with the front derailleur on the Montpellier.


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## gbb (11 Jan 2017)

Post ride this evening...
Quick clean of frame etc.
With Jay clocks post on headset maintenance in mind, remove wheels, remove cassette and axles, seals off the cartridge bearings, wipe and gave them a good oiling...yes oil. No harm should come to them, just possibly have to do it more often, no problem for me. Reassemble hubs, freehub, cassette.
Chain wiped oiled with chainsaw oil, wipe wipe wipe.
Cleaned chain set, rims etc.
3/4 hours work maybe, add 10 minutes to clean an oil spot off the kitchen rug that was nearby 

Noticed the front bearings have a teeny bit of a knock as they rotate, but are still running very free.


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## Illaveago (12 Jan 2017)

I have been experimenting with ways of trying to make some water slide transfers for my brothers Holdsworth cycle. We have looked at the transfers already available but none of them have the right type of font.
I thought that I would try an old aero modeller technique of painting a clear varnish or lacquer onto the sticky side of some gummed paper. I first of all traced the letters as best I could and then photo copied them twice full size so that I could true them up by rectifying any mistakes. Seeing that his letters are gold metallic it posed a bit of a problem as not many printers can do metallic colours so I decided that I would have to paint them by hand. To see if I could copy onto the lacquered paper I sprayed several coats of clear onto some printer paper and let it dry. Once dry I put it in my ink jet copier having reduced the logo to the correct size and printed several copies. It worked sort of, the black outline was not quite dark enough but it gave me an opportunity to see if I could paint the gold on. I have since lacquered over the gold without it lifting or pickling. I now need to find someone that sells







A4 size gummed paper and do some more experiments. It is not quite there yet but is getting closer.


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## Elybazza61 (12 Jan 2017)

Cleaned up the Swissstop yellow pads the seller threw in with the Dura-Ace calipers I bought.


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## NeilM (12 Jan 2017)

Having decided my 1990's Trek 830 will work perfectly in it's reborn role as a tourer, yesterday I fitted the front and rear racks only to find that the super cheap Vaude panniers I got last week from a nice young lady in Bristol are a loose fit (13mm) on the 10mm tubes of the rack.

Unable to find any suitable inserts for the clamps, I today resolved the issue by cutting a couple of lengths of dead inner tube, wrapping them around the rack and securing them with a couple of small cable ties.


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## si_c (12 Jan 2017)

Straddle cable on the front brake of the purple pug was a little low, meaning braking wasn't so hot. Tightened it up a bit, which meant a new main brake cable as well as unwinding and retaping the bar tape on the right hand side. This last needed doing anyway as I'd done a piss poor job of wrapping it last time.


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## Salty seadog (12 Jan 2017)

Tilted the saddle down a few degrees on the new Whyte 901. The saddle clamp system is interesting to say the least. Bloody infuriating tbh. I was getting a bit peeved with it until I worked out how it works. Still not easy to get the results you want though.

Grrr.


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Jan 2017)

A puncture repair on an electric bike with rear hub motor and hub brake. A quick job it was not.

All sorted though and I've been given a couple of bottles of beer for my trouble.


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## Mireystock (13 Jan 2017)

I cut three inches off the seat post on my MTB so I can get lower during steep descents. One day I will get round to buying a dropper post !


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## Reynard (13 Jan 2017)

Unsuccessfully trying to fit the saddle from my old MTB onto the road bike to fix a numb bum issue. No can do, the bracket that fixes the saddle to the seat post is integral to the saddle rails, so while I can unbolt the saddle from the seat post, it won't fit onto the road bike because there's a clodding great big lump of non-removable metal in the way.

New saddle it is, then...


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## Elybazza61 (13 Jan 2017)

Reynard said:


> Unsuccessfully trying to fit the saddle from my old MTB onto the road bike to fix a numb bum issue. No can do, the bracket that fixes the saddle to the seat post is integral to the saddle rails, so while I can unbolt the saddle from the seat post, it won't fit onto the road bike because there's a clodding great big lump of non-removable metal in the way.
> 
> New saddle it is, then...




MTB saddles look weird on road bikes anyway.


Done some more stuff on the Helium today.

Fitted the calipers and tidied the internal cable outers which had become crossed under the bb;just got to wait for the bits to do the rest.

Oh and Ultegra calipers now on the other halfs Avail.


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## marknotgeorge (13 Jan 2017)

Fixed the little neodymium magnets to the rear wheel spoke for my Topeak speed and cadence sensor.


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## Reynard (13 Jan 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> MTB saddles look weird on road bikes anyway.



Well, I won't disagree, but was quite ready to look weird and be comfy.  If it fits, I sits. 

Did take the tape measure to both saddles and yes, the MTB saddle is somewhat wider and a different profile. Charge Ladle looks like the closest match, so might look at getting one of those.


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## ColinJ (13 Jan 2017)

(As mentioned elsewhere) I attached a rack to my DIY singlespeed bike so that I can carry my shopping in panniers on the bike rather than on my back.


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2017)

At training on Tuesday there was a weird burning smell. Convinced it wasn't from my 12yo (12 year old boys don't tend to burn well) I sat there with all the kids on their rollers - but the smell got worse. Eventually I realised his back brake was sticking ... so "that'll make the training harder" methinks.

Cue comments from the other parents around me so he got his brake adjusted

His back brake was thoroughly cleaned, lubricated, re-fitted and now works fine


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## ColinJ (13 Jan 2017)

DCLane said:


> At training on Tuesday there was a weird burning smell. Convinced it wasn't from my 12yo (12 year old boys don't tend to burn well) I sat there with all the kids on their rollers - but the smell got worse. Eventually I realised his back brake was sticking ... so "that'll make the training harder" methinks.


Ha ha!

I once did the 200 km Red Rose Ride, a local audax event. I suffered all day and eventually arrived back at the finish in Halifax, dismounted feeling totally knackered, and then realised that I could barely push the bike across the car park because the back brake was jammed on!


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## 13 rider (14 Jan 2017)

New chain fitted to my giant roadie after in snapped last week . First one I've fitted without the quick link and used the Shimano pins that you snap off found it much easier than a quick link. Now have a couple of spare links in the saddle and pin for emergency's


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Jan 2017)

After my good deed fixing a puncture for someone else on thursday I've been rewarded with a puncture of my own.

Found the back tyre of the knockabout bike down to 30psi yesterday so investigated today and found this stuck right through (the thorn not the ruler ):





That's the first time the Marathons have been defeated since I've been using them.

While the tyre was off I took the opportunity to true the wheel. It's something I didn't do when the wheel was new and I regretted it as it turned out to have quite a wobble in. It now runs perfectly straight so no more dragging brake.

*Edit to correct*: I forgot about this previous puncture on the Raleigh in 2015 so it's actually the second time I've had thorn through a Marathon. Still pretty good going.


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## iandg (14 Jan 2017)

Changed the stem on the Cross-Check - from a 120 to a 100 - also re-seated the rear tyre/tube (punctured on the trail in the week and the valve was sitting at 30 degrees). Also gave it a clean


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## Justinslow (15 Jan 2017)

New spangly bar tape to replace the original white on my sons tdf junior (his choice)


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## Salty seadog (15 Jan 2017)

Lubed the chain on the Forme mtb after this mornings ride. Poor girl was feeling a bit neglected recently so took her out for a spin. Oh and turned the barrel adjuster for the rear mech a quater turn anti-clockwise, this was done whilst on the move.


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## Justinslow (15 Jan 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Lubed the chain on the Forme mtb after this mornings ride. Poor girl was feeling a bit neglected recently so took her out for a spin. Oh and turned the barrel adjuster for the rear mech a quater turn anti-clockwise, this was done whilst on the move.


Hi, what's Forme like as a brand, I see from another thread they have some older bikes at bargain prices?


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## Salty seadog (15 Jan 2017)

Justinslow said:


> Hi, what's Forme like as a brand, I see from another thread they have some older bikes at bargain prices?



As a rule I don't really know. They only set up in 2010 (I think) and I bought the mtb in 2011. For the price I paid I got a pretty reasonable group set. They definitly saved the money on the forks, Suntour coil spring that weigh a bit. 

This model was only made that one year. Tbh I wouldn't buy this one again but I can't speak for the brand.


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## Elybazza61 (15 Jan 2017)

Lot's more fettling on the Helium,explained here;

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ridley-helium-2017-re-build.212306/#post-4639210


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## 13 rider (15 Jan 2017)

After yesterday's new chain fitting during the test ride the gears jumped a bit but not too bad . Tried a test ride on some proper climbs and the gears are really jumping in the lower gears trying to change on there own . So back home and on spinning the wheel found a link would step out on the jockey wheel every few turns . Joined the chain with the Shimano pins you break off but could not tell if this was the link . So having some spare links I removed the problem link and rejoined the chain and now everything seems ok fingers crossed


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## Tojo (16 Jan 2017)

Had to tighten front an rear cables on the new bike which I have just got....nearly 5 mm of slack on the rear, so much for the dealer taking 2 hours to make sure it was correct, after telling them I would do it myself (I am a level 2 cycle mechanic, and they know so)...they said they had to do it for the warranty....Bollocks , I had to readjust the stops on both shifters as well and they hadn't even pumped the tyres up to anywhere near the right pressure....I did get 10% of though....


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## Stevec047 (16 Jan 2017)

Yesterday I decided to strip the old steel front fork down and replace it with a used carbon/alloy version I purchased very cheap.

Pretty glad I did as the corrosion on the old one is pretty bad.

Thoroughly cleaned the inside of the steerer tube and regreased the cartridge set up before mounting the nuesd fork.

Set up the new Shimago front brake which came with the fork at the same time must say this is a vast improvement to the original.

All I need to do know is cut the steerer down to size and I am ready to ride.

Question is do I stuck with the original carbon fork paint scheme or do I go and wrap it in something closer to the frames colour scheme?


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## cosmicbike (16 Jan 2017)

After a noisy ride on the wet bike last night, I decided to tackle the troublesome front mudguard which has rubbed since day one. After the gentle application of heat it was well and truly knackered, to the point the wheel didn't even turn... Completely deliberate of course
On the plus side the local Halfords had Raceblades on the shelf, so we're ready to go again


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## Supersuperleeds (16 Jan 2017)

Rear mudguard snapped in two today. Touch of super glue, bit of blue tac and a chunk of packing tape and we will see if it holds up tomorrow.


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## HLaB (16 Jan 2017)

I don't know if its really fettling but I put a cheaper wire on tire on my rear wheel so I can use the bike on my mates turbo.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Jan 2017)

Went over the tyres on the XLS last night to remove flints and debris and fill in with the loctite elastic super glue also glued the cut in the IRC tyre which will be fitted to the Helium.


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## ColinJ (17 Jan 2017)

Some non-cycle fettling:

I have a decent pair of Audio Technica headphones which I use when watching TV or listening to music late at night. My hearing is not brilliant so I tend to turn the volume up more than most people and I don't want to annoy my neighbours. (Yes, the ones that I hear screaming at each other every day! )

Anyway, I became aware of a subtle distortion on the left channel. It didn't make the headphones unusable but having noticed the problem I found myself getting distracted by it. It was a low level buzzing sound when loud sounds at certain frequencies were being reproduced.

I took the left channel 'earpiece' to bits and saw that some of the internal wiring was routed in a very haphazard fashion. It seemed very possible that one or more of the wires was vibrating against something else so I tidied up the wiring and reassembled the phones. Problem sorted!


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## Supersuperleeds (17 Jan 2017)

The fettled mudguard has survived its first day


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## Supersuperleeds (18 Jan 2017)

Fettled mudguard didn't survive a second day  blu tac gave up its hold, but bodged it again with more blue tac once at work. Thought of a couple of other solutions which I will try tonight when I get home 

I know I could go buy another, but this is the second one that has gone, so I want it to hold out until I get around to getting some metal ones. (no me that will be some months away )


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## Leaway2 (18 Jan 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Fettled mudguard didn't survive a second day  blu tac gave up its hold, but bodged it again with more blue tac once at work. Thought of a couple of other solutions which I will try tonight when I get home
> 
> I know I could go buy another, but this is the second one that has gone, so I want it to hold out until I get around to getting some metal ones. (no me that will be some months away )


I have been trying to repair my front guard. I cut an inch or so from the guard and tried to bridge and join the two sections together, using this piece to hold the 2 sections together using hot glue. The plastic is very shiny, and difficult for glue to get a grip. It lasted a day also.


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## Illaveago (18 Jan 2017)

I took the rear wheel out of my Puch Alpine, removed the axle cleaned up the Regina 5speed block, hub and bearings. Regreased, put bearings back in and reassembled. It spins a lot better now but I think I need a new chain.


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## youngoldbloke (19 Jan 2017)

Angle adjustable stem installed on 'fair weather' bike to raise bars and use on turbo after hip replacement replaced with the original 90mm stem, as the adjustable stem moved to a lower position was creating a 120mm+ stem.


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## Reynard (19 Jan 2017)

De-mudded bike, fixed new bottle cage and pump bracket to frame and tightened up the screws holding the rear reflector in place. Commute tomorrow, but Saturday's job will be fitting new saddle. Hope it fits my bum as well as my bike...


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## DCLane (20 Jan 2017)

Busier day than planned:

The Eastway winter bike got a proper clean, new chain and cassette (both rusty) but the cassette wouldn't come off. It took myself and my 16 year old, him standing on the socket, to get it off. New front wheel bearings fitted as well to the Team 30 wheel.

Then my youngest's track bike got replacement tyres as his aren't valid at Manchester  - Rubino Pro Slick's fitted for Sunday.

Oh, and I finished cleaning all the floor tiles in the bike workshop (conservatory) so they look like new.

I'm supposed to be beginning the Wilier Montegrappa build but I'm too tired


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## Supersuperleeds (20 Jan 2017)

Mudguard still holding up - mind you I used a different bike today  

Still had to fettle the saddle bag bracket as the bolt came loose, two cable ties from the post room soon sorted it. Did such a good job the other bikes are getting done tomorrow.


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## Pale Rider (21 Jan 2017)

My fettling cannot match the gripping saga of @Supersuperleeds' bodged mudguard, but I swapped pedals on two bikes today.

The job went to plan, but it's not one I like because I think it's all too easy to cross thread a pedal.

I did get to use a toothful of my tube of bike grease, which at current rate of consumption will last approximately 100 years.


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## martint235 (21 Jan 2017)

New disc brake pads on the commuting bike plus took the headset apart and regreased everything. Bit of a clean for both road bikes


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## Rickshaw Phil (21 Jan 2017)

The knockabout bike has had a hard week of commuting so needed a good clean. It's white and blue again rather than a sandy brown.

It needs a better front mudflap to try and keep the worst of the mud off the bottom bracket so following a suggestion on here about damp proof course being a decent material to make these out of i've been out and got a roll to try. I've adjusted the fit of the front mudguard and made an extension for the existing mudflap which now brings it down to about an inch from the ground. It doesn't look too bad and if successful I'll make a more permanent one when the weather is warmer.

While I was at it I've also made a longer replacement mudflap for the Raleigh as the old one was getting very tatty. The Dawes will want one too but that can wait.




Very mucky. Don't look @ianrauk.



Hopefully this will help.


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## Reynard (21 Jan 2017)

Fitted my new saddle (Charge Ladle) to the bike. Original is now packed up in the wrapping the Charge came in.

While swapping the saddles over, found out I *do* have tilt adjustment on the seatpost after all.  The bottom half of the bracket that holds the saddle in place has a convex profile and it sits in a corresponding concave channel on top of the seat post. Adjustment is made by loosening the bolt that joins all these pieces together and moving things around to suit. The bolt goes through a fore-aft slot underneath the seatpost, so there is actually quite a bit of adjustment there. 

Feel a bit silly now as I didn't realise this until I'd fitted the new saddle and it ended up at a really weird angle instead of being level.  It was when I was trying to sort that out that the penny finally dropped.  It's nothing like on my MTB where there is a ratchet-y sort of hinge secured by a horizontal bolt. Ah well, live and learn. 

Took the bike out for a quick spin to the village and back to test the new saddle. First impression is that I'm sitting *on* it rather than *over* it, which is a distinct improvement. Riding position is a little bit different as noticed through slight stiffness in neck & shoulders. Still some tweaking needed, I think, as I originally didn't change any of the other variables. Have raised saddle height about 1/4 of an inch and dropped the nose down just a fraction, and we'll see how we go from there.


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## Pale Rider (21 Jan 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The knockabout bike has had a hard week of commuting so needed a good clean. It's white and blue again rather than a sandy brown.
> 
> It needs a better front mudflap to try and keep the worst of the mud off the bottom bracket so following a suggestion on here about damp proof course being a decent material to make these out of i've been out and got a roll to try. I've adjusted the fit of the front mudguard and made an extension for the existing mudflap which now brings it down to about an inch from the ground. It doesn't look too bad and if successful I'll make a more permanent one when the weather is warmer.
> 
> ...



Neat job - are you going to do mail order?


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## Rickshaw Phil (21 Jan 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> Neat job - are you going to do mail order?


 Perhaps I should see how durable it is first.


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## Pale Rider (21 Jan 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Perhaps I should see how durable it is first.



I suppose, to use the business jargon, you haven't added enough value to the material to make it viable.

But this does remind me of a poster in the other place who sells home-made elasticated trouser bands, as in replacements for cycle clips.

The cutting and sewing is probably very easy for someone who has some skill in that area.


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## dave r (21 Jan 2017)

Minor fettle tonight. Just before the lurgy struck me down I fitted new pedals and a new charge spoon saddle. When I rode for the first time Thursday the riding position wasn't quite right, tonight I lowered the saddle a millimetre or two, the old charge spoon had been on two bikes was well used and split, I recon it had sagged a bit, whilst I was doing that I noticed I had installed the saddle a bit further set back than I usually have it so I i set it forward by a couple of millimetres. I'll see how it feels tomorrow and fine tune if necessary.


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## Jenkins (22 Jan 2017)

Changed the saddle angle on a couple of bikes to make them very slightly less nose up - I've been meaning to do it for a while, but it's always been a case of "I'll do it before the next ride" and never got round to it. Also rotated the handlebars up on one of them by a very small amount.


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## biggs682 (23 Jan 2017)

a quick clean and lube of the chain on my 50's Roadster , seems to squeak less now for some reason


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## Elybazza61 (23 Jan 2017)

Un-planned day off so finished off the cabling on the Helium;all set and ready for a test ride.

Build thread;

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ridley-helium-2017-re-build.212306/


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## Reynard (24 Jan 2017)

Cleaned and greased chain. Raised nose of saddle.


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## Salty seadog (24 Jan 2017)

Lowered the saddle on the Montpellier by about 4mm as I was getting a bit of pain in my left knee after about 20m miles or so. No worries on today's 35 miler.


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## iandg (24 Jan 2017)

Changed from down-tube to bar-end shifters. Got hungry so I'll do the taping tomorrow.


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## Elybazza61 (25 Jan 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> Un-planned day off so finished off the cabling on the Helium;all set and ready for a test ride.
> 
> Build thread;
> 
> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ridley-helium-2017-re-build.212306/


Another un-planned day off so more fettling of the Helium.

Not really happy with the front mech set-up so startted again and after much fettling(and a bit of swearing)now have a much better set-up;will see how it goes with a test ride.

Oh and cables cut(still leaving room for adjustments) and crimped.


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## Salty seadog (25 Jan 2017)

Puncture repair.....






Although my contribution was to stick the spare wheel on to get me to the garage.


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## Elybazza61 (27 Jan 2017)

Cleaned the Icarus for tomorrow's club ride.


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## Salty seadog (27 Jan 2017)

fiddled with the barrel adjusters on both front and rear dérailleurs whilst in motion to cure a bit of chatter. Not sure if it was 'cos of all the mud but I got some rubbing at the front disc, wondered if the pistons were not reseating properly.






I'm thinking mudguards.


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## Salty seadog (28 Jan 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> fiddled with the barrel adjusters on both front and rear dérailleurs whilst in motion to cure a bit of chatter. Not sure if it was 'cos of all the mud but I got some rubbing at the front disc, wondered if the pistons were not reseating properly.
> 
> View attachment 335134
> 
> ...



Hmmm. On today's ride the chatter was just not going away and I couldn't see anywhere the chain was rubbing so popped into a lbs en route. His diagnostics was probably bearings in the freehub gone. Carried on my way and stopped in the next town for a second opinion, without me saying anything he diagnosed the same and said for all the hassle of taking it out and trying to regrease I may as well replace it. Both shops I totally respect and trust their judgement. In fact the first one I got my very first 5 speed racer from about 35 years ago. Same guy running that one man operation too although he only does repairs now.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Jan 2017)

Yesterday re-adjusted and torqued the fork bung on the Helium.


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## NeilM (28 Jan 2017)

Removed and refitted the Zefal front mudguard on my KTM Revelator. I thought I had done a good job the first time, but the scrreeee ich ich ich, eee ick eeee ick, noises that accompanied me for the whole ride the other day clearly indicated I'd done a shoddy job.

Much fiddling with the stays later and I think I've got it sussed. 

The next ride will tell all.


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## mangid (29 Jan 2017)

PDW full metal fender fractured on me on my morning ride, managed to limp home with some rope work:






Fitted a crud racer until replacements arrive. Looking to get some grommets for next fitting, hopefully they're last longer than 18K,/18months ;-)


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## RoubaixCube (29 Jan 2017)

Currently fettling some






The bottle was blocked by something but i gave it twist and its now fixed and flowing smoothly like water.


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## Elybazza61 (29 Jan 2017)

Icarus was a bit of a state after yesterday's ride and it's only been given the odd wipe down for a few weeks; so it was off with the wheels and chain for a thorough clean.

Also hopefully fixed/bodged the Garmin HRM with some kitchen foil, will see how it is during the week.


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## youngoldbloke (29 Jan 2017)

Started moving the components from the donor Ribble winter bike to the new frame. It's never quite as straighforward as it should be is it? Almost within seconds of starting I realise that the seat post is too short - the Ribble is a horizontal frame, and the post is as short as it could be for my existing set up, and the new frame is very much more compact - so an order to Ribble for a sale price Ritchey seatpost (and a new bottom bracket, while I'm at it). Then, brakes off the Ribble, yes they fit fine, but the front caliper Pivot Bolt is too short for the new beefy carbon forks - another order sent off for a 30mm bolt! Oh, and new cables ordered earlier, just in case in need them. Hope thats it as far as new bits go, this wasn't supposed to cost much


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## NeilM (29 Jan 2017)

Spent part of this wet afternoon cutting a slice out of a VERY stuck seatpost on my early Dave LLoyd road bike. 

I have been soaking the damn thing in all sorts of suggested release agents and penetrating oils for several weeks, all to no good, so as the post started to break up while I was twisting it in the vice (again) I just tore the damaged top section off and set to with a hacksaw blade to cut a series of vertical slots. I had one or two false starts but in the end I managed to gat a slice out and with that the remains of the seatpost came out.

The alloy corrosion was so stuck to the inside of the seat tube that I had to use a half round file to break it up and a flap stick on a battery drill to remove it and smooth the inside of the tube..... what a job!

All done now.


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## Drago (29 Jan 2017)

Waxoyled the Ford Fusion of elderliness. The stuff is still messy and stinks to high heaven, which is a sign the health and safety Nazis haven't messed with it yet.

Now I don't work I'm going to repurpose my Winter commuter as a general purpose all weather roadie, and strip crud guards off the summer bike and keep it as a dry weather road toy. Got some nice Blumells guards to replace the tires ones on the winter commuter, and loosely assembled them up with all the stays and brackets. Will fit them tomorrow.


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## Jenkins (29 Jan 2017)

Two bikes given the full deep clean treatment thanks to the state of the roads for the past couple of weeks. Another two had the basic wipe down and chain clean. 

Also photographed the frame numbers and took an ID pic of all the bikes for reference.


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## Arjimlad (30 Jan 2017)

My SKS Chromos snapped on the way to work on Friday so a quick trip to Giant shop at Bradley Stoke saw me equipped with SKS Commuter guards. The front guard fitted neatly under the brake caliper too which was a bonus after all the footling about with the last set.

Drawback is the new guards are a little shorter than the old set on the back, but I have got a slightly longer mudflap I can install if required.


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## Drago (30 Jan 2017)

Fitted the new Blumells guards to the Pinnacle. Tricky, because it's a medium clearance frame and I'm running 28C's, so there ain't much space to play with. Two hours of cussing, swearing, and even offering to sell my soul to Trump, I finally got them fitted and very carefully bolted up to the tight clearances required without any rubbing. Phew!


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## DCLane (30 Jan 2017)

My 12yo changed the tyre on his commuter Formeula 700 after it got a split.

Then we set about setting up his Argon Krypton 18 race bike for this season. Or rather, hoping it'd still fit him  . The alternative was to find ways to make him shorter:

Wheels and frame checked,
Newly fitted 3T ultra-lightweight seatpost raised. And raised again. Then lowered. And raised a bit more. There's about 5cm there which'll hopefully last him until October.
New Dura Ace pedals fitted
Discussion about whether he needed a longer stem. Which it turned out he doesn't (just). One's available when needed.
Overall we've got it down to 6.8kg for this season  although there's still a lightweight chain to go on at some point once the 'wet' early season races are done.


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## Salty seadog (31 Jan 2017)

RoubaixCube said:


> Currently fettling some
> 
> View attachment 335406
> 
> ...



A perfectly serviceable and oft overlooked whiskey.

Well done for unblocking it....


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## Shut Up Legs (31 Jan 2017)

I tried to remove the bolts holding my road bike's brake pads to the brake shoes, the first time I've had to do it since I bought the bike, and after I'd done roughly 9,000km on it. The bolts wouldn't budge with Allen keys, and I was in danger of stripping the hex holes in the bolt heads. Then I realised that the exposed ends of the bolts were stubby enough that I could grip them with the serrated part of a pair of pliers and turn them that way. As it turns out, that's a lot easier than using Allen keys, so I'll just use the pliers in future.


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## ColinJ (31 Jan 2017)

ColinJ said:


> @Oldfentiger met me in Todmorden to give me his old Garmin eTrex Legend HCx. In its day (8-10 years ago) that was a top GPS. This one is generally in very good condition but Oldfen had left it in a drawer for years with batteries in. The batteries had leaked and corrosive battery chemicals had damaged the battery compartment. It seemed a shame to chuck out the GPS but not worth paying a shop to fix it, so Phil donated it to me to see if I can revive it. I am using an even older and less powerful eTrex so if I can get this one working it would be a significant upgrade for me.
> 
> So, here you go ...
> 
> ...





ColinJ said:


> I might just use thin single-core cable, strip a length of it and wind that into a coil to form a contact. The batteries are a tight fit so the negative end of the battery should wedge that coil of wire against the end of the compartment ... That is an easy thing to try. If it works, fine. If not, I will have to come up with something more sophisticated


I used multicore cable because it is more flexible. I had 2 goes at it this evening. The first one failed - the wire pulled off the pad when I closed the case. I tried again and ...






Oooooh! 

I'm not confident that the repair will last because it was very hard to get the wire to stay on the pad and there wasn't much room around it due to various surface-mounted components in its vicinity. Still - it's a promising sign!

I'll reassemble the GPS and see how I get on, but it would be sensible to carry my reliable older Garmin with me for backup.


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## RoubaixCube (1 Feb 2017)

Put the GP 4S tyres on. Tweaked the brakes. still gutted that these michelin tyres punctured so easily.

I will repair the hole in the tyre with some E6000 rubber glue i bought but i dont think I'll be using the tyres for anything else...


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## ColinJ (1 Feb 2017)

I downloaded the free OSM map of Great Britain and put that on a Micro SD card for the recently fettled Garmin ... It isn't Ordnance Survey standard but I already have the OS 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps for the UK on my phone and I was not going to pay again for the Garmin version. It will do for navigation purposes on rides. If I want to look at the OS map, I can stop and get my phone out!


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## Reynard (1 Feb 2017)

Had to clean my bike - came back from a ride and couldn't tell what colour it was... 

Also had some fun on the loft retrieving a bike I used to ride far too long ago. Need to figure out how to get it down from there without making a pig's ear of it.


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## youngoldbloke (2 Feb 2017)

Putting new winter bike together. Why did Shimano change the diameter of their Hollowtech bottom bracket cups? Ok, it came with an adapter, but my BB tool is a nice solid cup type, and the adapter only fits the open type ...... doh. And why was I certain that my 31.8 Front derailleur braze-on adapter clamp would fit the new frame - which actually requires a 34.9?


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## I like Skol (3 Feb 2017)

Following on from a discussion with @Globalti in THIS THREAD, last night I decided to give the brake pads in my disc braked GT Grade some attention. Small chamfers to both leading and trailing edge of the pads and a general rub up of the friction face to remove any possible glaze. Of course this mornings ride was bone dry and crisp so no squeal anyway but I am sure it won't be long until I find out if this has worked.....

Also took the opportunity to do something that was mentioned to me by a fellow Grade owner some time ago. I checked the chainring bolts of my 105 crankset. These are a rather special affair that are just a torx bolt (why Torx?) screwing into the back of a presumably cast outer chainring. A rather elegant solution IMO but the chainring shape spoils it for me because it looks a little ungainly and not at all as aesthetically pleasing as it should. Anyway, the bolts were not loose, but neither were they tight and easily nipped up another quarter turn, so definitely worth doing before disaster struck. Thanks to @Kestevan for the warning 

This mornings school run with Skol Jnr threw up another issue. Right from the start my chain was making a regular noise every few pedal revolutions. A short distance into the trip I stopped to investigate because it seemed to be getting worse. This is what I found....





As this is the only 11s bike in the fleet and only a recent addition I haven't yet got any spare chains or links for this so the bike may be unusable until this is sorted. I do have a link for a 10s chain but the Vernier callipers tell me this is a full 0.5mm wider so unlikely to run smoothly.

EDIT: the puzzling thing about this is that the link has broken on the inner plate. No surprise there as that is the side that has to climb the sprockets when changing gear at the back, but the chain travels to the right in this picture meaning the part of the plate where it is stamped KMC is the bit that should be taking all the hits during a gear change?


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## raleighnut (3 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> Following on from a discussion with @Globalti in THIS THREAD, last night I decided to give the brake pads in my disc braked GT Grade some attention. Small chamfers to both leading and trailing edge of the pads and a general rub up of the friction face to remove any possible glaze. Of course this mornings ride was bone dry and crisp so no squeal anyway but I am sure it won't be long until I find out if this has worked.....
> 
> Also took the opportunity to do something that was mentioned to me by a fellow Grade owner some time ago. I checked the chainring bolts of my 105 crankset. These are a rather special affair that are just a torx bolt (why Torx?) screwing into the back of a presumably cast outer chainring. A rather elegant solution IMO but the chainring shape spoils it for me because it looks a little ungainly and not at all as aesthetically pleasing as it should. Anyway, the bolts were not loose, but neither were they tight and easily nipped up another quarter turn, so definitely worth doing before disaster struck. Thanks to @Kestevan for the warning
> 
> ...



 Well caught.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (3 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> Following on from a discussion with @Globalti in THIS THREAD, last night I decided to give the brake pads in my disc braked GT Grade some attention. Small chamfers to both leading and trailing edge of the pads and a general rub up of the friction face to remove any possible glaze. Of course this mornings ride was bone dry and crisp so no squeal anyway but I am sure it won't be long until I find out if this has worked.....
> 
> Also took the opportunity to do something that was mentioned to me by a fellow Grade owner some time ago. I checked the chainring bolts of my 105 crankset. These are a rather special affair that are just a torx bolt (why Torx?) screwing into the back of a presumably cast outer chainring. A rather elegant solution IMO but the chainring shape spoils it for me because it looks a little ungainly and not at all as aesthetically pleasing as it should. Anyway, the bolts were not loose, but neither were they tight and easily nipped up another quarter turn, so definitely worth doing before disaster struck. Thanks to @Kestevan for the warning
> 
> ...


The ramps on the inner edge of the chainrings assist


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## I like Skol (3 Feb 2017)

raleighnut said:


> Well caught.


I completed the school run very gingerly and remained seated just in case! 

The other puzzling thing is that the bike seemed fine when I put it away after a hilly 15 miler on Wed night but was clearly not right the moment I set off today. I think the gremlins are sabotaging my bike while it is hung on the wall. A spoke snapped in the rear wheel under similar circumstances just before Christmas, was fine when put away but twanging like an out of tune piano the moment I set off on the next ride?


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## Globalti (3 Feb 2017)

Wow! Impressive picture and interesting that the chain didn't snap fully. I always carry a spare joining link in my small saddlebag. Actually I've got a handful of 10 speed links that I don't now need, if anybody wants them.


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## ColinJ (3 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> Also took the opportunity to do something that was mentioned to me by a fellow Grade owner some time ago. I checked the chainring bolts of my 105 crankset. These are a rather special affair that are just a torx bolt (why Torx?) screwing into the back of a presumably cast outer chainring. A rather elegant solution IMO but the chainring shape spoils it for me because it looks a little ungainly and not at all as aesthetically pleasing as it should. Anyway, the bolts were not loose, but neither were they tight and easily nipped up another quarter turn, so definitely worth doing before disaster struck.


That disaster DID strike on my one forum mountain bike ride - DETAILS.


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## I like Skol (3 Feb 2017)

Globalti said:


> Wow! Impressive picture and interesting that the chain didn't snap fully. I always carry a spare joining link in my small saddlebag. Actually I've got a handful of 10 speed links that I don't now need, if anybody wants them.


I have loads of spare used 9spd links as that is/was the majority of the fleet until I bought my oldest lad and Mrs Skol 10spd MTBs. Thought I had better get a spare link for them so picked up a 10spd chain for the spares bin. Not used this yet but now need to get something 11spd as well! I have just emailed Wiggle, the bike supplier, to ask if this will be considered as warranty. I am not going to be upset if they say no because I know chains are a funny one, but thought it worth asking the question.....


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## Globalti (3 Feb 2017)

If you don't ask, you don't get....


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## RoubaixCube (3 Feb 2017)

Globalti said:


> Wow! Impressive picture and interesting that the chain didn't snap fully. I always carry a spare joining link in my small saddlebag. Actually I've got a handful of 10 speed links that I don't now need, if anybody wants them.



As im still running a 10 speed I'll take a few if you dont need them. Price of postage?


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## Globalti (3 Feb 2017)

Just PM your address and I'll drop them in second class. You can buy me a beer next time I come down to that Laaaandon (place of my birth actually!)


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## ColinJ (3 Feb 2017)

For anybody else who wants them cheap - you can get them on eBay for a pittance. The catch is that they take weeks to arrive from China.


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## Leaway2 (3 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> This mornings school run with Skol Jnr threw up another issue. Right from the start my chain was making a regular noise every few pedal revolutions. A short distance into the trip I stopped to investigate because it seemed to be getting worse. This is what I found....


I had this happened to me. The plate caught the rear dérailleur and ripped it off. I don’t use them any more.


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## I like Skol (3 Feb 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> I had this happened to me. The plate caught the rear dérailleur and ripped it off. I don’t use them any more.


Luckily(?) It broke in the right direction so the plate was pressed down every time it passed through the gears. If it had been pointing the other way I'm sure I would have suffered the same fate as you 
Anyhow, temporary fix installed. I have fitted the 10spd link I already had and it seems to be unnoticeable so far, although this now leaves me with a brand new 10spd chain and no link. PM sent to @Globalti


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## Elybazza61 (3 Feb 2017)

Worn rear tyre replaced with a part worn one and re-fitted the chain after a thorough clean.


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## HLaB (3 Feb 2017)

Fitted a new 10sp chain and cassette on the bike tonight.


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## I like Skol (4 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> I have just emailed Wiggle, the bike supplier, to ask if this will be considered as warranty. I am not going to be upset if they say no because I know chains are a funny one, but thought it worth asking the question.....





Globalti said:


> If you don't ask, you don't get....


Replacement 11spd chain just arrived from Wiggle! I really only needed a new missing link. They emailed near close of business yesterday and said they agree the chain shouldn't do this in such a short distance so have expressed me a replacement 
I really have to take my hat off to them. I was nervous of distance buying a bike in case of any issues but both times I have had to call on the warranty they have exceeded expectations without hesitation 
EDIT: Now I face a conundrum. Do I fit the full new chain or keep the otherwise serviceable old chain and just use the new connector?


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## Globalti (4 Feb 2017)

Keep the old one and use the connector which I posted to you this morning.


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## Globalti (4 Feb 2017)

Oh no you're on 11 speed. I have sent you 2 x 10 speed links though.


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## ColinJ (4 Feb 2017)

Last time out on my CAAD 5, I was annoyed by a slight rattle coming from the bike on rough stretches of road - i.e. a lot of the time, given our local road surfaces!

It took some tracking down. It turned out to be the RH brake lever which was slightly loose. Campagnolo brake levers do not have return springs - they rely on the tension in the brake cable to pull them shut when the lever is released after braking. There was enough friction in the cable to stop that working properly. I turned the bike upside down and squirted some thin lube down inside the brake outer. I then repeatedly operated the lever to work the lube down inside the cable. It helped, but it didn't entirely fix the problem.

The 'proper' solution would be to replace the brake outer cable (and probably the inner while I was at it) but I didn't want to have to take my nice new bar tape off to do that. (I know I could reuse the tape but it took me 3 attempts to get it neat last time!)

I came up with a work-around ... I normally release the brake lever slowly like this - LET GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. That gives friction a perfect opportunity to stop the cable sliding back inside the outer. If instead I just do it abruptly like this - LET GO - the brake lever snaps back to its correct position immediately; 100% effective at stopping the rattle!

I'll put a new front brake cable on next time I change the bar tape.


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## I like Skol (4 Feb 2017)

I like Skol said:


> Replacement 11spd chain just arrived from Wiggle.......Now I face a conundrum. Do I fit the full new chain or keep the otherwise serviceable old chain and just use the new connector?





Globalti said:


> Keep the old one and use the connector which I posted to you this morning.





Globalti said:


> Oh no you're on 11 speed. I have sent you 2 x 10 speed links though.


Thanks @Globalti 
As a result of your generosity I have made a decision. I will fit the new chain prematurely and hopefully this will help slow down the wear on my 'expensive' 11spd drivetrain. I will then use the 10spd links for emergency use. I did about 15 miles today with the wrong link fitted and only rarely did I get a click of complaint from the rear end and this is fine as a get you home fix. When I next replace the chain I will keep the now old missing link for the emergency spare (assuming this one lasts the distance). Jobs a good'un!


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## johnnyb47 (4 Feb 2017)

Today I thought I would just give the derailleurs a minor tweak to get the gears to shift more smoothly. What could possibly go wrong. Well , a two minute job turned into an hour of messing around with them. My old road bikes friction shifters are a doddle to do but I was I for a bit of surprise with my hybrid with its indexed and multiple gear ratios attached. After much faffing around I've now got them working nice and smooth as well as learning how to adjust them correctly. Mind you on the positive side it kept me out of the pub watching the rugby lol :-)


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## Globalti (5 Feb 2017)

If the bike is old or gets used in wet mucky conditions, change the rear derailleur cable outer where it curves round. You'll be amazed at the improvement in shifting.


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## RoubaixCube (5 Feb 2017)

No joke, I was browsing another cycling forum earlier in the week and checking out Conti GP 4S reviews... In one review, One reviewer said he had trouble seeing the arrow on the sidewall to make sure the tyre was set to roll the right way. '_Arrow_' i thought... What '_Arrow_' ??? and then i checked on thursday night after my commute home and saw it after shining an extremely bright torch as the sidewall for 2mins. It seemed that i hadnt put the front tyre on to roll in the right direction.

All sorted now. less than 15mins fumbling around removing the tyre and making sure its put back on the right way. Checked the brakes. Was going to clean the drive chain but im low on degreaser and im too lazy to hop on the bike and ride to halfords 2miles away to get more.

Its a sunday innit?


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## bonsaibilly (5 Feb 2017)

Strictly speaking fettled on Sunday last, but first use today... Wing mirror on my project bike.


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## Globalti (6 Feb 2017)

DIrection of rotation makes no difference. Some tyres have a direction arrow so as to ensure the logo, which ought to be lined up with the valve or 180 degrees to the valve, is visible on the right of the bike. Treads make no difference either, they are just there to make you feel better.


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## Milkfloat (6 Feb 2017)

Had a notchy headset on my Saturday ride, so Sunday morning was spent doing a proper clean and then i stripped the headset bearings down. Surprisingly the lower sealed bearing was in great condition, it was the upper bearing that was horribly gummed up. 30 minutes later, lots of rags and degreaser and it was all back as good as new. It was bloomin freezing though - I should have taken the bike back into the garage after giving it a deep clean.


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## fixedfixer (6 Feb 2017)

Checked over the Fat Bike ready for sale. (then stuck a post on the forum)


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## RoubaixCube (7 Feb 2017)

Was only supposed to clean and lube the drivechain but i ended up giving the whole bike a bit of a cleanbas it been out in the rain past the last two weeks.

Got stumped on which lube to use. BBC says no wet weather forecast for the rest of this week so I'll put some mucc off C3* dry lube on. The lube my LBS put on after i had the bike serviced was some weird sticky stuff.... While being sticky to the touch it didnt pick up much dirt at all!

Now i have Michael Caine's voice in my head shouting _"you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!!" _


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## I like Skol (8 Feb 2017)

Globalti said:


> Keep the old one and use the connector which I posted to you this morning.


Thank you muchly to @Globalti 
Those links arrived on Monday but Mrs Skol failed to mention it. I now have emergency cover for the 10 and 11 speed bikes in the fleet.


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## cyberknight (8 Feb 2017)

Changed a tube roadside after a puncture on the way to work on nights , new tyres ordered as i have had 4 this year already !


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## dave r (10 Feb 2017)

Mudguard fettle this afternoon. On my ride yesterday I turned past Hatton Country World and thought this is getting to be hard work, when I got to the cafe by Hatton Locks I could see that the rear mudguard was clogged with mud, I had a clear out then hit every minor lump bump and pothole on the way home to shake out as much as I could.This afternoon I had the rear wheel off and cleared about a pound of mud out of the mudguard then adjusted the mudguard to fine tune it and get a touch of extra clearance.


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## I like Skol (10 Feb 2017)

Fitted the new link to replace the broken 11S missing link in my KMC chain. It had never been reused but still failed at less than 500 miles.
Also replaced the squeaky front pads on my disc braked road bike. Fitted cheap Discobrakes sintered pads for around £5 rather than the £20+ genuine shimano ones. Test ride today was good, bedded in quickly and ran silently. Fingers crossed for the long term.


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## Elybazza61 (11 Feb 2017)

New bar tape fitted to the Helium;all ready for the nice weather so guess it'll be sat around for a bit.


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## subaqua (11 Feb 2017)

Cleaned the commuter . There's a huge amount of mud and dirt on floor now. 

New brake pads as the originals from Jun were properly worn as in no friction material left ! 

Replaced mudguard with one from old bike as it's better. 

2 new spokes needed on rear wheel which would explain the rattle ooops


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## gbb (11 Feb 2017)

My old Trek 7100fx is tired and old now, but still a fully functional bike so starting a bit of a deep clean, service and square up.
It's got aftermarket alloy cheap wheels on it which have given good service but look grubby.
Going to spray them black...any suggestions to get a reasonable finish ?...gloss or matt aerosol ?..any specific prep apart from obvious cleaning and decreasing?


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## Ice2911 (11 Feb 2017)

Adjusted cable disk brakes for the first time, running smoothly and stopping! Slight sense of satisfaction.


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## Salty seadog (12 Feb 2017)

Globalti said:


> DIrection of rotation makes no difference. Some tyres have a direction arrow so as to ensure the logo, which ought to be lined up with the valve or 180 degrees to the valve, is visible on the right of the bike. Treads make no difference either, they are just there to make you feel better.



A lot of mountain bike ones are. Front more geared to easy rolling and rear more geared towards traction. My two, the older Forme on geax saguaro tyres have the same tread but you run them in opposite directions, the new Whyte has different tyres fore and aft with different tread patterns.


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## Fergs (12 Feb 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> New bar tape fitted to the Helium;all ready for the nice weather so guess it'll be sat around for a bit.



Never mind the bar tape, Bazza, (fine job though it is) how did you fettle that splendid stem cap?


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## Svendo (12 Feb 2017)

RoubaixCube said:


> No joke, I was browsing another cycling forum earlier in the week and checking out Conti GP 4S reviews... In one review, One reviewer said he had trouble seeing the arrow on the sidewall to make sure the tyre was set to roll the right way. '_Arrow_' i thought... What '_Arrow_' ??? and then i checked on thursday night after my commute home and saw it after shining an extremely bright torch as the sidewall for 2mins. It seemed that i hadnt put the front tyre on to roll in the right direction.
> 
> All sorted now. less than 15mins fumbling around removing the tyre and making sure its put back on the right way. Checked the brakes. Was going to clean the drive chain but im low on degreaser and im too lazy to hop on the bike and ride to halfords 2miles away to get more.
> 
> Its a sunday innit?



I assume it's a disc brake bike, otherwise you could just turn the wheel round and swap the QR over (if your in the 'front QR must be on the left' camp).


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## Will Spin (12 Feb 2017)

Finally, finally managed to get the indexing on my "winter" bike RD to work well, it's taken almost a year! (Shimano 105 10 speed) It all started going wrong when I put a new back wheel on, I found it almost impossible to get smooth, sweet changes up and down. I've tried everything, so I thought, alignment check and adjust, new gear cable and outers, new rear derailleur (no expense spared!), almost got to the point where I was resigned to the routine of "click, shift, click trim" whenever changing through the middle gears. Had the bike on the stand last week and looked again at the cassette which has a little play in it, so one last thing to do, took the cassette off, cleaned it up, cleaned off the splines on the freewheel, a little bit of grease put it all back together and bingo! Changes like a dream.


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## RoubaixCube (12 Feb 2017)

Svendo said:


> I assume it's a disc brake bike, otherwise you could just turn the wheel round and swap the QR over (if your in the 'front QR must be on the left' camp).



Nope. It was the Triban 540. I did briefly remove the wheel and try to put it on the other way like you said but the 'H Plus Son' lettering on the rims would of been rolling in the wrong direction and i get ocd about small things like that. 

Only 15mins to fix though so im not too fussed.


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## subaqua (12 Feb 2017)

Done the spokes . Fitted wheel and fettled Mud guards lubed chain. Like a blooming new bike . Silent and stops on a penny!


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## Morning all (12 Feb 2017)

I like this thread, I'm still trying to build up my fettling skills. Can do brakes, gears etc and general adjustments but have never touched anything with bearings. I'm going to take my first cassette of soon too. Just got to get a chain whip and watch some vids.


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## Elybazza61 (12 Feb 2017)

Swapped out the Sora kit on the other halfs' Liv Avail and started fitting the Ultegra.

All cabled up but need an in-line cable adjuster for the front mech, also need to decide what to do with the chainset;as it's nine-speed I don't think it will work with the 11-speed chain even if I change the rings(think it's the gaps between the rings rather than the rings themselves).Might be easiest to either swap it out for my Ultegra and get smaller rings(it's 52/36) or just find a s/h Ultegra/105(or even a FSA one) chainset with the right rings.


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Feb 2017)

Out into the cold to clean the knockabout bike today. It hasn't been washed for 3 weeks and it's been just over a week/200 miles since the chain was last cleaned and oiled.

I'm very pleased with the mudflap mentioned when I last posted in this thread. Although the bike was generally filthy the bottom bracket had hardly any dirt on and the drivetrain has stayed _much _cleaner. Prior to the flap being fitted the chain would have been a horrible squeaky, gritty mess if I'd done 200 winter miles without relubing, but not this time.

I've also fitted new brake blocks to the rear again and a new rear brake cable due to the old one being corroded.

All ready for another week of mucky commuting now.


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## ColinJ (12 Feb 2017)

ColinJ said:


> Last time out on my CAAD 5, I was annoyed by a slight rattle coming from the bike on rough stretches of road - i.e. a lot of the time, given our local road surfaces!
> 
> It took some tracking down. It turned out to be the RH brake lever which was slightly loose. Campagnolo brake levers do not have return springs - they rely on the tension in the brake cable to pull them shut when the lever is released after braking. There was enough friction in the cable to stop that working properly. I turned the bike upside down and squirted some thin lube down inside the brake outer. I then repeatedly operated the lever to work the lube down inside the cable. It helped, but it didn't entirely fix the problem.
> 
> ...


The lube eventually seems to have done the trick ... I tried the bike a few days later and the problem has gone away for now. I'll still change the cabling when I next change the bar tape though.


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## ColinJ (12 Feb 2017)

dave r said:


> Mudguard fettle this afternoon. On my ride yesterday I turned past Hatton Country World and thought this is getting to be hard work, when I got to the cafe by Hatton Locks I could see that the rear mudguard was clogged with mud, I had a clear out then hit every minor lump bump and pothole on the way home to shake out as much as I could.This afternoon I had the rear wheel off and cleared about a pound of mud out of the mudguard then adjusted the mudguard to fine tune it and get a touch of extra clearance.


I've had clogged mudguards a few times. On one forum ride I was struggling to get anywhere close to 20 mph on a descent on which it is normally easy to hit 30. I ended up scraping the mud out with a stick that I found at the side of the road.

These days I aim for long, _shallow_ puddles mid-ride to wash the mud out before it sets. _Deep_ puddles are a bad idea because you can't see potholes lurking in the depths.

I have a hose pipe permanently set up in my back yard these days so I can take my bike out there post-ride and give it a good wash. I always make sure to blast any mud out from under the guards.


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## si_c (13 Feb 2017)

Been trying to find a 4mm draw bolt for the mudguards that came with the frame originally, I've not been entirely successful, so I've decided to put some chromoplastics on there for the time being.

Cleaned the bike at the jetwash at the garage () to get all the mud and crap off that had been building up for a while, then fitted the guards. Required a bit of improvisation as the rear brake bridge bolt is perpendicular to the usual way of fitting them (for the original mudguards) and I only had 7 of the 8 draw bolts (fell off and rolled off somewhere, and I can't find it now), so I used a bit of electrical tape for now. I've ordered some new fittings and pick them up in a couple of days.

Should be fit for wet weather commuting again now, new job means 14mi each way instead of the 5 in the previous job


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## youngoldbloke (13 Feb 2017)

ColinJ said:


> I've had clogged mudguards a few times. On one forum ride I was struggling to get anywhere close to 20 mph on a descent on which it is normally easy to hit 30.* I ended up scraping the mud out with a stick that I found at the side of the road.*
> 
> These days I aim for long, _shallow_ puddles mid-ride to wash the mud out before it sets. _Deep_ puddles are a bad idea because you can't see potholes lurking in the depths.
> 
> I have a hose pipe permanently set up in my back yard these days so I can take my bike out there post-ride and give it a good wash. I always make sure to blast any mud out from under the guards.


The blue Ribble Winter-bikes are notorious for their lack of mudguard clearance and constant clogging-up. I carry a teaspoon in the saddlepack - just the right shape to scrape out the guards. I aim for the safe shallow puddle too.


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## Will Spin (14 Feb 2017)

I had one of those Ribble bikes for a while, it was hopeless in the muddy lanes around here! Bought a Ribble sportive 365 frame and transferred some of the good parts over into it to make a nice winter bike.


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## youngoldbloke (14 Feb 2017)

Will Spin said:


> I had one of those Ribble bikes for a while, it was hopeless in the muddy lanes around here! Bought a Ribble sportive 365 frame and transferred some of the good parts over into it to make a nice winter bike.


Yes - I've just done the same, onto another alloy frame with more clearance.I was surprised when I found that the brakes on the Ribble were not long drop as I'd always assumed. Very little left of the original blue Ribble now - see Triggers Broom Bike


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## Elybazza61 (14 Feb 2017)

Fergs said:


> Never mind the bar tape, Bazza, (fine job though it is) how did you fettle that splendid stem cap?



Apologies for the late reply.

It's one of these;

https://www.stif.co.uk/mtb/product/niner-yawyd-headset-cap/5715

Comes with a star nut but worked ok with the carbon fork bung.

Need a Oude Kwaremont bottle cap to swap in occaisionally(and Chimay,Primus etc,etc)


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## GuyBoden (14 Feb 2017)

Just cleaning up my latest acquisition, a genuine early 1980's Selle Italia Turbo, Bernard Hinault Leather Saddle.

I'm hoping that it's as comfy as I remember my old Turbo saddle was in the 1980's, but I think my weight, age and fitness play as big a part in saddle comfort as the actual saddle................. Nostalgia strikes again.


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## si_c (14 Feb 2017)

GuyBoden said:


> Just cleaning up my latest acquisition, a genuine early 1980's Selle Italia Turbo, Bernard Hinault Leather Saddle.
> 
> I'm hoping that it's as comfy as I remember my old Turbo saddle was in the 1980's, but I think my weight, age and fitness play as big a part of saddle comfort as the actual saddle................. Nostalgia strikes again.



I find the modern reproductions very comfortable.


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## marknotgeorge (14 Feb 2017)

I fixed my Knog Oi bell. I found that it didn't work properly unless the retaining bolt was a bit loose for my liking - so much so that the bolt worked loose and fell out. I realised that if the handlebars are narrow, the retaining bolt pokes through the thread and prevents the metal sounder from vibrating properly. A couple of nuts on a replacement bolt mean I can nip it up good and tight, and still have a sonorous bell.


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## Will Spin (14 Feb 2017)

youngoldbloke said:


> Yes - I've just done the same, onto another alloy frame with more clearance.I was surprised when I found that the brakes on the Ribble were not long drop as I'd always assumed. Very little left of the original blue Ribble now - see Triggers Broom Bike


Actually, there weren't many "good" parts that were worth transferring, in the end I think it was only the handlebars and the cassette! Not one of my best purchases.


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## gbb (14 Feb 2017)

gbb said:


> My old Trek 7100fx is tired and old now, but still a fully functional bike so starting a bit of a deep clean, service and square up.
> It's got aftermarket alloy cheap wheels on it which have given good service but look grubby.
> Going to spray them black...any suggestions to get a reasonable finish ?...gloss or matt aerosol ?..any specific prep apart from obvious cleaning and decreasing?


Handlebars removed, grips and shifters taken off, scuffs polished out a bit.
Front wheel removed, cleaned with a brillo pad, rinsed and dried then handlebars and wheel sprayed black.
Ongoing job...one cuppa drank and listened to some trance while working.


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## ianrauk (14 Feb 2017)

Freehub was sticking shut on the commute home. Every time I freewheeled or reverse peddled it stuck momentarily. So as soon as I got home put the bike up in the stand, got the wheel off, cassette off. Out with the fee-hub and there was a lot of reddish/brown muck in there. Cleaned the hub, pawls and retainer spring with WD40, wiped dry, oiled up and put back together. So fingers crossed all fixed for the commute tomorrow.


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## ianrauk (15 Feb 2017)

ianrauk said:


> Freehub was sticking shut on the commute home. Every time I freewheeled or reverse peddled it stuck momentarily. So as soon as I got home put the bike up in the stand, got the wheel off, cassette off. Out with the fee-hub and there was a lot of reddish/brown muck in there. Cleaned the hub, pawls and retainer spring with WD40, wiped dry, oiled up and put back together. So fingers crossed all fixed for the commute tomorrow.




Yep.. all now fine and dandy...sorted.


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## 13 rider (15 Feb 2017)

GGJ said:


> Not sure if I should call this a fettle or a bodge
> 
> 
> On today's ride I went over one of our local authorities traffic calming humps on the road, the type that are made from mono block bricks. Unfortunately for me there was a brick broken and I hit the hole with a bit of a thump. Then I heard a noise from the bike so pulled in as soon as I could to discover the rear mudguard had pulled away from the securing brackets due to the rivets being corroded with the salt on the roads. I've a new set of mudguards in the garage so I could change them over, or I could get the pop rivet gun out and re-rivet it. Instead t I decided to go for the easy option and used my trusty cable ties...
> ...


Top bodge . It's been know for people on head to use bluetac ( @Supersuperleeds  ) to repair mudguards so that will be fine .


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## Supersuperleeds (15 Feb 2017)

13 rider said:


> Top bodge . It's been know for people on head to use bluetac ( @Supersuperleeds  ) to repair mudguards so that will be fine .



Blue tac has gone 

The mud guard has now snapped clean in two and is being held together with packaging tape, has lasted a few weeks now 

If you're lucky you will see it on the forum ride, bet you can't wait


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## dave r (15 Feb 2017)

This is from yesterday, having spotted that the rear wheel bearings were stiff and gritty when I cleared and adjusted the rear mudguard last week I got round to sorting it out yesterday afternoon. I stripped out the locknuts to get access to the bearing seals, then popped the seals off and gave the bearings a good greasing. Then did the same to the front wheel bearings.


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## burntoutbanger (16 Feb 2017)

New tyres (front and rear) on the Merlin PR7, had two thousand miles from the stock tyres and probably could have had a little more but the rear was quite 'squared off', keeping the old front in case of emergency. Swapped for a pair of Schwalbe Luganos that I got an OK deal on. While I was at it replaced the rear pads (stock again) with a set of Tektro P453, had a set on the front for a while and have been happy with them.

Can't wait to get out for a test ride now which looks like it might not be till Saturday but may be able to sneak out for an hour tomorrow....


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## Salty seadog (16 Feb 2017)

Washed the 901 after rashing round the local trail centre, actually washed it twice as i gave it a hosing down after the first circuit, oh, and lubed of course.


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## User19783 (17 Feb 2017)

Fitted a new FSA BB 8420 68 mm to my Broadman hybrid, as the old one was getting stiff.
Didn't realize how expensive there are, £34.99 from Halfords, but I need it. And all is good now.


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## User19783 (17 Feb 2017)

[QUOTE 4686645, member: 9609"]If it is not worn out and just stiff and a bit grumbly -
if it is similar to mine then there is a dust cap on each end, prise these off and force as much grease in as you can get in. that may ease it off and you can keep it as an emergency spare. they really are a very simple bearing[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip, didn't know that.
will have a go later, got nowt to loose.


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## cosmicbike (17 Feb 2017)

Noted 'rocking' in the headset of my Boardman CX Team on the way to work last night, so nipped that up today. First time in just over 5000 miles so can't grumble..


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## User32269 (17 Feb 2017)

Had a nice early finish from work. Decided to get my wifes BSO running, after a year of being dumped, rusting, in the garden. New wheels, rack, gear shifters, brake cables and lots of getting rust off for three hours! Needs new gear cables tomorrow, then it's good to go.


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## PeteXXX (17 Feb 2017)

New inner tube fitted (outside Halfords front door) to the CX due to a double penetration visit by the p*ncture fairy, and a spare tube purchased to keep in the bike shed 'just in case'.


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## biggs682 (17 Feb 2017)

A quick re cable of front brake on the Dolan after changing the stem riser made the original to short 

And a quick check over on the Bmc for 2moro am's ride fingers crossed


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## dave r (17 Feb 2017)

This afternoon I gave the chain on my fixed a good clean then checked and oiled it, whilst I was at it I pulled the cranks took the bottom bracket out and looked at that as well. The chains in better nick than I thought it was, there's little wear on it, the bottom brackets a little bit rough but there's no play in it and it spins well, it could be the source of the roughness I can feel through the pedals sometimes. At some point I'll change the bottom bracket, the cog is worn as well so that will need changing as well.


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## wisdom (18 Feb 2017)

Boringly just routine maintainance on the commuter Mickled the chain and wiped everything over.Days are extending so will not be too long before the roadie comes out for work.


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## Rustybucket (18 Feb 2017)

Swapped some wheels and changed disc rotors over to my winter bike, new cassette and chain. All firsts for me and hopefully everything will be working next time I get a chance to go out on the bike!


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## iandg (18 Feb 2017)

Finished the Genesis Equilibrium build


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## Pale Rider (19 Feb 2017)

My fettling today was replacing the thumb control on my Rose/Bosch ebike.

It's been acting up a bit recently, possibly not helped by me dropping the bike on ice last month.

The screws in the pic are ludicrously small and very fiddly to fit where they screw in under the main display.

Quite pleased to have managed the job.

The new control came with four screws, so I had eight to play with.

Just as well, as I dropped two never to be seen again.

The little red oblong is a gasket which is about the thickness of a thread of cotton.

Fortunately, the existing gasket stayed in place - I doubt I could have managed to replace it.

The fixing under the main display doesn't get a lot of weather, maybe a bit of dust, so reusing the gasket shouldn't be a problem.


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## Tojo (19 Feb 2017)

Everything, I'll sort the flack out tomorrow as someone will point out that I've missed something.....


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## rowan 46 (19 Feb 2017)

put the sks longboards on my ride. Due to the unusual placement of the braze ons I had to attach to my rear rack and still the rear stays are only just long enough


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## Tom B (19 Feb 2017)

Took the rear wheel from my commuter to the LBS for truing, collected a nice true wheel in exchange for a fiver. When collecting the LBS told me the bearings were a bit loose so were nipped up. That reminded me that they also sounded like a bag of gravel.

Got home and stripped out the bearings/axle discovering bad pitting on both the cone and cup on the non drive side. Having got to that stage decided to build to back up using a new axle bearings and cones, but in the full knowledge it wont last long. Also noted that at some point the bearing cap/cover on the hub has been chewed and bent.
Need to decide on a new wheel or a rebuild.

Oh and the tube of grease in the grease gun popped leaving me with red grease all over the kitchen table.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Feb 2017)

The usual clean after a _very _muddy commuting week.

As mentioned previously I'm very pleased with my home made mudflap but decided to do a little more experimentation so have made a longer version for the front which now practically touches the floor when stationary, a front facing flap to try and reduce the spray which blows back onto the headtube and one for the rear to see whether that is useful (the rear mudguard is a little shorter than I'd like).

On a test ride nothing rattles or catches so all good thus far.


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## wisdom (19 Feb 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The usual clean after a _very _muddy commuting week.
> 
> As mentioned previously I'm very pleased with my home made mudflap but decided to do a little more experimentation so have made a longer version for the front which now practically touches the floor when stationary, a front facing flap to try and reduce the spray which blows back onto the headtube and one for the rear to see whether that is useful (the rear mudguard is a little shorter than I'd like).
> 
> On a test ride nothing rattles or catches so all good thus far.


Any pictures please.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Feb 2017)

wisdom said:


> Any pictures please.


I wasn't going to inflict pictures on everyone but since you've asked :





They're a little rough & ready and may be replaced by improved versions later on if successful.


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## wisdom (19 Feb 2017)

Neat job.If it works it's a sucess in my opinion.Anything that makes riding better is a good idea.


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## Pale Rider (19 Feb 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I wasn't going to inflict pictures on everyone but since you've asked :
> View attachment 338645
> View attachment 338646
> View attachment 338647
> ...



Mudguards need to be that long to work.

Very few factory ones are - another victory of form over function.

A tip which took me too long to work out is to keep the pedals level going through puddles - less water gets on your feet.


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## Pat "5mph" (20 Feb 2017)

Spring cleaning!
Away with that cranks, out that bottom bracket, polish them chainring!
Tomorrow's commute will tell if the noise I was getting from my nether regions  Has gone.


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## Hacienda71 (21 Feb 2017)

Looking after the kids this am as they are on half term. They are of an age where they are happy to entertain themselves. A bit bored so decided to start building up a cx frame bought of @dan_bo. Not enough time to finish it but made a bit of progress never the less.


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## dan_bo (21 Feb 2017)

Hacienda71 said:


> Looking after the kids this am as they are on half term. They are of an age where they are happy to entertain themselves. A bit bored so decided to start building up a cx frame bought of @dan_bo. Not enough time to finish it but made a bit of progress never the less.
> View attachment 338991



Nice and clean that mate! Doing Hit the North?


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## Hacienda71 (21 Feb 2017)

dan_bo said:


> Nice and clean that mate! Doing Hit the North?



Not sure. suspect that I may have a commitment that day looking after small people. The boy is playing club, county and regional hockey so I am turning into the stereotyped dads taxi......


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## raleighnut (21 Feb 2017)

Hacienda71 said:


> Not sure. suspect that I may have a commitment that day looking after small people. The boy is playing club, county and regional hockey so I am turning into the stereotyped dads taxi......


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## Blurb (26 Feb 2017)

After Friday's rim split on the commuter, new wheels, chain and crankset. 
I suspect the crankset has been iffy for some time, it's done 16000 miles on the middle chainring !!!


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2017)

ColinJ said:


> Some non-cycle fettling:
> 
> I have a decent pair of Audio Technica headphones which I use when watching TV or listening to music late at night. My hearing is not brilliant so I tend to turn the volume up more than most people and I don't want to annoy my neighbours. (Yes, the ones that I hear screaming at each other every day! )
> 
> ...


Except that ... the problem came back.

I thought that I would take the 'phones to pieces and have another go at sorting the problem out, but then I noticed that I had them on back to front - the left channel was on my right side and the right on my left. How come the sound was still distorting on the left?

Whichever way I turned the headphones, the distortion remained on my left. And then the horrible truth dawned on me - it is my left ear itself that is distorting! I conformed that by putting a finger in my ear and humming loudly - _buzz, buzz, buzz_!

I know that my hearing is damaged from listening to stupidly loud music as a young man but I thought it was just a loss of certain frequencies. Nope, I get distortion too. Oh super! 


PS To any younger music-loving CycleChat members reading this ... when old people tell you that your music is too loud and will damage your hearing, they are not just saying that to spoil your fun. I SAID YOUR MUSIC IS TOO LOUD AND WILL DAMAGE YOUR HEARING!!!


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2017)

Hang on a minute ... I have been fiddling about with that finger/ear and the distortion comes and goes. I wonder if I have a build-up of wax in that ear?

Looks like some _ear_-fettling is required!


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## ColinJ (27 Feb 2017)

[QUOTE 4700306, member: 9609"]Things you learn after 40 million spins of the wheel of a bike that I have maintained entirely myself.... i thought I knew every little bit of it.

about a week ago my indexing on the gears went all to pot, I have had a busy week on the bike too, knocking out a 140 miles (biggest week of the year so far). Anyway the indexing has not been clicking properly and it has not been changing well at all, and no amount of faffing with the barrel adjuster at the side of the road has helped one little bit. So today as storm ewen rolled through I took the whole lot to bits to work out what was going on.

View attachment 339845


for what ever reason sometime last week the toggle thing had been twizzled nearly around from SIS to 'FRIC' I didn't even know this function existed, I resorted to googlr to find that FRIC meant Friction and SIS was for indexing

All fixed and working perfectly now though , and I now know something new about my bike.[/QUOTE]
When I bought my first adult bike in 1989 it had shifters like those. I had the opposite experience - I had never experienced indexed gears before. As a teenager, my shifters were just friction type. I'd been familiar with hunting about to select a gear so it came as a very pleasant surprise to find that the gear lever just clicked straight to the correct position every time. A simple but brilliant innovation!


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## si_c (27 Feb 2017)

[QUOTE 4700306, member: 9609"]

for what ever reason sometime last week the toggle thing had been twizzled nearly around from SIS to 'FRIC' I didn't even know this function existed, I resorted to googlr to find that FRIC meant Friction and SIS was for indexing

All fixed and working perfectly now though , and I now know something new about my bike.[/QUOTE]

Just stick it in friction mode and have effortless, trouble free shifting for the rest of your life.


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## Low Gear Guy (27 Feb 2017)

I fixed my rear light with the aid of a soldering iron and a contact cleaning brush.


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## ColinJ (27 Feb 2017)

[QUOTE 4701254, member: 9609"]My first bike was friction, but only being 5 speed I guess the position of the leaver did not need be so precise, I never had any problems changing gear but do remember being very impressed when I gout my indexed shifter.
[/QUOTE]
I remember often not quite getting it right and hearing a ticking noise coming from the back as the chain tried to make its mind up which sprocket to settle on!


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## DCLane (27 Feb 2017)

My son and I worked on his new Cervelo S3 to get it ready for the new race season:

New 48 tooth ceramic chainring fitted to the Rotor 3DF crankset
Dura-Ace 11-28 cassette swapped for a Miche 16-30 one (couldn't find a 16-25/27)
Tyres swapped from Rubino Pro to GP4000 SII's
All seems OK. Now for a shakedown and onto the track ...


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## si_c (27 Feb 2017)

Got back from work today and the front brake was sticking on the right hand side, caliper not returning to it's rest position. They're Mafac Racer centrepulls, so it was simple enough to completely remove, disassemble, clean, grease properly, and reassemble. Now working flawlessly. Took the opportunity to shorten the straddle cable by a half inch to give a bit more bite, and re-toe in and align the pads.

Also wiped down the frame and noticed there were quite a few stiff links on the chain, and it was in generally poor condition, so cleaned it up a bit. Dropped the chain checker in, completely worn. Only done about 800km, although the road conditions on the new commute are terrible, and there has been a lot of grit and salt on the roads compared to my previous route. Will pop in to Evans tomorrow and get a new one.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Feb 2017)

Finished the re-build of the better half's Liv Avail today so it's now running full Ultegra,apart that is from the 10-speed cassette as the hubs on the stock wheels will not take an 11-speed one.

Will eventually get a 11-speed wheel(possibility of re-building a spare wheel i have which has a knackered free-hub to something like a Miche hub) or swap the Zondas over from my ally Ridley.

Also fitted new purple bar tape but the cross brake levers had to stay and some Elite cages.


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## TheJDog (28 Feb 2017)

Stripped down and cleaned my CAAD8 frame, ready for selling.

It's a lot easier to take a bike apart than to put it back together, that's for sure. Took me about an hour at most.


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## chriscross1966 (2 Mar 2017)

Had my first attempt at getting drops onto a brompton and still have it fold... wasn't successful but learned a lot about actually how to do it... trying to find the right length clamps is proving a bear, so I might just machine my own up.... it's that or come up with a modified stem that supports what I want to do.... it's possible I could get the functionailty out of a Dahon stem but I'd rather not fit one.... also realised I might be able to up the Campagnolo count on the current project with old 5-speed freewheel hub and a modified freewheel running four gears.... Would have to come up with a mod for the Brompton chain tensioner or massively modify a derailleur to shift it, but using a two-chainring setup at the front is a solved problem.... that would have me using a complete Campy grupetto, Cinelli bars and a Selle Italia saddle... painting it in Celeste..... will have to do the lettering in Helvetica Neue....


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## Leaway2 (2 Mar 2017)

Re greased and adjusted the rear wheel bearings.


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## dave r (3 Mar 2017)

Fitted a new bottom bracket, square taper, to my fixed this morning, no noises and I couldn't feel any play in it, it just felt rough through the pedals, when I got it out the left side bearing was knackered, lots of free play in it, I guess the cup was holding it in place.


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## gbb (3 Mar 2017)

Quick ride on the old winter commuter this morning, back, busied myself on this and that then ...
Replaced the 8 speed commuters chain, wear was showing at 1%....ooer. Well, suck it and see, maybe ok.
Replaced the Trek hybrids chain, wear showing at 0.75%.
Flat tyre discovered on the trek, will play later, still a fair bit to do on that one, just tinkering when the fancy takes me.
Flat tyre also on the winter commuter, there's been a lot of hedge cutting on the route I used this morning...ditto, will have a play about later.


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## Tin Pot (3 Mar 2017)

Finally got some fettling done yesterday 

Removed the cranks on my mates bike and replaced the bottom bracket - so easy it was untrue (with the right tools).

Reindexed my bike and unstuck the front derailleur.

New Swiss stop pads, first time using them.

A layer of white powder has coated the brake springs, and some other exposed metal that usually has a bit of rust on it...including some white patches on the rims and rear brake cable.

...I'm guessing this is pain cave sweat, as it does look like sweat salt.


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## Supersuperleeds (4 Mar 2017)

Cleaned the Sirrus and changed the saddle, which then meant I had to refit the quick clip for the saddle bag. Before that I cleaned the Allez and changed the rear pads as the stock ones on it had turned to mush, front ones look fine so left them alone.


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## Elybazza61 (5 Mar 2017)

Gave 4 of the bikes in the stable a quick look over as they have been neglected a bit lately.

Mostly checking chain condition and cleaning but had to free up the adjuster on the rear mech on the Icarus and make sure it was ok after swapping the Sora chainset in but it's all ok now.

Planet X needs a good clean but it's been slinging it down here so will have to wait.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (5 Mar 2017)

Cassette on my turbo was eating the freehub so strip clean and a good lashing of grease before rebuild. (Also took opportunity to grease axles and freehub pawls


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## RoubaixCube (7 Mar 2017)

Helmet smelt a little rank so i gave the pads and straps a wash. I think its about time i get myself a new helmet again soon (R.I.P Atomos II)

::EDIT::

Helmet still ponged after leaving it in the sun for 2 hours so i bought it back and gave it a proper wash. Smells less rancid now. Still undecided on a Kask Mojito


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## Pale Rider (9 Mar 2017)

Removed the studded tyres from my 20" ebike, so expect some sharp frosts in the next couple of weeks.


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## keithmac (9 Mar 2017)

We had a motorcycle in today, beleive it or not it had been in 5 different shops over 7 months and nobody could fix it.

Soon as I started it up it had all the hallmarks of fuel starvation (lean idle, bogging under load).

After investigating and fitting a fuel pressure guage we narrowed it down to fuel pump failure.

Stripped panels off and pulled out pump assembly, found a hose in the tank had failed so it was leaking pressurised fuel which should have been going to the injector!. 

Replaced the in tank hose (with proper submersible pipe), rebuilt and roadtested.

Customer was over the moon, last shop had suggested an ECU replacement due to Throttle Position Failure (£600 part..).


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Mar 2017)

The usual clean and lubrication of a very mucky knockabout bike.

I've also made some alteration to the cockpit of the Raleigh ready for a new season of riding on it:






When I set up the Dawes I really liked the bar end shifters I fitted but did find it a little confusing swapping between bikes as they turn the opposite way to the twist grips on the Raleigh.

Solving that issue by fitting Dura Ace shifters on the Raleigh too would be very nice but a little more than I'd like to spend to try out an idea, so I've taken a punt on some SunRace M90 thumb shifters which have quite a similar look but are a tad more affordable at £18 each.

First impressions are that they were quite easy to set up and that the solid build and positive shifting of them are just as I'd hoped. Space on the bar became a little tighter once they were fitted due to the different cable run so the bell has had to move onto the stem.

A test ride shows they'll take a little getting used to but I'm looking forward to racking up some miles.


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## guitarpete247 (12 Mar 2017)

I didn't so much Fettle as Un-Fettle.
We've had the old washing machine in the back garden for about a month waiting for a break in the weekend weather to scrap it. I wanted the drum out to make a garden burner and the glass window to make a small cloche. Plus we have to go out of the back garden, down a narrow path to get to the garages, to get washer in the car. And washers, with the concrete blocks, weigh to much for me and the Missus.
Stripped it down, took the concrete blocks off, the drum out then had to split that to get the stainless steel drum out. There was a massive build up of soap and calcium around the drive shaft. It's now in the garden hoping rain will help clean it before I build a brick stand and have our first fire.
I can't get the drive shaft off so does anyone have any pictures or links to what has been done by themselves or others?
It was a lot easier to carry round to car and easier to put into correct recycling skips.


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## raleighnut (12 Mar 2017)

guitarpete247 said:


> I didn't so much Fettle as Un-Fettle.
> We've had the old washing machine in the back garden for about a month waiting for a break in the weekend weather to scrap it. I wanted the drum out to make a garden burner and the glass window to make a small cloche. Plus we have to go out of the back garden, down a narrow path to get to the garages, to get washer in the car. And washers, with the concrete blocks, weigh to much for me and the Missus.
> Stripped it down, took the concrete blocks off, the drum out then had to split that to get the stainless steel drum out. There was a massive build up of soap and calcium around the drive shaft. It's now in the garden hoping rain will help clean it before I build a brick stand and have our first fire.
> I can't get the drive shaft off so does anyone have any pictures or links to what has been done by themselves or others?
> It was a lot easier to carry round to car and easier to put into correct recycling skips.


Normally to get the pulley off the back you undo the locknut then unscrew the pulley (some have a woodruff key in a slot but not many) you can then reverse the pulley and screw it back on so that it forms a stand (btw they're only normal threads hence the 'locknut' on the end of the shaft)


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## guitarpete247 (12 Mar 2017)

I've got the pulley off. i'm left with the shaft that was attached to the pulley. There were 3 bolts that went through the drum to the tri-bladed frame.

I removed the bolts but it still doesn't want to come off. Could be the build of 15 years of soap and calcium. 
The pulley was one of the bits that went to the skip.


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## biggs682 (12 Mar 2017)

Just swapped the wheelset on the Ribble and whilst there i replaced the chain & rear cassette to a 30 - 12 unit so that should mean i can do all of my rides o the Ribble now with that gearing


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## Jenkins (12 Mar 2017)

Yet more cleaning and lubricating on the Kona, Whyte, Van Nicholas, 13 & Boardman

Also got round to fitting a chain tensioner to the Boardman (which is now being run as a single speed), but I've had to fit a 16 tooth sprocket as I just couldn't get tjhe correct chain length to go with the 17 tooth I was running.


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## DCLane (12 Mar 2017)

I've taken a temporary dislike to the Eastway I've been using all winter. The day before I was going to put it on sale it's thrown a big hissy fit - rear derailleur not working plus bottom bracket crunching:

New rear gear cable and Claris rear mech cleaned
It now needs a new bottom bracket, new chain, bar tape and possibly other parts.


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## Gravity Aided (12 Mar 2017)

numbnuts said:


> Mince pies baking  and eating


Just finished steak and potato pie.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Mar 2017)

I took my Trek 600 (1985) from the trainer, and greased wheels, BB, and headset (Hinault-Stronglight) and fitted a new speedometer to replace the original equipment one bought at the time of original sale. I swapped out some of my more tired tires as well, and I also shaved my head, and cooked steak and potato pie.


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## si_c (13 Mar 2017)

Tried swapping the QR axle from a dead wheel to the rear wheel for my purple pug. Tried doing it without removing the freewheel as I don't have the tool.

Now waiting for the tool. And a new axle. Arrive tomorrow. Try again.


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## raleighnut (13 Mar 2017)

guitarpete247 said:


> I've got the pulley off. i'm left with the shaft that was attached to the pulley. There were 3 bolts that went through the drum to the tri-bladed frame.
> View attachment 342092
> I removed the bolts but it still doesn't want to come off. Could be the build of 15 years of soap and calcium.
> The pulley was one of the bits that went to the skip.



View: https://youtu.be/Kg58qH0oeko


If you've binned the pulley I think you'll have to take an angle grinder to the shaft and then plonk it on bricks.


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## si_c (13 Mar 2017)

Swapped the axle over. Couldn't remove the freewheel in the end as I don't have the strength in my shoulder at the moment, so cleaned the bearing races, the bearings, and put the new axle in. Job done.


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## DCLane (15 Mar 2017)

Two of us started work on the newly arrived, and very battered, Columbus X-wing with a flat bar conversion. Half of me was toying with building a bike with a 36 rear cassette but I've been persuaded not to:

Wheels off and checked - all good 
Square taper crankset off and very poor condition bottom bracket out.
Replacement (used) Hollowtech 2 bottom bracket in - can't remember where it came from 
Shimano Sora crankset fitted which should suit both of us as it's 170mm
Paint started - two coats of black Humbrol on the many, many chips and scrapes
Still to do:

White and then red paint
Add drop bars (thanks @rugbyleaguebiker for dropping the bars off - this is what it'll be on
Fit 10 speed shifters. Not sure whether they'll be Ultegra or Tiagra yet but I think it'll be Tiagra.
Change the rear derailleur to 10 speed. Front clamp-on Sora's staying, mainly because I can't be bothered finding a replacement
Find and fit a 10 speed 11-32 cassette
New 10 speed chain, cables and bar tape
It looks like this although the black paint's now been touched in and there's now a black crankset:







We also did some work on his Giant TCR training bike as he may need to race on it in York on Saturday and he's using it for the Yorkshire roller racing championships rather than his Cervelo:

Training wheels fitted with a 16-25 U14's youth cassette
Crankset swapped for his Ultegra 48-34 set-up
I then set to work on my Principia RSLe - adjusting the headset and changing the front wheel. If the rumbling noise from the forks is gone then one of those two worked.

The Eastway however is in the doghouse until I have the patience to look at it again! New bottom bracket to fit, then possibly a rear derailleur, followed by bar tape if it all works properly. Only then can it go on sale


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## si_c (16 Mar 2017)

Moved Violet (the purple pug) over to the turbo trainer permanently, put a vittoria trainer wheel on the back, new chain and cleaned thoroughly. Could probably do with a service of the rear wheel though, as it's a touch out of true, and I'm hoping that fixing that will reduce the noise from the trainer a bit.


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## gbb (19 Mar 2017)

Wheels off, cassette off, freehub out and while thinking about a discussion the other day about preloaded adjusters on Fulcrums, I checked the method on mine and as I suspected, there doesn't appear to be any on earlier hubs, however tight you do the tube nuts, it doesn't appear to effect the bearings.
Cleaned evérything, several rags necessary, reassemble.
Chain removed using my home made quick link splitter..




note the half round notches cut into a pair of circling pliers.
Chain checker shows less than .75 wear on most of the chain but occasionally drops in at odd points ,time to start looking for a new one. 
Lubed with chainsaw oil, wiped and put away.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Mar 2017)

A post-winter service for the knockabout bike. Unfortunately I'd let the chain wear go a little too far so a new chain went on along with a SRAM cassette as a change to the usual cheap Shimanos.

Wheels and pedals serviced with new ball bearings as required. The click when riding that I mentioned in another thread seems to have been one of the pedal bearings as it had gone on the test ride. Having covered more than 10,000 miles the bottom bracket still runs perfectly smoothly and without any play so looks good for a while yet.

The middle chainring is past its best (has also done over 10,000 miles) and is a little noisy with the new chain but doesn't skip or suffer chainsuck so should last until the latest chain wears out. Also, the rear wheel rim is looking a bit concave after a hard winter (it was new in October) so I'll either need to replace it soon or swap it for the other new wheel that currently has spiked tyres on.


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## Vantage (19 Mar 2017)

Fitted my shiny new Brooks B17. And it's in honey...to match the bar tape and Pendle


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## Pale Rider (20 Mar 2017)

My fettle today was to fit a bar end mirror.

That's (slightly) more interesting than it sounds because the bike has Ergon grips with bar ends.

My previous bike had those, but there was no way to fit a bar end mirror because the bar ends of the grips covered the end of the handlebars and could not be removed separately.

The latest Biocork Ergons are designed in such a way to leave a hole in the end of the handlebars.

Pleased about that, I use a mirror all the time, and the large one fitted to the bike is a bit compromised due to its inboard position.

It will be coming off after a road test, but a minor irritation is the bracket is cast in one piece, so to remove it I shall have to remove the Rohloff shifter, the Ergon grip and, of course, the new mirror I've just fitted.


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## DCLane (21 Mar 2017)

The Columbus X-wing is getting there with the paint touch-up finished. Just needs bar tape, cables, rear derailleur, chain, tyres and a cassette. Work is stalled until the cassette arrives so it's still reversible to flat bar just in case something comes up before next Tuesday's deadline:






I then had 30 minutes spare to begin to build my Wilier Montegrappa frame bought last year:





The wheels are temporary! However, so far it's had:

New rear mech hanger plus square taper bottom bracket removed
Ultegra bottom bracket with Ultegra 6800 52/36 crankset and pedals from the square taper one fitted
Spesh Tarmac bars and Cinelli Dinamo stem pinched from my 12yo's bike
Ultegra 6700 shifters, front & rear derailleurs plus brakes
Seatpost and Bontrager Paradigm saddle
Cables in red, chain and bar tape to do. Once finished it'll be my summer 2017 and then winter 2017/18 bike to allow me to make a 'nice' purchase once fully well.


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## alecstilleyedye (21 Mar 2017)

mickled the chain


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## RoubaixCube (21 Mar 2017)

Cleaned the Cube -- First time ive touched it since the southend ride, bar tape has been restored. Noticed some corrosion on some of the brakes & fixings and rear caliper wasnt running so smoothly anymore so it has been removed completely for servicing but i got lazy and decided to go for a full Ultegra 6800 upgrade instead. The current brakes are Shimano BR-RS500's which arent bad at all.

Just waiting on new outer cables & the ultegra brake calipers to arrive.

For a bike that spends a majority of its time indoors or out in the dry it sure does corrode and rust quite quickly. Though i think i have myself to blame as i was riding it during some of the much colder winter months when roads had to be gritted.

With that said my Triban has been out in the wind, rain & gritted roads many a time and its more or less running perfectly fine.


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## Pat "5mph" (21 Mar 2017)

Gave the Pinnacle a good clean, chopped off another inch both sides of the bars.
Gave the Genesis a good clean too, noticed the back wheel was coming undone  tightened the QR, then of course the brake was rubbing.
So looked up on how to adjust mechanical disk brakes, did it, now there is only a slight rub, if it persists I'm going to take it to the lbs, it's not even 6 months old.
Cleaned the ice bike too, as today it was snowing here, ice is forecast for the next couple of days.
Noticed the rear derailleur is bent a bit, straightened it some by hand  not going in the spokes, so all good.
Also fitted a quick link to the chain.
Noticed as well the rear wheel is a bit wobbly, may fix it tomorrow or may ride it like that for a commute


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## Will Spin (22 Mar 2017)

Replaced the cassette on my Ribble 365. I replaced the chain recently but found that the gears were jumping when under load and according to my strava stats the cassette had done 5,000 miles, anyway that sorted the problem out. Also, yet more fiddling with the mudguards as I recently fitted 28mm tubeless tyres and trying to get clearance and a neat looking fit has proved to be a lengthy exercise, hope I've sorted it now. BTW I've done about 1200 miles on the tubeless tyres, a couple of flat tyre incidents, which I put down to learning curve problems but on the whole a better than tubed at this time of year.


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## RobinS (22 Mar 2017)

Adjusted the height of the rear rack on my Revolution Country Explorer - after fitting new SKS Chromoplastic mudguards, giving greater clearance over the 38mm Marathons I found that there was not enough clearance to refit the rack mounted rear light - one adjustment always leads to another! (only another 4 weeks of fettling before departure on a 4 - 5 month trip)


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## kingrollo (22 Mar 2017)

Replacement pedals on the giant defy - (winter\commuting bike)


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## clockworksimon (22 Mar 2017)

A few fettles for my new Btwin Hoptown 300 single speed folding bike n+1 bargain.

Swapped cheapo 44t chainset for an old Sugino triple with just a 48t ring in place. Increased gearing from an inadequate 51 inches to much better 56 inches. Also improved the chain line.

Haven't had any joy sourcing a longer seat post. Even beyond the minimum insertion limit but with 10cm inserted I felt I needed another cm to feel right but wasn't happy to push limits any further. Decided to extend the bottom of the tube myself. Located an offcut of decent quality wooden pole of almost exactly the right diameter. Epoxy glued 6 inches into the lower part of the seatpost and allowed to set overnight. Next day built up the diameter of the protruding post using glass fibre filler. Filed down to fit the seat post exactly and used epoxy to even off where needed. Left for 24 hours to cure then tried it out properly. I now have about 9cm of the metal seatpost in the frame along with another 12cm of new extended post. This now extends for most of the length of the seat tube. Before the modification, without the seatclamp tightened, there was a bit of play in the seatpost fitting. Not any more. A bit Heath Robinson but thanks to having all the bits I needed, at no cost, I am now much happier about having plenty of seatpost in the frame and with saddle at optimal height. Am 100% happy with the overall strength of the modification although am aware that it has added a little more weight.

Just to finish things off, I also fitted some old bar ends. 

Took for a test ride around town and to the shops. Overall am very happy with the bike now. Look forward to avoiding lots of car park charges and the stress of finding spaces in busy town centres when in a hurry.


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## Elybazza61 (24 Mar 2017)

Old Trek now converted to a 9-speed rear mech only flat bar 'beater' for work duties,will save riding the other halfs' heavy old Raleigh MTB.

Actually rides pretty nice although the gears are a bit iffy probably due to a 10 speed cassette,not worth faffing about changing it though will probably only be run in one or two gears only.


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## Asa Post (24 Mar 2017)

After doing public penance for my knackered chain rings, I followed the advice of @dave r and others and bought a new set from Spa Cycles. They arrived this morning, and I fitted them this afternoon together with a new chain.





I took the opportunity to reduce the size, as I didn't use the biggest gears very often, and lower gears are always welcome on hills when you're getting old. 
I've gone from 50-39-30 to 46-36-24. I also reduced the crank length from 170 mm to 160 (being a short-ar$e).

After repositioning the front mech, I had a brief test ride. All seems well. The lower gears don't make the hills feel much easier, but I can ride at a better cadence. The shorter cranks don't feel any different.


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## HLaB (24 Mar 2017)

Not a major task but I swapped the front break pads on the bike after putting on new tyres a few weeks ago. I'll change the cables and retape it this weekend if I get time so its reborn for spring


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## dave r (24 Mar 2017)

A bit of a bike fettling evening today, the fixed got a clean polish and check over. The geared bike got taken out from the back of the shed where its stood for the winter and got a clean and a polish, it also got a new chain, after a year and 3000 miles the old one was knackered, it got its wheel bearings cleaned and greased, and whilst the chain was off I pulled the cranks and the bottom bracket got a clean and some fresh grease.


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## Drago (26 Mar 2017)

Right, getting serious about finishing my Pace build. The frame has been hanging up a good year and I've been a naughty boy by neglecting it.

Soooooo, rubbed it down, 400, 600 and 800 grit ready for paint. Cleaned, and closely inspected for cracks or damage. Relieved to find there is none - its supposed to be a low mileage frame, and the signs are that it probably is.

New Ritchey headset ordered.


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## Gravity Aided (26 Mar 2017)

Rolled past the pawnshop on my way home from work, and did a double take at the bike rack in front. There was an old beaten Cannondale Delta V 1000, one of the first full suspension MTBs from 1992. I changed out tires and tubes, lubed things a bit, and got the shifters working again in preparation for a ride round the block to see how it fares. Quite the bike, finally a mountain bike I love. It needs a complete and total overhaul of the bottom bracket and rear suspension, and it will be trail ready. It came with a HUGE seatpost, as these bicycles came only in a 17" frame that year, one size fits all. It's fun to ride, and fun to fettle. A lot of innovative ideas incorporated into this bike. An air/oil shock in the headset, no independent fork mounted suspension, and a micro adjustable rear shock, as well as Cannondales' forerunner to the V-brake. Looks like a glutton for adventure, but I'm sure there is still a lot of life left in it as well.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Mar 2017)

Later that same evening....
Crankarms are now off, after a great and mighty struggle. The left crankarm, most stubborn of the two, gave way after I got out the grinder. In this case, the mere threat of a grinder caused the ubudgeable to indeed budge. I also patched a tube on the road, over at the marijuana dispensary, as they have a nice planter out front I could sit on and patch the tube at leisure, instead of at roadside. Now I have to order a special tool to remove the bottom bracket, but as I need it for three others eventually, maybe more in future, it will be a good investment.


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## Leaway2 (27 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Right, getting serious about finishing my Pace build. The frame has been hanging up a good year and I've been a naughty boy by neglecting it.
> 
> Soooooo, rubbed it down, 400, 600 and 800 grit ready for paint. Cleaned, and closely inspected for cracks or damage. Relieved to find there is none - its supposed to be a low mileage frame, and the signs are that it probably is.
> 
> New Ritchey headset ordered.


Will you be painting it yourself or having it done elsewhere?


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## RoubaixCube (28 Mar 2017)

6800 brakes are in. I guess i'll fit them on as today as im off work. Laundry is already done and out on the washing line. Triban could do with a clean but it doesnt look that naff just yet.


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## Tom B (28 Mar 2017)

With the arrival of the warmer conditions I have taken the opportunity to tidy up a few bits.

Fitted a new chain as the old one had reached 1%. Did i mention that Shimano HG40 can be had for under £3 at Halfrauds.

I have shortened the outer on my rear gear cable after replacing the mech a month or so ago. This has improved the shifting massively taking out the squishyness that I had been unable to dial out. Noticed that the outers on both cables at the front are cracked and will require replacement soon.

Replaced the spoiler on the front mudguard hopefully keeping my toes drier.

Noticed a fluid leak on a brake lever which tallies with a loss of feeling in the brake, cleaned and tightened the union and bled and filled. 
Still not convinced so ordered some olives and inserts.

Cleaned the oily bits, the frame is still filthy.




Asa Post said:


> The shorter cranks don't feel any different.



It just goes to show how massively personal this stuff is. I have access to a couple of bikes that are pretty much the same except for crank length. I can tell a huge difference and feel constricted and like the bike with smaller cranks is too small for me. Im 5'9 with 31" inside leg.


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## DCLane (28 Mar 2017)

My youngest's Giant TCR suffered a broken mech hanger on Saturday and he limped home single-speed.

Today the replacement hanger arrived. Or rather two of them, so this time we have an immediate spare  . As a result I:

Fitted the new rear hanger and the Ultegra rear derailleur onto it
New gear cable inner with new outer at the back. Ultegra 6700 shifters are a pain to fit cables in 
New chain fitted
All working but jumping a little in top gear.

As I was in a 'gear fitting' mode attention was turned to the Columbus X-wing we're re-converting back to drop bar. It received a chain and the front / rear derailleurs set. That leaves new brake straddle barrels to fit (adjustables coming), bar tape and new tyres to finish.


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## GuyBoden (29 Mar 2017)

Trying to re-grease the bb on my old Raleigh winter bike, it won't budge, even with the correct adjustable pin spanner and an extension tube for more leverage..... 

Soaked it in "Free It" oil for a few days, but it still won't budge, so, I've ordered a Park Tools Pin spanner.....

This BB type:


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## Tin Pot (29 Mar 2017)

I can happily state that the lifeline pressfit bb tool is a piece of shoot as far as power torque bb86 cups are concerned.

Booked into the shop tomorrow to remove and seat properly.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Mar 2017)

Still working on getting the old BB out over here, PB Blaster marinade in its third day. Ammonia is available for the nuclear option.


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## PeteXXX (30 Mar 2017)

Proper 'wheels off' wash today. After last nights ride, it needed it!
Then a wipe over with GT85 (the bike, not me )


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## Illaveago (30 Mar 2017)

The dreaded seized seat post. I know it looks a bit drastic but the usual method didn't work especially when top where the seat mounting fits inside post started rotating. So out with a drill, some angled dexion and a nut and bolt and it still wouldn't budge, I could see it twisting as far as the frame but no further.
My wife asked me if I could unblock a drain with some caustic soda so whilst I had some mixed up I thought I would try it on the post. I used some plumbers mate to make a bit of a well with some plastic tape, and with gloves and goggles on I poured some of the caustic soda on the post. It leaked a bit, but it cleaned up the corrosion at the top. I washed the frame off with water and tried heaving on the angle, still no movement so I sprayed it with WD40 and left it over night.
This afternoon I tried heaving on the bar again and it gradually started moving, so with a bit of back and forth and more spray it worked loose.


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## GuyBoden (30 Mar 2017)

Illaveago said:


> The dreaded seized seat post. I know it looks a bit drastic but the usual method didn't work especially when top where the seat mounting fits inside post started rotating. So out with a drill, some angled dexion and a nut and bolt and it still wouldn't budge, I could see it twisting as far as the frame but no further.
> My wife asked me if I could unblock a drain with some caustic soda so whilst I had some mixed up I thought I would try it on the post. I used some plumbers mate to make a bit of a well with some plastic tape, and with gloves and goggles on I poured some of the caustic soda on the post. It leaked a bit, but it cleaned up the corrosion at the top. I washed the frame off with water and tried heaving on the angle, still no movement so I sprayed it with WD40 and left it over night.
> This afternoon I tried heaving on the bar again and it gradually started moving, so with a bit of back and forth and more spray it worked loose.
> View attachment 344780



When aluminium posts are stuck into a steel frame, the caustic soda technique does work, but it takes about 4 to 7 days. Aluminium "welds" itself to the steel, it's a chemical reaction over time. WD40 won't do anything in this situation. I've used caustic soda, but it ruins the paintwork near the top of the seat post.

Procedure:
Cut the seat post off about 3inch from the top and pour in caustic soda into the seat post hole, alternatively remove the BB and pour caustic soda in from the bottom (block all holes up first). leave and top up every day until the Aluminium has gone. (Wear gloves and goggles.)


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## Gravity Aided (31 Mar 2017)

Do this outside, by the way. It smells bad when this reaction occurs, and the byproduct of the chemical reaction is hydrogen. (Just a caution for first time users.).


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## Tin Pot (31 Mar 2017)

LBS refit BB
I did the crankset
Finished fitting the brakes, some fine tuning to do still (rear brake won't release)
Bars
Shifters
Derailleurs and chain
Adjusted the seat to fit
Adjusted bar height

KMC link won't fully get into place unlike every other KMC chain I've used so I need to get another fecking tool tomorrow.


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## I like Skol (31 Mar 2017)

Tin Pot said:


> KMC link won't fully get into place unlike every other KMC chain I've used so I need to get another fecking tool tomorrow.


Tool for what? If the link wont click into place then turn the pedals until the chain link is at the top (above chainstay, between cassette and chainrings) then stand on the pedals and pedal. If that doesn't do it then throw the link away and get another because there is clearly something wrong with that one!


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## confusedcyclist (31 Mar 2017)

Finally getting around to building my dynamo wheel... and the evening commute just got light, doh!

Gratuitous heroic pose to follow...


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## dave r (31 Mar 2017)

A minor fettle for me today, I'd noticed the rear mudguard on my Eastway had started to rattle, an inspection revealed a broken bracket , the one that bolts to the rear brake spindle. The thing is I'd used my spare bracket on a previous repair so I had to have a root round in the back of the shed, eventually I found an old mudguard with a bracket attached and was able to use it to replace the broken one and I'm now looking forward to quieter rides in future.


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## I like Skol (1 Apr 2017)

confusedcyclist said:


> Finally getting around to building my dynamo wheel... and the evening commute just got light, doh!
> 
> Gratuitous heroic pose to follow...
> 
> ...


Respect, from a fellow wheel building hero


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## Deleted member 41544 (1 Apr 2017)

DCLane said:


> Two of us started work on the newly arrived, and very battered, Columbus X-wing with a flat bar conversion. Half of me was toying with building a bike with a 36 rear cassette but I've been persuaded not to:
> 
> Wheels off and checked - all good
> Square taper crankset off and very poor condition bottom bracket out.
> ...


That X wing is gonna be a beaut, looking forward to seeing the finished bike


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 Apr 2017)

I've been out between the showers to fit a front mudflap and a B&M Secula rear lamp to the Galaxy, which took a little longer than it sounds as both items required drilling the mudguards.

It looks good and a couple of miles of test riding shows that the mudflap doesn't rattle or flap about so it's all ready to rack up some miles.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Apr 2017)

Repairs complete to the Cannondale, now on to new cables and consumables. I had to use a Dremel tool and a chainsaw sharpening stone to cut the remains of the bottom bracket cup away from the BB shell, I just stopped when I started seeing the very outlines of the threads . I then used an old BB cup with slots cut into it to chase the threads and remove the corrosion remains and any of the original cup left behind. I also removed the fixed cup via the 3/4 inch bolt method, although I had to use a four foot bar as a wrench extension. All properly greased and put back together until the sealed BB gets ordered. Upper body exercises done for the week.


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## wisdom (2 Apr 2017)

Sons bike"it's jumping gears" said he So the whole bike had a thorough clean relubed everything.Indexed the gears now smooth as silk....Except it won't go onto the big front chain ring.It's trying and the front mech is at full movement.I wonder if he's clouted it on something and it's gone out of alignment some how. (Any thoughts would be welcome please).Its a giant boulder MTB.running mid range shimano mechs.
My bike.Ridgeback supernova.Thorough clean and lube following a wet week commuting.Then new large chain ring kmc chain and back casette.Re Indexed now sweet as a nut.Pedals off stripped and greased thoroughly cleaned and the cleat clips adjusted and a drop of oil put on the moving bit's. All very satisfying although the deore chain ring and casette were pricey I cannot complain given the mileage I do.


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## Elybazza61 (2 Apr 2017)

Fitted Sora trigger shifters on to the Trek multitrack and connected(working as 7-speed) to the rear mech;can't connect the front as it's for a braze-on type so will get a band-on fitting when I take the bike to work on Tuesday but at least it's rideable.

Original triple chainset is still on as the double I want to fit will need a longer bb which again will be fitted on Tuesday as well as the front mech and the free hub on the rear.Will get the wheels trued as well.


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## bruce1530 (2 Apr 2017)

Decided that I’d get to the bottom of an annoying rattle that has developed over recent weeks, which only appears on rough roads. Was pretty sure it was the front mudguard. 

But it seemed secure. Took it off to be sure. 

The rattle is still there.

Took off the back mudguard. Still rattling.

Removed saddlebag. Still rattling.

Started looking at more obscure stuff. Could it be the brake/gear cables hitting against the down tube? The water bottle? 

Nope.

It was the pump.


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## clockworksimon (3 Apr 2017)

Fitted some folding pedals from Decathlon. £9.99 and guaranteed for 2 years and make a real difference to folded size. Switched the chainset on the folding bike from a 48t to 52t which has increased the gearing from 56 inches to 61 inches. Took for 10 mile ride in the sunny weather to test it out and it now feels well fettled! My family is asking why I am going for proper rides on a noddy looking single speed folding bike? For some reason I am loving the freedom of riding in normal clothes and shoes instead of togging up for a ride on one of my proper bikes.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Apr 2017)

Fitted a new cable for the front derailleur today on the Cannondale, then washed it down after the great fettling sessions of the past week, as well as a general lack of care or maintenance for the past few years. Looks a bit better, but it's never going to be a great looking bicycle again in the near future, just a great running bicycle. At least for now. If I run across some period Cannondale transfers on E-Bay, I may go with some sort of camouflage look or maybe a tribute to dazzle painting or summat.


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## Tom B (3 Apr 2017)

After changing the chain a couple of days ago I decided to have a fiddle and find the annoying noise that was there whenever the chain moved. I'd sort of zoneed out of it, but I had noticed that people on paths heard me coming more than usual.

Found that I'd incorrectly threaded the RD and the chain was scraping on a pin on the cage between the jockeys.

I still can't believe I'd done it! - so just the 120 miles or so with it like that!


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## Tin Pot (3 Apr 2017)

Fiddled around looking for a clicking noise, seemed to be the right crank on part of the rear brake but very hard to see. Fiddled to get it clear, satisfied and of course the noise was still there!

I settled into a turbo session and it went away


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## GuyBoden (4 Apr 2017)

In between cups of tea, I've re-greased the bearings on my Winter (wet weather) bike. (BB, Wheels, Headset, pedals)

Re-greased the wheels on my Summer (dry weather) bike, while it was a sunny day.....

Hopefully both, should be good for a while.........


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## FishFright (4 Apr 2017)

Changed the oil in my old Marzocchi forks and refitted to my Kona hardtail, along with new stem and bars.


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## PeteXXX (7 Apr 2017)

New chain fitted to the Inflite8, gears indexed and brakes adjusted. Sadly, no time for a test ride though. 
That'll be tomorrow.


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## Supersuperleeds (8 Apr 2017)

Took the ice tyres off the hybrid this morning before going out for a ride, then adjusted the brakes on the commuter when I got back. need to change the pads on the road bike - going to do that now


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## Mo1959 (8 Apr 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Took the ice tyres off the hybrid this morning before going out for a ride, then adjusted the brakes on the commuter when I got back. need to change the pads on the road bike - going to do that now


I stuck some Swissstop on earlier before I went out. Felt much better.


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## Supersuperleeds (8 Apr 2017)

Mo1959 said:


> I stuck some Swissstop on earlier before I went out. Felt much better.



I changed the rear pads a few weeks ago to Swissstop but left the front ones as the stock pads were still okay. Anyway stock ones are still on it, our lass grabbed me to chop some branches up when I went into the garden, by the time I was done I decided there was still some life left in the stock pads


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## Mo1959 (8 Apr 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> by the time I was done I decided there was still some life left in the stock pads


AKA you couldn't be bothered after chopping branches?


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## Hugh Manatee (9 Apr 2017)

Annual wash day today. The fantastic weather has also made today the day the mudguards come off. I also need to look at (find!) the jockey wheels as the chain seems to be unshipping itself again.

I also have to get the Garmin cadence thing working again. Here are some before pictures:


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## raleighnut (9 Apr 2017)

Hugh Manatee said:


> Annual wash day today. The fantastic weather has also made today the day the mudguards come off. I also need to look at (find!) the jockey wheels as the chain seems to be unshipping itself again.
> 
> I also have to get the Garmin cadence thing working again. Here are some before pictures:
> 
> ...


That's proper mucky,


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## NorthernDave (9 Apr 2017)

Washed and lubed both road bikes, including chain mickling.

Got to say how much easier it is now I've put an outdoor tap in and can use a hosepipe (apologies to our friends in the southeast who are apparently already facing a hosepipe ban after just two sunny days...)


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## Dogtrousers (9 Apr 2017)

Just a little clean but noticed that the rear gear cable has started to fray under the BB. Hmph. The cables have been there since the bike was new 12,000 km ago.

So I guess I'd better repkace both inners and outers. And that will mean retaping the bars. So I might as well do the brake cables too. 

I've also read that apex shifters are very awkward to thread.


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## gbb (9 Apr 2017)

To try to understand what's happening to me or the bike and stop shimmying everytime I pick up speed on downhills, took the regretful decision to take off my GP4000II front tyre and fit a Schwalbe Blizzard I picked up brand new a couple years ago at a car boot. 
It's like taking 3 steps backwards but tyres are the one thing I have changed just before acquiring the seemingly obligatory shimmy every time I ride, so just trying beaded tyres again...just to eliminate possible causes.


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## stumpy66 (9 Apr 2017)

Fitted my warranty replacement PowerTap c1 power meter.


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## si_c (10 Apr 2017)

Spent a bit of time yesterday in the sun with the Felt trying to get a couple of annoying niggles out of the way. Ended up that all that was needed was a quarter turn of the H screw on the front derailleur.

Spent some time putting the remaining commuter bits on, so pump, saddlebag etc. Seems OK on the ride in this morning, although might need some final adjustments with the saddle as I had to move it back about a half cm to get the bracket in.


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## redvision95 (10 Apr 2017)

Helped a friend out by repairing the front bumper on his MK3 Transit. He had a wall jump out on him from nowhere apparently  resulting in a lovely 2 and a half inch crack on the passenger side of the bumper. Removed the hole bumper, Drilled the crack at the end, Got the soldering iron out (only a £7 ebay one!) and stitch welded the back. Filled in the crack on the front of the bumper using cable ties as filling material and left it for a while to cool down, Did the same to the rear of the bumper and refitted the bumper to the van. Nice and sturdy again and only cost £1 to do 

Also finally got around to adjusting the rear derailleur on the BSO. It shifts a hell of a lot better now, No more clunking into gear.


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## simon.r (10 Apr 2017)

Finally got around to cutting the steerer down on my carbon fork, having bought a cheap saw guide some time ago. 

One of those jobs I've been putting off for ages in case it went wrong. In the event it took 5 minutes and worked well.


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## redvision95 (10 Apr 2017)

Just quickly fixed a puncture for my clueless neighbor.
Also noticed that his seat was rather low for his height, Adjusted it to him and told him to go around the block.
"I'm loads faster now!" 

Decided that I'm going to remove the mudguards and pannier rack off of the BSO tomorrow and store them for my next bike. The BSO doesn't need them really.


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## redvision95 (11 Apr 2017)

Removed the Mudguards and pannier rack. Put them into storage for my next "build".


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## Vantage (11 Apr 2017)

Again, not strictly fettled today, but it has been fettled this week leading to its finish today...so I think it counts.
I sanded back the paint to the bare metal on my Dawes Vantage forks, primed, 3 coats of black paint and a further coat of clear laquer. I'll probably do a better more labour intensive job of it when I've more time and the wind outside isn't blowing the contents of the spraypaint into my face. Any worse and I could have been Scharzeneggers potbellied double in "Commando".
Fitted the bottom bearing cup with a screwdriver, hammer and 'gentle' persuasion. Swapped over the cantilevers and their Tektro Power Hanger (anyone who has one of these will know what an absolute barsteward they are) and all the other bits and took her for a test ride today.
My theory was that because the Dawes forks have a listed 50mm rake then they should tame the handling of my bike and make it less willing to try fold itself into an origami puzzle when taking bends and corners. T'was only a short ride but it seems to have done the trick!


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## ColinJ (12 Apr 2017)

I built a singlespeed bike last year, mainly from old parts of mine and a frame/fork donated to me by a pal. I needed a few extra parts and wanted to build the bike for the smallest amount of money possible so I searched eBay and found a no-name headset for it for about £8. That turned out to be a false economy! The cups went in far too easily and it turned out to be impossible to get the headset tight enough and free-turning at the same time. Either it was loose and free-turning, or it was tight and barely turned at all.

I rode the bike through the winter and the tight steering was starting to bug me so that headset had to be taken out.

In the end I bought a Ritchey headset for £15.99 and replaced _il cheapo_ with that today. I don't have a press to put the cups in so I decided to very carefully tap them in. I read what I thought was a useful tip - put the cups in a freezer for an hour before fitting them. The idea is that they shrink ever so slightly and are easier to fit if you can get it done before they warm up again. The cold cups were still a reasonably tight fit but I was able to get them in without having to wallop them. I used a piece of timber to protect them and tapped the back of the timber with a hammer, being careful to knock the cups in straight.

The cups looked like they were fully in but I shone a bright torch at the back of them and could see just a sliver of light beneath them. A firmer tap with the precision fitting tool (hammer!) removed those gaps.

I reassembled the bike and rode it down to my local Lidl to test it. It felt pretty good. It was only a short ride so I will have to do some longer test rides - I want to use that bike on nickyboy's 100 mile ride from Manchester to Llandudno next month and I don't want to risk it letting me down.


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## Tenacious Sloth (13 Apr 2017)

Getting my CAADX ready for LEJOG next month.

New chain.
Changed the 105 5800 gear cables for a set of the Jagwire sealed jobbies.
Replaced the creaking headset bearings.
Fitted new disc brake pads.
Stripped and regreased the hub bearings.
Trued the wheels.

Got a few weeks to make sure all is well, then good to go.

Graham


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## Illaveago (13 Apr 2017)

I went out and bought a new chain and a 27.2 mm seat post for my Woodrup



which is a tight fit but went in with some grease and a wiggle. I took the idler/ jockey wheels off of the Campag Gran Sport gave them a clean, greased and refitted.
I fitted my Brooks B17 narrow saddle to the post and fitted it in the frame along with a pair of drop handlebars and tried them out for size. I had to reposition the saddle so that the nose pointed down, but once that was done the bike felt fine. I'll have to try it with pedals and chain another day.


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## si_c (13 Apr 2017)

ColinJ said:


> stuff



I've got a bearing press I bought on ebay for around a fiver, works a treat. Consists of some heavy duty washers with a coating of felt on two of them, a length of threaded dowel and a couple of nuts to tighten up.

Fitted a couple of headsets using it now, works well, and with your temperature reduction trick I imagine would work even better.


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## HLaB (13 Apr 2017)

Just put my good tyres and cassette on my good wheels, I had them on my old wheels for Flanders. At the same time I cleaned and lubed things. The cobbles have shooken loose an axle bolt on the old wheels and I'll have to sort that out in the morning


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## ColinJ (14 Apr 2017)

si_c said:


> I've got a bearing press I bought on ebay for around a fiver, works a treat. Consists of some heavy duty washers with a coating of felt on two of them, a length of threaded dowel and a couple of nuts to tighten up.
> 
> Fitted a couple of headsets using it now, works well, and with your temperature reduction trick I imagine would work even better.


I think if it were likely that I would install several more headsets then I would buy a press, but it has taken me 50 years to do my first one so I don't think that I will bother!


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## Supersuperleeds (14 Apr 2017)

Cleaned the Allez, adjusted the brakes - must remember that on Sunday as they are a bit tighter than before, still not changed the pads on the front, still a bit of life in them.

Fixed a puncture - on the wheelbarrow.


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## Nigelnaturist (14 Apr 2017)

As usual did some basic stuff like hubs pedals and a clean, then what happens I ride to Wakefield and it rains get there the sun comes out.

edit and my garmin died


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## redvision95 (15 Apr 2017)

Somehow another neighbor has found out that I can repair bikes. 

Changed his front brake cable for him and got the front brake spot on. He tried it out "I never knew you could get brakes to be that good!" 

Went to do the rear but he didn't get a new noodle for the rear brake, I tried to clean out the old one but it was having none of it and the cable wouldn't go through. So that's got to wait until tomorrow, I'll dig one out of the spares bin.

Adjusted the gears. Told him it needs new cables, So if I've got some in the spares bin I'll just do those tomorrow too. 

Went to adjust the saddle height to him, Got it to the perfect height. He insists on tightening it up  SNAP. The bolt snapped inside the clamp because he had over tightened it. So that's a clamp hell need and I know I don't have one in the spares bin, A trip to Halfords will be in order on Tuesday. 

Cleaned the BSO and decided that now the wheels are buckled and rust is already appearing near the rear dropouts, I'll get as much use out of it as I can and strip it for parts for the spares bin. Picking up the new (to me) bike on Tuesday so lots of tinkering/fettling to be done then!


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## DCLane (15 Apr 2017)

Fitted a new rear mech hanger to my youngest's cross bike after his crash on Tuesday. It's all working again 

Fitted a new pair of Durano tyres on some old Shimano RS31's for my Principia commuter so I can keep the best wheels.

Also my storage space has been a mess: bike parts everywhere, wheels on top of each other/ on bikes, boxes all over the place and bikes squashed in wherever. I spent the afternoon pulling all the parts out, all of the wheels, all the bikes and the stands. The bikes are re-organised, wheels slotted and boxed properly, parts sorted and organised. Slowly, but surely they're all back in: I can now get another bike in plus all of the parts and wheels are properly sorted and accessible. Just a couple of boxes worth of stuff to sort. It does mean I've more parts to be sold / given away as well.


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## HLaB (16 Apr 2017)

Sorted out that freehub I hope and put my other tyres back on the commuter/Flanders wheels so the bike is ready to go when I next need it (I'll probably use another bike next week though). I also changed the tyre on another wheel which may be pressed into action if it's not too windy.


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## HLaB (16 Apr 2017)

Decided to cut down the steerer on another bike, I had a retul 3 years ago which put me up right and suggested if anything the stem could go higher but I had a fit from an ex British pro a year and a half ago and he done the opposite. Slammed the stem which was close to my pre retul fit but I had left it just in case. I don't know why really, I've done thousand of miles like that and I'm perfectly comfortable, so it was for the chop.

At the same time I moved its cassette to another set of wheels after putting a tyre on the rear. (It had a turbo tyre)


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## HLaB (17 Apr 2017)

Lol, the weekend of fettling continues. When I cut the stem down I took the front brake off but found it wasn't quite returning to centre and I needed to tighten the bolt quite a bit too stop it continuously rubbing. Got home and went to stick a spacer in the gap but noticed one of the pivots wasn't working correctly so cleaned and lubed it. It seems to be working fine now so I'll refit it after tea.


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## DCLane (17 Apr 2017)

I need to shift some kit so have spent time working on the Peugeot and Corona I have spare, with the premise of concentrating on my main bikes.

Peugeot got cleaned, a new rear gear cable, new bar tape and the wheels tin-foiled although they're not great still:







The Corona mtb turned into a pain. The front v-brake was like cheese and eventually the wheel went in. It was washed, cleaned, lubricated and should all now work:






Both are now on eBay.

I also cleaned and coloured the roof on my Saab 9-3 convertible. It's now black rather than black with cat fur and moss. In for an MOT and a bit of paint tomorrow and then that'll be going on sale as well in preparation for something more appropriate to insure for a 17 year-old.


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## si_c (17 Apr 2017)

DCLane said:


> I need to shift some kit so have spent time working on the Peugeot and Corona I have spare, with the premise of concentrating on my main bikes.
> 
> Peugeot got cleaned, a new rear gear cable, new bar tape and the wheels tin-foiled although they're not great still:
> 
> ...


Pug looks lovely.


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## HLaB (17 Apr 2017)

HLaB said:


> Lol, the weekend of fettling continues. When I cut the stem down I took the front brake off but found it wasn't quite returning to centre and I needed to tighten the bolt quite a bit too stop it continuously rubbing. Got home and went to stick a spacer in the gap but noticed one of the pivots wasn't working correctly so cleaned and lubed it. It seems to be working fine now so I'll refit it after tea.


Sorted for now and I re balanced the brake and relubed it now the left arm is springing back.


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## ColinJ (17 Apr 2017)

I swapped the spacers round on my singlespeed bike because the bars were slightly higher than they are on my best bike, which has a riding position which suits me. It was big spacer below the stem, small above; now small below, big above. I haven't ridden the modified ss bike yet but the position on it is now closer to the position on the other bike so it should be a subtle improvement.


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## GrumpyGregry (19 Apr 2017)

The Big Dummy now has a Surly 24 Pack rack fitted to the front fork.

It took a HELL of a lot of swearing and a touch of cold setting.

I lost the will to continue (i.e. it got too cold outside - open air garden workshop innit) before I could put the Porteur House bag on the rack.

Both bought from Practical Cycles since you ask.


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## Mireystock (20 Apr 2017)

Two new tyres on my 13 year old lad's MTB, Schwalbe Smart Sam's as it happens.


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## redvision95 (20 Apr 2017)

Got a cheap full susser as a project bike. It's the right size for me and was at a good price so I'll be tidying it up and riding it for a little bit. 




Started with the front end, The forks were scratched, chipped and starting to rust in places. So took them off, Sanded them right down, A coat of primer, Wilko gloss black and some clear coat. Now looks like this. 




Much better than what it was, Just need to install a new front brake cable (pack of cables from asda £4 waiting for it)


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## GrumpyGregry (22 Apr 2017)

The best bike, Genesis Equilibrium 853 since you ask, has been cleaned (oh no, the shame, I put it away dirty and covered in mud after an enforced off road detour two years ago and I haven't ridden it since), it has had a new chain, black and green, natch, fitted, and I swapped the 110mm stem for a 90mm which had been on the to do list for too long. Off round the block to see how she rolls in a sec.

I blame @velovoice and that @Flying Dodo for coming round my house with shiny bikes in the car.


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## KneesUp (24 Apr 2017)

Not a bike _per se_ but it involved my bike tool kit: my shaver was running slowly, which normally means I have to take it apart and clean it - but I was in a rush, so applied some Park Tools CL-1 chain lube (with PTFE, no less). It made the shaver run much more quickly, but I do smell a bit like garage hand towel as a result. The after shave is masking it for now ...


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## Dogtrousers (24 Apr 2017)

I replaced all the cables on my bike (Sram Apex) last night. Not as difficult a job as I feared from the horror stories I looked up on the web. I still have to re-tape the bars and re-adjust the brakes and gears and get the cable tensions right, so it's not over yet.


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## si_c (24 Apr 2017)

Had constant rubbing on the front disc brake, had temporarily sorted it by not having the front wheel all the way into the drop out properly, but took the caliper off and reseated it properly yesterday after cleaning the bike from Saturday. 

Now works much better (yay!) and is quieter (yay!) and doesn't rub anymore (yay!)!


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## RobinS (24 Apr 2017)

Into "final fettling" before a four month tour today. Took the bikes out for a test run, and discovered that the new chain on MrsS's is slipping under pressure on the middle chain ring. LBS had a straight replacement, so that is fitted, but close inspection revealed the granny ring, while operational is pretty worn, so one of those is on order for tomorrow! (We depart on Thursday)


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## redvision95 (25 Apr 2017)

Picked up a Raleigh for £10 listed as spares or repairs.
Rear mech is bent, chain is rusted, tyres are shot and it could do with new cables all round BUT I should be able to redo it out of parts from my parts bin.

I removed the chain and rear mech and gave the frame a good clean. More tinkering later.


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## DCLane (25 Apr 2017)

I bought (most of) a Specialized Hotrock 24 Street in November on eBay for 99p, for which I got the frame, forks, rear wheel, rear mech hanger and crank of this:





To compliment (  ) and for the bits I didn't get one of these came my way which is an awful piece of junk. The "I'll use lots of parts" has turned into "I'll use the front wheel":






So last night my 12yo and myself started a project to build a 24" wheeled single speed BMX / mountain bike. We still need to get the single speed hub conversion and a tensioner's en route but we:

- Fitted a seatpost and seatpost bracket along with a test saddle (blue but I want red/white to match the bike)
- The One23 bars and stem that came with his flat-bar conversion Columbus X-Wing got used here minus the shifters
- A front wheel from the above Dunlop
- V-brake bits from my parts box, with the main bits to finish needed

It's missing the headset top part so we'll have to sort that. In addition I need a hub conversion sorted and a slick 24" front tyre plus V-brakes doing properly.

The plan is to finish this for our holidays in August in France so he can ride round the holiday park in the Vendee on something other than his road bike.


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## Dogtrousers (27 Apr 2017)

The great cable replacement project continues. Doing twenty minutes here and there. Last night I adjusted the gears. As usual I tried to be scientific about it but eventually reverted to my normal "random twiddle" method. Eventually my random twiddling resulted in something that seemed to work. 

I've noticed that for some reason I've routed the rear brake cable in a realy weird and wrong way round the headset so I need to sort that. No worries, I haven't done the pinch bolt on the brake up tight yet. Then it's new brake pads, adjust brakes, and re-tape bars.


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## Vantage (28 Apr 2017)

Sanded my boring black Deda stem back to the bare alloy and polished it up. A few scratches are still showing so it'll be more 1200 grit wet'n'dry and steel wool before another rub down with Mothers metal polish. Brilliant stuff.


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## stalagmike (28 Apr 2017)

I fitted a new chain to my Triban 3 today. The first time for me. Was a lot easier than I thought it would be.


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## Justinitus (28 Apr 2017)

Sold my Giant Roam and bought a new Giant Toughroad SLR 0 last week. Spent the morning fitting my lights, phone holder, bottle cage etc. Levelled the saddle and adjusted the tyre pressures.. then went for a ride


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## redvision95 (29 Apr 2017)

Got around to doing some work on my Raleigh, Removed the old chain and rear derailleur. Fitted new derailleur and somehow managed to succesfully change the gear cable on the POS gripshift shifter. Something which will be getting changed to thumb shifters for simplicity. Put the new chain on and wheeled it to the LBS. New freewheel fitted. Bought home and adjusted the gears. Replaced front and rear brake pads + cables and pumped up the tyres. Theyre in a really bad condition but cant afford to do them until Ive sold a bike I took in PX for my BSO shockwave MTB. 

I did attempt to fit some mudguards Ive got but quickly found I dont have the correct size bolts. When the POS reebok bike sells Ill be getting some schwalbe city jets and a couple of pick n mix bags of nuts and bolts from wilko.


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## Vantage (29 Apr 2017)

As usual, my post a day late.
I tried removing the Vantages old headset cups from the frame......no go. They are well and truly stuck. At least as far as using a big hammer and a big screwdriver to remove them they are anyway. So the rebuild is on hold till I can afford to drag it's arse over to a bike shop and have someone else do it.
The newly polished stem has been put on the raleigh. It looks nice. Still handles like it's stuck in a tramrail though. That didn't stop today's nice ride though


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## daisyj (29 Apr 2017)

Took the dreadful stock brake pads off my Cannondale Synapse and replaced with Shimano shoes and Koolstop Salmons. Also replaced the plastic pedals with DMR V8s and mounted a Topeak Morph Mini to the second bottle cage space. I'm now feeling ready to go further afield.


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## Pale Rider (29 Apr 2017)

My fettle today was to fit a pug ugly - but functional - adjustable stem to my Pinnacle push bike.

I like the handlebars fairly high, so needed a rise.

The observant among you will notice I'm one steerer spacer short of a picnic.

Not sure what happened there, there was no gap with the previous rigid stem which I suppose must have been deeper, unless I've managed to lose a spacer on the kitchen floor.

It's all gone together OK and should be safe enough to use until I get another spacer - unless someone wants to tell me differently.

Tempting to think the bike is a bit small for me, but it's a large size, marked for height range 5ft 10ins to 6ft 1ins.

I'm a shade under 6ft, and I reckon an XL would be too big.

At least the relatively low cross bar makes it nice and easy for me to get on and off with my arthritic hip.

The bike is rapidly becoming far from 'proper', it also has a cheapo saddle cover and equally cheap folding pedals.


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## raleighnut (29 Apr 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> My fettle today was to fit a pug ugly - but functional - adjustable stem to my Pinnacle push bike.
> 
> I like the handlebars fairly high, so needed a rise.
> 
> ...


I'd get another spacer pronto.


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## Pale Rider (29 Apr 2017)

raleighnut said:


> I'd get another spacer pronto.



Will do.

I think I'm on a fettling roll.

I've just fitted a rear carrier I had in stock.

It's gone on level no bother at all.

No more squashed comestibles on my next shopping trip.

Time to quit fettling now while I'm ahead.

Something's bound to mess up if I try any more.


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## Will Spin (29 Apr 2017)

Major, major fettling of wheels and tyres. Somehow I've ended up with winterish wheels and tyres on my summerish bikes and vice versa, so all sorted out now apart from being left with one summer bike with odd wheels, oh the ignominy, how can I turn up to a club run with this!


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## Pale Rider (29 Apr 2017)

Will Spin said:


> Major, major fettling of wheels and tyres. Somehow I've ended up with winterish wheels and tyres on my summerish bikes and vice versa, so all sorted out now apart from being left with one summer bike with odd wheels, oh the ignominy, how can I turn up to a club run with this!



Would you like to borrow my gel saddle cover and folding pedals?

That would get you blackballed for sure.


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## Will Spin (29 Apr 2017)

And definitely no waves from oncoming serious cyclists!


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## Tin Pot (29 Apr 2017)

Put the tri bike in to the Lbs to get the rear brake sorted. Cycled over there gingerly, so it was nice to be on the road for the first time. That's put it out of action at least until Thursday. 

So sorted out one of my roadies:

1 Tightened and realigned brakes
2 Raised the headset 
3 Brought the seat in
4 Rewrapped the tape much tighter losing about a third of the tape

Hopefully I won't lose sensation in my little fingers any more


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## HLaB (29 Apr 2017)

Lol, its forecast strong winds tomorrow so I swapped my deep section front wheel for a Fulcrum quattro. I did put a new tyre on the deep section last night but lol I'm not sure if you'd class that fettling either


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## Buck (29 Apr 2017)

Well I swapped my 'winter' wheels over to my summer ones which involved swapping a cassette over as the ones not on the bike I use on my turbo trainer.

Also, refitted my bar tape as some of it had slipped down and was loose. 

Ended up giving the bike a good clean and lube as well.

My friend crashed and damaged his bike this week and has some parts on order so he wasn't able to ride but I've lent him my fully fettled bike so that he can do the Tour de Yorkshire Sportive tomorrow


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## Gravity Aided (30 Apr 2017)

I set up my new Aldi bike stand. My fettling is about to take off to hitherto unknown realms of convenience and exactness. I'm also struggling with removing a steel seatpost from a steel frame.


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## Shut Up Legs (30 Apr 2017)

Cleaned the commuter bike, adjusted the brake cables, and removed and regreased the pedals. I noticed that the gear and brake cables and brake pads will all need replacing soon, so major fettling coming up. I'll replace the handlebar tape at the same time.


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## Dogtrousers (30 Apr 2017)

Finally finished operation replace cables and brake blocks. As usual it was dogged by not being able to to get the bits, faffing round with multiple websites. Then as usual there were problems with everything being harder than it should be, and taking longer. And as usual I did at least two incredibly stupid things which involved undoing everything and starting over again.

Coming soon, operation replace chain and cassette. Will I have learned my lesson, and get the LBS to do it, or will I embark on another frustrating bodgathon ... ?


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## redvision95 (3 May 2017)

New freewheel was slipping for some reason. So I swapped some old wheels and cheap tyres onto the bike. 
Perfect work hack now.


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## Drago (4 May 2017)

Finished fettling my Saracen. Its a 96 Tufftrax frame I bought on Retrobikes years ago and then promptly lost interest in, built almost entire of bits from my Box O' Crap (tm).

Tufftrax frame, powder coated in gloss black to a very high standard by a local chap. SLC headset. Giant 6061 bars and stem on quill adaptor of U/K make. Front cantis set up beautifully. Rear cantis are those Suntour XC jobs that use the braking action to cam themselves tighter against the rim. Miche rear hub. With 7 speed cassette. Rigida rims. Shimano dyno hub. Modernish Acera mech with NoS finger shifters (tough, and if the indexing fails will still work friction). Acera chainset from c.96 with 22t granny ring and outer ring removed (a speed machine it js not) Racks. Charge bum perch on U/K brand alloy seat post. Sturmey Archer brake levers. Random mismatched Kenda tyres with Slime choobs. Busch and Muller lights. Rebuilt M-520s.

The only bits I bought was a new SRAM chain, cables, and eBay chinas finest grips.

Just needs mudguards to finish, then its my all weather, all terrain tourer. Will also be fitting Schwalbe Landcruisers.

Light it is not, but very comfortable, and that 531 frame gives a buttery smooth ride. A machine for gentle all day bimbling wherever I fancy.


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## Leaway2 (4 May 2017)

Drago said:


> Tufftrax frame, powder coated in gloss black to a very high standard by a local chap.



Can I ask how much it cost to powder coat?


----------



## Drago (4 May 2017)

£50 notes for plain colours. Its an industrial coaters, but they do a lot of classic car parts etc so know how to take care and achieve a fine finish. You won't get ant fancy candy colours, but if you want white, black, red, blue etc then they're excellent.

I always have black, drop the frame off and tell them no hurry, just chuck it through with the next batch of black, and they turn them round in under a week.


----------



## Leaway2 (4 May 2017)

Drago said:


> £50 notes for plain colours. Its an industrial coaters, but they do a lot of classic car parts etc so know how to take care and achieve a fine finish. You won't get ant fancy candy colours, but if you want white, black, red, blue etc then they're excellent.
> 
> I always have black, drop the frame off and tell them no hurry, just chuck it through with the next batch of black, and they turn them round in under a week.


Thanks for that. I have an old Dawes that I am thinking of getting done.


----------



## Drago (4 May 2017)

No worries matey. If you get a good place its well worth the effort. 

21 year old frame, cobbled together with bits that have come off of other bikes over the years as I've upgraded them, and it looks like a brand new machine. Thoroughly looking forward to my first spin.


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (4 May 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Finally finished operation replace cables and brake blocks. As usual it was dogged by not being able to to get the bits, faffing round with multiple websites. Then as usual there were problems with everything being harder than it should be, and taking longer. *And as usual I did at least two incredibly stupid things which involved undoing everything and starting over again.*
> 
> Coming soon, operation replace chain and cassette. Will I have learned my lesson, and get the LBS to do it, or will I embark on another frustrating bodgathon ... ?



This is the technique I use as well. I console myself with the knowledge that the next time I do the job I'll be awesome!

Trouble is, by then I'll have forgotten the mistakes I made previously and make the same balls ups all over again.

It makes me feel better that it's not just me though.

Graham

P.S. When removing your cassette don't forget to wear a full suit of armour. Hopefully this will reduce the subsequent bleeding from your knuckles.


----------



## 3narf (4 May 2017)

I went through my box of bits, and threw out a load of broken plastic pedals, light mounts, computers and bits of used outer cable. Does this count?


----------



## Garry A (5 May 2017)

Removed the drivetrain from my Defy, cleaned and re-greased/lubed things that needed it then reassembled it all. Cleaned out some crap from the headset.
Good to go for the rest of summer.
Why is it when you start something like this, the wife suddenly realises she has a hundred things to do in the same area?


----------



## Shut Up Legs (6 May 2017)

I was cleaning my bike this morning, planning to do only the cleaning, and replacing the 2 pairs of brake cables. In a few weeks time I'd planned to do a full brake and gear cable replacement, including replacing the handlebar tape, but it turns out I'll be doing it this weekend instead. I thought I might as well, considering that the bike's front tyre now looks like this:







I don't know how I avoided a puncture. Thank you, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres! 
So as well as cleaning the bike and replacing the brake pads, I'll be replacing the brake cables, gear cables, handlebar tape, and now the tyres also. Major fettling!

One part of replacing the cables I always dread is the threading of the gear cables through the STI shifters, because it's almost always very difficult, and I tend to get frustrated, and use some very, very bad words.  . I was astonished to find it only took a few minutes per cable, with the help of a pair of tweezers and a torch, and now the cables are threaded on both sides of the bike (here's the left side, below):






These Shimano STI shifters (or _brifters_, rather, since they're brake and shifter combined) are amazing. Apart from the frame and the handlebars, they're the only original part on this bike, on which I've done approximately 105,000km over 8.5 years. Somehow the brifters still work perfectly, through countless gear changes (I've done a great deal of hill-climbing over those years), and I've never oiled or cleaned them!


I also tested a new bicycle workstand for the first time. I saw this little beauty at a local bike store several months ago, priced at about $120, about half the cost of the one I had, a ParkTools workstand (the blue one in the photo background below) which weighs heaps, takes up too much floor space, and doesn't hold the bikes steady enough. The new one works really well, and weighs a lot less, so I'm happy with it:






Now, I just need to finish the maintenance, cutting new outer cables, threading the inners through them, and of course brake and gear cable, and brake pad, adjustments. I have accumulated a nice bicycle tool collection over the years:






Above, from left to right:


the old outer cables labelled so I can cut new ones of the same length, because these lengths are perfect for this bicycle.
new handlebar tape.
my ParkTools toolbox with heaps of tools in it, some I got with the box, and others added over the years.
the tools I'm using for this maintenance, such as the tweezers, torch, 4th-hand tool, cable cutters, pliers, multi-tool, Allen keys, and the old brake shoes and pads and new brake pads.

Happy fettling, all!


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## Drago (6 May 2017)

@Shut Up Legs are you not in the UK matey?


----------



## Shut Up Legs (6 May 2017)

Drago said:


> @Shut Up Legs are you not in the UK matey?


The photo timestamps are a bit of a giveaway, aren't they?  Yes, I live in Melbourne, Australia.


----------



## Drago (6 May 2017)

Blimey, all this time and I never twigged! Duh!

On a serious note, its genuinely quite nice how the CC community embraces and brings together riders from across the globe.


----------



## Levo-Lon (6 May 2017)

New boots and tubes for my girl...pair of mich race sport 3s and tubes from crc for 29quid!!


----------



## si_c (6 May 2017)

Wiped my chain. Nothing else needed doing.


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## Drago (6 May 2017)

Dug out my BoB trailer and cleaned it up. Gave the fabric carrying thingy a wash.

Can not for the life of me find the mounting Nutz [sic]. Theyre horrifically expensive, so I may make other arrangements.


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## Vantage (8 May 2017)

Made myself a headset removal tool from a seat post.. ..removed the Vantages old headset.
Time to start rebuilding it


----------



## Vantage (9 May 2017)

Finished her about half an hour ago. With any luck I've not forgotten to tighten any bolts.


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## cyberknight (9 May 2017)

Vantage said:


> Finished her about half an hour ago. With any luck I've not forgotten to tighten any bolts.
> View attachment 351584


Thats nice


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## cyberknight (9 May 2017)

Need to replace the spd cleats on my shoes , its going to be a right job as i cant even see the edges of the bolts as they are filled with gunk / stone and i doubt i will be able to get a hex key in as what i can see looks fairly rounded.
I do have a newer pair but i am considering selling them as they have never been right o my paddle width feet .


----------



## arch684 (9 May 2017)

Finished fitting an ultegra group set and a set of mavic open pro's with 105 hubs with rubino tyres and new bar tape


----------



## Drago (9 May 2017)

Cleaned up and re greased the QRs on BoB trailer.


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## TheDoctor (9 May 2017)

Does a curtain rail count?


----------



## Salty seadog (10 May 2017)

meta lon said:


> New boots and tubes for my girl...pair of mich race sport 3s and tubes from crc for 29quid!!
> 
> View attachment 351043



Wasn't it not "New boots and Panties"


----------



## subaqua (10 May 2017)

Fettled the brakes and lubed the chain on my , girls OLD bike and boys OLD bike as there was a request on a local area facebook group for a bike for a 8 yr old girl . 

took the daughters one round first . waaay too big - my kids must be freaks of nature !! although she is only 15 now and nearly as tall as me. 

took the boys old one round, the nipper sat on the saddle after i guessed where to set it. loved it . 

one old bike upcycled ( Yes I gave it away) and a happy smiling child with a new bike. 


lifes good sometimes.


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## Jenkins (10 May 2017)

The Van Nicholas I use mainly for commuting has developed a bit of a ticking sound which I suspect may be the bottom bracket (SRAM GXP with approx 3500 miles on it). Without the time to change it, I quickly went over the bike with a set of allen keys just to make sure it wasn't something else loose causing the noise. Seat post clamp, stem bolts, top cap bolt, cranks & chainring bolts all took at least half a turn of tightning  which surprised me as I'd made sure they were all tight when I got the bike 18 months ago and then again after a couple of months af riding.

Despite this the ticking is still there so the BB will be changed next week and I'll have to check the bolts on all the other bikes as well.


----------



## dfthe1 (12 May 2017)

Had an annoying click on every pedal turn for the last few weeks. So, thanks to Sheldon's guide to creaks, clicks and clunks, I took the pedals off, regreased the threads and tightened up, and tightened the crank and stack bolts. No luck, so took the cranks off, removed the bottom bracket, gave it all a good wipe down, regreased and installed tightly and put everything back on. Click free! Then for dessert, I adjusted the front derailleur as the chain was now rubbing slightly.

Very happy -- and only one gouged knuckle with a few splashes of crimson on the garage floor.


----------



## dave r (12 May 2017)

Stripped, cleaned and regreased the headset on my Eastway. I'm getting the occasional clonk when riding over bumps and now the headset and forks have checked out as OK I can start looking elsewhere for the cause, the saddle is prime suspect as the body can be moved about slightly on the rails and it makes a similar noise when I move it.


----------



## overmind (13 May 2017)

Replaced the rear axle on my daughter's mountain bike. She uses it to get to her Sainsbury's part-time job. The axle broke in town. Classic break, right next to the cone nut.
Replaced the bearings at the same time. All good now.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 May 2017)

I dissembled and greased the BB on my new to me Schwinn Mirada from the 1990's. The bicycle had Biopace cranks, and they had to go. They were also quite heavy, so were replaced with some round, lighter cranks. My BB had not been serviced either, probably since new, from all the dried grease in there, but the cups came out quite easily. Some changeovers from some Schwinn bikes of that era will be performed to get the Mirada and Impact back on the road, the Sidewinder can wait until seat post issues are resolved, which may be some time.


----------



## RoubaixCube (14 May 2017)

basic drivechain maintenance after the dusty towpath ride last week. bout time the chain was cleaned as well.


----------



## cosmicbike (14 May 2017)

After collecting the N+1 yesterday, it was time for a service. Since it's my first recumbent trike it would give me a chance to get to know the machine. So far today:
1. Removed and cleaned the longest chain I've ever seen. Measured an showing very very little wear.
2. Removed and de-greased the chainset. Needs a new middle ring as it's getting very shark teethy.
3. Removed and degreased the chain roller and outside of the guide tubes.
Time up, next is to flush the tubes, clean the cassette, quick clean over and then go ride it


----------



## Drago (14 May 2017)

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.


----------



## Mark Grant (14 May 2017)

Cyclo Benelux 4 speed rear deraileur wasn't playing nicely so it was completely stripped, fettled, a quick clean and reassembled.
All shifting OK now.


----------



## Tom B (14 May 2017)

I rebuilt and concreted the gully surround where I wash my bike. Hopefully the water will now go down the drain rather than washing the house foundations away.

I gave the chain a quick mickle then went out for four hours. I spent the whole four hours cursing a creaking noise that wasn't there yesterday. 

Got home had a brew and went for arise around the street, annoyed to find the noise wouldn't recurr. Thirty mins tinkering I remembered I'd taken my waterbottles out. As soon as I put them back in the creaking came back. It appears the creak is coming from the bit when the wire cage is clamped down. Perhaps I should have paid more than a quid for them.


----------



## Jamieyorky (15 May 2017)

Just fitted my cassette to my new wheelset. Hope to get out and test them if the weather is fine.


----------



## si_c (15 May 2017)

Gave the bike a thoroughly good clean yesterday after the CC ride, as it was filthy. Checked all the cables, chain etc, and regreased where necessary. Gleaming cassette and chain. Will have to clean it again tonight after this mornings commute.


----------



## Buck (15 May 2017)

^^ditto

After Saturday's Manchester to Llandudno ride the bike got a well earned clean down of road grime and sand - the sound of the grime paste on the chain set was not the best and the cleaning rags proved it! Now all sparkly and nicely lubed up.

Took the opportunity to swap my front and rear tyres around as the rear has a little more wear whereas the front looks like new! I've got a new pair of tyres waiting but reckon I can get a few more miles out of this set first !


----------



## Drago (15 May 2017)

Replaced the manky Zetec badge on the Ford Fusion of Cabbage and Wee with a nice shiny new one for 99p, courtesy of everyones favourite auction site. It was a tiny detail, but annoying, and it now looks mint once again.

I want to the some new number plates without the EU flag on the left, and I'm tempted to have some made with "Smell The Cabbage" printed on the lower edge.


----------



## si_c (16 May 2017)

After yesterday, I fitted mudguards to the Felt.


----------



## Salty seadog (16 May 2017)

All 4 bikes mickled, pivot points lubed, drive chains run through all the gears, brakes given a workout and any suspension bounced a bit.

All in the aim of keeping everything working while some don't get out as much others. I do try to give each a workout and I'm going to give the Forme a spin soon.


----------



## Elybazza61 (16 May 2017)

Not today but last Saturday I replaced the press fit bb in the Ridley Helium(bearings were getting worn) for a shiny C-Bear ceramic one.

Glad I work in a bike shop with access to tools but it was still a bit nervy getting the old one out,all good though and nice having smooth running cranks again.

Today was fitting a rack and panniers to the Robinson.


----------



## ColinJ (17 May 2017)

My singlespped bike is grubby after the Llandudno ride mentioned by @si_c and @Buck above but it wasn't the dirt that was bugging me ... There had been a minor rattle coming from the front half of the bike throughout the ride and after 105 miles of listening to it, I was determined to track it down and eliminate it.

I checked:

Headset (No)
Quick release (No)
Stem (No)
Brake levers (No)
Cables (No)
Bottle cage bolts (No)
GPS mount (No)
Separate computer mount (No)
Front light (No)
Valve, valve stem nut, valve cap on front tube (No)
I was testing by lifting the front of the bike, dropping it, and trying to hear where the rattle was coming from. It is actually quite difficult to do that.

Then I noticed that the rattling disappeared if I applied the front brake. At that moment a friend came round and asked what I was doing. I explained about the noise and showed that it didn't happen if I dropped the front of the bike with the front brake applied.

My deduction was that something was loose in the brake itself.

My pal bent down and listened to the noise and told me that he thought it was coming from the front wheel. I was convinced that he was wrong but swapped another wheel in and discovered that he was right!

I stripped the hub down, greased all the likely culprits, and reassembled it. The noise is history! 

It is amazing how annoying a subtle noise can be. My hearing is not very good so I miss a lot of such noises but this was just loud enough for me to hear it when I was riding, especially over rough road surfaces.


----------



## Jenkins (17 May 2017)

Off work & having to stay in waiting for a parcel to be delivered so...
Chains checked for wear, 'mickled' and deraileurs cleared of gunk on the 13, Kona (new chain required as the wear indicator dropped in easily), Whyte, Planet X and both Van Nicholases.
Spacers swapped round on the Boardman single speed bodge job for a better chain line
Front brake hose re-routed on the Giant. Now runs outside the fork instead of inside next to the tyre, so fatter tyres can be used.


----------



## raleighnut (17 May 2017)

ColinJ said:


> My singlespped bike is grubby after the Llandudno ride mentioned by @si_c and @Buck above but it wasn't the dirt that was bugging me ... There had been a minor rattle coming from the front half of the bike throughout the ride and after 105 miles of listening to it, I was determined to track it down and eliminate it.
> 
> I checked:
> 
> ...




I've come across 'chambered' rims (double wall rims) with bits inside the void, I wish I could find decent quality single wall rims still.


----------



## ColinJ (17 May 2017)

raleighnut said:


> I've come across 'chambered' rims (double wall rims) with bits inside the void, I wish I could find decent quality single wall rims still.


We'd suspected that might be the cause in my case too. The pal in question once had a wheel with a bit of swarf trapped in the rim. You could hear it tumbling about inside the rim as the wheel rotated.


----------



## raleighnut (17 May 2017)

ColinJ said:


> We'd suspected that might be the cause in my case too. The pal in question once had a wheel with a bit of swarf trapped in the rim. You could hear it tumbling about inside the rim as the wheel rotated.


I've had a couple.


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## ColinJ (17 May 2017)

raleighnut said:


> I've had a couple.


We never managed to get the swarf out. Very annoying!


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## raleighnut (17 May 2017)

ColinJ said:


> We never managed to get the swarf out. Very annoying!


Like I said I wish I could find decent quality single wall eyeleted rims still, even John (my wheelbuilder) reckons they don't really exist anymore other than in really cheap wheels, he said something about twinwall being easier to make due to them being able to use a 'fillet' joiner piece that fits inside the chamber as opposed to having to weld/machine the join.


----------



## dave r (18 May 2017)

ColinJ said:


> We'd suspected that might be the cause in my case too. The pal in question once had a wheel with a bit of swarf trapped in the rim. You could hear it tumbling about inside the rim as the wheel rotated.



I have managed on the odd occasion to drop a spoke nipple into the void whilst replacing a broken spoke, cue a fishing session trying to fish it out.


----------



## redvision95 (18 May 2017)

Changed the discs and pads on the car, I was going to try and get away with just doing the pads but the discs were too far gone, Cleaned the calliper up and gave it a quick coat of paint to tidy it up. Cleaned the wheel arches out while the wheels were off. 

Also I've noticed my brakes on the Raleigh have been very vague lately, Pads were shot. Only put new ones on a few weeks ago. Also the front left calliper arm was stiff so it wasnt bouncing back like it should have been. Swapped the front callipers out for some cheap BSO ones I had in the parts bin, New brake pads. Bish bash bosh, I've got brakes that work again. Need to grab some new wheels for the Raleigh too but I'll try to make these ones last as long as possible.


----------



## Tom B (18 May 2017)

New brake disk fitted, new chain fitted, oily bits cleaned. 

Other bike taken to Halfords for a warranty issue (loud cracking/knocking from rear shock) to be addressed. Young mechanic identified issue quickly and accepted bike for repair and part to be sent to RS for repair.


----------



## Jenkins (18 May 2017)

New front tyre fitted on the Van Nick after getting a sidewall cut on today's outing...


----------



## DCLane (19 May 2017)

Been playing with the Eastway winter bike. Woodrup Cycles re-threaded the bottom bracket as it was stuffed and I fitted a new Shimano square taper bottom bracket along with the Shimano 2300 crankset.

Then started to clean up a lot of bits - it looks OK and the wobbly rear mech hanger is tightened. I can't get the rear mech off to replace it so simply cleaned this thoroughly and fitted a new gear cable: it now works.

Just a new chain and bar tape and it's then ready a) for sale or b) to keep for next winter. I don't mind which.


----------



## Shut Up Legs (20 May 2017)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I was cleaning my bike this morning, planning to do only the cleaning, and replacing the 2 pairs of brake cables. In a few weeks time I'd planned to do a full brake and gear cable replacement, including replacing the handlebar tape, but it turns out I'll be doing it this weekend instead. I thought I might as well, considering that the bike's front tyre now looks like this:
> 
> View attachment 350990
> 
> ...


I finally recovered from that sudden attack of _procrastinitus_ (must've been something I ate... ), and finished the parts replacements for the commuter bike, my cherished Vivente World Randonneur tourer (a 2008 model). I replaced the 4 brake pads, brake and gear cables, handlebar tape, and both tyres.

Amazingly enough, after I clamped the gear cables, the only adjustment required for both derailleurs was a few turns of the high limit screw on the front, and the shifting is really good. I took the bike out for a quick test ride along my local street, to check it. I hope it stays that way: it's common for follow-up adjustments to be needed, especially for new cables, and adjusting derailleurs is by far my least favourite bicycle maintenance task. 

Tomorrow, if I get around to it, I'll be replacing the chain rings, chain and rear cassette on the road bike (a 2012 model Specialized Roubaix Expert SL4), as they're showing signs of major wear (e.g. occasionally-slipping chain), and so I got the tourer working again not a moment too soon.


----------



## overmind (20 May 2017)

Changed/degreased/repacked the bearings in my rear hub (700c racer). I had to replace both cone nuts as they were pitted.

Picture below.


----------



## delb0y (20 May 2017)

Fitted new brakes, blocks, and cables to the rear of the mtb.


----------



## si_c (21 May 2017)

Checking over the bike this afternoon and oiling the chain before going out with my Dad, noticed a twist in one of the links of the chain, the plates rotated around by 30degrees or so. New chain fitted.


----------



## delb0y (21 May 2017)

Fitted new brakes, blocks, and cables to the front of the mtb.


----------



## overmind (22 May 2017)

si_c said:


> Checking over the bike this afternoon and oiling the chain before going out with my Dad, noticed a twist in one of the links of the chain, the plates rotated around by 30degrees or so. New chain fitted.



The same thing happened on my daughter's bike. I twisted it back and it seemed fine. Is there a risk in doing this ?


----------



## si_c (22 May 2017)

overmind said:


> The same thing happened on my daughter's bike. I twisted it back and it seemed fine. Is there a risk in doing this ?


I'm not sure, but I didn't want to risk it as I have a 25mile daily commute and I don't want a broken chain. @Yellow Saddle will no doubt have a definitive answer for you.


----------



## overmind (22 May 2017)

si_c said:


> I'm not sure, but I didn't want to risk it as I have a 25mile daily commute and I don't want a broken chain. @Yellow Saddle will no doubt have a definitive answer for you.



Sensible. I would do the same.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (23 May 2017)

I know it's not a bike....

But *Finesse bike cleaner* was involved and I was impressed with how it shifted the grime; I haven't been near my car since June 2014 and it was looking a bit sorry..








An entire bottle of the bike cleaner, and copious amounts of soapy water later






So it definitely works on more than just bikes!


----------



## DCLane (23 May 2017)

Been working on the Eastway again:

- New rear mech hanger fitted
- New chain
- Replacement rear derailleur
- New gear cable
- New Deda blue bar tape

Due to a lack of space (and pressure from SWMBO) it's ended up on eBay, but I'm not giving it away. If this bike doesn't sell it'll be into storage until the autumn.


----------



## si_c (24 May 2017)

Twiddled some knobs on the felt, front derailleur was rubbing ever so slightly on the 48-11, all good now.


----------



## Salty seadog (24 May 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> I know it's not a bike....
> 
> But *Finesse bike cleaner* was involved and I was impressed with how it shifted the grime; I haven't been near my car since June 2014 and it was looking a bit sorry..
> 
> ...



Does it still start?


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (24 May 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Does it still start?


After 3 years not being touched...charged battery with an Optimate charger and it fired up first turn of the key as if it were used daily!


----------



## Milkfloat (24 May 2017)

Today was a new experience for me. I lent my best bike to a friend (shall we say former friend) who fitted his own pedals and managed to thread both sides of my expensive carbon cranks. Somehow he managed to get the left pedal on the right crank and vice versa. On a plus note he buggered the threads on his pedals too.

I thought I would try and rescue the situation with some pedal taps before I went the helicoil, unior or even new crank arms route. I purchased proper pedal taps and with some intrepidation and lube set to work, not expecting too much. A reasonable amount of material came off, but the correct pedals now screw on without issue. First real test ride is tomorrow, I will certainly be keeping an eye on them. I think I have saved him and also am not accepting a bodge. I think he owes me a few pints.


----------



## Nibor (25 May 2017)

Milkfloat said:


> Today was a new experience for me. I lent my best bike to a friend (shall we say former friend) who fitted his own pedals and managed to thread both sides of my expensive carbon cranks. Somehow he managed to get the left pedal on the right crank and vice versa. On a plus note he buggered the threads on his pedals too.
> 
> I thought I would try and rescue the situation with some pedal taps before I went the helicoil, unior or even new crank arms route. I purchased proper pedal taps and with some intrepidation and lube set to work, not expecting too much. A reasonable amount of material came off, but the correct pedals now screw on without issue. First real test ride is tomorrow, I will certainly be keeping an eye on them. I think I have saved him and also am not accepting a bodge. I think he owes me a few pints.


I think he should pay for the pedal taps too


----------



## fatjel (29 May 2017)

Put new spokes in my no2 back wheel. Seems to work !!
Hopefully no more broken spokes


----------



## biggs682 (29 May 2017)

Apart from doing some work on the Carrera .

I also replaced the front wheel units on the spare wheel chair.b











They were well overdue .


----------



## Shut Up Legs (30 May 2017)

I started a fettling snowball effect! 
After replacing the gear and brake cables, brake pads and handlebar tape on the commuter bike 1.5 weeks ago, followed by replacing the chain rings, chain and cassette on the road bike last weekend, I found that the same parts as on the road bike now need replacing on the commuter bike. Next weekend will involve more fettling, as well as the usual cleaning to remove winter dirt.


----------



## simon.r (3 Jun 2017)

I fettled this a few months ago, but wanted to make sure it worked before posting:






I've realised that plastic waste pipe can be bought for about £1 per metre and is just the right size to work as ahead spacers on 1 1/8" forks. Cheap, customisable, light weight and it works.


----------



## Chris S (5 Jun 2017)

Yesterday I fixed a puncture, it was the first one that I'd had for a few years as I've been using Schwalbe Delta Cruisers. 
When I got the tyre off the 'puncture' was actually due to perished rubber on the rim side.
I was surprised that an old tube of rubber cement hadn't solidified, it still worked as well!


----------



## raleighnut (5 Jun 2017)

Chris S said:


> Yesterday I fixed a puncture, it was the first one that I'd had for a few years as I've been using Schwalbe Delta Cruisers.
> When I got the tyre off the 'puncture' was actually due to perished rubber on the rim side.
> I was surprised that an old tube of rubber cement hadn't solidified, it still worked as well!


You must have screwed the top on tightly.


----------



## si_c (5 Jun 2017)

Cleaned the bike, lubricated everything, adjusted the brakes. All good.


----------



## Leaway2 (6 Jun 2017)

New cassette and chain last night. It pissed down on the commute as to be expected.


----------



## 13 rider (6 Jun 2017)

Fitted my old rear wheel with an 11 28 Cassette on it and tried it with my current chain from an 11 25 set up to see if it would be ok . A quick 6 mile test run and surprisingly it worked fine . 
I might need the lower gears when holidaying in Cornwall in July so thought Id try it to save swapping cassettes and getting a new chain


----------



## Shut Up Legs (11 Jun 2017)

I just replaced the chain rings, chain, cassette and pulleys on my commuter bike. Given that only a few weeks ago I replaced its gear and brake cables, brake pads and handlebar tape, it's looking pretty good now, and won't need any major maintenance for quite a while. 
As usual, I started putting the various bolts on the chain rings (for triple crankset) in the wrong order, and partway through had to undo these and start again, not the first time I've done that.  Then I had to remind myself where the guide pulley goes vs the tension pulley, and after checking a web page on the topic, realised it's pretty obvious when you think about their functions.


----------



## slowmotion (11 Jun 2017)

I replaced a four year old cassette and put on a new chain. Thereafter, my enthusiasm for bike maintenance started to fade. Yes, the rear gear cable is frayed, the brakes look like poo......but WTF, it goes.


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## ColinJ (11 Jun 2017)

When I built my singlespeed bike last year I soon discovered that the chain tensioner that I bought did not work very well in the original configuration, which was to pull the bottom run of chain down to tension it. It meant that the chain only engaged a few teeth on the sprocket and was being helped to peel off it. The chain came off nearly ride.

I took the tensioner to pieces and rearranged the spring to lift the tension arm up rather than pull it down and that solved the problem. I rode another 750 trouble-free miles on the bike before the chain started to stretch and it fell off again. The arm spring tension was not high enough to reliably tension the longer chain on bumpy roads.

It struck me that the tension arm would be better to be fixed in the desired position rather using a spring to hold it there so I took the spring off and inserted a few washers in its place. With those washers fitted it was possible to do the mounting bolt up very tight, tight enough I hope to hold up the chain tensioner in position even with the chain trying to flap up and down on bumpy roads. I will need to adjust the tensioner from time to time to take up more chain slack as it wears further.

I have kept the spring so I can put it back on if my bodge proves unreliable. 

Now for a few short test rides. I want to be sure that the tensioner works properly before venturing far on the bike again.


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## GrumpyGregry (11 Jun 2017)

Yesterday I fitted a Hope carbon seat post to the best bike.
This morning the mudguard bridge broke, classic pingf*ck, within metres of setting off for a ride so I whipped the back wheel off, whipped the three allen bolts out and left the mudguard on the doorstep.
I'm just about to remove the front one and put a new Hope seat post collar on.


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## ColinJ (11 Jun 2017)

ColinJ said:


> I have kept the spring so I can put it back on if my bodge proves unreliable.
> 
> Now for a few short test rides. I want to be sure that the tensioner works properly before venturing far on the bike again.


I've just done a couple of miles on the singlespeed bike to the shops and back and I am very pleased with my initial findings. 

The bike is significantly quieter now that I don't have to listen to the tensioner and chain bouncing up and down on our bumpy local roads.

The chain is engaging the sprocket more positively now - the sprocket is not singlespeed-specific, but is taken from an old cassette. That means that it was designed to allow the chain to slip easily onto it and off it when changing gear, which isn't what one wants on singlespeed. I used to hear the chain trying to climb up the teeth on the sprocket and then slip back down again. It was worrying when I was standing up for climbs - the last thing one wants when standing and forcing the cranks round is for the chain to slip off or break! Now the chain stays where it should do, down in the 'valleys' between the teeth. I tackled a short 8% climb and felt a lot happier standing for the climb than I did riding the pre-bodged bike up it.


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## cyberknight (11 Jun 2017)

Washed + cleaned car
mowed the lawns
post creted the washing line + kids swing ground anchors
fixed faulty qr cam on rear brake lever
eco egg hard floor cleaner on kitchen floor tiles 

Going back to work for a rest


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## Gravity Aided (11 Jun 2017)

4 weeks later, the PB blaster finally loosened the seat post on my Schwinn Sidewinder(1995) enough for me to apply a pipe wrench and mallet, and remove the offending seat post. I've since been working on getting the gears and shifters to play nicely, and repairing or removing the more dodgy bits. May be a bit of a task, as it appears to be mostly dodgy bits.


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## daysnways (11 Jun 2017)

fitted a chain, used a zip tie configuration to help raise the rear mech and chain into a manageable position as the widget that came with the chainbreaker is too small, and useless, this was after 15 minutes of sweating and swearing!

Fitted new bar tape, no issue, but getting the one, screw in bar end plug back in was a nightmare, before i found my rubber mallet i tried hitting it with several items including my hand, no, gaffertape roll, still no,...a book,..er no no...

just another typical case of me making 20 minutes worth of work into at least an hour of blood, sweat and tears!


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## Tom B (11 Jun 2017)

Nothing bike related, but certainly cycling related.

I took the garden shears for a ride today and spent two hours cutting back the bushes on one of my regular cycle path routes. It's not perfect but it's better. The 8-10ft wide path had become a 2ft wide path in places. Local council did nothing.


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## PeteXXX (12 Jun 2017)

Trek Fuel fettled all over in preparation for a blast round Swinley Forest tomorrow


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## Bodhbh (12 Jun 2017)

I made and fitted my 2nd mudflap from a mousemat. The first one was plain green, this one has a picture of a sheep on it.


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## arch684 (12 Jun 2017)

Removed the stock wheels from my giant contend and fitted the new hand built mavic open pro with miche hubs


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## postman (12 Jun 2017)

I just replaced the chain rings, chain, cassette and pulleys on my commuter bike. Given that only a few weeks ago I replaced its gear and brake cables, brake pads and handlebar tape,

Sounds like Triggers brush from Fools and Horses.


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## fossyant (12 Jun 2017)

A real dinky fettle yesterday.

The bouncy bike has a dropper seatpost, and I'd not ridden it for a while. The post wasn't behaving after having been stood for a few months when I went out a couple of weeks ago. Before setting off it returned to working properly after raising the post up and down a few times as this equalised the air pressure before I went out.

The down side is it left some hydraulic fluid on the post, and did it again after the ride. Oh oh - seal failure ???

Went in the garage yesterday, wiped the post first, cycled the dropper a few times, no oil loss or sticking. Checked everything was tight. I think it just needs using if stood for any time. Applied some silicone lube.


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## Jenkins (12 Jun 2017)

Finally got round to changing the bottom bracket on the main commuter bike, then changed the chain & cassette on the Kona and realised that it could also do with new jockey wheels. Don't know whether to bother or not as I plan on selling it off if all goes to plan in the next couple of weeks.


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## Shut Up Legs (14 Jun 2017)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I just replaced the chain rings, chain, cassette and pulleys on my commuter bike. Given that only a few weeks ago I replaced its gear and brake cables, brake pads and handlebar tape, it's looking pretty good now, and won't need any major maintenance for quite a while.
> As usual, I started putting the various bolts on the chain rings (for triple crankset) in the wrong order, and partway through had to undo these and start again, not the first time I've done that.  Then I had to remind myself where the guide pulley goes vs the tension pulley, and after checking a web page on the topic, realised it's pretty obvious when you think about their functions.


I finally got around to doing a quick test ride along my home street, to check the above drivetrain parts, and the shifting is flawless still. I don't know what I did right when replacing the gear cables a few weeks ago, but the shifting, whether front or rear, up or down, 1 sprocket or several at once, is spot on. This is the first time I've managed to achieve this.


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## XC26 (14 Jun 2017)

Just finished replacing chanset, pedals and rear sprocket on one of my workhorses. Didn't replace the chain though because it's nearly new.


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## arch684 (14 Jun 2017)

Stripped a gear cable outer to get the thin tube out to use as a guide to fit a new internal cable


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## postman (14 Jun 2017)

Replaced back tyre on mountain bike.Going down the canal tow path.But i managed to nick the tube putting back in.Fool.So i had to do a repair.Put a spare one in and i am saving the other as a back up.


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## overmind (14 Jun 2017)

I repaired my daughters commuter bike. First, I cleaned the chain (mickle method) and then trued the back wheel.

The bike has a 6 position rear sprocket. The 6th position (the one with the least teeth) was skipping and badly worn. So, as a stop-gap measure I just changed the limit screw to max out in position 5. This basically means that positions 5 and 6 select the same gear (cog 5 on the rear sprocket) BUT the bike is still perfectly ride-able.

Hopefully, this will get 1 more year out of the drivetrain.


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## GuyBoden (14 Jun 2017)

Removed my old Shimano uniglide cassette and replaced it with a hyperglide.

I was lucky, there was a brief period during which Shimano produced a freehub body that was compatible with both Uniglide and Hyperglide cassettes.





Notice the inner and outer threads on the hub for both types of cassettes.


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## GrumpyGregry (14 Jun 2017)

fitted rear lights to best bike.


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## the stupid one (19 Jun 2017)

Stripped pedals, cleaned, greased, reassembled and reattached to the bike. And then later, because it was still light, did the same to the headset/forks thingummy. Both firsts for me. Satisfying. YouTube is splendid, isn't it?


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## Jenkins (19 Jun 2017)

Took the mudguards off the Whyte as they won't be needed for a ride round Rutland Water tomorrow.


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## DRM (19 Jun 2017)

Removed the original brake blocks that came with my winter bike, and replaced with swiss stops, now they have bedded in, they are certainly an improvement over the originals which I suspect were made from hardened Pontefract Cakes.


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## Leaway2 (20 Jun 2017)

Mid fettle. The screw through the Claris deraillier had almost completely seized in the deraillier body. I thought it was cross threaded in the frame (phew). I had to tap it out with a hammer. Greased, replaced and now turning smoothly.


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## Levo-Lon (20 Jun 2017)

New rim tapes ..bloody rim tapes on my wheels failed and blew the tube..so much for high pressure tape..110 psi fail


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## Supersuperleeds (20 Jun 2017)

Last night, adjusted the brakes on the Allez, they were a bit hairy on the commute home last night


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## the stupid one (20 Jun 2017)

In preparation for new tyres arriving, removed wheels, took off old tyres and tubes, checked rim tape and cleaned everything up. Spokes are a bit corroded, so rubbed those down, then cleaned the rim braking surfaces with a Dremel, and then did my best to deep-clean the cassette without the tools to actually remove it. And it looks OK!

Deflating the old tubes was a challenge until I remembered the old bike pump that was knocking around - screwed in the little hose to keep the valve open and all was well.


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## PeteXXX (20 Jun 2017)

No.1 Grandson washing my bike this morning


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## the stupid one (22 Jun 2017)

Now maybe the stays are a little bent, or maybe putting the wheel-less bike down onto its derailleur (what a fecking dope) was a really bad idea, but I had a hell of a time getting the rear wheel back on this afternoon. Took half an hour, air turned blue, hands covered in oil and blood . . . needs more practice. Thereafter some gear, brake and mudguard adjustments and a couple of trial rides, now just a couple of slight noises to track down before I take the bike out for a twenty- or thirty-miler and see how things have turned out. 

There wasn't _that_ much blood.


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## Buck (24 Jun 2017)

After multiple attempts at removing my seized BB and failing I had left the job alone for a good few weeks. On a couple of rides this week though, the creaking was annoying me so, today I determined was THE day!!

It took me around an hour and a half to remove the seized non-drive side having multiple attempts and fails. I used penetrating oil (No Nonsense from Screwfix for around £5), left it for around an hour with the bike lying on its side to allow it to do its work and also used my bike stand as a scaffolding extender bar on the removal tool 

My whoop of joy when the BB started to turn was a little loud but was well deserved. (IMO of course!)

A good clean, grease and fitting of the new BB followed. It even helped as the old one was silver (105) whereas the new one is black (Ultegra) like my chainset and other bits on the bike. (It was cheaper than the 105 one as well 

Interestingly the new one came with a plastic tool for inserting/tightening. Both were fully seated by hand then a final check with the tool to ensure they were all set. 

Gave the bike a good clean including the chain set and got it ready for a ride out tomorrow if I can fit it in.


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## Jenkins (25 Jun 2017)

The fleet - each one wheels off, frame wiped down with a dry paper towel, sprayed and cleaned using Fenwicks FS-1 cleaner and dried off, wheels done with FS-1 as well, wheels back on bike then chain fully mickled. GT85 used to polish the Ti frames!




Bar tape also replaced on the Kona.


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## Paulus (27 Jun 2017)

Possibly one of the most tedious tasks, picking the flints and small stones/glass from the tyres on my tourer. Took half an hour or so. Two more bikes to do.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Jun 2017)

Laboriously removed frozen stem from my Schwinn Sidewinder, after having dealt with frozen seat post last few weeks. I'll go through a good deal for an old 23 inch MTB frame.


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## Heigue'r (1 Jul 2017)

I had a few spokes that were loose on both wheels...stock pr2 giant wheelset thats being annoying me for the last week...went to evans at 9am this morning and bought a spoke key..some spokes were obviously loose and needed tightening but some others seemed like they could do with a squeeze also so thats what I did.Pleased with myself I gave them a turn.How I managed to put them so out of true is beyond me,a ham fisted attempt no doubt.I then done some reading and youtubeing on the art of trueing wheels.It took over an hour per wheel to sort out the mess but I got there in the end.Very pleased with myself


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## gbb (1 Jul 2017)

Occasional unplanned unclipping is of course the sign your cleats have had it so LBS today, new Keo cleats..paid full retail I suspect but heyho...look on it as supporting my LBS.
Fitted and out for a 20 mile ride..New Endura Humvee gloves as well.

Lucky really, my front tyre deflated as I pulled into my road. It may have happened in the last miles yeti do remember riding over some plant life I thought may have been thorny earlier on.

Puncture to fix then, first in lord knows how long.


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## wisdom (1 Jul 2017)

Jenkins said:


> The fleet - each one wheels off, frame wiped down with a dry paper towel, sprayed and cleaned using Fenwicks FS-1 cleaner and dried off, wheels done with FS-1 as well, wheels back on bike then chain fully mickled. GT85 used to polish the Ti frames!
> View attachment 359008
> 
> Bar tape also replaced on the Kona.


Thats some fleet!


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## Gravity Aided (1 Jul 2017)

gbb said:


> Occasional unplanned unclipping is of course the sign your cleats have had it so LBS today, new Keo cleats..paid full retail I suspect but heyho...look on it as supporting my LBS.
> Fitted and out for a 20 mile ride..New Endura Humvee gloves as well.
> 
> Lucky really, my front tyre deflated as I pulled into my road. It may have happened in the last miles yeti do remember riding over some plant life I thought may have been thorny earlier on.
> ...


Like for the travels, not the travails.


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## Lee_M (1 Jul 2017)

not so much fettled as....

Fell off on a notorious ford (bottom of World's End for any North Walesians) and completely mullad my mech hanger, so I will soon be fettling that :-(


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## Richard A Thackeray (1 Jul 2017)

Yesterday, after they'd been rattling for a while, I tightened up the rear mudguard, & had to give my, 16 year old, daughter the_ "Are you serious?"_ look
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-wheels-on-the-bike-go-round-round.220535/




PeteXXX said:


> View attachment 358214
> 
> 
> No.1 Grandson washing my bike this morning


I don't know if you read this, in_ 'CW'_?
If it had been my Gran Fondo, the daughter would be sat waiting for the NSPCC to collect her


_

_




the stupid one said:


> Now maybe the stays are a little bent, or maybe putting the wheel-less bike down onto its derailleur (what a fecking dope) was a really bad idea, but I had a hell of a time getting the rear wheel back on this afternoon. Took half an hour, air turned blue, hands covered in oil and blood . . . needs more practice. Thereafter some gear, brake and mudguard adjustments and a couple of trial rides, now just a couple of slight noises to track down before I take the bike out for a twenty- or thirty-miler and see how things have turned out.
> 
> There wasn't _that_ much blood.


Mmm.............
Mudguard adjustments


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## Ming the Merciless (1 Jul 2017)

Fettled the Universe and it feels better for it.


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## si_c (1 Jul 2017)

Done 3k km on the Felt since I got it so gave it a good clean as the cassette and chain were filthy (gotta love gravel paths in the wet), relubed all the pivots on the derailleurs and the chain whilst I was at it as the shifts were getting a bit clunky. In the process noticed that the rear tire was starting to show the carcass under the rubber (stock Vittoria Zaffiro) so swapped it with the spare Zaffiro Pro I bought the other week for this eventuality. Front is still in near mint condition. Put some new rim tape on it too (Velox - best tape ever) instead of the crappy stock tape that had shifted position and was no longer covering the eyelets.

Really quite impressed overall with the Zaffiro tires, from what I'd read so far I hadn't expected anything at all from them yet they've turned out to be pretty decent.


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## raleighnut (1 Jul 2017)

si_c said:


> Done 3k km on the Felt since I got it so gave it a good clean as the cassette and chain were filthy (gotta love gravel paths in the wet), relubed all the pivots on the derailleurs and the chain whilst I was at it as the shifts were getting a bit clunky. In the process noticed that the rear tire was starting to show the carcass under the rubber (stock Vittoria Zaffiro) so swapped it with the spare Zaffiro Pro I bought the other week for this eventuality. Front is still in near mint condition. Put some new rim tape on it too (Velox - best tape ever) instead of the crappy stock tape that had shifted position and was no longer covering the eyelets.
> 
> Really quite impressed overall with the Zaffiro tires, from what I'd read so far I hadn't expected anything at all from them yet they've turned out to be pretty decent.


I'd have stuck the front tyre on the back and fitted the new one to the front.


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## Jenkins (1 Jul 2017)

wisdom said:


> Thats some fleet!


Soon to be reduced by 2 if all goes well on Ebay (the Kona and the Whyte) in anticipation of making space in the shed for a new arrival from Spa Cycles.


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## si_c (2 Jul 2017)

raleighnut said:


> I'd have stuck the front tyre on the back and fitted the new one to the front.



Was thinking that, but there is little, if any, visible wear on the front so I've just left it. My wheels are tubeless ready, so am planning to try that out over winter when the lower pressure would be appreciated, in which case I'll need a new set of tyres anyway.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Jul 2017)

Fettled and cleaned the Trek 500 I got yesterday morning, while I waited for my lawn mower repair guy.


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## gbb (8 Jul 2017)

Fettle failure alert .
Got a slight knock under heavy load, probably from my BB. Powertorque cranks need special tools but i cobbled together some pullers and have done them as an experiment when i first got the bike....but I forgot a specific detail last night.
14mm Allen key, remove plug, attempt extraction of crank...it won't budge. Gave up....laid there last night thinking about it.....doh, there's a washer I needed to remove that sits directly under the plug...its not obvious when you look.

Ah well, maybe later.


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## postman (8 Jul 2017)

Leeds market this morning second hand drop bars £10 after some haggling.Took butterfly bars off mountain bike and replaced with said drops.Reused foam grips and kept bar tape if i fancy putting back on.Looks good.


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Jul 2017)

Built a new wheel


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## Hacienda71 (9 Jul 2017)

Just finished building up the CAADX frame I bought last winter. Will take it for a spin this evening on some of the local trails.


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Jul 2017)

New wheels. New rear mech. New brakes. Couldn't face swapping the brifters today. Veloce works fine with Record.


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Jul 2017)




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## NorthernDave (9 Jul 2017)

Mickled the chain, while the sun was shining...


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Jul 2017)

yes. the chain is green and black.


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## Drago (9 Jul 2017)

Re routed the front brake cable on the Saracen. It now feels slick and graunch free.


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## si_c (9 Jul 2017)

Trying to isolate a really annoying rattle that developed recently. Removed mudguards. Still there. Tidied up internal routing so the cables were tight again. Still there.

Still not sure what it is, so cleaned the drivetrain completely, removed a link from the (rather filthy) chain and put some Velox rim tape on the front wheel (still using the crappy stock rim tape - already replaced the rear).


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## Elybazza61 (10 Jul 2017)

Fitted a new gear cable, outer for the last section to the mech and re-indexed 105 10-speed on a Specialized Dolce.

Re-indexed a rear mech for a lady doing a ride to Scotland.

Built a Light Blue Chesterton city bike

Built a Surly Pacer

Nice busy day in the shop


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## bonsaibilly (10 Jul 2017)

Not today, but yesterday I stripped down the headset on my restored bike, cleaned and regreased and refitted it, took off the back wheel and adjusted the chainline, and cleaned the whole bike up. Then took it out for 45 miles in the glorious sunshine. No feeling better than a decent ride on something you've built yourself!

BB


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## si_c (10 Jul 2017)

After todays soggy arsed commute, I put the mudguards back on the Felt, noticed the cones on the front hub were a bit loose so tightened them up and then adjusted the brakes so the bite is more immediate. Also tightened the headset a touch.

It seems I'm slowly working my way round the bike adjusting things as needed. Next job is to replace the rear brake cable as it's become a bit frayed. I had picked up a new cable today from a LBS ready to fit, but remembered I lent my cable cutters to someone at work so need to reacquire them first.


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## Dan B (12 Jul 2017)

New cassette and chain on my Croix de Fer, now realised that the outer chainring also needs replacing and then on the way to the LBS to see if they had one, noticed the BB also on its way out and I don't have the stupid tool for the latest incarnation of Hollowtech II - the BBR60 doesn't even fit the tool for the earlier incarnation of Hollowtech II, and call me Mr Cynical, but I strongly suspect that by the next time I need a new BB they'll have changed the design _again_

Giving serious consideration to (1) going back to square taper (who makes a moderately nice square taper compact double chainset?) or (2) letting the LBS sort it all out for me


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## numbnuts (12 Jul 2017)

I moved my cycle computer and tightened the throttle


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## Jenkins (13 Jul 2017)

Not so much fettled as cleared out - I found five of the Lidl multi-tools (included with the saddle bags) spread around the shed and tool box which were surplus to requirements. There's another one in the depths of my locker at work which I am keeping for use there.


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## arch684 (13 Jul 2017)

Fitted a pair of rubino pro g+ tyres to my giant contend


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## subaqua (14 Jul 2017)

dunno if this counts as Fettling. am on annual leave today for a loooong weekend

fell off bike last night while trying to mount it . (front derailleur had moved but chain hadn't so it slipped and physics demonstrated Newton laws brilliantly to the student engineers) 

I landed on the front wheel so buckled it rather badly - worse than when i took a previous wheel to LBS for truing and they said it was past saving ( it was and i knew it) 

sooo rode home with a serious wobble on but got home. 

realised I had an old wheel at home with a rim that had done about 50 miles. the hub wasn't dynamo disc so couldn't swap wheel straight out. 

I decided i was going to swap rims. how hard could it be FFS . I can mark spoke numbers and disassemble then reassemble . bike fixing by numbers if you like. I could then take wheel to LBS to true it vertically and laterally . 

did the swap over of the hub/spokes to new(ish) rim loosely assembled. got it ready to go to LBS later when Parcel Farce have delivered some bits . 

I was bored. so thought i would read the Sheldon Brown guide to wheel building and truing . 

realised i had a set of works that i could wedge in the gap between fridge top/washing machine top and worktop the crown wedged against fridge/washer to stop rotation. 

a couple of ty raps with strategically cut tails some masking tape as a view board behind and wheel got fixed in . I thought " I have some time waiting for parcel farce, whats the worst that could happen if i have a go at truing the wheel"

tightened the spokes as per Sheldon guide to firm the wheel up. and span the wheel. not too bad a bit of lateral truing and a tiny bit of vertical truing 

adjusted the spokes and ta da. took the wheel back to properly round, and laterally true. took about 20 minutes of turn tweak check , turn tweak check. 

whenever i have tried before i have never been succesful and always made thngs worse. now I have read the "HOW TO " it really is simple . yet another bike maintenance task i can do.


TL;DR - I now rock at truing wheels and saved myself lots of money .


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## Elybazza61 (14 Jul 2017)

Fitted some tubeless 28c Schwalbe Ones(not the Pros) to the Archetypes on the Light Blue.

No faff (helped by the IRC levers),popped on nicely with co2 and filled with Effete sealant.

Also adjusted the rear mudguard as it was bodged slightly for the previous 30c S-Ones.


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## Drago (14 Jul 2017)

Fitted one of three new mystery parts to the Benchmark Batmobile before my shoulder gave up on me.


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## numbnuts (14 Jul 2017)

This


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## Heigue'r (16 Jul 2017)

Changed my front tyre to gp4000,then decided I wasnt happy with the rim,the true of the rim,it took a bad knock last thursday morning and I didnt give it enough attention first time round...Ive been toying with the Idea of building myself a set of wheels so thought what the hell,lets start from scratch.I stopped short of doing so however backed all the nipples off until I could see the thread of the spoke,Then went from there with a spoke key.Im happy with the way it turned out,its not 100% but its not far off it either...if I was building a set,id invest in a truing stand I think but for now,these will do.


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## ColinJ (17 Jul 2017)

Drago said:


> Re routed the front brake cable on the Saracen. It now feels slick and graunch free.


My front brake cable inner was sticking a bit in its outer. It is probably time for a new outer but a squirt of lube down the outer seems to have loosened it up for now. (It was the source of a mysterious rattling from the front of the bike. If I applied the brake, then released the lever slowly, the cable got stuck and didn't fully tighten the lever, which then rattled on bumps. )

I was out on a ride with @Littgull last Thursday when I suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my right index finger. I hadn't been stung by an insect. It took me a minute or two to work out that it was probably caused by a fraying cable inner. I checked it yesterday, and sure enough - the gear cable was fraying and I had stabbed my finger with the end of one strand of metal. I rang a mate to see if he had a spare inner, which he did, so I fitted that today. A little bit of tweaking to get the shifting right again, and then I went out and did a hilly 53 km test ride. (All ok now!)


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## si_c (17 Jul 2017)

Been a fettling weekend this weekend. Saturday I replaced two radiators, one upstairs, one downstairs as both were old and had sprung leaks, not an issue now, but would be come winter. Both the old radiators were sized in inches, so it wasn't a straight swap to new ones, but all done.

Yesterday I spent fettling bikes, the Felt still had the annoying rattle, I'd isolated it to the rear (not happening when in 11t sprocket, but all others), so removed the back wheel and then the cassette, cleaned and wiped the freehub body, and there was no play in the axles. Refitted it all, and put back on the bike, no rattle. Fairly sure the cassette lockring was loose as there were some marks on the freehub indicating that it had moved a little.

Also started stripping down my purple pug, as it's been on the indoor trainer for the last few months and prior to that had been used on salty wet roads. Took the crank arms off and gave the bottom bracket a spin, but it was feeling very rough. Can't find my lockring spanner, so ordered a new one, and will take the BB off, regrease and refit, fit some new brake/gear cables, and generally clean up and tidy the frame. Probably gonna put some frame saver in there too as it's likely to stay on the trainer for a little while.


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## RoubaixCube (17 Jul 2017)

touched the Cube for the first time after the DD today (I knowwwwww, Im so lazy) The amount of dirt and crud that came off my drivetrain would of been enough to build a small mud hut.

I wiped the chain down and re-lubed the the night before the DD but i was probably just a little over zealous.

Now chilling with an ice cold cider in the garden enjoying some rays while the bike drys off. I'll miss all this when i have to start work again


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## fatjel (17 Jul 2017)

New wheels,tubes,tyres ,cassette ,bar tape and chain on the Boardman.. 
All set for LEL


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## the stupid one (17 Jul 2017)

Noticed there was some wheelrim/brakeblock rubbing on my wife's bike, so got stuck into that with a spoke spanner and an appropriate GCN video on the iPad. Seems to now be sorted, I'm astonished.


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## si_c (17 Jul 2017)

Riding home notice a creak which had been previously masked by the rattle from the rear wheel, not present when riding out of the saddle, so took the seatpost out, greased the seatpost collar and the bolt, and added some grease to the seatpost itself, tightened it all back up, hopefully sorted. Tomorrow will tell.

Also tightened the saddle clamp on Mrs Cs town bike.


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## GrumpyGregry (18 Jul 2017)

New (s/h) front mech put on. New cables (inners and outers) throughout, new brifters fitted (Record 10 speed since you ask), brakes and indexing dialled in. New bar tape ordered. The Brooks leather wasn't up for retaping.

#failedfettle : fitting dynohub lamp to road bike with caliper brakes. The Supernova bracket(s) don't clear the headset nor the front brake. Hopefully a SON long bracket in ugly pressed stainless will fit and can be adapted to suit the Supernova lamp. Grrrrr.


----------



## Salad Dodger (18 Jul 2017)

I swapped out the gravel tyres on the mountain bike, and put back the Mountain Kings (just in case I get a chance to play in the mud).

I gave the e-bike a quick clean and pumped the tyres up. A spin round the block revealed that the speedo was not working, so a bit of adjustment to the position of the sensor on the front fork and the wheel magnet resolved that.


----------



## TheDoctor (18 Jul 2017)

I've done a fettle on it today, so I think that counts...
Early May, our brick outbuilding had a bare corrugated roof, no plasterwork inside to speak of, horrible steel-framed windows, a concrete floor and no power.
Couple of months, £6500 and a lot of work later...






The new double glazed windows aren't visible, but they're behind the blinds.


----------



## gbb (18 Jul 2017)

Specialist tools...pah.

Veloce BB with Veloce Power torque cranks, I notice a little knock lately as I pedal hard...could be pedals but I suspected the BB. Proper tools are expensive but at the end of the day it's just another puzzle to beat.
Using a 14mm Allen socket, 14mm spanner on the hex, remove the end plug, remove washer that's so easy to miss and refit the end plug till its sitting maybe 5mm proud. Using normal pullers and a bung to prevent the puller spindle going inside the end bung...and a fabricated plate to protect the back of the crank arms...pull the crank off so far, loosen end



bung a bit more...repeat until the crank is off. Took maybe 15 minutes.
Non drive side bearing was dryish and very slightly notch, remove seal, clean and work in new grease, refit seal, reassemble.



Drive side bearing seemed ok.

Chain wear measured..0.75%...time for a new chain, pronto. Chain cleaned and lubed.

It's like being at work...I PPM (planned preventative maintenance) stuff all day

Edited to say...im happy and careful not to over do stuff...for instance using the end bung to press against may (and equally may not..i dont know) result in failure of its shoulder. I'm not suggesting there is no risk and there is no danger of damaging something, but tread carefully and it can be done.


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## postman (18 Jul 2017)

A visit to my sons flat in Manchester.Last of his things,so i had to fix the back of his wardrobe with panel pins,glue a back rest on a kitchen chair,glue a table leg and screw a bracket to same table leg.Second wardrobe has had to be reported as dangerous as it leans like the leaning tower of Pisa,when touched with your FINGER END.


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## si_c (18 Jul 2017)

postman said:


> A visit to my sons flat in Manchester.Last of his things,so i had to fix the back of his wardrobe with panel pins,glue a back rest on a kitchen chair,glue a table leg and screw a bracket to same table leg.Second wardrobe has had to be reported as dangerous as it leans like the leaning tower of Pisa,when touched with your FINGER END.


Sounds like standard student furniture to me.


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## si_c (18 Jul 2017)

Stripped the bottom bracket off the purple pug, the lockring was pretty well seized, with surface rust on the cone and the ring itself. Grease inside had turned to an emulsion, and spread all around the inside of the shell. Removed all the bearings, cleared out the paste and wiped the insides clean, there is still a thick emulsion in the downtube and chainstays, but I can't do much about that, and most if it was there before I got the bike anyway.

Packed the loose bearings with lots of grease on the fixed cup, added a plastic spaced between the cups, and then packed the adjustable cup and refitted. Axle now spins wonderfully. I would get a cartridge BB, but french threads ftl.

Also fitted a new kickstand to Mrs Cs town bike.


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## pjd57 (18 Jul 2017)

Back mudguard has been rattling a bit.

The nut and bolt holding the end to the frame was missing.
Couldn't find a suitable sized one as a replacement.

Stuck a rawlplug in instead.
20 odd miles later, no rattling and it's still in place.


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## si_c (19 Jul 2017)

pjd57 said:


> Back mudguard has been rattling a bit.
> 
> The nut and bolt holding the end to the frame was missing.
> Couldn't find a suitable sized one as a replacement.
> ...


Add a bit of electrical tape and you've got a grade A bodge.


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Jul 2017)

The annual clean  and service of @gavgav's Cube. New inner gear cables, a section of outer and new rear brake pads on top of checking over, adjusting and regreasing as required.

Gav has mentioned how upright this bike felt now he's got used to the new Forme so I've lowered the handlebar for him to try.


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## gavgav (20 Jul 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The annual clean  and service of @gavgav's Cube. New inner gear cables, a section of outer and new rear brake pads on top of checking over, adjusting and regreasing as required.
> 
> Gav has mentioned how upright this bike felt now he's got used to the new Forme so I've lowered the handlebar for him to try.


To be fair it did have a good number of cleans over the winter, but has gathered dust since April in the shed.....


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## Ian193 (20 Jul 2017)

De greased the chain and cassette then reoiled changed the pedals back to spd rather than the spd sl that I have been using


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## biggs682 (21 Jul 2017)

Removed a crankset and a set of guards from one bike ready to be fitted to another


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## Dan B (21 Jul 2017)

Dan B said:


> New cassette and chain on my Croix de Fer, now realised that the outer chainring also needs replacing and then on the way to the LBS to see if they had one, noticed the BB also on its way out and I don't have the stupid tool for the latest incarnation of Hollowtech II - the BBR60 doesn't even fit the tool for the earlier incarnation of Hollowtech II, and call me Mr Cynical, but I strongly suspect that by the next time I need a new BB they'll have changed the design _again_
> 
> Giving serious consideration to (1) going back to square taper (who makes a moderately nice square taper compact double chainset?) or (2) letting the LBS sort it all out for me


Once I'd climbed back out of my huff, I found a cheap place on the internet with a new outer ring and a BBR60 (the web site said it was a bottom bracket, which is a relief because I wasn't sure if I'd get a Star Wars robot), got Evans to price match them, and fitted them last night. The plastic adaptor thing just about fits in my Campagnolo bottom bracket spanner, so put it all back together last night and rode it to work this morning. Slightly worried whether I got the preload right, but basically I'm happy again

Also, the new outer ring is 105, which is aesthetically-if-for-no-other-reason a nice step up from the "dinner plate" Tiagra chainring it replaced


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## Heigue'r (22 Jul 2017)

Had a little accident during the week and snapped the front brifter....what a pain in the arris replacing it..all internal cableing...done now and could probably do it in half the time if needed again...hopefully not


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## Ian193 (23 Jul 2017)

Heigue'r said:


> Had a little accident during the week and snapped the front brifter....what a pain in the arris replacing it..all internal cableing...done now and could probably do it in half the time if needed again...hopefully not



I did a similar thing last October mine was the right hand one cost £100 to put it right


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## smokeysmoo (23 Jul 2017)

Seatpost was slipping a bit on the Marin so it's been removed, cleaned, re-greased with copper slip, (alu post in steel frame!!!), re-fitted and finally re-tightened with a smidge of thread lock on the pinch bolt as I suspect that was the culprit for the slippage.

Roll on the next ride


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## Heigue'r (23 Jul 2017)

Ian193 said:


> I did a similar thing last October mine was the right hand one cost £100 to put it right



Yep....same here


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## Venod (23 Jul 2017)

The back tyre on the cross bike (Vittoria XN pro) was looking a little worn compared to the front so decided to swap them round, these are not tubeless tyres but I have been running them tubeless for about a year.
I didn't have any problems fitting them with a track pump when new but I could I get them to seat second time asking, could I bollox, so I made one of these.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/how-to-make-a-tubeless-inflator-44290/

Boom on first time of using.

There was a thorn stuck in the rear but it had sealed and both front and rear had clumps of hard sealant in other places where it had done its job and plugged holes.


----------



## RoubaixCube (23 Jul 2017)

was sunny outside so I gave the triban a good clean after yesterdays wet commute. Completed it just before the skies started clouding over and the heavens opened up.

front caliper 'balanced' and brake pads need re-alignment but I'll leave that till Ive had my cuppa.


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## ColinJ (23 Jul 2017)

When I built my singlespeed bike last year I somehow managed to get the right-hand brake lever significantly too low on the handlebar(s?). It had been bothering me for some time but I couldn't be bothered to redo the double-layered bar tape so I left it. A photograph taken by @Buck on yesterday's Humber Bridge ride convinced me that it was time to sort it out so I did that this afternoon.






I raised the RH lever to line up with the LH lever which was in the position that I like, where the top of the hood forms a flat area with the top of the bars.

You can also see that the front brake cable is a bit short. (The bike was largely built from old spare parts and the spare brake cable came off a smaller bike.) I didn't have a longer cable to replace it today but moving the lever up the bars slackened the cable slightly. I slackened it a bit more by routeing it off the bars a bit closer to the lever. I then retaped the bars on that side. (A mate called in and he reckons that I should have taped from the end of the bars in, rather than the way I did - from the centre outwards. Something to do with the way hands tend to move bar-tape when riding on the tops.)


----------



## confusedcyclist (24 Jul 2017)

@ColinJ, crikey, it's going to feel odd riding it now that you got used to that crooked setup.

I always warp from bar ends to top, that way you never run out of bar tape before reaching the end of the bar! As for the tape moving, that won't happen if you do it consistently tight enough.


----------



## confusedcyclist (24 Jul 2017)

I started fitting my new 5800 Groupset last night, as I decided to take the plunge and migrate from stock components on my 2014 Defy 1 (10 speed, 105). The 5800 stuff looks real nice. Can't believe it's £200 less than Ultegra. A £200 premium to save >300g? Sod that! The old chainrings, cassette, chain and bottom bracket needed replacing, so I figured I'd just upgrade to 11 speed and do a complete overhaul of the bike while I was at it because there's a few annoying creaks developing too. I was half tempted to order a new brooks cambium saddle but got a serious case of sticker shock, how much for a saddle?!

Last night I got to work stripping down the bike, cleaning and polishing the frame. When the cranks are off it's a great opportunity to clean all those nooks and crannies that you can't normally get to. I stripped the headset down and re-greased all the bearings. Had to pop out to B&Q to get hold of some adjustable spanners to fit the new press fit BB, greasing the hell out of it to avoid any creaking. I'm sure the BB was the source of my creaking woes. Fingers crossed!

I also fitted the new ST levers and cranks. I couldn't go any further without the rear wheel in situ. Since I don't have another 10 speed bike that will take these wheels I am going to swap out the Tiagra rear hub for the new FH-5800 which is 11 speed compatible. Fingers crossed I can reuse the same spokes in the build, otherwise that is another £20 + p+p for new spokes to talk the wife into letting me order. When eyeballing it, the flanges look a similar diameter. This will be my 7th wheel build, so hopefully I can have it done in an under an hour and get on and finish the build today. Sadly, the paint work on the frame is a bit battered, but I don't think it's worth the hassle of a respray, otherwise the bike should look and run as good as new.


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2017)

confusedcyclist said:


> @ColinJ, crikey, it's going to feel odd riding it now that you got used to that crooked setup.
> 
> I always warp from bar ends to top, that way you never run out of bar tape before reaching the end of the bar! As for the tape moving, that won't happen if you do it consistently tight enough.


It felt odd riding it like that so I am hoping that it STOPS feeling odd now!

You are right about running out of tape wrapping the way that I did. I had to have a second go to make it reach!

I forgot to mention that I also moved the saddle forwards about 6 or 7 mm. I got a slight saddle sore on Saturday's 116 mile ride. I have the same type of saddle on all of my bikes now so I know that I _can_ be comfortable, but I felt on the ride that I was sitting slightly forwards of the widest part of the saddle, which is where I like to perch.


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## DCLane (24 Jul 2017)

Worked on my son's single speed MTB conversion that's been sat in bits for far too long. Almost done; full details when finished.

Then set to work on a bike that I saw advertised on Saturday for a fiver. Yes, £5. The bike's a 21 speed Dawes Tekarra that'll be fitted with spike tyres for the winter and have no other purpose. Everything works but the gear cables have been stretched _around_ the front mudguard, meaning they won't shift properly. They're rusty so will be changed. Also the tyres are cracked, which isn't an issue as they're getting swapped.

How it looked on purchase:





A bit better:


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## confusedcyclist (25 Jul 2017)

@DCLane, where did you find it?!


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## DCLane (25 Jul 2017)

confusedcyclist said:


> @DCLane, where did you find it?!



In a local sales group on Facebook along with another bike and 3 bike racks. It was part of a mass clear-out of their garage with a load more stuff in there, but none bike-related.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (25 Jul 2017)

The sticker with Q/R instructions said "DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL"

I'm a bad man


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## Tom B (26 Jul 2017)

Having ridden around with only a front brake for weeks I finally fitted a new brake cable and outer on the clunker. Bargainous for genuine Shimano at 49p on CRC clearance. 

It was even the perfect length already.

The Allen key used to fit it was even found in the gutter!


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (26 Jul 2017)

Full bike fettle, had stripped this down to sell due to not being needed and being knackered but have recently got back into it so have invested in some bits.
Charge spoon saddle back on, new bottom bracket, chainset and chain. Rear cassette is skipping very slightly on new chain but hoping it'll settle in.
Full lube and oil, brakes realigned and tightened. Rides pretty well again now.
Had to leg it inside to finish due to the weather, don't tell the missus


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## Jenkins (26 Jul 2017)

New chain, cassette, rear disc rotor and pads fitted on the Cube then all four brake pads changed and a full clean for the Ventus used mostly for commuting.


----------



## dave r (27 Jul 2017)

Having had this mornings ride end early due to a flat, my first this year, caused by a failed tube, the tube had split under the patch at the site of an old puncture, I managed to get a patch on it at the roadside, things being complicated by my spare tube not being in my saddle bag where it was suposed to be, it was on the shed floor when I got home. This afternoon I have been messing around with tubes. A root round on the shelf in the shed produced a brand new tube to go in the bike, an inspection of the spare showed up a leaking patch so I was back on the shelf to find one that wasn't leaking, I also found a new tube of glue and some more patches to top up the puncture kit. Now I'm all ready for my next ride.


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## Crackle (27 Jul 2017)

Replaced 6 spokes in a crap wheel. It all went well until I put one spoke in and it wouldn't reach the hole. What the hell! I thought and then after 5 minutes of scratching my head and examining the spoke pattern, I realized I was trying to put the old broken one back in.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (27 Jul 2017)

Realised why I hate Suntour freewheels

Two-prong tool now still has two prongs. One on each half of the broken tool


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## dave r (28 Jul 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Realised why I hate Suntour freewheels
> 
> Two-prong tool now still has two prongs. One on each half of the broken tool



I was never a fan of those things either.


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## GuyBoden (28 Jul 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Realised why I hate Suntour freewheels
> 
> Two-prong tool now still has two prongs. One on each half of the broken tool



Freewheels are never "Free" enough to get off easily.


----------



## HLaB (29 Jul 2017)

I'm not sure if the freehub on my rear wheel is sticking so I've swapped the rear wheel out and tranferred the cassette and tyres over  Whilst putting the bike in the stand I noticed a mm of play in the front wheel. Its Fulcrum so its quite a simple process to fix I hope that's all it is :-/


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## ColinJ (29 Jul 2017)

HLaB said:


> I'm not sure if the freehub on my rear wheel is sticking ...


The freehub on my singlespeed bike definitely _IS_ sticking. If I push the bike along the road, the chain drives the cranks round! The freehub is very noisy too so I think I will strip it down, clean it, and give it a few drops of very light lube.

I rode 116 miles on the bike during last Saturday's Humber Bridge ride. I am fairly hard of hearing but I could still clearly hear the racket that the chain was making going round the chain tensioner so I fettled that today. I slightly reduced the tension, which helped. I also discovered that the jockey wheel was slightly out of alignment with the sprocket and chainring so I corrected that by making a few mms of lateral adjustment. I did a 10 mile test ride this evening and I think that the noise from the transmission when pedalling has been reduced by over 50%.


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## si_c (30 Jul 2017)

Stopped midride yesterday to fettle the cable tension on the rear derailleur. The chain was skipping between the biggest three sprockets, which I found out on a 10% hill.


----------



## Alex1982 (30 Jul 2017)

Not today but Friday I bought a POC Mits pink helmet 

Box of gels

Box of bars

I am tempted with a Chtp3 jacket or jersey though


----------



## biggs682 (30 Jul 2017)

Had to resort to the big nut and bolt to move a stuck bottom bracket .

















Now the fun of undoing it .


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## User33236 (30 Jul 2017)

biggs682 said:


> Had to resort to the big nut and bolt to move a stuck bottom bracket .
> 
> View attachment 365181
> View attachment 365182
> ...


What frame is that? Unusual cable routing for RD.


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## biggs682 (30 Jul 2017)

User33236 said:


> What frame is that? Unusual cable routing for RD.



It's this mid 70's Kalkhoff , that I am stripping .


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## NorthernDave (30 Jul 2017)

biggs682 said:


> It's this mid 70's Kalkhoff , that I am stripping .
> 
> View attachment 365187



Chain looks a bit slack....


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## midlife (30 Jul 2017)

User33236 said:


> What frame is that? Unusual cable routing for RD.



If there was no braze on we could buy a clip on cable guide back then


----------



## Tom B (30 Jul 2017)

After a couple of weeks of getting filthy I've got around to fitting another replacement rear mudguard.


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## si_c (31 Jul 2017)

After taking an unexpected detour along a coastal path (see sand dunes) I had to give the bike a thorough clean. Sand everywhere, and I didn't even like turning the pedals given the grinding sounds coming from everywhere. All sounding nice though now after being hosed down and relubed.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (31 Jul 2017)

Stripped the Lizard I picked up on eBay at the weekend and started cleaning it all up.

26 years old (the bike, not me (I wish!) and this is the condition of the original headset and b/b bearings. Back when Raleigh bikes were solid - heavy but solid (the paint and thick chrome probably weighed a lot!)


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## si_c (31 Jul 2017)

Used to have a lizard, when I was a kid. Fond memories, including the terrible lights.


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## pjd57 (31 Jul 2017)

Noticed that another nut securing my back mudguard was missing.
So a second rawlplug was added.
The first one was still holding after a couple of hundred miles.
The friendly mechanic at Freewheel North rummaged about in his box and got me sorted out later.


----------



## DCBassman (2 Aug 2017)

The rain cover - it's p*$$ing down...


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## KneesUp (2 Aug 2017)

Bottom bracket has fairly suddenly started creaking like a barn door in the wind. I go on holiday tomorrow, and won't have chance to get to the LBS before then, so I took it out, noted the alarming amount of water in the frame, dried it off, re-greased the end of the sealed bits that sit in the cups and put it back together. It will either stop it creaking or it won't, but either way I won't find out until I'm away ...


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## Elybazza61 (3 Aug 2017)

Got hold of a Kona Smoke from the mechanic at work which has been stripped today ready to fit with what's lying about.Some Axis wheels from a spech mtb with some Conti RaceKing tyres,also some Magura hydraulic rim brakes which will be a funky addition.

Will check if the hub will take 10-speed and if so will look for some Deore/XT drivetrain parts.

Eventually(hopefully!) it'll be a good off-road bike for the better half.


----------



## fatjel (4 Aug 2017)

Built some wheels for the bent finished them today.
Ultegra 6800 hubs , mavic 117 26" rims and sapim spokes
Durano 26 x 1.1s on just waiting for the forks from China before I can use them

Sunday afternoon at the side of the road between Loughton and St Ives I took the bb30 crankset off the Boardman ,cleaned it with a make up wipe and reassembled with a liberal glob of chamois cream . No more creaking


----------



## HLaB (5 Aug 2017)

Got myself a new semi compact during the week and a replacement 11-28 cassette and chain so I fitted them tonight


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Aug 2017)

A "taking apart and cleaning" day

Stripped this down.....






Looking pretty clean, bit of light "T-Cut" and a polish will sort scuffs






Also stripped and started cleaning an '89 GT Talera. Covered in dried on mud but clean underneath....






Shame about the mech





So do I go for something "near period and similar spec"? Or hunt down the 200gs?






Finally, loosely put together the Lizard. The stupidly wide 2.125 Van Sh*thurst steel rims are the weak point of the whole bike (and the only bit to get surface rust) so they are going to be decommissioned and the pretty bombproof Sachs/Maillard hubs laced to a half-decent alloy rim. May be "un-original" but sometimes progress is a good thing! (I know front wheel / reflector is in BTF, but being rebuilt I don't really care!


----------



## hondated (7 Aug 2017)

Sadly my brother in law at 59 recently had a Stroke and as you would expect he now cannot drive his car which has meant his old bike being retrieved from the back of his shed.
That's where I come in as it needs to be refurbished to get it working again. On stripping the forks out BB spindle its clear to me that they've never ever been given a trace of grease so that was the first job. Cables were cut off and thanks to Ebay I have enough in the garage to replace them.
So its begun and at least I was wrong in thinking that the seat post will be seized so that's a bonus.
Biggest fear I have got is not getting the bike done but rather my B in L can remember how to cycle as physically he has not been damaged.


----------



## si_c (14 Aug 2017)

New toy arrived today - Tacx Truing stand. Set about fixing the rear wheel on the turbo bike properly, it had a broken spoke previously and was seriously out of true (5mm shimmy in both directions). I wasn't sure if I could get it perfectly trued, but 2 1/2 hours including removing the freewheel, replacing a pair of additional spokes (rounded nipples) and it was, as far as I can make out, perfectly true. It isn't however completely round, there is a distortion in one place as it rotates, but I don't (as yet) know how to fix that.

I had to completely loosen all the spokes though as not only was it not trued previously, but it wasn't dished properly either, so I've fixed that too. I'm pretty certain I could build a wheel now, all I'd need to do is get the lacing right. Might invest in a spoke tension meter first though.


----------



## Jason (15 Aug 2017)

Pulled all my cree xml lights out and gave them a charge. A college mate (we are now in our 50's) has taken up road cycling,his front light couldn't light the inside of a matchbox,so he gets a cycling present on Wednesday's evening ride.
Then Mrs Bourne decides to invade my personal space and starts snooping around the shed, some minutes later,she has the folder out and is riding on the grass!


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (15 Aug 2017)

Stripped, cleaned, put back together with fresh grease and cables..this from when Decathlon didn't use other brand names, specced their bikes well enough but drew their styling and colour schemes from 1973


----------



## HLaB (15 Aug 2017)

I feel like I'm generating more power and sustainable power on the nose of my TT saddle even though it has no nose. So minor fettling was undertook and the saddle moved forward 5mm.


----------



## Illaveago (16 Aug 2017)

I've been doing a bit of recycling today by swapping some rear sprockets around. Yesterday I discovered that a wheel I bought on E wouldn't fit in the frame due to it having 6 sprockets.
I removed the 6 speed sprockets and fitted that to another wheel which I then fitted into my Albion which now works fine.
I then cleaned up an old 5 speed which was on a discarded wheel and fitted that to the wheel which had the 6 speed to start with and now that should fit in the frame.
A picture of my Albion with the wheel fitted. It looked nice glowing in the sunshine


----------



## si_c (17 Aug 2017)

Cleaned up and fixed the brakes on the turbo bike, the front brake hangar needed replacing after a vehicular incident in february, and the cables had gone all horrible and manky after being soaked and not cleaned properly, and then sweated on. Replaced the rear cable entirely, and adjusted the brakes (centrepulls) to be a bit better feeling at the lever. Used the old rear cable to replace the front as most of it was relatively ok as the section I needed had been in cable housing anyway. Both brakes should now be sufficient if I need to press the bike into use as a spare.


----------



## MrPie (17 Aug 2017)

Fettled finishing touches of my best bike for a week in the Pyreneas in 4 weeks time: glued front Vittoria Pave tub (finish it off tomorrow), new rubber on spare wheels (Pro race 4 on Shamal Ulta clinchers in case carbon tubs misbehave). Cables all replaced. Perfect indexing. All I need to do now is purchase a spare mech hanger and spare carbon brake pads.....plus train like f**k for the next 3 weeks.


----------



## Elybazza61 (17 Aug 2017)

Built a wheel for the first time;Mavic a119 rim to a Deore hub with DT spokes


----------



## si_c (17 Aug 2017)

Heavy rain the other day had washed the lube out of the chain, and on the way home it had started to skate over the sprockets, checked it, and just past .75 @ 3000km. Replaced today with a new SRAM chain, and washed down and cleaned the whole drivetrain and the frame, then relubed all the pivots and the jockey wheels on the derailleurs.


----------



## wonderdog (18 Aug 2017)

Sidled with good intent (as removed from cycled) past the mixte frame that's been hanging on the hoist for the past month. Barked knuckles tightening the front wheel into the forks. Cussed, spat and remonstrated with self a little over the use of a BSF spanner on a metric nut and retreated into warm house. Heart's just not in it. We've had up to minus nine in the past month and there's a lot to be said for an open fire and a bucket of armagnac. Spring, I'm reliably informed, is just around the corner.


----------



## Alex1982 (18 Aug 2017)

Not for the bike for me

Velobici gilet
Velobici snood
Castelli bib shorts (sigma sale)
Castelli leg warmers 
Chpt3 rocka jacket


----------



## dave r (18 Aug 2017)

A minor fettle on my Eastway this afternoon. Doing my weekly check and noticed a little bit of play in the rear wheel bearings, so had the wheel out and tightened them up, whilst putting the wheel back in I noticed a little bit of run out on the rim, got the spoke key out and sorted that out, then realized I'd disturbed the rear mudguard and then had to sort that out. Now back to running sweet as normal.


----------



## Erudin (18 Aug 2017)

Discovered the Shimano LX freehub on my Thorn Audax bike had seized when I checked it a few months after last using it in the winter. Removed the seals and flushed it with some GT85, which got it moving but it still felt rough.

I made a freehub disassembly tool out of a 13/16" socket (£2.35 off Ebay) following RJ the Bike Guy's YouTube guide. Opened up the freehub and found the outer set of freehub bearings were black and misshaped, so replaced them with some new 1/8" ball bearings and White Lightning Crystal Clear Grease.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (18 Aug 2017)

I didn't touch any bikes.
But I got well and truly fettled on Hopjacker Roobarb & Custard Ale at a deceptive 6%

*HIC*


----------



## postman (19 Aug 2017)

Changed a tube on a trike.One of the bikes used at Wheels4FunLeeds.


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## Jenkins (19 Aug 2017)

Finally got round to fitting the tyres, brake discs & cassette to the spare/winter set of wheels for the Spa Elan and changedthe cassette on the currently fitted ones to a 12-25 for a close set of ratios (11 speed)


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## srw (20 Aug 2017)

The garage.

All swept, various bits tidied away, freezer moved and initial sorts done, similar things grouped with similar, and bikes stowed neatly with room for one more that will be returning home soon. Over the winter we might get around to doing a proper sort and decide which of the six wheels and dozen tyres are worth hanging on to. And organise things so that each bike can go out on a ride without worrying about whether it's got spare bits.

I now need to learn how to ride the PDQ recumbent, and fix the 8-speed Brompton so that I can pop off and tour when I feel like it.


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## Elybazza61 (20 Aug 2017)

Like srw above had a shed clear-out although on a smaller scale, will also be sorting out properly in the future; will be some bits for sale on here soon.

Also cleaned the other half's Escape,my Planet X XLS and Helium;plus sorted the front mech on the Helium.

Earlier before popping out for some foraging sorted the brakes on the above Escape and XLS.


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## DCBassman (21 Aug 2017)

The rear brake. realised that when I built it all up at Bikespace in Plymouth, I'd set the brake with the 'tyre removal switch' to open. Reset and re-adjust. Good time to notice the wheel is VERY slightly out of true. Whatever, it sure spins better now.


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## LiamW (22 Aug 2017)

Replaced front & rear brake blocks, front gear cable, rear brake inner & outer cable and the chainrings on my Planet X last night. Fitted the SKS guards as well as a new set of tyres for the Autumn/Winter commute now.

Running very smooth now.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (23 Aug 2017)

When you spend so long cleaning out an old hub, polishing the rim, putting new bearings in, then - just as you're screwing the cone in you pick up the WRONG cloth, the gritty one full of hairs, to wipe the excess grease. Then realise you've just gritted and haired the thing up again. Bah!

There WILL be a nice Carrera Subway out of the restored bikes stable. Just not tonight.


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## si_c (23 Aug 2017)

Replaced the chain about 80km ago, and it started skating under heavy load, was hoping it would mesh with the cassette, but it hasn't, so replaced this evening with a new one. 2750mi or so which is a little disappointing.


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## Rickshaw Phil (24 Aug 2017)

Two Tired said:


> Is there a 'what have you broken on the bike today' thread anywhere? I need that one.
> 
> Snapped my gear shifter that needs fettling now!


https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-broken-today.197805/


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## Too Tyred (24 Aug 2017)

My thanks. Moved.


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## Elybazza61 (24 Aug 2017)

Woke up early(as in 4:30) so thought ok I'll fit the Sram stuff to the XLS.

All fitted ok but had to wait to get to work to set the mech up and bleed the brakes.

Mech ok although obviously not 100% as it is running with a 10-speed chain and cassette*.

Rear hose will need re-doing to properly route it through the frame as we didn't have the right fittings so will get done next week hopefully.

Also fitted new Hope carbon seat-post and clamp.

*Hub won't take a 11-speed cassette but plan is to get new wheels built later(Hope hubs on Halo Vapour 29er rims) which will also need to have a thru-axle front for the Lauf Grit forks which are also part of the plan.


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## Supersuperleeds (24 Aug 2017)

Bolt on the rear mudguard came loose for the umpteenth time tonight on the way home from work. Every slight ripple in the road and it sounds like the mudguard is going to shatter 

. Get home, remove bolt, give the mudguard a clean, find a longer bolt, drown it in loctite and screwed it in. If it comes loose again the mudguard is coming off


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## 13 rider (24 Aug 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Bolt on the rear mudguard came loose for the umpteenth time tonight on the way home from work. Every slight ripple in the road and it sounds like the mudguard is going to shatter
> 
> . Get home, remove bolt, give the mudguard a clean, find a longer bolt, drown it in loctite and screwed it in. If it comes loose again the mudguard is coming off


What you want is brown parcel tape apparently is excellent for mudguard repairs and lasts months


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## velovoice (24 Aug 2017)

Bl**dy front mudguard.


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## Supersuperleeds (25 Aug 2017)

13 rider said:


> What you want is brown parcel tape apparently is excellent for mudguard repairs and lasts months



r


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## dave r (25 Aug 2017)

velovoice said:


> Bl**dy front mudguard.



What I want to know is who thought that putting mudguard eyes on a bike but not mudguard clearances was a good idea?


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## Rickshaw Phil (27 Aug 2017)

Swapped a tyre for my brother. Before our ride today I noticed that the rear tyre was nearly worn out but more importantly was riddled with cuts. We risked it for this trip (no issues) but I thought it best if he has a better one for an upcoming trip where we will be racking up a few miles, so have changed it for a worn but servicable Marathon I had lying around.


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## biggs682 (28 Aug 2017)

Been fettling in the kitchen this morning.











Apple and raisin cake , once it's cooler I can try it .


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## Tom B (29 Aug 2017)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Swapped a tyre for my brother.



Sounds like a good deal... But then again I don't know your brother. 


The extent of my fettling was lowering the bars on my mtb one spacer.


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## dbeattie (29 Aug 2017)

Put a red reflector on my rear mudguard so that's me legal now.


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## HLaB (29 Aug 2017)

An enforced fettle tonight. Put my bike on the turbo and noted that I wasn't getting the top two gears. On closer inspection the cable had come slightly out of the barrel adjuster. The only way I could get it back in was to loosen the cable (screw in the barrel adjuster and derailleur adjuster). Of course that meant I had to reindex the gears


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## Sheffield_Tiger (30 Aug 2017)

Fettled and delivered this..erm..."beauty"

Actually...it rode really nicely after a full "back to frame and fork" service. Wouldn't ride it daily myself or take it off-roading but I like to think the buyer got a usable bike for £60 - and better carefully assembled with fresh grease than it would have come out of Halfords
(then just gave the £57 after eBay commission to https://www.facebook.com/WellSmallAnimalRescue/
Sigh...guess this is why I'll never be rich


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## ColinJ (31 Aug 2017)

I fettled my old Aldi SPD shoes. I did quite a bit of walking in them on my recent Bay Way holiday and the soles ended up coming loose. 

The shoes are pretty tatty but they are very comfortable so I decided to do a DIY repair. I paid about £2.75 for a tube of 'Shoe Glu' on eBay and stuck the soles back on a couple of days ago, then left the glue to dry. 

I haven't ridden in them since then but the bond seems good so I don't think that there will be a problem. Even if the repair only lasts the rest of the year then it will have been worthwhile. (I still have plenty of glue left so I could stick the soles back on again if I had to, as long as the glue hasn't set solid in its tube by then.)


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## raleighnut (31 Aug 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Fettled and delivered this..erm..."beauty"
> 
> Actually...it rode really nicely after a full "back to frame and fork" service. Wouldn't ride it daily myself or take it off-roading but I like to think the buyer got a usable bike for £60 - and better carefully assembled with fresh grease than it would have come out of Halfords
> (then just gave the £57 after eBay commission to https://www.facebook.com/WellSmallAnimalRescue/
> ...


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## pjd57 (31 Aug 2017)

Put a few slabs down in the back garden. The neighbours bought too many and asked if I could use them.

Be rude not to.


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## Leaway2 (1 Sep 2017)

No fettling as intended. As I undid the the cable clamp on the new front dérailleur, the most stupid, smallest part, a cable route adapter, fell out onto the floor and I spent the night crawling on all fours, feeling for said part.


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## Justinitus (2 Sep 2017)

Dismantled, regressed and reassembled both hubs on the Tern - they were a bit dry. Never done it before but bought some cone spanners from the local Mica hardware shop (£4.49 for a pair vs £12.99 in the LBS - exact same Silverline set...), watched a couple of YouTube videos and voila.... perfect running hubs!

Now to tackle the noisy gears...


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## Goofball (2 Sep 2017)

Changed the crank set, put on new pedals, taped the handlebars, went to set the brakes and found I had them perfect.
I didn't need to adjust them after I had reattached everything after painting it.


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## Colin_P (2 Sep 2017)

Wheeled my old, 1984 10 speed roady out of the shed, last used about four years ago.

I've always maintained it so a quick dust off, bit of oil on the chain, two new tyres and tubes and off I went.

It is nothing special, just a Peugeot carbolite frame, a compfy for me massive 25" frame, with basic simplex gears. It does have a quaint Malliard freewheel which will never come off as the removal tool is rarer than hens teeth. And the weinman brakes complete with suicide levers are scary. We coped with them back in the day, you just have to ride like you are in an oil tanker and start braking about three miles before you want to stop.

Love the bike though, it is not going to sit in the shed for as long again.


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## overmind (3 Sep 2017)

Colin_P said:


> Wheeled my old, 1984 10 speed roady out of the shed, last used about four years ago.
> 
> I've always maintained it so a quick dust off, bit of oil on the chain, two new tyres and tubes and off I went.
> 
> ...



A picture would be nice. :-)


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## Levo-Lon (3 Sep 2017)

Changed my 12-25 for a12-28....im a mountain man lol


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## HLaB (3 Sep 2017)

Lol, I went to a road race today and a mate who was racing was doing so with a lose brake caliper. (He finished a great 10th despite this). I gave him my multi tool, only to find the cap on the 5mm hex was seized (glad I never had a road mechanical my self). So tonight's fettling was soaking the tool in wd40 for a few hours and then removing the cap with a pair of pliers


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## velovoice (4 Sep 2017)

The commuter is going to do light touring duties next week so today it got a handlebar bag.


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## the stupid one (4 Sep 2017)

Raised and moved back the saddle on the mtb that my boy now uses. He has pretty much recovered from a bad broken leg in May and I'm hoping he'll become as keen as he was beforehand, and I took the bike he crashed for myself. He's thirteen, but touching six feet tall and with legs already as long as mine. Screen-addicted teenagers need exercise too.


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## TheDoctor (4 Sep 2017)

Fixed a deflation event on my flat-bar Ribble. And had an unsuccessful fettle of the e-bike.
The seatpost was slipping down, so I took the QR off and fitted a nut and bolt.
The seatpost still slips, only now I couldnt raise it again because I didn't take the spanner...
Doh!


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## si_c (4 Sep 2017)

Unwanted deflation on the way into work today (spare bike normally on turbo. Main bike in LBS) tyre on the back had lots of cuts through to the casing.

New schwalbe lugano fitted to replace the Bontrager. Tube patched and replaced in saddle bag.


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## Jason (5 Sep 2017)

Just the saddle height as I didn't want the Rapid getting wet or dirty in the rain yesterday


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## Salty seadog (5 Sep 2017)

New tyres on the Forme mtb and then re-cabled the brakes on the Pearson and reapplied the bar tape. I did this all a few weeks ago but used gear cable outer instead of brake cable outer. This can apparently cause problems due to the different ways the steel wire that is part of their construction runs through them.


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## Dan B (5 Sep 2017)

Last night: almost finished upgrading the Croix de Fer brakes from BB5 to TRP Spyre. So far: rotors fitted, calipers fitted and aligned, new compressionless brake cables fitted, everything connected up. Only thing left to do is retape the bars


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## raleighnut (5 Sep 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> New tyres on the Forme mtb and then re-cabled the brakes on the Pearson and reapplied the bar tape. I did this all a few weeks ago but used gear cable outer instead of brake cable outer. This can apparently cause problems due to the different ways the steel wire that is part of their construction runs through them.


7 speed upwards it'll begger up the indexing.


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## Salty seadog (5 Sep 2017)

raleighnut said:


> 7 speed upwards it'll begger up the indexing.



Single speed and I think you may have read it the wrong way round. I used gear housing for the brakes.


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## raleighnut (5 Sep 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Single speed and I think you may have read it the wrong way round. I used gear housing for the brakes.


 now that is dangerous.


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## dave r (5 Sep 2017)

A minor fettle and a bit of an adventure this afternoon. My replacement bottom bracket arrived this morning and was fitted this afternoon. A bit of an adventure as it was the first time I'd fitted a Hollowtech, a nice straight forward job no surprises, though the old one appeared to be gorilla tight, took half an hour including cleaning the bike.


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## velovoice (5 Sep 2017)

Fitted a second bottle cage to the Cross Check. Nearly ready for our next Scotland adventure!


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## bpsmith (5 Sep 2017)

Stripped, cleaned and re-greased the Zonda front wheel. Was rough from not being done previously. If I had known how simple it was, they would have been done already!

Will test Ride and then look at the back one, ready for taking the Carbon rims off after "Summer" has gone.


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## Salty seadog (5 Sep 2017)

Mickled the chain on the Montpellier ready for Saturdays pie-cnic.


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## Leaway2 (6 Sep 2017)

[QUOTE 4946080, member: 43827"]Unable to ride this week so I am trying to finish off the conversion of my old Sun Mass Start to a single speed. Just cut down the bars and fitted them with some old garish check bar tape off a long gone bike. Tasteless but I like it.

I was going to put alloy wheels on it but the old steel wheels look so good after a clean-up, and are not very heavy, that I'll stick with them and carry on playing the braking lottery.
[/QUOTE]
AAAAAAHHHHH my eyes


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Sep 2017)

Colin_P said:


> Wheeled my old, 1984 10 speed roady out of the shed, last used about four years ago.
> 
> I've always maintained it so a quick dust off, bit of oil on the chain, two new tyres and tubes and off I went.
> 
> ...



Snap.. I thought I had a tool but it's evidently not for these Maillards. So as I want the hub more than the fw, it is going to have to go to work and into the big engineers vice, whereupon the freewheel will be exploded by brute force and the threaded part removed

This is the brute force bit of fettling currently underway......









And this is the more precision, technical bit of fettling where old batteries have rotted the contacts. Hi-tech, innit


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## PeteXXX (6 Sep 2017)

Grandsons balance bike fettled, hubs lubed, and a few strokes of white paint to spruce it up a bit.


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## DCBassman (6 Sep 2017)

Using a 2mm long Allen key, I removed _massive_ amounts of crud from between the sprockets. Ugh!


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Sep 2017)

DCBassman said:


> Using a 2mm long Allen key, I removed _massive_ amounts of crud from between the sprockets. Ugh!


..which is the correct use of a 2mm alley key. What else are they for? Gripsh**t bolts - nah!


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## Colin_P (6 Sep 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Snap.. I thought I had a tool but it's evidently not for these Maillards. So as I want the hub more than the fw, it is going to have to go to work and into the big engineers vice, whereupon the freewheel will be exploded by brute force and the threaded part removed



Interesting.

I'm sure taking it to your LBS and bunging them a fiver would be safer if you really want to keep the hub.

I think when mine wears out, i'll do that and then fit a new one for which I do have the tool.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Sep 2017)

The hub is safe doing this, basically you just crush the freewheel and either it all compresses together and you can unscrew it or as once happened everything goes *BANG*, pawls and bearings fly everywhere at high velocity bagging at least 3 brace of pigeons

Did it a couple of weeks ago on another wheel after killing nor one but two different 2-prong Suntour freewheel remover tools trying to do it "properly". The hub is fine. The freewheel is of course deceased. It is an ex freewheel and has ceased to be


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## raleighnut (6 Sep 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> The hub is safe doing this, basically you just crush the freewheel and either it all compresses together and you can unscrew it or as once happened everything goes *BANG*, pawls and bearings fly everywhere at high velocity bagging at least 3 brace of pigeons
> 
> Did it a couple of weeks ago on another wheel after killing nor one but two different 2-prong Suntour freewheel remover tools trying to do it "properly". The hub is fine. The freewheel is of course deceased. It is an ex freewheel and has ceased to be


Why not just unscrew the 'freewheel' ring, everything will just fall off the leaving the centre bit to be unscrewed in the vice.


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## User16625 (6 Sep 2017)

Bit of a bike service:

Removed pedals and bearings. Clean and greased.
Removed/cleaned cranks, chainrings, cassette, chain, jockey wheels.
Cleaned and greased bottom bracket.
Lubed and cleaned front mech
Took headset apart, clean and lubed. 

Test ridden and rides lovely. Ticking sound gone.


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## gaijintendo (6 Sep 2017)

I played with my lemon of a fixie today: It is now a drop bar, with blue tape and a rear brake. Also I stuck on a new chainring as the old one was rusted to a frightening degree.

Previously I grabbed a Gipiemme Pista rear wheel for £25 from PX when I diagnosed the rattle in the current rear wheel as the better part of a spoke nipple (can't tell which spoke it is, so maybe an old one - but they all look equally rusted - can these things fail gracefully?). 

I got the lockring off and found my chainwhip is the wrong speed(?) to whip it off so may have to use the _reverse rotolock_ when I find time. I was also surprised to find you need a tool of some sort to get the freewheel off - so I am still using the old wheel for now. It would have been fixed, but I took a spacer off along with the lockring and it vanished!

I now need to think of a way of getting the non drive crank off as I have threaded it, and the pedal seems welded in there. I have one to stick on, and I really want to ride fixed with SPDs.

I quite enjoyed the test run tonight, but I wonder if it now looks more of a target given the reduced rust spot count. It will always be a lemon to me.


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## Salad Dodger (8 Sep 2017)

I fitted an adjustable stem to Mrs Salad's mountain bike today. Hopefully this will banish the complaints about the riding position being uncomfortable. Yeah, of course it will.......


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## mustang1 (8 Sep 2017)

Raceblades. Does that count?


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## Illaveago (8 Sep 2017)

Can you see what it is yet?
I was feeling in a bit of a making mood this afternoon. I had a couple of ceramic shower mixer tap inserts that I had changed lying around and thought I might be able to modify them to make a brake cable end stop.
So using a few hand tools, drill, a small vice, and some files I set about trying to make one. It worked! It might be slightly smaller diameter wise but it achieves what I want from it.
Thanks Biggsy for your kind offer of getting me some. Once I started I couldn't stop.


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## ColinJ (11 Sep 2017)

I did a mini-tour on my CAADX recently but had given up trying to bodge my old rack on before going (it didn't fit straight on because the rear disk brake was in the way). Instead, I carried my stuff in a large and correspondingly heavy rucksack. I swore to myself that I wouldn't make that mistake again ... Racks and panniers were invented for a reason!

A mate bought the old rack off me for £15 and I was able to find THIS rack designed with extra clearance for disk brakes. I got it for £14.99 so I was 1p up!  (The price has since gone up but is still a good deal.) I also bought a new chain for my singlespeed bike to boost the total to over £20 to qualify for free postage. I will fit the chain to the other bike tomorrow. 

I just fitted the rack and am looking forward to using it on my next overnight trip.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (11 Sep 2017)

Sold a hybrid to a lady whose son had outgrown his 650 Triban 3, but her son now being taller than her, she wanted to use his old bike but with flat bars.

Should be fairly nippy for a town bike I reckon







It came with this wrapped round it that was getting in the way while working on it. 30 seconds flat, and I reckon I'm slow. Combination locks are crap!


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## Sheffield_Tiger (12 Sep 2017)

Ain't steel brilliant?

Dropout adjustment in readiness for the new wheels on the way...
This headset press is better at doing this than it is at pressing cups in!


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## dave r (12 Sep 2017)

New saddle on my Eastway, plus a clean and regrease of the saddle post. I also stripped, cleaned and regreased the headset, its still noisy though, that dispite no free play and smooth operation. It looks like I'm going have to check other places to track down the noise.


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## GuyBoden (13 Sep 2017)

I've put some new cantilever brake blocks on the tourer, soft red in the front, blue on the rear. I managed to get them about 2mm from the rim, but it took some fiddling and wheel truing.


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## Nibor (13 Sep 2017)

fitted new TRP HYRD brakes to the exploring bike


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## Salty seadog (13 Sep 2017)

Adjusted the sale but over tightened the clamp bolt and sheared the head off. Yes now down in the engine room for removal of the rest of the bolt. They say they have spare bolts I can have. Hope so cos I get off in 2 hours and ride home.


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## overmind (13 Sep 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Ain't steel brilliant?
> 
> Dropout adjustment in readiness for the new wheels on the way...
> This headset press is better at doing this than it is at pressing cups in!
> ...



Can you use that tool the make the dropouts narrower too, or only wider ?


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## dave r (13 Sep 2017)

dave r said:


> New saddle on my Eastway, plus a clean and regrease of the saddle post. I also stripped, cleaned and regreased the headset, its still noisy though, that despite no free play and smooth operation. It looks like I'm going have to check other places to track down the noise.



Bikes now as quiet as a church mouse, the headset is not one of the better quality ones, caged bearings, and I reckon it's possibly knackered despite it being quiet and smooth. It wanted nipping up a lot more than I expected it to, and it feels like I've over tightened it but it's quiet now so at some point I'll put new bearings in it.


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## Illaveago (13 Sep 2017)

I had a bit of a look at the Woodrup and see if I could sort out the problems I found yesterday.
I found that the clamp bolt wasn't stripped but that the rear derailleur stops were out of adjustment and weren't allowing the arm to move sufficiently. { Accy's ghost has been meddling.} It was all working fine the last time I took the bike out for a test ride.
The next thing I had a look at was the rear brake. It was toeing out and juddering. I removed the brake calliper and brake block, placed two strips of wood in a vice to protect the arm and gave the brake a slow hard twist. Two attempts and the brake blocks are now parallel.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (14 Sep 2017)

When you have the house all to yourself......


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## si_c (14 Sep 2017)

Shifting was really poor on the way home today, derailleur wasn't changing gear smoothly and was jumping gears randomly. Assumed there was some dirt in the cable housing or something, so flushed the derailleur and gear with some WD40 and was changing gears up and down to work it into the inner cable, had only shifted a couple of gears down, when the cable broke.

Less than ideal, so need to get a new set of cables now, and will have to ride into work on the spare bike again tomorrow


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## Elybazza61 (14 Sep 2017)

Messing with Magura hydraulic rim brakes; cut hose to length, new olives and fittings, bled and working perfectly


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## Sheffield_Tiger (14 Sep 2017)

Oh well, the tyres didn't scrub up as well as I hoped - or rather they scrubbed up but revealed that the sidewalls weren't in the condition they appeared to be under the dirt.

A shame as the genuine Tioga Farmer John's were what everyone wanted when this bike was on the go, but on pocket money / paper rounds / saturday job money, cheap copies were all we could afford for it.

Nevertheless, it looks fine with black tyres - finally finished a Lizard restoration I've been on with for the past few weeks. Under a protective layer of grime, it's all pretty much like new - I doubt it has done 100 miles. The original tyres had perished due to age & the rims had got too much rust to polish back and stay polished back (they rusted in anything but a vacuum) but the stupidly wide chrome 2.125's buckled easily and were a suicidal combo with the Lee Chi cantis and motorbike lever copies, so rear triangle widened to 135 and a set of new (Raleigh of course) alloys.

Looking forward to test riding it to work tomorrow, before it gets put up for sale. Or I keep it. Not sure yet...


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## Hugh Manatee (15 Sep 2017)

Having had to resort to a set of cobalt drill bits to remove a very stuck cotter pin, the rest of the front end was easy. The Hercules folder gave up the other pin very easily. The two bottom bracket cups were a doddle and the good news is despite a quantity of hard old grease, cups and bearings are fine to refit.

Now the chain is soaking in Deox C which will remove the odd sprinkling of rust. I might try to reassemble everything tonight.


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## DCBassman (16 Sep 2017)

Installed new brake blocks all round. Rears kept as spares, about 50% left on them. 
Note to self: must learn all about Shimano road caliper operation/adjustment.


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## stoatsngroats (16 Sep 2017)

Bought a pair of SKS Velo, at £9, and fitted the Tortec Transalp rack to the Cube e, then managed to fettle the rear mudguard under the rack and a add a rear reflector and Smart light to the OHs bike. Ready for some evening rides across the fields.
Just deciding whether to do mine too!


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## Hugh Manatee (16 Sep 2017)

Front hub dismantled, cleaned, checked and rebuilt with fresh grease. Once again, apart from the old grease being hard, everything is good. No signs of wear or pitting on either bearings or surfaces.
Here it is ready to be done up.


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## ColinJ (16 Sep 2017)

The 10-speed chain on my singlespeed bike was not super-worn, but I was having to take up too much slack with the chain tensioner so I put a new chain on. I have decided to put cheap 8-speed chains on now and change them more frequently. 



dave r said:


> Bikes now as quiet as a church mouse, the headset is not one of the better quality ones, caged bearings, and I reckon it's possibly knackered despite it being quiet and smooth. It wanted nipping up a lot more than I expected it to, and it feels like I've over tightened it but it's quiet now so at some point I'll put new bearings in it.


I had put a very cheap (sub £10) headset on my DIY singlespeed but it turned out to be a false economy - I could never get it smooth without being overtight***. I ended up binning it. The replacement was a cheapish Ritchie costing about double the price and it works really well.


*** The reason being that the top, er, cup (?) was undersized so not a tight fit. I could actually push it in by hand without the use of tools!


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## dave r (16 Sep 2017)

ColinJ said:


> The 10-speed chain on my singlespeed bike was not super-worn, but I was having to take up too much slack with the chain tensioner so I put a new chain on. I have decided to put cheap 8-speed chains on now and change them more frequently.
> 
> 
> I had put a very cheap (sub £10) headset on my DIY singlespeed but it turned out to be a false economy - I could never get it smooth without being overtight***. I ended up binning it. The replacement was a cheapish Ritchie costing about double the price and it works really well.
> ...



Noise started again when I was out Thursday, I'd crossed the city before it started. Investigating the noise whilst I was out revealed that the noise wasn't coming from the headset, I was convinced it was, something in my tool roll was banging against the seat tube post clamp, turning the tool roll round in the saddle bag during my coffee stop produced silence on the way home.


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## HLaB (16 Sep 2017)

I think today was my last TT for the year so I transferred the power meter to the road bike to see how easy it is to transfer.


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## Hugh Manatee (17 Sep 2017)

A bit of gentle wheel tweaking.


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## Salty seadog (18 Sep 2017)

Waiting in for a delivery of a new Virgin router so got 4 of the bikes up in the stand and checked all cables for fraying and all tyres for flints and general condition. Removed about half a dozen embedded small flints.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (18 Sep 2017)

The Sensor is starting to look all nice and shiny...








New rims and new brake blocks, none of that chrome and leather lethal nonsense!







Ran out of brake outer so could only do the rar...through the hole waiting for the computer to be repaired and slotted in






Microadjust seat post and a more modern and not worn out seat from a B'Twin that someone wanted a wider saddle on.
Brake outer tomorrow then just waiting for the orange bar tape to arrive - since white gets loppy and the seatpost is black, may as well follow the decal contrast with orange







Then put the stem and bars on this....I swear my house is turning into a late 80s / early 90's Raleigh dealership! Mmmmmm...Biopace!


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## RoubaixCube (19 Sep 2017)

Picked up some new specialized inner tubes. Ive also got some Kool Stop Dura 2 brake pads that i'll be putting in, They are like a mix of their black and salmon but all rolled into one brake block/pad


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## Colin_P (19 Sep 2017)

My old gas pipe carbolite pug, which I cannot bare to part with is getting some time, effort and cash thrown at it. Having got it out of the shed a few weeks back I've been messing about on it and realised what a fine riding machine it is. I've got a modern briftered road bike which although nice is totally impractical as there is no chance, I've tried, of putting mudguards on it. Then there is the new'ish mountain which is a bit of a one trick pony and will also be hopelessly uncompy during the winter. I have my mainstay hybrid which is fully mudguarded and has rack and panniers as my main and go to bike. To supplement that the Pug is getting an overhaul.

Having dusted the old Pug off and knowing it is nothing at all special I started, as you do, ebaying in the search for a mid 80's 501 road frame or bike and quickly came to the concluson of nope, I'll keep the Pug.

One thing that struck me though on the old Pug was that I'm currently not in a fit state, and never will be due to my heart, to push the very high gearing. A 52/42 up front and a 12/24'ish 5 speed out back was fine when I was younger but not now.

The joy of having lots of bikes and bikes bits laying around is that you can mess about and trial fit stuff.

So, here are my plans...

1, Frame; previously I'd stripped it down and sprayed it satin black which I really like. I'm going stay with that but I've ordered a set of period correct frame decals for it. It is a lowly carbolite Pug but I'm not shy about it. I've also successfully spread the rear dropouts to accpet a modern cassette rear wheel.

2, Wheels; going are the old Malliard freewheel jobbies and on are going an old set of cassette road wheels I just happened to have laying around. The shame is the new (old) wheels are black and the old (old) 5 speed freewheel wheels were shiny shiny aluminium.

3, Gearing; new front and rear MTB acera (nothing special) derailleurs will be replacing the current simplex items. A 22/32/42 MTB crank is going on, which is interesting as the small front on the bike currently is a 42! Out back it will be an 8 speed 11/32. I'm keeping the trusty downtube shifters and hopefully there will be enough cable throw for the triple and 8 speed at the back.

4, Brakes; I am keeping the Weinmann duel "suicide" levers. I love them, always have and always will, child of the 70's and all that. But I am retiring the Weinmann 500 calipers and will be fitting a set of the Tektro A559 long reach 'nutted' duel pivots.

5, Mudguards; a new set of SKS thermoplastics will be going on.

6, Rear rack; I just happen to have a Pletcher 'rat trap' rack which is a period correct looking thing. Again, not the best but I love them and anyone of a certain age will instantly recognise them. I will be deep / machine polishing this to make it shiny shiny.

7, Other; a new jagwire cable set is on order, new bar tape and I might, might get and fit, depending on clearance once everything is fitted up put another period correct item on it, a Pletcher kick stand !

I'll update as and whenn bits arrive and I make any progress.


One question though....

With it being an 80's road frame on which I'm attempting to fit modern MTB gearing to I'm a bit conflicted about bottom bracket length and the chainline. I've put an old sealed BB in it as a trial fit (instead of the old axle, cup and cone setup) and also temporarily fitted a worn out mtb triple to see what's what. This is gives me a chain line of about 52mm so I know i'll probably need a different BB. Obviously I'll need to make the final measurements when the new triple and derailleur is fitted but what chainline should I aim for? 45mm as typical for a road triple or 47.5-50mm as is typical for an mtb? It is 68mm shell if that is any help.


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## raleighnut (19 Sep 2017)

If you're going for a new crank then an HT2 triple will slip on a treat, I had one on an Equipe of similar vintage (that currently has a 105 double HT2 on it) and later fitted that crank to a 531 Road Ace from 82.


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## Hugh Manatee (19 Sep 2017)

Yikes, that is a lot of bits.






The picture only shows the big bits. Those, plus a lot of smaller ones combine to make a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub. The pawls and springs seem OK to an amateur and the little oil can is loaded up with EP-90 gearbox oil. All I have to do now is get it back together. The only other one of these I have done, I oiled everything as I reassembled. It is still working now so it'll be the same with this one.

Yes, that is the kitchen and my wise and beautiful wife is amazing!


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## Elybazza61 (19 Sep 2017)

Messing about with some more upgrades to the XLS:Lauf Grit forks cut to length and fitted,11-speed cassette and chain and then messing with Schwalbe X-One tyres and Halo Vapour wheels(with a nice zippy superdrive hub).















Still some adjustments required on the drivetrain but inital test drive was good .

Oh and need to move the left brake lever to match the shifter and will have to get some longer hose for the front brake as it's on the short side.


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## Leaway2 (20 Sep 2017)

Hugh Manatee said:


> Yikes, that is a lot of bits.
> 
> View attachment 374355
> 
> ...


Good fettling


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## PeteXXX (20 Sep 2017)

Mudguards fitted to my Defy2 ready for the winter.


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## si_c (20 Sep 2017)

Tightened up brake response, definitely getting near to having to replace the front pads. Also re-lubed chain.


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## Gravity Aided (20 Sep 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> Messing about with some more upgrades to the XLS:Lauf Grit forks cut to length and fitted,11-speed cassette and chain and then messing with Schwalbe X-One tyres and Halo Vapour wheels(with a nice zippy superdrive hub).
> 
> View attachment 374380
> View attachment 374381
> ...


Beautiful bike there, @Elybazza61 .


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## Gravity Aided (20 Sep 2017)

I was given a Specialized Hard Rock, missing a seat post, and I found a seat post in my soon to be transferred stash of parts. Now to fit a saddle, and the job's a good'un.


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## the stupid one (20 Sep 2017)

I haven't touched any bikes for a couple of days, but after clearing out the wardrobe I have made a massive pile of rags!


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## Zanelad (20 Sep 2017)

PeteXXX said:


> Mudguards fitted to my Defy2 ready for the winter.



Snap. Roll on spring when they can come off again.


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## dave r (20 Sep 2017)

Zanelad said:


> Snap. Roll on spring when they can come off again.



I don't take my mudguards off, I leave them on all year round.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (20 Sep 2017)

Terrible photo (I got given this phone free because of the camera)

Bars taped on the Sensor and ready for a test ride (sans-computer, that is still under the soldering iron) - all rest working


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## Elybazza61 (21 Sep 2017)

Gravity Aided said:


> Beautiful bike there, @Elybazza61 .



Thanks;it's evolved a bit over the years.


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## Jenkins (21 Sep 2017)

Found some blue bar tape I'd forgotten about in the back of a cupboard last week and this morning I used it to re-tape the bars on the Ventus mostly used for commuting. Not a brilliant job as it's only the second time I've had a go, but it looks way better than the old stuff which *was *white when the bike was new 4600 miles/21 months ago.


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## Colin_P (21 Sep 2017)

I got the holy grail of cycling earlier, a totally silent bike. 

Sadly it only lasted for about three miles, it was nice while it lasted.


----------



## Iainj837 (22 Sep 2017)

I replaced my chain the other day very proud of myself as it is the first time I had done this kind of repair


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## GuyBoden (22 Sep 2017)

Colin_P said:


> I got the holy grail of cycling earlier, a totally silent bike.
> 
> Sadly it only lasted for about three miles, it was nice while it lasted.


Me too, well done, I had a silent bike for most of the day, until some leaves got stuck in the front mudguard when I was only about 10 miles from home, I couldn't be bothered to stop and get them out.


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## Ian H (22 Sep 2017)

I made a saddlebag uplift that bolts to the seatstay carrier eyes. Drilled a tiny hole in each pedal (for use with a needle-nosed grease-gun), added pedal washers.

Also fitted a new seat-post with a lot of lay-back to fit a Berthoud saddle with short rails.

Replaced all my stems with four-bolt ones after my little surprise a few weeks ago.

Rebuilt the other hub dynamo wheel (and built a new on for a friend).


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## Rustybucket (22 Sep 2017)

Got the winter bike ready and cleaned the summer bike to be put away!


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## Pale Rider (23 Sep 2017)

Following a recent soaking wet ride with @EasyPeez and @Supersuperleeds my 'fettle' today was the fitting of a front mudflap.

As you can see, it's a fearful bodge, made of a ready meal tray and, er, bodge tape.

Rigidity is about right - pending a road test - and the flap finishes about five inches off the ground.

My hope is it will last at least long enough to give me an idea if the size is about right.

Being rubbish at making stuff, I will then consider lashing out a tenner or so on a ready made flap.


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## slowmotion (23 Sep 2017)

I patched two tubes. I'm celebrating with a can of fizzy continental lager.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Sep 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> Following a recent soaking wet ride with @EasyPeez and @Supersuperleeds my 'fettle' today was the fitting of a front mudflap.
> 
> As you can see, it's a fearful bodge, made of a ready meal tray and, er, bodge tape.
> 
> ...



I'd be proud of that bodge


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## Pale Rider (23 Sep 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I'd be proud of that bodge



You have form for mudguard bodging, so I'm pleased to get a thumbs-up from the master.


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## dave r (23 Sep 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> Following a recent soaking wet ride with @EasyPeez and @Supersuperleeds my 'fettle' today was the fitting of a front mudflap.
> 
> As you can see, it's a fearful bodge, made of a ready meal tray and, er, bodge tape.
> 
> ...



I'd be proud of that as well. I haven't made a mud flap for ages, usually I'd cut one out of a washing up liquid bottle or a plastic milk carton.


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## Pale Rider (23 Sep 2017)

I suspect - leaving bodging aside - a front flap would need to be wider at the bottom than my creation.

This is what I will probably end up buying.

http://rawmudflap.uk/product/original-black-mudflap/


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Sep 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> I suspect - leaving bodging aside - a front flap would need to be wider at the bottom than my creation.
> 
> This is what I will probably end up buying.
> 
> http://rawmudflap.uk/product/original-black-mudflap/



Eleven quid! I'd be making one from a milk carton


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## dave r (23 Sep 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> I suspect - leaving bodging aside - a front flap would need to be wider at the bottom than my creation.
> 
> This is what I will probably end up buying.
> 
> http://rawmudflap.uk/product/original-black-mudflap/


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## Pale Rider (23 Sep 2017)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Eleven quid! I'd be making one from a milk carton



Without betraying any ride confidences you do describe yourself as being careful with money, although you were quick to put your hand in your pocket at our cafe stops.

SJS has a wider price range of flaps.

Needless to say, I'm tempted by the £19.99 Gilles Berthoud leather one - it would match my Brooks Aged saddle.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards-mudflaps/


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## EasyPeez (23 Sep 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> Following a recent soaking wet ride with @EasyPeez and @Supersuperleeds my 'fettle' today was the fitting of a front mudflap.
> 
> As you can see, it's a fearful bodge, made of a ready meal tray and, er, bodge tape.
> 
> ...



An old mouse mat trimmed to size and attached via a couple of discreet holes drilled in the existing mudguard might be a bit more aesthetically pleasing...


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## midlife (23 Sep 2017)

EasyPeez said:


> An old mouse mat trimmed to size and attached via a couple of discreet holes drilled in the existing mudguard might be a bit more aesthetically pleasing...



Especially if you carefully select your mouse mat


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## Pale Rider (23 Sep 2017)

EasyPeez said:


> An old mouse mat trimmed to size and attached via a couple of discreet holes drilled in the existing mudguard might be a bit more aesthetically pleasing...



It doesn't look so bad from the saddle - just black.

First proper road test tomorrow, I'm (almost) hoping for rain.


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## Buck (23 Sep 2017)

After a week or so of grumbles with the gears I decided to replace the cables (including the brakes whilst I was at it) and fitted a new chain and mudguards to get it ready for winter!

New gear cables
New barrel adjusters
New brake cables
New bar tape
New Chain
Fitted mudguards

#phew


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## Jason (23 Sep 2017)

Really pleased to have fitted full length mudguards to the hybrid. This makes her the full time commuter,and general purpose machine. The 30 deg riser stem arrived yesterday,so that also got fitted .Time sort of ran away from me,and yet to test ride the new configuration. Hoping to get out in the morning, before the family stirs.


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## roadrash (24 Sep 2017)

changed the 130mm stem for a 100mm with a bit of rise, from this



to this


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## gbb (24 Sep 2017)

New 10 speed chain on today...old one (sram) was embarrassingly 1% worn in places so the time of reckoning has arrived...will it skip and I need a cassette as well....no, all was well.
Trying to remember if this is the 3rd or 4th chain on this bike. Probably the 3rd but I've had the bike some time and cant believe it was only on its second...even though I had a couple years off the bike.


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## bpsmith (24 Sep 2017)

Stripped the crank to check on PF30 BB. Pleased to see the bearings are still fine. 4,500 miles is pretty good going I reckon.


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## dave r (25 Sep 2017)

A bike fettling morning for me today. My fixed, which is my winter bike, got brought out of the shed. Washed, polished, had a new front tyre fitted and the old front moved to the rear, old rear tyre wasn't as worn as they normally are after two years on the bike and has been put in the shed as a spare. It also got a new chain fitted, the old one was getting noisy towards the end of last winter, the cog is showing signs of wear now and it looks like it'll need replacing next year. I also gave the geared bike its usual weekly check, noticed the front brake blocks are getting a bit worn now so took them out and gave them a clean then adjusted the brakes.


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## Jason (25 Sep 2017)

Full mudguards and CC on my mobile phone to reveal this ....


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## Richard A Thackeray (26 Sep 2017)

Finally fitted a rear reflector to the CGR (that I bought in March) *
I'd tried to get one in local shops, asked various (local) Club contacts if anyone had one on broken mudguard, all to no avail
I'd ordered one, via 'the net', but it was angled wrongly, & would have sat almost on top of the mudguard

However, whilst looking for something else in the shed, I found one
It's fairly small, but correctly angled (but no bolt)

Thus, two small holes drilled, & another screw used, complete with Coppergrease, it's in situ




Plus, I pulled the brake-pads, to check on wear-rates, as I've had the bike since March
They all seem okay (rears shown)




Last job was to wipe the chain-rings, derailleurs & cassette with petrol, to get any muck off
(chain was 'dieseled' on Sunday)

*I have got a pair of reflective mudflaps on the bike, that are maybe 20 times the surface area, so I wasn't 'in the dark'


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## roadrash (26 Sep 2017)

new mudguards fitted , bargain at £19.95 I thought


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## biggs682 (26 Sep 2017)

Just re greased the pedals of my 50's Raleigh Roadster.









First time in the 2 years plus I have owned it.


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## Richard A Thackeray (26 Sep 2017)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Plus, I pulled the brake-pads, to check on wear-rates, as I've had the bike since March
> They all seem okay (rears shown)
> View attachment 375484



They appear to be 'SIntered' pads to me, are they?



roadrash said:


> new mudguards fitted , bargain at £19.95 I thought
> View attachment 375489



Needs a longer front flap to help keep your feet dryer


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## Jason (27 Sep 2017)

After mudguard installation,there has been a noise coming from the crank area (under load),and I couldn't locate it on 2 previous social rides. Today I went up and down my road,testing,adjusting,removing front mudguard,rear guard(you get the gist),in an effort to track it down.
And finally realised the rear wheel wasn't seated properly when I had removed it to fit said rear guard .... Adjusted front and rear derailleurs after that and finally a near silent bike.
Took 2 hours and a lot of swearing,but learned a lot :-)


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## roadrash (27 Sep 2017)

its surprising how many new swear words you can learn in 2 hours


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## Richard A Thackeray (27 Sep 2017)

Jasonbourne said:


> After mudguard installation,there has been a noise coming from the crank area (under load),and I couldn't locate it on 2 previous social rides. Today I went up and down my road,testing,adjusting,removing front mudguard,rear guard(you get the gist),in an effort to track it down.
> And finally realised the rear wheel wasn't seated properly when I had removed it to fit said rear guard .... Adjusted front and rear derailleurs after that and finally a near silent bike.
> Took 2 hours and a lot of swearing,but learned a lot :-)


I had an odd noise that I couldn't track down on the CGR, I was even on the point of taking the stem off, or unbolting the bars, to see if there was a washer loose inside
I only noticed when washing it, that the mudguard - chainstay bridge bolt was loose, & the 'guard was knocking against the frame
Cue 'star-washers' on the inner faces of the 'guards


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## LiamW (27 Sep 2017)

Fettled my 9 speed campag wheel to work with my 10 speed Tiagra levers & Ultegra 10 speed rear mech on the winter bike.

Funny enough I had fitted a 10 speed shimano on a set of Ultegra wheels and it didn't work, so now I've the campag/shimano mix that works quite well.


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## Leaway2 (27 Sep 2017)

biggs682 said:


> Just re greased the pedals of my 50's Raleigh Roadster.
> 
> View attachment 375546
> View attachment 375547
> ...


I have a pair of Union U41, that need fettling, but I cant see how the end cap come off (if it does). I don't want to damage them.


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## Jason (27 Sep 2017)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I had an odd noise that I couldn't track down on the CGR, I was even on the point of taking the stem off, or unbolting the bars, to see if there was a washer loose inside
> I only noticed when washing it, that the mudguard - chainstay bridge bolt was loose, & the 'guard was knocking against the frame
> Cue 'star-washers' on the inner faces of the 'guards



funny enough, I was thinking about adding a split ring or star washer to stop crown bolt working loose :-)


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## Jason (27 Sep 2017)

Great timing.
The pdw fenderbot light turned up this morning and duly fitted to rear mudguard.
It's taken a few days and many reworks, but very pleased with the mudguard installation. Best man up and ride inclement weather now !


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## biggs682 (27 Sep 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> I have a pair of Union U41, that need fettling, but I cant see how the end cap come off (if it does). I don't want to damage them.



Dust cap was threaded on these


----------



## HLaB (29 Sep 2017)

Prepped one bike for tomorrow and put a new shimano name plate on the right sti. When aforementioned numpty took my front wheel out on Velo Birmingham I must have landed on the old one and snapped it off.


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## si_c (30 Sep 2017)

New front disc pads fitted, and cleaned the bike thoroughly. Realised I haven't done it for a couple of months, so that's well over 1500miles . Also tightened the rear brake up a touch and raised the saddle by about 5mm, still trying to get the bike perfectly dialled in, mostly there, just a few tweaks left, will probably drop the handlebars a touch at some point and see how that feels.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Sep 2017)

Kenda Kwest 26x1.5s, 100 psi tires on the Schwinn Impact drop bar tourer, as well as returning the rear rack to this one, may use it for a short ride this afternoon. Had this bicycle for quite a while, I converted it from a MTB I bought in a church sale for $20. Makes a great 26" tourer.


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## Supersuperleeds (30 Sep 2017)

Changed the brake pads on our lasses bike, also cleaned the rims and the chain as well. The rims were disgustingly filthy and along with one of the pads being down to the metal no wonder she had been complaining about them to me.

Also cut the grass so I should have earned a few brownie points today


----------



## Thorn Sherpa (30 Sep 2017)

View media item 9858Panniers were delivered today just in time for the night shift


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## confusedcyclist (30 Sep 2017)

My Disc Trucker was shifting poorly.
I tweaked the front derailleur, sorted an annoying problem where the chain wouldn't drop into smallest chain ring unless rapidly shifting through rear cassette cogs; I think it was too much tension in the front cable, and error during the last service, had to release the cable, wind in the barrel a little, fasten the cable back up, and tweak the barrel one last time.

Rear derailleur barrel adjuster tweaked too as dropping gears was becoming a little tardy as the bike had fresh cables when I serviced it last.

Also I decided to fit the kryptonite D-lock frame mount, really disappointed with it because I can't get a single water bottle on the down or seat tube when the lock is mounted, on the flip side, I'm only likely to use the mount for short rides to the shops so can leave the bottle behind, annoying though. I noticed the D lock itself rattles quite badly, so I taped a piece of rubber to the contacting surfaces, hey presto, silent D lock during transportation.

The bike needs a good clean down, maybe another day


----------



## gavroche (30 Sep 2017)

I put some end bars on my Boardman Comp. No chance to test it yet due to wet weather.


----------



## Bodhbh (2 Oct 2017)

Trying to make my AyUp lights a bit more friendly to other road-users in time for the winter commute. To that end, made a couple of hoods out of nickel tubing. Intial experiments indicate they cut out the top 3rd of the beam - although I still need to play around with them a little bit, perhaps angling the hoods down.







It's never gonna be perfect without proper optics, but hopefully can run them on full power as required and/or don't have to keep them pointed at the floor.


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## youngoldbloke (2 Oct 2017)

I'd get a lighter lamp bracket than that one if I were you ........


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## bpsmith (2 Oct 2017)

Fitted a longer stem to bike 1, after reassembling the compression bung within the steerer.

Fitted a new lower headset bearing to bike 2, and cut down the carbon steerer whilst at it, using what I learnt above to move the compression bung. Whilst all apart, I fitted new Ultegra calipers.

The problem is now, which do I test first tomorrow night?


----------



## Illaveago (14 Oct 2017)

I have just managed to put a home made transfer onto frame. It has been a bit of a long drawn out process as the transfer paper I bought failed to separate and left the backing paper on . I reverted to an old method of using gummed parcel tape.
I soaked the transfer in a bowl of warm water this morning. It took a lot of soaking and persuasion before it began to slide but it looks quite good now it is in place. I will lacquer over the transfers once I have finished.


----------



## cyberknight (14 Oct 2017)

Re stripped , greased an torqued the new BB and chainset .
Its been in a week and was developing a creak , bedding in i guess ( or hope )


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## Richard A Thackeray (14 Oct 2017)

The 'Puncture Goblin' has visited my CGR
The front tyre's been soft a couple of times. but not overly so

I went to get it out this morning, having not used it yesterday (but did ride it on Thursday), & it was bereft of air
(It's on Aksium disc/Schwalbe Durano Raceguard '28')
I didn't have a suitably sized tube, as up to press/buying it in March, I've been on '23' sections
Therefore one such tube went in

I did notice though, a couple of 'high-spots', as I was out
I think it's because the tube has had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h to occupy the tyre volume, the usual bulbous sections came into being

Oh well, one 'P' in 7 months riding, of all sorts/even through the local woods/along river bank, I guess it's okay

That said, I've not looked at the original tube yet, to see if it's on the inner, or outer, face


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## Richard A Thackeray (14 Oct 2017)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> The 'Puncture Goblin' has visited my CGR
> 
> I did notice though, a couple of 'high-spots', as I was out
> I think it's because the tube has had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h to occupy the tyre volume, the usual bulbous sections came into being
> ...



I've spent an hour, with an appropriately sized tube, trying to get rid of the high spots
Seemingly no matter what I've tried they remain...........
Albeit, not as prominent now

(pinhole puncture was on internal face)


----------



## numbnuts (16 Oct 2017)

Just fixed my 12v horn, it is really loud now  
and got the left hand indicators working again on my trike.


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## Leaway2 (16 Oct 2017)

My front SKS raceblade mudguard got snapped in the bike shed at work. I noticed that our company mug coasters are made from thin Ally, I hammered it into a curve using a brush stale as a pattern. Trimmed it down to the correct size. drilled and fitted 6 nylon nuts and bolts.


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## GuyBoden (16 Oct 2017)

Replaced rear spoke on a Shimano Uniglide hubside, sometimes I find it easier to take the whole hub out than remove the old stubborn cogs.
Greased the bearings (again) while I was assembling the hub.
Disassembled, cleaned, straightenned the rear gears, added a new gear cable and a new down shifter lever.
All greased and oiled liberally.
Chain cleaned and soaked in Wax and oil, (My special Winter mix.)
Took the bike out for a spin in the windy weather. I was blown away.


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## Richard A Thackeray (16 Oct 2017)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I've spent an hour, with an appropriately sized tube, trying to get rid of the high spots
> Seemingly no matter what I've tried they remain...........
> Albeit, not as prominent now
> 
> (pinhole puncture was on internal face)



Had another play about yesterday evening, trying to reseat it
I even used talcum powder to let the beading slide a bit
It's better, but not perfect


----------



## Biff600 (16 Oct 2017)

I had my bike serviced and a new BB fitted on the Dogma last week, it rode well before, but now it rides even better.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (20 Oct 2017)

‘Project Knobbly’ is now complete. When I have some photos I’ll post a picture of my Surly DT complete with Schwalbe Smart Sams (26x2.1 MTB) and Salsa Cowchippers bars. What a transformation. Very chuffed.

Annoyingly the dynamo tailight stopped working although the headlight was. Through a process of elimination I started at the back and worked forwards, replacing all contacts (spade connectors and shrink wrap) STILL DIDN'T WORK. Checked the entire length of cable. NOTHING. Then tried connecting the battery to the light. THAT WORKED. What the blinkin’ ‘eck was going on. Finally took the ‘lego brick’ apart and found one wire had worn down to nowt through unclipping and clipping it into the hub every time I took the wheel off.

What a process, but I saved myself a few quid.


----------



## Elybazza61 (20 Oct 2017)

Hope floating discs to the XLS and a R4+ light fitted as well.


----------



## PeteXXX (20 Oct 2017)

General check over of the Trek Fuel ex9, prior to tomorrow’s ride, revealed that the P fairy had visited the front tyre and given it a kiss! 
A thorny blackthorn thorn was extracted from the tyre, and a patch was applied to the tube..


----------



## Heltor Chasca (20 Oct 2017)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Had another play about yesterday evening, trying to reseat it
> I even used talcum powder to let the beading slide a bit
> It's better, but not perfect



I had this with Schwalbe Marathons (Greenguard) on my tourer. I used Washing up liquid (eco one with no salt) and it finally behaved. I think Schwalbe even sell a spray that lubes the bead and seats the tyre. Probably less messy, but if you are tight, washing up liquid might help.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (20 Oct 2017)

A mammoth cleaning session this afternoon.

Firstly the Raleigh after the very wet ride yesterday. The saddle had suffered a little from being soaked but now that it's dried, a bit of proofide has smartened it up again. Cleaning the rest of the bike wasn't too bad as it was so wet that the worst of the mud hadn't stuck, so it was just a good wipe down of what was left (mostly sand).
Next I decided I'd better pull the tyre off the back wheel and check that my repair in the rain had taken properly - to my surprise it had and was a nice neat job, so I'm quite pleased with that. The inside of the tyre was full of water though so I dried it all off and reassembled. Lastly I filed off lips that had worn on the brake blocks and were making them stick on. New ones needed on the rear in the not too distant future.

Next up for cleaning was the knockabout bike which was still plastered in mud and flecks of crushed slate from the Mawddach trail last weekend. That took a bit longer to do.

Doug's Trek followed, which was much the same but also had a rusty chain from having been put away wet. That has cleaned up pretty well though.


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## bruce1530 (20 Oct 2017)

Swapped the current tyres (28mm Gatorskins) for something a bit wider (Schwalbe land cruiser 35mm) to take some of the roughness out of rough tracks. The bigger tyre and lower pressure certainly make the ride a little more comfortable, and wet tracks more passable. Wasn’t significantly slower. 
But no room for full mudguards now. 

Not sure whether they’ll stay on.


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## HLaB (22 Oct 2017)

I've started to put new bars on the tt bike. I've got the front derailleur cable threaded through the frame ok but I think I'll do the other cables another night, I've got to about April to do it 
Edit: changed my mind, that's the rear derailleur threaded through but I'm off to bed now and the rest will wait


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## Illaveago (23 Oct 2017)

I sprayed a couple of coats of clear lacquer onto a transfer that I have been making. There was a bit of a disagreement between some of the enamel paint I used and the acrylic lacquer. The Revel gold that I used was okay but the Humbrol paint Pickled. When the paint dried the finish of the transfer wasn't too bad so I decided to go ahead and try to fit it. I will make the writing separately and slide them on later.
I soaked the transfer in some hot water for minutes. I have now discovered that the backing paper that I put the gummed tape on to feed the paper into the copier was now preventing the water from soaking the backing paper. I eventually managed to lift a clear edge of the transfer and carefully eased the transfer off and slid it into place on the frame. The transfer looks alright in place apart from a split which I will touch in.
This is learning process and I'm gradually getting the hang of it.


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## dave r (23 Oct 2017)

This afternoon my Eastway got cleaned, checked, polished and put away until the spring. I've covered 3000 miles on it during the summer and the total mileage since I brought it just over 2 years ago is 6900 miles. I recon I'm due a rear tyre on it, the rear started off on the front and has been on the bike since the beginning and its noticeably squared off. I put a new chain on it at the beginning of summer and I though I haven't measured it I recon its knackered now and I'll need a new one next spring. I also got the fixed out and swapped the luggage over, I had to reposition the computer to get the bar bag on. The fixed was fettled a few weeks ago and has a new tyre, chain and cog on it. So if its dry tomorrow I'm set for my first fixed ride since last spring.


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## HLaB (24 Oct 2017)

HLaB said:


> I've started to put new bars on the tt bike. I've got the front derailleur cable threaded through the frame ok but I think I'll do the other cables another night, I've got to about April to do it
> Edit: changed my mind, that's the rear derailleur threaded through but I'm off to bed now and the rest will wait


Fitted the rest of the cables to find out my rear derailleur and rear brake cable are too short. The brake cable was the longest MTB style cable (needed for my 3T brakes levers) that the LBS had so a longer one is on order and the don't stock campagnolo gear cables so the longest one I could find on line is on order too. So I put feeder cables in their place so they re cabled quickly when the inners arrive. Good job I've plenty of time before its actually needed


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## jayonabike (28 Oct 2017)

This morning I fitted new Swissstop brake pads to the single speed.
This afternoon I got the Enigma ready for winter. New Continental Grand Prix GT tyres and also fitted SKS race blade mudguards.


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## Illaveago (28 Oct 2017)

I finished off the writing on my transfers and slid them in to position on the down tube.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Oct 2017)

I looked at a candidate for modernization, great frame, but the components may need replacement. Worth the pfaff, as it's a large and rare frame, ultra light.


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## raleighnut (29 Oct 2017)

Gravity Aided said:


> I looked at a candidate for modernization, great frame, but the components may need replacement. Worth the pfaff, as it's a large and rare frame, ultra light.


Go for it, everyone needs a 'Garden Gate' in their stable.






531c W serial No Raleigh 'Road Ace' (could be Worksop or maybe the same guys working at Ilkeston/Nottingham)


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## Gravity Aided (29 Oct 2017)

Beautiful.This one I've had for a while, 1985 Trek 600 531c with anniversary label, either one of their last builds in the barn, or one of the first in the factory.





Bike coming in will probably be Tange, American built, interesting maker story.


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## Levo-Lon (29 Oct 2017)

Changed the tyres for my favourite mixture.. Tubeless Hans Damph front Trail King rear.
On my mavic pro slr wheels.


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## alicat (30 Oct 2017)

Changed the bottom bracket and fitted a chaincase to my Giant Expression N3.

It took ages and only stubbornness kept me going. It looks good though. 

The bad news is that although the old bottom bracket was definitely cream crackered the creaking noise is still present. The next suspect is the saddle.


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## Elybazza61 (31 Oct 2017)

S/H sp dynamo hub/Halo rimmed wheel fitted to the Robinson and a Supernova rear light plumbed in; just need to splice in a B&M toplight 2nd rear.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (2 Nov 2017)

Aborted fettle. New rim arrived, jumped straight in to lacing it up.

After all, someone who once was employed solely as a wheel builder would never mis-count the spokes in the old rim.

Would he?
He would you know...


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## Pale Rider (4 Nov 2017)

My fettle today should carry a 'don't try this at home' warning.

My tubed tubeless ready Alex MD40 rims grip the tyre bead so well changing a puncture is a problem.

Took me a quite a while wrestling with the tyre on a recent forum ride before I could break the bead seal.

I decided to grease a few inches of the tyre bead, in the hope that part of the tyre will free itself more easily next time I have a puncture.

Fairly straightforward job, although manhandling a Rohloff rim and balloon tyre made my arms ache.

It was also a chance to refit the tyres with the tread facing in the correct direction, having got a bit confused the first time I put them on.

After greasing, the beads on both tyres still seated on the rim with satisfying pops when inflated.

I'm confident there's still plenty of tyre bead/rim grip which should avoid any possibility of the tyre continuing to spin after the rim stops during braking - that would be bound to end in tears.

While removing the rear wheel, I took the opportunity to partially dismantle my Chainglider chain cover to give the chain a wipe and light lube.

First time I've done that since I got the bike 2,200 miles ago.

All seemed in order, and it didn't really need doing which indicates to me I should get plenty of miles from the chain.


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## the stupid one (4 Nov 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> I'm confident there's still plenty of tyre bead/rim grip which should avoid any possibility of the tyre continuing to spin after the rim stops during braking - that would be bound to end in tears.





That's tonight's bad dream sorted. What a terrible thought. Has that ever happened to anybody, or are you just an evil genius?


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## Pale Rider (5 Nov 2017)

I'm sure I've read of some calamities during long descents when everything gets too hot.

The tyre slips on the rim a bit which rips the valve from the inner tube causing a blowout.

In normal use, the tyre's pressure keeps it gripped against the rim.

If you puncture, using the brakes could stop the rim but leave the tyre spinning.

Best to roll to a halt and/or brake using the wheel with the still inflated tyre.


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## stumpy66 (5 Nov 2017)

jayonabike said:


> This morning I fitted new Swissstop brake pads to the single speed.
> This afternoon I got the Enigma ready for winter. New Continental Grand Prix GT tyres and also fitted SKS race blade mudguards.
> 
> View attachment 380635


Nice wine collection


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## si_c (5 Nov 2017)

Gave the bike a thorough clean, as it was filthy, and really needed it. Just as well, cleaning the tyres, and the rear is developing bald spots, new tyre ordered, along with a new chain, as the current one has a lot of grit and crap between the plates, so it'll need replacing soon. Both delivered tomorrow, whereupon they'll be promptly fitted when I get home.

Edit: Rear wheel needs a slight true too, but I'll do that when I replace the tyre.


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## Leaway2 (5 Nov 2017)

Removed and cleaned the Maillard freewheel from the Peugeot. I don't have a before pic, but it was pretty filthy.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Nov 2017)

I adjusted the brakes on the Specialized Hardrock Sport I was given before it was thrown in a dumpster. That's all it took, and a nice wipe down of the garage dust. Then I rode the bicycle about 7 miles to test it. Nothing else wrong. I would have ridden farther, but it turned about 10 degrees colder as I rode.


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## raleighnut (6 Nov 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> Removed and cleaned the Maillard freewheel from the Peugeot. I don't have a before pic, but it was pretty filthy.
> View attachment 381930


Someone 'liked' 2nd and 3rd on that bike


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## Leaway2 (6 Nov 2017)

raleighnut said:


> Someone 'liked' 2nd and 3rd on that bike


Too far gone?


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## si_c (6 Nov 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> Too far gone?


Probably fine, give it a try, if it slips then replace it.


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## raleighnut (6 Nov 2017)

^^^^^^^ Wot e sed, could be fine.


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## si_c (6 Nov 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> Too far gone?


Just had a thought, what's the range on that freewheel? Looks like quite a close range, so could be 14-21 or 14-23. Might be worth swapping it for something with a 28t on it. Otherwise climbing something steeper than a speedbump is going to be very painful.


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## dave r (6 Nov 2017)

si_c said:


> Just had a thought, what's the range on that freewheel? Looks like quite a close range, so could be 14-21 or 14-23. Might be worth swapping it for something with a 28t on it. Otherwise climbing something steeper than a speedbump is going to be very painful.



It looks like a standard 14-24 5 speed block. I remember the old 6 speed training blocks we used to get, 13-21 and I used to run them with a 44-38 or 46- 40 on the front, I was a lot younger and stronger in those day's.


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## raleighnut (6 Nov 2017)

dave r said:


> It looks like a standard 14-24 5 speed block. I remember the old 6 speed training blocks we used to get, 13-21 and I used to run them with a 44-38 or 46- 40 on the front, I was a lot younger and stronger in those day's.


This has the 13-21 on the back and a 52-42 on the front, gawd knows how I used to get up some of the hills on it (But I did)


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## dave r (6 Nov 2017)

raleighnut said:


> This has the 13-21 on the back and a 52-42 on the front, gawd knows how I used to get up some of the hills on it (But I did)
> 
> View attachment 382083



The standard front chain ring combination of the time, as you say, how did we manage the lumpy bits


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## raleighnut (6 Nov 2017)

dave r said:


> The standard front chain ring combination of the time, as you say, how did we manage the lumpy bits


It was 'uprated' from a 5 speed when I rebuilt it in around 88 so I actually had a wider range of gears, I think the old (steel) cottered crank was a 50t


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## si_c (6 Nov 2017)

raleighnut said:


> This has the 13-21 on the back and a 52-42 on the front, gawd knows how I used to get up some of the hills on it (But I did)



One of my Pugs until relatively recently had a 52/42 with a 14-21 rear, it was bloody 'orrible on anything remotely steep. I did manage to get up a fairly short 6%er without exploding, but that's about it. I have sub 1:1 on my main bike, I'm not sure I'd go back to anything else.


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## Leaway2 (7 Nov 2017)

raleighnut said:


> This has the 13-21 on the back and a 52-42 on the front, gawd knows how I used to get up some of the hills on it (But I did)
> 
> View attachment 382083


It has 40 - 52. I will take a look at changing the freewheel when I have finished rebuilding the bike.


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## DCLane (7 Nov 2017)

Whilst I've been recovering, and when feeling well enough, I've been working on a Specialized Allez Elite frame plus parts I picked up:






It's had:

- The white duct tape which I presumed was protecting (?) the frame from mudguards removed, cleaned, re-painted where needed
- Cleaned, then cleaned again
- Replacement long cage rear derailleur with new jockey wheels
- Chainrings with new chainring bolts
- New brake pads
- Wheels fitted from a donor bike - matching wheels and tyres with original spec

It still needs a headset doing plus rear brake cable, shifter cover and a couple of minor bits but now looks like a bike.


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## Leaway2 (7 Nov 2017)

DCLane said:


> re-painted where needed


What paint do you re-paint with?


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## DCLane (7 Nov 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> What paint do you re-paint with?



I tend to use Humbrol enamel unless the area's too big, bought from model shops.


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## biggs682 (7 Nov 2017)

My fettling this morning entailed cleaning and re fitting the rear Shimano Dura ace rear mechanism to the Knight's of Wolverhampton


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## DCLane (7 Nov 2017)

Not done by me (the LBS looks after it) but my son's Cervelo race bike's been prepped for next season with new Aeronova carbon bars, bar tape, chain, inner and outer cables. New tyres still to be fitted along with a different saddle but that's his S3 ready for 2018:






I do recognise that this is a child who has an S3, but he's had a decent season - joint 3rd first year U14 in the UK (although he's Irish  )


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## bpsmith (7 Nov 2017)

DCLane said:


> Not done by me (the LBS looks after it) but my son's Cervelo race bike's been prepped for next season with new Aeronova carbon bars, bar tape, chain, inner and outer cables. New tyres still to be fitted along with a different saddle but that's his S3 ready for 2018:
> 
> View attachment 382154
> 
> ...


Why not, if he's doing so well. Nothing wrong with that.

Are the Aeronova's fitted in that picture? Please tell me that you didn't cover up those lovely flat carbon tops?


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## DCLane (7 Nov 2017)

bpsmith said:


> Why not, if he's doing so well. Nothing wrong with that.
> 
> Are the Aeronova's fitted in that picture? Please tell me that you didn't cover up those lovely flat carbon tops?



The Aeronova bars are new - it's the Ergonova bars in the photo from this season that came with the bike. We've got a pair of the stealth version, which aren't covered, and offset the bike well.


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## bpsmith (7 Nov 2017)

DCLane said:


> The Aeronova bars are new - it's the Ergonova bars in the photo from this season that came with the bike. We've got a pair of the stealth version, which aren't covered, and offset the bike well.


Very nice! Lucky lad, good for him!

I have the Stealth Ltd versions on mine. The tops are just so nice looking and very comfortable, so would have been a shame to cover them up.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (8 Nov 2017)

Not fettled to my usual standard but an emergency, after a frame snap yesterday, transplanted all my gear (less the disc brakes and disc-only front wheel) onto this Giant frame that I picked up for £20 as a "decent but in need of a full service and new headset"

Guess turning my house into a bike shop has its advantages. Though stripping 2 bikes down and a rebuild made for a busy night. It's now most definitely Trigger's Bike as it started out as a Claud Butler but with upgrades from a crashed EBC tourer and butterfly bars, and now a frame transplant. No matter - does the job, and I'll get to see how that £5 headset from eBay fares

It looks very weird from the other side where the mudguard stays are bent out around disc calipers that don't exist on this frameset


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## si_c (8 Nov 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Not fettled to my usual standard but an emergency, after a frame snap yesterday,


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## dave r (8 Nov 2017)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Not fettled to my usual standard but an emergency, after a frame snap yesterday, transplanted all my gear (less the disc brakes and disc-only front wheel) onto this Giant frame that I picked up for £20 as a "decent but in need of a full service and new headset"
> 
> Guess turning my house into a bike shop has its advantages. Though stripping 2 bikes down and a rebuild made for a busy night. It's now most definitely Trigger's Bike as it started out as a Claud Butler but with upgrades from a crashed EBC tourer and butterfly bars, and now a frame transplant. No matter - does the job, and I'll get to see how that £5 headset from eBay fares
> 
> ...



Thats a lovely looking bitsa.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (8 Nov 2017)

dave r said:


> Thats a lovely looking bitsa.



I'm pleased with it. It actually rides better than the previous incarnation.

Although the geometry is different, the butterfly bars that were ideal on the claud butler frame push me back too far - but I might dig out the drops - it feels that it would take drops nicely

_(and open up a world of pain of cantis or trying to combine mini-V's with mudguards)_


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## BalkanExpress (9 Nov 2017)

dave r said:


> The standard front chain ring combination of the time, as you say, how did we manage the lumpy bits



We all had bigger legs, or at least bigger muscles. To give the extreme example, When you look at old photos of the pros, yes they are thin but their legs are chunkier than modern riders


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## bpsmith (9 Nov 2017)

BalkanExpress said:


> We all had bigger legs, or at least bigger muscles. To give the extreme example, When you look at old photos of the pros, yes they are thin but their legs are chunkier than modern riders


But then they didn’t hit the same level of gradient that the current grand tours expect them to. Time change I guess, according to some of the interviews of recent retirees at least.


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## carlton88 (10 Nov 2017)

My 1988 Shimano AX 600 pedals are still serviceable, but need attention. I fancied a pair of MKS Sylvan and found these adapters which reduce the AX crank thread from 1" to the required 9/16".






A good clean and some fresh grease later.


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## HLaB (10 Nov 2017)

I finished off cabling the new bars on the tt bike. Im undecided about the brakes it internally routes better treating it as American style (brakes reversed) but will I be OK with that for handling


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## dave r (10 Nov 2017)

A bit of an adventure for me this afternoon, I changed the radiator in the bathroom. The old one was rusty and the paint was lifting so a replacement was on the cards. I'd never changed one before so it was all new to me, the tails confused me at first but once I'd worked out I needed a big allen key to fit internally all was well, I also discovered that PTFE tape is fiddly flaming stuff, the only fly in the ointment was the wall brackets were different, I hadn't planned on changing them but had to as the old ones didn't fit the new radiator. But its done now, its water tight, and has no air in it.


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## si_c (11 Nov 2017)

dave r said:


> A bit of an adventure for me this afternoon, I changed the radiator in the bathroom. The old one was rusty and the paint was lifting so a replacement was on the cards. I'd never changed one before so it was all new to me, the tails confused me at first but once I'd worked out I needed a big allen key to fit internally all was well, I also discovered that PTFE tape is fiddly flaming stuff, the only fly in the ointment was the wall brackets were different, I hadn't planned on changing them but had to as the old ones didn't fit the new radiator. But its done now, its water tight, and has no air in it.


Good on ya, changing old radiators can be a bit of a minefield, it gets particularly bad when swapping an old imperial sized radiator with a new metric sized one. DAMHIKT.


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## swee'pea99 (11 Nov 2017)

BalkanExpress said:


> We all had bigger legs, or at least bigger muscles. To give the extreme example, When you look at old photos of the pros, yes they are thin but their legs are chunkier than modern riders


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## swee'pea99 (11 Nov 2017)

carlton88 said:


> My 1988 Shimano AX 600 pedals are still serviceable, but need attention. I fancied a pair of MKS Sylvan and found these adapters which reduce the AX crank thread from 1" to the required 9/16".
> 
> View attachment 382636
> 
> ...


My God, what an astonishingly immaculate machine...it's like a piece of sculpture!

In fettling news, I fixed an exploded tyre and a rattle on my daughter's friend's bike, and fitted the new u bolt lock I bought to my daughter's. (Does that count as fettling?)


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## Pale Rider (11 Nov 2017)

My fettle today was an oil change on my Rohloff hub ebike.

I've done a Shimano Alfine hub before, but Herr Rohloff makes things a bit more complicated because you need to put flushing oil in, ride the bike, suck out the oil, then refill with oil from a different plastic pot.

Removing and refitting the drain plug was easy enough, which is just as well since I had to do it several times.

Unlike Shimano, there's no O-ring to perish, I suspect the plug may be slightly tapered.

it's certainly easier to start the thread than on the Shimano, a dab of bike grease held the plug nicely on the end of my allen key.

Strict instructions from the Germans not to overtighten it, the plug needs to stand a bit proud of the hub casing. 

The flushed oil I sucked out was suitably gunky, and was about the same volume as I put in.

That's as it should be, the Rohloff is designed to sweat oil over time, and the instructions say it will work fine with no liquid oil inside.

In other words, the oil coats the internals so there isn't meant to be a sump of it sloshing around at the bottom of the casing.

There's also stuff in the instructions about air pressure, and sucking some air out after the final fill.

I did draw the syringe back a bit, but there are limits - the pressure will sort itself out over time even if it hasn't already.

Rohloff specify annual/5,000km oil changes.

I think the first change is worth doing, but I won't worry if I go a bit over time/mileage next time.

As a fellow Rohloff owner, @Littgull may be interested in this post, although I know he's more interested in riding bikes than fettling them.


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## Littgull (11 Nov 2017)

Many thanks @Pale Rider, that is really helpful. I've done just a shade under 2k miles on my Rohloff geared Thorn since I bought it in June so getting nearer to the first oil change timeline.

You are spot on about my preference for riding rather than fettling but I need to keep a mental note to make sure I get the oil changes done on time. I got the oil and kit at the time of bike purchase so it should be 'all systems go'!


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## Pale Rider (11 Nov 2017)

I reckon you could do the job easily, but you could always rope in @ColinJ for some tool/torch holding and general moral support.


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## BalkanExpress (11 Nov 2017)

swee'pea99 said:


> View attachment 382652



I love that film


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## roadrash (11 Nov 2017)

what film is that ??


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## swee'pea99 (11 Nov 2017)

roadrash said:


> what film is that ??









http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Only the French....


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## ColinJ (11 Nov 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> I reckon you could do the job easily, but you could always rope in @ColinJ for some tool/torch holding and general moral support.


@Littgull - you know where to find me if you ever need a a hand!


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## Littgull (11 Nov 2017)

Pale Rider said:


> I reckon you could do the job easily, but you could always rope in @ColinJ for some tool/torch holding and general moral support.



Ha ha, yes I've often lived by the maxim "I'm not sure how to do a certain task, but I know a man who does."


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## Littgull (11 Nov 2017)

ColinJ said:


> @Littgull - you know where to find me if you ever need a a hand!



That may well work out to be an offer to good to refuse @ColinJ


----------



## HLaB (12 Nov 2017)

My pivot point left arm of the front brake was loose and tightening made it stick. So I decided to take the whole thing apart and clean and grease the pivot point. It seems to have done the trick I can tighten the pivot bolt and it releases fine now


----------



## Jenkins (12 Nov 2017)

Had to replace the rear tyre on the Ventus as it was a bit soft this morning and, when I started looking for the culprit, I found that there were a few threads showing in a couple of places and a small piece of rubber was starting to lift away from the carcase. I knew the tyre was badly cut up, had a very squared off profile and the wear indicator holes had long ceased to be visible but I'd been hoping to get 5000 miles from it (GP4000S original version). In the end it was just under 30 miles short of the target after less than 2 years.


----------



## Leaway2 (13 Nov 2017)

Bike frame washed. New bar tape. Front wheel, new ball bearings fitted/greased. Several part de-rusted in rust remover.


----------



## HLaB (14 Nov 2017)

Tomorrow night is my first turbore sessions of the winter so after having cabled and fitted new bars to the TT bike last week; I transferred my power meter pedal to it, put a computer mount on it and put it on the turbo


----------



## gbb (21 Nov 2017)

Just minor stuff....
I was going for a ride on the hybrid, didn' get on a bike all weekend...or for several days prior as well...and it starts raining .
So, oiled chain, clean around, check and inflate tyres.
Wifes bike out, clean and oil chain, search high and low for the 4pack 18650 charger for her lights...find it, now on charge. Tyres checked and inflated.

Rains stopped...oooh, out I go on the hybrid across tracks across pits and backroads...bikes now filthier than before I cleaned it.


----------



## MrPie (21 Nov 2017)

Garmin Vector left pod snapped and tried to fettle a temporary repair, but failed. Will just have to wait for the new pod to turn up.


----------



## Illaveago (22 Nov 2017)

I fitted some handlebar tape and did some touching up on my BSA TdF.


----------



## derrick (22 Nov 2017)

Fitted new bar tape to one of the bikes. Am building my old Cervelo back up, only need a front derailier and seat post battery and we will be ready to go.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (22 Nov 2017)

Stripped, cleaned and regreased the rear derailleur pulleys on the knockabout bike. They run smoothly now but the bearings aren't in a good way. New ones in the spring I think, if not a new derailleur.

Also gave the bike a good clean and mickled the chain, then noticed that the brake blocks were more worn than I thought so new ones fitted.

Edit to add: Glad I got that done when I did. It's horizontal rain out there now.


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## Illaveago (22 Nov 2017)

[QUOTE 5051284, member: 9609"]they're just too white  I would just be too scared to get within 10 paces of it.
you do realise that seat now looks a little grubby - you will need to invest in an all new pristine white saddle to match.[/QUOTE]
The saddle is an old gel one that's gone rock hard, the covering material had disintegrated so I covered it in an old Chamois leather.
I'm not sure if I will do anything with the saddle, I'll have to give it a test ride and go from there.
The tape was some that I had bought some time ago and was lying around in my garage.


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## Rickshaw Phil (30 Nov 2017)

On yesterdays ride I started getting a thump through the front brake on each revolution which worsened rapidly as I went round the route. It was too cold and dark to have a look when I got back so I've investigated it today and as suspected the rim was starting to fail and had splayed out at a particular point.

I've changed it for the front wheel from the pair that have my Snow Studs on, which is in good conditon, and found an old front wheel with nutted axle and some life still left in it so that I can still use the Snow Studs if needed.

Also replaced the pedal reflector that dropped off at Oaks yesterday. All set for my December century ride now.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Nov 2017)

[QUOTE 5051374, member: 9609"]one of the friustrations of night riding is when ever you stop to do something its difficult to see what I'm doing and the headlight is just awkward to see anything by, so with a bit of velcro I have made a quick fix for an old camping head torch that I have, I can just keep it in my pocket when riding and quickly attach when i stop.
View attachment 384259

View attachment 384258


and yes I am aware that the bit of glue on the helmet will undoubtedly cause it to shatter into a million pieces on impact[/QUOTE]

Does the plug not pull out the socket once you have ridden so far?


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## Elybazza61 (1 Dec 2017)

Fitted the Supernova dynamo lights to the Robinson,bit fiddly and the tape and right shifter had to come off to fit the front light.

All working though and will hopefully give them a test tomorrow.


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## si_c (1 Dec 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> Fitted the Supernova dynamo lights to the Robinson,bit fiddly and the tape and right shifter had to come off to fit the front light.
> 
> All working though and will hopefully give them a test tomorrow.



Which light did you go for, and how have you mounted it? I'm about to order a light, still undecided on the pro vs the triple.


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## User19783 (1 Dec 2017)

Elybazza61 said:


> Fitted the Supernova dynamo lights to the Robinson,bit fiddly and the tape and right shifter had to come off to fit the front light.
> 
> All working though and will hopefully give them a test tomorrow.





Nice 
Another question 
Is the hub a disc brake compatible?


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## si_c (1 Dec 2017)

User19783 said:


> Nice
> Another question
> Is the hub a disc brake compatible?


Supernova dynamo hubs are rebranded SP hubs, which are disc compatible, both centerlock and 6 bolt.


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## si_c (2 Dec 2017)

Ok, so my rear wheel has been in really bad shape for a while. I've got a warranty replacement rim coming from Tredz shortly(tm), which will be built into a new wheel by my LBS. In the meantime, I've been riding around on a rim which has cracked around five of the drive side spoke holes, I'd retrued it so that it was straight, and being a 32h rim, figured it would be ridable, for a while.

On my commute home Wednesday it started to fail spectacularly, and a spoke (complete with nipple still attached) came away from the rim. I taped it to the adjacent spoke and carried on, was out all night, so rode it to work and back the next day, and to work on friday. At which point it had started to wobble, so much so that the wheel was going straight, and the rear of the bike was going side to side about an inch each way. Somewhat unnerving, I figured it might last all the way home, but got the train anyway.

Which brings me to today. I'm doing my first wheel build.







It's a DT Swiss R460db rim, which I'm lacing to a shimano FH-RS505 freehub, with Sapim Race spokes and Sapim polyax, brass nipples. I'm doing it two cross, because I prefer the look of a two cross lacing pattern, no other reason. I know three cross is likely better, but I'm just playing at this point.

If this goes well today, I might try to do the front wheel tomorrow.


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## Pale Rider (2 Dec 2017)

A pic of an icy cycle path by @BoldonLad in Your Ride Today motivated me to fit the studded tyres to my winter ebike because I shall be riding on his patch tomorrow.

Fitting the studded tyres is not a job I look forward to because they are Marathons and tighter than the Big Apple balloons the bike wears for the rest of the year.

Pleased to see I stored the winter tyres neatly with their own tubes.

Own tubes, you might ask.

A lot is said about tubes not stretching, but my experience is the Marathons are even harder to fit with the tubes which have been in the much larger volume Big Apples.

The studs mean the tyres are not nice to handle and they snag on clothing. 

Plenty of talc - it's good for the carpet as well - meant the job went with no mishaps.

Last task was to shorten the propstand leg - the smaller circumference of the Marathons means the bike will topple if I don't do that.

Just time for a swift pic outside before darkness falls.


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## Elybazza61 (2 Dec 2017)

si_c said:


> Which light did you go for, and how have you mounted it? I'm about to order a light, still undecided on the pro vs the triple.



It's this one;

1411-supernova_e3_pure3_handlebar_mounted.php

With this rear;

https://www.amba-marketing.com/prod...il_light_2_seat_post_fitting.php?r=1m34b0s165



User19783 said:


> Nice
> Another question
> Is the hub a disc brake compatible?



As mentioned above it's an SP hub with standard disc mount(centre-lock is also available)


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## fatjel (2 Dec 2017)

Front brake on the mtb failed last week ( hydraulic elixir 1 ) 
was still barely working after fitting new pads.
Got some new shimano brakes for £37 off ebay which seem to work OK
Added bonus the new rear one will fit the front of the Bacchetta cos I'm not loving the bb7s


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## HLaB (2 Dec 2017)

I've been getting a bit of ankle pain so I've moved my cleats back during the week which seems to have helped. My coach today suggested I might want to try a shorter stem so I swapped in an old one tonight to see if I like it.


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## si_c (2 Dec 2017)

Finished the lacing and initial tension and true.





Took a bit longer than I had anticipated, I got the key spoke in wrong twice and had to relace from scratch. Added to that I was short two spokes on my order for the drive side, which caused me some thought. In the end as it's a disc hub, the difference in spoke length side to side is 2mm, so I just put the spare drive side spoke onto the other side, and I'll live with it.

Going to spend some time getting the dish right and it trued properly, as well as spoke tension up a bit. I've got a new tensiometer I need to play with


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## Leaway2 (3 Dec 2017)

si_c said:


> Finished the lacing and initial tension and true.
> View attachment 385740
> 
> 
> ...


What is the Tacx like? Any good?


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## si_c (3 Dec 2017)

Leaway2 said:


> What is the Tacx like? Any good?



It does the job, and it folds up really small, which is one of the reasons I got it, it was also relatively inexpensive. I've found I can get the lateral deviation to about or just under 1/2mm using it, but I can't get it perfect, I can't get it perfectly round either, again to around a couple of mm deviation. 

I'm probably being a bit overly picky though, as it's far more likely that I'm not good enough or practiced enough to do the job perfectly!

I'd definitely recommend it though, as it's very easy to use, and is a massive improvement on trying to do it by eye or with zipties on a bike frame.


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## Leaway2 (4 Dec 2017)

si_c said:


> It does the job, and it folds up really small, which is one of the reasons I got it, it was also relatively inexpensive. I've found I can get the lateral deviation to about or just under 1/2mm using it, but I can't get it perfect, I can't get it perfectly round either, again to around a couple of mm deviation.
> 
> I'm probably being a bit overly picky though, as it's far more likely that I'm not good enough or practiced enough to do the job perfectly!
> 
> I'd definitely recommend it though, as it's very easy to use, and is a massive improvement on trying to do it by eye or with zipties on a bike frame.


I may ask Santa for one.


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## confusedcyclist (4 Dec 2017)

Yesterday evening I finally got around to finishing off a wheel build for my road bike upgrade to 11 speed. I almost forgot to adjust the hub before putting the wheel back on the bike. I decided to open the (brand new) hub up to check how much grease was packed around the bearings, hardly any.... so I put some in quite successfully, then turned hub over, only to drop a bunch of bearings out the other side into a nearby tool box.... queue much swearing. I carefully tipped out the contents of my tool box, and finding only 2 of 3 bearings, but assuming I had them all, I put them back in and put it back together. Unbeknownst to me, another had rolled under a cabinet.

Packing it all up with grease, put the axel back on, forget to install the end cap, and mounted the wheel back on the bike. Only to realise I had forgot the end cap when tightening the QR skewer. Off it comes again, back on to the bike. Then too much play in the wheel, so off it comes AGAIN. Finally, I adjusted the cone perfectly. Back on the bike. Whilst cleaning up the tools strewn about the floor, I notice it, the other missing ball bearing. FFS, should have counted them all before putting it all back together... Had to strip it down and start again.

Note to future self, don't drop your ruddy ball bearings everywhere, and count them before sealing it up... GRRRR


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## si_c (4 Dec 2017)

confusedcyclist said:


> Yesterday evening I finally got around to finishing off a wheel build for my road bike upgrade to 11 speed. I almost forgot to adjust the hub before putting the wheel back on the bike. I decided to open the (brand new) hub up to check how much grease was packed around the bearings, hardly any.... so I put some in quite successfully, then turned hub over, only to drop a bunch of bearings out the other side into a nearby tool box.... queue much swearing. I carefully tipped out the contents of my tool box, and finding only 2 of 3 bearings, but assuming I had them all, I put them back in and put it back together. Unbeknownst to me, another had rolled under a cabinet.
> 
> Packing it all up with grease, put the axel back on, forget to install the end cap, and mounted the wheel back on the bike. Only to realise I had forgot the end cap when tightening the QR skewer. Off it comes again, back on to the bike. Then too much play in the wheel, so off it comes AGAIN. Finally, I adjusted the cone perfectly. Back on the bike. Whilst cleaning up the tools strewn about the floor, I notice it, the other missing ball bearing. FFS, should have counted them all before putting it all back together... Had to strip it down and start again.
> 
> Note to future self, don't drop your ruddy ball bearings everywhere, and count them before sealing it up... GRRRR


I really dislike servicing hubs. But I prefer it to faffing around with cartridge bearings.


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## xzenonuk (4 Dec 2017)

gave my suntour fork a bit of a clean and new grease this morning as best i could with out been able to get the top cap off to get to the spring, i don't have the silly preload adjuster remover tool,

there did seem to be some sort of water build up inside as a load came out when i undone the 2 bottom bolts lol

working a lot better now and i put new bearings in my rear hub just a wee while ago, dang i forgot how hard it is to get a cassette off a wheel, gonna have sore arms later


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## DCLane (4 Dec 2017)

Back to @ozboz's thread about his Surly being found, @Welsh wheels mentioned dimwits wanting road bikes for £50. I had that last week and said "can't". Then on Friday I was given in exchange for a £7 cassette most of a Pinnacle Dolomite 1 from 2013 consisting of:

- Frame that looks to have had little use but been dragged through a bramble patch
- Tourney shifters, RH not working
- Tourney crankset, front derailleur, Tektro brakes

Looking at it the bike needed a rear mech hanger, rear derailleur, seatpost, saddle, shifter fixing, wheels, cassette, chain, one cable, etc. A couple of months ago I gave / threw away all my 'cheap' seatposts and saddles so probably don't have any left  (* updated below)

Not to be beaten I took the 7-speed Carrera wheels out of the shed that I'd be planning to sell and hoped to recover the £16 I'd paid, fitted the yellow tyres given and it all spun fine.

The shifter was bent and broken but it was simply out of place and had a snapped cable = easy fix.

* I went for a rummage and found a used Cinelli Vai seatpost (cost £6) and an old Boardman saddle so they're fitted.

A new mech hanger's at Evans on Tuesday and I'm using a s/hand Shimano 2300 derailleur = £12 for those

Still to do:

Fit hanger and rear derailleur
Fit rear gear cable and a bit of outer
Fit new chain
Total cost should be about £50


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## RoubaixCube (6 Dec 2017)

Took a deep deep breath
loaded up some AC/DC and Saxon onto my playlist
Cleaned the Bathroom/Shower,
Serviced Jockey wheels on the triban after noticing squeaking.
Rebalanced the rear brakes as i noticed they were pulling unevenly.
Changed the inner tube on the rear wheel back to a conti as I think the Specialized inner tube as it seems to have developed a slow puncture.
Whacked the wheel back on.
Cleaned the working area
Made breakfast and cup of tea

The rear wheel was vaguely suspicious to me before i went out yesterday as it was almost completely flat. I pumped it up again and it was flat this morning when i went to check on it.... It was absolutely fine when i did my 20miles yesterday.


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## GuyBoden (7 Dec 2017)

RoubaixCube said:


> Took a deep deep breath
> loaded up some AC/DC and Saxon onto my playlist
> Cleaned the Bathroom/Shower,
> Serviced Jockey wheels on the triban after noticing squeaking.
> ...



Sometimes, slow punctures are the most difficult to find, it's probably a very small sharp object embedded into the tyre, they're so frustrating because they're so difficult to find, I've resorted to changing tyres in the past. Best of luck and patience.


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## Mark Grant (7 Dec 2017)

I broke a rear spoke about 12 miles into a 48 mile ride yesterday so replaced it this morning.


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## DCLane (7 Dec 2017)

Continued working on the Pinnacle Dolomite 1 from Monday. Today it got:

Paint - Humbrol black enamel from my big pot of paint
Rear mech hanger fitted from Evans (£8)
New Shimano 2300 rear mech as the s/hand one was stuck (£10)
Rear gear cable outer (£0), inner (£1) and downtube adjuster (£2)
Pedals removed and re-greased
Clarks anti-rust chain £5
As I had to use a new rear mech and needed a downtube adjuster the total cost came to £55, which wasn't far off the original £50 planned. Final photo and I'm disappointed I forgot a 'before' photo given how bad it was on Saturday:


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## RoubaixCube (7 Dec 2017)

GuyBoden said:


> Sometimes, slow punctures are the most difficult to find, it's probably a very small sharp object embedded into the tyre, they're so frustrating because they're so difficult to find, I've resorted to changing tyres in the past. Best of luck and patience.



I honestly dont know what to think, that particular inner tube is less than 2 months old and I havent been cycling that much since my work situation changed. I needed some work done on the triban anyway so I had my LBS fit the inner tube along with everything else that needed doing. 

When i changed the inner tube yesterday, i made sure there wasnt anything sharp that had punched a small hole in my tyre, everything was perfect. swap the inner tubes around and semi inflated the one I had taken off and gave it a good hard squeeze to see if it would lose any air. I did this for 5mins and it was absolutely fine. I know immersing it in a tub of water would of probably been quicker and better as far as puncture detection goes but i was being lazy.

Tyre is still perfectly inflated now. Maybe it was just the presta valve core that was a little loose? It seemed pretty tightly screwed on at the time.


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## Elybazza61 (9 Dec 2017)

Re-built the Ridley Icarus; straightforward with the s/h Ultegra chainset going on easily and the chain is fine.

No adjustment needed for either mechs but rear brake caliper needed some adjustment.

It's a real bitsa now;10-speed 105 shifters and mechs,6700 Ultegra chainset,6600 Ultegra brakes,KMC 10-spd chain and Giant wheels.

Just need to fit mudguards and source a s/h seat-post (pref a carbon one) and it's good to go.


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## Elybazza61 (10 Dec 2017)

Today,tidied the dynamo cables a bit and adjusted the front light angle.


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## si_c (11 Dec 2017)

Swapped cassette, left the chain on too long, skating like a mofo. Kept the old one, will wait til the new chain is ready to change, then put it on.


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## LeetleGreyCells (11 Dec 2017)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Installed two new bottle cages and two new reflectors on the road bike. Put new blocks on the front cantilever brakes of the MTB.



Moved to this newer thread  (not the 8-year old one I originally posted the above to)


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## vickster (11 Dec 2017)

I've got to change a tube on the carbon so I can use it on the turbo. Expect is another dodgy Halfords tube with a leaky valve as this was new the only time I've ridden that bike outdoors this year  and I repaired a puncture while out

I'll check the tube however

Maybe the bike is offended at its neglect...well if it took a rack and mudguards


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## Elybazza61 (11 Dec 2017)

More faffing with dynamo wiring and gluing tyre cuts.


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## DCLane (12 Dec 2017)

I got round to fitting Schwalbe Ice Spiker tyres onto my £5 Dawes Tekarra MTB, along with SPD/flat pedals.

Now just to bed them in ...


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## Gravity Aided (13 Dec 2017)

I have been scrubbing some Deore LX groupset that I got on a small MTB in a thrift store, I think they though it was a kids' bicycle, so I got it for small coin, and am moving the parts over to my Raleigh Technium Citylite, which I stripped of all its crustiness Sunday. Then we tackle the BB. This will be a fine, lightweight 26" tourer when done. I can hardly wait for Spring, to get some miles on it.


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## si_c (14 Dec 2017)

Started building up my dynamo front wheel, got it fully laced up, but it still needs properly tensioning and truing. Also got the light delivered this morning, so I have added incentive to finish that off tonight...


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## Domus (14 Dec 2017)

After my freezing feet experience last weekend I have "made" some thermal insoles.

Triple layer of aluminium foil stuck to bottom with double sided tape then covered with grey duct tape.

Will try them tomorrow.


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## Salad Dodger (14 Dec 2017)

Domus said:


> After my freezing feet experience last weekend I have "made" some thermal insoles.
> 
> Triple layer of aluminium foil stuck to bottom with double sided tape then covered with grey duct tape.
> 
> Will try them tomorrow.



Can we expect a new thread starting tomorrow...... "How do I get duct tape glue off the bottom of my feet?"


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## Domus (15 Dec 2017)

Watch this space


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## Domus (15 Dec 2017)

No stickiness on socks or feet after 19 miles in the cold, an improvement but not the toastiness expected. Back to the drawing board (kitchen table)


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## HLaB (15 Dec 2017)

Cleaned the bike earlier. When I wiped the tyres down I must have pressed something into the tube slightly . Just before I went to bed I noticed it was a bit spongy. Took the tube out and pumped it up to see where the hole was, half an hour later it was still at the same pressure so I put a new tube in. But after refitting and examining the tyre I decided to put a new one on I was expecting a struggle to fit new rubber but it went on easily


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## GuyBoden (16 Dec 2017)

Refitted my Suntour Power downtube shifters. Great friction shifters.


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## bruce1530 (16 Dec 2017)

Fixed puncture. Took the Schwalbe landcruisers off and put the gator skins back. Refitted mudguards. Cleaned and lubed chain


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## bpsmith (16 Dec 2017)

Got the MacBook up to date for Zwift and linked to TacX ready for squeezing some Winter “rides” in at random times when no real ride time available.

Did 10 miles on the London circuit last night. Box Hill wasn’t as epic as it’s suggested it is. Might be different in the real world, or could be that I am used to proper climbs in Wales.


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## Hedgemonkey (17 Dec 2017)




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## Hedgemonkey (17 Dec 2017)

Today I fettled from bare frame upwards, kept me from climbing the walls, because the weather outside is just awfull.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Dec 2017)

More (final this time ) fiddling with dynamo cabling;this time with braided cover and tidier routing.

Main bonus is it still all works .


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## Tom B (18 Dec 2017)

DCLane said:


> I got round to fitting Schwalbe Ice Spiker tyres onto my £5 Dawes Tekarra MTB, along with SPD/flat pedals.
> 
> Now just to bed them in ...



I have spare wheels with my spikes on.
After 10 days of snow and ice I yesterday swapped them off and put my normal wheels back on. Went out for a ride and the front disk felt a bit grumpy, came home and cleaned them, noticed the pads were thin so changed them.

A few days ago I decided to go the long way home from work through a very muddy gritty park / river bank / muddy paths.

I was amazed to get 6 miles with my chain like this. Luckily the LBS was still open and I was able to effect an emergency quick link repair. I had already planned to replace the chain, cassette and rings the following day hence the horrendous state of them and the decision to get even more filthy.


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## Gravity Aided (18 Dec 2017)

Removed the stuck BB from the Raleigh City Runner, as well as the headset. I replaced the headset with Deore from a donor bicycle, and will replace the BB with a sealed unit, and also replace crank and chainwheels with Deore, test fit until I get the rust under control on the Cr Mo bits of the bicycle.


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## HLaB (18 Dec 2017)

Fitted a rear mudguard no problem and quickly adjusted the stays. The front guard was more of a pain though, as the brake bolt had seized and doh I rounded it trying to remove it. So I soaked it in WD40 and disconnected the front brake left it for a few hours and relatively easily in the end unscrewed the brake from the front and tapped the seized/rounded bolt. The bolt tightens OK but loosening is a bit more of a problem. I guess its a walk to the lbs tomorrow to get a new bolt. Hopefully he has one


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## biggs682 (19 Dec 2017)

Up early this morning to replace both gear cables on my recently acquired Scott speedster 

All done just need to loose the frost so i can test it


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## Gravity Aided (21 Dec 2017)

Refitted components to the Raleigh before the truly cold weather comes and I can't or won't work in the unheated garage.. I'll complete refinishing and cabling when the weather warms.


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## kiwifruit (21 Dec 2017)

Brought a new chain last week finally got time to take the old one off and in with the new. As the chain was off decided to clean and regrease the bottom bracket.


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## Supersuperleeds (21 Dec 2017)

Rear mudguard again. I knew the aluminium rods I used on my last fix wouldn't last. Steel ones on it now, see how long they last.


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## LeetleGreyCells (24 Dec 2017)

Fitted a set of SKS Bluemels mudguards to the road bike today. Had to trim an inch off the stays to fit and they have gone on nicely. Look forward to road testing it in the week.


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## Elybazza61 (24 Dec 2017)

Started to re-do the cables on the Robinson;front gear cut and on plus new Jagwire Elite sorted and ready to go on.

Probably won't finish today as trying to do it right first time.


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## Tom B (24 Dec 2017)

Took the trailer to the shops today (genius move avoided all the traffic). I think I took about a thousand miles off the tyre with all the slipping with the hills around here and the chrimbleshopping whoopsies. 

When I got home I couldn't get one of the stub axles out to fold it up. Eventually managed with a hammer and drift. Cleaned and greased the mount. I just need some new tidley innertubes for it now.


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## Jenkins (24 Dec 2017)

Following the recent grotty weather, 5/7ths of the fleet were given some much required maintenance - wheels off & cleaned, frames cleaned and chains 'mickled'


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## Tom B (24 Dec 2017)

What a nice asgard.. I have one similarly identical.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Dec 2017)

Finished tidying the cables on the Robinson;Jagwire Elite cables used from the 105 levers to the Hope V-Twin brakes and the gear cables shortened a bit and nice Donohu brass adjusters fitted.

Oh and a new bottle cap for the headset top cap.


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## bpsmith (26 Dec 2017)

Fixed a puncture. Then another about a mile later. This was whilst it was hammering down and temperature had dropped like a stone typically. Walked the bike to Halfords, as I had forgotten my second tube after washing the bike earlier in the week. 

Under the lights inside, my mate finally found the culprit, being a piece of glass that could barely be seen from either side of the tyre unless flexed at an odd angle. This was after a thorough inspection from both us a couple of times.

Never had a puncture in 7,500 miles, so I guess that I was due!


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## hondated (26 Dec 2017)

Jenkins said:


> Following the recent grotty weather, 5/7ths of the fleet were given some much required maintenance - wheels off & cleaned, frames cleaned and chains 'mickled'
> View attachment 388451


Nice fleet. Also have a fleet of bikes but yours are clearly better quality. My excuse is that each one is worth more to me than I could sell them for . And yours is !


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## hondated (26 Dec 2017)

Thanks for posting as I really enjoy viewing these sort of photos. I know I know as my wife says I really should get out more.


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## cyberknight (26 Dec 2017)

Took my front disc brake pads out as they were loud enough to wake the dead , refaced them with sandpaper and then cleaned with disc brake cleaner , nice and silent again


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## Tom B (26 Dec 2017)

Took my hybrid out yesterday for a quick crimbo thrash. Was jolly chuffed to find myself 13 out of 4000 on one if the local country roads. (I wondered why the cars were not passing me) on the way home I hurled up one of the local cobbled back street hills and somehoe the chain jammed in the front mech and the pedals locked solid. I managed to get it into grannies ring and staggered home. Of course at that point It started pouring down.

I managed to have a quick look at the issue and It seems the mechanism has dropped and rotated. I tried loosening and putting it back, this is not the first time that this has happened but when I tried to tightening up the pinch bolt the bolt started jumping on the thread and wouldn't clamp. So it appears its either going to need a new bolt or a new mech. I don't mind buying a new mech as this one is about20k miles old and is a Shimano elcheapo Altus M311.

So I need a medium level FD suitable for an 8 speed triple with a 48t ring, bottom pull..... Recommendations welcome


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## Tom B (26 Dec 2017)

Given the above, Betty (hybrid) is out of action, today's ride had to be on Christine (mtb). Because I'm a bad Tom B I hadn't cleaned it the last time I put it away and the drivetrain was seriously filthy so much so there was a very dry squeal coming from one of the jockey wheels. I thus cleaned it, pumped up the suspension cans, fitted the new underseat mudguard, rode it, washed it, degreased it and dieseled the chain and found the spare brake pads. Tomorrow I'll re-lube, change the pads and scowl more at the FSA chainrings that don't actually seem to like having a chain on them and take every opportunity to ditch the chain.


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## kiwifruit (28 Dec 2017)

Service a notchy Freehub. Back in September I got it service by an local LBS and it cost me £20 and the previous time was back in Feb and that was another £20. So I look at YouTube, brought a chain whip, cassette tool and mineral oil all cost less than £18. Took the cassette off, then the mavic free hub and it has quite a lot of gunk. Clean everything up put some mineral oil and reassemble everthing. As the cassette was off I also clean every socket before putting it back. Rotate nicely backwards now. All in all took me about 45mins.


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## LeetleGreyCells (28 Dec 2017)

A couple of little jobs today adding a kickstand and mudguards to my daughter’s MTB.


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## youngoldbloke (28 Dec 2017)

Turbo tyre back on the fair weather bike, as I can't see riding it outdoors for a few months.


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## Tom B (28 Dec 2017)

It seems the bump that damaged my bike a few days ago was bigger than i remember and i have now found a flatspot in the back wheel too.

Today I stripped off the damaged front Mech.

Mrs Tomb says there is now an issue with the dishwasher....






I see no issue..


Given the weather forecast I've cleaned up the spike tyre wheels and readied them for fitting tomorrow


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## GuyBoden (29 Dec 2017)

Got the cone spanners out for a bit of front axle fettling, now the front wheel spins as good as Silcocks' big wheel........


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## biggs682 (29 Dec 2017)

Dribbled some oil on to the chain ready for 2moro's ride


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## DCLane (29 Dec 2017)

Continued with the Pug PN10NW Premiere:

- Bit more paint
- Inner and outer cables in white
- Bar tape in off-white to match the retro white saddle
- New chain

Photo when finished, which'll be when the wheels are sorted.


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## mgs315 (29 Dec 2017)

Stuck the new Garmin mount on and swapped the Edge 520’s base map for a better one. Then found my free wheel had got stiff for some reason (not ridden in a week since I’ve cleaned and re-lubed thanks to continuous 12-hour days at work) so used the chain whip to free that off. TBH they’re cheapo wheels that came with the Triban so not surprised.


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## Globalti (30 Dec 2017)

Took both tyres off, drained the water out of the rims, inspected everything, replaced tyres with talc (thumb pressure only needed with talc to dry lube them) then started on the cassette and freehub. Stripped everything, cleaned up are re-lubricated the Mavic freehub with 3 in 1 oil:






This is the very simple design of the Mavic freehub; you can see how it sits on a plain boss lubricated only by a thin film of oil. With insufficient maintenance there is direct contact between freehub and boss - you can see some scoring in the photo so it must have happened at some time with mine. You can also see the spiral ring machined inside the freehub, which is supposed to spread the oil around. There is a rubber seal, which goes in the hub at the bottom of the boss. The design is easy to strip and good in that the drive-side wheel bearing is well outboard giving good stability; that it's small doesn't seem to matter because it stays clean and dry so doesn't wear prematurely. However with poor maintenance the whole freehub setup reaches a point of sloppiness where it oscillates fast on the boss and you get the Mavic howl of death, which means it's time for new wheels. I tried a thicker engine oil but that created too much drag and the cassette was getting pulled around by the wheel when freewheeling, causing the chain to sag so I went back to the recommended 3 in 1 oil.

Like I said, a clever design for its light weight, simplicity and ease of maintenance but not neglect-proof like sealed Shimano freehubs. It needs to be stripped, cleaned and re-lubricated every 6 months. Buy Mavic wheels and you buy into a design philosophy, which some people don't like.


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## NorthernDave (30 Dec 2017)

Adjusted the rear Race Blade Pro XL on the Giant.

It's now as silent as a BBC sitcom star commenting on their tax arrangements.


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## Jenkins (30 Dec 2017)

Last night the securing/release clip on the rear mudguard (SKS Raceblade Long) finally gave up the ghost after 2 years of use with frequent removal and refitting so today I fitted the replacement set I've had in stock for a couple of months including renewing all the frame fittings front & rear as well.


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## PeteXXX (30 Dec 2017)

Defy2 fettled and ready for riding tomorrow.
I've not been out on this bike for a while, but all seems fine and dandy.
Just needed to nip up the cones a tad on the rear end.


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## Tom B (31 Dec 2017)

Went out on the clunker..

About as far from home as I could get the top jockey wheel seized solid. Nothing visibly preventing it turning. Ended up just letting the chain skate over the seized wheel and the bike sounding like an oldskool diesel. By the time I'd got back the chain had stripped off most of the teeth it was touching.

SRAM x5 is anyone is wondering.


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## LeetleGreyCells (31 Dec 2017)

Added bottle cage to my wife’s MTB. Not sure it’ll be used because due to the position of the bolts in proximity to the front fork, we need to buy the world’s smallest bidon. Found the smallest one at Halford’s which I’ll pick up once the mudguards for my son’s MTB arrive for click and collect. 

Also added a kickstand to my MTB as I really hate lying my bike on the floor.


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## NorthernDave (1 Jan 2018)

Fitted a Topeak Bar Extender to the Giant so I can now mount any of my front lights, rather than just the small Electron Pod "be seen" one.
Not the most aesthetic of solution, but it works.


----------



## Pumpkin the robot (2 Jan 2018)

I converted the front end to a disc set up. I picked up a set of forks, wheel and mechanical disc caliper for just under £90. The biggest pain in the back side was fitting the mudguard on it.
All ready for the first commute of the year tomorrow.


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## bpsmith (2 Jan 2018)

Stripped, cleaned and regressed a mates set of Fulcrum Quattro’s. They were seized both on the outer nuts and the inner bearings. Ideally they need new bearings, but they are back up and running in better shape than I thought tbh.


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## DCLane (3 Jan 2018)

I've had a pile of little jobs building up to do over Christmas, but with being ill I've left them. They're now all pressing so this evening I've got all the bits out and have:

Fitted new Conti Supersonic tyres to my youngest's 'spare' track wheels - Mavic Ellipse's (they'll be my 'good' wheels then  )
Got his new Sonderklasse track tyre out to stretch it to replace one he damaged in Manchester in December
Fitted his new PlanetX track bars and bar tape to the track bike for Monday's track league.
Just the Sonderklasse to fit for that bike to be finished and track sprockets to swap over on the spare wheels (won't budge so are soaking  )

Fitted a carbon fork to his winter commuter. Too long -  - and he said to just put the old one back as he'll only be using it for about the next 3 months 
Fitted a replacement Bontrager Paradigm saddle to my winter commuter. I prefer them and it's running an old spare saddle at present
Then set to work on his Giant TCR training bike:

Fitted a new, longer 170mm Shimano 105 crankset and pedals
Fitted new bar tape as the old tape was loose and  after 18 months and 5,000 miles in all weathers plus indoor training
Fitted new rear brake pads - he wondered why stopping wasn't easy 
Then changed the 48 tooth Ultegra chainring over on a replacement 170mm crankset from the 165mm one he has for emergency race use.

As a result I'll have two 165mm Shimano cranksets (5700 and 6700) to sell and some carbon PlanetX cross forks.

That leaves me just his race bike to do: new longer seatpost and lighter saddle, longer stem and new tyres for the 2018 season. Or however much we can get out of it on the Cervelo S3 he uses.


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## LeetleGreyCells (3 Jan 2018)

I’ve fitted two sets of Zefal Classic MTB Mudguards to my wife and son’s bikes, then added some Topeak Defender XC11 for 27.5” to my MTB. 

Also altered the angle of the drop bars on my road bike to a more comfortable angle (hopefully - I’ll find out in my next jaunt). I seemed to be leaning too far forward when having my hands on the hoods.


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## ChrisEyles (4 Jan 2018)

I lost my fettling mojo somewhat last year and the jobs have been piling up... but finally had a chance to order some bits and get craking over xmas. 

Had a very good day's fettling yesterday and finally sorted out the niggling chainline issues on my fixed gear bike  

I swapped over most of the spacers from the drive side to the non-drive side to move the sprocket about 4mm outboard, then re-dished the rim back to the middle of the frame. Didn't take as long as I feared and no snapped spokes (phew - they are pretty old!). 

There is still a tiny wobble in the chainring which I'm unable to fix. I had it in the vice butthought better of it last minute 'cause it was so minor I'd probably have made it worse... but moving the sprocket seems to have made this un-noticeable. 

Very satisfying! 

Got new brake pads and cables for my two MTBs to fit next. One of them also needs the headset re-greasing and the other is going to get a snazzier derailleur upgrade from the spares bin. Mrs Chris's bike is due a new freewheel and am debating whether to swap from 6 to 8 speeds at the same time (would need a new cassette hub rear wheel for this but have all the other parts)... and I've just got a big box from the postie with some tyres for her "new" Dawes galaxy, which if she gets on with it will probably also want new bar tape, chain, cassette, and brake pads. 

Need to keep that fettling mojo going!


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## ColinJ (4 Jan 2018)

I fitted my Crud Roadracer mudguards to my best bike (Cannondale CAAD 5) at the weekend. I don't normally ride it during the winter but the gears, chain and chainrings are already pretty worn so I might as well ride the bike through the winter and put nice new transmission parts on in the spring. I must put some old wheels on though. I really didn't like the sound of gritty water grinding away at my best wheel rims on my ride on Monday!


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## Tom B (6 Jan 2018)

Yesterday I finally picked up the new mech from the local decathlon and got around to setting to work before today's commute.

I got the new FD clamped on roughly in the right place and threaded up a new cable.

Measured the chain and found it was exceeding .75 so binned that. decided to thoroughly clean the chainrings and give them a closer look for wear as I had a feeling they was getting a bit long in the tooth. I dont think I was wrong...













I dont think the granny ring looks too bad but the other two are looking worn to my eye. They have 15'000+ all weather, grotty, north of england daily miles on them so I can't really complain especially seeing as I managed 364 days activity last year so maintenance slipped. ( I was going for 365 but missed the day the Mrs Tomb pushed out the heir).

So I am now trying to source a replacement 48/38/28 8 speed compatible triple rather than replacing the rings. I think the square taper receiver is worn, its been on and off about 8 bottom brackets of dubious quality including one occasion where it worked loose and now seems to have a permanent wobble.

Never the less I put it back together with a newish part worn chain. As i re-threaded the chain I notice that the tension jockey wheel was like a dick in a bucket. There was rub marks on the cage and this slop would probably explain the chattering noise. I remembered I had bought a spare pair of jockey wheels and eventually found them and fitted them. I then threaded the chain and started to set up the new FD, noting something was amiss I spotted this.





(yes i know the chain on the bike behind is filthy - its not been used for 18 months.)

I initially thought that I had miss-threaded the chain and was cursing the stupid Shimano Quicklinks (as opposed to the KMC type) when I stopped and noticed the chain was routed the same as on the bike behind. I scratched my head and noticed that the mech was not pivoting around the pivot closest to the hanger. This just about moved by hand and corrected the chain routing. I couldn't find a suitable key to undo the pivot so all I could do was lube and grease as best I could. It's better and operates now but is still tight and will need further attention.

With the bike at least operational got on with tiling the conservatory roof.

I now need to make up my mind on the replacement chainset, but 8spd triples with 48t outers seem to be getting a bit rare.


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## ChrisEyles (6 Jan 2018)

@Tom B sounds like a good day's fettling there! 

I've got a 48/38/28 Shimano Altus triple on my tourer (8 speed on the back). It's not exactly high end but does everything you need it to and is one of the few cranksets out there that has quite a nice looking chain guard built in (which I find handy as I'm often wearing non cycling specific clothing on that bike). Here's a link to one if you're interested: 

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Shimano-FC...MI-MSA5b3E2AIVLrHtCh3hGgU9EAQYASABEgJOufD_BwE


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## ChrisEyles (6 Jan 2018)

If it's a sunday best sort of bike, this looks nice, but a bit pricier: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p3/STRONGLIGHT-Impact-Triple


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## raleighnut (7 Jan 2018)

Tom B said:


> Yesterday I finally picked up the new mech from the local decathlon and got around to setting to work before today's commute.
> 
> I got the new FD clamped on roughly in the right place and threaded up a new cable.
> 
> ...



Depending on BB width you should be able to get a 10 speed Deore to fit, I've got one on a 90s Raleigh 'Outlander' MTB running with a 7 on the back, the chainrings might be slightly thinner ( I don't think they are) but they won't be thicker so a 5-8 spd chain will run fine.


----------



## Tom B (7 Jan 2018)

ChrisEyles said:


> @Tom B sounds like a good day's fettling there!
> Here's a link to one if you're interested:
> 
> https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Shimano-FC...MI-MSA5b3E2AIVLrHtCh3hGgU9EAQYASABEgJOufD_BwE



Funnily enough thats exactly the one I have in mind... I wonder why the 5mm shorter crank is almost £20 more?
I was initially put off by the bash guard, but actually it'll probably be no bad thing.



ChrisEyles said:


> If it's a sunday best sort of bike, this looks nice, but a bit pricier: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p3/STRONGLIGHT-Impact-Triple



Definitely not Sunday best - more everyday mule. And its all over Black.

I did see a Tourney 8 speed knocking around somewhere but I believe that the Altus is a rung or two up quality wise.



raleighnut said:


> Depending on BB width you should be able to get a 10 speed Deore to fit, I've got one on a 90s Raleigh 'Outlander' MTB running with a 7 on the back, the chainrings might be slightly thinner ( I don't think they are) but they won't be thicker so a 5-8 spd chain will run fine.



I was wondering about that too.

There are a few options of none OEM stuff made by /marketed by ETC/Suntour. I think a couple of other bikes that I use (but dont own) have some Suntour chainsets that dont give any bother (but have ugly ass bashrings), but for £28, the Shimano is a known quantity.


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## ChrisEyles (7 Jan 2018)

The Altus is far nice than it should be at that price, I'd buy it again for my tourer when the current one wears out.


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## raleighnut (7 Jan 2018)

Tom B said:


> Funnily enough thats exactly the one I have in mind... I wonder why the 5mm shorter crank is almost £20 more?
> I was initially put off by the bash guard, but actually it'll probably be no bad thing.
> 
> 
> ...


If you're happy to put up with the weight then that Altus will 'do the job' personally I prefer removable Aluminium rings to riveted steel ones but you get what you pay for.


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## NorthernDave (7 Jan 2018)

Seeing as it's still icy, I abandoned plans for a ride and gave the Giant it's first wash and mickle - well it is fortnight old!


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## Elybazza61 (7 Jan 2018)

Tried to get the front dynamo wheel set-up tubeless to no avail despite using the Schwalbe tubeless inflator.

Tyre pops-on but doesn't stay on when deflated so reckon it must be either the rim isn't properly tubeless(it is an older Halo rim) or the S-Ones are too old and been on and off wheels too often so the bead is too weak.


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## Tom B (7 Jan 2018)

raleighnut said:


> If you're happy to put up with the weight then that Altus will 'do the job' personally I prefer removable Aluminium rings to riveted steel ones but you get what you pay for.



Hmmm I see your point. I think I'll have another reconsider. I'd replace it like for like if i could figure out what the original was!


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## si_c (8 Jan 2018)

Rage inducing fettles the last couple of days. Went to the in-laws over the holiday period, so the bike was shoved straight into the shed without cleaning. Came back after two weeks and everything had seized up, it needed a clean anyway so no problem. Front disc brake caliper the pads weren't returning, so I had problems fitting the wheel back in, so took it off and proceeded to clean.

Halfway through I heard a ping as the spring disappeared into space. Unfortunately I was doing this outside, after 4pm, on a Saturday. And the grass hasn't been mown since the beginning of september. One lost spring. One useless caliper. Ordered a replacement TRP spyre (read good things), which arrived today. Realised I needed a mounting bracket, so ordered that from Ribble. Then I looked closer at the old caliper, it's not a single piece, it has a mounting bracket.

Overall I'm £75 lighter in the pocket because Mrs C won't let me clean the bike in the kitchen (and I'm sticking to that).

Will fit the new caliper later, after eating more christmas cake.


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## LeetleGreyCells (8 Jan 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Added bottle cage to my wife’s MTB. Not sure it’ll be used because due to the position of the bolts in proximity to the front fork, we need to buy the world’s smallest bidon. Found the smallest one at Halford’s which I’ll pick up once the mudguards for my son’s MTB arrive for click and collect.



So the smallest bidon from Halford’s is still too big. It’s interfering with the front forks. I remember seeing somewhere a bracket you can attach under the saddle which you can then add a bottle cage to. The wife’s MTB is a really cheap thing with full suspension and the frame is a PITA when it comes to bottle cages or mounting in a car bike rack. 

I’ll look round for the bracket and see what I can find. I’ll probably find I imagined it.


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## roadrash (9 Jan 2018)

@RealLeeHimself 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINOURA-...07&rk=1&rkt=1&&_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226


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## LeetleGreyCells (9 Jan 2018)

roadrash said:


> @RealLeeHimself
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINOURA-TIME-TRIAL-TRIATHLON-BIKE-DOUBLE-BOTTLE-CAGE-UNDER-SADDLE-BRACKET/271819214150?_trkparms=aid=555017&algo=PL.CASSINI&ao=1&asc=20151016114640&meid=223c6e5216d94d97bb4fed1abe9bdf11&pid=100507&rk=1&rkt=1&&_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226



Perfect! Cheers @roadrash


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## si_c (9 Jan 2018)

New disc caliper fitted, working nicely. The chain was looking very sorry so I got the spare out, but on closer inspection just the side plates have surface rust, it's not worn at all, so gave it a wipe down and plenty of lube, so working smoothly now. I'll keep an eye on it though.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Jan 2018)

Removed rust on Raleigh, and touched up areas with nail polish, as it was warm enough to do so for the first time in a month or so.


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## roadrash (11 Jan 2018)

Removed the forks from my mates bike (after he had a bike/wall interface) in preparation of replacements arriving ,courtesy of @DCLane , 

They are proper fecked..


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## si_c (11 Jan 2018)

roadrash said:


> Removed the forks from my mates bike (after he had a bike/wall interface) in preparation of replacements arriving ,courtesy of @DCLane ,
> 
> They are proper fecked..
> View attachment 391151
> ...


Oh I dunno about that, have you tried a hammer?


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## roadrash (11 Jan 2018)

looks like he already has I wonder , I think @screenman might be able to get the dents out , what do you think


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## screenman (11 Jan 2018)

roadrash said:


> looks like he already has I wonder , I think @screenman might be able to get the dents out , what do you think



I am a dent man not a magician


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## bpsmith (11 Jan 2018)

Fitted new rear coil spring on my VW Touran. An almighty bang and instant 4 inch drop. Lucky it was in a car park, as I found the rubber mount, which is out of stock. Never experienced this, with an car I have owned. Weirdly, this is the newest and in best condition of them all.

Rapid changes in temperature this Winter are allegedly causing this issue for many locally, according to the parts guy. Just happy that they had one in stock locally.

Looked cool with serious drop going on. Not sure if it would have handled too great though.


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## roadrash (11 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> I am a dent man not a magician



and heres me thinking you was good at your job


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## screenman (11 Jan 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Fitted new rear coil spring on my VW Touran. An almighty bang and instant 4 inch drop. Lucky it was in a car park, as I found the rubber mount, which is out of stock. Never experienced this, with an car I have owned. Weirdly, this is the newest and in best condition of them all.
> 
> Rapid changes in temperature this Winter are allegedly causing this issue for many locally, according to the parts guy. Just happy that they had one in stock locally.
> 
> Looked cool with serious drop going on. Not sure if it would have handled too great though.




Broken springs are a lot more common than they used to be. Not just on your make but on many out there.


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## LeetleGreyCells (11 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> Broken springs are a lot more common than they used to be. Not just on your make but on many out there.



Speed bumps main cause?


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## screenman (11 Jan 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Speed bumps main cause?



In these parts it is pot holes, Lincolnshire highways I feel have lost the battle and the war when it comes to maintaining our roads.


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## LeetleGreyCells (11 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> In these parts it is pot holes, Lincolnshire highways I feel have lost the battle and the war when it comes to maintaining our roads.



South Yorkshire too for pot holes.


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## dave r (11 Jan 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Speed bumps main cause?



Both potholes and speed bumps in Coventry, not helped by people's reluctance to slow down for either of them.


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## bpsmith (11 Jan 2018)

Good few areas of speed bumps and also potholes around here tbh. I am not into cars like I used to be, but I still look after them very carefully. I definitely don’t fly over the speed bumps and not aware of hitting any potholes.

As it happens, I have had a creaky noise that I hadn’t been able to track down for a while now. I honestly thought it was the rear wiper motor and was worse in colder weather. Been out in the car this evening and it appears to have gone.

Not holding my breath, but it would be worth the cost if it has.


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## Pale Rider (12 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> In these parts it is pot holes, Lincolnshire highways I feel have lost the battle and the war when it comes to maintaining our roads.



Spring design can play a part.

Springs are no longer routinely 'siamesed' at the ends or double wound, making breakages more likely.


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## screenman (12 Jan 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Fitted new rear coil spring on my VW Touran. An almighty bang and instant 4 inch drop. Lucky it was in a car park, as I found the rubber mount, which is out of stock. Never experienced this, with an car I have owned. Weirdly, this is the newest and in best condition of them all.
> 
> Rapid changes in temperature this Winter are allegedly causing this issue for many locally, according to the parts guy. Just happy that they had one in stock locally.
> 
> Looked cool with serious drop going on. Not sure if it would have handled too great though.



I think the parts guy may not be an expert, compared with many other countries ours is a pretty consistent climste.


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## screenman (12 Jan 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> Spring design can play a part.
> 
> Springs are no longer routinely 'siamesed' at the ends or double wound, making breakages more likely.



I agree, but I certainly know the state of our roads are not helping, I have another two wheels on the car that need straightening, the pot holes around here are at time unavoidable, yes I do report them.


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## Pale Rider (12 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> I agree, but I certainly know the state of our roads are not helping, I have another two wheels on the car that need straightening, the pot holes around here are at time unavoidable, yes I do report them.



I agree potholes and speed bumps must be the main cause.

I've heard several reports of cars popping springs at rest - after being parked for several hours or longer.

@bpsmith said his Touran's spring went in a car park. 

A trader with a large used site told me it's not uncomon to hear a 'crack' from the lot.

I've no idea why this happens, perhaps you have with your trade experience.


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## screenman (12 Jan 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> I agree potholes and speed bumps must be the main cause.
> 
> I've heard several reports of cars popping springs at rest - after being parked for several hours or longer.
> 
> ...



Product not fit for use, I would imagine. It is not something new to be happening though, I was replacing broken springs when I started in the trade 47 years ago.


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## bpsmith (12 Jan 2018)

screenman said:


> I think the parts guy may not be an expert, compared with many other countries ours is a pretty consistent climste.


I did think it was a little far fetched tbh.

The car was parked overnight right up against our garage, which is around the back of our house. There’s a coach house above, so is warmer than most garages. There was no frost on the back of the car at all, despite it being -2 degrees in the morning, and obviously colder overnight. My Wife’s car parked around the front, about 20 metres from nearest building and it was thick with frost.

I drove 9 miles to work, with icy roads and then parked at work. Car was there for 9 hours in the cold. Drove only 20 yards before the bang.

If the noise has definitely gone, then clearly there was a weakness and the parts guy’s explanation could explain the timing perhaps. I am not totally convinced it was the spring making the noise mind you, as could well have been something else that’s moved when the incident happened or when part replaced.

I am just glad that I didn’t do overtime and it happened at 8pm on the motorway heading home. Or on the motorway on our recent trip from Sout Wales to Birmingham!


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## MontyVeda (12 Jan 2018)

Chain cleaned and lubed. Frame washed and polished. Old brake pads out, new ones in. Floor mopped, hands washed. Brew.


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## Elybazza61 (12 Jan 2018)

Yesterday fitted the Condor carbon forks to the Robinson,just have to re-route the hydraulic hoses through the fork leg.

Wednesday started re-building the front Archetype with a SP dynamo hub.


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## roadrash (16 Jan 2018)

As mentioned upthread I was changing the damaged forks on my mates bike, well the forks arrived from @DCLane , after his bike /wall interface my mate said he appreciated that I had bought them but he had no trust in carbon.......no problem ...seeing as we have the same bike...my forks were fitted to his and I now have the carbon forks..


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## Elybazza61 (17 Jan 2018)

Robinson re-build now complete

Condor forks, archetype rim re-built with sp hub all on and set-up;


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## DCBassman (19 Jan 2018)

Attempted to take the play out of the headset on the dump Indie 3. Everything very rusty, although cleaned up reasonably. Didn't achieve the slightest thing except to reroute a cable properly, and discover another that needs removing and rerouting. The first one I was able to do with the bars off, but the other needs complete rethink. One thing I noticed: this bike has no ordinary nuts/bolts OR Qr skewers fitted - will be back with photos and requests for advice!


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## LeetleGreyCells (19 Jan 2018)

Fitted my new pannier rack today. Fettled a mudguard that usually fits to seat post, but is now secured under the pannier rack to protect the underside of the bag a little.


----------



## DCLane (20 Jan 2018)

I've been setting my 13yo's race bike up for his first road race of 2018 next Saturday in the Woolly Mamil series. We fitted a replacement longer seatpost to his Cervelo S3 and new, lighter saddle. It's had new 3T Aeronova bars fitted with new bar tape, new chain and inner/outer cables.

We then did set-up work on position, reach, etc.

Edit: new GP4000s tyres and tubes fitted so it's ready to roll.






The plan is for it to last him as long as possible this year, with a spare stem and full-length seatpost available if needed. Then he'll go onto my Neilpryde Nazare for the rest of the season once he grows too big for the S3.


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## HLaB (20 Jan 2018)

Lol I left on the brake mounts for my mud guards so only had to fit the axle mounts and quickly fitted the guards and got changed opened the door saw it was bucketing let out a barking cough (I had coughed a few times yesterday and last night and decided I'd be better off with an indoor session or two instead. So pointless fettling


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## burntoutbanger (21 Jan 2018)

First time posting in here for a while. Picked up a rear wheel puncture on my single speed the other day, luckily I was home when I noticed it. As I would be moving the rear wheel and having noticed the chain was a little slack, I checked the chain for wear and yes it was time for replacement. Ordered a tube, chain-tool and chain which arrived yesterday.

Fixed the puncture first (managed to patch it so fingers crossed it should hold and save me a tube), replaced the tyre (rather nasty glass cut) with an old front tyre that still looks like it has plenty of life in it. Now to the chain, having never broke and rejoined a chain before I was a little apprehensive but needn't have been. The old chain came apart easily, although I did push the rivet out completely. Broke and rejoined the new chain keeping the rivet just about in the plate this time. 

Did make the school boy error of rejoining the chain at the bench (kitchen sideboard) before putting it back on the bike, couldn't get it over the seat/chain stays so had to break and rejoin it once more. All back together now and a slight tweek of the rear brake and all seems fine, will take out for a short test ride later. Test ride withstanding quite pleased with myself, chain-tool and chain were cheaper than taking it to the shop too!


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## Richard A Thackeray (22 Jan 2018)

Nothing much, but annoying

After yesterdays sleet/snow/road-salt ride, but subsequently lubricated once home
I went out this morning, for a potter round (on the CGR). & the chain kept going slack, when I stopped pedalling
Back-pedalling was even worse

I cut it short, & headed home, dreading the chain going into the spokes, & snapping itself, or damaging the spokes

Was it links in the chain being overly stiff?
The Freehub sticking?

There was also a slight squeal too, as though the pads were rubbing on the disc

On arrival home. after getting changed, & putting it in the basement, and investigating, the solution was found

The lower jockey-wheel was seized
It was moving whilst pedalling, but trying to turn by hand was quite difficult
Only a 1/4 turn of an allen key was enough to free it off, but I took it off, & there was all sorts of detritus inside it
A soak in diesel, for a while has sorted it out

Now back on, & fine
I'll just have to reclean it later, & Loctite the bolt, or simply check it weekly


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## raleighnut (22 Jan 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Nothing much, but annoying
> 
> After yesterdays sleet/snow/road-salt ride, but subsequently lubricated once home
> I went out this morning, for a potter round (on the CGR). & the chain kept going slack, when I stopped pedalling
> ...


I'd have reassembled it with plenty of grease.


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## Richard A Thackeray (22 Jan 2018)

raleighnut said:


> I'd have reassembled it with plenty of grease.


There's time yet to do it again this evening, but with a _light_ _smearing_ of grease


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## raleighnut (22 Jan 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> There's time yet to do it again this evening, but with a _light_ _smearing_ of grease


I've never had a jockey wheel 'seize' in 45yrs of riding derailleur equipped bikes, I did however once replace them the wrong way up but luckily a fella at one of the bike shops diagnosed that (unlike another shop that told me I needed a new mech) To be fair though it was the first time I'd serviced an 'Index Capable' rear mech (New Shimano 105) in 88/89 or so.


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## si_c (22 Jan 2018)

Rear disc brake on the commuter has been sticking for a couple of weeks, mostly in the on position. I thought I'd fixed it, but I hadn't, so pulled off the caliper, cleaned it, replaced the return spring, still nothing, although the caliper returned properly when not connected to the cable. Tried pulling the cable myself, couldn't find any problems, but it had to be that. Replaced inner and outer, perfectly working brake.

Also trued up the rear wheel - the first wheel I'd built, and as you'd expect, a bit amateurish - now looking much better.

Edit: Also took the turbo bike off the trainer, the rear wheel hasn't been true since I last used it for commuting. Spokes were pretty nasty and corroded and the nipples were mostly stuck, so I just cut them and ordered some replacements. That'll be wheel build no. 4.


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## Low Gear Guy (23 Jan 2018)

I spent Sunday morning replacing the tourer's dynamo lights - bottle dynamo with halogen lamp replaced with dynohub and LED.

I was nearly finished when I was evicted from a warm kitchen to a cold patio so I will be carrying on next week. 

I was delayed by having to knock up an adapter from 50 mm hole spacing to 80 mm for the rear light.


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## Richard A Thackeray (23 Jan 2018)

raleighnut said:


> I've never had a jockey wheel 'seize' in 45yrs of riding derailleur equipped bikes,


It was rotating when pedalling, under leg power/chain tension
When freewheeling, the chain was slack
Back-pedalling, removing the tension caused the derailleur to travel on its return spring to full extent, leaving a large 'bow' of chain heading towards a rotating wheel


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## raleighnut (23 Jan 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> It was rotating when pedalling, under leg power/chain tension
> When freewheeling, the chain was slack
> Back-pedalling, removing the tension caused the derailleur to travel on its return spring to full extent, leaving a large 'bow' of chain heading towards a rotating wheel


When I fit a rear mech (even a new one) I always pack them with grease, it stops grit from getting behind the 'shield' washers, likewise if I take the chain off I'll always clean and repack the jockey wheels but then generally I take apart at least 1 if not 2 bikes every year and re-build them.

Last year it was he old Ridgebacks turn.







New bits, about £22 worth


----------



## Drago (24 Jan 2018)

Continued tidying and rearranging the workshop, and hung two more cycle wall hangers. Should have the job finished tomorrow, then the whole fleet will be neatly arranged on the wall.


----------



## Jenkins (24 Jan 2018)

Yet more cleaning and lubing of various bikes thanks to the current filthy state of the roads this winter. Also found the Voodoo had a puncture which needed fixing when getting it out of the shed for cleaning - thanks to a thorn through the sidewall at some point on Sunday's outing.


----------



## biggs682 (24 Jan 2018)

Replaced the fr twist grip shifter on the Mtrax for a trigger one , just got to work out how to get a spinning star nut out now


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## dave r (24 Jan 2018)

A minor fettle for me tonight. When I was cleaning my fixed after Mondays ride I noticed free play in the front wheel bearings, sealed bearings so they need replacing, part of a Planet X wheelset I put on the bike just after I brought it, so they are almost three years old and have done just over 5000 miles, the bearings in the back wheel are still going strong . I've got an old front wheel in the shed thats been there for years, so I got that out, cleaned off the accumulated muck and rubbish, removed the locknuts and then popped the seals and greased the bearings. I then swapped over the tyre, tube and computer magnet and fitted it to my fixed so I can still ride whilst I sort out the knackered bearings on the Planet X wheel.


----------



## si_c (24 Jan 2018)

Shoved the bike in the shed after lubing the chain following today's monumentally wet commute. Need to wipe said chain tomorrow. Here endeth todays extensive fettle.


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## bpsmith (25 Jan 2018)

That’s like waxing a dirty car.


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## Richard A Thackeray (25 Jan 2018)

si_c said:


> Shoved the bike in the shed after lubing the chain following today's monumentally wet commute. Need to wipe said chain tomorrow. Here endeth todays extensive fettle.


Almost what I did yesterday
Rode (the CGR) there in what seems like rivulets on the road, left it inside the changing-rooms
Rain stopped during the afternoon, bone-dry roads for journey home

Got home for 20:30, lubed the chain & jockey-wheels
Rolled it into one of the basement rooms, where it normally lives


----------



## mgs315 (26 Jan 2018)

Raised the seat by 10mm and dropped the stem by the same amount. Fair bit more twitchy but feels comfortable enough. Should be faster in theory..


----------



## ADarkDraconis (27 Jan 2018)

Got my computer working again in time for today's ride, adjusted the tension screw on a derailleur during said ride, and ripped off the little plastic disk that sits behind the chain after the ride. It had broken loose and started rattling something awful on the trail, I thought I'd broken something important!  Little things, but a big mug of tea.


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## Pale Rider (27 Jan 2018)

My fettle today was to centralise the disc calliper on the rear wheel which was dragging a bit.

I could see the calliper realign itself after slackening the mounting bolts - the YouTube man said that might happen. 

The bike has a Rohloff hub, which I suspect means the wheel will never spin as free as the front one, but it's a lot freer than it was.


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## si_c (27 Jan 2018)

Gear shifting has been off for the last month or so, ordered a new derailleur hanger yesterday, arrived today. Fitted this afternoon, the old one was actually twisted, and can now get all the gears again.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Jan 2018)

Bit of cleaning and minor fettling today; both the Robinson and the XLS;


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## I like Skol (28 Jan 2018)

Couple of jobs ticked off the list today, and added a couple more to the list as a result 

1st job was to return my GT Grade back to 'normal' spec after last weekends CX race. Quickly bolted the bottle cages on, then swapped the knobbly tyres for the smooth Randonneurs I normally run. While doing this I noticed it was a bit stiff when turning the cranks backwards. No roughness or grinding, just a lot of resistance. Dropped the chainset off to find the lefthand bearing had seized solid! Good job I decided to investigate or I might have ended up chewing the crank axle had I tried to ride. Some moisture must have got in during the horrendous CX race or the post race hose down (garden hose pointed carefully, not indiscriminate jetwash use!).
Now trawling the web trying to decide which bearings to order up for replacements.
Also took the opportunity to pop out the headset bearing units to run the Vernier calipers over them. Had them out a couple of weeks ago and regreased them then but need to order some up to have in as spares and wanted to double check the bearing sizes (mainly height as there are a couple of options).

Next job was the MTB headset which is as old as forever, a late 90s roller bearing unit which is still doing good work if serviced occasionally. The last few times the bike has been called into duty the headset has been slightly stuck and needed a quick articulation to free it off, after which everything was ok again. I knew it needed attention so while I was in the bearing mood got stuck in. A bit of a clean up and some fresh grease and it is now as good as, well, as good as a 20 something year old neglected headset that is packed full of fresh grease. Perfectly useable but not quite as good as new......

EDIT: Just remembered, also regreased and reset the bearing adjustment on my R/H XT SPD pedal on the Grade. It has felt a bit tight for a while and been meaning to take a look. Now running silky smooth and spinning freely. Has probably been a bit tight since new.


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## I like Skol (28 Jan 2018)

Just spent £60 on bearings 

£16 for top headset bearing (stainless steel). £25 for bottom headset bearing (stainless steel). £19 for two BB bearings (normal ABEC5).

Who ever said sealed bearings were an improvement


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## si_c (29 Jan 2018)

Yesterdays ride resulted in thick mud being caked to the bike. Everywhere.

Full clean down, checked chain, new chain.

At least the drivetrain is sparkling again.


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## I like Skol (29 Jan 2018)

si_c said:


> Gear shifting has been off for the last month or so, ordered a new derailleur hanger yesterday, arrived today. Fitted this afternoon, the old one was actually twisted, and can now get all the gears again.


Haven't you had an off in the last couple of months (seem to remember some pics of blood and gore at some point)? This could be when the hanger got damaged?


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## PeteXXX (29 Jan 2018)

All jackets and overtrousers nikwaxed and flapping on the washing line. 

Ready for the


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## si_c (29 Jan 2018)

I like Skol said:


> Haven't you had an off in the last couple of months (seem to remember some pics of blood and gore at some point)? This could be when the hanger got damaged?



Yeah, I came off on a cattle grid at the end of November, bashed myself up pretty good then. The derailleur got pretty chewed up too, although it's only cosmetic, the hanger was a bit out then, but I just bent it back enough to get it working OK. I've been putting up with the suboptimal shifting because I ride nearly every day, and getting back in the dark I've not had the opportunity to inspect things properly.


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## Illaveago (31 Jan 2018)

I've been cleaning up a pair of Weinmann brake levers.


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## Thomson (1 Feb 2018)

Moved my seat post up 5mm. 
Made a huge difference.


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## Illaveago (1 Feb 2018)

Thomson said:


> Moved my seat post up 5mm.
> Made a huge difference.


Did you forget the saddle ?


----------



## Thomson (1 Feb 2018)

You know what I mean lol. Will see how it goes don't think I will need it any more adjustment on it.


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## Vantage (1 Feb 2018)

Jet washed the bike.
Stripped and regreased the rear hub.
Swapped out the drop bars and stem for the flat bar and adjustable stem. V brakes arriving tomorrow so they'll be fitted then. I'll probably empty out the bottom bracket shell (no doubt its flooded in water) and get the gears dialled in while waiting for postman pat.


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## Elybazza61 (2 Feb 2018)

Yesterday was another change for the Trek utility bike.

Now has 9-speed XT mech,Gusset chain,Sun-Race cassette and Altus shifter.
Also put on fork from the LB Robinson,SP dynamo/Halo front wheel, old Hope hydrauliccaliper/lever combo and an old(but good nick) front rack.

Still need to fit front and rear B&M lights and wider rimmed rear wheel and source some better cranks.


----------



## Vantage (2 Feb 2018)

Vantage said:


> I'll probably empty out the bottom bracket shell (no doubt its flooded in water)



I was right. I almost needed my rubber arm bands to escape the tidal wave that escaped from the bikes bowels.
Broke the camera bracket trying to get it to not slip on the flat bar. It's taper makes metal on metal clamps slide down to the narrower end of the bar. Salvaging part of that clamp along with some P clips allowed me to make a cam mount that fits the rear rack 
New brake cables trimmed and v brake arms fitted and all works fine....at least it does in the kitchen. Test run when I get a chance hopefully at the weekend.


----------



## Domus (3 Feb 2018)

Had a strange clicking/rubbing noise from the front wheel over rough tarmac, ie all the time, yesterday.

Checking the bike over it seems the front mudguard was cracked just under the front forks. When removing said mudguard the thing dropped on he floor and the crack became a fracture.  It is now taped up on the bench with two strips of ally covering the joint sitting in a bed of epoxy. Hoping for a ride tomorrow, fingers crossed.


----------



## Illaveago (3 Feb 2018)

I was tidying up my Holdsworth a bit today. I sprayed a bit of silver and clear lacquer over some scratches on a front fork and then set about trying to tidy up the flaking transfers.
Before and after pictures.


----------



## DCLane (3 Feb 2018)

Cleaned my Eastway after my first ride in 4 weeks since falling on ice.

Then I set to on several wheels needing bearings, which to my shame have been sat awaiting repair for at least a year. Three fixed, one stuck and sprayed with penetrating oil, one won't come apart. That'll do so far.


----------



## Drago (3 Feb 2018)

Fitted a new rear tube to Colin the Claus Butler.


----------



## Domus (3 Feb 2018)

Epoxy and a bit of black duct tape save the day 
Ride tomorrow


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## Shut Up Legs (4 Feb 2018)

Drago said:


> Fitted a new rear tube to Colin the Claus Butler.


I fitted a rear tube to my commuter bike also, mainly because I use tubes with Presta valves, and I somehow managed to snap the end of the valve while pumping up the previous tube.  It doesn't occur often, but it's a bit annoying when it does occur.


----------



## kiwifruit (4 Feb 2018)

Fitted a new 80mm stem on the Orbea, orginally the bike came with 110mm stem and I was overstretched, then change to a 90mm think am still a little overstretched. Just went round the block and test it and it feels much better, we'll see how it goes this afternoon for a longer ride if I got time.


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## DCLane (4 Feb 2018)

Cleaned out the shed where I store parts, with stuff being all over the place since I've not been very mobile for 4 months.

I've now got other wheels to fix (2 done) plus a pile of parts to go. On the +ve side it's clear and somehow can fit another bike in.


----------



## Drago (4 Feb 2018)

Gave Colin a clean and lube, sprayed the steel fittings with Duck Oil.


----------



## si_c (4 Feb 2018)

Quiet weekend this weekend. Cleaned my office and put some new bookshelves up.


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## dave r (5 Feb 2018)

Minor fettle this morning, 107 mile last week so my usual weekly check, chain on my fixed has been checked, it didn't need adjusting, cleaned and lubed, tyres have been checked for debris, the front brake has been adjusted and the bikes been washed down.


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## si_c (5 Feb 2018)

Was getting some slippage on the big ring today as I turned it over, so checked it out earlier. I think it's a bit worn. Most of the ring is ok, but I can see a bit of shark toothing at the bottom of this picture. Ordered a new one, but won't be here till Wednesday at the earliest, so will just have to put up with it.


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## Drago (6 Feb 2018)

Sorted out a DAB radio for the workshop.


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## I like Skol (6 Feb 2018)

si_c said:


> Was getting some slippage on the big ring today as I turned it over, so checked it out earlier. I think it's a bit worn. Most of the ring is ok, but I can see a bit of shark toothing at the bottom of this picture. Ordered a new one, but won't be here till Wednesday at the earliest, so will just have to put up with it.
> 
> View attachment 394713


Odd that it is so worn in just one spot. Even allowing for it being at the crank torque spot it is unusual for the big ring to wear so much and so unevenly.

Fitted the new bottom bracket bearings to my Grade last night. It was a doddle, they drifted in quite snugly using the old bearing outer as the drift to carefully tap them home in the Praxis adaptor. All silky smooth now and took it out for a 10 mile test run in the dark just to be sure. Now need to slightly adjust the trim as getting a little chainring rub in some gears and also a bit of rear brake disc rub when out of the saddle. Will reseat the back wheel before adjusting the caliper as it is unusual for the centreing to go out of it's own accord (However, anything is possible after the CX race I did when using the bike last. Did I mention it was 'ORRIBLE!)


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## mangid (6 Feb 2018)

Annoying squeak on the commute home last night. transmission related, took a look and noticed signs on the crank rubbing on the BB cup (hollowtech). Convinced myself it was this, so fitted a new BB, spun the pedals and still a squeak. Back to square one, tuned pedals slowly, and hey presto, slightly rusty chain link :-(. I do use a rather dryish lube (Fenwicks), and Saturdays ride had been a cold, moist ride, and even though I'd thought the chain would be okay, clearly not. Relubed, and a touch of Finish Line wet lube and squeak was gone this morning. Still the BB was a bit lumpy when I looked at it off the bike, was close to needing changing. New BB ordered to go in box of spares.


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## KneesUp (6 Feb 2018)

Drago said:


> Gave Colin a clean and lube, sprayed the steel fittings with Duck Oil.


Lucky Colin.


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## si_c (6 Feb 2018)

I like Skol said:


> Odd that it is so worn in just one spot. Even allowing for it being at the crank torque spot it is unusual for the big ring to wear so much and so unevenly.



I know, the rest of the ring looks fine, it's just that small area, which is probably why I'd missed it. It's done under 10k km as well, so really wasn't expecting it to be worn, and I only really inspected it because I was getting chain slip, and it's a new cassette, chain and rear derailleur. 

In hindsight, I'm thinking this is probably why I had a snapped derailleur hanger last week, but I thought it was the cassette as I'd just changed the chain.


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## roadrash (7 Feb 2018)

Fitted a tortec rack to the trike earlier, fixed the rear light to the rack..


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## I like Skol (7 Feb 2018)

Serviced my oldest sons rear hub on his MTB and fitted new disc brake pads front and rear. Rears were down to the metal.....

Also fitted a new bottom bracket to the hybrid, an m8000 hollowtech this time. Why is it always the LH cup that fails? I have a rapidly filling box of good RH bearings.


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## roadrash (7 Feb 2018)

Has anyone seen my rack bag , it seems to be missing


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## si_c (7 Feb 2018)

I like Skol said:


> Serviced my oldest sons rear hub on his MTB and fitted new disc brake pads front and rear. Rears were down to the metal.....
> 
> Also fitted a new bottom bracket to the hybrid, an m8000 hollowtech this time. Why is it always the LH cup that fails? I have a rapidly filling box of good RH bearings.


I think it's probably related to the right crank transmitting power directly through the drive train, whereas the left hand has to pass through the axle. @Yellow Saddle probably has a better/more complete explanation.


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## Vantage (7 Feb 2018)

roadrash said:


> Has anyone seen my rack bag , it seems to be missing


My dog ate it.
Apologies.


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## roadrash (7 Feb 2018)

no wonder I cant find it


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## arch684 (7 Feb 2018)

Adjusted the front mech on the tourer, marked the seat post with tape then removed it to regrease and cleaned the inside of the seat tube using a rag and a wire coat hanger


----------



## mgs315 (7 Feb 2018)

arch684 said:


> Adjusted the front mech on the tourer, marked the seat post with tape then removed it to regrease and cleaned the inside of the seat tube using a rag and a wire coat hanger



Reminds me I need to do that tomorrow. Creaking when pedalling but I reckon it’s the seat post. Driving me nuts but I keep forgetting when I get off the sodding thing.


----------



## Asa Post (7 Feb 2018)

Switched the tyres on the spare wheels from 23mm Continental Ultra Sports to 25mm Gatorskins - to see if they'd go on the bike without rubbing on the mudguards.

And they fit beautifully .


----------



## derrick (7 Feb 2018)

Set up the synchronized shifting on the Di2, will give it a try on Saturday.


----------



## ChrisEyles (7 Feb 2018)

New brake cables and gear cables on my work MTB, a job I'd been putting off for ages. Re-greased the headset (which really needed doing) and hubs (which weren't too bad, though the rear races are pitted so it's impossible to get the bearing pre-load just so). 

Tried to fit a different RD I bought a while ago to make the whole drivetrain matching STX, but found the cage was a bit bent and there was a lot of play in it, so switched back to the old unexciting but perfectly servicable AceraX one again, and swapped the jockey wheels over as they were getting a bit worn. 

Took an embarassingly long time in total but all finished tonight! Looking forward to taking it out for a spin at the weekend.


----------



## HLaB (8 Feb 2018)

I'd left the chain on a bit too long to re-use the cassette so I fitted a new one of each tonight (chain and cassette).


----------



## Elybazza61 (9 Feb 2018)

No actual bike work but work has begun on the shed re-arrangement


----------



## si_c (9 Feb 2018)

Took the cranks off the commuter, removed the worn big ring, took the new one out of the packet. Ooops. Ordered the wrong BCD. Back in packet. Cranks back on. Bugger.


----------



## dave r (9 Feb 2018)

si_c said:


> Took the cranks off the commuter, removed the worn big ring, took the new one out of the packet. Ooops. Ordered the wrong BCD. Back in packet. Cranks back on. Bugger.



Been there done that, I forget who I ordered it off but I returned it and they supplied the right one.


----------



## dave r (9 Feb 2018)

HLaB said:


> I'd left the chain on a bit too long to re-use the cassette so I fitted a new one of each tonight (chain and cassette).



I recon I might have the same problem on my geared bike when I start using it again in the spring, I covered just over 3000 miles last summer so it will definitely need a new chain before I ride it, but the cassette is on its second chain and I might not get away with a third one.


----------



## roadrash (9 Feb 2018)

roadrash said:


> Has anyone seen my rack bag , it seems to be missing



found it..


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## HLaB (10 Feb 2018)

dave r said:


> I recon I might have the same problem on my geared bike when I start using it again in the spring, I covered just over 3000 miles last summer so it will definitely need a new chain before I ride it, but the cassette is on its second chain and I might not get away with a third one.


There's a lot of variables but I was surprised once when I changed a chain only at 4,500 miles and it synced perfectly with the old cassette. You might get lucky

This time expected slip and replaced both but managed to get slippage anyway I suspect that the derailleur isn't springing back on small/small combos ☺


----------



## Pale Rider (10 Feb 2018)

Some flat bar hydraulic disc brake fettling for me.

Both the levers on the rear brakes of my two bikes have to be 'pumped up' before every ride.

My theory is the longer hose run compared to the front gives more chance for air to get in.

I didn't fancy a full bleed, but decided to check the fluid reservoir level.

A simple operation on the Tektro Auriga brake, a bit more complicated on Shimano XT due to an extra plate and screw inside the reservoir above the diaphragm.

Both fluid levels were low, the Auriga was close to empty.

The brakes take mineral oil, which my Three-in-One copy brand bottle says it is, so that's what I used.

I did some 'burping' as well, although didn't see much in terms of air bubbles.

The levers now bite further out, so that's an improvement, and I did the job this morning so hopefully I won't have to pump the levers after the bikes have not been ridden for a few days.


----------



## si_c (12 Feb 2018)

dave r said:


> Been there done that, I forget who I ordered it off but I returned it and they supplied the right one.


My fault unfortunately, and the supplier don't have the correct BCD, so I'll just return and have ordered a new one from someone else. 2nd time lucky. I hope.


----------



## Jenkins (12 Feb 2018)

Since getting a Spa Elan, I've really enjoyed the slightly more upright riding position given by its taller head tube so this morning I flipped the stem on my Ventus to do sometrhing similar as an experiment and I think I'll be keeping like that as it seemed to work. May try something similar on the second one used mostly for commuting & wet weather.

As a side effect of this, I found out that they're on 110mm stems, not 100mm as I thought, so I may source a cheap 100mm stem to try.


----------



## Illaveago (13 Feb 2018)

I managed to get the seized bottom bracket bearing out of my Scott Yecora by using a long bar with an extra bar slid over it to give it extra oomph. I also inverted the bike so it was resting on the saddle and bars so that the effort wouldn't be lost due to the tyres. To counter the force I was applying to the bar I asked my wife to stand on the bars.
With quite a bit of effort it started to move . It eventually loosened and I was able to remove it.
It was full of corrosion . I wire brushed and washed the corrosion out of the frame and applied some copper slip grease to the inside before fitting the new bearing.
I reassembled the front shifter with a new cable and after some adjustments I went for a test ride this afternoon.


----------



## Shut Up Legs (14 Feb 2018)

I turned the high limit screw on my rear derailleur about 1/8 of a turn clockwise. That was my very small (but effective) fettling for the day.


----------



## si_c (14 Feb 2018)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I turned the high limit screw on my rear derailleur about 1/8 of a turn clockwise. That was my very small (but effective) fettling for the day.


I also did that this morning, as I had occasional skipping on the smallest sprocket.

edit: Oh and lubed the chain. Lots of rain and salt on the roads this week.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (15 Feb 2018)

Yesterday, I altered the angle on the RevoShifters so that I could do the same with the brake levers on my son’s bike. He couldn’t reach the brakes comfortably. Now he can


----------



## cosmicbike (19 Feb 2018)

Replaced the rear mech on my RT-58 with a second hand long cage one from ebay. Previous owner had mullered the cable adjuster thread so I re-tapped that, re-tensioned the spring and it's all good. I suspect an off as it has some nice scratches. Along with this was a new 11-32 cassette to give me an extra climbing gear and a new chain also.
The Boardman CX freewheel has been 'skipping' for a while now, and since the hub is special in so much as I cannot get a new freehub, I fitted a new back wheel, one of a pair bought from a fellow CC'er. New chain and tyre at the same time. Going to have to change the front wheel soon too as the spokes are a different colour to the back ones....


----------



## Levo-Lon (19 Feb 2018)

New 28t front chainring fitted to the HT


----------



## si_c (19 Feb 2018)

Deep cleaned the commuter, replaced the front big ring (got the right sized ring now!) and adjusted the cable tension a tad on the RD after changing the limit screws the other day.

Also dropped the FD down about 4mm, as it was too high (possibly explains the occaisional dropped chains I've been getting), and tightened up the front mudguard, so the number of rattles has dropped a bit. All good so far.


----------



## Thomson (19 Feb 2018)

Moved my seat up about 3mm. 
Left work and felt much faster already. Only token about 3 months to find the correct height.


----------



## si_c (19 Feb 2018)

Thomson said:


> Moved my seat up about 3mm.
> Left work and felt much faster already. Only token about 3 months to find the correct height.


Ha!

I've been adjusting mine for a year nearly. I move it a quarter cm then wait 3 months, then do the same. Trying to slowly dial things in. Takes a while.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (20 Feb 2018)

Got the knockabout bike out late yesterday afternoon for my first ride in a couple of weeks only to find a flat front tyre and the brakes wouldn't release.

Fixed the puncture yesterday which took a while as I struggled to find what had caused it (turned out to be just a fragment of a thorn) and by then I'd missed the window of opportunity to start the ride I had in mind so I cleaned the bike instead and had a look at the brakes. Tinkering didn't help so I came back to it today to strip and regrease the pivots and replace the rear pads.

The rear pivots weren't too bad but the fronts were quite messy and showed the bike has had a hard winter. All is well again now though.


----------



## confusedcyclist (20 Feb 2018)

I finally got around to starting my DT Swiss XR 331 wheel build with dynamo hub. I decided on the build to shave off 1.2kg from my touring rims and upgrade to schwalbe g-one tubeless tyres. Shortly after starting I realised that the supplied squorx nipples provided won't go in with a normal nipple driver, instead you need to fork out for their proprietary tool, damnit. Need to wait a few days for delivery.


----------



## ADarkDraconis (20 Feb 2018)

After much fussing with the new rack over two days, I realized that no matter how I tried to fiddle it would just not fit (not enough clearance, was mashing the fender into the wheel) so back to the shop it went. New one on with room to spare in no time! Super pleased, it is bigger and heavier than I wanted/need but it should hold up well.


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (20 Feb 2018)

Over the weekend I treated the CAADX to Ultegra R8000 front and rear derailleurs, new shift cables and bar tape.

Also fitted a Rotor BB30 to 24mm converter, RS500 chainset and new chain. I was getting fed up of replacing the BB30 bearings every 4-5000 miles.

Graham


----------



## Jenkins (20 Feb 2018)

More bl00dy cleaning & lubing x 6 bikes. I now have work room that smells of GT85 (used as a frame polish in the TI bikes)


----------



## HLaB (23 Feb 2018)

My rear derailleur hasn't been springing back for a while Ive repeatedly cleaned and lubed it and got a bit more life out of it but I finally bit the proverbial bullet and changed it. I cheated though and used the old cable which is running smooth, as I spent too long cleaning the bike, leaving me to set the limit screws and index the gears only. Fortunately everything is still running smoothly :-)


----------



## bpsmith (24 Feb 2018)

3 Ikea wardrobes.


----------



## DCLane (24 Feb 2018)

Pulled out the Raleigh Pioneer Trail and Dawes Tekarra for winter duty next week; cleaned and prepped.

My Eastway broke it's rear mudguard this week and has started to creak. Mudguard removed and clip-on fitted, new front brake pads, copper grease into bottom bracket area.

Then the embarrassing bit: the Peugeot I've had for about 5 months just needs wheels fitting properly. I had been re-building a nice pair, only to find they were 700c and the ones the bike came with were 27". Oh dear! The 27" front's fine but the back needs work; my next job.


----------



## slowmotion (24 Feb 2018)

I fiddled about with the geometry of my loft hoist, hacked about some aluminium flats, and tried it out in the kitchen.



The jury is out....


----------



## the stupid one (25 Feb 2018)

Repaired the tyre which p*nctured on Thursday. Took off both wheels, gave them a good clean and checked for any other damage. Cleaned the bike. Put the wheels back on, checked brakes and gave the rears a bit of a clean, cleaned and lubed the chain, indexed the gears.

My hands are filthy.


----------



## cosmicbike (25 Feb 2018)

After 120 miles, decided that the boom length on the ICE trike was too short. Checked derailleur positioning big-big cogs and moved it out 1/2", time will tell but the legs are a little straighter now


----------



## si_c (25 Feb 2018)

Cleaned the commuter, as I'm having to do every week at the moment. The bike wasn't too bad, but the drivetrain was black. Cleaned it all down, and it's now silver again. Sticky horrible stuff though.


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## Leaway2 (26 Feb 2018)

New chain, cassette. brakes. <rant who thought those fiddly little allen screws that hold the brake blocks in the shoes were a good idea? /rant>


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## confusedcyclist (26 Feb 2018)

I just built my first set of tubeless ready rims, and fitted Schwalbe G-One all rounders, went on nice and easy, much simpler than expected. DT Swiss XR 331 rims and the G-ones must be a good fit. No fuss with inflation, went on fine with my Bontrager Track Pump.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Feb 2018)

No bike fettling but did put some shelves up and fitted a couple of power sockets in the shed.

Tomorrow will be spent wiring up the sockets and fitting a couple of LED batten lights plus deciding how some of the bikes will be hung on the wall.


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## Justinitus (27 Feb 2018)

Gave the new bike a couple of coats of wax, setup the saddle and bars and fitted lights and bottle cage.


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## bpsmith (27 Feb 2018)

Justinitus said:


> Gave the new bike a couple of coats of wax, setup the saddle and bars and fitted lights and bottle cage.


Never underestimate how worthwhile the waxing is.


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## LeetleGreyCells (5 Mar 2018)

Gave the Vengeance a going over today to ensure she’s in tip top shape.

Adjusted the brake calipers as the pads were slightly rubbing the discs.

Altered the angle of the handlebars to prevent pins and needles when riding (I’ve already got the handlebars as high as they will go).

Indexed the gears and found I couldn’t get into first gear as the lower delimiter screw had altered itself too far. Now all gears work beautifully. Front derailleur was fine.

Tightened the bolt for the front mudguard and all bolts on pannier rack.

And generally satisfied myself that everything is in fully working order. 

Just need to mickle the chain next.


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## Justinitus (5 Mar 2018)

Took my flat pedals off the Toughroad, gave them a good scrub and dry then fitted them to the Diverge. Back indoors watching Jeremy Kyle with a nice egg mayo and monster munch sandwich and the postman turned up with my new Raceface pedals I bought off @djb1971 on here! Quick cuppa then ventured to the garage to fit them to the Toughroad.


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## Jenkins (5 Mar 2018)

Not today, but yesterday, swapped the Schwalbe Duranos (wired) for Vittoria Voyager Hyper folding tyres on the Spa Elan now that the worst of the weather (should) be over. Only once they were off did I find a cut in the rear Schwalbe that consigned it to the bin!


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## Elysian_Roads (5 Mar 2018)

Justinitus said:


> Took my flat pedals off the Toughroad, gave them a good scrub and dry then fitted them to the Diverge. Back indoors watching Jeremy Kyle with a nice egg mayo and monster munch sandwich and the postman turned up with my new Raceface pedals I bought off @djb1971 on here! Quick cuppa then ventured to the garage to fit them to the Toughroad.


This reminded me I was going to do some pedal purchasing and swapping. Must go and have a look!


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## Elysian_Roads (5 Mar 2018)

"Altered the angle of the handlebars to prevent pins and needles when riding (I’ve already got the handlebars as high as they will go)". Have a similar problem on the runabout if I ride it any distance, so may give that a try. Hmm this thread is definitely dangerous to follow, as the fettling tasks are now piling up.....


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## si_c (6 Mar 2018)

Full wash and detailing. The bike is getting coated in salt from the roads, especially last week. Looking forward to summer when I'm not having to deep clean every week.


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## NorthernDave (6 Mar 2018)

NorthernDave said:


> Not the postie, but the nice Amazon driver:
> View attachment 398708
> 
> 
> Can you guess what I'll be doing one night this week..?



Since I'd actually managed to get home from work while it was still (just) light, tonight the Giant was fettled ready for the weekend.
Unfortunately half way through the wash the bulb in the outside light failed, meaning it was then a rush to finish it while I could still see...
Then dried off and inside to thoroughly degrease the chain, then dry and apply the C3.
A quick squirt of GT85 on the other moving parts and a bit of air in the tyres and we're ready to go.


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## cosmicbike (6 Mar 2018)

After last weeks ride in the snow the ICE Trice Q needed a good clean. Noted the front tyres wearing on their edges, so swapped left-right to get some more miles out of them.
Cleaned and reversed the lower jockey wheel on the commuter to minimise the rough running until I buy new ones.


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## Biff600 (6 Mar 2018)

With a bit of jiggery-pokery, I have managed to fit the MTB into the boot of my car (the seats don't fold) 

I have to remove both wheels and the handlebars and it just squeezes in

This now means that I don't have to wedge it behind the front seats and chance it getting seen when I leave it in the car overnight


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## jayonabike (6 Mar 2018)

After getting a wet arse riding to work this morning and that the Lee Cooper is now on permanent commute duties, I fitted some SKS Raceblades this afternoon.


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## si_c (6 Mar 2018)

jayonabike said:


> After getting a wet arse riding to work this morning and that the Lee Cooper is now on permanent commute duties, I fitted some SKS Raceblades this afternoon.
> View attachment 398860


That's a properly pretty bike.


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## LeetleGreyCells (6 Mar 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> "Altered the angle of the handlebars to prevent pins and needles when riding (I’ve already got the handlebars as high as they will go)". Have a similar problem on the runabout if I ride it any distance, so may give that a try. Hmm this thread is definitely dangerous to follow, as the fettling tasks are now piling up.....



Well, it worked, sort of. Instead of having pins and needles for several miles, I had them twice for about 3 minutes each time. Unfortunately the second time, it was that bad I couldn’t press the shifter with my thumb when I came to a hill. I think I’m going to invest in some new grips. The Ergon ones have caught my eye as I like that I can change hand positions to hold my hands vertically on the ends which would hopefully stop me trapping whichever nerve is causing the problem. I think the option of a variety of hand positions may help. It’s funny though, I never had this issue on my old MTB.


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## Elysian_Roads (6 Mar 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Well, it worked, sort of. Instead of having pins and needles for several miles, I had them twice for about 3 minutes each time. Unfortunately the second time, it was that bad I couldn’t press the shifter with my thumb when I came to a hill. I think I’m going to invest in some new grips. The Ergon ones have caught my eye as I like that I can change hand positions to hold my hands vertically on the ends which would hopefully stop me trapping whichever nerve is causing the problem. I think the option of a variety of hand positions may help. It’s funny though, I never had this issue on my old MTB.


These posts have got me thinking @RealLeeHimself. Have wondered for a while if the runabout (Apollo Belmont hybrid) is just a shade too small for me, and because of the upright nature of the position, it might just be the angle I am holding the bars at which was causing the problem. If adjusting the angle of the bars doesn't work then might get a longer quill stem. That would be more for the challenge of sorting the problem as the bike doesn't justify a big spend. Loving the look of those Ergon grips though


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Mar 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> These posts have got me thinking @RealLeeHimself. Have wondered for a while if the runabout (Apollo Belmont hybrid) is just a shade too small for me, and because of the upright nature of the position, it might just be the angle I am holding the bars at which was causing the problem. If adjusting the angle of the bars doesn't work then might get a longer quill stem. That would be more for the challenge of sorting the problem as the bike doesn't justify a big spend. Loving the look of those Ergon grips though



A longer stem may work for me too. I’ll price those up too. Yes, the Ergon grips look just the job.


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## biggs682 (7 Mar 2018)

Just swapped an inner tube last night , got fed up of blowing it up every couple of days


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## Vantage (7 Mar 2018)

After my group ride yesterday I got home to find a parcel on the floor with my new v brake travel adaptors. Yay!
Dug out my old drop bars and fitted them. I have to say I do worry that the tight circumference that the brake cables are being wound round the adaptors might cause premature breaking of said cables...time will tell.
Another worry is that I managed to bollix the threads on the lower steerer clamp. Gonna have to drill and re-tap for a bigger bolt. Should hold for today's ride though.
It's nice not having the bike look like a pigs arse with those flat bars though. Plus, just like @RealLeeHimself, my hands were going numb yesterday. Thank gawd that'll be over with.


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## overmind (7 Mar 2018)

I serviced the bottom bracket on my Daughter's hybrid bike last night.

It is a (Halfords) Apollo Code. I bought it about 7 years ago at a discount. I think it was about £80 (reduced from around £150). The bottom bracket on this bike has always been a bit dodgy for some reason. Always getting loose and needs re-tightening.

The problem last night was that the spindle had got loose which had caused the non-drive crank to loosen up. I think the crank is basically knackered (tighten it as much as you like and it gets loose again).

It is an old style, square taper BB with cage bearings. I basically took the whole thing apart, cleaned it up, replaced the bearings, packed it with grease, and put the BB back together again. I found a similar (old) crank to the one which is knackered (described above) and it seems to work fine. I don't want to spend any money on it.

I mickled the chain and put it all back together again. My daughter used it to get to work this morning. She says it is working beautifully.

Onwards and upwards ...

*Edit:* Moderator, sorry, I forgot about the Fettled thread. I should have posted it there in the first place instead of creating my own.


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Mar 2018)

Vantage said:


> After my group ride yesterday I got home to find a parcel on the floor with my new v brake travel adaptors. Yay!
> Dug out my old drop bars and fitted them. I have to say I do worry that the tight circumference that the brake cables are being wound round the adaptors might cause premature breaking of said cables...time will tell.
> Another worry is that I managed to bollix the threads on the lower steered clamp. Gonna have to drill and re-tap for a bigger bolt. Should hold for today's ride though.
> It's nice not having the bike look like a pigs arse with those flat bars though. Plus, just like @RealLeeHimself, my hands were going numb yesterday. Thank gawd that'll be over with.


Well, on that note about numb hands, I’ve moved my saddle forward horizontally 10mm to take more weight off my arms and hands. We’ll see if that helps. I did have a good look at my stem though, 60mm with +7 degree angle. Not sure whether to look for a longer stem or not as that would place more weight on my hands due to extended reach (I believe, but could be wrong). 

In other fettling today, I washed the MTB down from yesterday’s ride and spent extra time cleaning disc rotors and mickling (and oiling) the chain. 

Also I had a look at the cheap, second-hand no name road bike I have (and I like it less every time I see it), fettled the top bar thumb shifters (the whole shifter would move when changing gear). I also discovered movement in the crank. I tightened bolts and checked for loose B.B. but couldn’t find what is causing it. A bit of research required. Or a new bike (wife will never agree).


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## PpPete (7 Mar 2018)

overmind said:


> I serviced the bottom bracket on my Daughter's hybrid bike last night.
> 
> It is a (Halfords) Apollo Code. I bought it about 7 years ago at a discount. I think it was about £80 (reduced from around £150). The bottom bracket on this bike has always been a bit dodgy for some reason. Always getting loose and needs re-tightening.
> 
> ...



I know you don't want to spend anything on it, but if it keeps coming loose I'd ditch the old loose bearing thing for a UN55.


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## kiwifruit (7 Mar 2018)

Converting my MTB non tubeless rim to tubeless, but can't seem to seat the tyres using a track pump, also tried C02. Will take it to work tomorrow and use a compressor and hope that will work.


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## overmind (7 Mar 2018)

PpPete said:


> I know you don't want to spend anything on it, but if it keeps coming loose I'd ditch the old loose bearing thing for a UN55.



Thanks, that is a good idea. I might do just that. £13 odd quid is in my budget.


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## ColinJ (7 Mar 2018)

I lowered the bars on my cyclocross bike by 2 x 5mm spacers and I then did a 20 mile test ride. The riding position had been improved but the bars still felt high compared to my other bikes so I moved another 5 mm spacer to above the stem once I got home. I'll test ride the bike again in the next couple of days. (There are 2 more 5 mm spacers which could be moved if necessary, but I will test ride one spacer at a time now.)

The hubs need servicing but I don't want to mess with them in the coming week because I am taking my bike on a family visit and don't want it in bits waiting for new parts. (I suspect that the cups/cones in the rear hub might be damaged, judging from a rumbling from the wheel as it rotates, but it should last for the required 200-odd kms (125 miles).


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## mikeymustard (8 Mar 2018)

Yesterday I gave a certain "sensitive area" a break by tweaking my saddle - had the nose way too high after I tried riding with the adjusting bolt not properly tightened!


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## ColinJ (11 Mar 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I lowered the bars on my cyclocross bike by 2 x 5mm spacers and I then did a 20 mile test ride. The riding position had been improved but the bars still felt high compared to my other bikes so I moved another 5 mm spacer to above the stem once I got home. I'll test ride the bike again in the next couple of days. (There are 2 more 5 mm spacers which could be moved if necessary, but I will test ride one spacer at a time now.)


The new bar position felt good on a 51 km ride today. I used to feel far too upright but now I feel lower and slightly more stretched out. It is especially noticeable on steep climbs where I used to feel that too much of my weight was on the saddle and the front wheel used to get very twitchy.

I'm not sure that another spacer needs moving to above the stem, but I won't know for sure unless I try it. I'll give it a go next week.

I'll have to think about whether to cut the steerer down once I have arrived at my ideal position. I probably won't ever sell the bike but in years to come I might become less capable of stretching down and want to raise the stem again.

I have also tweaked the disk brakes on the bike. I can now get adequate braking with shorter lever movement. (Prior to the tweaks, I could pull the levers to the handlebar, and pretty much had to to get full braking power.)


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## DCLane (12 Mar 2018)

Busy day:

- My 13yo was involved in a crash in the warm-up of his U14's race. No details here but someone turned across him without warning to short-cut to the start. His Cervélo needed sorting - I hope it's now OK but we'll do a proper check later this week.

- We cleaned my NeilPryde Nazaré after the test ride I had yesterday at the Hammerstones circuit in Elland and fitted lighter wheels (Soul 2.0's with GP4000s tyres)







- Cleaned his Giant training bike after the same session at Hammerstones.

- Cleaned my Dawes Tekarra which is about to be put on eBay at 99p starting bid and swapped the Ice Spiker Pro tyres for the ones it came with along with the original pedals. It's a cheap, tacky MTB and I've no space for it. Time to go ...













Dawes after cleaning



__ DCLane
__ 25 Jul 2017






- My Eastway is starting to show winter wear: cleaned and adjusted. RH shifter's not great - a Shimano 2300 - it may have finally worn out after 11500 miles on 3 bikes. I've no rear mudguard after the Raleigh Elements one snapped this week so that's a job to do and the crankset's creaking again. More work when I find time ...

- He cleaned his commuter Columbus X-Wing for another week of riding to school.

- We then set to work on his new winter bike for 2018/19 (planning ahead!); a Carrera Tanneri II. Hardly used this came from an old club-mate. Cleaned, pedals swapped, mudguards trial fitted. There was no grease on the pedals, derailleurs or seatpost and the headset's stiff: I'm presuming whichever Halfords put it together didn't bother with any. All bar headset have seen a decent greasing. I'll finish the mudguards and re-grease the headset this week. Like this on arrival, finished photo to follow:






- My final task was to start on the BeOne Raw Comp 2013 frame we bought earlier this week. It's to replace my son's Giant TCR training bike for next winter (again ... planning ahead!) so we went to the parts store to see what we've got so he could choose: DuraAce 9000 shifters and rear derailleur, Spesh carbon bars, Ritchey WCS carbon seatpost and stem plus a Spesh Toupé saddle and Ultegra 6800 brakes found and mostly fitted. The headset's missing a piece and the shifters need fitting but it's a start: my aim's to finish the build by June. Also I need to source a Shimano front derailleur and crankset - preferably a 50/34 170mm one - for him to use. Frameset photo - I need a 'progress' one:


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## ADarkDraconis (12 Mar 2018)

Nothing exciting but I attached a different bracket to the rear rack to accommodate the new taillight. The Bontrager just wouldn't stay put on its bracket and I got tired of fetching it out of the road, so I got what seems to be the brightest rear light in Christendom, a ThorFire (they were two-for-one on Amazon, and they are crafted by the god of Thunder apparently). I used the other bracket that came with the rack and goes horizontally and it works wonders! Wish the Bontrager had an option to wrap around the same fashion as it is a nice light, I think I will end up giving it to a friend who is going to try working up to commuting. She doesn't use a saddlebag so it can set up on her seatpost no problem!


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## si_c (13 Mar 2018)

Started getting a bit (lot) less power from the front brake over the last week or so, still pretty OK, but not great. So yesterday I took the pads out, and cleaned them with disc brake cleaner, and a lot of washing up liquid and a microfibre cloth. Soooo much black stuff came off, so I also cleaned the disc rotor too. Tightened up the cable for the rear brake a bit too.

Also properly adjusted the pad clearance so that the pads are less than a half mm from the rotor on both sides. Today's ride in and ride home had significantly better braking. Much more immediate power and stopping distance noticeable reduced. Happy camper. But I did notice that a couple of the front spokes were a bit loose, despite the wheel still being true.

So tonight I took the wheel off and put it in the stand, slackened all the nipples, and re-tensioned the whole wheel, moving the centre about 2mm to the left, as it when I built it I wanted it over to the right a bit as I was worried about the spokes rubbing the disc caliper, but it's started to annoy me a bit being off centre from my mudguard. Thats now fixed, and the wheel is evenly tensioned left to right.


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## Thomson (14 Mar 2018)

After months off adjusting my seat. Thinking it was the best height I raised it up another 5mm at least and I seem much quicker and powerful. Will give it a few weeks to see how it goes.


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## HLaB (14 Mar 2018)

I put fresh sealant in my tubeless disc wheel and swapped the brakes on the tt bike from US (reverse) to UK. The initial stuff was done quickly despite the internal routing but lol, I spent most of the night fettling the brakes so they are sharp but loose enough to open the QRs on the v brakes.


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## overmind (15 Mar 2018)

In attempting to true the back wheel on my son's bike I came across two spokes which I was unable to tighten with a spoke key. The reason was that they had been rounded off.

I had to use a mole-wrench to gradually unscrew the spoke nipple, which was partly seized onto the spoke. In the process, it took away about 50% of the metal but I managed to replace both in the end. It was like a kind of micro version of removing a stuck seat post. Worst case would have been to snap the existing spoke and then remove it.

With both spokes repaired I re-trued the wheel successfully. It is debatable whether it was worth my time but learning wise it was worth it.


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## si_c (15 Mar 2018)

overmind said:


> With both spokes repaired I re-trued the wheel successfully. It is debatable whether it was worth my time but learning wise it was worth it.


For me, I find there is a certain zen-like almost meditative effect from working on wheels.


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## Thomson (15 Mar 2018)

In the workshop today At lunch I took off my two jockey wheels they were covered in gunk. Really amazed me how dirty they were. Cleaned them up. Felt Quicker cycling home probly just in my head tho. :-).


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## ADarkDraconis (15 Mar 2018)

HLaB said:


> I put fresh sealant in my tubeless disc wheel and swapped the brakes on the tt bike from US (reverse) to UK. The initial stuff was done quickly despite the internal routing but lol, I spent most of the night fettling the brakes so they are sharp but loose enough to open the QRs on the v brakes.


Are our brakes reversed? I thought everyone had the rear brake on the right and front on the left, same as motorcycles.


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## Salty seadog (15 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> Are our brakes reversed? I thought everyone had the rear brake on the right and front on the left, same as motorcycles.



Right= front brake, left= rear over here.


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## si_c (15 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> Are our brakes reversed? I thought everyone had the rear brake on the right and front on the left, same as motorcycles.


You tend to have the brakes the wrong way around, it's better to have your dominant hand controlling your more powerful brake. Of course if you are left handed you are fine


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## arch684 (15 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> Are our brakes reversed? I thought everyone had the rear brake on the right and front on the left, same as motorcycles.


It all depends on which side of the road you drive/cycle


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## GravityFighter (15 Mar 2018)

Summer bike has been in for an overhaul (wishful thinking, I know)!

Full service, new bar tape and Hunt wheels on with tubeless Hutchinson tyres. An 11-32 on the back for a couple of hilly sportives I have, just in case I need the bailout gear.

Yet to ride in anger but she looks like a new bike.


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## dave r (15 Mar 2018)

GravityFighter said:


> View attachment 400202
> 
> Summer bike has been in for an overhaul (wishful thinking, I know)!
> 
> ...



I've got mine to do next week, I brought the stuff I need this week, I just need to have a good look at the inner chainring in case that needs changing.


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## GravityFighter (15 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> I've got mine to do next week, I brought the stuff I need this week, I just need to have a good look at the inner chainring in case that needs changing.




Good stuff. My winter bike is now on the turbo as I got addicted to Zwift over the last few months. So if I decide to brave the weather it has to be on this!


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## ADarkDraconis (15 Mar 2018)

si_c said:


> You tend to have the brakes the wrong way around, it's better to have your dominant hand controlling your more powerful brake. Of course if you are left handed you are fine


For most righties it seems convenient to have the brake that you use most often on that side. Rear brake is usually used first and more often in my experience. Generally it is used for slowing and is applied by itself at times, where you wouldn't do so with a front brake so as not to go rear over tea kettle but would apply it in conjunction with the rear. I am ambidextrous so dominance doesn't come into play for me, but I am used to things being outfitted for right-handers. It makes sense the way it is set up here, but maybe that's because I am used to it.

Then again, our gearshifts are on the right, making it easier for right-handed drivers to shift.


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## si_c (15 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> For most righties it seems convenient to have the brake that you use most often on that side. Rear brake is usually used first and more often in my experience. Generally it is used for slowing and is applied by itself at times, where you wouldn't do so with a front brake so as not to go rear over tea kettle but would apply it in conjunction with the rear. I am ambidextrous so dominance doesn't come into play for me, but I am used to things being outfitted for right-handers. It makes sense the way it is set up here, but maybe that's because I am used to it.
> 
> Then again, our gearshifts are on the right, making it easier for right-handed drivers to shift.


I rarely use my rear brake these days, always the front as it's more powerful. I've always been told that around 80% of stopping power comes from the front brake, so I use that. If you pull on the brake so hard that you go over the handlebars, then that's a braking technique issue rather than a problem with the brakes themselves.


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## dave r (16 Mar 2018)

GravityFighter said:


> Good stuff. My winter bike is now on the turbo as I got addicted to Zwift over the last few months. So if I decide to brave the weather it has to be on this!




I swap from gears to fixed at the end of October when the clocks change, ride fixed through the winter and get the geared bike out at the end of March when the clocks change again and ride gears through the summer.


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## dave r (16 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> For most righties it seems convenient to have the brake that you use most often on that side. Rear brake is usually used first and more often in my experience. Generally it is used for slowing and is applied by itself at times, where you wouldn't do so with a front brake so as not to go rear over tea kettle but would apply it in conjunction with the rear. I am ambidextrous so dominance doesn't come into play for me, but I am used to things being outfitted for right-handers. It makes sense the way it is set up here, but maybe that's because I am used to it.
> 
> Then again, our gearshifts are on the right, making it easier for right-handed drivers to shift.



On the bike I rarely use the back brake, most of the time I use front only, I only use the back when it's slippery.


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## ADarkDraconis (16 Mar 2018)

si_c said:


> I rarely use my rear brake these days, always the front as it's more powerful. I've always been told that around 80% of stopping power comes from the front brake, so I use that. If you pull on the brake so hard that you go over the handlebars, then that's a braking technique issue rather than a problem with the brakes themselves.





dave r said:


> On the bike I rarely use the back brake, most of the time I use front only, I only use the back when it's slippery.



This is very unlike most cyclists here (that I know of.) I only ever use my front brake when coming to a full stop usually or slowing from a very high speed quickly, and then it is always still with my rear brake. I was always taught that back is used first and for regulating speed, and front is for stopping. Amazing how everyone is so different in their riding techniques (probably as different as our bikes, haha!)


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## LeetleGreyCells (16 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> This is very unlike most cyclists here (that I know of.) I only ever use my front brake when coming to a full stop usually or slowing from a very high speed quickly, and then it is always still with my rear brake. I was always taught that back is used first and for regulating speed, and front is for stopping. Amazing how everyone is so different in their riding techniques (probably as different as our bikes, haha!)


This is how I use my brakes too.


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## HLaB (16 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> Are our brakes reversed? I thought everyone had the rear brake on the right and front on the left, same as motorcycles.


They're reverse compared to the UK and Ireland (left/rear). I guess, but Im no expert, it's because we drive on the left its like that. I think other European countries that drive on the right like you also have the right/rear combo :-) Just to confuse matters I think some folk prefer them your way as its neater for cable runs (that's why I originally set them up your way) :-)


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## HLaB (16 Mar 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> This is very unlike most cyclists here (that I know of.) I only ever use my front brake when coming to a full stop usually or slowing from a very high speed quickly, and then it is always still with my rear brake. I was always taught that back is used first and for regulating speed, and front is for stopping. Amazing how everyone is so different in their riding techniques (probably as different as our bikes, haha!)


I like to do something in between what you say and @dave r . I generally use the rear just for regulating then the front for actually stopping but the balance between each is dependent on the conditions. If its really sketchy conditions I would try to regulate speed so that I don't have to touch the front brake :-)


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## dave r (16 Mar 2018)

HLaB said:


> I like to do something in between what you say and @dave r . I generally use the rear just for regulating then the front for actually stopping but the balance between each is dependent on the conditions. If its really sketchy conditions I would try to regulate speed so that I don't have to touch the front brake :-)



One of the things I like about the fixed in winter is that I can regulate my speed just by leaning back on the pedals, which keeps me away from the brakes a lot of the time.


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## overmind (17 Mar 2018)

I replaced the back wheel on my sons bike today. I am not sure exactly what happened but I think somehow the bearings on one side of the back wheel got mangled. This led to alot of play in the wheel making it essentially un-rideable.

I decided to swap the wheel with the broken bearing for another wheel. In the next few weeks I will completely recondition this wheel and keep it as a spare.

I replaced the existing, single-walled, wheel with an old, double-walled rear wheel from my daughter's bike. Some time ago this wheel got badly buckled. I bought a replacement wheel as I did not have time to fix it then but I kept the old (buckled) wheel as a spare.

About 2 months ago I thought I would attempt to unbuckling it (nothing to lose). As the buckling was quite severe I decided to just try unbuckling about 80-90% of the way and then just leave it to settle. This seems to have worked as when I got it out today it was quite easy to do the remaining unbuckling. I also managed to true for roundness (which I find more difficult). It's not perfect but it is good enough.

I put this replacement wheel on my sons bike and switched the freewheel from the old wheel to the replacement. I also had to dish the wheel slightly (+1/2 turn LHS, -1/2 turn RHS, on all spokes seemed to do the trick) then re-true.

I took the bike it for a test ride and realised I had made a bit of a schoolboy error. I had not reset the limit screws on the derailleur and readjusted the gears. When I changed into 1st the chain came off and got jammed between the spokes. Cue lots of curse words and black grease all over my hands trying to yank the chain out from between the spokes and the freewheel.

I dragged it back home and put in on the bike stand. I will finish it off it this evening. Time for a nice cup of tea and a sit down ...


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## dave r (18 Mar 2018)

New tyre fitted on my Eastway tonight, new tyre on the front and old front tyre fitted to the rear, rear tyre scrapped, it was well squared of but had a little life left. Was going to fit a new chain and cassette as well but the new chain, 10 speed, came without a power link, it just had a pin with it, something I hadn't seen before, and I haven't got a spare link so I've ordered two power links and will fit the chain and cassette when the links arrive. I also noticed the rear wheel bearings were rough so I'll have to strip and grease them whilst I'm working on the bike.

Edit, I've been online and apparently the pin is the usual way of connecting shimano chains, its just that I've been buying sram and KMC chains for the last 10 years and hadn't seen it before.


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## bpsmith (18 Mar 2018)

Gave the Bianchi a thorough clean, ready for the engineer to visit as part of my accident claim. I wanted it showing how great the pre accident condition was, so they pay out accordingly. That’s the hope anyway. Fingers crossed that they don’t take too long as it’s doing my head in, looking so sorry for itself.


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## DCLane (18 Mar 2018)

My Eastway's received a new RH shifter (bought from @biggs682) - which means I've got gears again. It'll get a LH shifter at some point. Replacement rear mudguard also fitted.

Prepped the Keith Lambert, which didn't sell last year, for new tyres by removing the old tubs and sanding them. The replacement Vittoria Rally tyres are currently stretching on the wheels. Back on sale once this is done: I'm convinced it didn't sell because new tyres were needed.

My son's Cervelo had a mechanical in a race yesterday whilst leading  - the rear mech damaged in last week's crash failed completely. New rear mech needed.


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## si_c (18 Mar 2018)

Cleaned the bike again. Lots of black sticky stuff. Again.

Then to celebrate my endeavours, I went for a carvery lunch, followed by a curry, and I'm now marinating it all in a tub of ice cream. So I may need to fettle the plumbing tomorrow...


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## BianchiVirgin (19 Mar 2018)

Cleaned the Bianchi after a spin. Fitted a shortened stem to son's mtb. Swapped mtb tyres back onto hardtail. Finally got a spare 650b tubeless to stop leaking air by fitting a different valve.


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## si_c (19 Mar 2018)

Swapped my left pedal for a new one after the old one fell off.


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## cosmicbike (19 Mar 2018)

Removed the 40cm bars from the Yukon, fitted a set of 42cm bars. Replaced brake inners and outers, and half of the bar tape. Ran out of time, so finish it tomorrow..


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## Hugh Manatee (21 Mar 2018)

I have just fitted £24 worth of spares into my old Silca track pump. One small piece of leather and a new valve rubber. Very expensive but it does appear to be working again.

I took careful dimensions of the new leather washer and I will definitely give wet forming a new one a go when I have made a suitable former.


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## Vantage (21 Mar 2018)

Drilled and tapped my stem to take 6mm bolts instead of the 5mm ones that I stripped previously. Flipped the stem over as my neck has been hurting lately. Less weight on my arms too which is good.


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## Illaveago (21 Mar 2018)

I have a Mavic wheel which has a slipping ratchet/ freewheel which I thought I would take apart. Looking down inside the hub I could see what looked like a Spline type bolt. To try to find out what size and type the bolt was I found a candle that just fitted and lightly tapped it to get an impression.
I didn't have a tool of the right size but I did find an old piece of steel hexagonal bar. Using a round needle file I filed 12 half round grooves into the end and tried it for fit. I must have frightened it into submission as a quick turn released it. Once I had removed it I discovered that my 11mm bar was the correct size and I need not have filed it .


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## bpsmith (21 Mar 2018)

Hugh Manatee said:


> I have just fitted £24 worth of spares into my old Silca track pump. One small piece of leather and a new valve rubber. Very expensive but it does appear to be working again.
> 
> I took careful dimensions of the new leather washer and I will definitely give wet forming a new one a go when I have made a suitable former.


I have just ordered a Silca Pista. I have quite a few of their products, as love the design and build quality. Always fancied one of their track pumps and they just had a clearance sale on their US site. Ended up paying $79.20, although will have to pay customs on top. Still very reasonable though.


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## Hugh Manatee (21 Mar 2018)

bpsmith said:


> I have just ordered a Silca Pista. I have quite a few of their products, as love the design and build quality. Always fancied one of their track pumps and they just had a clearance sale on their US site. Ended up paying $79.20, although will have to pay customs on top. Still very reasonable though.



They do seem to be very well put together. I have no idea how I got the one I have. I do know I purchased it from the original Hot Pursuit in Totnes but how I afforded it I don't know. It had given a lot of years service though so I decided to repair rather than replace.


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## bpsmith (21 Mar 2018)

Hugh Manatee said:


> They do seem to be very well put together. I have no idea how I got the one I have. I do know I purchased it from the original Hot Pursuit in Totnes but how I afforded it I don't know. It had given a lot of years service though so I decided to repair rather than replace.


Sounds like you’re a happy customer then. Looking forward to mine arriving.


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## si_c (21 Mar 2018)

Pulled the 330mm seatpost and fitted a 400mm as not been happy with the position of late, and not had anymore seatpost I could pull out. 

Need to figure out the position now. But a bit higher and already feels better.


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## JhnBssll (21 Mar 2018)

Second ride out on the Bianchi today so did a bit of fine tuning. Saddle went up quite a bit, ~8mm, and dropped the nose a smidge. I'm not convinced the bars are quite right but will go on another quick spin on Friday afternoon to do a bit more fettling before the first Sportive of the year on Sunday.... Only 40 miles so it doesn't have to be spot on but would be nice to get it close... The Roubaix is set up really nicely now but it'd be a shame to miss the opportunity to take the new bike out


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## HLaB (22 Mar 2018)

Lol, I put the elbow pads on the tt bars last night and started to tape them only to find out I hadn't enough so it'll be a trip to the lbs at lunch


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Mar 2018)

Anticipating that Spring weather might be arriving soon and that the roads will stop being salted, I got the Raleigh out to fit some upgrade parts I've had stored away for a while.

I've serviced the wheel bearings, fitted a 9 speed 11-34T cassette, chain, new thumb shifters (and cables) to match and set it all up. I now have some ridiculously low gearing to play with and am looking forward to a shakedown ride.

I intend to cascade the 8 speed thumb shifters down to the knockabout bike as although I like grip shifters, they turn the opposite way, which gets confusing when switching between bikes. This bike will need a stripdown to clean and service it soon as it's had a very hard winter.


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## HLaB (22 Mar 2018)

I fitted new TT bars pre winter and training on them was going well until a few weeks back when I passed a haemorrhoid and I.m no longer getting power out when in the bars. Today after the first time on the road with the new position I decided to move the bars up 20mm. It could go up another 5mm but I'll need to find 5mm spacer. 

I think I might need to do something with the road bike too, I'll wait till after the weekend and I might try flipping its stem.


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## si_c (23 Mar 2018)

Mrs C was out last night, so took over the kitchen and finally got round to fitting the aero extensions I bought for the commuter. It's probably a bit late now, but I've been getting fed up of headwinds, and these might help!


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## dave r (23 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> New tyre fitted on my Eastway tonight, new tyre on the front and old front tyre fitted to the rear, rear tyre scrapped, it was well squared of but had a little life left. Was going to fit a new chain and cassette as well but the new chain, 10 speed, came without a power link, it just had a pin with it, something I hadn't seen before, and I haven't got a spare link so I've ordered two power links and will fit the chain and cassette when the links arrive. I also noticed the rear wheel bearings were rough so I'll have to strip and grease them whilst I'm working on the bike.
> 
> Edit, I've been online and apparently the pin is the usual way of connecting shimano chains, its just that I've been buying sram and KMC chains for the last 10 years and hadn't seen it before.



I finished off the Eastway this afternoon. Wheel bearings front and rear stripped cleaned and regreased, I was in two minds about doing the front, it was quite smooth and quiet, but I'm glad I did as the grease had turned to a black sludge, the rough rear was in the same condition but now is as smooth as silk, new cassette and chain fitted, indexing checked and a little runout on the rear rim corrected, just got to give it a polish now.


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## HLaB (23 Mar 2018)

I fitted new bar tape to the TT bars, cleaned the bike chain and pumped up its tyres for tomorrow.


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## DCLane (26 Mar 2018)

Been playing this afternoon;

The Peugeot Premiere is finished after I got the rear wheel tidied up:





That was followed by finishing new tyres on the Keith Lambert, although I'm not happy about the front one:






Then fitted a rear mudguard extension to the Eastway and new rear gear cable outer for the last bit.

Just the purple Peugeot and my new Moulton Midi arrival to work on now. Oh, and to decide what to do with the Carlton.


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## LeetleGreyCells (26 Mar 2018)

Indexed gears on two bikes, cleaned chains on three, and aligned brakes on two. When my son did his Bikeability, the school left the bikes out in the snow (I was not impressed at the time!), and I've found tiny bits on rust on the chain and sprockets. Took a bit of cleaning, but all sorted now. Bike was new at Christmas! Did all this using my new maintenance stand from Lidl. Cracking piece of kit. Not even a wobble. Also used my Lidl track pump which I was not expecting much from, however, while being cheap and cheerful, it works quite well.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Mar 2018)

Finished building a new rear wheel for the Trek utility bike; Shimano XT hub with Halo White Line rim and DT Swiss spokes.

Might actually be getting my head around this wheel building lark.


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## HLaB (26 Mar 2018)

I've just put 28mm tyres on the spare wheels the frame supposed to be ok for them I'll find out soon


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## Jenkins (26 Mar 2018)

100mm stem fitted to the main commuter to replace the 110mm standard item and the bars rotated slightly upwards. .


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## BianchiVirgin (26 Mar 2018)

Got some old childrens' bike ready for collecting by charity shop.


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## si_c (27 Mar 2018)

Left work today to a flat rear tyre, figured it was a slow puncture as the tire was pretty solid when I got there, so pumped it up and rode home. Had dinner, then pulled the rear wheel off the bike, first time I've taken a proper look at it in a month or so. The cassette was making an odd noise, and there was a broken spoke on the drive side. How long it's been like that I don't know, but the wheel was still perfectly true.

Set the truing stand up, removed cassette and disc rotor, everything was covered in a nasty paste of road salt, rust and other unmentionable muck. Cleaned everything as I worked around, patched the tube, put the tire back on after supergluing the nasty gash that has appeared (already have new tires on order at the LBS).

Put in a new spoke into the wheel to replace the broken one, and as this wheel is the first wheel I ever built, I'm not 100% on how well it was originally built, so I de-tensioned all the spokes, then evenly tensioned them all the way around the rim. Quick final truing and it seems ok. Like @Elybazza61 I'm slowly building up my understanding of how wheels can be built, of the 4 I've built, I've re-built both of the first two, not because it was strictly needed, but because I can improve on them.

Checked the chain wear, about 12 days ago it was less than .75, now it's somewhere between that and .1, so new chain time, I'll need to pick one up tomorrow.


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## Illaveago (27 Mar 2018)

I thought I would make up some bits for my down tube shifters . I eventually found some nylon to make the wing nut. It was from some material that was used when Formula One cars had ground effect.


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## confusedcyclist (27 Mar 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Finished building a new rear wheel for the Trek utility bike; Shimano XT hub with Halo White Line rim and DT Swiss spokes.
> 
> Might actually be getting my head around this wheel building lark.



I find it is one of the most satisfying jobs on a bike. Once you have a few builds under your belt and you can knock a whole wheelset out in under an hour to a reasonable standard, it seems a whole lot less daunting. I haven't got fancy tools, I just do them in the frame suspended in a mechanics stand, and eyeball dish, lateral and horizontal true using my thumb and the seat stays as a guide. Maybe my builds might turn up noses of people with fancy equipment, but they have been durable and remain true for me.


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## User19783 (27 Mar 2018)

Picked up a Mango 3 speed bike from @User42423 this morning.

I needed to make several adjustments , raised the saddle, lower the handle bars, flipped the stem and replaced the inner tube. All nothing major, but like on every new bike I like to check everything, unfortunately I had to buy some new inner tubes as all mine have a short valve, and I need 60 mm valves, so I brought 3 from Halfords.
To my surprise, the Nexus 3 speed hud is dream, I really like it, as I am so use to using my fixed or single speed bikes.


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## LeetleGreyCells (27 Mar 2018)

My new Schwalbe Landcruiser Plus tyres arrived this afternoon and are now on the bike. They are a snug fit on my 27.5” rims, but I still managed to put them on without tyre levers. It may be an optical illusion, but they don’t seem as wide as the tyres that came with the bike (Kenda). If it’s not an optical illusion, it may help me ride faster on the MTB. Most of my rides combine road, towpaths and bridleways, and I call always put the knobbly tyres back on for going on the trails.


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## Illaveago (27 Mar 2018)

I had a go at making an aluminium short mudguard from 1mm ally by hand. It is coming on but the curvature needs to be tightened a bit more, it might be alright for a Penny Farthing at the moment.


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## Vantage (27 Mar 2018)

Refitted my old Zoom suspension seatpost.
I'm getting softer as time goes by.


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## HLaB (27 Mar 2018)

I was going to swap my 4bolt chainrings from a 52/36 for a 50/34 but I didn't realise I needed a T30 torx wrench (all mine are T25) so I swapped a whole 5 bolt 50/34 crankset in instead.


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## dave r (27 Mar 2018)

I managed to persuade a new mudguard to fit my eastway this evening, the bike has very little clearance under the brake bridge and not all mudguards will fit, the original one had started to rattle again and as I'd already patched it up twice I decided to replace it. I'll do the front later on in the week.


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## Jenkins (27 Mar 2018)

Jenkins said:


> 100mm stem fitted to the main commuter to replace the 110mm standard item and the bars rotated slightly upwards. .


Based on today's commute/test ride, the bars have been rotated another fraction upwards and that should (hopefully) be that.


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## DCLane (28 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> I managed to persuade a new mudguard to fit my eastway this evening, the bike has very little clearance under the brake bridge and not all mudguards will fit, the original one had started to rattle again and as I'd already patched it up twice I decided to replace it. I'll do the front later on in the week.



Raleigh Elements mudguards fit, or at least on an Eastway 4.0.


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## dave r (28 Mar 2018)

DCLane said:


> Raleigh Elements mudguards fit, or at least on an Eastway 4.0.



Mines an Eastway 3.0, these are the ones I've fitted

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FSSLSMG700/stronglight-s-type-700c-mudguard


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## DCLane (28 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> Mines an Eastway 3.0, these are the ones I've fitted



Same frame as the 4.0 but with a carbon fork. Mine runs a Claris/2300 groupset as it's a winter bike and arrived as a frameset/seatpost/stem/saddle.


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## dave r (28 Mar 2018)

DCLane said:


> Same frame but with a carbon fork as the 4.0. Mine runs a Claris/2300 groupset as it's a winter bike and arrived as a frameset/seatpost/stem/saddle.



Tiagra group set on mine, its my summer best bike.


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## DCLane (28 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> Tiagra group set on mine, its my summer best bike.



My 'best' bike is a NeilPryde Nazaré, shown below, possibly too quick for me:​


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## Jenkins (28 Mar 2018)

Yet more fettling this morning - fitting recentlt purchased flat pedals (Welgo V8 copies) to the 13 Alpha & Giant Rapid flat bar bikes in place of the Shimano A530 SPD/Flat pedals I have been using.

Following today's commute on the 13, the next fettling will be to lower the saddle by a few mm to compensate for the different pedal/sole height.


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## Heltor Chasca (29 Mar 2018)

Finally got the knack of truing a pair of disc rotors in situ. Until yesterday, it really had been witchcraft to me without a truing stand. All guess work.

But the method I found that worked for me was to release both calipers, then adjusted the inboard calliper till it just touched the rotor. Then trued the place where it was touching. Adjusted (tightened) the caliper once more and trued again.

Then I released the inboard caliper and repeated as above for the outboard caliper.

Then released the above.

To set the pads, I adjusted the inboard caliper till it just touched the rotor then backed off one click till it was free. Finally adjusted the outboard rotor (which on Avid BB7s is the active piston) till it touched and backed off a notch. 

Jobs a good ‘un.


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## C R (29 Mar 2018)

Got some 26x1.5 slicks for my bike, so got them on today. I somehow managed to puncture one of the tubes, and as Murphy says, I had no spares or workable patch kit. It would be no good to have a patch kit, though, because I can't for the life of me work out where the tube is leaking, though it does leak and fast, I suspect the valve, but can't see any bubbling from anywhere under water. In any case, got some new tubes from Halfords (I have a spare now) and got the new tires sorted. The ride feels nice, and a lot quieter than with the knoblies, but haven't noticed a lot of difference in speed, will see. Also cleaned and greased the pedal bearings, which were starting to be a bit sticky.


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## BianchiVirgin (29 Mar 2018)

Fitted a 105 11 speed cassette to the 'new' trainer wheel and got it set up on the bike with the Qubo trainer.


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## Illaveago (30 Mar 2018)

I have been doing a bit more work on the short ally mudguard. It needs a bit more work yet but it is coming on .
I filed down the bumps and flatted and polished it up a bit, I'm happy with it so far but haven't quite decided on it's final shape.
I included some of the tools that I used.


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## dave r (30 Mar 2018)

I finally got round to fitting the new front mudguard this afternoon, the back I fitted the other night needs a minor fettle, I was out on thursday and it was nice to ride in silence, no rattle on quiet country lanes to annoy me, but I noticed that I've cut the back stays slightly long, they want about half an inch trimmed off.


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## Supersuperleeds (30 Mar 2018)

Levelled the saddle and fixed the mudguard (hopefully) on the commuter.

Dropped the Allez off at the bike shop to get a spoke fixed - second wheel this week I've had go on me


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## arch684 (30 Mar 2018)

dave r said:


> I finally got round to fitting the new front mudguard this afternoon, the back I fitted the other night needs a minor fettle, I was out on thursday and it was nice to ride in silence, no rattle on quiet country lanes to annoy me, but I noticed that I've cut the back stays slightly long, they want about half an inch trimmed off.


Better cut too long than too short,don't ask how i know this


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## dave r (30 Mar 2018)

arch684 said:


> Better cut too long than too short,don't ask how i know this



Probably in the same way I know that.


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## Elybazza61 (30 Mar 2018)

Bleeding Shimano shifter/Hope rx4 hydraulic brake combo; well the rear is done.


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## Jenkins (30 Mar 2018)

Fitted and set up a Cateye Velo 9 to the Voodoo and then took it out for a calibration run against a Garmin 500. Over the first 5 miles the Velo was out by 0.07 of a mile so changed the wheel size setting from 230 to 229 and over the following 9 miles it was out by 0.01 of a mile. Job done.


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## Elybazza61 (31 Mar 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Bleeding Shimano shifter/Hope rx4 hydraulic brake combo; well the rear is done.



Now all done and mechs connected and indexed ready for a test ride tomorrow.

Need to do a tidy up after the test ride but that's it for this bike apart from some new tyres later(probably 28mm IRC X-guard tubeless).


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## DRM (1 Apr 2018)

I fitted a set of Miche Performance brake calipers to the Verenti, they were only £25 from Wiggle for the pair (in silver) to replace the dreadful Tektro’s it came with, a quick test shows that I can now lock the back wheel up which isn’t bad for long drop calipers, I swapped the one piece blocks on the new calipers for the Swiss stop blocks I had tried on the Tektro calipers which improved them a little, but not much, seems a decent upgrade for the price.


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## Salty seadog (1 Apr 2018)

Nothing yet, I'm still in bed but thanks for asking.


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## palinurus (1 Apr 2018)

I get the old 'cross bike out when it snows or is icy so it gets a lot of road salt flung at it. Found out one of the rear brake pad bolts had seized on a couple of weeks ago when I tried to adjust it to stop it squeaking. Cut the bastard off today, removed the canti brakes and cleaned them up, greased the posts, re-assembled and put new pads on with a load of anti-sieze on the threads. Did the front ones at the same time.

Noticed the cables outers are a bit tired, will have to do these before next winter.

Cleaned the commute bike, filthy it was after last week's rain. Still want something like a Burrows 2D with a fully-enclosed chain.


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## overmind (1 Apr 2018)

I bought some Schwalbe Marathon 700c X 28 tyres for the winter roadbike about 2 weeks ago. I have been really impressed with the 700c X 25's I have on my BTwin Triban summer bike. I have never had a puncture.

Well yesterday a particularly tenacious shard of glass set out to prove me wrong !

edit: I have put some rubber solution in the crack of the tyre and will put a tyre boot on the inside.


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## C R (1 Apr 2018)

The front brake in my sons bike was rubbing and squealing, so sorted it. The bike needs a service, but it is now too small for him, so he is going to graduate to daughter one's bike and she will be getting the next size up, so no point in spending a lot of time on his bike, just keep it ticking for a couple of weeks.


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## Seleucid (1 Apr 2018)

First ride on Merlin, so adjustments to saddle and handlebars compulsory ( even if not needed and probably adjusted back next ride) but most fettling done on 1970s Puch Pursuit, including much hard staring at an inaccessible nut and bolt combo that probably haven't been touched since....ooohh, 1970s?


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## BianchiVirgin (1 Apr 2018)

Had a nice long spin today on the Bianchi and it confirmed that I need to move the brake levers slightly further down the drops as I can't reach the brake lever properly when in the drops. First job for LBS when in for its first 'service' inspection.


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## overmind (2 Apr 2018)

I fixed the puncture (post about 4 about this one). When I was putting the wheel back on the chain was making a funny noise. I thought it was the brake alignment but it turned out to be the dreaded bottom bracket.

So I took it apart. The pictures below was the outcome. The adjustable cup caged bearing has seen better days (picture 1 below). The adjustable cup was pitted and the spindle races were badly pitted (picture 2 below). The drive side caged bearing were in several pieces. Fortunately I have spares for both. Working on the reassembly right now ...


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## Low Gear Guy (3 Apr 2018)

On Sunday I replaced the grotty white bar tape with red and raised the bars. I also changed the brake cables.

Memo to self: work out how to replace internal cables before starting work


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## Heltor Chasca (3 Apr 2018)

Low Gear Guy said:


> On Sunday I replaced the grotty white bar tape with red and raised the bars. I also changed the brake cables.
> 
> Memo to self: work out how to replace internal cables before starting work



I love doing bar tape. Other than black or white, it’s well worth having a look at a colour wheel (artists’ one) to see what compliments or goes with the frame colour. For example my burgundy bike looks great with bright green bar tape because those colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel.


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## Domus (3 Apr 2018)

As no riding for a week from today (Dr's orders) Started a major (for me ) service, wheels off, mudguards and rear rack off, chain off, bottom bracket out and bar tape removed. Will give frame a good clean, lube all screws, new bottom bracket and chain, new wheels and cassette, new bar tape and mudguards. May dispense with rack, will think about it.


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## biggs682 (3 Apr 2018)

Swapped rear mudguards over and gave the chain some mickle treatment


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## raleighnut (4 Apr 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> I love doing bar tape. Other than black or white, it’s well worth having a look at a colour wheel (artists’ one) to see what compliments or goes with the frame colour. For example my burgundy bike looks great with bright green bar tape because those colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel.


Like red bar tape on a green bike.


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## Illaveago (4 Apr 2018)

I fitted the bracket to my mudguard and gave it another polish. It isn't too bad for my first attempt.


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## robrinay (4 Apr 2018)

Fetched the Holdsworth Mistral frame I found in a skip last week, back from the bike shop where I’d left it to have the bar stem and crank removed, to save my knuckles being skinnned etc. Next stage is for tomorrow - strip it down to a bare frame ready for painting.


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## DCLane (4 Apr 2018)

Son no. 2's bikes needed work. And as they're his bikes ... he was helping:

Columbus X-Wing commuter cross bike had a new headset bearing fitted by the LBS and my 13yo fitted a new rear tyre.

Then we set to work on his Giant TCR Composite (which we built together 2 years ago), where he helped me fit:

New Swissstop front brake pads
New KMC lightweight chain
Adjust the rear pads
And the biggie; a new front derailleur cable including cleaning out all the gunk inside the frame from 2 years of use as the front derailleur cable goes through the frame 
All done. He's learnt a bit I hope for when he does it himself next time and I'm only the helper. He _is_ helping me continue the BeOne build though later this week: front derailleur, cables and chain to do.


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## Salty seadog (4 Apr 2018)

Bugger, today I needed to have the rear brake cable replaced, had issues for a while and almost came down to it being the derailleur, chain plenty of life on it, tried on a new cassette, same issuers. Lbs put a new inner and outer on and said chain was also a bit short. This annoyed me as the last place that investigated said they took a couple of links out. Got it up in the stand at home and yes it was short so added a link back in, shifts well again


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## Jenkins (4 Apr 2018)

Went to get the Voodoo out of the shed and noticed that the Giant's rear wheel was fractionally off centre. Loosened the QR, let the wheel settle square and re-tightened the QR. Don't want to work too hard on my day off!


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## Salty seadog (4 Apr 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Went to get the Voodoo out of the shed and noticed that the Giant's rear wheel was fractionally off centre. Loosened the QR, let the wheel settle square and re-tightened the QR. Don't want to work too hard on my day off!


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## fossyant (4 Apr 2018)

Family bikes all ready to go off to the 'holiday home' - AKA big static caravan for the summer - all dusted off and oiled (I'm the only nutter that still rides all year).

I get some wall space back, but since 'wall hanging' the bikes that was the best move. The car will be loaded with 5 bikes tomorrow (4 on roof and the Boardman FS Pro in the boot).


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## C R (5 Apr 2018)

I had been having problems with pain in my wrists, and the feeling that my seat was too far forward, though it is set as far back as it will go. After seeing a thread about a similar problem, decided to tilt the seat so that it slopes ever so slightly to the back, I can hardly see the difference in the seat tilt, but the difference in ride comfort is amazing.


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## Gravity Aided (5 Apr 2018)

Still working on Raleigh 26" touring bicycle, have the rear derailleur set up, now on to the old school roller cam brake, a replacement for the Mavic drum brake it originally came with. Still too cold in the garage for the fettling needs to be done. (0c)


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## si_c (5 Apr 2018)

Cleaned the bike yesterday, it was disgusting, despite getting a regular wash. Thick black grime on the chain, and rear cassette, so popped the former into the sonic cleaner (which I just got, which probably sufficiently explains the reason for me cleaning the bike!), much much nicer. Looks like new it does.


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## Archeress (5 Apr 2018)

I went to a ladies night at the Specialized Concept Store in Bristol last night. Came home with speed & cadence sensors for the touring hybrid and a pair of tyres for the GT Timberline 29er mtb, a Spesh Butcher up front and Spesh Purgatory on the rear. So in the nice sunshine fitted all that.

Also noticed a small amount of play on the headset of the Timberline and couldn't tighten the cap down any further so suspected I didn't cut the steerer in the right spot when I fitted the new forks a while back. After taking a measurement using my father's old digital Mitutoyo verniers I set to with a file and took 0.8mm off, tightened the cap up and no more play. 

Hugs
Archeress x


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## robrinay (5 Apr 2018)

I stripped all the bits from the Holdsworth Mistral frame and spayed them with degreaser and left them to soak overnight ready for rust removal. The frame I took to the shot blasters and got a nice surprise - they do spray painting too.


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## RoubaixCube (6 Apr 2018)

cleaned the drivetrain in preparation for the Whitstable FNR. Decided to experiment with some dry lube i had sitting on my shelf for ages and didnt know how to apply it till i watched a tutorial....



Almost £5 a bottle and hes applying it like he's pouring a coffee.....


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## si_c (6 Apr 2018)

RoubaixCube said:


> Almost £5 a bottle and hes applying it like he's pouring a coffee.....


I found muc off dry lube better, the finish line stuff was really thin.


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## RoubaixCube (6 Apr 2018)

si_c said:


> I found muc off dry lube better, the finish line stuff was really thin.



I normally use mucc off C3 dry ceramic lube myselfs. Heard good things about the finish line and had it sitting there so i thought i would give it a go


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## Rickshaw Phil (6 Apr 2018)

Spent the afternoon rectifying some of the damage winter has wrought on the knockabout bike.

New chain, cassette and middle chain ring. Fitted the thumb shifters that came off the Raleigh along with some new cables. Serviced the rear wheel bearings and gave the whole thing a good clean, checkover and adjustment.

*Edit to add:* completely forgot to mention swapping the rather worse-for-wear derailleur for a much better one of the same sort (Acera) also handed down from the Raleigh.

There is more work it could do with but this has sorted out the urgent stuff and will keep it going for a while yet.


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## si_c (6 Apr 2018)

RoubaixCube said:


> I normally use mucc off C3 dry ceramic lube myselfs. Heard good things about the finish line and had it sitting there so i thought i would give it a go


The wet lube is great, unimpressed by the dry though.


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## RoubaixCube (6 Apr 2018)

si_c said:


> The wet lube is great, unimpressed by the dry though.



Ive always used their wet and dry lubes. the only issue with the dry that ive tried is because its vegetable oil based, it drys and semi solidifies into some sort of mess if you leave the bike sitting too long


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## HLaB (6 Apr 2018)

I cleaned the bike, changed its cranks and wheels and found a nut to replace the one that shook off at Flanders last week.


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## Heltor Chasca (7 Apr 2018)

I like the TF2 Plus dry lubricant. The red bottle. I use the wet (green) in ‘weather’ and in the winter. TF2 do a sample pack of 4 different lubes. What this means is you end up with handy little bottles, just the right size for your touring tool kit.

I initially liked the wax they do (so quiet) but over time, little scallops or scabs of wax tended to gum up the cassette, jockey wheels and chain links. I also found wax to be a pain as when I wanted to switch to a lube, the wax stopped it from penetrating. Took lots of work to clean off completely.

So now I like switching between wet and dry. Can go a bit black, but this is easily cleaned with a rag or wet wipe after your ride. Then re lube. One tiny drop per link is all I use.


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## fossyant (7 Apr 2018)

Dropper post needs a quick service but I'm not at home with the correct tools. It's creeping up very very slowly when down so I suspect dirt inside the valves.

Repressurised it but no joy. Still perfectly useable as the creep is fractional.


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## Richard A Thackeray (7 Apr 2018)

I put a new chain on the CGR, this morning
Also taking the opportunity to use petrol to scrub (with old toothbrush) the chain-rings & derailleurs
I've also bought new disc-pads, but the present incumbents will be okay for another couple of months, all being well







The last time I changed chains on the CGR (November?), I also intended fitting a new one on the '7005/Winter/Audax' (as Ribble call it)
Sadly the Cassette was too worn to run smoothly with a new chain, so it (7005, not the chain) just got put back in the shed at the time,_ as it's_ _not been used since I got the CGR, last March_
However, it has accepted, with no graunches/skipping, the partly worn chain from the CGR (another KMC)
I might consider selling it, along with my (not used for at least 3 years!) Ridley


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## DCLane (7 Apr 2018)

Busy afternoon:

- Car got a flat tyre (OK, not a bike but it's used for transporting LOTS of bikes) so my 18yo can now change a car tyre and I got the windscreen chip fixed.
- Cleaned my Eastway from this morning's ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/1494154988
- The Wilier Montegrappa's squeaking, which turned out to be the bottom bracket. Replaced that.
- Fitted some new Vredestein Fortezza Senso to a pair of Superstar Components wheels I've had sat - those will do for commuting duty.
- 13yo's Columbus X-Wing is chipped from a year's commuting miles by him, so that got a first coat of touch-up paint


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Apr 2018)

Laced a new rim on rear hub, and brought spokes up to tension. Will do some more work on it tomorrow.


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## Salty seadog (7 Apr 2018)

Cleaned and lubed the Montpellier and adjusted the Low limit screw on the front mech.


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## gavgav (7 Apr 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Spent the afternoon rectifying some of the damage winter has wrought on the knockabout bike.
> 
> New chain, cassette and middle chain ring. Fitted the thumb shifters that came off the Raleigh along with some new cables. Serviced the rear wheel bearings and gave the whole thing a good clean, checkover and adjustment.
> 
> There is more work it could do with but this has sorted out the urgent stuff and will keep it going for a while yet.



I gave the Cube a good wash and clean, yesterday, cleaned and oiled the chain as well, ready for its first trip to Wales for the year, next week.

Also wiped the Forme down, to get rid of the winter dust from being in the shed, cleaned and oiled the chain, ready for what I hope will soon be drier weather to get out on it in!! Needs to dry up a lot before that happens though.


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Apr 2018)

Cleaned my daughter’s and my MTB from yesterday’s ride (too late to do it last night). My daughter’s brakes were making a noise so taught her how to adjust them herself. She was so proud. Adjusted her seat too. Then we decided to try her on the new MTB she had for Christmas which she was too small for at the time. By removing the rear reflector, I was able to lower the saddle enough that she can now ride it! She was so pleased. It means she has six gears to play with. It should make it easier on the hills than with her single-speed. Now she’s gone to bed, I’ve just swapped the kickstand and mudguards over from her old bike. She’s ready to go!


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## Elysian_Roads (7 Apr 2018)

One of those good cycling days today. A pleasant ride, a bit of cycling related retail therapy, and a bit of fettling.

In truth, it started last night when I put a centre stand I had lying about onto the hack bike, to make it easier now I have fitted panniers.

Today's fettle started with cleaning the Marin MTB, repairing a puncture in an MTB inner tube, and then swapping over the Smart Sam tyres to the Land Cruisers I had recently bought, along with a set of flat pedals bought today from Decathlon. Aim is to make the Marin a bit of a soft roader for the time being. Also managed to fix the lock out on the front forks, which had stopped working.

Then over to the Triban road bike to clean it after today's ride, and change the pedals over to the Shimano SPD/ flat combination that came off the MTB. The Triban is a bit of a Winter/bad weather bike, and I have some Specialized Cadet MTB shoes to wear on this bike. The irony being that I chose the Triban today on the basis of the threatened forecast but there wasn't the wet weather I was expecting... Nevermind .


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## ADarkDraconis (8 Apr 2018)

Put the new saddle on last night, the center hole was not a feature I felt I needed but it sure made it easy to hold the fittings from the top to put the bolt back in! It looks great, we will see how it feels this evening!

I also installed the new coffee cup holder but am unsure about it, for $1 I figured I would give it a go but placement is difficult. I think it is supposed to go outward towards the front but there was no room with the brake levers so I have it inward. It also may need a layer of old inner tube to add to the shim because I feel it could be tighter. We'll see how it works...

Mark down table at the LBS for the win!


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## mustang1 (8 Apr 2018)

Dont know if this comes under "fettling", but yesterday I cleaned the rims with degreaser and kitchen scourer. I even cleaned the spokes (for the first time in my life) and they came out great. Never have my rims been so clean (apart from when they've come back from a LBS service).


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## C R (8 Apr 2018)

Lots of fettling this weekend. Daughter one got a new (to her) bike, so spent some time adjusting seat height, getting the shifting and brakes to work and fine adjustment after test runs. Then adjusting her old bike to fit younger brother, who is enjoying the new world of gears. 

Today's ride included a bit of muddy tow path, so gave my bike a good clean and oiling.


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## C R (8 Apr 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Cleaned my daughter’s and my MTB from yesterday’s ride (too late to do it last night). My daughter’s brakes were making a noise so taught her how to adjust them herself. She was so proud. Adjusted her seat too. Then we decided to try her on the new MTB she had for Christmas which she was too small for at the time. By removing the rear reflector, I was able to lower the saddle enough that she can now ride it! She was so pleased. It means she has six gears to play with. It should make it easier on the hills than with her single-speed. Now she’s gone to bed, I’ve just swapped the kickstand and mudguards over from her old bike. She’s ready to go!


I had to remove the reflector in my daughter's new bike for the same reason, are there any alternatives or would you just leave it if not riding in the dark?


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## bpsmith (8 Apr 2018)

Raised the saddle 5mm. Left the saddle as is, so technically moved it back based on the angle of the seat tube doing its thing.

Test rode this afternoon. Felt a touch strange at first, but a short 23 mile blast proved it certainly made a difference. After adjusting cleats last week, I now have the perfect setup...until the next urge to tweak.


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## DCLane (8 Apr 2018)

Set up my NeilPryde Nazaré for my 13yo to have as a spare race bike in next weekend's Rás na nÓg in Ireland:

Swapped the 52/36 crankset for a shorter 48/34 one
Less deep wheels with a 16-27 cassette
Swapped the saddle
Stuck new Ultegra pedals on the crankset
Hopefully it should now be OK as a backup race bike and we're route-checking on Friday together. I'll be on kiddy cranks!


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## HLaB (8 Apr 2018)

Nothing major but I spent much of the afternoon/evening after the track (#STEWART) and Paris - Roubaix cleaning the bike from this morning's mud fest


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## LeetleGreyCells (8 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> I had to remove the reflector in my daughter's new bike for the same reason, are there any alternatives or would you just leave it if not riding in the dark?



I’m leaving the reflector off at present as she only rides in the day and on National Trust Park roads (she’s 6). I did think of looking to see if I could improvise something until she grows enough to raise the seat, but I need to have a think how to do this. I did think about mounting an old reflector I have to the bridge between the rear seat stays, but need to see if this will interfere with the mudguard and/or brake. 

I attached the rear mudguard to the top of the seat tube rather than the seat post by removing the plastic shim which came with it and using a small section of old inner tube making the clasp close enough to tighten the bolt while still protecting the frame.


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## SpokeyDokey (8 Apr 2018)

I have TRIED to fettle a Shimano FD 5801.

This little blighter is affixed to my new bike and it was not set up properly by the LBS so I had a stab myself.

It has the same install/adjustment process as R9000 Dura Ace and R8000 Ultegra as it is the precursor to the just announced 105 R7000 series FD.

Spent 4 hours on the damn thing before giving up - although I think I have identified my Achilles Heel re the adjustment process and I may muster up the enthusiasm to have another punt tomorrow.


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## si_c (8 Apr 2018)

Cleaned Mrs C's upright town bike and lubed the rear derailleur. Was going to clean mine, but it looks pretty much spot on as it has only done about 60miles since I last cleaned it. So I took the back wheel off instead and gave the shimano hub and freehub a thorough clean and re-grease. The freehub had thick orange/brown muck coming out of it, so much for winter proof. Either way the bearing races were spot on, so packed loads of lithium grease in, and a load of light lubricant into the freehub.

Hopefully that'll keep it going for a bit. The cost of a replacement freehub body is about the same as a whole new hub.


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## Jenkins (8 Apr 2018)

Thanks to a very wet ride to work this morning, I got home this afternoon and cleaned and lubed the chain on the Van Nicholas. Then did the same to the Spa Elan as a result of it picking up a lot of dirt on yesterday's commute. And then the Giant flatbar. And the 13 flatbar. And finally the Vooodoo 29er!


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## ADarkDraconis (8 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> I had to remove the reflector in my daughter's new bike for the same reason, are there any alternatives or would you just leave it if not riding in the dark?





RealLeeHimself said:


> I’m leaving the reflector off at present as she only rides in the day and on National Trust Park roads (she’s 6). I did think of looking to see if I could improvise something until she grows enough to raise the seat, but I need to have a think how to do this. I did think about mounting an old reflector I have to the bridge between the rear seat stays, but need to see if this will interfere with the mudguard and/or brake.



I have a saddlebag under my seat so the rear reflector had to come off the seat post on my bike. I attached it to a seat stay instead, the LBS had spare little clamp for it that fit that they just gave me when I asked if I could purchase such an adaptor, it worked out really well!


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## Reynard (9 Apr 2018)

Gave my Wiggins a good wipe down, cleaned wheel rims and checked brake pads for grit, cleaned chainrings, cassette, jockey wheels and chain, and oiled chain.


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## C R (9 Apr 2018)

Thanks @RealLeeHimself and @ADarkDraconis, will investigate using the seat stays. My Daughters are 11 and 9 and like doing back road circuits with me, though always in daylight, so probably trying to be road legal would be good.


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## ADarkDraconis (9 Apr 2018)

New saddle was taken for a test ride last night! Still have some fettling to do, I had to slide it back farther when I got home as I found myself sitting on the very back at times. I don't think it goes as far back as my old one so I had to raise it a smidge as well. But for overall comfort it is night and day compared with my old one!!! No inner thigh pain at all so I call it a win! The real test will be my commute on Wednesday over different terrain.

However, since I raised it a smidge to compensate for it not being as far back, now when I swing my leg over to get on I feel it is just a bit painful for my bad hip to raise that high to get my leg over. I will fuss with it more but if I can't get it right at my previous height I may have to retrain myself after right-leg swinging for 26 years to mount it from the other side and use my left leg.


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## Illaveago (9 Apr 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> New saddle was taken for a test ride last night! Still have some fettling to do, I had to slide it back farther when I got home as I found myself sitting on the very back at times. I don't think it goes as far back as my old one so I had to raise it a smidge as well. But for overall comfort it is night and day compared with my old one!!! No inner thigh pain at all so I call it a win! The real test will be my commute on Wednesday over different terrain.
> 
> However, since I raised it a smidge to compensate for it not being as far back, now when I swing my leg over to get on I feel it is just a bit painful for my bad hip to raise that high to get my leg over. I will fuss with it more but if I can't get it right at my previous height I may have to retrain myself after right-leg swinging for 26 years to mount it from the other side and use my left leg.


If you lean your bike over slightly you might not need to raise your leg so high .


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## si_c (9 Apr 2018)

Illaveago said:


> If you lean your bike over slightly you might not need to raise your leg so high .



^^ This. My saddle is quite high, so I find it much easier to straddle the bike and mount it more like I would a step-through than throwing my leg over.


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## ADarkDraconis (9 Apr 2018)

Illaveago said:


> If you lean your bike over slightly you might not need to raise your leg so high .





si_c said:


> ^^ This. My saddle is quite high, so I find it much easier to straddle the bike and mount it more like I would a step-through than throwing my leg over.



Thanks, folks! Don't know why I didn't think of this, haha! Since I have short legs this would've made my life much easier for years! We are creatures of habit, aren't we?


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## C R (9 Apr 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> New saddle was taken for a test ride last night! Still have some fettling to do, I had to slide it back farther when I got home as I found myself sitting on the very back at times. I don't think it goes as far back as my old one so I had to raise it a smidge as well. But for overall comfort it is night and day compared with my old one!!! No inner thigh pain at all so I call it a win! The real test will be my commute on Wednesday over different terrain.
> 
> However, since I raised it a smidge to compensate for it not being as far back, now when I swing my leg over to get on I feel it is just a bit painful for my bad hip to raise that high to get my leg over. I will fuss with it more but if I can't get it right at my previous height I may have to retrain myself after right-leg swinging for 26 years to mount it from the other side and use my left leg.


I had the problem with my saddle feeling never quite far back enough, tilting it back slightly fixed the problem.


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## Illaveago (9 Apr 2018)

I thought I would have a go at rubbing down some plaster in I had put in next to our loft access. I opened the hatch, lowered the ladder climbed up and taped a dustbin bag to the ceiling with just enough room to allow me to reach in and sand the rough surface with a block, a bit like looking at toast under a grill. After struggling sanding the rough surface smooth I dusted it off and sealed up the bag, it must have been 1 lb of dust in there. My wife was full of encouragement, " That is why you should have put it in smooth in the first place ! "


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## C R (9 Apr 2018)

si_c said:


> ^^ This. My saddle is quite high, so I find it much easier to straddle the bike and mount it more like I would a step-through than throwing my leg over.


I tilt my bike quite a bit, but still find leg over back wheel easier, I suppose it depends on the position of the cross bar.


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## Reynard (9 Apr 2018)

With my old (and too big) mountain bike, I *had* to tilt it to mount / dismount and to stop at junctions as the cross bar was horizontal.

The perils of parental unit buying a bike "to grow in to" and being a tad optimistic.


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## Pale Rider (9 Apr 2018)

Some sharp descending in muddy conditions in north Yorkshire at the weekend did for my rear disc pads.

They've lasted just under 3,000 miles, not bad although the pads on my last bike lasted closer to 5,000 miles.

Should be a simple enough job to fit new ones, but this is a bicycle so I found one piston seized in the fully out position.

No amount of persuasion would shift it, so it's bike shop time.

They told me one way to shift it involves putting the old pads back in, plus something else, then working the lever to use the action of the working piston to push back the seized one.

They also have a little spreader tool.

But it seems my seized piston is also chipped which means it's new caliper time.

Shimano XT at £49.99.

I suppose these components wear out, but this one has only lasted 15 months.

Let's hope its replacement does better.


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## ADarkDraconis (9 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> I had the problem with my saddle feeling never quite far back enough, tilting it back slightly fixed the problem.


I may give this a try, although I always have my saddle tilted ever so slightly forward as when it was level it was not kind to my lady bits. Maybe this new saddle will do better, it is a women's specific model.


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## Reynard (11 Apr 2018)

Thanks to another thread on here, I have *finally* figured out how to remove the saddle from the seatpost of my old MTB - it's one of the old style mounts. 

That saddle (some kind of el-cheapo no-name) is as comfy as an armchair, and will eventually go on the N+1 that I have my eye on.


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## Pale Rider (11 Apr 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> Some sharp descending in muddy conditions in north Yorkshire at the weekend did for my rear disc pads.
> 
> They've lasted just under 3,000 miles, not bad although the pads on my last bike lasted closer to 5,000 miles.
> 
> ...



..update...

Work completed by local bike shop for £85.

Not bad, fitting a new caliper means a 'full bleed', and I have new pads in the front as well.

The caliper is supposedly an improved 8000 series one.

On the short ride home the brakes feel more positive than they did when the bike was new.

Mud did for the last mm of friction material on the old rear pads, and the mechanic told me mountain bikers have a fix - they use a cut piece of Coke can to form a cowl over the caliper.

The thinking being it stops a lump of mud sticking to the caliper and gradually feeding itself between the pads as you ride, which is what causes the accelerated wear.


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## si_c (11 Apr 2018)

New bottom bracket fitted. Previous one had disintegrated.


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## BSOh (11 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> I had the problem with my saddle feeling never quite far back enough, tilting it back slightly fixed the problem.



I've had this problem on one of mine. I'm going to give this a try, thanks


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## woodbutcher (11 Apr 2018)

For some reason l am being asked to fettle my identity each time l open CycleChat, never happened before perhaps l am becoming persona non grata with the powers that be


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## fossyant (11 Apr 2018)

Dropper post sorted. Having a vice at home to hold a component whilst undoing it found some dirt fragments on the valve which controls the fluid and air flow in the post.

Replaced fluid and repressurised and all is ok.

I do like how easy the X-fusion Hilo SL is to service though. Just £20 for a seal kit. Oil changes take no time.


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## gbb (12 Apr 2018)

My old Trek 7100fx has languished in a state of semi repair all w.inter in the shed. Prior to that it was in a sorry state, borrowed and abused by me and my son, a commuter in fowl weather,, a bike to just ride.
I'd already serviced the hubs on the cheap wheels, sprayed black to tidy them up, replacement saddle and post fitted.
I sense my son is going to need it again, he' talking about buying a new bike but it seems a shame while this one could be made ok with a bit of work, I'm not going to use it again. Hes no good with bikes so, buy some slime to put in the tubes. 1st one went ok with presta valve, core out, slime in etc etc, no problem.
Second tube was dead so root around, all I can find was a Schrader valves tube so root around again and find a spare wheel that'l take that tube. Quick service and grease the hub, fit slimed tube and tyre, all good.
Test ride, gears are hopeless, Home, tighten cable to realise the adjuster on the RD is just flopping around, it seems the thread in the RD is damaged and the adjuster won't thread in, so screw a bolt in from the other side to clean thread, this worked, adjuster now adjusts. Tighten cable, test ride...hopeless.
Inspect already very old cable, it's rusty and sticking in the outer. Root around and find a stainless inner I had I my parts box, fit, adjust and working much better, still needs some fiddling.
Front derailleur not working right, adjusted, need more tinkering with the gears to fine tune them.
To be continued today if I can be bothered.


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## Salty seadog (12 Apr 2018)

Patched a second puncture on the rear of the knockabout mtb, that's 3 in two weeks with the rear flat on the Montpellier.


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## Salty seadog (12 Apr 2018)

Reattached rear brake just about to raise saddle and fix a puncture for my nephew .


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## Salty seadog (12 Apr 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> View attachment 403949
> 
> 
> Reattached rear brake just about to raise saddle and fix a puncture for my nephew .



Ok so I noticed on the shakedown ride the chain was a bit slack. He gave it some oomph {his words} and dropped the chain. Quick bit of spanner work and all is dandy.


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## C R (13 Apr 2018)

Adjusted rear brake and checked drivetrain for the origin of a sort of crunchy feel when pedalling, turns out the bottom bracket has developed quite a bit of play all of a sudden, thats the weekend fettling scheduled.


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Apr 2018)

Replaced a broken dual control lever with a separate brake lever and bar end shifter. Had to pop out for new outer for brake cable. Reused bar tape. 

Firstly they are so much simpler to cable up than DC levers, how I remember it back in my youth. Secondly friction shifting the front triple is a joy, so much better than the DC feel. Reliable, simple, easy to fit a new cable at the side of the road if necessary.


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## Shut Up Legs (14 Apr 2018)

I replaced both Marathon Plus 700x28C tyres on my Vivente tourer/commuter bike. On Monday I noticed that the rear one had an odd lump at one point on its sidewall, almost as if the tube was trying to push its way through, so I kept an eye on it all week, and it lasted the week. Since both tyres were fairly worn, I replaced them both this morning. I noticed that the lump was even larger now, and to my surprise, when I took the rear tyre off the bike, the lump was also on the inside of the tyre!  Very bizarre: it was almost like an inflated air pocket had formed inside the tyre itself, and I could tell by pressing on it from either side that the air inside it was under a bit of pressure. Anyone know what could cause this?

Regards,

--- Victor.


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## Vantage (14 Apr 2018)

Busy day. Starting last night I blasted the bike with the pressure washer. Removed the chainset and bottom bracket to drain the frame of water and took the chain off. 
Spent a couple hours sanding and repolishing the crankarms so theyre nice and shiny again. Removed the old 28-38-48 rings and fitted the new 24-36-46 rings.....all in silver of course
This morning I refitted the bottom bracket nice and dry. Then went on the chainset. Removed the old cassette and fitted the new one. Stripped and rebuilt the rear mech with a good clean and regrease. Fitted the new chain. Cursed, swore and cursed more at the front mech while trying to get the ba****d to shift without grinding having lowered it to fit the new rings. Took for a test ride round the block.......running smooth as Cary Grant.


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## C R (14 Apr 2018)

Cleaned and inspected bottom bracket, adjustable cup at least looks like it may not have much left in it, but no time today do any work serious work, so greased and reassembled. Spent some time adjusting the cup and bb now runs better, but not great. Will need to put some serious effort to get the fixed cup out and replace the bb.


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## DCBassman (14 Apr 2018)

Swapped Sora 8 rear mech and 12-25t cassette for Alivio and 11-34t and it's all working...but see thread in Mechanics. Possibly longer hanger needed?

Edit: and new pin pedals...


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## Supersuperleeds (14 Apr 2018)

Studded tyres taken off the hybrid, which means the nice weather forecast for next week will now not materialise. I apologise in advance.


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## dave r (14 Apr 2018)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I replaced both Marathon Plus 700x28C tyres on my Vivente tourer/commuter bike. On Monday I noticed that the rear one had an odd lump at one point on its sidewall, almost as if the tube was trying to push its way through, so I kept an eye on it all week, and it lasted the week. Since both tyres were fairly worn, I replaced them both this morning. I noticed that the lump was even larger now, and to my surprise, when I took the rear tyre off the bike, the lump was also on the inside of the tyre!  Very bizarre: it was almost like an inflated air pocket had formed inside the tyre itself, and I could tell by pressing on it from either side that the air inside it was under a bit of pressure. Anyone know what could cause this?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> ...



Possible damage to the carcass of the tyre? perhaps you've clattered a pothole at some point?


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## Smthers (15 Apr 2018)

Troubleshooting click somewhere in the drive-train. Had the bike on the turbo, and noticed it was much more obvious in a higher gear where the chain was under more tension. Was beginning to suspect either a pedal spindle bearing or BB, until I noticed the click happened every time the KMC quick-link left the top of the cassette. The plates on the quick-link are a different shape to those on the Campag chain. Time to find another quick-link me thinks.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (15 Apr 2018)

Yesterday was kids’ bike fettling. Indexed the gears and moved gripshifter to better position on one and adjusted the brakes on both.


----------



## Arjimlad (15 Apr 2018)

Took my TCR's wheels off to get the SKS Raceblades off & give the cassette a good scrub when I noticed the rear hub felt very rough. 

Off with the cassette and an inspection of the cones revealed very bad pitting on both of them. 

The bike's less than 18 months old and has barely been out in the rain so I am not all that impressed!

Off to the Giant store soon with the wheel to see about replacement cones. 

I therefore took the tyres off & popped them onto my Shimano RS11 spare wheelset which runs beautifully smoothly. Ready for some sunny riding this coming week !


----------



## mikeymustard (16 Apr 2018)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I replaced both Marathon Plus 700x28C tyres on my Vivente tourer/commuter bike. On Monday I noticed that the rear one had an odd lump at one point on its sidewall, almost as if the tube was trying to push its way through, so I kept an eye on it all week, and it lasted the week. Since both tyres were fairly worn, I replaced them both this morning. I noticed that the lump was even larger now, and to my surprise, when I took the rear tyre off the bike, the lump was also on the inside of the tyre!  Very bizarre: it was almost like an inflated air pocket had formed inside the tyre itself, and I could tell by pressing on it from either side that the air inside it was under a bit of pressure. Anyone know what could cause this?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> ...


Looks like something off _Embarrassing Bodies_! Have you contacted Dr Christian about it?


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

Been teaching myself some basic bicycle mechanics the practical way this afternoon, using my old (and no longer ridden) MTB as a teaching aid.

Rear brake didn't work, so removed the caliper, took it apart, cleaned it, found that the plastic washer at the pivot point had disintegrated, replaced said washer, reassembled caliper (no, I didn't have any pieces left LOL), refitted to frame, re-tensioned cable and voila, one working rear brake.

Loads of tinkering-type stuff still to be done if I want to move her on, so need to decide what to do next.

I have good socket set, range of spanners, allen keys and my topeak multi-tool. Anything else worth adding to that in terms of useful tools?


----------



## Elysian_Roads (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Been teaching myself some basic bicycle mechanics the practical way this afternoon, using my old (and no longer ridden) MTB as a teaching aid.
> 
> Rear brake didn't work, so removed the caliper, took it apart, cleaned it, found that the plastic washer at the pivot point had disintegrated, replaced said washer, reassembled caliper (no, I didn't have any pieces left LOL), refitted to frame, re-tensioned cable and voila, one working rear brake.
> 
> ...


Planning to do the same with my old hack bike, especially around wheel bearings, spokes, bottom bracket and derailleurs. Will watch this with interest.


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Planning to do the same with my old hack bike, especially around wheel bearings, spokes, bottom bracket and derailleurs. Will watch this with interest.



Well, I have a front derailleur that's seized solid. The rear derailleur keeps dropping the chain, though that's probably user error after fitting replacement tyres a while back. Things generally are a bit wobbly and creaky; it's a tatty 30-odd year old bike and I guess things take their toll.

I want to learn, and if things do go wrong, I'm not bollixing up my good bike.


----------



## C R (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> I have good socket set, range of spanners, allen keys and my topeak multi-tool. Anything else worth adding to that in terms of useful tools?


That is a good start, does the multitool have a chain splitting tool? You will also need the bike specific things like cone spanners, crank extractor, freewheel, cassette and bb tools. It may be worth getting a bike specific toolkit that has those.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> I want to learn, and if things do go wrong, I'm not bollixing up my good bike.



Exactly my thinking. The mechanicals are cheaper on the rat Apollo so any investment is mainly in time and effort, I rarely use it so can take my time, and if I do have an inadvertent breakdown, I won't be far from home!!!!!


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> That is a good start, does the multitool have a chain splitting tool? You will also need the bike specific things like cone spanners, crank extractor, freewheel, cassette and bb tools. It may be worth getting a bike specific toolkit that has those.



Yes it does have a chain splitter. 

I'll be trotting off to Decathlon in the near future - they should have the other relevant bits in there. In the mean time, I'll tackle the bits that don't need specialist tools.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (16 Apr 2018)

A change of gear shifter, resetting the gears, adjusting the brakes and a good clean and checkover on an old basic Raleigh ATB that I was given a while back but never really got round to using for the purpose I intended (it's a bit small for me).

A friend dropped in for a chat yesterday and asked my advice on buying a cheap runabout so he could go off riding with his son. On the off-chance I showed him this bike to see if it was any good for what he wanted and he liked it so I've sorted out the faults and we've come to an arrangement.

Nice to see it go to someone who'll get some pleasure out of it.






The saddle has gone down a bit since I took the photo.


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Exactly my thinking. The mechanicals are cheaper on the rat Apollo so any investment is mainly in time and effort, I rarely use it so can take my time, and if I do have an inadvertent breakdown, I won't be far from home!!!!!



If I have to be honest, I've only rode the MTB twice since buying the road bike a year and a half ago. When I picked it up to move it earlier, I'd forgotten how *heavy* it is. Which is why I bought the road bike.  That and the fact that it's actually a bit too big for me. 

It's an Emmelle Leopard 10, btw.


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## Elysian_Roads (16 Apr 2018)

"That and the fact that it's actually a bit too big for me.

It's an Emmelle Leopard 10, btw."

Had to Google the Emmelle. First example I saw was a 22" frame example on Gumtree. Yup, that looks big!!!! 

One purchase I am loving is a bike repair stand. My is a Halfords bike hut one, so nothing special but makes working on the bike so much easier.....


----------



## raleighnut (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Been teaching myself some basic bicycle mechanics the practical way this afternoon, using my old (and no longer ridden) MTB as a teaching aid.
> 
> Rear brake didn't work, so removed the caliper, took it apart, cleaned it, found that the plastic washer at the pivot point had disintegrated, replaced said washer, reassembled caliper (no, I didn't have any pieces left LOL), refitted to frame, re-tensioned cable and voila, one working rear brake.
> 
> ...


Depending on Bottom Bracket a BB extractor is useful although not if that bike has a different BB to others you own.


----------



## derrick (16 Apr 2018)

Put the S2 back on the road today, loved riding it again, I know i posted before about putting it back together, but it has now had it's shake down ride, a little tweak on the Di2, all good to go.


----------



## jayonabike (16 Apr 2018)

This Specialized Globe town bike has been sitting in the garage gathering dust and rust for the last few years.






Every time I go in the garage I look at it thinking I should get it back on the road. Well today was the day.
Stripped it down, cleaned and re-greased the headset which came up surprisingly clean






Greased the seat tube, and give the whole bike a thorough clean. Adjusted the Nexus 3 speed hub although not entirely happy with it. I can select gears 2 & 3 but not gear 1. Think a new cable might fix this.
It’s going to get new brake Calipers and I’m going to get new levers at the same time, more of an upgrade than anything else. I fitted new sks mudguards which I had in the spares box and added a brooks saddle which I had kicking around. Dusted off a pair of pedals from some other project from years ago.
When I dropped the forks out the thread came out of the star nut when I undid the headset so I need to replace that as well.






Really pleased with the way it’s turned out, haven’t spent a £ on it yet and it will be road worthy and upgraded for less than £100.
A town bike, ideal for trips to the shops, popping round to see mates and even the odd commute to work.

Lovely


----------



## gbb (16 Apr 2018)

Following t'other days fettling the Trek 7100fx, the gears were slipping. Not sure if tgis was poor adjustment or perhaps a worn freewheel, given the chain is brand new, it was a distinct possibility.
So wheel back off to visually inspect....hoho..well that'll do it, several teeth missing off a couple of the smaller gears.
Root around my trusty box of bits...i knew i had a 7 speed freewheel I will have robbed off an old wheel. I actually got my chainwhip out, looked at the job and thought...somethings not right ...haha, no chainwhip needed, just the splined tool.
Changed, much better.
Tinkered a bit, it's all working more than well enough. Deliver to my son's tomorrow.
See how long it lasts


----------



## biggs682 (16 Apr 2018)

Had an hour swapping tyres on the Pollard and the fr tyre on the family tandem tonight leaving just the rear one to do now


----------



## C R (16 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> One purchase I am loving is a bike repair stand. My is a Halfords bike hut one, so nothing special but makes working on the bike so much easier.....



A bike stand is really helpful for all sorts of fettling, allowing you to work at which ever height is more comfortable for you. I was given one as a leaving present from my previous job, and it is the best most useful leaving present I have ever had.


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> "That and the fact that it's actually a bit too big for me.
> 
> It's an Emmelle Leopard 10, btw."
> 
> ...



Mmmm, given I'm only 4ft 11, I really doubt it's quite *that* big  Probably a 15 inch frame as a guesstimate. It's running on 24 inch wheels as it's a junior bike. 

If it had a slanted top tube as opposed to a horizontal one, it would fit me just fine. But it's just that little bit too tall, so starting / stopping / junctions can get a bit hairy. And painful. DAMHIKT. 

And here is the bike in question - photobombing cat included.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (16 Apr 2018)

Changed Bontrager R!'s that came with the new Trek to my fave tyres - Marathon Supremes, although these may get swapped soon for some tubeless jobbies.


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Depending on Bottom Bracket a BB extractor is useful although not if that bike has a different BB to others you own.



Mmmm, good point. I'm assuming that there are different BB extractors according to type? (sorry if this is an idiot question)


----------



## C R (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Mmmm, good point. I'm assuming that there are different BB extractors according to type? (sorry if this is an idiot question)


If it is an old budget MTB it is likely that the bb will be a cup and cone rather than a cartridge one, I am currently dealing with that in my bike. The advantage is that cup and cone are easy to service.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (16 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Mmmm, given I'm only 4ft 11, I really doubt it's quite *that* big  Probably a 15 inch frame as a guesstimate. It's running on 24 inch wheels as it's a junior bike.
> 
> If it had a slanted top tube as opposed to a horizontal one, it would fit me just fine. But it's just that little bit too tall, so starting / stopping / junctions can get a bit hairy. And painful. DAMHIKT.
> 
> ...


I won't ask... Ouch! But once you have fettled the running gear to your satisfaction, that kind of leads on to a frame swap as a project, does it not?????


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> If it is an old budget MTB it is likely that the bb will be a cup and cone rather than a cartridge one, I am currently dealing with that in my bike. The advantage is that cup and cone are easy to service.



Oh, that's useful to know.  The numbers on the rear mech date the bike to October '87. I've had it since '93.


----------



## Reynard (16 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> I won't ask... Ouch! But once you have fettled the running gear to your satisfaction, that kind of leads on to a frame swap as a project, does it not?????



I'm not sure... 

But I do have a nice little restoration project up in the loft that I plan on tackling once I'm a bit more confident.


----------



## mikeymustard (16 Apr 2018)

jayonabike said:


> This Specialized Globe town bike has been sitting in the garage gathering dust and rust for the last few years.
> 
> View attachment 404647
> 
> ...


Looks good with the Brooks on it!


----------



## raleighnut (17 Apr 2018)

Y


Reynard said:


> Mmmm, good point. I'm assuming that there are different BB extractors according to type? (sorry if this is an idiot question)


Yep, some of them even have a 'self extracting' feature where undoing the fixing bolt pushes against a threaded 'cap' when you unscrew it and pushes the crank off the splines. The square taper crank is still the most common although the external bearing cranks (whether push fit or screwed into the BB shell) are slowly taking over.


----------



## biggs682 (17 Apr 2018)

biggs682 said:


> Had an hour swapping tyres on the Pollard and the fr tyre on the family tandem tonight leaving just the rear one to do now



Fitted the matching rear tyre this morning so now the family tandem is up and running


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (17 Apr 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> "That and the fact that it's actually a bit too big for me.
> 
> It's an Emmelle Leopard 10, btw."
> 
> ...



I bought a Lidl one a few weeks ago. Absolutely brilliant and no aching back after a good fettling session.


----------



## Reynard (17 Apr 2018)

A repair stand - and some additional bike-specific tools are definitely on the agenda. 

Today I removed the bars and forks, cleaned and greased the headset bearings, lubricated all the threads and reassembled everything. Bottom bearing race was a bit pitted, but managed to buff most of it out.


----------



## bpsmith (17 Apr 2018)

Built up n+1 after annual leave day for parcel to arrive after 3pm. Swapped cranks to shorter ones I had ready. Swapped wheels also. Got it nicely set up following my other bike. Just need to wait until Saturday for first test ride.


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## Reynard (18 Apr 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Yep, some of them even have a 'self extracting' feature where undoing the fixing bolt pushes against a threaded 'cap' when you unscrew it and pushes the crank off the splines. The square taper crank is still the most common although the external bearing cranks (whether push fit or screwed into the BB shell) are slowly taking over.



Actually, I'm not sure what type of crank it's got... 

The cranks and pedals seem to be integrated units that are fixed to the bottom bracket using hex head bolts. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and there's not enough space around them to insert a socket or a spanner to facilitate removal.


----------



## mikeymustard (18 Apr 2018)

I was going to ride it but after one gust of wind nearly blew my bloody back door off (to misquote Michael Caine) I wimped out and cleaned the chain on my Equilibrium instead. I've not ridden it much (only built it about 2 months ago) but a coupla short commutes - like 5-10 minutes - a week have made a right old mess

Edit: oh, and cos I was bored I thought I'd try heating up my TF2 dry wax in the microwave to see whether it had any effect on it.
I dunno if it did anything to the wax but it turns out the bottle doesn't like microwaves much!


----------



## Leaway2 (18 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Actually, I'm not sure what type of crank it's got...
> 
> The cranks and pedals seem to be integrated units that are fixed to the bottom bracket using hex head bolts. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and there's not enough space around them to insert a socket or a spanner to facilitate removal.


If you post a picture looking down on the bb/chainring, we will be able to see.


----------



## C R (18 Apr 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Y
> 
> Yep, some of them even have a 'self extracting' feature where undoing the fixing bolt pushes against a threaded 'cap' when you unscrew it and pushes the crank off the splines. The square taper crank is still the most common although the external bearing cranks (whether push fit or screwed into the BB shell) are slowly taking over.


But that would be self extracting cranks, not bottom bracket (i'm sure you know that, I guess it was just a slip of the tongue). For the usual square taper bottom bracket you need a crank extractor, and then a special spanner to remove the lock ring in the adjustable cup (it is a ring with notches), and then another spanner to turn the adjustable cup (on the non drive side). Removing the cup on the drive side in this type of bottom brackets is another story.


----------



## Illaveago (18 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Been teaching myself some basic bicycle mechanics the practical way this afternoon, using my old (and no longer ridden) MTB as a teaching aid.
> 
> Rear brake didn't work, so removed the caliper, took it apart, cleaned it, found that the plastic washer at the pivot point had disintegrated, replaced said washer, reassembled caliper (no, I didn't have any pieces left LOL), refitted to frame, re-tensioned cable and voila, one working rear brake.
> 
> ...


A nice cable cutting tool to stop you getting frayed ends when fitting new cables .


----------



## C R (18 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Actually, I'm not sure what type of crank it's got...
> 
> The cranks and pedals seem to be integrated units that are fixed to the bottom bracket using hex head bolts. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and there's not enough space around them to insert a socket or a spanner to facilitate removal.


Looking at the photo you posted further up, I would guess they are bog standard square taper cranks. What kind of socket did you try to use to get at the nuts? The cranks look very similar to mine, and in mine a standard 14 socket just fits, then you use one of these



to extract the crank.


----------



## raleighnut (18 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Actually, I'm not sure what type of crank it's got...
> 
> The cranks and pedals seem to be integrated units that are fixed to the bottom bracket using hex head bolts. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and there's not enough space around them to insert a socket or a spanner to facilitate removal.


14mm/9/16" socket should just fit, they're both 'normal' threads and then there is a thread on the inside of the recess that the extractor tool screws into, before screwing the tool in check there isn't a washer in there as using the extractor with one in there results in stripping the thread out of the crank DAMHIKT. 

Then it depends which BB type you have and whether that is a serviceable unit or a cartridge (fit new) type, I would expect the former though.


----------



## youngoldbloke (18 Apr 2018)

- just a general point - in many posts seems a lot of confusion stems from the use of 'crank' to refer to not only the actual *cranks* (the 'arms' the pedals are attached to) but to the *chainset *as a whole, (or crankSET, if you must), or to just the chainrings. So the whole assembly is a chainset, composed of chainrings and cranks. This is attached (by various means) to the spindle in the bottom bracket assembly.


----------



## KneesUp (18 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> Looking at the photo you posted further up, I would guess they are bog standard square taper cranks. What kind of socket did you try to use to get at the nuts? The cranks look very similar to mine, and in mine a standard 14 socket just fits, then you use one of these
> View attachment 404825
> 
> to extract the crank.


My sockets don't fit in the crank, but I have this exact tool, and the silver end has the correct size socket which does fit - if it it the same as mine then you can turn the silver part with a 16mm spanner. Then obviously attach the tool to the crank with the black end and wind it in to force the crank off.

And my fettling: I had my front derailleur off to clean a few days ago because it wouldn't spring far enough to get the inner ring of my triple, and for the past two days I've been putting up with a clicking noise when on the outer ring because I've put it on not quite straight, and the top limit lets it get slightly too far, so it's been brushing the crank. Straightened it last night and it seems ok today. I also took the jockey wheels out a few days ago to give them a good clean, greased everything and put it all back together and now it squeaks ever so slightly. It didn't before, so that's annoying!


----------



## C R (18 Apr 2018)

Emergency fettle this lunchtime to tighten the nut that holds the left crank which decided to loosen itself half way through my commute this morning. Tightened with a socket from work, still tight when I got home. Need to investigate to see why it happened.


----------



## Reynard (19 Apr 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> If you post a picture looking down on the bb/chainring, we will be able to see.



I'll snap one in the morning. Can't say tomorrow as it's already 2am


----------



## Reynard (19 Apr 2018)

Illaveago said:


> A nice cable cutting tool to stop you getting frayed ends when fitting new cables .



I've got a good selections of nips already as I do a lot of craft-type stuff


----------



## Reynard (19 Apr 2018)

raleighnut said:


> 14mm/9/16" socket should just fit, they're both 'normal' threads and then there is a thread on the inside of the recess that the extractor tool screws into, before screwing the tool in check there isn't a washer in there as using the extractor with one in there results in stripping the thread out of the crank DAMHIKT.
> 
> Then it depends which BB type you have and whether that is a serviceable unit or a cartridge (fit new) type, I would expect the former though.



In theory, yes, that should fit. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and the recess is too narrow for the socket.


----------



## C R (19 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> In theory, yes, that should fit. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and the recess is too narrow for the socket.


As @KneesUp said, possibly the crank extractor socket will have a thinner wall and will fit ok. You could just get one to check, they aren't expensive.


----------



## raleighnut (19 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> In theory, yes, that should fit. But the bolts are recessed into the cranks and the recess is too narrow for the socket.


Or the socket is too big for the recess.


----------



## Salty seadog (19 Apr 2018)

I'm in the bath so have guess.

Later however it'll be getting into the front hub of the knock about mtb.


----------



## GuyBoden (19 Apr 2018)

With the Summer weather, I'll be riding the Summer bike.

So, I cleaned and checked the bike for any problems.

Greased the BB, steering, and wheel's loose bearings.

Checked the tyres, inner tubes and valves.

Checked the wheels for tru, straightened them a touch.

Cleaned the wheel rims and checked the brakes.

Changed the friction shifters (again), added a new gear cable.

Changed the Crank to a 48-38-28 Triple.

New cassette to 12- 28

New Chain.

Oiled and ready to go.

It rides very well.


----------



## raleighnut (19 Apr 2018)

I finally got round to fitting the matching rear tyre to the rear of the Equipe. I'd had it in the shed for 4yrs but having really struggled to get the front on I had left the old 28mm Schwalbe 'Delta Cruiser' on the rear.

The front had developed a slow puncture so I set to getting it off and it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be (it seemed to have 'loosened up' with a bit of mileage on it) and went back on OK so right I thought I'll fit the rear and again a bit of a struggle but plenty of talc and it's on. I have however found a tyre more difficult to fit than a Marathon, they're Continental Super Sport Plus with the 'anti puncture belt' in 700c x 25mm although TBF it could be the rims which don't seem to have much of a 'well' in them.


----------



## Reynard (19 Apr 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> If you post a picture looking down on the bb/chainring, we will be able to see.



OK, right... Here goes.

Top view






Drive side





Non-drive side





As you can see, the bike's a real beat-up old clunker - which makes it perfect for practicing on. Also need to work out why the rear wheel wobbles like a blancmange...


----------



## C R (19 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> OK, right... Here goes.
> 
> Top view
> View attachment 405080
> ...


The bottom bracket is a cup and cone square taper. Should be fairly easy to service. 

As to the wheel wobble, does the wheel rattle in the axle, which would be straightforward to adjust, or is it just moving side to side with respect to the chainstays but is not rattling the axle?


----------



## Reynard (20 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> The bottom bracket is a cup and cone square taper. Should be fairly easy to service.
> 
> As to the wheel wobble, does the wheel rattle in the axle, which would be straightforward to adjust, or is it just moving side to side with respect to the chainstays but is not rattling the axle?



Cheers.  That's one headache less. And now I know what tools to get for that as well.

Axle is properly seated in the dropouts and the bolts fastened nice and tight, but the wheel's got a generous half inch of play from side to side.


----------



## C R (20 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Cheers.  That's one headache less. And now I know what tools to get for that as well.
> 
> Axle is properly seated in the dropouts and the bolts fastened nice and tight, but the wheel's got a generous half inch of play from side to side.


That should be easy to fix too, sounds like the cones are loose. Check youtube on how to service cup and cone bearings for a bicycle wheel, only special tool you will need for this is a cone spanner.

One thing just to be sure, half an inch of play is a lot, can you rattle the wheel in the axle by that much?


----------



## Reynard (20 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> That should be easy to fix too, sounds like the cones are loose. Check youtube on how to service cup and cone bearings for a bicycle wheel, only special tool you will need for this is a thin spanner called a cone spanner.



Thanks  Think this bike is going to give me a thorough education in fettling.


----------



## ADarkDraconis (20 Apr 2018)

Chain and gears cleaned and lubed in preparation for my first ever group ride tomorrow (a night ride they do monthly at the LBS, this is the first one of the year!) I had been meaning to get around to it for a couple of days so now she is quiet again and running like, well, like a well oiled machine! Wish me luck!

Also on the getting rid of an annoying noise topic, I (under the advice of my brother) hit my bell with a socket wrench this evening. Well... he may have told me to use a hammer, but I couldn't find the hammer and the wrench worked fine . My bell was making an irritating jingle every time I rode over anything even remotely unsmooth (I ride quite a bit on a dirt & gravel trail for my commute and that noise is my least favorite thing about my ride) and it had done that since I got the bike in December. I just thought that type of bell was a loose cap type and particularly annoying, turns out it just needed a whack or two on the pin to get it nice and settled! I was on the verge of taking it off because i didn't want to drive everyone crazy on the towpath tomorrow.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (20 Apr 2018)

After fitting a new chain, onto the CGR, a couple of weeks ago, I lubricated it yesterday afternoon, when I got back from a ride on the Gran Fondo
Even though I had cleaned the chainrings/cassette/derailleurs, when I fitted the chain, I hadn't actually got in behind the spider - even with the petrol running there


So, even though I'm almost embarrassed to show it, out came the cotton-buds, & then removal of the rings, for easier access/inspection
There was some compressed chain-grease/muck behind each arm, so 'job done'


----------



## Reynard (20 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> One thing just to be sure, half an inch of play is a lot, can you rattle the wheel in the axle by that much?



Yep. 

Suspect something is broken rather than just simply needing tightening up. Might also explain the issues with the rear caliper, but then that could also just have been simple wear-and-tear.


----------



## C R (20 Apr 2018)

Reynard said:


> Yep.
> 
> Suspect something is broken rather than just simply needing tightening up. Might also explain the issues with the rear caliper, but then that could also just have been simple wear-and-tear.


A broken axle maybe? Replacing the axle is just slightly more difficult than servicing the bearings, and axles are cheap.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (20 Apr 2018)

Rear brake, average speed seems about 0.5mph slower now.


----------



## Reynard (20 Apr 2018)

C R said:


> A broken axle maybe? Replacing the axle is just slightly more difficult than servicing the bearings, and axles are cheap.



Guess we'll see what the problem is when I take the wheel off to have a look. I do need to acquire the correct tools first though.


----------



## ADarkDraconis (21 Apr 2018)

Since I had to raise the seat slightly with the new saddle changeover, I had to raise the handlebars as well. Did that this evening after my ride and am pleased at how she feels now. Also super pleased with the new saddle, longest ride on it yet tonight and no sore booty!

I did not fettle, but a buddy did this one. This evening my bike started shifting by itself randomly. She would always shift smoothly when I changed gears, but would also take it upon herself to shift for me, haha! That was definitely a first, and is apparently known as 'ghost shifting'! This went on for the entire second half of the ride until we got back to the LBS (which had been our starting point.) Buddy tightened up the barrel at the shifter and showed me how to adjust it if this happens again in the future, and all is well.


----------



## raleighnut (21 Apr 2018)

ADarkDraconis said:


> Since I had to raise the seat slightly with the new saddle changeover, I had to raise the handlebars as well. Did that this evening after my ride and am pleased at how she feels now. Also super pleased with the new saddle, longest ride on it yet tonight and no sore booty!
> 
> I did not fettle, but a buddy did this one. This evening my bike started shifting by itself randomly. She would always shift smoothly when I changed gears, but would also take it upon herself to shift for me, haha! That was definitely a first, and is apparently known as 'ghost shifting'! This went on for the entire second half of the ride until we got back to the LBS (which had been our starting point.) Buddy tightened up the barrel at the shifter and showed me how to adjust it if this happens again in the future, and all is well.


Might need a drop or 2 of oil on the cables at their entrance/exit points of the outers, it can't hurt em.


----------



## Leaway2 (21 Apr 2018)

I have had trouble shifting the last few days, so I replaced the cable. Good job I did 





Noticed some play in the rear wheel so cleaned re-greased and adjusted the bearings.


----------



## the stupid one (21 Apr 2018)

After yesterday’s metric 50 I felt better than the bike did, which was a nice surprise. So today I gave the bike a good soap down then:
Adjusted the rear brake;
Tweaked the spokes of the rear wheel to reduce a little lateral wobble;
Tightened up the fork/headtube/stem arrangement - the quill stem sank yesterday in an entertaining way, and there was some play in the set-up;
Raised the seat 5 mm;
Fiddled with the mudguards;
Lubed the chain etc.


----------



## GuyBoden (22 Apr 2018)

Changed the old winter tourer to a 26-36-46 MTB chain ring, that should help the old legs when going up-hill or into the wind.


----------



## Vantage (22 Apr 2018)

Did a bit of mountain biking on Friday and bollixed the front mudguard....the plate where it bolts to the fork bridge cracked the plastic and caused it to rattle....I don't like rattles.
Soooooo, I made a new front mudguard. I say made as I use rear mudguards and trim them to fit.....more coverage you see. Stays polished and straightened prior to refettling and about an hour of head scratching and cursing to get the thing aligned. 
Front mech stop screws were adjusted as there was minor rubbing on the cage when using the 11t and 34t sprockets and the downshift from the 46 to 36 rings required a crapload of force on the STI to release it. Too much tension in the cable.
Now I just need to locate that bloomin annoying squeak that's popped up lately. I'm thinking headset rubber wedge thingy needs greasing.


----------



## cosmicbike (22 Apr 2018)

The front shifter on my commuter cracked loudly a couple of weeks back, and stopped working. Stripped it down yesterday and found a little washer in there loose. I think it fell off the brake reach adjuster as the circlip was missing too. That must have jammed the mechanism, it is all rather tight in SRAM Apex brifters.
New cables for brakes and front/rear gears, can't complain as the originals have been on 9400 miles. New bar tape this morning too.


----------



## Heigue'r (22 Apr 2018)

Had a failure 4 miles into a loop...changed wheel once home and new tube.Have ended up with a 10 speed wheel for the time being..the zonda rear has lasted 3200 miles,not great.


----------



## Jenkins (22 Apr 2018)

Heigue'r said:


> Had a failure 4 miles into a loop...changed wheel once home and new tube.Have ended up with a 10 speed wheel for the time being..the zonda rear has lasted 3200 miles,not great.
> View attachment 405464


Is that the rim having puled away from the rest of the wheel?


----------



## Heigue'r (22 Apr 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Is that the rim having puled away from the rest of the wheel?


The brake track was fairly well worn,yes with a mighty bang


----------



## Vantage (22 Apr 2018)

Heigue'r said:


> Had a failure 4 miles into a loop...changed wheel once home and new tube.Have ended up with a 10 speed wheel for the time being..the zonda rear has lasted 3200 miles,not great.
> View attachment 405464


----------



## Illaveago (22 Apr 2018)

I thought I would try out my new blue candy paint on a chromed steel bar . I degreased the bar and sprayed a couple of coats of aerosol etch primer on it. Once dry I sprayed a couple of coats of base silver. I mixed up some blue candy in my spray gun and sprayed a couple of coats on . The different colours on the bar are due to the number of coats applied. You can decide what shade by more or less coats. Once dry I sprayed 2 heavy coats of acrylic air dry






lacquer on .
Once the paint was dry and it was free of solvent smell I cooked it in the oven at 100 C. Once the oven was up to temperature I switched it off and allowed it to cool down.
The paint film was still a little bit soft so today I cooked it again but at 180 C in the same way . I have tested the paint finish and it is a lot harder and will not mark with my thumbnail. It will scratch with a screwdriver blade but so will most paint finishes. As the test piece is chromed steel which hasn't been rubbed down it will scratch down to the chrome .
The two pictures show the before and after cooking . The colour hasn't been affected and the finish is a lot harder than it would be if left to air dry.


----------



## raleighnut (23 Apr 2018)

Heigue'r said:


> Had a failure 4 miles into a loop...changed wheel once home and new tube.Have ended up with a 10 speed wheel for the time being..the zonda rear has lasted 3200 miles,not great.
> View attachment 405464


----------



## DCLane (23 Apr 2018)

My Eastway winter bike's back out of temporary non-use due to the sun last week. However a gear cable snapped (2nd of a batch of 5 to go within a ride) and work was needed anyway. So:

- New rear gear cable
- New Claris rear derailleur, which it needed as the existing one was rusty
- New chain

And all good as new.


----------



## JhnBssll (23 Apr 2018)

I shortened the steered on my Roubaix this evening and dropped the stem down another 10mm. I'll see how it feels over the next few rides and decide whether or not it needs moving again 

Before:






After:






And new cheapo carbon headset cap:






I've got the week off work (ish) so should get some more tinkering done over the next few days - I've got an annoying creak on the charge commuter to investigate and a replacement XTR freehub body and cassette to put on the Kona


----------



## Illaveago (23 Apr 2018)

I did some flatting and polishing on my Raleigh Criterium today and whilst I was doing that I noticed a hole in my rear






tyre.


----------



## Jenkins (24 Apr 2018)

Changed the rear brake pads on the main commuter bike this morning - another week and it's posible that the pad holder would have been scraping the rim!


----------



## bpsmith (24 Apr 2018)

Built up an Emonda SLR 8 Race Shop Limited for someone. What a beautiful looking bike in Viper Red with the gloss DA groupset. Weighs very little but still feels strong. Very impressive.


----------



## Vantage (24 Apr 2018)

Took the headset apart yesterday morning. Greased the rubber wedgie thingy but at least my balls were still creamy 
No squeakiness on the bike yesterday.....but the mudflap was scraping along the surface...all 15 miles of the ride. Irritating. Trimming it now.


----------



## si_c (24 Apr 2018)

New chain and cassette, I'd let the old chain wear too much, it went from less than .75 to more than 1.0 in a week in Feb when the roads were heavily gritted. So I just decided to let it wear into the ground with the cassette. New 12-25 on for commuting, should last a bit longer now the good weather is here.

Some play in the RD barrel adjuster so that may need replacing too - the derailleur that is.


----------



## derrick (24 Apr 2018)

I fettled this yesterday


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Apr 2018)

Today's fettle was planned to be a quick one; whip the back wheel off the Kona and swap the cassette and free hub body for these shiny XTR bits.





Before I started stripping anything down I test fit the cassette on to the freehub body and encountered the first problem - I was missing a spacer. The cassette wouldn't tighten even with the lock ring fully tight, there was a clear gap visible...






Annoying but not a problem a trip to the LBS later this afternoon wouldn't fix so onward and upwards... I whipped the old cassette off (along with the skin from 3 knuckles) and immediately encountered problem two - the previous owner of these wheels clearly hadn't adjusted his limit screws correctly 






The worst of the spokes was less than half of its original diameter where it had been mangled by the chain. All 8 outer drive side spokes needed replacing 

LBS sorted me out with spacer and spokes so I whipped the old ones out and replaced them one at a time and test fit the spacer...










Unfortunately here I hit problem 3 - my cone spanners are knackered  So I've ordered some park tools ones on Amazon which will arrive tomorrow and allow me to finish this quick simple job


----------



## Reynard (24 Apr 2018)

A "like" for the fettle, rather than for the rather classical application of Murphy's Law.


----------



## GuyBoden (25 Apr 2018)

Swapping everything over from one bike to a bigger frame. Waiting for my new brakes to be delivered to complete the task. Raining outside.


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Apr 2018)

Continued my fettling today - did it get finished? Did it  

So anyway, the cone spanners arrived this morning so I whipped the axle out. The bearings were running quite smoothly but I had a quick look at them anyway. I quickly wished I hadn't  non-drive side is all ok but drive side cup and cone are knackered, the cones are pitted 







Fortunately I was replacing the freehub anyway so just needed to source a drive side cone for a hub made 25 years ago... Eventually found a pair of cones and some loose ball bearings for the m900 XTR hub on eBay but paid more than I wanted to for them - still, if it means the hub runs for another 25 years it'll be worth it  I still think the m900 XTR hubs are amongst the nicest and most robust about and it would be a shame to put them out of service  I did manage to get the new freehub fitted and then cleaned the hub a bit so now I'm waiting again


----------



## Vantage (25 Apr 2018)

I really struggled riding home from today's group outing...using the 24-34 granny gear just to get up a 5% hill.
Weighed the bike when I got home......50lbs. The Fat lump!
Decided to strip the bike of everything that wasn't essential...rack, cameras, horn, computer etc. I stopped short of shaving the cables to save hundredths of grams. I've got her down to 36.8lbs. Not bad given she was 31lbs off the shelf. And I'll save another pound and a bit when the Voyagers go back on...the landcruisers are on atm. Pendle, tools and dyno setup are still there so I'm ok with that.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Apr 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I put a new chain on the CGR, this morning
> Also taking the opportunity to use petrol to scrub (with old toothbrush) the chain-rings & derailleurs
> I've also bought new disc-pads, but the present incumbents will be okay for another couple of months, all being well
> 
> ...



I might have to install the new pads sooner, rather than later
They're wearing unevenly, with a ridge at the mounting pin end, as they've not been in full contact with the disc
Thus, there's an annoying noise under braking, as they (rapidly) clip the edge of the disc, due to the _wavy-ness
_



September, last year


----------



## GuyBoden (27 Apr 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I still think the m900 XTR hubs are amongst the nicest and most robust about and it would be a shame to put them out of service  I did manage to get the new freehub fitted and then cleaned the hub a bit so now I'm waiting again
> 
> View attachment 405971








Uniglide to Hyperglide compatible transition hub. I've had those too......

A whole new hyperglide hub body swaps easily, with a 10mm allen key.


----------



## C R (27 Apr 2018)

I was quite worried about how hard it was going to be to remove the fixed bottom bracket cup, and I needn't. I put the bolt with a stack of washers either side, and tightened the nut with an adjustable in on the outside and a socket on the inside. Once tight I thought I would give it a good push with the adjustable to make sure that the whole thing wouldn't slip, and the cup just turned, no need for long wrench or freeze spray.

Old bb out and new one in, all done in half an hour! Why was I fretting?


----------



## graham bowers (27 Apr 2018)

Fitted Tektro 926 AL mini V brakes to the Hewitt instead of the Tektro 720 Cantis. Tremendous improvement in braking.


----------



## JhnBssll (29 Apr 2018)

A good bit of fettling today  I stripped the BB area of the commuter down and rid myself of the irritating creak  I don't know what it was, I just hit everything I could think of at once by stripping the chainset down completely, cleaning and regreasing then reassembling everything. It was probably just a pedal but I replaced the chain too and like to give everything a good clean when new drivetrain bits are going on 

The Kona rear wheel is still in bits but I have fitted the new ball bearings, seals and cassette, just waiting for the new cones to drop through the letterbox then I can whip the axle back in


----------



## Illaveago (29 Apr 2018)

I have been working on making a second aluminium mudguard and trying to make it match the first one .


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Apr 2018)

My new cones arrived today  I didnt waste any time swapping them over and popping the axle back in 
















Once in I discovered the new larger big ring meant the chain was now too short. Fortunately I'd stashed the few links I'd removed in my come-in-handy cupboard so popped an extra one in, readjusted the mech stops and re-indexed the gears  Job done, finally!

While in the garage I popped my new Hope bar end plugs into the Roubaix bars and fitted the barfly mount to the Stumpjumper ready for an off-road play with the Karoo GPS when time allows


----------



## Reynard (30 Apr 2018)

Ooooooh, successful fettling. Nice one.


----------



## Salty seadog (1 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> My new cones arrived today  I didnt waste any time swapping them over and popping the axle back in
> 
> View attachment 406807
> 
> ...



Nice use of the tape.


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

Got the rear wheel off the MTB. It needed a bit of gentle taps with an irish spanner to get it out of the dropouts.

Turns out the play in the wheel was caused by things simply working themselves loose. Actually, quite a lot loose.  Tightened everything up and no more wobble.  Will equip myself with some cone spanners tomorrow and take things apart properly, clean and regrease etc.


----------



## C R (1 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Got the rear wheel off the MTB. It needed a bit of gentle taps with an irish spanner to get it out of the dropouts.
> 
> Turns out the play in the wheel was caused by things simply working themselves loose. Actually, quite a lot loose.  Tightened everything up and no more wobble.  Will equip myself with some cone spanners tomorrow and take things apart properly, clean and regrease etc.



Nice, bike maintenance and repairs are fairly easy for the most part, once you know what you need to do.


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

C R said:


> Nice, bike maintenance and repairs are fairly easy for the most part, once you know what you need to do.



And learning how everything fits together.  Books are useful, but nothing beats getting hands on and seeing the bits laid out in front of you.

P.S. I'm not inept mechanically, just a novice at bikes.  And I really appreciate the help and support xxx


----------



## the_craig (1 May 2018)

Finally got round to fitting my Ultegra 6800 brake calipers today (Thanks once again @RegG)

Was hoping to swap over my dead Tektro calipers without having to change cables but had to bite the bullet. So a wee trip to the LBS for some jagwire inners and outers. And since I was doing the brakes, may as well do the gear cables. So I’ve now got a new rear wheel upgraded to a freehub with a new 7 speed cassette, new chain, new cables and fresh bartape.

I’m looking forward to getting out to play again.


----------



## C R (1 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> And learning how everything fits together.  Books are useful, but nothing beats getting hands on and seeing the bits laid out in front of you.
> 
> P.S. I'm not inept mechanically, just a novice at bikes.  And I really appreciate the help and support xxx


This in spades, doing is the best way of learning, at least for me. Nowadays youtube helps a lot too, as you can actually see what is going on, rather than trying to imagine what someone has described in writing.


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

Although a good exploded diagram a la Haynes Manual works well for me too


----------



## Elysian_Roads (1 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Although a good exploded diagram a la Haynes Manual works well for me too


Never did get too carried away but it was great to be able to do small jobs on the car, with a basic tool kit and the trusty Haynes manual. Pleasantly surprised to find they still do them for real vehicles. Didn't need one for the Death Star as it came with a maintenance package.......


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Never did get too carried away but it was great to be able to do small jobs on the car, with a basic tool kit and the trusty Haynes manual. Pleasantly surprised to find they still do them for real vehicles. Didn't need one for the Death Star as it came with a maintenance package.......



I used to collect the Haynes manuals, back in the day where they were like 10p on boot sales and I was a skint undergrad...  Originally started buying them for the uni motor club after our garage got broken into and the ones we had got nicked along with a load of other stuff. But TPTB at the club didn't want them. And so now I have a whole load. You don't see them so often now, and most cars now want a computer plugging into them to find out what the problem is. 

P.S. I also have the Starship Enterprise one


----------



## Elysian_Roads (1 May 2018)

P.S. I also have the Starship Enterprise one 

Is that "the project in the loft?????"


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> P.S. I also have the Starship Enterprise one
> 
> Is that "the project in the loft?????"



I wish  No, this is:







I rescued it when I was 13 (didn't sell at a jumble sale and was heading for the skip), rode it for a couple of years until it got too small, and it's been sitting on the loft ever since as I hadn't had the heart to move it on. It's a Hercules, about 1960-ish I think...


----------



## Elysian_Roads (1 May 2018)

That's a nice project. A fair bit of chrome on it. Bulk buying Autosol?


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2018)

Thanks. Yeah, probably.

And I'll need to figure out how to remove the horrible DIY paint job without damaging the original paint job underneath. Though of course, I'm saying that without knowing whether the original paint is redeemable or not. Mechanically it's sound, if rather dirty, though I've got rod brakes and cottered cranks to learn about.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (1 May 2018)

Ah, the DIY paint job. I plead guilty to executing one of those when younger..... . However, I never had to undo my handiwork, so can't tell you how painful the restoration might be.


----------



## Reynard (2 May 2018)

The DIY paint job is flaking off in places, so I'm just hoping I can just scrape it away carefully and see what's underneath. If the original paintwork looks ok for the most part (there are places where the paint's been scuffed back to bare metal) then I might just give it a few coats of lacquer to preserve it. Apparently there should be some rather nice decals on the seat tube.

If it doesn't look good, then yeah, guess it's a take it back to bare metal, then prime and respray. I've no hope in hell of replicating the original two-tone finish, so will probably pick a sympathetic shade if that's the case. They made this particular model (Ranger) over a number of years, and prior to the fancier paint jobs, it came in either burgundy, dark green or navy blue.


----------



## raleighnut (2 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> I wish  No, this is:
> 
> View attachment 406917
> 
> ...


Nice


----------



## Reynard (2 May 2018)

Cone spanners come in different sizes. Ooops.  Should've made a note of what size I needed. 

Good giggle about it with the chap in the LBS though.


----------



## C R (2 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Cone spanners come in different sizes. Ooops.  Should've made a note of what size I needed.
> 
> Good giggle about it with the chap in the LBS though.


The ones I have cover four sizes, 13/14/15/17 I think, cheapo ones from amazon, but do the job:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclo-CYC3...&qid=1525276292&sr=8-1&keywords=cone+spanners


----------



## Reynard (2 May 2018)

C R said:


> The ones I have cover four sizes, 13/14/15/17 I think, cheapo ones from amazon, but do the job:
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclo-CYC3...&qid=1525276292&sr=8-1&keywords=cone+spanners



Oh, thanks for that


----------



## Elysian_Roads (2 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Cone spanners come in different sizes. Ooops.  Should've made a note of what size I needed.
> 
> Good giggle about it with the chap in the LBS though.


Funnily enough, @Salty seadog, just had a set delivered as well. There you go, choices 


Salty seadog said:


> X-tools cone spanner set and a couple of tubes. Well they arrived today.


----------



## bpsmith (2 May 2018)

A bottle of acetone for 89p.

20 mins later and all stem and bars s look proper stealthy to match the plain new bike.

Why do companies sell kit branded like this:







When the it could look so much cooler like this:






Stem bolts are old temporary ones btw. The actual bolts are new.


----------



## raleighnut (2 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> A bottle of acetone for 89p.
> 
> 20 mins later and all stem and bars s look proper stealthy to match the plain new bike.
> 
> ...


It's still a shame that handlebars aren't held on with these though


----------



## Elysian_Roads (2 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> It's still a shame that handlebars aren't held on with these though
> 
> 
> View attachment 407062


Looking at the picture makes me think that stem and a short straight bar would be a good basis for a great desk light......


----------



## raleighnut (2 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Looking at the picture makes me think that stem and a short straight bar would be a good basis for a great desk light......


----------



## Elysian_Roads (2 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


>


Oops, didn't mean to offend . 
Just thought it would be nicer to look at a repurposed stem than the usual a*gos desk light....


----------



## Reynard (2 May 2018)

I can see both sides of the argument - it's a pretty thing on or off the bike


----------



## Vantage (2 May 2018)

Spent a couple hours sanding and polishing my handlebar today. Didn't have much energy really so I've only done a half arsed job of it with some sanding marks still there. I'll have another session soon to finish it properly.


----------



## bpsmith (3 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> It's still a shame that handlebars aren't held on with these though
> 
> 
> View attachment 407062


Lovely looking kit, but would be a touch out of place on my stealthy matte black bike.


----------



## biggs682 (3 May 2018)

I replaced both gear cables on my R.E.W Reynolds again and now have 10 functional gears to choose from .


----------



## Salty seadog (3 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Funnily enough, @Salty seadog, just had a set delivered as well. There you go, choices



Saved me a job.


----------



## raleighnut (3 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Lovely looking kit, but would be a touch out of place on my stealthy matte black bike.


sorry but I'm gonna have to nick one of @vickster 's quotes here,


----------



## vickster (3 May 2018)

I don't get the point of a stealthy black bike. Are you an invisible rider or only ever dress in black including full face balaclava, gloves, black helmet, go out in the dead of night in an unlit area with no lights?

Surely, under normal circumstances, a driver, ped, bystander will see the rider long before the bike so any element of stealth is long gone  in the case of drivers that should be a good thing!


----------



## raleighnut (3 May 2018)

I will admit to owning one black bike.................................................but it is a shiny metallic black that is all sparkly in the sunshine (if we ever get any sunshine)


----------



## bpsmith (3 May 2018)

vickster said:


> I don't get the point of a stealthy black bike. Are you an invisible rider or only ever dress in black including full face balaclava, gloves, black helmet, go out in the dead of night in an unlit area with no lights?
> 
> Surely, under normal circumstances, a driver, ped, bystander will see the rider long before the bike so any element of stealth is long gone  in the case of drivers that should be a good thing!


It’s Stealth Black, as in paintwork and logo’s, rather than stealth as in not seen!

You could have Stealth White, or any other colour, it’s not specifically black.

Bike has Gumwall tyres and I will be wearing Fluro and White helmet, along with Fluro shoes, so there’s no chance of not seeing me. 

With regards to the style of the bike, it’s all about dialling down the logo’s and having subtle branding. It’s all about being a little different, which I know that you understand.

My other bike is bright enough, with plenty going on paint wise, so why would I want another the same?


----------



## bpsmith (3 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> I will admit to owning one black bike.................................................but it is a shiny metallic black that is all sparkly in the sunshine (if we ever get any sunshine)


Sparkly!?!


----------



## Reynard (3 May 2018)

Hey, what's wrong with sparkly? 

My bike is mostly red.  

So's the old MTB I'm fettling, and my attic project. There seems to be something of a pattern here...


----------



## raleighnut (3 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Sparkly!?!


*Metallic Black*


----------



## bpsmith (3 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> *Metallic Black*


I am picturing some bike with metal flake flecks in the paint. Tassels too.


----------



## raleighnut (3 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> I am picturing some bike with metal flake flecks in the paint. Tassels too.










Distinct lack of tassels.


----------



## Illaveago (3 May 2018)

I went out and bought a new tyre to replace the perished ( patina ) one on my Criterium. Once I had removed the old tyre I had a go at knocking some of the dents in the rim out . Once they were in shape I went over the repaired areas with a file to remove any burs . I gave some of the spokes a final tweak just to true it up after I had fitted the tyre and fitted the wheel back on the bike .


----------



## jayonabike (3 May 2018)

Indexed the gears on the Ritte after yesterday’s ride where I wasn’t happy with the gear changing. It’s still not 100% but rideable, almost time for new chain and cassette. The chain is between 50 + 75% and it’ll be the 3rd chain so time for a new cassette as well. I want to change the front from a compact to a double so will do the lot at the same time

Dusted off the cervelo after winter storage. Dropped the forks out, cleaned and re greased the headset, re lubed the drivetrain, seat tube out and more carbon grip applied. Re-torqued everything and indexed the gears. 
A quick spin around the block and it’s running sweet.


----------



## Reynard (3 May 2018)

Need to do a bit of reading up before I tackle the back wheel of the MTB, but took the front wheel off and serviced the hub.

Not exactly plain sailing. One of the lock nuts is stuck, and so I can't get one cone off the axle. Got the other one off though, so pulled the axle through, cleaned both sets of bearings (oh man, they were dirty), re-greased them, cleaned everything else and reassembled the whole shebang. And now I can see why the bearings were so full of crud - the cone flanges are warped and don't sit flush against the wheel.

Question is, do I get replacements or do I simply do a botch job, either by bending the flanges back into place or adding a thin washer? The bearings are held in a cage rather than being loose inside.


----------



## raleighnut (3 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Need to do a bit of reading up before I tackle the back wheel of the MTB, but took the front wheel off and serviced the hub.
> 
> Not exactly plain sailing. One of the lock nuts is stuck, and so I can't get one cone off the axle. Got the other one off though, so pulled the axle through, cleaned both sets of bearings (oh man, they were dirty), re-greased them, cleaned everything else and reassembled the whole shebang. And now I can see why the bearings were so full of crud - the cone flanges are warped and don't sit flush against the wheel.
> 
> Question is, do I get replacements or do I simply do a botch job, either by bending the flanges back into place or adding a thin washer? The bearings are held in a cage rather than being loose inside.


Just use plenty of grease in there, I would.


EDIT, you only need to take one cone off and slide the axle out, some old Raleigh wheels one cone is fixed anyway (RSW 20 I think is one of em)


----------



## C R (3 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Need to do a bit of reading up before I tackle the back wheel of the MTB, but took the front wheel off and serviced the hub.
> 
> Not exactly plain sailing. One of the lock nuts is stuck, and so I can't get one cone off the axle. Got the other one off though, so pulled the axle through, cleaned both sets of bearings (oh man, they were dirty), re-greased them, cleaned everything else and reassembled the whole shebang. And now I can see why the bearings were so full of crud - the cone flanges are warped and don't sit flush against the wheel.
> 
> Question is, do I get replacements or do I simply do a botch job, either by bending the flanges back into place or adding a thin washer? The bearings are held in a cage rather than being loose inside.


In my experience replacing the cones is a tricky thing, the cones need to be exactly the same as the ones you are taking out, otherwise they may not fit the same, which leads to the wheel either not fitting back (because the distance from locknut to locknut has increased) or being loose (because the distance from locknut to locknut has decreased). Getting the correct cones can be a tricky business, so unless the cones are definitely damaged, it is probably best to flatten the flanges and carry on as you are.


----------



## Reynard (3 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Just use plenty of grease in there, I would.
> 
> 
> EDIT, you only need to take one cone off and slide the axle out, some old Raleigh wheels one cone is fixed anyway (RSW 20 I think is one of em)



Now that you say so, makes me wonder if that's the case. That the cone is fixed, I mean. But if that's the case, why the locknut? Unless it's to keep everything symmetrical...


----------



## Reynard (3 May 2018)

C R said:


> In my experience replacing the cones is a tricky thing, the cones need to be exactly the same as the ones you are taking out, otherwise they may not fit the same, which leads to the wheel either not fitting back (because the distance from locknut to locknut has increased) or being loose (because the distance from locknut to locknut has decreased). Getting the correct cones can be a tricky business, so unless the cones are definitely damaged, it is probably best to flatten the flanges and carry on as you are.



That's probably what I'm going to do.

If I really tighten the locknuts, I get a good seal, but then the bearings don't run particularly free and vice versa. So guess it's trying to find the best compromise between tightening everything up and getting a nice smooth rotation on the axle.


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> That's probably what I'm going to do.
> 
> If I really tighten the locknuts, I get a good seal, but then the bearings don't run particularly free and vice versa. So guess it's trying to find the best compromise between tightening everything up and getting a nice smooth rotation on the axle.


That's the 'black art' of cone adjustment, getting that balance.


----------



## graham bowers (4 May 2018)

Annoyingly, I failed to fettle the indexing on my road bike - been putting it off for a while as I've failed before. A straight edge revealed the RD is not aligned with the cassette, no idea how that happened. Park DAG 2.2 fettling tool on the way.


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

graham bowers said:


> Annoyingly, I failed to fettle the indexing on my road bike - been putting it off for a while as I've failed before. A straight edge revealed the RD is not aligned with the cassette, no idea how that happened. Park DAG 2.2 fettling tool on the way.


 @screenman and I salute you sir.


----------



## bpsmith (4 May 2018)

I am with you on the hanger tool too. Best unitasker that I have bought. Definitely worth its weight in my mind. It often answers the problem of why you can’t get indexing working quite right.


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> I am with you on the hanger tool too. Best unitasker that I have bought. Definitely worth its weight in my mind. It often answers the problem of why you can’t get indexing working quite right.


Quick to do as well, no need to break the chain even (well I don't) just unbolt the mech, move it forwards out of the way and screw the tool in.


----------



## bpsmith (4 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Quick to do as well, no need to break the chain even (well I don't) just unbolt the mech, move it forwards out of the way and screw the tool in.


Absolutely. I tend to remove the chain though, as have a quick link installed. They say single use, but I haven’t had any issues in using them multiple times throughout the life of the chain. If I had no link, then would do the same as you.

The key to aligning the hanger is to make lots of small adjustments and not put too much force on any one single adjustment. 

It’s actually quite therapeutic.


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Absolutely. I tend to remove the chain though, as have a quick link installed. They say single use, but I haven’t had any issues in using them multiple times throughout the life of the chain. If I had no link, then would do the same as you.
> 
> The key to aligning the hanger is to make lots of small adjustments and not put too much force on any one single adjustment.
> 
> It’s actually quite therapeutic.


All of my bikes bar one are steel frames so most are integral with the dropout so gently is my preferred method.


----------



## bpsmith (4 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> All of my bikes bar one are steel frames so most are integral with the dropout so gently is my preferred method.


Now that would concentrate the mind somewhat!


----------



## Lavender Rose (4 May 2018)

myself


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> myself


What you been up to girl?


----------



## Lavender Rose (4 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> What you been up to girl?


Wouldn't you like to know.....


----------



## biggs682 (4 May 2018)

Swapped a bar and stem combo on thew Knight this morning and it's now ready for it's next road test


----------



## raleighnut (4 May 2018)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> Wouldn't you like to know.....


Ooooohhhh do tell


----------



## JhnBssll (4 May 2018)

My fettling backfired slightly... I thought I'd get away with just a new chain on the commuter as it had only done 900 miles from new. Unfortunately it seems a couple of the cassette sprockets were worn more than the rest, obviously the ones I use the most, and the chain jumps on them  What is especially annoying is I test rode it round the block after swapping the chain to check for this but I obviously didn't get up to cruising speed and check it in these particular gears or under enough load  Oh well, lesson learned... It's been an interesting 30 miles  

New cassette should be with me this afternoon so I can swap it over the weekend ready for monday morning


----------



## Lavender Rose (5 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Ooooohhhh do tell



It was just inappropriate girl stuff.....but also cleaning my handlebar tape......


----------



## JhnBssll (5 May 2018)

Looks like I've got additional fettling to do - noticed a largish cut in my rear tire. It's not too deep so I bit the bullet and rode on it this morning with no problems but I'll be getting some glue to try and repair it... Never done it before but a quick google seemed to suggest shoe gloo is the stuff to use so I've just ordered some. I'll carry on riding on it until it arrives I guess, if it was on the front I'd probably think differently  What are your thoughts peeps, ok to keep using it until I seal it up again? Should I be using something other than Shoe Gloo? It's a nearly new GP4000 if that makes any difference.


----------



## Salty seadog (5 May 2018)

A day late but I felt it needs reporting. On mtb no. 2 turned the barrel adjuster on the rear shifter about a full turn to increase the tension and quieten down the lower gears.


----------



## Vantage (5 May 2018)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> It was just inappropriate girl stuff....



Did it involve batteries, lube and fingers? Gotta be Di2 if it did.


----------



## DCLane (5 May 2018)

I had a sort out in the shed: some tyres, wheels, cassettes, cranksets and a load of other parts are to be sold as we've decided to upgrade the main bikes. Things are more organised (again!) and re-labelled so I don't lose stuff. Until the next time.

As for fettling: switched tyres on the wheels I want to keep from cheap ones, took cassettes and tyres off the wheels I don't want any more.

Also I've a pile of 'unknown' inner tubes that I've gathered: 'unknown' as in 'will go flat' / 'won't go flat' - so they've all been pumped up and are being left overnight. So far 2/18 are 'will go flat'. Hopefully that'll stop me always getting a new tube from the pile of new boxed ones I have.


----------



## Jenkins (5 May 2018)

Lubed the chain, went for a ride.

I really could do with a day off work and some bad weather as at least three of the bikes need a proper (full) clean & lube while a couple of others could do with a a good mickling of the chains.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (5 May 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Lubed the chain, went for a ride.
> 
> I really could do with a day off work and some bad weather as at least three of the bikes need a proper (full) clean & lube while a couple of others could do with a a good mickling of the chains.


A like for the idea of having a day off work to do some fettling, not for the bad weather!!!!!!


----------



## Jenkins (5 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> A like for the idea of having a day off work to do some fettling, not for the bad weather!!!!!!


Yeh, but if I have a day off and the weather's good, I go out for a ride instead of fettling.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (5 May 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Yeh, but if I have a day off and the weather's good, I go out for a ride instead of fettling.


Know what you mean, but is nicer to get the bikes out of the shed, spread out and fettle in the sun


----------



## Reynard (5 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Know what you mean, but is nicer to get the bikes out of the shed, spread out and fettle in the sun



If I tried that, I'd end up with unwanted furry assistance.  Prefer to fettle in the garage with the door shut. Far less chance of feline mischief.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (6 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> If I tried that, I'd end up with unwanted furry assistance.  Prefer to fettle in the garage with the door shut. Far less chance of feline mischief.


. 
Probably wise. Cats and oil related products are never a happy combination......


----------



## Elysian_Roads (6 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks like I've got additional fettling to do - noticed a largish cut in my rear tire. It's not too deep so I bit the bullet and rode on it this morning with no problems but I'll be getting some glue to try and repair it... Never done it before but a quick google seemed to suggest shoe gloo is the stuff to use so I've just ordered some. I'll carry on riding on it until it arrives I guess, if it was on the front I'd probably think differently  What are your thoughts peeps, ok to keep using it until I seal it up again? Should I be using something other than Shoe Gloo? It's a nearly new GP4000 if that makes any difference.
> 
> View attachment 407537


Will be interested to see what the responses to this would be, as I would probably err on the extremely cautious side and not use it for fear of it being at a greater risk of failure. But then Caution is my middle name....


----------



## Lavender Rose (6 May 2018)

Vantage said:


> Did it involve batteries, lube and fingers? Gotta be Di2 if it did.



Oh yes....didn't need the lube. Gets too messy otherwise


----------



## graham bowers (6 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks like I've got additional fettling to do - noticed a largish cut in my rear tire. It's not too deep so I bit the bullet and rode on it this morning with no problems but I'll be getting some glue to try and repair it... Never done it before but a quick google seemed to suggest shoe gloo is the stuff to use so I've just ordered some. I'll carry on riding on it until it arrives I guess, if it was on the front I'd probably think differently  What are your thoughts peeps, ok to keep using it until I seal it up again? Should I be using something other than Shoe Gloo? It's a nearly new GP4000 if that makes any difference.
> View attachment 407537


What is moot is how deep is too deep. If the cut has damaged the casing of the tyre, I'd replace at the very first opportunity. If its not cut right through I'd put a boot in and continue to ride temporarily until I got a replacement, but monitor.

I had a smaller cut than yours on an almost new Conti gatorskin hardshell, 6mm in length as I recall. It was intalled on the rear wheel. Initially, the cut could not be seen on the inside of the tyre, so I monitored it form the outside to see if it grew, which it didn't. I checked it again from the inside and the cut was right through so there must have been casing damage that progressed. I replaced it straight away. I did lot of reading on the internet and found the whole spectrum from people who replace immediately to those who made an internal repair and rode it until it wore out.


----------



## graham bowers (6 May 2018)

Speccy Bar Phat tape on the bars of the Hewitt.


----------



## Levo-Lon (6 May 2018)

re- packed the boardman road pedals with grease.
the ride on Tuesday evening was so annoying,click click click for 30 miles.
there lovely and quiet again  bliss,all i want to hear on a ride is the chain and the tyres on my bike.


----------



## Vantage (6 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks like I've got additional fettling to do - noticed a largish cut in my rear tire. It's not too deep so I bit the bullet and rode on it this morning with no problems but I'll be getting some glue to try and repair it... Never done it before but a quick google seemed to suggest shoe gloo is the stuff to use so I've just ordered some. I'll carry on riding on it until it arrives I guess, if it was on the front I'd probably think differently  What are your thoughts peeps, ok to keep using it until I seal it up again? Should I be using something other than Shoe Gloo? It's a nearly new GP4000 if that makes any difference.
> 
> View attachment 407537



Check the casing. If it hasn't severed into that I'd say it'll be fine. 
I packed shoegoo into a 12mm cut on a Vittoria Randonneur that I rode for a couple thousand miles afterwards without incident. The differences there being the Randonneur was a seriously tough tyre and the cut was lengthwise on it...yours is across it on I believe a lightweight tyre. 
See what happens I guess. It's on the rear so at worst you'll have one hell of a corner drifting session if it blows


----------



## raleighnut (6 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> If I tried that, I'd end up with unwanted furry assistance.  Prefer to fettle in the garage with the door shut. Far less chance of feline mischief.


Yep Kizzy always 'helps' whenever I do anything.


----------



## JhnBssll (6 May 2018)

Vantage said:


> Check the casing. If it hasn't severed into that I'd say it'll be fine.
> I packed shoegoo into a 12mm cut on a Vittoria Randonneur that I rode for a couple thousand miles afterwards without incident. The differences there being the Randonneur was a seriously tough tyre and the cut was lengthwise on it...yours is across it on I believe a lightweight tyre.
> See what happens I guess. It's on the rear so at worst you'll have one hell of a corner drifting session if it blows



 I could do without the drifting session to be honest, I'm not sure my rims would appreciate it 

The Shoe Goo should arrive mid week but I've just ordered a new tire as well... I'll probably keep riding it until the glue arrives then whip it off and inspect it. If it's worth repairing I'll fix it and put it back on, keeping the new tire as a spare. If I can see any damage to the carcass I'll bin it and use the new one


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (6 May 2018)

Rear brake lever change, wheel swap & gear mech tweak on Pioneer Trail. Rear brake lever was damaged & both wheels had buckles when bike was acquired from a charity, and although I've got the worst of the buckles out with a spoke key I still wasn't totally happy with the rear one. Then not long ago I picked up a small womens Apollo CX10 for £1 with perfectly true 700c wheels but worn tyres, so I fitted new Delta Cruiser+ to the CX10 wheels and put them on the Pioneer. Only trouble was the freewheel must be positioned differently from the original, as I wasn't getting all the rear gears after the swap, so the High & Low limit screws needed a tweak.. I'd previously lashed up the brake lever, but it wasn't a good permanent fix, so I replaced it with a NOS Shimano bought online & adjusted the shoes nice and close now the wheels aren't at all out of true. Went out for a 5 mile road test and very pleased with both brakes & gears. The more miles I do on the Pioneer, the more I like it. A very nice stable & comfortable bike, which rolls quite a bit faster for the same degree of effort input than my old hack MTB.


----------



## Reynard (6 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Yep Kizzy always 'helps' whenever I do anything.



Here it's Madam Lexi who likes to lend a paw with things. Madam Poppy prefers to supervise from a distance.


----------



## Reynard (6 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> .
> Probably wise. Cats and oil related products are never a happy combination......



Cats and anything mucky is never a good combination


----------



## HLaB (6 May 2018)

On the advice of a bike fit I hack sawed 1cm off the TT extensions. Vision had lacquered over the adjusting clamp to the ski poles so they took a bit of persuading. At least I figured that I could leave the relatively new cables in place through the centre of the poles and just hack saw carefully around it. When the fitter first said it I thought it was a re-cable job


----------



## bpsmith (6 May 2018)

Swissstop Black Prince pads refitted so I can get the FFWD’s out again. New Ultegra 11-25 cassette and DA chain fitted too.


----------



## JhnBssll (7 May 2018)

New cassette fitted on the commuter ready for work on Tuesday 







I've also fitted (And almost immediately broken) 2 extruders to one of my 3D printers - it's being a pain  I would have fitted a 3rd but unfortunately I've now broken all the spares


----------



## Reynard (7 May 2018)

That's a like for the shiny new cassette @JhnBssll and an "oooops" for the rest...


----------



## Illaveago (7 May 2018)

I made another bracket for my mudguard and fitted it this afternoon . I now have a pair !
This is what they look like fitted.


----------



## raleighnut (7 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I made another bracket for my mudguard and fitted it this afternoon . I now have a pair !
> This is what they look like fitted.
> View attachment 408139
> View attachment 408143


I think even @loopybike would be proud of those.


----------



## si_c (7 May 2018)

Removed everything from the bike. New bar tape. New Cables (inner and outer). New Freehub (old one was rough sounding despite a service). Ran the chain and cassette through the sonic cleaner, and relubed. Also put new tires on front (last one did 12,000km) and rear, mostly for cosmetic reasons.

Cleaned the rest of the bike, and gave a bit of a polish. Looking much better. Still got some end of year fettling to do, I've got a new chainset on order, so that's got to go on when it arrives.


----------



## loopybike (7 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> I think even @loopybike would be proud of those.


Ooo yeah! Very nice


----------



## raleighnut (7 May 2018)

loopybike said:


> Ooo yeah! Very nice


I think I paid £2 for my last set, mind you that was in 1974.


----------



## Illaveago (7 May 2018)

They weigh 47 GM's each. Weinmann stainless steel ones are 70gms each.


----------



## raleighnut (7 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> They weigh 47 GM's each. Weinmann stainless steel ones are 70gms each.


Mine were Aluminium, wish I still had em now.


----------



## loopybike (7 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Mine were Aluminium, wish I still had em now.


You could always, ehem, commission some......


----------



## si_c (7 May 2018)

Oh, forgot to mention. I removed the mudguards, will see how I get on without them through summer. Looks much better without though.


----------



## C R (7 May 2018)

Cleaned up the bike, lubed the chain and fettled the front derailleur limit screws a smidgen, as occasionally the chain needed some persuasion to go to the large chainring, will see tomorrow how effective the fettling was.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (7 May 2018)

si_c said:


> Oh, forgot to mention. I removed the mudguards, will see how I get on without them through summer. Looks much better without though.


Not sure if I can like this. Don't want to be complicit in tempting the r*in f*iry.....


----------



## Reynard (7 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I made another bracket for my mudguard and fitted it this afternoon . I now have a pair !
> This is what they look like fitted.
> View attachment 408139
> View attachment 408143



Oh, those look *really* smart!  A really fine piece of metal wrangling


----------



## Reynard (7 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Not sure if I can like this. Don't want to be complicit in tempting the r*in f*iry.....



Well, it's forecast to rain on Thursday...


----------



## Jenkins (7 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Well, it's forecast to rain on Thursday...


This is where an "unlike" button is required after the weather this weekend.


----------



## Reynard (8 May 2018)

Jenkins said:


> This is where an "unlike" button is required after the weather this weekend.



Indeedy. And it's going to be about 15 degrees colder as well...


----------



## biggs682 (8 May 2018)

Gave my My 50's Raleigh Roadster a quick once over this morning as its back on commuting duties


----------



## HLaB (8 May 2018)

HLaB said:


> On the advice of a bike fit I hack sawed 1cm off the TT extensions. Vision had lacquered over the adjusting clamp to the ski poles so they took a bit of persuading. At least I figured that I could leave the relatively new cables in place through the centre of the poles and just hack saw carefully around it. When the fitter first said it I thought it was a re-cable job


An unexpected day off today so I took the bike out for a test ride. Within 15mins the bolts were loose so I popped to a lbs to borrow a 2.5mm hex. I rode another 30 miles and they started to come loose again. I reckon I'd get a race out of it but I came back and applied carbon grip and threadlock so hopefully I won't need to touch it again. My old bars were the same (2nm for a bolt isn't enough) and threadlock sorted them out.


----------



## Illaveago (8 May 2018)

Things started off alright . The plan was to put the centre pull brakes back on the BSA TdF. The front pair went on and then the back pair, no problems. Removed the handle bars and stem to fit the cable stop and guide and removed the seat to do a similar thing. Now things started to play up. The brake blocks went in the front fine but the threaded cable stop end would not fit the bracket . The routing of the rear cable was a bit tight , but when I came to tighten up the cable clamp I discovered that the brake blocks were nowhere near the rim. The brake bridge was too high. It must have been made for 27 inch wheels .
I put the bike back in the garage for another day .


----------



## Reynard (8 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> Things started off alright . The plan was to put the centre pull brakes back on the BSA TdF. The front pair went on and then the back pair, no problems. Removed the handle bars and stem to fit the cable stop and guide and removed the seat to do a similar thing. Now things started to play up. The brake blocks went in the front fine but the threaded cable stop end would not fit the bracket . The routing of the rear cable was a bit tight , but when I came to tighten up the cable clamp I discovered that the brake blocks were nowhere near the rim. The brake bridge was too high. It must have been made for 27 inch wheels .
> I put the bike back in the garage for another day .



This is one of those posts that needs an "aaaaargh!" button. A bit like this: 



A "like" for the semi-successful fettle though.


----------



## Illaveago (8 May 2018)

I'm going back out to see what else I can mess up .


----------



## raleighnut (8 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I'm going back out to see what else I can mess up .


That's the spirit.


----------



## Illaveago (8 May 2018)

Well that went a bit better! I had a rummage around in my garage looking for something else to mess up .
I found a nice ally 27 inch front wheel that I bought recently but had a plain axle with nuts . I knew I had an old QR front axle hut which had damaged cones. I looked at some other donor wheels but their axles were a different diameter. I eventually found one which suited, popped it in , got grease everywhere and it runs well. 
I'm happy now !


----------



## Reynard (8 May 2018)

Had another crack at the front wheel of the MTB. A few taps with a small mallet and punch on the wonky flanges revealed that they were actually a separate aluminium cover for the bearings - they'd been held on with gummy grease and other cr*p.

Once free of the cones, I cleaned the covers, got them onto the workbench, and with a series of shaped hammers and punches, flattened them out. They sit nice and true now. I can't quite get them as flush as I'd like to the hub, but it's far better than what it was. Don't want to do more than necessary as they're quite thin and if they break, finding replacements might be problematic. Still need to tweak the tightness of the axle assembly, but I'm almost there.

As I had a turps-y rag to hand, I cleaned all the dirt and goo off the hub; small hands mean I can get my hands through the spokes. There're some rust spots showing through the chrome, but can't be helped. Looks a lot better than it did though. Need to clean the spokes. They look a bit rough, but are still serviceable.

Now I just need to work out how to remove the brake pad residue stuck to the rim.


----------



## raleighnut (8 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Had another crack at the front wheel of the MTB. A few taps with a small mallet and punch on the wonky flanges revealed that they were actually a separate aluminium cover for the bearings - they'd been held on with gummy grease and other cr*p.
> 
> Once free of the cones, I cleaned the covers, got them onto the workbench, and with a series of shaped hammers and punches, flattened them out. They sit nice and true now. I can't quite get them as flush as I'd like to the hub, but it's far better than what it was. Don't want to do more than necessary as they're quite thin and if they break, finding replacements might be problematic. Still need to tweak the tightness of the axle assembly, but I'm almost there.
> 
> ...


Just get plenty of grease behind the covers, that'll stop crud getting into the cones. As for the rims use 'Scotchbrite' or a kitchen scourer pad (the green ones) and washing up liquid to get em nice and clean (rinse well afterwards obvs)


----------



## Illaveago (8 May 2018)

If it is only rust spots a drop of lemon or lime juice might be enough to loosen it and make it shiny again .


----------



## Reynard (8 May 2018)

Thanks for the tips  I'll definitely try those and see where they take me.


----------



## JhnBssll (8 May 2018)

It seems I have stumbled across a law of bicycle ownership - At least one bicycle must have creaky cranks at any time.

Having fixed the commuters creak in a recent fettling session the Roubaix started making noises over the weekend - that's now on the hitlist for this week's fettling  There's nothing worse than a noisy bicycle


----------



## si_c (8 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> There's nothing worse than a noisy bicycle


So true,had a lovely quiet run into work this morning after yesterday's fettle, until the wheel magnet started hitting the sensor. Took me ages to figure that one out, was convinced it was the disk brakes.


----------



## DCLane (9 May 2018)

One bike I've neglected since last year is my Ridgeback Platinum. Which isn't good since I rode LEL on it and the bike simply was wiped down and put away. I've an excuse, honest! A major operation means it's been left until today. So, pulled out and checked over:

- Cleaned everything,
- Changed the blue tatty, mismatched bottle cages for silver Vel ones.
- Both brakes were rusty so I've swapped a Tektro/Miche Performance set for some bling silver Velo Orange brakes
- Took the gel encrusted frame bag off, which has sat for the past 6 months since a gel split  . However the mould, once wiped, left a nice clean bag.
- The saddle had cracked with 300km to go  so that was swapped for a replacement

The result? A clean, fully set up audax bike again. Just need to road test and adjust as I'm a different shape following September's operation (side of hip, joint, tissues, IT band):

I'm left with a dilemma however: do I remove the frame tag or keep it, adding the PBP one on the other side?


----------



## Elysian_Roads (9 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> One bike I've neglected since last year is my Ridgeback Platinum. Which isn't good since I rode LEL on it and the bike simply was wiped down and put away. I've an excuse, honest! A major operation means it's been left until today. So, pulled out and checked over I:
> 
> - Cleaned everything,
> - Changed the blue tatty, mismatched bottle cages for silver Vel ones.
> ...


Take the tag off @DCLane, it's a distraction from the 'bling and then some' brakes....


----------



## JhnBssll (9 May 2018)

Shoe Goo arrived today  I swapped the new tire on to the back of the Roubaix and set about inspecting the damaged one.

I found a second smaller split but neither where down to the carcass so have glued them and hung it up to cure. I'll have another look at the weekend and see how well it has adhered 























I couldn't resist cleaning the chain and cassette while I was at it, all shiny again


----------



## Reynard (9 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Take the tag off @DCLane, it's a distraction from the 'bling and then some' brakes....



Naah, leave it on @DCLane - think it looks rather fetching


----------



## biggs682 (10 May 2018)

Swapped the rear tyre over on my recent Diamondback mtb arrival that's both done now also greased up the rear hub , got all 21 gears selecting and finally trued the wheels up a bit so as you can see i was busy last night .

On this mornings ride the wheels feel a lot better , just need to fine tune the front a bit more


----------



## DCBassman (10 May 2018)

Checked over the BSO belonging to the lady of the house we're dog-sitting for.

Old vaguely MTB-shaped ladies frame, 26×1.75 semi-knobblies. Ancient Shimano 5-speed indexed fd, friction shifter for double front chairing.

Still had a price on it: $89.99.

Saddle is broken. Tyres flat. Strange brass adapters over *open* Prestas. D'oh...

Apart from a new saddle it all actually worked, although being from the USA, the brakes were reversed.
Have a mattress saddle in the parts bin somewhere...


----------



## SpokeyDokey (10 May 2018)

Fitted my new Ortlieb Micro Saddle today.

https://www.ortlieb.com/en/Micro/

2 minutes to fit but about 10 to stuff (should be quicker next time assuming I can remember what went where and which way the what was facing before it went).


----------



## Elysian_Roads (10 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Naah, leave it on @DCLane - think it looks rather fetching


What with waiting for @JhnBssll's glue to dry and the outcome of @DCLane's to leave on or not, can't image a more climatic end to the week.....


----------



## Ming the Merciless (10 May 2018)

Shorter stem fitted to fettle bike fit.


----------



## Reynard (10 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> What with waiting for @JhnBssll's glue to dry and the outcome of @DCLane's to leave on or not, can't image a more climatic end to the week.....


----------



## DCLane (10 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> What with waiting for @JhnBssll's glue to dry and the outcome of @DCLane's to leave on or not, can't image a more climatic end to the week.....



Decision made ... I'm going with 'bling'. The bike'll have to complete the Transcontinental before keeping a frame badge.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (10 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> Decision made ... I'm going with 'bling'. The bike'll have to complete the Transcontinental before keeping a frame badge.


They are seriously good looking brakes. 

Went and had a look at them on the net and the description that struck me was "They are made in a small shop in Taiwan run by a former bike racer and engineer. The noir finish version is anodised black whereas the silver finish is hand polished, but not anodized; that way they can be re-polished 25 years down the road and look great forever."

And I thought it was only the Patek Philippe watch that got handed down to the next generation!


----------



## dave r (10 May 2018)

Stripped the tyre, tube, rim tape and cassette of my Eastway's rear wheel ready to drop it off at the LBS tomorrow for a rebuild with a new hub and spokes after this morning's pothole encounter. The only part of the wheel I'm keeping is the rim.


----------



## tradesecrets (10 May 2018)

Did nothing no need too , And did 30miles


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## Reynard (10 May 2018)

dave r said:


> Stripped the tyre, tube, rim tape and cassette of my Eastway's rear wheel ready to drop it off at the LBS tomorrow for a rebuild with a new hub and spokes after this morning's pothole encounter. The only part of the wheel I'm keeping is the rim.



Eeeks!  Hope the *only* damage was to the wheel xxx


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## dave r (11 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Eeeks!  Hope the *only* damage was to the wheel xxx



Just a ruined hub and ride nothing else, I was only just on the outskirts of Coventry, I ended up with a pringle shaped back wheel.


----------



## Illaveago (11 May 2018)

I just went and looked at my Raleigh and touched it . Does that count !


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## Illaveago (11 May 2018)

dave r said:


> Stripped the tyre, tube, rim tape and cassette of my Eastway's rear wheel ready to drop it off at the LBS tomorrow for a rebuild with a new hub and spokes after this morning's pothole encounter. The only part of the wheel I'm keeping is the rim.


Spokes and nipples may come in handy .


----------



## si_c (11 May 2018)

Finished the spring clean of the commuter, put some cable ends on, as I couldn't find the tub I keep them in the other day, also removed the 48/32t chainset and bottom bracket, cleaned out the hub, and fitted a new BB and chainset in 52/36. The big ring on the current crankset really hasn't lasted very long, it was starting to slip again, really not impressed with the FSA chainring longevity. New crankset has tiagra rings fitted, which look much substantial visually than the old ones ever did.

It suits the majority of the riding that I do a bit better, and the power meter doesn't hurt either, just have to change the cassette for a 11-32 for tomorrow's ride as I don't fancy using the close range 12-25.


----------



## Reynard (11 May 2018)

dave r said:


> Just a ruined hub and ride nothing else, I was only just on the outskirts of Coventry, I ended up with a pringle shaped back wheel.
> 
> 
> View attachment 408610



Thank goodness no damage to self xxx


----------



## Reynard (11 May 2018)

I fettled the mower this morning. Not a bike, I know, but I did pick up the bits I needed yesterday (battery, new terminals and a fresh pot of copper grease) and got it going again. 

Might tinker with the MTB later.


----------



## C R (11 May 2018)

Installed the half toe clips and went for a test ride. A bit tricky to get the second foot in, will need to practice, luckily very easy to get out off. Not a lot of effect on the pedalling, other than my feet don't fly off the pedals downhill.


----------



## the stupid one (11 May 2018)

New mudguards arrived today - SKS Bluemels, black with reflective edges - so off came the old ones and the fun began.

It took longer than I was expecting, but then I haven't fitted mudguards for ages and I ddn't need to rush. Once everything was set, it was time to cut the wires. Sod the hacksaw, out with the Dremel. Sparks flew.

That done, I discovered the new kickstand had arrived, so I fitted that. Looks pretty good.

There's an old Raleigh Mustang in the garage which Granddad gave to the boy a while back. The wires on its mudguards looked a bit long, so I enthusiastically plugged in the Dremel again. Also greased the seatpost, straightened the saddle, aligned the quill stem and fixed the front brakes.


----------



## Zeedoo (11 May 2018)

I changed the handlebar on my 2 speed.


----------



## JhnBssll (12 May 2018)

Since it seems I'll be without the Bianchi for a while longer I've been giving the Roubaix some extra TLC recently. Mid-week I decided some Hope jockey wheels would be a nice little upgrade for a bit of extra shiny  You can never have too much shiny. They fell through the letterbox this morning so I fitted them and snapped some before and after pics 




















Since there was absolutely nothing wrong with the old ones I have chucked them in the spares cupboard - I'll probably swap them back in late autumn when the guards and winter wheels go back on 

I was told again yesterday on a group ride that the bike looks like it's just come out of the showroom - quite the compliment as she's now done >1200 miles. The regular fettling definitely pays off


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## JhnBssll (12 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> What with waiting for @JhnBssll's glue to dry and the outcome of @DCLane's to leave on or not, can't image a more climatic end to the week.....



I forgot to mention - you'll be pleased to hear the Shoe Goo has cured nicely and the tire is ready for use again


----------



## Vantage (12 May 2018)

the stupid one said:


> There's an old Raleigh Mustang in the garage



That was my first ever mountain bike. Santa brought it me in 1987. Black and white with horses galloping on the top tube.
Got nicked a month later from outside the post office.


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## dave r (12 May 2018)

dave r said:


> Just a ruined hub and ride nothing else, I was only just on the outskirts of Coventry, I ended up with a pringle shaped back wheel.
> 
> 
> View attachment 408610



I reported the pothole to the council Thursday and when I drove through today I noticed the council had spray painted red lines round it.


----------



## Alan O (12 May 2018)

I just swapped my steel tourer's tyres from Marathon Greenguard to Gatorskins (both 32mm) for the summer now the softest of the surfaces I ride on have pretty much hardened.

While I love Marathons for their toughness and their grip on soft-ish earth, the Gatorskins feel significantly more supple, more comfortable, and speedier on hard surfaces.


----------



## the stupid one (12 May 2018)

Vantage said:


> That was my first ever mountain bike. Santa brought it me in 1987. Black and white with horses galloping on the top tube.
> Got nicked a month later from outside the post office.



I've no idea how old this one is, but it's mainly red with purple blotches, and only has one horse. And the rims are massively wide, about 35mm. Cheap components (Lee-Chin brake levers?) - not Raleigh's premium model of its day, I suspect. I'll probably take it to bits and clean it up one warm, sunny day, then put it on Gumtree for a few quid.

Or you can have it to replace the one that was nicked!


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## bpsmith (12 May 2018)

Swapped the seatpost on my new bike for a new one. Lol

I wanted a complete stealth look, so did it while the original was still new.

Love the new look and now weighs 80g less too. 

Edit: Have gone with a full Fizik finishing kit, including saddle. Going to fit the carbon bars and new stem when I get time. Stealth tape too.


----------



## raleighnut (13 May 2018)

Vantage said:


> That was my first ever mountain bike. Santa brought it me in 1987. Black and white with horses galloping on the top tube.
> Got nicked a month later from outside the post office.


 



the stupid one said:


> I've no idea how old this one is, but it's mainly red with purple blotches, and only has one horse. And the rims are massively wide, about 35mm. Cheap components (Lee-Chin brake levers?) - not Raleigh's premium model of its day, I suspect. I'll probably take it to bits and clean it up one warm, sunny day, then put it on Gumtree for a few quid.
> 
> Or you can have it to replace the one that was nicked!



They are actually a really nice bike under the weight of all that crap componentry, £200-300 on new Wheels/Tyres, Crankset, rear Mech and fitting V-brakes with the appropriate Levers and possibly new Aluminium Handlebars/Seatpost and you end up with a really nice bike (far better than spending that amount on a new un)

I revamped one about 16yrs ago (it got nicked in a burglary at the house) and have since replaced it with an 'Outlander' similarly upgraded, think Deore components.


----------



## C R (13 May 2018)

Cleaned and oiled the drive train, and refettled the limit screws oin the front derailleur. The chain still needs some convincing to go to the large chainring sometimes, and now it falls off towards the frame on occasion when shifting to the small chainring. Seems to work fine now on the stand, will see tomorrow under load. 

The bb seems to have a tiny bit of play, but I couldn't get the left crank out, it seems I need a new crank extractor for the new spindle. Should have used the classic shape adjustable cup, which can be fettled with the crank in place.


----------



## robrinay (13 May 2018)

Ref: ‘Holdsworth frame id please?’ in the vintage and classic section I’ve finished off my 1965 Holdsworth Mistral refurb’ with vinyl decals repro head badge from Planet X and cloth bar tape, (Well ok it needs a coat of lacquer but otherwise done!).
I’ll take it up the to show the bloke who skipped it tomorrow evening, as promised.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (13 May 2018)

Took the Bianchi back to LBS for the "new bike service" despite the fact there was nothing needed doing. Anyway, he fettled a bit and tightened a bit and so on. Today I noticed the indexing on the rear is off a bit so so much for that! I'll need to unfettle! 

I also got myself a new pair of Mavic Elite Vision CM shoes to replace my 18 year old Northwaves. Amazed at how much lighter they are. Crazy sizing though: needed a 46 instead of my usual 43 or 44.


----------



## Salty seadog (13 May 2018)

C R said:


> Cleaned and oiled the drive train, and refettled the limit screws oin the front derailleur. The chain still needs some convincing to go to the large chainring sometimes, and now it falls off towards the frame on occasion when shifting to the small chainring. Seems to work fine now on the stand, will see tomorrow under load.
> 
> The bb seems to have a tiny bit of play, but I couldn't get the left crank out, it seems I need a new crank extractor for the new spindle. Should have used the classic shape adjustable cup, which can be fettled with the crank in place.



My front shifting went similarly waftey recently. Wouldn't change between the rings in either direction properly, playing about resulted in it being occasionally thrown into the pedal. New inner and outer cables and all's ok again .


----------



## Reynard (13 May 2018)

robrinay said:


> Ref: ‘Holdsworth frame id please?’ in the vintage and classic section I’ve finished off my 1965 Holdsworth Mistral refurb’ with vinyl decals repro head badge from Planet X and cloth bar tape, (Well ok it needs a coat of lacquer but otherwise done!).
> I’ll take it up the to show the bloke who skipped it tomorrow evening, as promised.



That's a really fine looking bicycle.  And the colour is just fabby.


----------



## raleighnut (13 May 2018)

robrinay said:


> Ref: ‘Holdsworth frame id please?’ in the vintage and classic section I’ve finished off my 1965 Holdsworth Mistral refurb’ with vinyl decals repro head badge from Planet X and cloth bar tape, (Well ok it needs a coat of lacquer but otherwise done!).
> I’ll take it up the to show the bloke who skipped it tomorrow evening, as promised.


Nice, even got the brake levers in the right place although I'd rotate the handlebars up a touch so the 'tops' are flat and the drops at just the right angle for my wrists but that's down to personal preference.


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## robrinay (13 May 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Nice, even got the brake levers in the right place although I'd rotate the handlebars up a touch so the 'tops' are flat and the drops at just the right angle for my wrists but that's down to personal preference.


Ta for the advice- it’s around fifty years since I last rode a bike of this age with drops. I did a fair bit of trial and error test riding to get the brakes positioned comfortably and effective. I’m with you on the rotation too - I’d decided to call it a day and make that adjustment tomorrow.


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## Reynard (13 May 2018)

Then of course, I am rather biased about the colour @robrinay - it *is* my favourite. I even have a Sparco Monza jacket in just that shade.


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## robrinay (13 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Then of course, I am rather biased about the colour @robrinay - it *is* my favourite. I even have a Sparco Monza jacket in just that shade.


It’s pretty close to the original colour - I exposed it with long scratches through the re-paint layers with a knife.


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## Reynard (13 May 2018)

robrinay said:


> It’s pretty close to the original colour - I exposed it with long scratches through the re-paint layers with a knife.



Neat  You've done a fabby job on it, you should be well chuffed. Not bad for a freebie either.


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## biggs682 (14 May 2018)

Sunday am was a busy stint in the garage with a chain & sprocket replacement on a recently acquired Diamonback mtb as the gears started to slip Friday pm , when i dropped the chain checker tool on the chain the 75% end fell in with ease , so new 32 - 11 rear sprocket and the last of my halford bargain 9 speed chains and a new rear brake cable once all fitted of we went for a test ride all ok , will be using it for the remainder of the week on my commutes before handing it over to its new owner .











Next up is this Show off your Giant which once done can also go back to its owner for which he has promised me another Giant mtb foc


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## GuyBoden (14 May 2018)

Made some mudflaps from some extra thick roofing felt I had in the garage. I think they're a bit big, but I can always cut them to a smaller size.


----------



## dickyknees (14 May 2018)

Rear light mount for the Blackburn rack. Why do they make racks without suitable mounting points?


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## DCBassman (14 May 2018)

Finished the Scott flat bar conversion, see thread in Mechanics.


----------



## ColinJ (14 May 2018)

I am mid-fettle and have stopped to get out of the heat of the sun and have a coffee break.

I made the mistake of leaving the chain on my best bike too long and it had caused a lot of wear to the rest of the transmission. I decided to keep on riding the bike through the winter and finish it off. Now that the damn winter finally seems to have finished, it is time to put nice new bits on. I have a new cassette, new chain, and 3 new chainrings for my triple chainset.

I felt quite ashamed of how mucky and worn out the transmission on the bike had become. It was starting to get very noisy, gear shifting was starting to be affected, and it looked horrid.

I got the spider off and removed the old rings. The outer and inner rings looked like they might have some significant use left in them so I cleaned them and am fairly sure that they will last the life of the new chain. The new big and little rings will go in my spares drawer for this year. The middle ring is the one that I use the most and that is well-worn, so that IS going to be replaced. I have removed the surplus links from the new chain, so that is good to go. The cassette is knackered so a new one is going on.

The rear mech is filthy. I'm hoping that the jockey wheels are okay because I don't have any spares. The old ones need a good clean and lubing at the very least.

I'll give the rest of the bike a really good clean while I am at it.

Well, I think my back yard will be a bit cooler now so I should get back to work ...


----------



## DCBassman (14 May 2018)

It certainly was a warm fettling day!


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## ColinJ (14 May 2018)

Oh, FFS!!!! 

I just finished the fettling job, cleared up the back yard, put the tools away, and washed all the oily grease off my hands (I've run out of latex gloves - must order more!), brought the bike into the house and was admiring my handiwork when ...







... I spotted 5 chainring bolts and the 28-tooth gr... (remembers recent fuss about name of this type of chain ring!)... grovelling ring on the kitchen worktop. I have accidentally turned my triple back into a double! 

Damn. I'm not getting my hands dirty again now. I'll sort it out tomorrow!

PS The jockey wheels were filthy but very few obvious signs of wear. Thousands of kms/miles left in them.


----------



## Reynard (14 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Oh, FFS!!!!
> 
> I just finished the fettling job, cleared up the back yard, put the tools away, and washed all the oily grease off my hands (I've run out of latex gloves - must order more!), brought the bike into the house and was admiring my handiwork when ...
> 
> ...



Ooopsssssssssssss... 

P.S. A teaspoon of sugar and a dollop of washing up liquid is brill for cleaning mucky hands


----------



## Jenkins (14 May 2018)

Six of my eight bikes have been given a quick wipe down clean and a full chain mickling as they've mostly had dry running recently. Tomorrow the remaining two will be given a more thorough clean and chain mickling.


----------



## ColinJ (14 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Ooopsssssssssssss...
> 
> P.S. A teaspoon of sugar and a dollop of washing up liquid is brill for cleaning mucky hands


I used washing up liquid. What does the sugar do? (I had to scrub fairly hard with a nail brush.)

I bought a big box of latex gloves a few years ago but have just run out.


----------



## Howyadoinoutthere (14 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I used washing up liquid. What does the sugar do? (I had to scrub fairly hard with a nail brush.)
> 
> I bought a big box of latex gloves a few years ago but have just run out.



I highly recommend rubbing butter on to the oil/grease (fat lifts the oil/grease) then use washing up liquid to get rid of the butter. Works like a treat. Was told it as a 'trick of the trade' by a car mechanic way back in my youth and I've stuck with it ever since.


----------



## bpsmith (14 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I used washing up liquid. What does the sugar do? (I had to scrub fairly hard with a nail brush.)
> 
> I bought a big box of latex gloves a few years ago but have just run out.


The sugar turns the washing up liquid into a more serious paste like substance that scrubs the dirt off very efficiently in my experience.

Superb tip by @Reynard.


----------



## ColinJ (14 May 2018)

I'll try the sugar trick first because sugar is a lot cheaper than butter!


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## Reynard (15 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> The sugar turns the washing up liquid into a more serious paste like substance that scrubs the dirt off very efficiently in my experience.
> 
> Superb tip by @Reynard.



Yep, turns it into a DIY version of Swarfega.

I can't take the credit though, I'm sure I've seen someone else on CC mention it before...


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I'll try the sugar trick first because sugar is a lot cheaper than butter!



Bang on!


----------



## raleighnut (15 May 2018)

Howyadoinoutthere said:


> I highly recommend rubbing butter on to the oil/grease (fat lifts the oil/grease) then use washing up liquid to get rid of the butter. Works like a treat. Was told it as a 'trick of the trade' by a car mechanic way back in my youth and I've stuck with it ever since.


TBH any oil works, cheap cooking oil will do it although if working on a Campagnolo equipped bike you must use 'Extra Virgin' Olive Oil.


----------



## youngoldbloke (15 May 2018)

I'm going to try butter _and_ sugar


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## ColinJ (15 May 2018)

I put the 3rd chainring on just now! 

I didn't get mucky this time because everything I put on yesterday is clean, apart from the new chain which just has the 'clean' factory grease on it. (BTW - I work on the assumption that new chains don't need lubing for some time - they seem to work well without. _Any thoughts? Is that grease just for rust prevention before use, or is it intended to actually lube the chain?_)


----------



## C R (15 May 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> I'm going to try butter _and_ sugar


On your toast or on your mucked up hands?


----------



## Roadhump (15 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I put the 3rd chainring on just now!
> 
> I didn't get mucky this time because everything I put on yesterday is clean, apart from the new chain which just has the 'clean' factory grease on it. (BTW - I work on the assumption that new chains don't need lubing for some time - they seem to work well without. _Any thoughts? *Is that grease just for rust prevention before use, or is it intended to actually lube the chain?*_)



That is a very good question, which has occurred to me as well. I usually don't lube a new chain until I have done about 100 miles on it. I try to clean and lube them after about 100 miles each anyway.


----------



## the stupid one (15 May 2018)

Degreased and cleaned the brakes on the Raleigh Mustang - new blocks are in the post - and gave the rest of it a clean too.

Took the grimy bartape off the mongrel bike's butterfly bars and replaced with foam rubber tubing. Looks good new, we'll see soon enough how hardwearing it is.


----------



## ColinJ (15 May 2018)

C R said:


> On your toast or on your mucked up hands?


I was thinking that you'd have to get the oil/butter/sugar ready before fettling started, otherwise you'd make a right mess of the bottle/pack/bag when you picked it up with those filthy hands!


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> I'm going to try butter _and_ sugar



At that rate, you may as well add some eggs and flour and bake a cake!


----------



## Alan O (15 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I put the 3rd chainring on just now!
> 
> I didn't get mucky this time because everything I put on yesterday is clean, apart from the new chain which just has the 'clean' factory grease on it. (BTW - I work on the assumption that new chains don't need lubing for some time - they seem to work well without. _Any thoughts? Is that grease just for rust prevention before use, or is it intended to actually lube the chain?_)


It's usually good lube.


----------



## Jenkins (15 May 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Six of my eight bikes have been given a quick wipe down clean and a full chain mickling as they've mostly had dry running recently. Tomorrow the remaining two will be given a more thorough clean and chain mickling.


Did the remaining two bikes this morning as they needed proper wheels off cleaning - or at least they would have done if the thru-axle on the Voodoo had gone 'thru' properly! For some reason it was stuck in the locating holes and needed some persuasion to release, but it came out eventually and Ill have another look at it tomorrow. The Van Nicholas commuter also needed a mudguard mounting clip replacing which entailed removing the rear brakes.

Once cleaned, I tried out the hangar alignment tool that was delivered last week. The Voodoo was fine, but the Van Nicholas was quite a bit out - I've been having trouble with the gears, but thought it was a well worn chain & cassette that will need replacing soon. Having used the hangar tool, the Van Nicholas now shifts perfecctly on the stand at least. If I have time over the next few days, the other bikes will be checked.,


----------



## SpokeyDokey (15 May 2018)

Today I discovered that there is a shortage of grease in the USA.

10 week old Trek Domane started doing a decent impression of a mouse squeak from the headset area on Sunday.

Pulled it apart this afternoon and lo-and-behold there was a grease deficit on both bearings - everything has been put back together with oodles of grease and Mus Musculus's irritating little voice has gone.

I blame Trump...


----------



## ColinJ (15 May 2018)

I tested my newly-fettled transmission this evening and am gobsmacked how much difference it has made. My best bike had been starting to resemble something rescued from a skip but now it looks and feels like a best bike again!

The funny ticking and clicking noises from the transmission have gone. The gear shifting at the back is precise and snappy again - no more trying to tease the chain into place by overshifting and then going back the other way. At the front, I can get the chain on and off the middle ring properly again. I had been struggling to go down to the little ring and would have to overshift to get it up to the big ring. The chain just does as it is told now.

I could swear that the bike actually feels easier to pedal now too. I realise that it is probably some kind of placebo effect - I expect it to work better, so it feels like it does - but that doesn't bother me.

I have written reminders in my diary to remind me to check the chain for wear regularly this time so I can replace it _before _it wears out and wrecks the rings and cassette. When the bike is working properly I feel more inclined to keep it clean too.

PS Here is a picture of the fettled bike, post test ride ...







(Yes, I know the tyres don't match - I am wearing out the red one then reverting to black!)


----------



## graham bowers (16 May 2018)

Finally sorted the indexing on my 6700 Ultegra equipped Trek road bike. I'd fitted a Tiagra 4700 rear mech to use with an 11-34t cassette. After much messing about I discovered today that 4700 rear mech has a different pull ratio to all other Shimano 10 speed road stuff. I'd read previously, on older pages, that all 10 speed stuff was compatible..........Popped the 6700 mech back on and adjusted the L screw so it won't shift further than the 30t sprocket and its as sweet as it should be. Just need to order a 12/30 cassette.


----------



## the stupid one (16 May 2018)

Fitted new brake blocks to the Mustang then straightened out a couple of wobbles in the front wheel. Eventually. That's a job I'd need to do more frequently to get my head around, good grief.


----------



## Lavender Rose (16 May 2018)

More scrubbing of the handlebar tape, oiling the chain and polishing of the wheel rims on the Diverge after it's big trip!...Beautification's really


----------



## Alan O (16 May 2018)

I picked up a pair of Continental Sport Contact tyres a couple of months ago when I found them for sale at £10 each. They're 42x559, which fit my two 26" wheel bikes. As they're a lot more supple than the Land Cruisers I've been MTBing on so far this year, I thought they might be a bit of fun during the summer as most of the surfaces I ride on tend to dry and harden.

I put them on my GT Avalanche yesterday, but I managed to grunge up and/or displace the disc brake pads somehow, so I got a horrible noise from the front wheel - not a great start. But today I've taken the wheel off again and cleaned things out, and it seems quiet now (and the brake still works). I'll try them on the road later.

Oh, and I gave the Avalanche a good all-over clean while I was at it, together with my Raleigh touring bike.


----------



## Vantage (16 May 2018)

Washed, polished and lined the bike yesterday.
Glued up my wrecked cycling glasses last night.
Got the dremel out this morning to grind away excess Gorilla Glue and discovered I'd glued my fingerprints onto the prescription lens. Doh!
Not too bad though. 



With the outer lenses on they look fine. 

Test them.out tomorrow with luck.


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2018)

My lesson today is don't let either cats or parental units into the garage while fettling is in progress.

Went in this morning (liberating the mower) to see several items tipped over (was it Lexi being nosey or the parental unit going in search of a hoe I can't say) including the plastic tray where I'd laid out the axle bolts and washers from the MTB; I found the tray upended on the floor sans contents.

Eventually found all eight items - a large doughnut-shaped magnet on a stout cord works wonders in these "where the hell have they gone" scenarios.


----------



## dave r (16 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> My lesson today is don't let either cats or parental units into the garage while fettling is in progress.
> 
> Went in this morning (liberating the mower) to see several items tipped over (was it Lexi being nosey or the parental unit going in search of a hoe I can't say) including the plastic tray where I'd laid out the axle bolts and washers from the MTB; I found the tray upended on the floor sans contents.
> 
> Eventually found all eight items - a large doughnut-shaped magnet on a stout cord works wonders in these "where the hell have they gone" scenarios.



I remember in the 1970's when I had a bedsit, I'd stripped the engine of my old Triumph 500 to replace the big end bearings and laid out the stripped down engine in a corner of the garden under plastic sheeting in the order it had come apart so I'd remember where it all went. I came home from work to find the landlord had decided I needed one of the outbuildings to work in, had cleared the area out and moved the stripped down engine in and just dumped in a pile on the end of the work bench. He meant well but made reassembly a bit more interesting than I planned.


----------



## Elysian_Roads (16 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> My lesson today is don't let either cats or parental units into the garage.



FTFY


----------



## Wrigley Velo (16 May 2018)

Got the new club strip delivered today








@I like Skol


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2018)

dave r said:


> I remember in the 1970's when I had a bedsit, I'd stripped the engine of my old Triumph 500 to replace the big end bearings and laid out the stripped down engine in a corner of the garden under plastic sheeting in the order it had come apart so I'd remember where it all went. I came home from work to find the landlord had decided I needed one of the outbuildings to work in, had cleared the area out and moved the stripped down engine in and just dumped in a pile on the end of the work bench. He meant well but made reassembly a bit more interesting than I planned.



Ouch, ouch, ouch! I feel your pain! 

 indeed.

Hope you didn't have any bits left after you'd reassembled the engine...


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> FTFY







The cats aren't actually allowed in the garage (too many things in there that don't mix well with nosey felines) but sometimes they sneak in when my back is turned. The parental unit - well, I can't predict what she will or won't do...  She's a bit like @dave r 's former landlord.


----------



## dave r (16 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> Ouch, ouch, ouch! I feel your pain!
> 
> indeed.
> 
> Hope you didn't have any bits left after you'd reassembled the engine...



I can't remember whether I did or didn't now, a washer or two wouldn't have been a problem, anything else would have been a worry.


----------



## biggs682 (16 May 2018)

Just finished replacing pads , rear brake cable , greasing front hub and headset on an old Giant mtb i have been tasked to get road worthy , all about finished ready for some test miles


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2018)

dave r said:


> I can't remember whether I did or didn't now, a washer or two wouldn't have been a problem, anything else would have been a worry.



Yeah, it would have been. Sort of like assembling an IKEA thing but worse.


----------



## JhnBssll (16 May 2018)

My Charge Plug 2 commuter ticked over its first thousand miles today so I treated it to a quick clean and fettle. I noticed the headset was starting to develop some play so tightened that up while I was at it. I bought it as a workhorse with the intention of using and abusing it but I quite quickly grew rather fond of it... It's a bit of a tank but it's great to ride. I've got a rack and top bag on the way for it so will report back when they've arrived and been fitted  Until then, happy thousand mile day


----------



## Alan O (16 May 2018)

Alan O said:


> I picked up a pair of Continental Sport Contact tyres a couple of months ago when I found them for sale at £10 each. They're 42x559, which fit my two 26" wheel bikes. As they're a lot more supple than the Land Cruisers I've been MTBing on so far this year, I thought they might be a bit of fun during the summer as most of the surfaces I ride on tend to dry and harden.
> 
> I put them on my GT Avalanche yesterday, but I managed to grunge up and/or displace the disc brake pads somehow, so I got a horrible noise from the front wheel - not a great start. But today I've taken the wheel off again and cleaned things out, and it seems quiet now (and the brake still works). I'll try them on the road later.
> 
> Oh, and I gave the Avalanche a good all-over clean while I was at it, together with my Raleigh touring bike.


I went for a 20-mile run on them this afternoon, and the difference is striking - the Sport Contacts are a lot faster than the Land Cruisers! Yep, they'll be fun


----------



## Tin Pot (16 May 2018)

Took pedals off


----------



## Vantage (16 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> My Charge Plug 2 commuter ticked over its first thousand miles today so I treated it to a quick clean and fettle. I noticed the headset was starting to develop some play so tightened that up while I was at it. I bought it as a workhorse with the intention of using and abusing it but I quite quickly grew rather fond of it... It's a bit of a tank but it's great to ride. I've got a rack and top bag on the way for it so will report back when they've arrived and been fitted  Until then, happy thousand mile day
> View attachment 409594



Tidy looking rig. I'm loving those gumwall tyres


----------



## ColinJ (17 May 2018)

dave r said:


> I can't remember whether I did or didn't now, a washer or two wouldn't have been a problem, anything else would have been a worry.


After my recent bike fettle I found one little cylinder of metal and worried about that until I realised that it was a pin from the new chain that I had just shortened. But then I spotted the unfitted chainring and 5 chainring bolts ... 

Incidentally - I just spotted something on the picture I posted of my bike above ... a protective pad had fallen off and left a sticky patch which had got gunged up. I had missed it when I cleaned the bike so I just went and wiped it off!


----------



## Elybazza61 (17 May 2018)

Ridley X-trail frame arrived from Belgium so tried rear wheel and G-One 650bx 2.1 combo in with plenty of clearance ; also put rotor on wheel and Hope caliper on to see how they looked and Hope seat-post and clamp 'cos I'm a Hope tart/junkie .


----------



## Heltor Chasca (17 May 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> My Charge Plug 2 commuter ticked over its first thousand miles today so I treated it to a quick clean and fettle. I noticed the headset was starting to develop some play so tightened that up while I was at it. I bought it as a workhorse with the intention of using and abusing it but I quite quickly grew rather fond of it... It's a bit of a tank but it's great to ride. I've got a rack and top bag on the way for it so will report back when they've arrived and been fitted  Until then, happy thousand mile day
> 
> View attachment 409594



Interesting seatstays. What is that style called? Likeable.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (17 May 2018)

Fitted a cheap set of aero bars to my Audax bike for armchair comfort reasons rather than speed. I have done about 50km on the turbo. Seem comfy, but yet to road test them. Nothing important happening on Saturday so I’m off on a 200km DIY Audax to try them out.


----------



## HLaB (17 May 2018)

I put a new shimano external cup bb on my bike tonight. The old one was a bit cruddy and I'm unsure if there was water damage. They usually fail on one side but this one didn't and perhaps I held on to it too long.


----------



## Garry A (18 May 2018)

Fitted a new chain onto the Defy, patched two tubes and gave the frame a wipe clean.


----------



## Vantage (18 May 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Interesting seatstays. What is that style called? Likeable.



Wishbone if memory serves.


----------



## Vantage (18 May 2018)

Sigh.
Discovered the mech hanger was bent from my off earlier.
Trying to unscrew it had the bolt spinning in the frame and numerous attempts to undo it have ended up rounding it off. 
Sooo, I tried to straighten it in situ. The hanger has straightened. But the dropout is bent and as such the hanger now rocks on the bolt which can't be tightened. FFS!
Haven't got a spare bolt which rules out drilling it and I'm picking up the new frame&forks Saturday anyway so I'm leaving it.

RIP old friend.






Stripped down my front wheel to free the hub for its rebuild.


----------



## Reynard (18 May 2018)

Oh drat @Vantage


----------



## SpokeyDokey (18 May 2018)

Tin Pot said:


> Took pedals off



You're a brave man there - I balk at those tricky fettling tasks.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (18 May 2018)

Started cleaning up my for sale bike not that'ts really dirty but its dusty and greasy in places - I'm an enthusiastic greaser as I don't like corroded nuts and components.


----------



## bpsmith (18 May 2018)

Stripped the bolts and pivots out from my brand new seatpost after it was creaking like mad last night. Blissfully quiet on commute today.


----------



## Reynard (18 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Stripped the bolts and pivots from my brand new seatpost after it was freaking like mad last night. Blissfully quiet on commute today.



I'm assuming you mean *CREAKING* 

Not sure I'd want to ride on a seat post that was freaking out every time I put my botty on the saddle.


----------



## bpsmith (18 May 2018)

Reynard said:


> I'm assuming you mean *CREAKING*
> 
> Not sure I'd want to ride on a seat post that was freaking out every time I put my botty on the saddle.


Lol. Duly edited.


----------



## dan_bo (18 May 2018)

Some new signs for work.


----------



## cyberknight (18 May 2018)

Replaced the BB on the road comp.
Using a fsa powerdrive crankset as its what i had in the spares bin when the hollowtech one snapped, its done less then 2000 miles and its goosed .I would like to change it to something better as £30 a couple of times a year for a BB is a bit rich for my liking.


----------



## Reynard (18 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Lol. Duly edited.


----------



## ColinJ (18 May 2018)

I am off to Wales for a week with a friend. I spotted that the lower jockey wheel on her rear derailleur was about as worn as it is possible to be without having already failed! There were just the tiniest of sharp spikey points left to mesh with the chain and the wheel was flopping about all over the place. A bit of a panic because we are off first thing in the morning so I pinched a replacement from my mountain bike. While I was at it I cleaned the rear mech and the chain on her bike. The chain runs a lot more smoothly now.

I put a second bottle cage on my bike in case I get the chance to do any longer rides. (I probably won't because my friend's limit is around 25 miles but she has said that she would be okay with catching the train back from somewhere like Pwllheli while I cycled back to our cottage. That would add another 25-30 miles to my day and I would be needing that second bottle.

I also put a GPS mount on the bike that I will be taking. Which reminds me - I need to make sure that I can program routes into the GPS from my new laptop. I haven't done it from that laptop before. I'll test it now ...

PS It took a bit of setting up the simulated serial port for the GPS (I use a USB to RS232 converter cable to connect to my ancient GPS) but I finally got it working.


----------



## I like Skol (19 May 2018)

dan_bo said:


> Some new signs for work.
> View attachment 409857


That looks dangerously high to me. I hope you wore a helmet, and some protective glasses/goggles if using them power tool thingies......


----------



## I like Skol (19 May 2018)

I don't know if the sun got to me or maybe I have just been cooped up for too long without going for a big, long, hard bike ride?
Today decided to take the mudguards off the hybrid ready for the summer (I don't usually bother???) and one thing led to another. Before I knew it the bike was given a (quick) wash and then noticed one of the rear brake pads was down to the metal.
I knew the rear disc was getting seriously thin so already had a new disc and pads waiting to go. Cleaned out the XT caliper before pushing back the pistons. All good now and new disc should last another 18,000+ miles.












Measured thickness of old disc and it is only 1.1mm! Min thickness stated on the new disc is 1.5mm


----------



## Low Gear Guy (19 May 2018)

I have fitted a rack to juniors bike in preparation for next weekends trip.

I have also adjusted the gears so he can use the small chain ring. He will be needing that.


----------



## Illaveago (19 May 2018)

As it is lawn mower season I dug the old Qualcast push along mower out . The chain was missing a split link so as my chain oil filter removal tool isn't much use I robbed a link from that . I know the tool can come in handy for removing freewheels but I was on a mission .
I removed both sprockets riveted the link back together and slipped it over the sprockets and fitted them back on . The chain is slack and needs replacing but after sharpening the blades and adjusting a few things it now cuts grass.


----------



## dan_bo (19 May 2018)

I like Skol said:


> That looks dangerously high to me. I hope you wore a helmet, and some protective glasses/goggles if using them power tool thingies......


i was driving the forklift.


----------



## 13 rider (19 May 2018)

Changed the front tyre as I noticed a split in the side wall of the front tyre . Swapped it for the giant stock tyre that came with the bike new continental ordered . Then noticed a split in the rim on the rear wheel coming from a spoke nipple not good . With an imperial ton planned for tomorrow change the rear wheel for the stock giant wheel that came with the bike . Might be time for new wheels


----------



## mangid (19 May 2018)

Lowered saddle on road bike.

Replaced it last week after the rail snapped. Went out for first time today, felt a little weird, but don't ride the road bike much, 70 miles in some new complaints from muscles, measured it when I got back, and it looks like it was a whole 5-7mm higher than the old saddle ....


----------



## Vantage (19 May 2018)

Fitted the headset to my sparkly new Spa Steel Touring frame & fork. In new metallic British racing green.


----------



## Illaveago (20 May 2018)

I did some tinkering this afternoon. I fitted a new QR axle to a rear wheel, adjusted the cones, polished the rim and hubs and fitted a new 5 speed freewheel.
I then decided to fit all of the components I have bought and made and fit them on my Flying Scot. I haven't tested it as I came across a few problems . The freewheel feels really rough and makes the whole frame vibrate . New cube bearing technology !  The brake cable outer was lacking the ferrule and pulled through when I applied the rear brake .
As it was getting late in the day I decided that it can wait until tomorrow . The Flying Scot is gradually coming together .


----------



## Vantage (20 May 2018)

Used my fiancee's bikes wheels to get it temporarily off it's arse and started getting the 700c mudguards to fit the upcoming 26" new wheels. The whole bike sits lower to the ground than my vantage did. Good thing 
Still lots of work to do.


----------



## Reynard (20 May 2018)

Mickled the chain on the Wiggins and gave her an all-over wipe down.

Bar tape is beginning to look a wee bit grubby after 18 months of ownership, but it's still plenty serviceable enough.


----------



## mikeymustard (21 May 2018)

I'm sorry I may have "broken" the weather... I removed the mudguards from my Equilibrium today! 
Also I took the opportunity to put some reflective tape on the cranks (got the idea from this)


----------



## Gravity Aided (21 May 2018)

I removed my handlebars on my Bike E, tightened the threadless headset,( the preset cap was needing tightening) and lengthened the stem so my knees would clear. I also re-oriented my saddle, and taught myself to ride the bike.


----------



## dave r (21 May 2018)

Fettling fail this afternoon, defeated by a shimano click R spd pedal. A little bit of play in the left pedal on my Eastway, brought the tool, two and a half quid from Halfords, looked at several online video's, and thought that wont take long, set to work and found I couldn't get it apart,


----------



## DCBassman (21 May 2018)

An hour or so removing, cleaning, and refitting the rear caliper. Not a full strip-down, but enough to know I ought to do both sometime in the not-too-distant future. Feels much better, it was not fully releasing after yesterday's ride.


----------



## Vantage (21 May 2018)

Fitted the bottom bracket. 
Stripped, cleaned, regreased and fitted the chainset.
Fitted the saddle.
Trimmed the steerer but didn't cut it square so when I fitted the star nut the tool got jammed in. Grrr. Clamped the forks in my cheapo work bench and used them as leverage to free it. No harm done.
Greased the headset and fitted the stem properly.
Fitted a bottle cage and stuck Allen bolts in all the empty brazen on's. I hate empty screw threads....they just beg to be...well...screwed.


----------



## I like Skol (21 May 2018)

Washed 3 x MTBs this afternoon, all long overdue.

Good job I did because although the kids bikes were in good shape I found a couple of issues with my own steed.

Spotted the R/H XT spd pedal had started unscrewing off the axle! opened it up and regreased/adjusted the bearings then screwed it back together nice'n'tight. Also nipped a bit of play out of the headset.

I had also washed Mrs Skol's MTB yesterday so now have a fleet of 4 x sparkly GT MTBs ready for action.

I don't know what is happening to me? That is now 5 bikes cleaned including the commuter done in the last 3 days......


----------



## Illaveago (21 May 2018)

I thought I would try to sort out the problem I was having with vibration . I removed a 5 speed freewheel from an old bike . The freewheel was a Shimano, a little bit rusty but otherwise in good condition . I removed the wheel from the Flying Scot and swapped the freewheels over and replaced the wheel .
The wheel ran a lot better but there was still some vibration. Closer inspection revealed that the jockey wheels on the Campag rear mech weren't turning! I slackened off the axle bolts which allowed the wheels to turn and stopped the vibration . I will have to put some thread lock on them before I test ride the bike .
I thought it would be nice to see what the bike would look like with some blue handlebar tape on . Why is it they never seem to give you enough tape ? After 5 attempts I managed to have enough left over to put inside the end of the bar . I managed to do the other side with slightly less attempts .


----------



## Vantage (21 May 2018)

It's much easier to start at the bar ends and work your way up.


----------



## Elybazza61 (21 May 2018)

Lot's of fettling on the new Ridley,gears fitted and adjusted,front brake done;just the rear brake to do.


----------



## mikeymustard (21 May 2018)

Vantage said:


> It's much easier to start at the bar ends and work your way up.


Yes, but where's the fun in that? I quite like what I call "The Raleigh Method" - it looks much tidier at the top, and if you have aero brakes you can let the cable out a couple of turns of tape earlier to make a less tight bend


----------



## Arjimlad (21 May 2018)

Just popped my chain into an ultrasonic cleaning bath, with some green Gunk. It came up very nice after a few rounds in the bath and a wash in the sink. Relubed with Finish Line dry lube to see how that behaves. Hoping to avoid the black sludge effect from wet lubes.


----------



## Alan O (22 May 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> Yes, but where's the fun in that? I quite like what I call "The Raleigh Method" - it looks much tidier at the top, and if you have aero brakes you can let the cable out a couple of turns of tape earlier to make a less tight bend


Oh yes, I always start taping at the top and end by pushing a trailing piece inside the bar ends.


----------



## Vantage (22 May 2018)

Sanded and cleaned the brake pads. Fitted the v brakes and added a cable adjuster to the front brake.
Finally positioned the mudguards and trimmed the stays.
Can't do diddly squat with the gearing till the cable stops and wheels arrive. Hmpf. Hate waiting.


----------



## I like Skol (22 May 2018)

Washed another bike today! Brand new, but apparently @dan_bo thought it looked dirty! All shiny and bright now


----------



## dan_bo (22 May 2018)

I like Skol said:


> Washed another bike today! Brand new, but apparently @dan_bo thought it looked dirty! All shiny and bright now


Bet it took you all of oooooh 87 seconds


----------



## Vantage (24 May 2018)

Trimmed, cleaned and fitted the kickstand.
Trimmed the front mudguard as it was too long at the back.
Fitted the derailleurs.
Fitted the rear light on the rear mudguard (that way the rack can come and go without rewiring all the time).
The replacement 1.5" City Jet tyres arrived. I ordered tan/gumwall versions as I'm going for the classic look on the bike...They sent me blackwalls. Tossers. Meh.


----------



## HLaB (24 May 2018)

I finally got round to fitting that new front brake tonight. I'm leaving its black arm protector on for now as I may re-cable/tape the bike and fit 50/34 chain rings if I have time on Bank Holiday Monday.


----------



## bpsmith (25 May 2018)

Fitted the Fizik stem and carbon bars this afternoon. Used fresh tape too. No prizes for the brand. 

There’s something very satisfying about taping bars. I spend ages doing it, but enjoy every minute getting it just right.

Sad, I know, but the journey is the destination!


----------



## Salty seadog (25 May 2018)

Let a tiny dribble of hydraulic oil out of the rear brake system to enable proper piston clearance after last week's oil change on the Montpellier.


----------



## Vantage (25 May 2018)

My wheels and cable stops arrived today!
Had a few issues getting the derailleurs to cooperate but I think I'm nearly there. The front downshift from big to middle requires a bit too much force for my liking. Stop screw and cable tension adjustment needed.
Put the cassette and chain on, trimmed the cables and put air in the tyres...I decided I need smaller tubes as the ones supplied are a little on the chunky side. I think the rear now has a pinch hole as a result.


Time for a test ride..........


----------



## Biker Joe (26 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Fitted the Fizik stem and carbon bars this afternoon. Used fresh tape too. No prizes for the brand.
> 
> There’s something very satisfying about taping bars. I spend ages doing it, but enjoy every minute getting it just right.
> 
> Sad, I know, but the journey is the destination!


It was "Sellotape", right?


----------



## dave r (26 May 2018)

dave r said:


> Fettling fail this afternoon, defeated by a shimano click R spd pedal. A little bit of play in the left pedal on my Eastway, brought the tool, two and a half quid from Halfords, looked at several online video's, and thought that wont take long, set to work and found I couldn't get it apart,



Got this sorted Wednesday night, it took my big adjustable and my big persuader to get in, it wasn't in bad shape, still had some grease in it, just a bit of free play. I stripped it, regreased it and reassembled it. On my ride Thursday most of the creak had gone, I think what's left is cleats. Friday afternoon I tweaked the front changer, I put a 48 tooth outer ring on a few weeks ago and ran into a problem with the chain dropping between the rings on the down change, I thought I'd cured it by tweaking the cable tension but it came back, so I went over the changer setup and checked everything was right with it, I'll see if it's cured it on my next ride, though it seemed good whilst working on it.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (26 May 2018)

Moved my Garmin mount from handlebars to stem as it was about half a degree out of true, relative to the top tube, on the handlebars.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (26 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Fitted the Fizik stem and carbon bars this afternoon. Used fresh tape too. No prizes for the brand.
> 
> There’s something very satisfying about taping bars. I spend ages doing it, but enjoy every minute getting it just right.
> 
> Sad, I know, but the journey is the destination!



Symmetry is everything.


----------



## mikeymustard (26 May 2018)

Biker Joe said:


> It was "Sellotape", right?


dont be silly - way too weak. Duck tape?


----------



## bpsmith (26 May 2018)

Isn’t that Duct Tape?


----------



## Alan O (26 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Isn’t that Duct Tape?


Not necessarily...


----------



## youngoldbloke (26 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Isn’t that Duct Tape?


- either / or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape


----------



## bpsmith (26 May 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> - either / or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape


Surely it only became either/or as people got it wrong.


----------



## youngoldbloke (26 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Surely it only became either/or as people got it wrong.


'During World War II, Revolite (then a division of Johnson & Johnson) developed an adhesive tape made from a rubber-based adhesive applied to a durable duck cloth backing. This tape resisted water and was used as sealing tape on some ammunition cases during that period.[1]' 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape


----------



## bpsmith (26 May 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> 'During World War II, Revolite (then a division of Johnson & Johnson) developed an adhesive tape made from a rubber-based adhesive applied to a durable duck cloth backing. This tape resisted water and was used as sealing tape on some ammunition cases during that period.[1]'
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape


Academic anyway, as if was neither of those that I used.


----------



## dave r (26 May 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> dont be silly - way too weak. Duck tape?



I favour electrical tape.


----------



## Reynard (26 May 2018)

Quackers...


----------



## Garry A (26 May 2018)

I washed my wheels, they were a bit dirty.


----------



## DCBassman (26 May 2018)

Got a cheap alloy bar from ebay to better go with the new shifters.
5cm narrower than the fat ones from the Norco, and fits the nicer Scott stem.


----------



## C R (26 May 2018)

The new bottle cage arrived, so in it went. Managed to let one of the screws dissappear somewhere in the garage, nowhere to be found after half an hour search. Had to borrow one from daughter two's bike. Need to get some in.


----------



## Serge (27 May 2018)

Removed the stabilisers and pedals from my daughter's bike. Hopefully she gets the hang of balancing without removing too much skin! I wish I'd have bought her a balance bike in the first place but grandad knows best!

Cleaned and lubed my bike and indexed the gears and finally managed to fit the bottle cage, pump and lock to my satisfaction. I only tried about ten different combinations before I was happy. 






It took me so long I'm now too pissed to go out for a ride!


----------



## delb0y (27 May 2018)

Took the Brooks off my Tricross and put it on the Toughroad. Tidied the garage and sorted all my cycling kit out, and also made enough space that I can get to my fishing kit again. Threw away lots of rubbish.


----------



## ColinJ (27 May 2018)

I had put up with juddering and squealing from the front disk brake on my CX bike for nearly 2 years but had finally had enough of it while I was in Wales last week. I took a look down the sides of the disk and saw that I hadn't centred the brake assembly properly so one pad was pretty much touching the disk rotor while the other was some distance away. I loosened the mounting bolts, applied the brake hard, then tightened the bolts again before releasing the brake lever. The assembly is still slightly off centre but the brake performance has been transformed. I now get really smooth, progressive braking and it is almost silent. I don't know why I took 2 years to get round to doing a 2 minute job - D'oh!


----------



## Pale Rider (27 May 2018)

A saddle change was my fettle yesterday for today's ride.

I had been getting on OK with the Brooks Aged saddle which came with the bike, but frustratingly in the last few months it has become increasingly uncomfortable.

This is a problem not to be under-estimated, it had reached the point where I was reluctant to take on my longer 50+ mile rides due to having to do the last 20 miles mostly standing up.

So it was off with the Brooks and on with - a Brooks, albeit a slightly wider one which came with my other bike.

The change seems to have worked.

I felt today's 52 mile ride while I was doing it, but an hour later there's no lingering discomfort.

A relief in more ways than one.


----------



## Salty seadog (27 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I had put up with juddering and squealing from the front disk brake on my CX bike for nearly 2 years but had finally had enough of it while I was in Wales last week. I took a look down the sides of the disk and saw that I hadn't centred the brake assembly properly so one pad was pretty much touching the disk rotor while the other was some distance away. I loosened the mounting bolts, applied the brake hard, then tightened the bolts again before releasing the brake lever. The assembly is still slightly off centre but the brake performance has been transformed. I now get really smooth, progressive braking and it is almost silent. I don't know why I took 2 years to get round to doing a 2 minute job - D'oh!



You could just kick yourself sometimes couldn't you?


----------



## ColinJ (27 May 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> You could just kick yourself sometimes couldn't you?


And I haven't even mentioned suffering the same kind of problem that @Pale Rider had been having ...  (Yes, this is about ColinJ-fettling rather than bike fettling!)

I was starting to develop a saddle sore on my holiday but I ignored it for a couple of days, thinking that it would get better ... _It didn't! _

I ended up mid-week riding nearly 15 miles standing up to get back to my holiday cottage. After that, I limped round to the village shop and bought a small tub of Sudocreme - instant relief after applying some of that!

The next day I soaked a wad of tissue in the stuff and gaffer-taped it on top of the offending sore. Doing that got me through the rest of my holiday without further damage.

I'm now having a day or two off the bike to make sure that I am back to full saddle comfort for my 200 km forum ride next Saturday!


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## Littgull (27 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> And I haven't even mentioned suffering the same kind of problem that @Pale Rider had been having ...  (Yes, this is about ColinJ-fettling rather than bike fettling!)
> 
> I was starting to develop a saddle sore on my holiday but I ignored it for a couple of days, thinking that it would get better ... _It didn't! _
> 
> ...


 Glad you managed to get to the bottom of it, Colin (@ColinJ).


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## Illaveago (27 May 2018)

I thought I would fit a new crank and try reassembling my Falcon with what parts I had left over in my spares box.




I may have to borrow wheels off another bike .


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## BianchiVirgin (27 May 2018)

Degreased the chain and bits on the MTB and got them all nice and clean. Then, after letting it all dry in the sun I started applying the Invisiframe kit I bought way back in January but it was too cold to apply. The first few pieces went on nicely so I'll have another go tomorrow on the seat and chain stays. If I knew it existed I'd have done it when I got the bike new instead of when it's a bit scruffy at this stage. Anyway, it'll keep it from getting worse I suppose.


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## palinurus (28 May 2018)

Replaced the rusty wheelnuts on the winter commuter with some nice gold ones. Also removed the rack, I use the Elephant bike for shopping and always commute with the courier bag these days.

Cleaned and lubed the Surly. When getting it into gear to wipe the chain the cable broke at the lever end. Fitted new cable but somehow the nipple slipped out of where it should be and got lodged inside the shifter, took me ages to tease it out. Fixed it eventually.


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## fossyant (28 May 2018)

Fitted new grips to my wifes hybrid. The type with a larger palm rest and integrated bar end. Should help with wrist pain.

Regreased the GXP BB on the MTB. Removed the cups to grease the thread and found out why I was getting a few clicks when putting the power down on hills. The drive side cup didnt need any pressure to undoo. All running quiet.

Shame GXP bearings arent well sealed. At least its a doddle to regrease them.


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## DCBassman (28 May 2018)

Following thread in Mechanics on freewheels (!), got the Trek on the stand and took off the rear wheel. Mucky. Cleaned. As suggested, sprayed in some wd40 and spun. Got smooth real fast. Added some engine oil to keep it oily until such time as I decide what to do next. The hub needs a full overhaul really, new cones and bearings certainly, possibly new axle too. Might get LBS to do hub as difficult at home. And a new Sunrace or Shimano freewheel and chain would probably be a good idea.
Then sell. Would make a bombproof commuter for someone!


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## the stupid one (28 May 2018)

I drove 230 miles there and back today to collect an eBay bike. Triban 500, 4 months old, with Shimano A530 pedals and Fulcrum Racing 7 LG wheelset with Continental 25mm tyres. Plus the original B'Twin wheelset and tyres! I got quite a bargain.
Anyway, a bit of fettling was needed, so . . .
• Straightened the front wheel to stop the brakes rubbing.
• Oiled the chain.
• Cleaned and greased the seatpost and the saddle clamp, roughly set the saddle height and angle.
Then I went out for my first drop-bar bike ride for twenty years. Not too terrible. Braking from the hoods is going to need some practice, and I haven't yet quite got the muscle memory to change gears effectively, but the steering wasn't too twitchy and the ride was fairly comfortable even at a mad 100 p.s.i.
Tomorrow I need to learn how to get the stem cap off so I can fit the spacer bell I bought recently - there's no apparent bolt-head at the top, so I'm a bit puzzled*.
And in the near future there may be cleats and cycling shoes. It's all terribly exciting.


*Edit: Youtube video suggests there's a little rubber cap which needs flipping off first. Excellent.


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## si_c (29 May 2018)

Swapped the cassette from the commuting 12-25 to the really fscking hilly 11-36 this morning before todays ride. Couldn't get it indexed properly, derailleur barrel adjuster is bent!!?! How that has happened I don't know.

Can order a new one from SJS, but will check LBS tomorrow. 



ColinJ said:


> _Any thoughts? Is that grease just for rust prevention before use, or is it intended to actually lube the chain?_)



It's pretty good lube, depending on the weather. I tend to lube it when it starts to make a bit more noise on the sprockets, which last summer was almost 1000km, during the winter it can be as little as 100km.


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## the stupid one (29 May 2018)

Removed handlebars, added bell, flipped stem, replaced bars with a bit more of an angle backwards. Must try it out . . .



. . . more upright means more comfort, but while the brakes are more easily reached from the hoods they seem harder to get to from the drops.


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## bpsmith (29 May 2018)

the stupid one said:


> Removed handlebars, added bell, flipped stem, replaced bars with a bit more of an angle backwards. Must try it out . . .
> 
> 
> 
> . . . more upright means more comfort, but while the brakes are more easily reached from the hoods they seem harder to get to from the drops.


Two options, depending on what shifters you have?

1. Adjust the reach via screw adjustment or via Shims that can be fitted.

2. Gently roll back the bar tape and adjust the position of the shifters on the bar itself. Then refit tape if done gently enough.


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## fossyant (29 May 2018)

Hmm the rear Guide RS hydraulic brake leaver is slow to return. Its a known issue in heat. Looks like its a strip down and lightly sand the piston in the leaver body down. Or just wait a few days and we won't have a warm spell like this for a while !


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## SpokeyDokey (29 May 2018)

Moved saddle back by 0.75cm. This will no doubt transform me into a demon rider overnight.


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## the stupid one (29 May 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Two options, depending on what shifters you have?
> 
> 1. Adjust the reach via screw adjustment or via Shims that can be fitted.
> 
> 2. Gently roll back the bar tape and adjust the position of the shifters on the bar itself. Then refit tape if done gently enough.



Thank you very much! I shall look into those adjustment screws tomorrow. It's odd that I can't quite get enough of the levers, because I have big hands (size 8 1/2 or 9 in a surgical glove). It may be a perception thing, but I'd like to feel I had more control. What I need is the time to go for a long ride on it with a multi-tool for adjustments, and really get used to it. Even the lightness is quite distracting at the moment.


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## bpsmith (29 May 2018)

the stupid one said:


> Thank you very much! I shall look into those adjustment screws tomorrow. It's odd that I can't quite get enough of the levers, because I have big hands (size 8 1/2 or 9 in a surgical glove). It may be a perception thing, but I'd like to feel I had more control. What I need is the time to go for a long ride on it with a multi-tool for adjustments, and really get used to it. Even the lightness is quite distracting at the moment.


The shifter arms curve away from the bars, towards the bottom especially. As you angle the bars backwards, those end bits get further away as your hands rest on a different part of the drops. The adjustment screws help in this regard, by pushing the top of each lever forwards which results in the bottom getting closer to the bars.

I haven’t needed to use the adjustment myself, as have my bars set with the drops parallel to the floor and then the shifters set up so the hoods are parallel also. I am pretty flexible, so perhaps that’s why it works better for me.

We’re all different, hence the adjustment being built in.


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## Jenkins (30 May 2018)

Test fitted the 37mm versions of the Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres to the spare set of wheels for the Spa Elan to see if they fitted under the mudguards - they do without any changes needed so are staying on the spare wheels ready for the winter..

The tyres removed (basic wired Schwalbe G-Ones) from the spare wheels were then fitted to the Cube as replacements for the Schwalbe CX Comps which were showing signs of wear. It had nothing to do with them being fractionally lighter at all, honestly! Then the original (leaking Shimano) complete rear brake assembly was removed and replaced with the Clarks M2 set-up purchased a week or so ago and the rear rotor was also replaced as it had become contaminated from the leak. The brakes will be bedded in on a test ride tomorrow or on Friday's commute.


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## ColinJ (30 May 2018)

I have moved my 'spare' bottle cage _again_. I have 3 cages for 2 bikes. I only need one cage for rides up to about 65 km (40 miles) but I am doing a 200 km ride on Saturday so I need 2 cages on the bike that I will be riding and (naturally!) the second cage is on the wrong bike ... I must buy a matching 4th one next time that I order from Planet X.

The bike in question is my singlespeed. I stripped down a pair of old Campagnolo Ergopower controls for that bike, removing the worn-out gear shifters, but leaving the brake levers in place. The problem was that it left a gaping void behind where the gear levers used to be. I got fed up with the edges of the metalwork digging in to my fingers so tonight I peeled back the rubber hoods and wrapped some spare lengths of bar tape underneath round that metalwork to give me much more comfortable handholds.


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## Alan O (31 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I have moved my 'spare' bottle cage _again_. I have 3 cages for 2 bikes.


I've got exactly the same problem. I've got 2 bikes that I do long-ish rides on, only 3 cages between them, and I sweat and need to drink a lot. I've been in that situation for nearly 2 years now, but every time I've bought something I've failed to add one more cage to the order.


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## Illaveago (31 May 2018)

I was quite pleased with myself after fitting a new battery into my Festina chronograph and got it working again only to notice that the stop watch hand has now moved round to 4 minutes past position. It has a Miyota OT 10 movement .
I'll have to see if there is any info about resetting the hand .


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## biggs682 (31 May 2018)

Swapped bars and stem over this morning on my Rotrax , so hoping to get a few miles in 2moro am


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## ColinJ (31 May 2018)

I decided to do some more fettling of my singlespeed bike in prepartion for Saturday's 200 km forum ride in Cheshire ...

I discovered that the sprocket is starting to look a bit worn. It wasn't even new when I put it on the bike and I have done 2,650 kms (1,650 miles) on it since then. Obviously, with only one sprocket rather than a full cassette worth, all the wear is going to be concentrated on that sprocket.

I found another used one with less wear in my spares box and was going to put that on but I couldn't get the locking ring off - I actually broke my chainwhip trying! I decided to postpone the job until after the Cheshire ride and the 100 mile York/Humber Bridge/York ride the following Saturday.

And then ... I noticed that the rear tyre had a worrying bulge in it. I wasn't going to risk riding on that tyre again so I took a photo of it and then put a replacement tyre on. (I'll finish off the dodgy tyre on my turbo trainer next winter.)

The tyre looked even worse in real life than it looks in this photo ...


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## DCLane (31 May 2018)

A couple of bits:

- Fitted a rear spoke to the Raleigh Twenty, so it's now got a full contingent. Also the crankset and chain looked like being covered in rust: on cleaning it was a coat of copper grease, possibly factory fitted in 1975. Underneath? All shiny chrome. Some work needed there though to clean it all as I've only done a couple of chain links so far. In fact, I might not bother and leave it as protectant.

- Fitted used GP4000S tyres to a pair of Roval Fusee Star wheels I'd picked up as new old stock and stuck them on the Wilier for a test-ride. They match the frame nicely:


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## bpsmith (31 May 2018)

Gave the Helium SL’s cassette and chain it’s first full strip and degrease. Wasn’t that bad considering 300+ miles on factory coating.

Now back on the bike and Silca NFS lubed. It was a freebie from Silca when I imported a pump from them in their media sample sale a while back.

A very brief spin proved to be very smooth indeed. The pump is amazing too, like all their kit in fairness.


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## the stupid one (1 Jun 2018)

Put new saddle on the Ridgeback; changed the saddle on the Triban and attached the clip for the Altura seatbag. Then removed the saddle so I could actually tighten up the screws. And then put it back on again. Good grief.

Come to think of it, we raised the saddle and handlebars on the little full-sus Apollo I got for our daughter last year, and which she hasn’t ridden for 54 weeks since her big brother came off the Ridgeback and snapped his femur right next to her. She’s still nervous, but we’ll get her back on it. She helped pump the tyres up and replace the long-lost valve caps, and sat on it while I wheeled her around the garage, but neither of us could face the rain.

Also we dropped into the LBS for those valve caps and I asked about getting the BB, rings and cranks changed on the mongrel Ridgeback. I’ll be taking it in next week. That bloody click’s days are numbered, touch wood.


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## raleighnut (1 Jun 2018)

DCLane said:


> A couple of bits:
> 
> - Fitted a rear spoke to the Raleigh Twenty, so it's now got a full contingent. Also the crankset and chain looked like being covered in rust: on cleaning it was a coat of copper grease, possibly factory fitted in 1975. Underneath? All shiny chrome. Some work needed there though to clean it all as I've only done a couple of chain links so far. In fact, I might not bother and leave it as protectant.
> 
> ...


Nice wheels, I've got the 'Classique Pave' on my old TT bike.


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## J_H1026 (1 Jun 2018)

I've just finished fitting Di2 to my Cannondale Synapse over the past 2 days. I probably could have done it quicker but I promised the wife it wouldn't get in the way of my gardening duties. Luckily it's been raining a lot which gave me time off the mower! It was pretty straight forward although I did have to drill out one of the holes in the down tube as it tapered to accommodate cables and not the thickness of a Di2 cable. I'm not sure why that is, when there were holes elsewhere in the frame, supposedly ready for Di2!

I also learnt a few lessons about internal cabling, how fishing wire is excellent for those tight cable runs where the frame tapers and also how much crap gets up into the frame! I now just need to find some decent bungs/guides for the points at which the cables exit the frame (RD,FD and Down tube). I've also need to persuade the wife how important it is to upgrade the battery and wireless unit as syncro shifting is really important. I'm not holding my breath!


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## raleighnut (1 Jun 2018)

J_H1026 said:


> I've just finished fitting Di2 to my Cannondale Synapse over the past 2 days. I probably could have done it quicker but I promised the wife it wouldn't get in the way of my gardening duties. Luckily it's been raining a lot which gave me time off the mower! It was pretty straight forward although I did have to drill out one of the holes in the down tube as it tapered to accommodate cables and not the thickness of a Di2 cable. I'm not sure why that is, when there were holes elsewhere in the frame, supposedly ready for Di2!
> 
> I also learnt a few lessons about internal cabling, how fishing wire is excellent for those tight cable runs where the frame tapers and also how much crap gets up into the frame! I now just need to find some decent bungs/guides for the points at which the cables exit the frame (RD,FD and Down tube). I've also need to persuade the wife how important it is to upgrade the battery and wireless unit as syncro shifting is really important. I'm not holding my breath!


Ach, just use a bit of Silicon Sealant if you're worried about water.


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## DCBassman (1 Jun 2018)

Fitted new long B screw. Unfitted it again. While it's nice and long, because it is headless it goes past the stop instead of butting up against it.
Need a 1 inch headed B screw...


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## shirokazan (1 Jun 2018)

In comparison to the above, the extremely trivial task of putting reflectors on the pedals of my touring bike. Only taken 13 years to get around to this task.


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## shirokazan (1 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> ...II'll finish off the dodgy tyre on my turbo trainer next winter.



Go for it, Colin! Sounds like 'Man v Tyre'


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## the stupid one (1 Jun 2018)

Set up new cycling computer and attached it to Triban. Tried to fit mudguards, but no way were they going through the brakes. I almost took a file to the front one before checking that the rear one would be OK, but that wouldn't fit either so I gave up.



the stupid one said:


> She’s still nervous, but we’ll get her back on it.



Took The Girl out at lunchtime to the car park at the local station (not at all busy!), and she eventually got the hang of cycling again, though more work still needed for setting off and stopping. It was hot and sunny. When we got back home she claimed to be "as sweaty as a mallard"!


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## shirokazan (1 Jun 2018)

the stupid one said:


> ...That bloody click’s days are numbered, touch wood.



He he, the bane of every cyclist's life. I've had to resort to a new set of pedals to kill off the annoying click from the right pedal - the interaction between the cleat and the pedal being the source of the intractable issue.

Best of luck!


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## ColinJ (1 Jun 2018)

shirokazan said:


> Go for it, Colin! Sounds like 'Man v Tyre'


Apparently, I was already playing that game, only I hadn't realised it! 

I switched my bikes to 25C tyres a couple of years ago but still had the lightly worn 23Cs that I had been using up to that point. I put one of those on the singlespeed to replace the dodgy 25C. I'll work my way through the remaining stock and then buy more 25Cs.


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## shirokazan (1 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Apparently, I was already playing that game, only I hadn't realised it!



It was the use of the phrasal verb "finish off" that made it sound like mortal combat between you and the tyre. :-)

Anyhow, beware of using the term "xxC" with reference to tyre sizes: elsewhere on this forum someone did (correctly) point out that it should be 25*mm* not 25*C* as the latter refers to a defunct wheel sizing system. I'm not overly concerned but wouldn't wish you to get flack from other quarters.


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## dave r (1 Jun 2018)

Currently fettling my computer, I've upgraded my Lubuntu 16.04 to Ubuntu 18.04 via a clean install. Now installing software, restoring data from back ups, updating and generally fettling the appearance and settings. One thing to do is get rid of the gnome desktop, its every bit as orrible as I remember it from last time I used it.


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## dave r (1 Jun 2018)

shirokazan said:


> He he, the bane of every cyclist's life. I've had to resort to a new set of pedals to kill off the annoying click from the right pedal - the interaction between the cleat and the pedal being the source of the intractable issue.
> 
> Best of luck!



Despite fettling my Eastway to within an inch of its life I haven't completely killed off my creak, I've reduced it almost to silence but not quite, I only hear it when I'm standing on the pedals and honking and it comes and goes.


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## C R (1 Jun 2018)

dave r said:


> Currently fettling my computer, I've upgraded my Lubuntu 16.04 to Ubuntu 18.04 via a clean install. Now installing software, restoring data from back ups, updating and generally fettling the appearance and settings. One thing to do is get rid of the gnome desktop, its every bit as orrible as I remember it from last time I used it.


There is a special place in hell reserved for gnome and windows developers.


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## User10119 (1 Jun 2018)

There was much barking and laughing out on the street earlier, so I stuck my head out the door to see the cockapoo puppy from a few doors down and the soppy retriever from over the road muppeting about in the road - the puppy had pinched the 'treats bag' from the retriever's owner and was gleefully bouncing around like Tigger - whilst a several of the kids from the neighbourhood were watching, stood around with their bikes. One of them spotted me and was _delighted_ to show off his new-to-him mtb, and his younger brother was equally pleased with his new-to-him hand-me-down. As I was saying hello to puppy and hound there was a slightly plaintive cry for my help from the kid with the new bike as he was upturning his new pride and joy - he'd managed to unship the chain quite spectacularly, and couldn't get it back on. I went to investigate and 5 minutes or so of patience and persistence paid off when I eventually got the bizarre knot he'd somehow introduced, when trying to sort it out, out and got it back on properly. 

Then I went and pretend-chased the toddler (who belongs to the same household as the puppy) with my spectacularly gunky oily hands. 

And, once I'd washed said hands, texted the mum of the two brothers to suggest that when the EldestCub is home and available next, on a nice sunny day, we need to set up a bit of a bike workshop on the pavement in front of ours and introduce them all to the joys of cleaning your bike and mickle-ing your chain, and get the EC (who is reasonably handy with the spanners when he puts his mind to it, especially since his fortnight of work experience in the LBS) to check over the brakes and the indexing.


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## Tom B (2 Jun 2018)

Fettling this week 

On the hybrid

Finally got around to changing my 50p shaped wheel over. Checked the old tyre over and it seemed okay so I put it on the new wheel. Inflated it and noticed big gash down through the tread and greenguard. Swapped the tyre for a new one.

Changed the chain, cassette and chainrings at the same time as the wheel.

Two days later puncture!

Whiz the bike upside down to take the wheel off without digging out the bikestand, distracted by feeding the baby (and beer) and only get the bike the right way up a couple of hours later. Put it away and get it out for the morning commute 10hours later. End of the street I find I've no brakes as while the bike is upside down the fluid Drains back and they need pumping to get them back! Luckily the street is on an incline and I was only at walking pace. 

Went to work on the MTB yesterday as I had a bit of spare time and thought I'd have a 5am crack at one of the busy trails in peace hoping to smash in a good time on strava, but went the wrong way. On the way home I had another visit from the P fairy! Luckily it was quite slow so managed to get almost home before it suddenly went completely flat at some lights. Where a car driver stopped and asked me if I knew I had a puncture.


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## Levo-Lon (4 Jun 2018)

Rode my Marin to work..new seat needs a few mm tweak as the nose is a bit high,before I ride home


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## Nyooome-nore (4 Jun 2018)

Rode in to work, finally got the new derailleurs in a near-as-dammit identical position so I'm not aware of it  so many teeny, tiny tweaks over the weekend


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## palinurus (4 Jun 2018)

Did a bit of fettling at the weekend. Some years ago I gave an old Marin MTB to a friend to ride to work, he brought it round because the gears weren't working. New cable and outers fixed it, also had to nip up the cassette as it was wobbling around, adjusted the rear wheel bearings, replaced a brake cable. Rode pretty sweet after but the BB has some play in it so that'll be next. Occurred to me that I need something similar so I can finally learn to wheelie.

Re-taped the bars on the Surly then noticed this morning that I hadn't wrapped around one of the levers very well- will be unravelling and re-ravelling later. Also put a new chain on the 'cross bike and threaded it over that little lug on the rear mech like a total amateur.


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## Vantage (4 Jun 2018)

Where to begin...

First off I decided that I wanted some padding for my backside as the Cityjets aren't quite as supple as the Voyager Hypers. The stupid indents in my suspension seatpost allow my saddle to be dead flat then straight to -4degree of nose up...waaaaaay too much. I need it at -2.2 degrees. I measured it finally.
Old post back on again as it allows finer adjustment.
Tried several different methods of raising the bars as I'm increasingly suffering from neck and back pain. Settled for my old 90mm stem with 7 degree rise. It's a bit longer than the usual stem but the Spa is shorter than the Vantage was so I might get away with it. I'll find out later.
I wanted to see how the Spa handled fully loaded so I set about moving the mudguard stays to the higher position that Spa supplied on their forks before fitting the front rack.
Having shortened and bent angles into the stays to get them to fit in their new position I set about fitting the rack. It doesn't fit. The p clips I have for it overlap the mounts by quite a bit. Maybe an idea will spring into my mind later but for now, it looks like I'll be saving for a new rack in the future.


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## JhnBssll (4 Jun 2018)

Bit of security fettling this evening - I've fitted 3 new anchors in addition to the 3 I already had. The original blue anchors are Sold Secure Bicycle Silver but the new bigger ones are Sold Secure Bicycle Gold. I guess by fitting both I've gone Platinum  I've also had a friend round to upgrade my home alarm system, it's now all remote controlled via an app and links in to my CCTV, very swish! It's been extended to the garage now so the bikes are now covered by both alarm and CCTV  This means my old home alarm panel, internal sounder and keypad are all available if anyone fancies buying some sensors and hooking it up in their garage, it was fully functional when removed 2 weeks ago  It's a Pyronix Euro Mini panel.

Here are the anchors and chains for the Roubaix and Stumpjumper, all epoxied and bolted in to the blockwork:












And here's the other wall, empty at the moment since the Aria broke but soon to be filled by the Oltre XR3 






And here are my current bicycles all lined up outside so they didn't get covered in brick dust while I was drilling the holes 






That patio could do with a clean, might have to get the pressure washer out at the weekend 

Here's the old alarm panel in case anyone wants it:


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## ColinJ (7 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> The outer and inner rings looked like they might have some significant use left in them so I cleaned them and am fairly sure that they will last the life of the new chain. The new big and little rings will go in my spares drawer for this year. The middle ring is the one that I use the most and that is well-worn, so that IS going to be replaced.


I have done a few rides on the bike since fettling its transmission. The old little ring did work ok, but I could hear a slight ticking from it which contrasted to the silence of the bike when on the middle or big rings. I decided to stop being so tight and scrapped it. The new little ring is as silent in operation as the other 2 rings. I've put the old ring in the recycling box to avoid the temptation to reuse it in the future. (I don't know if the council will recycle it. It is aluminium so they should do, but their machines might not cope.)


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## J_H1026 (7 Jun 2018)

Refitted the shifter to junction box cables on my Di2. I hadn't left enough slack at the shifter (because I didn't read the instructions) which meant that for the final 5 miles on my commute to work I was stuck in a particularly unhelpful gear. I then made the same mistake again at work when I quickly reattached the wire which meant that for the last 10 miles of my commute home, I was similarly inconvenienced. I've also found out I'm rubbish at bar tape.


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## SpokeyDokey (7 Jun 2018)

Fitted a new FWE bell (piddly little thing with a decent ding) but...no fitting instructions! What's the world coming to?


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## the stupid one (7 Jun 2018)

Groan. I went out on the hardtail RockRider BigRR 5.1 a couple of days ago, and noticed that the brakes were a bit dodgy and the gears needed tweaking.

The weight, geometry and tube cross-section of the bike meant that the workstand wasn't very happy. The front derailleur was a real bugger, but I got there in the end. The rear derailleur just needed a bit of a twist of the barrel adjuster.

Meanwhile the rear brake seemed to have gone completely t*ts up. It was doing that annoying thing where it closes but then refuses to open. I adjusted the blocks, in case they were catching the tyre as well as the rim, but that made no difference. Sent some lube into both ends of the rear cable outer, which also made no difference. Then I had a lightbulb moment - surely the clamp on the workstand is interfering with the bare inner cable. What a dope . . . but it wasn't that either.

Finally I got to the front end, and the problem was an almost invisible deflection of the front outer as it left the barrel adjuster. With the merest touch the problem disappeared. Grrr. With a bit of loosening and tightening I think I've sorted it for the moment - worked OK over several pulls, then on a short testride. In fact the brakes are _very_ effective now. The lad had a quick go and he was pleased with the brakes and gears, and he's hoping to do the Wirral Bikeathon on Sunday.

And after all that I got the junior B'Twin bike which the lad used to fit and gave it the same treatment. That was a lot more user-friendly. What a relief.


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## Chris S (8 Jun 2018)

I put a new pair of pedals on my 30-year-old Raleigh. They were only £3.47 of ebay (inc p+p) so I wasn't expecting much but they've completely transformed the bike. They don't look much different from Halfords basic pedals.
I didn't realize how bad the old ones were. One was actually bent and both flopped about so much they must have been sapping energy.


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## shirokazan (8 Jun 2018)

And so to my LBS to pick up the new pedals (PD-T400) for my road bike (and quick link for my tourer). As I had in fact arrived there on my road bike, they volunteered to swap the pedals for me, so strictly speaking, I didn't do any fettling. Thanks, @Dogtrousers for mentioning those pedals in this post.


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Jun 2018)

Wheel building today. Couple of new wheel builds.


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## mangid (9 Jun 2018)

Phaffed with internal gear routing last night. 

Bought some silcone tube to try and keep the route open, failed miserably as it was too soft to go through some of the smaller openings. Gave up, and decided to go in with a magnet. The Park tool magnet from their internal routing kit is way too weak, messed around for ages, Found an old disk drive magnet and used that. Still had problems, the last portion was thru a a small metal ferule pressed into the alloy dropouts, removed this, found a stiffer piece of tubing I got with some handlerbars, and managed to get the cable all the way through. At this point it was bedtime. So I'm heading off out for the morning ride on my old reliable Burls fixed, and will finish getting it all back together this afternoon :-)


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## fossyant (9 Jun 2018)

My Guide RS rear brake has fallen fowl to the sticky piston failure in heat. The lever was sluggish to return. Stripped the lever, and the piston had 'expanded' slightly. I sanded it down and rebuilt the lever. It's been working much better but I also ordered the Generation 2 piston from Taiwan (yes the only place that sells the piston on it's own).

That arrived today, and there is noticeably less 'material' on the piston. Stripped and refitted the piston, bled the brakes and it's perfect, even in 25c heat. The front lever has been fine, but at least I know where to get the spares. I'm now a dab hand at bleeding hydraulic brakes - absolute doddle !


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## DCBassman (9 Jun 2018)

New batteries in 2 sets of lights.


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## mangid (9 Jun 2018)

Finished the recabling, of the rear mech after last nights phaffing. Involved screwing bits back onto the Dura Ace shifter, rewrapping bars, front mech, little dodad under BB which routes the cables, finessing the rear mech, and riding up and down to make sure it all worked. Nice way to wind down after this mornings 116 mile fixed ride, and the 5 round mile trip to Waitrose. 

Looking forward to tomorrow !


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## HLaB (9 Jun 2018)

Topped up the sealant in my tyres last night and finally got round to changing my chairing from 52/36 to 50/34.


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## stoatsngroats (10 Jun 2018)

Cleaned the discs, an replaced fr & rr pads to Nuke Proof organics, and bedded them in, and I can now skid with the rear brake! Much better than squealing, as I had recently.
Bought an MT800 B.B., ready to put in, following the clicking Deore SM52, I think it will fit? 
Yesterday, put on the Axiom DLX 29er rack, and checked out the Ortliebs for fitting, although the OH has bagged the new ones, as they colour match her Cube orange colours
Sorted the Arbus lock and pump holder onto the bars, to give another bidon on a location on the frame.
Our much planned (4 years I think) Avenue vert ride in a few weeks is coming along well, just pondering the planned 55 miles on day 3, with the hills around Beauvais, and whether this will be too much!


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## bpsmith (10 Jun 2018)

23 mile all out blast for me. Followed by a full strip down of the gears to find out what my rattle was.

The only thing I did different was to remove the hanger and clean behind on frame and hanger. Greased it lightly before reassembly and then set up front and rear mech from scratch again.

Appears to have sorted it all out and front shifting is sharper than ever.


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## HLaB (10 Jun 2018)

mangid said:


> Finished the recabling, of the rear mech after last nights phaffing. Involved screwing bits back onto the Dura Ace shifter, rewrapping bars, front mech, little dodad under BB which routes the cables, finessing the rear mech, and riding up and down to make sure it all worked. Nice way to wind down after this mornings 116 mile fixed ride, and the 5 round mile trip to Waitrose.
> 
> Looking forward to tomorrow !


I've only did half that  I've re-cabled the left side of the bike (back brake and front deraileur) and re-taped it and I've only done 75mile. I spent most of the afternoon after the Dauphine cleaning the chain/ cassette etc.


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## HLaB (11 Jun 2018)

HLaB said:


> I've only did half that  I've re-cabled the left side of the bike (back brake and front deraileur) and re-taped it and I've only done 75mile. I spent most of the afternoon after the Dauphine cleaning the chain/ cassette etc.


You shamed me into action @mangid and I did the other half. I've still got to change the front tubeless tyre (its sprayed sealent 3 rides in a row and sometimes twice on one ride) but that's tomorrow's job, good night


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## mangid (11 Jun 2018)

HLaB said:


> You shamed me into action @mangid and I did the other half. I've still got to change the front tubeless tyre (its sprayed sealent 3 rides in a row and sometimes twice on one ride) but that's tomorrow's job, good night
> View attachment 413714



Having gained confidence and experience with the rear cable I went for the front mech yesterday afternoon, easy when you know how :-) Didn't even need to unwrap the bars.


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## C R (11 Jun 2018)

Saturday fettling was changing the mudguards which were too big for the new 1.50 tyres, and looked a bit daft. The bike looks a bit more reasonable with mudguards now the right size for the tyres. I was thinking about not putting mudguards on, but in view of yesterday's adventure it was lucky I did put them on. The bracket screws seem to loosen over time, so I am going to need to fettle some shake proof washers in.

Also put in seat stay lights and reflector, as the saddle bag doesn't leave any space for them in the seatpost.


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## Rickshaw Phil (11 Jun 2018)

Retensioned, trued and dished the back wheel on the Raleigh after noticing odd noises on my last couple of rides on it.

All seems good but going straight off on a big ride without testing doesn't seem sensible so it's going to miss out on tomorrows plans and the knockabout bike will go instead.


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## HLaB (11 Jun 2018)

Changed my front tubeless tyre as it had p'tured 3 or 4 rides in a row and sometimes twice in a ride. First time I had changed a tubeless tyre and I expected a mess and it'd be a biatch to remove. Surprisingly it was clean and easy. Getting the new tyre on the rim was a bit of a biatch but it was pretty clean. I used the new Finish Line sealant which is claimed never to dry and once the tyre was on the rim it seems to have seated/sealed it OK. I pumped the sealed tyre up to 100psi and it seems fine


----------



## JhnBssll (13 Jun 2018)

Shifted the rear lights on the commuter due to new rack getting in the way of the old placement. Not 100% sure I'm happy with it yet as the two side mounted lights look a little prone but I'll ride it for a bit and decide


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## Chris S (14 Jun 2018)

Chris S said:


> I put a new pair of pedals on my 30-year-old Raleigh. They were only £3.47 of ebay (inc p+p) so I wasn't expecting much but they've completely transformed the bike. They don't look much different from Halfords basic pedals.
> I didn't realize how bad the old ones were. One was actually bent and both flopped about so much they must have been sapping energy.



I take it all back about cheap pedals - don't buy them, they are worse than useless. The right one bent after about a dozen miles and came out taking some of the crank thread with it. I managed to get the old pedal back on using a combination of leg and arm muscles. It's now in so tight it will probably never come out again but the crank would have been scrap any way. The (new) left pedal was so loose it unscrewed by hand. I don't think the thread had been manufactured to the correct tolerances, in addition to the soft steel.


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## Elysian_Roads (14 Jun 2018)

Chris S said:


> I take it all back about cheap pedals - don't buy them, they are worse than useless. The right one bent after about a dozen miles and came out taking some of the crank thread with it. I managed to get the old pedal back on using a combination of leg and arm muscles. It's now in so tight it will probably never come out again but the crank would have been scrap any way. The (new) left pedal was so loose it unscrewed by hand. I don't think the thread had been manufactured to the correct tolerances, in addition to the soft steel.


Bought some Decathlon Btwin own brand for a tenner to see what having pins in MTB pedals would be like. Relatively early days, and it all depends on what your usage would be but I would consider their pedals again if I want a cheap alternative.


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## Vantage (14 Jun 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Bought some Decathlon Btwin own brand for a tenner to see what having pins in MTB pedals would be like.



Bloody sore when they've slipped and buried themselves in your shins


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## biggs682 (14 Jun 2018)

Fitted a recon ECU to a fiat 






Engine now runs on all 4 cylinders


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## JhnBssll (14 Jun 2018)

I've got 20 year old scars in my shins from DMR extra long pins


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## delb0y (14 Jun 2018)

Took the cranks and chain-rings off the Tricross. The plan is to strip down, clean it up, build it back up as a learning experience. I'm sure there will be questions.


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## Illaveago (15 Jun 2018)

I would have a go at repairing an old watch by using another one for donor parts. The one I was repairing is an Ingersol with a 17 jewel Swiss movement . The watch I was using as a donor is a Cronel ,Swiss movement but with only one jewel.
The Ingersol wasn't working as it had a broken mainspring but the Cronel was working and had a similar mainspring, so I thought I would try swapping them over.
I have never done anything like this before but I thought I would give it a go anyway. After filing the ends of my watch screwdrivers so that they would fit the tiny screws I set about the transplant . With a bit of fiddling I managed to get both mainsprings out and swapped them over. The Ingersol was a bit reluctant to start at first but once it was fully wound and given a drop of oil it started working and it has been for an hour and a half so far.


----------



## ColinJ (15 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> @Oldfentiger met me in Todmorden to give me his old Garmin eTrex Legend HCx. In its day (8-10 years ago) that was a top GPS. This one is generally in very good condition but Oldfen had left it in a drawer for years with batteries in. The batteries had leaked and corrosive battery chemicals had damaged the battery compartment. It seemed a shame to chuck out the GPS but not worth paying a shop to fix it, so Phil donated it to me to see if I can revive it. I am using an even older and less powerful eTrex so if I can get this one working it would be a significant upgrade for me.
> 
> So, here you go ...
> 
> ...


I finally bought some double-sided tape and used it to seal the sides of the GPS and stick the rubber grip back on. I'm not convinced that the GPS is now watertight so I might have another go at it later, but it is working for now. Thanks, Phil!


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## LeetleGreyCells (16 Jun 2018)

Yesterday I took the 26” Schwalbe Landcruisers off my old bike and put them on the wife’s. the tyres only have about 180 miles on them. Less rolling resistance so she should have an easier time when she’s out on the bike. Also toed-in the brake blocks front and back to stop squeal.


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## Illaveago (16 Jun 2018)

Update on my watch. After losing a couple of minutes in the first hour it has stabilized over night and remained at 2 minutes slow.
I have now reset the time and rewound it so that I can see how it is performing.


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## raleighnut (16 Jun 2018)

Illaveago said:


> Update on my watch. After losing a couple of minutes in the first hour it has stabilized over night and remained at 2 minutes slow.
> I have now reset the time and rewound it so that I can see how it is performing.


Don't 'overwind' it and break the mainspring again.


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## Vantage (16 Jun 2018)

Tightened up the kickstand bolt. Oiled the cables and reindexed the gears. Mounted the front mudflap on the inside of the mudguard so there's less chance of the bolts ripping through it.
Washed the bike........ Again 

Edit: A new problem is that as the brake pads have worn and the cable tightened to make up for it, the v brake arms on the front are closer together and causing the "problem solver" cable adaptor thingy to hit the B&M light bracket = less braking power.

The sooner the remaining bits for my 9 speed conversion arrive the better.


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## Illaveago (16 Jun 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Don't 'overwind' it and break the mainspring again.


Doh !


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## Illaveago (16 Jun 2018)

It is keeping time with my quartz watch at the moment .


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## mcshroom (16 Jun 2018)

It's June, so I decided to build up my winter commuter. 

My old Claud Butler Hybrid is now a drop bar bike, with bar end shifters. I've just done a test ride and yes its heavy, but the bar ends are surprisingly easy to use, and it's pretty comfortable 

Picture to follow when the rain stops outside


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## cosmicbike (16 Jun 2018)

The Dawes tandem (new to me) needed the front wheel bearings stripping and rebuilding, so after doing the rear yesterday I did that today. Also swapped the rack to one that fits my Topeak MTX track bag.


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## mcshroom (16 Jun 2018)

mcshroom said:


> It's June, so I decided to build up my winter commuter.
> 
> My old Claud Butler Hybrid is now a drop bar bike, with bar end shifters. I've just done a test ride and yes its heavy, but the bar ends are surprisingly easy to use, and it's pretty comfortable
> 
> Picture to follow when the rain stops outside



Here it is:-











Steering is a bit twitchy with the short stem, and the bars could do with being a bit lower, but not bad.


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## Serge (16 Jun 2018)

mcshroom said:


> Here it is:-
> 
> View attachment 414627
> 
> ...


That's a lovely looking bike, may I show my ignorance and ask what it is


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## mcshroom (16 Jun 2018)

Serge said:


> That's a lovely looking bike, may I show my ignorance and ask what it is


Thank you. Originally it was a 2009 Claud Butler Classic: -





The classic was a pretty basic hybrid. It's been through a few iterations over the years, and has collected cast offs from other bikes, but at its heart is the bike I did my first cycle tour on


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## Serge (16 Jun 2018)

mcshroom said:


> Thank you. Originally it was a 2009 Claud Butler Classic: -
> View attachment 414640
> 
> 
> The classic was a pretty basic hybrid. It's been through a few iterations over the years, and has collected cast offs from other bikes, but at its heart is the bike I did my first cycle tour on


I love the curves.


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## bpsmith (17 Jun 2018)

Cut the steerer on my newest bike down by 20mm. Now sitting with a comfortable 10mm spacer below and a 10mm spacer above the stem. Might cut it down further at some point, but want to be absolutely certain about the fit first. I honestly think it’s spot on now, but being massively cautious.

The stool that my Wife and Son got me for Fathers Day was awesome whilst doing the above. Simple thing that always left me with aching knees and back before. Now bliss.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Jun 2018)

New chain on the Robinson and a once over before next week-ends Solstice Sunride from Cambridge to Lowestoft.


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## Serge (17 Jun 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> New chain on the Robinson and a once over before next week-ends Solstice Sunride from Cambridge to Lowestoft.


That should be a cool ride, enjoy.


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## Elybazza61 (17 Jun 2018)

Serge said:


> That should be a cool ride, enjoy.



Sort of looking forward to it apart from the fact I've not ridden anywhere near a 100 miles in a single ride this year.


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## Serge (17 Jun 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Sort of looking forward to it apart from the fact I've not ridden anywhere near a 100 miles in a single ride this year.


One revolution at a time and look forward to a beer at the end. I'm sure you'll love it. Let us all know how it goes.


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## the stupid one (18 Jun 2018)

I had a go at indexing the gears on the mongrel, which have been a bit chattery lately. It seemed to go very smoothly - suspiciously smoothly - on the workstand, so I'll be interested to get it out on the road again.

However, while I was close-up to the rear wheel I started cleaning the nooks and crannies, then decided to remove it from the bike and give it a good clean-up. Afterwards I couldn't get it to sit centrally and move through the gears, and eventually realised I'd loosened some of the nuts etc. on the threaded axle. Good opportunity to degrease and clean those before tightening up, I thought, until a ball bearing dropped out.

Rear wheel now at the LBS getting properly serviced.


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## GuyBoden (18 Jun 2018)

New bearings and re-greased front forks.


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## Fifelad (18 Jun 2018)

My life is complete, tackled the potential horror of replacing the internal rear gear cable on the Cube, and indexed with minimum swearing, and nice new bar tape.


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## Serge (18 Jun 2018)

the stupid one said:


> I had a go at indexing the gears on the mongrel, which have been a bit chattery lately. It seemed to go very smoothly - suspiciously smoothly - on the workstand, so I'll be interested to get it out on the road again.
> 
> However, while I was close-up to the rear wheel I started cleaning the nooks and crannies, then decided to remove it from the bike and give it a good clean-up. Afterwards I couldn't get it to sit centrally and move through the gears, and eventually realised I'd loosened some of the nuts etc. on the threaded axle. Good opportunity to degrease and clean those before tightening up, I thought, until a ball bearing dropped out.
> 
> Rear wheel now at the LBS getting properly serviced.


That sounds like my sort of fettling.


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## Shut Up Legs (19 Jun 2018)

I replaced both gear cables on my Vivente commuter bike about 2 weeks ago, and shifting is reasonably good. I even managed to thread the cables through the brifters with a minimum of fuss and NO foul language (normally one of the 2 brifters resists having the gear cable threaded through it), and minimal derailleur adjustment was needed after the installation, because I'm getting better at judging how tight the cables need to be when installed.

Some follow-up adjustments will no doubt be needed sometime in the next few months. I had to replace them because they'd frayed right in the bottom bracket gear cable guide, which seems to be the most common point of fraying.


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## GuyBoden (19 Jun 2018)

New bearings for front and back wheels and then re-greased.
Cone and lock nuts adjusted properly. Tighten one side in the vice, then adjust and tighten the other side.
New disc pads fitted.
Cleaned brake disc and bleed the hydraulic system both front and rear.
New 34T - 11T Cassette fitted.
New Deore rear dérailleur fitted.
New Chain fitted.
New Gears indexed for new dérailleur.

Short test ride.


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## Vantage (19 Jun 2018)

Busy day...

The last remaining parts of the Vantage were swapped out today. The 6 1/2 year old 2200 STI units have done 11,500 ish miles and pretty much every single shift was perfect or close to it.
SunRace triple 9spd downtube levers were stuck on today. The last time I had downtube levers was on my Raleigh Flyer about 28 years ago. This should be fun! Those were mated to a Deore rear mech that didn't have a cable adjuster MR SHIMANO!!! {which I've solved) and a Claris front mech. A new 11-34T cassette and KMC grey (odd colour) chain have also been fitted.
The brown hooded Dia-Compe 287V brake levers were finally fitted which was good fun (sort of) and the bars have been wrapped in nice new brown tape...I now have light action brakes that don't require cable killing problem solver travel adaptors.
Admittedly whilst I enjoyed my fettling today, there was some mild (ok I lied) swearing at the rear mech and KMC quick link.

I'll test it tomorrow coz right now I'm falling asleep


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## Salty seadog (19 Jun 2018)

Illaveago said:


> It is keeping time with my quartz watch at the moment .



It's not a race is it?


----------



## DCLane (19 Jun 2018)

I've been working on the Focus Culebro frameset 'with bits' that I picked up recently. Essentially it was a full bike minus wheels but having issues. This evening I've fitted a new rear gear cable outer in 3 parts, meaning that the gears now work since the original was split. 38mm semi-deep Merida wheels which match, new Ultegra chain and a cassette fitted leaving the bike looking like this:







It leaves me with a question for the CC folk: *can you mix blue and black cable outers?*






The previous owner had black brake outers and blue gear outers. I'd prefer not to change the brake ones ... 

Oh, and I swapped the 138mm Paradigm saddle on my Wilier for a 128mm Paradigm as it's more comfortable. Note that this information, combined with the above reluctance to fit new cables, does not mean that I'm a tight ...


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## Elysian_Roads (19 Jun 2018)

Looks good @DCLane, so a vote from me to keep it as it is. Though have to ask, is it a trick of the light and the two blue cables by the bars are the actually same shade? Or are they slightly different?


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## DCLane (19 Jun 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> Looks good @DCLane, so a vote from me to keep it as it is. Though have to ask, is it a trick of the light and the two blue cables by the bars are the actually same shade? Or are they slightly different?



They're very slightly different - but I'm hoping once bar tape is added it won't be obvious as I've run out of gear cable outer.

There's a good chance the bike'll be up for sale soon, so I want to keep costs to a minimum where possible.


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## cosmicbike (19 Jun 2018)

Fitted Marathon Plus Touring tyres to the tandem, 30 minutes. Time spent modifying front mudguard mount so it didn't rub, 2 hours


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## Elysian_Roads (19 Jun 2018)

DCLane said:


> They're very slightly different - but I'm hoping once bar tape is added it won't be obvious as I've run out of gear cable outer.
> 
> There's a good chance the bike'll be up for sale soon, so I want to keep costs to a minimum where possible.


I would go for blue bar tape if you have it but black would work.


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## DCLane (19 Jun 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> I would go for blue bar tape if you have it but black would work.



Since I've a pile of different blue bar tape and no black it'll be blue - and the closest matching shade. Thanks.


----------



## Reynard (19 Jun 2018)

DCLane said:


> I've been working on the Focus Culebro frameset 'with bits' that I picked up recently. Essentially it was a full bike minus wheels but having issues. This evening I've fitted a new rear gear cable outer in 3 parts, meaning that the gears now work since the original was split. 38mm semi-deep Merida wheels which match, new Ultegra chain and a cassette fitted leaving the bike looking like this:
> 
> View attachment 415117
> 
> ...



Looks fabby! 

You know it does want Sparco Blue bar tape now...


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## Elysian_Roads (19 Jun 2018)

Do these come with cleats, @Reynard?


----------



## Reynard (19 Jun 2018)

Elysian_Roads said:


> View attachment 415129
> 
> Do these come with cleats, @Reynard?





I do have a blue Sparco Monza jacket, though. I just love the colour, even if it's a tad loud.


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## KneesUp (19 Jun 2018)

Friday - absent mindedly think I ought to get the quill stem out and grease it to prevent it sticking. Wedge gets stuck, but actual stem moves. Go to bed and ignore it.
Saturday - wiggle wedge out because I need the bike on Monday. Whilst I'm at it, have a look at headset, which has been a bit iffy. Decide it's very heavy and a bit worn (it's almost 30 years old) and so replace it with a much newer one off a frameset I'm supposed to be getting rid of. Put old one on frameset as it's age and brand appropriate. Unexpectedly end up with a drum-braked front wheel to try.
Today - Fit drum braked front wheel, including fashioning a pinch bolt out of the parts box. I'm sure it will be fine ... Used a jubilee clip to attach reaction arm to fork leg, with a bit of inner tube to protect the paint, although it's already scratched. Trim an inch of the front of the front mudguard so it doesn't block the crown-mounted light as much using the kitchen scissors as I can't find a knife.

I should take it for a test ride before I commute on it in the morning, but it seems fine.

Currently looking at pile of tools on the kitchen floor and trying to summon the energy and enthusiasm to clear them up.


----------



## Paulus (20 Jun 2018)

Put a pair of new tyres on the Galaxy this morning. As the wheels were off I gave the hubs a quick check. There was no play, but the front one seemed a bit sticky, so quickly stripped it down, cleaned out the old gunk and re-assembled. Running like it is on ice now.


----------



## Leaway2 (20 Jun 2018)

Decided to replace the silver calipers on my Cannondale synapse with black ones, as the bike isn't quite black enough (@vickster ). I replaced the rear no problem, but the hex threaded sleeve thingy, is firmly seized into the carbon fork .
After a cup of tea, I decided to leave it until the weekend and try and work out how to proceed.


----------



## bpsmith (20 Jun 2018)

Tested the bike after cutting the steerer tube and refitting front end. The commute this morning proved that it’s definitely faster. Nothing to do with the tailwind...


----------



## delb0y (21 Jun 2018)

Fixed a broken bottle cage fixing with a rivnut. Never heard of rivnuts until a week ago. Now I've used one :-)


----------



## Leaway2 (21 Jun 2018)

Further to my previous post. I couldn't let it lie.





I un-threaded the caliper from the front a couple of turns. Put a piece of rubber against it and a few blows with a hammer!


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## delb0y (22 Jun 2018)

New bottom bracket installed today. I'm really pushing the learning...


----------



## C R (22 Jun 2018)

Swapped the crank bolts with self extracting ones. My crank extractor didn't work with my new bb spindle, the self extracting bolts did the trick, and remove the need for a specialist tool.

Now that I managed to get the cranks out I was also able to adjust the bb cup, as the crankset was rattling a bit under load. Rattle is gone now.


----------



## Salty seadog (22 Jun 2018)

My tan.


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## DCLane (22 Jun 2018)

Today we've been prepping my 13yo's training bike for a TT tomorrow - carbon disc and deep section fitted along with TT bars and carbon pads:






Also continued working on the Focus Culebro: new Hex Fabric bar tape in blue plus a spare blue bottle cage. I also worked on the rear derailleur which was sticking; full of grease and dirt plus needing a replacement jockey wheel:






The Focus is nearly done; some adjustments to the rear mech to do together with possibly re-greasing the headset. Then it'll be on sale.


----------



## robrinay (22 Jun 2018)

A simple fettle today - I fitted my new bell (a 65th. birthday prezzie)


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## Elysian_Roads (22 Jun 2018)

DCLane said:


> Today we've been prepping my 13yo's training bike for a TT tomorrow - carbon disc and deep section fitted along with TT bars and carbon pads:
> 
> View attachment 415600
> 
> ...


That Focus is looking the biz, @DCLane. Great match on that bar tape.


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## delb0y (23 Jun 2018)

A little more fettling yesterday after the bb installation. I cleaned all the old bar tape glue off the handlebars with some anti-tar stuff, and I regreased and refitted the fork/headset bearings and refitted the front end. Twice actually, as the first time the steering felt a little notchy. Havingread up on some of this stuff I wonder if I shouldn't replace the existing bearings with some sealed units? But that's for next time.


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## mcshroom (23 Jun 2018)

My singlespeed has been driving me to distraction (and not riding it for months) as there was a loud creak/clunk every pedal stroke under load.

Knowing I'd changed the BB, I've been checking the freewheel, chain, pedals, cranks, chainring (that one is getting a bit worn so I need a replacement soon); but still it kept creaking. I finally decided to take the BB out again, and discovered I'd only tightened it finger tight on the drive side 

Now the BB has been removed, cleaned, regreased and installed properly, the bike was almost silent when I took it for a spin round the block.


----------



## GuyBoden (23 Jun 2018)

35mm SKS chromoplastic mudguards on hydraulic disc brakes, not as easy to fit as a standard calliper brake bike, so it took a lot more than an hour.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I finally bought some double-sided tape and used it to seal the sides of the GPS and stick the rubber grip back on. I'm not convinced that the GPS is now watertight so I might have another go at it later, but it is working for now. Thanks, Phil!
> 
> View attachment 414519


I thought I would give the GPS a proper road test so I used it on my sunny 100 mile ride on Saturday. The device functioned flawlessly all day. There was still a problem however. With the sun shining towards the device's screen I could read it quite easily. With the sun behind me and the screen in shadow, I couldn't. Sunglasses made the thing completely useless. Even when lifting the glasses I could barely see what was on the screen so I would have to stop to look at it. Using the backlight made a huge difference and I think would solve the problem, but I was worried about the impact on battery life so I decided to run a test ...

I fully charged a pair of 2,900 mAH NiMH cells and switched the GPS on indoors with the backlight on full power. (It is possible that using it on lower power would suffice on all but really sunny days, but I wanted the worst case scenario.) Indoors, the satellite signals are weak so the GPS is having to work harder to find/lock onto them, thus increasing current consumption.

The results are now in:

Time to low battery warning: 9 hours 20 minutes
Battery too low for backlight use: 10 hours 30 minutes
GPS switches off due to low battery power: 11 hours
I found that I could get the GPS to work again long enough to get a location fix even with the batteries officially flat, but it would switch off again shortly afterwards.

So ... I will be able to do all but my longest rides on one pair of batteries. If I carry a spare pair my ride time would be extended to 18 hours, which is more than I have ever done, or intend to do! It takes less than 2 minutes to change them and a pair of batteries is hardly a huge extra load to carry.


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## Salty seadog (24 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I thought I would give the GPS a proper road test so I used it on my sunny 100 mile ride on Saturday. The device functioned flawlessly all day. There was still a problem however. With the sun shining towards the device's screen I could read it quite easily. With the sun behind me and the screen in shadow, I couldn't. Sunglasses made the thing completely useless. Even when lifting the glasses I could barely see what was on the screen so I would have to stop to look at it. Using the backlight made a huge difference and I think would solve the problem, but I was worried about the impact on battery life so I decided to run a test ...
> 
> I fully charged a pair of 2,900 mAH NiMH cells and switched the GPS on indoors with the backlight on full power. (It is possible that using it on lower power would suffice on all but really sunny days, but I wanted the worst case scenario.) Indoors, the satellite signals are weak so the GPS is having to work harder to find/lock onto them, thus increasing current consumption.
> 
> ...



I imagine it would be working harder in real routing use. Sounds good though and spare batteries weigh bugger all.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (24 Jun 2018)

Does it continue recording the same route when switching over batteries or save as two separate routes?

Just curious.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Jun 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> I imagine it would be working harder in real routing use. Sounds good though and spare batteries weigh bugger all.


It could be ... routeing work vs satellite finding/locking work? The next thing is to actually try a long ride with the backlight on. 

I'll put new batteries in and walk to the shops with it now while wearing sunglasses and experiment with different backlight power settings to see how I get on in the sunlight.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Jun 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Does it continue recording the same route when switching over batteries or save as two separate routes?
> 
> Just curious.


That's a good question. I don't know the answer but I will try it in the next few days and will report my findings! 

It's a moot point though because I have an Edge 500 running alongside it which does any logging that I want to do. The Legend is much better for navigation though and I was given both so I might as well use them. It is quite handy having the route on one screen and my preferred data fields on the other. 

I don't have the backlight problem with the Edge because it has a much simpler screen which works well in sunlight. I'd only need the backlight on in the dark and I don't ride much at night. Incidentally, I did 12 hours with the Edge from fully-charged and it claimed to still have 46% battery left when I got home - if that is true, then I am impressed.


----------



## ianrauk (24 Jun 2018)

Full strip down of the PX Ti today for a full clean.. Put a new Ultegra brifter on to replace the 105 one which replaced the broken Ultegra one. New gear and brake cables.


----------



## Salty seadog (24 Jun 2018)

ianrauk said:


> Full strip down of the PX Ti today for a full clean.. Put a new Ultegra brifter on to replace the 105 one which replaced the broken Ultegra one. New gear and brake cables.



Out with the old, new in with the new new.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I'll put new batteries in and walk to the shops with it now while wearing sunglasses and experiment with different backlight power settings to see how I get on in the sunlight.


I ended up cycling to the shops for a realistic view of the GPS screen in action. 

When facing the sun, the screen was usually fine as long as I wasn't seeing the reflection of the sun from it. I could probably have done with tilting the GPS back a little (I'll try that next time). 

With the sun behind me so I cast a shadow on the screen, I needed full power on the backlight. 

With my cheapo sunglasses on it was still a little harder to see than I would like. Maybe wearing better quality sunglasses would help (slightly less dark and with a polarising filter to cut down on the glare)?


----------



## bpsmith (24 Jun 2018)

New cables and chain on what might turn out to be my commuter bike in the crappier weather, now I have got into the commuting habit. Just needs new bar tape and the saddle back from my Brother who was trying out the shape.


----------



## J_H1026 (24 Jun 2018)

Put a new chain on today - seems my investment in a chain wear tool paid off earlier than I thought. First time I've done it, and I know it's a simple job, but it's nice not to pay the LBS £15 labour to do it! Headset bearings are next on the list!


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Jun 2018)

Aeroclam saddle bag thingy arrived today along with matching mini multitool - I'm quite pleased with it. I'm fed up with tools bouncing around in my back pocket when I'm riding the new bike - all the others have saddle bags but fancied something a bit different on the aero machine so figured I'd try this out first 

It fits a small multitool, 2 supplied slimline tire levers, an inner tube and a CO2 inflator.


----------



## Salar (25 Jun 2018)

Fitted retro gripshifts and granny gear to my folder.


----------



## stoatsngroats (25 Jun 2018)

Just changed my deore B.B. to an MT800, having checked my BikeHut B.B. tool and found the plastic adapter was the correct one for the MT 800! What a result!
The original Cannondale pedals are getting shiny, and I’ve noticed some foot slip on the last few rides, so I’ll be adding some Nukeproof Neutrons in orange later this week, as I don’t think my knees will respond very well to changing to clipless pedals. 
I’ve never used them, and never felt the need.
The recent Ortlieb Sport rollers have shared my bike and the OH’s Cube ebike, and we’re close to being set for France soon.


----------



## delb0y (25 Jun 2018)

Cleaned up the rear brakes and put in new pads. It's starting to look like a bike again, but all the technical stuff is still to come... Waiting for payday so I can order cables and a shiftmate.


----------



## Salty seadog (25 Jun 2018)

Felted another riders bike who dropped his chain on the inside and couldn't get it out. Could still run the chain through the gap between the frame and small ring but not get it out. Pulled it round and got enough slack on the chain to mount it on part of the big ring taking a small bite out to stand the quick link proud. Couple of taps with the end of the multi tool and the link opened. Jobs a good'un and we all had buns for tea


----------



## overmind (26 Jun 2018)

PpPete said:


> I know you don't want to spend anything on it, but if it keeps coming loose I'd ditch the old loose bearing thing for a UN55.





overmind said:


> Thanks, that is a good idea. I might do just that. £13 odd quid is in my budget.



I finally got around to ordering a UN55. I had to make sure I got the BB width (68mm) and spindle width (119mm) correct. The part came yesterday. I am going to fit it on my daughter's bike tonight. It should save a lot of future faffing about with adjusting the cup-and-cone bearings. I will post a report tomorrow.


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2018)

One thing to mention about obsessively testing bodge repairs/battery life/screen legibility of bicycle GPS devices is that it is very easy to forget to watch where you are going and ride straight off the road towards a dry stone wall ... 

Fortunately, I looked up with milliseconds to spare, swerved back towards the road, and missed the wall by about 10 cms!


----------



## Reynard (26 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> One thing to mention about obsessively testing bodge repairs/battery life/screen legibility of bicycle GPS devices is that it is very easy to forget to watch where you are going and ride straight off the road towards a dry stone wall ...
> 
> Fortunately, I looked up with milliseconds to spare, swerved back towards the road, and missed the wall by about 10 cms!



Ooopsss...


----------



## roadrash (26 Jun 2018)

fitted the recently bought crosstop levers today , way too hot to go for a ride to test them though
..


----------



## stoatsngroats (27 Jun 2018)

Fitted Nukeproof Neutrons.


----------



## KneesUp (27 Jun 2018)

[QUOTE 5292755, member: 43827"]Finished the renovation of my old Raleigh Mtrax 700, steel frame with titanium top and down tubes. A mix of mainly 90s components with newish Deore shifters.

It rides really well, but the old caliper brakes are rubbish (Dia Compe 981 cantis). I don't know whether it is just the old brake blocks needing changing, and pondering over whether to fit V-brakes instead.

I love the old 90s derailleurs and shifters, and have never had any compatibility issues with mix-n-match on rebuilds. Modern road derailleurs/shifters always seem to have compatibility niggles even between consecutive model changes.[/QUOTE]
I changed Suntour XCE cantis (1989) for Tektro CR720s and they were much better - I think largely because they were so much easier to set up and adjust.


----------



## Illaveago (27 Jun 2018)

I gave my old airbrush a strip down and clean . Once it was clean I tested it out by spraying some transparent red on to some areas that have been bleached on my Falcon frame . The red is a raspberry shade so I added a bit of blue to try to match it . Not quite enough ! Once dry I gave it a couple of coats of acrylic lacquer.


----------



## Arjimlad (28 Jun 2018)

Took the SPD pedals off both bikes to strip & regrease the spindles.

Those on the Revolt came apart, had their new grease & reassembled perfectly.

One of those on my TCR though, snapped the collar nut inside the body of the pedal when I tried to get it undone, so the collar which fits inside the Shimano tool just turned without unscrewing the spindle from the pedal body. To be fair I have had them for years & never stripped those ones. New pedals on order !

Un55 BB also on order to replace one which is squealing under load after just a year's use. Unusual


----------



## dave r (28 Jun 2018)

Arjimlad said:


> Took the SPD pedals off both bikes to strip & regrease the spindles.
> 
> Those on the Revolt came apart, had their new grease & reassembled perfectly.
> 
> ...



If it's any consolation I managed to wreck a pair of SPD pedals whilst giving them a clean, grease and adjust as well. I did one pedal with no problems, but with the other one the locknut on the cone had sized and freeing it wrecked the thread, Like you I ended up buying a new set of pedals.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (28 Jun 2018)

My wife struggled with her bike’s gripshifters during our ride at Carsington Water at the weekend so I ordered some cheap Shimano trigger shifters from Amazon (it’s a very cheap bike) and some handlebar grips. They arrived and I proceeded to fit them. They went on with no problem until I reconnected the cable to the front derailleur. Then I spent two hours trying to get the damn thing to work properly. Including wrecking the threads on the cable clasp bolt. Fortunately, I had a spare. Eventually, got it sorted but it needs testing under load. We’ll see how it goes....


----------



## Arjimlad (28 Jun 2018)

dave r said:


> If it's any consolation I managed to wreck a pair of SPD pedals whilst giving them a clean, grease and adjust as well. I did one pedal with no problems, but with the other one the locknut on the cone had sized and freeing it wrecked the thread, Like you I ended up buying a new set of pedals.



Thanks - When I bought the tool, the bike shop chap said that everyone he knew just changed their pedals when they got a bit old or notchy. I've regreased the winter bike pedals annually for two years now so perhaps I am saving them from going into landfill sooner. The busted one still works- it's just unstrippable. Will probably keep them as spares.


----------



## dave r (28 Jun 2018)

Arjimlad said:


> Thanks - When I bought the tool, the bike shop chap said that everyone he knew just changed their pedals when they got a bit old or notchy. I've regreased the winter bike pedals annually for two years now so perhaps I am saving them from going into landfill sooner. The busted one still works- it's just unstrippable. Will probably keep them as spares.



I've always serviced my pedals, just this was a new one for me, the first time I've stripped a set of SPD pedals.


----------



## fossyant (28 Jun 2018)

stoatsngroats said:


> Fitted Nukeproof Neutrons.



Any shins left?


----------



## stoatsngroats (28 Jun 2018)

Nope! But I haven’t had a chance to get out so far, tomorrow will be a test


----------



## Stef 1 (28 Jun 2018)

Stolen the front wheel from my wifes' bike whilst I wait for new bearings to arrive for my wheel. Fettled a stand from a three wheeled childs scooter to hold up wifes bike minus front wheel so her forks don't get bashed up.... it still rolls (kind of), stands on it's own (just) and is technically now a quad-cycle?!


----------



## ColinJ (29 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> And then ... I noticed that the rear tyre had a worrying bulge in it. I wasn't going to risk riding on that tyre again so I took a photo of it and then put a replacement tyre on. (I'll finish off the dodgy tyre on my turbo trainer next winter.)
> 
> The tyre looked even worse in real life than it looks in this photo ...
> 
> View attachment 411965


Aaargh - now my Cannodale is doing it too! 






That happened in one ride! I checked the tyre after the previous ride and it wasn't like that. Before anyone asks ... no - I hadn't locked up the wheel and skidded when braking!

That's what comes of trying to eke out a bit more life from a worn tyre. A pal had pointed out to me that it was on its last legs but I thought it had a few hundred miles of wear left. Fifty, more like!

I have a spare tyre handy so I'll put that on before my next ride. (I deflated the worn tyre to remind me to do it.)


----------



## Vantage (29 Jun 2018)

Fitted a pair of 2016 Scbwalbe Land cruisers in 26x1.75" size. The mudguards had to be jiggled to cover and I've a bare minimum of clearance but I think it'll be ok.


----------



## stoatsngroats (29 Jun 2018)

fossyant said:


> Any shins left?


Yep, no issues today, just 15 miles, but found them to be fantastically grippy, it felt like a whole new bike!


----------



## fossyant (29 Jun 2018)

stoatsngroats said:


> Yep, no issues today, just 15 miles, but found them to be fantastically grippy, it felt like a whole new bike!



I don't like the look of those meat processors.


----------



## stoatsngroats (29 Jun 2018)

View media item 10590I do


----------



## Freelanderuk (30 Jun 2018)

Have just used the park tool chain cleaner that came from Amazon yesterday, an absolute breeze to use and really give the chain a clean , used the park tool degreaser supplied with the kit then fairy liquid and water and wiped with a clean cloth ,now drying in the sun before I lube with muc off wet chain lube


----------



## C R (30 Jun 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> Have just used the park tool chain cleaner that came from Amazon yesterday, an absolute breeze to use and really give the chain a clean , used the park tool degreaser supplied with the kit then fairy liquid and water and wiped with a clean cloth ,now drying in the sun before I lube with muc off wet chain lube



You may want to spray with some wd40 before oiling, otherwise there is no guarantee that all the water, and specially fairy liquid, has gone away.


----------



## bpsmith (30 Jun 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> Have just used the park tool chain cleaner that came from Amazon yesterday, an absolute breeze to use and really give the chain a clean , used the park tool degreaser supplied with the kit then fairy liquid and water and wiped with a clean cloth ,now drying in the sun before I lube with muc off wet chain lube


Why use fairy liquid after the degreaser?

As above, I would thoroughly wash out all the degreaser and dairy, before drying and lubing.


----------



## Freelanderuk (30 Jun 2018)

I used the soapp as advised by the park tool u tube video showing how to clean a chain with the cleaner

View: https://youtu.be/MuwS_nSevy4


----------



## HLaB (30 Jun 2018)

I p'tured on the LEJOG (tubeless) it sealed but wouldn't hold pressure above circa 60psi so now I'm back I changed it. It took 5 attempts to seat though


----------



## alicat (30 Jun 2018)

I fixed my Shimano STI gear levers. The smaller rear lever wasn't returning properly. I haven't ridden it much since coming off last Sept and scraping the lever on that side (as well as various body parts - ouch). 

I noticed a small rubber bung on the smaller lever which was catching. I removed the bung, indexed the gears and all seems well again. Probably the easiest repair I have ever done. I am glad I took time to analyse the root cause. Perhaps I am starting to get the hang of this bike repairing malarkey. Happy days.


----------



## bpsmith (30 Jun 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> I used the soapp as advised by the park tool u tube video showing how to clean a chain with the cleaner
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/MuwS_nSevy4



Interesting. I used to have a chain cleaner tool. Liked how simple they were to use. Didn’t like how the tool itself got gunned up after a few uses. Spent longer cleaning the tool than doing the chain by hand.

Was just asking about the fairy liquid, as I tend to just hose off the chain to get my degreaser off and then run through a clean rag. Gets it spotless every time in fairness.


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (30 Jun 2018)

bpsmith said:


> Interesting. I used to have a chain cleaner tool. Liked how simple they were to use. Didn’t like how the tool itself got gunned up after a few uses. Spent longer cleaning the tool than doing the chain by hand.
> 
> Was just asking about the fairy liquid, as I tend to just hose off the chain to get my degreaser off and then run through a clean rag. Gets it spotless every time in fairness.



It’s not for the chain. It’s so your hands are left ‘fairy soft’.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (30 Jun 2018)

My occasionally cracking BB had a good going over today after a 100km supportive as it was bugging me. FSA branded self extracting crank soon dispensed with and I think the issue is the BB bearing on the LHS. It feels rough to spin with fingers while the other is buttery smooth. Me thinks a new BB is required under warranty. Watch this space. Not convinced about the FSA stuff and might just swap the lot for an Ultegra BB and crank set.


----------



## C R (30 Jun 2018)

Chain, cassette and chainrings cleaned and oiled. Chain much quieter now, but I think I can make it even quieter if I fettle the jockey wheels too, maybe tomorrow after my ride.


----------



## Reynard (1 Jul 2018)

C R said:


> Chain, cassette and chainrings cleaned and oiled. Chain much quieter now, but I think I can make it even quieter if I fettle the jockey wheels too, maybe tomorrow after my ride.



That's on my to-do list... 

I really ought to order those new chainrings as well. Then I need to figure out how to replace them.


----------



## ridelover9941 (1 Jul 2018)

Fitted my chain with a new master link after removing some bent links and rivets. Got a little help from my father who knows some things about bikes.


----------



## cyberknight (1 Jul 2018)

Replaced head set bearings , chain and front brake pads on the boardman road comp .Changed the tyres the other day as after a year on commuting duties the rear was starting to puncture a lot .


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (1 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> That's on my to-do list...
> 
> I really ought to order those new chainrings as well. Then I need to figure out how to replace them.



Depending upon which chainset you have, be very careful not to damage the heads when removing the old chainring bolts. The use of the correct tool really helps with these. Well. For Shimano ones anyway.


----------



## Reynard (1 Jul 2018)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Depending upon which chainset you have, be very careful not to damage the heads when removing the old chainring bolts. The use of the correct tool really helps with these. Well. For Shimano ones anyway.



Shimano Claris is what's on the bike. The bolts undo with an allen key, I think. Thanks for the heads up tho


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (1 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> Shimano Claris is what's on the bike. The bolts undo with an allen key, I think. Thanks for the heads up tho



Yep. The bolts on my Shimano 105 are also Allen key heads. It’s the nuts on the back that have a couple of shallow slots with which to hold them while you unscrew the bolts. Maybe Claris is different, I know my FSA chainring nuts were also Allen key. A much better design.

Use of a cheap tool on the slotted nuts can cause the slots to become damaged, making removal very difficult. I’ve found the best tools are the T-handled ones - such as this: https://www.evanscycles.com/fwe-cha...MI1pqblob-2wIVgQvTCh2uZg-xEAQYBSABEgKQPPD_BwE

I also tend to remove the crankset from the bottom bracket to gain better access to the nuts.

Nothing with working on bikes is ever straightforward is it?


----------



## Reynard (1 Jul 2018)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Yep. The bolts on my Shimano 105 are also Allen key heads. It’s the nuts on the back that have a couple of shallow slots with which to hold them while you unscrew the bolts. Maybe Claris is different, I know my FSA chainring nuts were also Allen key. A much better design.
> 
> Use of a cheap tool on the slotted nuts can cause the slots to become damaged, making removal very difficult. I’ve found the best tools are the T-handled ones.
> 
> ...



I think the set-up with Claris is the same as you describe. That looks reasonably straightforward if I'm careful and use the right tools.

Was wondering about removing the right crank and pedal.


----------



## stoatsngroats (1 Jul 2018)

Finished fitting pitlock to 2 bikes, including the thru axle on my 29er. Pitstoppers used for each, bars, and calipers, so I can feel a little more happy about leaving these 2, whilst we gad about.
A nice 25 miler, including part of NCN2, the new bit between Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, (or part thereof), which is pretty well done.
It was being well used as we saw almost 20 others cycling it during our 10 mile out and back section here.


----------



## HLaB (1 Jul 2018)

BianchiVirgin said:


> My occasionally cracking BB had a good going over today after a 100km supportive as it was bugging me. FSA branded self extracting crank soon dispensed with and I think the issue is the BB bearing on the LHS. It feels rough to spin with fingers while the other is buttery smooth. Me thinks a new BB is required under warranty. Watch this space. Not convinced about the FSA stuff and might just swap the lot for an Ultegra BB and crank set.


My FSA has larger cups than my Ultegra on another bike and requires a SRAM GXP BB. I'm not convinced with the quality of SRAM, the original Truativ BB lasted circa 16,000 I think with all year round use on gritty roads. SRAM bought Truativ and the replacement only lasted a few 1000 miles on cleaner roads (although it might have seen more floods :-/ )


----------



## BianchiVirgin (1 Jul 2018)

Mine's only 1200km old, since early March. Bone dry. Has never seen a wet road never mind rain.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (3 Jul 2018)

Brake blocks for the second time in as many days.

Yesterday was on the Raleigh after discovering I'd let the front blocks wear down to the metal backing. Oops!
Today was on the bike I sold to a friend as it was making a horrendous screeching. Those, although pretty much unworn, had gone hard with age so I've replaced them. The 80s cantilevers were a pig to set up and one straddle wire needed replacing too as it was fraying but it's sorted and they now work silently.


----------



## Pale Rider (3 Jul 2018)

A brake-related fettle for me as well.

My newish rear XT disc calliper has been binding a bit.

I centralise it, re-tighten, and all is well - until it starts binding again.

Applying car disc brake knowledge, I decided to remove the pads and rub down the two short edges of each pad with emery cloth.

The theory being the pads are binding on the inside of the calliper.

Not much rubbing required, I didn't do a lot more than take the paint off.

Pulling the brake to bits also enabled me to establish the spring between the pads is working.

It feels quite strong, so ought to have enough boing to push the pads apart.

As a general point, my experience has dented my previous faith in Shimano 'flat bar' discs.

The original rear calliper self-destructed after about 3,000 miles, and was about £60 to replace.

Performance is OK - there's a heavy ebike and rider to stop - but rubbing pads is the sort of fault I would expect from a cheap 'no brand' brake, not one of Shimano's more expensive products.


----------



## Drago (3 Jul 2018)

Fitted Lizard Skin bar tape to the Felt. It goes on pretty well, looks good, and feels nicely cushioned. I should hope so for £30...


----------



## IainC (3 Jul 2018)

Lizard skinned my Cervelo as well - not sure about the lumpy nature of the wrap, but that's probably just my utter ineptitude.

Now I just have to find out what is going 'click' with every peddle revolution...


----------



## palinurus (3 Jul 2018)

Bike maintenance time breakdown:

60% cleaning
10% fettling
30% trying to get the shifter hood back on that thing that looks a bit like a camera hotshoe.


----------



## Pale Rider (3 Jul 2018)

palinurus said:


> Bike maintenance time breakdown:
> 
> 60% cleaning
> 10% fettling
> 30% trying to get the shifter hood back on that thing that looks a bit like a camera hotshoe.



Camera hotshoe?

Way to go, granddad.


----------



## bpsmith (3 Jul 2018)

IainC said:


> Lizard skinned my Cervelo as well - not sure about the lumpy nature of the wrap, but that's probably just my utter ineptitude.
> 
> Now I just have to find out what is going 'click' with every peddle revolution...


If using SPD-SL shoes, have a listen to the shoe as you shake it back and fore in your hand. It’s a long short, but on my shoes there is a central threaded piece that slides centrally in a slot. Mine was loose and was gently sliding back and forth on every pedal stroke. I had searched the bike for everything possible and also regressed the clear bolts before finding this on second removal of the cleats. Likely not, but worth checking though.

If not that, try gently spraying the pedal with GT85 or similar. That was another issue I found in hot weather like this.

Then start looking for random things like the trailing gear cable from the front mech hitting your shoe when in the inner chainring like my mates was. 

It might take you a while to track it down though...


----------



## IainC (3 Jul 2018)

bpsmith said:


> If using SPD-SL shoes, have a listen to the shoe as you shake it back and fore in your hand. It’s a long short, but on my shoes there is a central threaded piece that slides centrally in a slot. Mine was loose and was gently sliding back and forth on every pedal stroke. I had searched the bike for everything possible and also regressed the clear bolts before finding this on second removal of the cleats. Likely not, but worth checking though.
> 
> If not that, try gently spraying the pedal with GT85 or similar. That was another issue I found in hot weather like this.
> 
> ...



I use Look style shoes and cleats, but a good idea. I think I may have tracked it down though (you can tell I've been busy today ) - one of the sticky labels on my Assioma powermeter pedals was unwrapping and I think catching my toe with each revolution. A ride tomorrow will tell...


----------



## Vantage (3 Jul 2018)

Fettled a couple days ago but hell, who's gonna notice? Made bigger mudflaps


----------



## Drago (4 Jul 2018)

Er, some nice looking flaps you have there!


----------



## Vantage (4 Jul 2018)

Drago said:


> Er, some nice looking flaps you have there!



You should see them when they're wet!


----------



## Illaveago (4 Jul 2018)

I bought some steel for my Dolomite Sprint yesterday to make some wheelarch panels and measured and marked it out . Today I did a bit more cutting and shaping. It is starting to take shape .


----------



## ColinJ (4 Jul 2018)

_Haberdashery ... _That's a word that you have never seen me post before! 

Today's fettling was not one of my bikes, but my Endura baggy shorts. Several years ago (when my belly was several sizes larger than it is these days) the fastener on my shorts gave up under the strain. I have been relying on the belt and zip to hold the shorts closed and up since then. 

Anyway, today I was walking past a(n?) haberdashery stall at Todmorden market and I spotted a kit which I could use to repair the shorts. £5.95 for 10 sets of 'snaps' so each use will cost less than 60p.

I set to work when I got in ...

The problem:




The solution:




Outer outer:




Inner outer:




Outer inner:




Inner inner:




S(h)orted!:


----------



## Andy_R (4 Jul 2018)

ColinJ said:


> _Haberdashery ... _That's a word that you have never seen me post before!
> 
> Today's fettling was not one of my bikes, but my Endura baggy shorts. Several years ago (when my belly was several sizes larger than it is these days) the fastener on my shorts gave up under the strain. I have been relying on the belt and zip to hold the shorts closed and up since then.
> 
> ...


That's a new one for me, sewing with a hammer......


----------



## Kajjal (4 Jul 2018)

Fitted a shorter stem to mountain bike to increase drop and improve handling. Set torque wrench to too low a setting by mistake and on a quick test ride the bars dropped into a road bike position. Some grumbling later and all good to go.


----------



## Jenkins (4 Jul 2018)

Basic chain cleaning & lubing for six bikes, Welgo V8 copy pedals fitted to the Cube & a new pump onto the Voodoo


----------



## ColinJ (4 Jul 2018)

Andy_R said:


> That's a new one for me, sewing with a hammer......


As you can see, I did manage to put a small scratch on the front of the 'snap' (stud)!

It is a really nice little kit for doing that kind of repair. The tools are provided to fit the little parts and you just have to carefully tap them together. They had other snaps to be sewn in but I don't sew, and I can't see the advantage of sewing them in anyway when this method is so quick and effective.


----------



## Vantage (5 Jul 2018)

Drilled my brake levers and re routed the cables to go under the bar tape because dia compes idea of routing them was bloody stupid. 
Much neater.


----------



## ColinJ (5 Jul 2018)

Vantage said:


> Drilled my brake levers and re routed the cables to go under the bar tape because dia compes idea of routing them was bloody stupid.
> Much neater.
> 
> View attachment 417829


The bike looks very tidy in the 'after' photo - have you got one taken 'before'?


----------



## Vantage (5 Jul 2018)

Erm...i forgot 



Buuuuuuuuut...i found this pic of someone else's bike which shows how the cables are originally routed...out the side of the hoods which looks stupid and causes the cables to get in the way when you wanna grab the tops.


----------



## Reynard (5 Jul 2018)

Disentangled a considerable length of fine black nylon twine from my drivetrain. 

How the hell that got in there, I shall never know - only noticed it when getting ready for this afternoon's bimble.  Must've picked it up on Saturday night at some point. And no, it's not off my clothing - I checked...


----------



## raleighnut (5 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> Disentangled a considerable length of fine black nylon twine from my drivetrain.
> 
> How the hell that got in there, I shall never know - only noticed it when getting ready for this afternoon's bimble.  Must've picked it up on Saturday night at some point. And no, it's not off my clothing - I checked...


Been near any rivers/lakes/canals lately, sounds like fishing line to me.


----------



## Reynard (5 Jul 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Been near any rivers/lakes/canals lately, sounds like fishing line to me.



No, not recently. And no, not fishing line - as an angler (albeit a bit of a lapsed one) I'd have recognised that.  It was some sort of heavyweight synthetic sewing thread.


----------



## HLaB (5 Jul 2018)

BianchiVirgin said:


> Mine's only 1200km old, since early March. Bone dry. Has never seen a wet road never mind rain.


That is very disappointing, they certainly 'don't make them like they used too'. Bizarelly I know when mine is failing as I get a sore hip. Its amazing (for me at least that a few mm is noticed by the body and it grumbles


----------



## bpsmith (5 Jul 2018)

Attempted to tag on a pile of miles to my commute today. After a long steep descent, with no warning signs at the top, they had closed the road for “emergency resurfacing”. The first I knew was when I got to the point at which I normally blast it to hit the hill at the bottom of the valley, where the truck was blocking the road!

After climbing for a mile at a 7.6% average, maxing at 15.4%, I got back to the road I should have stayed on.

Anyway, on arrival Home I noticed that the crappy bitumen that they spray, on for the loose gravel to stick to, was melting and had stuck to my tyres.

Full wash of the bike and most of it canenoff the tyres. Gave the new chain its first lube and sorted.

Just wondering if there are safe methods of getting a couple of spots off the tyres safely, without damaging the rubber tread? Or will it wear off in time?

There are no stones stuck, so not a major issue I guess.


----------



## harrison_888 (5 Jul 2018)

ColinJ said:


> The bike looks very tidy in the 'after' photo - have you got one taken 'before'?





Vantage said:


> Drilled my brake levers and re routed the cables to go under the bar tape because dia compes idea of routing them was bloody stupid.
> Much neater.
> 
> View attachment 417829


That’s a neat looking cockpit considering the amount you’ve got going on. Nice.


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## Vantage (5 Jul 2018)

Thank you 
I'll be the first to admit though, there's waaaaaay too much crap on the bike. I'm lost without it though....comfort zone and so on


----------



## RoubaixCube (5 Jul 2018)

Replacement tyres for Cube came in so i put them on. Couldnt seem to find any of the old Rubino Pro III as theyve been discontinued so I had to settle for the Pro G+ which seems to be its successor.

Noticed that the rear tyre on my triban keeps going flat so i striped that down and double checked to make sure there wasnt still a sharp peice of glass or something inside. It wasnt so long ago when i rode that bike and the tyre was completely flat! Everything seems ok. though earlier in the year i got a puncture while cycling through an industrial part of town in my local area and a big peice of glass went straight through and punctured the wheel. 

Ive already replaced the innertube on this wheel 3 times already but it seems I might need to replace the entire tyre which im not too keen on as I havent really put any serious mileage on it (Conti 4 S)


----------



## ColinJ (6 Jul 2018)

I heard a bit of a clunking noise from the front of my singlespeed bike today. It sounded like a loose headset but the headset turned out to be properly adjusted and in good condition. 

Further investigation revealed that the problem was the front wheel. 

Take a look at these 2 photographs; specifically, the gap between the brake block and the rim as I pushed the tyre to the left and right.










There was more than 2 mm of movement in the rim.

I took the wheel off and discovered that the lock nut had come loose on one side. The hub has sealed bearings and they were okay. All I had to do was to correctly adjust the hub and tighten the locknut. (I had mislaid my cone spanners and tried to do it without them, which resulted in an over-tight hub and a wheel that would barely turn! After finding the spanners, it was easy to adjust things properly and lock them in place.)


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (6 Jul 2018)

Just cleaning, lubricating and polishing of brass on the Dawes and Raleigh so I have a choice for this sportive at the weekend: http://velosalopia.com/

It'll probably be the Dawes but either will do a fine job of it.


----------



## GuyBoden (8 Jul 2018)

Laced my new groovy leather saddle yesterday on the 1970's Carlton. It's a lot tighter and the flaps don't come up.


----------



## JhnBssll (8 Jul 2018)

That looks great


----------



## Reynard (8 Jul 2018)

I dunno, looks a bit heath robinson-ish to me  On the other hand, if it's comfy...

Raised my saddle by around 3mm.


----------



## Vantage (9 Jul 2018)

Still getting a sore neck and sore arms I decided to dig out the ultra high rise stem that came free with the Raleigh frame but had never been used.
Took my bars off the current stem and took that stem off the bike. Stuck the high riser on and placed the bar in its spot to be clamped. Discovered the high riser is a 25.4 or 26mm stem and the bars are 31.8mm. AAARRGGHHHH!!!
No money left coz I've just bought a new rack. Doh!


----------



## PeteXXX (9 Jul 2018)

I picked my Canyon CX up from a friends house this morning. He’s done a bit of fettling for me. 
I decided to pop out for a post fettle ride and realised how rubbish the mechanical disc brakes were. 
I’d got a set of Shimano gear and brake cables a few days ago, so though I’d have an evenings cable fettling. 
New gear cables on the Defy2, as the rear cable was fraying under the BB, and working brakes on the CX now!

It’s now beer o’clock


----------



## PeteXXX (9 Jul 2018)

And I repaired my left glove as the Velcro & magnetic strap ratchet thingy had come out of the recess it’s fitted into. A dab of Gorilla glue should sort it.


----------



## keithmac (9 Jul 2018)

Spent last 7+ years sorting the house + gardens etc (to be fair 13years!).

Yesterday was working on the caravan ready for our holiday, brand new tyres etc.

Spent today "pruning" the hedge and parking my old lady ready for the resoration she deserves.

Gearbox rebuild, new belts, some welding and painting, new rear calipers, all new brake lines etc. 

G60 rebuild and complete rewire. She's special, not many 16vG60's about and deserves a proper restoration!.


----------



## Illaveago (9 Jul 2018)

Whilst out on my test ride of my Raleigh Granada I heard some creaking. I thought I would try greasing the bottom bracket bearings, but when I removed one side I found some rust . The bearing surface on the shaft had some pitting so I fitted a new sealed unit .


----------



## Asa Post (10 Jul 2018)

New cassette and chain fitted to the road bike. 

I measure the chain in millimetres, and it ought to be changed when 12 links = between 306 and 307. If it gets to 308, the cassette is probably ruined. 

The old chain had done over 8,000 miles, and measured 310 

I've been a very bad boy.


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> Disentangled a considerable length of fine black nylon twine from my drivetrain.
> 
> How the hell that got in there, I shall never know - only noticed it when getting ready for this afternoon's bimble.  Must've picked it up on Saturday night at some point. And no, it's not off my clothing - I checked...



Could be thread from the tyres. My gatorskins shed it from where the sidewall meets the rim. Not an issue but continentals have a reputation for it.


----------



## ColinJ (10 Jul 2018)

I decided that it was time to lube my (new-ish) chain, which I had let run on its factory grease for long enough. While I was doing that I remembered that my pedals had been driving me crazy on an all-day ride last Saturday. They had been squeaking with nearly every pedal stroke so I lubed them too. I will go for a test ride tomorrow and see if the noise has gone.

It is amazing how annoying an unwanted noise can be when one is toiling up a 20% Yorkshire climb in baking heat!


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> Could be thread from the tyres. My gatorskins shed it from where the sidewall meets the rim. Not an issue but continentals have a reputation for it.



Wiggy is Kenda shod. 

Best guess is it's probably thread from the netting they use for hay bales. They've been baling near where I've been riding; one of the farms on Downham Hythe is a major local supplier.


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> Wiggy



Does your bike have massive sideburns?


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> Does your bike have massive sideburns?





No, but does an application of cat hairs count?


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> No, but does an application of cat hairs count?



I guess.


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

I do have some fake fur in my rag bag though...


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> I do have some fake fur in my rag bag though...



I'm not gonna ask.


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> I'm not gonna ask.



Tribbles.


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> Tribbles.




Stop making me Google stuff ..


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> Stop making me Google stuff ..







You mean you have *never* seen The Trouble With Tribbles"? 

Here's what I did with them... Suppose it counts as fettling, as there was a jig saw, paint, cable ties and a fair bit of sewing involved...


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jul 2018)

Reynard said:


> You mean you have *never* seen The Trouble With Tribbles"?
> 
> Here's what I did with them... Suppose it counts as fettling, as there was a jig saw, paint, cable ties and a fair bit of sewing involved...
> 
> View attachment 418801



I have *never * seen The Trouble With Tribbles.

Eta, seeing as It's from the original series I may have when I was young.


----------



## Reynard (10 Jul 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> I have *never * seen The Trouble With Tribbles.
> 
> Eta, seeing as It's from the original series I may have when I was young.



It's got one of the funniest bar-brawl scenes ever...


----------



## Illaveago (11 Jul 2018)

This is what I discovered when I did some fettling on a wheel yesterday . I wondered why the wheel jumped when it was spun .


----------



## gaijintendo (11 Jul 2018)

My Brooks saddle was doing my nut in.
The darned thing was squeaking when doing nothing.
I took a look, and ordered a nut in,
The other day swapped the new nut in...
And today I heard no squeaks, just the usual grunting.


----------



## si_c (11 Jul 2018)

Pumped up my tyres this morning, and replaced the front brake cable as it had frayed a tad at the bolt.

First time I've had to do anything for like a month. Love Summer.


----------



## dave r (11 Jul 2018)

I've had intermittent problems with the front changer over the summer, once its on the outer ring it wont change onto the inner, it wont drop onto the inner chainring, every time I've thought I've got it sorted it comes back. Tonight I've changed the cables, both the outer and inner. Now whilst this something I'm familiar with on the old downtube shifters and friction its something I haven't done before on a modern integrated STI system, so its been a learning fettle tonight, and I'll see how it goes tomorrow.


----------



## Salty seadog (11 Jul 2018)

dave r said:


> I've had intermittent problems with the front changer over the summer, once its on the outer ring it wont change onto the inner, it wont drop onto the inner chainring, every time I've thought I've got it sorted it comes back. Tonight I've changed the cables, both the outer and inner. Now whilst this something I'm familiar with on the old downtube shifters and friction its something I haven't done before on a modern integrated STI system, so its been a learning fettle tonight, and I'll see how it goes tomorrow.



I reckon that should do the trick, it worked for me a couple of months ago. Inner and outer had been on for 4 years changed them jobs a good'un.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (12 Jul 2018)

Today has seen a thorough clean of the bike as I’ve been riding through some extremely dusty and sandy areas lately. Half way through my last ride I was getting creaks and groaning coming from the chain, gears and gear cables. I now have a very clean, oiled and stealthy-sounding bike. Looking forward to my next ride...


----------



## Salty seadog (12 Jul 2018)

Ok, just about to embark on a cassette and chain change and check the hanger alignment on the Montpellier. Oh, and check the tyres for debris, I went through a tunnel that had rather a lot of glass in it earlier.


----------



## dave r (12 Jul 2018)

dave r said:


> I've had intermittent problems with the front changer over the summer, once its on the outer ring it wont change onto the inner, it wont drop onto the inner chainring, every time I've thought I've got it sorted it comes back. Tonight I've changed the cables, both the outer and inner. Now whilst this something I'm familiar with on the old downtube shifters and friction its something I haven't done before on a modern integrated STI system, so its been a learning fettle tonight, and I'll see how it goes tomorrow.



Thats a fettle fail. Damn! Damn! Damn! Its still sticking.


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## si_c (12 Jul 2018)

dave r said:


> Thats a fettle fail. Damn! Damn! Damn! Its still sticking.



Try this, put the chain on the big ring front and back, and then unhook the cable from the derailleur, it should move inwards and move the chain over as you turn the cranks. If it doesn't then it's a derailleur setup problem, so check the limit screws etc.


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## dave r (13 Jul 2018)

si_c said:


> Try this, put the chain on the big ring front and back, and then unhook the cable from the derailleur, it should move inwards and move the chain over as you turn the cranks. If it doesn't then it's a derailleur setup problem, so check the limit screws etc.



It worked a treat, released the cable and the changer moved smartly inward. What also appears to have worked a treat, in the kitchen at least, was putting the 50 tooth ring back on,    Bikes a 10 speed compact 34/50, but its not a chainring combination I get on with, I ran it for a long while as a a 42/50 but spent almost all the time on the 42. What I wanted to do this summer was run 42/48 and build up to running the 48 most of the time then put the 50 back on next summer and make more use of the 50, but shortly after I put the 48 on I ran into the shifting problem so it seems like it doesn't like the 48, which is strange as I've used it before without any problems. So I will see how it behaves on my next ride.


----------



## delb0y (13 Jul 2018)

Cleaned up the old back wheel. Took the old cassette off. Cleaned it all up and reinstalled. Put the new Brooks saddle on. It's looking like a bike again now. Alas, it's now all the tricky stuff to do - trying to get the Shiftmate and new MTB derailleur to work with Shimano STI shifters, getting the brakes to work half decently, getting the right length chain to fit the new smaller front rings...


----------



## Hugh Manatee (13 Jul 2018)

The need to see why I couldn't suddenly engage the big ring (cable had unraveled itself inside the outer) turned into a bit more.
I remembered that the lower gears on the cassette had begun to be a bit noisy. This meant I had to clean everything and of course, I had run out of citrus degreaser. White spirit isn't as good but got most of the rubbish off.
Discovered the locking ring on the cassette had worked loose so I'm guessing that was the problem. Enjoy whilst it is clean!


----------



## Salty seadog (13 Jul 2018)

Bollocks, gave the rear mech a service, proper degrease, wash and dry, GT85 all over, lubed the pivot points. Serviced the bearings in the jockey wheels.

All good, double check hanger, all good.

Put mech and chain back on, fed the cable through the barrel adjuster, frayed the bugger. 

So having never done internal routed cables before I took it to the LBS. Few days wait, arse. So buy the inner and outer and the mechanic gave me a couple of straws. Tried to slip a straw over the cable to run it through the frame but just inside the guide is a smaller hole the straw won't fit. Ok maybe I'm in luck and it has permanent fixed straws. So took the bit of inner out from chainstay to BB.
Tried to thread it back through as practice. It'll go in one way but not come out the other and it won't even go in from the other.

I'm going to another lbs tomorrow for a red face bail out.


----------



## TigerT (14 Jul 2018)

Today I set up the front derailleur on my old Secteur properly. It was working when I put the bike back together a couple of weeks ago but now is as smooth as the day I bought it.... Though more by luck than judgement.

Also attached some SPD-SL Pedals to practice with. I've always used SPDs in the past, due to limited mobility in my right foot that means I couldn't twist out. However that is improving since starting training earlier in the year and I can now get out of them. I think if I get the Blue cleats with less float, It'll be a bit easier on the right hand side. Not ready to put them on my main bike yet, but will give them a go on shorter rides. Early signs are good, I can pull on the upstroke a lot harder without coming unclipped.

Just need a cable end cap for the gear cable now and that is that bike fully up and running again.


----------



## C R (14 Jul 2018)

dave r said:


> It worked a treat, released the cable and the changer moved smartly inward. What also appears to have worked a treat, in the kitchen at least, was putting the 50 tooth ring back on,    Bikes a 10 speed compact 34/50, but its not a chainring combination I get on with, I ran it for a long while as a a 42/50 but spent almost all the time on the 42. What I wanted to do this summer was run 42/48 and build up to running the 48 most of the time then put the 50 back on next summer and make more use of the 50, but shortly after I put the 48 on I ran into the shifting problem so it seems like it doesn't like the 48, which is strange as I've used it before without any problems. So I will see how it behaves on my next ride.


This is probably obvious and you have already done it, but did you lower the derailleur when using the 48 ring?


----------



## dave r (14 Jul 2018)

C R said:


> This is probably obvious and you have already done it, but did you lower the derailleur when using the 48 ring?



Yes, set it the thickness of a two pence piece above the chainring.


----------



## Salar (14 Jul 2018)

Fitted a stem riser and Mary handlebars to my mtb / hybrid.

I also picked up this old BMX layback seatpost a while ago.







Thinking of fitting it to simulate a crank forward style of riding by pushing the saddle back.


----------



## si_c (15 Jul 2018)

Took the 11-36t cassette off the commuter and put on the 11-32, was going to put the 11-25 on as I prefer the close range for commuting, but I'm probably going on a longer ride next weekend, so saves me changing it yet again.


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## C R (15 Jul 2018)

dave r said:


> Yes, set it the thickness of a two pence piece above the chainring.


Has it worked with the 48T before? Could it be that the 48T is just too small for the curvature of the outside of the cage?


----------



## dave r (15 Jul 2018)

C R said:


> Has it worked with the 48T before? Could it be that the 48T is just too small for the curvature of the outside of the cage?



Yes its worked before. It looks like I've got a problem somewhere, It didn't change 100% on my ride today, I've got the 50 tooth back on and whilst it works nearly all the time there were a couple of occasions when it didn't work and it took several attempts to drop it onto the small ring, I didn't appreciate having to climb a short sharp rise on the big ring.


----------



## Illaveago (15 Jul 2018)

I did quite a bit of fettling today on my Raleigh Granada. I finished cleaning and polishing a wheel and then replaced both tyres with some old tyres which I had that were in a better condition . I then trued up both wheels and replaced them with the ones I had used to test the bike out .
I went out for a 5 mile test run later and it went well apart from the seat post slid down a couple of times . I will post a picture of the novel idea that the previous owner came up with .


----------



## Conradm (15 Jul 2018)

Today I ha mostly bin...
swapping straight steel bars off the raleigh royal 531st hack bike for cinelli 11cm stem and 66 42cm bars. Fitted suntour vx front mech, changed 42single ring Shimano 600 chainset for double stronglight 100 with 42/30, finally found the old campag triomphe downtube levers and the underbb guide and got the front mech adjusted. New chain, swapped the fudged 7 cassette for a fudged 8 with 13,15,17,18,18,20,23,28 one (i wear out the 18s). New brake cables and outers. Bell on the stem. Wrapped bar tape. Realised I'd wanted the 64, 44cm bars so unwrapped bars, removed and swapped em, refitted levers and rewrapped tape. Proofhided and put saddle up a smidge. Put everything back in the shed. 31°C in the garden today. Too kippered to ride it.


----------



## keithmac (16 Jul 2018)

Golf restoration in full swing, another hours work an the engine will be out!.

It was baking hot today, must have sweat out equivalent of my own body weight!.

Managed to separate seized aluminium hubcentric spacers from the front hubs which was a result!, been on there over 14 years!.


----------



## Illaveago (16 Jul 2018)

Here is my seat post with the modification that somebody did to prevent it from slipping down .


----------



## 3narf (16 Jul 2018)

I did an hour or so putting together my Lee Cooper. I replaced the rear wheel spindle (bearing faces badly pitted) and fitted headset, forks, wheels, stem, bars, seat and seatpost.


----------



## Salty seadog (16 Jul 2018)

Illaveago said:


> Here is my seat post with the modification that somebody did to prevent it from slipping down .



Structural integrity's overrated anyway


----------



## Darren Jeffrey (17 Jul 2018)

Front disc brake on my new Boardman was rubbing so found a decent hack on the tube that uses a folded business card tucked in before you tighten the mechanism :-)


----------



## derrick (17 Jul 2018)

One bike serviced, and a narrower set of bars on a mates bike. Fixed a puncture in my rear wheel. A lazy day for me.


----------



## Vantage (17 Jul 2018)

Today I fettled...my position on the bike.
I've felt for a long time that on the Vantage there was a little too much weight on my arms. Same issue continues with the Spa, so I had Shannon help out with some KOPS tuning.
The plumb line from kneecap to ball of foot is out by a mile. Slid the saddle forwards as far as it'll go and it's still slightly out. I'm of the opinion that the 175mm cranks are too long for a shortarse like me.
I also think I was hasty in chopping the steerer tube when I fitted everything but John at Spa said they'll sell me another set of their 26" wheel forks if I need them depite them not being advertised on the site.
This bike is costing a bloody fortune, but it'll be worth it in the end. I hope.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (18 Jul 2018)

Cleaned grit and assorted filth off the beast following very wet ride the day before yesterday. Made a note to buy some mudguards when I can muster the enthusiasm for such a non-sexy purchase.

Moved saddle back 0.25" and tilted bars up a bit as I'm still working on getting my position right.

Forgot my rear light the other night in the pouring rain which was dumb. Found the light in the back of the 'bike cupboard' and it was knackered with gooey batteries inside it.

Toddled off to Evans and bought a new Cateye multi-mode thing that seems mega-bright and fitted it.


----------



## si_c (18 Jul 2018)

Shifting was pretty crappy on the way home from work today. Rode up to my Dad's and it got worse, so got home and flushed the lower part of the cable housing with WD-40, and after running the gears up and down a couple of times I couldn't downshift on the rear.

Pulled the hoods back and the cable nipple had come out of place, so replaced the inner entirely and flushed out the shifter body. Easier said than done in the dark.

Re-indexed as well as I can do tonight, will probably need the tension checking tomorrow as I ride in, but it's shifting well out of the stand for now. Need new cable inners though fresh out.


----------



## bruce1530 (19 Jul 2018)

On way home from Monday’s trip, things got worryingly noisy for the last mile.

Rear hub was incredibly rough. Replacement bearings (done by LBS) fixed that one. 

Took the opportunity to service various things - chain off, cleaned it, cassette and jockey wheels. Took the crankset off, and even though it felt smooth when turning the pedals, I realised that the non-drive side of the bottom bracket felt notchy when turned by finger.

So I fitted new bottom bracket.

Put it all back together, it’s running like a swiss watch. For the moment.


----------



## Salty seadog (19 Jul 2018)

Good clean degrease and lube of the Forme mtb and serviced the rear hub. Generally chilling in the garden and I feel it now.


----------



## Sjw (19 Jul 2018)

I put the chain back on the big front cog! Must have given it some welly for it to jump off. I'm googling proper derailleur thingy placement.


----------



## Tin Pot (19 Jul 2018)

Found my old Veloce rear derailleur, robbed it of a jockey wheel to get my Cinelli back on the road.

It was an oily faff though. Probably took ten minutes.



Edit - and didn’t fall apart his morning


----------



## Vantage (20 Jul 2018)

New 'get bill fitted on the bike properly' parts arrived today. 
165mm Spa TD2 triple cranks fitted.
System EX 90mm x 25.4mm x 35* rise stem fitted. 
Nitto 45cm Randonneur mod135 bars fitted.

A short ride shows less weight on my arms but a longer stretch as they're not compact bars... Need to work on that somehow. I need new bar tape now as I made a pigs arse of wrapping the old tape. 

Temporarily lost the use of my granny ring as the cranks haven't bedded in yet.


----------



## MontyVeda (20 Jul 2018)

A couple of weeks back I finally fettled the rusty patches around the BB of my nickel plated frame by painting it in bright orange enamel. Looks quite neat.

...and today I think I've fettled the blocked drain in the yard.


----------



## Vantage (20 Jul 2018)

Just realised then... It should be the big ring I can't shift too if the crank wasn't seated properly..therefor...the crank has gone on further than the old one and THAT'S why no granny ring. 
Gonna have to tweak the front mech cable now aren't I. Feck.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (21 Jul 2018)

Vantage said:


> New 'get bill fitted on the bike properly' parts arrived today.
> 165mm Spa TD2 triple cranks fitted.
> System EX 90mm x 25.4mm x 35* rise stem fitted.
> Nitto 45cm Randonneur mod135 bars fitted.
> ...


That’s a very nice and tidy looking bike. Slightly jealous now.


----------



## raleighnut (21 Jul 2018)

Vantage said:


> Just realised then... It should be the big ring I can't shift too if the crank wasn't seated properly..therefor...the crank has gone on further than the old one and THAT'S why no granny ring.
> Gonna have to tweak the front mech cable now aren't I. Feck.


It could be a slightly different taper in the new crank there are 2 standards, JIS and European also if the crank has gone on further I'd check that the crank bolt or nut has not 'bottomed out' on the end of the shaft before it has tightened the crank fully.


----------



## raleighnut (21 Jul 2018)

This from Sheldon Brown on the subject

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...bbtaper.html&usg=AOvVaw1kaIfrvGf-ptA0OBJpNX1s


----------



## si_c (21 Jul 2018)

raleighnut said:


> It could be a slightly different taper in the new crank there are 2 standards, JIS and European also if the crank has gone on further I'd check that the crank bolt or nut has not 'bottomed out' on the end of the shaft before it has tightened the crank fully.


Definitely worth checking this - however it could just be the required axle length is different - e.g. 118mm instead of 113.


----------



## Vantage (21 Jul 2018)

raleighnut said:


> It could be a slightly different taper in the new crank there are 2 standards, JIS and European also if the crank has gone on further I'd check that the crank bolt or nut has not 'bottomed out' on the end of the shaft before it has tightened the crank fully.



According to Spa...

"A similar crank to the classic XD-2 but with all five crank arms visible"

The XD2 is the one that just came off so I'm clueless atm. 
The bolts tightened gradually rather than stopping dead so I don't think bottoming out is a cause. There's maybe another half turn on them if I go mental on them but I've a history of stripping threads so not risking that one


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (21 Jul 2018)

Vantage said:


> According to Spa...
> 
> "A similar crank to the classic XD-2 but with all five crank arms visible"
> 
> ...


They're similar but not the same. Spa recommend a 110mm bottom bracket for the XD2 but a 113mm for the TD2. Was thinking of a TD2 for my Raleigh at some point so thought it convenient that it matches what I've already got.

Assuming you don't have clearance problems it should work okay after adjustment - just won't give the optimum chain line.


----------



## the stupid one (21 Jul 2018)

Fitted new cantilever brakes to the Ridgeback, having watched the excellent Park Tools tutorial on YouTube. Went pretty smoothly, though the rears need a bit more tweaking (and possibly new cabling, damn it). The front brakes took me by surprise when I had a quick test ride - very effective indeed.


----------



## Vantage (21 Jul 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> They're similar but not the same. Spa recommend a 110mm bottom bracket for the XD2 but a 113mm for the TD2. Was thinking of a TD2 for my Raleigh at some point so thought it convenient that it matches what I've already got.
> 
> Assuming you don't have clearance problems it should work okay after adjustment - just won't give the optimum chain line.



I noticed that doozy earlier today. As per earlier posts my current is a 110 so taking a trip out tomorrow to try get hold of a 113. Oopsie


----------



## HLaB (22 Jul 2018)

I got back from a tiring 113miles yesterday and was just chilling out then around 9pm there was a loud whoosh resulting in a flat tyre. Well at least it held up till I got home. Its tubeless and I was cursing the new finish line sealant. It turned out although the new tyre was perfect it was a hole that no sealant would fill. The rim tape that Hunt put on was so thin and light after a few months it eventually gave way over one of the spoke holes. So once diagnosed that was fixed with new rim tape and sealant.

Now to today's fettling, sod's law I wake up to a p'ture on the other wheel  It had a tube though so it was only a 5-10 mins job


----------



## SpokeyDokey (22 Jul 2018)

Stuck the tiny little 'We Ride Together' roundel sticker from British Cycling on my seat-post. 

Managed to position it precisely in line with the longitudinal axis of the bike too.


----------



## biggs682 (22 Jul 2018)

Just fitted some new tyres to the Dayton Roadmaster


----------



## Vantage (22 Jul 2018)

Fitted some cheap piece of crap VP bottom bracket till I get hold of a proper one. 
I'll give it a month before it starts playing up.


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## si_c (22 Jul 2018)

Have the bike a proper clean. Wet weather last week and dirty roads meant it was pretty filthy.

Also took the opportunity to tweak the braking response.


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## mikeymustard (22 Jul 2018)

After the other half broke the vintage deore rear derailleur on her Purple Ronnie 80s Raleigh while we were on our hols, I set about replacing it with a claris mech I had lying around. Less than an hour later I had it changing like a new machine. It's only got a 7 speed block so it needed some adjustment


----------



## ColinJ (23 Jul 2018)

I spent years thinking that the answer to my backache on the bike was to fit a shorter stem, flip it, and raise it with spacers. It turns out that I was wrong!

I borrowed an otherwise identical bike off my cousin on holiday a couple of years ago and realised that his longer unflipped stem suited me better so I bought a longer stem for my bike and used it 'unflipped'. That was an improvement.

What I _didn't_ do was to try moving the spacers to above the stem. There were 3 x 5 mm spacers below the stem. This evening I moved 2 of them to above the stem and did a hilly 34 km test ride. The results seem promising. I'll move the last spacer up before my next ride and see how I get on with _that_ position.

I'll take a photo of the bike once I have dropped the stem as far as it will go. It might be that I would benefit from an even lower position but the only other thing I could do to lower the bars further would be to fit a stem with zero or even negative rise. The current one slopes up by a few degrees when unflipped (and by a lot more degrees when flipped).


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Jul 2018)

Fettled a saucer with water and placed end of garden for the birds


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## delb0y (23 Jul 2018)

Front brakes all back on with new cables and nicely cleaned up hangers. Old pedals back on (with bit of a clean)... Old chain back on (it's a bit too long methinks now I've changed the front gear-rings, but that's why it's the old chain. I can experiment until I get the length right then put the new one on.) Rear derailleur cabled up and actually works. (New mtb) front derailleur cabled up and Shiftmate installed and... well it kind of works. It's close enough that I think the theory will prove true. It was so hot in the garage that once I got it pretty close I bailed. So the Tricross actually looks and works like a proper bike again, bar-tape excepted. Next step is to get the chain length right then spend some time adjusting the front gearing, angles, heights, tensions, etc.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (23 Jul 2018)

A bit of unexpected fettling:

I got a call from the friend I sold a bike to asking if he could bring it round. The reason became clear very quickly as the right hand brake lever had snapped off.  He'd only found it when getting the bike out of the shed, which was fortunate (possibly been knocked over by young son?) and also by good fortune I had some old but suitable replacements sitting in my spares box so those were swapped over, set up and lubricated so he has working brakes again.

Feels good having solved a problem that easily.


----------



## delb0y (24 Jul 2018)

More of the same, today. Measured the old chain properly and refitted it. Re-did all the front derailleur positioning and cabling again - and now it changes up and down much better. Still not quite as sweet as I want - but not a bad first effort at mixing mountain bike bits with STI shifters with no idea as what I was doing. Now need to put the proper chain on, cut and tidy all the cables, re-adjust the front brake, put on the bar-tape and it'll be road-test time.


----------



## 13 rider (24 Jul 2018)

During my holiday the roadie acquired an annoying click on most pedal revolutions . Narrowed it down to non drive side crank area . Convinced it's was the bottom bracket press fit into a carbon frame which would be a job for the lbs . Before I took it I thought a give the spd pedals a service having bought the special tool of eBay last year . Stripped the pedals bit gunky but not too bad . Regressed everything resembled and today's ride silence  feeling a bit smug nice sense of achievement fixing an issue myself


----------



## delb0y (24 Jul 2018)

Was baking in the garage, but I was close to the end so I pressed on :-) 

What happened a few months back was, now I have the second bike, I thought it would be worthwhile to strip the old Tricross right down to the frame and rebuild it as a learning project. However, at the same time I thought I'd tweak it a little just in case it came out of the project in a rideable condition. 

So aside from the educational strip down, the plan was to change the front cogs for something smaller to make the hills easier. Turns out this meant a whole new crankset, which meant a new bottom bracket. It also meant a new front derailleur as the existing one wouldn't be compatible with the smaller chain rings. I wanted to keep the Tiagra shifters, which then meant some jiggery pokery using a Shiftmate to make the cable-pull compatible with the new (mountain bike) derailleur.

I also decided on a honey Brooks and some matching bar-tape.

It's taken a couple of months but it's all ready to test ride now. I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience (notwithstanding all the issues the test ride will throw up!)




and can now realistically ponder on maybe building a bike to my own specifications one day.


----------



## Serge (24 Jul 2018)

I've gone from this:






To this:






Via this:






I don't think I'm cut out for this fettling lark.


----------



## Illaveago (24 Jul 2018)

Continued from where I left off yesterday . Making a pair of short ally mudguards for my Raleigh . I'm getting a bit faster at doing them.


----------



## C R (24 Jul 2018)

Serge said:


> Via this:
> 
> View attachment 420909
> 
> ...



Only that? I sometimes get worse just putting the bike on the stand!

I would say you are semi pro level at least!


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Jul 2018)

C R said:


> Only that? I sometimes get worse just putting the bike on the stand!
> 
> I would say you are semi pro level at least!



I don't disagree  Not even a bloody knuckle?!


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Jul 2018)

A summer cold has resulted in a pleasant couple of evenings of fettling in the garage for me 

I started off having a tinker with my old Kona Caldera. It was looking a little forlorn since being built and barely ridden at the end of last year and needed some TLC. I had to replace the spacer behind the cassette with one the correct width as there was very little engagement of the retaining thread which concerned me when fitting it. That's all now sorted so I could give it a little spin round the block (my lungs aren't up to much more at the moment!). This highlighted some interesting shifting quirks going up and down at the back, no play in anything so a bit of fine tuning of limit screws and indexing got it running nicely. It took me a while to get the indexing as oddly there's no barrel on the XTR mech meaning you have to use the barrel on the shifter. This takes an extra second of thought to make sure you're going the right way, then add to the mix it's a rapid rise so it's all backwards and you can imagine my frustration... I got pretty close then went the wrong way again a couple of times  I decided I can't get on with the grim second hand saddle so I've ordered a black and red charge spoon which I'll whip on when it arrives  I'm really pleased with this build now it's running nicely and can't wait to get it dirty  I do need to trim that steerer tube at some point... 






Today I had a few parcels arrive including new tires and tubes for the Aksiums which are soon to be going on the commuter. I took the opportunity to clean the wheels and cassette up while fitting the new tires, Gatorskin 32's. I'm running 42's on the commuter at the moment so these should give me a little extra speed on a Monday morning 





Last but by no means least I had a little fettle of the Bianchi - it's difficult not to take it down when you see it hanging there  First job was fit the final bit of orange Hope bling, the headset spacers  They really finish it off nicely I think, funny what a difference a few bits of orange shiny metal make  I've still got niggles with the front brake - it started squeeling again between being hung up and taken down again. I have eliminated it (again) for the time being with some hard braking, hopefully as the pads and disc bed together it'll all settle down. I've also put new sensor batteries in so had to pair everything up with the Karoo ready for Saturday's sportive. They all appear to be behaving themselves again, last time I rode it I nearly upset some people on Strava as it attempted to auto upload a mile of me doing ~170kph  Fortunately I could see it was misbehaving so I deleted it before I claimed any KOM's


----------



## Serge (24 Jul 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I don't disagree  Not even a bloody knuckle?!


Don't worry, I've got one of those as well. 

I just don't understand why they have to put such pointy things on bikes.


----------



## subaqua (25 Jul 2018)

Been too depressed to fettle what was needed to put bike back on road. Till Monday . Then I tweaked the gears , replaced the broken spokes, trued the rear wheel and went to work on the bike . Which cheered me up no end .


----------



## MontyVeda (25 Jul 2018)

I stole acquired my brother's Rotring drawing board decades ago, and he subsequently stole the rule off it. Last week I spotted a 2nd hand Rotring board on Ebay, complete with the rule (the only bit i need), so stuck on a max bid of £15 and got it for £4.20 

In the thirty years since Rotring made my old board and this newer board, the rebate that the rule fits into has shrunk by maybe a fifth of a millimetre, which left me with two options... router or nail files. I opted for the slow option and took to the old board with the nail files. After many hours of filing, I now have a rule that fits my old drawing board, plus a new board


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## Serge (25 Jul 2018)

MontyVeda said:


> I stole acquired my brother's Rotring drawing board decades ago, and he subsequently stole the rule off it. Last week I spotted a 2nd hand Rotring board on Ebay, complete with the rule (the only bit i need), so stuck on a max bid of £15 and got it for £4.20
> 
> In the thirty years since Rotring made my old board and this newer board, the rebate that the rule fits into has shrunk by maybe a fifth of a millimetre, which left me with two options... router or nail files. I opted for the slow option and took to the old board with the nail files. After many hours of filing, I now have a rule that fits my old drawing board, plus a new board


Cool, I used to love using those as a kid.


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## Reynard (25 Jul 2018)

Wiped off yesterday's road dust from the Wiggins (they were combining and baling and it's impossible *not* to get dusty), cleaned and lubricated the drive train and think I've sorted out the irritating clicking that plagued my ride. (a loose valve seat).


----------



## Serge (25 Jul 2018)

Is it wrong that I've only just stripped my bike down to the bare frame but I've already started looking at orange cable outers?


----------



## Reynard (25 Jul 2018)

Serge said:


> Is it wrong that I've only just stripped my bike down to the bare frame but I've already started looking at orange cable outers?



Maybe. Maybe not.


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## mikeymustard (26 Jul 2018)

YukonBoy said:


> Fettled a saucer with water and placed end of garden for the birds


while commendable I wouldn't say that was fettling unless you made the saucer out of the thigh bone of one of your children (or something)


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## mikeymustard (26 Jul 2018)

Serge said:


> Is it wrong that I've only just stripped my bike down to the bare frame but I've already started looking at orange cable outers?


Yes! You tart!


----------



## cosmicbike (26 Jul 2018)

Replaced the rear mudguard bridge on the Ti, it broke a week ago and I've been rattling everywhere ever since.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (26 Jul 2018)

Replaced brake cable outers and fitted some 30mm tyres to the road bike.


----------



## bruce1530 (26 Jul 2018)

New spoke, and tweaked the tension on its friends.


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## Serge (26 Jul 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> Yes! You tart!


Just so I know!


----------



## tom73 (27 Jul 2018)

Fixed loose lever.


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## SpokeyDokey (27 Jul 2018)

tom73 said:


> Fixed loose lever.




What sort? I won't be able to sleep tonight unless I know.


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## Serge (27 Jul 2018)

I've just booked my stripped down frame and forks in for shotblasting and powder coating next Thursday. The colour? Grumpy blue. I think I'd have chosen that even if I didn't like it.


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## Reynard (27 Jul 2018)

Does making cheese count as fettling?


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## HLaB (27 Jul 2018)

I wiped the chain, oiled it, pumped the tyres and put the AssSaver back on the bike I'm not sure if it's enough to count as fettling though.


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## si_c (29 Jul 2018)

Put the mudguards back on.


----------



## biggs682 (29 Jul 2018)

Sorting out a restricted shower drain for my step daughter











She said that a bottle cap had gone down the plug hole .


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## JhnBssll (29 Jul 2018)

I spent the afternoon stripping and cleaning the Bianchi after my adventures yesterday - quite therapeutic  I started by whipping the wheels, chain and chainset off to give me good access for cleaning and inspecting the bottom bracket as it had been submerged a couple of times  I then gave the whole bike a thorough clean and degrease part by part before refitting it all and oiling the chain. Super shiny again now and we're back to silent running 












The bar tape had taken a hammering; partly due to being completely sodden and partly due to my poor wrapping no doubt 






Fortunately I had some spare that I'd been waiting to fit so that went on a little while ago. This stuff isnt adhesive backed so we'll see how long it lasts 









I'm pretty please with the finish, I think it looks ace 

All back together again:






I decided to trim back the tubeless repair plugs to see how big the holes were, I'm a little surprised that they held as well as they did seeing one of the cuts was 5mm long  Pretty impressive... I'd already made up my mind that I was throwing this tire away but this has certainly confirmed it


----------



## Heltor Chasca (30 Jul 2018)

Finally fettled my way out of a dilemma on my Audax bike. I run a rear dynamo light which is bolted to my rear rack. That’s about all the rack is used for apart from the very rare occasion I have panniers for light touring. Anything heavier I just use my tourer. 

But I really struggled with a way to fit the light to my mudguard until today. It fits perfectly above the rear reflector to the mudguard stays.

That’s a whole 500g in weight saved. Happy days I can carry more bananas.


----------



## Illaveago (30 Jul 2018)

I thought I would replace the torn vinyl cover on a saddle with a new piece of chamois leather today. As you can see I rushed it a bit, it's best not to mark out on the top surface before cutting. 
The vinyl cover was secured on the bottom by metal toothed clips . In order for the clips to grab on to the leather I glued a strip of electrical wire between the leather before gluing it back on itself. It was all a bit suck it and see. 
I let the contact adhesive dry before stretching it over the saddle and securing it by bending the clips back . Part of the rear edge I had to glue down on the inside .
I went out for a short test ride . It turned out to be a four mile ride as the saddle felt fine . It wasn't painful like the one I have been using . I don't know if I am imagining it but I think that the suede type feels much better . I don't seem to slide around as much as I do on vinyl saddles. I will give it a few more test rides to see if it and I survive .


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Jul 2018)

New saddle arrived for the Kona today so I swapped it on this evening - much better  Far more comfortable and looks the part too! I was a little suprised to find fi:zi:k written underneath the old one with a date stamp for October 1998; turns out the old scabby one is a retro classic so I couldn't bring myself to throw it away  Its now in the spares cupboard 





I also took the opportunity to start converting my commuter; it's getting the 11 speed SRAM groupset off my Roubaix and my old winter wheels as a cheeky upgrade  I managed to strip all but the bottom bracket at which point I gave up as I appear to have lost my removal tool - new one ordered, should arrive tomorrow so I can carry on  I did pop the new wheels on before putting it away, I think it's going to look great  Mudguards need adjusting 






I also cleaned up all the old Claris bits; it's in pretty good condition for the ~1300 miles its done considering this bike probably gets the least TLC of the fleet and is left in a crowded communal bike shed most days  It's already got a new home, a colleague is giving me twenty quid for it  Which will almost pay for the time I took removing and cleaning it


----------



## Domus (30 Jul 2018)

After my comedy clipless moment in Goole on Friday night/Saturday morning my Zefal mirror needed a spot of UHU.
Put it in the workstand, turned the handlebars for better access and OMG. The headset bearings felt dreadful 
Two bearings from LBS for the sum of £10.00 a tube of water resistant grease for £5.00 and now silky smooth.

Thinking back to Friday night I thought the handling was a little off, I put it down to the extra weight of the rack bag and the wind, maybe the wonky feel was the steering.


----------



## raleighnut (30 Jul 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Finally fettled my way out of a dilemma on my Audax bike. I run a rear dynamo light which is bolted to my rear rack. That’s about all the rack is used for apart from the very rare occasion I have panniers for light touring. Anything heavier I just use my tourer.
> 
> But I really struggled with a way to fit the light to my mudguard until today. It fits perfectly above the rear reflector to the mudguard stays.
> 
> That’s a whole 500g in weight saved. Happy days I can carry more bananas.


You could carry even more if you had a rack.


----------



## Vantage (30 Jul 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Finally fettled my way out of a dilemma on my Audax bike. I run a rear dynamo light which is bolted to my rear rack. That’s about all the rack is used for apart from the very rare occasion I have panniers for light touring. Anything heavier I just use my tourer.
> 
> But I really struggled with a way to fit the light to my mudguard until today. It fits perfectly above the rear reflector to the mudguard stays.
> 
> That’s a whole 500g in weight saved. Happy days I can carry more bananas.



No pics of the bodge exquisitely crafted workaround?


----------



## JhnBssll (31 Jul 2018)

More fettling tonight - replacement BB tools showed up so I whipped the original octolink one out and popped in the new FSA one. The chainset then slid in and lined up perfectly, job done







Since the other components are still on the Roubaix frame at the LBS I couldn't go much further with the swap so decided to adjust the mudguards to fit the new wheel/tire combo with its smaller circumference. It looks a lot better now, can't wait to get the rest of it together, not least because I'm having drive to work at the moment


----------



## SpokeyDokey (1 Aug 2018)

It's late so I did this yesterday...

... gave my new (March) bike a simple first service - more of a safety check really. Thorough clean & lube. Regreased TA's/pedals. Checked FD/RD settings/hanger alignment. Checked disc alignment & pad clearance/wear. Re-torqued all bolts. And then coated all bolts in ACF50.


----------



## Alan O (1 Aug 2018)

dave r said:


> Thats a fettle fail. Damn! Damn! Damn! Its still sticking.


Not sure this will be any help at all, but I have a triple that went through a period of not changing down to the smallest wheel. The limit screws were fine, and I suspected it was just wearing out and losing spring strength or something. But after repeated cycles of cleaning, heavy spraying with GT85/WD40, and lubing, it started working again - so I guess there was probably a bit of stubborn gunk in there somewhere that I couldn't see.


----------



## dave r (1 Aug 2018)

Alan O said:


> Not sure this will be any help at all, but I have a triple that went through a period of not changing down to the smallest wheel. The limit screws were fine, and I suspected it was just wearing out and losing spring strength or something. But after repeated cycles of cleaning, heavy spraying with GT85/WD40, and lubing, it started working again - so I guess there was probably a bit of stubborn gunk in there somewhere that I couldn't see.



It looks like I have a faulty shifter, its been fettled and cleaned to within an inch of its life and its still sticking, I've changed both outer and inner cables and the front changer is OK.


----------



## si_c (1 Aug 2018)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKNYgHuxBQ4


If you haven't already seen this, might be worth watching and seeing if it helps, sounds like the problem he was having is similar to what you have been experiencing. He couldn't get it working but if you're curious you might want to take it apart and see what you can find.


----------



## dave r (1 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKNYgHuxBQ4
> 
> 
> If you haven't already seen this, might be worth watching and seeing if it helps, sounds like the problem he was having is similar to what you have been experiencing. He couldn't get it working but if you're curious you might want to take it apart and see what you can find.




I've seen that one, I'll wait till I've got a replacement before I decide whether to take it apart or not.


----------



## Alan O (1 Aug 2018)

dave r said:


> It looks like I have a faulty shifter, its been fettled and cleaned to within an inch of its life and its still sticking, I've changed both outer and inner cables and the front changer is OK.


Ah. presumably with no cable attached, the changer drops down OK?


----------



## dave r (1 Aug 2018)

Alan O said:


> Ah. presumably with no cable attached, the changer drops down OK?



Yes that's been checked and is OK


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Aug 2018)

Some more late night fettling this evening. Didn't get as much done as I'd hoped so there'll be another session tomorrow evening, not that I'm complaining 

I popped to the LBS at lunchtime to pick the Roubaix up - the new BB hasnt come in yet so I thought I'd grab it and strip the bits off and drop it back in on Friday for them to fit. Once stripped I swapped the hope jockey wheels in to the Ultegra mech and fitted it and bolted the ultegra front mech in. The Ultegra STI levers then went on loosely. I found a minor hitch with the brakes; the new Hope calipers clash with the SRAM post mount adapters 




Irritating but not the end of the world, I noticed just in time to order some new ones for next day delivery so hopefully they can go on tomorrow then get piped up and bled through. Other than that the Roubaix is still looking a little sorry for itself 





Next I turned my attention to the commuter; with the bits stripped off the Roubaix I could have a fair crack at getting it back together again! It all went surprsingly smoothly, everything went together well, the only minor hiccup came when I remembered I hadn't ordered the braze-on to band-on adapter for the front mech  Anyway I got the SRAM hydraulic disc brakes on and working as well as the rear mech and chain. I also managed to get the bars wrapped, I'm now literally just missing the front mech clamp and it's done and ready to roll  I'm pretty annoyed I forgot it to be honest but there you go, I knew I'd forget something along the way  I had a very pleasant surprise when I weighed the (very nearly) finished bike; it was a rather hefty 14.8kg all up before I started and its now a slightly less hefty 12.4kg  That and the narrower tires should really help the way it rides, I'm looking forward to trying it out even more now!


----------



## Illaveago (2 Aug 2018)

I repaired an aluminium seat post yesterday. The post had seized in a frame and I tried different ways to remove it and has ended up looking like this .
As it is the right size for another frame I thought I would put it back into use .
I filed the hole out a little bit to allow a piece of aluminium rod that I had to fit . Next I countersunk both sides and cut the rod so that it just protruded enough for me to rivet it over. I then placed one end of the rod and then started hammering .
I eventually filed the heads of the rivet flush.


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Aug 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I repaired an aluminium seat post yesterday. The post had seized in a frame and I tried different ways to remove it and has ended up looking like this .
> As it is the right size for another frame I thought I would put it back into use .
> I filed the hole out a little bit to allow a piece of aluminium rod that I had to fit . Next I countersunk both sides and cut the rod so that it just protruded enough for me to rivet it over. I then placed one end of the rod and then started hammering .
> I eventually filed the heads of the rivet flush.
> ...



Lovely job


----------



## C R (2 Aug 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I repaired an aluminium seat post yesterday. The post had seized in a frame and I tried different ways to remove it and has ended up looking like this .
> As it is the right size for another frame I thought I would put it back into use .
> I filed the hole out a little bit to allow a piece of aluminium rod that I had to fit . Next I countersunk both sides and cut the rod so that it just protruded enough for me to rivet it over. I then placed one end of the rod and *then started hammering* .
> I eventually filed the heads of the rivet flush.
> ...



When I read that I started thinking of lump hammers and other beasts, then I saw the result, really nice work.


----------



## Illaveago (2 Aug 2018)

I think it should hold better than the friction fit it had before.
Oh! And I missed a couple of times .


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## C R (2 Aug 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I think it should hold better than the friction fit it had before.
> Oh! And I missed a couple of times .


Not onto your fingers, I hope.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (2 Aug 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I repaired an aluminium seat post yesterday. The post had seized in a frame and I tried different ways to remove it and has ended up looking like this .
> As it is the right size for another frame I thought I would put it back into use .
> I filed the hole out a little bit to allow a piece of aluminium rod that I had to fit . Next I countersunk both sides and cut the rod so that it just protruded enough for me to rivet it over. I then placed one end of the rod and then started hammering .
> I eventually filed the heads of the rivet flush.
> ...



Serious fettling!


----------



## Globalti (2 Aug 2018)

New Dura Ace chain for the best bike last night and I used the Shimano snap-off link for only the second time. I was a bit daunted by it at first but it's rapidly becoming my favourite way of joining a chain; the pin goes in tight most of the way but then just eases up perfectly as it reaches the right depth and the unwanted end snaps off easily.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (2 Aug 2018)

Chainrings off, to clean properly behind the 'spider'
Cassette off, & jockey wheels cleaned

I've spend a fair bit of time on old railway lines, & sharp off-road climbs.
so they were a bit grubby/'gritty'


----------



## Globalti (2 Aug 2018)

Those big ring teeth are a bit hooked!


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## Richard A Thackeray (2 Aug 2018)

Globalti said:


> Those big ring teeth are a bit hooked!


I think it's the angle, as they seem fine to me, upon visual inspection

The wearing of the adonising also adds to the effect


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Aug 2018)

Spent a few hours this evening re-running the hydraulic hoses and fitting the new hope calipers to the Roubaix. All piped up and bled now ready to drop back at the LBS tomorrow afternoon for the new BB to go in  Once that's done it just needs new gear cables and the chainset and chain refitting and it's ready to roll  These RX4 calipers really look like they mean business  I ended up machining a recess in the original post mount adapters as the hope ones clashed with the frame at the back  They're now in the spares cupboard


----------



## Globalti (3 Aug 2018)

Wow, those CNC-machined Hope brakes have moved on a bit from the original Hope Minis:


----------



## Globalti (3 Aug 2018)

Are you fitting that Roubaix with a BB30? Have you had a BB30 before? If not, I suggest you tell the LBS to smear bearing fit compound on the BB axle so as to prevent the thing from creaking as it flexes microscopically within the inner races. The compound needs to go on the axle at the drive side and inside the bearing inner race at the non-drive side so as to stand the best chance of not being wiped off as they insert the axle.


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Aug 2018)

Globalti said:


> Are you fitting that Roubaix with a BB30? Have you had a BB30 before? If not, I suggest you tell the LBS to smear bearing fit compound on the BB axle so as to prevent the thing from creaking as it flexes microscopically within the inner races. The compound needs to go on the axle at the drive side and inside the bearing inner race at the non-drive side so as to stand the best chance of not being wiped off as they insert the axle.



It's getting one of these fitted: https://praxiscycles.com/bottom-brackets/conversion-bb/

I'm hoping fitting one of these instead of a standard BB30 avoids all the dreaded creaks  I'll be fitting the chainset myself when it comes back to me and will make sure its lubed up first, thanks for the heads up 

In other news my band on to braze on adapter arrived today so I've just finished fitting it. A very quick and instantly sweaty ride around the block suggests this is going to be a beast of a commuter now  It seems to have maintained its easy going and rugged traits, gained a bit of speed and agility and lost a bit of weight, result! 

Before:






After:









Really pleased with the result  First real test should be Monday morning on my next commute  I'll be interested to see what effect it has on my average speed and journey time, probably marginal at best


----------



## Ming the Merciless (3 Aug 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Finally fettled my way out of a dilemma on my Audax bike. I run a rear dynamo light which is bolted to my rear rack. That’s about all the rack is used for apart from the very rare occasion I have panniers for light touring. Anything heavier I just use my tourer.
> 
> But I really struggled with a way to fit the light to my mudguard until today. It fits perfectly above the rear reflector to the mudguard stays.
> 
> That’s a whole 500g in weight saved. Happy days I can carry more bananas.



I don't think the weight of the rack will make much difference. I recently rode my fastest 200 in 12 months on my current bike with rack, mudguards, and wider tyres.


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Aug 2018)

Globalti said:


> Wow, those CNC-machined Hope brakes have moved on a bit from the original Hope Minis:
> 
> View attachment 422301



Those Hope mini's are awesome... I had the original non-mini caliper in about 1995, before they released the sport version. Incredible brakes for the time  These new fangled calipers are all machined out of a single billet, really impressive and as you would expect from Hope they're incredible brakes  Well, I assume these ones are - I've got exactly the same in orange on the Bianchi and they're brilliant


----------



## Globalti (3 Aug 2018)

Go round the Hope factory if you want to see some impressive CNC machines and tasty stuff lying around all over the place.


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Aug 2018)

Another fettle this afternoon; my first venture in to tubeless tire replacement. Pretty simple all told, the 25mm Yksion i removed was pretty tight on the beads but i had expected that and was prepared with my chunky park tools tire levers  The new 28mm Yksion I fitted seemed ever so slightly looser on the bead but i may have been imagining that  I bought an airshot inflater on sale some time ago so the tire sealed and inflated first time with no issues. Deflated again, valve core out, sealant in, reinflated. A quick spin round the block and all seems fine - its at 60psi now so we'll see where it's at tomorrow 

A few more images of the plugged holes in the old tire, the reason I swapped it out...


----------



## tom73 (3 Aug 2018)

yesterday really , helped Mrs 73 with the fitting of a rear bike rack to her FX3


----------



## si_c (3 Aug 2018)

Had a slight creak/clicking sound from the BB area the last couple of weeks, so pulled the crankset off, removed the BB seals and packed a load more grease in.

Also tightened the crank bolts and then regreased the seat post for good measure.


----------



## Drago (3 Aug 2018)

Fitted a bike rack to the Smart car.


----------



## DCBassman (3 Aug 2018)

The Claud Butler Urraco MTB I got from the tip today for £7.


----------



## Vantage (3 Aug 2018)

Removed the Claris (Crap Load of Arse and Rectum in s***) front mech and put my 6 year old 2303 front mech from the Vantage on instead.
Instant working gears. Amazing.


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## JhnBssll (4 Aug 2018)

I posted this picture up on the facebook bianchi owners club page yesterday and got some jokey OCD related comments about the black Di2 junction box not matching the orange hope bar end plug on the other side...







Easily ignored, except they're right and it's annoyed me too ever since the upgrade  So I had a little play in the garage last night and this morning and have come up with a quick fix; I had a spare junction box bezel and a cupboard full of spray paints of various colours, so I figured I'd have a go at spraying it 










This is about the best I can do with what I've got available, I'm fairly happy with it but not sure what it's going to look like on the bike yet. I've got a while until the paint cures before I have to worry too much about that and since its a spare bezel I don't have to use it at all if it looks naff. I have to say I'm quietly confident though 

I ended up using an orange filler primer, then a flat orange, then a couple of coats of candy yellow, followed by a couple of coats of laquer. It's a little too light but I'm impressed I got as close as I did; I'm not sure you'd notice the difference once they're at either end of the bars. Of course the first time I lean it against a wall it'll turn black again...


----------



## vickster (4 Aug 2018)

I have finally swapped round the tube on the Boardman after I snapped the valve about 4 months ago. I'll take it out shortly


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## tom73 (4 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I posted this picture up on the facebook bianchi owners club page yesterday and got some jokey OCD related comments about the black Di2 junction box not matching the orange hope bar end plug on the other side...
> 
> View attachment 422536
> 
> ...



Nice one not bad at all you may well get away with it  I did wonder why one was black and like you it would get to me too. 
If all else fails and one else has pop at them being different You can alway's say anyone can changed both ends it's boring I like to be different


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## vickster (4 Aug 2018)

vickster said:


> I have finally swapped round the tube on the Boardman after I snapped the valve about 4 months ago. I'll take it out shortly


And I had take the wheel off again while out and tighten a loose mudguard bolt as the fecker was rattling like a fecker!!


----------



## avsd (4 Aug 2018)

Think you will need to spray the inside of the left hand plug to cover the lettering and spray the silver centre piece black if you are really OCD.


----------



## PeteXXX (4 Aug 2018)

New brake pads fitted to the Defy2 before a 70 mile test ride. 

Well, I want to be sure they’re bedded in, don’t I 






Plenty of life left in the old ones though!


----------



## tom73 (4 Aug 2018)

Just had a afternoon testing out my new work stand and armed with a few muc off goodies via Mrs 73 I thought i'd do few little jobs. 
cleaned and re lubed chain
checked over the bike and given her a good clean inc the odd bit of blood. 
I did think the back brake was rubbing and sure enough once up an the stand it was clear it was so maybe more than luck than skill soon fixed it. 
Not bad seeing it's been years since I went near a bike brake. 
Indexed gears ( not 100% success) party sorted. 
Not a bad afternoon in the sun with our resident house martin's flying over head. Could almost here my dad saying you've done a job there son 
(if only )


----------



## mikeymustard (4 Aug 2018)

Before I went out today I pumped up my tyres to just over 100lbs to see what it was like.
Feck me, it nearly shook me fillings out!
I'll be unfettling that tomorrow


----------



## JhnBssll (5 Aug 2018)

avsd said:


> Think you will need to spray the inside of the left hand plug to cover the lettering and spray the silver centre piece black if you are really OCD.



That would be going a bit far even for me 

Had a nice afternoon and evening visiting friends and family, all the time knowing the laquer would be hard by the time I got home  Sure enough when we rolled in shortly after 11pm it was straight out to the garage to fit the new bezel. It was a test fit at first but I was pretty happy with the end result so decided it could stay  It's not a perfect colour match but the paint itself has come out really well 

Before, standard black Di2 bar end junction box bezel:






Now, orange painted and laquered bezel:












I'll be interested to see what the colour match is like in daylight; whilst it's pretty obvious they're different colours in the photo's actually it's somehow less obvious in the flesh... Anyway, an improvement so I'm pleased with my days fettling


----------



## tom73 (5 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> That would be going a bit far even for me
> 
> Had a nice afternoon and evening visiting friends and family, all the time knowing the laquer would be hard by the time I got home  Sure enough when we rolled in shortly after 11pm it was straight out to the garage to fit the new bezel. It was a test fit at first but I was pretty happy with the end result so decided it could stay  It's not a perfect colour match but the paint itself has come out really well
> 
> ...



Well played that man ...


----------



## raleighnut (5 Aug 2018)

Finally got round to making up a couple of new brackets as rack mounts for the Trike battery rack out of Aluminium angle, not ideal but as there are no vertical fixing points on the Trike it's a case of needs must.


----------



## JhnBssll (5 Aug 2018)

Fitted a chain catcher to the Bianchi this afternoon. I had to modify the aluminium mounting block slightly to fit the Di2 band-on adapter but it all went together nicely. I've got another one to fit to the Roubaix when it's back from the lbs 







The commuter already has a chain catcher so it got some nice blue cable crimps instead


----------



## swee'pea99 (5 Aug 2018)

This:






And a bleedin' nightmare it's been, I can tell you. Don't buy a 50 year old French bike, kids - you're setting yourself up for a world of pain. 

*sigh*


----------



## si_c (5 Aug 2018)

swee'pea99 said:


> This:
> 
> View attachment 422816
> 
> ...


I feel your pain. Wrong size BB. Wrong size head tube. Wrong size stem clamp.

And that was just on a 45yo Pug.

And what I haven't blacked out.


----------



## bruce1530 (5 Aug 2018)

Something not sounding right on the drivetrain today. I had fitted a new BB a couple of weeks ago, and also cleaned and lubed everything at the same time. it was running sweetly on the stand, but a strange noise when pedalling under load - on the downstroke, both sides.

I think it’s a worn chain - the gauge says it needs changed. That’s tomorrows job.


----------



## si_c (5 Aug 2018)

bruce1530 said:


> Something not sounding right on the drivetrain today. I had fitted a new BB a couple of weeks ago, and also cleaned and lubed everything at the same time. it was running sweetly on the stand, but a strange noise when pedalling under load - on the downstroke, both sides.
> 
> I think it’s a worn chain - the gauge says it needs changed. That’s tomorrows job.


Make sure you check the cassette.


----------



## bruce1530 (5 Aug 2018)

The cassette looks fine. Having said that, the bike has done nearly 5000 miles, this’ll be the 3rd chain, and still on the original cassette. Maybe time to change it too.


----------



## si_c (5 Aug 2018)

bruce1530 said:


> The cassette looks fine. Having said that, the bike has done nearly 5000 miles, this’ll be the 3rd chain, and still on the original cassette. Maybe time to change it too.


If it's making noises or slipping now, then it's probably shot, might be ok, but be cautious about standing on the pedals until you are sure. DAMHIKT.


----------



## Leaway2 (6 Aug 2018)

Yesterday. Due to my advancing years, I have been struggling on even small hills. I decided to put a bigger cassette on the Cannondale. So I have fitted a long cage and a 11 - 34 cassette. Its haa uuuuuuuge . I have an 11 - 32 on the Ribble and this would probably be fine. Anyhow its on, but I am having trouble indexing it. So it is still on the stand awaiting a further fettle.


----------



## Serge (6 Aug 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Yesterday. Due to my advancing years, I have been struggling on even small hills. I decided to put a bigger cassette on the Cannondale. So I have fitted a long cage and a 11 - 34 cassette. Its haa uuuuuuuge . I have an 11 - 32 on the Ribble and this would probably be fine. Anyhow its on, but I am having trouble indexing it. So it is still on the stand awaiting a further fettle.
> View attachment 422909
> 
> View attachment 422910
> ...


The last photo shows proper fettling.


----------



## mikeymustard (6 Aug 2018)

@Leaway2 It's obvious what the problem is - you've forgotten to put the chain on


----------



## si_c (6 Aug 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Yesterday. Due to my advancing years, I have been struggling on even small hills. I decided to put a bigger cassette on the Cannondale. So I have fitted a long cage and a 11 - 34 cassette. Its haa uuuuuuuge . I have an 11 - 32 on the Ribble and this would probably be fine. Anyhow its on, but I am having trouble indexing it. So it is still on the stand awaiting a further fettle.



How far have you wound the B-screw in - you may need to put it all the way in for a 34t cassette. What problem are you having with the Indexing? 

It took me a while to get my 11-36t cassette installed and working properly as getting the indexing right took me longer than usual - which I put down to it being slightly beyond the capacity of the RD. That being said I'm quite happy with a 11-32 for most hills.


----------



## Leaway2 (6 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> How far have you wound the B-screw in - you may need to put it all the way in for a 34t cassette. What problem are you having with the Indexing?
> 
> It took me a while to get my 11-36t cassette installed and working properly as getting the indexing right took me longer than usual - which I put down to it being slightly beyond the capacity of the RD. That being said I'm quite happy with a 11-32 for most hills.


The lowest 2 gears wont index. Skipping 9. If I index these, the high end skips.
I have wound B in a little. I'll go further. Thanks Si.


----------



## si_c (6 Aug 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> The lowest 2 gears wont index. Skipping 9. If I index these, the high end skips.
> I have wound B in a little. I'll go further. Thanks Si.



You need to wind it in sufficiently to get a gap with the chain, cassette and top jockey wheel. Spin the cranks after each adjustment to let the derailleur settle and then re-adjust if necessary.

If you get it right then you shouldn't need to adjust the indexing assuming that the sprocket positions on the freehub remain the same, but in practice I've found I needed to adjust by a 1/4 turn or so. Might be worth slackening the cable off and re-indexing from scratch if you're having problems getting it right, I find that often takes less time than trying to keep adjusting.


----------



## mikeymustard (6 Aug 2018)

Is the chain long enough? 34t is spec'd on tiagra so a tweak of the b screw should be all that's needed theoretically


----------



## Leaway2 (6 Aug 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> Is the chain long enough? 34t is spec'd on tiagra so a tweak of the b screw should be all that's needed theoretically


I did the large to large + 2 rivets. It looks OK.


----------



## dave r (6 Aug 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> The lowest 2 gears wont index. Skipping 9. If I index these, the high end skips.
> I have wound B in a little. I'll go further. Thanks Si.



Have you looked at the park tool guide? They recon a gap between 5 and 6 mm between the big cog and the cage.

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment


----------



## biggs682 (6 Aug 2018)

So far just fitted bottle cage to the Khs 14 Aero Turbo


----------



## roadrash (6 Aug 2018)

new front brake cable fitted , noticed it was stiff and notchy after I fitted the crosstop levers , all good now


----------



## JhnBssll (6 Aug 2018)

I fitted a chain catcher to the Bianchi yesterday; I had to modify the small silver mounting plate to fit the band-on adapter as it's made to fit a braze on style mount. All went well but I wasn't super happy with the finish; there were a few marks from the vice jaws and the modified shape wasn't perfect so decided to try and clean it up a little today.







I got the worst of the vice marks off and finished ginding the edges so it looked designed rather than bodged but there were still a few pits in the metal. What the hell, I may as well paint it orange then  I thought I'd try the same combination of coats I used for the Di2 bezel to try and get close to the same colour but took a few pictures in between this time...

First Halfords orange filler primer:





Second Holts Auto spray paint HOR05:





Third Canbrush Candy Yellow C016:





Finally UPOL Clearcoat:











No idea how it'll come out or look on the bike yet as it's still drying


----------



## JhnBssll (6 Aug 2018)

Turned out alright


----------



## Vantage (7 Aug 2018)

My new Kojaks arrived today so they were put on. With the big Schwalbe and Kojak lettering, the Spa now looks like a drag strip racing tourer!

The retro rubber block pedals for the n+1 arrived today also. The rubber blocks are plastic and the bearings are rough as a hedgehogs arse. What the hell, it's only being used on the turbo and as a shopper.
The n+1 was also part built up today. Chainset built up, BB fitted, steerer chopped as I've no spacers left but it's quite high anyway, saddle fitted and bar and stem fitted. Hacked a lump of tubing from the seat tube from the old busted Vantage frame to be used as a spacer for the front mech. That'll need some dremelling before I can use it.


----------



## mangid (7 Aug 2018)

Cleaned steerer and stem, thinking creak was coming from that area. Carbon fibre grip stuff had completely dried out, so I thought I was on a winner. Reassembled, torqued everything up correctly with my new Park ATD-1.2. Tried applying weight to bars again, creak still there, tightened up front QR, and creak was missing this morning ;-)


----------



## bruce1530 (7 Aug 2018)

New chain.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (7 Aug 2018)

My own fault....

*Mea Culpa!!
Background/'ramblings'.....*
I'd taken the chainrings off the CGR last week, to clean them up behind the spider & crank, just to make sure they were okay

As I was re-installing, daughters dog went ballistic at someone walking past
I shouted & carried on

Put it straight away afterwards, as I was intending using the Gran Fondo over the weekend

Went out on it this morning, as I was fully intending using it to go along a couple of old railway branches at Rothwell, now footpaths/bridleways, after a meet for tea


I set off, up Aberford Road, towards the M62 (jct 30), it had changed up onto the big ring well enough, but I had to stop at the (new) traffic-lights at the crossroads with Newmarket Lane & CastleGate
It 'dropped' the chain between the rings

I thought nothing of it, just one of those things

Down to Oulton roundabout, & a turn onto Oulton Lane, & visit to the Church of St John the Evangelist, for the The CC Trig Point bagger thread
It dropped again...………..

If I'd not been meeting Olivia, an old friend, who I worked with for a couple of years (before she jumped ship to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service) at the Café in Rothwell Park, for 'Brew & Cake' I'd have gone home, but as I was only a mile from her


Tea, talk cake finished, I headed off, to photograph a few things in the town

Then onto the old lines, at the site of _John O Gaunts 'Castle'_ (Hunting Lodge)
Climbing up the remnants of a banking (I'd already been up a couple), forward motion stopped

The chain had dropped, bent the inner ring!
Upon looking, two chain-ring bolts had either sheared or worked loose (I know I tightened them, as I gave the Allen Key a final 'tap' with a rubber mallet)

Nothing to do but turn around & head back, it would thankfully, take the chain on the big-ring
So, not liking doing it, but I rode the flat/downhill parts with the chain at a great cross-over (50 x 23) for gentle pedalling


I passed my parents street, so debated calling in, to leave it there, & get a lift home, then return with the Octavia for it

However, I could ride from the little crest behind their house, all the way home, downhill & on the flat, with only one little rise by going 'off-road'...…
Along the 'Nagger Lines', alongside the River Calder, through NewLands Woods

*Finally, the reason why.....*
Upon getting home, & changed, I set to


Looking straight down at it




It had been catching on the frame with the very lightest noise, but I reckoned that any damage was done when the bolts first sheared, & as there was no load on them now, it was safe to have *gently *ridden it back home

These two marks are all the damage





On inspection, it had also 'distorted' & stretched slightly
I did try to straighten in the vice, with a couple of steel plates
Too 'stretched'





Then I noticed...……………….

I'd put it back on, the wrong way round when the dog was barking like a mentalist
Hence too large a gap, between the rings
And, the bolts had worked loose, not sheared

So, replacements ordered this afternoon


Dumb-Ass!!!!


----------



## si_c (7 Aug 2018)

Definite creaking noise coming from the seat post area, but couldn't tightened the bolt on the seat clamp further, so bought a new one today and fitted outside Halfords.

Defintely quieter now!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (8 Aug 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> *Mea Culpa!!
> Background/'ramblings'.....*
> 
> I'd put it back on, the wrong way round when the dog was barking like a mentalist
> ...



Hot damn!!!
I only ordered, from Wiggle, yesterday afternoon about 14:30 - 15:00
Received text, at 13:33, to say a parcel has arrived at the local 'drop & collect'

I thought it better to do that, as Sods Law dictates that if I'd had it delivered here, it'd come whilst I was at papershop, or walking Dog & come back to a card in the letterbox & a later delivery another day

Going round now!


----------



## Salty seadog (8 Aug 2018)

Felted some poached eggs. An important call I've be chasing for two days came whilst the eggs were in the pan. 
Tepid toast and hard eggs as I had to leave the scene as there's a freshly put signal in the kitchen.


----------



## tom73 (8 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Turned out alright
> 
> View attachment 423042



Boy that’s class  you any green paint high time I added some bike bling


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (9 Aug 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Richard A Thackeray said:
> 
> 
> > My own fault....
> ...



Sorted it within 15 minutes of getting back
I just put the new inner-ring on, keeping the '50' & the cranks in the bags
_Yes_, I made sure they were the correct way round this time

Then, I went out to take a variety of photos, using both it, _and_, the re-fettled 'blue' bike, as I'd put new brake-block on it
Not too keen on that saddle, as I'd taken the 'Flite' (90's pattern) off it, when it went into storage

Photos;
NewLands Lane

'Pinnacle of Success'

'Bricking It!

Taking 'Stocks'...…….

The 'Transplanted' Bells!

Station to Station

Marking Your Territory


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (9 Aug 2018)

I mentioned a little while ago about retensioning the back wheel on the Raleigh. That sorted out the odd noises which was the reason for doing it but it niggled me that I could have done better, so today I took the thing out again and completely detensioned it to start again.

A tiny drop of lubricant on each spoke nipple and taking my time with the retensioning seems to have been worthwhile as all the tensions are more even and it's all trued up very nicely. I'll take it for a test ride tomorrow if the weather stays dry.


----------



## tom73 (9 Aug 2018)

Tried to fit a dog fang just can’t get the bolt to engage with washer. Quick call into town found same longer bolts worked a treat. Just did not look right after a few more go’s to get it just right Still no joy. Removed it ready to fit another day. 

Following on from the trip to LBS who as it turned out had been a bit too over keen on the tyre air. I did a bit of anti fettling. Now my fillings can rest easy again.


----------



## simonali (9 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Turned out alright
> 
> View attachment 423042



Nice job. Is that a 4 pot brake?!


----------



## hondated (9 Aug 2018)

The front mech on my triple chainset on my Roberts seemed to be rubbing on the chain so decided to adjust it. Even though I knew the basics of what I needed to do I thought it wouldn't hurt to look on YouTube for some instructional videos.
After looking I found one that explained how to do it in the most simplistic terms so that suited me for sure.
Even though I should of known it years ago I learnt that once the rear mech limit screws had been set its down to getting the correct cable tension.
Now having done the Roberts the next one will be my triple shopping bike on which the chain drops from the largest to smallest chain ring missing out the middle one. Never too old to learn then !


----------



## JhnBssll (9 Aug 2018)

simonali said:


> Nice job. Is that a 4 pot brake?!



Cheers, I'm really pleased with how it's looking now  And yes, it is indeed a 4-pot brake  Hope RX4 road calipers. I've just finished fitting another set of black ones on the Roubaix as it happens... Available in either SH or SR versions to suit the master cylinders of Shimano or SRAM hydraulic STI's respectively  Mine are all Shimano variants and seem to be very good in the limited ~200miles I've ridden on them so far...

On that note, here is this evenings fettling; I got the Roubaix back from the LBS this afternoon along with a new Wheels Mfg. bottom bracket  It went in really easily with a drop of grease on the threads and a drop of thread lock on each bearing seat  With a little luck it should give me many miles of trouble free pedaling  I then whipped the chainset on (twice, the second time I remembered to put the BB bearing shields on ) and torqued everything up. I then adjusted the new front mech and cabled both mechs up. Once I'd put the chain back on and indexed the gears I turned my attention to the bars - the STI's needed properly lining up and then the cables needed taping down and new bar tape fitting. I've gone from a bar tape virgin to a semi pro in about a month, this was about the 5th set of bars I've taped in as many weeks! Hopefully this attempt will stay intact for longer than the first few  Anyway, with this all done I've now successfully swapped the groupsets between the 3 bikes - the Bianchi is now a Dura Ace / Ultegra mix, the Roubaix is now Ultegra and the Charge is now SRAM Rival 22  I need to find another project now 

Some photos of the finished Roubaix...


----------



## si_c (10 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Cheers, I'm really pleased with how it's looking now



I really like the red detailing on that bar tape.


----------



## JhnBssll (10 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> I really like the red detailing on that bar tape.



Thanks, yeah it does look nice. It was recommended as a finishing touch by the LBS who ordered it in for me. A quick search shows its available from Tredz too https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Pro-Sport-Control-Bar-Tape-with-Bar-End-Plugs-and-Fixing-Tape_91469.htm


----------



## tom73 (10 Aug 2018)

@JhnBssll now you have done it just had a look they do it with a green stripe


----------



## simonali (10 Aug 2018)

I have to do some at the weekend when I fit my new second hand 'bars. I want the stripey tape now! And shiny Hope brakes!!


----------



## mikeymustard (10 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> I really like the red detailing on that bar tape.





JhnBssll said:


> Thanks, yeah it does look nice. It was recommended as a finishing touch by the LBS who ordered it in for me. A quick search shows its available from Tredz too https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Pro-Sport-Control-Bar-Tape-with-Bar-End-Plugs-and-Fixing-Tape_91469.htm


I saw that on tredz a while back and was quite taken by it. Now I know what it looks like on a bike I'm very tempted!


----------



## JhnBssll (10 Aug 2018)

Just remember for one side you'll have to fully unwind the roll of tape and start from the other end otherwise you'll cover the red stripe as you go


----------



## mikeymustard (10 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Just remember for one side you'll have to fully unwind the roll of tape and start from the other end otherwise you'll cover the red stripe as you go


lol there speaks the voice of experience


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## JhnBssll (10 Aug 2018)

Indeed 

I noticed fairly quickly, honest...


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## JhnBssll (10 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> I really like the red detailing on that bar tape.





tom73 said:


> @JhnBssll now you have done it just had a look they do it with a green stripe





simonali said:


> I have to do some at the weekend when I fit my new second hand 'bars. I want the stripey tape now! And shiny Hope brakes!!





mikeymustard said:


> I saw that on tredz a while back and was quite taken by it. Now I know what it looks like on a bike I'm very tempted!



Looks like we might be seeing lots of stripey handlebars in the near future then


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## si_c (10 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks like we might be seeing lots of stripey handlebars in the near future then



Probably not in my case, I've just put new lizard skins tape on a couple of months ago, that stuff lasts forever.


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## tom73 (10 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks like we might be seeing lots of stripey handlebars in the near future then



Now look what you’ve started. I’m going to have wait a bit though for the right moment as mrs 73 has just bought me some new bar tape.


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## tom73 (11 Aug 2018)

Fitted new Charge saddle to Mrs73 prized Fx.  All adds to the brownie pt's 
Still working on being allowed anywhere near the saddle height though


----------



## simonali (11 Aug 2018)

I only found out recently that I drive right past Charge/Fabric every time I go to my local Screwfix.


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## Salty seadog (11 Aug 2018)

Forme mtb, raised the saddle 5mm and backed the b screw out a touch to give a slightly larger gap. Also chucked the Whyte 901 in the stand tojust to look at the rear mech. Nowt wrong with it, just wanted to look at the cable routing.


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## cyberknight (11 Aug 2018)

Did a bodge job on my sram apex shifter today.
The little cam that alters the reach of the lever had fell apart so the lever was getting stuck behind the brake lever so i used a zip tie to fill the gap as it is mounted on the pivot bolt that the lever moves in and out on when the brake lever is applied.
Cut off the excess and seems to work a treat, not sure how long it will last but as its on the commuter / winter bike im willing to give it a go till i can find a replacement shifter.

This shows what it should look like ,,,


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## Levo-Lon (11 Aug 2018)

Slime tubes to the wife's E,MTB less for me to worry about when she goes off with daughter and i go off with son in law in opposite directions


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## si_c (11 Aug 2018)

Fitted a pair of these and went for a test run to the shops.

Not bad all things considered, although it took me a couple of minutes to work out how to clip them on. 

Definitely worth the tenner as it means I can use regular shoes on any of my bikes when out with Mrs C or running to the shops.


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## JhnBssll (12 Aug 2018)

si_c said:


> Fitted a pair of these and went for a test run to the shops.
> 
> Not bad all things considered, although it took me a couple of minutes to work out how to clip them on.
> 
> Definitely worth the tenner as it means I can use regular shoes on any of my bikes when out with Mrs C or running to the shops.



Nifty! Are they easy to unclip again?

I've had a good fettle this morning - I've cleaned and re-lubed the Bianchi after another muddy and flooded ride yesterday. Fortunately no punctures this time but there are a couple of small cuts in the brand new rear tire. I'll keep an eye on them and see how they fare over the next few hundred miles.

I've also done a few miles on the Roubaix after it's rebuild making small adjustments to bar position and indexing as I went and using a local hill to bed the new brakes in  It's all ready to go again now, I look forward to taking her out in the near future 

I bought an old Raleigh Pioneer 140 on eBay for the wife, I've got to pick it up at some point and that will need some fettling as it has 2 flat tires and dodgy brakes according to the advert  I'll put some pics up when it arrives then give it a good going over


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## si_c (12 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Nifty! Are they easy to unclip again?


Pretty easy if you don't have the release tension wound too high - which I usually do!

They are also drilled for both two and three bolt cleats so pretty flexible. Will be getting a second pair to keep at work.


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## Elybazza61 (12 Aug 2018)

Fettled the better halfs' Liv Avail as it's not been used for a bit and weather(and work) permitting should be out tomorrow for a pootle;ended up re setting up the front mech so took a bit longer than anticipated.

Also gave the Helium a quick wipe over and added go-faster C-Bear and Hope stickers


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## fossyant (12 Aug 2018)

Degreased the cassette and chain on the FS Pro, and greased the headset cartridge bearings.


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## BianchiVirgin (12 Aug 2018)

Just what he did ^^ but without the headset bit. Bike's first day ever on a wet road this morning so needed a good clean as well.


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## HLaB (12 Aug 2018)

Cleaned the commuter which had been ridden on soaked roads last week and cleaned the good bike which had been soaked this morning and pumped their tyres up. Not like its hard, I also transferred the cadence monitor from the good bike to the commuter. It's ready to go after tomorrow rest day.


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## Salty seadog (12 Aug 2018)

Dropped the chain off the big ring whilst changing up to it. It lay on the peddle. I felted this by gently peddling until the chain mounted the ring again, about one turn of the cranks.


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## si_c (13 Aug 2018)

Cleaned the bike and relubed the chain. Was a bit minging.


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## fossyant (13 Aug 2018)

fossyant said:


> Degreased the cassette and chain on the FS Pro, and greased the headset cartridge bearings.



Whole lot was filthy again after getting caught in the rain near Lyme Park. Oh well. Lasted less than 24 hours


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## Salty seadog (13 Aug 2018)

fossyant said:


> Whole lot was filthy again after getting caught in the rain near Lyme Park. Oh well. Lasted less than 24 hours



At least you'll have something to post in here tomorrow.


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## fossyant (13 Aug 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> At least you'll have something to post in here tomorrow.



Clean again !


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## JhnBssll (13 Aug 2018)

All my bikes are currently in fine fettle so I resorted to fixing my broken 3D printer this evening. Seems to be up and running nicely again now, I wonder how long it will last this time before a) setting fire to itself, b) crashing its extruder in to the bed after missing an end-stop or c) finding a new and inventive way of damaging itself  I can see why it was cheap...


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## User16625 (14 Aug 2018)

Had to install a barrel adjuster on my new Ceepo. It was internal routing so I wasn't looking forward to this task. Anyway I removed the inner cable for the rear mech, simple enough. Cut the outers blah blah blah easy enough. However it was getting the cable out through the final hole which was an utter bastard. Just general potching about and using very small hex wrenches to try and hook and guide the thing out I finally did it. I then went to re-index the system when I noticed I fudged up the routing, bypassing the bottom bracket cable guides completely. shoot! I forgot about them. I would have to start all over again!
Having gone through that process again, this time correctly I then had to figure out why my brifter wasn't working. Did I re-route the cable incorrectly again? Was it a tension problem? No clicking or nothing from the brifter. It took me a while but it was a simple error. I managed to bypass the mechanism in the brifter that does its clicky thing. Having clicked the brifter to its slackest setting (would be the smallest cog on the rear) I repositioned the head of the cable. Test ride and everything seems OK. Thank fudge! Can finally start drinking too many ciders!

Is there an actual easy way to route internal cables? I'd be happy enough to order a proper tool for the job. What an orrible procedure!


----------



## Serge (14 Aug 2018)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> Had to install a barrel adjuster on my new Ceepo. It was internal routing so I wasn't looking forward to this task. Anyway I removed the inner cable for the rear mech, simple enough. Cut the outers blah blah blah easy enough. However it was getting the cable out through the final hole which was an utter bastard. Just general potching about and using very small hex wrenches to try and hook and guide the thing out I finally did it. I then went to re-index the system when I noticed I fudged up the routing, bypassing the bottom bracket cable guides completely. shoot! I forgot about them. I would have to start all over again!
> Having gone through that process again, this time correctly I then had to figure out why my brifter wasn't working. Did I re-route the cable incorrectly again? Was it a tension problem? No clicking or nothing from the brifter. It took me a while but it was a simple error. I managed to bypass the mechanism in the brifter that does its clicky thing. Having clicked the brifter to its slackest setting (would be the smallest cog on the rear) I repositioned the head of the cable. Test ride and everything seems OK. Thank fudge! Can finally start drinking too many ciders!
> 
> Is there an actual easy way to route internal cables? I'd be happy enough to order a proper tool for the job. What an orrible procedure!


I'm so, so glad my build doesn't have internal cabling, I think that would tip me over the edge!


----------



## Salty seadog (14 Aug 2018)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> Is there an actual easy way to route internal cables? I'd be happy enough to order a proper tool for the job. What an orrible procedure!



There are specialist kits for it Park tools do one to suit all sorts of inners, outers etc, and jag wire have a tool too.
My two carbon frames have very tight entrance and exit holes for the cables so will be a bugger to do. Even the LBS have to fiddle for a while.


----------



## User16625 (14 Aug 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> There are specialist kits for it Park tools do one to suit all sorts of inners, outers etc, and jag wire have a tool too.
> My two carbon frames have very tight entrance and exit holes for the cables so will be a bugger to do. Even the LBS have to fiddle for a while.



Fortunately in my case, the frame had fairly large holes. A bung is inserted into the exit holes which is where the outer cable goes in, doubling as a ferrule. I don't know if the holes for the other cables are any worse however, I only done the cable for the rear mech.



Serge said:


> I'm so, so glad my build doesn't have internal cabling, I think that would tip me over the edge!



I'd have preferred outer routing too, altho my reason for wanting outers was because I had heard that inner routing can cause rattling sounds. My bike is pretty quiet apart from a bit of extra noise on the large chain ring. This was why I added a cable adjuster, so I could try and reduce said noise by adjusting the indexing on the move. Anyway I ended up with this bike because after searching online and in local shops, it was the only bike of it's type that didn't come with dam pressfit bottom bracket. It was actually way under my intended budget too! Just no cable tension adjusters at the front, and none at all for the front mech, but which the shop had fitted one with no issues.


----------



## Salty seadog (16 Aug 2018)

Took most of a wobble out of the rear wheel on the Roubaix, done with wheel in situ and a cable tie on the seat stay.


----------



## Reynard (16 Aug 2018)

I've done half a fettle.

New left pedal fitted to Wiggy, but the original drive side pedal is stuck. It's currently marinating in some WD40. (Any other ideas on how I can get it unstuck?)

Am replacing the Wellgo flats for single sided spd. Reason - I managed to get some shimano spd shoes very cheaply on clearance, so figured I could give clipless a whirl...


----------



## jongooligan (16 Aug 2018)

Very worn chain and 9 speed cassette replaced on my Kinesis Racelight T2 today. Don't know how many miles they've done but they've only been on there about nine years - wonder if I can get a refund.

Previous cassette was a 12 - 32 but I took a risk that the rear derailleur could handle something larger and fitted a 12 - 36 tooth cassette. Just had to adjust the angle of the derailleur and it works a treat. Didn't even need to faff with the indexing. Trying to raise the enthusiasm now to find a steep hill and test it this evening.


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## Reynard (16 Aug 2018)

The WD40 did its work.

Wiggy now has two shiny new pedals. (The B'twin version of the Shimano single sided.)

Now to put cleats on shoes...


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## jongooligan (16 Aug 2018)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> Is there an actual easy way to route internal cables? I'd be happy enough to order a proper tool for the job. What an orrible procedure!



As someone else once said, "like trying to shove wet spaghetti up a cat's arse".


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## MontyVeda (16 Aug 2018)

I've fettled the magnets out of a few of these... 






...ready for being rebated into the sides of my tool caddy


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## Reynard (16 Aug 2018)

jongooligan said:


> As someone else once said, "like trying to shove wet spaghetti up a cat's arse".



Wasn't that a description of mid-air refuelling? I'm sure I came across that phrase in the book about Vulcan 607...


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## C R (16 Aug 2018)

Reynard said:


> Wasn't that a description of mid-air refuelling? I'm sure I came across that phrase in the book about Vulcan 607...


Nah, mid air refueling is a doddle compared to internal cable routing.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (16 Aug 2018)

I put a few parts on my birthday list and today got round to doing the fitting.

The main change is that I wanted to try some butterfly bars to improve the riding position as this bike is a bit too long in the top tube for me really.

I've also made changes to the drivetrain, going for 46-36-24 chainrings and an 8 speed 11-30 cassette which gives a range of 20" to 105".

Unfortunately there were complications. This frame was never intended to take an 8 speed so I had clearance issues. This was solved by adding a 0.5mm washer between the driveside wheel bearing cone and locknut which has sorted it neatly. I also needed to add a washer under the bolt for the gear hanger.

It's had some runs round the block to test and I'll probably do the proper shakedown ride tomorrow.






New cockpit. I've deliberately finished the bar tape shorter on the left as I'm not sure if the bell will stay where it is or be moved onto that bit of the bar.


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## DCLane (16 Aug 2018)

Prepped my 14yo's training bike for the Irish national youth championships this weekend for use as a back-up bike, fitting a 48/34 crankset with U14 cassette: https://www.entrycentral.com/event/102987 It'll then be ready for next weekend's BC North-west Tour, which he's also riding.

The race bike's all fine, so no fettling needed there.


----------



## tom73 (17 Aug 2018)

Following yesterday's ride out with Mrs 73  time to finish cleaning the bike. This time up on the stand and cleaning the crap off the chain and gears I did think a total clean and lube was needed. But a good wipe down and they are working like silk once more. ( note to self don't but Allen keys away before you take down work stand )

Now dare I clean the priced FX


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## jongooligan (17 Aug 2018)

Rear Marathon+ taken off the Kinesis Racelight T2 and replaced with the front Marathon+. They have been on there since before 2011 (can't remember exactly when I put them on) and the one on the rear had become 'squared off' like some motorbike tyres end up. There was quite a bit of the blue puncture protection strip showing but remarkably few cuts. On the other hand, the front tyre has plenty of tread left but was speckled with cuts and lots of embedded flints and pieces of glass. I removed all those before putting it on the back wheel.

On the front is a new 28mm Conti Gatorskin. The old Marathon+ was easier to fit than the new Conti - didn't even need to do the toe strap trick.

Test ride was cut short at only 13 miles as it began chucking it down after 8 miles. Pleased to say that it feels a lot easier to ride and the low gear from the new cassette I fitted the other day performed well on some short but steep hills. It feels like a new bike.


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## simonali (17 Aug 2018)

New secondhand bars fitted and taped. The latter was harder than I thought it would be for two reasons. The first was that I haven't done it in about 20 years and the second was that the top bend of the bars was very tight. I'm only semi-happy with the results and also not sure going from lime green to black was a good move, as I don't fink it looks as good...


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## Reynard (17 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Thanks, yeah it does look nice. It was recommended as a finishing touch by the LBS who ordered it in for me. A quick search shows its available from Tredz too https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Pro-Sport-Control-Bar-Tape-with-Bar-End-Plugs-and-Fixing-Tape_91469.htm



Oopsss, I just might have to get some of that for Wiggy. 

The original bar tape (white) is starting to look a mite tatty no matter how hard I try to keep it clean. But to choose between red, blue or white stripe... Decisions, decisions...


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## dave r (17 Aug 2018)

SD card in a Samsung Android phone, the music folder appeared to be corrupted, couldn't use it delete it or do anything else with it, backed up the other folders to my computer, reformated the card reinstalled the folders from the computer and installed a fresh copy of the music folder. Everything else is Working as it should just got to play some music and check out the music folder.


----------



## dave r (17 Aug 2018)

dave r said:


> SD card in a Samsung Android phone, the music folder appeared to be corrupted, couldn't use it delete it or do anything else with it, backed up the other folders to my computer, reformated the card reinstalled the folders from the computer and installed a fresh copy of the music folder. Everything else is Woking as it should just got to play some music and check out the music folder.



Music play's as it should, I'm sat here with a head full of The Holly's, first time I've hooked it up to my Bluetooth headphones.


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## SkipdiverJohn (18 Aug 2018)

Fitted my old '91 Raleigh Highlander gravel & woods knockabout machine with a Cateye Velo 7, the same as the one already on my Pioneer. The recently-rebuilt BB, parts salvaged from a dead BSO, had slackened off slightly so the bearings needed nipping up just a fraction. It would have been rude not to give it a proper test afterwards so I went out and did 20 miles, just to make sure it worked ok.


----------



## C R (18 Aug 2018)

I have been having some problems with juddering in the front wheel when braking. I had a good look today and narrowed it down to the headset. Tightened it a bit and the juddering seems to be gone. Will hopefully test properly tomorrow.


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## JhnBssll (18 Aug 2018)

2 new tires fitted to the Kona. Until now I'd been riding on the pair that came with the second hand wheels. The previous owner obviously wasn't very mechanically savvy as not only was the front hub scrap but the brakes had been rubbing on the tires causing some wear and loose threads in places. They were good enough to make do with but now the rest of the bike is in good order it made sense to swap them out


----------



## Freelanderuk (19 Aug 2018)

Just fitted the new green bar tape and SLR carbon bars


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## Serge (19 Aug 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> Just fitted the new green bar tape and SLR carbon bars
> View attachment 425701
> View attachment 425702


Very smart. Good colour match too.


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## JhnBssll (19 Aug 2018)

I picked up the wife's 'new' bicycle today - the Raleigh Pioneer 140 I have mentioned previously.






Once home I popped it on the work stand and took a look. As always I'll start with the negatives 

The front wheel is not round  No amount of tweaking with a spoke key is going to fix it, the rim is properly bent  It would have been nice to know that it needed a new wheel before bidding.

Fortunately there are some positives; the overall condition of the rest of the bike is great. It's clearly hardly ever been ridden, I'd be surprised if it's done 10 miles in its life  I've given it a quick clean and it's gleaming 






I've found and purchased a pair of cheap new QR wheels; it needed a new front anyway so I figured for a small amount extra I could add the benefit of QR at both ends. It'll be me taking the wheels on and off so it's a worthwhile upgrade  Also ordered some cheap new tires and tubes. Once it all arrives I'll put it together, clean and lube the chain and it'll be as good as brand new for 70 quid all in


----------



## tom73 (19 Aug 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> Just fitted the new green bar tape and SLR carbon bars
> View attachment 425701
> View attachment 425702



Looking good , great work. I so need some for mine


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## postman (19 Aug 2018)

dave r said:


> Everything else is Woking as it should just got to play some music and check out the music folder.



I guess your first song is Surrey with a fringe on top.


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## tom73 (19 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I picked up the wife's 'new' bicycle today - the Raleigh Pioneer 140 I have mentioned previously.
> 
> View attachment 425715
> 
> ...



So what bling you got lined up for this one ? Can't have the Mrs being out done by you can we  
Cracking buy all round should keep you in the good books for a bit.


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## JhnBssll (19 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> So what bling you got lined up for this one ? Can't have the Mrs being out done by you can we
> Cracking buy all round should keep you in the good books for a bit.



Bling-wise I've got my eyes out for a nice colourful top bag for the pannier but they seem to be mainly black  She is already talking about going cycling over the bank holiday weekend


----------



## raleighnut (19 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Bling-wise I've got my eyes out for a nice colourful top bag for the pannier but they seem to be mainly black  She is already talking about going cycling over the bank holiday weekend


----------



## dave r (19 Aug 2018)

postman said:


> I guess your first song is Surrey with a fringe on top.



Put right


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## JhnBssll (21 Aug 2018)

The new wheels arrived today, still no QR skewers or tires but the tubes and rim tape did show up. I didn't waste any time, figured I'd put the old tires and tubes on and fit the wheels using the QR skewers from the Kona. That way I could get the gears indexed, chain cleaned and lubed and brakes set up  Wifey was so pleased with my handiwork we went for a little 10 minute ride together before dinner, she seems quite keen on her new steed 

Once the new tires show up I'll swap them on with the new tubes. The only other thing I'm waiting on are some longer mudguard stays so I can get them fitted properly, they're a bit of a mess at the moment  Hopefully that'll all arrive tomorrow


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (21 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> The new wheels arrived today



Was there something wrong with the old ones? They looked nice and round to me!
Saying that, when I got my Pioneer both wheels needed trueing, and the rear one still isn't 100%, but I cheated by "temporarily" swapping on the perfectly true wheels from an eBay special Apollo donor hybrid.

I'd had a couple of instances of the chain jumping off sprockets on my ancient Highlander MTB, whilst on rough surfaces, although the indexing works fine on gearchanging. I decided it was most likely due to insufficient tension being exerted on the chain, allowing it to whip. So today, before I went out for a ride I flipped the bike upside down and took a couple of links out of the chain to shorten it. Really could have done with 3 or 4 hands to hold it all in place whilst I got the rivet back in again, two are not enough! Anyway it seems to have done the trick as no more problems occurred during my 21 mile ride afterwards.


----------



## JhnBssll (21 Aug 2018)

The front was Pringle shaped, no amount of truing was going to fix it. I found a brand new pair for little more than a single wheel so decided to swap both and upgrade to quick release in the process


----------



## raleighnut (21 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> The new wheels arrived today, still no QR skewers or tires but the tubes and rim tape did show up. I didn't waste any time, figured I'd put the old tires and tubes on and fit the wheels using the QR skewers from the Kona. That way I could get the gears indexed, chain cleaned and lubed and brakes set up  Wifey was so pleased with my handiwork we went for a little 10 minute ride together before dinner, she seems quite keen on her new steed
> 
> Once the new tires show up I'll swap them on with the new tubes. The only other thing I'm waiting on are some longer mudguard stays so I can get them fitted properly, they're a bit of a mess at the moment  Hopefully that'll all arrive tomorrow
> 
> View attachment 426172


It looks to me that the stays have been fitted to the wrong sides so they are 'back to front' if you get what I mean.

The long bit that holds the rear should be the shorter stay and the longer stay should be in the centre, I think turning them around wouldn't work but turning them round and fitting them to the other side might correct the clearance.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (21 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> The front was Pringle shaped, no amount of truing was going to fix it. I found a brand new pair for little more than a single wheel so decided to swap both and upgrade to quick release in the process



Mmmm…. it would have helped if I'd read your previous posting before asking, the pic with the front wheel off is a bit of a giveaway really.  The general appearance does suggest a very low mileage, and the transmission will probably be like new in that case, so plenty of wear life left in it. Plus you've got a spare rear wheel now! Maybe the owner had an "episode" which caused the front wheel to get bent and which also put them off cycling? I've got an old Raleigh Sabre MTB that is kept at a relative's house, which I am convinced has never been ridden more than half a dozen times despite being 24 years old as it looks and rides like a brand new bike. A lot of people must buy new bikes in a big burst of enthusiasm to get fit/lose weight - then hardly ever ride them. I can't see any other explanation for why there are so many hardly used bikes around that are sometimes 20+ years old!


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## JhnBssll (21 Aug 2018)

I wondered about that but a quick measure suggests the short bit is too short whichever way round they are fitted. New stays were only a couple of quid so it's not a major problem, I just hope I can straighten the mudguards up as they've got a nice twist to them at the moment


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## JhnBssll (21 Aug 2018)

The transmission is indeed as new; the chain still seemed to have it's original thin but sticky factory lubricant on it and the freewheel looks like this:





Absolutely pristine


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## si_c (21 Aug 2018)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Really could have done with 3 or 4 hands to hold it all in place whilst I got the rivet back in again, two are not enough!



Cut off a section of metal coat hanger about 3 inches long and bend the ends in slightly more than 90° and it acts as your third and fourth hands. Catch it so you have slightly more chain between them than you need.

Edit: found a picture of what I mean.


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## SkipdiverJohn (21 Aug 2018)

That's a useful tool, I've seen one DIY made before. I'll knock one up for next time. I've found breaking and remaking chains easy enough, it's just when you have to completely remove and re-insert a rivet to alter the length that the fun starts.


----------



## ColinJ (22 Aug 2018)

I decided that I would make a more determined effort today to quieten down my singlespeed bike. I know that its freehub needs sorting out because that has enough friction in it to drive the cranks round if I unclip when the bike is moving! I had a go at it a few weeks back but the locknut is too tight and I broke my chain whip trying to undo it! I have a new whip now so I will have another go at that soon.

Meanwhile ... there was also another noise problem, which only manifested itself when I was pedalling. Considering how simple the singlespeed transmission is - just one chainring, one sprocket, a chain and a chain tensioner - it was surprisingly noisy. I thought that I had aligned the tensioner's jockey wheel correctly, but I had always adjusted it with the bike the right way up. It _looked _like it was in line with the chain and the sprocket. Today, however, I turned the bike over to get a closer look at the chain run - it was _slightly _out so the jockey wheel was deflecting the chain slightly sideways between the sprocket and the chainring. When I adjusted it again I could see how subtle the adjustment needed to be. A couple of mm out either way and the noise was present. With the wheel exactly inline with the chain everything became _much _quieter. It is almost impossible to get that adjustment right _without_ turning the bike over.

I just nipped out to the shops on the bike and for the first time, pedestrians were not hearing me coming as long as I continued pedalling. (They can when I freewheel, because of that noisy freehub.) It means that I now have a Kamikaze pedestrian problem, but I can alert them with the loud clicking from the freehub by freewheeling.


----------



## DCBassman (22 Aug 2018)

Back on the Scott now, how wonderfully light and sprightly! But a month of not being ridden, as well as stored mixed with the Claud Butler, has plainly put it in need of some fettling. Various little tweaks early on in the ride, but up on the stand tomorrow, when I will also fit the hanger extender.


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## C R (23 Aug 2018)

The new triple chainset and corresponding bb arrived today, but didn't get time to install them until quite late, so I only managed to put them in, but light faded before I could adjust the deraileur, so an incomplete fettling.


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## DCBassman (25 Aug 2018)

Hanger extender, delayed by a couple of days. B screw now in right way round, and everything has plenty of clearance. Re-indexed, but no time for a ride - gigging tonite!
Let there be rrrrrrock!


----------



## SpokeyDokey (25 Aug 2018)

Touched a stone chip underneath the BB.


----------



## roadrash (25 Aug 2018)

new decals on the CX bike 
..


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## C R (25 Aug 2018)

Indexed the front derailleur after installing the new triple. Had to move the deraileur a bit to get all three rings to shift, but all seems to be working on the stand, will see tomorrow on the road, weather permitting. The chain may be a bit too long on the small ring, so the fettle may not be complete yet.


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## DCBassman (25 Aug 2018)

I always thought I'd made my chain a link too long, but the hanger extender seems to have sorted that.
Gig going well, hog roast in the break!


----------



## Leaway2 (27 Aug 2018)

Finished off the Peugeot. Replaced:- BB ball bearings, wheel bearings, pedals stripped cleaned new bearings. Bar tape


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## Alan O (27 Aug 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Finished off the Peugot. Replaced:- BB ball bearings, wheel bearings, pedals stripped cleaned new bearings. Bar tape
> View attachment 427077
> 
> 
> ...


Lovely plumage.


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## Leaway2 (27 Aug 2018)

Alan O said:


> Lovely plumage.


Yes I love the colour, I think Peugeot call it "Norwegian blue".


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Aug 2018)

Just had the Roubaix on the stand for a quick strip and clean after yesterday's big ride. The bike was filthy and the chain had been stripped of lube by the rain so it needed some tlc 

The front tire was flat from the puncture that ended the ride prematurely so I've stripped the tires and tubes from both wheels. Since this bike will mainly be used on longer rides and in wet weather it seemed sensible to change the GP4000s tires to the GP 4 Season alternatives. I'm also going from 25 to 28 in the process, I'll pop them on when they show up later in the week


----------



## Donger (27 Aug 2018)

I've finally got rid of an annoying click from somewhere in the drivetrain. Been bothering me on and off for weeks. Ran smooth and silent today after oiling every conceivable moving part I could think of. So an equally annoying squeal started up in the front disc instead. There's always something. Sometimes it's like a never-ending game of Whack-a Mole, keeping the gremlins away.


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Aug 2018)

I know what you mean... I noticed a squeak while out with the wife on Saturday - I had only finished building her bike a few days prior so I was perplexed to say the least. I was even more confused when I realised I could still hear the squeak when I was out on my own  Seems my commuter has developed a new noise, it's barely audible but now I know it's there it's going to drive me barmy


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## Vantage (28 Aug 2018)

I defrosted my 'frost free' fridge with the heat gun. Now it actually is frost free.


----------



## JhnBssll (28 Aug 2018)

New tires and tubes arrived today so I popped them on the Roubaix. 28mm seem to fit with no obvious problems which is great, and the slight red touch to the sidewalls match the colourscheme nicely  I'm now waiting for the mini pump to arrive and the replacement gear cables; I noticed some shifting niggles on the 94 mile ride over the weekend which I'd like to eradicate 











Next up was the Stumpjumper. I'm off out on my regular Wednesday night ride tomorrow and with the evenings drawing in I decided to pop the lights back on. Unfortunately this highlighted a problem, my GPS unit was now mounted where the lights needed to go  Fortunately I had been experimenting with various mounts on another bike so had a few spares to choose from. I decided to use the one that replaced the steerer tube cap and it all fits together nicely


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## Vantage (29 Aug 2018)

Fitted the kickstand last night. Double checked this morning before my social ride and discovered this... 






That's one way of achieving single speed...fixed.
Then I stuck a tea bag into my cereal instead of sugar. Wrong jar. 


Off to a good start this morning


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## Serge (29 Aug 2018)

Vantage said:


> Fitted the kickstand last night. Double checked this morning before my social ride and discovered this...
> 
> View attachment 427369
> 
> ...


That's my kind of fettling. Kudos.


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## Serge (29 Aug 2018)

Vantage said:


> Fitted the kickstand last night. Double checked this morning before my social ride and discovered this...
> 
> View attachment 427369
> 
> ...


I noticed something similar myself at the end of my bike build on Monday. 

Not only had I done this:




But I'd also fitted the lock mount around the same cable:




Zoom in for a closer look at my ineptitude.


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## Vantage (29 Aug 2018)

Following on from my post in the @What have you failed to achieve today thread, I fixed the rear pun**ure. I had to submerge the tube to find the hole as it was leaking so slowly but what I found IN the hole has bewildered me.

A dog hair. 

How the ***k did that get in there? Did that cause the hole?? Is that even possible???


----------



## Alan O (29 Aug 2018)

Serge said:


> I noticed something similar myself at the end of my bike build on Monday.
> 
> Not only had I done this:
> View attachment 427397
> ...


That looks so good with those orange GT decals - and even a matching lock!


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## straas (29 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> View attachment 427338
> 
> View attachment 427339




Very jealous of your workshop setup, beats mine (bike propped against garden chair on the grass)


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## Serge (29 Aug 2018)

Alan O said:


> That looks so good with those orange GT decals - and even a matching lock!


Cheers, I think of everything! I've just got the black and orange bar tape to fit then it's done. I can't decide whether to go for an orange bottle as well. Too much?


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## Vantage (29 Aug 2018)

Serge said:


> Cheers, I think of everything! I've just got the black and orange bar tape to fit then it's done. I can't decide whether to go for an orange bottle as well. Too much?



Naaaah. Go for it.


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## tom73 (29 Aug 2018)

Serge said:


> Cheers, I think of everything! I've just got the black and orange bar tape to fit then it's done. I can't decide whether to go for an orange bottle as well. Too much?



Well you can alway's have both  https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/shop/components/accessories/600ml-orange-bikes-drink-bottle1


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## Serge (29 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> Well you can alway's have both  https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/shop/components/accessories/600ml-orange-bikes-drink-bottle1


Hmm, orange and black. Good shout.


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## Alan O (29 Aug 2018)

Serge said:


> Cheers, I think of everything! I've just got the black and orange bar tape to fit then it's done. I can't decide whether to go for an orange bottle as well. Too much?


You could keep the blue bottle and put orange juice in it?


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## Serge (29 Aug 2018)

Alan O said:


> You could keep the blue bottle and put orange juice in it?


That'd make the lager that's already in it taste horrible!


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (29 Aug 2018)

Fitted the newly purchased Selle female-fit saddle today to my wife’s bike. It’ll be the fourth saddle she’s had. Let’s hope this one’s comfortable!


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## JhnBssll (30 Aug 2018)

Fitted a new mini pump to the Roubaix, still wait in for the new cables but hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow. I've got an identical mini pump to fit to the Oltre when it comes back from the lbs with its new BB fitted






Next job is to strip and clean the Stumpjumper as it's filthy 

While I'm at it I might shorten some of the cables and hoses as they seem unnecessarily long


----------



## Salty seadog (30 Aug 2018)

Fitted new rear mech to the Montpellier. So in the last couple of months It's had a complete new set of gear cables, new chain, new cassette and new hanger. Still not quite shifting perfectly so may have to replace the shifter


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## tom73 (30 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Fitted a new mini pump to the Roubaix, still wait in for the new cables but hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow. I've got an identical mini pump to fit to the Oltre when it comes back from the lbs with its new BB fitted
> 
> View attachment 427622
> 
> ...



Nice mini pump a carbon one ?


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## JhnBssll (30 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> Nice mini pump a carbon one ?



Yep a Topeak, currently on sale 

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/topeak-master-blaster-rocket-micro-cb-road/rp-prod11313


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## Vantage (30 Aug 2018)

Fitted the cassette, rear mech, front mech and brake and gear cables on the wreck bike today but couldn't figure out why the chain was jumping on the middle ring. Closer inspection revealed my cockup.







It's not the missing bolts! This was taken mid fix.


----------



## simonali (30 Aug 2018)

Finished off roadie wheels by fitting the cassette and then fitted them to the bike to see what it looked like. Shame I can't ride it like that because they don't turn. Gonna see if I can find anyone who can knock me up some shims for the disc rotors. If I have to buy 100 at a time so be it, I can sell some to other schmucks like myself who just assume stuff will work properly out of the box.

Then I fiddled with the shifting on the original wheels, as it wasn't going onto the biggest sprocket. Can't try the shifting on the new wheel yet until I can get to turn freely! I also decided that I need a workstand, as I was doing the shift adjustments by bending over and lifting the bike up with my neck under the saddle! New thread incoming.


----------



## tom73 (30 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Yep a Topeak, currently on sale
> 
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/topeak-master-blaster-rocket-micro-cb-road/rp-prod11313



Oh really  well you can never have too many can you ?


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Aug 2018)

Started the strip down of the Stumpjumper tonight; It was a bit muddy 









I spent a while cleaning the worst of the mud off then stripped the brakes off. I should have new Hope bits arriving tomorrow to fit 






I finished off by giving the XT bits a good clean ready to sell on, they're in almost as new condition so shouldn't be difficult to shift 






Tomorrow I'll give it a proper wash and dry, lube the chain and fit the new brakes and stem ready to get it all muddy again as soon as possible


----------



## simonali (30 Aug 2018)

I may be interested in the brakes if they are the correct mount for my old bike...


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Aug 2018)

simonali said:


> I may be interested in the brakes if they are the correct mount for my old bike...



BR-M8000 calipers, BL-M8000 levers, 203mm front rotor 180mm rear rotor. All they need is a barb and olive for the rear hose as i had to cut the end off to thread it through the frame  Very good condition, they've done less than 50 miles. Make me an offer if you're interested - I've got them up for sale on my local club's Facebook page for £100


----------



## simonali (30 Aug 2018)

I'm not near my bike to see what mounting standard it uses. I know it won't be flat mount as it's too old!


----------



## JhnBssll (31 Aug 2018)

Yeah these are post-mount but IS adapters are pretty cheap 

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-disc-brake-calliper-adapter/

Let me know when you get a chance to look, they're advertised elsewhere but I'm happy to hold them for you until you decide. I'm in no hurry, they only came off the bike this evening


----------



## JhnBssll (31 Aug 2018)

I had the day off work today  Once I had weeded and spread some compost over the newly seeded front lawn I set to work finishing the Stumpjumper upgrades. First task was to fit the new stem. It's 10mm shorter and 0 degrees rise rather than the 6 degrees of the original so the front end is slightly shorter and lower.






I removed the clamps from the shifter and dropper lever and fitted the Hope brackets that mount them directly to the brake levers. I then spent what seemed like hours fitting the brakes  I had to modify both post mount adapters to fit the larger hope calipers, including recessing both slightly to allow the pads to fully retract. Quite a lot of faff that could have been avoided by buying the hope adapters but I got them to fit regardless  I cut down both hoses and bled them through, I aim to bed them in tomorrow  While I was fettling I cut down the dropper and shifter cables to neaten it all up and get rid of a couple of big loops of cable under the BB  In all I guess I spent about 6 hours messing around in the garage today, bliss 

















I should point out I took those photos before I cut down the front brake hose and the two cables


----------



## Serge (31 Aug 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I had the day off work today  Once I had weeded and spread some compost over the newly seeded front lawn I set to work finishing the Stumpjumper upgrades. First task was to fit the new stem. It's 10mm shorter and 0 degrees rise rather than the 6 degrees of the original so the front end is slightly shorter and lower.
> 
> View attachment 427803
> 
> ...


You do have some seriously cool looking bikes.


----------



## DCBassman (31 Aug 2018)

The D and G strings on my Precision Bass.


----------



## Salty seadog (31 Aug 2018)

DCBassman said:


> The D and G strings on my Precision Bass.
> View attachment 427819




Chain's slack....


----------



## Vantage (31 Aug 2018)

Fitted my Kelly's Take-Offs today.
This involved unwrapping the bars, loosening the brake Levers, clamping the take offs under the brake lever clamps, repositioning the brake levers and re wrapping the bars...again, grinding the downtube lever backplates flat which took friggin ages, bolting on the DT levers, cutting new outer cables, fitting new inner cables and adjusting the gears again. What a feckin nightmare that was.
Also fitted new brake pads and swapped out the Landcruisers for the Kojaks.

I've not ridden the bike yet but I have to say, given the finish and the fact that I had to butcher existing parts that they failed to include, these Kelly's Take-Offs are a feckin rip off at 65 quid!






Minor surface marks on them left over from polishing. Not impressed.


----------



## JhnBssll (31 Aug 2018)

I've not heard of Kelly's take-offs before, is it an extension to fit a downtube friction shifter to the bars? Would be interested to see a few more pictures of it


----------



## JhnBssll (1 Sep 2018)

Serge said:


> You do have some seriously cool looking bikes.



Haha cheers, I'm rather partial to your GT too - great work on that by the way, I followed the build thread  I've always liked the GT triple triangle frame designs but never owned one - maybe a future n+1


----------



## Serge (1 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Haha cheers, I'm rather partial to your GT too - great work on that by the way, I followed the build thread  I've always liked the GT triple triangle frame designs but never owned one - maybe a future n+1


My bar tape finally arrived yesterday so I'll be attempting to fit that tomorrow (as long as I don't have too much to drink at the Godiva Festival).

Thanks again for the link to it, it'll give the bike the finishing touch.


----------



## simonali (1 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> View attachment 427812



In that photo it looks like you have three Hope R2 lights welded together!


----------



## DCLane (1 Sep 2018)

A busy day:

- Finished cleaning my son's Specialized MTB before it goes on sale
- Cleaned and prepped my NeilPryde for my club's 120-mile ride tomorrow
- Began work on the Boardman AirPro frame I bought in August: 3T Aeronova bars and saddle fitted. It'll need a headset press to fit the press-fit BB adaptor I'm using, which I don't have, to fit the BB  . Once finished it'll be my 'best' bike temporarily whilst my son uses my NeilPryde for racing next year. No hurry though, I've until March to finish the build.
- Worked on my 14yo's Giant TCR for the same 120-mile ride: re-fitting his normal crankset after removing the 48T he used for the NW Tour, different wheels with 11-28 cassette, new front derailleur cable


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## JhnBssll (1 Sep 2018)

simonali said:


> In that photo it looks like you have three Hope R2 lights welded together!



Its a Gemini Titan  Awesome bit of kit. I've got a Gemini Duo on my helmet too  5500 lumens on full power, it's like daylight


----------



## simonali (2 Sep 2018)

It looks like it from the front, too!


----------



## kiwifruit (2 Sep 2018)

Getting the winter bike ready. Clean and regrease headset and bottom bracket, and fitted mudguards.


----------



## si_c (3 Sep 2018)

Flap on the front mudguard was a bit loose and had been subsequently damaged by the tyre. Gotta love superglue.

Also tightened up the mudguard bolts - no more annoying rattle.


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## JhnBssll (4 Sep 2018)

A nice bit of mountain bike fettling this evening ahead of an outing tomorrow evening. The new brakes are working wonderfully, although I do need to sort out a small amount of drag at both ends. I'm thinking another quick bleed now theyve settled should sort it before another tweak of the caliper alignment.

I fitted a red Hope seat tube collar which for 18 quid I couldn't resist  The bolt was damaged in the old one after I tried to loosen it with an old damaged allen key  I could've just replaced the bolt but it's got lots of other Hope kit so this fit the bill nicely  Apologies for the crap photo - those are the bars of another bike so don't spend too long trying to work out whats wrong with the geometry 






The main fettle this evening was suspension tuning. I've been reading up on the Fox Float shock and Fox 34 Elite forks so I can tweak things to my liking; turns out they were *miles* out  The forks were at ~75PSI and are now at around 105PSI. I had the compression damping up super high to compensate, this has been wound back and the rebound damping has been set to suit the new higher pressure. The story was similar at the back - the shock pressure was 190PSI and is now 240PSI, again with the damping fully adjusted to suit. It feels miles better just pootling around the close but we shall see how it behaves in the forest tomorrow. I'ts now sitting at about 20% sag front and rear which is about where it should be but I'm sure there will be some tweaking to do on the trail - I'll be taking my shock pump along in case I need to make any adjustments  It seems I'd been using the compression damping to near enough lock the suspension out until now - all things considered it had been doing a pretty good job too 

I'm missing the Bianchi - she's been away for several weeks now, I told the lbs it was non-critical and I hadn't got any rides planned for it and they then had their busiest month in the workshop to date. She's only just made it to the top of the queue  Hopefully she'll be back by the end of the week to fill the void and I can get a few rides out on her before the weather banishes her to the garage again until spring  I considered popping the mudguards back on the Roubaix but I'd like to think we're not quite there yet - I'm a glass half full kinda guy


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I considered popping the mudguards back on the Roubaix but I'd like to think we're not quite there yet - I'm a glass half full kinda guy


Just put them on and leave them on year round, doesn't make much of a difference other than aesthetics - plus you can then just grab and ride a bike no matter the weather. You'll still have the Bianchi for nice weather days.


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2018)

Got the new front brake caliper yesterday. By the time I'd had dinner and helped Mrs C with some housework (I made a cup of tea, and moved things round, that counts a helping right?), it was getting late and I had some work to do, so I just fitted the flat mount caliper bracket to make myself feel better.

Should be able to fit the new caliper to the front and move the existing front caliper to the rear this evening.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (5 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Flap on the front mudguard was a bit loose and had been subsequently damaged by the tyre. Gotta love superglue.
> 
> Also tightened up the mudguard bolts - no more annoying rattle.



How coincidental!!
My rear failed last night, as I was riding home from work, there was a sudden noise, I merely thought I'd run over a plastic bottle or the flap had got caught & jammed in the mudguard
But no, it had fractured at the seat-stay bridge




The cheap (Yorkshireman, remember....) option was taken
With the wheel out, & the drivetrain covered, 6 small holes were drilled





Three 'cable-ties' were utilised to bind the two sections together, with the larger one anchoring it to the seat-stay bridge

The ends were then trimmed, & the 'guard stays' re-adjusted to compensate for the new position
Even the 'guard overlap was the correct way round, to hopefully stop water running down the external face of the mudguard


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> The ends were then trimmed, & the 'guard stays' re-adjusted to compensate for the new position
> Even the 'guard overlap was the correct way round, to hopefully stop water running down the external face of the mudguard


Nice job. I'm thinking it could be tidier though - not a huge fan of the big zip tie. I think I'd have trimmed the mudguards back about a quarter inch or so on each side. I'd then take a large plastic milk bottle and trimmed a few sections and laminated them together with superglue for strength. You could then drill a hole through that so as to screw to the bridge.

You could then superglue the milk cartons to mudguards and use some nylon rivets to secure the fix. A bit more work perhaps and you'd probably need to take the mudguards off to do it. Plus you won't have zip ties moving around damaging the paintwork.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (5 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Nice job. I'm thinking it could be tidier though - not a huge fan of the big zip tie. I think I'd have trimmed the mudguards back about a quarter inch or so on each side. I'd then take a large plastic milk bottle and trimmed a few sections and laminated them together with superglue for strength. You could then drill a hole through that so as to screw to the bridge.
> 
> You could then superglue the milk cartons to mudguards and use some nylon rivets to secure the fix. A bit more work perhaps and you'd probably need to take the mudguards off to do it. Plus you won't have zip ties moving around damaging the paintwork.


True, but it was a rush-job, before I nipped out earlier

I may trim a bit of 'carton' to slip on brake-bridge tonight

I may even have some white ties somewhere, that won't show as much


----------



## Leaway2 (5 Sep 2018)

As some may know from another thread, (link) the tabs have been snapped off my Garmin. Apparently this is not unusual. So I purchased a repair "kit" by Raceware from Merlin cycles for £12 and a tube of super glue gel, £2. I received it this morning. Before I glued, I cleaned with isopropanol. Sanded to roughen the Garmin. Cleaned again. Here are the pictures 1 the part. 2 glued. 3 Glued and cleaned up.





I hope it holds OK on the way home.


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> As some may know from another thread, (link) the tabs have been snapped off my Garmin. Apparently this is not unusual. So I purchased a repair "kit" by Raceware from Merlin cycles for £12 and a tube of super glue gel, £2. I received it this morning. Before I glued, I clean with isopropanol. Sanded to roughen the Garmin. Cleaned again. Here are the pictures 1 the part. 2 glued. 3 Glued and cleaned up.
> View attachment 428630
> 
> I hope it holds OK on the way home.


Looks like a solid job. 

I quite like one I saw a while ago to replace garmin tabs, it's an alloy replacement cap, that you glue on and then screw to secure - belt and braces kinda thing. Can't recall the name though, I'll have a look later when I'm at home.


----------



## Leaway2 (5 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Looks like a solid job.
> 
> I quite like one I saw a while ago to replace garmin tabs, it's an alloy replacement cap, that you glue on and then screw to secure - belt and braces kinda thing. Can't recall the name though, I'll have a look later when I'm at home.


<skinflint>Yes I did see that but it is about £20 </skinflint>

Edit: Dogears.


----------



## Vantage (5 Sep 2018)

Having problems fitting a Camelbak Podium bottle in the seatpost bottle cage I looked into getting a set of these but I only need one and the cost is a bit much for what they are, sooooooooo
I'm making my own. Alloy strip from amazon for 3 quid each. 





This ones the 'prototype' in case I balls it up. I'll start the proper one tomorrow.


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2018)

Stripped off both front and rear brake calipers, cleaned off the chain stays and the bolts.

Fitted the new front caliper but the cable was a bit too short as the new Hy/Rd is a bigger unit than the Spyre. Fortunately I'd popped into the LBS today and picked up a new set of inners and outers. 

Then cleaned the Spyre up, removed the rear caliper and put the new one in its place.

This time the cable was too long, so I trimmed it a bit and then fitted the Spyre. I had to remove the speed/cadence sensor from the left chainstay though as the routing is different for the cable. Not the end of the world though, I can fit a speed sensor to the wheel and the PM has cadence.

Finally I cleaned the rear rotor properly and refitted everything.

Needed to bed in the pads so rode up to my Dad's and then bedded them properly in on the ride down the hill home.

All in all took about an hour and a half as I was faffing a bit and it went dark.


----------



## Spoons47 (6 Sep 2018)

Monday: Picked up a Wiggle road bike for my son for £90 quid, just had to replace inter tubes. Bought him some shorts for £7 at Halfords and ordered him his own tub of chamois cream plus pair of 25c Durano’s. he then helped me replace my disgustingly heavy suspension forks and replace them with second hand carbon ones from local bike mechanic.
I no longer have nightmares about inclines! In fact I spit on them lol.


----------



## biggs682 (6 Sep 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> As some may know from another thread, (link) the tabs have been snapped off my Garmin. Apparently this is not unusual. So I purchased a repair "kit" by Raceware from Merlin cycles for £12 and a tube of super glue gel, £2. I received it this morning. Before I glued, I cleaned with isopropanol. Sanded to roughen the Garmin. Cleaned again. Here are the pictures 1 the part. 2 glued. 3 Glued and cleaned up.
> View attachment 428630
> 
> I hope it holds OK on the way home.



must admit mine has lost 1 of the tabs and never knew repair kits were available so thanks @Leaway2 


on the fettling front fitted a threadless bottom bracket this morning to my old Colnago


----------



## MichaelW2 (6 Sep 2018)

Someone (not me, honest guv) fettled an International Space Station, but the drill slipped.


----------



## C R (6 Sep 2018)

MichaelW2 said:


> Someone (not me, honest guv) fettled and International Space station, but the drill slipped.



Did you read the article in The Register? Very funny and informative. Luckily the hole is in the orbital module of the Soyuz, not the ISS itself.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/04/drill_caused_soyuz_hole/


----------



## mikeymustard (7 Sep 2018)

Had an unfortunate gearing event on the way to work yesterday: went to change up to biggest chain ring and nothing happened. 
Cable duly retensioned and adjusted, and I gave my hub preload a tweak while it was on the stand, I noticed a little bit of play on it t'other day


----------



## si_c (8 Sep 2018)

Riding through last winter meant that the freehub body on my main wheelset was ruined, so I replaced it in spring. But the cost of the freehub body was almost the same as the cost of a new hub, which I object to, especially as it should be totally user serviceable. 

Fortunately, rather than throwing it out, I put the old one on a shelf, so I took it down today and ran it through the sonic cleaner. Loads of emulsion has come out, but when spinning the freehub body it sounds dry rather than rough. I could try pouring some wet lube through the unit like I did a couple of times over winter, but that clearly didn't work given the crap that has come out, so I tried to take it apart even further. I need a tool to get to the bearings though. 

I've ordered something from China for £7 including postage which claims to do the job. If it works I'll pack the hub with grease and new bearings and see if it's any better.

Should save me money in the long run if it works.


----------



## Freelanderuk (9 Sep 2018)

Gave my cycling clothes a wash after this mornings ride , chucked it all in the machine together , I now have a nice pink bib shorts top as I chucked in a red long sleave top also that I had worn


----------



## si_c (9 Sep 2018)

Freelanderuk said:


> Gave my cycling clothes a wash after this mornings ride , chucked it all in the machine together , I now have a nice pink bib shorts top as I chucked in a red long sleave top also that I had worn


I've got a pink baselayer somewhere too..


----------



## Johnno260 (9 Sep 2018)

Mudguards I hate them lol.

Edit: Excuse the washing in the background no wife so wanted to work near the coffee pot haha


----------



## dave r (9 Sep 2018)

Johnno260 said:


> Mudguards I hate them lol.
> 
> Edit: Excuse the washing in the background no wife so wanted to work near the coffee pot haha



I don't take them off


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## C R (9 Sep 2018)

Lubed the chain and checked the new chainset, which is a lot noisier than the old one. The bolts are tight, so can't work out where the noise is coming from, unless the bottom bracket was defective from new.

Also been having trouble with the seat sliding down slowly. It turns out the nut was bottoming out, as the bolt is not threaded all the way, so added a few turns to the thradt with a die, hopefully the clamp is now tight enough.

Finally, replaced the battery in the sensor unit of my cycle computer, but still not working. It turns out it wasn't the battery, the head unit had lost connection to the sensor. All I needed to do was reconnect the two and all was good.


----------



## Johnno260 (9 Sep 2018)

dave r said:


> I don't take them off



This will be more a winter bike so they won’t be coming off.


----------



## mikeymustard (9 Sep 2018)

Johnno260 said:


> Mudguards I hate them lol.


Finally relented and replaced mine today too 

Edit: just looked at your pics - that is some swanky attachment in pic 2, mine is held on by cable ties!


----------



## dave r (10 Sep 2018)

Johnno260 said:


> This will be more a winter bike so they won’t be coming off.



Even on my summer .bike they don't come off.


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## Vantage (10 Sep 2018)

*Spring* runs from March 1 to May 31;
*Summer* runs from June 1 to August 31;
*Fall* (*autumn*) runs from September 1 to November 30; and.
*Winter* runs from *December 1* to *February* 28 (*February*29 in a leap year).
Guaranteed to rain in every single one for weeks at a time. 
I run mudguards year round.

Fettling... 
The bike was jet washed and polished yesterday. 
I need to drill a hole in the bb shell for water to drain out as no doubt the bb will be swimming till I do it. I'll probly do that later today after my ride.


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## Johnno260 (10 Sep 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> Finally relented and replaced mine today too
> 
> Edit: just looked at your pics - that is some swanky attachment in pic 2, mine is held on by cable ties!



it was a spare bracket, the plate that came with it didn't reach, so I tried this and it seems to work, I will use a cable tie through the hole in the guard and around the bracket.


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## Johnno260 (10 Sep 2018)

dave r said:


> Even on my summer .bike they don't come off.



Well I was lucky to get this Ribble for a great price, I have a bike on slicker tyres and it will be used in the dry, the Ribble will be used in the wet and the tyres have more thread etc.

I just need to find some decent wax/polish for it now, I have some for the Merida it's a matt paint finish, I will see if I can find the same polish/wax for a gloss finish as the water just beads off the paint work and makes cleaning it easier and the muck and grime finds it hard to stick to the paint.

Failing that a company near me will coat the bike for winter I just need to check the price.


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## si_c (10 Sep 2018)

Johnno260 said:


> Mudguards I hate them lol.
> 
> Edit: Excuse the washing in the background no wife so wanted to work near the coffee pot haha



That bike looks far, far, far too clean. Mine are always a filthy wreck.



Vantage said:


> The bike was jet washed and polished yesterday.
> I need to drill a hole in the bb shell for water to drain out as no doubt the bb will be swimming till I do it. I'll probly do that later today after my ride.



Perhaps not, if you have a drain in the chainstays and they are open to the BB then you should be fine. All my bikes are setup that way.


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## Johnno260 (10 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> That bike looks far, far, far too clean. Mine are always a filthy wreck.



I always wipe the worst grime off after a wet/muddy ride, I make sure the bikes looked after before I clean myself off, if the drivetrain needs some TLC it gets it as well, maybe a little ocd but I like looking after things.


----------



## ColinJ (10 Sep 2018)

I haven't touched my bike, but this morning I carried out a kettle fettle!

The plastic kettle had a little filter in its spout, presumably to catch limescale if used in hard water areas. There was a plastic lip on the spout reaching down to the filter. I don't actually need a filter because I am in a soft water area so my kettle remains totally clean inside. Still, the filter was not doing any harm until it finally broke and started creating turbulent flow of the boiling water from the spout when pouring. If I were not careful, I got boiling water all over the worktop and potentially over me, so I took the filter out ....

The problem remained that if I tried pouring beyond a very slow rate, the water flow was interrupted by the plastic lip hanging down inside the spout. I kept forgetting and nearly scalding myself when the water sploshed everywhere. One more near miss today was enough for me so I whipped out a pair of stout scissors and lopped off the bottom half of the lip. The kettle now pours quickly and safely!


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## Vantage (10 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Perhaps not, if you have a drain in the chainstays and they are open to the BB then you should be fine. All my bikes are setup that way.



I checked. No luck. Had to drill.

Bottle cage adapter thingy was finished today and works a treat.










I can now get the Camelbak bottle in there 

@JhnBssll sorry the pics took so long...I kept forgetting


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## si_c (10 Sep 2018)

Shifting on the back was like proper dog-sh!t today. Skipping and jumping side to side. The bottom bracket was making some awful grinding noises too.

First job was the BB (FSA MegaEvo) so I removed the crankset, then I flushed out the bearings on both sides as best I could. Let them dry out and repacked with a load of lithium grease, then put the seals back on and refitted the crankset.

Having done that I reset and reindexed the rear derailleur, checked the chain length and then put a new chain on as it was just at .75. Quick wipe down and all sorted, and a short test ride to the shops the BB is much much quieter, although still ticking a little. Might have to replace before winter kicks in properly.


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## ColinJ (10 Sep 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> <skinflint>Yes I did see that but it is about £20 </skinflint>
> 
> Edit: Dogears.


I think I'd try a _super_-skinflint bodge - glue two or three reusable cable ties to the back of the GPS!


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## si_c (11 Sep 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I think I'd try a _super_-skinflint bodge - glue two or three reuseable cable ties to the back of the GPS!


I can imagine that supergluing cable ties to a Garmin after a cafe stop would become annoying quite quickly.


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## ColinJ (11 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> I can imagine that supergluing cable ties to a Garmin after a cafe stop would become annoying quite quickly.


That's why I suggested _REUSABLE _ones so you could just unclip them!


----------



## Vantage (12 Sep 2018)

I got my front pannier rack fitted! Had to drill new friggin bolt holes in the rack to do it but it looks and feels sturdy enough.


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## mikeymustard (13 Sep 2018)

1st ride to work this morning since fitting the mudguards: up the hill from my house to the main road I'm thinking "crikey (edited cos cr@p's a bad word), these guards must weigh a ton!"
By the time I got to work (5 mins tops) I'm puffing like a good'un.
Yep, I'd managed to lock the front brake on!


----------



## si_c (13 Sep 2018)

mikeymustard said:


> 1st ride to work this morning since fitting the mudguards: up the hill from my house to the main road I'm thinking "crikey (edited cos cr@p's a bad word), these guards must weigh a ton!"
> By the time I got to work (5 mins tops) I'm puffing like a good'un.
> Yep, I'd managed to lock the front brake on!


Haha, easy done, I had the rear brake rubbing for around a week once, which was less than great.


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## mikeymustard (13 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Haha, easy done, I had the rear brake rubbing for around a week once, which was less than great.


you should treat it like strength training


----------



## biggs682 (14 Sep 2018)

Replaced the rear end cables on the Jamis Nova last night , just the front mech one to do next


----------



## simonali (16 Sep 2018)

I tried to get my new wheels to fit and failed again for the umpteenth time. Getting properly peed off with the entire concept now. The bike currently has odd wheels and tyres fitted, as I had to adjust the brake caliper to fit the front wheel and then realised I couldn't do the same on the rear because I don't have the required tool to complete the job. This has been going on for almost a month now!


----------



## bruce1530 (16 Sep 2018)

New brake pads

Replaced gear cable inner and outer

Put the mudguards back on for the winter :-(


----------



## JhnBssll (16 Sep 2018)

Converted the Stumpjumper to tubeless this evening 

Both tires are now flat 

I will investigate another day


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## JhnBssll (17 Sep 2018)

I investigated this evening. They're still both flat. I'll investigate again tomorrow and see if anything has changed 

Bearings tightened on the Bianchi's front wheel as a bit of play had developed. New cassette arrived today too so that was fitted, just waiting on the chainset and chain now and it'll be up and running again 







Two new blue bottle cages arrived for the commuter so I fitted them and popped the existing bottle cage on the Raleigh. George was pleased, I think she's going to issue brownie points for my efforts


----------



## JhnBssll (18 Sep 2018)

Chainset and chain arrived today so I popped them on this afternoon. Just had surgery on my leg so can't ride for a couple of weeks which is a nuisance


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## ColinJ (18 Sep 2018)

I am trying to track down and eliminate an elusive and annoying creaking/clicking noise from my CAAD 5 road bike. I wondered whether the cassette might be the source so I took it off and cleaned it, then greased everything and refitted it. 

I was about to go for a test ride, but decided that it might be better to spend the time taking the cassette back off and assembling it as:

... cog/spacer/cog/spacer/cog/spacer ....

Rather than my first attempt:

... cog/spacer/spacer/cog/cog/spacer ....


----------



## JhnBssll (18 Sep 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I am trying to track down and eliminate an elusive and annoying creaking/clicking noise from my CAAD 5 road bike. I wondered whether the cassette might be the source so I took it off and cleaned it, then greased everything and refitted it.
> 
> I was about to go for a test ride, but decided that it might be better to spend the time taking the cassette back off and assembling it as:
> 
> ...



Not just me then


----------



## ColinJ (18 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Not just me then


Apparently NOT!


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Sep 2018)

Linux Lubuntu operating system that went for a Burton last week. Taken me days to get a new hard drive install to work.
Mind you the pc is 120 years old so I guess I should be grateful.


----------



## robjh (18 Sep 2018)

Today I straightened a (slightly) bent derailleur hanger using the unsophisticated method of grabbing it with an adjustable spanner and pulling. I've known about this bend for a couple of years but it was only on number 2 bike and never _that_ bad, and I'd put off fixing it as I thought it would be difficult. It wasn't.


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Sep 2018)

robjh said:


> Today I straightened a (slightly) bent derailleur hanger using the unsophisticated method of grabbing it with an adjustable spanner and pulling. I've known about this bend for a couple of years but it was only on number 2 bike and never _that_ bad, and I'd put off fixing it as I thought it would be difficult. It wasn't.



I've had a slight but annoying shifting problem on the rear of the Montpellier, it got a bit worse over a few months. Strangely towards the end I had to adjust the cable tension when changing from big to little chainring to get the best out of each, fortunately it has barrel adjusters at the shifters so I could do it on the fly.
Over a couple of months I have changed the whole system. Inner and outer cables, (they were 4 years old), chain and cassette which were due anyhow and the hanger when I striped the thread on it with the alignment tool.

Shifting was better but I bit the bullet and replaced the rear mech which I was beginning ing to suspect was out of true.
Finally got my shifting zen back.


----------



## TheDoctor (18 Sep 2018)

I've fitted a fridge, and in so doing moved a kitchen unit. It's now slightly misaligned, and this is annoying me.
Grrr.


----------



## ColinJ (18 Sep 2018)

After fixing the cassette (see above) I tweaked the big ring endstop because I have 'overshifted' and dropped the chain a few times recently. I was about to ride the bike round the block a few times to test it but the roads are very wet. It can wait until the morning!


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## Vantage (19 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Chainset and chain arrived today so I popped them on this afternoon. Just had surgery on my leg so can't ride for a couple of weeks which is a nuisance
> 
> View attachment 430639
> 
> View attachment 430640



I'm not a big fan of road bikes and I absolutely despise carbon fibre but I have to say, that's a damn fine looking rig you have there


----------



## JhnBssll (19 Sep 2018)

Why thank you, I'm rather partial to it  I think it might be finished now too, I can't think of anything else I'd like to do to it  Other than to ride it of course - hopefully my leg will mend before the weather turns!


----------



## dave r (19 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Not just me then



Nice to know I'm not alone, anyone managed to get a cog in the wrong place?


----------



## Denis99 (19 Sep 2018)

Spent all morning in the garage.

Changing over to 10 speed on my ICE recumbent trike.

Fitting the a new chain, well more like almost 3 chains as the chain length is very long, rear mech, thumb shifters, grips, cables with inline adjusters.

Then fettling front and rear mechs with the cables etc.

Much prefer thumb shifters to the twist grip 9 speed that was on the trike. The addition of an extra cog will be used on the trike for easier climbing also.


----------



## DCLane (19 Sep 2018)

Prepped the Raleigh Pioneer for winter use, with different lights.

My Wilier Montegrappa commuter's been causing issues with the RH shifter, meaning I had 3 gears into the wind today (13, 15 and 18 cogs). The cable had frayed massively and it was a pain getting the bits out. With help a new cable's fitted. 

The annoying bit? The bike was about to come off the road for a complete winter overhaul including new chain, bar tape, cable inner and outers. So I simply fitted a basic galvanised cable, which will do for a month or so.


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## Salty seadog (19 Sep 2018)

Denis99 said:


> Spent all morning in the garage.
> 
> Changing over to 10 speed on my ICE recumbent trike.
> 
> ...



I have to ask, do you buy chains for recumbent bikes in one length or buy several and join them?


----------



## Denis99 (20 Sep 2018)

I bought three separate chains, as they come with a quick link.

I don't know where you can buy a single row of chain, but manufacturers must have this facility.

324 links !


----------



## si_c (20 Sep 2018)

Denis99 said:


> I bought three separate chains, as they come with a quick link.
> 
> I don't know where you can buy a single row of chain, but manufacturers must have this facility.
> 
> 324 links !


https://www.tandems.co.uk/m8b0s16p6...Crossover-Chain-Nickel-Plated-160-Link-KMC-E1


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## Denis99 (20 Sep 2018)

I clicked on the link above, but can’t determine if the chain is 10 speed or not.


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## si_c (20 Sep 2018)

Denis99 said:


> I clicked on the link above, but can’t determine if the chain is 10 speed or not.


It's a timing chain, so it's single speed, thinking about it, probably not what you were looking for


----------



## Gravity Aided (23 Sep 2018)

I removed the cottered crank from my Corso, without incident or damage to the cotters. All steel parts on this bicycle have an appointment with a pan of Evap-O-Rust. And a buffer.


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## HLaB (23 Sep 2018)

Lol, Ive got a small hole in my fairly new tubeless tyre that has been blowing out at around 85 psi. I made the mistake of using Finishline sealant which never fixed it straight away and the hole has probably got bigger. Ive went back to Stans which is sealing it faster but the damage is done. So Ive decided to see if a spot of sealant on the outside of the tyre (today fettle  ). The next fettle might be to take the trye off and try to patch it.


----------



## JhnBssll (23 Sep 2018)

I've just put finish line in my mountain bike tires. They've not even sealed yet, I think I'm going to cut my losses and replace it with something else


----------



## ColinJ (23 Sep 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I am trying to track down and eliminate an elusive and annoying creaking/clicking noise from my CAAD 5 road bike. I wondered whether the cassette might be the source so I took it off and cleaned it, then greased everything and refitted it.


I did a 100 km test ride yesterday and that creaking/clicking noise has gone - yay! 

Unfortunately, now an irritating squeaking noise between my pedals, shoes and cleats is much more obvious without those annoying transmission noises to distract me! I'll try cleaning and lubing the pedals next. I might also try increasing release tension to see if that helps - I normally set it to minimum to make sure that I can unclip in a hurry if I need to, but I would probably be ok with it a bit higher.


----------



## Denis99 (23 Sep 2018)

Did you insert an inner tube into the tyre and inflate it to its maximum pressure?

I have found that getting the tyre to seat with the inner tube in is the best way to get it to seat properly.

Then remove the inner tube, by breaking the tyre seal on one side of the rim only.

Sorry if you have done this, just trying of offer a little advice.


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## JhnBssll (25 Sep 2018)

I didn't use an inner tube but I think I seated the tyres properly - I've got an airshot inflator which seems to do a good job. I decided to give the finishline another chance since I've just bought more of it so I whipped the wheels off again this evening and had another go; the front was completely flat, sitting on the rim. The rear had enough air left in it to keep its shape but I only measured a few PSI on the gauge. I popped both valve cores out and topped up the sealant, I've got 6-7oz in each tyre now. They are huge tyres, 27.5"x3.0" so I figured I'd put in slightly more than the recommended 4-5oz 

I then wound the valve cores back in and pumped them back up to 20PSI (max for the tyres) and spun, shook, rocked, tilted and spun some more until I couldnt hear any obvious leaks. I put the wheels back on and pumped them both back up to 20PSI and will monitor them; I guess I'll just keep putting air in and spinning them until they hold pressure


----------



## Salar (25 Sep 2018)

Did a bit of work on an old MTB last night.

Changed the chainset, replaced bottom axle and bearings, adjusted the gears, all done, then......................... Doh, ....... I'd forgot to put the lockring back on the bottom bracket.


----------



## Denis99 (25 Sep 2018)

Yes, I have the 27.5 plus tyres on my Marin Pine Mountain 2 also.

Usually add a bit more sealant to account for the larger tyre volume.

What tyres and rims are they?


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Sep 2018)

They're Roval Traverse wheels and specialized ground control and purgatory tyres. All tubeless ready, or 2bliss as specialized seem to call it  I forgot to check them before I left for work this morning, I'll take a peek this evening


----------



## DCBassman (25 Sep 2018)

I'll be fettling the transmission later. 11.4 mile ride, planned to be longer, had the rear derailleur pinging off the spokes on the 34 cog.
Then the front shifter threw the chain off BOTH ways at different points.
Pah.


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Sep 2018)

DCBassman said:


> Then the front shifter threw the chain off BOTH ways at different points.
> Pah.



That's a pretty good effort


----------



## DCBassman (25 Sep 2018)

So... hanger bent. Went to LBS, he said slight enough that he'd re-align it if I bought the bike back Thursday - snowed under.
During the 4-minute walk home, I'd decided how I'd do it myself, and 10 minutes later it was reassembled, realigned, chain lubricated, and put away.
Tools required: the long 5mm Allen key I'd just reattached it with.
Result. Not a spoke ping in sight, and can't make the chain fall off.
That'll do pig, that'll do.



But I think I'll try and get a replacement, just in case...


----------



## Elybazza61 (25 Sep 2018)

Stages power meter arrived this morning so just fitted and paired with the Garmin and all seems goodwill have to wait a couple of days for a test ride though.


----------



## Drago (25 Sep 2018)

Gave my Trance a good post ride going over. It was a hard ride and I had a spill, so wanted to check all was pukka. Cleaned, lubed, put away. I'll give the forks a service soon.


----------



## roadrash (25 Sep 2018)

you had a spill @Drago , I hope it wasn't your Clooney juice


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Sep 2018)

Checked the tyres again. Front had dropped to 5psi, rear 7psi. Both back up to 20 now and another spin and a quick ride around the block. I'll check again tomorrow


----------



## TigerT (26 Sep 2018)

Finally got around to re wrapping my Bar tape. It was badly done from new and has been annoying me pretty much every time I ride. 

All nice and neat now.


----------



## gbb (27 Sep 2018)

Just went to bed last night at around 22.15, our son came in with my ebike he's borrowing...punctured. ...back wheel.. 
He's useless at that kind of stuff and tbh I'd sooner do it myself so luckily I managed to locate the puncture without removing the wheel, around 15 minutes later, done and still up this morning. How often do you fix a puncture in your dressing gown.


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## JhnBssll (27 Sep 2018)

Checked tyres, both had dropped to nothing again. New Gorilla tape ordered, I'll de-mount them and clean the rims down and start again I think. What a faff


----------



## Gravity Aided (27 Sep 2018)

I am going over my Italian Bicycle I got last week, and touching up all the dings with nail polish, I got a bag at the GoodWill (second hand store chain in the U.S.) which netted me a large Ziploc ($3.50) full of open nail polish bottles, although I found one was an exact match without mixing.


----------



## Justinitus (27 Sep 2018)

Gravity Aided said:


> I am going over my Italian Bicycle I got last week, and touching up all the dings with nail polish, I got a bag at the GoodWill (second hand store chain in the U.S.) which netted me a large Ziploc ($3.50) full of open nail polish bottles, although I found one was an exact match without mixing.



There’s an idea - nail polish! Never thought of that for touching up dings! Cheers


----------



## Salty seadog (27 Sep 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Checked tyres, both had dropped to nothing again. New Gorilla tape ordered, I'll de-mount them and clean the rims down and start again I think. What a faff



After reading this saga I'm glad I run with tubes....


----------



## NorthernDave (27 Sep 2018)

Out for tea tomorrow, so prepped the Giant 'winter' bike for Saturday and it's first ride since July.

Most unlike me, but I cleaned it before putting it away last time including the drivetrain which I just gave a light coat of GT85, so cleaned that off and relubed with C3 ceramic wet lube, fitted the lights & saddle bag and pumped up the tyres. Looking forward to getting out on it now.


----------



## ColinJ (27 Sep 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I did a 100 km test ride yesterday and that creaking/clicking noise has gone - yay!
> 
> Unfortunately, now an irritating squeaking noise between my pedals, shoes and cleats is much more obvious without those annoying transmission noises to distract me! I'll try cleaning and lubing the pedals next. I might also try increasing release tension to see if that helps - I normally set it to minimum to make sure that I can unclip in a hurry if I need to, but I would probably be ok with it a bit higher.


I've now fixed that problem too. I looked at the pedals and could see places where the metal was getting worn away by the tread on the soles of my cycling shoes. I reasoned that this was the source of the noises and decided to give the shoes a bit of help. Rather than waiting for the shoes to wear enough metal away to reduce friction to the point where the noises stopped, I took a file to the pedals and filed a thin layer of metal off both sides of both pedals in the critical positions. Result ... no more squeaking!


----------



## pjd57 (28 Sep 2018)

Cobbled together a back light fitting from an assortment of bits from a box in the shed.

I was supposed to be tidying the shed at the time..


----------



## JhnBssll (29 Sep 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> After reading this saga I'm glad I run with tubes....



Yeah, I'm kinda glad I kept the tubes in the event I give up and want to refit them 

I took the tires off again today as the roll of gorilla tape I ordered arrived yesterday. They'd actually held a little pressure this time  Anyway I removed the original specialized 2bliss rim tape, cleaned it all up and went round each rim twice with gorilla tape. Then pierced a small hole so the valve stem was a press fit through the tape, dipped the valve stem o-rings in sealant and re-fitted them. There was still lots of liquid sealant in both tyres so I just popped them back on and reinflated. They both popped on to the head and sealed first time and have held pressure for an hour or so. I'll check again tomorrow but it's looking promising this time 

I did notice some damage to the original rim tape around the valve stem holes of both wheels, I suspect it was leaking here. Both rims were wet with sealant under the original tape, which i presume they shouldn't be 







The sealant does seem to have turned blue but a quick Google search suggests that's normal


----------



## C R (29 Sep 2018)

New brake pads in, some readjustment of the shifting, but still a bit hesitant at times, I am going to have yo check the hanger alignment.


----------



## PeteXXX (30 Sep 2018)

I need a new headset for my Trek Fuel EX9. Ordered one, by make, year and model, though discussions with Rutland Cycles, but the one sourced by them and delivered isn't the right one. No-ones fault, really, it just doesn't fit. Specs change.

I only found out the problem once the forks had been removed, and the headset had been dismantled....






I'm off the their local store, Pitsford, for a chat later today.

Such is life.


----------



## Chris S (30 Sep 2018)

I swapped my brake cables over so that the left-hand lever operates the front brake and the right hand operates the rear. It looks much cleaner, there isn't a tangled mess of cables on the front of the bike now.


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Sep 2018)

Chris S said:


> I swapped my brake cables over so that the left-hand lever operates the front brake and the right hand operates the rear. It looks much cleaner, there isn't a tangled mess of cables on the front of the bike now.



One of my friends has his bikes set up like this, I'm helping him swap the hydraulic hoses and re-wrap the bars on a cross bike he's bought on eBay this week. He's always had them this way around for reasons I can't remember but he says another advantage of it is watching thieves go over the handlebars if they try to steal it


----------



## PeteXXX (30 Sep 2018)

Following on from t’other days fettling. Any excuse for a ride, I dropped the incorrect headset into Rutland Cycling at Pitsford and had a chat wit the good folk there. 
The mechanics are going to phone me tomorrow with suggestions on the sizes I’ve found on the upper and lower cups. 
Watch this space....


----------



## NorthernDave (30 Sep 2018)

Fitted the new retina searing rear light from today's Aldi Special Buys to the Giant.
On the top setting it's brighter than the sun. Almost.


----------



## tom73 (30 Sep 2018)

As a treat for getting me to a 1000 mile's mark i've given the bike a good clean and degreased and totally cleaned the gear's and chain. 
Re lubed and wiped down the chain. Ready for one last wipe tomorrow. Even given the cloth's a good wash in the washing machine... Just don't tell Mrs 73


----------



## DCLane (30 Sep 2018)

This evening I tackled a bike that I built back in June. It's my son's new training bike and because it's not urgent yet it was put to the back of the pile. And left because I couldn't get the front derailleur shifting properly - and it was simply annoying me. Whatever I did it would not shift up.

So, this evening the BeOne Raw Comp was dragged out and I swapped the Miche crankset for a Shimano basic one. And it worked first time 

Some minor adjustments and it's all working perfectly


----------



## Gravity Aided (1 Oct 2018)

Soaked all the rusty Italian bike parts from the Corso (a re-badged Atala, I believe, Sal Corso re-badged a lot of lower end Rizzatos.) in a pail of household cleaning vinegar, followed by a good scrub with Bar Keepers' Friend, a mild abrasive, and a brush. A small battery powered toothbrush did the small parts, and everything looks great.


----------



## Jenkins (1 Oct 2018)

Using a high tech tool (toothpick) as a guide device and a bit of trial & error, I finally got round to sorting out a slight buckle in the rear wheel of the Voodo.


----------



## si_c (1 Oct 2018)

Cleaned the bike. It wasn't too bad, but there was a build up of gunk on the jockey wheels.


----------



## Paulus (1 Oct 2018)

I had some play in a SPD 520 pedal so I took it apart cleaned regreased and re-asembled only to find a crack in the axle. All my work in vain. I have now ordered a new pair of M540's. Cartridge bearings so no adjustment necessary.


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Oct 2018)

MTB tyres still haven't sealed. I had another go at them this evening, wetting them with detergent after pumping them back up to pressure. Both tyres had several small leaks around the bead, I seem to have fixed them by squeezing the bead away from the rim and allowing a small amount of sealant to burp out wherever the bubbles were forming. The rear valve stem was leaking ever so slightly but not constantly, I'm hoping the sealant will take care of this over time. Anyway once the bead leaks had all been sorted I put the wheels back on and went for a ride. Just a mile or so, lots of cornering and varying speed. I'm hoping that's it now but not overly confident. They'll be off to the LBS if I can't get them holding pressure by the weekend as I'm off to Wales on the 12th to 14th for some riding


----------



## derrick (2 Oct 2018)

Built up my other halves spare bike, all sorted the Di2 working lovely, just waiting for new bottle cages to arrive.


----------



## derrick (3 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> MTB tyres still haven't sealed. I had another go at them this evening, wetting them with detergent after pumping them back up to pressure. Both tyres had several small leaks around the bead, I seem to have fixed them by squeezing the bead away from the rim and allowing a small amount of sealant to burp out wherever the bubbles were forming. The rear valve stem was leaking ever so slightly but not constantly, I'm hoping the sealant will take care of this over time. Anyway once the bead leaks had all been sorted I put the wheels back on and went for a ride. Just a mile or so, lots of cornering and varying speed. I'm hoping that's it now but not overly confident. They'll be off to the LBS if I can't get them holding pressure by the weekend as I'm off to Wales on the 12th to 14th for some riding


What sealent you using?


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## JhnBssll (3 Oct 2018)

derrick said:


> What sealent you using?



Finishline after being recommended it by my LBS. Not impressed so far but trying desperately to avoid replacing it and the mess that would entail 

Front tyre doesn't seem to have lost any pressure overnight but the rear has dropped again. I suspect it's still leaking from the valve or tape, I'll give it another look this evening.

I've read the finishline can take a while to achieve the initial seal but this is pushing it, I think most sensible people would have given up by now  It doesn't help that until yesterday I haven't been able to ride it but now my stitches are out I can thrash it about a bit to properly distribute the sealant...


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## Salar (3 Oct 2018)

Removed front derailleur gripshift and replaced it with a cheapo retro style friction thumb shifter. 

Works very well too and brings back memories.


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## DCLane (3 Oct 2018)

My 14yo is getting my NeilPryde Nazare as his race bike for next year. I'm therefore dumped onto cast-offs and a few weeks ago bought a Boardman AiR Pro frameset that had been sprayed matt black to become my road bike for 2019. However ... I pinched his spare 3T Aeronova bars and with my LBS fitting a new headset plus the BB converter earlier this week today I fitted the bars, a saddle and crankset. I'm sticking with the 'black' theme so 105 11-speed it is:

[note: this is not my work-station, but the only spare place I could find to put the frame down ]





Still to do:

- matt black paint needs touching up. I _did_ think of trying to remove it but there's a risk of the blue underneath coming off.
- shifters plus front/rear 105 11 speed derailleurs
- some pedals
- brakes (no spares at the moment!)
- cables and a chain

No hurry, but it _might_ be done in the next 3-4 weeks.

I also gave the GT Outpost Trail I picked up earlier today a once-over. It needed a wipe down, some grease/lubricant and an absolutely massive amount of work: a brake cable end. All good  . The seller had picked up a good bike and was clearly  to find they were too tall


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## DCBassman (3 Oct 2018)

Started work on the Norco, stripping off old cables and brakes. Needs a new seatpost clamp, new disc brakes (BB7s looking good for this), new cables and chain, natch, new pedals already ordered. Will need new tyres as well.
Scott: changed hanger. It seems that the dropout was bent also, not by much. Gentle persuasion with a large adjustable spanner sorted that. Flung on a set of Flinger crudguards found in the parts bin.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Oct 2018)

I used some nail polish to take out a few dings and chips from the Corso. Next, to polish and wax the aluminum and steel parts, and return them to the bike. After that, I will get the wheels regreased. Campy hubs with Fiamme rims, I guess I'm stuck with 27" tires for a while.


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## CXRAndy (3 Oct 2018)

Yesterday fixed my brand new turbo, today doing sprints on turbo it began to move from mounts, so made deep socket mount to hold it in place. Tomorrow I'll build up daughter's new Boardman. Sorted ensuite-hopefully . Last week made a new full length rocker board and serviced Tripster with new rotors and pads for Canaries trips. Made a new saddle bag bracket out of aluminium plate.


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## DCBassman (3 Oct 2018)

B*gger. Front crudguard *just* touching wheel. 

Rats.


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## tom73 (4 Oct 2018)

Given the geohound a fur cut turn’s out we do have a westie after all.


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## DCBassman (5 Oct 2018)

Am anout to go and fit new tyres to the Scott. This will be the first time I have changed anything skinnier than 26x1.5...


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## al-fresco (5 Oct 2018)

Set up and tested UST tubeless tyres - Mavic Yksion 700x25 - first attempt at 'road' tubeless.


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## DCBassman (5 Oct 2018)

And done! Easier than I expected. Tube that came out of rear said 27x1.25, too big, and there were multiple creases in it. New one fitted.


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## Chris S (5 Oct 2018)

My front brakes were making a screeching noise. The usual advice is to adjust them so they have some 'toe in' but this isn't possible with caliper brakes. The blocks had worn themselves into a 'toe out' pattern so I just put them on the opposite rims. They're nice and quiet now.


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## Sjw (6 Oct 2018)

Put mudguards on


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## DCLane (7 Oct 2018)

A 'bits and pieces' weekend of fettling jobs:

- The Raleigh Twenty got a new rear brake cable, so both brakes now work for the first time since I bought it. That was a job and a half 
- Eastway R4.0 winter bike received a new chain and a pair of used RS30 wheels for winter use
- Boardman AirPro build got a pair of 5800 shifters as a pair arrived. Then I found a pair of Shimano 5800 shifters in the shed I'd forgotten I'd bought 
- Continued cleaning the paint from the blue Carlton Corsa, almost ready for 'reveal' photos
- A used Tufo tub onto the rear HED3 tri-spoke spare TT wheel


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## Gravity Aided (7 Oct 2018)

More waxing and polishing the bright bits on the Corso, and the BB is reinstalled after greasing. Need new bolts for the chainset, but I am currently de-rusting some period bolts, nuts, and the other side of the fork where it was chromed. That had rusted as well as the chromed fork crown cover. I also bought a nice socket set at the Aldi, because sometimes you need two sets. Like nut versus bolt sorts of situations.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Oct 2018)

De rusting complete, all components and frame are waxed, cottered crank set and fork re-installled, Suntour Honor derailleur polished.
More installation on Wednesday. And a pedal tear down to follow.


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## JhnBssll (8 Oct 2018)

Front mech adjusted on the turbo bike. I thought it was rubbing on the chain, turns out it was just catching the crank arm  limit screws also adjusted to prevent this happening again in future  Also adjusted the saddle on the turbo bike, tipped the nose down a smidge and will see how it feels tomorrow 

The tyres on the Stumpjumper are finally holding pressure  Great success, although I'm starting to get sealant seeping through the tyre walls already so will keep an eye on that. Chain cleaned and lubed and a general check over ready for the weekend - I'm visiting an old chum in Wales and we're riding the black mountains classic route on Saturday


----------



## ColinJ (8 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Front mech adjusted on the turbo bike. I thought it was rubbing on the chain, turns out it was just catching the crank arm  limit screws also adjusted to prevent this happening again in future  Also adjusted the saddle on the turbo bike, tipped the nose down a smidge and will see how it feels tomorrow


By coincidence, I set my TT up today. I thought there was something wrong with the magnetic resistance unit until I spotted that I hadn't done the rear QR up properly and the wheel had pulled round!

Once sorted, I did a 50 minute session and by the end I had realised that _my _saddle's nose was a bit high too. I had intended to sort that out earlier but had forgotten. I'll go and do it after I finish this post so the bike is ready for later in the week when I will probably be doing some more TT sessions.


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## DCLane (9 Oct 2018)

Continued with the Boardman AirPro build a bit: @Kernow_T 's derailleurs arrived and were fitted, along with a rummage on the parts shelf, which yielded new front 5800 and rear 6700 brake calipers. I'd prefer a 5800 rear so will keep looking.

Just cables to sort and then test it all: I'm undecided whether to have black cables for 'all black' finish or red to match the Aeronova bars.
No rush though ... we need to sell his Cervelo first to make space. And he won't be finished with that for a fortnight.


----------



## DCBassman (9 Oct 2018)

Cleaned drive-side chainstay on the Scott and reapplied the original alloy protector.


----------



## C R (9 Oct 2018)

I have a light/cycle computer combo which I really like, but the mount is pants, and is now unusable. Playing around I noticed that the sliding slot for the mount is very similar to a cateye bell mount I had knocking about. The dimensions were slightly off, but a bit of careful filing was enough to make everything fit, so the light/computer combo is back on the handlebars, now securely attached.


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## Richard A Thackeray (11 Oct 2018)

Not so much as_ fettled_, as worried about a noise

I was out earlier, & rode towards Leeds on the A61, through Lofthouse & Robin Hood

I was dropping down the start of Bell Hill, where the new roundabout is (cuts to Pontefract Road, & the ARLA depot)
Due to traffic deciding to go on my near-side, through it, despite my taking primary, I had to ride the ruts, to a certain degree of rattling

Now anyone who uses that road, knows that it joins/runs parallel with the slip-road off the M1 (@ jct 43), with traffic joining to your left (essentially) at m-way speeds* (1)*
There was a rubbing noise, as though the mudguard, or disc, had been misplaced, by the ruts
Now, given the road, it wasn't a place to stop to look at it !!! *(2)
*
I had to maintain position too, as the left lane now became the M621 bound (to jct 7)
Once under the M621, & onto Wakefield Road, just before First Direct Banks call-centre (where Waddingtons Printers used to be), I could safely stop

An inspection of the 'guards revealed no loose stays/broken mounts, the discs weren't rubbing, nothing under the 'guards

However...………
The derailleur cable had moved & was rubbing on the tyre sidewall

Not a real problem then!!







*


(1)* I worked in the centre of Leeds for 11 years, so used that road a lot, both going in, & coming home, so very used to the layout

*(2)* The route, into Leeds , https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1481030
The road drops to the north-west, crossing over the (blue) M1 - which heads north-east
I followed the red-road, & back under the M621, at jct 7
http://www.geograph.org.uk/showmap.php?gridref=SE3229


The mucky tyres, are because I headed back through the Woods, & along a road that's acting as access to a Quarry, so has a lot of trucks on it, dragging water out of the wheel-wash


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## Elybazza61 (11 Oct 2018)

Not proper fettling but checking the Helium for what I need for the di2 conversion; annoyingly the Deda bars are not compatible with the newer bar-end junction box so will have to go with the external one(although Deda do do a nifty bracket for it),everything else is ok and I still have the proper grommets that came with the frame  .

Just have to get the rest of the parts now


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## Sjw (11 Oct 2018)

Put reflective strips on spokes


----------



## JhnBssll (12 Oct 2018)

I won a prize in a raffle half by my lbs, a nifty little headset spacer light. Fitted it to the commuter this evening, just the job as the evenings draw in


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## si_c (13 Oct 2018)

Slight noise still from the BB which annoys me, so stripped and repacked the bearings, and took the plastic spacer out this time too, means I could flush the bearings better, but also took me half an hour to get back in.

I'm waiting for some cable guides from supernova to route the dynamo cabling properly this winter, but they've not arrived yet. In the meantime I've put the dynamo kit back on (removed it for summer - bike gets locked up outside at work and I like to minimise stuff left on it) and just kept everything in place with electrical tape same as before. Bit more unsightly but it works.


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## Freelanderuk (13 Oct 2018)

Just replaced the rear hanger on the TCR as no matter how much I tried I could not get rid of an irritating noise


----------



## Heltor Chasca (13 Oct 2018)

Attached my lucky flamingo. Those in the the know will know. You know?

Did some other less important stuff with the drivetrain in preparation for a 400km ride I’m doing in a few weeks.


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## PeteXXX (15 Oct 2018)

Trek Fuel prepped for tomorrows ride around Sherwood Pines and area.
Whale tail popped on as I expect it to be a bit moist!!


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## si_c (15 Oct 2018)

Put my spare rear tyre on last night as the canvas was visible on the old one. Ordered a replacement, just waiting for it to arrive.


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2018)

Added 2nd bottle cage to the Scott. Not really needed at the distances I currently do. I'll transfer it to the Norco when it's done.


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## TheKay (15 Oct 2018)

Fitted new handlebar tape and a rear mudgard... because winter!


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## Salty seadog (15 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I won a prize in a raffle half by my lbs, a nifty little headset spacer light. Fitted it to the commuter this evening, just the job as the evenings draw in
> View attachment 433700
> View attachment 433699
> View attachment 433701



That lezyne light is it the 1100i power drive. Just got one for £48 thanks to the "found a bargain thread".
How is it for run time?


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## JhnBssll (15 Oct 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> That lezyne light is it the 1100i power drive. Just got one for £48 thanks to the "found a bargain thread".
> How is it for run time?



Its the 1100XL, don't know if that's the same thing but battery life seems excellent, I get several 30min commutes out of it and it's never died on me, I always charge it as soon as the light goes red  I've got the 800 version as a backup too, both good lights.


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## Salty seadog (15 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Its the 1100XL, don't know if that's the same thing but battery life seems excellent, I get several 30min commutes out of it and it's never died on me, I always charge it as soon as the light goes red  I've got the 800 version as a backup too, both good lights.



I like Lezyne stuff, well designed and made . Got 3 sets of the macro/micro front rear combination but I couldn't turn this down at that price. Should get its first outing tomorrow evening.


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## Heltor Chasca (16 Oct 2018)

Flaperised the school run Surly Big Dummy so I can collect and jar-up the now abundant road chutney.


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## DCBassman (16 Oct 2018)

That's a supremely beefy looking steed!


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## youngoldbloke (16 Oct 2018)

Finished swapping tyres on the Orbea Gain. Replaced the original 28mm Kenda Krampfish tyres with 28mm Continental GP4000IIs'. Total weight saved around 500gm. Interestingly the Conti's are actually fatter than the Kenda tyres, and the original Kenda tubes are actually quite light for 28mm at 110gm each.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Oct 2018)

DCBassman said:


> That's a supremely beefy looking steed!


All Surly's seem pretty beefy to me. Well made bikes, though.


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## loopybike (17 Oct 2018)

An eBay purchase arrived yesterday. Broken. 
So I fixed it 

A lucas comet bell

One of the mounting lugs had snapped off. Sure I could have sent it back, but by then I liked it too much! And I like mending things 











I dont currently have a suitable bike to fit it too at the moment, but I'm sure I will at some point


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## Heltor Chasca (18 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Flaperised the school run Surly Big Dummy so I can collect and jar-up the now abundant road chutney.
> 
> View attachment 434235
> View attachment 434236



Hmm. The front flap shimmies over 30kph. We sound like a run away didgeridoo. Design ideas to stabilise it?


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## Heltor Chasca (18 Oct 2018)

Blinded @Cranky Knee Girl on a recent, wet 200 Audax (Raglan Castle) with my impressive rooster tail. So I fitted these on my lunch break. Club colours an’ all. Smart eh?


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## JhnBssll (18 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Hmm. The front flap shimmies over 30kph. We sound like a run away didgeridoo. Design ideas to stabilise it?



If the noise is speed specific it suggests it's hitting a natural frequency - two ways of changing this, either changing the structure or the mass. I would try changing the mass of the flap as in this case its the easier option. I would tape small weights to the flap and move them around until they're having the desired effect before making a more long-term adjustment, maybe riveting on an aluminium plate or something. Depends how much mass is required and where really, have a play and let us know how you get on


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## youngoldbloke (18 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Blinded @Cranky Knee Girl on a recent, wet 200 Audax (Raglan Castle) with my impressive rooster tail. So I fitted these on my lunch break. Club colours an’ all. Smart eh?
> 
> View attachment 434402


V. nice - is that home made or shop-bought?


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## Heltor Chasca (18 Oct 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> V. nice - is that home made or shop-bought?


This is a Raw product. Reflective too!

The one on the school run bike is home made.


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## Heltor Chasca (19 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> If the noise is speed specific it suggests it's hitting a natural frequency - two ways of changing this, either changing the structure or the mass. I would try changing the mass of the flap as in this case its the easier option. I would tape small weights to the flap and move them around until they're having the desired effect before making a more long-term adjustment, maybe riveting on an aluminium plate or something. Depends how much mass is required and where really, have a play and let us know how you get on



You were a scientific inspiration. I fitted a cable tie about 40mm either side up the mudguard stay to the front rack. To the untrained eye, it is invisible. The shimmy is no longer and the bike is silent for the first time in over 5000km. 

I suspect in my mind’s eye, I am faster than I have ever been!


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## Drago (19 Oct 2018)

Repaired a puncture. Was feeling pleased, had a shower, and now the tyre is flat again. Ggrrrr...


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## JhnBssll (19 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> You were a scientific inspiration. I fitted a cable tie about 40mm either side up the mudguard stay to the front rack. To the untrained eye, it is invisible. The shimmy is no longer and the bike is silent for the first time in over 5000km.
> 
> I suspect in my mind’s eye, I am faster than I have ever been!



Excellent work, well done


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## raleighnut (19 Oct 2018)

Drago said:


> Repaired a puncture. Was feeling pleased, had a shower, and now the tyre is flat again. Ggrrrr...


 There, there fella.


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## Salty seadog (19 Oct 2018)

Drago said:


> Repaired a puncture. Was feeling pleased, had a shower, and now the tyre is flat again. Ggrrrr...



So....you didn't repair a puncture. You just swapped punctures.


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## JhnBssll (19 Oct 2018)

I decided since my Kona Caldera is getting almost no use as a mountain bike I would try and make a few changes so it can potentially be used as an alternative commuter. As such I've ordered mudguards, rack and lights and will swap some SPDs on in place of the flats.

First parcel arrived today containing the rack so I got that fitted, added a saddle bag I had in the spares cupboard and swapped the pedals over this afternoon.










There was a little play in the front end so I checked and tightened all the fork crown bolts. They were all slightly loose so I torqued them all up and it's feeling much better now 

Mudguards should be here tomorrow  There's only one set of mounting holes on the back which I've used for the rack so I'll either have to reuse them for the rear guard or work out where else I can fix them. I'm not sure how I'm going to attach the front guard stays to the fork legs yet either but I'll make a couple of brackets up somehow. One way or another there's more fettling to come over the weekend


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## Salty seadog (19 Oct 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I decided since my Kona Caldera is getting almost no use as a mountain bike I would try and make a few changes so it can potentially be used as an alternative commuter. As such I've ordered mudguards, rack and lights and will swap some SPDs on in place of the flats.
> 
> First parcel arrived today containing the rack so I got that fitted, added a saddle bag I had in the spares cupboard and swapped the pedals over this afternoon.
> 
> ...



Get some slicks on it. My old mtb has now got hack duties so I chucked some Shwalbe Kojak 1.9" on it and it is a much better town bike etc...


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## JhnBssll (19 Oct 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> Get some slicks on it. My old mtb has now got hack duties so I chucked some Shwalbe Kojak 1.9" on it and it is a much better town bike etc...
> 
> View attachment 434583
> View attachment 434584



I've got some 26x2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Mondials on the way


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## derrick (19 Oct 2018)

New aero bars on the other halves bike. Mine all cleaned and ready for the Weekend rides.


----------



## Elybazza61 (19 Oct 2018)

Decided the Helium needed a new headset as it was still on the original.

Old one wasn't too bad so will keep hold of them for emergency spares.

New Deda one popped in nicely and all moving nice and smoothly.

Also swapped the stem out for a slightly longer one.






Not slammed but low enough for an old bloke






Cockpit view with colour matching (bottle) top cap


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## Fiona R (19 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Blinded @Cranky Knee Girl on a recent, wet 200 Audax (Raglan Castle) with my impressive rooster tail. So I fitted these on my lunch break. Club colours an’ all. Smart eh?
> 
> View attachment 434402


I think a test audax is required, although I'd rather not repeat the weather of Raglan again! 

Do you get that "wabber wabber" noise you get in a car when someone has a back window down and the front ones are closed at moderate speed?


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## Fiona R (19 Oct 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Blinded @Cranky Knee Girl on a recent, wet 200 Audax (Raglan Castle) with my impressive rooster tail. So I fitted these on my lunch break. Club colours an’ all. Smart eh?
> 
> View attachment 434402


"FOUL!" @Heltor Chasca
You tricked me into contributing to a thread about "fettling" 

If it ain't broke don't fix it.


----------



## NorthernDave (19 Oct 2018)

Fitted new SPD-SL cleats to my cycling shoes after absolutely knackering the previous set to the point I thought I wasn't going to be able to remove them as I'd worn the top off one of the bolts..

Lesson learned.


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## Fiona R (19 Oct 2018)

NorthernDave said:


> Fitted new SPD-SL cleats to my cycling shoes after absolutely knackering the previous set to the point I thought I wasn't going to be able to remove them as I'd worn the top off one of the bolts..
> 
> Lesson learned.


OMG did I fettle? I put the cleats on my new spds this week


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## JhnBssll (20 Oct 2018)

Cranky Knee Girl said:


> OMG did I fettle? I put the cleats on my new spds this week



Definitely some fettling there 

I've just ordered some SKS stay clamps for the forks - I didn't realise you could buy specific clamps for the job  I'm not sure what I'll do with the now redundant bag of P-Clips I ordered earlier when they turn up on Wednesday


----------



## HLaB (20 Oct 2018)

My other bike was pressed into action today but half way on the ride the gear cable snapped so I adjusted the limit screws as a bodge. So I changed the cable when I got home but had to take the side plate of the sti to get at the old cable end. I noticed the inside of the chain was less than perfect so I gave it a good clean. At the same time I notice a large gouge exposing the tube in the front tyre so changed that. Now I know why I found a new tyre the other month, I'd bought it to cover for the tyre if the nick (which was quite small at the time) got any worse, it never did on gentle commutes so I forgot about it. But on today's hard ride it did get a lot worse.


----------



## Gravity Aided (20 Oct 2018)

I sorted bike parts at the bike co-op for an hour or two, and bought an old 24" wheeled Mongoose Switchback for a mini-velo type conversion, as a folding bike might fold too much, were I to be on it. Much fettling and refurbishment will be required.


----------



## pjd57 (21 Oct 2018)

New tube on the back of the hybrid.
Tyre was a bugger to get off and on.
Noticed the brakes were looking iffy, so new blocks on as well.
Replacements ordered.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (21 Oct 2018)

Our lass asked me to fit her front light back on her bike. She only had half the bracket and that was broken so I couldn't do it, £11 for a new one 

5 cable ties later the old one was fitted to the handlebars


----------



## Supersuperleeds (21 Oct 2018)

Also cleaned two bikes yesterday


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## BianchiVirgin (21 Oct 2018)

New Keo Blade Carbon pedals fitted to the Bianchi. For no other reason than they were a great price from Merlin. And the old ones will be reserved for the winter bike. When I find one!
Also started to check the Cube MTB as I knew there was a knackered bearing in the the rear sus somewhere. Quickly found them in the top pivot where they were well sh*gged. Had to visit a mechanic mate for a better punch to knock out the remains of the outer race. New ones will be sourced tomorrow. Surprisingly the rest are solid after two years and over 3k km.


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## dave r (22 Oct 2018)

A bike fettling day for me. Got the fixed out from the back of the shed to get it ready for winter, the sealed bearings in the back wheel needed changing, a job for the LBS usually, but I changed them myself this time. Not a bad job, tapped the old ones out, did a bit of a search on the internet to find a shop nearby, popped out and got the replacement bearings, popped the seals off and greased, put the seals back and tapped them in. New chainring, swapped the little 44 for a 46, a new chain, pumped the tyres up and give it a clean.


----------



## Spoons47 (22 Oct 2018)

Found this torch in Asda. £10 half price. Incredibly powerful and takes 3 AAA, which I prefer so I can use powerful rechargeables. 
Used a mudguard mount I had lying around. Of course there was an annoying rattle, but I wouldn’t give up! It was the battery cage moving around, soon fixed with insulating tape. Red ties to be replaced with white ones to match handlebars. 
Happy days.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (22 Oct 2018)

Got the MTB bearings today; nice SKF jobs. 4 pressed in this evening and the rest of the reassembly will be done tomorrow. Too late tonight.


----------



## Leaway2 (23 Oct 2018)

I had an "off" last week, when I encountered some wet leaves, not very fast and I only bruised my knee and elbow., but it did result in a bent derailleur hanger.
<rant> *why are there so many different hangers. There must be thousands*. They must be able to standardise, at least down to hundreds. And then the price. These are sacrificial bits of ally. Some sellers are asking £19 to £23 </rant>

So.....
The hanger has a cut out section which I measured as 4mm. I found a spanner that was 4mm thick placed the hanger in a vice, with the spanner in the cut out and applied a precise amount of pressure (as much force as I could with a ring spanner to extend the vice handle). Then finished off with an old wheel spindle. I have ordered a truing tool from Chain reaction which was £25

Edit: Truing tool arrived next day. Kudos Chain reaction


----------



## ColinJ (23 Oct 2018)

dave r said:


> A bike fettling day for me. Got the fixed out from the back of the shed to get it ready for winter, the sealed bearings in the back wheel needed changing, a job for the LBS usually, but I changed them myself this time. Not a bad job, tapped the old ones out, did a bit of a search on the internet to find a shop nearby, popped out and got the replacement bearings, popped the seals off and greased, put the seals back and tapped them in. New chainring, swapped the little 44 for a 46, a new chain, pumped the tyres up and give it a clean.


I'm halfway through putting mudguards on my CAADX (cyclocross bike). I've got it on my stand and when spinning the back wheel there is a rumbling sound from the bearings. I had noticed it the last time that I rode the bike but forgot to sort it out then. I'm hoping that the hub has sealed bearings and that they are the same type that I bought for the Hope hubs on my mountain bike because I have 5 left over.

I'll get on with that job once the mudguard installation is finished. I want the CAADX ready ASAP because that is going to be my winter bike and it won't be long before that is upon us. I nearly wrecked a fairly expensive front wheel on my CAAD5 road bike last winter, riding it in salty, gritty, wet conditions. The front rim feels like half the thickness of the rear one now. It also wasn't much fun getting the transmission and myself covered in crap almost every ride!

A proper report on the mudguard will be posted upon completion ...

I took a break from fiddly guard-fitting and did some non-cycling fettling instead.

I have met quite a few musicians over the years, both on and off the bike. When I chat to them it reminds me how I have wanted to learn to play guitar and piano since I was about 10 years old, but over half a century later I still haven't got round to it. Being realistic, there is a good chance that I never will but since there is still _some _life left in this old dog, he will see if he can be taught _some _new tricks, tricks of a musical kind and largely taught by the mighty YouTube! 

I have owned a Yamaha digital piano for years but it has been sitting in an attic bedroom, unused and unloved. I thought it was time to bring it down into this room which is warm and cosy and where the piano will be much more accessible. If I feel like doing 15 minutes of practice then I can just walk across the room, don my headphones, flick a switch, and get on with it.

Anyway - fettling...! I had taken a leaf out of @SkipdiverJohn's book and rescued a Formica***-topped table from a local skip, thinking that it would be good to put my piano on. The only problem was that I could never get comfortable sitting at it. It finally dawned on me that the problem was that the table top was too high. I searched online and found that good pianos tend to the tops of the white keys about 28 inches from the floor - the tops of my P90's keys were nearer 31.5 inches so I decided to saw the legs down.





I now have my piano in the corner of the room, where my mountain bike used to live. I have made room for that in the opposite corner.






*** Long ago, in a far-distant century, Formica was considered by many to be a wondrous and 'stylish' finish for domestic surfaces. My father was certainly one of those people. "_New work surface? I have a huge sheet of grey Formica that I could cut up and glue to the old one!_" "_Table looking tatty? I have some big offcuts of grey Formica that I could cut up and glue to that!_" "_Want a box to save your pocket money in, Col? I have some old plywood and small offcuts of grey Formica that I could cut up and glue together to make you one!_" "_Need a new splashback for behind the kitchen sink? I've run out of grey Formica, but I could go and buy a big new sheet so I could make one. The rest won't go to waste - there are hundreds of uses for Formica!_" That kind of thing


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## HLaB (23 Oct 2018)

It rained once on the Cambridge busway last week and if anyone knows the busway that makes it really mucky, So I've wiped the frame down and cleaned the groupset a bit more thoroughly but I don't want to make the commuter in central Cambs too shiny and attractive


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## dave r (23 Oct 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I'm halfway through putting mudguards on my CAADX (cyclocross bike). I've got it on my stand and when spinning the back wheel there is a rumbling sound from the bearings. I had noticed it the last time that I rode the bike but forgot to sort it out then. I'm hoping that the hub has sealed bearings and that they are the same type that I bought for the Hope hubs on my mountain bike because I have 5 left over.
> 
> I'll get on with that job once the mudguard installation is finished. I want the CAADX ready ASAP because that is going to be my winter bike and it won't be long before that is upon us. I nearly wrecked a fairly expensive front wheel on my CAAD5 road bike last winter, riding it in salty, gritty, wet conditions. The front rim feels like half the thickness of the rear one now. It also wasn't much fun getting the transmission and myself covered in crap almost every ride!
> 
> ...




If they are sealed bearings and they are only noisy and there's no free play you might get away with popping the seals off and giving them a clean and a regrease.


----------



## Ian H (23 Oct 2018)

New brake blocks, chain and cassette on a friend's bike, except she gave me the wrong (too wide) chain, so I had to buy the correct 9-speed one from Greg round the corner. Also freed the derailleur top pivot and a few other minor jobs. 

New chain and cassette also on my venerable Omega. I changed the rear gear cable and discovered that the derailleur cable adjuster has stripped. There's another adjuster on the down-tube stop, so it still works, but I might change the mech anyway. Also fitted the rack as we need panniers for our little tour.

Got to pack for Saturday and pump up the tyres.


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## DCBassman (23 Oct 2018)

Just a general going over prior to a (I hope) 40-ish miler tomorrow. Re-centred the rear brake, but it just might be that some trueing is needed as well.


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## SkipdiverJohn (24 Oct 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Anyway - fettling...! I had taken a leaf out of @SkipdiverJohn's book and rescued a Formica***-topped table from a local skip, thinking that it would be good to put my piano on. The only problem was that I could never get comfortable sitting at it. It finally dawned on me that the problem was that the table top was too high. I searched online and found that good pianos tend to the tops of the white keys about 28 inches from the floor - the tops of my P90's keys were nearer 31.5 inches so I decided to saw the legs down.



That's exactly the sort of thing I would do. The workbench in my tool shed was rescued before it went into the skip at work and I built the shed myself around the dimensions of the bench. It's a proper one with 2" thick solid top, mortice & tenon joints in the frame & cupboard doors and has dovetailed drawers. I hate to imagine what a new one would cost, but mine is probably 50+ years old made back in the days when the world wasn't run by bean counters.


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## Spoons47 (24 Oct 2018)

Brand New FSA Omega Compact 38cm Handlebars. I took the original Felt tape off the old bars and cleaned it, came up like new!
Flight Engineer to Flight Leader...... Your Cockpit is ready for battle Sir......Over.


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## Freelanderuk (24 Oct 2018)

Stripped down the Defy to have a new bottom bracket fitted and then started to build up with the ultegra groupset of my TCR
Had to stop to do tea more to follow


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## screenman (24 Oct 2018)

Re-felted a 16x8 shed roof that I keep some bike bits in.


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## Asa Post (24 Oct 2018)

Removed the 110 mm stem and fitted a 90 mm, to bring the bars a bit nearer now I've found the sweet spot on the saddle. I was overstretching when on the hoods.


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## Leaway2 (25 Oct 2018)

screenman said:


> Re-felted a 16x8 shed roof that I keep some bike bits in.


I did the same on Sunday. The shed contains 1 bike, bought for my GF. It has been out of the shed once and gets in the way when I need the mower!
Anyway as soon as I laid the felt on the lawn to measure and cut to length, the heavens opened


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## youngoldbloke (25 Oct 2018)

Maybe this thread should be retitled 'What Have You *Felted* Today?'


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## Drago (26 Oct 2018)

Bought some tyres for the adventure tourer. Didn't want to spend much as the whole bike was cobbled together from spares in the first place. After a bit of reading g round I ordered a pair of Vandoorm Wind tyres, a road MTB tyre but with a slightly knobblier pattern than something like Cityjets. They re going on this morning and I'll try them at the weekend.


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## Freelanderuk (26 Oct 2018)

The Giant Defy is now finished and on the trainer 






The TCR has been stripped and cleaned and polished ready for the DI2 upgrade


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## si_c (26 Oct 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> I had an "off" last week, when I encountered some wet leaves, not very fast and I only bruised my knee and elbow., but it did result in a bent derailleur hanger.
> <rant> *why are there so many different hangers. There must be thousands*. They must be able to standardise, at least down to hundreds. And then the price. These are sacrificial bits of ally. Some sellers are asking £19 to £23 </rant>
> 
> Edit: Truing tool arrived next day. Kudos Chain reaction



Which model of bike is it for? Felt wanted €30 for a replacement derailleur hangar for my commuter, in the end I got one on ebay for under a tenner. I've got one in my saddle bag permanently now too.

Good workaround though to fix the hanger without the right tool, grade A bodge. Just be careful as the metal will be a touch weaker now.


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## Leaway2 (26 Oct 2018)

si_c said:


> Which model of bike is it for? Felt wanted €30 for a replacement derailleur hangar for my commuter, in the end I got one on ebay for under a tenner. I've got one in my saddle bag permanently now too.
> 
> Good workaround though to fix the hanger without the right tool, grade A bodge. Just be careful as the metal will be a touch weaker now.


All bent back into position. I have not ridden it yet though.


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## Elybazza61 (26 Oct 2018)

Trued up the rear wheel on the Robinson and checked tyres for cuts and debris.

Also while in the stand looked at different options for the dynamo wiring and possibly going Di2 on the cheap(possibly going 1x 11 with an XT mech).


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## Leaway2 (29 Oct 2018)

si_c said:


> Which model of bike is it for?



Ribble Prime. They don't sell it anymore. I did email them to ask if they sold one. They said send a picture which I did.


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## si_c (29 Oct 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Ribble Prime. They don't sell it anymore. I did email them to ask if they sold one. They said send a picture which I did and that was the last I heard from them. A little disappointed with them TBH.


Ach, that is a bit rubbish. It's probably a generic one, so you should be able to find a derailleur hanger from somewhere, might take a fair bit of looking. Of course it's also possible that one of their current ones will fit too.


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## PeteXXX (29 Oct 2018)

Off to the lbs in a minute to get a couple of spokes for the Defy2. 






Last 30 miles with the help of a cable tie, after riding over a particularly lumpy section of road..


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## si_c (29 Oct 2018)

Riding into work on Friday, heard a ping as I pulled up at the bike sheds. Checked the QR skewers on the front as the wheel didn't feel right, but they were OK.

Left work to the tell-tale tick-tick-tick of a broken spoke, turns out it was on the front left side. Second spoke to go in about a month, so probably need to get some new ones and rebuild the wheel. Quickly replaced the spoke yesterday evening, done in under 20 mins including removing the disc rotor, truing, and putting the tyre back on the wrong way round and pumping it up. I've now used my last spare spoke for that wheel.

Plus I need to turn the tyre round today.


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## C R (29 Oct 2018)

Had a proper look at the shifting, which has not been great since changing the derailer. Hanger alignment was good, but i was still getting issues with cable tension, if tensioned enough to shift cleanly from five to four then it wouldn't shift from three to four.

Looking around I realised something I hadn't thought about before. This bike has horizontal dropouts, and an integral hanger. My previous derailer had a claw mount, so the axle can't reach the back of the dropout. 

The new dérailleur goes into the hanger, so I had pushed the axle all the way back, so the pivot of the dérailleur was forward of the axle. Moving the axle forward, to the position it would have been with a claw mounted dérailleur fixed the problem, and shifting is now restored.


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## Elybazza61 (29 Oct 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Ribble Prime. They don't sell it anymore. I did email them to ask if they sold one. They said send a picture which I did and that was the last I heard from them. A little disappointed with them TBH.



Was going to suggest looking at Wheels Manufacturing but they don't list anything for Ribble;might still be worth looking there as there may be something similar.Not the cheapest but they are way better quality then the made of cheese hangers that come with a lot of bikes,Ribble ones seem to be worse than some as have seen others which have bent(and snapped) quite easily;still better that than the frame or mech.


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## Elybazza61 (29 Oct 2018)

Did some minor fettling this afternoon.

Swapped tubes over on the better halfs' Avail(standard ones rather than latex) and tidied the bar tape.

Also cleaned the Helium after todays ride especially the rims which were getting a bit grubby.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (29 Oct 2018)

New chain on the CGR last night (last one was March)
Chain-rings off, & cassette
Those & the derailleurs 'petrolled' to clean them up

Tyres pumped up, as they'd lost a bit of pressure

Which, with hindsight was possibly a bad idea!!!


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (29 Oct 2018)

As mentioned elsewhere I started getting a thump through the frame on braking during my ride on Saturday. As suspected it was the rim failing so on Sunday that meant swapping to a used but serviceable rear wheel from one of my winter sets.

With the tyre and cassette swapped that then showed up problems with the chain fouling the dropout (tighter clearances since changing to an 8 speed cassette) which I'd temporarily fixed on the old wheel by introducing a thin washer between cone and locknut on that side. I don't want to do that every time I change wheels so I spent time with a big adjustable spanner tweaking the dropout until I had a good fit.

Got cold, got sleeted on but it's sorted and runs nicely on a test today.


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## gavgav (29 Oct 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> As mentioned elsewhere I started getting a thump through the frame on braking during my ride on Saturday. As suspected it was the rim failing so on Sunday that meant swapping to a used but serviceable rear wheel from one of my winter sets.
> 
> With the tyre and cassette swapped that then showed up problems with the chain fouling the dropout (tighter clearances since changing to an 8 speed cassette) which I'd temporarily fixed on the old wheel by introducing a thin washer between cone and locknut on that side. I don't want to do that every time I change wheels so I spent time with a big adjustable spanner tweaking the dropout until I had a good fit.
> 
> Got cold, got sleeted on but it's sorted and runs nicely on a test today.


That blinking sleet got me on my ride at Annscroft! Looked at rain radar history, afterwards, and it was one of those small showers that are harder to be hit by than not........unless you are me!


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## DCLane (29 Oct 2018)

Fitted wheels and a cassette to the Boardman AirPro build; just cables and a chain to do. Although given a potential purchase today it may not be needed


----------



## Domus (31 Oct 2018)

Washed summer bike, wheels cleaned, spokes lubed, seat post removed and greased, bottom bracket removed and greased, chain cleaned and lubed. 

Headset needs looking at and new bar tape to do. Lots of time over winter.


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## Timtrain (31 Oct 2018)

Justinitus said:


> There’s an idea - nail polish! Never thought of that for touching up dings! Cheers


I’ve used.nail varnish for years to cover dings, even used it on the car. There’s such a large colour range in varnish it’s virtually impossible to not find a match.


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## Richard A Thackeray (31 Oct 2018)

Timtrain said:


> I’ve used.nail varnish for years to cover dings, even used it on the car. There’s such a large colour range in varnish it’s virtually impossible to not find a match.


I've used it as well

My 'blue' (7005) Ribble has a few spots that have been 'clear' varnished for protection, after scratching


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (2 Nov 2018)

Two new Durano '28' section tyres ordered last night, due to a damaged sidewall (decided to change both)
They arrived late morning

Both old ones came off with only one tyre-lever, & new pair fitted without levers!
The rear was rather 'flat-spotted' too

The new pair are a bit fancy, as they have grey sidewalls

Now, I've got to paint/touch-up the right '_brifter'_ after Mondays unexpected bike-road interface.....


----------



## Vantage (2 Nov 2018)

Washed the bike. Dried the bike. Polished the bike. Wire wooled the rust out from the seat tube. Tightened the headset bearings. Loosened front and rear hub bearings. Gazed at bike lovingly.


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## Reynard (2 Nov 2018)

Ride this morning included stretches on wet & gritted roads, so bike cleaned, lubed and checked over.


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## Justinitus (2 Nov 2018)

Vantage said:


> Gazed at bike lovingly.



It’s not just me then lol!

Fixed my 3rd puncture in the front tyre on the Toughroad since Monday. Only done 35 miles too! All been tiny thorns in the centre of the tread. Spent more time fixing than riding!!

Wondering whether to try tubeless or try those Zefal tyre liner things. 29x2.1 Thunder Burt Evo’s.

Anyone tried the liners?


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## Richard A Thackeray (2 Nov 2018)

Justinitus said:


> It’s not just me then lol!
> Fixed my 3rd puncture in the front tyre on the Toughroad since Monday. Only done 35 miles too! All been tiny thorns in the centre of the tread. Spent more time fixing than riding!!
> Wondering whether to try tubeless or try those Zefal tyre liner things. 29x2.1 Thunder Burt Evo’s.
> Anyone tried the liners?


I will heartily endorse Schwalbe Durano 'Double Defence' (28 section)
I've had one miniscule thorn puncture, that I could feel (but initially not see!!) in 17 months


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## Jenkins (2 Nov 2018)

Washed and lubed the Voodoo after yesterday's muddy ride around Rutland Water and also cleaned & lubed the chains on the Spa and the commuter Ventus ready for return to work next week.


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## HLaB (2 Nov 2018)

I don't know if you call it bike fettling but I put a new heal on my cycling shoes tonight. Bike fettling was the usual bike clean, lube, tyre pump and gear/brake check.


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## Leaway2 (5 Nov 2018)

Further to my post regarding my unscheduled dismount resulting in the bent hanger. Ribble have been in touch and I would like to praise Dee at Ribble for the service received. Go Ribble!


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## Reynard (6 Nov 2018)

Gave Wiggy a thorough once over after yesterday's unintended close encounter with a cracked, muddy road.

Wiped off all the mud, cleaned and lubricated the drive train and had to re-tighten all the brake and gear cables as they'd gone a bit slack. Nothing seems obviously busted, although the right pedal and brifter could do with some attention with assorted grades of sandpaper. Some black enamel paint wouldn't go amiss on the latter either.

Still of a mind to take the bike to my LBS for an inspection - just in case. But that's one tough wee bike...


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## DCBassman (7 Nov 2018)

Slightly alarming that the cables are slack - smacks of something bent somewhere...Bars?


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## Reynard (7 Nov 2018)

DCBassman said:


> Slightly alarming that the cables are slack - smacks of something bent somewhere...Bars?



Hence the intended trip to the LBS. I can't see anything obviously wrong, but a more experienced eye may spot something that I haven't...


----------



## Heltor Chasca (7 Nov 2018)

Those new brake pads for my TRP Spyres and that new KMC chain are now ‘systems go’.


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## Reynard (7 Nov 2018)

DCBassman said:


> Slightly alarming that the cables are slack - smacks of something bent somewhere...Bars?



Had another look after what you said. Right brifter is definitely squiffy...


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## DCBassman (7 Nov 2018)

Reynard said:


> Had another look after what you said. Right brifter is definitely squiffy...


Definitely worth serious checking, then. Hope it's merely displaced, rather than damaged.


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## si_c (7 Nov 2018)

Reynard said:


> Had another look after what you said. Right brifter is definitely squiffy...


They usually get bent out of place when I fall off. A good bash or two with the palm of my hand usually sorts it out.


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## Reynard (7 Nov 2018)

I'll definitely check it out more thoroughly.

All the levers do work (microshift) but the downshift feels a bit clunky. I can't test them while riding thanks to the crocked knee.

Also need to strip off the bar tape as well as it's beyond redeemable. Although to be fair, it's been beyond redeemable for a while...


----------



## biggs682 (7 Nov 2018)

Swapped the down tube shifters for another set of more functional ones


----------



## raleighnut (7 Nov 2018)

Reynard said:


> I'll definitely check it out more thoroughly.
> 
> All the levers do work (microshift) but the downshift feels a bit clunky. I can't test them while riding thanks to the crocked knee.
> 
> Also need to strip off the bar tape as well as it's beyond redeemable. Although to be fair, it's been beyond redeemable for a while...


Bet mine is worse.


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## Reynard (7 Nov 2018)

raleighnut said:


> Bet mine is worse.
> 
> View attachment 437473



Not by much


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## Spoons47 (8 Nov 2018)

Sore 9 speed, replaced right hand micro shifter with shimano sora shifter, much easier to use.


----------



## Spoons47 (8 Nov 2018)

Also it was my first attempt at indexing gears from scratch. Took a couple of go’s but successful in the end.


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## si_c (9 Nov 2018)

Had a bad commute home yesterday, chain was skating over the top of the cassette constantly and on top of that the derailleur was skipping side to side as well. Convinced I had a worn chain/cassette so when I got home I checked the chain, not worn at all, but it was totally dry and squeaking when I turned the cranks - it's been wet the last couple of days and I'm still using dry lube. Lubricated the chain, sprayed a ton of WD40 on the rear derailleur and then put it in big/big and re-indexed the gears. Now running perfectly.


----------



## Vantage (9 Nov 2018)

Spent half an hour snipping off all the little injection moulding pips from my Landcruisers with nail clippers so they look nicer. OCD? Me?


----------



## Elybazza61 (9 Nov 2018)

Great fun fitting a Marathon tyre to the rear wheel on a single speed Dutch bike with a coaster brake;for such a 'simple' bike it was a right p.i.a to do.


----------



## Leaway2 (10 Nov 2018)

The rear gear cable on the hybrid snapped on the weekly shopping foray this morning. I had to ride half way there and all the way back with limited gears.
All sorted with a new cable from stock.


----------



## fossyant (10 Nov 2018)

Rear suspension strip down for the Boardman FS Pro. Left rear shock pressurised, and removed bolts on the bearings. Then popped of the seals (bearings still in frame). All OK despite 2 years untouched. No corrosion but a little gritty. Blasted them all out with electrical contact cleaner and then GT85, dried and repacked with waterroof grease. Took a couple of hours to do thoroughly. Blasted my tunes out.

Old chap visiting a neighbour was stood watching at the end of my drive. I couldn't hear him because of my music. Went over to him and he said 'his garage was way messier and needed a tip run'. I replied that mine was just full of bikes, as looking back, all you could see was bikes hanging from walls, bikes stood on the floor, a bike in a workstand and numerous spare tyres hung about.

It's not super tidy, but there is room in there. Just need to get rid of a reclining chair thar my wife wants to recover.


----------



## DCLane (10 Nov 2018)

Fitted 52/36 chainrings to:

- Son's Cervelo S3, although it's about to get a frame swap by the LBS but I wanted it ready
- Son's Giant TCR, along with an old set of Fulcrum 5's which I fitted some Durano S Etape tyres in blue/black he likes plus a 16-28 U16 cassette
- Son's BeOne Raw Comp, along with a new Ultegra 6800 front derailleur and different wheels which got a 16-27 U16 cassette

Then prepped my Wilier Montegrappa for tomorrow's Eureka 210km audax. On went my Roval Fusee Star wierd wheels and a couple of other bits. I'm travelling light for this though.


----------



## raleighnut (11 Nov 2018)

fossyant said:


> View attachment 438034
> Rear suspension strip down for the Boardman FS Pro. Left rear shock pressurised, and removed bolts on the bearings. Then popped of the seals (bearings still in frame). All OK despite 2 years untouched. No corrosion but a little gritty. Blasted them all out with electrical contact cleaner and then GT85, dried and repacked with waterroof grease. Took a couple of hours to do thoroughly. Blasted my tunes out.
> 
> Old chap visiting a neighbour was stood watching at the end of my drive. I couldn't hear him because of my music. Went over to him and he said 'his garage was way messier and needed a tip run'. I replied that mine was just full of bikes, as looking back, all you could see was bikes hanging from walls, bikes stood on the floor, a bike in a workstand and numerous spare tyres hung about.
> ...


I thought the chair was for sitting gazing at the bikes with a glass of something to hand.


----------



## Illaveago (11 Nov 2018)

fossyant said:


> View attachment 438034
> Rear suspension strip down for the Boardman FS Pro. Left rear shock pressurised, and removed bolts on the bearings. Then popped of the seals (bearings still in frame). All OK despite 2 years untouched. No corrosion but a little gritty. Blasted them all out with electrical contact cleaner and then GT85, dried and repacked with waterroof grease. Took a couple of hours to do thoroughly. Blasted my tunes out.
> 
> Old chap visiting a neighbour was stood watching at the end of my drive. I couldn't hear him because of my music. Went over to him and he said 'his garage was way messier and needed a tip run'. I replied that mine was just full of bikes, as looking back, all you could see was bikes hanging from walls, bikes stood on the floor, a bike in a workstand and numerous spare tyres hung about.
> ...



I thought you were just being a bit posh having a comfy chair in your garage to work from ?


----------



## fossyant (11 Nov 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I thought you were just being a bit posh having a comfy chair in your garage to work from ?



Tempted - it's also heated and has a massage function - be good after a ride.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (11 Nov 2018)

Added clipless pedals to my son’s bike and cleats to his new MTB shoes.


----------



## si_c (11 Nov 2018)

Stripped the bike down and gave it a damn good clean, it was completely filthy. Tighened up the rear brake cable as it was a bit loose whilst I was doing it.

I've also rejigged the lighting setup after getting a couple of new components last week, moved the headlamp from the extensions to underneath the Garmin mount using a GoPro adapter, and then fitted the matching rear light to the seatpost. My original plan was to run the lighting cable internally along the rear brake line, but there wasn't enough space to pass the cable through the eyelet, so I've had to run it underneath the downtube, which I didn't really want to do - it's a bit too exposed there. 

It's a fairly neat job though, as I've used the guide kit I was planning on using to attach the main cable to the front fork, and with a little extra electrical tape it's quite tidy. I've perhaps gone overboard heatshrinking stuff, but I don't want any water getting to the connectors.

The bike isn't really setup for this sort of lighting rig, ideally it would have better eyelets for internal cables, but I've made a decent stab at it given the circumstances. If I were to do it again, I'd probably shorten the cables somewhat, but I didn't really want to cut them at all.


----------



## fossyant (11 Nov 2018)

Not much on the FS today. Did 20 miles on Zwift then just touched up little scratches on the black components on the FS. Not likely to be out on it for a bit, so fettled it up.


----------



## Elybazza61 (11 Nov 2018)

Loud noise on the better halfs' Giant on the way back from shopping and after inspection found a broken spoke so will have to get one from the shop tomorrow.

Also checked the tyres on the robinson for debris and found some glass so all removed and cuts filled with Loctite flexi super glue.


----------



## Oldfentiger (12 Nov 2018)

My Raleigh CX developed a creak when climbing steep bits.
After a bit of googling and searching on on here it became obvious that the culprit was the press fit BB (PF30). I duly sourced a replacement FSA item and fitted it a couple of days ago.

This morning I fixed the pedals and cured the creak


----------



## Gravity Aided (12 Nov 2018)

Added Tiagra brifters to my Trek 600 and hooked up the brakes, cut cable outers for the shifters. I'll get that finished Wednesday, and calibrate the indexing. (Hopefully).


----------



## HLaB (13 Nov 2018)

Cleaned up the drivetrain on the commuter and lubed it and swapped out the front pads for pads with holders. I have rear ones too but there still a bit of life in the existing pads. It shows a bit how my riding has changed in the past it was rear pads which wore first.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (13 Nov 2018)

Swapped front and rear brake blocks for new on the road bike and cleaned the kids bikes after Saturday’s CX races.


----------



## DCLane (13 Nov 2018)

Cleaned the brown Wilier Montegrappa after Sunday's 200km Eureka audax: it's now black/red again and ready for a winter re-build.


----------



## PeteXXX (14 Nov 2018)

New bearings fitted in the rear wheel of my Defy2, currently my commute bike.

How happy I was when I'd reassembled it only to find that I'd inserted the axle with the longer thread on the hub side <doh>


----------



## ianrauk (14 Nov 2018)

New BB7 brake pads. I discovered on the way to work that the front ones were emitting a loud scraping noise which told me that the pads had reached the end of their life and the spring was catching on the rotor.


----------



## dave r (14 Nov 2018)

ianrauk said:


> New BB7 brake pads. I discovered on the way to work that the front ones were emitting a loud scraping noise which told me that the pads had reached the end of their life and the spring was catching on the rotor.



I've done that with rim brakes, hit the brakes, wondered what the noise was and when I checked I was through the block and on the metal former inside the block.


----------



## AlanW (14 Nov 2018)

I refuse to pay circa £140 for a 11 speed 12/28 Dura Ace cassette, so I've bought two Ultegra cassettes, a 12/25 and a 11/28 and made a 12/28 cassette for half the price. Then made up a 11/25 cassette with the remaining sprockets and then sold it!

So all in all its cost me £55 for a 11 speed 12/28 cassette as opposed to £140 for a Dura Ace one....happy days


----------



## beepbeep (14 Nov 2018)

Turbo trainer out of bag....wheel fitted to bike.....all ready to go for the ''evening ride''.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Nov 2018)

Fixed puncture on front wheel of Brompton, cleaned it, oiled chain (in that order). Oiled chain and pumped tyres up to desired pressure on road bike. Lubed multi tool at it was getting a bit stiff to get allen keys out.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (14 Nov 2018)

*Rear Light Replacement!*

The lower LED light had started to flicker over bumps, requiring a 'tap' of a finger to restart it
Then the main LED failed
(they're about 10 years old, but the upper one was damned bright, for that age)
Thus a replacement was required




A visit to Halfords, after dropping daughter off for Choir practice, produced a '_50 Lumen_' lamp for_ £15_, plus a back-up _'25 Lumen_' for _£10_


https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/bikehut-50-lumen-rear-bike-light
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/bikehut-25-lumen-rear-bike-light



It's damned bright!!!
My digital camera actually shows in on the viewscreen as green!?!?



My intention was to replace the other old LED with the secondary new '25 Lumen' unit
Sadly, it won't fit on the seat-pin, with the existing clamp-bolt (head's too big)
Therefore, it's on the off-side Seat-Stay for now




Plus, there was a 10% discount, for being a member of_ 'The Blue Light Card' _club!

https://www.bluelightcard.co.uk/


*EDIT @ 21:36*
Yehuda Moon did spring to mind


----------



## si_c (15 Nov 2018)

Finally got around to swapping the 25c rear Lugano off the commuter and put a 28c Zaffiro Pro on in it's place (a tyre I much prefer, and given that I've had 2 punctures with the Lugano in 1000km possibly for the best).

Then I was faffing around talking to Mrs C, so played around with a needle and thread and fixed my lightweight full finger gloves as a hole had developed where the stitching had come away from the material leaving a hole. Took a few moments to also darn a small hole that appeared after my last glove - road interfacing in February. Overall a pretty terrible job, but at least they have no holes now, and for commuting I don't really need much else.

Also in a bit of non bike related fettling I removed systemd from my laptop and replaced it with good old fashioned SysVinit. Boots faster and uses less than 100Mb RAM when sitting at the desktop.


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## C R (15 Nov 2018)

si_c said:


> Finally got around to swapping the 25c rear Lugano off the commuter and put a 28c Zaffiro Pro on in it's place (a tyre I much prefer, and given that I've had 2 punctures with the Lugano in 1000km possibly for the best).
> 
> Then I was faffing around talking to Mrs C, so played around with a needle and thread and fixed my lightweight full finger gloves as a hole had developed where the stitching had come away from the material leaving a hole. Took a few moments to also darn a small hole that appeared after my last glove - road interfacing in February. Overall a pretty terrible job, but at least they have no holes now, and for commuting I don't really need much else.
> 
> Also in a bit of non bike related fettling I removed systemd from my laptop and replaced it with good old fashioned SysVinit. Boots faster and uses less than 100Mb RAM when sitting at the desktop.


Lennart has a lot to answer for.


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## si_c (15 Nov 2018)

C R said:


> Lennart has a lot to answer for.



Yes and no, I really like Pulseaudio and systemd works well enough, but I just don't see the need for it in my use-case. First boot after disabling systemd and putting init back in and getting to tty and I'm using 43MB ram, including loading pulseaudio, dbus and a couple of other services on my laptop. Logged in and working and I'm using under 200MB. It was more than double that with systemd.

Edit: Interestingly getting to an X login prompt wasn't actually any faster - although I've now got to rethink how I do networking - netctl isn't going to work without systemd.


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## Spiderweb (15 Nov 2018)

After finding my friend a second hand 45cm Triban 3 on eBay I've given the bike a thorough clean, fitted 2 new 650c tyres, a new front Mech cable, another saddle, new bar tape and a wireless computer. All ready for his 8 year old son on Christmas Day.


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## Elybazza61 (16 Nov 2018)

Replaced broken spoke on the rear wheel of the better half's Giant;bit of a pain truing the spokes as a few of the nipples were a bit tight but a bit of Silkopen helped free them up.


----------



## dave r (16 Nov 2018)

Changed the mudguard stays and fitted a pair of secur clips to the front of the fixed tonight. Been meaning to do it since I fitted the mudguards, originally they came with four separate stays and I couldn't make the clip fit, so tonight I fitted a pair of double stays and clips.


----------



## JhnBssll (17 Nov 2018)

Tackled the winter bike today. I had tried and failed to refit the clip-on crud roadracer mk2 guards that I used quite succesfully last year. Unfortunately since then I've gone to 28mm tires on the Roubaix and despite my best attempts it was impossible to get them to fit without rubbing. The clearance on both frame and forks with 28mm tires on this bike is very small so I decided to attempt to fit some 'proper' mudguards instead.

After a quick measure with my trusty calipers and a trip to my LBS I returned with some M-Part Primo 38x700c black guards for the bargain price of £39.99. They seem good quality and the measurements seemed to be pretty close to my requirements.




I tackled the front first as in this instance the forks proved to be the smallest gap I had to deal with so figured if I could get the front to work the back should be a doddle 

My first job was to see just how much clearance i had to play with so I test fitted the guard to the fork crown. When refitted the wheel wouldn't budge, bad start  There was however fresh air visible between the guard and the fork, so I marked where the guard was fouling and got to work with the dremel.






I also dremeled flat the top of one of the rivets to try and eek out another half a millimeter. With the wheel back in I found it now turned, but there was a rub that I couldn't get rid of. This called for more drastic action so I drilled out the rivets completely and drilled two new holes for the bracket in front of the fork crown, then refitted the bracket above the guard. A few pop rivets held it back in place and another test fit was succesful, no more rubbing 





I then sorted the stays out, the left hand side needed popping in the vice and reshaping slightly to avoid the disc caliper but nothing too serious.









With the front almost done I turned my attention to the rear. Again clearance was tight but nothing a bit of selective dremeling couldn't sort out  I had to cut an oval hole for the seatstay bridge to nestle in to allow the guard to sit high enough to prevent rubbing but this is nicely hidden by the bridge itself.





It took a good couple of hours of tinkering to get it right but it seems spot on now, I'm pretty pleased with it. I won't really know if I've got enough clearance until I ride it but I'm fairly confident. Its certainly better than it was with the Crud's, and the alternative is to sell the bike and buy one with more clearance which I'd rather not do as I'm rather fond of it


----------



## Spiderweb (17 Nov 2018)

A tidy job well done.
I like your Union Jack name stickers, where did you buy those?


----------



## JhnBssll (17 Nov 2018)

Spiderweb said:


> A tidy job well done.
> I like your Union Jack name stickers, where did you buy those?



Thanks 

The decals came from here https://velovinyls.co.uk/product/outline-name-decals


----------



## MontyVeda (17 Nov 2018)

new back brake cable, outers and blocks.


----------



## Smokin Joe (17 Nov 2018)

Cut a fork steerer to size and fitted to frame with the headset. I'll have to get some decent hacksaw blades, it took ages.


----------



## dave r (17 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Tackled the winter bike today. I had tried and failed to refit the clip-on crud roadracer mk2 guards that I used quite succesfully last year. Unfortunately since then I've gone to 28mm tires on the Roubaix and despite my best attempts it was impossible to get them to fit without rubbing. The clearance on both frame and forks with 28mm tires on this bike is very small so I decided to attempt to fit some 'proper' mudguards instead.
> 
> After a quick measure with my trusty calipers and a trip to my LBS I returned with some M-Part Primo 38x700c black guards for the bargain price of £39.99. They seem good quality and the measurements seemed to be pretty close to my requirements.
> View attachment 439186
> ...



Superb job well done.


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## andrew_s (17 Nov 2018)

A puncture that turned out to need a complete new wheel.
3 spoke holes pulled out of the driveside hub flange, un-noticed beforehand due to disc brakes and wide mudguards, and the tyre had punctured because it was worn through to the canvas.
Still to do: retrieve the freehub, axle & cones for my spares box, and rebuild the wheel onto a new hub.



Smokin Joe said:


> Cut a fork steerer to size and fitted to frame with the headset. I'll have to get some decent hacksaw blades, it took ages.


A pipe cutter is easiest
https://www.diy.com/departments/b-q-tube-pipe-cutter/191157_BQ.prd


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## HLaB (17 Nov 2018)

Enforced fettling, on road p'ture repair then cleaning and lubing.


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## Smokin Joe (18 Nov 2018)

andrew_s said:


> A pipe cutter is easiest
> https://www.diy.com/departments/b-q-tube-pipe-cutter/191157_BQ.prd


I was thinking that as I toiled away at it.


----------



## DCLane (18 Nov 2018)

I've ended up with 2 bikes from a friend to look at:

- The first is an Elswick Stag from the early 80's: Reynolds 500 frame so nothing special, but it has Shimano 600 shifters and front derailleur. Needs chain, cables, bottom bracket doing plus new tyres. RH crank off fine. LH crank the thread's stripped  . So I've left that for now.

- The second is a Claud Butler hybrid from the mid-90's: 18 speed and Cro-Mo. Heavy lump with lots of bits added. To date:

I've re-greased and added a missing bearing into the front wheel
Fitted 'road' tyres instead of the cracked one and a chunky rear
Ordered a bottom bracket from Halfords who a) didn't have it when showing and b) gave me one that was 73mm not 68mm . So as it was an adjustable one I've stripped it all out, cleaned everything and re-fitted it. All now working.

Still to do on this: chain, cables, rear hub and freewheel.

However, it's only cost about 50p, s/hand bits in stock plus my time to date.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Nov 2018)

A road tyre fir 50p, wow!


----------



## Shut Up Legs (19 Nov 2018)

I endured weeks of constant clicking, then this weekend fixed the cause: the bottom bracket. Today's commutes were about as silent as the small animated fellow below, thanks to a new bottom bracket, and wheels that I replaced only 1 week ago.


----------



## Salty seadog (19 Nov 2018)

Well , I've just had a bath, so, me.


----------



## betty swollocks (19 Nov 2018)

Really annoying rattling driving me mad sorted on my Focus Izalco Max.
Been going on for months and I finally discovered the cause. My pump is secured with a bottle cage bracket and the pump's valve lock lever was vibrating against the downtube.
Bits of inner tube wrapped round the pump and lever and hey presto!
Why did it take me so long to figure this out?


----------



## JhnBssll (19 Nov 2018)

Just measured up the Roubaix and ordered eTube wires for it's Di2 install. I used my patented garden twine and electrical tape method; I'm sure there's a proper way of doing it but taping bits of garden twine to the bike helps me work out the best wire route, after which I measure the bits of twine to order the right length wire. I'd say it was fool proof but that would be leaving myself wide open to a cockup 






I've gone for the bar end Junction A box again, same as the Oltre. It makes the install so much neater. I'll then run 2 wires through the bars from the bar end junction box, one to each shifter. The LH shifter will then have a wire going under the bar tape to a WU-111 bluetooth module which will double as a connector to allow me to remove the bars easily if needed. From there it'll run down through the down tube to junction box B and radiate out to the mechs and battery as normal  I've spoken to Specialized and have ordered the kit of grommets and blanking plates needed to convert the frame so all being well I can start fitting bits as and when they arrive. I'm expecting the first few bits tomorrow 

I also took the opportunity to fettle the mudguards, adding some gorilla tape to the undersides where I've had to make holes to help prevent unsightly seepage


----------



## Drago (19 Nov 2018)

Gave the Claud Butler a clean, wax and polished the alloy. I've a 6 speed freewheel in my Box O' Crap, and I'm thinking of replacing the 5 speed job on the Claud. Will it fit? Does anyone know?

Repaired an old, but decent, Cateye rear light that kept coming separated from its housing.

Pulled my finger out and downloaded several dozen rides from my Garmin.


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## DCLane (19 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Gave the Claud Butler a clean, wax and polished the alloy. I've a 6 speed freewheel in my Box O' Crap, and I'm thinking of replacing the 5 speed job on the Claud. Will it fit? Does anyone know?



Yes. But if you've only got 5 speed shifters you'll be missing a gear.


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## Drago (20 Nov 2018)

Friction shifters old boy, friction shifters.


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Friction shifters old boy, friction shifters.



Got to love friction shifting.


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## si_c (20 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Gave the Claud Butler a clean, wax and polished the alloy. I've a 6 speed freewheel in my Box O' Crap, and I'm thinking of replacing the 5 speed job on the Claud. Will it fit? Does anyone know?



Should do. If it doesn't take it off again


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## JhnBssll (21 Nov 2018)

Just in from an evening fettle. The Di2 bits started arriving today, in fact far more than I expected hence the late night  The only parts outstanding are the frame grommet kit, the RH lever (it was cheaper to buy them seperately for some unknown reason and they came from different suppliers ) new bar tape and the bar end junction box.

I started by stripping down the bars and fitting the LH lever. I left the old RH lever in place to use as a reference so I dont have much adjustment to do when it's al back together. I drilled two small oval holes and removed all burrs, one 40mm in from each end of the bars. I then fed the old inner gear cable through the bars to fish the first eTube wire through; you can just about make it out in the image below, with the wire coming out of the drilled hole on the LH of the bars and out of the end of the bars on the RH side. This cable connects to the LH shifter and will connect to the bar end junction box on the right when it arrives.







Once connected I taped the wires and brake hose to the bars ready for bar tape, leaving a little slack in case the lever needs moving slightly.






Next is the WU-111 bluetooth module - I don't think I could have got it any closer to the GPS mount if I'd tried 






I read somewhere about putting cable ties around the wire that goes through the downtube to prevent it knocking whilst riding - I used this technique on the Bianchi when I installed Di2 earlier in the year and it seems to have worked a treat so repeated it this time also. I couldn't get the cable ties through the hole at the top so ended up fishing the inner gear cable through and pulling the wire up from the bottom, cable ties and all  Where there's a will there's a way 





With the downtube wire in I fitted the junction box at the BB end and quite quickly had the remaining wires threaded through for the battery and mechs.





With the junction box wrapped in bubble wrap and poked back up the seat tube I refitted the BB then fitted the new Di2 mechs.





Nothing more I could do without the outstanding parts so it was wheels back on and put the bike to bed for the evening, locked back up on the wall. I've got the battery fitted in the seatpost, you can just see it between the seat and chainstays on the bench in the pic below. I haven't fitted it because I don't want to energise the system before its got all the bits connected; no idea if it would do any harm but I'd be annoyed if it did 





I don't think any bits are due tomorrow but I could bleed the rear brake if nothing else


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## JhnBssll (21 Nov 2018)

No new bits today so I spent some time cleaning up the Ultegra bits that came off and posted them up for sale on my club facebook page. No takers yet but I doubt they'll hang around long, they're pristine  I'd keep them if I had another bike to put them on but fear I'd be in a spot of bother if I bought a new frameset for the purpose


----------



## PeteXXX (22 Nov 2018)

Major repairs this morning!!!






New cable tie fitted (with freezing cold fingers) to secure the rear mudguard on the Defy2. 

Rubbage has now ceased


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (22 Nov 2018)

Installed new Charge Spoon saddle on MTB and lockable bar ends on road bike (the old ones - push-in type; kept working loose). Took less than 5 minutes including trying out the saddle.


----------



## gbb (22 Nov 2018)

Brought a lockable rack box from Decathlon for my wife's new bike. The only one I could find of a suitable size...but it required a specific rack. Nah, I'm not buying that too so quick release plate removed from rack box, existing rack drilled and tapped, holes drilled in box then bolted down.
15v Lithium battery for her front lights fixed in box, cable temporarily fixed along frame to light...pending a more aesthetically pleasing method of fixing.


----------



## Elybazza61 (22 Nov 2018)

Took the Helium to work and started removing the mechanical DA bits;doing it in lunch/tea breaks and 'quiet' spells so it's gonna take a while to do unlike the build above(but that's on some common Speccy anyway).


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## JhnBssll (22 Nov 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Took the Helium to work and started removing the mechanical DA bits;doing it in lunch/tea breaks and 'quiet' spells so it's gonna take a while to do unlike the build above(but that's on some common Speccy anyway).



 I look forward to seeing your progress, mine has slowed significantly from the rapid start I got due to parts not arriving or not being correct  I contacted "Speccy" to get the right part number for the Di2 grommet set, then ordered them from Leisure Lakes where the bike came from. Turned up today along with the RH STI. I've got the STI fitted but the grommet set is quite obviously for a different frame  I've used a couple of bits from it but have just had to order a few more odds and sods, rubber bungs etc to close off all the holes and get it finished. Fortunately the BB cable guide blanking plate I ordered at the same time was the right one so I fitted that this evening. I'm also still waiting for the bar end junction box which I foolishly ordered from Bike Inn forgetting they post from overseas and it takes an age to arrive  They sent me tracking details on Monday but it still registers as "waiting to receive your parcel"  None of it works without it so I can't even test anything until it's fitted 

I've decided to fit a slightly longer front brake hose since it all needs bleeding anyway so I'm going to pop to the LBS tomorrow and get that sorted which means I can bleed the brakes and get that all done in the afternoon then retape the LH side. I can't do the RH side until the junction box is fitted  Mega frustrating...

One thing I can definitely say is I've noticed very little difference between the Dura Ace stuff I fitted to the Bianchi and this Ultegra stuff; I'm sure it's a few grams heavier but I'm impressed with the quality so far. If you covered the branding on the STI's I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart 

A few photo's of progress to date; Bar end awaiting Junction Box A:






Both STI's now fitted, awaiting longer front brake hose before I tape it down and bleed them.





Front mech, awaiting round Di2 grommet as the kit came with the oval ones and I can't make them fit 






Rear mech with grommet fitted, the only bit thats finished


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## Elybazza61 (23 Nov 2018)

Looking good

Hopefully get some more done on mine tomorrow work permitting which will be mostly still stripping stuff including bb removal ;need to do this as I can't squeeze port no 2 in with the bb in place.C-Bear have told me I should be able to remove and re-fit the bb so we'll see what happens


----------



## JhnBssll (23 Nov 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Looking good
> 
> Hopefully get some more done on mine tomorrow work permitting which will be mostly still stripping stuff including bb removal ;need to do this as I can't squeeze port no 2 in with the bb in place.C-Bear have told me I should be able to remove and re-fit the bb so we'll see what happens



If it's anything like the wheels mfg. one it should go in and out with no problems. Mine has a bead of loctite on each side so I only needed one tool to wind it out - once that side was out ~5mm I lightly knocked it through with a piece of wood and hammer to break the loctite on the other side 

I spent some more time in the garage this afternoon as planned after sourcing a new hose and fittings for the front brake from the lbs. I decided since both brakes needed bleeding anyway I would re-run the rear hose too as it wasn't in the correct holes previously - I only realised after I rebuilt it last time and couldn't be faffed to change it then but decided to do it properly this time  So, rear hose re-routed and new Di2 BB blanking plate fitted in place of the old cable guides:






I had bought some heat shrink to tidy the cable runs on the Bianchi and never used it so decided to put it to use on the Roubaix to keep the wires tidy. Since I was re-running the rear hose this allowed me to trim it to the exact length required to match the Di2 cable and heat shrink the two together, leaving me with this rather neat end result:











The new front hose has also been fitted which allowed me to bleed the brakes, both are now fully functioning and feeling much better than they did previously so I'm happy with that result. This meant the LH side of the bars was ready for bar tape so I got that fitted and called it a day 






Short of a few bungs I'm only waiting for the pesky bar end Junction box before I can finish it off and take it for a spin, it's looking fab already so I can't wait to take it out in the rain and see how my updated winter bike performs


----------



## TigerT (24 Nov 2018)

After watching many youtube videos, I decided to tackle my front disc brake. I haven't been happy with it since I got the bike. It worked fine, but it randomly used to rub for no reason. So today I took the wheel out, pads out, gave everything a good cleaning, pushed the pistons back in and realigned the calliper. 

Took it for a quick 15km spin and all is quiet and braking power has improved. So despite being a bit nervous about tackling it, worth it!


----------



## Elybazza61 (24 Nov 2018)

Strip down started on the Helium today and may not have to remove the bb as the port can fit behind it.

Some pics of the 'progress'


----------



## NorthernDave (24 Nov 2018)

Collected the new Carrera Zelos for the turbo trainer today.
Got to say I'm impressed with it at the price point - the deep metallic blue paint makes it look more expensive than it was and the paint finish is better than I've seen on some more costly bikes.

So, set the turbo up (despite the useless instructions which meant it took far longer than necessary), then set the new bike up - the handlebars needed rotating and a few other bits but nothing major. The Tourney gears (with microshifters!) feel a bit agricultural after 105 but work fine.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (24 Nov 2018)

My new Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres arrived this morning and got the chance to fit them to the road bike early this evening. Hopefully get time to test them out on Monday.


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Nov 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Strip down started on the Helium today and may not have to remove the bb as the port can fit behind it.
> 
> Some pics of the 'progress'
> 
> ...



I've got the hydro version of those DA STI's on the Bianchi, they're lovely. Were you not tempted to use the EW-RS910 bar end junction box? I've used it on both my Di2 builds now, tucks the wires nicely out of the way.

Love the look of the bike, I think I'll own a Ridley one day


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## JhnBssll (24 Nov 2018)

Minor fettle today on the Roubaix, I moved the stem mount from the top two bolt holes to the bottom two. I had to use a pair of spacers and longer bolts as the Hammerhead Karoo computer I use is quite large and would clash with the bars otherwise. As it is now it fits a treat 












With nothing more to do to the bike until the junction box arrives (it's still not through customs ) I decided to give the garage a once over. This included emptying out and sorting through my odds'n'sods cupboard. That ended up with this little lot being posted for sale on my club facebook page and going within half an hour - efficient!






It helped that I gave it away at 20 quid but the chap that enquired seemed pleasant so I dropped the price accordingly  He only wanted the saddle and one pair of pedals so I told him to try and sell the rest on for a profit as a challenge 

Anyway I've got tons more space again and everything is neatly ordered and in its place so my OCD is appeased for the time being  I realised later that I probably should have kept a pair of flats for the Stumpjumper, what a div... Oh well, I'll have to get some red Hope flats to match the other kit


----------



## Elybazza61 (25 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got the hydro version of those DA STI's on the Bianchi, they're lovely. Were you not tempted to use the EW-RS910 bar end junction box? I've used it on both my Di2 builds now, tucks the wires nicely out of the way.
> 
> Love the look of the bike, I think I'll own a Ridley one day



Unfortunately the Superzero bars are not compatible with the bar end box unless I drill it  .


----------



## roubaixtuesday (25 Nov 2018)

Amazing how much better gears index when you replace the bent hanger and worn chain...


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## JhnBssll (25 Nov 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Unfortunately the Superzero bars are not compatible with the bar end box unless I drill it  .



I drilled mine  I've got the superzero carbon aero bars on the Bianchi  small hole 40mm from the bar end on the underside, same as I've done on the Roubaix


----------



## screenman (25 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Minor fettle today on the Roubaix, I moved the stem mount from the top two bolt holes to the bottom two. I had to use a pair of spacers and longer bolts as the Hammerhead Karoo computer I use is quite large and would clash with the bars otherwise. As it is now it fits a treat
> 
> View attachment 440228
> 
> ...




You are braver than me, I would not want bolts that long holding the bars tight. Keep checking them, often.


----------



## Mark Grant (25 Nov 2018)

My eldest daughter moved out a couple of months ago, she came home today and will be taking her bike. 
I gave it a quick service and as she'd mentioned before that the brake levers were a bit of a stretch for her hands I swapped them with some others. I also put a pannier on the rack.


----------



## NorthernDave (25 Nov 2018)

A few more tweaks on the turbo Carrera - saddle 1 cm higher, slight adjustment to the bars, adjusted the float on the pedals. 
Feels better, I just need a ladder to get on and off it now...


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Nov 2018)

screenman said:


> You are braver than me, I would not want bolts that long holding the bars tight. Keep checking them, often.



It gets a regular check over and the long bolts got treated to some thread lock on installation


----------



## screenman (25 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> It gets a regular check over and the long bolts got treated to some thread lock on installation



They will stretch rather than come loose.


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## JhnBssll (25 Nov 2018)

I'll keep an eye on them  They're only 10mm longer than the old ones that have been fine so I'm not overly concerned.


----------



## Pale Rider (25 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> I'll keep an eye on them  They're only 10mm longer than the old ones that have been fine so I'm not overly concerned.



I don't think you need update your will just yet.

I've had stem bolts give before, it's a bit disconcerting when the bars move in a direction they don't normally, but there's plenty of warning before you start heading for the scenery.


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## JhnBssll (25 Nov 2018)

For them to permanently stretch they'd have to be tightened past their yield point which I don't intend to do. The longer bolt means slightly lower clamp force for a given tightening torque, I've torqued to 6Nm which is at the top end of the recommended 5-6Nm printed on the stem. I'd be surprised if I encounter any problems but only time will tell.


----------



## Jenkins (25 Nov 2018)

Finally got round to removing the fubard rear mech and snapped hanger from the 13 flatbar so I can find out which hanger I need. 

Unfortunately it's not the cheap Type A from Halfords, but number 243 on the Wheels Manufacturing list which is around £25 so, after some searching around, I've found a pattern part on Ebay for £7


----------



## Gravity Aided (26 Nov 2018)

I added new bar tape after taking my Trek 600 from downtube shifters to brifters, a front rack, and fenders. I couldn't test ride it, though, as I have a Nor'Easter in progress. Started with rain, now a blizzard. Luckily, only an inch or two of snow.


----------



## C R (26 Nov 2018)

Cleaned and oiled the drivetrain and chain, and pumped up the tires.


----------



## Elybazza61 (26 Nov 2018)

Got the cables in on the Ridley with a bit of help from a gear cable and end cap*.
Might wire everything in and charge the battery next to make sure it all works before stuffing port no 2 away behind the bb.

Some rubbish pics I took in a hurry;








Port will stuff away behind the bb with a bit of gentle persuasion. 







Routed through the left side so that I can clamp the wireless module to the rear brake cable outer.







Battery cable last one to be done.






*Basically thread a plastic end cap the wrong way on a gear cable and push it on the pear,the excess inside the cap is perfect for pushing the di2 cable in to which can then be threaded more easily around tight spaces.


----------



## HLaB (26 Nov 2018)

Mechanically cleaned and lubed the commuter (I don't want to make it too clean/ attractive though. , fitted some clip on mudguards, trued the front wheel slightly and pumped the tyres up.


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## JhnBssll (26 Nov 2018)

I've struggled to get hold of any bungs or blanking plugs to fill the holes left in the frame after the Di2 installation. I fitted the specific specialized grommet for the rear mech last week and today fitted the Di2 grommet for the front mech.






This left 3 holes unaccounted for; the old cable hole behind the seat tube for the front mech and the two cable entry holes in the downtube. I have done a bit of reading and saw someone suggest the use of Sugru mouldable glue but couldnt find any evidence of it being tried so figured I'd give it a go 






I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by how easily workable it is and seem to have achieved a half decent result. It hasn't cured yet but if it looks like this when it's done I'll be pleased with the result  I started with the little hole behind the seat tube as it's quite well hidden and didn't matter if I made a mess 






I chalked that up as a success so went for the first downtube hole...






Pretty happy with that so moved on to the final hole...






Jobs a goodun. Hope they look ok when it cures, I've got no idea how much it shrinks or changes but time will tell 

Still no sign of the junction box


----------



## Elybazza61 (27 Nov 2018)

More progress today.

Battery charged and everything connected and it all works 

Just need to tidy the cables and fit the brake outers when the new inners arrive tomorrow; might have to get a shorter cable for the front mech as it's just a bit too long.


----------



## Johnno260 (27 Nov 2018)

Mudguards these things are making me OCD, every little squeak or rub drives me nuts!! lol


----------



## JhnBssll (28 Nov 2018)

Just in from my evening fettle. I cancelled the junction box order, told them I'm going to refuse delivery and get it returned to sender when it finally arrives as its been 11 days now and it's not even registering on the tracking website yet. I've orderd one for next day delivery, along with an extra eTube wire.

So this evening I decided to whip the bar end plug out of the Bianchi and investigate whether I could get a wire down the length of the bars. It annoyed me that I've managed a neater wiring route on the winter bike than I have on the summer bike so I figured I'd try and rectify the situation. Low and behold I found I could indeed thread a line from one end to the other so I measured up and ordered a new wire as mentioned above.






I then realised that with the junction box removed from the Bianchi I could fit it on the Roubaix and finish that bike off  First I finished stripping the bars down on the Bianchi ready for further fettling tomorrow evening and put her away again...






I quite quickly connected the junction box up, tested everything and re-wrapped the bar 








The battery was fairly flat so I've left it charging overnight, I'll unplug it before i go to work in the morning. Last fettle of the day was to swap out the SRAM cassette for the new Ultegra 11-34 I'd bought for the winter bike as this doubles as my 'hilly' bike during the summer months 






My mates are already taking the mick out of my new 'dinner plate' but anything that helps get my 100+ kilo's uphill is great in my book 

So tomorrow will be rewire and re-wrap the Bianchi bars then lots of Di2 software updates. No doubt I'll brick the new stuff in the same way I did the last lot 

Oh, the Sugru seems to be setting nicely - I didn't prod it too much as its supposed to set 3mm thickness every 24 hours so it'll still be soft in the middle but I'm pleased with the result and would recommend it so far - as long as it doesnt drop off the first time I ride it of course


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (28 Nov 2018)

Some fettling for which money will change hands for me today. When one of @gavgav's colleagues needed some work done on his bike my name got mentioned (being Cytech 2 certified) so I've ordered parts and set to it this morning.

When I saw the bike the other day at first glance it looked pretty good, being clean and shiny. A closer inspection showed that all three chainrings were worn out with the middle one on the verge of losing the remaining teeth altogether. Three sprockets on the cassette were in a bad way and the wheel rims had lost their wear lines a long time ago.

I've adjusted the headset (sealed bearings are smooth so adjustment was all that was needed), replaced the gear and brake cables (the LH gear cable was right on the verge of snapping inside the shifter), glued the loose shifter indicator lens back down, replaced wheels, brake blocks, chainrings, cassette, chain and derailleur pulleys, checked the pedals (also sealed units which are silky smooth so left those well alone), set up the gears and brakes.

All it needs now is a test ride which I would have done today if not for the 50-60mph gusts of wind recorded locally this afternoon.

Fairly happy with that lot.


----------



## JhnBssll (28 Nov 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Some fettling for which money will change hands for me today. When one of @gavgav's colleagues needed some work done on his bike my name got mentioned (being Cytech 2 certified) so I've ordered parts and set to it this morning.
> 
> When I saw the bike the other day at first glance it looked pretty good, being clean and shiny. A closer inspection showed that all three chainrings were worn out with the middle one on the verge of losing the remaining teeth altogether. Three sprockets on the cassette were in a bad way and the wheel rims had lost their wear lines a long time ago.
> 
> ...



Certainly sounds like disaster has been narrowly avoided there, or a long walk home at the very least  Nice work 

My final Di2 bits arrived today so I finished off rewiring the Bianchi bars then put new bar tape on it. I then connected both bikes up one by one to the PC to update all the firmware; the Bianchi was up to date which is as I expected, the Roubaix had updates available for the battery and the bluetooth adapter so I installed those then tweaked the gears a bit, all running very nicely now 






With both bikes lined up you'd be hard pressed to see the difference between the STI's if the branding was covered. In fact the only difference I've noticed (besides the minor weight difference) is the Dura Ace seems to make a slightly nicer noise as it shifts 





The whole fleet is fully functional again, what am I going to do with the rest of my evenings this week?!  I'll have to converse with my darling wife  Maybe I should spend the time convincing her why I need a gravel bike...


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (28 Nov 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Certainly sounds like disaster has been narrowly avoided there, or a long walk home at the very least  Nice work
> ...



Thanks. I think the chap enjoys the kind of luck that most of us would give our eye teeth for.

I've just got a couple of photos of the gears to give an idea:





Not a lot of meat left on the middle chainring, particularly on the side furthest from camera. I'm amazed it worked at all.





Note gears 4 and 5. @Yellow Saddle might appreciate this photo.


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## Yellow Saddle (28 Nov 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Thanks. I think the chap enjoys the kind of luck that most of us would give our eye teeth for.
> 
> I've just got a couple of photos of the gears to give an idea:
> 
> ...


He will find it most interesting. Especially the chainring. It indicates someone with one strong and one weak leg.
Weird.


----------



## Domus (29 Nov 2018)

Dusting off my old Trek Hybrid for a ride on the Wirral Way. Mate who recced it last week recommended I use the Trek instead of the Ribble.
Anyway, removed wheels to find the bearings sound a little dry, no cone spanners so on order, cleaned cassette and gave the frame a good looking at. The original seat post has a bouncy section that is no longer bouncy so took it out. It seemed very heavy so swapped for a Deda seat post I had knocking around.
303 grams saved. Kickstand removed, 302 grams saved. Fewer pies and cakes over the next week or two should have me flying.


----------



## Justinitus (29 Nov 2018)

Polished and waxed the Diverge - the gloss black paintwork now shines again!! Touched in a couple of tiny chips with nail polish and removed, cleaned and regreased the thru axles. 

Fitted my Planet-X 5p bottle cage to the Tern.


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## JhnBssll (30 Nov 2018)

A fettle too far 

I had planned to take the Roubaix out tomorrow afternoon to stretch it's legs after the upgrade but had a bit of play in the rear mudguard and I wasn't entirely happy with the clearance on the front guard.

The front was easily remedied by removing a little more material and raising it a few mm but I snapped the rear eyelet when tightening the rear guard  I've just ordered some replacements but I won't be going out on it tomorrow now. If the weather is ok I might take the Bianchi instead, we shall see


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## mangid (1 Dec 2018)

Threadlocked valve cores on spare tubes.


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## Levo-Lon (1 Dec 2018)

Made the new Mavic wheel tyre combo tubeless with the supplied kit.
Fitted a nearly new 9 speed xt mech i had from my old 3x9 bike to replace the Alvio item however you spell it?.
Sorted the new Manitou fork air pressure sag.?
The Trek powerfly5 is now lighter and far more fun to ride.


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## Richard A Thackeray (1 Dec 2018)

After 'snake-biting' the new Duranos, after hitting a pot-hole on Mondays ride, the rear's had a 'low-spot'

It's visible, on spinning the wheel, & can be felt too
I've tried a few times to reseat it, by letting it down, _manipulating_ the bead, but to no avail
I even attempted, when I got in from work, to lubricate it with shower-gel


#gettingannoyed


----------



## delb0y (1 Dec 2018)

I fettled the garage guttering. It was that or a ride. Sigh.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (1 Dec 2018)

New brake pads (Avid BB7) on the school run cargo bike. Cleaned drive train.

Feels like it’s just come back from an expensive trip to the LBS. But free by me.

Might service the V8 pedals tomorrow which are not running so free.


----------



## DCLane (1 Dec 2018)

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa after this morning's wet ride.

Then worked on a friends Claud Butler - and gave up trying to get the gripshift to accept a cable: I've spent a couple of hours on this and think it's broken, so have ordered two as the LH definately is.

I then set to on his brother's Elswick Stag expecting the worst under a layer of dirt. Pleasantly surprised once cleaned it had some decent parts that didn't work until 'helped'. RH crank removed, LH has the thread stripped  , wheels cleaned but an unknown freewheel ( thread posted here ), new inner and outer brake and gear cables fitted with new brake pads. Chain's off and ready for a new one and the horrid old bar tape was scraped off and is ready as well.

It needs tyres (ordered), chain, the wheels greased and the adjustable bottom bracket removing with new bearings.


----------



## Elybazza61 (2 Dec 2018)

Some more fiddling with the Helium yesterday.

Tidied the bar cables and finished the brake cables as well(bar actually connecting,will do that once all the Di2 stuff is sorted).

Need to wait now for shiny new Hope seat-post(staff purchase) to arrive so the battery can be tucked away and to get a shorter cable for the rear mech.













Heat shrink left until everything is tucked away and checked for the right position.


----------



## DCLane (2 Dec 2018)

Continued working on the Elswick Stag:

Bar tape fitted
Both wheels have had the wheel bearings done and the rear cassette's cleaned up
All ready for new tyres, the L crank pulled and new bottom bracket bearings plus a new chain and that's just about it bar adjustments.

Pulled out the hand-painted blue Carlton I got back in September and offered up some single speed wheels we've got for it (below). They fitted so the stripping process started - bent/broken/painted mudguards binned, saddle and other bits put in a box for review later. Still the cotter pins and cranks plus bottom bracket, rear lamp holder and bars plus brakes to remove and then it'll be paint-stripping plus prep. Moustache handlebars have been bought and the bike'll be painted orange as part of the conversion:


----------



## Supersuperleeds (3 Dec 2018)

Ice tyres put on the hybrid


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## Elybazza61 (3 Dec 2018)

New hope seatpost fitted on the Helium and the Deda battery holder is a nice tight fit so all good there plus brake cables attached.Shorter Di2 cable ordered so work permitting will get all the cabling sorted before re-fitting the cranks, chain and setting up the Di2 and uploading any updates.

Also fitted 'worm' in to nasty cut in the front tyre on the Robinson and re-filled with sealant.


----------



## Elybazza61 (4 Dec 2018)

Shorter cable turned up this afternoon so had chance to fit it and finally stuff the port in the frame.







Also fitted the chainset and left crank/power meter.









And finally some Hope porn


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## JhnBssll (4 Dec 2018)

Very nice 

I fitted the new mudguard eyelet to the Roubaix so that's fully functional again. I'm not sure when I'll get out on it but Friday is my last working day of the year so I'll have plenty of time next week 

I bought some new jagwire brake cables and used 105 calipers on ebay which arrived today. I took the opportunity to whip the awful brakes off the wife's new drop bar bike and fit the new bits. I'm still waiting on new bar tape for it, that'll go on as soon as it shows up 





















Cost about 30 quid in total and it's transformed the braking, well worth doing. Frankly they weren't fit for purpose beforehand


----------



## PeteXXX (4 Dec 2018)

Fettled the Trek Fuel ex9 before tomorrow's mudfest around Woburn Sands.
Much more fettling will be needed afterwards, I'm sure!!


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## Elybazza61 (4 Dec 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Very nice
> 
> I fitted the new mudguard eyelet to the Roubaix so that's fully functional again. I'm not sure when I'll get out on it but Friday is my last working day of the year so I'll have plenty of time next week
> 
> ...



Nicest brakes ever on a Viking brakes and cables must be worth more than the rest of the bike


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## JhnBssll (4 Dec 2018)

Elybazza61 said:


> Nicest brakes ever on a Viking brakes and cables must be worth more than the rest of the bike



Quite possibly  Its only job is to see if she gets on with drop bars and maybe turbo trainer duties. I decided it having terrible brakes might cloud her judgement slightly  If she likes it she'll be investing in a Bianchi next year


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## tom73 (5 Dec 2018)

I've no chance of even getting Mrs 73 to think about drop's so your going better than be. 
Well if she end's up not liking it. You can always keep it from what i've seen it look's to be so your colour


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## JhnBssll (5 Dec 2018)

tom73 said:


> I've no chance of even getting Mrs 73 to think about drop's so your going better than be.
> Well if she end's up not liking it. You can always keep it from what i've seen it look's to be so your colour



You're not wrong, I just need to find some matching kit in my size then I can take it on a club ride


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## alicat (5 Dec 2018)

I've replaced the chain on my hub-geared bike complete with chaincase.

It wasn't as much of a pita as I thought it was going to be. The only annoying part was when I dropped one half of the quick link into the part of the chaincase that was still in place.


----------



## JhnBssll (5 Dec 2018)

New bar tape on her drop bar bike. She's yet to venture in to the garage to have a look at it, let alone try to ride it, but I knew I was playing the long game on this one so will bide my time


----------



## dave r (5 Dec 2018)

Minor fettle for me tonight. A few weeks ago I changed the front mudguard stays on the fixed so I could fit secure clips, unfortunetly I got the guard a bit snug against the tire, on Tuesday's muddy ride I had the mudguard clog up. Tonight I moved the guard a bit further away from the tyre and cleaned the mud out from underneath it. Whilst I was working on the bike I tightened the left crank and hopefully cured the creak that had started during Tuesday's ride.


----------



## Elybazza61 (5 Dec 2018)

Quiet today so more progress and it's all up and running

Only a bit of initial rubbing but a tweak of the inner limit screw on the front mech and a trim on the rear mech and all ok,just need to do any updates and finish tyding cables etc and go over the whole bike with the torque wrench.

Pretty pleased that it was nearly spot-on from the off considering all the main parts were second-hand from various sources.









Next Di2 project will be the Light Blue Robinson and already have shifters and external battery holder/junction box,rest will probably get done sometime in the new year.


----------



## 13 rider (7 Dec 2018)

While cleaning the bike on Sunday it looked like the front rim was worn. Time for a proper look this morning no sign of the wear indicator and becoming concave in shape well worn .So swapped the newish conti gp on the the original stock giant wheel that came with the bike and fitted that for now . May be looking at Xmas sales for a new wheel . Finally fitted the new brake blocks Ive had for weeks . The front pair did have a few bits of metal in them.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (8 Dec 2018)

Cleaned the diverge and took it to the LBS to get the gears sorted. Luckily it was a worn cable rather than a knackered shifter


----------



## tom73 (8 Dec 2018)

Given the bike a good clean and changed the wheel over all ready for trubo duties.


----------



## Levo-Lon (8 Dec 2018)

New wipers on the car..changed the bars on my E- Mtb..inflated the tyres on the road bike as its now set up on the trainer.


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## Levo-Lon (8 Dec 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> New bar tape on her drop bar bike. She's yet to venture in to the garage to have a look at it, let alone try to ride it, but I knew I was playing the long game on this one so will bide my time
> 
> View attachment 441583



I like that, well smart


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## Justinitus (8 Dec 2018)

Fitted my eBay bargain roof bars and bike carriers to the car. Atera Signo RTD Aero bars and 2 x Atera Giro AF+ bike carriers plus a spare full set of matching lock cyclinders, all brand new, for £100. They were miles away but next door neighbours were on holiday a few miles down the road and kindly picked them up for me.


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## Elybazza61 (9 Dec 2018)

Finished the Helium yesterday, all bolts torqued up,cables tidied(mostly still have to do the rear mech cable properly), all updates done and Garmin paired.

Was tempted to have a cheeky test ride but rain clouds put paid to that .

Still all ready for when the next nice day arrives,will try and get the bike home this week sometime.












Bit tidier cables;






Sprint shifter hiding under the bar tape;


----------



## ColinJ (9 Dec 2018)

The weather was awful here yesterday and forecast (correctly) to be good today so I planned a metric century ride for today and got my bike ready yesterday.

My cousin bought me a really nice ParkTool bike workshop stand in the Black Friday sales and it was time to try it out. I'm impressed! It is so much better working on the bike on a stand rather than on the floor. Especially for the main job I wanted to do, which was to sort out the indexing of the gears - repeatedly having to lift the back wheel off the floor to do that job is _really _irritating!

I did have an old stand but it was very precarious and couldn't clamp onto the oversized tubing on my 2 main bikes. I had to attach my bikes using bungee cords (!) and had many near misses when the whole thing started to collapse in a heap. It is soon to head to the local recycling centre, or to any 'scrappies' that I spot driving about.

I soon had the gears working properly and did a few other jobs on the bike while I was at it. I cleaned the chain and lubed it, and anything else that looked in need of oil.

The bike was much nicer to ride today, without having to mess about trying to change gear. 

I did sometimes notice a slight rumble when shifting to the biggest sprocket. I'll tweak the B-screw slightly tomorrow and that should sort that out.


----------



## ColinJ (10 Dec 2018)

Yesterday's ride was a bit chilly on the way home as the sun was setting. My left foot felt cold and when I looked down I could see why ... The bottom of my overshoe had worn through so there was nothing holding the top-front of the overshoe in place. It had slipped back and uncovered the front of my well-ventilated shoe.

I reckon I can get the overshoes to last me at least one more winter by bodgery ... 











It looks like the righthand overshoe will be needing a similar bodge before the end of the winter. The left one wore out first because I usually leave the right foot clipped in when I stop at junctions etc. The left side gets at least double the wear.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (10 Dec 2018)

@ColinJ 

Mine are going the same way, oddly not just the left

I do, however, if it's_ really_ cold, put a layer of bubble-wrap in the toes
It makes a heck of a difference!


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## ColinJ (10 Dec 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> @ColinJ
> 
> Mine are going the same way, oddly not just the left
> 
> ...


The right overshoe is 50% gone too, but it will probably see me through to January before it needs fixing on.

I like the idea of the bubblewrap! I have a stash of it which I could cut some pieces off.


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## dave r (10 Dec 2018)

ColinJ said:


> The right overshoe is 50% gone too, but it will probably see me through to January before it needs fixing on.
> 
> I like the idea of the bubblewrap! I have a stash of it which I could cut some pieces off.



It's my left one that is wearing faster than my right one, it's my left foot that I put down when I stop which probably explains why.


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## ColinJ (10 Dec 2018)

dave r said:


> It's my left one that is wearing faster than my right one, it's my left foot that I put down when I stop which probably explains why.


Definitely the same for me.

The overshoes are getting tatty but they have been very good - much better than some that only lasted one winter. I haven't had much luck with the type fastened by zips - the zips always ended up failing. These use velcro at the back, and I have had no problems with that.


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## Richard A Thackeray (11 Dec 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> @ColinJ
> 
> Mine are going the same way, oddly not just the left
> I do, however, if it's_ really_ cold, put a layer of bubble-wrap in the toes
> ...



Plus the bubble-wrap acts as a 'duvet' (for want of a better word), with the air pockets helping insulation


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (11 Dec 2018)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Plus the bubble-wrap acts as a 'duvet' (for want of a better word), with the air pockets helping insulation


Science is cool.


----------



## DCLane (12 Dec 2018)

The Olmo Rigel got a new chain - basically it's all now OK although I don't like the yellow saddle or the yellow/black bar tape:







Any thoughts? I'd prefer a black saddle and black or blue bar tape.

Also I finished a friend's brother's Elswick Stag as part of a surprise present. New bottom bracket bearings finished it off, with a puller getting the crank out.

Cleaned (mud, sand, grit, oil removed), it's had new bearings throughout, bar tape, chain, full set of cables, new tyres and tubes. Ready for it's next service, probably in another 35 years time. When it arrived all of the components were covered in cobwebs, oil and dirt - under all that were Shimano 600 front/rear derailleurs and a Suntour Cyclone rear derailleur.


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## youngoldbloke (12 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> The Olmo Rigel got a new chain - basically it's all now OK although I don't like the yellow saddle or the yellow/black bar tape:
> 
> View attachment 442354
> 
> ...


Those bars look a bit ….. err...… limp?


----------



## Rusty Nails (12 Dec 2018)

Fitted my newly built Whyte mtb with XT M785 hydraulic brakes, bought on eBay.

I now need to buy a kit to bleed them as they stop OK but are a little bit spongey and the cables need shortening a few inches.


----------



## DCLane (12 Dec 2018)

youngoldbloke said:


> Those bars look a bit ….. err...… limp?



If it's the Elswick's, that's how it came. I've done the mechanical bits only.

But given that the bike has languished in various sheds/outbuildings and outdoors for the past 20+ years I think I'd have gone limp.


----------



## HLaB (14 Dec 2018)

I put a new GXP BB in my bike with the FSA crankset. Its been a few years but lol I took the whole thing apart but the last bit wasn't moving freely then I googled the FSA self extracting crank. You leave the first hex bolt in place for the second to pull against and pull the crank out. Put it back together and it came off easy. I think I done the same the last time


----------



## gbb (14 Dec 2018)

Fettled and failed today.
Twin LED homebrew front light, the Jack socket had worn out giving me a poor connection when I plugged in the lithium battery pack. New socket soldered in but in doing so, when I squeezed everything back into its housing, I snapped off a leg on the constant current driver. Ah well, i have a new one at work although its output is a bit lower so the lights won't be quite as good...
Deferred till Monday then.


----------



## C R (15 Dec 2018)

Installed the chromoplatics. Look good, and cover a lot more wheel than the ones they replaced. They are a bit of a faff to set up, specially in the cold garage.


----------



## DCLane (16 Dec 2018)

Finished stripping and sanding the Carlton. Just a couple of annoying bits still to undo: one cotter pin won't come out, the bolt for the adjustable rear light bracket won't loosen and the RH adjustable bottom bracket cup isn't coming loose.

Minor bits, just need these done and then it's paint time. Hopefully - the RH bottom bracket cup has very thin flat parts like a central nut, so that'll need a vice.


----------



## C R (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Finished stripping and sanding the Carlton. Just a couple of annoying bits still to undo: one cotter pin won't come out, the bolt for the adjustable rear light bracket won't loosen and the RH adjustable bottom bracket cup isn't coming loose.
> 
> Minor bits, just need these done and then it's paint time. Hopefully - the RH bottom bracket cup has very thin flat parts like a central nut, so that'll need a vice.


Do you need to reuse that cup? If not a bolt through the spindle hole, tighten with a nut inside the shell, and turn with a large spanner, and a breaker bar if needed. As usual Sheldon has the details.


----------



## DCLane (16 Dec 2018)

C R said:


> Do you need to reuse that cup? If not a bolt through the spindle hole, tighten with a nut inside the shell, and turn with a large spanner, and a breaker bar if needed. As usual Sheldon has the details.



Nice thought. It doesn't look threaded but I could make holes either side. That'd do the job ...


----------



## biggs682 (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Nice thought. It doesn't look threaded but I could make holes either side. That'd do the job ...



Why are you making holes ? or am i confused


----------



## DCLane (16 Dec 2018)

biggs682 said:


> Why are you making holes ? or am i confused



Basically it's got a small wedge-shaped front, isn't threaded internally and I want it removed to fit a square taper bottom bracket (width tbc):


----------



## C R (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Nice thought. It doesn't look threaded but I could make holes either side. That'd do the job ...



Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well. Sheldon has a photo of what I meant here:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html

About half way down the page.


----------



## biggs682 (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Basically it's got a small wedge-shaped front, isn't threaded internally and I want it removed to fit a square taper bottom bracket (width tbc):
> 
> View attachment 442853



So are you saying its press fitted ?


----------



## DCLane (16 Dec 2018)

biggs682 said:


> So are you saying its press fitted ?



No. The cup's got a thread but the hole doesn't have a thread in it. The only bit to get purchase on is the small flat section, for which I'd need to borrow my work's vice.


----------



## biggs682 (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> No. The cup's got a thread but the hole doesn't have a thread in it. The only bit to get purchase on is the small flat section, for which I'd need to borrow my work's vice.



Big nut and bolt and some washers and it will move


----------



## C R (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Basically it's got a small wedge-shaped front, isn't threaded internally and I want it removed to fit a square taper bottom bracket (width tbc):
> 
> View attachment 442853


That looks like the adjustable cup, left side, isn't it?


----------



## DCLane (16 Dec 2018)

C R said:


> That looks like the adjustable cup, left side, isn't it?



No - drive side on the right. The LH cup came out easily, although the crank's still attached to the cup/axle due to a stuck cotter pin.


----------



## biggs682 (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> No - drive side on the right. The LH cup came out easily, although the crank's still attached to the cup/axle due to a stuck cotter pin.



Just sent this facebook video to you 
View: https://www.facebook.com/biggs682/videos/1906742369378390/


----------



## C R (16 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> No - drive side on the right. The LH cup came out easily, although the crank's still attached to the cup/axle due to a stuck cotter pin.


Ah, ok, hadn't seen a drive side like that before. Still, check Sheldon for the nut and bolt method, you don't need a thread in the spindle hole.


----------



## Tom B (16 Dec 2018)

Changed the pads and fluid in the rear brake on the hybrid. The lever was touching the bar and while the pads were on their last half mm it was strange.

After bleeding found the lever bleed port screw wouldn't tighten. Turns out the thread is damaged and possibly had a tiny fluid leak from there. The lever has been whacked, bent and bent back more times that I care to remember so can't complain. 

So I guess I now need a new lever as the thread is part of the body, not the replacable lid. M615 levers now discontinued so I'm guessing it's going to be a 6000 lever unless I can find a s/h body, possibly from something with a fubar clamp or bent or snapped pull.


----------



## J_H1026 (17 Dec 2018)

Just soldered replacement batteries in to my Di2 internal mounted battery. Hopefully that's just saved me £90!


----------



## Leaway2 (17 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> Basically it's got a small wedge-shaped front, isn't threaded internally and I want it removed to fit a square taper bottom bracket (width tbc):
> 
> View attachment 442853


Is it just shadow or is there some black "gunk" in the threads. Loctite?


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## DCLane (17 Dec 2018)

Leaway2 said:


> Is it just shadow or is there some black "gunk" in the threads. Loctite?



It'll be the original grease, with dirt and mud. Plus blue gloss paint on top for good measure as the previous owner painted everything blue without cleaning first. Oh, and a good bit of rust.


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## JhnBssll (17 Dec 2018)

Ive got a few weeks off work so Im currently fettling my airing cupboard after the hot water tank etc was stripped out and replaced with a combi a while back. So far ive repaired, cleaned and painted the walls and fitted a door switch for some LED lighting. I've started cutting wood for some shelves but haven't assembled anything yet. I also managed to pick up some carpet for a fiver so will fit that tomorrow all being well 

Old:






Current state:


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## JhnBssll (17 Dec 2018)

I'd like to pretend I didn't make a CAD model of my airing cupboard to work out how to best layout the shelves, but...


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## biggs682 (18 Dec 2018)

Started the drive train overhaul on the 1994 Marin Bear valley this morning .

As far as i am aware this is the first time the bottom bracket has been removed since it was built , and looking at it the other day i wasn't expecting it to budge at all .


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## HLaB (20 Dec 2018)

Put the winter wheels and Sks long guards on the bike the bike today. The winter wheels were last used in Flanders and had 28mm tyres the longs are only rated to 25mm though. Nonetheless I swapped over the cassette and fitted the guards. I was delighted to find out that with no further fettling the rear accepted the 28mm fine. I had to put a 25mm though on the front the clearance under the fork was just a tad too close. A tiny bit of fettling was also needed after changing the tyre to adjust the guard stays. I have power meter pedals on at the moment too so I'll probably change them to dumb ones :-)

Done :-)


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## JhnBssll (20 Dec 2018)

Further airing cupboard fettling today. I started fitting the first shelf and promptly put my foot through the floor  So shelf fitting postponed and out came the circ saw to cut out the old damaged floor board. This is what was left of the old board I cut out, frankly I was surprised it hadn't gone earlier 






I was left with this rather lovely hole once I'd cut back to good board...






Fortunately I had some new board in the loft so I was able to replace it pretty quickly. While I was at it I fitted a new carpet strip in prep for laying the new carpet in the cupboard...






... and since I'd gone this far I figured I may as well fit said new carpet too 






With the excitement over I went back to painting the first new shelf, hoping to get more done tomorrow, preferably without breaking anything else  Once the shelves are done I can get back to cycling


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## SkipdiverJohn (20 Dec 2018)

JhnBssll said:


> Further airing cupboard fettling today. I started fitting the first shelf and promptly put my foot through the floor  So shelf fitting postponed and out came the circ saw to cut out the old damaged floor board.
> Fortunately I had some new board in the loft so I was able to replace it pretty quickly.



Any time I'm passing a builder's skip that contains offcuts of 3/4" structural plywood, they get immediately hoisted out and salvaged for just such jobs. I've got various access panels in my floors that are made from salvaged 3/4" ply, located over water pipe joints and electrical junction boxes that are screwed to the side of floor joists. I've never actually ever bought any flooring ply!


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## Elybazza61 (21 Dec 2018)

Fitted dynamo set-up on the better halfs' Liv Escape;sp hub to B&M lights and all working nicely.

Also re-filled sealant in rear G-One on the Ridley X-Trail.


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## Vantage (21 Dec 2018)

Fitted new mudguards as the old ones were looking well...old.


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## overmind (22 Dec 2018)

I noticed a funny noise coming from the rear wheel bearings when riding home from work. When under load it was making a cracking noise. I decided to walk the last 1/2 mile just in case.

The next morning, I removed the rear wheel and inspected it. I think the axle might have been slightly bent. Fortunately I had a spare wheel from a old broken bike lying around in the shed. There was a broken spoke on it which I replaced and then trued the wheel. I also cleaned the whole drive train and serviced the cup and cone bottom bracket. The whole thing took the best part of an afternoon.

It is very satisfying being able to tune up one's bike like this. It's probably not economical in some ways but it works for me.


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## Heltor Chasca (22 Dec 2018)

Replaced my FSA Compression Headset Plug. From when I built up the bike, new, 5000+km ago, I didn’t do this correctly. Over time on my long, rough rides, it all goes slightly loose and I go through the process of retightening it. Not enough to damage the bearings luckily. The top cap was wound too far down, meaning it bottomed out before the stem and spacers were cinched up tight. To achieve this I manually created the tension needed and wrenched it all up tight. Luckily for me the most damage done recently was a stripped top cap. I shudder to think about shattering the carbon steerer on the forks or knackered bearings. £200+

The new part cost just over £10 including postage. Now installed properly it is sweet as a sweet thing and I ‘feel’ I have a reliable front end again.

Why I’ve held off for 5000km to sort this I have no idea. In the back of my empty brain, I have always said to myself, ‘You know when I try and qualify for PBP in 2023, I must get round to doing that head set.


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## SkipdiverJohn (22 Dec 2018)

overmind said:


> It is very satisfying being able to tune up one's bike like this. It's probably not economical in some ways but it works for me.



I can't think of anything more economical than DIY repairs using recycled parts from scrap bikes. It's dirt cheap, avoids unnecessary waste, and you aren't putting money into the pockets of globalist big business entities.


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## JhnBssll (22 Dec 2018)

I shall be glad when these shelves are finished  Almost finished construction, last few slats to be sanded and fitted tomorrow then just paint to finish off 

I've left the evening free to strip and clean the Roubaix after today's ride


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## C R (22 Dec 2018)

Good proper clean of the whole bike. Oiled the chain and all moving parts, and some tweaks to the chromoplatics.

Hopefully with the chromoplatics in place the bike won't need a full clean as often.


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## HLaB (22 Dec 2018)

Cleaned/ lubed the bike and adjusted the mud guard mount that was rubbing against the tyre.


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## JhnBssll (23 Dec 2018)

Had a clean and fettle of the Roubaix this evening as planned, before having a play with the Kona frame I'm building up in another thread. The Roubaix chain still had dry lube on it so as part of the clean I thoroughly degreased it, checked for wear and swapped to wet lube for the winter  I also indexed the Di2 one increment to the left as I felt it was upshifting ever so slightly quicker than down under load; we'll see if it has made any difference on the next ride 

Post ride:






Post fettle:






I also took the opportunity to whip the brake pads out of the rear caliper and lightly sand them back, they're not quite biting as they should. I've got identical calipers on another bike and they're slightly better, I had to do the same to the rear brake on that one too to get it to play ball properly. Again, I'll find out when I next ride it but it feels and sounds better already just spinning it up and braking on the workstand


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## Gravity Aided (23 Dec 2018)

Changed out the wheels on the Corso, the originals are too light for my weight. Fitted some Mavics and they do the job just fine. 27" wheels both, but I think I will re-use the Campy hubs and rebuild to 700c. All that should stop the pinging. Test ride was a success, this bike has a certain quality I just can't specify, but the ride sure is great.


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## Jenkins (23 Dec 2018)

Replaced most of the drivetrain on the Van Nicholas that I use as the main commuter bike - tubes, tyres, wheels, brake pads, bottom bracket, chain, chainrings and cassette. The bike's done just over 8,000 miles with the wheels and chainrings being the originals and the chain, cassette & bottom bracket having been last replaced at around 3,000 miles.
These are the parts that went on...








And these are the parts that came off as I know there's a few people who take an interest in wear rates over time (all thumbnails so click for full size)
Chain (with measure for reference)


Outer & inner chainrings



Cassette (guess which spocket I used most!)


Rear wheel brake trrack


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## DCLane (24 Dec 2018)

The Eastway R4.0 winter commuter got a new chain - some sort of Shimano IG51 type to try as it was cheap.

My Wilier Montegrappa main commuter's got a new KMC X10-EL lightweight chain, new brake outer and inner plus new bar tape - Cinelli Mash Volee in black which goes nicely with the black/grey/red frame. Need some more but this is getting hard to find now.


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## Salty seadog (24 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> My Wilier Montegrappa main commuter's got a new KMC X10-EL



I don't get this, why the extra light.? What gains will you get? Save a few grammes for no benefit but spend a load more for it.
I run standard KMC x series chains.


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## DCLane (24 Dec 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> I don't get this, why the extra light.? What gains will you get? Save a few grammes for no benefit but spend a load more for it.
> I run standard KMC x series chains.



It was cheaper than a standard chain as they came out of a disposal. KMC's normal 10 speed chains are my usual.


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## Salty seadog (24 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> It was cheaper than a standard chain as they came out of a disposal. KMC's normal 10 speed chains are my usual.



Fair enough.


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## JhnBssll (24 Dec 2018)

DCLane said:


> It was cheaper than a standard chain as they came out of a disposal. KMC's normal 10 speed chains are my usual.



I just ordered an 11 speed EL for the same reason, it was on sale cheaper than the standard version


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## Gravity Aided (25 Dec 2018)

I was changing out the shark toothed existing chainring and BB on my Trek 950 I got the other day, the non drive side came out easy, too easy. That was because the drive side was corroded in place, of course. (or it would've been replace long before now, I'm sure, by others. It wouldn't budge, so I immediately went for the nuclear option (grinder) and cut the spider to remove the sprockets so I could cut the BB axle. Then I had to remove the fixed cup with the old 5/8ths bolt, lock washer, and nut set-up for the win. Replaced with sealed BB.


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## Elybazza61 (25 Dec 2018)

Cleaned the Robinson today and lubed everything up, might switch the bars around as well.


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Dec 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Replaced my FSA Compression Headset Plug. From when I built up the bike, new, 5000+km ago, I didn’t do this correctly. Over time on my long, rough rides, it all goes slightly loose and I go through the process of retightening it. Not enough to damage the bearings luckily. The top cap was wound too far down, meaning it bottomed out before the stem and spacers were cinched up tight. To achieve this I manually created the tension needed and wrenched it all up tight. Luckily for me the most damage done recently was a stripped top cap. I shudder to think about shattering the carbon steerer on the forks or knackered bearings. £200+
> 
> The new part cost just over £10 including postage. Now installed properly it is sweet as a sweet thing and I ‘feel’ I have a reliable front end again.
> 
> Why I’ve held off for 5000km to sort this I have no idea. In the back of my empty brain, I have always said to myself, ‘You know when I try and qualify for PBP in 2023, I must get round to doing that head set.



Seems to be a typo should be 2019


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## JhnBssll (25 Dec 2018)

Cleaned the Roubaix after yesterday's ride. Cleaned and oiled the chain. Readjusted the rear mech again, I made it worse last time  I'm still getting to grips with this Di2 lark  I also connected it up to the PC and went through all the settings properly. Turns out I had the wrong cassette and chain ring ratios set, although it makes no difference unless your using the full synchro mode. I only use semi synchro mode but I corrected it none the less  I won't get out tomorrow as I'm spending the day with the in-laws but the weather looks good for the next week or so


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## Gravity Aided (26 Dec 2018)

Overhauled the headset on the Trek 950, and added drop bars (Salsa Woodchippers) as well as re-tapping the derailleur hanger by using an old derailleur bolt screwed in from the opposite side of the dropout. Wheels and chain installed, need to add cables and shifters and brake handles and racks.


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## C R (27 Dec 2018)

Went to the garage to get something and noticed the rear tire on my bike was flat. Wheel and tube out, couldn't find any leaks. On closer inspection, one of the patches I applied last Monday was not fully stuck, and peeled off easily, so there may have been a small leak there. New patch carefully applied, and tire has held for a few hours. Let's see tomorrow.


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## DCLane (28 Dec 2018)

Bits - some done by me and some by the LBS:

Son's new race bike (Cervelo S3 - same as his previous but bigger) has been built by my LBS so we went for a bike fit for him and to collect it.
Son's new track bike also fitted by them, we set it up for him.

Put his old Avanti track bike back to original spec before sale (bars, wheels, pedals).

Fettled the Olmo Rigel after a short ride.

Continued painting the forks on the Carlton Corsa re-build for my 14yo. The orange looks


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## Domus (29 Dec 2018)

Good clean of the winter bike ready for New Years day ride, brake pads removed and filed, metal particles picked out. Hopefully fitted with the right amount of toe to prevent the awful squeal from yesterday's ride. New batteries in rear light and new front light fitted for first time, a Four4th. Will see (pun intended) how it performs on the way back from Manchester on Tuesday. Ride leader has warned everyone to check their tyres, so I have done.............Twice.


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## Heltor Chasca (29 Dec 2018)

Outdoor Gear Tech Turtle speaker fitted to the cargo bike. The school run is bearable with some good tunes.

Painted the seatpost on my Audax bike. Looks great. Then I put my saddle bag on, and now I can’t see my handy work. Life is a bit like that isn’t it?


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## Gravity Aided (30 Dec 2018)

Finished cabling the Trek 950, time for bar tape, and some fenders and racks. Then on to putting some side pull brakes on the Corso, as center pulls provided just aren't very good at stopping the bicycle.


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## LeetleGreyCells (30 Dec 2018)

Added Shimano M520 SPD pedals to the road bike and accompanying cleats to my shoes.


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## DCLane (30 Dec 2018)

Sort of fettling: I've a box of cycle computers, wireless bits and clips that has been accumulated from various sources. For a while I've left them knowing it's a job that needed doing.

Today was the day to deal with it; eight computers binned for no matching wireless bits or simply not working, seven matched with new batteries.


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## graham bowers (30 Dec 2018)

Good clean of the Hewitt, wheels off, chain off, chipped off all of the fossilised chainlube. Seems to be smoother now, suspect that's in my head. Ordered new BB, middle chainring, chainring tool and chain.


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## bikingdad90 (30 Dec 2018)

Paired my Lezyne cadence and speed sensor with my Lezyne Macro GPS after updating the firmware that was recently released.


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## Justinitus (30 Dec 2018)

Recently had a bit of noise coming from the bb area on the Diverge on the first few rotations of each ride. Removed crankset and bb, cleaned and refitted and all ok now. Never done a bb before so quite happy.


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## NorthernDave (30 Dec 2018)

Pumped the tyres up, mickled the chain.


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## Salty seadog (30 Dec 2018)

NorthernDave said:


> Pumped the tyres up, mickled the chain.




Woah, you go easy there Dave.


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## NorthernDave (30 Dec 2018)

Salty seadog said:


> Woah, you go easy there Dave.



No point overdoing it, is there? I washed it last week.


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## Salty seadog (30 Dec 2018)

NorthernDave said:


> No point overdoing it, is there? I washed it last week.



You know you can't keep up that sort of red hot maximum pace for ever. Slow downman.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Dec 2018)

Tested the Trek 950 this afternoon, after pumping up the tires and tightening the headset, as well as finding that the Trek 950 takes the same seatpost as my Facet Biotour 2000. A fine bike. Rides really well. It was a short ride, as it was about 1C.


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## DCLane (31 Dec 2018)

Continued working on the Boardman AirPro black edition - brake and gear cables fitted through a very fiddly set of 3T Aeronova carbon bars. Front derailleur's playing up so I'll re-do the cable tomorrow.

Still to do:

- Fit Raceblade Long mudguards as it'll be a joint winter road bike with my 14yo
- Fit the chain
- Adjust the shifters to fit a bit better, which _may_ mean a shorter stem as well
- Front derailleur cable to sort
- Decide on wheels and tyres
- Fit some pedals
- Find some bar tape. I forgot that bit so we're out unless it's red. And I used my 'nice' LizardSkins red tape on my son's BeOne training bike.
- I _may_ need to swap the crankset from 172.5mm to 170mm for him as he's a little bit shorter than me but that'd mess up the '105-only' rule he set for the build.

Progress photo:


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## SkipdiverJohn (31 Dec 2018)

I wasn't entirely happy with the derailleur indexing on my recent Raleigh Pioneer pub bike rebuild. Lowest 3 gears were OK but 4th upwards was a bit clattery. After double checking the high and low limit screws I fiddled around fine tuning the gear cable tension until I could get all 6 gears in a reasonable degree of silence.
The other job was fit a pair of mudguards, or rather two mudguards - as they aren't really a pair! Rear is SKS chromoplastic that came with a donor Pioneer. I've shortened it by about 3 inches so it stops higher at the back, to make it possible to wheel the bike up on it's rear wheel without grounding the mudguard. The front was put together using the best stays & fittings from a damaged pair that came off a 99p eBay special. It doesn't match the SKS - but so long as it works I don't care! The build now incorporates donor parts from at least six different bikes


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## rogerzilla (1 Jan 2019)

I glued a pair of tubs onto my track wheels. That's not something I would describe as fun.


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## JhnBssll (1 Jan 2019)

A mudguard eyelet failed 28 miles from home this morning. It's the second time I've had one snap but the first time its happened mid-ride, it happened while I was fitting the guards first time round. Clearly this is a weakness, I'm not sure why they've used aluminium for such a small diameter thread in an area subject to cyclic loading but there we go! Here's the offending failure, photo taken at the roadside just before i phoned my wife to arrange a rescue 







I managed a minor bodge that allowed me to do a further 6 miles to meet her in a pub carpark - I had to take it easy and was cooling down quite quickly so was glad to get in to the warm car 

Anyway, back at home I took a closer look.








It's clearly a fatigue failue so I had a look at the other (intact) side and realised I'd inadvertently created a lever by adding a washer when I had fitted them.






The thought had been to maximise the width between stays to improve stability, I hadn't factored in forces causing fatigue of the eyelets because frankly I didn't think it would be an issue... Anyway, I couldn't leave it like this and was fairly sure the remaining eyelet would now be suspect so decided to replace them both and change how the stays attached to try and apply the force in line with the eyelet and remove the lever. In practice this was pretty easy and looks a lot neater!






The last little adjustment I made was to put a bend in each stay so that everything lined up properly; previously the stays were under bending load the whole time which may have contributed to the failure, you can just make out the new kinks in this last photo.






We shall see how it fairs up - at least I've remembered to put the cable ties back in the saddle bag so if it goes again I've got a get-me-home fix


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## SkipdiverJohn (1 Jan 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I managed a minor bodge that allowed me to do a further 6 miles to meet her in a pub carpark - I had to take it easy and was cooling down quite quickly so was glad to get in to the warm car
> 
> Anyway, back at home I took a closer look.
> 
> ...



Is that sort of mechanical fault one that really warrants a recovery by car though? I had a plastic "safety" stay pop out myself earlier (the ones that are supposed to come apart if a tree branch gets jammed in them). I just ignored it and finished my ride - although it was a lot less than 28 miles. That picture you posted of the broken off part would sorely tempt me to drill the frame and put a M5 nut & bolt straight through it from the outside! Maybe it's good job I don't ride anything made of carbon! 
I recommend you carry a roll of electrical insulating tape in your pocket. If I'd had one in mine today I could have taped up the offending safety clip fixing en-route and stopped it popping out again.


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## JhnBssll (1 Jan 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Is that sort of mechanical fault one that really warrants a recovery by car though? I had a plastic "safety" stay pop out myself earlier (the ones that are supposed to come apart if a tree branch gets jammed in them). I just ignored it and finished my ride - although it was a lot less than 28 miles. That picture you posted of the broken off part would sorely tempt me to drill the frame and put a M5 nut & bolt straight through it from the outside! Maybe it's good job I don't ride anything made of carbon!
> I recommend you carry a roll of electrical insulating tape in your pocket. If I'd had one in mine today I could have taped up the offending safety clip fixing en-route and stopped it popping out again.



I'm sure I could have nursed it home, and had I remembered to re-pack the cable ties it would have been a non event. As it happened I had no ties or tape and didnt want to risk further damage to the bike for what was essentially a leisure ride 

I think you'd need more than tape and cable ties to fix the resultant damage of drilling and bolting it though


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## JhnBssll (1 Jan 2019)

Just gave the Charge a wipe down, checked brakes, tires and gears and oiled the chain. All ready for the mornings commute


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## DCLane (1 Jan 2019)

Continued working on the Boardman AirPro black edition:

- Re-fitted the front derailleur cable. It works but I'm not happy with it, so there'll be some adjustment
- Fitted the chain
- Adjusted the rear derailleur cable
- Fitted the Raceblade Long mudguards and adjusted the brakes to fit
- Added a bottle cage

Still to do:

- Decide on wheels and tyres
- Adjust shifters to suit, then fit bar tape
- Work out the best fit for me, then my 14yo - probably with a shorter stem for him

If he _can_ ride it then we'll put his Giant TCR on sale, along with his track bike and Cervelo frame. We've too many bikes to fit the storage and he's about outgrown the Giant.


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## Leaway2 (2 Jan 2019)

Washed the commuter bike yesterday ready for today's ride. I haven't ridden it since Chrimbo eve. I hadn't realised how dirty it was!
As I was doing that I washed the "best" bike as well. mickled both the chains.


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## Vantage (2 Jan 2019)

I fettled the brake pads today. 
After the racket they made yesterday I was sure they'd completely vaporised but nope, there's still just under 1mm on them. I'll get a few more miles out of them yet. 
In sanding them and realigning them, the bike moved forward. The bars turned. The bike fell back against the stair string and that caused the front wheel to shoot forward narrowly missing my googleberries. In hitting the string the airzound went off deafening me, causing me to drop the brake pad insert pin and woke the kids. Perfect. 
New inserts been ordered although I have some 'just in case'


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## LeetleGreyCells (2 Jan 2019)

Vantage said:


> I fettled the brake pads today.
> After the racket they made yesterday I was sure they'd completely vaporised but nope, there's still just under 1mm on them. I'll get a few more miles out of them yet.
> In sanding them and realigning them, the bike moved forward. The bars turned. The bike fell back against the stair string and that *caused the front wheel to shoot forward narrowly missing my googleberries. In hitting the string the airzound went off deafening me*, causing me to drop the brake pad insert pin and woke the kids. Perfect.
> New inserts been ordered although I have some 'just in case'



Thanks for the comedy, I could imagine the slapstick sketch happening as I read the above


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## HLaB (2 Jan 2019)

A fettling fail for me today :-( Tried to take the dumb left crank arm off to swap it with one with a PM and the clamp bolt nearest to the frame came off easy but the outside bolt is seized solid after just two weeks. I think I've rounded it a bit now :-( It could be I've been too liberal with the bike cleaning spray (before was just wipes and its never happened). I'm trying soaking it in GT85 but as I've started to round it I'm not hopeful, might be a trip to the lbs tomorrow :-/


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## pjd57 (2 Jan 2019)

Hardly a fettle, but I enjoyed it.

Two neighbours kids passed me yesterday.

1) " are you coming out on your bike "

2) " I've got flat tyres , daddy is out and Mummy has got false nails on "

Had to stop myself laughing , then get my pump out.


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## DCLane (2 Jan 2019)

Boardman AirPro black edition progress:

- front derailleur fettled and working nicely
- rear derailleur adjusted
- shifters adjusted to suit both of us
- shorter stem fitted and seatpost adjusted to fit my 14yo nicely
- bar tape fitted. I found some Selle Italia Corsa Gel Smootape which is a nice black with gold flecks at the back of the bike bits stand

Just to sort out a suitable wheel/tyre combination tomorrow and we're done. The current wheelset's a Superstar Components red pair and they don't suit - I've some Mavic Aksium's needing minor repair and they will probably be used instead when fixed. Photo's to follow.

Oh, and because it fits him well his Giant TCR can go on sale sooner than planned .


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## DCBassman (3 Jan 2019)

New Wellgo LU987U pedals fitted to the Trek 800.


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## Jenkins (3 Jan 2019)

Having done about 100 miles since changing the bottom bracket & chainrings on the main commuter, just a quick trip round with the allen keys re-tightening all the bolts now they've settled in.


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## C R (3 Jan 2019)

New tube and tire on the rear wheel. Lets hope this one does the trick.


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## DCLane (3 Jan 2019)

Swapped my 14yo's track gearing from 52x16 (done on Monday from 51x16) to 49x15 for a practice tomorrow on his new Langdale track bike.


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## Hopey (3 Jan 2019)

Dunno if this counts but got a cheap bike computer for Christmas and set it up today. Don't like having finicky things like that attatched to the bike, but it could be useful. Will take it up the Pentlands tomorrow to see if it survives the bumps.

Also lowered my seat by 1 mm.


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## beepbeep (3 Jan 2019)

new turbo trainer tyre fitted...eventually.....it put up a good fight but I won in the end.


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## ColinJ (4 Jan 2019)

Today, I have been mostly ...



... fettling my left SPD shoe!

I have been using a pair of cheapo Aldi SPD cycling shoes for about 3 years. They are starting to fall apart now, but that's okay - I have done a lot of hard riding in them and have definitely had my money's worth out of them. Cash is tight and I don't like throwing things away that can be repaired, so I did a bodge repair which should get me a few more months out of the shoes.

I went to do up one of the velcro straps on the left shoe before setting out on my ride yesterday but the tab through which the strap passes just tore off the shoe.






I limped through the ride with my overshoe holding the cycling shoe on but a more effective solution was required. So, today I cut a small slot either side of the broken tab, threaded a cable tie through, looped that back, and made quite a neat bodged replacement tab out of it.






If that lasts me to the summer then I will be satisfied.


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## DCLane (5 Jan 2019)

Had a busy morning moving cranksets between bikes:

Removed the 105 172.5mm from the Boardman AirPro black edition
Removed the Ultegra 172.5mm from the Wilier Montegrappa commuter and fitted the 105 172.5mm
Removed the Ultegra 170mm from the NeilPryde and fitted the Ultegra 172.5mm, and a longer stem so it suits me not my 14yo
Removed the Shimano R500 170mm from the BeOne and fitted the Ultegra 170mm and a shorter stem so it fits my 14yo
Removed the 105 170mm from the Giant TCR, plus mudguards and fitted the Shimano R500 170mm plus Fulcrum 5 wheels. Cleaned the Giant ready for sale.
Fitted the 105 170mm one onto the Boardman Airpro black edition along with new GP4000S II tyres. More suitable wheels can wait ...
And a final Boardman AirPro photo now it's all completed to finish all that lot off  :


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## DCBassman (5 Jan 2019)

DCLane said:


> Had a busy morning moving cranksets between bikes:
> 
> Removed the 105 172.5mm from the Boardman AirPro black edition
> Removed the Ultegra 172.5mm from the Wilier Montegrappa commuter and fitted the 105 172.5mm
> ...


Dassalottafettlin!


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## chriswoody (5 Jan 2019)

So today I decided to fit some tractor tyres to my old Dawes Super Galaxy. We've a lot of forest trails and gravel roads around here and whilst I've explored once or twice, the old 28C Marathons were not really up to the job. So today I swapped them for some 38C Gravel Tyres. Clearance was fine but unfortunately it also meant ditching the mudguards. Oh well who needs them! 

I also gave the brakes and headset a little love and attention whilst I was there. So hopefully I can find some time in the next weeks to go exploring.


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## 13 rider (5 Jan 2019)

New conti gp tyre fitted to the giant . Had a puncture 3 weeks ago which damaged the side wall slightly so better safe than sorry despite not having much wear on it I decided to change it . Been running the original giant stock wheel which came with the bike which I dont like the feel off so back to favourite conti gp 4000 was tempted to try the 5000 but for £25 quid more they can wait a bit


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## Alwaysbroken (5 Jan 2019)

As a father of four, I cleaned and re-lubed the chains of 14 bikes, cycled the shocks of 5 mtb’ s through their stroke to keep the seals lubed, put a new saddle on my wife’s cafe racer as I stole hers for my pathracer build & re-routed it’s cables to clean it up now it’s near completion.

During this I partook in a nice fresh ground coffee.

Now having a couple Hob Goblins sitting on the sofa making a couple of final adjustments to my undercarriage.


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## DCBassman (5 Jan 2019)

Alwaysbroken said:


> Now having a couple Hob Goblins sitting on the sofa making a couple of final adjustments to my undercarriage.


As you do...


----------



## Levo-Lon (5 Jan 2019)

Fitted the new XT crankset 2x11 from the 1x11.
New front pull slx mech and shifter.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Jan 2019)

My fitness via a wee ride


----------



## kiwifruit (6 Jan 2019)

Service a sticky mavic freehub again, twice in about 3 months. Don't know why it keep sticking as I haven't been out much in the wet.


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## ColinJ (6 Jan 2019)

kiwifruit said:


> Service a sticky mavic freehub again, twice in about 3 months. Don't know why it keep sticking as I haven't been out much in the wet.


Don't use grease in them! Light oil does the job and doesn't gunge them up. Mine has been running fine since I did that 6 or 7 years ago.


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## kiwifruit (6 Jan 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Don't use grease in them! Light oil does the job and doesn't gunge them up. Mine has been running fine since I did that 6 or 7 years ago.


I have been using shimano hydraulic mineral oil.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Jan 2019)

Changed out the Italian Universal center pull brakes on the Corso for some vintage Mafac Racers, which have better adjustability and greater stopping power.
I also added a little T shaped tang I had hanging around the brake parts drawer. It is made to keep a Pletscher rack from sliding down the seat stays. Had no idea what it was for, until I got a Pletscher rack and added it to the Corso.


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## ColinJ (6 Jan 2019)

kiwifruit said:


> I have been using shimano hydraulic mineral oil.


In that case, I don't know why it keeps sticking either!


----------



## DCLane (6 Jan 2019)

Son's new Langdale track bike needed an extra chain link putting on for 52/16 - only the chain wasn't playing ball. So we fitted a new chain with 2 links just in case. Much easier.

Then sorted out the Boardman Airpro's mudguards which worked fine with Schwalbe One tyres but Conti GP4000S' must be taller - so fettling needed there.

Added some new carbon paste to the seatpost on the Giant TCR we're selling so it looks cleaner.

Oh, and now trying seatpost bolts and clamps from stock for the Ridley Damocles in the hope that one fits ... the ones from the tiny Kuota seatpost did. I _knew_ it'd come in handy one day  . Then removed the very stiff bottom bracket - just need to sort out the stuck/drilled/broken off brake bolt in the forks now and it's ready to be dealt with.

Just another day ...


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## rogerzilla (6 Jan 2019)

Fitted a new master link to the commuting fixie. The silly KMC "snap on" connector I bought was slightly too narrow for the chain and caused a stiff link, even though it's a KMC 1/8" connector on a 1/8" KMC chain. I bought a job lot of traditional three-piece master links (these are also re-usable; the snap-on links aren't, which is why I bought a new one) and all is well now. The thought of a chain coming apart at 150rpm is too horrible to contemplate; you're lucky if it doesn't wrap itself around the rear wheel and the chainstay, trashing the rear end.


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## Alwaysbroken (6 Jan 2019)

Bit of final fettling today on my “pathracer” build, I’m not sure what it is now to be fair as it’s a mix of ideas.

So I’ve tidied the cable routing, cut a wine crate up to fit on the back & decided to re-fit the chain guard as it came up so well.

Put a few miles on it & im amazed how well it handles for an old gas pipe town bike.


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## JhnBssll (6 Jan 2019)

Alwaysbroken said:


> Bit of final fettling today on my “pathracer” build, I’m not sure what it is now to be fair as it’s a mix of ideas.
> 
> So I’ve tidied the cable routing, cut a wine crate up to fit on the back & decided to re-fit the chain guard as it came up so well.
> 
> Put a few miles on it & im amazed how well it handles for an old gas pipe town bike.



That's stunning, lovely job


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## dave r (6 Jan 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> The thought of a chain coming apart at 150rpm is too horrible to contemplate; you're lucky if it doesn't wrap itself around the rear wheel and the chainstay, trashing the rear end.



The thought that that could happen scares the crap out of me.


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## dave r (6 Jan 2019)

Alwaysbroken said:


> Bit of final fettling today on my “pathracer” build, I’m not sure what it is now to be fair as it’s a mix of ideas.
> 
> So I’ve tidied the cable routing, cut a wine crate up to fit on the back & decided to re-fit the chain guard as it came up so well.
> 
> Put a few miles on it & im amazed how well it handles for an old gas pipe town bike.



That looks lovely.


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## rogerzilla (6 Jan 2019)

dave r said:


> The thought that that could happen scares the crap out of me.


This guy did it and survived!

https://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed...ain-fixie-why-never-repair-chains-142051.html


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## dave r (6 Jan 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> This guy did it and survived!
> 
> https://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed...ain-fixie-why-never-repair-chains-142051.html



The only time I've broken a chain on a fixed was back in the mid to late eighties, I was traveling ten mph or less, the chain wrapped round the sprocket locking the back up, sending the bike up the road sideways after first trying to launch me over the right handle bar, I stayed on it and carried it back to my house to swap bikes and continue on to work, I was only a hundred yards from home when it happened. That night when I replaced the chain I had a hell of a job getting the old chain off.


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## Gravity Aided (7 Jan 2019)

I added a rack to the Trek 950, and test rode it.


----------



## DCLane (7 Jan 2019)

Got the RH bottom bracket cup out of the Carlton Corsa using my university's bike workshop's vice. And their staff member, who then tapped through the BB shell for me 

It's now ready for painting this colour:


----------



## Sniper68 (7 Jan 2019)

Removed the "Ancillary" levers off the lads CX bike.I need to get round to removing them off mine now.


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## I like Skol (7 Jan 2019)

Just had to wind in the brake pads on my new cable disc commuter bike. Quite happy with this frequency of adjustment if it continues. The Spires were simple to set up when new and have since covered over 600 miles before I thought they could do with a trim (and far from being out of stopping power) I have a theory that the wear rate will slow down now they are bedded in so hopefully be another 700-800 miles before they need touching again?


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## HLaB (7 Jan 2019)

I finally got round to putting a new chain & cassette on the commuter. Ive changed to a wider ranging cassette than what the Triban came with, so I used the late, great Sheldon Brown's chain length method.
I might have got away with just changing the chain as the old cassette looks in quite good condition but hey ho, its done now.


----------



## JhnBssll (7 Jan 2019)

Stripped the tyre, tape and valve from the rear wheel of the stumpjumper. I had to pump it up 5 times in 10 miles this morning  I've now given up on the finishline sealant so had some cleaning up to do  It's now all reassembled with a latex based sealant. I'll do the front too if the rear holds pressure and behaves itself over the coming days


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## HLaB (7 Jan 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Stripped the tyre, tape and valve from the rear wheel of the stumpjumper. I had to pump it up 5 times in 10 miles this morning  I've now given up on the finishline sealant so had some cleaning up to do  It's now all reassembled with a latex based sealant. I'll do the front too if the rear holds pressure and behaves itself over the coming days


I used the Finishline stuff during the summer before the reviews came out. The reviews all said it was sh1t, as I found out


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## JhnBssll (7 Jan 2019)

HLaB said:


> I used the Finishline stuff during the summer before the reviews came out. The reviews all said it was sh1t, as I found out



I think everyone loved the idea they sold of a sealant that didn't dry up and lasted the life of the tyre. Who wouldn't! Unfortunately the fact that it didn't actually seal anything proved problematic


----------



## Reynard (8 Jan 2019)

Straightened the squiffy brifter. That was an allen key job, bit awkward with the multitool. But I can't, for the life of me, find my other allen keys. Might treat myself to some of those fancy long ones with the handles on the end. Then, of course, as soon as I've bought them, I'll find the ones I have been looking for... 

Stripped off the old (original) bar tape, cleaned the goo off the bars and put fresh tape on. I'd already bought the new tape and was about to replace it when I crashed, good job I hadn't done that, as I ripped the tape when I went down. Not bad for a first attempt dare I say so myself, have to say that the Topcabin tape is very nice. 

Lessons learnt while putting on bar tape. One - you really do need to keep a good tension on the tape. And two - cats and bar tape do not mix.


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## mikeymustard (8 Jan 2019)

Reynard said:


> And two - cats and bar tape do not mix.


Dead right they don't:


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## Reynard (8 Jan 2019)

mikeymustard said:


> Dead right they don't:
> View attachment 446275





Probably a touch of snow (rosetted) Bengal in there somewhere...


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## Salty seadog (10 Jan 2019)

Fixing a slow puncture on the rear of the 901. Probably a bad patch from last time.

Yes I am single so I can have my workshop in the living room.






eta, First patch is sound, just found another hole in the tube slightly on the sidewall. It must have been pressed hard against the tyre as it would be fine for a ride even at low pressures and take a good week or more to go soft.
I'll check round the inside of the tyre for sharpies, it could of course be a new one and the first patch is the culprit of the slow deflation. If I remember I'll report back, if you can't wait then badger me and I'll start a blog.....


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## Arjimlad (10 Jan 2019)

A plastic SKS rear mudguard bridge snapped as I traversed a pothole yesterday. I was thankful it was not a spoke.

I've ordered a new metal one online, but as this bike has the spiked tyres for today's freezing forecast, I bodged a cable-tie solution last night. That snapped on the way into work this morning so I have put another one on for the ride home and will just take the mudguards off altogether this evening.
Perhaps I should have done that anyway last night, but it rains hard whenever I take the mudguards off and at the moment it is nice and dry


----------



## Salty seadog (10 Jan 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Fixing a slow puncture on the rear of the 901. Probably a bad patch from last time.
> 
> Yes I am single so I can have my workshop in the living room.
> 
> ...




Right pop pickers, we have our culprit, I've patched the new hole and on inspecting the inside of the tyre found about 10mm of very sharp thorn sticking through. This was clearly lodged in the tube allowing only a slow deflation. 
Duly sorted and re inflation about to commence. I've also just mickled the chain on the Montpellier and will soon trim the beard and shave the head.


----------



## youngoldbloke (10 Jan 2019)

Inspected rim and rim tape and gave inside of tyre the cotton wool treatment after puncture yesterday. Suspect it was a snakebite - 2 holes about 10mm apart across width of tube, but was suspiciously close to an earlier puncture. Tape a little suspect but nothing else , so new tube in and inflated.


----------



## DCBassman (10 Jan 2019)

The Trek 800 Sport, see https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/trek-800-sport-revamp-thread.243384/page-2 post 27


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## derrick (10 Jan 2019)

I put together a Ribble E bike today, It's for a mate, not to sure what to say about it, Am going to take it for a spin in the morning,


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## DCLane (10 Jan 2019)

Tidied up the Boardman Airpro black build with better stem bolts.

My Raleigh Pioneer bit back on Wednesday for my lack of maintenance - new chain needed and fitted.

Then I collected my new arrival frame: an Avanti Circa 1 from 2013. It'll be a cross/winter bike to replace the Eastway R4.0 I have. Fitted a bottom bracket, Ultegra crankset, Fizik seatpost and Paradigm saddle along with Bontrager bars and stem. SRAM mini groupset bought from here fitted and I went wheel hunting: fitted some 10 speed Soul wheels I had spare. Just brakes, cables, a chain and bar tape and that's done - a _very_ quick build for me. Photo to follow, but in the mean-time it _should_ look similar to this when finished:


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## wonderdog (11 Jan 2019)

I PKDd (partially knocked down) a Viscount Aerospace Pro to box and send to a fellow elsewhere in Oz. Dreadful foaming at the mouth when he called as I was liberally laying about with the last metre of gaffer tape to say he'd changed his mind. Little dollies with pins stuck in them as I huffed and puffed contemplating reassembly for local sale. Just about to attack packaging with a Stanley knife when he called back to say he's take it after all ... he paid the folding stuff pronto and I consigned the box equally pronto. Off to polish up a couple of sets of Superbe Pro pedals ... they are beautiful things ... so many sealed bearings in a Superbe groupset.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (12 Jan 2019)

Readjusted the headset on my old Pioneer pub bike after this morning's 8 mile ride. When I'd recently built the bike up for pub transport duties the headset of the donor frame was full of filth and rust and partially seized. Instead of replacing it, I'd just soaked the caged bearings in diesel and wiped out the races with a rag dipped in solvent, then loaded it up with grease and reassembled. Obviously having now done some mileage, the movement of the balls must have broken down the remaining surface rust and caused the adjustment to slacken to the point where there was now a barely perceptible motion when the front brake was held on and the bars rocked back and forth. I know people who ride far worse adjusted bikes than that without seemingly even noticing anything amiss, but it was annoying me all the same, so a few minutes attention with an adjustable spanner & stillsons took all the slop out and normal service was restored. The steering action is actually very smooth now!.


----------



## roadrash (12 Jan 2019)

brake and gear cables on the trek 6500 mtb I was given last weekend
.https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ive-been-given-a-free-trek-slr-6500-series-6.244288/page-2


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## JhnBssll (13 Jan 2019)

I noticed I'd picked up a puncture on the commuter when I was walking through the garage yesterday so spent some time this afternoon fixing it. The culprit was obvious before I'd taken the tyre off, a big piece of flint which I quickly removed then dropped on the garage floor. No doubt that will end up in another tyre then  With the wheel off it gave me an excuse to give the bike and drivetrain a quick clean, all back together now and chain mickled ready for the morning.







You may spot the Marathon winter studded tyres in the bottom of that photo; with the charge commuter ready to go I decided to take the opportunity to fit the studs to the Kona commuter  I wasn't sure if there'd be clearance under the guards but with both fitted and inflated I was pleased to see plenty of clearance remaining. Hopefully the weather will remain nice for the foreseeable and I won't get to try them but it's now ready for action if and when conditions do take a turn  I swapped the rear tube to a presta as well, it was annoying me that it didn't match the front 






I think I'll spend some time tidying the garage worktop later too, it's getting a bit of a state


----------



## Jenkins (13 Jan 2019)

Finally got round to swapping the jockey wheels on the main commuter to complete the drivetrain refresh - original SRAM items with 8000 miles on compared to the BBB BDP05 replacements pictured below to show the wear


----------



## BianchiVirgin (13 Jan 2019)

derrick said:


> I put together a Ribble E bike today, It's for a mate, not to sure what to say about it, Am going to take it for a spin in the morning,
> View attachment 446574


' Tis funny to see a bike plugged in


----------



## BianchiVirgin (13 Jan 2019)

New 10 speed chain fitted to son's MTB on Friday night and a reindex. 
Fired New SKS mudguards to the Bianchi (temporarily) pending arrival of new Cube which will be assigned winter and commuting duties. 
Bianchi needs a BB as the supplied FSA one is an utter piece of crap and that's just under 4000km. Needs a chain too.


----------



## HLaB (13 Jan 2019)

Thankfully nothing. I had to spend a bit of time cleaning my bike yesterday after a completely wrong weather forecast, todays forecast was accurate and I've had a lazy afternoon after the club run.


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## iandg (15 Jan 2019)

Not really fettling, I took the big bundle of used innertubes that was hanging up in the shed and tested all tubes for punctures and binned the useless items. I rolled up the rest and sorted them into zip-lock sandwich bags and labelled each for size.


----------



## Domus (15 Jan 2019)

New rim brake pads fitted and chain lubed on winter bike.
Note to self, get some more pads in stock, this weather is cruel to rim brakes.


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## I like Skol (15 Jan 2019)

wicker man said:


> Not really fettling, I took the big bundle of used innertubes that was hanging up in the shed and tested all tubes for punctures and binned the useless items. I rolled up the rest and sorted them into zip-lock sandwich bags and labelled each for size.
> 
> View attachment 447266


A like for saving and preparing to reuse all those inner tubes, but a big 'No Like' for using all those unnecessary plastic bags. And don't that kind of bag cost about 10p each?


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## iandg (15 Jan 2019)

I like Skol said:


> A like for saving and preparing to reuse all those inner tubes, but a big 'No Like' for using all those unnecessary plastic bags. And don't that kind of bag cost about 10p each?



Fair point. £2 for 25 bags - 8p each (but they are reusable)


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## Justinitus (15 Jan 2019)

wicker man said:


> Not really fettling, I took the big bundle of used innertubes that was hanging up in the shed and tested all tubes for punctures and binned the useless items. I rolled up the rest and sorted them into zip-lock sandwich bags and labelled each for size.
> 
> View attachment 447266





I like Skol said:


> A like for saving and preparing to reuse all those inner tubes, but a big 'No Like' for using all those unnecessary plastic bags. And don't that kind of bag cost about 10p each?



I pre-talc all my spare inner tubes ready for use, roll them up and wrap them up in cling film to keep ‘em clean (and stop the talc going everywhere!). Size then written on cling film with a sharpie.


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## DCLane (15 Jan 2019)

Son's winter commuter for school - a Carrera Tanneri II - keeps dropping the chain if back-pedalling. So whilst he was doing rev-out training I:

- Checked the rear mech hanger: out, so was aligned. Not that, so ...
- Checked the rear derailleur: sticky, so was cleaned. Not that, so ...
- Cleaned the chain: filthy, so was cleaned. No stuck links, so ...
- Removed the rear wheel, cleaned the cassette and removed the freehub. Cleaned and re-greased. Ah, that!

All done. He's doing a lot of his own maintenance but wanted help with this one.


----------



## biggs682 (15 Jan 2019)

Finally got around to replacing jockey wheels , cassette and chain after doing the bottom bracket a couple of weeks ago on the Marin tonight , so will be testing it tomorrow on the commute


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (17 Jan 2019)

I've been fettling my new (to me) 2017 Fuji Tread 1.5.

Just basic stuff:
- added M520 SPDs
- checked brake pads (look unused)
- added second bottle cage and mini pump bracket (there was already one bottle cage on it)
- cleaned cassette, jockey wheels and mickled chain

Nothing else to do. The saddle was even set at exactly the right height for me! Next... a decent break-in ride


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## Levo-Lon (18 Jan 2019)

Fitted the new 11 speed shifter mec cassette and new chain to my Trek powerfly..very appy
Should be able to ride up buildings now with a 11-42 rear


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## Domus (18 Jan 2019)

Fitted new bar tape to best bike, Cinelli Cork Ribbon in Red. Feels much better than the thin stuff fitted as standard. Used insulation tape to finish as the supplied patterned tape lacked sufficient stickiness. With this weather it may be quite a while before it sees any action.


----------



## pawl (18 Jan 2019)

Changed the tyres on my best bike,Michelin Endurance Pro.Bit tight but the tyre jack sorted the last couple of inches


----------



## youngoldbloke (18 Jan 2019)

Replaced rim tape on Orbea Gain rear wheel. Surprised that factory fitted tape not properly centred and as a result creased and the edge folded in places - probably responsible for a couple of recent mystery tube deflation issues.


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## Domus (18 Jan 2019)

youngoldbloke said:


> tube deflation issues.



I like it, very young executive.


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## JhnBssll (18 Jan 2019)

With the Roubaix out of service while the broken mech is inspected I decided I'd give the Oltre a once over. If the roads are dry it'll be nice to get out on her for tomorrow mornings club ride  Just a bit of lube on the chain and some air in the tyres was all that was needed other than a wipe down, it was extremely dusty... I can't remember the last time it was ridden


----------



## ColinJ (20 Jan 2019)

I have been fettling my old smartphone!

I had a tiny and very cute Xperia Ray which I used for several years before upgrading to a Samsung Galaxy S4 (which I broke) and then to a HTC One M8. The Ray was donated to a friend and she used it for a couple of years until its software got corrupted and it got stuck in a 'bootloop' from which it could not escape. I took it back and she bought herself a cheapo Nokia 'dumbphone' (a.k.a. a 'feature' phone, so-named despite having very few features! ).

It seemed a shame to just recycle the phone so I decided to have a go at fixing it. It took a bit of doing but I finally managed to reinstall the phone's operating system and restore it to its original state.

The phone is incredibly lacking in memory but I managed to make enough space to install a copy of Memory Map mapping software. I had a spare licence for my digital OS maps and looked up the terms - apparently, I can install them on up to 5 devices _THAT I OWN_. I own the phone, so I can legally put the maps on it. The licence says that I can't pass copies of the maps on to other users, but it doesn't say that I can't lend the phone to them so I am going to lend it back to my friend to use for guidance on her walks and bike rides using the phone's GPS. 

Houston, we have lift-off!





I will have the phone back from time to time to test any Android apps that I develop. (I want to check that they work ok on small screens, slow hardware, and old versions of Android.)


----------



## JhnBssll (20 Jan 2019)

I made it out on the club ride on Saturday morning and whilst the local roads were dry they got a bit wet further afield which left the Bianchi a tad dirty...






Whilst I rinsed most of the salt and mud off when I got home I gave it a proper clean this evening and used some Velo 21 cleaning products I bought for it a while back. Theres a matt paint cleaning spray that supposedly leaves a streak free finish and a glaze that then protects the paint and makes it easier to wash next time round. Both seemed to work pretty well - the bike is sparkly again but I guess we'll have to wait until next time it' ridden and cleaned to know how much of a difference it has made. Anyway, she looks like this now:





















Once clean I tweaked the trim of the front mech slightly then put her back to bed on the wall 

I also bled the brakes on the commuter after the brake hose shortening the other day. It's hung up out of the way again now awaiting new spokes later in the week as per my dynamo thread   Hopefully I'll get a replacement front mech for the Roubaix this week too...


----------



## Levo-Lon (21 Jan 2019)

Bought a polycarbonate 8x6 shed for work ride on mower.
Instructions say we strongly recommend not attempting this on your own ..no shyte Sherlock...
What a slow pita job.
It's ok now its done but I was 8 hrs building and finishing it, screwing it down into paving slabs.

I wouldn't recommend one of these to keep anything of value at a your home.
The double doors are a plus mind.
£429 delivered and flat packed 50 kg package .


----------



## DCBassman (22 Jan 2019)

Handlebar day today. Took pics, then realised I've no micro-SD adaptor with me. Rats.

Remove steel quill stem and alloy 25.4mm bar from Trek 800.



Install A-head adapter and fit 38.1mm alloy bars off the Norco. Break bell in process. Apart from this, all good, feels good, 300g weight gain to 15.06kg.








Remove rusty steel 25.4mm bars from Claud Butler Urraco. 



Replace with light alloy bars removed from Trek. 



Replace pretty knackered pedals with the old Wellgo plastics frfom the Trek which has shiny silver Wellgos now. 190g weight LOSS, at 14.69kg. Attempted to rebalance V-brakes, but cables too knackered.

*To be done:*

Both bikes need work on cones, both on the CB, front on the Trek. If I can can get all new wheels as below soon, then no need, except on the Trek front.

Definitely leaning toward keeping the CB and offloading the Scott roadie. New wheelset for the CB, so I can regear it similarly to the Trek revamp, new front (matching!) wheel for the Trek. Recable the CB, maybe try and scavenge some more modern V-brakes also. Put the 1.5" City Jets, which have done maybe 600 miles, on the CB.

Utterly and completely sold on 26" steel!


----------



## rogerzilla (22 Jan 2019)

I bought a 1982 Holdsworth Mistral last week to convert to a fixie for a friend. Tonight I gave the frame and forks a good scrub prior to taking it to the powdercoaters tomorrow. I wouldn't have one of my own bikes powdercoated but I've seen reasonable work from this place and I'm not dropping £165 on an Argos wet paint job since it's a surprise gift; £45 is more reasonable. Anyway, nothing can be worse than its current poo brown colour. Holdsworth called it Sable Brown but I think it's had a rattle can top-up at some point.

Most of the bits are coming from my extensive parts bin!


----------



## mgs315 (23 Jan 2019)

My cheap-ass eBay Garmin/Go-Pro mount arrived today so just a quick job fitting it (along with the other cheap eBay Go-Pro/Cateye adapter).

Et voila, centre mounted front light and nowt on the handlebars.




Solid mount too. I like the setup enough that I’ve bought the exact same two bits again for the gravel bike. Now to wait another month as it gets the slow boat over!


----------



## I like Skol (24 Jan 2019)

Oh dear! Off the back of some problems I had last week on an epic big MTB ride in sub-zero temperatures I stripped down the Shimano XT hubs today.

During the ride the freehub started catching and trying to flick the chain round instead of freewheeling. I just assumed this must be down to frozen water that had somehow got in. Turns out I was wrong.

Spot the difference....






Hub looks otherwise OK which is a stroke of luck because the cracked bearing had filled the grease with glitter!

I also need to swap the headset, have been meaning to do it for years but just keep greasing it up instead, so I will order one now from SJS and tag on a few packs of bearings at the same time


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Jan 2019)

Swapped the pedals over on the two commuters. Decided it would be more sensible to have the M530's on the charge and the A530's on the Kona now I've got the winter tyres on there - if it gets slippy it'll be useful to be able to unclip and use the cage on the other side 











I also fitted some shiny Hope bits to the charge to go with it's ongoing dynamo upgrade 






I've got some new black with blue stripe bar tape to go on too but will wait until I'm confident the cable and hose routes are right before I fit it


----------



## I like Skol (25 Jan 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Swapped the pedals over on the two commuters. Decided it would be more sensible to have the M530's on the charge and the A530's on the Kona now I've got the winter tyres on there - if it gets slippy it'll be useful to be able to unclip and use the cage on the other side



I really, really don't get this. In my experience the best bike control is when clipped in, and unclipping happens in a heart beat without any conscious effort! I have flown through the air too many time to mention and found myself miraculously detached from the pedals to worry about this. If a foot needs to go down it just does, clipped or otherwise.


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Jan 2019)

I like Skol said:


> I really, really don't get this. In my experience the best bike control is when clipped in, and unclipping happens in a heart beat without any conscious effort! I have flown through the air too many time to mention and found myself miraculously detached from the pedals to worry about this. If a foot needs to go down it just does, clipped or otherwise.



Makes me feel better whether it's right or not


----------



## Levo-Lon (25 Jan 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Swapped the pedals over on the two commuters. Decided it would be more sensible to have the M530's on the charge and the A530's on the Kona now I've got the winter tyres on there - if it gets slippy it'll be useful to be able to unclip and use the cage on the other side
> 
> View attachment 448840
> 
> ...




Fook that must be heavy..if you needed a trolly jack!!


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Jan 2019)

meta lon said:


> Fook that must be heavy..if you needed a trolly jack!!



I think the extra mass of the studded tyres was the straw that broke the camel's back


----------



## Salty seadog (25 Jan 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Spot the difference....



Is it a Geoff Koons piece.


----------



## raleighnut (26 Jan 2019)

meta lon said:


> Fook that must be heavy..if you needed a trolly jack!!


----------



## alicat (26 Jan 2019)

I've gone two steps forward and one back.

I've got rid of a problem with my shopper bike, a sit-up and beg Shimano Nexus 7 bike. I removed the internals of the rear hub and added oil and re-greased before refitting. That has got rid of an annoying noise that was accompanied by the pedals randomly jerking forward when wheeling it and added resistance occasionally when back-pedalling. On the minus side the chaincase now seems to be rubbing against the chain. Ho hum.


----------



## JhnBssll (26 Jan 2019)

The replacement front mech arrived for the Roubaix this morning afterall - but only after I'd left on the Bianchi  Still it gave me something to do this evening, I've just fitted it and set it all up. It seems to be shifting better out of the box than the last one but I could be imagining that 












I still need to finish cleaning the Bianchi and I've got some bits to do on the old Kona I'm building for my brother but I might leave that for tomorrow


----------



## HLaB (26 Jan 2019)

My sks mud guards developed an annoying rattle. I think I've tracked it down to the rear hang bracket; the guard can move in it slightly. So I've put a bit off an old light rubber spacer in the gap.


----------



## Jenkins (27 Jan 2019)

Patched yet another punctured inner tube and then cleaned & lubed the main commuter ready for next week.


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Jan 2019)

Busy afternoon in the garage today; I finished the wiring on the rear dynamo light for the charge as mentioned in my dynamo thread then finished cleaning the Oltre again after yesterdays ride. I had hosed it down to get the worst of the salt and mud off it but since it likely won't be going out for a month or two now I decided to give it a proper strip down and clean before it goes in to hibernation  I used Velo 21 cleaning products - a waterless spray on detailer that prevents streaking on matte paintwork and a carnuba based glaze for matte paint. I ended up using the glaze on the frame, forks, stem, wheels and chainset and my gosh is it shiny now 





















There are a couple of layers of the glaze on the frame now so it should be nicely protected if I do decide to take it out on the salty roads again  It's hard to resist riding it


----------



## alicat (27 Jan 2019)

alicat said:


> I've got rid of a problem with my shopper bike, a sit-up and beg Shimano Nexus 7 bike. I removed the internals of the rear hub and added oil and re-greased before refitting. That has got rid of an annoying noise that was accompanied by the pedals randomly jerking forward when wheeling it and added resistance occasionally when back-pedalling. On the minus side the chaincase now seems to be rubbing against the chain. Ho hum.



And now I've got rid of the noise the chain was making rubbing against the chaincase. With thanks to @Globalti who suggested that the wheel might not be centred, I turned the sprocket the other way round and the chain now sits slightly further out and just misses the chaincase. Happy days.


----------



## HLaB (27 Jan 2019)

Time of the year, aka enforced fettling for me today, cleaning the bike again :-/


----------



## Heltor Chasca (27 Jan 2019)

Filthy ride yesterday. Glad I cleaned the bike. The rear hub/axle had loosened and I found about 8 bits of flint and glass in the tyres. Good to be intimate with your bike.


----------



## tom73 (27 Jan 2019)

@JhnBssll nice work think I may have to treat the Ribble to some. Good Matt clear is hard to find. Which glaze you used ? Velo site only have a wax is that the one?


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Jan 2019)

tom73 said:


> @JhnBssll nice work think I may have to treat the Ribble to some. Good Matt clear is hard to find. Which glaze you used ? Velo site only have a wax is that the one?



It's this one, I've got the vanilla scented one but I'm quite sure it makes no difference what the bike smells like 

https://velo21.com/shop/wax-protection/velo21-ultimate-paint-work-protection/

I actually bought the matt protection kit, the wax comes with it 

https://velo21.com/shop/clean/matt-protection-kit/

Seems like excellent stuff, I haven't seen another wax that doesnt ruin the matt finish but I'm sure there are others out there


----------



## tom73 (27 Jan 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> It's this one, I've got the vanilla scented one but I'm quite sure it makes no difference what the bike smells like
> 
> https://velo21.com/shop/wax-protection/velo21-ultimate-paint-work-protection/
> 
> ...



 Thanks that’s the one I was looking at too. As for Vanilla who knows it’s the one I do for too. Think I draw the line at the cherry flavour wash mind don’t want to look common


----------



## DCLane (28 Jan 2019)

My 14yo had a slide on his new winter bike over the weekend, so a new rear mech hanger was fitted along with general check-over. Seems to be down to a patch of diesel as I just missed it. No major damage, just scuffed bar tape and some holes in his old bib longs.

Also cleaned the Eastway winter commuter, along with new GP4000S tyres and brake pads.


----------



## DCBassman (31 Jan 2019)

Handlebar thread, above, edited to finally add the pics!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (31 Jan 2019)

New chain, on the CGR yesterday, to replace the November (fitted) chain
Thankfully, given all the road gunk/bridleway riding, the cassette's fine
No need to change that as well

It's the original cassette (March 2017), & this bike has had a lot of use, '_365_', in all weathers

The chain-rings were removed, & '_petrolled_', as were the jockey wheels
Derailleurs were doused in WD40. & wrapped up in rags, to allow it to soak through, flushing them out


----------



## Heltor Chasca (31 Jan 2019)

Dropped my stem by 5mm on my Audax bike. Looking for minimal aero advantages without compromising comfort over long rides. I’ll reevaluate constantly and won’t consider any further drop for at least 6-12 months.


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Feb 2019)

It's my mums birthday in a few weeks and as a present this year I've offered to service her bicycle and upgrade the tyres. She has had the bike for several years now but it has hardly been used; she states the reason for this as "the tyres are always flat". They put it in to a local bike shop a few years back who charged a small fortune to service the bike and replace the inner tubes with ones that "dont go flat" - ie magic inner tubes - and unsuprisingly were dissappointed with the results  Anyway I picked the bike up last night and set to work on it this morning. It was in a bit of a state having been left unloved in the shed for a few years but has cleaned up rather nicely and is now in fine fettle. I've just measured the rims and ordered a pair of Tannus 700x40c solid tyres, once they arrive I'll wrestle them on to the rims, give it a test ride and drive it back over to her


----------



## Salty seadog (2 Feb 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> It's my mums birthday in a few weeks and as a present this year I've offered to service her bicycle and upgrade the tyres. She has had the bike for several years now but it has hardly been used; she states the reason for this as "the tyres are always flat". They put it in to a local bike shop a few years back who charged a small fortune to service the bike and replace the inner tubes with ones that "dont go flat" - ie magic inner tubes - and unsuprisingly were dissappointed with the results  Anyway I picked the bike up last night and set to work on it this morning. It was in a bit of a state having been left unloved in the shed for a few years but has cleaned up rather nicely and is now in fine fettle. I've just measured the rims and ordered a pair of Tannus 700x40c solid tyres, once they arrive I'll wrestle them on to the rims, give it a test ride and drive it back over to her
> 
> View attachment 450260
> View attachment 450259
> ...




My birthday is coming up in three weeks.


----------



## Slioch (2 Feb 2019)

I may have mentioned this before, but........I.....HATE....WRAPPING....BARTAPE 

I was starting to find riding on the drops on my touring bike uncomfortable, so changed the bars to a set of Nitto Randonneur Touring bars purchased from PlanetX, so we'll see how that goes.

So...
Old bars removed and new bars installed.
Brake and gear cables swapped for new.
Bartape replaced (grrr).


----------



## Heltor Chasca (2 Feb 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> My birthday is coming up in three weeks.



Mine too. 25th of Feb. Thanks


----------



## Heltor Chasca (2 Feb 2019)

Slioch said:


> I may have mentioned this before, but........I.....HATE....WRAPPING....BARTAPE
> 
> I was starting to find riding on the drops on my touring bike uncomfortable, so changed the bars to a set of Nitto Randonneur Touring bars purchased from PlanetX, so we'll see how that goes.
> 
> ...



Love it me. Anal. Totally anal. (Wrapping bar tape that is) Send it round.


----------



## Slioch (2 Feb 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Love it me. Anal. Totally anal. (Wrapping bar tape that is) Send it round.



I think that's my problem too.
Today's faux pas was to wrap the tape to the end, it looked about right, so I cut off the excess length.
Then, when I rolled back the brake lever hood cover, there was about half a cm of bare aluminium still showing.
So I had to unwrap back to the brake lever, put an extra wrap in there, and as I had already cut the tape it left me a little bit short on the finish despite trying to stretch it out a bit more.
I think I've disguised it with insultation tape, but I suspect it's going to slowly drive me nuts and I'll have to buy a new roll of bartape to do the job properly.
As you say, Anal! (good job there's not a smiley for this)


----------



## Salty seadog (2 Feb 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Mine too. 25th of Feb. Thanks



26th for me.


----------



## Jenkins (2 Feb 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Mine too. 25th of Feb. Thanks





Salty seadog said:


> 26th for me.


I'm ahead of you two - next Friday. And I'm closer .


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Feb 2019)

Jenkins said:


> I'm ahead of you two - next Friday. And I'm closer .


----------



## Salty seadog (2 Feb 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Mine too. 25th of Feb. Thanks





Salty seadog said:


> 26th for me.





Jenkins said:


> I'm ahead of you two - next Friday. And I'm closer .



Ok , form an orderly queue. @JhnBssll can service our bikes one at a time.


----------



## Reynard (2 Feb 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Ok , form an orderly queue. @JhnBssll can service our bikes one at a time.



In that case, I've got a fair wait. My birthday's not till March.  On the other hand, I'm probably reasonably local...


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Feb 2019)

I'm going to need a bigger garage


----------



## Salty seadog (2 Feb 2019)

Reynard said:


> In that case, I've got a fair wait. My birthday's not till March.  On the other hand, I'm probably reasonably local...




Wait your turn little lady.


----------



## Reynard (2 Feb 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Wait your turn little lady.



Alas, alack, I am sore wounded...  To be accused of queue jumping indeed...


----------



## Salty seadog (2 Feb 2019)

Reynard said:


> Alas, alack, I am sore wounded...  To be accused of queue jumping indeed...




And being little. 'tis the end. Alas poor Reynard, she shopped so well.


----------



## Reynard (2 Feb 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> And being little. 'tis the end. Alas poor Reynard, she shopped so well.



So long as men can breathe and eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to me! 

I'm off yellow stickering tomorrow


----------



## Pale Rider (3 Feb 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> It's my mums birthday in a few weeks and as a present this year I've offered to service her bicycle and upgrade the tyres. She has had the bike for several years now but it has hardly been used; she states the reason for this as "the tyres are always flat". They put it in to a local bike shop a few years back who charged a small fortune to service the bike and replace the inner tubes with ones that "dont go flat" - ie magic inner tubes - and unsuprisingly were dissappointed with the results  Anyway I picked the bike up last night and set to work on it this morning. It was in a bit of a state having been left unloved in the shed for a few years but has cleaned up rather nicely and is now in fine fettle. I've just measured the rims and ordered a pair of Tannus 700x40c solid tyres, once they arrive I'll wrestle them on to the rims, give it a test ride and drive it back over to her
> 
> View attachment 450260
> View attachment 450259
> ...



I'm curious to know how you will get on fitting Tannus tyres.

My local bike shop is a dealer.

I think they use a special pair of pliers, although that may be just to speed the job up a bit.


----------



## fossyant (3 Feb 2019)

Fair bit of cleaning after yesterdays ride - decided to re-grease the jockey wheels on my SRAM x9 mech. Quick job, but it needs doing regular as SRAM jockeys can seize as they run on a cartridge bearing. 

My OCD had me replacing one of the studs on my ice tyres, the spares I had were the flat top type, but the ice spikers had 'pointy' ones. When I first got the tyres, I'd lost a stud, so fitted the spares. Since then, I've ordered the 'pointy' ones. Prized the old stud out with a screwdriver, then promptly 'slipped' and shoved the blade through my index finger. Bled a fair bit and took a good hour to stop - cold fingers and bike mechanics aren't a good mix.


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Feb 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> I'm curious to know how you will get on fitting Tannus tyres.
> 
> My local bike shop is a dealer.
> 
> I think they use a special pair of pliers, although that may be just to speed the job up a bit.



I'm also curious, I watched a few tutorials and saw the special pliers at work - I'm hoping I've got enough random tools in the garage to bodge together a makeshift tool if the going gets tough  I see you can buy them for ~£20 but thats more than I'd want to spend on a single use tool - I'm not likely to fit another set anytime soon and I doubt my mother will ride the bike anywhere near enough to wear them out 

One way or another I'll let you know how I get on later in the week


----------



## JhnBssll (3 Feb 2019)

It was pointed out to be again recently that the bar end plugs of the Bianchi are different colours, even after I'd sprayed the Di2 junction box bezel orange to match the hope one on the other side. The junction box itself is still black, and the hope bolt is silver, so they still looked different...







Anyway, I accidentally came across some game changing information the other day; the Hope bar end plugs (Grip Doctor) use the same custom bolt as the headset cap (Head Doctor) which are of course available in all the lovely Hope colours. A quick search found Leisure Lakes had them on sale for 3 quid each and it was a done deal - 2 bolts on their way to me  They arrived earlier in the week and I just found them and decided to pop them in, hopefully this should stop the OCD from myself and others


----------



## Jenkins (3 Feb 2019)

I've had a pair of Raceblade Pro XLs sitting in their packaging in my shed for a few months and finally got round to setting them up for use on the Giant flatbar this morning.


----------



## DCLane (3 Feb 2019)

Re-fitted my 14yo's stem on his Boardman AirPro with longer stem bolts after his bars slipped on a training ride today.

Then had a look at the Dawes Galaxy I bought last week:


Cleaned and lubricated. I don't think it's been used in a while
Removed and re-greased the seatpost
The front derailleur wouldn't hold - shifter was loose so tightened and works fine
Rear derailleur also tightened
The cranks still seem 'sticky', so the next job is to have a look at the bottom bracket
Also needs new bar tape (to be removed) and a better saddle (on order)


----------



## BSOh (3 Feb 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> I'm curious to know how you will get on fitting Tannus tyres.
> 
> My local bike shop is a dealer.
> 
> I think they use a special pair of pliers, although that may be just to speed the job up a bit.





JhnBssll said:


> I'm also curious, I watched a few tutorials and saw the special pliers at work - I'm hoping I've got enough random tools in the garage to bodge together a makeshift tool if the going gets tough  I see you can buy them for ~£20 but thats more than I'd want to spend on a single use tool - I'm not likely to fit another set anytime soon and I doubt my mother will ride the bike anywhere near enough to wear them out
> 
> One way or another I'll let you know how I get on later in the week



I fitted a pair last year and was absolutely dreading it after reading online how torturous some had found it. But they went on with no hassle in an hour or so. I say no hassle i.e. Bothinv went wrong, but they are a bit of a fiddle. Slow, steady, and a full mug of tea is my recommendation 

Edit: nothing not bothinv!


----------



## dave r (4 Feb 2019)

A minor fettle for me today, I'd noticed recent rides had been slow and hard, I realized yesterday my rear mudguard had become clogged, so I had the rear wheel out this morning and cleared a couple of pounds of dirt out from under the mudguard. Whilst I was at it I had a look at the bottom bracket, it runs free and smooth with no play, but rumbles like a good un, looks like I'll be changing it sometime soon. I also did the usual checks, tyres and brakes.


----------



## derrick (4 Feb 2019)

All i have done over the last couple of days, is take peoples pedals off there bikes ready to be transported to Calpe.


----------



## chriswoody (4 Feb 2019)

Having brought the Super Galaxy out of semi retirement and pounding the plentiful forest tracks around here, I decided that it was about time I caught up with the maintenance that's been slipping over the last years. Firstly I purchased the headset spanner that I've been threatening to buy for the last twenty years and tightened the headset up. 






With that done I turned my attention to fitting a new large chainring, the old one had lost some teeth at some point as well as looking decidedly worn. 






Then it was on to the tedious job of fettling the twenty five year old cantilever brakes. I discovered a few years back that the bosses on the fork blades are far closer than on a modern bike, so there will never be the chance to upgrade to anything other than these old canti's. So no excuse, but keep them fettled and in good nick. When done properly though, the stopping power easily rivals more modern systems. It's just a pain to get right. There was also a myriad small jobs as well, but I'm looking forward to cycling some more gravel roads now that the bike is back in tip top condition.


----------



## HLaB (4 Feb 2019)

I don't know if it techically counts as a fettle but I gave my commuter a mechanical clean (wiped the frame but didn't give it a deep clean I don't want it to be too desirable).


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Feb 2019)

HLaB said:


> I don't know if it techically counts as a fettle but I gave my commuter a mechanical clean (wiped the frame but didn't give it a deep clean I don't want it to be too desirable).



But of course it counts, this is the most important fettle of all


----------



## albal (6 Feb 2019)

Have a stronglight triple chainset, x1 ring removed as I run x2 shimano hydraulic shifters. 46-30 if anyone interested . Do plenty of Bikepacking so need bottom end gearing. 
Didn't like silver so painted them black.


----------



## DCLane (6 Feb 2019)

Ended up using the Olmo Rigel I've got stored at work as my Eastway had a flat when I went to pick it up - I'll fix that tomorrow.

So ... the Olmo got new black bar tape and a Selle Italia Canard saddle. It's now ready for sale in the Spring and I'll put it back into storage in the morning.


----------



## JhnBssll (6 Feb 2019)

This evening was Tannus time  I got home from work and there was a parcel waiting for me - I was rather expecting it to be larger, I hadn't realised they shipped coiled like this...






I emptied the contents out on to the table for a quick look, no surprises as I'd watched a few installation videos and read up on what to expect. The instructions were quite clear and my first impression was that it was a good kit and everything felt pretty good quality wise.






The first step of installation is to work out which of the clips to use. Mums rims were 20mm internal width and the instructions stated to use the clips that were 3.5mm larger than this so I went for the red 23.5mm jobbies  These just poke in to the holes, I pushed them in a few mm by hand and then the rest of the way carefully with pliers as they were a fairly tight fit.






The next step once they're all in is to get the tyre on to the rim. This bit is best described as mud wrestling a boa constrictor with one arm tied behind your back. After a couple of failed attempts following the instructions I went rogue - I squished the tire in to the rim adjacent to the (now redundant) valve hole and clipped two of the clips in with the lever tool provided. I then work around the rim from one side of these clips, stretching the tyre on by hand. This was possible about two thirds of the way around, by which point the tyres get too tight to budge. So out came the lever tool again - one hand holding the tyre on to the rim, the other levering the next bit of tyre on to the rim. Bit by bit I worked my way around until the whole tyre was mounted, after which it was just a case of using the tool to pop the clips in on the other side...






One thing to note is after popping all the clips in on the other side I checked the first side and several had not seated properly. These were visible between tyre and rim, so I went around both sides of the tyre again a few times ensuring both sides of every clip were properly popped in to place.






The second tyre took less time than the first as I'd learnt a few tricks - I think I had it all done and the wheels back on within 45 minutes so not the nightmare it could have been but it was pretty tough on the arms and fingers, I feel like I've had a good workout now 






With it all done I made some slight adjustments to the brakes and mudguards and then dropped it back round to mother - she seems quite pleased with my handiwork, you never know she may even ride it one day 

Oh, I should also mention I rode it around the block a few times before I delivered it back - they feel fine at low speed, I doubt she'll even notice a difference. I was pleasantly surprised with how compliant they feel, plus plenty of grip on the wet tarmac I rode it around on


----------



## overmind (7 Feb 2019)

I need to tighten the BB cup-cone bearings on my work bike tonight. I had the replace the lock ring about 1 month ago and the replacement needs a minor adjustment.

That got me wondering. If I had a modern bike with something like a Hollowtech BB (which wore out) would be it possible to replace it with an old fashioned cup-and-cone or is the spec completely different?


----------



## raleighnut (7 Feb 2019)

overmind said:


> I need to tighten the BB cup-cone bearings on my work bike tonight. I had the replace the lock ring about 1 month ago and the replacement needs a minor adjustment.
> 
> That got me wondering. If I had a modern bike with something like a Hollowtech BB (which wore out) would be it possible to replace it with an old fashioned cup-and-cone or is the spec completely different?


If you've got a threaded BB it's the same.


----------



## C R (7 Feb 2019)

raleighnut said:


> If you've got a threaded BB it's the same.


But can you get hollowtech spindles to go with cup and cone? Wouldn't you have to go for square taper, which would require a new chainset?


----------



## raleighnut (7 Feb 2019)

C R said:


> But can you get hollowtech spindles to go with cup and cone? Wouldn't you have to go for square taper, which would require a new chainset?


File the spindle down to fit. 

I'd assumed @overmind was talking of replacing a *worn out* crank with a different type.


----------



## C R (7 Feb 2019)

raleighnut said:


> File the spindle down to fit.
> 
> I'd assumed @overmind was talking of replacing a *worn out* crank with a different type.


I assumed he meant worn out bb, but it could be the crank.


----------



## overmind (7 Feb 2019)

C R said:


> I assumed he meant worn out bb, but it could be the crank.



Yes, I meant worn out bb. That is a good point though. Of course the crank would not fit (Doh!)

The idea would be to put a square taper spindle in the BB with cup-and-cone bearings. But of course, I would need cranks/chainset that were square taper to fit this (I had not thought of that).

I suppose the question was. Would the shell of the BB that the hollowtech was fitted to have threads to fit a square taper fixed and adjustable cups. I think the answer probably depends on the bike.

A second related question would be. Do you think square taper BB's will disappear?


----------



## raleighnut (7 Feb 2019)

overmind said:


> Yes, I meant worn out bb. That is a good point though. Of course the crank would not fit (Doh!)
> 
> The idea would be to put a square taper spindle in the BB with cup-and-cone bearings. But of course, I would need cranks/chainset that were square taper to fit this (I had not thought of that).
> 
> ...


In reply to the 2nd question I think not however I think it'll become more difficult to get high quality ones, much like the adjustable spindles are now of woeful quality compared to older ones.


----------



## C R (7 Feb 2019)

overmind said:


> I suppose the question was. Would the shell of the BB that the hollowtech was fitted to have threads to fit a square taper fixed and adjustable cups. I think the answer probably depends on the bike.


I am pretty sure that the theads in modern threaded shells are standard. As usual, a quick check with Sheldon should clarify any doubts.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (8 Feb 2019)

Have just sprayed bits that can rust with ACF50. I hate rusty bits.


----------



## Slioch (8 Feb 2019)

overmind said:


> I suppose the question was. Would the shell of the BB that the hollowtech was fitted to have threads to fit a square taper fixed and adjustable cups. I think the answer probably depends on the bike.



I swapped a square taper BB for a Hollowtech one on my Carrera Virtuoso a couple of years ago and the threads were the same size, so imagine doing the reverse is also true.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (8 Feb 2019)

Flappy Friday everyone.

Shod my tourer with sensible flaps. But not too sensible.


----------



## JhnBssll (8 Feb 2019)

I had a quick fettle this afternoon. Purple Ti disc bolts arrived for the new wheels I'm building so I popped them half in to check threads and colour match, pretty pleased with them. The discs are my existing black hope jobbies so should break the colour up nicely 







Then I re-wrapped the bars on the commuter - the existing tape had shifted slightly and was getting a bit manky in places. Not my best effort but good enough  I think it looks ace none the less  Now I'm typing this I've realised I forgot to pop the seat up a few mm which I keep meaning to do when I'm next in the garage, D'oh! Maybe next time...


----------



## Pale Rider (8 Feb 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Flappy Friday everyone.
> 
> Shod my tourer with sensible flaps. But not too sensible.
> 
> ...



Good job.

You will be pleased with the front flap.

Anyone riding behind you will be pleased with the rear one.


----------



## DCLane (12 Feb 2019)

Gatorskin tubs removed (eventually  ) from my son's new 3T Mercurio 60 race wheels. The new GP4000S tubs can be stretched and fitted now ready for the race season. A tub (from somewhere) also needs to be fitted to his back-up wheelset.

Cleaned and lubricated the Eastway R4.0.

Cleaned and got the Dawes Galaxy I picked up all working, including unsticky-ing the crank, wheel polishing, fitting new bar tape and a decent saddle:


----------



## overmind (12 Feb 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> This evening was Tannus time  I got home from work and there was a parcel waiting for me - I was rather expecting it to be larger, I hadn't realised they shipped coiled like this...



How do Tannus tyres compare to Marathon+ (both Pricewise and Qualitywise)?


----------



## overmind (12 Feb 2019)

DCLane said:


> Gatorskin tubs removed (eventually  ) from my son's new 3T Mercurio race wheels. The new GP4000S tubs can be stretched and fitted now ready for the race season. A tub (from somewhere) also needs to be fitted to his back-up wheelset.
> 
> Cleaned and lubricated the Eastway R4.0.
> 
> Cleaned and got the Dawes Galaxy I picked up all working, including unsticky-ing the crank, fitting new bar tape and a decent saddle:



Nice. Are those clipless pedals (on the Dawes pictured above)?

What do you do with all the bikes you fix up? Do you ride them around for a bit and then sell them on?


----------



## DCLane (12 Feb 2019)

overmind said:


> Nice. Are those clipless pedals (on the Dawes pictured above)?
> 
> What do you do with all the bikes you fix up? Do you ride them around for a bit and then sell them on?



Yes- I popped them on as it came "with no peddles". 

Some of the bikes I keep (Principia, Raleigh Sports) but most I sell on fairly quickly. I must get about 8-10 a year road-worthy with any profit made put back into my own bikes. 

I like the idea of getting old, unloved bikes back into use once more.


----------



## overmind (12 Feb 2019)

DCLane said:


> I like the idea of getting old, unloved bikes back into use once more.



Yes, me too. Agree 100%.


----------



## DCLane (13 Feb 2019)

Simple for some, stressful for me: my 14yo and myself shortened his track chain today on his Langdale track bike, eliminating the quick link in the process which we're both happier with.


----------



## CXRAndy (14 Feb 2019)

Ive got a Genesis Day One from 2018, bargain. I like the bike, but I always like to improve or adapt. 

So to make it more like the higher end Day One models but with better equipment, I've added a Topeak touring rack and MTX Topeak pannier bag. Also I've just received dynamo lights and full Di2 hydraulic disc brake set to replace the cable pull brakes. Di2 because, I like the small hoods and If I want to go Alfine I'll do it with a Di2 hub. Front wheel will be re-laced for the Shimano disc hub.


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## palinurus (17 Feb 2019)

Front (hub) brake on my Elephant bike had started sticking very badly. No experience with hub brakes outside of using them but decided to take it apart and have a look.

Firstly, it comes apart very easily! secondly: as soon as I looked inside I realised it was very simple mechanically. Tiniest dab on oil on the pivot, reassemble and it's lovely again. Took about 15 minutes.

Cleaned the outside of the hub a bit too, seemed to be growing a bit of moss!


----------



## palinurus (17 Feb 2019)

I've gone from being totally ignorant to feeling like a leading world authority on hub brakes in a single morning.


----------



## dave r (17 Feb 2019)

A little fettle for me this evening, bottom bracket on my fixed was as rough as a badgers a**e, and by the time I'd got its replacement was showing free play so changed it and had a bit of a clean up whilst I was doing it.


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## mgs315 (17 Feb 2019)

Got round to re-lubing the chain on the commuter as I’ve decided to take it away with me whilst on business for a few rides up Birmingham way.

As I’ve not ridden it for a month (due to working nights over a large area) or bothered to clean it at all the damn thing wouldn’t even bend/straighten round the cogs. Oops. All fixed now.


----------



## ColinJ (18 Feb 2019)

A friend needed 2 new tyres on her bike. She bought them last year just as winter was approaching but they got put to one side until today when the bike was brought out of hibernation. She had never fitted tyres before so I showed her what to do and kept an eye on progress. 

Luckily, the tyres went on fairly easily. (I explained that there are some combinations of rim and tyre that can be really tight. I had one such evil combination which almost defeated me once, sitting knackered and sweating at the side of a Spanish mountain road on a blazing hot day - I think it took me about 40 minutes to get that tyre back on!)

Anyway - the new tyres look pretty good. I'd ordered slightly bigger ones than she had on before (1.75" rather than 1.5" because she had been complaining about the bumpiness of some of the surfaces we'd ridden on last year). The bike had been my first mountain bike - an old non-suspension Orange which is way too small for me so I'd given it to her after putting a rack and semi-slick tyres on it.

We rode the (Morecambe) Bay Way together in 2017 and had a week in Wales last year. We'll try and make time for another cycling break this year so it is good to get the bike ready for action. (I noticed a bit of a rumble from the rear wheel bearings and the transmission looks like it could do with some TLC too, so it looks like I will be offering workshop facilities again soon.)


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## mikeymustard (18 Feb 2019)

ColinJ said:


> A friend needed 2 new tyres on her bike. She bought them last year just as winter was approaching but they got put to one side until today when the bike was brought out of hibernation. She had never fitted tyres before so I showed her what to do and kept an eye on progress.
> 
> Luckily, the tyres went on fairly easily. (I explained that there are some combinations of rim and tyre that can be really tight. I had one such evil combination which almost defeated me once, sitting knackered and sweating at the side of a Spanish mountain road on a blazing hot day - I think it took me about 40 minutes to get that tyre back on!)
> 
> ...


Are you just boasting that you have a friend who's a girl?


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## mikeymustard (18 Feb 2019)

On Friday I replaced my Brooks Swallow saddle for a B17 - I've been struggling with it recently, While I was at it I raised the seatpost by 3 or 4mm. Yesterday on my (5 minute) commute I felt like I was having certain delicate undercarriage parts squished. I couldn't work out why a couple of mil should cause this. but I woke up this morning with the realisation that the B17 is considerably higher than the swallow!


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## raleighnut (18 Feb 2019)

mikeymustard said:


> On Friday I replaced my Brooks Swallow saddle for a B17 - I've been struggling with it recently, While I was at it I raised the seatpost by 3 or 4mm. Yesterday on my (5 minute) commute I felt like I was having certain delicate undercarriage parts squished. I couldn't work out why a couple of mil should cause this. but I woke up this morning with the realisation that the B17 is considerably higher than the swallow!


Wider too.


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## ColinJ (18 Feb 2019)

mikeymustard said:


> Are you just boasting that you have a friend who's a girl?


I've got _several_! 

(We are dealing with small numbers here, but my female friends currently outnumber the male ones. Mind you, I have a lot of CycleChat cycling pals and the men do significantly outnumber the women.)

As for fettling ....

At the start of January:



ColinJ said:


> I went to do up one of the velcro straps on the left shoe before setting out on my ride yesterday but the tab through which the strap passes just tore off the shoe.
> 
> View attachment 445594
> 
> ...


That repair IS lasting but a similar thing happened to the other shoe today so I did a cable tie repair on that one too!


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## HLaB (18 Feb 2019)

Bizarrely my bike has been shifting well up until the weekend. When on Saturday it got stuck in the big ring got home and it shifted fine again without any fettling. Then on Sunday after about 50 miles it got stuck in the wee ring. When I got home I tightened the cable but it was still stuck. Then I googled the new type derailleur. Tightening wont help you need to fettle the independent limit screws / bolts


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## Levo-Lon (18 Feb 2019)

Made the new bike tubeless, all of 20 mins..


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## Sheffield_Tiger (18 Feb 2019)

Put a new Woods valve in this heavy but very shiny beauty from 1993 (now sold)


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## derrick (19 Feb 2019)

New mech hanger on a friends bike. Pedals put back on my wifes and mine.


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## mikeymustard (19 Feb 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Wider too.


coming to work this afto was like riding on a mattress filled with fluff and bubbles (what SWMBO says my head is full of)!
I dunno why the swallow started causing me trouble, it felt like I was trapping a nerve or similar


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## raleighnut (19 Feb 2019)

mikeymustard said:


> coming to work this afto was like riding on a mattress filled with fluff and bubbles (what SWMBO says my head is full of)!
> I dunno why the swallow started causing me trouble, it felt like I was trapping a nerve or similar


TBH my Swallow is not my favourite Brooks but then neither is my B17. Top of my list is my B17n (narrow) followed by my B5n and the Swift in joint 2nd.

The Swallow is worth the most though being the 1st iteration of the Limited Edition Titanium models with a numbered 'Certificate of Authenticity' matching the number 'branded' on to the underside. I got it in a sale when 'The Bike Park' in Leicester changed operators.


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## mikeymustard (20 Feb 2019)

raleighnut said:


> TBH my Swallow is not my favourite Brooks but then neither is my B17. Top of my list is my B17n (narrow) followed by my B5n and the Swift in joint 2nd.
> 
> The Swallow is worth the most though being the 1st iteration of the Limited Edition Titanium models with a numbered 'Certificate of Authenticity' matching the number 'branded' on to the underside. I got it in a sale when 'The Bike Park' in Leicester changed operators.
> 
> View attachment 453453


I have a B17 on my Raleigh Triathlon and find it v.comfy on there. The Equilibrium has a slightly lower front end so it may yet turn out to be a little on the wide side! 
I also have a couple of B17n's, the one is now on SWMBO's flat-barred bike (she was complaining the width of the saddle was reminding her of childbirth anyway ), and the other, someone has tried to lighten by cutting its frame at the rear so there aren't any bag loops on. I've got a B5N which I like, but that's currently on my Raleigh Pro Am, and I also have a Professional, which if they'd made out of wood, couldn't be any harder!


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## Rickshaw Phil (20 Feb 2019)

Finished off fettling @gavgav's bike today which has been rather more drawn out than hoped. On the last ride he did on it he got a grinding noise from the rear disc brake which, when I was able to check, turned out to be the pads having worn down to the metal. I went over to try replacing the pads but it turned out the one caliper piston was seized so I ordered up a new cailper and picked up the bike a few days later.

Caliper went on fine and bleeding is so easy with the proper Shimano tool. Checked disc for thickness and found it's at 1.4mm (minimum is 1.5mm). Drat. The original disc seems to be out of stock everywhere and I suspect it may have been discontinued so I've got hold of a Deore spec one instead.

All fitted. Works nicely on the stand. Could do with a road test when it stops raining.

Edit: Just done a short road test. Brake works well - will be even better when it's bedded in. Also did a tweak of the gears and fixed a really annoying rattle.


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## chriswoody (20 Feb 2019)

It's half term this week, so I decided that it was about time that I lavished some care and attention on my much neglected folding bike that I use for my daily commute. It's a lovely simple bike, with only a single speed transmission and a coaster brake on the rear. Despite it's simplicity, after nearly three years of faultless commuting with minimal attention, the drive train is feeling distinctly rough and making some interesting noises. 

So the first order of the day was to remove the rear wheel and strip the hub down. I laid everything out in order, to help with reassembly later. 






Then I gave everything a good clean, before packing it all with new grease and reassembling. 






The chain and sprockets were all in good condition so they where just cleaned and oiled, however I stuck a new Bottom Bracket in there. 






So with those jobs done, the rest of the bike was given a good scrub and everything reassembled. The front brake was adjusted, the hinge oiled and all the other nuts checked for tightness. Then it was ready for several more years of hopefully, trouble free, commuting duty.


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## gavgav (20 Feb 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Finished off fettling @gavgav's bike today which has been rather more drawn out than hoped. On the last ride he did on it he got a grinding noise from the rear disc brake which, when I was able to check, turned out to be the pads having worn down to the metal. I went over to try replacing the pads but it turned out the one caliper piston was seized so I ordered up a new cailper and picked up the bike a few days later.
> 
> Caliper went on fine and bleeding is so easy with the proper Shimano tool. Checked disc for thickness and found it's at 1.4mm (minimum is 1.5mm). Drat. The original disc seems to be out of stock everywhere and I suspect it may have been discontinued so I've got hold of a Deore spec one instead.
> 
> ...


Thanks!!! Good work on the rattle as well


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## raleighnut (20 Feb 2019)

chriswoody said:


> It's half term this week, so I decided that it was about time that I lavished some care and attention on my much neglected folding bike that I use for my daily commute. It's a lovely simple bike, with only a single speed transmission and a coaster brake on the rear. Despite it's simplicity, after nearly three years of faultless commuting with minimal attention, the drive train is feeling distinctly rough and making some interesting noises.
> 
> So the first order of the day was to remove the rear wheel and strip the hub down. I laid everything out in order, to help with reassembly later.
> 
> ...



I'd say that rear sprocket was knackered but it'll still mesh with the worn chain.


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## Gravity Aided (21 Feb 2019)

I got some Cateye HRM watches and a speedometer, got all of them working and updated, now have to sort the accessories, including a little stand with which you can attach the watch to the bicycle to get wired speedometer function.


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## chriswoody (21 Feb 2019)

raleighnut said:


> I'd say that rear sprocket was knackered but it'll still mesh with the worn chain.



It looks worse in the photos than in real life. In the first photo it's still covered in gunk and gives the impression of hooked teeth. That said, it's definitely approaching the end of it's life, however, as you say it's still meshing with the chain so that will do me!


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## Gravity Aided (21 Feb 2019)

Sometimes you gotta roll what you got.


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## CXRAndy (21 Feb 2019)

Finished my Shimano dynamo hub setup,. wired up and tested. I applied a good dollop of die electric grease on the hub connection to prevent moisture and water spoiling the terminal. Heat shrink sections of wiring to give a little extra protection, used insulation tape to hide cable behind rack and along side rear brake hose .

I ll inject 70 mil of sealant into inner tubes so i can forget about punctures, well almost


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## Boon 51 (21 Feb 2019)

Removal of rear wheel for cleaning.


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## DCLane (21 Feb 2019)

This evening I've been mostly fitting tubs: my son's 3T Mercurio 60mm race wheels got a pair of GP4000s tubs and his backup Novatec Chinese 60mm wheels got a mixed pair of Tufo and GP4000s as that was all I had left.

Jantex 14 tape is lovely to use (on the 3T pair) and standard Jantex tape is a pain by comparison (on the Novatec pair)


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## Vantage (22 Feb 2019)

I fitted one of the two remaining cateye bm300 mirrors yesterday. The one on the bike was snapped thanks to an incident with a big heavy bus following 2 feet from my back tyre which scared the sh&& out of me causing me to fall off.


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## si_c (22 Feb 2019)

Removed the V-Brakes from my MTB and put a set of disc brakes on. Was the most cost effective as a new set of levers to replace the damaged and bent old ones would have been about £5 more expensive than a full set of hydraulics.


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## confusedcyclist (22 Feb 2019)

Well, it's positively scorching outside and it's only 22nd Feb. Looked down at my studded tyres on the commute home yesterday and have to question why I have still got them on. No doubt as soon as I take them off we will have 5 feet of snow courtesy of another beast from the east, so I'm not taking them off just yet... tempting as it is.


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## delb0y (22 Feb 2019)

I've put mudguards on the Toughroad. A few times this winter I've come home plastered, and the bike has been getting equally mucky. So I bit the bullet and bought the widest SKS Chromos I could find (on account of the bike has 40mm tyres). The fitting was a bit Heath Robinson as the bike doesn't seem designed to have mudguards. But it's all done now. Right, when's winter?


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## Hugh Manatee (22 Feb 2019)

Happiness is a clean cassette:







Nine of Campagnolo's finest.


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## derrick (22 Feb 2019)

Upgraded to Dura ace brakes on one of my bikes. They look the dogs. Will find out Saturday if they feel any better than the Ultegra.


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## Hugh Manatee (23 Feb 2019)

Another day, another bike. I was giving my Winter bike it's biannual wash and the cassette was so filthy I decided to take it off to clean:






After that was done, I gave the axle a turn and it felt pretty nasty too. Out it came:






Taking the cassette body out to find an errant bearing! Of course I dropped one. It is the law. Could I find the damned thing? I gave up in the end and when I hauled myself to the vertical, I found it stuck to my hand!

I'll post an 'after' shot if I get it all back together!


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## derrick (23 Feb 2019)

Dura ace brakes feel just like Ultegra no difference in braking power. But the weight saving really helped on the hills.


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## DCLane (23 Feb 2019)

Set up son's race bike with cassettes on both sets of wheels, then fitted carbon pads to his Cervelo S3 as he's moved to carbon wheels. He did a 'shakedown test' ride of the final new build afterwards and all's good for his first race next week.

T-cut and polished the Raleigh Sports, with some adjustments during a test ride on the Hammerstones circuit in Elland: https://www.strava.com/activities/2169341971 
It's not quick but rolls fine - not bad for a 69 year-old bike.

Removed the tub from a track wheel - it's getting a Tufo and I'll have a 50mm carbon front / disc rear on my track bike. Swapped some track wheels about.

Then I had a sort out of the cassettes I've got spare; cleaned, boxed and labelled. I've enough to last me a few months.


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## Gravity Aided (23 Feb 2019)

Diagnosed unknown race bike at the co-op, as the frame is not terrible, and fairly light aluminum, yet it has dire and outmoded BB and groupset on it, I'm figuring generic origins. We may, if a chain fits, make it a single speed, but it has vertical drop outs, so if the chain doesn't fit, we've got problems.


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## NorthernDave (24 Feb 2019)

Degreased and relubed the chains on both the Giant and on the Carrera that lives on the turbo trainer.

Tried Muc-Off Dry Lube on the Carrera as it never leaves the house. Will see how that goes.


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## ColinJ (25 Feb 2019)

I got my best bike out of hibernation yesterday, ready for tomorrow's (hopefully) sunny metric century. I went for a little tour of the local hills and was enjoying riding a lightweight machine again - it is 4+ kgs lighter than my winter bike.

All went well until a steep descent back towards Todmorden. Up until that point in the ride I hadn't done any serious braking. This was 15% down to a tight bend and I could see gravel patches ahead of me. I pulled hard on the RH brake lever and instantly remembered that I had pretty much worn the front brake blocks out last autumn and had intended to replace them over the winter ... 

The levers pulled almost to the bars before I managed to slow down enough. 

So, today I set about fettling the front brakes.

A load of old blocks!







I remembered that I had several sets of spares so this should be a quick job.

A load of NEW blocks!





Hang on ... those are the wrong type. I have 2 different types of Campagnolo brakes and those blocks are for the OTHER type - damn!

Ah, but then I remembered that I had taken the brakes off an old bike when I turned it into a dedicated turbo machine. (Who needs brakes on a turbo trainer?) I must have put them somewhere safe. And I had - in an old biscuit tin in the corner of my work area, along with numerous other little bike bits. 

All I had to do was to transplant the brake shoes and put the new blocks in. Scrub that - the blocks in the other brake shoes were fine, so my spares can remain spare for now.

Old vs New






NB

Note the different lengths, shapes, and slot patterns
Yes, I can see that the old block had been a little low on the rim!
And yes, the photo is out of focus - I couldn't operate the touch-screen focus properly because I had a camera in one hand and the brake bits in the other. (I did try setting the focus with the tip of my nose, but that clearly was not very successful! )


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## Salty seadog (25 Feb 2019)

derrick said:


> Dura ace brakes feel just like Ultegra no difference in braking power. But the weight saving really helped on the hills.



Is that the weight saving in your wallet?


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## derrick (25 Feb 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Is that the weight saving in your wallet?


You have to support your LBS. Its part of the kids inheritance, They will not miss it.


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## Leaway2 (27 Feb 2019)

ColinJ said:


> View attachment 454685


Ah those would be "Original brake pads" made by Discobrake (.com)


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## Domus (27 Feb 2019)

Dyno wheel turned up from SJS, tyre and tube fitted, fitted to winter bike, spun the wheel and made electrickery. 

It be witchcraft 

Light should be here soon


----------



## Domus (28 Feb 2019)

Even more witchcraft.


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## JhnBssll (1 Mar 2019)

A partial fettle for me today. I popped the Roubaix in to the lbs last Friday to diagnose rear mech issues while I was working away and picked it up again today - I had bought and fitted a 'bargain' pair of R6870 Di2 mechs on eBay and the rear wouldn't shift in to the top two sprockets  Turns out it's knackered so it's going back to the seller who has been very reasonable about it. I found a brand new one for not much more money at chain reaction so have ordered it for delivery tomorrow. I've also swapped the first of the levers for an older R785 unit which works electrically but I have run out of olives so can't connect the brake hose until tomorrow  I'll pop the other R785 lever on tomorrow hopefully when my olive stocks have been replenished  With mechs and shifters swapped tomorrow it will be all ready to sell when the time comes. The R8050/8070 bits that have come off are all cleaned up and ready to fit to the new frameset when I've chosen and ordered it 

Oh, and I took the opportunity to give it a polish with some Velo21 carnuba wax  I'm more than a little concerned I'm going to want to keep it...


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## JhnBssll (2 Mar 2019)

I've almost completed the fettle now - everything is installed, just some minor adjustments needed. The Di2 battery is dead so is currently charging - when I get back from dinner I'll check the firmware is all up to date and adjust the brake calipers as the new discs are rubbing slightly  It's all working beautifully, I shouldn't have any trouble selling it when the time comes 









I also cleaned the Bianchi after taking it out on the club ride this morning while the Roubaix was in bits


----------



## DCLane (2 Mar 2019)

Minor jobs; cleaned my 14yo's Carrera Tanneri winter commuter and my Wilier Montegrappa.

Then cleaned the paintwork and head badge plus mudguards on the 1950 Raleigh Sports with Autosol: standard polish didn't do anything. Finally, I re-painted the red parts of the Raleigh head badge - went over a couple of lines by a tiny bit so I'll clean that off once it's got tacky. It looks much better being shiny although any paint marks will stay.


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## JhnBssll (3 Mar 2019)

Firmware updated on both shifters and replacement discs trued, turns out the calipers were quite well centred afterall  I was due to take part in my second reliability ride of the year tomorrow but having looked at the weather forecast I might not bother, the first one was grim enough and this one is looking just as wet but with the added bonus of 30mph wind


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## Elybazza61 (3 Mar 2019)

New pads fitted on the Trek utility's rear mini v's and measurements done on the Robinson for the di2 cables.


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## JhnBssll (3 Mar 2019)

Cleaned, polished, lubed and re-indexed the commuter  None of which really needed doing but the SO is out with friends and I was at a loose end so 

I love this bike, it's potentially even my favourite which is a bit weird  If I had to keep two and get rid of the rest it would be this and the Stumpjumper I think...


----------



## tom73 (3 Mar 2019)

Quite like them too. Just no one has them near me


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## Jenkins (3 Mar 2019)

Chains cleaned & lubed on 6 bikes.
Gear changes adjusted on 3 of these by sorting out the play in the cables.
Gear changes on 4th bike (29er) required use of hanger adjustment tool & cable play sorting. This bike also needed a quick clean.
Swaped the casette on the 7th bike from 11-28 to 12-25 with the 11-28 going on to the spare wheel.
Nothing done on the 8th bike as it's only been ridden once this year, and that was in the dry.


----------



## Pale Rider (4 Mar 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Finished off fettling @gavgav's bike today which has been rather more drawn out than hoped. On the last ride he did on it he got a grinding noise from the rear disc brake which, when I was able to check, turned out to be the pads having worn down to the metal. I went over to try replacing the pads but it turned out the one caliper piston was seized so I ordered up a new cailper and picked up the bike a few days later.
> 
> Caliper went on fine and bleeding is so easy with the proper Shimano tool. Checked disc for thickness and found it's at 1.4mm (minimum is 1.5mm). Drat. The original disc seems to be out of stock everywhere and I suspect it may have been discontinued so I've got hold of a Deore spec one instead.
> 
> ...



The Shimano XT rear calliper on my bike seized after about 15 months/3,000 miles/a set of pads.

I was a bit disappointed given it is supposedly a premium component, and Shimano flat bar discs are usually reliable.

New one was £50, but it's supposedly upgraded.


----------



## dave r (4 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Cleaned, polished, lubed and re-indexed the commuter  None of which really needed doing but the SO is out with friends and I was at a loose end so
> 
> I love this bike, it's potentially even my favourite which is a bit weird  If I had to keep two and get rid of the rest it would be this and the Stumpjumper I think...
> 
> View attachment 455686



That does look nice


----------



## Pale Rider (4 Mar 2019)

Tubeless top up time for me - not something I was looking forward to.

Ebikes are heavy, the stuff is messy, and I only have a standard track pump, so bead resealing could have been a problem.

I've been tubeless for about 14 months, and I did do a 'through the valve' top up a while ago when I had a partial deflation incident.

That was the rear, which has always lost pressure faster than the front, so this time I needed to get the bead off for a proper look see.

There was no liquid sealer left inside the tyre.

It's a wonder it stayed up as well as it did.

I used Joe's this time, which is a lot runnier than the stuff I used previously.

The job went smoothly with only a few drips spilled.

Resealing the bead needed some aggressive track pumping, but didn't take much longer than an ordinary inflation.

I quit while I was ahead (and out of sealant) - the front can wait for another day.

Tubeless has been a success for me on the road - I was getting a few punctures, I've had none that have stopped me riding since.

But the rear losing pressure over time was irritating.

Hopefully today's king size dose of sealant will cure that.


----------



## Justinitus (4 Mar 2019)

Fitted the new Schwalbe G-One Allrounds (in 38mm flavour) to the Diverge, re-indexed the gears and adjusted both front and rear brake pads. Then it rained.... so no test ride 

Edit: Oh, and trued up both wheels


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## LeetleGreyCells (4 Mar 2019)

Yesterday’s ride found my brakes squealing every time I pulled the lever when I was halfway to my first stop. Both back and front brakes so I assumed I’d picked up a contaminant on the disc brake rotors. Didn’t have time to sort when I got back yesterday so today was the day.

Used disc brake-specific cleaner on the rotors and thoroughly cleaned both sides on both wheels. Removed brake pads and found a lot of dust on the pads so cleaned them up on some very fine sandpaper and got it all off. Refitted and tried brakes with no squeal. Brake cable tension was a little too loose so a quick tweak of the adjusters saw full stopping power.

I’m not happy with the brake pads. There was too much debris coming off the pads for my liking. I bought the bike second hand and I would say the pads have never been changed from factory fitting. Plus the bike looked like it had stood for a while before being sold. To be on the safe side, I’m going to order and fit new pads. I don’t want the current pads disintegrating and damaging the rotors when I next brake. Especially at speed!


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## Rickshaw Phil (4 Mar 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> The Shimano XT rear calliper on my bike seized after about 15 months/3,000 miles/a set of pads.
> 
> I was a bit disappointed given it is supposedly a premium component, and Shimano flat bar discs are usually reliable.
> 
> New one was £50, but it's supposedly upgraded.


The problem appears to be that water had got into the system and the caliper had corroded internally so that eventually the piston couldn't retract. I think that brake fluid changes are going to have to be at every service from now on to try and avoid it happening again


----------



## raleighnut (4 Mar 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> The problem appears to be that water had got into the system and the caliper had corroded internally so that eventually the piston couldn't retract. I think that brake fluid changes are going to have to be at every service from now on to try and avoid it happening again


Brake fluid is hygroscopic (It absorbs water) Maybe that's why some makers use mineral oil in their systems instead.


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## Rickshaw Phil (4 Mar 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Brake fluid is hygroscopic (It absorbs water) Maybe that's why some makers use mineral oil in their systems instead.


This is a mineral oil system. The only thing I can think is that the seals are better at keeping oil in than they are at keeping water out since there has not been any outward sign of fluid leaks anywhere in the system.


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## CXRAndy (5 Mar 2019)

Ive found Shimano calipers decent. I tend to see one piston is slower to move than the opposite, which will be internal friction/seal tightness. I had the same when I upgraded to Hope 4 pot calipers. 2 pistons were reluctant to move, so I held back the easy moving pistons and forced the others to move. A tiny pop from the pistons then they were moving freely. I guess it was how they were assembled and needed the seals to settle into position


----------



## Elybazza61 (5 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Cleaned, polished, lubed and re-indexed the commuter  None of which really needed doing but the SO is out with friends and I was at a loose end so
> 
> I love this bike, it's potentially even my favourite which is a bit weird  If I had to keep two and get rid of the rest it would be this and the Stumpjumper I think...
> 
> View attachment 455686



Pah! can't be any good no Di2 on it


----------



## derrick (5 Mar 2019)

Fitted aero drop bars on the bike yesterday, gave them a little tweak today raised the shifters up a bit, i find the top of the bars are so comfatable, as they are so flat, so it's a nice big area to put your hands on.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (7 Mar 2019)

Fitted my two new Schwalbe X-One Allround Evo tyres (700x33c) that come with fetching tan side walls  and EDC brake pads for Tektro Mira callipers front and back. Unfortunately, I can't test everything out as it's raining (a lot) . 

The bike is looking good . To finish it off, I just need lightweight bottle cages in orange (already sourced, but £10 each and I've already been told 'definitely not yet' by my better half).


----------



## DCLane (7 Mar 2019)

Cleaned my son's Boardman AirPro and my Raleigh Pioneer, although I need new brake pads for that so they're ordered. I've realised the brake pads are probably the originals - so I've had 750 miles riding on a pair of 23 year-old brake pads. Not bad value!

Then prepped by Ridgeback Platinum for tomorrow night's North Riding 300 audax. Still not sure about riding for various reasons but everything's ready.


----------



## Vantage (7 Mar 2019)

Rerouting the dynamo wiring along the downtube, I discovered this unsightly mess thanks to the Pletscher kickstand. 







Not a happy bunny


----------



## JhnBssll (7 Mar 2019)

Vantage said:


> Rerouting the dynamo wiring along the downtube, I discovered this unsightly mess thanks to the Pletscher kickstand.
> 
> View attachment 456418
> 
> ...



Eek, that's made a mess


----------



## raleighnut (8 Mar 2019)

Vantage said:


> Rerouting the dynamo wiring along the downtube, I discovered this unsightly mess thanks to the Pletscher kickstand.
> 
> View attachment 456418
> 
> ...


----------



## Vantage (8 Mar 2019)

I believe Pletscher deliberately make the weight bearing part of the stand dig into the bike in a crude attempt to prevent it slipping to stop the stays being crushed by overzealous idiots overtightening the clamp. 






Hence the raised ridges.


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## JhnBssll (8 Mar 2019)

Just re-bled the brakes on the Roubaix after swapping the shifters over last week. They were passable before but feel great now  Also swapped the black disc bolts on the commuter for blue ti jobbies  I also machined a mil or so off the side of the disc caliper and repainted it as it was catching on the spokes in certain conditions which isn't ideal


----------



## biggs682 (9 Mar 2019)

No fettling but I have made a banana loaf


----------



## tom73 (9 Mar 2019)

oh the old Be-Ro book always a good simple go to book.


----------



## CXRAndy (9 Mar 2019)

Fitted another saddle to my single speed. I put on my favourite type of saddle- ISM no nose cut out. I have these on all my bikes, no pressure or rubbing on my softer parts


----------



## fossyant (9 Mar 2019)

Iccle bodge to my GXP BB - the drive side cap keeps moving away from the bearing, so I used a bit cut out of a road tube to act as a spacer, to fit between the cap and the spider,


----------



## Shearwater Missile (9 Mar 2019)

Removed and cleaned chain wheels, cleaned chain and cassette, on the CB. Decided I could`nt stand another outing in the wind this week so a good day for cleaning.


----------



## JhnBssll (9 Mar 2019)

Put up a couple of banners to decorate the garage slightly


----------



## tom73 (9 Mar 2019)

You sure it's a garage and not a shrine


----------



## Illaveago (9 Mar 2019)

I bought a rather beaten up old pewter tankard at a jumble sale today. I thought that it would be fun trying to reshape it. 
I found that I could get most of the dents out by pressing them out with my fingers and thumbs. The first picture is how it looked after easing some of the dents out. The other dents which were a bit more difficult I used a wooden hammer handle to ease them out.
The final pictures show how it looked after a polish.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (10 Mar 2019)

Re-wrapped the bar tape on the Claude Butler, putting strips of old gel tape on the tops and into the hooks to make a more comfortable ride, hopefully. Incidentally, I use Cinelli gel tape and this is easy to unwrap and re-use. I think that as I get older comfort is more important especially over those hidden pot holes lurking in the puddles.


----------



## Sheffield_Tiger (10 Mar 2019)

I wondered why I bought in red plastic (sorry, "composite") bottle cages at work.....I found the answer today. Think it now needs a lime green mini-pump And I don't care if non-GPS computers are old hat...


----------



## Low Gear Guy (11 Mar 2019)

The refurbishment of the Specialized is now completed. Cables and rear shifter replaced, new tires and saddle and mudguards added. Alas I had to get the bottom bracket changed by the LBS as I was unable to shift the crank with the tools available.

Yesterdays trial run was challenging with two roads blocked by falen trees and a headwind that reduced me to the granny ring on the flat.


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## Shearwater Missile (11 Mar 2019)

I thought that I would share this with you. After several occasions when my chain jumped the chain rings, which was I thought perhaps of a poor gear change but more than likely coincided with a poor road surface I decided to do something about it. When I bought my Vitus it had a chain catcher already built in. Now I know that you can buy them but looked at how they worked. I used an old cycle light mounting bracket which had the same diameter as the seat tube. I then angled it so that is did`nt foul the inner chain ring. It works, simples ! The chain has not jumped off since. I dare say that others have made their own chain catchers as well so don`t want to infringe other copyrights !


----------



## DCLane (11 Mar 2019)

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa commuter because the Raleigh Pioneer only had 3 brake pads. Then ...

A new full set of brake pads arrived today for the Raleigh Pioneer; I _think_ the old ones were original so were 23 years old. And in need of changing. It's now got some nice Clarkes ones fitted. Total cost: £5 from Bankrupt Bike Parts.


----------



## Justinitus (12 Mar 2019)

Spent an enjoyable couple of hours devising and making a tablet holder for when I’m on the turbo trainer. I cobbled it together from some scraps of board leftover from when I did out the loft. I first mounted it to an old speaker stand but with the weight of the iPad it was a tad more unsteady than I’d have liked. So I took it off and used the clamp on my Lidl bike maintenance stand to hold it. Adjustable height/angle and rock solid! Me pleased


----------



## Shearwater Missile (12 Mar 2019)

I like it. It can always double for the sermons on Sunday ! Reminds me of a paper holder I once made for doing photographic printing.


----------



## Reynard (13 Mar 2019)

Cleaned Wiggy and oiled the drivetrain after being caught in that biblical rain yesterday.

Also have finally managed to trace the source of the annoying rattle when the chain's on the big ring up front.  Just need to work out how to fix it now...


----------



## Elybazza61 (14 Mar 2019)

Stripped down the Robinson and gave it a good clean in prep for a re-fresh;










And now have the Ultegra spec di2 hydro shifters on and plumbed in to the hoses (working fine but might give them a bleed to firm up the lever feel),bigger cassette and Ultegra RX rear mech on plus all the Di2 bits fitted;















And now on charge;






Just have to fettle cable position run(may move battery holder to down tube),fit new SKS Blumels mudguards and fit all the dynamo bits.

Also waiting on some single chainring bolts to fit Hope chainring as trying out a 1x11 set up first.


----------



## Elybazza61 (14 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Cleaned Wiggy and oiled the drivetrain after being caught in that biblical rain yesterday.
> 
> Also have finally managed to trace the source of the annoying rattle when the chain's on the big ring up front.  Just need to work out how to fix it now...



Chain rubbing? If so may just need a tweak on the cable adjuster .


----------



## Shearwater Missile (14 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Cleaned Wiggy and oiled the drivetrain after being caught in that biblical rain yesterday.
> 
> Also have finally managed to trace the source of the annoying rattle when the chain's on the big ring up front.  Just need to work out how to fix it now...


Not to do with `Trim` on the FD ? or possibly cable has slipped in the cable clamp. I had this happen on the rear deraileur.


----------



## Reynard (14 Mar 2019)

Chain is rubbing on the outside of the FD cage, @Elybazza61 & @Shearwater Missile 

Do I have another go at adjusting the cable tension, or do I need to tweak the position of the FD? (FWIW I'm running Claris 2400)


----------



## Vantage (15 Mar 2019)

It's worth a try. Don't forget to loosen the limit screw too though.


----------



## mikeymustard (15 Mar 2019)

Does the claris fd have a trim function? If the limit screws don't help then repositioning could be the answer. I had a 2300 a while back that I just couldn't get right but I put that down to it being a triple


----------



## Reynard (15 Mar 2019)

I don't know if it has a trim function... I guess there has to be a user / maintenance guide online somewhere.

(Slopes off to have a look.)


----------



## Shearwater Missile (15 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> I don't know if it has a trim function... I guess there has to be a user / maintenance guide online somewhere.
> 
> (Slopes off to have a look.)


I have both Sora and 105 and they both have trim so would think that Claris would too. The easiest way to check is once the FD has been clicked over to the large chain wheel (when it rubs) then try and click it again, it may be only a small click but would be enough to clear the cage. Another thing you can try if that does`nt make any difference is : Do as previously but this time see if you can move the front derailleur by gentle pulling th cable to it on the down tube. It it does`nt move anymore then I would say the limit screw needs adjusting. If the cable pulling does move it over more then the barrel adjuster needs adjusting. Hope this helps and you get sorted. Nothing worse than noise when you are cycling.


----------



## Reynard (15 Mar 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> I have both Sora and 105 and they both have trim so would think that Claris would too. The easiest way to check is once the FD has been clicked over to the large chain wheel (when it rubs) then try and click it again, it may be only a small click but would be enough to clear the cage. Another thing you can try if that does`nt make any difference is : Do as previously but this time see if you can move the front derailleur by gentle pulling th cable to it on the down tube. It it does`nt move anymore then I would say the limit screw needs adjusting. If the cable pulling does move it over more then the barrel adjuster needs adjusting. Hope this helps and you get sorted. Nothing worse than noise when you are cycling.



Thanks, I'll have a crack at that.


----------



## Elybazza61 (15 Mar 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> I have both Sora and 105 and they both have trim so would think that Claris would too. The easiest way to check is once the FD has been clicked over to the large chain wheel (when it rubs) then try and click it again, it may be only a small click but would be enough to clear the cage. Another thing you can try if that does`nt make any difference is : Do as previously but this time see if you can move the front derailleur by gentle pulling th cable to it on the down tube. It it does`nt move anymore then I would say the limit screw needs adjusting. If the cable pulling does move it over more then the barrel adjuster needs adjusting. Hope this helps and you get sorted. Nothing worse than noise when you are cycling.




What he said


----------



## Elybazza61 (15 Mar 2019)

More stuff on the Robinson in between gardening and shopping.

All cables tidied,chainset and chain on and working;just some tweaking to do but will have to wait until I'm back at work as I don't have a Windoze machine so can't set everything up here or do updates.

Plus front dynamo light on and working and front mudguard fitted although that still needs adjusting/tweaking.
















So still a few things to do but not far off now


----------



## roubaixtuesday (15 Mar 2019)

Replaced a bottom bracket for the first time evah, after several decades of cycling, always used lbs before. 

Like most jobs, easier doing it than thinking about it. Wondered what the point of the flimsy plastic tube in the middle is. 

Wholesale clean and fettle tomorrow as bike is beyond filthy after winter commuting, needs a chain replacement and discovered a broken spoke too.

Need to be ready for the vernal equinox now!


----------



## Reynard (15 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Thanks, I'll have a crack at that.



Bingo! 

The lever gave a fairly large click and the cage is now well away from the chain.

I feel like such a doofus... 

P.S. Hope these aren't famous last words...


----------



## Shearwater Missile (15 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Bingo!
> 
> The lever gave a fairly large click and the cage is now well away from the chain.
> 
> ...


Pleased all sorted. It took me a while several years back to realise about the trim function. You may find that when you are in the larger sprockets you may have to trim back but be careful as you may also end up changing down to the smaller chainwheel by mistake. Best to try it without riding just to get the hang of things.


----------



## Reynard (15 Mar 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> Pleased all sorted. It took me a while several years back to realise about the trim function. You may find that when you are in the larger sprockets you may have to trim back but be careful as you may also end up changing down to the smaller chainwheel by mistake. Best to try it without riding just to get the hang of things.



Yeah, that makes sense. 

Am hoping that things just got knocked out of kilter when I hit the deck and that it will now be fine. Managed to get everything else sorted - except for the chain fouling the FD cage.

Edited to say that I have microshift shifters fitted, so separate levers to change up and down.


----------



## Tom B (16 Mar 2019)

Bleugh it's been wet this week... Every commute.

So I've hosed down the bike with warm water. Sprayed and lubed.

The rear brake lever reservoir is still cracked and losing fluid so I've refilled the brakes. (anyone selling a LH Shimano BRL615 ?)

I'm now going rummage through my old waterproof stuff for a large bit of waterproof fabric to have a go at making the little lad a Cape for when he's in the bike seat. (not paying £30 for the Hamax Cape) I'm thinking a large doughnut shaped thing with an elasticated inner hole or with poppers. Probably won't be pretty (nor will the missus when she finds I've been using her sewing machine!)


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (16 Mar 2019)

Following a good clean of the knockabout bike I finally got round to fitting the dynamo front wheel and headlamp I've had waiting round since Christmas.

All very straightforward and the lamp was great on a test ride. It's a B&M Cyo T Premium which is the dynamo version of the Ixon lamps I already have. It seems brighter than those though which is good.

The rear lamp is going to be slightly more involved to fit so I didn't have time yesterday.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (16 Mar 2019)

Wholesale clean and fettle complete:

Spoke replaced by LBS (the excellent Rick Greens in Handforth did it on the spot), 6 months of winter grime cleaned off, new chain, front and rear tyres swapped. 

Before:






After:


----------



## BianchiVirgin (16 Mar 2019)

Got a derailleur hanger alignment tool from Park Tools and used it on my son's MTB where I couldn't get the indexing right. Job done. It was miles out and is just about perfect now. Needs an inner cable though to finish the job. If I save 4 hangers it will have paid for itself.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (16 Mar 2019)

Oh, and I readjusted my front derailleur on my own MTB. Looks like the cable slipped a bit. Nice clean shifting now.


----------



## Spiderweb (16 Mar 2019)

I picked up my eBay purchase today, a very dirty 2012 model Genesis Day One Cross. 3 hours of cleaning and polishing and it’s looking something like. The paint on the Reynolds 520 frame is gleaming. The only issue I have is that the small adjustment screws for the v brakes have threaded, I’ve tried new M3 screws but the problem is with the thread within the brakes so I’m pretty sure I need a new set.
Anyway here’s the pics;


----------



## JhnBssll (16 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> View attachment 457805
> View attachment 457806
> View attachment 457807
> View attachment 457808
> ...



That looks ace, love the colour! Nice work 

Is the enough spare metal to drill the holes out and tap them M4?


----------



## Spiderweb (16 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> That looks ace, love the colour! Nice work
> 
> Is the enough spare metal to drill the holes out and tap them M4?


I’ve got a pair of brand new XT V Brakes that have been in a drawer for about 10 years they are not mini v’s but they may be ok.


----------



## Justinitus (16 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> View attachment 457806
> 
> 
> I picked up my eBay purchase today, a very dirty 2012 model Genesis Day One Cross. 3 hours of cleaning and polishing and it’s looking something like. The paint on the Reynolds 520 frame is gleaming. The only issue I have is that the small adjustment screws for the v brakes have threaded, I’ve tried new M3 screws but the problem is with the thread within the brakes so I’m pretty sure I need a new set.
> Anyway here’s the pics;



That’s a very pretty bike


----------



## Gravity Aided (18 Mar 2019)

After spreading the rear triangle on my old Trek 600 last week, and changing the wheels to wider rims and 8 speed block, I added a Shimano Sora Derailleur, a newer chain, a newer tube for the rear tire, and test rode the bicycle, which is now even more fab. I also adjusted my FD on my Trek 930 26" tourer, and added bar tape and fenders. Also test rode the 930, some work yet to be done, but pretty good for being only a frame at the start of winter.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (18 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> I picked up my eBay purchase today, a very dirty 2012 model Genesis Day One Cross. 3 hours of cleaning and polishing and it’s looking something like. The paint on the Reynolds 520 frame is gleaming. ;



That's a lovely looking colour, better than the usual boring or garish paint schemes! I do rate that a lot, and that's a big complement coming from me, because I really really don't like many modern bikes at all. I hope it was a good bargain price to go with the bargain saddle.


----------



## Reynard (18 Mar 2019)

Test ride to check out the newly-trimmed FD on Wiggy.

No more chain rubbing noises, but I now have to double click to change up and down. I can live with that. Unless there's a way to fix it?


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Mar 2019)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Wholesale clean and fettle complete:
> 
> Spoke replaced by LBS (the excellent Rick Greens in Handforth did it on the spot), 6 months of winter grime cleaned off, new chain, front and rear tyres swapped.
> 
> ...




Too agressive with the brush, you've eroded your rear wheel away.


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Test ride to check out the newly-trimmed FD on Wiggy.
> 
> No more chain rubbing noises, but I now have to double click to change up and down. I can live with that. Unless there's a way to fix it?



New cable outers, re-indexing, new inner. Somethings catching.


----------



## Reynard (18 Mar 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> New cable outers, re-indexing, new inner. Somethings catching.



Well, something's not right, I'll give you that. When I crashed before Xmas, I went down on the drive side. Rear gearshift is just about OK now after de-squiffying the brifter and sorting the cable tension. It's just the front now...


----------



## raleighnut (18 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> Well, something's not right, I'll give you that. When I crashed before Xmas, I went down on the drive side. Rear gearshift is just about OK now after de-squiffying the brifter and sorting the cable tension. It's just the front now...


Did it tweak the cage on the front mech out of line, it should be parallel to the rings.


----------



## biggs682 (18 Mar 2019)

Trued the rear wheel on my Raleigh Royal


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Mar 2019)

Where are you having to double click to shift, front or rear? Could be hanger alignment if you had an off. Is the front mech set square to the chainset?


----------



## ColinJ (18 Mar 2019)

I adjusted the chain tensioner on my DIY singlespeed bike. 

I had made sure to get a perfect chainline between its chainring and sprocket when I built the bike. It's a pity that I forgot to do the same thing between the bottom of the sprocket and the tensioner jockey wheel ... 

Still, I only rode 3,570 km (2,219 miles) with it whirring away before I got fed up with the noise and decided to sort it out!


----------



## Reynard (18 Mar 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Did it tweak the cage on the front mech out of line, it should be parallel to the rings.



That's probably it. Chain was rubbing on the outside of the FD cage when on the big ring. Trimming sorts it, but now I have to double click every time I move between chain rings...

So my next question is, how do I re-align a front mech?


----------



## roubaixtuesday (18 Mar 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Too agressive with the brush, you've eroded your rear wheel away.



Dagnabbit, I *knew* it just didn't feel right any more.


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> That's probably it. Chain was rubbing on the outside of the FD cage when on the big ring. Trimming sorts it, but now I have to double click every time I move between chain rings...
> 
> So my next question is, how do I re-align a front mech?



If you have trim function built into the brifter then the trim is a sort of half click. Get it in the stand or on the roafd and give the shifter a click through it's full swing. The long swing should give you a full shift a short swing should just trim it whilst staying on that chainring.


----------



## Reynard (18 Mar 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> If you have trim function built into the brifter then the trim is a sort of half click. Get it in the stand or on the roafd and give the shifter a click through it's full swing. The long swing should give you a full shift a short swing should just trim it whilst staying on that chainring.



Hmm... I run microshift, so the trim is a full click. I have one lever to change up, and another lever to change down.


----------



## raleighnut (18 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> That's probably it. Chain was rubbing on the outside of the FD cage when on the big ring. Trimming sorts it, but now I have to double click every time I move between chain rings...
> 
> So my next question is, how do I re-align a front mech?


Take tension off the front cable, you may be able to do this by selecting the small ring then going for a 'trim click' if there is one or failing that back off the cable adjuster or the cable clamp.
Have a good look at how high the front mech is* before *loosening the bolt or clamp that retains the mech and then turn it so that the arms are parallel to the rings then tighten the bolt back up now check that the mech is *at the same height* as before then re-adjust the cable to where it was before.

The bold bits are the most important, the mech needs to sit at a certain height above the chainrings, there is a bit of tolerance (couple of mm) but outside of that it won't work properly so the trick is to turn it without changing the height hence taking the cable tension off so that it's not pulled lower down the seat tube.


----------



## raleighnut (18 Mar 2019)

View: https://youtu.be/Ea03ChN-7Vg


----------



## Javabob (18 Mar 2019)

Managed to get the stuck seat post out of the Schwinn tandem frame.
Achieved with copious amounts of release oil & a bloody big pair of grips


----------



## Javabob (18 Mar 2019)

Managed to get the stuck seat post out of the Schwinn tandem frame.
Achieved with copious amounts of release oil & a bloody big pair of grips


----------



## Reynard (18 Mar 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Take tension off the front cable, you may be able to do this by selecting the small ring then going for a 'trim click' if there is one or failing that back off the cable adjuster or the cable clamp.
> Have a good look at how high the front mech is* before *loosening the bolt or clamp that retains the mech and then turn it so that the arms are parallel to the rings then tighten the bolt back up now check that the mech is *at the same height* as before then re-adjust the cable to where it was before.
> 
> The bold bits are the most important, the mech needs to sit at a certain height above the chainrings, there is a bit of tolerance (couple of mm) but outside of that it won't work properly so the trick is to turn it without changing the height hence taking the cable tension off so that it's not pulled lower down the seat tube.



OK, that looks reasonably straightforward.  Loosen the cable, loosen the clamp, turn the mech, tighten the clamp and lastly, re-tension the cable.

I'll probably stick some masking tape on the seat tube both above and below the mech clamp to make sure I have a good marker for the right height. It'll probably only want turning clockwise two or three mm, there or thereabouts.


----------



## HLaB (18 Mar 2019)

I've not used the tubeless disc for nearly a year  So I needed to top it up with sealant. My sealant syringe wasn't getting enough through so I ended up taking the tyre of the rim slightly and inserting sealant directly. Hopefully it is a good job as the tyre instantly inflated and is staying up.


----------



## ColinJ (20 Mar 2019)

I have repaired a punctured tube.

Not normally worth mentioning, but this was a very weird puncture... The back tyre on an old bike that I have parked on my turbo trainer kept going flat but it was taking 1-2 weeks to do so; the slowest of slow punctures!

I had a great deal of difficulty finding the location of the hole in the tube. I inflated the tube and ran the length of it through a bowl of water. No joy. I've had that before and found that stretching the tube underwater is usually enough to get the air to escape so I did that. Still no joy ...

In the end, I was holding the last length of tube underwater and wondering what to do next when I spotted a very tiny air bubble on the side of the tube. I examined it carefully but wasn't convinced that it was getting bigger. Maybe it was just a small pocket of air clinging to the tube? I thought the best way to find out was to brush the bubble from the tube and see what happened. What happened surprised me - a really gentle wipe with a fingertip was immediately followed by a continuous stream of bubbles escaping from the tube!

It was very odd behaviour. All I can think is that there was a small hole in the tube which was almost completely blocked by debris. When I wiped the tube, I must have unplugged the hole. I marked the source of the bubbles and dried the tube. The hole was so small that I couldn't see it, but I knew where it was so I just patched the tube anyway.


----------



## Gravity Aided (21 Mar 2019)

Javabob said:


> Managed to get the stuck seat post out of the Schwinn tandem frame.
> Achieved with copious amounts of release oil & a bloody big pair of grips


Schwinn Twinn? 
Single, 3 speed, or 7 speed?
Sturdy, albeit heavy bicycles. A fellow I work with grew up near the factory in Chicago.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (21 Mar 2019)

Cannibalised an old aluminium Ridgeback hybrid I found dumped in bushes last week whilst out on a ride - I'd returned later the same day on foot and collected it and it's been awaiting stripping. The brakes, gear shifters, and tyres were toast, but I got a pair of decent 700c alloys off it, plus the 28/38/48 alloy-arm crankset, a rear mech, and a tatty saddle. Left the frame out for the local Gipsy scrap metal man to collect on his rounds!
Immediately fitted the crankset to my 6-speed Pioneer pub hack to swap out a 24/34/42 one and set it on the 38T middle ring rather than the 42T I'd been using. It gives me a better chainline and gradient-climbing ability. 
Then fitted a sprung rear carrier rack to the Pioneer hack, that I'd previously salvaged off a different scrapper. Put some air in the tyres and removed a couple of small stones from the tyre treads. Lubricated the chain and went for a 12 mile ride.


----------



## JhnBssll (22 Mar 2019)

Replaced the sealant in the front tyre of the Bianchi and topped it up in the rear.


----------



## Javabob (22 Mar 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Schwinn Twinn?
> Single, 3 speed, or 7 speed?
> Sturdy, albeit heavy bicycles. A fellow I work with grew up near the factory in Chicago.


5 speed! Frame number dates it as a 1979 Chicago built model


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## Gravity Aided (22 Mar 2019)

Javabob said:


> 5 speed! Frame number dates it as a 1979 Chicago built model


Fine bike, one of the last years of the internally lugged frames. Heavy bikes, but built to last. I just saw a 10 speed Varsity the other day at our bike co-op, and it wasn't the only Schwinn from that era present at the co-op.


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## dave r (22 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> OK, that looks reasonably straightforward.  Loosen the cable, loosen the clamp, turn the mech, tighten the clamp and lastly, re-tension the cable.
> 
> I'll probably stick some masking tape on the seat tube both above and below the mech clamp to make sure I have a good marker for the right height. It'll probably only want turning clockwise two or three mm, there or thereabouts.



With a front mech I normally set the height to the thickness of a 2 pence piece between the chainring and the mech


----------



## Reynard (22 Mar 2019)

dave r said:


> With a front mech I normally set the height to the thickness of a 2 pence piece between the chainring and the mech



That's a tip worth bearing in mind.


----------



## dave r (23 Mar 2019)

Reynard said:


> That's a tip worth bearing in mind.




https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment#article-section-2


----------



## Gravity Aided (23 Mar 2019)

dave r said:


> https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment#article-section-2


American penny, worthless for anything else. Does fine job of setting FD height.


----------



## palinurus (23 Mar 2019)

I decided to remove the SPD pedals on my 'cross bike today- they work fine but the steel bits are all rusty and I had some better ones in the bits box.

I got them off with my long pedal Allen key thingy and
(1) neither of them were stuck
(2) I didn't chew up my knuckles on the chainring

Haven't touched the chain since the last snow day- some of the links were totally seized. I've got a nice new 9-speed chain so thought of changing it but in the end just massaged motor oil into it and ran it through a rag. That'll do.


----------



## JhnBssll (23 Mar 2019)

palinurus said:


> I got them off with my long pedal Allen key thingy and
> (1) neither of them were stuck
> (2) I didn't chew up my knuckles on the chainring



Somethings wrong there  No injuries at all?!


----------



## palinurus (23 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Somethings wrong there  No injuries at all?!



None, plus I was wearing a white top while I did all that and I didn't get an oilstain on it.


----------



## JhnBssll (23 Mar 2019)

palinurus said:


> None, plus I was wearing a white top while I did all that and I didn't get an oilstain on it.



Beyond spooky...


----------



## Reynard (23 Mar 2019)

Tweaked cleat bolts on left shoe and tension on left pedal while on my ride as I was struggling to unclip at junctions and didn't fancy toppling over gracelessly in front of an audience.


----------



## raleighnut (23 Mar 2019)

palinurus said:


> None, plus I was wearing a white top while I did all that and I didn't get an oilstain on it.


The fettling gods must have been smiling down on you today.


----------



## Domus (24 Mar 2019)

Almost time to bring out the summer bike. Had the Mavic tubeless wheels trued and re sealed by LBS last week, fitted a new KMC 11 speed chain and went around the block to check brakes and shifting. OMG what a noise. 
Back on the workstand and found the quick link only linked on one side, must have popped off, made good, back out and quiet as a church mouse.

Going for my March 50Km on Tuesday, wish me luck. Prostate surgery followed by bad cold/man flu has knocked me for six.


----------



## 13 rider (24 Mar 2019)

Good luck @Domus . You can do it


----------



## colly (24 Mar 2019)

Today I stripped down my old Mtb in preparation of a paint job:







I have in mind British Racing Green. Or maybe something brighter such as * Something like this*

I do like white so.....

Edit:

Black has been suggested.  But no, sorry @vickster 
And silver... which is a definite maybe.


----------



## Reynard (24 Mar 2019)

Purple!!!


----------



## colly (24 Mar 2019)

Sexist comment but............is that girly ?? Mind you I wouldn't say no to Salmon Pink so I guess girly is ok.


----------



## Reynard (24 Mar 2019)

colly said:


> Sexist comment but............is that girly ?? Mind you I wouldn't say no to Salmon Pink so I guess girly is ok.



Err... no 

It's a sci fi thing. Green. Purple.


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Mar 2019)

More bling fitted to the Bianchi today  I wanted to try a ceramic speed oversized pulley but didn't want to pay the ridiculous price tag. I found a similar oversized pulley system on AliExpress for around a sixth of the price and thought I would give it a whirl  I'm quite pleased I did so far, the bearings seem excellent and the overall quality seems good. Time will tell how well they hold up but so far so good  Since the new pulleys would need a longer chain I upgraded that too while I was at it


----------



## Spiderweb (26 Mar 2019)

Just about finished my eBay Genesis Day One. New mini v brakes fitted with new S/steel cables, bars now wrapped in retro looking perforated tape, new leather saddle and pedals too. Just a new chain to fit now and maybe some road tyres. I’m delighted with how it looks.
The paint looks fab, out in the sunshine it is actually metal flake, the first time I’ve seen this, I’ve tried to capture this in a photo.


----------



## dave r (26 Mar 2019)

Brought my geared bike out of its winter hibernation this afternoon and fitted a new chain, I've lost track of how many chains I've had on the cassette so I may need a new cassette, fitted a smaller outer chain ring and fettled the front changer, checked the bike over and was disapointed to find a nasty looking cut on the front tyre, normally I put the front on the back to replace the knackered rear tyre, and fit a new tyre to the front, this time I'm going to have to replace both. I put some air in the back tyre and was pumping up the front one and the rear went pop and went down, turns out there's a split in the tube by the valve, something thats happened before when the tubes been in for a couple of years without being disturbed, so new tube fitted and I'm now just waiting for new tyres and the replacement left STI lever to finish the job.


----------



## Illaveago (27 Mar 2019)

I thought I would have a bit of a play trying to cast some metal hub carriers for my model.
I had a rummage around in my odds and end tins and found a small cam lock device for securing flat pack furniture. I wasn't sure if it was the right material but thought I would try it anyway. A bit of heat applied from a blowlamp whilst I held it in my pliers had it melting. It was a bit crusty but when I pushed it into the mould it seemed fine. The second one I used some low temperature ally welding rod. It acted in a similar way so had the same treatment. 
The 2 blobs can be seen in the picture. I will have to file them down to the correct shape . Hopefully they should work out fine .


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (27 Mar 2019)

Took a load of components for spares and two sets of tyres off a couple of rusted BSOs before taking the rest not fit for salvage to the tip.


----------



## mikeymustard (27 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> View attachment 459327
> View attachment 459328
> View attachment 459329
> View attachment 459330
> ...


Nice saddle  Seen one just like it on my dining table! 
Liking the bar tape too, what is it?


----------



## Spiderweb (27 Mar 2019)

mikeymustard said:


> Nice saddle  Seen one just like it on my dining table!
> Liking the bar tape too, what is it?


Bar tape is Velox Guidoline from Planet X, the colour is light brown although other retailers call the same tape honey or caramel. It’s about the closest colour I could find to the saddle.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BTVXSFTP/velox-guidoline-soft-perforated-bar-tape


----------



## derrick (28 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> More bling fitted to the Bianchi today  I wanted to try a ceramic speed oversized pulley but didn't want to pay the ridiculous price tag. I found a similar oversized pulley system on AliExpress for around a sixth of the price and thought I would give it a whirl  I'm quite pleased I did so far, the bearings seem excellent and the overall quality seems good. Time will tell how well they hold up but so far so good  Since the new pulleys would need a longer chain I upgraded that too while I was at it
> 
> View attachment 459213
> 
> ...


A report on that would be good, and a link,


----------



## JhnBssll (29 Mar 2019)

derrick said:


> A report on that would be good, and a link,



I'm riding with it tomorrow so will let you know how I get on 

Here's the link:

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/5iew2mk


----------



## tom73 (29 Mar 2019)

oh they do a green one


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Mar 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I'm riding with it tomorrow so will let you know how I get on
> 
> Here's the link:
> 
> https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/5iew2mk



So I rode 65 miles on it this morning and didn't notice it was there  I'm taking that as a good thing, I doubt you'll ever notice the claimed power gains so really all I can say is the gears still worked and it didn't break 

My main concern is the thing is really light and quite flimsy in comparison to the standard cage it replaced - it was more solid once attached to the mech with the pulley bolts tightened slightly and the chain fitted, but I still had some concerns. Todays roads were really bumpy in places; I pedalled through the bumps and tried to bounce the chain around a bit to see if it would derail or cause other problems but it behaved itself perfectly. Of course this was only 65 miles - realistically I'd have to report back after a few thousand for it to be useful information but there you go. It is what it is, a cheap version of something very expensive. I took a risk on it and so far it seems to have paid off - plus it does look rather cool


----------



## KneesUp (30 Mar 2019)

Made a front mudguard extension out of a plastic bacon packet and stitched it to the guard with cable ties. Mainly because I've been sat in the garden doing the very important job of 'making sure no cats attack the guinea pigs' whilst they are in their run-thing (it has no roof). I volunteer for this job every time, as I can pretend I'm camping (I've made coffee on the camping stove even though the kitchen is 10 feet away) and it's very hard to tell it apart from 'sitting in the garden doing sod all' Although obviously I've been very busy doing bike servicing; I've also treated some rust, cleaned out the drum brake and determined that the rumble that I thought was the bearing on the back wheel is not the bearing on the back wheel, unless it only does that with the weight of me on it - in which case it will probably carry on for a while. Oh, and I've bolted a spare rear light to the back mudguard as I had the drill out to do the front anyway.

No picture of the bacon-guard as I've lost my phone. It's good though. It was 'Finest' bacon so the packet has ridges in it which makes it curve quite nicely and will hopefully help it retain it's shape.


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Mar 2019)

KneesUp said:


> Made a front mudguard extension out of a plastic bacon packet and stitched it to the guard with cable ties. Mainly because I've been sat in the garden doing the very important job of 'making sure no cats attack the guinea pigs' whilst they are in their run-thing (it has no roof). I volunteer for this job every time, as I can pretend I'm camping (I've made coffee on the camping stove even though the kitchen is 10 feet away) and it's very hard to tell it apart from 'sitting in the garden doing sod all' Although obviously I've been very busy doing bike servicing; I've also treated some rust, cleaned out the drum brake and determined that the rumble that I thought was the bearing on the back wheel is not the bearing on the back wheel, unless it only does that with the weight of me on it - in which case it will probably carry on for a while. Oh, and I've bolted a spare rear light to the back mudguard as I had the drill out to do the front anyway.
> 
> No picture of the bacon-guard as I've lost my phone. It's good though. It was 'Finest' bacon so the packet has ridges in it which makes it curve quite nicely and will hopefully help it retain it's shape.



That sounds like the kind of job I would volunteer for too


----------



## kiwifruit (30 Mar 2019)

Spring clean the Canyon winter bike.



Took mud guards off, degrease chain and put new brake pads on.


----------



## tom73 (30 Mar 2019)

Freed bike from the turbo ready for an early morning spin. Washed , lubed, tyres checked along with some added bling. 
1st time given chain a real good clean off the bike. 
Just need to fettle the sink Mrs 73 is out for the evening so plenty of time to get it looking like new


----------



## dave r (30 Mar 2019)

New left side STI lever fitted to my Eastway tonight, and it felt and sounded better than the old one when I tested it, a nice straight forward job, the first time I've changed a gear lever since the days of downtube shifters. I also fitted a new pair of tyres.


----------



## PeteXXX (31 Mar 2019)

Nothing fettled on the bikes, today, but I have re-felted the bike shed roof!


----------



## DCBassman (31 Mar 2019)

Fettled/felted...close enough for jazz...


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (31 Mar 2019)

Swapped the Brooks Team Pro on the Raleigh for the new B17N I got earlier in the year. It'll no doubt need a few small tweaks to get the position exactly right but it feels pretty good on a short test.

In many ways I like the Team Pro and I've done quite a few big distance rides on it, but the shape has never really worked with this bike (too much tendancy for me to slip forward even with it tilted well back) and I believe it would be better suited to a much sportier riding position so I'll keep it aside for that road bike I keep promising myself.


----------



## Reynard (31 Mar 2019)

Got the double sided SPD pedals on my new (well, to me) Wiggins Chartres marinating in WD40 as they're a bit stuck. Plan on replacing them with some Wellgo flats once I can get them off.

Can't see any left / right indication on them, so have put a red cable tie on the left one and a green cable tie on the right one for future reference.


----------



## fossyant (31 Mar 2019)

Serviced the rear hub on the MTB - just a case of re-greasing the cartridge bearings and cleaning the pawls on the freehub - It's a formula hub and quite easy to work on. Hardest part is popping the 'end cap' off.

Re-greased the jockey wheels too (SRAM sealed bearings, but they must be re-greased regularly as it's easy for them to run dry and seize)


----------



## tom73 (31 Mar 2019)

Went and pick up this up this today just given it a good clean and added a bit of new bling. 
The N+1 count has begun 

Next job will be some new tyres maybe upgrade the wheels but all in all it's good to go.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (31 Mar 2019)

*Question at the end of post. Help needed.

Replaced and rewired all the electrical connections on my dynamo lighting set up on the Audax bike. Not surprised to find frayed and soon-to-break wiring on the rear and earth connection. Glad to have done that.

Also completely swapped out the gear and brake inner and outer cables. Again the rear derailleur cable was about to snap in the shifter. Bit of a pig to pick out all the little frayed tendrils of wire hiding all over the place. The rear indexed like a dream.

*Having a bit of a mare with the Shimano 105 triple. The lower and upper limit screws are set correctly and it changes well UP the chain rings. Unfortunately it’s not the same story changing DOWN the chain rings. From the largest cog it makes a big jump straight down to the granny ring. I have fiddled for an age and just can’t get the balance between up and down changes right. Any ideas?


----------



## Racing roadkill (31 Mar 2019)

I got round to sorting out the rear brake on the 720AF today. It’s all working perfectly now.


----------



## Racing roadkill (31 Mar 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> *Question at the end of post. Help needed.
> 
> Replaced and rewired all the electrical connections on my dynamo lighting set up on the Audax bike. Not surprised to find frayed and soon-to-break wiring on the rear and earth connection. Glad to have done that.
> 
> ...


A kink in the cable might cause it.


----------



## Reynard (1 Apr 2019)

Can't get the pedals off, so a trip to the LBS is in order shortly. A combination of being royally stuck and "this is wrong tool"

Have given the bike a clean and swapped the saddle, as the one that came with the bike is painful just sitting on it. Have replaced it with the no-name saddle that used to be on my MTB and that I thought was really comfortable. But after more than two years of riding on a Charge Ladle, it's almost as bad as the one I took off...

So a Charge Ladle has just been ordered.


----------



## Smokin Joe (1 Apr 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> I got round to sorting out the rear brake on the 720AF today. It’s all working perfectly now.
> 
> View attachment 460162


Assuming you've got the caliper bolted to the stays at the bottom bracket, a setup like that looks a royal pain in the arse to me. A mate had one and it was always covered in crap and sometimes sticking.


----------



## ColinJ (1 Apr 2019)

I took a file to one side of the RH pedal on my cyclocross bike...

I have been getting an incredibly annoying squeaky sound from that side when riding the bike. I did a 100 km ride on it a couple of weeks ago and the noise was there for over 6 hours, doing my head in!

I have SPD pedals on all of my bikes. The ones on the other bikes are the cheap, simple and totally reliable Shimano M520s. The ones on the CX bike are M530s, which have a small platform area round the SPD mechanism. It gives a bit more support to the foot. The trouble is, it does that by having the tread of the shoe making contact with it all of the time. My feet rotate slightly through the pedal stroke; I hadn't realised how much until I rode a few miles with my feet fixed in place on another type of pedal - it felt quite uncomfortable and I yearned for the missing 'float'.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that the movement of the tread against the platform is what is making the noise. (I tried adjusting things and lubing them but it didn't help for long.) The tops of the platforms have started to wear from the constant movement of the tread against them so I decided to help the process along and file down the remaining high points. I have done it on just one side for now so I can test my hypothesis by clipping in on the filed side or the unfiled side. If the bodge has worked then I will file the other 3 sides too.

Other 'fettling' was to replace a tube on the back wheel of my best bike. I had pumped it up before a ride a couple of days ago but the knurled nut on the end of the valve sheared off when I tried to retighten it. Air pressure held the valve shut for the duration of the ride but it was only a matter of time before I had problems with it so I thought I'd sort it in comfort at home rather than ending up doing it at the roadside one day. After removing the tube, I tried reinflating it and what I was expecting to happen _did _- without the knurled nut to hold the core of the valve in place, the core got blasted into the tube and was lost. As soon as I removed the pump, the tube instantly deflated.


----------



## Reynard (1 Apr 2019)

I gave up on the old MTB saddle as well and replaced it with the original Wiggins one that came with my road bike. I'd forgotten how uncomfortable that one is for anything more than short distances, but it's the best of the three options I currently have.

Went for a test ride and had to stop to tweak saddle height a few times.

A little bit more fettling still needed on the bike, but it's a promising steed.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (1 Apr 2019)

New bar tape wrapped. My favourite: Widget.

Titanium bike.

Bright orange bar tape.

Drool. You have full permission.


----------



## dave r (1 Apr 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I took a file to one side of the RH pedal on my cyclocross bike...
> 
> I have been getting an incredibly annoying squeaky sound from that side when riding the bike. I did a 100 km ride on it a couple of weeks ago and the noise was there for over 6 hours, doing my head in!
> 
> ...



I brought a new pair of cycle shoes Xmas time, shimano two bolt SPD ones, I couldn't stop them creaking whilst I was clipped in, if I managed to silence them the creak would be back in less than a couple of hours, the pedals are single sided shimano click R's, if I swapped to the flat side silence. They have been replaced by a pair of cheap Decathlon ones and I'm riding clipped in, in silence again.


----------



## JhnBssll (1 Apr 2019)

Whipped the front wheel off the Stumpjumper, it was the last one containing the rubbish finishline sealant. Tyre off, cleaned up, filled with new latex based sealant and tyre reseated. I also swapped out the valve to match the rear wheel. Jobs a goodun, the remains of the bottle of finishline is now in the bin.


----------



## IBarrett (2 Apr 2019)

I bought a secondhand ‘summer’ bike over winter and though it had decent Ksyrium wheels I prefer my Hunt Aero
Tonight I was doing a timed flat run and the cassette on the Ksyrium is 11-28 so I thought I’d swap out my 12-28
The 11-28 was filthy so I shoved it in the parts washer and when I peeled, scrubbed and scraped all the crap off it was surprised to find it was the type with interchangeable cogs. 

It was refitted shiney and looking new but then I didn’t like the noise the chain was making so I fitted a new chain too. 
Then I had to re-index the gears. 

So much for a 5 minute cassette change, but it was lovely on the speed run tonight and I averaged 21mph over a flatfish 27 miles - with traffic and hitting every traffic light on the route at red.


----------



## De Sisti (2 Apr 2019)

Applied some wd40 to the r/h shifter of my 2006 Campag ergo levers. Still silky-smooth shifting.


----------



## Reynard (2 Apr 2019)

Cleaned and oiled the drivetrain of Wiggy #2, the Chartres as I had a few sticky gear shifts on my test ride yesterday.

Chain was bone dry, jockey wheels were gummed up, and there were bits of plastic bag tangled in the rear derailleur. The latter was neatly taken care of with a pair of tweezers.

On closer inspection, the big chain ring is a little worn. It will probably see me through the summer before it'll want replacing. Given the fund I had for my N+1, it's no biggie, as there's ample budget for bits.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (3 Apr 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> A kink in the cable might cause it.



I’m there now. A case of tightening the cable a bit to control the release pressure a bit. It also seems to work better when you are pedalling and there is tension on the chain which controls the down shift some what. All is sweet.


----------



## Reynard (3 Apr 2019)

New saddle (Charge Ladle) arrived at lunchtime, so fitted it to the bike. Will need to go for a bimble later to fine-tune the set-up - I've set it up like on the Rouen, which is a good starting point.

Oiling the transmission has improved matters somewhat, but hasn't solved the problems. FD now shifts ok, but the RD still has issues. Sometimes the shifts are smooth, other times it takes a while to make up its mind, and if neither of those, the chain will skip across the cassette, dropping the chain onto a random cog - invariably not the one I wanted.

Worn chain, perhaps? I do have a chain wear tool, I'd better use it to check, I suppose...


----------



## TheDoctor (3 Apr 2019)

I've just been washing my Brompton - it's going on holiday soon, and NZ immigration / biosecurity don't like unclean bikes...


----------



## Racing roadkill (3 Apr 2019)

I test rode the bike I did the strip and rebuild of at the weekend. The rear brake wasn’t quite right, so I changed the cable for a super stiff PTFE coated cable I bought from Decathlon a year ago, but hadn’t used. Crikey it felt like I’d hit a wall when I pulled the rear brake the first time . It feels like a new bike again, which isn’t bad for less than a hundred quids worth of bits and a couple of grazed knuckles, and a bit of swearing.


----------



## keithmac (3 Apr 2019)

I put a road clutch back into the GTO Twin Turbo on Sunday, took 10 hours.

Felt like I'd been beaten up on Monday!.

Needs a bit of spit an polish in the engine bay next..


----------



## Reynard (4 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> Oiling the transmission has improved matters somewhat, but hasn't solved the problems. FD now shifts ok, but the RD still has issues. Sometimes the shifts are smooth, other times it takes a while to make up its mind, and if neither of those, the chain will skip across the cassette, dropping the chain onto a random cog - invariably not the one I wanted.
> 
> Worn chain, perhaps? I do have a chain wear tool, I'd better use it to check, I suppose...



Nope, not the chain. Back to the drawing board... 

Re-tension cable, maybe?  What's the best way of doing that on a bike with trigger shifters?


----------



## Jenkins (4 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> Nope, not the chain. Back to the drawing board...
> 
> Re-tension cable, maybe?  What's the best way of doing that on a bike with trigger shifters?


Same as with drop bar shifters.

Click the shifter until the chain should be on the smallest cog and then release the cable from the deraileur. If the chain is on the smallest cog, then tension the cable as best you can by hand and secure to the derailleur - adjust the tension with the barrel adjusters as required.

If the chain is not on the smallest cog, adjust the low setting screw on the derailleur until it drops down to the smallest cog, then tension & adjust as above.

If this doesn't work, get hold of a derailleur hanger tool to check that the hanger is straight then repeat the above. Alternatively. if you don't have a bike stand to do all this on, have a word with the LBS you used to have the pedals removed.


----------



## Reynard (4 Apr 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Same as with drop bar shifters.
> 
> Click the shifter until the chain should be on the smallest cog and then release the cable from the deraileur. If the chain is on the smallest cog, then tension the cable as best you can by hand and secure to the derailleur - adjust the tension with the barrel adjusters as required.
> 
> ...



Thanks, I thought as much. 

I'll add that to the "to do" list.


----------



## keithmac (4 Apr 2019)

I normally select middle sprocket on rear cassette and adjust cable to get the chain bang on centre on the sprocket. Then top and bottom sprockets are set with the limit screws.

If its slow to go "down" the cassette (towards the small or "high" gear) then that will be due to sticking cables, the derailleur spring can't overcome the cable drag as easily as your thumb when going "up" the cassette..


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Apr 2019)

Last time this happened to me the mech had excess play and needed replacing. I would whip the chain off and check how much lateral movement there is in the assembly by wiggling the bottom of the cage, it should be fairly solid. Pretty technical I know...


----------



## Levo-Lon (4 Apr 2019)

Fitted two fast rolling smart sam lmpac schwalbe tyres to the Ebike. 

See if there a bit quieter.. And quicker on the tarmac work run sections


----------



## Reynard (4 Apr 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Click the shifter until the chain should be on the smallest cog and then release the cable from the deraileur. If the chain is on the smallest cog, then tension the cable as best you can by hand and secure to the derailleur - adjust the tension with the barrel adjusters as required.



Got the chain onto the smallest cog, and the cable was *really* slack. Well, it was dangling, actually... So re-tensioned the cable and tweaked with the barrel adjuster.

Fingers crossed. Will test-ride tomorrow - I don't fancy being blown over right now.


----------



## ColinJ (4 Apr 2019)

De Sisti said:


> Applied some wd40 to the r/h shifter of my 2006 Campag ergo levers. Still silky-smooth shifting.


I got about 10 years use out of my Chorus shifter before it started to lose its 'click'. I watched a video on YouTube which showed how to replace the inexpensive worn-out bits. I followed the instructions in the video and the shifter is working fine again now. I expect it to last me another 10 years!


----------



## Racing roadkill (4 Apr 2019)

The front brake on my winter Hybrid / hack felt extremely odd on the ride home on Tuesday, they are full hydraulics, so I thought I’d have a looky see what was what. The pads were absolutely finished, so I hooked out the big box of bike bits, bought in sales etc. but never used, and found some semi metallic pads I’d bought from Decathlon ages ago. They were 5 quid, rather than the 15 quid for the ‘official’ SRAM pads, and they are very good, but they don’t supply a new split pin to secure them, so it’s a good job I didn’t lose the one I had. All I needed was some crap weather to test them out properly  we got some. They work brilliantly, and don’t howl when they get wet, unlike the resin / organics that were in before. I’ve also ordered a new Shimano R7000 Groupset ( proper bargain at Merlin cycles at the moment at 30 % off ) which will convert my old Triban 520 to a 540.


----------



## keithmac (4 Apr 2019)

Quite a productive day today, fitted back brake pads to my Gtech ebike before work and repaired my air compressor for the princely sum of £15 tonight!.


----------



## Reynard (5 Apr 2019)

Fitted a set of single-sided SPD pedals to the Chartres - easy task with the right tool. Bought a lovely pedal spanner / crank extractor tool in the LBS. Also raised the saddle another 10mm.

Went for a test ride. Cockpit is now 95% where I need it to be, and still need to tweak cleat tension a bit. Rear gears now shift silky smooth across the whole cassette after re-tensioning the cable.  No sign of any random shifting or a skippy chain. Well chuffed.


----------



## raleighnut (5 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> Fitted a set of single-sided SPD pedals to the Chartres - easy task with the right tool. Bought a lovely pedal spanner / crank extractor tool in the LBS. Also raised the saddle another 10mm.
> 
> Went for a test ride. Cockpit is now 95% where I need it to be, and still need to tweak cleat tension a bit. Rear gears now shift silky smooth across the whole cassette after re-tensioning the cable.  No sign of any random shifting or a skippy chain. Well chuffed.


----------



## Reynard (5 Apr 2019)

raleighnut said:


>



It's just so satisfying when things go right.


----------



## raleighnut (5 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> It's just so satisfying when things go right.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (6 Apr 2019)

Yesterday, cleaned up the chains on the kids' bikes before their coaching session. Both chains (and cassettes) really need removing soaking in degreaser, a job for Monday perhaps. 

Installed the newly delivered Charge Ladle on my wife's bike. Fingers crossed this one suits her better than the last two.


----------



## C R (6 Apr 2019)

The front wheel was rattling a bit when braking, the bearings had somehow loosened, so gave the hub a good clean, fresh grease and readjusted. The rattle seems to have gone. While I had the bike in the stand I also put in new brake blocks in the front and gave the chain a good clean.


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## Leaway2 (6 Apr 2019)

Had a strange grinding on Wednesday. Peddling back seam to stop it for a while. I used the other bike for the rest of the week. Thought it may be the BB which I only fitted recently. It turned out to be the rear wheel, a Fulcrum racing 7, which is not that old. The first thing I noticed was the freehub was loose/wobbly. So off it came. The bearings are pretty shot in the freehub and the ds of the wheel. I bought the Fulcrums as I thought the cartridge bearing would be better than the Shimano cup cones.





The spacer, 2nd left was seized and had to be persuaded off. I'll price the bearings, but may scrap the wheel if they are too expensive.


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## dave r (6 Apr 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Last time this happened to me the mech had excess play and needed replacing. I would whip the chain off and check how much lateral movement there is in the assembly by wiggling the bottom of the cage, it should be fairly solid. Pretty technical I know...



I remember a seven speed rear mech many years ago that developed free play in the pivot pins, I found myself with a mech that would change up or change down but wouldn't do both and I had to scrap it.


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## TigerT (6 Apr 2019)

It’s been a day of chain and cassette cleaning today.

My old Roubaix has been my winter bike and has been totally abused riding through mud and snow. The chain was making a crunching noise so I took the hint and cleaned it. Then I took the wheels off, cleaned the cassette and the braking surfaces, cleaned the brakes and put it all back together. Took it for a 50km Test ride and it’s working really nicely again.

I have a long ride planned for tomorrow so when I got back, I cleaned the chain on my Emonda as well.


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## SkipdiverJohn (6 Apr 2019)

Replaced a shabby old plastic water bottle cage on my Raleigh MTB with a bargain alloy frame type one from Chain Reaction. The shabby one has now been fitted to my pub bike, which hasn't got any frame bosses - so I had to be inventive in my use of double sided sticky tape and cable ties. It looks shite, but it works and it hasn't slipped position or fallen off yet after 13 miles riding today. A quality bodge I reckon.


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## Reynard (6 Apr 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Replaced a shabby old plastic water bottle cage on my Raleigh MTB with a bargain alloy frame type one from Chain Reaction. The shabby one has now been fitted to my pub bike, which hasn't got any frame bosses - so I had to be inventive in my use of double sided sticky tape and cable ties. It looks shite, but it works and it hasn't slipped position or fallen off yet after 13 miles riding today. A quality bodge I reckon.



You could always fall back on the old engineer's mantra:

If it doesn't move and it should, WD40, if it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape...


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## SkipdiverJohn (6 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> You could always fall back on the old engineer's mantra:
> 
> If it doesn't move and it should, WD40, if it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape...



I'm a big believer in duct tape, but on bikes it's better used for patching up the sort of battered old saddle with the foam coming out of that most cyclists wouldn't be seen dead with. I'm sure the tape has bike thief repellent qualities especially the silver-grey variety when used on a black saddle. 
For the water bottle I wrapped double sided round the seatpost as it sticks like you-know-what to a blanket, then used multiple cable ties pulled up nice and tight so they deformed the tape. That way the ties won't slip down the seat tube under the weight of the water, and the bottle cage won't rotate out of position and get in the way of my legs.


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## Reynard (6 Apr 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> I'm a big believer in duct tape, but on bikes it's better used for patching up the sort of battered old saddle with the foam coming out of that most cyclists wouldn't be seen dead with. I'm sure the tape has bike thief repellent qualities especially the silver-grey variety when used on a black saddle.
> For the water bottle I wrapped double sided round the seatpost as it sticks like you-know-what to a blanket, then used multiple cable ties pulled up nice and tight so they deformed the tape. That way the ties won't slip down the seat tube under the weight of the water, and the bottle cage won't rotate out of position and get in the way of my legs.



You could've used an old inner tube and a pair of hose clips, you know... 

Duct tape is good for fixing racing cars, although it doesn't always go *entirely* to plan...  (P.S. Yes, this is one of my photos, and yes, I have the whole sequence of the body shell peeling off the chassis like a banana...)


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## SkipdiverJohn (6 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> You could've used an old inner tube and a pair of hose clips, you know...



That would have made a better and more elegant job of it, but would have also required a full search of my tool shed to locate some suitable jubilee clips. There was a roll of sticky tape and a packet of cable ties immediately to hand indoors, so laziness/convenience won the day!


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## Reynard (6 Apr 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> That would have made a better and more elegant job of it, but would have also required a full search of my tool shed to locate some suitable jubilee clips. There was a roll of sticky tape and a packet of cable ties immediately to hand indoors, so laziness/convenience won the day!





You mean you don't have a re-purposed bookshelf with all these oddments in old jam jars so that you can see what you've got at a glance?


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## rogerzilla (7 Apr 2019)

I built this for a (tall) friend. The frame was professionally re-enamelled and lined but never built up. I got it for a song. Most of the parts are recycled from an old Holdsworth Mistral or came from my bits box. I built the wheels for £90 from all-new components (Miche track hubs, Exal rims, DT Rev and Comp spokes).



20190406_153420 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

As it's a parts bin special, it has rather funky Weinmann 999 centre-pulls. And yes, the brake shoes are fitted the right way around...they're closed at both ends these days!



20190406_153509 by rogerzilla, on Flickr


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## Leaway2 (7 Apr 2019)

Further to my earlier post. The freehub bearings were absolutely goosed. Both collapsed as I tried to get them out. I'll take the pawls out later and clean it all up. I have ordered new bearings, so its a wait until they come now.


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## SkipdiverJohn (7 Apr 2019)

Leaway2 said:


> Further to my earlier post. The freehub bearings were absolutely goosed. Both collapsed as I tried to get them out.



You've learned the hard way not to believe all the marketing BS from manufacturers trying to sell their crappy sealed unit throwaway bearings in place of proper cup & cone ones that you can overhaul yourself. I refuse to have any axle/shaft bearings on any of my bikes that aren't DIY serviceable using a pot of grease.


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## rogerzilla (7 Apr 2019)

If they'd been cup and cone bearings, chances are the cups would be pitted and a new freehub (or even new hub and wheelbuild) would be needed.

Even traditional Campag hubs with replaceable cups are uneconomic to repair, unless they're Record. If both cones and cups need replacing, it's upward of £30 per wheel. A pair of 6001 cartridge bearings is about a fiver.


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## SkipdiverJohn (7 Apr 2019)

Depends how fussy you are. I've got several spare wheels that I've harvested off scrap bikes, where the bearings were semi-seized or rough running due to neglected maintenance. Some have got signs of surface degradation to the cups & cones, but all I do is strip & clean them up and then put them back together with new grease. They might still not be perfect after overhaul, but they are still fully functional bearings all the same. Since I don't ride on perfectly smooth polished surfaces that impart almost no vibration into the bike, any minute residual trace of roughness is going to be completely lost in the sea of feedback vibration that you get from real-life road surfaces.


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## 13 rider (7 Apr 2019)

Tinkering position on new TCR . Seat up a smidge dropped a 5mm spacer at the front . First use of my torque wrench .test ride tomorrow to see how I go


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Apr 2019)

Last night, put clipless pedals on my daughter's Frog 62. And a new bottle cage on my son's Islabike - the previous one snapped. It was metal, and one side sheared.


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## Jenkins (7 Apr 2019)

Bit of wheel changing on the flat bar bikes.
I recently treated myself to a new set of wheels from Superstar Components so these were set up & fitted with the remarkably fast & comfortable 35mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres I've been running on the Pickenflick. Totally unnecessary bling, but why not...



The Mavic Aksiums and 28mm GP4000s I'd initially intended to run on this bike have now been transferred onto the Giant Rapid.
While moving the bikes out of the shed to make working space, I also found that the front tyre of the Spa Elan was flat - this turned out to be a small piece of flint that had only just penetrated the tube and has now been patched.


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## Reynard (7 Apr 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Bit of a wheel changing on the flat bar bikes.
> I recently treated myself to a new set of wheels from Superstar Components so these were set up & fitted with the remarkably fast & comfortable 35mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres I've been running on the Pickenflick. Totally unnecessary bling, but why not...
> View attachment 461321



Now that's eye-catching. I really like that.


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## alicat (7 Apr 2019)

^^^^^ me too. I love red on bikes!


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## Reynard (7 Apr 2019)

alicat said:


> ^^^^^ me too. I love red on bikes!





Both my Wiggins bikes have a fair bit of red on them. And my two "bitsas" are also red. I sense a trend here...


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## Racing roadkill (8 Apr 2019)

Part one of a strip down and upgrade of my faithful old Triban 520 today.






That’s a full R7000 105 Groupset. 






Bars stripped down and Sora Brifters removed.






Everything removed waiting for the refit.






White Lithium spray grease applied liberally to the frame awaiting the threaded BB and chainset.

I’ve actually fitted all the bits except the front mech. The reason being that the GS was a bargain, but they only had a braze on mech, this bike has a band on mech, so I’ve ordered a band on mech from Wiggle and I’ll keep the braze on as a spare as I’ve got a couple of bikes that will take a braze on mech. Tomorrow I’ll hopefully stick the front mech on, re tape the bars, index everything, adjust the brakes, and give it a test ride.


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## Reynard (8 Apr 2019)

Re-cleaned and re-greased the chain on the Chartres. Adjusted the cleat tension as well.

Also (non-bike fettling) repaired a scratch post that snapped at the base by removing the broken plastic insert and old bolt, tapping in a 12 inch length of ash wood, and securing the two with a nail through the original bolt hole. Then I drilled three holes 120 degrees apart through the base and into the wood, countersunk the holes, and finished the job with three sturdy screws.


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## 13 rider (8 Apr 2019)

After a ride today more position tinkering on the TCR . Seat up another smidge dropped another spacer on the front . Then the bike recievied its first wash and lubed the chain


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## tom73 (9 Apr 2019)

The tyres on my london Rd looked a bit past it. So New Pair of Schwalbe Landcruisers and Schwalbe tubes fitted last night. 
Checked this morning and it's all ready to roll. Not bad considering it's been years since I last did one. My Dad taught me well


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## Racing roadkill (9 Apr 2019)

The weather turned a bit gash today so I finished off the T520 to T540 upgrade, indexed everything, sorted out the brakes and re wrapped the bars.






















That’s a full Shimano R7000 105 Groupset fitted. I’ve just got to wait for the weather to not be quite so rubbish, before I test ride it. I really don’t want to be shaking down a brand new set of brakes and cables if the weather is very wet.


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## Elybazza61 (9 Apr 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> Part one of a strip down and upgrade of my faithful old Triban 520 today.
> 
> View attachment 461497
> 
> ...



Nice to see it all in blue Shimano packaging


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## Elybazza61 (9 Apr 2019)

Back to 2x11 on the Robinson so front mech fitted and Di2 re-set up plus shiny Absolute Black oval chainrings.


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## Racing roadkill (9 Apr 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> Nice to see it all in blue Shimano packaging


It was, until I took it out.


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## Elybazza61 (9 Apr 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> It was, until I took it out.



Fair enough;see plenty of build kits sold as group sets.


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## Racing roadkill (9 Apr 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> Fair enough;see plenty of build kits sold as group sets.


To be fair, this was a mix. Some of it was obviously build kit ( plain brown boxes with barcodes) and it was made up with some bits in Shimano boxes ( front mech, crankset, chain and cassette ). That’s why it was at a bargain price.


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## Racing roadkill (10 Apr 2019)

I’m on a test ride of the 520 that’s now a 540. I’ve had to do some emergency fettling, as I seemed to have forgotten to tighten the right hand Brifter up. I didn’t know if it was just a bit loose, but it moved under braking so I thought I’d better check it. Nope, I’d completely neglected to even slightly tighten it. So out with the multi tool, and tighten it up I did. It’s much better when it’s securely fastened.


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## Racing roadkill (11 Apr 2019)

I realised on the test ride that one of the shifters was about a couple of mm higher than the other one ( which wasn’t easy to spot on the stand ). This made for an uncomfortable ride towards the end, so I unwrapped the bar ( that’ll teach me not to test it before wrapping the bars up ) and pushed the offending shifter down to level with the other one. Now I’ve got a new issue, the callipers have a maximum drop of 51mm. The issue is that with the pads that were supplied, even when pitched and toed correctly, it looks like I need about another mm to be comfortably on the braking track. At the moment the top of the pads are just making contact with the tyre at the rim interface. I’m going to try some different pads, and if that doesn’t work, go for some long drop callipers.


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## SkipdiverJohn (11 Apr 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> . Now I’ve got a new issue, the callipers have a maximum drop of 51mm. The issue is that with the pads that were supplied, even when pitched and toed correctly, it looks like I need about another mm to be comfortably on the braking track. At the moment the top of the pads are just making contact with the tyre at the rim interface. I’m going to try some different pads, and if that doesn’t work, go for some long drop callipers.



You're going to be sorry you even started all this at the rate things are going. Personally, unless something is causing me a problem on a bike, I tend to leave things well alone all the time they are working satisfactorily.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (11 Apr 2019)

Had a Roodog Bliss in today. It had been for an RTB service on the motor but was due a good service on the "regular bike" stuff

After a good fettling and cable/pads channges took it out for a 10-mile hilly test ride to confirm that the noises and glitches reported on the drive were resolved and I was well impressed. Impressed by the quick and good dealer backup from Roodog but mainly impressed that a reasonably priced folding e-bike pulled so well, especially a 20" wheel folder "pootler"

It's used by the customer as daily transport so gets heavy use instead of the usual folding bike "sunny weekends and holidays" and is holding up well

Wouldn't be my choice as it runs out of gears too quickly - hard to beat the max 15mph as cadence gets too high. But that aside was actually not bad at all


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## Racing roadkill (13 Apr 2019)

I’ve sorted the issue with the callipers now. A curved file to the groove in which the pad holders sit sorted the slight lack of drop out a treat. It’s now working perfectly. That R7000 groupset really is superb. If anyone is thinking of a mechanical group set upgrade, that really is great VFM, and quality, this would be a very good shout IMO.


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## palinurus (13 Apr 2019)

Been fixing a puncture on my sister-in-laws ratty old Universal folder, front wheel. Tyre was really perished- hence the front wheel puncture- so got a new one on order. Wheel sounded really rough so I thought maybe a new hub- but just cleaned it up, bit of grease, adjusted the cones nice and it runs pretty good. Wheel could do with a rebuild though.

Be all sorted when the tyre arrives, couldn't find a shop with a 20 x 1.75 in stock.


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## Leaway2 (13 Apr 2019)

Further to my earlier posts re wheel/freehub bearings. The bearings arrived in the week and I was itching to put them in but resisted so I had the full daylight (and due to working some odd hours this week). So now all done with the aid of the patent Leaway2 bearing press.


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Apr 2019)

The Internet.


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## Racing roadkill (15 Apr 2019)

I suffered a sidewall cut in my tubeless road tyres yesterday. The Mavic sealant didn’t do the job, and the anchovies didn’t work either, which left me stranded, as I didn’t bring my tyre levers with me. However, when I did get home, I changed the sealant, for Stans Race sealant, and that did seal the hole adequately to hold 50-60 psi, which would have got me home yesterday. I also had a barrel adjuster jam solid, on the rear brake cable, ( Ultegra direct mount, chain stay mounted callipers) I think the problem was the super stiff brake cable I used, so I fitted a new barrel adjuster, and a slightly less stiff brake cable, all is well again.


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## bruce1530 (15 Apr 2019)

I fettled a dishwasher. Does that count?


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## DCBassman (16 Apr 2019)

bruce1530 said:


> I fettled a dishwasher. Does that count?


Condenser tumble dryer for me...with more yet to do. Maybe there should be a "What white goods have you fettled today" thread somewhere?


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## biggs682 (16 Apr 2019)

Just a couple of chains cleaned last night


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## si_c (16 Apr 2019)

My main road bike has been off the road for a couple of months for a few reasons - partly because I'm no longer commuting the same distance, partly because it had a flat rear tyre, partly because the brake pads needed replacing at the front, partly because I was waiting to get around to putting new tyres on. I've been riding my other bikes since changing jobs as the distance is significantly shorter so this bike has largely languished on the turbo.

I've more or less completed an overhaul this last week doing no more than one thing a night, sometimes half a thing, but I've replace the BB with a completely new unit - the old one was OK, but I'd had to repack it a couple of times over winter. 

Completely re-cabled the bike - Jagwire Road pro inners and outers although I had to get an extra length of compressionless outer for the rear brake and a longer front cable as it's aimed at rim brakes rather than the discs I'm using. I hadn't done a full recable since I got the bike 2 years ago, and whilst it shifted, it shifted badly - much much better now. Also replaced the rear-derailleur with a short-cage unit so it could fit on the turbo properly - the long cage is fine, but it does need to be cleaned properly.

Also replaced the tyres and inner tubes with Bontrager AW2 HCLs.

I just need to tidy up the cable runs for the dynamo lights a little and tweak the position of the front brake caliper and all is good.


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## JhnBssll (16 Apr 2019)

I gave the Stumpjumper a clean last night to remove the Welsh mountainside I'd accidentally brought home with me.










I need to do something with the dropper post thumb lever, it's at maximum adjustment but still in the way. I'm tempted to cut the end off but will try and come up with a more subtle solution first


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## rogerzilla (16 Apr 2019)

New chain, bar tape and a general clean of the Boardman Team Carbon. It's hard to love a modern plastic bike but it looks fairly purposeful. Flexy as hell uphill, the rear mech rubs the spokes in the 28T sprocket despite being miles away from them when parked, and I can only use the 25T. Might be the DT 1550 wheelset.




20190416_133311 by rogerzilla, on Flickr


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## si_c (16 Apr 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> New chain, bar tape and a general clean of the Boardman Team Carbon. It's hard to love a modern plastic bike but it looks fairly purposeful. Flexy as hell uphill, the rear mech rubs the spokes in the 28T sprocket despite being miles away from them when parked, and I can only use the 25T. Might be the DT 1550 wheelset.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Is there any lateral movement in the wheel? It's worth checking that both the hub axle doesn't have any play - if not then it's probably worth checking the tension of the spokes. Also worth checking is that the rear QR is done up tightly enough and that there is no movement there either.


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## JhnBssll (16 Apr 2019)

Cleaned and polished the Roubaix with carnuba wax before giving it a thorough inspection. This highlighted the chain had just reached 0.5% wear so I swapped it out for a new one. I then popped the stem off and put all the spacers back underneath so it's in its highest position and dropped the saddle down by ~20mm or so. Last but not least I removed the pedals. I've got a chap coming to view it tomorrow, he's travelling a few hours each way so I'm expecting him to take it away with him. I've promised myself I won't cry... 

She is looking rather splendid, I'm sure he will be pleased as punch with his purchase should he decide to buy her 






Peeling my name decals off was brutal


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## raleighnut (16 Apr 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Cleaned and polished the Roubaix with carnuba wax before giving it a thorough inspection. This highlighted the chain had just reached 0.5% wear so I swapped it out for a new one. I then popped the stem off and put all the spacers back underneath so it's in its highest position and dropped the saddle down by ~20mm or so. Last but not least I removed the pedals. I've got a chap coming to view it tomorrow, he's travelling a few hours each way so I'm expecting him to take it away with him. I've promised myself I won't cry...
> 
> She is looking rather splendid, I'm sure he will be pleased as punch with his purchase should he decided to buy her
> 
> ...


----------



## derrick (16 Apr 2019)

New rear wheel bearings on a mates fixie. Sealed bearings nice and easy. And tightened up BB.


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## derrick (16 Apr 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> So I rode 65 miles on it this morning and didn't notice it was there  I'm taking that as a good thing, I doubt you'll ever notice the claimed power gains so really all I can say is the gears still worked and it didn't break
> 
> My main concern is the thing is really light and quite flimsy in comparison to the standard cage it replaced - it was more solid once attached to the mech with the pulley bolts tightened slightly and the chain fitted, but I still had some concerns. Todays roads were really bumpy in places; I pedalled through the bumps and tried to bounce the chain around a bit to see if it would derail or cause other problems but it behaved itself perfectly. Of course this was only 65 miles - realistically I'd have to report back after a few thousand for it to be useful information but there you go. It is what it is, a cheap version of something very expensive. I took a risk on it and so far it seems to have paid off - plus it does look rather cool


Think i will stick with a standard mech.it is a bit of bike porn though.


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## Racing roadkill (17 Apr 2019)

I put a patch inside the tyre where I sliced my Yksion Pro tubeless tyre at the weekend, and it’s now running with a tube. Then I swapped wheelset / cassette on my 520/540, for the ksyrium tubeless numbers I received yesterday.






I’ve just got to test it now.


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## tom73 (17 Apr 2019)

Helped Mrs 73 in bringing her fx out of hibernation. cables, brakes, tyres all checked. Cateye bike computer fitted, along with a bit of added bling 
All now ready to roll for her breeze ride on Sunday. 
Sadly her new pedals will have to wait on fitting found the left one had part of the thread missing so won't engage with the crack arm. 
So back they will have to go and they looked so cool too . 
So out with the pedal spanner and back on with the old ones which means my N+1 is now in need of a new pair


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## JhnBssll (17 Apr 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Cleaned and polished the Roubaix with carnuba wax before giving it a thorough inspection. This highlighted the chain had just reached 0.5% wear so I swapped it out for a new one. I then popped the stem off and put all the spacers back underneath so it's in its highest position and dropped the saddle down by ~20mm or so. Last but not least I removed the pedals. I've got a chap coming to view it tomorrow, he's travelling a few hours each way so I'm expecting him to take it away with him. I've promised myself I won't cry...
> 
> She is looking rather splendid, I'm sure he will be pleased as punch with his purchase should he decide to buy her
> 
> ...



It's gone, the end of an era... Off to a new home amongst the Surrey hills with an excited new owner  If he gets half as much pleasure out of it as I did he'll be a happy chappy


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## tom73 (17 Apr 2019)

It.... see you've already fell out of love and after all that joy too


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## JhnBssll (17 Apr 2019)

tom73 said:


> It.... see you've already fell out of love and after all that joy too





It's like ripping off a plaster...


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## tom73 (17 Apr 2019)

Along with a chunk of hair


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## ColinJ (17 Apr 2019)

Aargh - I really _AM _getting forgetful...! 



ColinJ said:


> I've now fixed that problem too. I looked at the pedals and could see places where the metal was getting worn away by the tread on the soles of my cycling shoes. I reasoned that this was the source of the noises and decided to give the shoes a bit of help. Rather than waiting for the shoes to wear enough metal away to reduce friction to the point where the noises stopped, I took a file to the pedals and filed a thin layer of metal off both sides of both pedals in the critical positions. Result ... no more squeaking!





ColinJ said:


> I took a file to one side of the RH pedal on my cyclocross bike...
> 
> I have been getting an incredibly annoying squeaky sound from that side when riding the bike. I did a 100 km ride on it a couple of weeks ago and the noise was there for over 6 hours, doing my head in!
> 
> ...


I had completely forgotten making the first post! 

Fortunately, they are different bikes. Same shoes though. Perhaps I should have left the pedals alone and trimmed the soles of the shoes instead...


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## Grant Fondo (18 Apr 2019)

Phew! After a bit of jiggery pokery mine and Madame Fondo's bikes sorted. Spec Dolce road bike now flat bar kind-of-hybrid (frame angles!) you all shout... just hope it pays off. Ran out of puff changing grip shift on mine to new XT rapidfire so still in box and on the 'to do' list. Wales over Easter to off-road test.


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## Elybazza61 (18 Apr 2019)

Yesterday stripped down free hub on the Halo hub on the Robinson as it was making some nasty noises;bit dirty but nothing untoward so hopefully silent running now(as silent as a Halo superdrive hub can be)


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Apr 2019)

My saddlebag has had a Spring clean of its contents and bike had a wash.


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## DCLane (18 Apr 2019)

A busy day doing bits in-between marking student assignments. After painting the frame and forks earlier this week I built this, apart from the chain:







Also changed the inner tube on the Raleigh Sports, although it might have just been a loose Woods valve.

Sorted out some bits for the Avanti Circa build that has been sat unfinished for 2 months; that's a job to do.

Stuck 2 tubs onto a pair of PlanetX carbon track wheels; it needs a smaller cog ready for outdoor track training tomorrow evening.

Aero bars onto my NeilPryde ready for a TT on Saturday and prepped my Principia TT bike for my 14yo to use. Also got his race bike ready for a race on Sunday and his track bike ready for a track session Monday.


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## Reynard (18 Apr 2019)

Still tweaking the cockpit of the Chartres...

Adjusted the tension on both brake cables as the brakes were a bit too grabby and the levers too stiff - I prefer a somewhat more progressive brake set-up. Still surprised how much "stop" there is on discs as opposed to rim brakes. Also adjusted the cleat tension on the pedals.

Test ride showed brakes are now where I want them to be, but still need to have another look at the pedals.

Need to rotate the bars a little back towards me; they've been fitted with ergon grips and the bottom edges are digging into my palms. (The previous owner is a little taller than me.)

Hopefully, once that's done, that *should* sort it. And now that my bum doesn't hurt thanks to the new saddle, it's turning out to be a very nice bike.


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## JhnBssll (18 Apr 2019)

I had to do something to stop this view from getting too depressing...






... so I took the Bianchi down and gave her some attention  Shes going out for a ride with me tomorrow so a clean and fettle was in order. I also took the opportunity to pop the Ultegra lh crank arm on with the Avio PowerSense power meter to give it a ride out. If successful I'll send the Dura Ace arm off to get one fitted


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## Smokin Joe (19 Apr 2019)

A terrible rattle from the front end was driving me mad and I couldn't track it down. It turned out to be the bung in the steerer tube had loosened, one hefty nip with an Allen key and it was sorted.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (19 Apr 2019)

I had a traditional bank holiday - which can only mean one thing - *Cuprinol*!

Treated the shed to a long-overdue couple of coats. Non bike related fettling since I decided I wasn't going out on the bike this weekend to spend some time with a poorly cat who is on meds to try to keep him going until a dangerous all-or-nothing operation next Friday 

Which basically meant that he slept with one eye open watching his servant working. Which is what cats do. Except for a 10 minute bout of posing in the sunshine


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## Reynard (19 Apr 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> I had a traditional bank holiday - which can only mean one thing - *Cuprinol*!
> 
> Treated the shed to a long-overdue couple of coats. Non bike related fettling since I decided I wasn't going out on the bike this weekend to spend some time with a poorly cat who is on meds to try to keep him going until a dangerous all-or-nothing operation next Friday
> 
> ...



Pawsies crossed for your lovely supervisor xxx


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## gavroche (20 Apr 2019)

Thoroughly cleaned my Cube Peloton and won t be using it until We go to the Isle of Man to do the TT course next month. It will go for a full service first. In the meantime, the Specialized Roubaix or Allez will come into play for my next ride on Monday. Covered 26 miles on the Cube this morning.


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## Heltor Chasca (20 Apr 2019)

Youngest now has mudflaps. Reflective mudflaps I’ll tell you.


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## Reynard (20 Apr 2019)

Never mind the mudflaps @Heltor Chasca - what's with the flamingo?


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## 13 rider (20 Apr 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Youngest now has mudflaps. Reflective mudflaps I’ll tell you.
> View attachment 463217
> View attachment 463218
> View attachment 463219


Like the flamingo mascot


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## Heltor Chasca (20 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> Never mind the mudflaps @Heltor Chasca - what's with the flamingo?



You mean you don’t have one in your bike?


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## Reynard (20 Apr 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> You mean you don’t have one in your bike?



Should I?


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## Heltor Chasca (20 Apr 2019)

Reynard said:


> Never mind the mudflaps @Heltor Chasca - what's with the flamingo?



I have one on two of my bikes. Within my Audax club there is a sub-club of ‘Flamingos’. I don’t think anyone really knows how you actually become one. One day. One very lucky day, the Head Flamingo sends you a message to say you are now a flamingo and have permission to wear the coveted Flamingo jersey. 

I believe (but it may not be the reason) that I was accepted into the circle on account of an audacious event I spearheaded in Nairobi when I was 21. There was a getaway car, decoys and an enormous team effort that I put together which resulted in a completed mission. The operation I was in charge of from within a Chinese restaurant resulted in the successful kidnap of a...

..*flamingo!

(True story)








*No pink birds were harmed in this stunt. The flamingo was fibreglass.


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## MahatmaAndhi (20 Apr 2019)

Today, I took my Raleigh folder (IKEA bike), scrapped the mudguards, replaced the six speed freewheel with an eight speed, re-spaced the wheel to get it to fit, new chain, new derailleur and new shifter. However, I ran out of real estate on the handlebars, so they were swapped for my old Marin Pine Mountain bars that were lying in the shed. I also de-stickered it. It didn't have the IKEA ones on there (sadly) but instead, loads of gubbins about 'Stealth Suspension' (so stealthy it doesn't exist!).

It wasn't the best job in the world, but I'm still learning.


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## Reynard (20 Apr 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> I have one on two of my bikes. Within my Audax club there is a sub-club of ‘Flamingos’. I don’t think anyone really knows how you actually become one. One day. One very lucky day, the Head Flamingo sends you a message to say you are now a flamingo and have permission to wear the coveted Flamingo jersey.
> 
> I believe (but it may not be the reason) that I was accepted into the circle on account of an audacious event I spearheaded in Nairobi when I was 21. There was a getaway car, decoys and an enormous team effort that I put together which resulted in a completed mission. The operation I was in charge of from within a Chinese restaurant resulted in the successful kidnap of a...
> 
> ...





Ah...

Weirdly impressive, though.


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## JhnBssll (21 Apr 2019)

Had a fettle of the Bianchi this morning  Having covered 100 miles on it on Friday I realised the saddle felt a little low. I checked it and raised it ~5mm to match the turbo bike which I've been fine tuning over the winter. I'll check the rest of the fleet later 

Since the continued weight loss means I dont have much of a gut to lean over anymore I decided to drop the stem a little. I had been riding with 25mm of spacers below the stem and 5mm above. I decided since I'm never going to need it as high as it is now and will likely drop it further in the coming months I would chop 10mm off the steerer. I've now got 20mm of spacers under the stem and nothing above it. This combo of bars down and saddle up has made the bike feel even more comfortable, I'm looking forward to taking her out again for a ride 






While I was tidying up afterwards I also discovered my spare speed and cadence sensors seem to be multiplying, I genuinely dont know how I got to this point


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## RobinS (21 Apr 2019)

Have today managed to fit walking pole bungs onto the metal ends of the stands on both our touring bikes - had to soak them in boiling water for a while to get them soft enough to get on, but they are now really tight, and should help stop them sinking into soft ground as much. Apart from that just spent some time looking at the bikes, and deciding there is absolutely nothing else to do to them before our upcoming 5000km tour. Did a 50km test ride on Friday, and they were both super smooth and quiet after lots of parts replacements and fettling since the last big tour.


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## tom73 (21 Apr 2019)

Cleaned down and polished the london Rd after our off road Sunday morning ride. Thought i'd clean and re lube the chain well over due on close inspection don't think the last owner was much of a cleaner.


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## roubaixtuesday (21 Apr 2019)

Dismantled headset to remedy mysterious creak when turning wheel, to no avail. Much head scratching later, wd40 applied to the cable adjusters on the downtube instantly solved the issue...


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## lazybloke (21 Apr 2019)

New chainset and BB fitted loosely to my road bike.
How foolish to expect my HT2 spanner to fit the new HT2 cups. 

Gear cable replacement tomorrow, and urgent trip to tools section of Halfords/Evans/Lbs.

Edit: an adapter exists (but wasn't included)


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## Reynard (21 Apr 2019)

Had an idiot moment regarding the ergon grips - never had them on a bike before, so that's my excuse... 

Rotating the bars back towards me did help with the hand numbness, but of course, I'd have to move all the levers t'other way to get them back in the right place again. Has to be an easier way than all this faffage, she thinks... 

Google to the rescue, there's an adjustment hex nut on each grip. Oh. Dear. 

So bars back where they were, and grips adjusted the way I should have done them first time round.  Gave them more tilt, and we'll see how I fare when bike and I go to Cambridge on Tuesday.


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## Gravity Aided (22 Apr 2019)

Tested tires for the Trek 600, to see how large a tire it will take, and my current 25's seem pretty much the limit, maybe 28's. Now considering the Miyata 90 for the full touring 700C bike. Unless a finer candidate comes along.


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## Reynard (22 Apr 2019)

In preparation for tomorrow's trip to Cambridge, fitted a bell to Wiggy #2, the Chartres. Need a back-up to yelling at suicidal pedestrians and dithering tourists.

Also, based on my quick jaunt yesterday to visit a friend, raised the saddle another 5mm or so and brought the saddle forward by a similar amount.


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## JhnBssll (22 Apr 2019)

I went for a spin on the Bianchi this morning. Very pleased with the seat and stem height adjustment but have just tweaked the saddle angle slightly to bring the nose down a smidge. I guess I'll just have to pop out again on it tomorrow


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## Grievesy (23 Apr 2019)

was having some issues with the brakes on the London road, the front one was squealed when pulled tight and the rear was dragging, cue a youtube search as how to adjust, running a lot better this morning. tightened up the rear brake cable also. not perfect but i'll work on it.


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## DCLane (24 Apr 2019)

Finished the Avanti Circa 1 winter bike build having been sat unfinished since January; inner and outer cables plus chain fitted along with bar tape. It'll need a bit of tweaking but all works. Different wheels will be used with wider tyres, these were for build purposes.







And yes, it's for winter 2019/2010. I'm just planning ahead!


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## Heigue'r (24 Apr 2019)

DCLane said:


> And yes, it's for winter 2019/2010. I'm just planning ahead!



Time machine


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## Ming the Merciless (24 Apr 2019)

Bottom bracket, cranks, and pedals taken off, regreased, and refitted. Now working out way to attach waterproof on rack struts ahead of rack pack. Freeing up more space for food in rack pack.


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## Reynard (24 Apr 2019)

Removed the bottle cage from Wiggy #2, the Chartres, cleaned under it, then re-fitted the cage together with the bracket for the mini pump. Last part of that was fitting the pump into its bracket.

Just need to add an inner tube, patches, quick link, haribo and emergency £20 to my bar bag, and that's the tool kit and spares sorted.


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## jongooligan (25 Apr 2019)

Decided to get rid of my carbon bike and rejuvenate my old Ridley Triton which has been sitting on the turbo trainer for approx five years.

Wasn't much to do really. Stripped brackets for HR monitor and phone from handlebars. Replace TT tyre with a road tyre (Schwalbe Durano). Replace saddle with something more suited for longer distances (Spesh Toupe). Give it a thorough clean. It was while doing this that I realised the brakes were sticking, probably from not being use for so long. Stripped and cleaned them and took it for a test ride. Job's a good un.


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## keithmac (25 Apr 2019)

I spent 3 hours with my lad on Bank Holiday Monday sorting his MTB out.

Did new cables, sorted brakes out, made him a "Frankenstein derailleur" to keep him going for now.

Said we'd get some new parts for his birthday and keep it for another year before bike shopping again (he hasn't sprouted yet, nearly 12).

Would be a waste buying a new bike for him to grow out of..

One question, I tried taking his rear cassette off with the tool shown and it wouldn't fit in properly.

Do I buy the same tool in steel and try and knock it in or are their subtle size differences ( it is a Shimano 7 speed cassette). The tool appears marginally too big?.

I have a new groupset which would make his day if we can get it all to fit!.


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## C R (25 Apr 2019)

keithmac said:


> I spent 3 hours with my lad on Bank Holiday Monday sorting his MTB out.
> 
> Did new cables, sorted brakes out, made him a "Frankenstein derailleur" to keep him going for now.
> 
> ...


Is it definitely a cassette and not a freewheel? The freewheel tool is slightly different.


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## DCBassman (25 Apr 2019)

keithmac said:


> I spent 3 hours with my lad on Bank Holiday Monday sorting his MTB out.
> 
> Did new cables, sorted brakes out, made him a "Frankenstein derailleur" to keep him going for now.
> 
> ...


Pretty sure that's a freewheel, not a freehub/cassette. Altogether different tool needed.


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## dave r (25 Apr 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Pretty sure that's a freewheel, not a freehub/cassette. Altogether different tool needed.



I was wondering whether that was the case, isn't it seven speed where they did both a freewheel and a cassette version?


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## DCBassman (26 Apr 2019)

7 or 8, not sure. Certainly, you can get an 8-speed freewheel if you shop around. I went with a new 559 freehub wheel from Taylor Wheels in Germany instead, so I could fit whatever cassette I wanted.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Apr 2019)

keithmac said:


> I spent 3 hours with my lad on Bank Holiday Monday sorting his MTB out.
> 
> Did new cables, sorted brakes out, made him a "Frankenstein derailleur" to keep him going for now.
> 
> ...


+1 for what others have said - that appears to be a screw on freewheel rather than a cassette so you need a freewheel tool which _is _subtly different. A breaker bar is useful too as you'll need plenty of leverage to undo.


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## rugby bloke (26 Apr 2019)

Thanks to the helpful advise on here I've hopefully fettled the problem with the chain jumping between cogs on the rear cassette. For some reason the rear thru axle had worked loose / not been tightened properly - probably the second. I made some adjustments to the rear barrel adjuster as well to cut down the chatter. The weather forecast is fairly biblical tomorrow but I'm hoping to find a small window to take it for a test spin.


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## keithmac (26 Apr 2019)

Cheers all!, I priced up a rhs shifter and derailleur (no matter how many times I write that word it looks wrong!), will replace both as his is short cage derailleur and 24" wheels.

Will keep the groupset in my spares department for later!.

Think next bike will definitely have free wheel on the wheel and take a cassette.

Every day is a learning day!.


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## Shearwater Missile (27 Apr 2019)

Fitted a 17 degree 100mm stem (previous was 6 degree) to raise bars by 7mm, taking into account that I also removed 5mm spacer.The saddle to bar drop is now 20mm and reach is 51.6cm. This is on my summer bike (Vitus Venon 2015) and yet to try. On an earlier posting ( A tale of two stems) I went back to 100mm from 90mm as I had issues with my shoulders/neck which was a lot better but not 100%, hence a 17 degree stem. This is also in the positive position and quite frankly looks OK. I know a lot would say that the bike is the wrong geometry and yes you`d be right. It has a 150mm head tube, and I love the bike and don`t feel ready to sell it My winter bike has a 17mm saddle to bar drop which is OK. I guess that I am just not as flexible as I once was, now 60. I sourced the 17 degree stem from ebay as the usual on line outfits were in my mind too expensive for something just to try. I of course may need a 110mm 17degree stem. We will see. I will post again when I have had a chance to try it out.


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## BianchiVirgin (27 Apr 2019)

Reassembled the rear end of my full susser today. I had the main frame away as a main pivot bolt broke, just above the BB, and left a seized stump inside the frame. Drilling and extractors didn't work so I had to get it to an engineering workshop to be drilled out and fitted with an M12 to M8 insert. First 'failure' in two and a half years so not bad in all I suppose. When I was at it I fitted a new bearing and bolt kit obviously. The workshop removed the old bearings and I pressed the new ones at home. All successfully reassembled and ready for a blast!


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## derrick (27 Apr 2019)

A little tweak to the Di2 front derailier, went out the other night and chain fell of the outer ring, First adjustment in over a year, not sure why it needed it, but it's sorted know.


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## keithmac (27 Apr 2019)

derrick said:


> A little tweak to the Di2 front derailier, went out the other night and chain fell of the outer ring, First adjustment in over a year, not sure why it needed it, but it's sorted know.



Do they have a limit screw or is it purely electronic?.


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## derrick (27 Apr 2019)

keithmac said:


> Do they have a limit screw or is it purely electronic?.


Limit screws. Easy adjustment.


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## Gravity Aided (28 Apr 2019)

Replaced the cable shifter and brake unit on my old Giant Yukon with a working shifter, and re-threaded the cables.


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## MahatmaAndhi (28 Apr 2019)

Had my latest folder up on the stand. I bought it second hand and when I got it home, I realised it was in much worse condition that I thought. Drivetrains and hubs are fairly new territory for me, so I was determined to do it myself. My last folder is still going strong, despite me doing the tinkering.
So I got a new 7-speed freewheel, derailleur, chain and shifter as well as inner and outer cables. But when I got it fitted, the wheel was stiff to turn as if the brakes were on. 
Convinced that it was the axle, I took it to pieces, replaced the bearings and put a quick release axle in instead (Amazon Prime's same-day delivery has been rinced lately). Still stiff when I put it on.
Turns out I had the cups that hold the bearings in place on too tight. Now it's working okay. Put it down to experience for next time.

Anywho, now that's sorted, I had to reset the brake calliper positioning and index the gears. It's working - not perfectly, but working.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Apr 2019)

New saddle and water bottle cage for the Trek 950.
And a ride.
And an adjustment to the saddle.


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## Shearwater Missile (29 Apr 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> Fitted a 17 degree 100mm stem (previous was 6 degree) to raise bars by 7mm, taking into account that I also removed 5mm spacer.The saddle to bar drop is now 20mm and reach is 51.6cm. This is on my summer bike (Vitus Venon 2015) and yet to try. On an earlier posting ( A tale of two stems) I went back to 100mm from 90mm as I had issues with my shoulders/neck which was a lot better but not 100%, hence a 17 degree stem. This is also in the positive position and quite frankly looks OK. I know a lot would say that the bike is the wrong geometry and yes you`d be right. It has a 150mm head tube, and I love the bike and don`t feel ready to sell it My winter bike has a 17mm saddle to bar drop which is OK. I guess that I am just not as flexible as I once was, now 60. I sourced the 17 degree stem from ebay as the usual on line outfits were in my mind too expensive for something just to try. I of course may need a 110mm 17degree stem. We will see. I will post again when I have had a chance to try it out.



I tried out the new stem today on a 21.6 mile ride and it felt fine. I forgot to mention that the majority of my riding is in the drops, always has been. I just like the feel of my hands there, of course I do change to the hoods as I think that it is good for circulation and wards off numbness. Anyway, my back and neck and shoulders seemed fine so may be and I say may be, that I have found the solution. To be honest, when I am cycling and looking down at the stem I don`t notice the angle suffice to say perhaps the stem looks a little shorter. The reach feels right so would not need to go to a 110mm. I hope that this info helps others who may have similar issues.


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## CXRAndy (29 Apr 2019)

Not bike related, but finished off installation of 3 metre electric awning with wireless communication to neighbours house.


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## Racing roadkill (29 Apr 2019)

I had a bit of a sweary fit earlier. I was just checking the bike I’ve recently upgraded to R7000 spec, to see what ( if anything ) needed a quick tweek here or a nip up there, and I noticed that as I turned the steering full lock to the right, the rear brake was coming on slightly. Ah, bugger, rookie mistake, I’d measured the outer cable distance from the brifter to the stop on the frame, with the bars straight. It was just too short, with the bars turned full lock right. So I cut a new longer piece of outer and popped it on. Double bugger, the inner isn’t long enough now. Ah well, I’ve got a new inner on next day delivery from good old Wiggle. Other than that, everything else is working just fine on this bike now. Then I turned my attention to the big old Boardman MX comp. I fitted a replacement BB a few weeks back ( a SRAM Power spline sealed cartridge ) and it suddenly started clicking quite loudly last week, when putting anything like decent powaaah down. So I got the cranks off, and checked the security / torque of the collars. They had worked themselves a bit loose, so I torqued them up a bit, put the cranks back on and tested it, it wasn’t clicking on seated efforts, but it was still clicking on standing efforts, so I repeated the previous procedure, and torqued the collars up a bit more. It was silent right up until I was really pushing in a high gear up hill, so I repeated the procedure yet again, and Torqued the collars until I nearly gave myself a hernia. That’s got it, silence is golden . My next fettling effort will be to get the stuck seat post out of my old Boardman Pro Carbon roadie, then I’ll start looking at my old BSA.


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## Gravity Aided (29 Apr 2019)

Sounds like you have a full calendar, there, @Racing roadkill . Good luck with the carbon.


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## Racing roadkill (29 Apr 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Sounds like you have a full calendar, there, @Racing roadkill . Good luck with the carbon.


I’ve got to fit the Isle of Wight Randonee, a three day 270 mile challenge ride from Huddersfield to Southampton, the Ride London, and ( possibly ) another LEJOG as well, hence the reason for getting as many of my bikes in tip top condition as possible. The Power metered bike could do with a new chain and cassette as well, so that’s another job for the list.


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## Gravity Aided (30 Apr 2019)

Wow!


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## Vantage (30 Apr 2019)

Lowered my rear rack by an inch by drilling and tapping new bolt holes in the adjustment struts. It looks better now


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## Reynard (30 Apr 2019)

Vantage said:


> Lowered my rear rack by an inch by drilling and tapping new bolt holes in the adjustment struts. It looks better now



That's one of the little jobs on my agenda as well. Not urgent, but will look better aesthetically...


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## Nibor (30 Apr 2019)

Fitted the low ratio chain ring on to a colleague's Brompton and shortened the chain and changed the M bars for S bars all in the work car park in 35 minutes.


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## Racing roadkill (30 Apr 2019)

I’ve got the R7000 kitted bike all working sweetly now, with a quick little bit of checking and adjusting various bits and bobs. The only problem is that I now think further upgrades are necessary, which they aren’t, but once I start fettling something it’s like a snowball, and before I know what’s happened, I’ve spent more on shiny stuff than I would have on a new bike.


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## Richard A Thackeray (30 Apr 2019)

Had a slight 'wobble' on the rear wheel of my CGR over the past few days
Couldn't find my cone-spanners, so picked a pair up on my ride home from work today (Halfords, with 10% BCF discount, for showing my card)

One thing that I found out this evening....

(2017) Mavic Aksyium wheels have cartridge bearings
(as I've not had to touch the hubs in the 2 years since I bought it!)

Still at least it's another thing that makes the wheels last a long-time, barring accidental damage


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## Vantage (1 May 2019)

The new bar, stem and bar tape arrived monday. The new cables and headset arrived today.
Completely stripped the bike of everything and gave the frame a good clean inside and out. Over the weekend I think I'm gonna flood the frame with oil so the rust inside the seat tube that I found doesn't happen again.  It'll be done before winter at the very least.
Fitted the shiny new polished FSA cartridge headset. Boy it's soooooo much easier fitting an alloy one than a steel one!
Bar and stem have also been fitted.
Lots of cleaning of parts tomorrow.


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## Gravity Aided (2 May 2019)

Repaired the threadless headset on my bike E recumbent, and also fettled the brakes on my Trek 950 26" tourer conversion.


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## Racing roadkill (2 May 2019)

I replaced the rear pads on the Ultra 720. When I braked, they squealed a lot. So I checked the toe in of the pads. They were toed in, but I toed them in a bit more. They squealed more. Then the penny dropped. It’s got direct mount brakes, mounted on the chain stays, which means they are effectively A.A.F. I toed them the other way, and now they are nice and quiet.


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## Richard A Thackeray (2 May 2019)

Again; the CGR

Then again, it is my 'everyday/go to/all-weather bike

I'd been out to watch the Tour de Yorkshire early afternoon, not far up the route from Little Smeaton
Rode home, in some grim weather
.
.
.
.
Got to the gate, walked in, & fell over
Plastic soled Sidi CX shoes, & wet Stone flags aren't a good match
I have slipped before, but never fallen

I put my hand out,, as much to save the frame from a plant-pot, as myself
On inspection, a low wall (10" high) has taken 3 small scratches out of the off-side seat-stay
_*Bugger!*_

So, a hunt through wife & daughters nail-varnish stash revealed a bottle of clear
*Hurrah!!*


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## Jenkins (3 May 2019)

A mixture of tyres & brakes over 4 bikes today

Planet X - Current GP4000 from the rear wheel to the front to replace a standard Grand Prix tyre and a new GP4000 on the rear wheel
Pickenflick flatbar - New disc rotor on the front wheel - the previous rotor had a strange pulsing sensation while braking, despite appearing to be perfectly flat
Ventus commuter - New GP4000 front & rear tyres to replace the Schwalbe Durano Plus (wired) fitted at the start of the year (they may go back on for the winter)
Voodoo - Complete new rear brake system - the pads & disc had been contaminated so I fitted the rear part of the Clarks set-up I picked up cheap at the end of last year


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## Richard A Thackeray (3 May 2019)

*Do cars count?*

*1.* Daughters Adam booked in for MoT test, & service, at out trusted garage, for one of my days-off next week

*2.* Puncture in rear off-side tyre, of my Octavia estate
Same tyre had 2 punctures earlier this year, but there's a rather substantial chunk of glass in it
The position on the shoulder will undoubtedly mean it's not repairable
They've been on, supporting the rear end for 70,000 miles (5 years), & at the last MoT test, an advisory warned of minor cracks in the sidewall, & a_ feathering _of the inner edge
So, I'll err on the side of caution, & I think I'll get both rears replaced, with the same as the fronts; as I'm very happy with those
(replaced 5,000 miles ago, with same make/model again, as the previous had covered just short of 40,000 miles, with about 2mm left on change)

*If cars don't count, I apologise, wholeheartedly*


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## Vantage (3 May 2019)

Yesterday:
Lots of cleaning....basically every single bike component was scrubbed, degunked and brought to a shine. Even the brilo pads came out which did wonders for the 7 year old 2300 front mech.
The black seat post collar was sanded down and polished to an almost chrome like finish. Spa do one in silver for £4.50. Plus £4 p&p. Pfft. Couple hours elbow grease for a better finish and £0.00.
A scratch on the seat post was also buffed out.
The removal of another scratch on the drive side crank arm was attempted. Sanded it back only to discover a clear lacquer on the crank. Aarrgghh! That'll take a week of sanding, buffing and polishing to put right. Bollicks to that! Ordered a new one from Spa instead. That cock up is costing me 20 quid. Meh.
Wire wool wrapped around a steel coat hanger and propelled around inside the seat tube with a drill shifted a fair bit of rust. Seatube was then doused with cheapo oil.

Today:
All components greased and refitted. New brake cables fitted and brakes adjusted.
Gear cables still need doing but they're on the bike at least.
Replaced most of the socket head allen bolts with nicer looking dome head allen bolts.
Leather bar tape wrapped. That stuff was a right pig to wrap as there's no give in it whatsoever.
More jobs tomorrow.


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## JhnBssll (4 May 2019)

Just in from an extended fettle 

First job was to fit a USB charging stem cap to the commuter - I got the wires routed and the cap fitted before job two arrived, I havent yet made the electrical connections. That can wait for another day, the bike is ridable until then 












Job two was a friends wife's tri bike which she wanted upgrading to Di2, I was more than happy to oblige  It's a Felt AR3, a nicely put together machine if you ignore the terribly placed rear brake release mechanism 

I've got as far as removing all the old stuff, running the internal cables and bolting on the new Di2 bits. Tomorrow I will replace the bottom bracket and brake cables, fit the new chainset and set everthing up  I spent a bit of time cleaning it all up and have given it a coat of wax since taking the picture below, it's come up rather well  I'll pop a picture up when it's all finished if I get a chance. A nice bike and fun to work on 






Job three was a quick one, my new Cyckit Aeroclam saddle bag arrived this morning so I fitted it to the saddle waiting to go on the new Ti bike I'm building. It looks rather good and will match the one on the Bianchi that I've been very pleased with 






Job four was to replace the worn bar tape on the Bianchi. I took a risk and ordered some Supercaz starfade, the same design as I've got on the bars waiting to go on the Ti build but orange rather than purple. Unfortunately it doesnt look good  Oh well, I'll leave it on for the time being - I might resort to rubbing some dirt over it


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## TigerT (4 May 2019)

Adjusted the toe in on the rim brakes of my new bike.

Was going to take it back to the shop, as they would have sorted it and provided coffee. However I decided it was simple enough so did it myself. 

Success - No more waking the neighbours with screeching brakes!


----------



## Reynard (4 May 2019)

Fitted the rear light I bought the other day. The mount bracket had been held onto the rack by cable ties and the whole set-up was a bit wibbly wobbly.

But I had a spare pair of bolts that came with the pump I bought last week, so I cut the cable ties and bolted the bracket on instead. No more wibbly wobbly back light. Makes the light assembly less nickable as well.


----------



## Vantage (4 May 2019)

The replacement crank arm arrived today. Good work Spa! 
Rings swapped over and crank fitted. 
Got new M520 pedals too as the old ones were about 15 years old and in need of much servicing. 
Gears adjusted and now the bikes just waiting for its first post rebuild test ride. She looks like new again


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (4 May 2019)

I started fettling my son's bike this morning when the temperature suddenly plummeted. Within 5 minutes, I couldn't feel my fingers so gave it up as a bad job


----------



## Ming the Merciless (4 May 2019)

My leg muscles with some all out hill climbs out of the saddle


----------



## geocycle (4 May 2019)

A failed fettle today. Am replacing Shimano 105 compact chain set on spa Audax bike with spa’s sub compact. Removed cranks ok but have to swap hollow tech bb for a square taper. Found that my ring spanner for external bbs is too big for the new 105/ ultegra range aaah! Went to three LBS but none have the necessary plastic insert that are apparently supplied with a new BB. Clearly they don’t anticipate anyone going back to a square taper. Called Spa and they are sending me one FOC, but don’t you just love the lack of standardisation!


----------



## Frottish (4 May 2019)

Reamed out my old Formula RX brake levers to make them fit some 26mm bull bars. Going for a full hydraulic disc track setup - on the cheap 






The grooves give better grip on the bars and allow the expansion reservoir to breathe.




Tested and it fits!





Now I just need to reassemble the whole thing... perhaps for another day, it's beer time now.


----------



## C R (4 May 2019)

Gave the drive train a good clean. Fettled the front brake blocks to see if they stop squealing, and tightened the headset a smidgen, as it was rocking and made the front judder when braking.


----------



## JhnBssll (5 May 2019)

Finished off the Felt AR3 Di2 upgrade this morning, it's owner came and collected it a little while ago and seemed rather pleased with it  If it had been my size I would have put up a fight giving it back 






I couldn't stand looking at the rear brake release so I replaced the brake outers and moved the release, it's now tucked away under the BB. I drilled out the frame plate in the downtube that used to hold the gear cable ferrule and passed the brake cable outer through there instead of its indended location, much neater  Why they didn't put it somewhere more sensible in the first place is anyones guess 






I'm having a short break from fettling now but may well do some more later as I still havent finished connecting the USB stem cap on the commuter


----------



## Vantage (5 May 2019)

I made some handlebar shims so I could use the 31.8 accessory bar on my new 26mm handlebar...which means my etrex 20 still sits bang in the middle. 
I also fitted new cleats to my shoes and fitted the plastic shimano spd pedal platforms. 
The Spa is all ready to go...soon as I can stay awake long enough to drag its heavy ass out the door. Tomorrow maybe.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (5 May 2019)

Chain was a bit noisy on the hybrid so wiped it down, still not cleaned the bike since I don't know when


----------



## Reynard (6 May 2019)

Retensioned the cable for the RD on the Rouen.

I didn't do it right the first time around (should've put the bike in its biggest gear - the lesson I learnt with the Chartres) and I'd started getting those "lost-in-translation" gearshifts again the last couple of times I've been out on the bike.

Still got issues with the FD, but want to get the rear sorted first.


----------



## si_c (6 May 2019)

Bearings need replacement on my PD-8 dynohub - they no longer spin freely and make a fair amount of noise when being moved slowly. Spoke to Spa cycles, they've sent me a replacement which I will be refunded for when I send the old hub back to them under warranty, and ordered a set of new spokes as well. 

Removed the old hub from the rim which was a pain as most of the spoke nipples had seized, and two of them disintegrated when I tried turning them with the spoke key! New set of spokes fitted to the new hub - tensioned up now so I just need to redish by a couple of mm and then the final true and stress relief. This is the fifth wheel build I've done now, getting much quicker and I nailed the lacing this time - normally I get the pattern off by one so the valve isn't in the right place. Taken a little over two hours so far as I take my time over it as I'd rather get it right.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (6 May 2019)

Flipped the stem on my Claude Butler from +6 to -6 and put the 18mm spacers under the stem so making it virtually the same saddle to bar drop, well nearly at about 2cm. The reach only was 1mm longer.Went out on a 22 mile ride and that seemed to be fine. Both bikes have the same saddle to bar drop.


----------



## Vantage (6 May 2019)

I took the bike for a test ride to make sure everything was as it should be. Something was rattling!
I found a crack in the front mudguard where the bracket fixes to the fork crown. No problem...I have about 5 spare rear mudguards left 
Spent a while trimming and fitting the new mudguard and decided to flip the stem from a - to a + so it's not so low. The handlebar was spun round a bit too to bring the hoods closer.
Bike done.






Second job today was replacing the cracked glass back of my daughters Samsung A5. I can't say I enjoyed that. But for a first time it turned out OK. She's also been warned that if she ever leaves the silicon case off again I'll shove the phone where the sun don't shine.


----------



## Reynard (6 May 2019)

After fettling, it would've been rude not to have gone for a test ride. The RD on the Rouen now shifts as it should, and I think I've managed to pin down why I get the chain rub on the FD if I don't trim it.

Wasn't paying attention to which gear I was in, and found myself on the big ring and not quite the biggest cog on the rear. And the chain was rubbing on the back left corner of the derailleur cage. So by that, I'm assuming that the FD is a touch squiffy, and it wants moving just a touch anti-clockwise. Will do that later in the week.

Also tweaked the bars on the Chartres. Now that I've got the cockpit just about right, I'd noticed the other day that the bars weren't quite square. So loosened the stem and made the appropriate changes. Hopefully that'll stop bugging me now. Also tightened up the QR skewer on the front.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (7 May 2019)

Last night I gave the Fuji a thorough clean, the drivetrain especially is now sparkling.


----------



## Bazzer (7 May 2019)

Last week a background sound of rubbing started on my Cannondale, but only on rough road surfaces. Probably barely noticeable to others, but to me after a few miles seriously irritating. Traced to the bracket which links the lower arms of the front mudguard having detached from the mudguard. Drilled out of the old pop rivets and fitted new ones.
It also made me notice the mudflap has gone AWOL. I don't think I have anything suitable in my garage, so I will need to order a new one and at the same time take the opportunity to get a new rear brake/mudguard bracket as the existing one functions only with cable ties.


----------



## postman (7 May 2019)

My fantastic young neighbour's hedge is blocking light from Mrs P's greenhouse.So i have done some pruning.Filled the brown garden bin.


----------



## Elybazza61 (8 May 2019)

Mostly garden work the past few days but managed to re-route the dynamo and di2 cables and shortened the rear brake hose which I have been meaning to do for ages;actually got away without having to re-bleed which is a bonus.


----------



## ColinJ (9 May 2019)

Today's bike fettling session was in 2 parts ...

Part 1:

Having measured the setup on 3 of my bikes by measuring each from the nose of the saddle to the centre of the handlebar, I was shocked to find that one was 56 cm, one was 58 cm, and one was 61 cm. How on earth had I coped with the setups being so different? 

I decided that the bike with the 58 cm measurement was very slightly more comfortable than the other 2 bikes so I adjusted their saddle positions to make their measurement 58 cm too.

I felt pleased to have made such an important discovery and rectified the problem. I made a pot of coffee and sat down to work on the computer. But something was niggling me ...

Part 2:

It eventually dawned on me that while all the bikes had the same type of saddle, they each had different types of bars and different types of shifters. 

I repeated the measurements, this time from the nose of saddle to where my hands spend most of the time when riding - on the hoods... All 3 different!

So, I put the saddles back to where they had started from, repeated the measurements and found that the nose to hood measurements were now identical!


----------



## derrick (9 May 2019)

New spoke in a mates wheel. Then some decorating,


----------



## Reynard (9 May 2019)

New laces in my MTB shoes. I like to double knot my laces, and the original ones were too short for me to be able to do that.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (9 May 2019)

Gave the bike a wash and lube.


----------



## fossyant (10 May 2019)

My SRAM Guide Gen2 brake lever piston arrived from Taiwan in less than a week. There is a known issue with earlier SRAM Guide brake levers (and Level levers) where the piston inside the lever can jam in heat (i.e. a hot sunny day). My rear jammed last year when the bike was parked in the sun, so changed it - the front was OK. 

Decided to change the front after it was a little sticky recently having been in the sun. It takes about 30 mins to strip down, the hardest part being removing a small circlip. Swapped out quickly then bled the brakes after. £11 for a bit of plastic with two rubber seals and a spring.


----------



## JhnBssll (10 May 2019)

Gave the Bianchi a good going over ready for Velo Birmingham on Sunday. Thoroughly degreased the new chain to remove the last of the original factory lube, it's done a few hundred miles now so was due a clean. Rinsed and dried it and put it to one side. 

Wheels off, degreased the cassette and cleaned them up. Cleaned the discs with brake cleaner.

I took the opportunity to re-fit the dura ace lh crank arm, it had been away having an Avio PowerSense power meter fitted. The Ultegra arm and its PowerSense are now ready and waiting to be fitted to the Ti frameset when ready.

Before reassembly I gave the frame and rims a nice coat of wax, all shiny again! All back together again now and I've left the Di2 charging


----------



## BianchiVirgin (10 May 2019)

Last week I knocked out the old FSA BB from my Bianchi only to discover that the Wheels Mfg BB was the wrong one. Don't know how I got that brain fade. Anyway, quickly prepared the Cube for the Sunday spin instead. It's a nice bike but a real slug by comparison and hard work doing 100km on. 

The new BB arrived yesterday, PF30, and it fitted easy peasy. Didn't even need the press. The FSA unit is plastic rubbish compared to the outboard machined alu of the new one and the halves are threaded together and more or less eliminate the risk of creaking. A quick spin round the house and it seems fine. Didn't even have to adjust the front derailleur, which I was expecting to have to do. Bonus. 

Then fitted a new inner cable to the front derailleur on the MTB as the old one was shabby and frayed after the strip down and reassembly.


----------



## geocycle (11 May 2019)

Replaced 50/34 Shimano 105 chain set with spa sub compact 44/28. Had to change BB to a square taper as well. Took it out for a test ride and all seems good. I wanted a very low gear for the 20% hills around here and a smaller big ring so I can use it on the undulating roads without constantly changing from big to small.


----------



## CXRAndy (11 May 2019)

geocycle said:


> Replaced 50/34 Shimano 105 chain set with spa sub compact 44/28. Had to change BB to a square taper as well. Took it out for a test ride and all seems good. I wanted a very low gear for the 20% hills around here and a smaller big ring so I can use it on the undulating roads without constantly changing from big to small.



I had that setup and while it was perfect for super steep hills, the 44t just wasnt quite enough for flat or descent. 

I end up with a triple of 48/36/26 on XTR Di2 derailleur


----------



## geocycle (11 May 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> I had that setup and while it was perfect for super steep hills, the 44t just wasnt quite enough for flat or descent.
> 
> I end up with a triple of 48/36/26 on XTR Di2 derailleur



Yes time will tell, whether I have left enough at the top end. A triple would certainly be another option.


----------



## Zanelad (11 May 2019)

Fitted a rack to my ebike. Now i can take stuff to the office any day, rather than only when I use the car. I'm beginning to feel like a proper commuter.

Got a helmet too. Having reached my early sixties without feeling the need, Mrs Z has been quietly applying pressure for me to get one. Saw a cracking looking one in the shop, really caught my eye. Then I spotted the price tag. £239. I opted for a slightly cheaper one.


----------



## Phaeton (11 May 2019)

Fitted the Aldi bike winch, supposed to have to save me lifting the bike above my head, we'll see,


----------



## dave r (14 May 2019)

After my pothole clattering episode yesterdy I gave the bike a check over this afternoon, checked the wheel and it was still true, checked the rim, no dings in it, no damaged spokes either. Checked the tube I took out and it had got the classic snakebite puncture thats difficult to impossible to repair so it went in the bin. The pump that didn't work by the roadside was dismantled and checked and found that the seals were Ok, I smeared some grease round the insides and it is now working again.


----------



## rugby bloke (14 May 2019)

Checked the tyres ahead of the morning commute and found the front tyre had fully deflated after night after yesterday's ride. The sealant seems to have mysteriously disappeared as well. A close inspection of the tyre found no visible damage so have topped up the sealant and reinflated. The tyre has held pressure for the last 2 hours, so fingers crossed. Still getting used to the brave new world of tubeless, this is my first problem after almost 1500 miles so I's still impressed with them.


----------



## Hicky (15 May 2019)

Serviced the headset on my ebay scott mtb....I think I fitted the lower bearings upside down as there's a slight gap....bugger, doing it again today...I had everything in the right order laid out and then knocked it all off the bench!


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

I've just booked my bike in for a service...does that count?


----------



## raleighnut (15 May 2019)

vickster said:


> I've just booked my bike in for a service...does that count?


You've kept a bike long enough to have it serviced.


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> You've kept a bike long enough to have it serviced.


Yes it’s done 5.5k miles and it’s still my go to


----------



## raleighnut (15 May 2019)

vickster said:


> Yes it’s done 5.5k miles and it’s still my go to


Must be your Ti bike.


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

vickster said:


> Yes it’s done 5.5k miles and it’s still my go to


Actually it’s done 5900+ miles


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Must be your Ti bike.


Nope! Genesis Eq. I’ve not even had the Ti a year. I’m out on it today. Done only 373 miles


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (15 May 2019)

A service on @gavgav's bike yesterday, including:

New chainrings - fitted the set that I got Gav for his birthday which are 44-32-22 in place of the standard 48-36-26 which should make the steep hills around south Shropshire, the Welsh coast and the Lake District a bit more manageable. The front derailleur needed adjusting to suit and I had a small panic when it looked like there wouldn't be clearance against the frame. Fortunately it does work.

New chain - worn out.

Clean and lubricate the rear derailleur pulleys - these were horrible and took ages to get clean. Good for now but new pulleys needed next time I think.
New gear inner cables plus the rearmost section of outer which tends to pick up road dirt and get sticky.

Changed fluid in front brake and replaced the pads. It looked like the caliper might be going the same way as the rear did, but fortunately it has freed up this time. After enthusing about how easy it was to bleed when I changed the rear caliper, those words came back to haunt me as this one had a bubble that just would not clear. I managed to knock over the bottle of fluid at one point too which soured the mood somewhat! Very relieved when the lever finally firmed up properly.
Wheel bearings - nice and straightforward as they just needed new ball bearings and grease.

Everythings seems good on a short test but once again there was an annoying rattle which turned out to be the side stand being slightly loose this time.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

Better part of a house cleaned, and the a/c repaired, with a fellow from the furnace company doing most of the HVAC stuff. I also cut the yard, and got my Raleigh Super Grand Prix ready for the road. A very user friendly bicycle.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (15 May 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Better part of a house cleaned, and the a/c repaired, with a fellow from the furnace company doing most of the HVAC stuff. I also cut the yard, and got my Raleigh Super Grand Prix ready for the road. A very user friendly bicycle.
> View attachment 466597



Nice bike, but wow, unless the photo is misleading that is huge! How tall are you? And what's the frame size??


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

25.5", 6'3" with long legs. I need to let that seat post down about an inch. I can barely reach the pedals at the down stroke. I was sold it at the bike co-op for a less than princely sum, because i was the only volunteer/recipient/buyer who could test ride it.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

Or straddle it.


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

I'd like to see that in a bike rack next to my Wiggins Rouen. That would be... amusing...


----------



## Pale Rider (15 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> I'd like to see that in a bike rack next to my Wiggins Rouen. That would be... amusing...



It would be called a garden gate in the trade.

Seems to me a lot of old bikes have bigger frames than we prefer now.

Might be something to do with the modern fashion for showing lots of saddle post.


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> It would be called a garden gate in the trade.
> 
> Seems to me a lot of old bikes have bigger frames than we prefer now.
> 
> Might be something to do with the modern fashion for showing lots of saddle post.



Or it just might be that I'm somewhat undertall and ride a 38cm frame...


----------



## DCBassman (15 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> Or it just might be that I'm somewhat undertall and ride a 38cm frame...


That would make @Gravity Aided 'overtiny' or 'overshort', no?


----------



## raleighnut (15 May 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Better part of a house cleaned, and the a/c repaired, with a fellow from the furnace company doing most of the HVAC stuff. I also cut the yard, and got my Raleigh Super Grand Prix ready for the road. A very user friendly bicycle.
> View attachment 466597


I'd retape those bars taking the gear cables under the tape right up to the stem.


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> That would make @Gravity Aided 'overtiny' or 'overshort', no?


----------



## Vantage (15 May 2019)

Well shoot. 
During my ride yesterday I decided that I was struggling to move the shifters, so when I got home I set about taking the Kelly TakeOffs off and mounting the levers back on the downtube. All looked well till today's little ride.
The right lever wouldn't stay in position and so the gears where all over the place. 
In grinding the lever assembly to fit the TakeOffs (because Mr Kelly couldn't design them better! A55HOLE!) the static part no longer has enough square material to keep it in place.







So I've now had to order a pair of new shifters. Because Mr Kelly is a nobber. 
That's the bike off the road for a couple days. Just when it's nice and sunny. Meh!


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

Vantage said:


> That's the bike off the road for a couple days. Just when it's nice and sunny. Meh!



Botheration...

Mind, an excuse for N+1 perhaps?


----------



## Vantage (15 May 2019)

I had an n+1 for a while. It just sat there gathering dust so I sold it. Typical.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> I'd retape those bars taking the gear cables under the tape right up to the stem.


I probably will, after shakedown cruises.


----------



## ColinJ (15 May 2019)

I put a new tyre on my CAAD 5 (best bike). The old one had served me well but I noticed on my imperial century ride at the weekend that it had pretty much worn out. I think it could perhaps last another ride or two but it isn't worth the risk.

After that I _removed _the new tyre on my CAAD 5 (best bike) - I needed to patch the tube that I had damaged when putting the tyre on! 

I patched the tube and was a lot more careful refitting the new tyre. It has held pressure for hours now so it should be okay.

It means that for the first time in about a year, I have matching tyres with very little/no wear on them.

Hmm... perhaps I should now check the tyres*** on my singlespeed bike, which I will be using on a 'long' imperial century ride on Saturday. The tyres were not new when I put them on the bike and I have ridden... (checks log) ... 3,700 km (2,300 miles) on them since then! 


*** PS They look ok for Saturday and another few rides but will need replacing in the summer.


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

Vantage said:


> I had an n+1 for a while. It just sat there gathering dust so I sold it. Typical.



Double botheration... 

Guess I'm lucky. My recently added N+1 is very different to what I already had, so I can choose a bike according to what sort of ride I'm planning.


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> Double botheration...
> 
> Guess I'm lucky. My recently added N+1 is very different to what I already had, so I can choose a bike according to what sort of ride I'm planning.


I have 4 emergency bikes


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

And the cloth tape has been duly waxed.


----------



## Reynard (15 May 2019)

vickster said:


> I have 4 emergency bikes



I like your style


----------



## vickster (15 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> I like your style


2 aren't so good when it rains, maybe I need a couple more with mudguards.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 May 2019)

Don't forget the whole rack/no rack conundrum, by the way.
and then there's this...


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 May 2019)

New BB fitted, pedals removed regressed and refitted. New cable fitted for front derailleur.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (15 May 2019)

I realigned my chakras today with some new bar tape for my tourer.

For the less spiritual amongst us, the 7 sacred chakras are Earth, Wind & Fire, Crosby, Stills & Nash and ABBA. 

A friend has suggested Chakra Khan exists amongst the enlightened.


----------



## raleighnut (15 May 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> I realigned my chakras today with some new bar tape for my tourer.
> 
> For the less spiritual amongst us, the 7 sacred chakras are Earth, Wind & Fire, Crosby, Stills & Nash and ABBA.
> 
> ...


Don't forget Bobby Shakra, although I heard he'd gone to sea.


----------



## rugby bloke (15 May 2019)

A happy hour spent removing bits of the bike and generally checking it over ready to pack it into the bike box on Friday. going to give the frame a final clean now that everything is off and we are good to go ... just got to make sure I pack all the bits in the box !


----------



## Hicky (16 May 2019)

Bought and fitted a bell as I'm sick of canal walkers in a world of their own ignoring me when I give a polite warning shout...oh and repaired a puncture canal side due to kind scrotes smashing glass on the towpath round the A62 bridge Failsworth.


----------



## raleighnut (16 May 2019)

Hicky said:


> Bought and fitted a bell as I'm sick of canal walkers in a world of their own ignoring me when I give a polite warning shout...oh and repaired a puncture canal side due to kind scrotes smashing glass on the towpath round the A62 bridge Failsworth.


I'm getting more and more tempted to get one of these,


View: https://youtu.be/YYkBHGurj-I


Be really good on a towpath.


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> I'm getting more and more tempted to get one of these,
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/YYkBHGurj-I
> ...




Or in the centre of Cambridge, where it's full of suicidal pedestrians...


----------



## raleighnut (16 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> Or in the centre of Cambridge, where it's full of suicidal pedestrians...


£16 at SJS Cycles


----------



## Vantage (16 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> I'm getting more and more tempted to get one of these,
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/YYkBHGurj-I
> ...




A couple years ago I was on a shared use path and saw a gentleman walking in the middle of the path with his back to me. 
I intended on giving the bell a quick ring to alert him of my presence. 
I accidently hit the airzound instead. 
I've never seen someone jump so high. 
I apologised profusely and he laughed it off.


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> £16 at SJS Cycles



Tempting...


----------



## Vantage (16 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> Tempting...



If you have oversize bars (31.8mm) you might have issues. 
The clamp airzound fit is small. 25.4 - 26mm bar type. 
I had to fit an extension thingybob to get mine to work.


----------



## Reynard (16 May 2019)

Vantage said:


> If you have oversize bars (31.8mm) you might have issues.
> The clamp airzound fit is small. 25.4 - 26mm bar type.
> I had to fit an extension thingybob to get mine to work.



I have standard bars AFAIK, so should fit. Might be a tight squeeze on the hybrid though as there's not much handlebar real estate. Ah, the joys of riding a teeny tiny bike...


----------



## derrick (16 May 2019)

Started fitting Di2 to a friends TT bike, it's the latest Di2 no option for chainging into the big ring yourself, synchronized shifting only. could be interesting, the bike is a Giant Liv. All a bit tight and fiddly. may take me a while.


----------



## Vantage (17 May 2019)

The new shifters arrived today so I fitted those and indexed the gears. Again. 
A single strand of wire had snapped at the pinch bolt on the rear mech so I had to fit a new gear cable too.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (17 May 2019)

Cleaned the drivechain on my daughter’s Frog 62. Running beautifully now.


----------



## Justinitus (17 May 2019)

Serviced 3 sets of flat pedals - 2 x VP plastic jobs and my Raceface Chesters. 
Chesters were like new inside and needed nothing doing, but the cheap VP’s were dry as a bone so they were stripped, cleaned, greased and reassembled. 3rd time they’ve been done now and are spot on again - not bad for £5 a pair


----------



## derrick (18 May 2019)

Synchro shifting proggramed and ready to go.


View: https://youtu.be/gBAiM_A4Mk0


----------



## TigerT (19 May 2019)

Today I replaced the white (now grey and black) bar tape with black.

First time wrapping bar tape. It doesn’t look too bad from a distance. A little bit uneven in a couple of spots, but it’s just the commuting bike, so good enough for now


----------



## C R (19 May 2019)

Cleaned the chain, and then I thought, ooh, I bought the chain checking tool a few weeks ago, so I should check the chain. So I check the chain and .75 goes straight in. Idiot, I should have checked before going through the trouble of cleaning. Anyway, spare chain in. Need to order a new spare.

Also new brakes in sons bike.


----------



## Racing roadkill (21 May 2019)

Some scummy little toe rag tried to cut the trigger off my Hornit ( they failed to get it off, but it’s knackered)





So I’ve had to get a replacement. The thing is, it just unplugs, and unwraps from the bar, you wouldn’t gain anything by attempting to cut it off.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (21 May 2019)

Not so much today, but a recent fix


----------



## Gravity Aided (21 May 2019)

Reynard said:


> I'd like to see that in a bike rack next to my Wiggins Rouen. That would be... amusing...


Fellow taller than me at work rides a Brompton. It is immediately recognizable by the epic amount of seatpost.


----------



## raleighnut (21 May 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Fellow taller than me at work rides a Brompton. It is immediately recognizable by the epic amount of seatpost.


Bit like this 'Jump' bike I was bought.






BTW that's as low as the saddle will go with the 600mm seatpost + saddle fitting I had custom made.


----------



## Racing roadkill (21 May 2019)

I discovered that the star nut was poking out of the top of the steerer on one of my bikes, so I got the setter tool out and hit it with a hammer to get it to its proper depth. I like fixing stuff by hitting it with a hammer.


----------



## DCBassman (21 May 2019)

Attempted to change the chainset on the Scott from a Ritchey 52-42-30 to a Shimano 48-38-28. Went on fine, chainline good, but the braze-on Sora mech won't adjust down far enough to make it work at all on the big ring, let alone work properly. Bum.


----------



## Racing roadkill (21 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Attempted to change the chainset on the Scott from a Ritchey 52-42-30 to a Shimano 48-38-28. Went on fine, chainline good, but the braze-on Sora mech won't adjust down far enough to make it work at all on the big ring, let alone work properly. Bum.


Get rid of the braze on bracket and replace it with a band on.


----------



## DCBassman (21 May 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> Get rid of the braze on bracket and replace it with a band on.


Nah, will keep eyes open for a new bike instead!


----------



## C R (21 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Nah, will keep eyes open for a new bike instead!


I like your thinking.


----------



## DCBassman (21 May 2019)

"Get rid of the braze on bracket and replace it with a band on."
@Racing roadkill There's a reason for the no-band-on option - it's not a round seat tube. So unless I can find a braze-on front mech with a longer reach...


----------



## Racing roadkill (21 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Nah, will keep eyes open for a new bike instead!


That’s a good point, well made.


----------



## Racing roadkill (21 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> "Get rid of the braze on bracket and replace it with a band on."
> @Racing roadkill There's a reason for the no-band-on option - it's not a round seat tube. So unless I can find a braze-on front mech with a longer reach...


Okay that would pee on the cornflakes a bit.


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## raleighnut (21 May 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Attempted to change the chainset on the Scott from a Ritchey 52-42-30 to a Shimano 48-38-28. Went on fine, chainline good, but the braze-on Sora mech won't adjust down far enough to make it work at all on the big ring, let alone work properly. Bum.


Braze on extender bracket,


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## DCBassman (21 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Braze on extender bracket,
> 
> 
> View attachment 467471


Ta-da!
Edit: bloomin' expensive!


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## C R (21 May 2019)

raleighnut said:


> Braze on extender bracket,
> 
> 
> View attachment 467471


I liked the N+1 idea better


----------



## Flying_Monkey (22 May 2019)

Today I put my oldest bike back together: it was the bike that got me back into cycling more than 20 years ago. It's a Planet-X Kaffenback, the original 'Blue Dragon' frame design, built from basic 4130 Cro-Mo. It's not light but it can pretty much do anything from commuting to light touring to winter training (in the UK at least - I couldn't ride it out here in the Ontario winters where you really need metal-studded tyres).

Since I came to Canada, in 2009, it's been sitting twiddling its thumbs up in our barn, while I rode other bikes: my Brompton, my single-speed, my sleek carbon TT thing, and my self-built winter 'Beast.' But I was thinking about do-it-all bikes again, wondering about shelling out for a Rohloff-equipped bike-to-end-all-bikes, and I suddenly thought that I already have one of those (almost). Granted, it's not anywhere near as fancy as anything with a Rohloff, and I probably couldn't take it that far off-road, but after ten years of sitting around, it still works just fine and it's still a pleasure to ride.

It also reminds me that I made some really sensible choices about gear when I got this courtesy of some discussions on the old Cycling Plus Forum - the obsolete bottom-of-the-range Campagnolo Xenon is a depdendable gear choice, and the Mavic Open Pros still make for a great wheelset.

So this summer I'll be getting to know an old friend again...


----------



## Apollonius (22 May 2019)

Time for the summer refurb of the winter bike, an elderly Bianchi Sempre from 2013, which gets beaten to death all winter, and because I am a rebel and won't use mudguards has a hard life with grit and spray. Somewhat to my surprise, the bottom bracket, done this time last year, was still A1, but the steering head was notchy, to say the least. 
So, I took the forks out and examined the head-bearings. FSA, probably Orbit, but the top end was fine. Just replace the bottom one then? Not so simple. It looked like a crown race and caged bearing setup. Didn't look too bad, but rough bearings never do. Tiny ball bearings. Where will I get those? And the crown race looks awful, on closer inspection. 

To cut a long story short, I had various goes at getting bearings and even got a replacement FSA crown race, which was too big. So, give up and surrender to LBS (Fishface Cycles at Wombourne). Took it over in semi-dismantled state thinking he would have to order in a new headset and it would take time. 
He spotted my mistake straight away. It wasn't a crown race and loose bearing system at all. It was a sealed bearing that had completely disintegrated! And he had one in stock and fixed it for me there and then. 

The moral of this story is, I suppose, if you don't know what you are doing, then get help from a good LBS.


----------



## Tom B (22 May 2019)

Been for an impromptu seaside ride after cleaning and wet luring yesterday so a thorough degrease and cleaning off the grinding paste of sand and gloop was in order. Then a relube.

Noticed the cassette is worn so I'll let this chain run on and on the look out for a sub £10 deal.

Oh and brake pads changed, again.


----------



## 2sheds (23 May 2019)

newb to group / forum, 
Scored a Dawes Fox (yeah I know), for 33 quid from Facebook marketplace, changed all cables, brake blocks, fitted new pedals and toe clips, replaced front mech, now waiting for new wheels (alloy), tyres and block coming from ebay hopefully tomorrow be able to do final gears and brake adjustments


----------



## postman (23 May 2019)

Oh and brake pads changed, again.


Yes same here.


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## TigerT (23 May 2019)

Bought and fitted a wireless unit for my Madone so I can see what the DI2 is doing on my Garmin.

The main reason for this is that because the Main unit is hidden in the downtube, you can’t see the led indicators therefore battery level is a guess without unclipping it. But it’s also nice to see what gears you are in and be able to switch between Garmin screens from the brake hoods. Especially as the touchscreen on the 820 is so bad!


----------



## Reynard (23 May 2019)

Tweaked the angle of the ergon grips on Wiggy #2, the Chartres, as I'd moved them back a little *too* far.

Of course it would've been rude not to go for a bimble to test the changes after... 

It seems to be more comfy, although I do like to ride on the built-in bar ends.


----------



## tom73 (23 May 2019)

Evening ride over on with the list of jobs
Wash down and clean London rd
Chain cleaned and lubed
Helped Mrs 73 fit her bike mirror
Then for the mini Krypton Factor challenge , fitting new seat post bag. 
Kit in the wash
All ready for our off road day out tomorrow on the bikes Mrs 73 longest ride yet.


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## TigerT (25 May 2019)

Don‘t think I‘ve ever been so nervous in my life! Just used my Dremel with a cutting wheel on my bike! 

There is a small 10mm bolt holding a cover on the front rim brake calliper and I needed to get the cover off to solve a squeak...... But it requires a 2mm Allen key. Put it in and it just went round and round. Looked at it and the head was completely destroyed. Tried jamming something bigger in the hole, but to no avail. So I heavily taped everything around the area (really heavily!) and cut a slot into the head. Really surprised how steady I kept my hand. My heart was beating faster than it does when climbing:-D

Nervously put a flat head screwdriver into the slot and yay! It turned.

I didn’t enjoy that job at all. I‘ve ordered replacement bolts, but I‘m off out now to see if I can find an equivalent to use as a temporary measure.

Oh.... and the squeak was easily solved. Tiny bit of grease in the offending cable holder and we are noise free :-)


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## si_c (25 May 2019)

Fitted new derailleur hanger to the MTB - the last one was shockingly twisted. Surprising how much better shifting gets  but it has taken me about three months to work out which one I needed - damned 12 year old MTB. Also cleaned the jockey wheels as they were truly minging. Now to order a bleed kit for it as the rear brake is fscking useless for some reason - it just went totally soft at Llandegla today.


----------



## Gravity Aided (26 May 2019)

Seeing if I can shoehorn some fenders onto the Raleigh Grand Prix today, and start down the road turning the Miyata 90 into a front basket upright bike, and adding the componentry to the Falcon.


----------



## Gravity Aided (27 May 2019)

I cannot shoehorn fenders onto the Raleigh Grand Prix with 700x32 tires.. Did have a lovely bike ride after, though.


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## Domus (27 May 2019)

New cables and brake shoes/pads fitted to winter bike. The cables always end up splayed out as I do them several times while trying to get the cable length short enough to have a good lever pull yet long enough to release the noodle to remove a wheel. Is there a trick I need to know?


----------



## DCLane (28 May 2019)

Shortened the half-link chain by one link on the orange Carlton Corsa and it's now no longer floppy. Also fitted a front Dia-Compe brake so the bike is road legal, with an orange cable outer of course.


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## roadrash (28 May 2019)

love it, has it been tango'd


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## DCLane (28 May 2019)

roadrash said:


> love it, has it been tango'd



Yes - my 14yo son's idea. Basically if the part was available in orange, then that's what we've used. 

Originally this was a lilac 1975 Carlton Corsa, then flat-barred and hand-painted gloss blue: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/w...finished-its-gone-from-blue-to-orange.240031/

Given that the bike's only destination was the skip he's happy.


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## roadrash (28 May 2019)

I like it ,


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## Reynard (28 May 2019)

That's certainly made me smile


----------



## Jenkins (28 May 2019)

An eight bike mickiling and quick frame wipedown session today, plus stuck an 11-28 casette on the Spa Elan instead of the 12-25.


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## Shearwater Missile (29 May 2019)

Adjusted the FD stop adjuster on my Vitus Venon as there was a little bit of chain rub when in the higher gears. To be fair I had`nt really noticed until I was checking it out in the garage as you do.
The Claude Butler Roubaix got a 20mm section of outer cable removed on the RD as the cable just looked too long from where it comes out of the shifter. Just me being pedantic but at least it matches the FD cable. Then of course I had to re-index them. Hav`nt tested on the road yet, a job for tomorrow,


----------



## rugby bloke (29 May 2019)

A 2 stage process - 
Saturday; Unpacked, cleaned and rebuilt the bike and degreased the chain and cassette.
Tonight; Inflated the tyres, relubed the chain and made some adjustments to the handlebar angle 
A very quick spin to check everything felt right, going to take it out for a longer ride tomorrow.


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## wisdom (30 May 2019)

New tyres and tubes fitted to front and back(far too many patches on the tubes now).
New chain and casette fitted all lubed and adjusted.
This is on the daily commuter which given all the winter wet commutes has done very well.


----------



## alicat (30 May 2019)

Replaced the spiked tyres on my shopper bike with 'normal' tyres. We've had snow in June before so I like living dangerously.


----------



## tom73 (31 May 2019)

I've been thinking about having a spare one or two high 5 tabs for longer rides and days out on the bike. 
I thought about just putting them in bit of foil or the like. But did not fancy the clean up if they got wet or turned to dust. 
So I've just finished a tube and thought what about .... So out came the little axe saw and problem fixed. 
Enough for 2 tabs no mess, simple to keep topped up and quite nifty


----------



## DCBassman (31 May 2019)

Yesterday evening: fettled front cones on the Trek. Nice and smooth.


----------



## Gary E (31 May 2019)

Took down and completely re-assembled and re-wired my Zwift setup. Certain aspects have been bothering me for some time now so I finally decided to bite the bullet and clean things up. Never again!


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (31 May 2019)

Fettled the brake cables on the Fuji. They need replacing from cable stretch, but for now have made cables a little tighter on the caliper so I don't have to pull the brake levers so far before the pads grip.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (31 May 2019)

Fitted new rear tyre on CB and put the one removed onto the front. The front had done nearly 4000 miles and probably could have done some more but I like to play safe. The new tyre was a folding bead Rubino, never fitted a folding bead before. Personally I thought it harder to put on than a wired bead. The Rubino graphene is now on the front with 1500 miles on it.


----------



## Vantage (31 May 2019)

Fitted the new longboards and gave the bike a spit and polish.


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## tom73 (31 May 2019)

@Vantage Nice work


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## alicat (31 May 2019)

Nice bike, Vantage.


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## Vantage (31 May 2019)

Thank you thank you


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## DCLane (1 Jun 2019)

Adjusted the brakes, fitted a bottle cage and deep front / disc rear to my 14yo's TT bike today ready for TT's tomorrow (15 mile) and Tuesday (10 mile):






I'm only hoping he doesn't beat me (again).


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## TigerT (1 Jun 2019)

My commuting bike, has had the same pedals on it since I bought it 5 Years ago and they were stuck solid. I wanted to switch from chunky SPD’s to Look Keo. All previous attempts to shift them had failed until today!

While browsing in the bike shop, I saw a 75cm long pedal spanner, it was cheap, so I bought it thinking the extra leverage might work 

Success, they were still difficult to shift, but eventually I got them off. No signs that any grease was ever used which is probably why they were seized. 

Went out on an unplanned test ride to test the new pedals and enjoy an ice cream!


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## Tenkaykev (1 Jun 2019)

New orange chain guard from Brommiemods
Added a " Goldie Lookin Chain" for a bit of extra bling


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## Shearwater Missile (1 Jun 2019)

TigerT said:


> My commuting bike, has had the same pedals on it since I bought it 5 Years ago and they were stuck solid. I wanted to switch from chunky SPD’s to Look Keo. All previous attempts to shift them had failed until today!
> 
> While browsing in the bike shop, I saw a 75cm long pedal spanner, it was cheap, so I bought it thinking the extra leverage might work
> 
> ...


Never quite managed to enjoy an ice cream and cycle at the same time, how did you manage it ? When I tried it all I ended up with was the cone !


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## Gravity Aided (2 Jun 2019)

I fettled a Dawes Eclipse City into submission. I had to replace the rear wheel, locate a seat post and saddle, add a water bottle cage, and air up the tires. Then I rode to the grocery to get some eggs for Mrs. GA. Needs a rack and fenders yet. I found it in a basement at the cycle co-op while trying to sell some hipsters a Ross Eurotour.




Pedals were also added by me, they have red paint on them. I suppose I shall have to get some brake fluid while I am out today. That will take paint off of plastic, given a little time. It will be a fine winter bike, I think.


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Jun 2019)

Changed the pads on our lasses bike. Will find out tomorrow if I've done them properly, she goes downhill to work


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## Gravity Aided (2 Jun 2019)

BTW, the hipsters were much taken with the Ross Eurotour.


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## Salty seadog (2 Jun 2019)

Mickled the chain and put a drop of lube onto the pivot points of the mechs on the Montpellier.


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## LucretiaMyReflection (2 Jun 2019)

Set up front replacement tyre as tubeless. Took far longer than needed due to putting a fitment on the _inside_ of the tyre instead of the outside of the valve so it sits flush with the outside on the rim. Just above the "L" in the photo. 
Used Airshot inflator to seat it first time (after wasting considerable time with it not working as above).
Managed to get sunburnt too. 
Hopefully it will behave for tomorrow's commute, at which point I'll declare as satisfied.


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## JhnBssll (3 Jun 2019)

Had the chain lock up on the commuter on my way home this evening. A quick back-pedal sorted it but I was then unable to shift in to the big ring. A quick fettle showed the front mech out of alignment - probably a side effect rather than a causal factor. I straightened it up and tightened the bolt, should be good for the rest of the week. I noticed a wobble in the rear wheel while fettling so it's due a bit of TLC at the weekend I think


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## Gravity Aided (4 Jun 2019)

Dawes now has fenders. A rack may be purchased this weekend.


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## Gravity Aided (4 Jun 2019)

Maybe a basket for the front, as well.


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## TheDoctor (4 Jun 2019)

My Brompton rear tyre has gone flat, so I'm psyching myself up to do battle with the hub-gear-and-rear-mech combo that makes working on 6 speed brommies so much fun...
Over the weekend I fitted sliding baskets on rails to one of the kitchen cupboards, to replace the shelves. A side effect of having shelves you can't reach the back of, is all the stuff you find when you (finally) empty them. I have enough pasta to make a lasagne about ten feet square. I just need to make two gallons of Bechemel sauce.


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## Tenkaykev (4 Jun 2019)

TheDoctor said:


> My Brompton rear tyre has gone flat, so I'm psyching myself up to do battle with the hub-gear-and-rear-mech combo that makes working on 6 speed brommies so much fun...
> Over the weekend I fitted sliding baskets on rails to one of the kitchen cupboards, to replace the shelves. A side effect of having shelves you can't reach the back of, is all the stuff you find when you (finally) empty them. I have enough pasta to make a lasagne about ten feet square. I just need to make two gallons of Bechemel sauce.



Please let us know how it goes. ( with the Brompton, not the Lasagne) 
I've got a 6 speed and got the LBS to fit Marathon Plus tyres to hopefully avoid punctures, but a part of me wants to have a go so I'm prepared should it happen when I'm out and about.


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## TheDoctor (4 Jun 2019)

It's not too fiddly - I've done it before when I fitted the Marathon tyres.
It just takes a while, and there's a few extra things that you don't get on a standard bike.
https://brompton.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203295311-How-do-I-remove-and-refit-a-rear-wheel-


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## ColinJ (4 Jun 2019)

Vantage said:


> Fitted the new longboards and gave the bike a spit and polish.
> 
> View attachment 468778


I put Longboards on my CAADX. The protection they give the rider and bike is great but I found that the front flap was TOO long - I kept catching it on kerbs, my door step etc. I cut an inch-plus off with sturdy scissors and that made a big difference. I did a long stretch of stone/rock-strewn Roman road on the bike last Friday and only caught the flap a couple of times.

If you decide to trim the flap (and I think you eventually _WILL_!), for obvious reasons just do it a fraction of an inch at a time and ride the bike again to see if the flap still catches anything. It is much easier to trim a bit more off later than to try and glue bits of flap back on!


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## Vantage (4 Jun 2019)

The guards on mine are 700c but the wheels only 26" so they were mega long. 
I ended up trimming 2" off the mudguard instead. They're about the same length now as the old mudguards were so it all works nicely


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## ColinJ (5 Jun 2019)

I built a singlespeed bike a few years back, mainly from surplus parts, but I had to buy some brake callipers because I didn't have any spare at the time. I wanted to spend as little as possible so I bought a pair of cheap Campanolo Veloce ones. They did the job but they felt a bit flexy/'spongey' compared to the better quality callipers that I am used to. They are also black, and I prefer silver.

Since then I have dedicated an old bike to turbo trainer duties so its brakes were no longer needed. I decided to pinch the callipers off that bike to use on the singlespeed instead. I swapped them over today and they feel a big improvement. It turns out that the old brake blocks were pretty worn, so they would have needed replacing soon anyway.

If I ever decide to take the old bike off the TT I can put the Veloce callipers on that.


----------



## Gravity Aided (5 Jun 2019)

Fenders installed on the Dawes.
Rack and basket for the weekend.


----------



## Denis99 (5 Jun 2019)

New Campag Record headset fitted.

Old school, 1" threaded.

Plus the Restrap small frame bag arrived, lovely stuff.


----------



## DCBassman (5 Jun 2019)

Cleaned and lubed the Scott, and adjusted the front changer, cable looked a bit slack. Now it's only slightly less slack-looking, but works well!


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## Gravity Aided (5 Jun 2019)

Dawes, now 8 speed rear cassette, and Alivio, as opposed to Tourney. Revo twist shifters replaced with snap shifter/brake combo. Now, If I can get the front to work, all will be hunky-dory. Oh, and the fellows changed out my a/c system while I was doing that. I also added leather and twine bar tape to my Raleigh Super Grand Prix. Cooler inside now, hotter outside. An improvement from the morning, when all was the opposite.


----------



## DCBassman (6 Jun 2019)

More cleaning of the Scott, plus a go over with some Tesco car wax. Actually the first time I've ever properly polished a bike. Looks fabbo!


----------



## Domus (6 Jun 2019)

Got caught out by a shower whilst out on the summer bike, no mudguards, the bike was FILTHY. Good wash and lubed the chain and spokes. Put away and thought to myself it is a long time since the seat post was out. I can't believe how nasty it was, it was horrible, covered in gritty grease, it felt like grinding paste. A quick wipe and a rag pushed down the seat tube, a re grease and all was well. God knows what the winter bike one will be like. Will check after tomorrow nights epic to Blackpool.


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## gbb (6 Jun 2019)

Crossfire e recently developed a strange clunk when I stopped pedalling and coasted, like a kick from the crank or bb. This morning on my commute I stopped pedalling and the chain drooped between the rear and the crank then dumped itself off the crank. Ooer.
Tonight on the way home it did the same 3 times. Motor over running I'm thinking, no, the freewheel/freehub should prevent the chain from still being driven forward...On the last throw of the chain I got off again, re sited the chain out of the way, rotated the freewheel/cassette....eh, that feels like its dragging ?
One second later I realised why....the spoke protector disc had slid between the motor /hub and the freewheel....creating drag when it shouldnt.
Resited spoke protector...all is well.
5 seconds of actual fettling...does that count


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## LucretiaMyReflection (6 Jun 2019)

Fitted new bar ends - custom ones with expanders so hopefully won't lose these!
Also adjusted the mudguard to give more clearance. The new tyre seems to be marginally larger than the old one, and it's catching. The noise is very annoying.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (6 Jun 2019)

Fitted marathon 40mm on one if my bikes. Tired of the frequent punctures on the terrain that bike covers


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## ColinJ (7 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I built a singlespeed bike a few years back, mainly from surplus parts, but I had to buy some brake callipers because I didn't have any spare at the time. I wanted to spend as little as possible so I bought a pair of cheap Campanolo Veloce ones. They did the job but they felt a bit flexy/'spongey' compared to the better quality callipers that I am used to. They are also black, and I prefer silver.
> 
> Since then I have dedicated an old bike to turbo trainer duties so its brakes were no longer needed. I decided to pinch the callipers off that bike to use on the singlespeed instead. I swapped them over today and they feel a big improvement. It turns out that the old brake blocks were pretty worn, so they would have needed replacing soon anyway.
> 
> If I ever decide to take the old bike off the TT I can put the Veloce callipers on that.


Dear Colin - it is a good idea to tighten the sleeve nut on the rear brake properly before going off on a 161 km (100 mile) ride... I heard a horrible rattling from the bike on a long, bumpy descent into Wigan yesterday. I just discovered that the brake is now barely attached to the bike!


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## roadrash (7 Jun 2019)

where abouts in wigan was you @ColinJ


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## ColinJ (7 Jun 2019)

roadrash said:


> where abouts in wigan was you @ColinJ


I had ridden out from Littleborough with Littgull to do a big loop round - Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Horwich, Chorley, Leyland, Maghull, Ormskirk, the biggest climb of the day to Ashurst's Beacon (Skelmersdale), Orrell, then down to Wigan Wallgate station via Kitt Green, Robin Park and Newtown.

We skirted round a lot of the towns, and used towpaths, greenways, quiet roads and the Trans Pennine Trail where we could to avoid traffic.


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## roadrash (7 Jun 2019)

only a mile from me when you was at newtown, I could have put the kettle on...


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2019)

roadrash said:


> only a mile from me when you was at newtown, I could have put the kettle on...


Unfortunately, we were in a hurry to catch the train...


----------



## Pale Rider (8 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Yes, we were very lucky to dodge almost all of the storms, and to take refuge in a bus shelter for the one that we didn't.
> 
> I am surprised how well those pictures of the rainbows turned out. You can clearly see how the bright one comes to ground between us and the distant trees. Also, the curious dark band between the rainbows that I commented on at the time.
> 
> ...



I had @ColinJ down as a confirmed roadie but he seems to have taken to paths and tracks.

I'm told he recently did another off-road ride which involved pushing due to terrain rather than gradient.

Whatever next - a flat bar mountain bike?


----------



## ColinJ (8 Jun 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> I had @ColinJ down as a confirmed roadie but he seems to have taken to paths and tracks.
> 
> I'm told he recently did another off-road ride which involved pushing due to terrain rather than gradient.
> 
> Whatever next - a flat bar mountain bike?


I used to do quite a lot of mountain biking on my flat bar mountain bike!






The bar ends were a bit long so I have taken them off and bought clones of those stubby ones with built-in grips that you have on your bikes. I haven't fitted them yet because I want to replace the brakes first. My cousin donated a pair of disk brakes to the cause, but I haven't got round to fitting them yet either. I am thinking of converting the bike from 3x9 to 1x11 while I am at it. I think I will try to get all of those jobs done over the winter and get back into doing more offroad riding next year.

I don't like really muddy conditions or extremely technical stuff that I don't have the skills (or courage) to ride safely. The bridleways round here are very good, though often hard work. I can tackle some of them on my CX bike but some are too rugged for that, while not being so scary that I won't ride them - that's where the MTB will come in.


----------



## Pale Rider (8 Jun 2019)

Dragging this back to fettling, 1 X gearing strikes me as a good idea for a mountain bike.

When I was doing some very feeble mountain biking, I had the occasional problem with the front mech clogging even in relatively light mud.

I like palm grips, mine are Ergons that came with the bike, and the right is Rohloff gear change specific.

The clones are just as good for a third of the price.


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Dear Colin - it is a good idea to tighten the sleeve nut on the rear brake properly before going off on a 161 km (100 mile) ride... I heard a horrible rattling from the bike on a long, bumpy descent into Wigan yesterday. I just discovered that the brake is now barely attached to the bike!


I have now tightened the brake mounting nut!


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## Vantage (8 Jun 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> When I was doing some very feeble mountain biking, I had the occasional problem with the front mech clogging even in relatively light mud.



Can't say I ever had that problem. Not even in the muckiest, boggiest of bogs in 15 years of mountain biking. 
1 x 11 setups sounds like sure way of wearing out chains and cassettes stupidly quickly and then paying stupid prices to replace them.


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## DCLane (8 Jun 2019)

Got some things done today;

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa after a week's wet commuting, together with fitting used front & rear GP4000S tyres. Fettled the clip-on mudguard so it fits properly for a ride in Bristol next week.

Then got out the Raleigh Sports for the final renovation job; new front and rear brake outer and inner cables for the first time in 40+ years. Minor technical issue; the new standard for MTB/road ends were too wide for 1950 brake levers fitting points so I ended up using a gear cable outer in the new inners. All done. Now I need to decide it's whether to 'keep' or 'sell'.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (9 Jun 2019)

After my front brake cable pulled through (not all the way) yesterday leaving me with a poor front rim brake I looked to see what I could do to stop it happening again. I did`nt wan`t to just tighten it up more in case I stripped the thread.This had happened once before. What I did was...... Removed the washer gripping the cable and cut 4 fine grooves across the edge of it that grips the cable. The theory being that having grooves across the cable will give it more bite and grip. Hopefully no more hairy moments !


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (9 Jun 2019)

Nothing much, just a check-over of 3 bikes

The _CGR_ is my 'day to day'/work-bike'/'winter'/etc...…
The _'blue_' was its predecessor, so hasn't been used much (so back into storage)

Boardman hybrid is _SWMBO_s, I bought it for her last weekend, after a weeks commuting, it was merely a case of making sure nothing had already worked loose

Next job is to source a front mud-flap for it, to suit '35' tyres & those fat 'guards (up to '45' section)


----------



## Gravity Aided (9 Jun 2019)

Fitted basket and rack to the Dawes Eclipse City, my errand bike.


----------



## Leaway2 (10 Jun 2019)

Fitted a stem riser to my shopping bike. Age is catching up with me. I did 10 miles with the riser on and have to say it made the ride more pleasant.


----------



## Gravity Aided (10 Jun 2019)

Had to fettle fenders on the Dawes, then rode 8 miles to test modifications above. I also started work on the brakes on my Raleigh Super Grand Prix.


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## Vantage (10 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Next job is to source a front mud-flap for it, to suit '35' tyres & those fat 'guards (up to '45' section)



Easy enough to make with neoprene rubber sheet and 2 bolts and nuts.


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## Richard A Thackeray (10 Jun 2019)

Vantage said:


> Easy enough to make with neoprene rubber sheet and 2 bolts and nuts.


Yes, I think I've got some _thin_ rubber in the shed, just got to find it!


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## Richard A Thackeray (11 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Next job is to source a front mud-flap for it, to suit '35' tyres & those fat 'guards (up to '45' section)




I couldn't find my rubber sheeting, so as a stop-gap, I used a plastic A4 ring-binder
It's fairly stiff plastic. & '_Ribbed For Extra...… Drainage'...………..._

Hardest part was drilling the holes in the mudguard, as my battery drill has died, so I was using the big SDS drill, which was awkward, due to the unbalanced weight (& trying to hold mudguard straight
In hindsight, it'd have been easier to take the mudguard off, but

I did think I had a black binder, but it'll do!!


----------



## Shearwater Missile (11 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I couldn't find my rubber sheeting, so as a stop-gap, I used a plastic A4 ring-binder
> It's fairly stiff plastic. & '_Ribbed For Extra...… Drainage'...………..._
> 
> Hardest part was drilling the holes in the mudguard, as my battery drill has died, so I was using the big SDS drill, which was awkward, due to the unbalanced weight (& trying to hold mudguard straight
> ...


My Mark 1 flap was made out of a High 5 cycle drinks bottle, being curved it fitted well but showed the dirt as it was a clearish plastic bottle. My Mark 2 model is made out of a ( wait for it) Kodak plastic box which photos used to come in, remember those days ? The plastic is quite stiff but managed to bend it into a bit of shape. This one is black and may stay on the bike, it looks better than the High 5. Certainly worked again today on the wet roads. Cost ? Zilch, except for the photos back in 2001 !


----------



## Vantage (11 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I couldn't find my rubber sheeting, so as a stop-gap, I used a plastic A4 ring-binder
> It's fairly stiff plastic. & '_Ribbed For Extra...… Drainage'...………..._



Oddly enough, out on the bike today I found this by the roadside. 
I'd be happy to chop some off and send it to you if you like? I'm planning on making some myself as I don't think much of the flaps that were included with my longboards.


----------



## Vantage (11 Jun 2019)

Yesterday...
Fitted the new rear mech. Stripped and regreased the rear hub. Washed the bike. Got it nice and sparkly and running smooth as Cary Grant.
Took it out today and plastered it in sheep s*it, horse s*it, brake dust, and gravel/sand grinding the hell out of the chain.
Quick jet wash when I got home.

Feckin hate UK weather.


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## dave r (11 Jun 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> My Mark 1 flap was made out of a High 5 cycle drinks bottle, being curved it fitted well but showed the dirt as it was a clearish plastic bottle. My Mark 2 model is made out of a ( wait for it) Kodak plastic box which photos used to come in, remember those days ? The plastic is quite stiff but managed to bend it into a bit of shape. This one is black and may stay on the bike, it looks better than the High 5. Certainly worked again today on the wet roads. Cost ? Zilch, except for the photos back in 2001 !



I used to make mine out of old plastic milk cartons or plastic pop bottles.


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## dave r (11 Jun 2019)

It was a fettling fail for me this afternoon, trying to change a brake cable on my Good Ladies Walker for the first time, when I got the chewed up cable out the brake lever separated into two parts, it looks like cable tension keeps it together, I also found out there are a pair of pulleys that the cable runs round, I couldn't wind the new cable round those when I tried to fit it and it looks like I need to buy a kit rather than just a cable, I've now contacted the firm I brought the generic cable from about returning the cable and buying a kit.


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## Richard A Thackeray (11 Jun 2019)

Vantage said:


> Oddly enough, out on the bike today I found this by the roadside.
> I'd be happy to chop some off and send it to you if you like? I'm planning on making some myself as I don't think much of the flaps that were included with my longboards.
> 
> View attachment 470376


Thankyou!!!
That's a very kind offer
Should I sent a SAE?

That was a thought too, a truck inner-tube
I had contemplated going to a local commercial tyre depot, on the industrial estate, just to the other side of the M62, but given that practically all applications are tubeless nowadays, it could have been non-productive



dave r said:


> I used to make mine out of old plastic milk cartons or plastic pop bottles.


Been there, done that in the past


I purchased these, when I bought the CGR
https://rawmudflap.uk/product/ref-black-stealth-mudflap/



With camera flash
It can't be seen here, but the front is also retro-reflective



For extra eye-catching, I also added a rectangular red reflector, out of my old box of trailer/_BWSOW_ spares
Not the best of images. no ambient lighting, just camera flash





Granted, they're fairly expensive, but put extra reflective material low down - to catch vehicle head-lights
(& on my commute, the Sun is behind me, for the morning, & to my back on returning home)
And, its movement, due to motion (or surface water running down it...) makes it _'flicker'_, attracting the eye even more!


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## Vantage (11 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Thankyou!!!
> That's a very kind offer
> Should I sent a SAE?
> 
> That was a thought too, a truck inner-tube



Yip. I'll pm you my address.
I'm thinking it could actually be from a farm trailer tyre. I don't think it's big enough to do a truck, but who knows.
Let me how big you want it chopping and how many and I'll get the scissors on it.


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## Racing roadkill (12 Jun 2019)

I bought these











Which are milling bits for my Dremel.

I’ve been ‘adjusting’ some ‘tolerances’ on a few bits and bobs on the T520 today.


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## Vantage (12 Jun 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> I bought these
> 
> View attachment 470452
> 
> ...


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## Racing roadkill (12 Jun 2019)

I didn’t need the full milling attatchment, as I was only using the bit, to ‘enlarge’ holes and so on, so I don’t need the precision afforded by the full attachment.


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## ColinJ (12 Jun 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I couldn't find my rubber sheeting, so as a stop-gap, I used a plastic A4 ring-binder
> It's fairly stiff plastic. & '_Ribbed For Extra...… Drainage'...………..._
> 
> Hardest part was drilling the holes in the mudguard, as my battery drill has died, so I was using the big SDS drill, which was awkward, due to the unbalanced weight (& trying to hold mudguard straight
> ...


After my soggy wheelsucking in the rain last week... ** cough ** @Littgull! 




Either that, or I'll go in front next time...

PS He doesn't need a front one - the _bike _has plenty of protection. It is the lack of a rear flap that causes problems for wheelsuckers!


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## Richard A Thackeray (12 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> After my soggy wheelsucking in the rain last week... ** cough ** @Littgull!
> 
> Either that, or I'll go in front next time...
> 
> PS He doesn't need a front one - the _bike _has plenty of protection. It is the lack of a rear flap that causes problems for wheelsuckers!


I doubt she'll be riding 'in convoy' with anyone in the rain, but I still have the front (or is it the back?) of the ring-binder, to slice up


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## Richard A Thackeray (12 Jun 2019)

Vantage said:


> Oddly enough, out on the bike today I found this by the roadside.
> I'd be happy to chop some off and send it to you if you like? I'm planning on making some myself as I don't think much of the flaps that were included with my longboards.
> 
> View attachment 470376
> ...



*1. *I'll have to check how much foreign postage is (to the west of the Pennines)

*2.* CIrca; 15 -18" square should do, to make 2x sets (front & rear)

*3.* It probably is off an agricultural trailer/towed implement


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## Littgull (12 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> After my soggy wheelsucking in the rain last week... ** cough ** @Littgull!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'll have to get a rear flap sorted. I'm pretty sure the rear mudguard came with a decent mudflap when I bought the bike from new but 3 separate collisions with lunatic taxi drivers in the last 2 years have left the mudguard minus the flap! Mind you, even my flapless rear mudguard must result in less water spray than the seat post mounted '4rse saver" ?


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## dave r (12 Jun 2019)

dave r said:


> It was a fettling fail for me this afternoon, trying to change a brake cable on my Good Ladies Walker for the first time, when I got the chewed up cable out the brake lever separated into two parts, it looks like cable tension keeps it together, I also found out there are a pair of pulleys that the cable runs round, I couldn't wind the new cable round those when I tried to fit it and it looks like I need to buy a kit rather than just a cable, I've now contacted the firm I brought the generic cable from about returning the cable and buying a kit.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 470390




Success! I managed to get the cable fitted tonight, it's not quite right, I've lost the hand brake that side, but she now has two working brakes and a hand brake on one side, which is an improvement on what she had.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jun 2019)

Littgull said:


> I'll have to get a rear flap sorted. I'm pretty sure the rear mudguard came with a decent mudflap when I bought the bike from new but 3 separate collisions with lunatic taxi drivers in the last 2 years have left the mudguard minus the flap! Mind you, even my flapless rear mudguard must result in less water spray than the seat post mounted '4rse saver" ?


I had forgotten that I was riding the singlespeed bike! I thought I was on the CX bike, which has proper mudguards. Mind you, even on that bike the flap on the rear guard is nowhere near as long as the one on the front.


----------



## silva (13 Jun 2019)

Mine is cut out from epdm rubber, and high/wide enough to keep mud also away from the chain.


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## ChrisEyles (13 Jun 2019)

Swapped out the 18t sprocket on my Mum's three speed for a 22t sprocket for an easier time up the hills. She says she'll use it for her commute, but in all likelihood it'll stay in the garage... De-rusted all the chrome, put a couple of extra links in the chain and cleaned it all up anyway, running nicely now.


----------



## jongooligan (14 Jun 2019)

Fitted a new Sora nine speed derailleur yesterday along with a Decathlon Btwin nine speed cassette then spent many fruitless hours trying to get it indexed.

After giving up last night I continued fiddling this morning and discovered the cassette body is floating slightly on the freehub - it's never going to index properly. The problem seems to be with the second smallest sprocket. The main cassette body has seven sprockets and slides smoothly onto the freehub splines where it sits nice and snugly. The thirteen sprocket slides easily onto the freehub splines where it wobbles uneasily. This is followed by the eleven sprocket, which like the main cassette body fits correctly. The lock ring is then screwed on and tightened to the recommended 40nm.

At this point the thirteen sprocket is still wobbly and because of this the main cassette body can float slightly.

Do I:
a) need a spacer
b) need to return the Btwin cassette and buy a Shimano one or
c) need to call a mechanic?

btw - the mechanic in Decathlon (Sheffield) told me it was compatible with Shimano fittings.


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## jongooligan (14 Jun 2019)

jongooligan said:


> Fitted a new Sora nine speed derailleur yesterday along with a Decathlon Btwin nine speed cassette then spent many fruitless hours trying to get it indexed.
> 
> Do I:
> a) *need a spacer*
> ...



This. A 1mm spacer did the trick.


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## Nebulous (16 Jun 2019)

One of the most useless bike inventions ever was the old Shimano quicklink. I tried it several times with no success, had to go to the lbs for a different one, then went on a long journey of avoiding Shimano chains altogether. 

I've moved on to 11 speed, I like the new Shimano quicklink use their chains all the time and had blotted out all memory of the old one. I needed a new chain for the commuter, got a hg40 for £6.40 from Halfords, got it home and realised it had one of these stupid links. 

I tried, tried and tried, including squeezing it with a pliers. I had just given up, told my wife I need to go back to Halfords for a quicklink, when I decided to check YouTube. The guy there made it look easy. I decided to have another go - and it worked! 

So for the first, and probably last time, I have just fitted one of these old style 6-7-8 speed quick links.


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## Tenkaykev (16 Jun 2019)

New mudguards and chain guard fitted to my Brompton, swapped the 50 tooth for a 44 to help me get up the hills.

EDIT
Thought that I'd somehow borked the rear brakes when fitting the rear mudguard ( I also fitted new brake pads )
Turns out that I'd inadvertently switched a couple of the mudguard stays on one side and this was causing the tyre to rub against the internal stay bracket. Took me an age to see what I'd done but all sorted and running smoothly :-)


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## Vantage (17 Jun 2019)

Last night... 
Partially unwrapped the bar, swung the bar forward a bit, moved the brake levers and rewrapped the bar. 
Readjusted the mudguards having failed to squeeze my 1.75" land cruisers under them. 
Today... 
Straightened out a bent saddle loop on the B17. Refitted the Carradice Classic rack as lifting the fat bas**rd bike through an anti cycle gate with the Pendle permanently attached via a bagman expedition nearly ripped my shoulder out.
Thinking about trimming an inch off the stands legs...


----------



## tom73 (18 Jun 2019)

New chain fitted to London Rd ... watched my dad do them as kid can hear him now you've done a good job with that son 
Now better go on ride ... just to check it over


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## JhnBssll (18 Jun 2019)

Popped in to the garage briefly this evening and whipped the crank off the Bianchi to send back to Avio due to a dodgy power meter. I've put an Ultegra crank arm back on for the time being to keep the bike on the road. When putting it away again I felt guilty about it being slightly dirty so gave it an hour long strip clean


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## Vantage (19 Jun 2019)

Degreased (doused in WD40) the cassette, chainset and dérailleurs.
Stuck the new chain on. 
Ooooooooooh it's soooooooooo sparkly!


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## CXRAndy (20 Jun 2019)

Chopped 30mm off steel stop post for gates with angle grinder, epoxy steel plate on top. Fitted clear film to kick plates on new car. Built wife's new bike up in anticipation of fitting electric motor kit


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## mjr (20 Jun 2019)

Short ride on the Falcon to test the cleaned and repacked BB. It seems to have cured the click while pedalling, which is odd because the spindle race is visibly pitted and I would have bet on that being what I felt. New spindle is on order (obsolete part, odd size) but won't arrive before Saturday's King's Cross to King's Lynn.

Also tightened the headset after spotting ¼mm of visible play. Might as well at least start the ride with no known faults!


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## mjr (20 Jun 2019)

Nebulous said:


> I tried, tried and tried, including squeezing it with a pliers. I had just given up, told my wife I need to go back to Halfords for a quicklink, when I decided to check YouTube. The guy there made it look easy. I decided to have another go - and it worked!
> 
> So for the first, and probably last time, I have just fitted one of these old style 6-7-8 speed quick links.


Set plumber's sliding wrench (a versatile and therefore dangerous tool!) to between ⅜" and ½", grab chain either side of the link so the quick link is the bottom of a U (and so under no tension), place the wrench across the diagonal between the two non-opening corners and squeeze gently: job done!

On the road, the chainring-and-tap trick from the CyclingUK site may be easier.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (21 Jun 2019)

Not a fettle as such, but I added these old cables to my tool pouch spares for my Audax and touring kit. Overthinking achievement level Extraordinaire unlocked


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## Salty seadog (21 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> On the road, the chainring-and-tap trick from the CyclingUK site may be easier.



I did this for someone on a ride and earned myself a pint.


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## JhnBssll (22 Jun 2019)

Saddle bag turned up for the Ian May so I fitted that this evening. Also did some prep on the Bianchi as I'm riding the 9 town sportive in the morning as part of the Diss Cyclathon. I rode the 50 mile route last year but have opted for the 100 this year, all being well it'll be my third imperial century of the year (and ever) 

I'm quite pleased with the new saddle bag, an eBay purchase. Handmade leather supposedly, looks rather nice quality for the 20 quid it cost but will see how well it lasts  









The Bianchi fettle was just a drop of oil on the chain, some air in the tyres and a quick firmware update for the Di2 - shifters and rear mech to be precise


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Jun 2019)

A bit of tinkering with the Dawes Kingpin i bought recently.

Swapped the original saddle for a Brooks B17 I have spare, which really seems to suit this bike both in looks and comfort. Adjusted the chain tension. Readjusted the gears. Adjusted the brakes to try and stop them squealing. Tried cleaning and lubing the chain but it needs a new one. Made and fitted a new front mudflap to replace the shredded remains of the original.





Bike as bought.





Today, after the latest batch of tinkering. I'm taking my time over it but it has scrubbed up fairly well so far.


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## JhnBssll (22 Jun 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A bit of tinkering with the Dawes Kingpin i bought recently.
> 
> Swapped the original saddle for a Brooks B17 I have spare, which really seems to suit this bike both in looks and comfort. Adjusted the chain tension. Readjusted the gears. Adjusted the brakes to try and stop them squealing. Tried cleaning and lubing the chain but it needs a new one. Made and fitted a new front mudflap to replace the shredded remains of the original.
> 
> ...



That looks ace, top work


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 Jun 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> That looks ace, top work


Thanks.

I'm quite pleased at how it's cleaned up despite the shabby and chipped paint. In the long term I think a repaint will be in order but I'm aiming to just fettle it up and use it at the moment.


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## Pale Rider (23 Jun 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I'm quite pleased at how it's cleaned up despite the shabby and chipped paint. In the long term I think a repaint will be in order but I'm aiming to just fettle it up and use it at the moment.



I reckon 20" (?) wheel bikes are under rated.

People deride them as 'shoppers', but they are more capable than that.

Gearing can be limited, so it won't feel as fast as a big wheel bike.

But you should still be able to bowl along at 10/12mph, and cover a decent distance if you are patient.

Manhandling the compact frame and wheels is much easier, handy in traffic and at restrictions on cycle paths.


----------



## Salty seadog (23 Jun 2019)

Just fettled the cap off a bottle of cider.


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## Salty seadog (23 Jun 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A bit of tinkering with the Dawes Kingpin i bought recently.
> 
> Swapped the original saddle for a Brooks B17 I have spare, which really seems to suit this bike both in looks and comfort. Adjusted the chain tension. Readjusted the gears. Adjusted the brakes to try and stop them squealing. Tried cleaning and lubing the chain but it needs a new one. Made and fitted a new front mudflap to replace the shredded remains of the original.
> 
> ...



All I see is you've taken the luggage off the back, turned the bike round and cleaned all the stones.


----------



## Tom B (23 Jun 2019)

New hanger fitted after months of having one held on entirely by good fortune and a trimmed washer over the QR skewer.

Cleaned the brake caliper which was very grotty... And recentered it. Surprising how having a kiddie seat / trailer chews through pads soon much faster.

Noted I will shortly need a couple of tyres.

Should really have checked the indexing after the new properly fitted hanger was installed.

Can recommend the product from Rearmechhanger.com, half the price of anywhere else. Only problem is I ordered and payed for two and got one... Mistakes happen, let's see how they recover...


----------



## Drago (23 Jun 2019)

I'm teaching a course weds, thurs and fri so gave the Trance a top to bottom service. Right apart, every bearing, every cable.


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## Poacher (23 Jun 2019)

Drago said:


> I'm teaching a course weds, thurs and fri so gave the Trance a top to bottom service. Right apart, every bearing, every cable.


Welcome back! All I've done today is pump 4 tyres on under-used bikes and wipe off some white spirit from an accidental spillage after cleaning a brush I'd been using with some traditional varnish.


----------



## raleighnut (23 Jun 2019)

Drago said:


> I'm teaching a course weds, thurs and fri so gave the Trance a top to bottom service. Right apart, every bearing, every cable.


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## Vantage (24 Jun 2019)

Replaced the rear tyre which split. 
Discovered when I started doing that that I hadn't seated the axle in the rear dropouts properly and so the wheel was off to one side for the 25 miles I did. 
How I missed that is a mystery.


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## Pale Rider (24 Jun 2019)

My fettle today was a sealant top-up on the front tubeless tyre.

As I expected, releasing the tyre from the bead was hard work, but I did it in the end by bearing down hard on the sidewall with the end of a wooden hammer handle.

It's a 2.4" balloon tyre, so came over the rim easily enough.

No liquid left inside, just some gummy bits of sealant.

I put in best part of a bottle - the interior surface area of the tyre is quite large.

The bead popped back over the rim by hand.

Sealing it proved a little tricky.

I only have a standard track pump, but by gently encouraging the bead towards the rim it 'caught' in the end.

Gong back years to early tubeless car tyres, we would sometimes put a leather belt around the tread which would tend to push the sidewalls outwards.

I was careful to only unseal one bead which makes the job easier.

Trying to get two beads to seal with just a track pump might not be possible.

Incidentally, it's the first top-up in the front since I went tubeless about 18 months ago, so the original stuff hasn't done badly.


----------



## kellis (25 Jun 2019)

just fitted a new cassette and chain to my road bike its the first time i have done anything like this before it normaly gose to the local bike shop. But i thought i would give it a go and save some money. I will take it out for a test ride once the rain stops, fingers crossed i have done a good job


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## Racing roadkill (26 Jun 2019)

I was leading a Surrey Hills training ride on Sunday, and one of the riders wasn’t watching his separation as we got to a Junction, and piled into the back of my bike. There wasn’t any particularly significant damage, but the mech hanger was slightly bent, so I spent this afternoon straightening it up and re indexing. It’s running much better now, but the chain is still skipping off of the T pulley occasionally, so I may have to see if the cage is entirely straight, and if the T pulley isn’t missing anything.


----------



## si_c (28 Jun 2019)

Purple pug has had headset issues for a while - the headset that was fitted until today was a 25.4mm headset instead of the 25mm French Thread headset that it was advertised as. Given the deplorable state of the market for French Thread headsets it's taken me a while to replace. Managed to find a BNIB NOS vintage headset on ebay for a reasonable price about two weeks ago and it arrived yesterday.

Most french forks have a flat at the rear of the fork instead of the cutout - but for some reason the Peugeot it's intended for has the latter and the new headset the former, so I had to spend 20minutes with a file on the spacer to get it to fit. That being done I removed the upper cone and lockring and fitted the new headset - I didn't have to replace the races which made the job a whole lot simpler. I did need to use mole grips though as the threads on the fork weren't in the best condition and needed running through a couple of times to get them right.

I also took the opportunity to realign the front brake and replace the cable as it was pretty shocking before hand, it's still not ideal but it's a lot better than it was - although most of the improvement is due to the headset lockring not lifting up during braking.

Took it out for a quick run around the village, seems ok, got to commute on it tomorrow so we'll see how it performs!


----------



## JhnBssll (29 Jun 2019)

New Minty top tube decal for the Stumpjumper


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## fossyant (29 Jun 2019)

New rear cable to the X9 shifter on the mtb. God knows who fitted the original from factory as they had doubled over the cable inside the shifter. Think they mist have bodged it as the end nipple wasn't quite right. New jagwire cable is perfect.


----------



## razabbs (29 Jun 2019)

So i was cycling on the isle of wight this morning, 25 miles into my 64 mile route, I managed to destroy my front derailleur. Old guy in a Volvo was taking aaaaages to accelerate up a hill in Ventnor, so i went to overtake him; evidently putting too much force through and a horrible noise later I checked to see that the derailleur had come into contact with my chain rings. I'd also lost half a link of the chain. Nearest cycle shop that was open was 4 miles away and I'd re-bent the derailleur cage away from the chain rings, so i tried to limp the bike to the shop using only the lowest gear and effort i could. Shortly after, another horrible noise and i think the chain got caught somewhere, the rear derailleur/mech was shorn into two pieces 

Chain i know I can easily repair by just taking a link out, and rear mech is without a doubt a replacement. But, can anyone tell me what's actually happened with the front? Have i just...bent it well out of place?

I've never done any kind of maintenance like this on the bike before but i think I'll at least give it a go replacing these parts. They're sat in my ChainReaction basket as we speak for around £50, but now i've just been thinking if I should/could be changing other parts, ie, my crankset and rear cassette. I used to cycle a lot with a mate who had 2 rings on the front, rather than the 3 i have. Bike is entirely standard with Shimano Sora all round; 50/39/30 chain set, 9 speed 12-25t rear cassette. There's no reason for changing, it's just a 'while i'm doing stuff' 

Annoyingly, i was looking at the bike on the train on the way home, tyres are looking a bit dated too; it seems like the rubber is a little cracked on the sidewalls  Expensive day!


----------



## Racing roadkill (29 Jun 2019)

razabbs said:


> So i was cycling on the isle of wight this morning, 25 miles into my 64 mile route, I managed to destroy my front derailleur. Old guy in a Volvo was taking aaaaages to accelerate up a hill in Ventnor, so i went to overtake him; evidently putting too much force through and a horrible noise later I checked to see that the derailleur had come into contact with my chain rings. I'd also lost half a link of the chain. Nearest cycle shop that was open was 4 miles away and I'd re-bent the derailleur cage away from the chain rings, so i tried to limp the bike to the shop using only the lowest gear and effort i could. Shortly after, another horrible noise and i think the chain got caught somewhere, the rear derailleur/mech was shorn into two pieces
> 
> Chain i know I can easily repair by just taking a link out, and rear mech is without a doubt a replacement. But, can anyone tell me what's actually happened with the front? Have i just...bent it well out of place?
> 
> ...



Gash shift has over torqued the cranks, and bent the front mech in a treat. Get the cranks out, and check the spindle. I’d wager it’s bent. I see you have a band on front mech as well. Make sure it’s straight and tightened up.


----------



## razabbs (29 Jun 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> Gash shift has over torqued the cranks, and bent the front mech in a treat. Get the cranks out, and check the spindle. I’d wager it’s bent. I see you have a band on front mech as well. Make sure it’s straight and tightened up.



Forgive me, what do you mean by a band on the front mech?


----------



## si_c (29 Jun 2019)

razabbs said:


> So i was cycling on the isle of wight this morning, 25 miles into my 64 mile route, I managed to destroy my front derailleur. Old guy in a Volvo was taking aaaaages to accelerate up a hill in Ventnor, so i went to overtake him; evidently putting too much force through and a horrible noise later I checked to see that the derailleur had come into contact with my chain rings. I'd also lost half a link of the chain. Nearest cycle shop that was open was 4 miles away and I'd re-bent the derailleur cage away from the chain rings, so i tried to limp the bike to the shop using only the lowest gear and effort i could. Shortly after, another horrible noise and i think the chain got caught somewhere, the rear derailleur/mech was shorn into two pieces
> 
> Chain i know I can easily repair by just taking a link out, and rear mech is without a doubt a replacement. But, can anyone tell me what's actually happened with the front? Have i just...bent it well out of place?
> 
> ...


Rear derailleur is a write off, the front one I'm not sure but it looks like the cage has been bent on the outside, and has been rotated about the seat tube. If you could get a picture from the rear i'd be better able to say.

Easy enough to replace both though, I'd suggest changing the chain at the same time though, especially given its been through those mangled derailleurs.


----------



## Racing roadkill (29 Jun 2019)

razabbs said:


> Forgive me, what do you mean by a band on the front mech?


 The front mech is attached by a band, rather than a brazed on anchor.


----------



## razabbs (29 Jun 2019)

si_c said:


> Rear derailleur is a write off, the front one I'm not sure but it looks like the cage has been bent on the outside, and has been rotated about the seat tube. If you could get a picture from the rear i'd be better able to say.
> 
> Easy enough to replace both though, I'd suggest changing the chain at the same time though, especially given its been through those mangled derailleurs.



I think for £25 or so i'll replace the front one too. It was horrendously bent at first; in order to not destroy the chain ring i had to use my multi-tool to lever it away from the crankset. Not looked at chains yet but i doubt they'll be so expensive. Will look into it


----------



## si_c (29 Jun 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> Gash shift has over torqued the cranks, and bent the front mech in a treat. Get the cranks out, and check the spindle. I’d wager it’s bent. I see you have a band on front mech as well. Make sure it’s straight and tightened up.



I'd take that bet. I'd say it's a bad upshift but the crank and axle are fine.



razabbs said:


> Forgive me, what do you mean by a band on the front mech?



The front mech attached around the frame rather than bolting to it.


----------



## DCLane (29 Jun 2019)

Re-did the brake cables on the Raleigh Sports 1950 as I wasn't happy with them.






Then fitted a new pair of Shimano 7x3 shifter/brakes onto the Raleigh Pioneer to replace the 23 year-old Gripshifts which were down to 4 working gears, together with new Shimano front and rear derailleurs plus a full set of inner/outer cables. I'm guessing it's the first set of inner and outer brake cables since the bike was new in 1996.


----------



## Vantage (30 Jun 2019)

Drew the outline, cut roughly and now in the process of filing the new rear light mount. 
Lots of sanding and polishing up next, after drilling the bolt holes.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (30 Jun 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> New Minty top tube decal for the Stumpjumper
> 
> View attachment 473098




I have the same, along the top-tube of my CGR










And in case, anyone's wondering why...… This Is Why


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (30 Jun 2019)

Nothing much 'fettled' today

Pump up of tyres, & a 'wipe over' (with red diesel) of the chains of my CGR , & wifes Boardman hybrid


----------



## JhnBssll (30 Jun 2019)

I connected up the USB charging port to the commuters dynamo wiring this afternoon. Just waiting on the shirt USB lead then I'll be able to charge the GPS while I ride, jolly useful on my 15 mile round trip commute 

More useful if I get off my bum and book a euro tour though


----------



## Leaway2 (1 Jul 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I connected up the USB charging port to the commuters dynamo wiring this afternoon


Are you using some kind of circuit to limit voltage/protect the GPS?


----------



## Vantage (1 Jul 2019)

Finished it  
I have an mklll design rattling around in my head now.


----------



## JhnBssll (1 Jul 2019)

Leaway2 said:


> Are you using some kind of circuit to limit voltage/protect the GPS?



Yeah it's all built in to the USB port


----------



## Leaway2 (1 Jul 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Yeah it's all built in to the USB port
> 
> View attachment 473435


Just looked at the price!


----------



## JhnBssll (1 Jul 2019)

Leaway2 said:


> Just looked at the price!



Yeah don't do that!  Crazy...


----------



## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

Nipped up the pad clearance on the TRP Spyres fitted to my commuter bike a few days ago then carried on commuting as usual. The very next day I heard an annoying scraping, rubbing type sound when riding to work. 1st thought was that I had set the brake pads too close to the rotor, but a gentle squeeze of the brakes and the noise continued. The noise also stopped when I stopped pedalling. I was busy working 12hr nightshifts so just turned up the volume on my ipod and ignored the noise until today, my 1st day off.
Riding home this morning I popped off the headphones to listen and it was pretty bad.

I managed to open up the hub using no tools as the Kona hub assembly just pulled apart by hand. The only tools I would need are to drifts to knock out the replaceable sealed bearings when the time comes..

I think I found the problem.....










Not particularly impressive on a wheel that has only done 1800 miles from new and not been washed. At least now I know it is clean and greased. Also a fair bit quieter which is no bad thing.


----------



## dave r (1 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Nipped up the pad clearance on the TRP Spyres fitted to my commuter bike a few days ago then carried on commuting as usual. The very next day I heard an annoying scraping, rubbing type sound when riding to work. 1st thought was that I had set the brake pads too close to the rotor, but a gentle squeeze of the brakes and the noise continued. The noise also stopped when I stopped pedalling. I was busy working 12hr nightshifts so just turned up the volume on my ipod and ignored the noise until today, my 1st day off.
> Riding home this morning I popped off the headphones to listen and it was pretty bad.
> 
> I managed to open up the hub using no tools as the Kona hub assembly just pulled apart by hand. The only tools I would need are to drifts to knock out the replaceable sealed bearings when the time comes..
> ...



I'd be unimpressed with that as well, no seal on it?


----------



## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

Yes, there is a seal. Either it is extremely ineffective or they used something resembling clay slurry for grease? I will have to check it again in a few months and see what state it is in.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (1 Jul 2019)

Fettled a rose bush and another plant. No longer (or at least for a while) will we be attacked when walking down the path in the rear garden.


----------



## JhnBssll (1 Jul 2019)

USB lead arrived today so I got to try it out - pleased to say it's fully functional and I managed to increase the charge of my GPS unit by 2% in ~5 miles  I don't fancy trying to charge it from empty at that rate but its perfect for what I'll be using it for


----------



## fossyant (1 Jul 2019)

Dry ride on the MTB, so all the mud was scraped off the MTB tyres. Made doubly sure they were clean as sneaking it into the office tomorrow, and up 4 floors. Can't leave a trail of mud or the cleaners will kill me. Off out with colleagues on the bike in the afternoon.


----------



## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

fossyant said:


> Dry ride on the MTB, so all the mud was scraped off the MTB tyres. Made doubly sure they were clean as sneaking it into the office tomorrow, and up 4 floors. Can't leave a trail of mud or the cleaners will kill me. Off out with colleagues on the bike in the afternoon.


Can I come?


----------



## I like Skol (2 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Nipped up the pad clearance on the TRP Spyres fitted to my commuter bike a few days ago then carried on commuting as usual. The very next day I heard an annoying scraping, rubbing type sound when riding to work. 1st thought was that I had set the brake pads too close to the rotor, but a gentle squeeze of the brakes and the noise continued. The noise also stopped when I stopped pedalling. I was busy working 12hr nightshifts so just turned up the volume on my ipod and ignored the noise until today, my 1st day off.
> Riding home this morning I popped off the headphones to listen and it was pretty bad.
> 
> I managed to open up the hub using no tools as the Kona hub assembly just pulled apart by hand. The only tools I would need are to drifts to knock out the replaceable sealed bearings when the time comes..
> ...


Just popped out on this bike to run a few errands. Freehub now working quietly, well still noisier than my Shimano hubs but better than it ever was before and the creaking/rubbing noise under load has stopped completely. I can turn the ipod volume down now......


----------



## fossyant (2 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Can I come?



2pm Skills Zone at Velodrome - only 5 of us out of the umpteen thousand.


----------



## I like Skol (2 Jul 2019)

Shame, I can't make that


----------



## fossyant (2 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Shame, I can't make that



Argh - will be mucking about on Clayton Vale for a couple of hours - don't know any of them.


----------



## TheDoctor (2 Jul 2019)

This was actually fettled yesterday.
Wall after someone hit it




Wall after an hour of determined leverage.






I'm going to re-mortar it all sometime, or I could just inject a few tubes of No More Nails.


----------



## tom73 (2 Jul 2019)

Just made Mrs some flapjack to take to her class tonight


----------



## CXRAndy (2 Jul 2019)

Wired my USA vehicle trailer cable to UK 7 pin/ 13 pin compatible


----------



## TheDoctor (2 Jul 2019)

And fettlage that will take place soon...
N+1


----------



## Tenkaykev (2 Jul 2019)

View attachment 473669


New chain guard and chain


----------



## Paulus (3 Jul 2019)

Cleaned and re greased the front and rear wheel bearings on a pair of old 27 inch wheels. They did sound a bit gritty and rumbly. Now running smoothly again.


----------



## Drago (3 Jul 2019)

Slight tweak to the spokes on the rear wheel of the Felt. Fulcrums turning out not to be all that.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (3 Jul 2019)

Rear puncture Friday. Tube rubbing rim at the valve as rim tape a tiny bit off. Patched ok but consigned to spares duty. Was flat when I got home in the van (part commute) so I wasn't caught short and fixed it at home.
Front puncture yesterday. Was almost flat leaving work. Quick tube change and when home found a snake bite at the valve. On the reinforced area of the valve so not really fixable and consigned to the bin. Not bad for 6 months of commuting I suppose.


----------



## tom73 (4 Jul 2019)

Picked up my new addition to the fleet a nice Spa steel tourer late last week of eBay boy it needed a good clean so got to work on it once home. 
It must have been bad Mrs 73 was not having it in the house till I had.  
The guy had covered it in frame protecters then look's to have left it how can you do that to a poor old bike. 
Once the mudguards came off I got to work. They can wait they are covered too so over night dunk in the outside troff I think. 
Then off with the wheels off they got a clean then the cassette oh boy it was a mess it fact every part of the drive chain needed a good going over. The grime on the jockey wheels I could pull off in bits at a time. If you left your gran is that mess the social be round pretty quick lucky under all the crap all was good. 

So after a good top to toe clean I left everything to dry in the sunny weather. 

Yesterday on went the wheels and swopped out the spindles for a new set of quick release. A check of the chain showed it was just ok but did not look it. Turned out the grime was worse than thought and was stopping checker dropping though the chain cleanly. After I'd had cleaned a section up had to use gunk to shift it  It was as thought in need of replacement. Last job to do was remove the toe clips (some like them I know but not for me) 

Today was the day new chain fitted , tyres checked and pumped up then a nice polish 
Been a few day's coming but just back from a nice test ride in the sun round the block. oh ok a few laps of the block.  
A little gear adjustment needed and good to go. 

Now for some bling (can't decide red, green, purple or orange) new peddles and lastly new bottle cagers Mrs 73 think's they look cheep.


----------



## Vantage (4 Jul 2019)

I think that's more a steel audax than tourer. The seatstay rack bosses and caliper brakes give it away.
Nice though


----------



## Vantage (4 Jul 2019)

Fed up of not being able to use my knobbly landcruisers, I dug out 2 of my last 3 rear 700 X 50mm mudguards and fitted them in place of the 45mm longboards.
I miss the nice 'latte' colour of them but I'd rather the bike usable than pretty.


----------



## tom73 (4 Jul 2019)

Vantage said:


> I think that's more a steel audax than tourer. The seatstay rack bosses and caliper brakes give it away.
> Nice though



Yes your right that's what thinking one thing and typing another get's you


----------



## derrick (4 Jul 2019)

New spoke in a mates wheel. Enve wheel just lucky i had one that fitted.


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Jul 2019)

A bit of tinkering this evening. After getting the dynamo charger sorted on the commuter it was time to sort power for the other bikes so I ordered a powerbank complete with "bike bracket". I decided quite quickly that the bracket was pants, but had a cunning plan...

Heres the powerbank and bracket in question... It was quite cheap on Amazon, only a 5000mAh jobby but the GPS computer is only 3200 so should extend my range to about 250-300 miles, which is enough I think 






There is a rivet holding the two central plastic parts together that allow them to rotate. I drilled the rivet out to seperate the bracket in to two parts...






Then I fettled the part that holds the powerbank with a stanley knife until it fit on to the GPS bracket like so...






If my calculations were correct the power bank would nestle nicely between the stem bolts...






Result  And with the computer fitted...









Quite tidy, job done. Except one minor point, I haven't got a USB lead with a small enough connector to plug in to the computer as it's so close to the bars  D'oh! I'll scour the internet until I either find a suitable cable or give up and make some spacers to move the bracket out slightly  Next step is to try and turn the other half of the original bracket in to another similar mount for road bike #2


----------



## Leaway2 (4 Jul 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Except one minor point, I haven't got a USB lead with a small enough connector to plug in to the computer as it's so close to the bars  D'oh!


https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/usb-ca...MIz4mMivqb4wIV6b3tCh01rQ4lEAQYBCABEgLyIfD_BwE
perhaps?
Edit: Good fettling BTW.


----------



## Justinitus (4 Jul 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> A bit of tinkering this evening.
> 
> View attachment 473907
> 
> ...



You need a screw and washer in Hope Orange


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Jul 2019)

I may have solved the cable issue with a Stanley knife and some Sugru...









I carefully cut the plastic around the USB connector and removed enough to allow me to bend it through 90 degrees. I checked it fit then moulded some Sugru around it, now curing in the garage


----------



## tom73 (4 Jul 2019)

Yet more fettling the gears on the Ribble have been a bit out for a while. Spent the evening having a good old look and a few go’s at indexing and a few cable adjustments latter and a test ride. Now much better just a bit of fine tune and good to go.


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Jul 2019)

My butchered lead works a charm  To celebrate I butchered it further by cutting it right down...












It's now a rather neat fit...






And proof that it all works...








With that success I decided I may as well make the mount for the other bike...






Pleased with this evenings fettling


----------



## mjr (4 Jul 2019)

Got a bottom bracket three quarters out  Drive side cup won't shift with 150ft.lbs which is the limit of my tool. So tomorrow that'll go off to some workshop to shift and cost us money while its owner rides a spare.


----------



## Vantage (5 Jul 2019)

Decided the best place for the pump to live was behind the seat tube and discovered that the pump bracket already had little slots to take zip ties! Yay!
Then when I got home from taking muttly out I chopped about 3 inches off the back of the front mudguard. It was millimetres from ploughing the fields I rode through.


----------



## si_c (5 Jul 2019)

Gave my chain a dsmned good clean. Ran through the sonic cleaner, and then relubed with a wax based lube.


----------



## tom73 (6 Jul 2019)

Just given the London Rd a good clean and polish. Not been gone since the York rally so was well over due. 
As the weather is good and seeing as the stand , cleaning stuff was out and as Mrs 73 is away. 
Thought I'd clean and polish her pride and joy FX3 (few brownie pts me thinks)
Both all ready for our next day out hitting the trails.


----------



## Gravity Aided (6 Jul 2019)

Got the seat post out of a folding 26" Fuji I was given by the bicycle co-op, as they had no idea what to do with it. About the only folding bike that will hold a guy my size.These bikes were not sold. You had to buy them with points from Marlboro cigarettes. A guy at the co-op told me his parents got a tent, and a bunch of camping gear that way. Marlboro adventure team. 4130 Cro-moly frame, strange folding action. I intend to repaint it, black or dark brown, very businesslike. Rack and fenders, high reach bars, better components, probably used but nice Deore. Watch this space for more hijinx.


----------



## Jenkins (6 Jul 2019)

Before cleaning the chain on my Spa this afternoon I decided to check it with a wear tool and the 1% indicator dropped straight in so the cleaning gear got put away and a spare chain was fitted along with and an ulmost unused 11-32 cassette on the rear wheel The cassette wasn't really needed as I don't need the big gears, but the low mileage 11-28 that was on there will be needed elsewhere soon.


----------



## Gravity Aided (6 Jul 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Got the seat post out of a folding 26" Fuji I was given by the bicycle co-op, as they had no idea what to do with it. About the only folding bike that will hold a guy my size.These bikes were not sold. You had to buy them with points from Marlboro cigarettes. A guy at the co-op told me his parents got a tent, and a bunch of camping gear that way. Marlboro adventure team. 4130 Cro-moly frame, strange folding action. I intend to repaint it, black or dark brown, very businesslike. Rack and fenders, high reach bars, better components, probably used but nice Deore. Watch this space for more hijinx.


----------



## biggs682 (7 Jul 2019)

No bike tinkering today but bake an apple and blueberry crumble followed by scones .


----------



## dave r (7 Jul 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> View attachment 474257
> View attachment 474258



Thats a strange looking beast.


----------



## sleuthey (7 Jul 2019)

Bodged a Chinese rechargeable light on the rear with a jubilee clip and super glue to make it a. Not worth the hassle of stealing and b. Never needs taking off as can be charged in situ


----------



## tom73 (7 Jul 2019)

Out on the morning ride something was making one hell of a noise sounded like the front wheel was about to came off. Pulled over checked it nothing. Had a drink looked down and it was the bottle cage it had come loose a quick fix by hand as I was almost home.  So 1st thing tonight was to sort that. 
Then time to give the Ribble a good clean. After Cleaning the chain I thought i'd try the Wend wax Mrs 73 got me.
Not sure how it will hold up but if anything else it now smell's lovely.


----------



## Gravity Aided (7 Jul 2019)

Basket worked loose, luckily I was at the market, and was able to buy an adjustable wrench there. Just the right size for a seat pack, a bit small for general use.


----------



## DCBassman (8 Jul 2019)

2nd bottle cage fitted to the Scott.


----------



## tom73 (8 Jul 2019)

No bike cleaning left to do so turned attention to giving the path a good clean.
I don't know what it is about these loggers they fly 1000's of miles every year to spend the summer with us and still find time to make a mess.
I won't have it any other way it's always good to have them stay


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (9 Jul 2019)

Yesterday was the monthly chain-ring & cassette removal for cleaning/inspection, for the CGR

All okay, & deemed fit
Change of chain, at the end of the month though


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (9 Jul 2019)

Also, yesterday;
Whilst giving Joannes bike a check-over, the pedals bearing felt like they'd been filled with sand, not grease
I know they're only (probably) the cheapest that can be obtained to fit, but bearings matter
She has used SPDs in the past, when she had an Orange 'Aluminium O', back in the early 90s, & actually raced!
However, this is just a commuter, & that's all she'll probably do?
(it had clips/straps, but she wanted them removing - they were a 'L' pair anyway)

A few dribble of a decent oil into them, has produced a free-spinning l/h pedal




The r/h has been left overnight, upright, with oil in the outer bearing to run through
I'll check it shortly


----------



## I like Skol (10 Jul 2019)

Youngest son does an after-school MTB session thing on Wednesdays but arrived home early today, coasting down our avenue with his chain hung around his neck!

Turns out he had managed to pop one of the links. It's a KMC chain and had failed at a random link nowhere near the join. He did say the indexing had been off prior to the failure and after fitting a quick-link in place of the break it seems to be running fine so maybe the side plate was hanging off for a little while before it finally gave up?
I'm amazed he managed to break the chain this way, the KMC chains are notoriously hard to push a pin out due to the peened pin heads, yet he had bent the side plate away from the pin which allowed the link to open up and separate.

I'll give it a few rides and if he has any further problems I already have a spare 11spd chain sat on the shelf waiting.


----------



## Drago (10 Jul 2019)

Nothing major, just a post first-time shakedown on the Felt following installation of DT Swiss wheels. May have given it a quick clean as well


----------



## Supersuperleeds (10 Jul 2019)

Seeing this thread reminded me I need to pump up the tyres on the commuter, they felt a bit squishy at dinner time when I went out. Both tyres down to 60 psi, I run them at 100 normally, might be a bit easier ride tomorrow


----------



## Gravity Aided (11 Jul 2019)

Took the Dawes Eclipse to the basement today, to get it out of the way of the bicycles I'm using now. It was bought for a winter bike, and needs some mods for that.


----------



## flatflr (12 Jul 2019)

Fettled the two screws I bought today as the last part of my self build Genesis Coix de Fer


----------



## vickster (13 Jul 2019)

Used a bike I hadn't ridden for a while, needed to get flat pedals fitted as a knee flare is preventing clipping in. Rode about 10 miles ok on Thursday. Started off for a ride yesterday, about half a mile up the road, rear tyre was feeling strange and making odd noises...uh oh, PF visit I thought...so had a look... see pics...

Turned round, made it home, got another bike, rode to and from lunch assignation clipped in on one foot.

Fortunately, had a new tyre in shed so all fixed


----------



## Salty seadog (13 Jul 2019)

Pushed Henry around the house.


----------



## Zeffer (13 Jul 2019)

Flipped the stem on my Croix de Fer self-build. Much better!


----------



## alicat (13 Jul 2019)

Persuaded a cassette to part company from the freewotsit. Very satisfying series of cracks when it realised who was boss.


----------



## flatflr (13 Jul 2019)

Zeffer said:


> View attachment 475249
> Flipped the stem on my Croix de Fer self-build. Much better!



Snap!!!


----------



## JhnBssll (13 Jul 2019)

I took the opportunity to strip and clean the Bianchi this afternoon after a club ride this morning. I've got a 60 mile charity ride in the morning so no doubt itll get dirty again but at least it'll start clean


----------



## All uphill (13 Jul 2019)

Removed upholstery tack from rear tyre and patched tube. I thought that didn't happen with Marathon +!


----------



## Mart44 (13 Jul 2019)

TheDoctor said:


> This was actually fettled yesterday.
> Wall after someone hit it
> View attachment 473532
> 
> ...



I think now that the bricks are put back in place, expanding foam would fill and permanently glue that together. I don't know if you have ever used it but the main thing is not to try and remove the excess until it is set, then just cut it off with a knife.


----------



## JhnBssll (13 Jul 2019)

Another quick fettle this evening. I'm off to bike park Wales at the end of August and have booked a days uplift pass. The uplift racks fit a maximum tyre width of 2.6" which, you would think, is plenty. Unless you have 3" tyres that is  So off with the standard specialized tyres and on with the new 2.5" Maxxis Aggressor's 















Also time to pop the flat pedals back on


----------



## Vantage (15 Jul 2019)

Having swapped back to my old mudguards to take wider tyres, I've now refitted the longboards to match the gum wall cityjets. 
I had to make 2 new brackets to fit them and the front bracket is a u type. Done so that the front of the guard isn't sticking up like a moto X bikes guard. 
Looks much neater now


----------



## Hicky (15 Jul 2019)

Changed the brake blocks on the van nic for the first time since owning it.....5 years of ownership conservatively 2k miles poss 3k, the front were shot. Replaced with R55 dura ace jobbies. They're miles better but at £10 a pair I was shocked....if they last as well as the Sram standard ones not bad value I suppose.


----------



## JCroxton1 (15 Jul 2019)

Apologies if not allowed, but I'm working on this: Amazon prime day cycling deals... hopefully helpful to some.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (15 Jul 2019)

A friend brought his brother's bike over for me to fix a "shredded" gear cable this morning. I first got asked about this in the depths of winter and said "Yes, not problem" but didn't hear anything about it again until now.







When C said shredded, he meant shredded. I can only presume it had snagged on something during a ride.

Fortunately it was an easy fix by changing inner and outer cables. The derailleur appeared as though it had never been set up right from new so that has been done and it's had a checkover.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (15 Jul 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A friend brought his brother's bike over for me to fix a "shredded" gear cable this morning. I first got asked about this in the depths of winter and said "Yes, not problem" but didn't hear anything about it again until now.
> 
> View attachment 475605
> 
> ...


Wow! That’s definitely had it.


----------



## Reynard (15 Jul 2019)

Tweaked the position of the cleat on my left shoe as my foot was pointing inwards too much.

That's a lot better.


----------



## C R (15 Jul 2019)

Replaced the power supply board of our TV, which failed just two months out of warranty. Took some searching, but Mrs CR located one in the Netherlands.

Sorted for about 70 squids, and one less device needlessly thrown away.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Jul 2019)

The right hand nut , washers , the lot had come off the front wheel of my Brompton at some point. So have fitted a new nut and washers etc. today. Been down some rough roads of late so guess it all vibrated off at some point.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Jul 2019)

Zeffer said:


> View attachment 475249
> Flipped the stem on my Croix de Fer self-build. Much better!



My what a big cassette you have :-)


----------



## Zeffer (16 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> My what a big cassette you have :-)



Yes, will be used for touring so making sure I can spin up the hills with panniers etc.!


----------



## Hicky (16 Jul 2019)

New tyres, bar end plugs and MTB grips delivered to home, my handbuilts were re trued but I won't be able to sort everything back on the van nic for another day or so...arrgrh.


----------



## ianrauk (16 Jul 2019)

Hicky said:


> New tyres, bar end plugs and MTB grips delivered to home, my handbuilts were re trued but I won't be able to sort everything back on the van nic for another day or so...arrgrh.




That reminds me.
I must replace a lost bar end. Been missing now for a few weeks.


----------



## si_c (16 Jul 2019)

Bit of a creak on the Felt commuter, so greased the seatpost last night and went out for a 25mile spin in the dark no real issues - everything seemed fine.

Commuting in to work this morning, and about a half mile in, a horrible noise started like everything that could possibly be creaking was, so I pulled over and had a look. The seat-tube/top-tube weld has totally failed, there's a crack about 75% of the way around the joint so the frame is totally dead.

I've emailed Felt as it's only 3 months outside the 2 year warranty period, but I'm not hopeful, so it looks like new frame time.


----------



## Vantage (16 Jul 2019)

I reeeeaaallly can't do a 'like' for that. ^^^


Did a bit of filing on the mudguard stays as there was an annoying squeaky rattle the other day...I'm sure the stays are rubbing the guards...at least on the front one.
Polished a newly bought alloy chainstay protector and stuck it on. The old one wasn't done properly in the first place.
Fitted new brake blocks.


----------



## Salty seadog (16 Jul 2019)

ianrauk said:


> That reminds me.
> I must replace a lost bar end. Been missing now for a few weeks.



Bar end or bar end plug? I't would be a bit distracting riding with a single bar end.


----------



## Mart44 (16 Jul 2019)

I spent the afternoon giving this bike a going over. It has been sat in the shed for ages, covered in cobwebs and in generally neglected. It needed a new front inner tube, generally lubricating, the gears sorting out and a good clean. It's had a short road test but I'll take it for a proper ride in the next day or two.


----------



## ianrauk (16 Jul 2019)

Salty seadog said:


> Bar end or bar end plug? I't would be a bit distracting riding with a single bar end.


Plug


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## HLaB (16 Jul 2019)

I don't know if it's a bodge or a fettle. I had been intending to put a new cassette on the Triban 500 and had bought it yesterday. Tonight I snapped a spoke. So I took apart a wheel that had a similar spoke and used that. As it was a drive side spoke the cassette was conveniently off too and the new one went on.


----------



## CXRAndy (17 Jul 2019)

Im fettling my GSHP ground loop. Ive never needed to service it in 12 yrars, but whilst on holiday last year it lost most of it pressure-presume seals dried up with no use. Its limped along but has stopped working, so no hot water apart from emergency heater coil. 

The original installer has now moved onto different pastures-referred me to another company in London who wanted £500 just to come out. Sod that!

Problem Ive had is testing and refilling. The system is USA built and uses an odd set of hose connection with tiny thermocouple inspection ports. After a bit of toing froing to local plumbers merchant I cobbled together a fill setup using a inflation needle from football pump. Ive now added a air bleed valve which has allowed me refill system with water and bleed air out. Thank goodness its holding pressure now ​
Ive decided to upgrade the system with a expansion vessel, feed loop and air bleed off. Spares have arrived from Screwfix, so next few days I will build up this kit

Hope to get another 12 years without hiccup


----------



## Tenkaykev (17 Jul 2019)

Fitted new stays on front and rear mudguards, just noticed the top stay bracket needs alignment.


----------



## Paulus (17 Jul 2019)

I serviced my wife's old Raleigh Pioneer as she has decided that she wants to go for a ride tomorrow. The bike is 30 years old but had done probably less than 50 miles. Last ridden about 5 years ago. Once the dust was cleaned off and the gears and brakes checked, tyres pumped up etc. It is good to go. It is in remarkedly good condition .


----------



## Heltor Chasca (17 Jul 2019)

That was a productive fettle. All in my lunch break. 

New tyres on my Audax bike. Re-greased the rear hub and tightened a very slightly loose hub bearing. On this bike you need to take off the cassette and disc rotor. However I put it all back this time, it is now almost silent when on the big chain ring. For whatever reason, for over 8000km it has never sounded as smooth as I have wanted it. So I am delighted.

And puritans, you can look away now. I fitted cleats to my SPD sandals


----------



## Reynard (17 Jul 2019)

Wiggy #2, the Chartres is now running quietly again. 

Traced the irritating squeak to the saddle clamp. Tightened that up and hey presto, no more noises like mice on steroids...


----------



## Vantage (17 Jul 2019)

Fitted my fast tyres on ready for Saturdays Cheshire ride.
I feel I'm now with a chance of keeping up with a 3 year old on a sparkly, pink, Barbie tricycle.


----------



## Jenkins (17 Jul 2019)

I may be fettling this tyre into the bin after today's ride - cut sidewall and almost instantanious deflation, but I managed to do the last 20 miles by using a tyre boot ( an offcut of a thick innertube) and inflating to less than 50psi. This is how it looked when I got home and filled it to normal pressure to see if it was salvageable...


----------



## Reynard (17 Jul 2019)

Vantage said:


> Fitted my fast tyres on ready for Saturdays Cheshire ride.
> I feel I'm now with a chance of keeping up with a 3 year old on a sparkly, pink, Barbie tricycle.



It's not the tyres that make you go faster - it's the pink sparkly bits!!!


----------



## Hicky (18 Jul 2019)

Re trued and serviced hubs wheels back on the bike with new Lithon 3's, cassette cleaned and chain half heartedly cleaned(I must get a cleaning tool), all creaks gone and with the new pads it's feeling newish, I say that as the bar tape is a bit grubby......the graffiti is clearly done by a blue supported some time after the PL win


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Jul 2019)

Fixed rear wheel puncture on brommie. First one. So interesting learning experience taking wheel on and off. All good.


----------



## beepbeep (18 Jul 2019)

applied Autoglym resin polish to bike.....hmmmmmm shiny........


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## JhnBssll (18 Jul 2019)

Had a minor fettle of the Bianchi this evening; saddle up 5mm and tipped forward slightly, bars down 5mm. Will see how I get on - I raised the saddle 5mm recently but felt it could come up a little further. The bars have been dropping gradually as my beer gut recedes and allows me to bend over further 





A quick whizz round the block in my jeans told me nothing  I'll try and get out on it over the weekend if the weather allows


----------



## pjd57 (18 Jul 2019)

Back mudguard on my hybrid kept popping out one of the brackets.
Plastic connection won't tighten anymore.....it's 10 or 11years old.

Wrapped insulation tape round it....sorted.

Handlebar tape on my CX had a small tear at the hood.
Not enough to justify replacing it.
Wrapped insulation tape round it....sorted.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Jul 2019)

beepbeep said:


> applied Autoglym resin polish to bike.....hmmmmmm shiny........



Hope brakes still work...


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Jul 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Had a minor fettle of the Bianchi this evening; saddle up 5mm and tipped forward slightly, bars down 5mm. Will see how I get on - I raised the saddle 5mm recently but felt it could come up a little further. The bars have been dropping gradually as my beer gut recedes and allows me to bend over further
> 
> View attachment 476054
> 
> A quick whizz round the block in my jeans told me nothing  I'll try and get out on it over the weekend if the weather allows



Blimey gold disc brakes :-)


----------



## Tenkaykev (18 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Fixed rear wheel puncture on brommie. First one. So interesting learning experience taking wheel on and off. All good.



Tell me more YukonBoy, I've got Marathon+ on my Brommie and am sort of tempted to spend half a day removing/ refitting the rear wheel so that it's not so daunting.
Any hints / tips / gotchas?


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Jul 2019)

Tenkaykev said:


> Tell me more YukonBoy, I've got Marathon+ on my Brommie and am sort of tempted to spend half a day removing/ refitting the rear wheel so that it's not so daunting.
> Any hints / tips / gotchas?



Undo the gear cable via the barrel / lock nut. Then turn to remove it from wheel.
Undo the gear nut, same size spanner needed as other wheel nuts
Then remove chain tensioner
This reveal a normal nut that sits under the chain tensioner.
Undo wheel nuts, there are retaining clips like on front wheel so wiggle these to drop out wheel.

Reverse to refit. Do not try and fit chain tensioner before wheel back in place. Fit wheel, do up inner bolts and ensure retaining clips in place.
Fit chain tensioner with long arm pointing back and shorter arm forward. Engage teeth of jockey wheel of front tensioner with chain. Easier to do if you release rear triangle as if folding.
Fit and tighten up gear cable nut
Fit gear cable and attach to barrel adjuster. Do up lock nut on gear cable.
Swing long arm from back to tension the chain.
Pump up tyre.
Ride, and adjust gears through barrel adjuster as necessary.


----------



## beepbeep (18 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Hope brakes still work...



disc brakes........ - cleaned rotors with meths


----------



## Vantage (19 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Hope brakes still work...



Hope is a fairly reputable company. I doubt there'll be any issues.


----------



## CXRAndy (19 Jul 2019)

Ive got two bikes with Hope 4 pot calipers, ace stopping power


----------



## ColinJ (19 Jul 2019)

I tidied the bar tape on my CAAD5. 

I straightened up the hoods on my singlespeed bike - I removed the redundant gear shift bits from the ergopower controls when I built the bike and that left gaps that the hoods tend to slip into after a while, which looks bad and feels uncomfortable.

I lubed and cleaned chains on both bikes.

I repaired a tube punctured on my forum ride last Saturday. I was going to repair another punctured tube but it was splitting along a seam so I binned it. (I must think of a use for scrapped tubes!)

There was one other thing... (Thinks...) Ah yes - my cycling helmet was feeling uncomfortable round my forehead. It turned out that the sweatband/padding on the front of the plastic frame of the helmet had got lost. I made a new padded band from a strip of self-adhesive velcro 'fur' (the half that the hooky side grips onto).


----------



## ColinJ (19 Jul 2019)

si_c said:


> Bit of a creak on the Felt commuter, so greased the seatpost last night and went out for a 25mile spin in the dark no real issues - everything seemed fine.
> 
> Commuting in to work this morning, and about a half mile in, a horrible noise started like everything that could possibly be creaking was, so I pulled over and had a look. The seat-tube/top-tube weld has totally failed, there's a crack about 75% of the way around the joint so the frame is totally dead.
> 
> *I've emailed Felt as it's only 3 months outside the 2 year warranty period, but I'm not hopeful, so it looks like new frame time.*


Bad luck!

If Felt do the right thing, then great. If not, I would feel inclined to use Social Media Pressure on them and give them a second opportunity. Point them in the direction of this discussion and ask if they would prefer your follow-up post to be "_Superb support from Felt, who apologised and replaced the frame despite it being outside the warranty period. I will buy from them again in the future_" OR "_Felt were cheapskates and used the excuse that the frame was just out of warranty to reject my claim. That is the last time that I buy one of their bikes_"! 

PS A big social media shout out to Iyama who replaced my computer monitor 6 months beyond its warranty period, and another to Endura who did likewise with a commuter jacket whose zip had failed!


----------



## si_c (19 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Bad luck!
> 
> If Felt do the right thing, then great. If not, I would feel inclined to use Social Media Pressure on them and give them a second opportunity. Point them in the direction of this discussion and ask if they would prefer your follow-up post to be "_Superb support from Felt, who apologised and replaced the frame despite it being outside the warranty period. I will buy from them again in the future_" OR "_Felt were cheapskates and used the excuse that the frame was just out of warranty to reject my claim. That is the last time that I buy one of their bikes_"!
> 
> PS A big social media shout out to Iyama who replaced my computer monitor 6 months beyond its warranty period, and another to Endura who did likewise with a commuter jacket whose zip had failed!



It's OOW, so they won't replace it, I've asked. They do run a "VIP Replacement Programme" for those with OOW problems, which offers discounts on new frames or bikes, but it has to go through an Authorised retailer, and there aren't any near me, I'll have to follow it up with them when I have some motivation.

In the meantime I've ordered new frame from Kinesis - a 2018 Racelight 4S - which I can simply lift and shift all the parts on the Felt over to. It arrives Monday (it was supposed to come today, but that's a whole new Saga with DPD).


----------



## Denis99 (19 Jul 2019)

Quite a lot of fettling today and this week.

Firstly I had my frame back from Armourtex , they powder coated the frame and forks and had returned it to.
So , I have rebuilt with the components that were on the old paint work frame.

The frame is a steel Singular Osprey.


Secondly, I recently posted about my Woodrup Chimera with some bubbling paint work issues. Really liked the bike, but it was a tad too big for me in truth.
Would have cost somewhere around £350 to get it repainted and one or two braze ons added etc.

Condor had a Condor Heritage (old new stock , on offer), right size, and a simple swap over of the components.

Again another day or so earlier this week.


----------



## tom73 (19 Jul 2019)

Rear wheel back from the LBS so refitted to the Ribble ended up taking longer than thought. 
Turned out i'd nipped the inner type when I put the tyre back on  
So tyre back off spare inner tube fitted , refitted wheel ,checked brake alignment and all is work just fine. Ready for early morning Sunday ride out. 
Old inner tube patched up ready to use as stand in spare tube. At least I know the patchers work out my bottle tube.


----------



## ColinJ (19 Jul 2019)

si_c said:


> It's OOW, so they won't replace it, I've asked. They do run a "VIP Replacement Programme" for those with OOW problems, which offers discounts on new frames or bikes, but it has to go through an Authorised retailer, and there aren't any near me, I'll have to follow it up with them when I have some motivation.
> 
> In the meantime I've ordered new frame from Kinesis - a 2018 Racelight 4S - which I can simply lift and shift all the parts on the Felt over to. It arrives Monday (it was supposed to come today, but that's a whole new Saga with DPD).


I still think that frames shouldn't just break, especially after such a short time. Fair enough if the bike had been crashed.

I won't be buying Felt! (Not really saying much, because I probably won't be buying another bike any time soon, but it's the thought that counts... )


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## Drago (19 Jul 2019)

Placed the Felt back in the garage, and dug out the Claud Butler for a few rides next week. Gave it a thorough once over and set the tyre pressures.


----------



## Paulus (20 Jul 2019)

My old new bike was delivered by courier on Thursday. As it had been mostly dismantled I spent a pleasant hour putting it all back together taking a while to clean and lube various parts along the way.


----------



## Reynard (20 Jul 2019)

Gave Wiggy #2, the Chartres a good general once over today, plus cleaned and oiled the chain. Last job was a wipe down to remove all the road dust.


----------



## JhnBssll (20 Jul 2019)

Fitted a second roof top bike rack


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Jul 2019)

New cleats fitted.


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Jul 2019)

Paulus said:


> My old new bike was delivered by courier on Thursday. As it had been mostly dismantled I spent a pleasant hour putting it all back together taking a while to clean and lube various parts along the way.
> View attachment 476195



Love the wooden kick stand


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Jul 2019)

Drago said:


> Placed the Felt back in the garage, and dug out the Claud Butler for a few rides next week. Gave it a thorough once over and set the tyre pressures.



Does the butler also serve afternoon tea?


----------



## beepbeep (21 Jul 2019)

fitted a Topeak MTX beam rack and bag on my MTB......


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## si_c (22 Jul 2019)

New frame arrived today, headset wasn't fitted, so ambled over to the LBS to get it fitted. I had a go at it myself but the bearings wouldn't stay in. Apparently semi integrated headsets don't need fitting, the bearings are held in by the preload. 

Lesson learnt there! Still they bashed the crown race on, and with a full carbon fork, rather them than me!

Edit: will need to do a full build later!


----------



## Drago (22 Jul 2019)

Put the Claud Butler away - possible bicep tear, unfit to ride. Extra leg days at the gym and longer walks, try not to let my body regress too much until I can return.


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## Zeffer (22 Jul 2019)

Drago said:


> Put the Claud Butler away - possible bicep tear, unfit to ride. Extra leg days at the gym and longer walks, try not to let my body regress too much until I can return.



Ouch! GWS.


----------



## biggs682 (22 Jul 2019)

Paulus said:


> My old new bike was delivered by courier on Thursday. As it had been mostly dismantled I spent a pleasant hour putting it all back together taking a while to clean and lube various parts along the way.
> View attachment 476195



So you bought it then ?


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## Paulus (22 Jul 2019)

biggs682 said:


> So you bought it then ?


Yep, went for it. It is a very nice bike. A bit of tidying up, and I have a pair of alloy wheels to go with it. It is a nice looking bike. I have been out on it over the weekend and it rides well.


----------



## gavroche (22 Jul 2019)

Thoroughly cleaned all of my three bikes, including oiling chains. Hoping to take one out tomorrow.


----------



## beepbeep (22 Jul 2019)

Chose one of the hottest days to wrap the bars on my roadie - New RAPHA bar tape.....should have read the reviews which indicated it was a pain to use......much sweat / tears / swearing / re-wrapping and finally finished ...Not Team Ineos standard but please with the results


----------



## All uphill (22 Jul 2019)

General adjustments and maintenance after my mintour last week. One day I'll have everything "just so" and it will stay that way for more than 200 miles!

This time the homebuilt tourer needed the front derailleur adjusting and the rear wheel truing, thanks to a direct hit on an enormous pothole in Hampshire.


----------



## si_c (22 Jul 2019)

Stripped most of the parts from the Felt - RIP - aside from the lighting rig and transplanted onto the new Racelight frame. Wheels, brakes, drivetrain and full finishing kit are now fitted. Took longer than I anticipated as I was cleaning everything as I went and after I'd removed the drivetrain from the old bike I had to refit it so I could get enough leverage on the crankset to undo the extractor bolt.

I now need to run the cables properly and probably replace everything as the routing is completely difference, and I need to put the blanking plates on everything too. Was thinking about trying to finish it off tonight but I started to run out of time and tidied up instead so Mrs C didn't explode.

Earlier today I fitted a new remote lockout to the fork on the MTB and fitted the narrow-wide chainring I ordered the other day.


----------



## si_c (23 Jul 2019)

Finished off the new Kinesis frame build up. All the gear from the Felt has shifted over, and a couple of new cables and outers, but most reused in the end. Had to do the front brake cables and outers as slightly too short, now slightly too long, but such is life. Put the blanking plates on and all sorted.

Just need to out some bottle cages on, but haven't decided if I'm moving the old ones over yet, they are Elite cages and they have a tendency to catch on trouser legs and I've had to have 3 pairs repaired, twice. I might take the opportunity to change them.

I do need new bar tape and the saddle is past it's best, but that's for next month, after payday


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Jul 2019)

New chain on the CGR this morning, with a general 'petrolling' of the derailleurs and chainrings
I found that the derailleur hanger-screws were loose, so they were tightened up too

A short test-ride confirmed that the cassette was still okay, & doesn't need the replacement (yet), as the chain didn't skip/jump teeth



Plus, now that it's dark again, when I'm leaving work on late-turns, I've added a pair of spoke mounted reflectors
The spoke-count of the Aksiums meant that I had to drill holes in the reflectors & mount with thin tie-wraps
(two roundabouts, even on my quickest route home - where they're at the most advantageous)





(note to self; must purchase a couple of new chains_ for stock_)

*EDIT @ 12:02*
The reflectors are a stop-gap, until I can get a pair of the Duranos with reflective banding on the sidewalls
SWMBOs Boardman hybrid has a pair, that look like the Marathon tread-pattern, but aren't
They're rather good at night, even by torchlight!


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## Reynard (24 Jul 2019)

Or these are quite handy @Richard A Thackeray 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-Bic...ocphy=9044887&hvtargid=pla-767073991188&psc=1

I have these fitted to my bikes - they just clip on to the individual spokes.


----------



## Vantage (24 Jul 2019)

Pam took pity on me and let me tinker with the bike today......I'll pay for it later most likely
Alot of time was spent with my hands doused in white spirit whilst scrubbing drivetrain components but its mostly done now, thankfully. My hands were starting to sting from the spirit 
Soooooo, 
the frame & forks were drowned in Carlube oil from morrisons for future rust prevention.
Headset was fitted......hopefully its on straight. It looks OK. 
Tyres, cassette and rotors were fitted to the wheels and finally the bottom bracket was fitted. Crank arms, saddle & seatpost and old stem are sitting on it loosely for now.
No idea when my next fettle will be...hopefully soon. 

I'm itching to take it out for a spin!


----------



## cyberknight (24 Jul 2019)

Not cycle related
FIL bought kids mini alexa shows, i was so impressed with the drop in video chat to keep an eye on FIL i bought a larger one myself
Daughters was on sons account and worked fine untill a few days ago and was told she needed her own account to enable video chat as we got her room if we asked for her or son...........
Set up account then found out the phone number she uses ( sons old one ) is still registered with his account so i had to delete it to get it to work, enable drop in to all devices and from all devices 
and breathe


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## Gravity Aided (24 Jul 2019)

Wheels, cranks, derailleurs fitted to the Schwinn Passage. Need more parts before further progress can be made. Stem, brake levers, and downtube cable stops will be needed, and the downtube cable stops will have to come from Amazon. BB is Octalink, but I've always had good luck with that system. I have a couple of hacks for it. Since the crank pullers rarely come with that size head anymore, I find the brake washer for the front brake will substitute well. I also just use a 10 mm Allen wrench for removal of the center bolt for the crank, on my model. It's easy to deal with, using basic tools, on the road.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Jul 2019)

Reynard said:


> Or these are quite handy @Richard A Thackeray
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-Bic...ocphy=9044887&hvtargid=pla-767073991188&psc=1
> 
> I have these fitted to my bikes - they just clip on to the individual spokes.


I'd looked at those in Halfords, but they were in the region of £10/pack, & I only need (maybe) 4 per wheel

I'm sure I've seen them in Lidl, at some point, but not for a long time


----------



## Reynard (24 Jul 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> I'd looked at those in Halfords, but they were in the region of £10/pack, & I only need (maybe) 4 per wheel
> 
> I'm sure I've seen them in Lidl, at some point, but not for a long time



Amazon, bay of e - way cheaper than Halfords. I bought a large pack - think that will last me a lifetime


----------



## tom73 (25 Jul 2019)

Thank's to @Richard A Thackeray for the tip off. After fruitless search Mrs 73 came good not one but 2 

So fitted Mint Sauce headset cap to London rd and one to mrs73 FX. 

Fitted old headset cap off London Rd to the Spa as it was missing when I bought it. 

Oh and put up an extra washing line all for Mrs 73


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Jul 2019)

Looking good. I couldn't find MBUK in any of my local shops  Now I know why - Mrs73 has bought them all!


----------



## Ming the Merciless (25 Jul 2019)

Drago said:


> Placed the Felt back in the garage, and dug out the Claud Butler for a few rides next week. Gave it a thorough once over and set the tyre pressures.



To stun....


----------



## Ming the Merciless (25 Jul 2019)

Ice


----------



## Vantage (26 Jul 2019)

Pam gave me another free pass for bike tinkering today (yesterday technically).

Chainset rebuilt and fitted. F&r dérailleurs and shifters fitted and indexed. It's scarey how easy that was actually...no issues whatsoever. 
The same can't be said for fitting the calipers. First off I'd put the front brake on the rear wheel and vice versa then wondered why the rear brake didn't fit. I got around that by using longer bolts and some spacer sleeves. Thats when I noticed I'd fitted them wrong way round. ￼￼ Friggin eejit.
Then I had trouble getting the front wheel to spin without the brake rubbing. Avids centering technique just wasn't working until I added a cardboard shim. Some minor rotor truing and all is well 
Steerer tube chopped and bars added, rewrapped with new brake cables.
Attempting to fit the mudguards raised issues. I discovered that the new Flinger mudguard stays I bought last week are too thick for the SKS eyebolts.  Gotta order new eyebolts on Monday then.
Plus the crown on the front fork is really high. Need to make a much longer L brackets for the mudguard or it sits too high above the tyre. Similar issue with the rear mudguard bridge. So I'll be running bike minus mudguards for a week. It looks like a friggin road bike. 
I fear I may need a new, longer stem but I've not been on it yet to adjust for fit. Just a feeling I have.


----------



## sleuthey (26 Jul 2019)

Only got the bike out to fit some new anti theft skewers (5 minute job) then noticed this:





Had a pair of Kenda kwests in the loft lined up for the winter, now fitted early:


----------



## Reynard (26 Jul 2019)

Not bike related, but now that I had the correct parts, I fixed (I hope) and reassembled the cutting deck for the ride-on mower, and then reattached the deck to the mower chassis. I greased all the bolt threads as I went along and scraped all the accumulated crud off the deck.

Yet to test it though. Fingers crossed...

And no, I didn't have any bits left over.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (28 Jul 2019)

Gave my Apollo local hack MTB some much-needed attention. The front brakes didn't feel right and had a sloppy feel, so I investigated and discovered both the canti pivot Allen screws were working loose, allowing the cantis to move on their spigots. Out came the Allen key and grease pot and they were taken off, lubed, and put back on tight.
Next, fit some secondhand Zefal plastic MTB mudguards that I got from a scrap donor bike. Wondered why the rear one was taped to the rear reflector bracket, and discovered it was because someone had lost the proper mounting bracket. Drilled a couple of 6mm holes in the mudguared and secured it with cable ties.
Finally, I fit a funky coloured metal water bottle cage taken from another abandoned Apollo. Three jobs, three successes....




Ok, now to the final job of the day - replace the L/H pedal which had a chunk missing from it, was splitting open, and just on the point of disintegrating.... Except that the thing was seized into the crank and even my usual generous amount of brute force failed to shift it. No problem, I'll swap the L/H crank from the donor bike. Oh, no you won't, the thread was half stripped so I dared not use full force on the extractor tool. Had to settle for "just enough" force and then beat the crank arm into submission with a big hammer until it came loose. Job done, and crank arm swapped. Go for test ride and something feels slightly odd.... Then I discover the "new" crank arm is 165mm whereas the original drive side one is 170mm. So out comes the extractor tool again and I end up swapping the drive side one to get a matched pair of arms, but now have an odd pair of pedals instead. Then of course the saddle needs adjusting because the cranks are shorter.....Finally, after much faffing around, I actually manage to go for a 20 mile ride.


----------



## Reynard (28 Jul 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Job done, and crank arm swapped. Go for test ride and something feels slightly odd.... Then I discover the "new" crank arm is 165mm whereas the original drive side one is 170mm. So out comes the extractor tool again and I end up swapping the drive side one to get a matched pair of arms, but now have an odd pair of pedals instead. Then of course the saddle needs adjusting because the cranks are shorter.....Finally, after much faffing around, I actually manage to go for a 20 mile ride.





Adapted from a classic mantra...

Measure twice, fettle once.


----------



## Rusty Nails (28 Jul 2019)

I bought a used Specialized Myka Sport mtb for a friend's granddaughter and have spent the day sorting it out. It only needed new cables. The fork, a basic RST Capa with lockout, was pretty tatty so I decided to give it a service. I decided to remove the two bolts at the bottom of the dropouts to get the legs off it. The one on the left leg came off easily but the one on the right just turns but doesn't come out.

So annoyed as I hoped to finish it today.


----------



## alicat (28 Jul 2019)

Swopped a rim over on the rear wheel of my Pearson audax bike. A minor miracle - I finished it within the day. And it only cost £32 plus the cost of a new adjustable spanner to get the old cassette off.


----------



## Gravity Aided (29 Jul 2019)

Added bars, brake levers, interrupter levers, and brake cables with straddle wires to my Schwinn Passage. I had to get everything perfect first time, because the brakes are cantilevers, but are narrow cantilevers (Dia Compe), hence a lot of faffing about. The interrupter levers added another dimension to the fettling, but makes it easy to stop from the tops in a safe and reliable way. Provided every thing is just so. I was very lucky the fellow who sold me the frame had also kept the straddle wires for the cantilever brakes.


----------



## Vantage (29 Jul 2019)

Finished the bike... sort of. 
Waiting for some self extracting crank bolts and a fender flute from Spa but otherwise its running. 
Took it for a test ride today and decided I need a longer stem. 80mm should do it. Ordered. 
The brakes suck. BB7 discs. Bedding them in is taking forever. Couple more rides should do it I think.


----------



## Reynard (29 Jul 2019)

I need to tinker with the mower.

The cutting deck cuts on all three blades now. Yay!!! 

However, the belt that takes the drive off the engine is fouling against something, so a bit of investigation will be required. If any of you saw clouds of rubber smoke earlier, then that was me. Or rather, the mower... Am hoping it's not the bearings on the spindle.

Bike-related tinkering, I gave Wiggy #1, the Rouen, a bit of a once over.


----------



## Dogtrousers (31 Jul 2019)

OK at the weekend I cleaned my bike and did a couple of small jobs, including fitting a new chain, as the one in place was quite worn. Simple enough job. 

Thread the chain through. Bring the ends together. Fit the "quick" link. Ping! the chain separates and throws half the quick link across the garage and unthreads itself from the derailleur. After a long search I discover it actually bounced and landed outside the garage. Eventually re-threaded it and joined the chain. But wait. What's that noise? YET AGAIN for the zillionth time I've threaded it incorrectly through the derailleur. Why do I never learn?

Intersperse this with all my tools doing the usual trick of scuttling away and hiding as soon as my back is turned (I think I live in a Toy Story style animated movie featuring cunning tools), and getting oil all over my good-ish shoes (Wife: Haven't you got enough pairs of old trainers for doing stuff like that?)

I won't tell you how long the damn job took in the end.


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## Vantage (31 Jul 2019)

Brilliant post @Dogtrousers


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## Vantage (31 Jul 2019)

My Fender flute and new stem arrived this afternoon.
The stem swap was done first and went smoothly. 
The flute went on less smoothly but its done now and is moocho tidier than the previous mudguard bodge.
I was getting around to fitting some self extracting crank bolts when my glucose levels plummeted. I'm now sat on the couch nursing a hypo. 

I've also washed the wheels and frame&fork of the steel Touring ready for sticking in the for sale section. Gotta take pics first.


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## Reynard (31 Jul 2019)

Hmmm... After an incident involving a dented can and a jet of tomato juice right in the eye, I now do messy jobs or jobs that involve small parts with a propensity for escaping inside a plastic bag... 

Anyways, I removed the cutting deck from the mower, properly realigned the belt that takes the drive off the engine (rather than in its original botched position), rehung the cutting deck and adjusted the belt tension.

I now have a fully working mower. 

Un-botching the botches was the hardest part, and now the whole cutting deck and drive assembly now looks exactly like it does in the manual. All because the cutting deck belt hadn't been fed around both tensioner pulleys rather than just the one, due to a stuck bolt... I mean, all it took was a glug of WD40 and leaving it while I had my lunch to free it. Actually, it's amazing that the botches worked at all (not my workwomanship), but at least it's now working as it *SHOULD*


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## Rickshaw Phil (31 Jul 2019)

Somewhat later than hoped, the replacement bladed spoke for @gavgav's carbon road bike has arrived, been fitted and the wheel has been trued.

Looks good on the stand - I hope it stays as true once refitted to the bike which should be at the end of the week.


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## Hicky (31 Jul 2019)

Fitted Genetic “perfect” bartape bought off the bay from a relatively lbs. It had been on the shelf too long imo and perished after one commute home in my hands so on the way home I got fwe gel bar tape which is three times the price but far superior. I eventually bought some new shoes(spd-sl) and they feel vastly different to my old shoes, I’m just waiting for the pedals to arrive to fit them.


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## Richard A Thackeray (31 Jul 2019)

Extra Lumens added








The near-side seat-stay light (25 Lumen) was on the off-side (*1*)

The new light on the off-side seat-stay is a 50 Lumen
(ie; very bright, when fully charged!)
It's the same as the lower seat-pin light, which was there previously

The top seat-pin light is, I think, a 'Smart'? (& about 10 years old)

The location?
Leaning against the side, to the left of shot; https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1401303
What can be seen, over that side; https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/509903



*1. *Yes, I know they're Halfords lights, but I knew what I wanted, no need to ask the staff
Plus, I got 10% discount with my 'Blue Light Card'
(I didn't use my British Cycling, because I didn't have the voucher, due to my printer playing up)


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## tom73 (1 Aug 2019)

Fitted a Fizik Arione CX saddle on the Ribble current one was trying to eat my bibs .
Thought I try a Spoon but thanks to the bay for this one for not much more.
Been a quick test spin at least I managed to set it up right. Now need a real ride out to prove it.
Then gave the frame a quick wipe down the rain run off puddles from the fields last ride out made it look a mess 
The splash back on my bibs in the warm weather felt nice though


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## stumpy66 (1 Aug 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Extra Lumens added
> View attachment 477975
> 
> 
> ...


You don’t need to print the voucher, I’ve just shown them it from my phone


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## si_c (1 Aug 2019)

Fitted the Kinesis mudguards to the Racelight, I needed to get a M6 button head bolt (12mm) to mount the bridge as the kit doesn't come with the small parts - they (rightly or wrongly) say there are too many frames with differing parts to provide standard ones. This means that the mudguards come with only the bolts to fix the stays to the guards themselves.

I had most of the bolts I needed - I didn't require a fork crown bolt as I'm using disc brakes and I mounted the E3 triple to the fork so I was sorted there - so all neat and tidy now.

I've also mounted the Supernova E3 front and rear lights - I used helicopter tape and the mudguards to secure the routing to the front hub but to run the rear light I used internal routing for the rear rim brake. It's an odd frame in that it has mounting points for both discs and rim brakes and as I'm using the latter that left routing space internally. The E3 rear is mounted to the seat post so it means that there is limited exposed cabling the only slightly unsatisfactory part is the routing from the light to the cable port, which has been done with a little bit of helicopter tape and judicious bending. You can see the cable to the front light, but I was never going to have it completely hidden, and I can't see if from the saddle.

Since the helicopter tape was out I've added some in the most likely places of run and onto the drive side chainstay.

Aside from a new saddle and new bar tape being needed (the saddle nose is disintegrating and the bar tape is scuffed) and possibly a new groupset at some point the build is basically done.

I want to bleed the front brake and replace the pads but I'm waiting on the bleed kit to arrive.


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## SkipdiverJohn (2 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Intersperse this with all my tools doing the usual trick of scuttling away and hiding as soon as my back is turned (I think I live in a Toy Story style animated movie featuring cunning tools),



I mislay tools all the time, and when they reappear as if by magic, they are usually right under my nose. Hunted high and low for some cutters the other day, and had to resort to using an old blunt pair. Immediately after I found the missing good pair were actually in the pocket of my work trousers....


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## BalkanExpress (2 Aug 2019)

I finally unstuck a very stuck pedal. It had resisted:

Pedal spanner;
penetrating oil and then the pedal spanner;
the big bloke in the bikeshop and his pedal spanner;
"Cheater bar" fashioned from the leg of the bike stand;

Some digging around online suggested applying heat to the crank (alloy expands more than steel) but I don't have a heat gun so resorted to boiling the kettle and putting the pedal and crankarm in it. Left it for 10 minutes and then finally managed to get the pedal off  

so it's time for a ...I'd better wash the kettle out first


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## ColinJ (2 Aug 2019)

I understand the desire not to be invisible to blind motorists approaching rapidly from behind, but I was semi-blinded by over-bright rear lights on one forum ride so I suggest that you can have too much of a good thing! 

Super-bright rear lights used during the day could be handy though. The then-Brombtonfb had one on his bike and I could see it from over a mile away on a very sunny day. (He took a wrong turn ahead of me and I could see him disappearing into the distance. The light had a distinctive pseudo-random burst flashing pattern which was extremely eye-catching.)

As for my bike fettling today... very minor, but hopefully it will put an end to something that has been annoying me for months. The rubber hoods on my singlespeed bike kept loosening and bunching up under my hands. I had stripped the gear-changing parts out of some old Campagnolo Ergopower brake/shifters when I built the bike so I assumed that the hoods were slipping up into the gap left by the missing gear levers. It turns out that the problem was actually that I had wound the bar tape over 2 slot-shaped holes that tabs on the hoods needed to go into. Once I realised, I just had to cut suitable holes in the bar tape and it was then easy to straighten the hoods out. I haven't ridden the bike since then, but I think that will have cured the problem.


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## si_c (2 Aug 2019)

New brake pads on the front and bled the Hy/Rd caliper for good measure - was a bit wooly before. Now working much much better.


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Aug 2019)

Some nuts tightened and front shifting sorted.


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## BianchiVirgin (3 Aug 2019)

Adjusted my R7000 FD as it was dicking about a bit. It's a bit of a faff but got it sorted ok. Different adjustment to what I'm used to but figured it out.
On the same theme the 7000 series calipers are not much cop. Better than rim brakes but not what they should be. The rear one has been nothing but a PITA.


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## ColinJ (3 Aug 2019)

I replaced the tyres on my singlespeed bike. The old ones were getting very worn and I got 2 punctures on the Humber Bridge forum ride which might not have happened with better tyres on since it was tiny pieces of glass that were to blame. There is a good chance that they wouldn't have got through a thicker layer of rubber.


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## Vantage (3 Aug 2019)

Replaced the plastic zip ties with much nicer stainless steel ones. Pita to fit though.


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## SkipdiverJohn (3 Aug 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I got 2 punctures on the Humber Bridge forum ride which might not have happened with better tyres on since it was tiny pieces of glass that were to blame. There is a good chance that they wouldn't have got through a thicker layer of rubber.



Which wheel did you get the flats in; front, rear, or one in each? I don't worry about running worn fronts but I like plenty of rubber on the rears, because in my experience the back wheel tends to puncture between two and three times more often than the front.


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## ColinJ (4 Aug 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Which wheel did you get the flats in; front, rear, or one in each? I don't worry about running worn fronts but I like plenty of rubber on the rears, because in my experience the back wheel tends to puncture between two and three times more often than the front.


One each. They were old tyres when I put them on the bike in the first place and I managed to get another few thousand miles out of them after that so I can't complain. It wouldn't have been long before what is left of the rubber started to shred off. Rear tyres definitely wear more quickly than front, presumably because more weight is on the back of the bike.

I think I was given the old tyres years back, and the replacement tyres have been donated by fellow forumite colly so tyres for that bike are not exactly costing me a fortune! (I do put new tyres on my best bike though.)

I keep the old tyres for use on my turbo trainer, and possibly for carrying as emergency spares if I am going to be riding '_a long way from civilisation_'.


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## CXRAndy (4 Aug 2019)

Dismantled our Meile washing machine, suspecting failed drum bearings. Unfortunately its the spider holding the bearing shaft has sheared 

Not worth repair, drum alone cost as much as new machine


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## Salty seadog (4 Aug 2019)

Sterilised 6 water Bottles in Milton.


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## alicat (4 Aug 2019)

In the middle of fettling a yew arch. Must get back to it.


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## Vantage (4 Aug 2019)

Mowed the front and back 'lawns' (the ground is rough as hell).
Cut back next doors hedges which were overhanging my gate. Cut back some tree branches.
Put the laundry out to dry. Brought the laundry back in coz it started spitting 5 mins later.
Shattered!


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## gavroche (4 Aug 2019)

Went to Aldi to buy some milk and a bunch of sunflowers for my wife.


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## Justinitus (4 Aug 2019)

Picked up a 2019 Specialized Rockhopper Pro X1 yesterday in very lightly used condition. Pretty grubby and a few storage related marks, but came with all the paperwork etc. Guy had bought it online from a well known supplier and it had been set up very poorly - both disc brakes rubbed, derailleur limit screws not set so you couldn’t use biggest 2 cogs, play in headset. On top of that it was too big for the guy so he’d just left it in the shed. Spent today giving it a really good clean, fixed the gears and brakes, set up the steering and flipped the stem and (surprisingly) had to loosen and grease both hubs - they were almost dry and the cones done up way too tight. What £1k bike still uses cup and cone? Anyway.. now all smooth as butter! Removed seatpost to clean and regrease to find the guy had cut about 8cm off it to try and lower the saddle enough - so new seatpost to be ordered after dinner. Final thing to do was set up the sag on the fork, which I’ve never done before and had to fashion an adaptor so my track pump would fit the valve to pump it up. All done and very pleased with the results!


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## SkipdiverJohn (4 Aug 2019)

Justinitus said:


> . What £1k bike still uses cup and cone?]



Ones designed by real engineers do. Be grateful you don't have crappy modern throwaway bearings fitted.


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## si_c (4 Aug 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Ones designed by real engineers do. Be grateful you don't have crappy modern throwaway bearings fitted.


Indeed. All Shimano hubs use cup and cone, as do Campagnolo. Easy to service and long lasting, I'd pay for those features.


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## Justinitus (4 Aug 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Ones designed by real engineers do. Be grateful you don't have crappy modern throwaway bearings fitted.





si_c said:


> Indeed. All Shimano hubs use cup and cone, as do Campagnolo. Easy to service and long lasting, I'd pay for those features.



Yes, they’re Shimano hubs on Specialized Stout rims. I always thought of cup and cone as being associated with low end product - as every cheap bike I’ve ever had used them! But I can fix, replace balls and adjust them no problems, as can any bike shop** anywhere in the land... so thank you gents I learnt something today!


**except Tredz, as per above post..


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## richardfm (4 Aug 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> Dismantled our Meile washing machine, suspecting failed drum bearings. Unfortunately its the spider holding the bearing shaft has sheared
> 
> Not worth repair, drum alone cost as much as new machine


When the same happened to me I turned the drum in to a fire pit


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## si_c (5 Aug 2019)

Justinitus said:


> Yes, they’re Shimano hubs on Specialized Stout rims. I always thought of cup and cone as being associated with low end product - as every cheap bike I’ve ever had used them! But I can fix, replace balls and adjust them no problems, as can any bike shop** anywhere in the land... so thank you gents I learnt something today!



Making cup and cone bearings properly is actually a fairly expensive process as it requires forging - which is the reason why few manufacturers use them. It's actually far cheaper to manufacture hubs with cartridge bearings as these are available in large numbers and very cheap and the hub shell can be made in a variety of ways with limited impact on the bearings.


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## sleuthey (5 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> OK at the weekend I cleaned my bike and did a couple of small jobs, including fitting a new chain, as the one in place was quite worn. Simple enough job.
> 
> Thread the chain through. Bring the ends together. Fit the "quick" link. Ping! the chain separates and throws half the quick link across the garage and unthreads itself from the derailleur. After a long search I discover it actually bounced and landed outside the garage. Eventually re-threaded it and joined the chain. But wait. What's that noise? YET AGAIN for the zillionth time I've threaded it incorrectly through the derailleur. Why do I never learn?
> 
> ...


To stop this from happening I pull the bottom jockey wheel upwards and tie the mech to the frame with a cable tie. Then cut the tie when I have linked the chain. It also makes it easier to link the chain as it's slack.


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## Dogtrousers (5 Aug 2019)

sleuthey said:


> To stop this from happening I pull the bottom jockey wheel upwards and tie the mech to the frame with a cable tie. Then cut the tie when I have linked the chain. It also makes it easier to link the chain as it's slack.


My secret trick is to use a bit of bent coathanger wire to hook into the chain a few links behind each end. But I didn't have a bit of coathanger wire handy and couldn't be bothered to go and find some. That would have saved a lot of hassle.


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## Tom B (5 Aug 2019)

Having ridden 8 miles back to Padstow on the Camel Trail then 6 back to the Campsite on a flat (wrong puncture pack in bag). I replaced the the tube and tyre. I also changed the chain and cassette that were overdue but put off due to the anticipated sandy rides.

I then later put the chain on correctly around the RD.


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## Dogtrousers (5 Aug 2019)

Tom B said:


> I then later put the chain on correctly around the RD.


I am not alone!


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## Gravity Aided (5 Aug 2019)

Reynard said:


> Hmmm... After an incident involving a dented can and a jet of tomato juice right in the eye, I now do messy jobs or jobs that involve small parts with a propensity for escaping inside a plastic bag...
> 
> Anyways, I removed the cutting deck from the mower, properly realigned the belt that takes the drive off the engine (rather than in its original botched position), rehung the cutting deck and adjusted the belt tension.
> 
> ...


And the bearings are fine?


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## KneesUp (5 Aug 2019)

I pumped the tyres up this morning. As a result of the increased speed, I am now considering entering the Vuelta on my commuter.


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## Leaway2 (5 Aug 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Ones designed by real engineers do. Be grateful you don't have crappy modern throwaway bearings fitted.


I have both. the Mavics have sealed bearings. The bonus of the sealed bearings is 1, The cup does not wear/pit making the wheel scrap 2, there is no fiddly adjustment with cone spanners, so it is a quick fix. 
<sits back waiting for torrent of abuse/>


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## Hicky (5 Aug 2019)

Fitted the Spd-sl pedals and the new cleats to my new shoes after watching a youtube a few times as I've been used to the mtb ones so long I didn't want to bork it up....well the ride on was interesting. Muscle memory and daydreaming meant I cocked up the clipping in a few times smashing my shins and holding traffic up a little. No beeps so I suspect they had sympathy.....no funny feelings in the feet/knees/legs so I assume I've setup the cleats correctly. ruined the red edging on my lithions due to mingy chain degreaser off the clip on machine but hey ho, Oh and pumped up the tyres too. Checked strava and I'd done almost 5000 feet of climbing on my commute last week due to diversions from my normal commute, no wonder I felt tired.


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## Reynard (5 Aug 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> And the bearings are fine?



I think so. One seems a little graunchy, but I greased everything prior to reassembling. We'll see how it goes.


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## Leaway2 (5 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> I am not alone!


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## Tom B (5 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> I am not alone!



It's not the first time either!

In my defense I'd put the little lad to bed, quickly tided, sorted the tyre and just popped the old chain off and the little monster woke up screaming cutting one of his last teeth. A dollop of calpolalike and getting him resettled took me past 10pm and into the darkness by the time I was joining the chain


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## Vantage (5 Aug 2019)

Where to start...

First off, I discovered a thin layer of oil on the fork and seatstay near the dropouts and consequently near the disc brakes. Could this be the reason the brakes are so crap? Likely.
Sooooo, both rotors came off and were blitzed with brillo pads. Then the brake pads were done. The ones on the front went back in OK. But not the rear. Despite numerous attempts at fitting them I had no luck. So off comes the caliper and took it to bits to find out why. Interesting if simple design and problem solved. Rebuilt it and brakes are functioning as before. Not tested them yet though.
Next I greased the shifters and set about getting the indexing sorted. The chain was making a racket last night. Again, not tested them yet.
Then I discovered my back wheel wasn't true. Out by 3-4mm. Probly bent it when I fell off last week. Set about truing that.
Finally I dug out a longer bolt for the front light bracket so that it sits further out in front and hopefully results in the top of the front mudguard not being lit up like Blackpool and blinding me as I ride. Which it did last night.
If I ever mention I'm thinking of training to be a cycle mechanic, please talk me out of it. I near belted the bloody bike with a hammer at one point.


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## si_c (5 Aug 2019)

Fitted a new saddle, which necessitated digging around in the parts box for a 27.2mm seatpost - the bolt on the existing one is completely rounded out, I seem to recall this happening when I put the old saddle and post together and thinking I'll deal with that later. 

The old saddle was properly worn out - the sides were separating from the rubber and the nose had disintegrated with the jelly filling starting to come out. Not to mention the fibreglass base was springy. Disappointing - it's only lasted 23k km. Anyway, I fitted a new Fabric Line Elite saddle, I've been wanting to experiment with a cut out type saddle and this seemed to be a good match. It does feel a tad different but we'll see how it goes, it certainly wasn't uncomfortable on the way into work today but a longer run in is needed.


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Aug 2019)

KneesUp said:


> I pumped the tyres up this morning. As a result of the increased speed, I am now considering entering the Vuelta on my commuter.



They are also allowing e bikes this year


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## SkipdiverJohn (5 Aug 2019)

si_c said:


> Making cup and cone bearings properly is actually a fairly expensive process as it requires forging - which is the reason why few manufacturers use them. It's actually far cheaper to manufacture hubs with cartridge bearings as these are available in large numbers and very cheap and the hub shell can be made in a variety of ways with limited impact on the bearings.



Some markets still demand durability and serviceability in components containing bearings. Hence you can still find cup & cone BB's, wheel bearings, and ball race threaded headsets with quill stems. The lower budget town bike, hybrid and MTB market still uses these, along with other no-nonsense parts like steel triple chainrings and six-speed freewheels.
All my derailleur bikes embody this sort of stuff, even the high quality ones with 531 frames. You won't find any press fit or sealed unit cartridge bearings on any of mine, nor any of those new-fangled non-quill headsets. requiring spacers.


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## BalkanExpress (5 Aug 2019)

Further adventures in thermo-bike-mechanics

Today I got around to the stuck seatpost that has been annoying me for a while. The frame is 753, so I have been going softly softly so as not to bork it.

So, today was cold time, got a jug of ice with a bit of water in and immersed the seatpost. I left it for ages, apploed a bit of force and...nothing..except for a red face and skinned knuckles. . The seatpost went back in the ice for ages more and this time...it’s out


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## Vantage (5 Aug 2019)

Took the bike out on an 18 mile ride tonight. 
Everything working perfectly!


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## Jenkins (6 Aug 2019)

First evening shift in a while and I hadn't appreciated how much earlier it's starting to get dark. As a result my kitchen was filled with various coloured flashing lights earlier, with all the various lights & batteries being charged.


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## si_c (6 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> First evening shift in a while and I hadn't appreciated how much earlier it's starting to get dark. As a result my kitchen was filled with various coloured flashing lights earlier, with all the various lights & batteries being charged.


That's why I love my dynamo lights!


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## Tom B (6 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> First evening shift in a while and I hadn't appreciated how much earlier it's starting to get dark. As a result my kitchen was filled with various coloured flashing lights earlier, with all the various lights & batteries being charged.



Timely post I've got a set of lates starting Thursday. Time to dig the lights out.


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## dave r (6 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> I am not alone!



No, you're not alone.


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## Hicky (6 Aug 2019)

No riding today as seemingly overnight a spoke snapped. I guess I'm on the lookout for an upgrade for the wheels as I've snapped 5/6 spokes in 3/4000miles. I'm not overly happy with them. I've abused my aksiums and they've never needed truing!


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## si_c (6 Aug 2019)

Hicky said:


> No riding today as seemingly overnight a spoke snapped. I guess I'm on the lookout for an upgrade for the wheels as I've snapped 5/6 spokes in 3/4000miles. I'm not overly happy with them. I've abused my aksiums and they've never needed truing!



Probably don't need new wheels but a wheel rebuild - most likely the wheels weren't stress relieved properly during the build process and depending on who did the spoke replacement possibly not then either. You need to replace the broken spokes and completely detension all the spokes in each wheel then go through the tension and truing process properly and that should fix the problems.


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## Hicky (6 Aug 2019)

si_c said:


> Probably don't need new wheels but a wheel rebuild - most likely the wheels weren't stress relieved properly during the build process and depending on who did the spoke replacement possibly not then either. You need to replace the broken spokes and completely detension all the spokes in each wheel then go through the tension and truing process properly and that should fix the problems.



They're tiagra hub on open sport rims so not an amazing level enough to warrant a rebuild however I get the work done at the place I bought them from.


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## si_c (6 Aug 2019)

Hicky said:


> They're tiagra hub on open sport rims so not an amazing level enough to warrant a rebuild however I get the work done at the place I bought them from.



Depending on where you live, someone might be able to recommend a shop that will do a wheel rebuild for you - my local shop charges £30 per wheel to re-lace and true a wheel add a couple of quid for the broken spokes and it's still a lot cheaper than new wheels.

Alternatively get the wheels and then use the old ones to teach yourself how to do it and then you have a spare set for winter.


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## Richard A Thackeray (6 Aug 2019)

Not the bike, but my Octavia estate

I took it to the (trusted) garage, in Batley -after work- yesterday, because, I'd not (_quite literally_!) touched it from Thursday 25th July, until Sunday (4th) afternoon
When I did drive, on Sunday, there was a 'tick-tick' from it

I presumed it was brake related, as it's not from engine/gearbox
On braking, with clutch disengaged it diminishes enormously

I took all 4 wheels off in turn, & the last wheel (near-side front) showed a slight 'chip' out of the disc lip
I presumed that the pad is hitting the lip of the chip on each rotation, & suggested that on arrival

Still it's 8 years old, and heading towards 140,000miles
(I've owned it since March 2012, with about 7,000miles showing, when I bought it))
It had 4 new discs/pads @ _70.000mile_s (ish)
New front pads @ _109,000miles_

So, they were due for replacement
(but not commented on, at the last MoT test; 1,150 miles ago)

When I rang them, I asked for 4 x new discs & pads (*1*)
They rang me after I got home, to state that it was on the 4-post lift & the brake-fluid was at 3% moisture, so with that not being a good place to have any water they changed that too

Went to work in the courtesy car, finished @ 14:00, drove straight to Batley
Paid, drove home, back in house for 15:05
With both renewed, braking's slightly limited at the moment, until they bed in

R/O/S
Shiney & new (and 4,000 miles old tyres)




*1* Pads changed, as they'd have taken on the characteristics of the old discs, with them having a rim/lip, due to wear


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## Hicky (6 Aug 2019)

si_c said:


> Depending on where you live, someone might be able to recommend a shop that will do a wheel rebuild for you - my local shop charges £30 per wheel to re-lace and true a wheel add a couple of quid for the broken spokes and it's still a lot cheaper than new wheels.
> 
> Alternatively get the wheels and then use the old ones to teach yourself how to do it and then you have a spare set for winter.



50p for a spoke and £10 to true, the shop built the wheels so I assume I get a discount when they go wrong. They do wheel builds for £25 labour.
I’ve done a reasonable amount of miles but as I said these are the only ones I’ve managed to snap spikes.


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## si_c (6 Aug 2019)

Hicky said:


> 50p for a spoke and £10 to true, the shop built the wheels so I assume I get a discount when they go wrong. They do wheel builds for £25 labour.
> I’ve done a reasonable amount of miles but as I said these are the only ones I’ve managed to snap spikes.



It might be worth getting a wheel rebuild done when you get the spokes replaced to make sure that it's done properly - and at 50p a spoke it might be worth getting the whole lot replaced tbfh.


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## Stephenite (6 Aug 2019)

Noticed that the kid across the road had only one brake working - the back one. Whilst he was at ours playing Roblox with our kid I had a look.

The cable bridge on the front v-brake had been forced open. I've never seen that before. So i just squeezed it back together with pliers, adjusted the tension on the brakes and put it back together.

I told his mum what I did, and just hope it lasts.


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## Vantage (6 Aug 2019)

Using the self extracting crank bolt to er...remove the cranks resulted in it cross threading the crank threads. The alloy outer nut had to be drilled either side to break it from the crank. Crank threads then had to be sort of fixed by screwing in and out the crank extractor tool. Both left and right cranks had this problem. Never buying self extractors again. They're crap.
Drilled a drainage hole in the bottom bracket shell and then refitted everything. 
Prior to that load of malarkey I'd replaced pretty much every allen and torx bolt on the bike with shiny new stainless allen bolts. All matching 

I swear I have ocd.


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## Fifelad (7 Aug 2019)

Put new headset bearings in on commuting road bike. Despite having done this before still managed to put the top one in the wrong way round. The bottom one (sealed bearings) managed to become unsealed. Shouldn’t be a problem as the separated bits of the bearing were forced together on tightening everything and loads of grease packing.


----------



## BalkanExpress (7 Aug 2019)

Fitted a left pedal yesterday, This was on the crankarm I had “kettled” to remove the stuck pedal the other day. The new pedal had screwed in okay, so I was hoping I had got away with it. Unfortunately not, I ended up picking the pedal up off the road and riding the last couple of km home one legged.


----------



## si_c (8 Aug 2019)

Tweaked the position of the FD as it had been annoyingly rubbing the chain. Nice and quiet on a brisk 15 miler to check.


----------



## HLaB (9 Aug 2019)

Changed the toe pad on my shoes but it wasn't as easy as I anticipated. The head of the screw holding the pad had worn. I managed to get the toe pad off leaving the screw but without the pad the screw and its nut just turned in unison. I applied a little oil, left it over night and came back to it 24hours later and managed to hold the screw tight whilst unscrewing it and removed it in the end in under a minute.


----------



## Shut Up Legs (10 Aug 2019)

After years of searching, I finally found a decent quality rear clip-on mudguard for my Specialized road bike, and have just installed it.


----------



## Vantage (10 Aug 2019)

Stuck some helicopter tape on the bike today. Its not perfect but better than the frame looking a mess within a year and keeps the decals from peeling off. 
Did some bike fit fettling yesterday too but not been out to test it yet.


----------



## CXRAndy (11 Aug 2019)

Swapped racks on Wife's Ebike, we now have matching Topeak with bags

She can carry all the heavy stuff now


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Aug 2019)

The rear mudguard started rattling slightly again on the local 'tarred & chipped' roads
It's split once & been repaired

However, now the little piece of plastic that I'd put in, to help protect the 'brake-bridge' from the cable tie, had slipped out of place
So, another cable tie, coupled with a sliced-up (multiple repairs) old inner-tube, wrapped around the 'b-b' have silenced it again!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Aug 2019)

*Plus*

The (sacrificial) toe-protector of my left (SPD) Sidi shoes, has broken off 
Thankfully I found it by the side-gate
I've swapped sides, & put the relatively unworn right one to the left, as like most riders, that's the foot that invariably contacts the ground when stopped at traffic-lights, etc...
So, I've tried 'No Nails' to hold the damaged segment on

I've seen how much replacements are; about £10
I may consider lowering myself, by asking some of the f**tballists at work, if they have some old plastic screw-in studs
I believe they're the same thread, as I had a set of studs in a previous pair of shoes when I was racing CX


----------



## Domus (11 Aug 2019)

Fitted the new Dura Ace wheels, GP5000 tyres, new brake shoes and new bar tape while the rain poured down, dried up in time to take a pic.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Aug 2019)

Domus said:


> Fitted the new Dura Ace wheels, GP5000 tyres, new brake shoes and new bar tape while the rain poured down, dried up in time to take a pic.
> 
> View attachment 479700


Looking good, a nice bike
Well equipped

it may be your position, but you do seem to have no 'set-back' on that saddle

I have 3 (Ribbles)
_'Preston_' (replaced my old Dyna-Tech 755Ti, as 'do it all' bike)



_Gran Fondo_
50th birthday present from SWMBO (2018 picture



_CGR_ 
Replaced 'Preston' as work-bike, due to deteriorating road-surfaces (I could go to fat tyres; '28' section)


----------



## biggs682 (11 Aug 2019)

Swapped some tyres over and tidied up some bar tape


----------



## Domus (11 Aug 2019)

The Gran Fondo is the bike I fancied, the chap at Ribble sat me on it and the Sportive and said the Sportive geometry would suit me better, they were about the same price so got that. Do you think my saddle needs moving back?
My winter bike is also a Ribble a CR1, rack, mudguards and a Son dynamo hub, I may get some 28mm Durano DDs to help with the poor roads.


----------



## tom73 (11 Aug 2019)

@Domus Sportive was a better buy and much more fun.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Aug 2019)

Domus said:


> The Gran Fondo is the bike I fancied, the chap at Ribble sat me on it and the Sportive and said the Sportive geometry would suit me better, they were about the same price so got that.
> Do you think my saddle needs moving back?


It does depend on your Femur length
But, the generally accepted position for correct position & power is
ball of foot over the pedal spindle
Knee over the spindle






Take the reach afterwards, even if it means not having that 'pro-look' 140mm stem
I'll admit, I sit even further back, but have had that position for 25 years+








Domus said:


> My winter bike is also a Ribble a CR1, rack, mudguards and a Son dynamo hub, I may get some 28mm Durano DDs to help with the poor roads.


I looked at the CR3, when that came out, but they couldn't offer it as a 105 group, with hydraulic discs at the time
The guy I spoke to couldn't even tell me if it took mudguards

My CGR, is;
Tiagra 10-speed
Barring, 785 'brifters'/505 calipers (hydraulic)

Full 'guards, with big flaps (oo-er!!)
Lots of rechargeable lights
Selle-Italia 'Flite'
Durano DD '28' (which work better than expected in mud!!)


----------



## Slow But Determined (12 Aug 2019)

Don't know if this counts as bike fettling but today I have unstitched the pad from a worn out pair of shorts and stuck it (using a 20 year old bottle of Copydex) to the seat of my exercise bike to aid in the comfort department.


----------



## Domus (12 Aug 2019)

Hack or Bodge?


----------



## fossyant (13 Aug 2019)

Degreased the chain on the Boardman Pro FS MTB - went out earlier and it's an absolute filthy mess, so time to clean it up and remove the gunk.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (13 Aug 2019)

On Sunday, another rider spotted I had a wobble in my back wheel. I looked and thought the tyre needed reseating. Had a look today to sort it out (deflated tyres, worked my hand around the tyre to reseat), but something made me run my hand gently along the spokes. Ping! One broke. I’ve never fixed spokes before and didn’t want to try as I have a ride tomorrow so off to the LBS who fixed it. Ping! A second spoke broke as he was truing the wheel. He fixed that, trued the wheel and job done. £15 later and back home I put the wheel back on the bike. Hope no more spokes go...

Then the rubber on my Wahoo speed sensor broke. Quick fix with a cable tie fortunately.


----------



## Tom B (13 Aug 2019)

fossyant said:


> Degreased the chain on the Boardman Pro FS MTB - went out earlier and it's an absolute filthy mess, so time to clean it up and remove the gunk.



Exactly this but on the team fs.

Have you replaced the wheels on yours?

The hubs are crap. Mine has done about 1k usually in appalling conditions and the front is goosed. The nobrand freehub on the rear is also goosed still working but sounds like a bag of nails with awful rolling resistance.


----------



## Archie_tect (13 Aug 2019)

Fettled the local planning department who'd messed up the planning conditions on an approval...


----------



## Vantage (14 Aug 2019)

Raised the mudguards. Fitted the rear rack. 
Got some new security skewers and threadlock being delivered today so they'll be done later.


----------



## Hicky (14 Aug 2019)

Just had the go ahead on the 6th revision of plans after planning refused the first and the guy drawing up the plans cocked up the subsequent ones going on permitted development.
We’re supposed to be over half way through the build


----------



## Archie_tect (14 Aug 2019)

Hicky said:


> Just had the go ahead on the 6th revision of plans after planning refused the first and the guy drawing up the plans cocked up the subsequent ones going on permitted development.
> We’re supposed to be over half way through the build



It's a painful lesson to learn that planning can be a lottery and that there are very few smooth rides through life...


----------



## Jenkins (15 Aug 2019)

Clipped the Raceblade Longs on to the Ventus
Thursday's planned fettling is to take them off
Friday's planed fettling is to put them back on again.
Don't you just love the current weather when commuting!


----------



## Reynard (15 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Clipped the Raceblade Longs on to the Ventus
> Thursday's planned fettling is to take them off
> Friday's planed fettling is to put them back on again.
> Don't you just love the current weather when commuting!



You might want to be fitting sails on Friday as well... They're talking of wind gusting over 40 mph...


----------



## Jenkins (15 Aug 2019)

Reynard said:


> You might want to be fitting sails on Friday as well... They're talking of wind gusting over 40 mph...



And from the South to South East as well which could help for parts of the return leg in the evening - although adding a keel would probably add to stability as well with the predicted heavy rain.


----------



## Reynard (15 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> And from the South to South East as well which could help for parts of the return leg in the evening - although adding a keel would probably add to stability as well with the predicted heavy rain.



I can't but help thinking of James May's Triumph Herald...


----------



## Shut Up Legs (15 Aug 2019)

I inserted screws into the screw holes of my road bike's brake shoes. I hadn't bothered doing this the last time I replaced the pads, but then I noticed that some of the pads moved freely within the brake shoes, so I thought I'd better put the screws in. About half an hour later, I was ready to start throwing things around, I was that angry. It seems that not all brake shoes take exactly the same size screw (or as far as I can tell, anyway). I found some screws from a set of new brake pads, and they went it fairly easily. So what should have been a 5 minute fettling turned into an epic.


----------



## Tom B (15 Aug 2019)

Fixed the fourth puncture of the month. 

Used the jetvalve co2 inflator for the first time in anger. Impressed well worth carrying.


----------



## nickAKA (16 Aug 2019)

After ordering the X long brackets for a topeak pannier rack for SWMBOs bike, and discovering the still weren't long enough, I ordered the XX long ones and picked them up yesterday... Good grief they're ugly, but at least the rack is now 'right'. Checked with a spirit level. I can finally sleep soundly at night.


----------



## dave r (16 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Clipped the Raceblade Longs on to the Ventus
> Thursday's planned fettling is to take them off
> Friday's planed fettling is to put them back on again.
> Don't you just love the current weather when commuting!



I'd just leave them on.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Aug 2019)

New cassette fitted to new wheel. About all that's doable in the monsoon...


----------



## Reynard (16 Aug 2019)

nickAKA said:


> After ordering the X long brackets for a topeak pannier rack for SWMBOs bike, and discovering the still weren't long enough, I ordered the XX long ones and picked them up yesterday... Good grief they're ugly, but at least the rack is now 'right'. Checked with a spirit level. I can finally sleep soundly at night.



Ooh, I didn't know such things existed...

Might be just the thing to level the jaunty rack angle on my Chartres - the perils of a full sized rack on a shrunk-in-a-boil-wash sized frame...


----------



## Jenkins (16 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Clipped the Raceblade Longs on to the Ventus
> Thursday's planned fettling is to take them off
> Friday's planed fettling is to put them back on again.
> Don't you just love the current weather when commuting!





dave r said:


> I'd just leave them on.


Can't do that, it's all about the aerodynamics which is of the utmost importance on the commute 

Besides, they rattle a bit due to old fixings and that annoys me!


----------



## dave r (16 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Can't do that, it's all about the aerodynamics which is of the utmost importance on the commute
> 
> Besides, they rattle a bit due to old fixings and that annoys me!




I don't take mine off, when I commuted, which I did for over thirty years, I did it with mudguards. If they're rattling then they need fettling.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (16 Aug 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Can't do that, it's all about the aerodynamics which is of the utmost importance on the commute
> 
> Besides, they rattle a bit due to old fixings and that annoys me!



You need a second bike for commuting, that way you can have one with the mudguards permanently on.


----------



## Tom B (16 Aug 2019)

dave r said:


> I'd just leave them on.



I intended taking mine on and off when.i bought them in 2013....

They went on... And have yet to come off.


----------



## Jenkins (16 Aug 2019)

Supersuperleeds said:


> You need a second bike for commuting, that way you can have one with the mudguards permanently on.


Actually, I have another *7* bikes I could use for commuting - one with mudguards permanently fited (the Spa Elan which I ended up using today) and one flat bar, one hybrid, a 29er MTB & 1 road bike (the Ventus) with clip on guards of various designs.


----------



## nickAKA (17 Aug 2019)

Reynard said:


> Ooh, I didn't know such things existed...
> 
> Might be just the thing to level the jaunty rack angle on my Chartres - the perils of a full sized rack on a shrunk-in-a-boil-wash sized frame...



https://www.evanscycles.com/topeak-extra-long-mounting-bracket-arms-EV185435


----------



## randynewmanscat (17 Aug 2019)

si_c said:


> Indeed. All Shimano hubs use cup and cone, as do Campagnolo. Easy to service and long lasting, I'd pay for those features.


I was told the Campagnolo cups are not through hardened, I have replaced the ones in my various wheelsets and they all had signs of fretting and not being so smooth. If you buy NOS nonsense off ebay you will be gouged. I bought all mine off a nice man who runs "The Cycle Clinic". They sell front and rear for the older Record hubs. I have not found a source of cones for sane prices but I am blessed as I have a few new axles complete.
https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/produc...ed-axle-hubs-front-and-rear-record-non-record
You need a small press and a blind bearing extractor or a friend or LBS with those, you could heat the hub in an oven if it is just hub and not wheel. The cup will almost fall out.


----------



## Reynard (17 Aug 2019)

nickAKA said:


> https://www.evanscycles.com/topeak-extra-long-mounting-bracket-arms-EV185435



Ah, thanks for that.


----------



## DCBassman (17 Aug 2019)

Well, I was going to complete at least the new rear wheel for the Trek...
Went to the LBS and asked for rim tape for a 19mm 559 mtb rim. Guy gave me a rolled bundle.
Check it out, after closing...he's given me a 622 tape. This is the shop owner, not some drone.
And they wonder why we want to do it ourselves...


----------



## C R (17 Aug 2019)

Cleaned chain and derailleur, a bit quieter now.


----------



## Tom B (17 Aug 2019)

Fettled some gear adjustment and noticed the outer on the cables is worn through at the headset. Of course I've only got brake outer left.

Is SP41 still the go to outer?


----------



## si_c (18 Aug 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Well, I was going to complete at least the new rear wheel for the Trek...
> Went to the LBS and asked for rim tape for a 19mm 559 mtb rim. Guy gave me a rolled bundle.
> Check it out, after closing...he's given me a 622 tape. This is the shop owner, not some drone.
> And they wonder why we want to do it ourselves...


Velox tape and just cut to length. Used on all my wheels.


----------



## DCBassman (18 Aug 2019)

Indeed, but couldn't get any locally...


----------



## Salty seadog (18 Aug 2019)

Tom B said:


> Fettled some gear adjustment and noticed the outer on the cables is worn through at the headset. Of course I've only got brake outer left.
> 
> Is SP41 still the go to outer?



That's my go to outer for gears.


----------



## rogerzilla (18 Aug 2019)

I swapped the DP brakes on my 1951 Holdsworth for centre-pulls (which obviously meant F&R brake hangers as well). Looks a lot better.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (18 Aug 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Went to the LBS and asked for rim tape for a 19mm 559 mtb rim. Guy gave me a rolled bundle. Check it out, after closing...he's given me a 622 tape.



I always keep a couple of 559 and a couple of 622 rim tapes in stock, so if I pick up any donor wheels off scrappers I can pre-fit new rim tapes when I regrease the hub bearings. Mine are Chinese ones off the 'bay, and only cost just over a quid a pair. Cheap and good, but the downside is they can take up to a month to arrive, so whenever I use one I always order a replacement pair ready for next time.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (19 Aug 2019)

So as two riders rode into the back of me yesterday on the club run, one straight into my derailleur, I’ve been out sorting the bike. After the incident, the gears wouldn’t work. A quick roadside bodge gave me 2-8. This morning I’ve got all 8 gears back. It took a bit of fault finding, but the upshot is a turn of the L limiter towards the wheel solved the problem.

I also cleaned the wheels and tyres as the rims and tan sidewalls were looking a little grubby.


----------



## Gravity Aided (19 Aug 2019)

Saturday, I removed the BB on an old Worksman tricycle at the co-op, found that was worn out, now awaiting parts from the scrap heap. I also set up the FD on the Schwinn Passage after swapping out the chain rings, and changing gearing. I also added new tires, oiled the chain, and am now debating rack choices. Also measured for new panniers. Test riding showed a need for new handlebar positioning, also that the bar end shifter was loose on the port side.


----------



## Vantage (19 Aug 2019)

si_c said:


> Velox tape and just cut to length. Used on all my wheels.



I tried that stuff on my last wheels. Easy to fit and trim. Problem was that the stuff used to work itself out from the rim well and ended up all over the place. I got sick of constantly moving and resticking it into the well and am going to stick with the cheapo plastic stuff that Spa fitted to my new rims.


----------



## dave r (19 Aug 2019)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> So as two riders rode into the back of me yesterday on the club run, one straight into my derailleur, I’ve been out sorting the bike. After the incident, the gears wouldn’t work. A quick roadside bodge gave me 2-8. This morning I’ve got all 8 gears back. It took a bit of fault finding, but the upshot is a turn of the L limiter towards the wheel solved the problem.
> 
> I also cleaned the wheels and tyres as the rims and tan sidewalls were looking a little grubby.



Gear hanger bent?


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (19 Aug 2019)

dave r said:


> Gear hanger bent?


Possibly, but I don’t have the tool to check. Eyeballing it, it looks perfectly straight, but it’s probably not. Took my daughter for a 2-mile pootle this afternoon to test the bike out after my fix and it’s running and changing gear how it did before so I’m not too worried. Fingers crossed.


----------



## Asa Post (19 Aug 2019)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Possibly, but* I don’t have the tool to check*. Eyeballing it, it looks perfectly straight, but it’s probably not. Took my daughter for a 2-mile pootle this afternoon to test the bike out after my fix and it’s running and changing gear how it did before so I’m not too worried. Fingers crossed.


For information, as you seem to have fixed the current problem, you don't need a tool - you can use a spare wheel. 


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnwreRrorIA


I've tried this a couple of times. It showed that the hanger was slightly bent, and I was able to realign it without causing any damage.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (20 Aug 2019)

Asa Post said:


> For information, as you seem to have fixed the current problem, you don't need a tool - you can use a spare wheel.
> 
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnwreRrorIA
> ...



Excellent, thanks for this!


----------



## fossyant (20 Aug 2019)

Sorting out the Zwift setup for winter. Garage has been a bit of a tip following the bedroom refit (spare wood going in, things for tip). Got it tidy and found out the pedestal fan has died (was in my son's room but he's forgotten to tell me). Desk fan which is on the ground just wasn't cutting it for cooling, so I've zip tied it to one of the shelves directly in front of the bike, at body level. Much better cooling as I was overheating within about 10 minutes (still warm in my garage). Swapped to 2 x 22" monitors from a 17" laptop, both at eye level, and running off a dedicated computer in the garage, rather than cart a laptop in. All for saving 'time' which is the point of turbo sessions.


----------



## Leaway2 (20 Aug 2019)

New Schwalbe Durano tyres and new brake blocks on the Ribble commuter. I took it out for test and there was a bump with every rotation of the wheels. I deflated the tyres, wiggled the valve, reinflated and happy days.


----------



## Jenkins (20 Aug 2019)

I've not used my Voodoo for a couple of months and while it's been sat in the shed, the front tyre had gone flat. A new tube was required as somehow the old one had a cut in it despite being fully inflated when last checked. 

Following a 20 mile ride, I then added a couple of degrees of nose-up tilt to the saddle and fitted a pair of stuby bar ends - which was what I'd got the bike out to do in the first place.


----------



## Vantage (21 Aug 2019)

Yesterday...
Took my brake pads out and baked them in the oven for half an hour, then doused them in brake cleaner and finally sanded them with 120 grit wet'n'dry. The rotors were cleaned too. Then went down a big hill to bed them in.
Prior to that, I'd contaminated them with oil 
Today...
Swapped my 38c Hypers out for 32c Hypers. I wanna see if they make me any faster...doubtful.
I've also loosened the rear hub bearings, Shimano have a habit of over tightening them.


----------



## hawaiiguy (22 Aug 2019)

BalkanExpress said:


> I finally unstuck a very stuck pedal. It had resisted:
> 
> Pedal spanner;
> penetrating oil and then the pedal spanner;
> ...



Thanks for this.

Just yesterday, got one stuck pedal (Look Keo) unstuck with penetrating oil, a hammer and an allen wrench. But the other is still resisting and remains stuck. Having no heat gun, I just may resort to the boiling-water-in-a-kettle method. I'll report here if I'm successful (or not).


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (23 Aug 2019)

A 'look-over', _Senior Managements_ Boardman & my CGR, to check for loose bolts, chain cleanliness

I did find a loose pannier rack bolt, on the Boardman, but that could equally have been one I missed, when I re-aligned it (on purchase)
I contemplated adding a rear-flap to it. but I can imagine the, accusatory;_ "What's That?!?!"_

I did experiment, with a slice of the ring-binder, that I used for the front










My CGR, just had the chain & jockey-wheels 'petrolled' after yesterdays ride back through the woods, to remove a few splashes
The tyres show what it was like, & a lot pinged off, under the 'guards






_

_


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (23 Aug 2019)

Just out of curiosity, after I'd tightened/tweaked/fettled, I tried the front wheel from the Boardman in my CGR


It runs on '35' sections, marked as a _Citizen_..... seemingly a Marathon, in all but name
(I run _Durano DD_ in a '28'
They looked 'chunky'!!


----------



## fossyant (23 Aug 2019)

Replaced the pads on Mrs F's BMC FS XC bike. Just not getting enough braking done on it, and the front pads had glaized again = no stopping. Cured last time by a light sand, and did it again today, but decided new pads in case of contamination. The bike is yet to get any poor weather/poor condition use, and being hydraulic SLX's, you need no force to stop the bike ! I must of looked a right crazy person riding round the caravan site sprinting, then full power front braking, then repeating...


----------



## Shearwater Missile (23 Aug 2019)

I thought it a good move to mount my phone on the handlebars after my wife tried to contact me yesterday whilst I was cycling, to no avail. All the mounts I have seen are just too big and geared for the iphone market. I don`t do iphones, just a Nokia whatever. So I made one using a redundant cycle light mount, a piece of rubber foam, two screws, velcro and a heavy duty band. I have yet to try it out but it does seem pretty sturdy. The foam is screwed to the mount with the velcro on top and the other piece of vecro goes on the phone just to keep it in place. Please note the band is not on the phone in photo. Not sure whether the Pro Peleton will take up my design, I am open to offers !


----------



## Vantage (23 Aug 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> I thought it a good move to mount my phone on the handlebars after my wife tried to contact me yesterday whilst I was cycling, to no avail. All the mounts I have seen are just too big and geared for the iphone market.
> View attachment 481444
> View attachment 481445



I use mine very rarely but the times I have, the phone has stayed where it was.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EDI6I5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_other_taa_aJdyDbWRQ82DP
Very discreet.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (23 Aug 2019)

Vantage said:


> I use mine very rarely but the times I have, the phone has stayed where it was.
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EDI6I5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_other_taa_aJdyDbWRQ82DP
> Very discreet.


.
I did look at something similar, cheap enough, if my mount fails I will give them ago.


----------



## Venod (23 Aug 2019)

Picked up a nice Planet X CX for the lad, less than a year old but a bit neglected, the back wheel wasn't freewheeling for long, brake adjustment made no difference, upon stripping the rear disc caliper (BB7) I found the spring that holds the pads back against their stops was fitted wrong, it was correct on the inner pad but behind ! the outer pad I fitted a spare spring I had and all was good.


----------



## Salad Dodger (23 Aug 2019)

The gears on my ebike need adjusting. Despite much tinkering, and a little muttered Tourettes, I can still only get first to fifth, or second to sixth.....

I will have another go at it, on a less hot day!


----------



## Shut Up Legs (24 Aug 2019)

I thoroughly cleaned my pride and joy, the Specialized Roubaix Expert SL4 road bike I currently use for commuting. What a nice bike this one is!


----------



## Tom B (24 Aug 2019)

Thursday having bought a new front wheel for my MTB I fettled that up, tyre on and onto the bike.

Friday I was riding home on my commuter hybrid when a couple of spokes snapped at the thread on the front wheel of that bike... Sods law. Spent some time snapping them off to avoid a calamity

Trying to decide if to just get the broken spokes replaced, the wheel rebuilt with new spokes (and maybe a hub) or buy a new wheel. The existing 6yrs old and has about 15k (strava) on it so probably heading towards 20k. It's a boring Shimano M475 hub and incredibly I can't ever recall servicing or even adjusting the cup and cone bearings.

I think I'm leaning towards having the wheel rebuilt with new spokes and a decision on the hub when taken apart.

But if anyone spots a good on a 28/32 spoke 700c with QR front wheel I'd consider it. I replaced the rear with a Shimano MT15 on a bargain earlier in the year and happy with that but it could have done with being 32/36 given I use the bike with a trailer and a kiddie seat and sometimes both.


----------



## Levo-Lon (24 Aug 2019)

Sprayed the shed and ordered a new composite front door.. About time i got shut of the cheap plastic thing, 20 yr old now and well past its best


----------



## Venod (24 Aug 2019)

meta lon said:


> About time i got shut of the cheap plastic thing, 20 yr old now and well past its best



Changed ours recently, the composite is a big improvement.


----------



## Gravity Aided (24 Aug 2019)

Wednesday, I straightened the dropouts in a Raleigh Sojourn frame, and a couple of chainstays as well. As the furnace man was here, and I wanted to be nearby, in case equipment was needed. I may be one of the few places where the furnace guys borrow tools. Although this was just a blower motor replacement, after a few decades.


----------



## Tom B (24 Aug 2019)

There are composite doors and composite doors. The cheapos are crap.


Highly recommend my Solidor front door. Engineered wood faced with plastic reassuringly heavy.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (24 Aug 2019)

Washed and serviced 9 YOD’s and my school run bikes. That feels good.


----------



## alicat (24 Aug 2019)

What's a YOD when it's at home?


----------



## Heltor Chasca (24 Aug 2019)

alicat said:


> What's a YOD when it's at home?



Like a small female yob, but a 9 Year Old Daughter. So the same but different.


----------



## Tom B (24 Aug 2019)

Tom B said:


> Thursday having bought a new front wheel for my MTB I fettled that up, tyre on and onto the bike..... Yadda yadda



Today I took the tyre off the same wheel and refitted it the right way around...


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Aug 2019)

I had to do that the other day too - glad I'm not the only one 

I fitted a camera mount to my full face helmet this afternoon then had a little fettle of the stumpjumper - quick clean and relube of the chain and various small tweaks. Then took the newly mounted camera for a quick spin to check it was pointing in the right direction 

All ready for bike park wales next saturday now


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## DCLane (24 Aug 2019)

The orange Carlton Corsa re-build decided to disintegrate it's threadless bottom bracket whilst on holiday, and sealant didn't do anything. So ...

Put fresh grease into the rear wheel and tightened it to stop a bit of the movement
Removed threadless bottom bracket, cleaned everything and firmly fitted a Velo Orange bottom bracket I'd forgotten I had. Which, if I'd remembered, would have been fitted in the first place 
Added some orange chainring bolts for looks
Cleaned the NeilPryde Nazare and some other bits as well.


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## Chris S (26 Aug 2019)

I fixed a puncture with a Poundland repair kit. They still contain tubes for Woods valves and a couple of Allen keys for some reason. At least the tyre levers are now plastic, the metal ones used to damage your inner-tube beyond repair. They'd sell just as many kits if all they contained was the glue, patches and 'cheese-grater'.


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Aug 2019)

Nowt - it's hotter than the sun here. I'd just sweat getting the bike out for fettling. Some fettling needs doing but will wait till cooler later this week.


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## Salad Dodger (26 Aug 2019)

Today I needed to take the free play out of the rear brake on the ebike.
A cable tie fastened around the brake arms as a "third hand" was bloomin useful.

If only getting good adjustment on the gears could be so easy......


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## IaninSheffield (27 Aug 2019)

Fitted new cassette and chain on Koga tourer on Sunday. Sounded a bit noisy & indexing was 'less than optimal' so adjusted to get shifting working across the ranges.
Still noisy.
Took it for a run to see whether it was the new chain that needed bedding in.
Nope.
Internet search for possible causes/solutions, of course dropping by Sheldon Brown's. Removed cassette and refitted. Nipped up the lockring a little tighter.
No joy.
Following Park Tools video advice, listened (and observed) intently whilst the chain was running, nowhere near smoothly enough I should add. Finally spotted it!
Had installed the chain running through the rear mech the wrong side of a bar across the cage plate, just below the jockey pulley. Doh! 

I lay out my embarrassment here so that others might avoid such frustration in the future 
Enjoy your troubleshooting.


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## Goldy (27 Aug 2019)

Cleaned the mud off the kona after yesterdays small off. 
Fitted new tyres, grips & bottle cage to my cheap carrera gryphon ready for its first outing


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## I like Skol (27 Aug 2019)

Fitted a new RS500/Tiagra 4700 Hollowtech bottom bracket to my commuter today after noticing some play and the occasional noise. Turns out the L/H non-driveside bearing was getting rough and on its way out. Driveside is still silky smooth so will be kept, just in case. Previous experience tells me it will always be the L/H cup that fails.

Not very impressed, 10 months and just 2300 miles before it started to fail. I haven't had much better luck with previous Hollowtech BBs on my other bikes either. It certainly isn't a good design and not a patch on the good old UN55!


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## dave r (27 Aug 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Fitted a new RS500/Tiagra 4700 Hollowtech bottom bracket to my commuter today after noticing some play and the occasional noise. Turns out the L/H non-driveside bearing was getting rough and on its way out. Driveside is still silky smooth so will be kept, just in case. Previous experience tells me it will always be the L/H cup that fails.
> 
> Not very impressed, 10 months and just 2300 miles before it started to fail. I haven't had much better luck with previous Hollowtech BBs on my other bikes either. It certainly isn't a good design and not a patch on the good old UN55!



They sound a bit short lived, I got around two years from the first one on my Eastway, the second one looks like lasting a bit better, now if I could stop my left cycle shoe from creaking I'd have cracked it.


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## Levo-Lon (28 Aug 2019)

Needed to get creative to solve this one.
Gutter downpipe come away on 3rd floor.
Last time this happened we were charged £1500 yes 1.5 k to re- attach a pipe.. Scaffolds 2 men....

So i constructed a tool for re- attaching the pipe.
Use the wood prongs to grip the pipe to put it back on, then taped a drill to the prongs to drill a pilot, I've glued a screw to a stick to secure it later, cost 1hour of my time..and that's about a tenner to my employer.. Or more to the point a months salary..


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## I like Skol (28 Aug 2019)

meta lon said:


> Needed to get creative to solve this one.
> Gutter downpipe come away on 3rd floor.
> Last time this happened we were charged £1500 yes 1.5 k to re- attach a pipe.. Scaffolds 2 men....
> 
> ...


Done similar myself. My wonderful kids had managed to get a tennis ball on to the flat roof of our loft conversion and it made its way into the gutter and sat at the top of the downpipe, hence gushing torrents of overflowing water whenever it rained.

Because this is now at 2nd floor roof height my ladder doesn't quite reach and is stored elsewhere anyway. My cunning solution was a broom handle with a wire coathanger claw fashioned on the end and 20-30 minutes fumbling out of a narrow bathroom window. Frustrating, but eventually successful.

EDIT: I popped their ball and put it in the bin!


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## Crackle (28 Aug 2019)

Loosened and re-tightened the left pedal which stopped the irritating soft click it's taken me three rides to track down.


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## Vantage (28 Aug 2019)

Made a bigger & better front mudflap.


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## Crackle (30 Aug 2019)

Crackle said:


> Loosened and re-tightened the left pedal which stopped the irritating soft click it's taken me three rides to track down.


It's back. I fear a pedal strip down is required. I might add that to my end of year maintenance list which due to budget cuts could be my beginning of spring maintenance list.


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## youngoldbloke (30 Aug 2019)

Mudguards back on. Involved complete cleaning and lubrication of the rest of the bike - of course!


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## Goldy (30 Aug 2019)

Just converted my kona to single drive sprocket and adjusted the gears on the carrera


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## Vantage (30 Aug 2019)

Washed and polished the bike. Fitted some new semi-knobbly tyres coz yesterday in the moors was scary coming down the bumpier trails.
The drivetrain has been sounding and feeling rough as a hedgehogs arse for ages. I didn't know what was going on as everything was brand new...ish. Today I found the issue! I screwed in the B-tension screw and it ran smooth as a very smooth thing. The top jockey wheel was too close to the sprockets. Doh!


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## JhnBssll (1 Sep 2019)

Had a smashing day at bike park Wales yesterday which meant the bike was a bit of a state 









First job when I got home this afternoon was to wash it down and get it all working again as the mud and grime had played havoc with the running gear...






While the gear was out I gave the Methanol a clean too as I'd been out for a damp mid week spin on it and hadn't had a chance to clean it down. In the process I noticed what a big weight difference there is between the two bikes; of course I expected there to be a difference, but the Bianchi is very light for a MTB, <11kg on the scales with 100mm of front suspension and a dropper post 






With the bikes clean I thought I'd fix a problem with the Stumpjumper that had become painfully obvious the previous day - the dropper post remote lever was right in the way of a comfortable grip. I'd noticed before but it was more of a problem on the downhill trails and caused a few grip issues and a blister on my thumb within the first hour or so of riding. As you can see here the design means it is very close to the grip where your thumb should wrap around the bars...





Bit of a crappy design to be honest but there you go. Instead of spend any money on it I decided to go for the tried and tested "cut it down" approach so popped it in the vice and grabbed the hacksaw...






A few minutes later, back on the bike, it seems we're on to a winner. Plenty of space for a gloved thumb now and still within easy reach 






Once happy with the new length I rounded the edges with a file and gave it a spot of black touchup paint to hide the scene of the crime a little  Nobody would ever know it's been butchered now  Unless they look at it from more than a few metres away, then it'll be fairly obvious 






I need to bleed the brakes too, might attack that later if I get a few moments


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## Richard A Thackeray (2 Sep 2019)

Yesterday afternoon

Took the chain-rings off the CGR, so I could wipe clean/degrease the sections behind the arms

Also, started looking at SWMBOs Boardman, with regard to fitting lights, for when the clocks go back


----------



## Supersuperleeds (2 Sep 2019)

Bolt came loose on the front mudguard on the way to work this morning. Bit of blue tac stopped the rattling 

Tightened it up properly tonight


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## Richard A Thackeray (2 Sep 2019)

Oh, and!

We went out for a local 'tootle' yesterday, not far

One of the lanes we went down, Lock Lane, once past the houses (now) services a couple of paddocks, fishermans access to the Aire & Calder Navigation Canal (essentially, as it passes under the M62, between jcts 30 & 31)

As she jolted over some of the broken tarmac & tried to avoid pot-holes, there was a constant clattering
I'd only checked it over the week before, so knew it was okay

It seems that the 'P clips' on the pannier-bags were rattling on the rack, as they're too large a diameter (& bags were empty)

Not so much a fettling, but a diagnosis of a problem


This is the better section of Lock Lane
We rode towards the camera-woman
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4855237


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## Richard A Thackeray (3 Sep 2019)

Faffed about with _SWMBO_s Boardman hybrid

I fitted a rear reflector, & a pair of side-reflectors
Well, to be honest it already had a rear, but, it was a trailer '_triangle'_ bolted to the pannier-rack, so will have to be removed, when I fit lights to it

I found a mudguard mount reflector in my bits & pieces drawer
Stuck it in the workstand, & had to dig out a mains-drill, as I've still not bought another cordless drill yet
I took the wheel out, as I didn't fancy risking drilling into the tyre
Schwalbe Marathons are renown for puncture resistance, but maybe not with HSS bits???


Measure twice




Find appropriate drill-bits



Wheel out, & ready to drill



Bolt tightened & copper-greased




The side-reflectors are some of my old 'caravan/trailer' stock that were just languishing in a shed drawer
Careful drilling, & a couple of tie-wraps

I was going to put a pair of spoke-mounted reflectors on it too, but I must have disposed of them, as I can't see them in any drawer
However, Amelias old bike, gathering dust, in the garage had a pair that were removed (needed step-ladder, as it was hanging in the eaves; 10 foot up)

Different spoke-count, so more small holes drilled, & tie-wraps to spokes, to stop reflectors twisting, & turning laterally




*Next Tasks....*
1. Lights, for when she's commuting, & clocks 'go back'
2. Persuade her that a rear mudflap is a good idea
3. Persuade her that SPD pedals/shoes are needed (she wore them, for MTBing in early 90's..... and even raced!!!)


----------



## Vantage (5 Sep 2019)

Having discovered the wonders of caustic soda paint stripping, I stripped the black paint off the caliper mounts and polished them.


----------



## Goldy (5 Sep 2019)

Sorted a few squeaks & rattles on the kona after yesterdays off rd trip.
Found the front brake return spring had released itself causing block to rub wheel (1 squeak sorted). 
Did a bit of truing of the rear wheel, (1st time & it worked) thanks Google. Cleaned and lubed the rear derailleur (2nd squeak sorted) 
Rattle traced to loose bottle cage, tightened. Finally gave it a clean ready for tomorrow.


----------



## Spiderweb (5 Sep 2019)

l gave the Tricross a good clean and swapped the 12-27 cassette to a 12-30 for my trip to the hilly Yorkshire Dales this weekend.


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## Goldy (6 Sep 2019)

The cistern in the upstairs loo doesn't reset, looks like it needs a new flush unit. More more money that would be better spent on bike stuff


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## C R (6 Sep 2019)

Goldy said:


> The cistern in the upstairs loo doesn't reset, looks like it needs a new flush unit. More more money that would be better spent on bike stuff


Is it one of those cable actuated ones by any chance? If so, a few drops of oil down the cable could be all that is needed.


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## Goldy (6 Sep 2019)

C R said:


> Is it one of those cable actuated ones by any chance? If so, a few drops of oil down the cable could be all that is needed.



The cable is OK there's a plastic lug snapped stopping the valve from shutting fully. A complete new unit is quite cheap and just clips in place


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## Goldy (6 Sep 2019)

Fixed the cistern with a new flush unit 15 mins to swap over & only £9.50....


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## PeteXXX (6 Sep 2019)

Tyres changed on the CX. Off with the Touring Conti's and on with the Rocket Ron's..


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## Jenkins (6 Sep 2019)

Yet another puncture patched on the Voodoo 29er - this time a tiny piece of thorn or flint just piercing the tyre enough to put a microscopic hole in the tube. Away from the knobbly bits, the Maxxis Ardents are way too thin.

As I was in the shed and had the day off, I also took the opportuntity to give the chains of all 4 Ti bikes a good clean and then gave the frames of each of them a quick going over with Autoglym car polish.


----------



## slowmotion (6 Sep 2019)

I swapped the bathroom wall fan with the fubared bearings for a £16 ebay cheapie.


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## Richard A Thackeray (6 Sep 2019)

Goldy said:


> The cistern in the upstairs loo doesn't reset, looks like it needs a new flush unit. More more money that would be better spent on bike stuff



I appreciate that, I'll agree
The last month (or so) for me, has seen me pay for;
- 4 x new brake-discs, full pad set, fluid change for my car
- weeks holiday, in Northumberland next month, for SWMBO & me
- new TV for front parlour, as colours went to 'rats' on the old one

Plus;
- van hire to take daughter to rented house, for University
Also, for her;
- 2 seater settee, & arm-chair for house
- fridge/freezer & washer, that we negotiated with the previous tenants
- new TV, for her house
- bedroom furniture & new bed (so hers could be left here)
- paid her car insurance (££££!!)

I'm just thinking what I could have bought, in the way of bikes, instead


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## Ming the Merciless (6 Sep 2019)

Put premium air in my road bike tyres, ready for a ride tomorrow.


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## Goldy (7 Sep 2019)

Fitted a new toilet seat, now going to assemble my new work stand & fit crud catchers to the Kona.


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## fossyant (7 Sep 2019)

Fettle fail.

Decided I'd fit the Rock Bros bell to my MTB (it's a copy of a very expensive one). Bike was still ground anchored, so couldn't move it) but the little metal 'band' is a bugger to get it to stay in place as you fit the bell. Gave up after the third time the band popped out as I had other stuff to do, and fitting a bell is a 30 second job (not on these).

Will do it tomorrow when I have time.


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## JhnBssll (8 Sep 2019)

Made myself a new bracket for the rear light on my new ti build. I dont like the standard rubber band jobby and wanted it mounted a little higher for better visibility...







I decided I'd design a bracket to fit to the underside of the saddle box. It had a couple of bosses in the bottom already so I used them as mounting point and designed around them.. 





I had to guess a few of the dimensions but figured I could iterate if it didnt fit first time so set the printer going...





Two hours later I had a finished bracket...





It all went together rather well, bit of a result...





And then assembled on to the bike...





Jobs a goodun. Now I need to print a second one for the Bianchi


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> . In the process I noticed what a big weight difference there is between the two bikes; of course I expected there to be a difference, but the Bianchi is very light for a MTB, <11kg on the scales with 100mm of front suspension and a dropper post



My Wife's XC bike is light compared to my Trail FS - and both are alloy frames and full suspension. Difference is size and travel.

I'll have to weigh them, as both have droppers too.


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## Vantage (8 Sep 2019)

Stripped and polished my front mech. Polished the seat post...again. Polished the seat post clamp...again. Filed off the lawyer lips on the fork. Trued the rear wheel...doubt it'll stay that way for long. Lowered the stem 3/4 inch.


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> Fettle fail.
> 
> Decided I'd fit the Rock Bros bell to my MTB (it's a copy of a very expensive one). Bike was still ground anchored, so couldn't move it) but the little metal 'band' is a bugger to get it to stay in place as you fit the bell. Gave up after the third time the band popped out as I had other stuff to do, and fitting a bell is a 30 second job (not on these).
> 
> Will do it tomorrow when I have time.



Well if you fit it upside down, you can see that the strap engages properly. Doh. Took 2 minutes. Lovely 'ding' noise.

It's one of these, but you can get them for about £3 on ebay.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rockbros-B...ocphy=1007118&hvtargid=pla-497567246764&psc=1


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## Levo-Lon (8 Sep 2019)

New front door.
Binned the crap flimsey dated upvc job.

Fitted a new security composite door.
Heavy solid door with a high security lock.


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## JhnBssll (8 Sep 2019)

I cleaned the Oltre this evening, its first proper strip clean for a while and slightly overdue. She's been used in all weather recently as I sold the Roubaix to fund the new Ti frameset a while back. Since the Ti bike is now operational I took the time to give the Bianchi some TLC  I printed a second brake light mount off this afternoon and fitted that too 















I also juggled the bikes around in the garage to make space for the Veturi on the wall


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## Richard A Thackeray (9 Sep 2019)

Not so much a 'Fettle', more of a swap, because I had to;

Rode home from work this evening, arriving about 20:35
Opened gate to the lower level path, where the door to the basement is
Lifted bike by saddle, & it felt _odd_

I had a look, & a saddle-rail had sheared!
(presumably) Solid titanium







I can't say when it happened, as presumably, it would have been held in place by my weight when riding it?






So, the identical (but far older) _Flite_ was taken off my Gran Fondo, as I can't envisage riding that again this year

*Odd Fact*
The _Flite,_ that was on the Gran Fondo (which itself was previously on my Dyna-Tech 755Ti, which was bought, & fitted to that, back in 1994) is 30grammes lighter than the 2013 reproduction/retro _Flite _that was on my 'blue' Ribble, before transferring to the CGR


It shouldn't need alteration of position, as I've put it to the same set-back, & angle


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## Richard A Thackeray (10 Sep 2019)

*In Addition To Above;*
When I went out this morning, I found I had to raise the saddle-height by about 1/4", as the_ oldie_ had sagged slightly over the past 25 years


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## Richard A Thackeray (10 Sep 2019)

Came home today, after a bit of a meander, including a stretch of canal towpath, to a bit of creak
('never rains, but it pours')
Well, it's creaked for a couple of weeks

So, it was BB strip time
I had 2 spares, in the shed, which was good
_*Memo To Self;*_ no spare chains, need to buy a couple

The old one was getting quite dry, but not as bad as the BB on _'Preston'_ (my blue Ribble) that had 2 BBs in less than 3 years







The lines on the chain-stay, are where the inner-ring 'folded' on me, during an off-road ride, through the site of an old hunting lodge, that was later the site of a (now reclaimed) pit & associated railway embankment






All well greased, the BB shell had a fine covering of surface rust





What the protective shell had picked up





The chain was also _'petrolled'_ to clear out some grime


----------



## IaninSheffield (10 Sep 2019)

When replacing cassette and chain on Koga last week, wondered about changing chain rings. Happy with gearing so counted teeth so I could replace like for like - 22-32-43! Yep, not 44 or 42, but 43 ... although the reason was that one of the teeth had sheared off! Never had that before. No idea when it happened.

Replacement ring has arrived, so fitted that today.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (11 Sep 2019)

A day of fettling yesterday on a very tatty 1948 Raleigh.





This is one of a matched pair that my Aunt has, which were inherited from her late husband. I know for certain that they have been stored in a stable since the mid 1980s and given that I've only ever known them in a rather neglected condition it's probable they haven't actually been used for ten or possibly even twenty years before that.

My Aunt has decided that she would like to keep this one and take it to vintage shows so after asking me to give it a good look over, authorized the purchase of some new parts to make it useable.

New wheels were a must as the rims are scrap and unfortunately it doesn't appear to be possible to get rod-brake (Westwood) rims in anything other than 36 hole which scuppered any hope of reusing the 32/40 hole original hubs. (I'll dismantle the old wheels and put those aside for some future project) I found the replacements at Freemans Cycles who I haven't used before now. Other required parts came from SJS or Spa.

It looked really daunting when I brought the rusty remains of a bicycle home to work on it. The first thing was to give it all a good clean which made it look better. I haven't worked on anything rod-braked before so had to work out how to get the wheels out before I could do anything.

It was all very slow going as I didn't want to get things wrong but the bike now has new wheels, tyres, tubes, brake blocks and saddle (it might be possible to revive the original but as it has tears/rot round some of the rivets I don't think it would be trustworthy). Brakes are adjusted (oddly the rear brake rod was too long and bottoming out in the adjuster - the blocks would only just touch the rim until I cut a small bit off the rod.)

The old chain seems to have a longer pitch than the usual 1/2 inch which caused some aggro as I'd counted links to try and get the length right - I don't know if it was intended for another application and since it was so corroded will never know how well it worked. The new one is clearly right as it meshes perfectly and runs smoothly.

There were a few adjustments needed to mudguards and chainguard which were bent and/or loose.

There is more that needs doing but at the end of the day it was rideable for the first time in many years:


----------



## Goldy (11 Sep 2019)

Fitted new headset bearings in my cheap carrera gryphon, now it's ready to take its rightful place as winter hack/utility bike.
Winter project frame in the stand just need to spend some money


----------



## Leaway2 (11 Sep 2019)

Fettled some mudguards on my Genesis cdf. I had to get a bit creative with the stays round the disc calipers.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Sep 2019)

*They Say Trouble Comes In Three's*
(so the expression goes)

_Number 1; _My collapsing 'Flite' saddle

_Number 2; _Replacement Bottom-Bracket bearings


And, _Number 3_ follows;
SWMBO arrived home on her Boardman hybrid, about 16:30

After closing the gate behind her, I noticed the front tyre seemed slightly soft before she got off
Had a look...………... a thorn

It's on '35' section _Schwalbe Citizen_, seemingly, looking at the tread-pattern, a less protected _Marathon_???

It took some getting out, & it was a little toughie, I couldn't break it, holding it between thumb & first finger, with both hands!
Tube now patched, & in compression, in the vice, till it cures

Another thing, they come off the rim better than Marathons, with only fingers


----------



## CXRAndy (11 Sep 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> SWMBO arrived home on her Boardman hybrid, about 16:30
> 
> After closing the gate behind her, I noticed the front tyre seemed slightly soft before she got off
> Had a look...………... a thorn
> ...



Put 70-80 mill of Orange endurance sealant. It will put pay to those thorn flint punctures


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## Richard A Thackeray (11 Sep 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> Put 70-80 mill of Orange endurance sealant. It will put pay to those thorn flint punctures


I'd have thought they'd be okay

I have Schwalbe Durano DD on my CGR & have had one puncture in 2 & 1/2 years
(granted that was a thorn too, but one I couldn't even see!)


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## JhnBssll (11 Sep 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A day of fettling yesterday on a very tatty 1948 Raleigh.
> 
> View attachment 484631
> 
> ...



That looks fabulous, I'm quite jealous of that fettle


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## Rickshaw Phil (12 Sep 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> That looks fabulous, I'm quite jealous of that fettle


Thanks. I was quite chuffed at being able to get it done.

I was amazed to find that despite the condition, none of the fixings I undid were siezed. Looks like Raleigh used quality materials back then.


----------



## fossyant (12 Sep 2019)

Not bike related... Was getting a clunk when I braked in 'reverse' from near side front wheel. Decided to pop the wheel off and check nothing was broken. Undid the Caliper and could feel slight play in the relatively new pads (fitted 6 months ago). Seems the tolerance is a bit 'loose' so it's one of the pads shifting upon change in braking direction. Popped the pads off, cleaned up, popped a little spacer under the 'acoustic wear' indicators, and popped the pads back in. 

This morning, no clunk, but noticed I've pushed the acoustic wear indicator close to the pad as it 'hums' when moving slowly. Off goes the wheel again tonight to move them.


----------



## fossyant (12 Sep 2019)

Car issue was actually the disc back plate touching the disc - all sorted.


----------



## betty swollocks (13 Sep 2019)

Annoying creaking coming from somewhere on carbon frame. Took several rides to narrow the cause down. Tightened up cassette a few degrees: gone!


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## Vantage (13 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> Fettle fail.
> 
> Decided I'd fit the Rock Bros bell to my MTB (it's a copy of a very expensive one). Bike was still ground anchored, so couldn't move it) but the little metal 'band' is a bugger to get it to stay in place as you fit the bell. Gave up after the third time the band popped out as I had other stuff to do, and fitting a bell is a 30 second job (not on these).
> 
> Will do it tomorrow when I have time.



I got myself one of those bells after reading your fettle. Christ they're awkward little sh*ts to fit aren't they?! 
It makes a nice ping noise though  
The screw is unfortunately digging into the handlebar so I'm gonna need to grind it down a touch...I'll do that some other time. Busy sorting the panniers for a micro tour on Saturday


----------



## fossyant (13 Sep 2019)

Vantage said:


> I got myself one of those bells after reading your fettle. Christ they're awkward little sh*ts to fit aren't they?!
> It makes a nice ping noise though
> The screw is unfortunately digging into the handlebar so I'm gonna need to grind it down a touch...I'll do that some other time. Busy sorting the panniers for a micro tour on Saturday



They are awkward !! Sorry !!


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## fossyant (13 Sep 2019)

Vantage said:


> I got myself one of those bells after reading your fettle. Christ they're awkward little sh*ts to fit aren't they?!
> It makes a nice ping noise though
> The screw is unfortunately digging into the handlebar so I'm gonna need to grind it down a touch...I'll do that some other time. Busy sorting the panniers for a micro tour on Saturday



You did use the shorter strap ?


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## JhnBssll (13 Sep 2019)

I've spent a few hours looking at the rear light brackets I printed this week whilst I've been on the turbo in the garage and had decided I could do better. The angle wasn't quite right so they pointed down slightly. I measured it at around a 5 degree droop so modified my CAD model and printed out another batch this afternoon 

Here's the new one (on the right) sat next to the old two which I had removed from the bikes...







And here is the new version fitted to the Bianchi...






The light now sits pretty much parallel with the ground which was my original goal  You can see the difference here where the Bianchi has the new mount fitted and the Pilot has the previous version...






I've since replaced the Pilot mount so both are up to date, I don't intend to invest any more time in them now


----------



## Vantage (13 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> You did use the shorter strap ?



I did indeed. I shoved a different shorter bolt in instead. working fine


----------



## Tom B (14 Sep 2019)

Took the missus for a trip to see the doc for a jab.

In the way I snapped the rear mech cable so rode a 3 speed for the rest.

On the way back she snapped the pedal shaft. Luckily just around corner from a friendly lbs who supplied pedals on trust and a spanner to change them. 

Much fun was had asking if she'd picked up all the ball bearings from the old pedals.


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## DSK (15 Sep 2019)

So new to cycling, need to learn some basic skills so I decided to do a bit of work this weekend.

Fitted cateye bike mirrors (piece of cake) and followed a GCN video on how to change tyres and fitted new Schwalbe inner tubes and upgraded to 25C Gatorskin Hardshell tyres.

(Took me 1 hr 30 mins to do the tyres and and had to refer to GCN's video on how to refit the damn rear wheel. Anyway, confidence +1 and both wheels spin spot on. Why do the pro's make it look like a 5 minute job!. I reckon I could easily repeat the process in about 30 mins next time.)


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## DCLane (15 Sep 2019)

Trued the 5 speed wheel on the Raleigh Ascender and it's now OK, having given up trying to source a replacement 5 speed one. Tyres are a little bit cracked but have held air fine so they're staying. Also worked on the LH gear shifter and it now shifts properly. Finally, fixed the rear derailleur which had been strangled in fishing twine. Chain and derailleurs properly cleaned and lubricated/greased. It'll go on sale tomorrow.







Currently replacing the tubs on my son's track bike 5 spoke and disc wheels for winter indoor racing. The Tufo S3's currently on them have been very well glued - they're going onto the Campag wheels off my Gitane purchase.


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## geocycle (15 Sep 2019)

Changed the oil in the rohloff. Realised I’ve now done that every September for 13 years and on a couple of extra occasions. Also fettled the sticky rear v brake which involved removing the rohloff shifter cables because a bolt in the cable bridge had seized. Of course one of the cables frayed a bit so put it back temporarily while I get the enthusiasm for changing it.


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Sep 2019)

Pumped up tyres. Cleaned cafe lock after a small chain oil bottle leaked on it.


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## netman (15 Sep 2019)

Kitted the new (to me) tourer out, ready for adventure (thanks to many CC'ers for the inspiration!).

Fitted my Brooks B17, two new tyres and tubes, new brake blocks and much Carradice!


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## Tom B (16 Sep 2019)

Had a play on the MTB around the park yesterday. noticed there was still some rock on the front wheel/headset. Had assumed it was from the knackered hub previously 

Added two washers to the thru axle to make it to nip up at a better point. Bearings in new wheel are spot on so reset the pinch on the headset. 

Rock sorted.


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## Paulus (16 Sep 2019)

Dismantled, cleaned, greased , re-assembled and adjusted a pair of Shimano hubs that had been sitting in the shed for a while attached to an old pair of 700c wheels. They sounded very rough, and the rear hub was very stiff to turn. Now both running smooth and quiet.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Sep 2019)

Took single-speed group off of a Bianchi Squadra I got at the bike co-op, and started the search for period Shimano Tri-color 600 group, most of which was found in my garage, as I have a Trek 600, also from 1986, with the same group, which I have been modernizing as I go. I will put the single speed stuff on my Facet BioTour 2000, as it's a good, light frame with no derailleur hanger. Tange, I am told, The Bianchi Squadra is Columbus Formula 2.




https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/1...nder-an-assumed-identity.253310/#post-5740513


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## Vantage (17 Sep 2019)

I fettled my bigger Avior X3 with fabsil proofer stuff and then tested it with the pressure washer 
It didn't leak 
So I've now got a touring tent in which I can move about in without causing a spinal fracture.


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## PeteXXX (17 Sep 2019)

Hydraulic brake pipes shortened on the Trek Fuel EX9, with the help of a friend, coffee & cake. 






They needed shortening as I've gone over to 1 x 11, and the brakes came off a longer bike.


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## tom73 (17 Sep 2019)

I alway's wondered why I don't go down that particular mud bath or sorry mean off road path. 
So given the London Road a good old clean left to dry in the sunshine then lubed the chain. 
All ready for the next mud bath


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## tom73 (17 Sep 2019)

PeteXXX said:


> Hydraulic brake pipes shortened on the Trek Fuel EX9, with the help of a friend, coffee & cake.
> 
> View attachment 485596
> 
> ...



That's some heavy duty baking you've got going on


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## DCLane (17 Sep 2019)

It's getting cooler in the mornings, therefore 'swapover' time is coming:

Pulled son's Boardman AirPro winter training bike out of storage, cleaned and lubricated. All looks to work fine.
My 'new' Avanti Circa winter bike needed a new tube on the front. All sorted. I'm not sure running 40mm carbon/aluminium wheels for weekends/commuting and cross tyres on Fulcrum 5 LG's for more turbulent weather will be the most sensible option but so what. They're leftovers which I had hanging around and I've always got my Raleigh Pioneer hybrid if the weather gets nasty.
Son's Columbus X-Wing commuter needed some rear fettling and a new skewer fitting. In October it's scheduled for a strip-down and re-build though: he can do that.
Then turned his Cervelo S3 from race bike to hillclimber with a wheelset change from the 3T Mercurio 60mm wheels and GP4000S tubs to Mavic Ksyrium Exalith with 4000S (probably 5000S by the weekend) wheels. First hillclimb of the season for him is this Saturday in Halifax.
Just his winter commuter to get from storage, set up and we're ready to roll.

Oh, and I've still got to clean the old glue off his track 5 spoke and disc plus glue new tubs on. That might have to wait until tomorrow ...


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## Dogtrousers (18 Sep 2019)

So ... last night ... I was about to start off on an organised ride of some sort when I noticed that my left pedal was missing. Not only that but the end of the crank was tapered away to a point as if it had been dipped in acid. Fortunately I appeared to be in a garage or workshop of some kind and managed to borrow a crank extractor. Unfortunately I couldn't undo the crank retaining bolt because the only spanners I could find were weird pressed steel ones in very strange shapes, like the cone spanners for a Martian's bike.

Strange dream.


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## DCLane (18 Sep 2019)

Pulled the winter cross/spare wheels out of storage. They were covered in spiders webs and all sorts of stuff.

Used cross tyres fitted to the Fulcrum 5 LG wheels I'm going to use on my Avanti Circa in bad weather. Then checked the other 3 sets; son's winter cross and road wheels and an old pair that I'll use for a bit: all good.

Still got to clean the old glue off his race tubs. That'll be done - probably by him - this evening.


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## ColinJ (18 Sep 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> When replacing cassette and chain on Koga last week, wondered about changing chain rings. Happy with gearing so counted teeth so I could replace like for like - 22-32-43! Yep, not 44 or 42, but 43 ... *although the reason was that one of the teeth had sheared off! *Never had that before. No idea when it happened.
> 
> Replacement ring has arrived, so fitted that today.


Had it really sheared off, or was the top missing? Teeth are cut down on some rings to assist changes between rings. 



betty swollocks said:


> Annoying creaking coming from somewhere on carbon frame. Took several rides to narrow the cause down. Tightened up cassette a few degrees: gone!


I had the same thing on my (non-carbon) bike - it took me quite some time to work out where the noise was coming from.


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## BalkanExpress (18 Sep 2019)

Fitted sensible steel toe clips* to my Campag Chorus pedals after I had snapped one of the "fraction of an ounce lighter but very fragile" alloy toe clips that the previous owner had fitted.

*ask an older relative or look it up on that interweb thing.


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## IaninSheffield (18 Sep 2019)

@ColinJ Not just the tip of the tooth, but _torn_ at the base. Bit like a tear in a slice of processed cheese! Really unusual.


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## ColinJ (18 Sep 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> @ColinJ Not just the tip of the tooth, but _torn_ at the base. Bit like a tear in a slice of processed cheese! Really unusual.


Wow - I've never seen _that_ happen - very strange!


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## fossyant (18 Sep 2019)

Praxis GXP BB fitted. It's a much better made unit than the SRAM ones, with alloy 'caps' and a wavy washer on the drive side to hold the cap in. Compatible with road and MTB. It's also easy to service, pop the seals off and regrease. Came loaded with grease which is a good start.

I accidentally fitted the 2mm cap on the non drive side, rather than the 1.7mm - who knew 0.3mm would cause the bearing to bind slightly. Sorted that quickly.

The kit comes with 3 end caps of differing widths 1.7mm, 2.0mm and 3.something and 2 spacers. The spacers are for road 68mm frames. £31.50 from Merlin which isn't much more than the SRAM GXP's, for a much better unit.


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## Gravity Aided (18 Sep 2019)

I spread the rear triangle of the Schwinn Passage to 6 speed, and removed all the parts from the Bianchi . Then I cleaned the road tar off the Bianchi frame, in anticipation of a little wet sanding and clear coat when the humidity drops a bit, and it's cooler out.


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## Asa Post (19 Sep 2019)

Put new gear cables on the road bike. While I was at it, I added some inline adjusters near the handlebars.

Then I straightened the derailleur hanger, which was more out of true than I expected.

All done, and running smoothly.


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## avsd (19 Sep 2019)

Fitted dynamo to the commuter bike. Threaded wires down inside of the frame. Quite pleased how tidy it looks.


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## JhnBssll (19 Sep 2019)

Adjusted the brake levers on the stumpjumper, moved them slightly inboard and adjusted the bite point to bring it slightly closer to the bars. Theres loads of adjustability on these Hope levers but I haven't got it right yet 

I also adjusted the suspension - pumped the shock up a little and reset the damping to suit my tame local trails again 

Finally I popped the flat pedals back on her. I'll be taking the hardtail to the bikepark on sunday for some XC playtime but the stumpjumper is coming out for a play on monday after work


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Sep 2019)

My stash of boxes of cycle spares, ready for Brexit .


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## fossyant (20 Sep 2019)

Didn't wash the MTB last night after a ride, and it's now sat in the carpeted office at work.  Off to Wales straight after work, so that's why.


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## DCBassman (20 Sep 2019)

Oooh well, there's a question...
Got the Claud Butler MTB out for a final tweak and clean.
Could not get the gears to index. It has new chain, cassette, cables, mechs and shifters. OK, the FD is original, the RD is new to it...
As I don't yet have quicklink remover, I swapped the Altus RD-M310, by cage dismanling, for an older 7-speed model. No change. After yet more fiddling and swearing, I dug out the original, even older, Acera 7-speed mech. Got it fitted, set limits and...perfect, almost first time*. Which is good on several levels. It's shiny and silver and looks better on the bike than the black Altus mechs. Had to reverse the B screw, but then 1994 mechs didn't envisage messing with 34t sprockets...
It's running 8-speed, which I never expected the Acera mech to cope with at that age, but you live and learn!

Will hopefully deliver it to younger son tomorrow!


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## DCLane (21 Sep 2019)

This evening I played with my son's orange fixie. The crankset was over a kilo and I was sure I could find a 46 tooth orange one. Eventually I have, 280g lighter, and fitted that along with putting the orange brake pads into silver holders rather than black. We're much happier with the result:


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## Tom B (21 Sep 2019)

Obviously needs this @DCLane


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## JhnBssll (21 Sep 2019)

That looks cracking 

I've just spent some time fettling. I tweaked the saddle angle on the Pilot and dropped the stem 5mm. Theres just a 10mm spacer left under it now, I'll see how it feels on next weeks 100 miler but should be pretty close to perfect now  I cable tied my rider number on too, nothing like being prepared 






My old Kona caught my eye as I was locking up, I might give her a fettle in the near future as shes looking a little forlorn  I'm pretty confident she hasnt been ridden yet this year


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## Tom B (21 Sep 2019)

@JhnBssll love the tyres on the kona...

Winter is coming!


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Sep 2019)

*Friday:* Fettling a summer house by cutting out a rotten section of window frame and making a replacement section. Hopefully that will keep the weather out now.

*Yesterday: * A bit more work on the vintage Raleigh. The new front wheel was disappointingly wobbly so I had it out, tensioned and trued it. There is a slight kink in the rim that I can't get out which you can still feel under braking but it's a lot better than it was. The rack came off to be straightened, cleaned up and repainted. Unfortunately it has cracked while I was straightening it - It'll still go back together but it'll be more for show rather than actual luggage carrying.
While waiting for the paint to dry I dismantled one of the old wheels so as to keep the original hubs. The spokes were in surprisingly nice condition apart from one so I've bundled them up to put to one side as well
I've started on cleaning up the brightwork by polishing using aluminium foil (can't remember if I learned about that technique on here or on YACF). It's doing a really good job of transforming a mess of rust back to fairly shiny chrome but will take time.


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## ianrauk (22 Sep 2019)

New bottom bracket fitted to the commuter/tourer and a good all round strip down for a clean and re-lube/grease.


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## Gravity Aided (22 Sep 2019)

Refitted my Trek 600 with a Shimano Tiagra FD and a SRAM GXP (or Giga X Pipe) bottom bracket and cranks. Old Shimano 600 stuff going over to the Bianchi when that is ready for it. Took a good deal of fettling, and I still need a GXP spacer to get things perfect.


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## Dogtrousers (23 Sep 2019)

Not fettling but I stumbled across a brand new pair of Durano Plus tyres in my garage that I didn't know I had. I have no memory of buying them. Result!

Strangely enough I was poring over the rolling resistance website last week and had decided to give Michelin Pro 4 Endurance a go, on the basis that they seem to have good puncture resistance but also low rolling resistance, which would convert me into a cycling god. I guess I'll have to remain as a slow mortal trundler for another year or so.


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## overmind (23 Sep 2019)

Fixing a slow puncture tonight (and fitting new headset bearings)

I cycled to the Velolife cafe yesterday as it is pretty close to me. I read a story about an injunction that seems absolutely ridiculous and decided to pay a visit. It looks like the Streisand effect is in play.

I got there a bit late and got a slow puncture just outside. A kind man in the cafe lent me a track pump (even though they had just closed). I was able to reflate the tyre just long enough to get home (I will bring a pump and a spare tube next time, doh!). The tyres have been so reliable - Schwalbe Marathon - I had developed a false sense of security.

I also received a set of headset bearings in the post today so I will fit those tonight. The front forks have been rocking a lot and when I try to tighten them up it is either too lose of too tight. I am hoping new bearings will solve this problem.


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## JhnBssll (23 Sep 2019)

overmind said:


> Fixing a slow puncture tonight (and fitting new headset bearings)
> 
> I cycled to the Velolife cafe yesterday as it is pretty close to me. I read a story about an injunction that seems absolutely ridiculous and decided to pay a visit. It looks like the Streisand effect is in play.
> 
> ...



I visited the VeloLife cafe last weekend. It was a bittersweet visit, with nice coffee and a great piece of cake marred by an altercation between a cyclist and a horse rider that he had apparently passed too closely. Eventually the neighbours came out and sided with the horse rider, placing all the cyclists fully in the 'blame' category, at which point I decided it was a thoroughly unpleasant place to be and went on my way  We passed the horse rider a little way down the road, passed her carefully and thanked her and she was very pleasant. I fear the few will spoil it for the many in this instance, if this is a common occurrence and I lived next door I would be complaining too


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## chriswoody (23 Sep 2019)

During the last week of commuting the rear end on my folder was feeling really loose and nearly kicked me off a couple of times. A quick glance revealed nothing obvious amiss, so I left it until Friday when I finally had time to have a proper look and discovered a broken spoke. Problem is it's a 20 inch wheel running a coaster brake hub, so not your everyday length. Luckily we have a good old fashioned bike shop in town and by pure luck they had a pack in. So I bought several extras as well. It didn't take to long to fit and re-true the whole wheel.

Along with the broken spoke I also had some awful noises coming from the hub whenever I was free wheeling. So Saturday I stripped it apart and inspected it. The bearings are noticeably shot, however, due to It being a Shimano coaster brake hub, they are not off the shelf items and none of the bike shops in town had some in, most didn't even know Shimano made a coaster brake hub! So I decided to clean and re-grease everything, then throw it back together for the week. I've order some new ones off of the internet and they should be here this week, meanwhile with it's new grease, it's gone back to being a beautifully slick and quiet hub. 

I also replaced the tires with some 20inch Kojaks, the old Marathon racers have done stirling service these last two years, however, the carcass is riddled with small holes and the side walls are shredded in places. It won't be long before I start seeing lots of punctures, so I decided to slightly prematurely replace them. So lots of love lavished on my folder and more to come when the bearings arrive.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Sep 2019)

Built a 20" wheel for the recumbent. Gone for 36 spokes as this will be used on long rides in remote areas with rough roads. May as well have spare spokes built into the wheel.


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## JhnBssll (23 Sep 2019)

Re-engineered my GPS backup battery mount this evening. Pleased with the result, its solid and not too obtrusive. In fact its completely invisible once you're in the saddle 
















As some sort of reward I was greeted by an email from the computer manufacturer when I sat down indoors alerting me to a firmware update that finally introduces Di2 connectivity. I downloaded it and went straight back put to play  Took a while but I now have gear info and Di2 battery level displayed on the screen and, more usefully, I can navigate screens, zoom the map and pause the ride with the shifter top buttons, something Garmin users have been able to do for years but is brand new and exciting to me


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## Denis99 (23 Sep 2019)

Alot of fettling over the weekend.

Bought a new Condor Fratello frameset from Condor and rebuilt with mainly Campagnolo Potenza and Hope wheels.

First shakedown ride was yesterday, just some minor adjustment to the rear mech.


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## Vantage (24 Sep 2019)

I replaced my cream longboard mudguards with my last two silver ones. The longboards don't cover enough of the side of the tyres so spray escapes everywhere and the front light bounces off the front of the guard blinding me in the process. Problems fixed now. Shame really as I loved the look of the longboards


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## jongooligan (24 Sep 2019)

Got the very seized bolts out of the cleats on a pair of old Lake MX101 shoes with a hacksaw and a very large mole wrench. Fitted new cleats and went for a test ride up and down the street on my Kinesis Racelight T2.

That has had a creaky click thing going on for a while which I thought was worn cleats on another pair of shoes. It was still doing the creaky click thing with brand new cleats though so it was obviously summat else. Found some play in the bottom bracket (Hollowtech 2) so tightened the preload thingy a bit until it ran true. IME though the bearings will be shagged so that will be a temporary fix at best.


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## Heigue'r (24 Sep 2019)

Had the day off work today so after seeing @Arjimlad 's TCR with mudguards,I got a set myself,sks raceblade long..fitted with 25mm michelin pro 4 endurance..There is probably less than a mm clearance under the rear brakebridge bracket,had to wedge an allen key beteen it and the tyre to get maximum clearance before tightening the brake caliper bolt.I didnt fit the rear front piece of mudguard as I did not have ball end hex keys to hand and it would of rubbed on the seat tube.Probably sunny skies for the foreseeable now they are fitted


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## Arjimlad (24 Sep 2019)

Heigue'r said:


> Had the day off work today so after seeing @Arjimlad 's TCR with mudguards,I got a set myself,sks raceblade long..fittet with 25mm michelin pro 4 endurance..There is probably less than a mm clearance under the rear brakebridge bracket,hat to wedge an allen key beteen it and the tyre to get maximum clearance before tightening the brake caliper bolt.I didnt fit the rear front piece of mudguard as I did not have ball end hex keys to hand and it would of rubbed on the seat tube.Probably sunny skies for the foreseeable now they are fitted



As you saw from the picture, I left the rear wheel front piece off too, after reading about an incident where one wasn't clipped on properly & jammed someone's wheel. Thanks for buying the sunshine !


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## Denis99 (24 Sep 2019)

thought I should post an image up.

Second ride earlier today, works flawlessly.

Just gave it a wash.


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## youngoldbloke (24 Sep 2019)

Heigue'r said:


> Had the day off work today so after seeing @Arjimlad 's TCR with mudguards,I got a set myself,sks raceblade long..fittet with 25mm michelin pro 4 endurance..*There is probably less than a mm clearance under the rear brakebridge bracket*,hat to wedge an allen key beteen it and the tyre to get maximum clearance before tightening the brake caliper bolt.I didnt fit the rear front piece of mudguard as I did not have ball end hex keys to hand and it would of rubbed on the seat tube.Probably sunny skies for the foreseeable now they are fitted


That will soon clog up with mud. Part-solved the same problem on my old Ribble winter bike by dispensing with the bracket altogether and fitting a self adhesive felt pad on the guard to stop it rattling. The natural spring in the mudguard was easily enough to hold it in position against the brake bridge.


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## Jenkins (24 Sep 2019)

New disc brake pads fitted front & rear on the Giant flatbar followed by cleaning & lubing the chain and pumping the tyres up a bit. Then, as it was too wet & miserable for a ride, the chains on another five bikes got the clean & lube treatment plus some air in the tyres. Nothing done to the other two bikes as they've not been ridden more than 40 miles between them in the past month.


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## DCLane (24 Sep 2019)

Today I did a 'bike swap' at my work's storage unit; in went my son's orange Carlton fixie and my Principia TT bike. Out came my GT Timberline MTB and my son's Carrera Tanneri winter commuter.

The GT just needed a wipe down and was fine.

The Carrera needed cleaning, together with a new chain fitted.

All done and that's the winter/ice bike plus a winter commuter sorted.


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## C R (24 Sep 2019)

Cleaned and oiled the chain, and adjusted the front brakes. The way the weather is looking I am going to have to oil the chain every other day.


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## jongooligan (27 Sep 2019)

Had a creaky click thing going on and discovered some play in BB so fitted a new Hollowtech 2 bottom bracket to my Kinesis Racelight this morning. Fairly straightforward although I did have to give the BB spanner a good braying to get the old cups off. There was a surprising amount of water in the BB shell.






old bearings & cups, new bearings & cups

No play in BB now and a quick test ride up & down the street was OK but there's still a creaky click thing going on. Need to take it out for a longer test ride but weather iffy and real life stuff needs to happen before I can get out.


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Sep 2019)

Built a second wheel this morning. This time a 700c 36 spoke H Son Plus Achetype in polished silver , on XT Black hub, for a 9 speed disc brake build. This will be the rear wheel of my new recumbent build.


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## rogerzilla (28 Sep 2019)

I squeezed the rear end of a Jim Bundy* track frame in a bit. It was 124mm but it's now 122mm, which means not having to ram the wheel in but is a bit closer to spec. Steel straight edge on the BB shell says the rear triangle is dead straight. Other than the slightly stretched rear (some philistine might have been running a 126mm hub?) it's the best-built frame I've seen. And I have a Ron Cooper.

I need to chase and face the BB shell and head tube next. It's having a cup and cone BB and headset, so it needs to be good. Came with a nice enough road fork but I've found a proper track fork which should fit. I like the feel of a track fork when climbing out of the saddle - no front brake rub and a bit less tyre scrub.

*Sydney, Australia framebuilder - legendary there. There are probably one or two of his frames in the UK.


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## chriswoody (28 Sep 2019)

So I had a package arrive from a Dutch bike shop this week, with my new hub bearings and a new magnet to hold the folded bike together after one half of mine decided to jump ship one day.






I can almost strip this hub blindfolded now! So in two shakes of a lambs tail it was all in pieces on my workbench.






So I quickly cleaned and re-greased the bearing races before popping in the new bearings along with some new grease. Then it was back together again, ready for a full winters commuting duties.





The magnets were also fitted and finally I think I'm on top of everything, the bikes riding as smoothly as new and the coaster brake is producing some cracking rear wheel skids again.


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## Skanker (29 Sep 2019)

Just finished fettling a new battery pack for my nestling front light as original one decided to die on me. Currently charging it up using the charger from my 12v power drill so fingers crossed it doesn’t burst into flames!


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2019)

Skanker said:


> Just finished fettling a new battery pack for my nestling front light as original one decided to die on me. Currently charging it up using the charger from my 12v power drill so fingers crossed it doesn’t burst into flames!
> View attachment 487051


🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒


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## Skanker (29 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> 🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒


I have 3 fire extinguishers on the boat. 1 is behind the battery pack in pic and another is beside me hanging on the wall.


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## fossyant (29 Sep 2019)

Nothing much, other than a quick tidy in the garage and 'umming and arring' about whether the Aldi free standing bike hanger will be any good. It would have saved space, but both MTB's are d-locked and cabled together, which I couldn't do if suspended, so the answer was 'don't buy'.

Popped the bottom off the One-On Bobby Dazzler 2x LED light. The inner is sealed against water, and the plus point is it uses 2 x normal 18650 batteries, so if they pack in, you can just buy some quality ones (Samsung, Xtar etc).


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## Skanker (29 Sep 2019)

3 bars on the nestling, batteries didn’t even get warm from the rogue charger, that will do nicely!


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## ianrauk (29 Sep 2019)

Had an annoying creak on the commuter. Thought it was the new bottom bracket I fitted last week. So off with the cranks. The BB seemed fine and didn't need tightening. Putting the cranks back on I noticed that one of the crank bolts was very loose. So tightened it up along with the other bolts. So commute tomorrow will see if the bolt was indeed the culprit.


----------



## DCLane (29 Sep 2019)

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa after yesterday's Witham & Blues 200km audax

Continued cleaning glue off my son's track race wheels. Should get new tyres on this week, then his rear training wheel (that he's using for racing atm) needs a new tub as well. As does his TT bike.

Then tidied the wheels up in the garage.


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## JohnHughes307 (29 Sep 2019)

Swapped the entire drive train on my Allez! First time I've gone for this level of fettling😁 Off came the Octalink Claris 8 speed, on went a Tiagra 4600... Big chainring, BB, chain & cassette are new, the rest came off eBay. Really happy with the shakedown ride, a couple of minor tweaks and it will be perfect.
I was really surprised about how much better it felt - or maybe imagination😁


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## derrick (29 Sep 2019)

Tried a demo saddle today 24 miles is not far enough, so will have to do a couple more rides.


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## HLaB (29 Sep 2019)

After a wet ride this morning I cleaned the bike and decided the front right brake pads was a little high so I lowered it to be the same height as the left pad.


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## JoeyB (30 Sep 2019)

Yesterday refitted a front disc caliper on my new winter steed as I don't think I had it correctly aligned and the disc was rubbing and making an annoying noise. Took it out for the first test ride too, seems pretty quick but worried the riding position may be too aggressive for me...only time will tell I guess.


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## ianrauk (30 Sep 2019)

ianrauk said:


> Had an annoying creak on the commuter. Thought it was the new bottom bracket I fitted last week. So off with the cranks. The BB seemed fine and didn't need tightening. Putting the cranks back on I noticed that one of the crank bolts was very loose. So tightened it up along with the other bolts. So commute tomorrow will see if the bolt was indeed the culprit.




Seem's the crank bolt was the culprit... now silent running.. wahaayy!!


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## I like Skol (30 Sep 2019)

Oops! Just dropped the back wheel out of the commuter to service the freehub and found this.....





Tyre has done about 3.5-4k and never had a puncture. Annoyingly the exact same tyre seems to be discontinued now so a straight replacement isn't an option. I would buy 2 sets if I could find some.

Vittoria Randoneuer II pro, 700x32


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## I like Skol (30 Sep 2019)

Problem sorted temporarily. Front tyre has much more life left so swapped Fr & Rr for now while I source some replacements.

I'm really surprised to get this worn without noticing, usually start picking up punctures at this stage which forces me to fit replacements.


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## Skanker (1 Oct 2019)

Not bike related but I just fettled a long tube system for blowing on my log fire to get it burning again, the smell of my big singed beard from my earlier attempt has been driving me crazy all morning!


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## freiston (1 Oct 2019)

Skanker said:


> Not bike related but I just fettled a long tube system for blowing on my log fire to get it burning again, the smell of my big singed beard from my earlier attempt has been driving me crazy all morning!


How about one of these?


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## Skanker (1 Oct 2019)

freiston said:


> How about one of these?
> View attachment 487355


I had to blow through the vent, and the fire shot back out. If I open the door to fan it the smoke would fill the room.


----------



## Vantage (1 Oct 2019)

Skanker said:


> Not bike related but I just fettled a long tube system for blowing on my log fire to get it burning again, the smell of my big singed beard from my earlier attempt has been driving me crazy all morning!



I remember my grandparents having of these.


----------



## Skanker (1 Oct 2019)

Vantage said:


> I remember my grandparents having of these.


I didn’t know people still sold those, that would be perfect!


----------



## Reynard (1 Oct 2019)

Actually, I still have bellows - we're on solid fuel heating here chez Casa Reynard.

I still do prefer just blowing on the fire, but make sure that my hair is tied back. Harder to do with a beard, I know....


----------



## Reynard (1 Oct 2019)

Skanker said:


> I didn’t know people still sold those, that would be perfect!



Check out your local recycling centre - they crop up regularly at mine.


----------



## Vantage (1 Oct 2019)

Reynard said:


> Actually, I still have bellows - we're on solid fuel heating here chez Casa Reynard.
> 
> I still do prefer just blowing on the fire, but make sure that my hair is tied back. Harder to do with a beard, I know....



Don't you shave then?


----------



## Reynard (1 Oct 2019)

Vantage said:


> Don't you shave then?



Oh, you unholy terror!!!  

I once burnt off my fringe in a school chemistry class. The stink was unreal...


----------



## Skanker (1 Oct 2019)

I haven’t shaved in a very long time, my beard is like a permanent snood!


----------



## voyager (1 Oct 2019)

Manufactured a few head lamp mounts for trikes ,using welder , grinder , old handlebar, 6mm tee and plugs .
produced a jig to make them easier . Assaulted by matt black paint , now for the cup of tea


----------



## Ming the Merciless (1 Oct 2019)

Reynard said:


> Oh, you unholy terror!!!
> 
> I once burnt off my fringe in a school chemistry class. The stink was unreal...



As long as it was only your fringe


----------



## Reynard (1 Oct 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> As long as it was only your fringe



Yeah, else it would've been a tad... embarrassing.

But then again, 80s hair...


----------



## DCBassman (2 Oct 2019)

On the Trek 800:
Front derailleur. It gave me some grief riding today, but then seemed to index perfectly. Suspicious...
Front and rear V-brakes. Needed to balance to stop some minor rubbing, although could not see any un-true-ness in wheels.
Identified the need for a new BB. Need tools first!
Replaced saddle with the Selle Royalgel one from the Scott roadie. I have a problem with the other two saddles (Trek and Norco) in that they soak up water from the atmosphere. Bike lives outside under a cover. This makes the early part of any ride somewhat...moist.  Hopefully this one won't be quite so absorbent.


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Oct 2019)

Gave the commuter a minor fettle this evening, cleaned and lubed the chain, trued the front wheel and cleaned the brakes.






Tried to true the rear wheel but the nipples and seized, I'll ride it through the winter and think about replacing the rim and spokes in the spring. Hopefully I can find a similar rim and whip the stickers off as the front is fine having only recently been rebuilt with a dynamo hub.


----------



## Pale Rider (2 Oct 2019)

So this is where the today's fettle thread is hiding.


----------



## DCLane (2 Oct 2019)

Got the final bit of glue off my son's track wheels, so the new tubs are currently 'stretching' on a pair of clinchers for a couple of days and will be fitted Thursday.

Then started to strip down the Carlton I bought a couple of weeks ago; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/carlton-catalina-or-constellation-arrived.253213/
Lots of non-original bits and the frame is mid-blue with red forks, so may be a different model from 1962 with Catalina forks. Much is very rusty!

Took the Mavic tub wheels off the probably-a-Gitane ( https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/new-arrival-gitane-or-something-else.252539/ ) to remove the old cracked tyres and the tub tyres just rolled off without any effort. I did 12 miles on them like that 
Spare Campag wheels fitted and I'll decide whether to fit some spare tubs later, or just to sell the wheels as is.

Also had a cassette sort-out with several unwanted ones to go one sale.


----------



## rogerzilla (3 Oct 2019)

Cleaned up a track fork from the Bay of Thieves. Seller didn't measure the steerer accurately and it's 3/16" short of the claimed 6", so it isn't long enough for my frame.

But...it's a truly great fork: straight, nice crown, sensible brake drop, only 677g, as light as a steel fork gets. I'll get Argos to replace the steerer tube when the frameset goes for respray.


----------



## si_c (3 Oct 2019)

Ordered a replacement set of brake pads for the new Trek, it's been a couple of years since I fettled rim brakes and I'd forgotten that you don't need to take the pad retaining grub out entirely and that if you do they are a pain in the arse to refit.

New Koolstops fitted though replacing the stock Tektro pads which I'm not a huge fan of - they're hard wearing but they don't provide the amount of control I'm used to with Discs. Now off for a ride to make sure they're toed in right.


----------



## DCLane (3 Oct 2019)

Son's Columbus X-Wing commuter got kicked at school  Rear wheel trued, front derailleur re-positioned and bottle cage tightened.

If it happens again I'll be having words with the Head. And it's a prestigious school so they won't like "school bullies damage bike at ..." headline that'll follow.


----------



## Drago (4 Oct 2019)

Rode to the Doctors a couple of villages along. Got back and the Felt was a bit grimy so gave it a clean and waxed the frame - that glossy red paint causes Y front turmoil every time I see it. Then tidied up the handlebar real estate, moved the Garmin onto the stem top cap leaving more room on the bars for the murder death kill slaughter evidence camera up on the bars.


----------



## rogerzilla (4 Oct 2019)

Faced the head tube on a track frame. It wasn't especially good before I did it, which is why the headset that came out was ruined and impossible to adjust. Lazy bike shops!


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (5 Oct 2019)

Some more work on my Aunt's 1948 Raleigh: Refitted the repainted luggage rack, repaired the bell and spent a few hours getting through several sheets of aluminium foil to polish the heavily corroded chrome up to as good a shine as I can manage. After that it all had a good wipe down with some ACF50 which will hopefully keep further corrosion at bay.

After a couple of test rides and adjustments I think it's about as good as I can get for the moment. The rear reflector lens is missing so I'll have to see what can be done about getting a new one but apart from that I'm quite pleased.

The finished article:








It'll never look like new without a full repaint and rechrome but then it would lose the originality.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Oct 2019)

Looks great. I had a similar blue and white one to ride when I was at school. Got second hand from a few roads away.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (6 Oct 2019)

Attempted to true the 27" front wheel on my Raleigh Royal, which was pretty bad when I got the bike. (to be fair, the seller was upfront about this - which no doubt contributed to the low sale price so I can't complain). I suspect the rim has taken a whack from a big pothole, or been kerbed, because I can only get it properly true with wildly variable spoke tensions. Rather than really push my luck, I've decided to tolerate a small amount of out-of-true in return for slightly more even spoke tensions. On the plus side, the roundness of the wheel is pretty good. 
Swapped on a comfortable Selle Italia touring saddle that came from a £1 donor bike and spent some time on getting the fore-aft position right then adjusting the bar height and rotation so the bar tops are parallel with the ground. Running bare alloy bars ATM, as bar tape currently on order and not yet arrived. Also tweaked the downtube shifters to give them a bit more friction so it stays in whatever gear I've selected rather than changing by itself.


----------



## Heigue'r (7 Oct 2019)

Attempted to change rear derailleur cable yesterday on the commuter,turned out to be a failed effort after losing the liner and after a couple of hours,yes hours,I gave up.This is a job that usually takes 10 to 15 mins if the old cable hasn't frayed and wrapped itself around the shifter.Took the tube(underground)to work,allways good to remind myself now and again why I commute by bike.I got in from work this eve,pulled the new cable out and started again.No more than 5 mins later it was attached and working perfect,what I was at yesterday,I have no idea.


----------



## fossyant (7 Oct 2019)

Cassette and chain degrease after this weekend's MTB'ing in Coed y Brenin and Llandegla.


----------



## I like Skol (7 Oct 2019)

fossyant said:


> Cassette and chain degrease after this weekend's MTB'ing in Coed y Brenin and Llandegla.


I oiled my chain.


----------



## fossyant (7 Oct 2019)

I like Skol said:


> I oiled my chain.


----------



## I like Skol (7 Oct 2019)

fossyant said:


>


It's ok, I wiped it clean with my old undies first....


----------



## tom73 (7 Oct 2019)

Given the Ribble a clean ready for a full service tomorrow. 
Can’t let it go to LBS unclean can we


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (7 Oct 2019)

tom73 said:


> Given the Ribble a clean ready for a full service tomorrow. Can’t let it go to LBS unclean can we



I'm sure there's some logic to that somewhere.... I just can't seem to find it!


----------



## tom73 (7 Oct 2019)

well for one it keeps the car clean , two I’ve not given it my normal all out clean just a quick clean so still something for them to do. Three I don’t work on a grotty bike so I don’t expect others to. Not to mention the next time I want something going I’m more likely to get done cheeper or for free.


----------



## Browser (7 Oct 2019)

Hardly any of the following strictly _needed_ to be done, but I'm an inveterate fiddler and can't help myself.............
Fings wot I 'ave fettled on my new-to-me M5 M Racer.

Moved the seat back as I am several inches taller than the previous owner.
Fitted a Schwalbe Durano Raceguard 700c x 28 rear tyre.
Swapped the Schwalbe front tyre (40mm wide from memory) for a Durano Raceguard 1.1"/28mm.
Fitted flexible noodles to all brake and gear cables at the handlebar controls as the cables as-fitted had some awful tight-looking bends. Took the adjusters off the gear & brake levers/shifters as the brakes already had in-line adjusters and the gear-cables now have too, as the fitted adjusters were far too fiddly to use with the crowded M5 dashboard and my big mitts!
Removed the boom, cleaned the very (very) slight amount of dirt/corrosion off the tube and refitted, adjusting it several cm out to suit my limbs.
Fitted non-QR skewers for added security if leaving it in town. I always have a multi-tool with me with allen keys so it's no hardship. They've got nice red-anodised end cups, so I've decided that this will be the colour of all future fastenings if I can get them 
Still to do;

Fit some extra links of chain to bring the rear mech arm back to a more sensible angle whilst accommodating the boom being further out for my limbs!
Make new, taller adjusters for the rear seat mount to raise the seat up to 23 degrees (maximum according to M5 I believe) from 19 degrees. This is recommended on most 'bent forums 'til you get used to riding them  Already have the Delrin bar for this, just need to nab the lathe at work for an hour tonight/tomorrow.
Fit recently purchased full-length mudguards and to-be-delivered-tomorrow Topeak Master Adaptarack (disc).
Make high-rise front R.H. seat bracket to allow.......
.....fitting of twin idler under the seat. I'm sure chain tube works very well but it's offends my mechanical sensibilities  Only time will tell if I needed to have bothered! 
Fit replacement anodised red stainless screws to various parts of the bike as I'm a tart 
Move the existing bottle cage to behind the seat and fit the two cages taken off my DF at the now-vacant lower mount and it's mirror the other side, as they were bought specifically to work with the stainless water bottles I insist on using. The moved cage will hold the recent;y-purchased Zefal bottle cage-fitting placcy tool pod.
I'm getting into this whole 'bent fettling thing, as there seems to be fewer conventions about what you can/should/should not do, which suit an interfering type like me down to the ground


----------



## Skanker (8 Oct 2019)

I have been fettling with solar today. 
I now have so much power my batteries are still charging in the pouring rain!


----------



## ColinJ (8 Oct 2019)

With the weather on the turn and the nights drawing in, I decided that I need to get my old Basso ready for turbo trainer action. It was getting clunky last winter - worn jockey wheels, worn rear mech etc. I had forgotten that the bike has semi-horizontal rear dropouts. I noticed today that they looked suitable for a singlespeed conversion. I have been getting on well with my Specialized singlespeed bike on the road and fancy similar simplicity for turbo use. I can vary the resistance on the turbo so I don't need gears on the Basso and it isn't needed for road use now so no point in keeping all the old worn parts on it. I took those off and gave the chain a superficial clean. The bike itself could do with a good clean but I wanted to get it on the work stand and try to see if I could singlespeed it without using a chain tensioner (or the old rear mech to do that job)...

It turns out with the worn chain I can just get it to work with the wheel axle at the front of the dropouts. I could really do with putting a half-link in the chain to be able to move the wheel back a bit, but I think I will get away with it for now. I'll buy a half-link soon.

It is nice and quiet with the chain going directly round the ring and sprocket, and no tensioner/derailleur involved. I may eventually decide to use the ss Basso on the road, and the Specialized (with its slightly noisy chain tensioner) on the turbo. I can sort that out later.

The little screws for the back of the dropouts are missing - the ones used to adjust how the rear axle sits in the dropouts. I have a vague memory of the frame having those when I bought it. I am a bit of a hoarder so they are probably in a tin or a drawer somewhere. I'll have a look tomorrow.

This is what the wheel looks like in the dropouts. With a half-link in the chain, I reckon the axle would move back nicely into that space. It is possible that a new chain would need 2 half-links (or leave one extra pair of links in the chain and swap for the half-link once the chain wore too much).









SkipdiverJohn said:


> I'm sure there's some logic to that somewhere.... I just can't seem to find it!


A mate of mine used to be a mechanic in a bike shop. They charged £25 extra for working on dirty bikes! (The reason being that they _wouldn't_ work on dirty bikes, so they ended up cleaning them before working on them and charging for that.)


----------



## Andy in Germany (8 Oct 2019)

One of the pedals on my Rando bike had been clicking with increasing frequency and the bearings felt a bit loose. I wasn't sure of the cause but I suspected they were related so I took the pedal to pieces today, re-greased it and tightened everything up.

To my absolute astonishment I managed this without losing any of the bearings.


----------



## Drago (9 Oct 2019)

Fitted a new Go Pro compatible handlebar mount to the Felt.


----------



## ColinJ (9 Oct 2019)

ColinJ said:


> It turns out with the worn chain I can just get it to work with the wheel axle at the front of the dropouts. I could really do with putting a half-link in the chain to be able to move the wheel back a bit, but I think I will get away with it for now. I'll buy a half-link soon.
> 
> It is nice and quiet with the chain going directly round the ring and sprocket, and no tensioner/derailleur involved. I may eventually decide to use the ss Basso on the road, and the Specialized (with its slightly noisy chain tensioner) on the turbo. I can sort that out later.
> 
> etc.


Aaaargh - (forgive the pun!) - that has led to a fettling chain reaction which shows no sign of abating!

The chain on the Basso s-s turns out to be badly worn and the sprocket on the bike is badly worn too. I have a replacement sprocket handy and want to put that on before replacing the chain. The rear wheel is one that I took off the Specialized s-s because the freehub needs servicing and the sprocket is worn! The reason I didn't replace the sprocket and service the freehub then was because I had ridiculously overtightened the lockring and broke my chainwhip trying to undo it!

I repaired the chainwhip and promptly broke it again... Now I need to _re_-repair it before trying what I had intended to do in the first place which is to pour boiling water onto the lockring before trying to undo it. I think that thermal expansion may loosen it enough to get it undone.

Once I have managed to do this I will put a lightly worn chain on, taken from my best bike, and put a new chain on that.

I also discovered that the chain on the Specialized is worn, and found another lightly worn chain that I can replace that with.

I don't like the handlebar on the Basso so that will have to go too. I have a vague memory of there being a spare one in a box in my cellar somewhere so I will go down there to hunt for it once I have sorted out the chainwhip/sprocket/hub/chain problems!

After that I will sort the other chains out and clean all 3 bikes.


----------



## pawl (9 Oct 2019)

Washed my knee support.Replenished my stock of Ibuprofen Twelve Hour Gel


----------



## KneesUp (9 Oct 2019)

Being used to drops, the relatively wide flat bars on the Dahon feel odd to me and are no fun in the wind. 

I use it to commute by train with a ride at either end so my usual approach to mechanical issues when commuting (lock it up, walk home then go back for it) no longer works. 

I’ve nearly solved both issues by fitting some bar ends I had in the shed which have tools in them. I’ve put them near the middle of the bars so I can get low- ish and narrow-ish. I’m sure I look a pillock but it does seem to make a difference.


----------



## Vantage (9 Oct 2019)

Took front and rear racks off the bike. It's surprising how much lighter the bike feels without them. 
Reattached the Pendle using the Bagman with some support struts I made. Didn't like it so went back to using the Carradice Classic bag rack. 
Washed the bike. 
Got some Topeak alt position cage mounts to fit tomorrow and then I'll be able to carry 2 bottles instead of 1.


----------



## rogerzilla (10 Oct 2019)

Rebuilt the rear track wheel that had a broken spoke. It's one of those curious rims with no left-right spoke drilling whether you look at the holes from the inside or outside. Not that that was a factor in the broken spoke, which went at the elbow after 16 years' hard use.


----------



## Skanker (10 Oct 2019)

I fettled a budget bike rack for my cheapo winter commute on the back of the boat, and I really mean budget, 3 bungee cords and a £6 Homebase lock!


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (10 Oct 2019)

Took my old Puch 3-speed gas pipe hack roadster to work today and gave it an overhaul at dinner time. Wheel bearings, BB, and headset all greased, and dribbled some thin engine oil into the SA hub through the gear selector plunger hole . Luckily the cotter pins came out without a fight when doing the BB, which is a good result on a 45 year old bike! When I got home this evening, I swapped the handlebars and stem over from another donor Puch 3-speed that I recently splashed out a whole pound on, as mine was so rusty the chrome was shedding off in razor sharp flakes. The new ones are just a bit pitted but not flaking. Next job, when I have the time and inclination, is to swap the mudguards, as the ones on the donor are less rusty. I'm running it without any fitted at all for now, tracker bike style!


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (10 Oct 2019)

Skanker said:


> I fettled a budget bike rack for my cheapo winter commute on the back of the boat, and I really mean budget, 3 bungee cords and a £6 Homebase lock!
> View attachment 488602


You may need a more secure lock...


----------



## Skanker (10 Oct 2019)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> You may need a more secure lock...


I have an Akita and she has her own stairs out of the boat, so they would need to sneak up in a canoe to steal the bike real quickly and quietly. 
If someone is capable of taking it without falling in the Thames or waking the dog up, and is happy taking the risk for a £50 bike, then I think they deserve the bike as an award!


----------



## EltonFrog (11 Oct 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A bit of tinkering with the Dawes Kingpin i bought recently.
> 
> Swapped the original saddle for a Brooks B17 I have spare, which really seems to suit this bike both in looks and comfort. Adjusted the chain tension. Readjusted the gears. Adjusted the brakes to try and stop them squealing. Tried cleaning and lubing the chain but it needs a new one. Made and fitted a new front mudflap to replace the shredded remains of the original.
> 
> ...



That saddle looks ACE on that bike. What did you use to make the mudflap?


----------



## Heltor Chasca (11 Oct 2019)

Fed up with the constant rain and a wet head so I waxed my favourite cotton cap. Fjäll Räven hard wax rubbed into the cap and melted through with a hairdryer. Repeated another couple of times. I get to try it tomorrow 


View: https://youtu.be/bgyaM6NJ34g


----------



## Drago (11 Oct 2019)

Installed a battery pack inside a water bottle. Looks good.


----------



## twentysix by twentyfive (11 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Installed a battery pack inside a water bottle. Looks good.


Electrolyte?


----------



## twentysix by twentyfive (11 Oct 2019)

Sharpened the chainsaw. 

Tidied up the workbench.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (11 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Installed a battery pack inside a water bottle. Looks good.



I'm surprised none of the road e-bike manufacturers have thought of doing this to create a "stealth" bike that looks like a normal one!


----------



## ColinJ (12 Oct 2019)

_Singlespeed fettling saga, episode 27:_

I repaired my chainwhip ready to have another go at removing the stuck-fast lockring. Broke the chainwhip again. Repaired the chainwhip _again _but _STILL_ can't get the damn lockring off! I actually chiselled off one of the spacers to try and loosen the lockring but it didn't help... I reckon the problem might be due to corrosion.

It dawned on me that pouring boiling water on the lockring will probably make it tighter. Perhaps I could try freezing it?

An alternative might be to bypass the chainwhip and clamp the sprocket in a vice. I don't actually own one though... It would be quite a handy thing to own so I might buy one.

PS I had a flash of inspiration - I used a Mole Grip instead of a vice to hold the sprocket. Result... the damn lockring still won't budge, but at least I am not re-re-breaking the chainwhip! I am using such a ridiculous level of force now that I am worried that I am going to wreck the wheel or injure myself if something suddenly slips or breaks. The next attempt may involve the use of a hammer!  Either that, or get someone else to hold the Mole Grip so I could try standing on the 12 inch spanner, or use something long and strong to extend the spanner (scaffold pipe!?). The lockring tool is starting to deform under the load so that itself could break.


----------



## crossfire (12 Oct 2019)

New wheel time? If it`s only for the trainer then used or cheaper? 
Just a thought
john


----------



## roubaixtuesday (12 Oct 2019)

Helping out at local "repair shop" ended up fixing the awful cheapo plastic brakes on an old ladies wheeled walking frame thingy. 

Took my own mtb wheels along and changed over to the ice spiker tyres in anticipation of winter. 

New brake blocks on the commuter but didn't have time for a new chain, tomorrow's job. 

Managed 20 miles on the tandem after, including a perfectly timed hour in the cafe while the heavens opened. 

All good!


----------



## bruce1530 (12 Oct 2019)

Mudguards back on for the winter.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Oct 2019)

crossfire said:


> New wheel time? If it`s only for the trainer then used or cheaper?
> Just a thought
> john


I'm beginning to think that myself!

A small friend was round today (5' 1" tall, probably about 50 kg in weight). I got her to hang onto the mole grips while I stood on the 12" spanner. She couldn't hold the tool down! Every time I pressed down on the spanner on one side, the mole grips on the other side went up but the lockring remained firmly locked.

Aaaaaaaargh!

I think I still have a crappy old rear wheel in the cellar. I'll check tomorrow.

Other fettling news...

I have been getting random squeaking noises from my singlespeed Specialized bike. I searched for the Usual Suspects but couldn't track down what it was. And then the penny dropped... it is due to my heels-in pedalling style.







Yes, it's a mucky left side cycling shoe. A cycling shoe which has been gently polishing a left side crank!


----------



## Elybazza61 (13 Oct 2019)

About to start re-building the X-Trail with Shimano 105 in it's new guise as all-round commuter/utility bike/gravel bike.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (13 Oct 2019)

Chain replaced, much slipping on the cassette with the new one so switched that too. 

Pedal threads re-greased, batteries in computer replaced, good to go!


----------



## Elybazza61 (13 Oct 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> About to start re-building the X-Trail with Shimano 105 in it's new guise as all-round commuter/utility bike/gravel bike.



Well partly successful for the above.

Stripped down ok but had a couple of niggles mostly due to routing of rear brake hose which took longer than expected although did manage to squeeze the dynamo cable through with it though.

Had to cut off the olive and insert to route the front hose through the fork and then realised I had no replacements to re-connect to the shifter   (just ordered some from SJS just in case Madison are out of stock).

Otherwise,rear mech on,forks cut and star nut in with stem and bars on.

So still to do;

Connect front hose and bleed both.
Fit 12mm end caps to front Hope hub.
Fit mech cable and set-up mech.
Fit rear rack and connect dynamo cable.
Re-fit bar tape and tidy all cables.


----------



## delb0y (13 Oct 2019)

Thought I'd put the original 50mm tyres back on the Toughroad, as they're a bit more winter friendly when the trails and tow-paths get muddy. Alas, discovered that the mudguards I put on after dropping some slicker 38mm tyres on earlier this summer don't have enough clearance for the 50mm tyres. So I've ordered some new 38mm tyres with a bid of tread.

Anyone know of any mudguards that can accommodate 700c 50mm tyres?

Cheers
Derek


----------



## 13 rider (13 Oct 2019)

Patched a tube after puncturing on today's ride . Also gave the zips on the saddlebag a blast of GT85 as I struggled to open them at the side of the road


----------



## cyberknight (13 Oct 2019)

placing vinyl tiles on the kitchen floor, self adhesive? right i have had to no nails glue them down 

I have also replaced the ball cock valve on my mums hot water header tank.


----------



## Skanker (13 Oct 2019)

cyberknight said:


> placing vinyl tiles on the kitchen floor, self adhesive? right i have had to no nails glue them down
> 
> I have also replaced the ball cock valve on my mums hot water header tank.


I laid some self adhesive(self pealing) tiles the other day, they now have the Evostick permanent carpet adhesive holding them in place, marvellous stuff!


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Oct 2019)

Cleaned the Harry Quinn commuting fixie and removed and regreased the quill stem (did the seatpost 3 weeks ago). Also swapped the front wheel for the dynamo one. It still needs the front light fitting to its bracket, a brake pad change and a full winterising with vaseline on all the chromed steel nuts and bolts.


----------



## ColinJ (13 Oct 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I think I still have a crappy old rear wheel in the cellar. I'll check tomorrow.


I went down there earlier and found a pile of front wheels, plus a broken rear wheel, but then, right at the bottom - a rear wheel that looked usable - yay!

It still had a cassette on it so I could choose which sprocket to use for a perfect chainline. Hang on, the freehub is kaput - I can turn the cassette in both directions! Oh, it needs servicing. I'll just whip off the cassette and give everything a good clean/lube. 

And ... of course, my bloody chainwhip needs fixing _again_! 

Guests about to arrive for curry night. It will have to wait until tomorrow now.


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Oct 2019)

If it's a Shimano freehub, black magic is required to get into it. I don't think you can crack one open with a pin spanner.


----------



## biggs682 (13 Oct 2019)

A wheel bearing day today two front hubs stripped cleaned and regreased 
A rear rim hopefully straightened 
A bike packed and boxed up ready for shipment 
So quite a good day


----------



## Nigelnightmare (14 Oct 2019)

Saturday.
ICE Qnt
Changed the front dynamo light from AXA 70 luxx to B&M IQ-X 100 luxx. Fitted & wired in a USB Werk ac.
The light is brilliant and mounted lower (16") it gives a longer beam without blinding other road users
Waiting for phone mount to arrive for proper testing.
ICE XL
Fitted & wired in (inside the frame) AXA 70 luxx + B&M topline + (front & rear lights).
Waiting for the "Sunup eco maxidyn" spoke drive rear dynamo to arrive.
Sunday 
ICE XL
Respaced a Shimano Ultegra 6500 rear hub to 135mm OLD (new axle/spacers & QR but original cones/locknuts).
Then dismantled the rear wheel, cleaned the rim an Alexrims DV15 & rebuilt using the Ultegra hub + new spokes. The old hub was a Deore FH-M510 but the cups were worn/pitted
LINEAR LWB
Renewed the steering/Handlebars bearings, fitted new barends & mounted the brake levers and gear changers to them.
Repaired the butchered Mirrycle bar end mirror.
The previous owner had tapped out the captive nuts to M4 for some reason! then used "Glue" instead of "Loctite".
They made a right mess of it managing to break the arm at the bolt, I replaced the captive nuts & put in new bolts.
I had to cut the broken end of the arm off and drill a hole for the connecting bolt. It's now about 10mm shorter But it works as it should.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (14 Oct 2019)

CarlP said:


> That saddle looks ACE on that bike. What did you use to make the mudflap?


Thanks.

The mudflap is made from damp proof course. After seeing it suggested elsewhere I got a roll to experiment with and it seems a pretty good material for the task - rip resistant and just the right flexibility. By the time it's shaped to fit you'd have to look quite closely to know it isn't a pukka one.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 Oct 2019)

I started work on both my Bianchi Squadra and my old Giant Chinook today. The Chinook was an old base model MTB. But the frame is 23", and I have all the parts from a smaller Giant MTB that is newer, with indexed shifting and more than 10 speeds.


----------



## EltonFrog (14 Oct 2019)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Thanks.
> 
> The mudflap is made from damp proof course. After seeing it suggested elsewhere I got a roll to experiment with and it seems a pretty good material for the task - rip resistant and just the right flexibility. By the time it's shaped to fit you'd have to look quite closely to know it isn't a pukka one.



What a great idea.
Did you know there’s a Kingpin group ride on Sunday?


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (14 Oct 2019)

CarlP said:


> What a great idea.
> *Did you know there’s a Kingpin group ride on Sunday*?


I didn't know. I'm afraid I have plans for the weekend though.


----------



## Leaway2 (14 Oct 2019)

ColinJ said:


> _Singlespeed fettling saga, episode 27:_
> 
> I repaired my chainwhip ready to have another go at removing the stuck-fast lockring. Broke the chainwhip again. Repaired the chainwhip _again _but _STILL_ can't get the damn lockring off! I actually chiselled off one of the spacers to try and loosen the lockring but it didn't help... I reckon the problem might be due to corrosion.
> 
> ...


Did you succeed? Decatlhon sell a solid alternative to a chainwhip. Being a single speed it may not have the correct tooth number.

Edit: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/chain-whip-cassette-remover-id_8309913.html


----------



## ColinJ (14 Oct 2019)

Leaway2 said:


> Did you succeed? Decatlhon sell a solid alternative to a chainwhip. Being a single speed it may not have the correct tooth number.
> 
> Edit: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/chain-whip-cassette-remover-id_8309913.html


Thanks for asking... I finally succeeded just now and am celebrating with a pot of coffee!

I gave up on repairing the chainwhip, though I will repair it again later for routine maintenance. This job clearly needed a chainwhip on steroids so I made one which would be up to the task in hand. Or rather - _foot_! I hammered the bottom of the sprocket into a big piece of timber and screwed a length of chain over the top of it. 








I balanced the timber on the edge of a patio and put one foot on that to stop it moving. I then stood on the 12" spanner with my other foot. It took some bouncing on the spanner to finally get something to give...

... which was a tooth on the sprocket, which I managed to snap off! I tried again a couple of times and I finally felt the lockring move. Hoo-bloody-ray!

It took quite a bit more effort to unscrew the lockring; there did seem to be some corrosion involved in the problems I'd been having.

Anyway, I got the old worn sprocket off. The broken tooth didn't matter because I was replacing the sprocket. I put the new one on, reassembled everything and replaced the wheel in the dropouts to check that I'd got the right number of spacers either side of the sprocket. (I had broken several spacers with my muscular efforts over the past few days and had to hunt around for replacements. I might have cocked up the sprocket alignment and spoiled my perfect chainline.)

Nope, the sprocket was perfectly positioned. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to service the freehub while I had the chance... Oh, FFS!!!!!! 

Back to _DIY-chainwhip-on-steroids_... 

Fortunately, it all came apart properly this time - no messing about for days. Sure enough, the hub's internals were full of gunk so I cleaned everything, gave it all a very light lube, and reassembled it. Put the spacers and sprocket back on - again - and replaced the wheel in the dropouts.

I then replaced the badly-worn chain with a lightly-used chain with plenty of life left in it. I had calculated that if I cut the replacement chain to one pair of links more than the original, then I would probably be able to slide the wheel axle to the back of the dropouts to tension the chain. Drum roll...






... perfect!  

The chain should last a long time because it will only get light use indoors on the turbo trainer bike. I will buy a half-link to use when it finally does start to elongate - by taking a pair of links out and putting a half-link in, I could slide the wheel forward in the dropouts and still have chain tension.

Now I want to replace the handlebar on the bike and get it back on the turbo trainer.

I have lots of fettling to do on my other bikes but I'd prefer to get a couple of long rides done first while we still have enough hours of daylight. One job that I shouldn't put off though is replacing the worn rear tyre on my best bike. A tiny thorn punctured it on my last century ride and I don't think that it would have got through a decent thickness of tread.


----------



## ColinJ (14 Oct 2019)

PS That Decathlon tool looks nicer than a chainwhip, though I must confess that I have never had this kind of problem when using a chainwhip before. I will just have to be more careful when tightening lockrings in future!


----------



## Heigue'r (14 Oct 2019)

Great solution @ColinJ


----------



## ColinJ (14 Oct 2019)

Heigue'r said:


> Great solution @ColinJ


Thanks!

I confess that I was not only relieved, but chuffed that my idea worked.

One thing that I forgot to mention in any of my posts on the subject for anybody who hasn't done this job before ... It is very easy for the tool to slip out of the lockring when you are trying to undo it. If you look at my photo of the DIY chainwhip, you can see the answer to that problem - use the quick release to hold the tool in place!


----------



## crossfire (14 Oct 2019)

So there is a place in this life for brute force, well done. It was only trying to test your ingenuity.
I always think close pass drivers are just trying to see how good I am, same as when I was a bus driver, badly parked cars were just testing my skills


----------



## ColinJ (14 Oct 2019)

crossfire said:


> So there is a place in this life for brute force, well done. It was only trying to test your ingenuity.


Well, it was my own hamfistedness that had created the situation in the first place.

It was only a cheap 10 year old Mavic Aksium wheel so it wouldn't have been worth spending significant money on sorting out the problem. I decided I would use whatever force was necessary to either sort it out or kill it completely!


----------



## crossfire (15 Oct 2019)

ColinJ said:


> sort it out or kill it completely!
> that showed it.


----------



## tom73 (15 Oct 2019)

Mrs 73 happily shredding away then informed "we need a new shredder" 
Had a play around and nothing then a quick check of the plug ... bingo a loose wire a quick turn of the screwdriver and mrs 73 is back happily shredding once more  Sure know how to treat the Mrs


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (16 Oct 2019)

Yesterday, fitted a turbo trainer tyre and indexed the gears on the turbo bike. Also put new brake blocks on the rear of my daughter’s bike.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Oct 2019)

I replaced the single-sided SPD pedals on my (road) singlespeed bike with double-sided ones. I just nipped out to the shops on that bike and it is much better when clipping in and out in stop-start traffic. I'd had a couple of near-misses trying to clip in quickly to sprint round a roundabout. Now I can just put my shoe on the pedal and clip in without having to mess about flipping the pedal.


----------



## fossyant (16 Oct 2019)

Nothing yet, but contemplating stripping the old Diamond Back MTB and dropping the frame off for powder coating and tarting it all back up with new cables all round ! What colour ? It's currently a darkish blue - either a slightly brighter metallic blue, or possibly a metallic dark gunmetal - all super glossy.


----------



## Leaway2 (19 Oct 2019)

I put a cheeky bid on EBay for some Cane Creek cross tops and got them for £8. Just got round to fitting them today.


----------



## sleuthey (19 Oct 2019)

Got there in the end:




Cut off the corner of the pedal (bottom left in pic) with a hack saw to get a sturdier wrench onto it. 




The first spanner was branded Hilka


----------



## delb0y (19 Oct 2019)

Put some winter tyres on the Tough Road.


----------



## sleuthey (19 Oct 2019)

After replacing the pedals thought I'd cleanse my bike tool bag ie. Get rid of all the crap that's unecessary. Whittled it down to this:


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (20 Oct 2019)

Made the decision to change the stem on my Raleigh Royal from the 100 mm it came with to an 80 mm one I harvested off a cheap donor Carlton. I've also shifted the saddle back about 1/4", so the net reduction in reach is 1/2", which doesn't sound much but is noticeable all the same. I don't like riding stretched out, preferring to be as upright as possible, so I've also maxed the stem height to the safety mark. Aero it isn't! 
When I've finished faffing around with the exact position of the brake levers, I'm intending to wrap the bars as my tape has now turned up from China.
One thing though, I'm going to wrap from top down, as it's a Raleigh, but if standing straddling the crossbar looking forwards, should I do the wrap from the rear towards the front wheel, or should I stand in front of the bike and wrap the tape towards the rear? Is one way superior to the other for making the tape stay put when being grasped during riding??


----------



## EltonFrog (20 Oct 2019)

I took everything off my bike today for a deep clean before I put all new Ultegra components on it some time this week.


----------



## Heigue'r (20 Oct 2019)

Had a little look at my new frame,half wishing I had everything to start the build,just waiting on shifters and deraileurs,will be di2 but undecided on dura ace or ultegra,I suspect it will be dura ace to match the crankset and brakes.


----------



## EltonFrog (21 Oct 2019)

Started putting new Ultegra components back on the bike, new chain set, derailleur, front mech, levers, new callipers, 11 speed cassette, and serviced and refitted the headset.
Just got to cable everything up now.

























Edited to add; I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing, good job for the Zinn book and the interweb.


----------



## cyberknight (21 Oct 2019)

new spoke for my rat bike, had to replace the nipple too as the spare spoke was a thinner gauge or the old nipple has a stripped thread as it would not bite the threads.


----------



## DCBassman (22 Oct 2019)

Am unable to resist the siren call of the Scott roadie, despite the shoulder problems. So, what can I do to reduce the problem?
Raise the bars a bit, for a start.
Just recently, I returned this bike to stock, bar the flat bars. So I decided to return the gearing to 11-34t, and keep the Sora drive train by use of a hanger extender. I also stole the Zoom stem from the Trek and returned that to quill stem. Pics:
Sora





Zoom





Trek





I'll ride the Scott for a bit, and if I can cope, then I'll transfer the 9-speed setup from the Trek, if possible still using the Sora kit.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (22 Oct 2019)

You've gone back to a quill stem?? Didn't you know that quill stems only belong in museums, and are only fitted to the worst sort of BSO? At least that's what some people would have you believe!


----------



## EltonFrog (22 Oct 2019)

I’ve been out feckin about for hours trying to get gears aligned to no-feckin-avail.


----------



## MichaelW2 (22 Oct 2019)

I fished out the end of the split pin of my Shimano mech disk brake pads and bent them up using my Leatherman Mini pliers.
How important is the split pin. Does everything just fall off if you forget it?


----------



## DCBassman (22 Oct 2019)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You've gone back to a quill stem?? Didn't you know that quill stems only belong in museums, and are only fitted to the worst sort of BSO? At least that's what some people would have you believe!


I had an A-head converter on it. The whole shebang of converter and stem added a pound of weight. So my museum piece is really a weight-weenie modification!


----------



## DCBassman (22 Oct 2019)

CarlP said:


> I’ve been out feckin about for hours trying to get gears aligned to no-feckin-avail.


My apologies, the bodged Sora setup above took 5 minutes to index, much to my surprise!


----------



## Jenkins (22 Oct 2019)

Chains cleaned (again!) on the Spa and the Ventus commuter, then new brake pads Kolstop Salmons) all round on the Ventus.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (22 Oct 2019)

Claude Butler washed after the muddy roads yesterday, actually the wheels were the worst part. Back to looking like new. Typical, today roads were dry as a bone.


----------



## IBarrett (22 Oct 2019)

On my ride at the weekend I thought I was going mad, then figured out my saddle really wasn’t pointing directly forward. It hadn’t half made my backside sore though.
When I got home I had a quick fiddle with the seatpost and found it was the head of the post which I could move.
Today I had a good wrestle with it and managed to pull the head clean out of the post, still attached to the saddle.
Tomorrow I will araldite it back in and hope that fixes it for good.


----------



## CXRAndy (23 Oct 2019)

Managed to fit my 50t chainring to my triple Deore crankset. A few little derailleur adjustments
Originally had 48/36/26 but now 50t on an triple Di2 XTR front derailleur-allegedly only goes upto 40T


----------



## dave r (24 Oct 2019)

Minor fettle for me today, my geared bike was checked cleaned and had the pump and saddlebag removed, then it was put in the back of the shed for the winter. My fixed was pulled out from the back of the shed, had a clean and check over, the pump and saddlebag fitted and a new chain fitted ready for a winter running round Warwickshires leafy lanes.


----------



## biggs682 (24 Oct 2019)

Just a new rear tyre fitted on my R.E.W fixed


----------



## Heigue'r (24 Oct 2019)

Fitted some new tyres to new wheels,cut the steerer tube and saddle post to length on new frame.Installed fork,headset and stem.


----------



## voyager (24 Oct 2019)

finished fitting a tongsheng tsdz2 e assist to an ice Trike, made battery mount , stub handlebars and display mount.


----------



## si_c (24 Oct 2019)

Fitted a new front disc rotor on the Kinesis - braking has been a little shoddy compared to what I'd expect so measured the rotor thickness - 1.25mm - Shimano suggest no less than 1.55


----------



## crossfire (25 Oct 2019)

fitted new back wheel to Scott mtb (after turning QR skewer opposite way, lever now on left side), new shifter for RD now have 8 gears on cassette replacing 6 on freewheel. Then Carrera had 2 new tyres fitted, after Qr changed sides. Only have to fit new shifter for FD on Scott, and I think I may be happy - oh want new bars but that can wait, time for a sit down and tea.


----------



## Elybazza61 (25 Oct 2019)

Stripped the LB Robinson ready for re-building to then sell.

Also the Di2 bits and Hope calipers will go on the new Ridley Kanzo.





















Frame will need a good de-grease and clean before fitting the 105 groupset and Archetype wheel set .


----------



## Shearwater Missile (26 Oct 2019)

After establishing that my intermittent rattle was from the front mudguard I had the front wheel off and mudguard. Washed the said mudguard of all the crud and cleaned forks. Now for the rattle. I put a piece of handlebar tape between the fork and the mudguard, refitted and tightened stays. As they say " the proof will be in the pudding", will leave for testing tomorrow as i don`t fancy going into the wind today.


----------



## pawl (26 Oct 2019)

Renewed front and rear mech cables Now Rutland cycles have finally decided to deliver my bar tape re taped the bars 
Seven days to deliver the tape Had to ask for notification of delivery and then tracking number Company very good at loading my inbox with flash sales Will not bother ordering on line from them again


----------



## Mike_P (26 Oct 2019)

New tyre and new Joe's No Flats inner tube on the rear wheel of my ebiked hybrid, good job I had the inner tube as the not so old one on the wheel had plainly worked as it was welded to the old tyre


----------



## Heigue'r (26 Oct 2019)

Fitted handlebars,brake calipers,shifters,derailleurs,brake cables,inners and outers,drilled handlebars to take bar end junction for di2,ran all di2 cables,fitted bottom bracket and crankset.Hoping to adjust front derailleur height shortly,fit the chain, wrap the bars and fit pedals,waiting on 2 bottle cages which should arrive tomorrow and that should be it for the new build.I had to steal a front brake caliper recessed nut off another bike for the time being as the one supplied was too short.


----------



## geocycle (26 Oct 2019)

Replaced internal hub cable and shifter cables on rohloff. Have done these a few times before but this time I wasted two cables by cutting them too short. Turns out I’d got the cables mixed up!


----------



## HLaB (26 Oct 2019)

It must be true what they say about certain rim/tyre combos. I put some tubeless continental 5000 on some prime wheel and they went on incredibly easy. The wheels were set up with tubeless rim tape so all I had to do was insert the valves. Which subsequently accepted the syringed sealant with no mess (other valves clog up and spill sealant). Its the easiest and cleanest I've ever been with a rim and a tyre and an hour later they are still holding air fine. I'll leave it a bit and if they are still ok I'll put a cassette on them and use them


----------



## ColinJ (26 Oct 2019)

HLaB said:


> It must be true what they say about certain rim/tyre combos.


It _IS _and I just had the opposite experience! 

I now have blisters on my right hand from trying to put a new tyre on without using tyre levers, and when I gave up and used levers I destroyed 2 tubes with them!


----------



## Vantage (27 Oct 2019)

@DCBassman are those marks indents from something or bits of tape? 




If dents, I'd be seriously worried about using the bar. If that snaps...


----------



## DCBassman (27 Oct 2019)

Vantage said:


> @DCBassman are those marks indents from something or bits of tape?
> 
> View attachment 490702
> 
> If dents, I'd be seriously worried about using the bar. If that snaps...


They're just old sticky marks, I should get around to polishing them out...


----------



## Heigue'r (27 Oct 2019)

Bartape on this morning and done.


----------



## Gravity Aided (27 Oct 2019)

I'm doing a stem extender for the Bianchi, as i don't have a stem long enough for it.


----------



## si_c (27 Oct 2019)

Front wheel on the MTB had play under braking so took it off and checked the cones. All ok - turned out to be a loose rotor bolt - my own fault for not torquing the bolts properly. 

Took the opportunity to clean the axle and pack more grease in as sounded a little dry.


----------



## HLaB (27 Oct 2019)

HLaB said:


> It must be true what they say about certain rim/tyre combos. I put some tubeless continental 5000 on some prime wheel and they went on incredibly easy. The wheels were set up with tubeless rim tape so all I had to do was insert the valves. Which subsequently accepted the syringed sealant with no mess (other valves clog up and spill sealant). Its the easiest and cleanest I've ever been with a rim and a tyre and an hour later they are still holding air fine. I'll leave it a bit and if they are still ok I'll put a cassette on them and use them


Used them today and went through some pretty deep stuff (floods) and they were fine 👍


----------



## Shearwater Missile (27 Oct 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> After establishing that my intermittent rattle was from the front mudguard I had the front wheel off and mudguard. Washed the said mudguard of all the crud and cleaned forks. Now for the rattle. I put a piece of handlebar tape between the fork and the mudguard, refitted and tightened stays. As they say " the proof will be in the pudding", will leave for testing tomorrow as i don`t fancy going into the wind today.


No fettling today but pleased to report that the annoying rattle has gone, only rattling now is my breathing in the cold air.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Oct 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Am unable to resist the siren call of the Scott roadie, despite the shoulder problems. So, what can I do to reduce the problem?
> Raise the bars a bit, for a start.
> Just recently, I returned this bike to stock, bar the flat bars. So I decided to return the gearing to 11-34t, and keep the Sora drive train by use of a hanger extender. I also stole the Zoom stem from the Trek and returned that to quill stem. Pics:
> Sora
> ...


And the Scott is working well! Me likey.


----------



## crossfire (27 Oct 2019)

No bike fettling today, had to clear a slow draining sink in the bathroom,after trying some HG drain unbocker, which didn`t do much, tried rodding with curtain wire and only succeeded in making it a total blockage. So had to loosen sink so I could take out pedestal and undo trap, downstairs to kitchen sink, backflush and out popped lots of long hair, and half a toothbrush. Problem solved, reassemble and check it works, then tea, and relax. Bike waiting for tomorrow, new shifters for front FD and a test run.
john


----------



## netman (27 Oct 2019)

Fresh 25mm tyres on the steel single speed winter commuter - quick brake adjustment and lights added for clocks going back...


----------



## EltonFrog (27 Oct 2019)

Cleaned my Kingpin cos it got wet and muddy yesterday, I also noticed that the rear brake calliper was loose so I sorted that out and checked the front too.
Annoyingly I noticed I have lost the stopper to the oil port cap on the SA rear hub.


----------



## delb0y (27 Oct 2019)

New front mudguard on the Tricross, today. Rear one still to do...


----------



## crossfire (28 Oct 2019)

Further to my lack of bike fettling, on checking the trap this morning I discovered a leak, after numerous attempts to tighten and fail, decided to buy a new trap (it is over 10 years old ) thankfully found the identical item in Screwfix. Ordered online and will pickup and fit tomorrow - not in a good enough mood to try today. Using bath taps tonight.


----------



## TheDoctor (28 Oct 2019)

I have replaced a shower pump. I have successfully mixed water and electricity, and not blown the house / myself up.
*prouds*


----------



## Vantage (29 Oct 2019)

Washed the bike as it got proper muddy yesterday. 
Had the fit a new front mudguard as I broke the one that was already on during washing it 
Fettled filling my new panniers.


----------



## crossfire (30 Oct 2019)

Further to the saga of the basin, new trap fitted - still leaks, took plughole off and found not enough plumbers mait and a crack in the tube. New plughole purchased as well as Plumbers Gold and a basin cone fitted as per "Ultimate Handyman" on YouTube. 3 tests and no leaks yet! We are sure it would have been quicker and easier to fit a new basin.
I am now going to retire from DIY, and start saving to GAMI (get a man in) for the next job.


----------



## tom73 (30 Oct 2019)

Given the spa a clean and after trying to get the cassette of the turbo wheel ready to swap over and not having much luck. Plan B changed over the tyre. Now all ready for turbo duty just been to sort out the the trainer, check the projector set up and it all set to go. 
Think the weekend going to involve a bit of a work out


----------



## Heltor Chasca (30 Oct 2019)

In a bid to get my power further forward over the BB, I put a 20mm longer stem on and moved the saddle 20mm further forward. 30 minutes on the turbo tells me it’s comfy, but it'll need a 200km+ ride to tell me the real truth.

Previously my saddle was supported right at the front of the rails so the saddle was way back. Also the stem was very short. It now ‘looks’ less awkward. Over the last couple of years I have been putting in the mileage and I have gradually been able to stretch out more.

All I have hopefully done is pivot myself forward. If anything, the handlebars are ever so slightly higher due to the extension of a 6 degree stem. I’m not expecting any discomfort, just a smidge of extra power. It’d be interesting to hear what the bike fit gurus on here think.

(And my Quad Lock fits better and is lower down)


----------



## Elybazza61 (31 Oct 2019)

Yesterday was new bearings in the X-Trails free-hub.

Also sorting Di2 cabling and other bits on the Kanzo build.













Was on the point of cutting the carbon steerer but got waylaid by actual shop work


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (31 Oct 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Faffed about with _SWMBO_s Boardman hybrid
> 
> I fitted a rear reflector, & a pair of side-reflectors
> Well, to be honest it already had a rear, but, it was a trailer '_triangle'_ bolted to the pannier-rack, so will have to be removed, when I fit lights to it
> ...



As the times of her leaving her Office premises are getting closer to dusk, yesterday afternoon, I bought/charged/fitted lights
2 x rear
2 x front




*Front*
_Primary_; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/bikehut-200-lumen-front-bike-light
+
_Secondary_; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...r-slim-bike-light-set?request_type=bestseller
(the rear might go on her helmet)

*Rear*
2 x; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/bikehut-50-lumen-rear-bike-light


I did take my BCF card, but didn't have the 10% off voucher, but had my Blue Light card/voucher, so used that


----------



## Tom B (1 Nov 2019)

Got the bike out to take the little lad to nursery yesterday and noticed the rear was a bit low, especially with the kiddie seat on, so pumped it up to about 100. Took the lad 3 miles to nursery and it was getting soft again so got back home and had a look. Found a sewing needle complete with a bit of thread stuck in the tyre!.

Changed the tube and set off for work. grumbled for about 3 miles about what i thought was a new flat spot in the wheel. Stopped at some lights and noticed the tyre wasnt seated properly on the rim and was bulging over the edge, luckily before I got to the rough cobbles. Deflated the tyre and reseated it and gave it a squirt with the emergency co2 and got to work only 8 mins late!


----------



## Gravity Aided (5 Nov 2019)

Got the Bianchi assembled, only to find I have a pull to the left when riding. So I'll have to check the fork and headset Wednesday. This bike had been single speeded, then I now think it was in an accident before being given to the co-op. I think, at worst, that it may require a swap out of fork and headset. And it seems like a lot of mid-1980's Bianchis have newer forks.


----------



## Elybazza61 (5 Nov 2019)

Bit more Kanzo fettling today including cable tidying and routing front hose.

Sunday was swapping bits off the better half's Giant(which will be for sale) on to the old steel Trek and my X-Trail.


----------



## Tom B (5 Nov 2019)

Went out for a ride,
Finished the ride,
put the bike on the roof rack...
Went under a height restriction barrier, Removed the bike,
Swore
Removed the bike from the road.
Swore.
Removed the "bottom of the tube" Pringle from between the front forks.
Swore.
Saw damage to fork.. Swore.
Came home...
Put tyre on spare (but actually newly refurbished preferred wheel)
Was amazed wheel actually still fitted between forks...
Looked at ding in fork
Swore.
Fell over dog...
Swore
Noticed rear axle or QR appeared bent (eccentric motion when tightening QR)
Remembered that might not be new and wondered why my wheels had QR skewers in and not my security type anyway.
Put bike away.
Swore.
Made tea...
Had a bath and Put lad to bed
Came down stairs posted to cycle chat about dings in alu on the maintainance section.
Dog who was asleep in middle of living room got up looked at me, smiled in a way only dogs can, and did a dump on the carpet.
Swore...

Fml as I believe the kids say

**There may have been more swearing / swearing edited for brevity.


----------



## JhnBssll (5 Nov 2019)

Tom B said:


> Went out for a ride,
> FinisheD the ride,
> put the bike on the roof...
> Went under a height restriction barrier, Removed the bike,
> ...



 Sounds like your day has been suboptimal  Hope the damage isnt too severe


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Nov 2019)

Fitted forks, steerer, bars and seat and wheels to a new recumbent frame.


----------



## Tom B (5 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Sounds like your day has been suboptimal  Hope the damage isnt too severe



The carpet will be fine, less sure about the bike or dog!


----------



## biggs682 (6 Nov 2019)

Replaced a rear spoke


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (6 Nov 2019)

Stripped, greased and adjusted the hubs on two new rear wheels for the knockabout bike. It's a precaution I take on new cheap wheels and I'm glad I did as although there was lots of grease splurged into the hubs, almost none of it was actually on the bearings.

Just need to get tyres swapped round and once again I have a choice of wheelsets ready for whatever the winter brings.


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## si_c (6 Nov 2019)

Adjusted the compression bung in the headset - I hadn't tightened it up enough and it had pulled out a little meaning that the headset was slightly -and annoyingly - loose.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (6 Nov 2019)

Fitted new chain to my Zwift bike as I broke the chain a couple of days ago 💪

All sorted and the bike pedals smoothly (or at least my feet do...).


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## jongooligan (6 Nov 2019)

Replaced the commuter tyres on a Ridley X Bow I recently bought with some cyclo cross tyres. Put a turbo specific tyre on my Ridley Triton and did a short but intense session on the turbo trainer.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Nov 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> Got the Bianchi assembled, only to find I have a pull to the left when riding. So I'll have to check the fork and headset Wednesday. This bike had been single speeded, then I now think it was in an accident before being given to the co-op. I think, at worst, that it may require a swap out of fork and headset. And it seems like a lot of mid-1980's Bianchis have newer forks.


Found, other than the clothes washer is kaput, that the Bianchi has one fork more angled than the other, quelle surprise, so I am going to the co-op to see if they have what I need, as my own stock does not appear to have an acceptable substitute. Then I can straighten the Bianchi fork at leisure. The washing machine was actually easier to replace. I walked into Home Depot, found a clothes washer, and told the salesman I wanted it delivered at the earliest possible convenience, paid and walked out, 7 minutes. I had already shopped online, as Mrs. GA had given me her requirements. So I fettled six loads of laundry simultaneously at the laundromat near where I work this afternoon, because it's the nicest laundromat in town.


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## tom73 (7 Nov 2019)

Quick fine tune of the zwift set up every thing running nicely. Some how the 5 mins test ride ended with a bit of sweat on over an hour later


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## Andy in Germany (7 Nov 2019)

Noticed that after a week of bombing 200m downhill every day my brakes were a tiny bit soggy, enough to annoy me at any rate.

Tightened them up. It took six minutes.

I _do _like V-Brakes.


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## Tom B (8 Nov 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> So I fettled six loads of laundry simultaneously at the laundromat near where I work this afternoon, because it's the nicest laundromat in town.



When was young, so much younger I used to take my washing to the laundrette initially because it was easier than listening to my mother going on with herself. Then because the girl who worked there in the evenings was worth watching and made a decent brew.

Because my washing was 90% work uniform I even got the cost back from petty cash. I guess that's the benefit of being in charge of the petty cash.

Now I still enjoy the occasional luxury of a service wash, just the attendant is now more of a Dot Cotton type.

Slightly more back on topic,

Wee-ride kiddie seat fettled to FS MTB for emergency commuting use. It's a Pita to keep putting on and off twice a day.


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## DCBassman (8 Nov 2019)

Fettling laptops. Recently rescued an aging but perfectly serviceable Dell laptop from the dump. Have finally figured out how to get Win 10 on it, and it will become my backup machine.
Also an Asus to revive for a friend. Then put the good bits from my previous backup into the Dell, primarily a Solid State Drive.


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## Elybazza61 (8 Nov 2019)

Yesterday was spent (inbetween serving customers of course) fitting the Hope calipers and connecting and routing hoses.


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## voyager (8 Nov 2019)

Been making a pair of mudguards for the trike . Cheaper ( much ) than ICE.


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## ozboz (8 Nov 2019)

Today I fettled the disc brakes and fork problem , brakes were squeaky as hell ,I’m pretty sure now I inadvertently contaminated the pads , so bought new sets and disc cleaner so now hope fully heard the last of them !
also fixed the fork problem , I fitted some Exotic CF ones but couldn’t stop headset movement , I think it was the crown race , I had to buy one from Evans and maybe it was a bit to thin , any way I commandeered a
1.1/2 fibre washer off the plumber at work , put it on there and now it’s looking like happy days , if all is well after a bash around tomorrow I’ll buy some .04 mm shims and sort it proper ,


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## HLaB (9 Nov 2019)

During my post ride bike clean I noticed annoyingly that my relatively new chain had a twisted link. I suspected as much it threw it near end of the ride then 15mins or so later going up a hill it did it again for no apparent reason, despite it shifting fine for circa 200 miles. So a new chain was fitted and whilst I had the fettling bug new mud guards and front brake pads were fitted too.


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## alicat (10 Nov 2019)

The hall light. Sometimes it wouldn't switch on from the front door end but it would from the living room end. I noticed that the switch at the living room end was wobbly so I replaced the gubbins at the living room end and lo and behold both ends work now.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> The hall light. Sometimes it wouldn't switch on from the front door end but it would from the living room end. I noticed that the switch at the living room end was wobbly so I replaced the gubbins at the living room end and lo and behold both ends work now.



Well done @alicat: I admire anyone who can fix electrical problems without causing unwanted explosions.


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## alicat (10 Nov 2019)

Thank you, @Andy in Germany. My main aim is not to electrocute myself. I have done that once and am a little more cautious now: I put my rubber gardening shoes on first!


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## Andy in Germany (10 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> Thank you, @Andy in Germany. My main aim is not to electrocute myself. I have done that once and am a little more cautious now: I put my rubber gardening shoes on first!



Same here. In my last job I was in a team with a sound and lighting tech for whom all this was everyday. One reason we worked so successfully as a team was that I automatically referred all electrical and technical questions to him, and got him to check _everything _we planned before carrying it out.

That said, he reckoned he electrocuted himself a couple of times each year, and he treated 16 and 32a power supplies with the same suspicion that I treat 230v...


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## Gravity Aided (10 Nov 2019)

Replaced the front fork on my Bianchi with the front fork from my Corso. I kept the bicycle all Italian, although I think the Corso was a lesser Bottechia imported for Stuyvesant Bikes in N.Y.C.. Bicycle can now be ridden without the ever intensifying pull to the left. Tracks straight and true.


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## Ming the Merciless (10 Nov 2019)

BB and some lights arrived today.

Fitted new Deore mountain hollow tech BB plus old XTR cranks (from mtn bike) to recumbent. Realised I have not greased the left crank pre load bolt. So will undo and grease it tomorrow. Why oh why doesn't the instruction sheet that came with the mountain BB cover the use of the provided spacers with 68mm width BBs? Had to look that up on iPad.

Fitted two Cateye omni 5 rear lights, one to each seat stay. Will trim once mudguards fitted.

Realise I bought a top swing derailleur and it's the bottom swing version I need.

That's it as the other jobs to do would take me past sunset.


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## Rickshaw Phil (10 Nov 2019)

Finished off swapping wheels & tyres round on the knockabout bike - this gives me sets with a choice of Marathon, Marathon Winter or Snow Stud. Needing to replace one of the tubes I discovered that the unopened spare I've been carrying round for ages was damaged (looks suspiciously like someone might have been careless with a knife when unboxing them at the shop ). Good job I didn't find that out down a dark country lane.

Chain, 2 cassettes, rear brake blocks, gear cables fitted and to finish off I've finally got round to dismantling the old front wheel off my Aunt's vintage Raleigh (rim is scrap, dynamo hub could be reused), so that isn't cluttering the place up anymore.


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## alicat (10 Nov 2019)

Flushed with the success of fixing the hall light fitting and reading that 700c mudguards do fit 26" wheels, I fitted a new SKS chromoplastics front mudguard to my tourer within two hours and without Losing My Temper. This video from Rivendell Bicycle Works was a godsend. I'll even forgive them for calling them fenders.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> Flushed with the success of fixing the hall light fitting and *reading that 700c mudguards do fit 26" wheels*, I fitted a new SKS chromoplastics front mudguard to my tourer within two hours and without Losing My Temper. This video from Rivendell Bicycle Works was a godsend. I'll even forgive them for calling them fenders.



Do they really?


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## alicat (10 Nov 2019)

Yes, a post on the CTC forum persuaded me to do it: they just need persuading to go a fraction closer.


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## alicat (10 Nov 2019)

I couldn't use the proper 26" wheels ones because they are now only made too wide at P55 or P65.


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## C R (10 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> I couldn't use the proper 26" wheels ones because they are now only made too wide at P55 or P65.


Yes, I had the same problem, so just went ahead with the 700, fit no problems.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> Yes, a post on the CTC forum persuaded me to do it: they just need persuading to go a fraction closer.



Thanks for that. It's good to know because the better quality (or possibly better looking) mudguards seem to be mostly 700cc these days.


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## voyager (10 Nov 2019)

Finally assembled the home built mudguards and fitted them to the trike . works well , happy bunny


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## Justinslow (11 Nov 2019)

Took off Suntour XCM 30 fork replaced with Rockshox 30 solo, using Nukeproof bottom headset cup and bearing to accommodate the tapered steerer as the suntour was straight. Replaced 160 Clark’s rotor with 180 Shimano Slx rotor and mounting adaptor. All on my daughter cheap carrera vengeance ltd, the weakest points addressed. Stock fork way too stiff for her weight, Air fork adjustable, front brake weak now better


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Nov 2019)

A kind of pre fettle. I will be fitting hydraulic brakes to my recumbent tomorrow. I'll be cutting the hose to length and fitting the caliper and brake fixings. Not done the hose bit before so just been reading what I'll need to do and in what sequence. Seems fairly easy from the instructions, if it all goes to plan!


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## tom73 (11 Nov 2019)

alicat said:


> Yes, a post on the CTC forum persuaded me to do it: they just need *persuading* to go a fraction closer.


oh a lump hammer think I can manage that


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## TheDoctor (11 Nov 2019)

Fettled our home office outbuilding by building some stud walls. We now have an extra two bedrooms and a small lounge area, for some rellies who are staying for a bit.
To look at it another way, we embiggenned the house by 50% for about a grand and a weekends work.


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## Tom B (12 Nov 2019)

Last night.
New forks fitted, brakes bled. Tentative ride up and down the street seemed okay.

This morning removed the wheel reflector that was rattling but noticed a rather loud spoken dokey sound coming from back wheel area unaffected by pedalling / not pedaling. Too dark, wet and noisy to diagnose anything on the commute, but worrying non the less


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## Ming the Merciless (12 Nov 2019)

Hydraulic hoses cut to length and fitted to brake levers and calipers. I actually bought two lots of hydraulic hose and fittings but have found that one hose (3m) was long enough for both front and back, once cut, plus the fittings included the parts for both front and back. So I can return the other length of hose and the fittings for a refund. Rain has come in, so recumbent retrieved from patio, and the adding of mineral brake oil, and the bleeding will have to wait. 

It was fairly straight forward and reminded me of simple plumbing jobs such as replacing a tap washer.


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## All uphill (12 Nov 2019)

Another hook is up on the wall to accommodate the latest n+1. Getting crowded in the garage now!


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## C R (12 Nov 2019)

Fixing the stitching that was coming apart in my winter gloves.


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## JhnBssll (12 Nov 2019)

Ordered some bargain Mavic Aksium disc wheels on Ebay the other day. They dont come with tyres so I decided to fit the yksion tyres from the bianchi to them and get some GP 5000's to replace them. The tyres arrived today so i whipped the wheels off and started to fit them.

Front first, and very quickly found the rim tape was damaged so decided to remove it. New rim tape hasnt arrived yet so that will have to wait for another day.

I moved on to the rear, rim tape in good condition this time so tyre fitted and inflated. All good until I went to spin the wheel to distribute the sealant and found the bearings to be far less than optimal. I've left that wheel off too and will investigate how to strip the hub down - it's a mavic cosmic pro carbon sl UST and has only done about 2000 miles so I'm a little surprised they feel so bad. Oh well, I'll investigate and see what is going on 







Poor little baby 

When the Aksiums arrive they'll go on the Pilot as winter wheels - the 50mm carbon rims on it currently are lethal in a cross wind  I've also taken the 11-30 cassette off the bianchi, itll go on the 50mm pilot wheels. I'll move the 11-34 on to the Aksiums and look at getting an 11-28 for the Bianchi in time for spring


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## keithmac (12 Nov 2019)

I've been on with an R1 engine, customer stripped it, tipped the cylinder head upside down (to have a look..) then swept most of the bits into a box..

Had to clean and re-shim it before even attempting to rebuild it..


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Nov 2019)

Added mineral oil / bleed brakes that were fitted yesterday. About 20mL per brake.






Fettled mudguard that I fitted yesterday but ran out of time to fine tune; to ensure no tyre rub and spacing optimal. Also added a fibre flare to the seat frame. So I now have two led lights on seat stays, a reflector on the mudguard, and a fibre flare just below the seat bag. Plenty of redundant rear lighting.






I then added some reflective tape to the cranks. No good for behind being a recumbent, but ok for forwards.






I then started adding my dynamo light to the derailleur post but the wire with the dynamo is too short. So I will need to join it to a long length so it reaches the dynamo. That requires my soldering iron but I couldn't find it. Might have to borrow one.

Since the recumbent was attached to the turbo I took the opportunity to adjust the boom, which adjusts the bottom bracket for leg length. I also adjust the handlebar height to ensure the knees did not hit them at the top of the stroke. This also involved moving the GPs so my knees did not hit the nottom of the GPS! I also fitted the front derailleur which arrived today. It's a bottom swing one, as the top swing one I got by mistake won't work with the derailleur post / crank setup.

So, all in all, a productive day. Just disc rotors and pads, the gear cabling, rear cassette and derailleur, bar tape, plus front dynamo light once wiring done. So getting closing to its first ride.


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## voyager (13 Nov 2019)

Finally made the spacer for the battery mount , for the past 3 months we have been using a rather heavy spacer made from a couple of sockets .





The new one has been machined from nylon .

regards Emma


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Nov 2019)

We all have noises coming from our bikes don`t we ? I have had about three different noises which have been hard to pin point. One was a rattle which I think I sorted as it was coming from the front mudguard tapping the fork. Another seemed to be coming from the bottom bracket but only when standing on the pedals on the right down stroke. This was more of a metal on metal sort of noise. I think that this is actually the crank on the square taper. I removed crank and cleaned with sandpaper, greased and refitted, yet to test. The third noise which I also thought was possibly the bottom bracket but now found it was from the rear hub/cassette. With the wheel off the ground and pedal spun I would get an intermittent clunk from the mech, both forward or backwards. Almost as if there was a stiff link but far more random. I checked the rear derailleur and cleaned, re-assembled but still the same. I then took off the cassette, it was a bit loose. I had always noted that there is play on the Sram cassette and Aksium hub. Rightly or wrongly before I re-fitted the cassette I put a layer of pvc tape on the hub and then the cassette to take up the play. I tightened the lockring and refitted the wheel and test. Result, no clunk. Hopefully I can road test tomorrow.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Nov 2019)

I tackle any new noise as soon as possible before it develops into anything. Generally the bikes are quiet apart from tyre noise and freehub when freewheeling.


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Nov 2019)

I agree about noises, rubber on tarmac is all that I like to hear. Maybe tomorrow that is all I will hear. I guessed that it was nothing major as it was intermittent. A good fettling day.


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## roadrash (14 Nov 2019)

@Shearwater Missile a good source of inspiration when trying to narrow down errant noises..
https://jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html
does my head in squeaks and rattles ,as above I like the sound of tyres on tarmac and the freewheel


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Nov 2019)

roadrash said:


> @Shearwater Missile a good source of inspiration when trying to narrow down errant noises..
> https://jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html
> does my head in squeaks and rattles ,as above I like the sound of tyres on tarmac and the freewheel


It used to annoy me in cars too but luckily build quality is better these days. We had an Auris that had a squeaky passenger seat only when the wife sat in it. I had two choices and on the toss of a coin the car went !


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## roadrash (14 Nov 2019)

does she know how close she was to becoming redundant


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Nov 2019)

roadrash said:


> does she know how close she was to becoming redundant


I would`nt have the heart to tell her, I love her too dearly for that !


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Nov 2019)

I also had a MK3 Escort that had an annoying "tizz" (that`s when I could hear above 10Khz) from the heating console that I never got sorted, trouble was the garage could`nt hear it but I could. That car went as well.


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## Andy in Germany (14 Nov 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> We all have noises coming from our bikes don`t we ? I have had about three different noises which have been hard to pin point. One was a rattle which I think I sorted as it was coming from the front mudguard tapping the fork. Another seemed to be coming from the bottom bracket but only when standing on the pedals on the right down stroke. This was more of a metal on metal sort of noise. I think that this is actually the crank on the square taper. I removed crank and cleaned with sandpaper, greased and refitted, yet to test. The third noise which I also thought was possibly the bottom bracket but now found it was from the rear hub/cassette. With the wheel off the ground and pedal spun I would get an intermittent clunk from the mech, both forward or backwards. Almost as if there was a stiff link but far more random. I checked the rear derailleur and cleaned, re-assembled but still the same. I then took off the cassette, it was a bit loose. I had always noted that there is play on the Sram cassette and Aksium hub. Rightly or wrongly before I re-fitted the cassette I put a layer of pvc tape on the hub and then the cassette to take up the play. I tightened the lockring and refitted the wheel and test. Result, no clunk. Hopefully I can road test tomorrow.



My Rando bike has a constant squeaky rattle because the mudguards is held on with cable ties, and the fronnt wheel still needs tightening. The Bakfiets is a full on rattle and clunk symphony and sounds like it's having a lively conversation with itself.


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## DCLane (14 Nov 2019)

Started putting together the Holdsworth Roi de Velo track bike: the spec I'll be using is different to supplied so quite a few changes are needed. New deep section front wheel fitted along with the seatpost (very fiddly saddle clamp), carbon paste applied, then a Bontrager Paradigm RL lightweight saddle.







Still to do on Saturday before a test-ride at Manchester Sunday afternoon:

50 tooth chainring instead of the 49 supplied - no option to change it in the build
Rear disc to be fitted, with a 14 tooth sprocket to go on that
Handlebars, which are currently on my Raleigh that's being raced on Friday
Probably a slightly longer, angled stem along with lowering the bar height a bit
Adjusting everything for a trial fit before the test-ride, together with taking the current Mavic Ellipse wheelset off my Raleigh Equipe for a spare wheelset.
The supplied Gipiemme Pista wheels, with tyres and a 16T sprocket will be on sale, along with the San Marco Monza saddle and Selcof bars that came with the bike. Also my current Raleigh Equipe track bike will be returned to 'stock' and on sale.


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## JhnBssll (14 Nov 2019)

More fun with wheels this evening 

I fitted new rim tape to the other cosmic then wrestled the new tyre on, snapping one of my toughest tyre levers in the process  Hopefully they'll stretch a bit now they're inflated otherwise they're not coming off again in a hurry 

Next up were the new Aksiums. I fitted the tape and valve stems then popped the yksion tyres on. These rims arent tubeless ready but I decided to try and go 'ghetto tubeless' to see how they fared. Obviously the rim well profile isnt designed to seal from flat so I had to employ the airshot inflator. Even with that I had to pump it up to 140psi to get the tyre to fully seat. It's important to note that the tyre never saw that pressure, once the airshot valve is opened the pressure drops rapidly as the tyre inflates and stabilises at around 70psi. Anyway, I got them seated and sealed and will check on them over the next few days to see if they're holding pressure.






Next I whipped the rear wheel out of the Pilot so I could swap the cassette for the 11-30 that came off the Bianchi yesterday.






I then put the hill-busting 11-34 on to the new Aksiums as they'll be my winter set for the Pilot 






Now just waiting on rotors to finish them off before I can test ride the ghetto tubeless setup. If they work reliably they'll be ideal for winter as they come on and off the rim much more easily when needed.

The Cosmics are going in to the local Mavic dealer tomorrow afternoon for an overhaul, new bearings and decals. They're a few years old now and are ready for a refresh 👍


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## dave r (14 Nov 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> I agree about noises, rubber on tarmac is all that I like to hear. Maybe tomorrow that is all I will hear. I guessed that it was nothing major as it was intermittent. A good fettling day.



At the moment both my bikes are quieter than church mice, its my cycle shoes that creak, they're quieter now than they were when I brought them just after last Xmas but still not silent.


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## Reynard (14 Nov 2019)

The left pedal (I think) on the Chartres has developed an annoying squeak. Sounds like I'm being pursued by a flock of demented spudgies...


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## Shearwater Missile (15 Nov 2019)

roadrash said:


> @Shearwater Missile a good source of inspiration when trying to narrow down errant noises..
> https://jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html
> does my head in squeaks and rattles ,as above I like the sound of tyres on tarmac and the freewheel


Thanks for the link to Jim Langley. I had a look last night but will look again as I still have the creak and I feel sure it is not the BB, FLW. At least the problem with the rear cassette is sorted. Still have the odd rattle at front, now think it is gear cabling hitting head tube. More fettling in this inclement weather I feel is coming on.


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## DCBassman (15 Nov 2019)

On today's ride, after a mile and a bit, it felt 'wrong '.
Stopped at the canal bridge. Seat post had slipped.
This also had the effect of making the mudguard slap the wheel over bumps. Adjusted back up, reset the the mudguard, and away...


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## Gunk (15 Nov 2019)

dave r said:


> At the moment both my bikes are quieter than church mice, its my cycle shoes that creak, they're quieter now than they were when I brought them just after last Xmas but still not silent.



I was also told that if your shoes squeak it means you haven’t paid for them!


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## dave r (15 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> I was also told that if your shoes squeak it means you haven’t paid for them!



I have the receipt.


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## DCBassman (16 Nov 2019)

Today's fettling will involve cleaning the bike from yesterday's ride, and building up a desktop computer for my great-nephew's schoolwork.


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## Heltor Chasca (16 Nov 2019)

Rumbling sound? What rumbling sound? 9000+ kilometres excluding turbo work. Word of the day: Brinelling. Anyway new fitting and a jam jar of grease later and we can pretend nothing ever happened. Ok?


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## Mike_P (16 Nov 2019)

Have new cassette to fit to road bike, need to resolve intermittent creek on ebiked hybrid (usually a slightly loose motor mounting bolt) and replace the lock on the ebike battery (currently any key will turn the fitted one) but having just had to use a slitting disc to get a SPD-SL to SPD cleat adapter off a shoe I think I best leave the rest alone today. An Allen key head had broken in one of the fixing screws so I had to cut a slot for a screwdriver. Replaced the unwalkable SM-SH85s with SM-SH41s.


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## Shearwater Missile (16 Nov 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> Thanks for the link to Jim Langley. I had a look last night but will look again as I still have the creak and I feel sure it is not the BB, FLW. At least the problem with the rear cassette is sorted. Still have the odd rattle at front, now think it is gear cabling hitting head tube. More fettling in this inclement weather I feel is coming on.





roadrash said:


> @Shearwater Missile a good source of inspiration when trying to narrow down errant noises..
> https://jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html
> does my head in squeaks and rattles ,as above I like the sound of tyres on tarmac and the freewheel


 I read through the Jim Langley link and now I am pretty sure what the creaking noise is. When I stand on the pedals and pushing the right side foot down there is flex in the 53 tooth chainring, I had`nt noticed it on the 39 tooth. With this flex the chain line alters so that it rubs the FD cage causing a squeak. This makes perfect sense now and I was pretty sure that it was`nt BB. I will try the trim tomorrow on the FD or just remain seated when climbing. It may also be the cause of the rattle when going over bumpy roads, the chain hitting the cage.
Thanks once again* road rash *with the link to Jim Langley`s webpage. Happy days may be here again, well quiet ones anyway.


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## Reynard (16 Nov 2019)

Well, I'm no longer being followed by a flock of demented sparrows while riding the Chartres. 

A squirt of oil on the left pedal spindle did the trick. 

Nice quiet ride to and from Tesco today.


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## voyager (16 Nov 2019)

Todays entertainment was making a storage frame for a second trike - above the lower trike. B&Q had a special on for 60 x 35 planned Wood.






It doubles as a maintenance stand.

regards Emma


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## JhnBssll (16 Nov 2019)

voyager said:


> Todays entertainment was making a storage frame for a second trike - above the lower trike. B&Q had a special on for 60 x 35 planned Wood.
> 
> View attachment 493124
> 
> ...




Neat solution, I like that  I assume you've considered building a ramp outside the window so you can ride it in and out?


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## Gunk (16 Nov 2019)

Nice simple solution


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## DCLane (16 Nov 2019)

Cleaned the Avanti Circa 1 after today's 'leg stretch' ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/2868192405

Then, with the help of my 15yo, finished the Holdsworth Roi de Velo track bike. I did the pedals plus different stem and bars, he did the chainring, rear disc and sprocket plus fitting. All adjusted to where I think it's OK prior to an hour's test at Manchester velodrome tomorrow afternoon:






At some point I'd like to get a Miche Pistard Air crankset to complete the all-black look but that's going to have to wait.


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## Richard A Thackeray (16 Nov 2019)

Chainrings off my CGR, cleaned along with the derailleurs, cassette

Then a new KMC chain fitted


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## velohomme (16 Nov 2019)

Dismantled my wheels and took the hubs and NOS Mavic Monthlery tubular rims to Pete Mathews for a wheel build. Should look great.


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## Richard A Thackeray (17 Nov 2019)

Nothing much, just washed a months road-silt & some salt, off my CGR
Also gave Senior Managments Boardman a dousing at the same time

Also put her lights on charge





Salt?
Yes, the access roads at work, have been salted since 1st November, if low temperatures are forecast
I have bitter knowledge, as I spent several years 'on-call' to plough/grit the access-roads/car-parks
(tractor drawn gritter-trailers, & a JCB to load them)





Heltor Chasca said:


> Word of the day: Brunelling. Anyway new fitting and a jam jar of grease later and we can pretend nothing ever happened. Ok?
> 
> View attachment 493059



_Br*i*nelling_
Nothing to so with Isambard


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## Heltor Chasca (17 Nov 2019)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Brinelling
> Nothing to so with Isambard



Yes. No. Yebbut. Sorry, my phat phingerz.


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## voyager (17 Nov 2019)

brunelling - sticking a lump of bridge beside a road


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## Richard A Thackeray (17 Nov 2019)

voyager said:


> brunelling - sticking a lump of bridge beside a road



Rather oddly, there's an IK Brunel cartoon strip, in this months 'Viz'


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## Mike_P (17 Nov 2019)

Well of the list of things to do I had forgot the front mudguard on the ebike hybrid had a broken fork leg fixing. So a new fixing made out of a length of a thick metal heavy duty flat strap originally sourced from B&Q, a fair section of it already being on the ebike as a double thick motor mount across the chain stays replacing the original that too easily bent. Coat of Matt black enamel and who can tell the difference...


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## Heltor Chasca (17 Nov 2019)

Mucking about with the fit of my tourer. (Surly DT) It needed a longer stem and to move the saddle very slightly forward. That was it. It’s a very comfy sofa-tank. And the front hub bearing needed tightening an ickle bit.

Put it on the turbo to hone this all in and get an hour’s work done. I might even take it on a 200km audax this coming weekend.


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## voyager (17 Nov 2019)

Workshop lights were on todays to do list , 2 sets ( total 4 ) of 72led 12v caravan style strip lamps fed by a 12v car battery that is being recharged by a 100w solar panel .
Job done , sorted


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## derrick (17 Nov 2019)

Absolutely nothing, Having a lazy day,


----------



## Tenkaykev (17 Nov 2019)

A simple job, remove the factory fitted protective tape that goes under the frame hook on my Brompton and had gone manky, and fit a piece of " Helicopter Tape" 
How can it take so long to get my fingernail between the backing strip and the tape? 
Still, all done now and almost invisible 👍


----------



## Elybazza61 (17 Nov 2019)

Started re-build of the better-half's brothers Orange he picked up from his local tip;





















Cleaned up headset and fitted come Rock Shox forks,single chainring and bash guard.Also SRAM 9-speed shifter and mech.
Need cables needed plus pedals and grips.Also need a seat-post but do have a saddle .


----------



## fossyant (17 Nov 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> Started re-build of the better-half's brothers Orange he picked up from his local tip;
> 
> View attachment 493270
> 
> ...



Someone threw an Orange in the tip.......


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## Elybazza61 (17 Nov 2019)

fossyant said:


> Someone threw an Orange in the tip.......



It was in that London,,,,,

It's actually in good nick, just a bit scruffy:bb and headset are all good and any bolts I've had to remove have been fine.


----------



## fossyant (17 Nov 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> It was in that London,,,,,
> 
> It's actually in good nick, just a bit scruffy:bb and headset are all good and any bolts I've had to remove have been fine.



Good find though.... crikey....


----------



## Dogtrousers (18 Nov 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Rumbling sound? What rumbling sound? 9000+ kilometres excluding turbo work. Word of the day: Brunelling. Anyway new fitting and a jam jar of grease later and we can pretend nothing ever happened. Ok?


Zoinks. I noticed my front wheel was a bit grumbly on Friday night. As I was riding on Sat I just squirted a bit of new grease into it without looking too hard and re-adjusted it so it neither grumbled nor wobbled when clamped in the fork. I really should disassemble it properly and have a proper look

(Is Brunnelling a word? Is it like rumbling brinnelling?)


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## LeetleGreyCells (18 Nov 2019)

Added the new SKS Raceblade Pro XL mudguards time the Fuji today. I was expecting it to take at least an hour based on experience fitting mudguards to bikes before. It took me 5 minutes 

The real test is how they perform on the road. We’ll see.


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## voyager (18 Nov 2019)

With the lamps completed (earlier post) , we turned our attention to an indoor bench , its going to be warmer than using the picnic table that had doubled as a bench through the summer. 
Now we have a Calor heater as well as double glazing , we should have a warm workshop for the winter months.


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## Heltor Chasca (18 Nov 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> (Is Brunnelling a word? Is it like rumbling brinnelling?)



I think we should make it a word. It’s better. (Not fed up at all with my phat phingerz. I blame them)


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## Andy in Germany (18 Nov 2019)

I've been making Christmas decorations out of old bicycle chains. Does that count?

When I work out how to make something from brake cables and wheel spokes I'll be sorted for all my Christmas presents; forever.


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## voyager (18 Nov 2019)

Nice one Andy


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## DCLane (19 Nov 2019)

Woke up to a flat cross tyre on my Avanti Circa winter road/cross bike's Bontrager wheel. So ... put a Fulcrum 5wheel on with cross tyre.

Only it wouldn't fit.

So adjusted the brakes.

Which wouldn't adjust.

20 minutes late setting off to work meant I had to take the 'dangerous' route down a 70mph dual-carriageway into Leeds


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## voyager (19 Nov 2019)

Bypasses and major A roads are never a nice commute to work , especially when you are late .


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## Reynard (19 Nov 2019)

Fitted reflectors to the pedals on the Chartres, and removed the bell.

The joys of riding a shrunk-in-a-boil-wash bike, there's not enough real estate on the bars to have two lights *and* a bell. I can either run two lights or one light and the bell. But as I likely won't be making any more cycle-based trips to Cambridge until the spring, the bell can come off until then. Two lights on unlit country lanes are much more useful.


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## Andy in Germany (19 Nov 2019)

Reynard said:


> Fitted reflectors to the pedals on the Chartres, and removed the bell.
> 
> The joys of riding a shrunk-in-a-boil-wash bike, there's not enough real estate on the bars to have two lights *and* a bell. I can either run two lights or one light and the bell. But as I likely won't be making any more cycle-based trips to Cambridge until the spring, the bell can come off until then. Two lights on unlit country lanes are much more useful.



I'm a fellow "Shrunk-in-a-boil bike rider and I see the problem. Fortunately our bikes all have dynamo lights mounted on the frame so the bar real estate is relatively unsullied. 

A bell is theoretically mandatory though.


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## Mike_P (19 Nov 2019)

Reynard said:


> Fitted reflectors to the pedals on the Chartres, and removed the bell.


Could the bell fit elsewhere? or even upside down under a light


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## Reynard (19 Nov 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> I'm a fellow "Shrunk-in-a-boil bike rider and I see the problem. Fortunately our bikes all have dynamo lights mounted on the frame so the bar real estate is relatively unsullied.
> 
> A bell is theoretically mandatory though.



LOL! It's not an issue on the road bike, but it is on the hybrid, where I have trigger shifters. I do have a damn good yell though. 



Mike_P said:


> Could the bell fit elsewhere? or even upside down under a light



Now that's a thought... I'll have a look to see if it's workable.


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## dave r (19 Nov 2019)

Reynard said:


> Fitted reflectors to the pedals on the Chartres, and removed the bell.
> 
> The joys of riding a shrunk-in-a-boil-wash bike, there's not enough real estate on the bars to have two lights *and* a bell. I can either run two lights or one light and the bell. But as I likely won't be making any more cycle-based trips to Cambridge until the spring, the bell can come off until then. Two lights on unlit country lanes are much more useful.



What you need is a bar extender


View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topeak-BarXtender-Handlebar-Extender/dp/B00JQN1KG0


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## Reynard (19 Nov 2019)

dave r said:


> What you need is a bar extender
> 
> 
> View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topeak-BarXtender-Handlebar-Extender/dp/B00JQN1KG0



Oh.

I didn't even know such a thing existed. 

Every day is a school day here on CC. Thanks @dave r


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## Andy in Germany (20 Nov 2019)

Reynard said:


> LOL! It's not an issue on the road bike, but it is on the hybrid, where I have trigger shifters. I do have a damn good yell though.



Poor communication on my part. I should ave made it clear that a bell is theoretically mandatory _in Germany_, so I have to find space for it.


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## Low Gear Guy (20 Nov 2019)

I have lubricated the D lock. I no longer look like I am picking the lock.


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## Low Gear Guy (20 Nov 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> Poor communication on my part. I should ave made it clear that a bell is theoretically mandatory _in Germany_, so I have to find space for it.


One of my bikes has the bell on the quill stem.


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## Dogtrousers (20 Nov 2019)

Low Gear Guy said:


> One of my bikes has the bell on the quill stem.


I have one on the inside of the head tube. Just up from the down tube shifters


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## Tom B (20 Nov 2019)

The rivets i ordered to repair my SKS Chromoplastics a week ago arrived yesterday.

Before fettling I decided that the mudguard being pretty filthy needed a wash, around the same time i noticed the parts washer (aka dishwasher) needed to go on. So I popped the guard in the top try and popped it on a economy 50ºC cycle. 
I now have a mudguard that fits the top drawer of the dishwasher wonderfully - but fits the bike less well. Upside it that it is clean.
Some time was spent with a hair dryer, buckets of boiling water and a heatgun making it roughly, very roughly bicycles shaped again.

Rivets did the job well and its back on the bike.

That ten min job took much longer than expected.



Andy in Germany said:


> --snip-- bell is theoretically mandatory _in Germany_, so I have to find space for it.



I'm sure i have seen bells that fit on the top / replace the stem cap.
I have knog Oi which is quite narrow and was bought for its space saving qualities - if this is an option dont get the knock offs, they're a poor economy.


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## Tom B (20 Nov 2019)

... And then after clicking submit, on the above post, I remembered i had a spare guard anyway.


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## Dogtrousers (20 Nov 2019)

Tom B said:


> I now have a mudguard that fits the top drawer of the dishwasher wonderfully - but fits the bike less well. Upside it that it is clean.
> Some time was spent with a hair dryer, buckets of boiling water and a heatgun making it roughly, very roughly bicycles shaped again.


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Nov 2019)

New gear cable outer due to be delivered today. Hoping it is early enough that I have time to fettle ahead of tonight's social ride (on diff bike)


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## PeteXXX (20 Nov 2019)

Loose grub screw holding the rear mudguard to the frame, noticed whilst cleaning the bike. 
Wheel off, area cleaned and dried, then a spot of loctite and a twiddle with a 5mm Allen key. 
Sorted.


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## DCBassman (20 Nov 2019)

A Swiss Army Knife...and it reminds me, I need to buy a cheap toothbrush to do the job even better next time, on this and the seven other pocket knives I discovered in the course of gathering the bits for the job...
Cutlery...


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Nov 2019)

Well the outer cable for gears didn't come but my butted crimps with shrink wrap for joining my Dynamo wires together did. The original wire not long enough to reach hub from the mount on my recumbent derailleur post.

So I've joined the wires together, mounted light on derailleur post, and added shrink wrap to the carbon fork to keep it all nice and neat.

So lighting now complete on new recumbent. I have a backup be seen Cateye Omni 5 mounted on the steerer tube in case of Dynamo failure.

Span the wheel a few times before completing fettle in case it wasn't working. All good. Just need to add gear cabling and chain and we are good for first ride.


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## Gunk (21 Nov 2019)

Saw this idea on the front door of a bike shop in France. I managed to pick up a nice Cannondale Si crank which had a stripped thread for next to nothing, so decided to fit it in my sons bedroom.

I used some cut down pieces of seat stem to space it, and some smaller spacers I had lying around In the garage. It’s secured with a coach bolt.


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## Andy in Germany (21 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> Saw this idea on the front door of a bike shop in France. I managed to pick up a nice Cannondale Si crank which had a stripped thread for next to nothing, so decided to fit it in my sons bedroom.
> 
> I used some cut down pieces of seat stem to space it, and some smaller spacers I had lying around In the garage. It’s secured with a coach bolt.
> 
> ...



Best. Handle. Ever. Brilliant idea. 

You could even have a latch opening version.

Now, where can I get me a spare crank?


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## voyager (22 Nov 2019)

Todays project was to make a loft hole cover , We cut up a corrugated cardboard TV box and glued the front and back together at right angles for additional strength and painted it with white emulsion. A cheap fix for a warmer workshop.


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## pawl (22 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> I was also told that if your shoes squeak it means you haven’t paid for them!



Hell my dad has come back to haunt me


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## voyager (22 Nov 2019)

pawl said:


> Hell my dad has come back to haunt me


and if you wear though the soles of your shoes before the rest wears out you will live to spend all your money.

All the old ones come out here !!!!!!!


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Nov 2019)

Fitted front derailleur cabling and checked shift was ok from small ring to large (it's a triple). Will sort limit screws once chain fitted. Fitted rear derailleur cable, with inline barrel adjuster. I have a few metres of gear cable outer and cut as required. Also fitted bar tape and steerer spacers once handle bar height confirmed. Rain stopped play whilst cabling rear derailleur so that'll have to wait till tomorrow for completion.

Left to do. Finish off rear gear cabling. Add disc rotors to front and rear wheels. Fit brakes pads (off whilst adding mineral oil / bleeding brakes to avoid contamination), fit cassette to rear wheel. Then fit chain, fine tune rear derailleur, and bike is ready for its first shakedown ride.

Oh and brake cables got pulled whilst steerer removed to fit spacers. So I'll pull the cables back into place to give a nice symmetric look. Not a functional just aesthetic fettle.

Bike is recumbent by the way. The seat doesn't have feet on the ground that's the turbo feet the bike is attached to whilst I sorted the fit. Will weigh slightly less than my road bike.


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## Shearwater Missile (22 Nov 2019)

A little bit of carpentry today. We have a bird feeder which I wanted to attach to a concrete post as we`d had the fence and post replaced in the summer. Two pieces of wood, one screw and glue, a few chamfers and a touch of pain and we are done. Luckily the post already had two holes pre-drilled so I was able to attach using cable ties. To think that I obtained a CSE grade one in woodwork 44 years ago. Mind you I think that a mortice 
and tenon joint would have been lost on the birds, perhaps a dovetail joint would have been better ! Just need the feed and the birds.


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## JhnBssll (22 Nov 2019)

I recently noticed when building my Pilot frameset up that the hydraulic hose exited the rear caliper at an annoying angle. It hangs with the caliper at head height so ever since then I've seen it every time I've walked past 😖











Anyway the other day I noticed the hose on the rear caliper of my Methanol exited at 90 degrees to that of the Pilot and that on this bike this created an upsetting S bend in the hose before it went in to the chainstay...






The answer was obvious, swap the fittings  I removed both hoses and fittings and then cleaned them thoroughly. The Methanol's brakes use Dot 5.1 and the Pilot's use mineral oil. Popped the 90 degree fitting on to the Pilot and bled the brakes through with my mineral oil kit...











Perfect! Next I put the straight connector on the the Methanol and bled them through with the Dot 5.1 kit...






Not as neat as the Pilot but better than it was  Overall a good fettle!

While I had the bleeding kit out I also bled the brakes on the Oltre as I'd noticed the front was playing up a bit, feels solid again now  Not sure why it had gone spongy but I'll keep an eye on it.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Nov 2019)

I've clipped the rear brake hose to the frame using the supplied fixings. I've added the disc rotor to the front wheel, removed spacer and fitted front disc pads, aligned caliper via loosen bolts, apply brake, tighten bolts, and also adjusted wheel bearings as slightly too loose.

Now having a break and lunch.

After lunch. Cassette and disc rotor on rear wheel. Fit rear derailleur. Fit chain. Cut final length of gear cable outer, clamp inner cable and tune rear derailleur.

Then new recumbent build will be complete. First test ride tomorrow as that fits better with my wife's plans.


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## JhnBssll (23 Nov 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> I've clipped the rear brake hose to the frame using the supplied fixings. I've added the disc rotor to the front wheel, removed spacer and fitted front disc pads, aligned caliper via loosen bolts, apply brake, tighten bolts, and also adjusted wheel bearings as slightly too loose.
> 
> Now having a break and lunch.
> 
> ...



Pretty exciting times then! Looking forward to some pics when it's ready for it's maiden voyage


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## Shearwater Missile (23 Nov 2019)

After yesterdays muddy ride (on roads I may add) I thought I`d better give the chain a good clean and lube. Whilst I was about it I removed the chainrings and cleaned those also, realizing how whippy the FSA 53 tooth is, obviously not as bad when mounted. The creaking noise I mentioned a few days back was the chainwheel on the front derailleur so pleased to find the culprit. As I had already washed the bike after the ride yesterday there was`nt much more to do other than a bit of polish and wipe over of the wheels and spokes. At least it will be clean ready for the next sortie !


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## JhnBssll (23 Nov 2019)

I've got this to deal with later 












Maybe I should have added the mudguard bosses to the frame afterall


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## Shearwater Missile (23 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got this to deal with later
> 
> View attachment 493912
> 
> ...


It would be a good idea. I went many a year without guards, only fitting them in 2017 and I thought why on earth did`nt I fit them before ? Nice bike by the way.


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## dave r (23 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got this to deal with later
> 
> View attachment 493912
> 
> ...



I've been cycling this morning, my fixed is similarly mucky, and I have mudguards on it.


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## dave r (23 Nov 2019)

After a morning pootling round mucky lanes my fixed has had a wash and the chain adjusted.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Pretty exciting times then! Looking forward to some pics when it's ready for it's maiden voyage



Post lunch fettling.

Bolted rotor on rear wheel and fitted cassette. Removed spacer and put brake pads in. Fitted wheel back in frame. Disaster rotor was catching caliper. After a diagnosis of what was happening realised I had a 140mm IS / post mount adapter on rear. Rang local bike shop and they had a 160mm adapter in stock. After them setting it aside I pedalled across town on the Brompton to buy it. New adapter bolted on, and caliper bolted to that. Wheel refitted and success, as above loose caliper bolts, pull rear brake, tighten bolts, release brake.

Cut a length of outer gear housing for the rear derailleur bit. Trimmed shorter a few times, before finally happy, ferrules fitted, and cable clamped.

The last bit, fitting the chain. The recumbent requires approx 2.5 chains. So I joined three chains together with quick links. Threading the chain on a recumbent is slightly more involved as you have idlers and chain catchers to route correctly around. I looked at the manual that came with frame set for that. The chain seemed to have this amazing ability to form mini loops by itself. Finally threaded through and final quick link to complete the loop. Chain on big big, same as you'd do on a road bike. All joined but derailleur not in position I wanted. So chain slightly too long. Not sure how that happened. So I'll probably disconnect a quick link tomorrow and take the extra links out. If I don't do that tomorrow it won't get done.

Rain and losing the light stopped final checking gear shifts, setting limit screws, trim cables and fit end caps, end caps on mudguard stays and insulation tape on unused rear Dynamo light terminals to prevent shorting.

Maiden voyage tomorrow once I've shortened the chain a little more.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got this to deal with later
> 
> View attachment 493912
> 
> ...



My new recumbent build has a rear mudguard. Unfortunately the front carbon fork doesn't have eyelets for guards. It does have the hole at top of fork crown. Being 406 wheel up front I doubt I'll find a race type guard fitting. But the back is the main one I wanted to keep the recumbent seat clean.


----------



## Jenkins (23 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got this to deal with later
> 
> View attachment 493912
> 
> ...


Similar conditions to those that produced your mucky bike over the past couple of weeks is why today was a bike maintenance & cleaning day for me. 

The Spa and Ventus that have been most used were treated to a full clean, frame polish and cleaning/lubing of the chain, while the Giant flatbar got the same treatment plus a new bottom bracket and a change of tyres to a pair of Schwalbe G-One Speeds ready for the winter. The good news was that the G-Ones at 35mm fit under the Raceblade XLs fitted to the Giant.

And the shed floor was then swept to clear up all the dirt removed from the bike frames & wheels!


----------



## Gunk (23 Nov 2019)

Picked up a scruffy B’twin Mountain bike this week for free, so this morning I spent a couple of hours preparing it for sale. It was seriously neglected, typical thrashed and trashed teenagers bike.









I don’t usually jet wash bikes but with this one I didn’t really have a choice, it came up well though and after a good service it’s not too bad. Weighs a ton though, I can’t understand why it has to be quite so heavy!

But fingers crossed, I think we’ve sold it already.


----------



## Illaveago (24 Nov 2019)

I was playing at repairing some rusty areas on my old Falcon yesterday and came across a problem which I have never encountered before .
I've had to treat several areas as apart from looking bad I discovered that the rust was starting to pit .
Treating the rust wasn't the problem. It was trying to match the existing paint which has proved to be a bit of a nightmare!
The colour is a greenish candy blue . I made an approximate match using a green and a royal blue candy.
The rusty area was treated and primed in the normal way and a base layer of bright silver was sprayed on .
The next stage is where I ran into problems. Applying the colour!
With metallic and straight colours once you have built up enough coats to cover the colour remains the same .
With candy colours each coat will darken the previous colour. 
This is where my problems started. I had to spray on enough coats to cover the bright silver and achieve the correct colour . But in doing so the overspray was also darkening the surrounding colour. This wouldn't be a problem using normal colours as the overspray wouldn't darken the existing colour except if the colour was wrong. A method of fading would sort out any miss match by either arcing the spraygun or thinning the paint to blend the colours in .
This method hasn't worked on my frame and has created a halo effect of a dark edge to the repair which then fades into the existing paintwork.
It reminds me of a problem one can get when spraying silver which can leave a dark edge to a repair .
As I say this is a new experience which will need some thought !
One solution would be to do complete sections only by getting the colour spot on before lacquering .
I thought I would share this headache !


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## JhnBssll (24 Nov 2019)

I didn't get round to cleaning the Veturi yesterday so gave it some TLC this morning instead. I also took the opportunity to put the new wheels in and relegate the deep section ones to the spares hook for the winter  They may still be promoted back to primary wheels if the new centrelock rotors don't arrive this week but they should be here any day now 

I think it looks rather nice still with these wheels 






I'm a bit dissappointed with the quality of them unfortunately - I picked them up second hand but unused, which was clearly the case, but the rear had a couple of loose spokes and wasn't dished correctly 😖 This only became obvious when I spun the wheel in the frame and a couple of spokes pinged off the brake caliper  On inspection it wasn't sitting centrally in the seat stays either so out came the spoke key 











Once I'd corrected the wheel the chain went back on and she got put back to bed 






Once the rotors arrive I think I'll take the first few hundred miles fairly easy since the wheels are a) ghetto tubeless and b) of questionable heritage  Maybe they weren't quite the bargain they seemed to be but only time will tell  Fortunately the front wheel is straight and true so I've not had to touch that


----------



## keithmac (24 Nov 2019)

Welded a minibus inner wing today, first time using gasless mig wire in my trusty 20 year old welder and it went very well!.

Bit of cardboard template first and jobs a good one.

Not as nicer finish as gas but more than adequate!.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (24 Nov 2019)

Finished recumbent build.

So basically front and rear gear tuning and cable cutting, end caps on. End caps on mudguard stays. Shortened chain by 6 links as slightly too long when fitted yesterday. Seat lace tightened, and zip ties fully tensioned for securing front of seat to frame.

Initial test ride reveals (in no particular order). Super super comfy despite lack of supension. It just soaks up the holes with nothing harsh being transmitted to me through seat or bars. I'm going to love riding this bike, feels like piloting a fighter jet. Lighter than my road bike, and just as fast uphill, faster all other terrain. Easy to balance riding one handed and brief brief bit of no handed as well. Took weeks to get that far with previous recumbent. Feels higher up, and better in traffic for seeing what's happening than my previous recumbent. Can balance down to about 2mph. Forgotten how awesome hydraulic brakes feel having not ridden my mtn bike for a while. Glad I opted for them when choosing the components I wanted to build with.

Snags to be sorted. Left hand electrical tape securing bar tape needs tacking to seal the ends down. Need to play with boom length, and clamping bolts as slipped under load on first hill I was powering up. Rear gear cable tension needs a minor tune as derailleur not perfectly aligned below cogs. Mirrors on handlebars need some rubber shims to stop them slipping round.

But overall I have a super wide grin on my face. What an ace bike I've built from the frameset, super comfy and more aero than any road bike out there.


----------



## Tom B (24 Nov 2019)

Cleaned and relubed my everyday bike.

Touched up a few of the scratches. 

How long has Barry Manilow been making bike paint?


----------



## Mike_P (24 Nov 2019)

Fitted the road bike with its new cassette; slight panic when the Aldi tool kit only referenced a flywheel tool but it fitted okay and was fooled by the lockring seeming not to loosen when it fact it had. Carefully slotted on the rings of the new cassette and found the lockring would not tighten - um,.. something obviously not right with the rings. Fiddled with them and suddenly whatever was causing them to be too wide overall disappeared and the lockring tightened


----------



## Andy in Germany (25 Nov 2019)

I had a puncture. On my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. as well.

It was too cold to faff about in the garage so repaired it in the apartment, which also meant the first use of the small touring pump.

On closer inspection the culprit turned out to be a drawing pin.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (25 Nov 2019)

Fettled the alignment of the front Dynamo light on my newly built recumbent. The light is German , bolted to the frame, has a strict cutoff to prevent dazzling. 

Armed with a multi tool, and head torch I rode down to the local park. The local park is perfect, as it has a narrow path covered in leaves, with no light. It's also pretty quiet this time of night.

The light was angled too low which meant it was only lighting up about 2 metres ahead. I changed the angle so the light now points 10 metres ahead. This is as recommended by the light manufacturer and what the light reflector is designed for.

The back of the light now touches the FD derailleur clamp. So I need to get the extension bracket to move the light forward and up. Otherwise all good and orientation of light will be fine for social ride Wed night.

The twin rear LEDs looked great nice and bright. I didn't turn on the fibre flare as well for this short ride.


----------



## Gunk (26 Nov 2019)

Fitted an iPhone mount to my new road bike.

I’ve used these Topeak mounts for a while now and they’re great quality.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (26 Nov 2019)

I was going to shim the mirrors on the recumbent. But realised they could be attached outboard of the brake lever clamps without interfering with braking or where I hold the bars. The bar tape has thus acted as the shim. Will check alignment with view behind on next ride tomorrow.


----------



## Arjimlad (27 Nov 2019)

Put new chains on my Giant Revolt and my son's Subway, but we both had skippy gears so last night he had a new freewheel and I a new cassette. Giant Bristol supplied Sunrace parts, first time I've used those. Had to put the cassette lockring tool in my bench vice, and exert much force on the whip to release my old one. 

The new cassette is extremely shiny!


----------



## DCBassman (28 Nov 2019)

Some time back, while fiddling with the satellite receiver (faulty), I tried to reconnect the dish with the power on. Scratch one quad LNB.
The other day, I picked up a basic HD Freesat box new for nothing (coupons), so decided I'd better get a new LNB, a whopping £14.99 for a piece if low-noise satcomms gear that, back in my RAF days would have cost probably well into six figures. Such is progress...
I live in a first floor flat, but my dish is close to the walkway, so thought I'd give it a go and see if I could do it without bottling (don't like heights) or having to call in a pro.
Armed with my trusty Bekvam step stool and an 11mm combination spanner, it took me about twenty slow and steady minutes to complete the job, and I confess to being inordinately pleased with myself!


----------



## Ming the Merciless (28 Nov 2019)

Fitted a couple of water bottle cages to my recumbent. Having seen the crap on the frame from lack of a front mudguard during yesterday's rain. I'm going to fit a front mudguard which needs a stay adapter on the axel. Awaiting front mudguard now.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (28 Nov 2019)

Replaced the rear derailleur outer cable as I have been having the odd problem shifting up again recently. Inner was fine as was the outer near the shifters. Hardest part is alignment again, only a road test will prove 100%. Whilst I was doing this Mrs S came in to the garage with a package that had just been delivered, a ha ! my rubber sheet for a mudflap. It is handy having a forward address to the garage ! 
After the gears aligned I set about measuring and cutting the new flap, attaching it to the existing one. Hopefully it will be long enough to sort out the bit of spray I get on the feet and chain rings. This was made out of 1mm rubber sheet, a bit flexible perhaps but we shall see. I really need some black bolts, don`t I ?


----------



## Gunk (28 Nov 2019)

Changed the 12 year old tired Juicy Carbons on my lads Giant Trace Advanced





For a set of SRAM Level TLM’s, big improvement.


----------



## keithmac (28 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> Changed the 12 year old tired Juicy Carbons on my lads Giant Trace Advanced
> 
> 
> View attachment 494585
> ...



My lad would be all over that!, is it carbon frame?.


----------



## keithmac (28 Nov 2019)

Ducati 999 service and belts today, genuinely shocking how much you have to take off to do a proper service!.


----------



## Gunk (28 Nov 2019)

keithmac said:


> My lad would be all over that!, is it carbon frame?.



It is.


----------



## keithmac (28 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> It is.
> 
> 
> View attachment 494598



Lovely bike!.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (29 Nov 2019)

Fettled the mounting of the front Dynamo light on the new recumbent build. See attached photo.

Fitted a Terracycle stub to the light brazing. This is approx 30mm across and has diameter the same as normal sized handlebars. An M5 bolt goes through the light brazing, purple arrow. The brazing is threaded so you need to use an Allen key to turn it. Awkward at first at Allen key handle was hitting front derailleur , but I managed it. You then bolt a cover and hex with a spanner. You then attach the other half of the mount by bolting another cover on end with another M5 bolt, that goes into a thread in the hex, see yellow arrow. The manufacturer assumes the mount will be a certain thickness. Fortunately I had spare longer M5 bolts to cater for a wider light mount brazing on the frame. 

I then have a R&M handlebar mount designed for mounting B&M Dynamo lights on a handlebar. I bolted that to the Terracle mount, see blue arrow for arm of this mount . Then the light (green arrow) bolts to the other end (yellow arrow) of this mount.

The result is that the back of the light no longer touches the derailleur clamp. This was a potential point of failure from vibration related contact. Plus I can now also rotate the light alignment properly for the road. I'll check alignment on a ride down the park tomorrow night or Sun night.

With recumbents you don't mount lights on handlebars as it either leads to it just illuminating your legs, or you point it so high it dazzles others and doesn't provide useful light on the road.

Tomorrow front mudguard arrives. The carbon forks don't have a tab for mudguard stay attachment. So initially I just added a mudguard to the rear. But riding in the wet twice this week has revealed the folly of this. I have mud splattered all up the lower side of the frame including a pump mounted there. It would also hit water bottles when mounted under the seat. I've also been getting my splatter on the face and my jacket when riding. So I've found some PDW adapters that go between the QR and fork dropout to provide a mudguard stay bolt mount. So a goodly amount of cleaning tomorrow, then front mudguard on. Clean bike and clean me even in wet weather.


----------



## Gunk (29 Nov 2019)

keithmac said:


> Ducati 999 service and belts today, genuinely shocking how much you have to take off to do a proper service!.
> 
> View attachment 494597



Always had a soft spot for the 749/999 any piccies with the clothes on?


----------



## iandg (29 Nov 2019)

Recently bought a rack fitting Son rear Dyno light so fitted the carrier and light and wired it all up to the existing front.


----------



## Andy in Germany (29 Nov 2019)

iandg said:


> Recently bought a rack fitting Son rear Dyno light so fitted the carrier and light and wired it all up.
> View attachment 494732
> 
> 
> ...



Oooo. Nice. 

Also: Surly Envy.


----------



## JhnBssll (29 Nov 2019)

Bit of storage fettling today. I spotted wall hooks on sale at planet-x for £1.99 each so took a punt. The Oltre will stay in her spot on the other side, the turbo bike will stay out and the brompton will be kept elsewhere so I ordered six. Is it possible to have too many bikes? 

Anyway they arrived yesterday so I had a play this afternoon. I was quite surprised to find they even came with wall plugs and screws at that price. I fitted two first to see if they were going to be any good...







... and was pleasantly surprised! They were a bit tight on the 2.6x27.5" mtb tyres but they fit and hang nicely. With the experiment a success I drilled 16 more holes, knocked in 16 more wall plugs and tightened 16 more screws until I was left with this...






Essentially I now have 6 bikes neatly stored and easily accessible in a space that previously had 4 piled on top of each other. Great success and a thumbs up to planet-x for the bargain price!


----------



## Andy in Germany (29 Nov 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> Bit of storage fettling today. I spotted wall hooks on sale at planet-x for £1.99 each so took a punt. The Oltre will stay in her spot on the other side, the turbo bike will stay out and the brompton will be kept elsewhere so I ordered six. Is it possible to have too many bikes?
> 
> Anyway they arrived yesterday so I had a play this afternoon. I was quite surprised to find they even came with wall plugs and screws at that price. I fitted two first to see if they were going to be any good...
> 
> ...



Your garage looks better organised than my living room.

Thankfuly we live in a region where crime is low, bikes are unattractive to thieves and garage doors are _massive_, so locking the bikes down isn't necessary.


----------



## EltonFrog (29 Nov 2019)

Tried and thus far failed to take off the inner chain ring from the outer, one of five bolts will NOT come undone. Grrrr.


----------



## keithmac (29 Nov 2019)

Gunk said:


> Always had a soft spot for the 749/999 any piccies with the clothes on?



I'll try and take one tomorrow, this is other half of it!.


----------



## Justinslow (29 Nov 2019)

Cosmetic fettling, colour coded decals to the new Rockshox fork that I fitted to my daughters bike to brighten it up a bit!


----------



## pawl (30 Nov 2019)

voyager said:


> and if you wear though the soles of your shoes before the rest wears out you will live to spend all your money.
> 
> All the old ones come out here !!!!!!!




Haven’t heard that one before.


----------



## Mike_P (30 Nov 2019)

Freezing if sunny outside so finished fettling a composite image of my UCI photos by adding riders names and the event plus a couple of graphics and, eventually, a successful print set in a poundland frame.




Strictly Dame Sarah Storey (top left) should not be on it but needed a British winner on it. The alternative I discovered this week could have been Tom Pidcock for being the Strava KOM on the "Worlds climb full", the climb up Cornwall Road from Oak Beck Bridge and then through the Pine Woods which oddly has never previously been a single segment. 2 mins 21 apparently.


----------



## robgul (30 Nov 2019)

At long last I've rearranged my workshop - for bicycle storage plus bicycle work bench with tool board - and a woodwork bench and machinery area (table & chop saws, drill press, sanding/polishing/grinding machinery - drawers for tools). Still some stuff in boxes to sort but it's getting there 

Rob


----------



## palinurus (30 Nov 2019)

Put a Marathon + on the rear wheel of the commuter. Fairly hard work- although not as hard as anticipated.

Hope I never have to get the bastard off at the side of the road when it's minus three. If it's as good as the Specialized Infinity it replaced chances are I won't need to.


----------



## Gunk (30 Nov 2019)

robgul said:


> At long last I've rearranged my workshop - for bicycle storage plus bicycle work bench with tool board - and a woodwork bench and machinery area (table & chop saws, drill press, sanding/polishing/grinding machinery - drawers for tools). Still some stuff in boxes to sort but it's getting there
> 
> Rob



Photos Rob, Photos please


----------



## Ming the Merciless (30 Nov 2019)

Checked rear derailleur on new recumbent build as seemed like it was skipping in lower gears. Looks like new chain needs shortening as derailleur too close to cassette in certain lower gears. A job for Monday as have a longish ride tomorrow. At least with bar ends I'll know what combinations I'm in and can avoid the duff ones.


----------



## robgul (1 Dec 2019)

Gunk said:


> Photos Rob, Photos please



.... possibly - when the stuff is all sorted and I've painted the concrete floor (the bike area has some rather splendid heavy duty plastic checker-plate industrial floor tiles that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle) . 

Today's task is to fix a new power point next to the hanger that the Orbea ebike resides on and make a start on the remaining sorting - too cold for riding 

Rob


----------



## Gravity Aided (1 Dec 2019)

Working on getting recumbent ready for the road, but need to _lengthen_ my chain.


----------



## keithmac (1 Dec 2019)

More welding and fabricating panels today on the Transit (bloody freezing!).

Got inner wing welded then my 21 year old SIP Migmate died!, ordered a steel torch wire liner for it so fingers crossed!.

@Gunk , I'll get a better one on Tuesday, was flat out at work and it was out of harms way so didn't want to wheel it out. Roadtest on Tuesday morning hopefully!.


----------



## Gravity Aided (1 Dec 2019)

Currently, I am fettling a pot of Chilli con Carne.


----------



## Gunk (1 Dec 2019)

Nice bike.


----------



## DCBassman (1 Dec 2019)

Not a fettle so much as a calendar event, and late at that. Took lights and ass-saver off the Scott roadie and took it to the storage to exchange for the Trek 800 MTB. Still need to install the ass-saver, need a different shim for this seat-post.


----------



## Gravity Aided (2 Dec 2019)

Lengthened chain on the recumbent, and rode it for a couple of miles in miserable weather. All seems well with the recumbent. Needs lights, bell, and a flag/pennant.


----------



## DCBassman (2 Dec 2019)

Sunny but bloomin' freezin;...
Ass-saver installed on Trek. While it was on the stand, realised the jockey wheel was grumbling against the 36t sprocket. As I don't have a quick-link remover, I put the B screw back in the correct way and added a hanger extender. All good. really need to get a proper 9-speed rear mech!


----------



## jongooligan (2 Dec 2019)

Unblocked the dishwasher YEEEEUCH! Lemon pips were the culprits this time. Makes a change from pine nuts.


----------



## Reynard (2 Dec 2019)

Hmm, I *am* the dishwasher here...

Made up a gallon of 2-stroke fuel, cleaned all the oily sawdust out of the chainsaw innards and re-tensioned the chain.


----------



## Andy in Germany (2 Dec 2019)

Reynard said:


> Hmm, I *am* the dishwasher here...
> 
> Made up a gallon of 2-stroke fuel, cleaned all the oily sawdust out of the chainsaw innards and re-tensioned the chain.



That's one H*ll of a dishwasher you're repairing there. 

Or are you an Android?


----------



## swee'pea99 (2 Dec 2019)

Not today but day before y'day, daughter just about to leave when she suddenly remembered the puncture she'd meant to fix. I said that if we were lucky I'd be able to fix it in the five minutes before she'd have to cut 'n run & go for the bus. She expressed her doubts. Dun it in three! Not often you get to impress your 20 year old offspring...


----------



## Reynard (2 Dec 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> That's one H*ll of a dishwasher you're repairing there.
> 
> Or are you an Android?



No, I'm neither Data nor Lore, nor Lal... Or even Seven of Nine...


----------



## Andy in Germany (2 Dec 2019)

Reynard said:


> No, I'm neither Data nor Lore, nor Lal... Or even Seven of Nine...



I have other suspicions.


----------



## Reynard (2 Dec 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> I have other suspicions.



I love that, it's well cool!


----------



## IaninSheffield (3 Dec 2019)

My Garmin Touring Edge has been playing up for the past few months - booting into diagnostic mode. To get it to boot properly, I first had to warm it up to body temperature. (I'll leave it to your imaginations to fill in the blanks ).
Garmin Support and Forums proved ... less than helpful!
Having run out of other options, I finally decided to get a new battery. Not exactly as easy as swapping a phone battery, but not too difficult. As soon as the new battery was in and connected, the Edge sprang to life, before I'd even completed the assembly! It was almost like I'd successfully defibrillated(?) it! Anywho it now feels as though I have a new Edge  ... well apart from the few scrapes its picked up due to my clumsiness over the years.


----------



## Dogtrousers (3 Dec 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> To get it to boot properly, I first had to warm it up to body temperature. (I'll leave it to your imaginations to fill in the blanks ).


I'm thinking Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction.


----------



## C R (3 Dec 2019)

Tightened the links in my bar end rear view mirror, as they were too loose and the mirror wouldn't stay in place.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (3 Dec 2019)

Fitted the front mudguard to the recumbent. Required QR adapters to add stay eyelets, a spacer for disc brake, cutting the stays to length, and bending RH stay to ensure mudguard centred over tyre. No rubs are rattles. Jobs a good 'un and means no more mucky space or crap all over the seat and frame if it's been even mildly wet.

Also rode down local park to set alignment of front Dynamo light after moving it to a bracket over the weekend.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (4 Dec 2019)

Shortened chain on new recumbent build by about six links. The derailleur cogs were on top of the small cog in middle ring / small. Now about right and can work in big big to small small. Not that you'd want those combinations but they work on a long recumbent chain.


----------



## derrick (4 Dec 2019)

New bar tape on a friends bike.


----------



## MrGrumpy (5 Dec 2019)

Battled with the new tubeless tyres last night, won the battle eventually


----------



## IaninSheffield (5 Dec 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> As soon as the new battery was in and connected, the Edge sprang to life, before I'd even completed the assembly!


As you were. <sighs> On starting it up this morning (and being back to colder conditions) the bug has returned. The new battery didn't work at all ... so that was money well spent! 🤬 Guess I should have posted this under the thread 'What have you _*failed to*_ fettle today.'


----------



## Leaway2 (5 Dec 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> As you were. <sighs> On starting it up this morning (and being back to colder conditions) the bug has returned. The new battery didn't work at all ... so that was money well spent! 🤬 Guess I should have posted this under the thread 'What have you _*failed to*_ fettle today.'


It sounds as though it could be a dry joint on the board. Can you see the solder? If so, get magnifying glass and examine each joint. Re-solder any that look dodgy. Not having seen the circuit board this may be difficult if it is surface mount components. We usually heat and freeze the board to find the problem. This also my be difficult to isolate with it being so small.
Sorry if I am teaching my granny to suck eggs.


----------



## IaninSheffield (5 Dec 2019)

Leaway2 said:


> It sounds as though it could be a dry joint on the board. Can you see the solder? If so, get magnifying glass and examine each joint. Re-solder any that look dodgy. Not having seen the circuit board this may be difficult if it is surface mount components. We usually heat and freeze the board to find the problem. This also my be difficult to isolate with it being so small.
> Sorry if I am teaching my granny to suck eggs.


Not at all and thanks for the suggestion - a good point. The boards (there are a couple) do have surface mount components which, if at fault, are so tiny as to be beyond my dexterity to resolder unfortunately. Oh well.
What narks me more is the lack of 'support' from Garmin Support.


----------



## C R (5 Dec 2019)

The metal loop that holds the velcro strap in my right cycling shoe broke yesterday, so fashioned a new one out of some stiff wire I had lying around. Would have been a waste of shoes, as otherwise the shoes are in very good condition.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Dec 2019)

Put screws into mudguard stay fixings on the guard after deciding happy with their current position.


----------



## Jenkins (6 Dec 2019)

Swapped out the standard saddle for a Charge Spoon and fitted a Topeak DeFender M1/XC11 29" Mudguard Set on the Bootzipper.


----------



## Mike_P (7 Dec 2019)

Changed front skewer on ebike to a locking one. Admittedly only Allen key type but then if someone is going to start attacking it with an Allen key lots of parts will have gone. Left the rear as a quick release as the chain does have an occasional habit of jamming twix the freewheel and frame, and its always locked by a D lock through the back wheel and frame. The locking skewers were £3.50 from Spa Cycles so no big waste of money in only using one of them.


----------



## DCLane (7 Dec 2019)

derrick said:


> New bar tape on a friends bike.
> View attachment 495449



Cycology Frida - nice


----------



## Drago (8 Dec 2019)

Put my trusty old Garmin 200 on charge. Even if I dont use it for weeks or months I charge it for an hour or so every week, and 8 years on it's not succumbed to Edge 200 battery failure syndrome.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (8 Dec 2019)

IaninSheffield said:


> Not at all and thanks for the suggestion - a good point. The boards (there are a couple) do have surface mount components which, if at fault, are so tiny as to be beyond my dexterity to resolder unfortunately. Oh well.
> What narks me more is the lack of 'support' from Garmin Support.


From my experience with surface mounted components sometimes one end misses the solder bath. The device may work perfectly well for some time only to show up as an intermittent fault later on. When I was at work we had a magnifying device which we could use and locate a problem. Re-soldering was always a problem and a skill in itself. With todays SMD`s it is probably even harder as they are smaller than ever.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (8 Dec 2019)

Made a tool caddie out of a redundant shuttlecock holder, to fit in a bottle cage. The eagle eyed will see that the bottle hits the second cage. To overcome that I had to drill some more holes in order to raise both cages. The caddie holds a spare tube, puncture repair kit and three levers. My second tube and specs along with rubber gloves and multitool goes into the saddle bag and I still have some room in there. When I swap bikes I just take the caddie off one and onto the other.


----------



## chriswoody (8 Dec 2019)

So after yesterdays epic ride the Kona was a little mucky. So I've given it a proper deep clean today. 







After a proper wash outside I took it into the Cellar and proceeded to polish the frame with a matt polish. I also took off the pedals and as suspected there was no grease at all on the threads, so I greased them up with copper grease and put them back on. The bike is festooned with bolts for attaching a variety of things, so each one was taken off and treated to a dab of copper grease as well and then I oiled the chain. A good few hours cleaning and fettling overall.


----------



## Bad Machine (8 Dec 2019)

Hunted down the needle head pliers, and went looking for trouble .







Marathon Plus 0 : Suffolk Thorns 1


----------



## Shearwater Missile (10 Dec 2019)

New KMC- X9 on the Claude Butler after 2550 miles. Not bad really considering the wet and filthy roads. Hoping the cassette will be OK.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (10 Dec 2019)

Fitted new cleats to my summer cycling shoes as the engagement with pedal was showing the old ones to be worn.


----------



## Cambram (10 Dec 2019)

After hearing a rubbing noise from my new low cost magnetic indoor trainer I took it apart and tidied up some things and it runs okay now. Hard work though.


----------



## Bad Machine (10 Dec 2019)

Just an observation, but it might be much easier if you lower the saddle - you might not even need the stepladder ?


----------



## Cambram (11 Dec 2019)

The snag with that is I would need longer cranks.


----------



## Vantage (11 Dec 2019)

Cambram said:


> After hearing a rubbing noise from my new low cost magnetic indoor trainer I took it apart and tidied up some things and it runs okay now. Hard work though.
> View attachment 496049
> 
> 
> View attachment 496050


Was that easy to do? I gave up using mine as there doesn't seem to be any real resistance and no difference in tweaking the adjuster knob.


----------



## Cambram (11 Dec 2019)

Hi Vantage
Fairly straight forward to take apart, fettle (love that word) and reassemble. I think I traced my chafing noise down to the roller bar not being square at the ends, allowing the spacer washers to sit at an angle and touch the case as it rotated.
To get at the bits I removed the plastic covers from each end by unscrewing the Phillips head screws and pulling off. Using an allen key in one of the grubscrews holding the roller, undid the nylock nuts each end. This allows you to take off the flywheel discs and the notched aluminium disc. Then removed the two grubscrews in the roller and pulled out the spindle. Unscrewed the 2 allen screws holding the (LH) bearing and pulled that off.

I trued the ends of the roller in my small lathe although it could have been done with a file. The roller is not solid but is an extrusion with, I think, 4 slots going through it. Once that was done I went through the other bits to do a bit of deburring and balanced the aluminium plate. They had taken more off one side than the other. Simple filing cured that.

After the clean-up I reassembled the bits making sure the spacing washers at each end were not jammed in. The 2 plastic end caps have little locating projections to make sure they go on the right way. To do a trial assembly I used plain M8 nuts in place of the nylock nuts to make it easier to do the trial fit and when happy re-fitted the nylocks.

The more complicated end houses the circular magnets. The notched aluminium disc rotates between the magnets and works by, I think, producing an eddy current braking effect as the speed increases. It warms up a bit (as do I) when in use. The plastic end holding the outer magnet has a "ramp" which allows the magnet to be pulled outwards to change the gap when a cable is pulled. I haven't made a "shifter" yet to do this operation. Using the adjusting screw to lightly push the roller onto the wheel I am using the bike gears to increase and reduce the load produced by the braking effect. It makes me puff a bit, but I am old and need to get fitter.

Some of these exercisers seem to have the cable adjuster supplied with the unit but being a bit of a cheapskate I went for the lowest price! Not a difficult job to fettle. It may be worthwhile to tidy it up and see if the resistance increases.


----------



## EltonFrog (11 Dec 2019)

Brake calipers, BB cups, derailleurs, quill stem from my Raleigh Scorpio have been cleaned, fettled and lubricate.


----------



## Vantage (11 Dec 2019)

Cambram said:


> Hi Vantage
> Fairly straight forward to take apart, fettle (love that word) and reassemble. I think I traced my chafing noise down to the roller bar not being square at the ends, allowing the spacer washers to sit at an angle and touch the case as it rotated.
> To get at the bits I removed the plastic covers from each end by unscrewing the Phillips head screws and pulling off. Using an allen key in one of the grubscrews holding the roller, undid the nylock nuts each end. This allows you to take off the flywheel discs and the notched aluminium disc. Then removed the two grubscrews in the roller and pulled out the spindle. Unscrewed the 2 allen screws holding the (LH) bearing and pulled that off.
> 
> ...


Thankyou


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

There will be a new chainring going on the FS MTB this week. Noticed the large ring (2x10) is starting to get shark toothed, but shifting is OK. Looked last night and two teeth were slightly bent - wearing thin. New ring ordered via ebay for £22 (NOS). Normal 'boxed' price is £50. Not bad for 3.5 years of filth.

Wouldn't want a fully bent tooth.


----------



## Mike_P (11 Dec 2019)

New bell on ebiked hybrid this evening, 1.8 degrees


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

My new 'wash station' - spare Aldi bike hanger screwed onto the outside of the garage. Saves bending and or holding the bike. Genius.


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Dec 2019)

The Bianchi mtb doesnt shift very well between the two front rings. Theres some play in the mech which I suspect is the problem but I figured I would try and get it sat as close to the rings as possible first to rule that out. It's a real pain as the direct mount bolts are behind the chainring so the chainset has to come off before you adjust the mech  It makes it a bit more of a challenge to adjust it, largely guesswork and trial and error 

Anyway, I got it as close as I dare. If it still doesnt shift properly I'll bite the bullet and order a new one


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> The Bianchi mtb doesnt shift very well between the two front rings. Theres some play in the mech which I suspect is the problem but I figured I would try and get it sat as close to the rings as possible first to rule that out. It's a real pain as the direct mount bolts are behind the chainring so the chainset has to come off before you adjust the mech  It makes it a bit more of a challenge to adjust it, largely guesswork and trial and error
> 
> Anyway, I got it as close as I dare. If it still doesnt shift properly I'll bite the bullet and order a new one
> 
> View attachment 496197



Your cage is bent. The top edge should be level (parallel) with the mech body (same applies on electric stuff) - it's been bashed/yanked.

The outer plate profile should follow the chainring

Unless you can get a new cage, that's a full front DI2 mech... £££££


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Dec 2019)

Hmm, I dont think it's bent? This is a screenshot from Wiggle of a new one, it looks the same as mine?







I suspect it will be a new mech needed anyway due to the play in the linkages


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

I can see a massive design issue with the DI2.


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

OK Bottom of mech.. - factory is parallel yours is not...


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

Sorry, but it's been BENT.. unless you are skilled in fixing it... then stuffed...


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Dec 2019)

I still dont think it's bent 

I do think it's broken though


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

PS , get out the adjustable spanner and fix it. It's a steel cage. 

My SRAM rear mech was a bit of a surprise to me compared to Shimano. They weigh nothing, but my goodness, they break easily.... I had to bend the rear cage back straight after I put some weight on the bike with no wheels in... light weight...


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

Looking at the picture, I think the seat stay clamp has gone as the body isn't level to the tube.

PS It's £££'s


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Dec 2019)

fossyant said:


> Looking at the picture, I think the seat stay clamp has gone as the body isn't level to the tube.
> 
> PS It's £££'s



It's not mounted to the seat tube, it's a direct mount 👍


----------



## fossyant (11 Dec 2019)

JhnBssll said:


> It's not mounted to the seat tube, it's a direct mount 👍



Well , it's still looking very poorly..... I shall mourn your loss....


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Dec 2019)

I've had another look at it. It's not bent, in fact the cage is in pretty good shape. It shifts up on to the big ring fine with no problems but the slop in the linkages prevents it from shifting back down properly when theres any load on the chain. On the stand it works perfectly  I'll give it a ride around thetford forest on friday afternoon and if it's still playing up I'll order a replacement


----------



## Gunk (12 Dec 2019)

It looks like it’s had a wallop, they’re not mega bucks, personally I’d just fit a new one.

my 12 year old XTR rear mech kept playing up, I wasted bloody hours degreasing, lubricating and trying to micro adjust it, I finally came to the conclusion that it was probably bent, I replaced it with a new Sram XO Mech and the shifting quality is now perfect.


----------



## CXRAndy (12 Dec 2019)

crossfire said:


> No bike fettling today, had to clear a slow draining sink in the bathroom,after trying some HG drain unbocker, which didn`t do much, tried rodding with curtain wire and only succeeded in making it a total blockage. So had to loosen sink so I could take out pedestal and undo trap, downstairs to kitchen sink, backflush and out popped lots of long hair, and half a toothbrush. Problem solved, reassemble and check it works, then tea, and relax. Bike waiting for tomorrow, new shifters for front FD and a test run.
> john



We have the same issue once a year. I use our compressor with a blower attached. It clears all the crud out. Warning put an old cloth over the hole else all the crap will hit the ceiling and you


----------



## CXRAndy (12 Dec 2019)

@JhnBssll I have an spare front Di2 double derailleur. Make me a fair offer


----------



## keithmac (12 Dec 2019)

Gone from this,





to this





Been a right job, first engine was a write off, second one that was supposed to be a "drop in" refurbishment I ended up rebuilding after a list of faults as long as your arm!.

All good now though.


----------



## Gunk (12 Dec 2019)

That’s lovely 😍


----------



## keithmac (12 Dec 2019)

This was his last one, again a LOT of work gone into it. Unfortunately he said it was too valuable to leave anywhere and he couldn't enjoy using it.


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## Gunk (12 Dec 2019)

Mine is getting a bit too precious to use, the bodywork is now unobtainable so if you have a mishap you’re buggered. I do however try and ride it regularly, they need using.


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## keithmac (13 Dec 2019)

Gunk said:


> Mine is getting a bit too precious to use, the bodywork is now unobtainable so if you have a mishap you’re buggered. I do however try and ride it regularly, they need using.
> 
> 
> View attachment 496368



Lovely clean Fireblade!, they'll start going up in value soon for mint original examples.


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## Gunk (13 Dec 2019)

keithmac said:


> Lovely clean Fireblade!, they'll start going up in value soon for mint original examples.



This is my second, I had a tatty 1994 RR-R which I restored as an Urban Tiger using Chinese bodywork. This one I’ve owned for about a year and it’s about as good as it gets, 100% original and unrestored. It’s a keeper 🥰


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## derrick (13 Dec 2019)

Built this up today for a mate, Not sure about the colour, But a nice piece of kit, Full Di2. He is going to pop round for a fit before chopping the steerer tube.


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## JhnBssll (13 Dec 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> @JhnBssll I have an spare front Di2 double derailleur. Make me a fair offer



Very kind offer but I found a brand new one on eBay so snapped it up 

It didnt behave itself on the ride this afternoon, when you downshift the play in the linkage means it doesnt push the chain off the top ring. Most frustrating


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## fossyant (14 Dec 2019)

Gunk said:


> Mine is getting a bit too precious to use, the bodywork is now unobtainable so if you have a mishap you’re buggered. I do however try and ride it regularly, they need using.
> 
> 
> View attachment 496368



A colleague had a tiger stripe Fireblade - orange and black. Lovely bikes.


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## fossyant (14 Dec 2019)

derrick said:


> Built this up today for a mate, Not sure about the colour, But a nice piece of kit, Full Di2. He is going to pop round for a fit before chopping the steerer tube.
> View attachment 496448



I hope the stem isn't goint to be in the raised position....


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## fossyant (14 Dec 2019)

New chain ring arrived for the 2 x 10 FS MTB. Comparing the last chain ring, the other was goosed, despite still working perfectly. Got the £50 ring for £22 as it was NOS from a bike shop, no packaging. Happy with that as the ring has done 3.5 years. The inner ring is hardly worn being steel.


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## Shearwater Missile (14 Dec 2019)

Fitted new KMC chain on 11 speed 105 summer bike. It will some time before I take that out on the roads.


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## derrick (14 Dec 2019)

fossyant said:


> I hope the stem isn't goint to be in the raised position....


That's down to him.


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## Jenkins (14 Dec 2019)

Yet more commuter bike cleaning.

Also an attempt to cure a squealing front disc on another bike by cleaning the rotor with Fenwicks degreaser/cleaner, sanding the pads and adding a touck of Copaslip to the back of the pads when putting them back. Still need to test ride to check whether it's worked.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Dec 2019)

Not so much Fettled as tried out my bottle cages. They are horizontal on the recumbent and held the water bottles perfectly. So choose the right type, but more wrap round than usual.


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## Gunk (14 Dec 2019)

fossyant said:


> A colleague had a tiger stripe Fireblade - orange and black. Lovely bikes.



sounds the same as my old one.


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## fossyant (15 Dec 2019)

Gunk said:


> sounds the same as my old one.
> 
> 
> View attachment 496588



That's the one !!


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## DCLane (15 Dec 2019)

Cleaned the commuter bikes - my son's Carrera Tanneri and my Avanti Cira - plus the winter bikes after a wet rainy/hail ride yesterday - his Boardman AirPro and my Wilier Montegrappa. He had studies and prep for GCSE so was excused for once.

Then collected the Orbit America I'd bought via eBay, cleaned it thoroughly and fitted a new chain. Now shiny, really shiny  , it looks like this:


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## keithmac (17 Dec 2019)

Went for a ride on it today, new barrels/ pistons and crank so just nursed it round but it sounds lovely!.

Think I'm getting old, my favourites so far are an RD500, RD400, this GT250-X7 and a Ducati 907ie. All resurrected from sorry states of repair.


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## Bad Machine (18 Dec 2019)

Dismantled two wheels - a 24" no-name rim but with a drum-braked SA X-FD hub (destined for a braked cycle-trailer idea), and a 20" black rim with a no-name hub, where the rim will be paired with new spokes and a Deore hub I've had stashed away in the back of the shed.

Extended the thread on a 1" fork tube for a recumbent trike rebuild. New die and stock. New fork. New trick. Old Dog.

Celebrated with a pint of homebrew.


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## chriswoody (20 Dec 2019)

youngest son has outgrown his 18 inch kids bike and up to now all his bikes have been secondhand, due to his continual growth and the fact they become too small after only a short time. So for Christmas we have finally taken the plunge and bought him a brand new 24inch mountain bike from Cube. So I spent an hour today putting it together and checking and adjusting everything. Nice to be working on something brand new and no mucky hands!


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Dec 2019)

Fitted seasonal tinsel on Wed


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## All uphill (20 Dec 2019)

Replaced rims and spokes on my self built steel tourer. Only the frame and fork remain from the bike I used as a starting point,and even they have been repainted!


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## DCLane (20 Dec 2019)

Put some gear oil in the rear Sturmey Archer hub on my Dawes Kingpin in the hope it'll sloosh through and help the gears shift properly. If not it's an out and re-build job.

Cleaned my Avanti Circa winter commuter  . Using clip-on Raceblade XL's isn't working as everything's gunked up. Wheels off, full clean and full-size mudguards to go on.

Then finished helping my 15yo clean his Carrera Tanneri. It's not being used very much so is going on sale tomorrow: that'll force him/us/me to get his Columbus X-Wing cross bike renovated over Christmas or he'll be on the Raleigh Pioneer / GT Timberline / Dawes Kingpin when going to school in January. The threat of small-wheeled shopping bike as school transport should focus his mind sufficiently enough


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## Shearwater Missile (20 Dec 2019)

Fitted new 9 speed 12-26 Sram cassette on the Claude Butler Roubaix. All nice and shiny, cassette that is. Bike needs a clean but that will have to wait until after the next wet ride.


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## dave r (20 Dec 2019)

I shortened and tweaked the chain on my fixed this afternoon, when I put the new chain on in October I set it up a little on the long side, today I shortened it and added a male/female half link, the wheels now further forward in the trackend and within the adjustment range of the back brake.


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## Dogtrousers (21 Dec 2019)

Disassembled, cleaned and regreased my front hub, which was feeling rather rough. Lots of sparkly flecks of metal in the old grease. Running much better now. Not perfect but it's an old hub and I'm an old bodger.


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## DCLane (21 Dec 2019)

Cleaned my Wilier Montegrappa after this morning's ride.

Then fitted new 'proper' Flinger Deluxe mudguards to the Avanti. Apart from a bolt head shearing it went OK.

Began work on the Giant Trinity A1 I collected earlier this week; cleaned, lubricated and got the gears shifting fine. The Look pedals are stuck however so they're soaking in penetrating spray. Also the nasty saddle won't come off so that's soaking as well. Found some matching wheels and fitted those. It'll still need cables, a replacement saddle and a new bottle cage. If everything goes well it'll be used on a TT on the 1st of January.

Update: chain fully restored and the saddle's now off the Giant Trinity, with a new bottle cage fitted. Just the pedals to get off and then cables.


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## Jenkins (21 Dec 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Yet more commuter bike cleaning.
> 
> Also an attempt to cure a squealing front disc on another bike by cleaning the rotor with Fenwicks degreaser/cleaner, sanding the pads and adding a touck of Copaslip to the back of the pads when putting them back. Still need to test ride to check whether it's worked.


The rotor cleaning & pad sanding didn't work and it still squeals like a banshee even with a light touch of the brakes, so I dropped the wheel out and swapped the pads round left to right this morning, but no test ride due to yet more rain. I may end up having to buy a new disc & pads as a last resort.

And yet more commuter bike x2 cleaning & lubing with added Autoglym polish applied to both frames for added shinyness.


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## Tom B (23 Dec 2019)

Still recovering from bike vs barrier episode a few months back. Finally got around to picking up my wheels from being refurbed. 

Had some assistance applying the new rim tape.


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## robgul (24 Dec 2019)

Gave up trying to get tubeless to pop onto the bead on the Planet X carbon bike's wheels (Fulcrums, Schwalbe ProOne and all the right tape, valves and stuff) so have put tubes in for now - tried all ways with a compressor, SKS tank inflator, CO2 and a top quality track pump I'm told that if I do about 5 or 600 miles on the tyres with the tubes it should then be easier to get them to seat as tubeless.

Rob


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## DCLane (24 Dec 2019)

Simple stuff first; cleaned and fitted a new chain to the Wilier Montegrappa.

Next is a cunning plan to remove the stuck pedals on the Giant Trinity TT bike. I'll see if using thermodynamics works  *

* my Engineering degree student son thinks I'm an idiot and it wouldn't work. He was right 😠

** but he didn't reckon on me having a 'spare' crankset lying about, and with brute force the FSA one's off and a better Shimano one on with pedals  . From this non-shifting, stuck and unwanted TT bike last Thursday ...







To this today and test-ride time:






I'm in the process of sourcing a 'correct' Giant saddle and still have some cables to do, but it all works nicely. Paint correction also to be done over the next few weeks. Hopefully a practice ride later this week and a TT on 1st January (using my tri-spoke rear and deep section front). My thanks to @Spiderweb for spotting it originally.


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## Levo-Lon (24 Dec 2019)

Had to modify my rear hugger, it was for a 26er.
Used a front mucky nuts guard, glued and trimmed it so it stops the soaking wet back. And shorts throughout winter..

Ugly as sin but needs must..


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## derrick (24 Dec 2019)

fossyant said:


> I hope the stem isn't goint to be in the raised position....


It's now been flipped and cut.


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## Richard A Thackeray (25 Dec 2019)

Just a 'dieseling' of the chain & jockey wheels, prior to this afternoons ride to work


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## DSK (25 Dec 2019)

Wrapped the bike in clear protective film.


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## cyberknight (26 Dec 2019)

Nowt exciting, pumped the tyres on the winter bike up as its been on the turbo with a turbo wheel on the back and getting ready for a ride today and front starts hissing so i had to put a new tube in as it had a split near the valve so no way to mend it .


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## Andy in Germany (26 Dec 2019)

Cannibalised a bike given to us by some friends. It's a ladies bike with 700cc wheels and is aluminium so not a lot of use in original state, but the components will be handy as spares. Once I've got the BB off, the frame will go in a skip.


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## cyberknight (26 Dec 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> Cannibalised a bike given to us by some friends.It's a ladies bike with 700cc wheels and is aluminium so not a lot of use in original state, but the components will be handy as spares. Once I've got the BB off, the frame will go in a skip.


watching a bike on ebay listed as serviced but gears no working for a similar idea, probably just needs a bit of fTLC


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## derrick (26 Dec 2019)

Managed to get out to the man cave today for an hour. Got the bike cleaned and lubed for the weekend.


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## Mike_P (27 Dec 2019)

Having struggled up two hills since putting a "11x30" cassette on the road bike to replace a slipping "12x30" I decided to take a closer look at the removed one and discovered despite all the specs on the bike as supplied it was actually a "11x32".
Decided to get a "11x34" to hopefully make some previous hills that required the use of Shanks's Pony nowso a quick trip to Spa Cycles and the rear wheel taken off the road bike and was just about to put it temporarily on the spare rear when a  moment occurred; the spare has a 10 speed hub and a Shimano "11x34" fits such a hub - they need a spacer behind on a 11 speed hub (a spare was provided). So kept the "11x30" on one rear wheel and fitted the "11x34" to other. Seems provided I do not try largest chainwheel with the largest spocket the chain does not need lengthening and that is a gear combination I usually avoid anyway. Does need some tweaking tomorrow as whilst on a single shift the chain moves okay on a double shift it is slightly out.


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## Gunk (28 Dec 2019)

Fitted a Topeak bracket to my Mountain Bike.


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## LeetleGreyCells (28 Dec 2019)

Yesterday’s fettling.

The brake pads on my Fuji are wearing so I’ve adjusted the calliper piston for better braking and ordered some new pads. Took the opportunity to remove and clean the rear calliper which seems to attract far more dirt than the front one.


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## si_c (28 Dec 2019)

Stripped the Sora groupset from the Racelight - including the TRP brakes (Hy/Rd front, Spyre Rear) and replaced with nearly a full 105 R7000 groupset - the only thing non-stock are the wheels (which is my Dynamo Wheelset) and the Chainset and BB as I've installed my power meter.

The hoods are somewhat larger than the ones they replace and the Tiagra ones on my Trek but they are noticeably smaller than the previous RS585 based ones. Looks really nice overall. Shift action is nice and light too, although I wouldn't say it was a huge leap over either the Sora or Tiagra but that is just first impressions.

I'm taking it out tomorrow for a proper shakedown ride and to iron out any cable tension issues.


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## DCLane (28 Dec 2019)

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa (again!) and my son's Boardman AirPro (again!).

Then continued with paint on the Giant Trinity TT bike (last coat tomorrow) and touched up some chips on the Boardman; the frame was matt black when we got it from a club-mate and it's showing winter use.

Still to do over the next week:

- Fix the laquer on the Giant Trinity in preparation for a TT on Wednesday
- Work with my son on fitting a new chain (now done) / inner & outer cables / bar tape to his Columbus X-Wing commuter plus new mudguards (all done)
- New jockey wheels on the Avanti Circa (leaving this until a chain change)
- New Q-chainrings on the Boardman AirPro; my son'll be helping me with this (now done - fiddly and needed the front mech moving)
- New SPD/flat pedals on the Dawes Kingpin (now done) and some rust/paint remediation
- Fit his new power crank onto his BeOne Raw training bike (now done)
- Start stripping my Gitane Tour de France that's sat untouched for the past 3 months for a full re-build


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## DSK (28 Dec 2019)

DCLane said:


> Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa (again!) and my son's Boardman AirPro (again!).
> 
> Then continued with paint on the Giant Trinity TT bike (last coat tomorrow) and touched up some chips on the Boardman; the frame was matt black when we got it from a club-mate and it's showing winter use.
> 
> ...



Please upload pictures as you progress! I like pictures


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## Levo-Lon (28 Dec 2019)

Gunk said:


> Fitted a Topeak bracket to my Mountain Bike.
> 
> 
> View attachment 498121
> ...



Nice
Is that a phone... And an app? 
If so what app is that..


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## Gunk (28 Dec 2019)

Levo-Lon said:


> Nice
> Is that a phone... And an app?
> If so what app is that..



iPhone 8, the app is Cycle Comp Pro about a fiver for the ad free version. Nice simple old school display, works really well.


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## Illaveago (29 Dec 2019)

I took a led rear light apart which had stopped working. I removed the led's that were fixed on a plate and found corrosion on some contacts. I brushed on some lime juice and worked at the corrosion with narrow screwdriver. Cleaned off the contacts and reassembled. It's now working again .


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## Illaveago (29 Dec 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> Cannibalised a bike given to us by some friends. It's a ladies bike with 700cc wheels and is aluminium so not a lot of use in original state, but the components will be handy as spares. Once I've got the BB off, the frame will go in a skip.


Why not clean up the frame , thread some flex through it , attach a light fitting and you could have a handy desk top lamp !


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## Bad Machine (29 Dec 2019)

Removed the flint from the E-BOB front wheel (that I'd been unable to find amongst the mud and debris whilst out on a ride this morning). Gave thanks that the hissing sound that revealed its location was heard only as I was putting the bike away. Repaired the puncture, and this time I kept the sliver of stone - in the hope the fairy won't be able to use it again.


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## Mike_P (29 Dec 2019)

Road bike in winter has a clamp on seat post rear mudguard. I was puzzled by a momentarily non working front derailleur yesterday.
Noting post ride the sheer amount of mud etc thrown off the rear wheel onto the lower parts of the seat post I presumed that might have been the issue with the front derailleur at times so have trimmed an ass saver to act as a seat post / derailleur protector. Somehow Halfords gave a BC discount of 23% on it.


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## Bad Machine (29 Dec 2019)

Long time in preparation - lots of sketches, ideas and research. Finally, today completed the aluminium plates for my recumbent trike's seat/frame/steerer mount; dremel and small hand files used to cut out the hex shape on Al plate 2 (which prevents the 12mm bolt from turning). The dremel proved useful again with a router bit and stand, to remove a hex-shaped recess in the base of the paired stauff-clamps (recess accommodates the remaining height of bolt head above plate 2). I've offered it up, and it fits perfectly, so happy days


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## Gunk (29 Dec 2019)

That is proper home engineering, respect!


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## Andy in Germany (29 Dec 2019)

Illaveago said:


> Why not clean up the frame , thread some flex through it , attach a light fitting and you could have a handy desk top lamp !



Oooo... I like that idea. In fact I'd try it except that (1) my desk is tiny, it's one of those desk-inna-cupbpard things, and a bike frame wouldn't fit, and (2) the frame is, how do I say this..? fug ugly. Yeah, that's about right. Still, it's an idea for when I'm working somewhere and I need a project...


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## LeetleGreyCells (29 Dec 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> Oooo... I like that idea. In fact I'd try it except that (1) my desk is tiny, it's one of those desk-inna-cupbpard things, and a bike frame wouldn't fit, and (2) the frame is, how do I say this..? fug ugly. Yeah, that's about right. Still, it's an idea for when I'm working somewhere and I need a project...


(Not necessarily for the desk) Mount the frame lamp on the wall on a hinge to open out into the room? 

If my wife wouldn't throw a fit at the very idea, I'd've done it myself by now


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## Andy in Germany (29 Dec 2019)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> (Not necessarily for the desk) Mount the frame lamp on the wall on a hinge to open out into the room?
> 
> If my wife wouldn't throw a fit at the very idea, I'd've done it myself by now



I wondered that as well: I'm stealing the idea to see if I could use it wherever I get a job, on the basis I'l probably be working as a therapist in a workshop and I'll need a couple of projects up my sleeve...


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## JhnBssll (29 Dec 2019)

Quick fettle of the Stumpjumper. It hasn't been ridden for a month or so and I'm off to Danbury in the morning. Rear tyre was completely flat but always is - I need to whip it off and work out where the air is falling out. Its not a priority because it stays inflated for a few weeks which is longer than even my longest of rides 

Also checked the fork and shock pressure, all good there. A quick whiz up and down the drive suggests its all working as it should so just need to pack some spanners and I'm good to go first thing tomorrow  I've never ridden Danbury Common before but apparently it's good fun


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## DCLane (30 Dec 2019)

Lots of 'bits':

- Fitted a replacement cradle to my son's Uvex FP1 helmet after it had split at the strap, using an old second-hand helmet via eBay.
- Adjusted the Dawes Kingpin gearing cable: still trying to get all 3 gears and I _think_ it now works.
- Fitted the Stages power crank to my son's BeOne Comp.
- With his help fitted the Absolute Black oval chainrings to his Boardman AirPro. That was fiddly.
- Began work on his Columbus X-Wing commuter; old  bar tape off, chain replaced, paint chips tidied up, cables and bar tape done: ready for 'back to school' commuting on 6th Jan.
- Fitted tape onto his track aero bars; we've used a 3T carbon base bar but they needed taping.
- Removed the damaged lacquer from the Giant Trinity TT bike and put a first coat of replacement lacquer on. Should be finished Tuesday/Wednesday.

The Gitane's coming out Wednesday for a major dismantle and re-build. French threads ...


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Dec 2019)

My fitness. Now about to rehhydrate with green tea.


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## Tenkaykev (30 Dec 2019)

Assembled a " Peppa Pig " Scooter for my Grand daughter


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## Gunk (30 Dec 2019)

Fitted an old school style dynamo kit to the pub bike, I was thrilled when it all worked 👍


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## DSK (30 Dec 2019)

Replaced the SPD with SPD-SL on my trek


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## si_c (30 Dec 2019)

Replaced a fuse in the extension cable which supplies power to our washing machine. I would have left it but I have no clean shirts for work tomorrow.


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## JhnBssll (31 Dec 2019)

Gave the Stumpjumper a quick clean after yesterdays outing at Danbury  I whipped the driveside crank arm off too as it had come loose, inspected the splines which seemed fine and refitted it. I'll keep an eye on it and hope it doesnt loosen itself again.

















Once I'd given it a quick once over and Mint was mud-free I noticed two things - the rear gear cable is irritatingly frayed and the drivetrain still had a large amount of danbury in it 











Whilst there was nothing I could do about the gear cable (aside from ordering a new one, which I'll do later), I decided the drivetrain needed a proper clean so first out came the chain cleaner 






I use Rhino Goo degreaser, its good stuff and supposedly environmetally friendly. Once I'd got the worst of it off the chain the rest came away fairly easily with a bit more degreaser. I even found a pair of jockey wheels in the rear mech, I thought they may have been lost forever 
















I rinsed it all off with the hose afterwards until it ran smoothly and all the grit was gone then left it to dry before lubing it up. Runs sweet now and seems to change gear better, weird that


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## DCLane (31 Dec 2019)

Finished the Giant Trinity TT bike and prepped for a 5 mile TT tomorrow. I might not look like much has been done from earlier, but it's been a lot of little repairs. The replacement Giant saddle hasn't arrived so for now it's on a Bontrager one:






Finished off with my Wilier Montegrappa which has been squeaking badly; new bottom bracket and new gear cable as that had begun to fray.


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## Illaveago (31 Dec 2019)

This is a Brooks B5N leather saddle off of my 1971 Holdsworth Record. It sadly let me down earlier this year when the saddle parted company with the front end .
It is an old friend and I thought I would try to repair it . I don't know if it will work out but I thought I would give it a go .
I had a large piece of scrap leather which I thought I would glue underneath to join the pieces together.
I drilled out the rivets on the frame so that I could get at the underneath of the saddle . I decided to try using Evo stik contact adhesive. You can see that my bad back had affected my brain as I applied the glue to the wrong side of the leather . It should have been the smooth side .
Sticking the two pieces together proved tricky as once it touched it didn't want to move again . I did it in two sections , the rear half first and then applied glue to the front and wrestled it into position . I trimmed the leather to shape and the attached the front piece .
I will have to drill extra holes in the front metal plate to fit rivets beyond the break to lessen the strain on the joint. The next problem will be to source some replacement rivets. They will have to have larger heads due to the enlarged holes in the leather.


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## LeetleGreyCells (31 Dec 2019)

Checked over two MTBs ready for the planned ride tomorrow removing a lot of gunk from one drivetrain especially the chainrings and jockey wheels. Also added the new saddle bag as the strap broke on the old one. It’s been a while since I’ve been out on the MTB but it’s a much better bike for where we‘re riding.

Also adjusted the back brake on my daughter’s Frog as the brake block was rubbing the rim.

I ran out of time to clean and fettle my Fuji. The front derailleur is stuck so I need to free that as soon as possible as the Fuji is my go-to bike.


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## Notafettler (1 Jan 2020)

Nothing, the benefits of Rohloff. Bike did 20,000 km with previous owner who claimed to be addicted to cleaning the chain and sprocket. I clean once or twice a year. No idea how far I have done but at least a third off road and permanently covered in mud in winter. 
Still original chain wheel and sprocket. Not sure about chain.
I think some people spend more time cleaning than using the bike. NOT the definition of a cyclist. A mate cleaned chain by splitting it, it came apart cycling up a hill broke his shoulder not sure if he is ever going to cycle again. Very bad injury. 
Just bought a bike a with gates carbon chain/belt even less silly fettling.


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## Bad Machine (1 Jan 2020)

I still smile, remembering the first one I did. About this time of year, too - probably 'cos a kind soul gifted me a truing stand (maybe, maybe not, knowing how much pleasure it could bring to someone with borderline OCD). So there's another grin on my face this afternoon, having just completed the front wheel for the trike rebuild. I take the time to measure twice, and compare figures from Ed with whichever online spoke calculator comes up in the websearch. And I always keep the piece of paper with all the notes on - must be something to do with being asked to show my working in maths at school..........


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## Notafettler (1 Jan 2020)

What a bike looks like before I go for a ride. Couldn't even be bothered to fix the slow puncture. Pumped it up and left


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## DCLane (1 Jan 2020)

Begun work on the Gitane Tour de France - photos to follow - chain removed, chainrings cleaned, rear derailleur looked at: the top jockey wheel is hardly turning.


----------



## Phaeton (1 Jan 2020)

Made a mess of the washing machine today, the bearings had stopped growling & were getting angry, they are easy to find but the rubber seal in front of the bearings is taking some finding, it's a Fagor which aren't made anymore.


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## LeetleGreyCells (2 Jan 2020)

I found the time to fettle my Fuji today. Cleaned the dirt off, freed the front derailleur which is working nicely again now, mickled and oiled the chain, and fitted new brake pads the the rear calliper.

I think I'm going to need a new bottom bracket soon as the crank revolution seems a little stiff, but I've never fitted one before. According to the spec, it's a _Press fit BB86_ which should be simple enough. I'll find a YouTube video to show me how to do it once I've purchased a new BB. Hopefully, it'll last a bit longer - I'm hoping until Spring when the worst of the dirty roads has gone.


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## Illaveago (2 Jan 2020)

My wife and I went to Malmesbury today . Did a bit of shopping . They have more interesting shops than my town, plus they have a saddlers shop which I wanted to visit . Sadly he didn't have any rivets the right size for my saddle so I bought some leather conditioner to try .
We had a look round the abbey whilst we were there .


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## Mike_P (2 Jan 2020)

Should have been simple - swop the tyres on my road bike, hour and a half later... Everything that could go wrong did tyre on wrong way round - corrected - oh flip it was correct first time -fitted on correctly and tried to pump inner tube up - valve failed all off, new inner tube and tyre refitted but did not spot the slight misfit so pumped up and found the inner tube bulging out of the tyre. Sorted that out and finally got the rear wheel done. Then the turn of the front wheel which thankfully went okay.


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## Notafettler (2 Jan 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Should have been simple - swop the tyres on my road bike, hour and a half later... Everything that could go wrong did tyre on wrong way round - corrected - oh flip it was correct first time -fitted on correctly and tried to pump inner tube up - valve failed all off, new inner tube and tyre refitted but did not spot the slight misfit so pumped up and found the inner tube bulging out of the tyre. Sorted that out and finally got the rear wheel done. Then the turn of the front wheel which thankfully went okay.


Seriously? Never happened to me.......not this week anyway! Sounds like the day I changed to winter studed tyres. 2 bikes 2 days. Whatever could go wrong went wrong!


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## DSK (3 Jan 2020)

No mechanical stuff, just bolted on all the handlebar estate I bought over xmas now that's its all there.







Just need to get 2 x Drift Ghost X cameras and replace the Garmin Virb.


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## voyager (3 Jan 2020)

Last couple of days were thinking how could we extend the bench to put the trike up to working height, sorted today with a removable bench extension. The extension is held on the bench by the weight of the trike as most of the extension is over the bench it is quite stable but we could screw it there if there are any problems .


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## netman (3 Jan 2020)

Illaveago said:


> Sadly he didn't have any rivets the right size for my saddle so I bought some leather conditioner to try .


You can get them direct from Brooks - https://www.brooksengland.com/en_uk/solid-copper-rivet-large-head-16-5-mm-dia-byb-273.html


----------



## Elybazza61 (3 Jan 2020)

Finished the better half's brothers Orange ,all ok after a quick spin from both of us so it's ready for him to pick up when he's next up from that Laahnden.

Also finished the Light Blue Robinson and it's all ready for sale.


----------



## Illaveago (3 Jan 2020)

netman said:


> You can get them direct from Brooks - https://www.brooksengland.com/en_uk/solid-copper-rivet-large-head-16-5-mm-dia-byb-273.html


Thanks !


----------



## cyberknight (4 Jan 2020)

Had to put new brake caliper on the commuter , it had seized so badly even dowsing it with hosepie to de gunk it then wd 40 etc and it still stayed stuck.
The new one for some reason fouled on the pannier rack arm which meant i had to change the rack too so the brake worked and then i had to put a bit of old handlebar tape on top of the mudgaurd as it rattled on every bump on the rack.
Sheesh ! what i thought was a 5 min job to sort thebrake out turned into an hour and a half .


----------



## pawl (4 Jan 2020)

Fitted my sks race blade2 long to my old Giant Rear guard was a bit fiddly due to very close clearance.


----------



## Mike_P (4 Jan 2020)

Another two hours that should have taken a lot less. My ebiked hybrid (a TSDZ2 motor) has an annoying creak at times, some days none at all, others quite alarmingly like yesterday going up hill although it did mean I did not have to ring the bell to alert pedestrians to my presence on the cycle track. Had read that putting a washer behind the main M33 fixing nut is normally a solution so off with the crank and then I tried to shift the nut - took the best part of three quarters of a hour. I had previously lengthened the supplied "installation tool" with two pieces of aluminium bolted either side of the tool and then bolted together and ended up whacking it with a hammer where the tool was adjoined by the aluminium extensions. Eventually and possibly helped by the earlier application of WD40 to the threads in the nut it moved ever so slightly, then a bit more and so on. Then dug out the M33 washers I had bought some time ago for this purpose and found they fouled partly a nut and possibly part of the frame so the best part of an hour spent trimming one down to size with minitool. Now will Mondays commute be creak free?


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## cyberknight (4 Jan 2020)

pawl said:


> Fitted my sks race blade2 long to my old Giant Rear guard was a bit fiddly due to very close clearance.


took some off and went back to crud mk 2s although im running 25s so its very tight, i belive the lack of covergse from the sks ones was the cause of my rear brake siezing


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## pawl (4 Jan 2020)

cyberknight said:


> took some off and went back to crud mk 2s although im running 25s so its very tight, i belive the lack of covergse from the sks ones was the cause of my rear brake siezing



I removed the Crud Mk1to change to theMk2 but. couldn’t get them to fit without rubbing.Put the Mk1 back..Eventually they have fallen to bits.

Haven’t ridden the bike yet due to two weeks of the winter lurge.


----------



## Gunk (4 Jan 2020)

Checked the tyres and oil level on my old Honda Fireblade which I haven’t used for a couple of months and then popped out for about a 50 mile round trip to run a couple errands.





Spent the rest of the day rebuilding my Team Banana project bike which was very pleasant and rewarding, just a shame it’s coming to an end, I’ll have to start looking for another.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/raleigh-team-banana-project.256168/


----------



## EltonFrog (4 Jan 2020)

I’ve started rebuilding my Raleigh Scorpio. Link


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## IBarrett (4 Jan 2020)

Washed and oiled ready for tomorrow’s ride. My bike that is, not me!
It was filthy after a wet and muddy ride in the lanes of Lincolnshire on NYE


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## cyberknight (5 Jan 2020)

pawl said:


> I removed the Crud Mk1to change to theMk2 but. couldn’t get them to fit without rubbing.Put the Mk1 back..Eventually they have fallen to bits.
> 
> Haven’t ridden the bike yet due to two weeks of the winter lurge.


i thought the only ifference was mk 2s had a bigger flaps on the rear to protect the FD and a longer tail ?


----------



## Bad Machine (5 Jan 2020)

Repaired a hole in the ICE "Q" recumbent trike's seat frame.

_When I bought it, the the previous owner's "recently-serviced" tadpole trike was missing the idler wheel on the chain run between the bottom bracket (at the front of the trike) and the drive wheel's cassette (at the rear).  For those unfamiliar, the idler wheel ensures an unfettered run for the the power side of the chain line as it changes direction half-way along the trike. I found the photo I took when I got it - the idler wheel should have been positioned under the central bolt on the photo - you can see the where the chain had worn through the chaintube further up and to the left. 







I'd suggest that - judging by the damage done - the owner would have inititally thought nothing was wrong, then found the trike increasingly more noisy, and difficult to pedal. Thankfully, they can't have gone far before deciding to sell. _

Hollow aluminium tubing, with no access on either side, so small strips of alumimium car body repair mesh were stuffed in, then set in place by drizzling quick-set epoxy metal into the hole. More epoxy metal added until hole completely full, then squashed to curve by wrapping with the non-sticky side of wide packing tape. Some wet and dry work and then primer and paint to finish.


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## pawl (5 Jan 2020)

cyberknight said:


> i thought the only ifference was mk 2s had a bigger flaps on the rear to protect the FD and a longer tail ?




It was the one with the Velcro type fastening that adhered to the inside of the forks

sorry it was the Mk3 Didn’t matter who I adjusted it I couldn’t stop it rubbing on the rear wheel


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## fossyant (5 Jan 2020)

Seeing as not well enough to ride, I re-greased the headset, both hubs and all 8 frame bearings on the FS. Took around 4 hours.


----------



## cyberknight (5 Jan 2020)

pawl said:


> It was the one with the Velcro type fastening that adhered to the inside of the forks
> 
> sorry it was the Mk3 Didn’t matter who I adjusted it I couldn’t stop it rubbing on the rear wheel


tried mk 3s and took em back the lips kept catching the spokes


----------



## DCBassman (6 Jan 2020)

Cleaned the two derailleurs from the Merida, ready to refit.


----------



## si_c (8 Jan 2020)

Stripped, cleaned and rebuilt one of my Lezyne mini pumps as it no longer worked after I'd inadvertently let it get waterlogged. It now pumps again.


----------



## DCLane (8 Jan 2020)

The Avanti Circa's been rattling/catching on the rear this week - I thought it was the new brake pads. Turns out the new mudguards needed tightening so adjusted both, along with the front and rear derailleurs since they've not been touched since built.

Cleaned and all running nicely.


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## cyberknight (8 Jan 2020)

using crud mk 2s with 25s on the commuter and couldnt get the front to run without rubbing so took the tab from the guard and attached it to the outside of the support arm as the plastic screws were long enough , dab of glue to make sure it dosnt come undone and voila i have made just enough room to stop them rubbing and they will be ok till i can get a pair of guards that fit but dont rub.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Jan 2020)

Removed the wobbly BB cassette on the Xtracycle (seen below when intact)






As usual this didn't go according to the normal plan: I didn't have a BB tool so asked Elder Son to bring one from work. He turned up at seven with same but has to go into work tomorrow, so the removal had to take place immediately.
Obviously it is dark at this time. Our garage light is broken & the letting agent is moving at the usual speed of letting agents when it comes to repairs, so we ended up doing the job in the stairwell, which is fortunately ideal for such things if a little cramped.
The old BB is now removed, to be taken to Elder Son's shop tomorrow to enquire about replacements.
The chain wheel and cranks are now on our balcony, One of tomorrows jobs is to dismantle the chain wheel and clean it to within an inch of its life...
As an aside, the frame is now at least 24 years old, has been used year round for much of that time, and and there isn't a _hint _of rust in the BB area. Raleigh knew their stuff when they made this bike.


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## Bad Machine (10 Jan 2020)

Paperwork this morning, then a quick session in the garage this afternoon, now that the cold has more or less gone (and I can go a good few minutes without a coughing spasm ). The 1" threaded fork had been collected from Cycle Clinic (milling a crown race from JIS to ISO), but I needed to cut two keyways into the tube (one for the light bracket, one for the steerer arm). 








Much faffing about needed to get the right height and angle for the dremel, and a straight edge to run the steerer along to get the notch in the right place. But the end result works. Time for a pint of homebrew, I think.


----------



## Mike_P (11 Jan 2020)

Sort of deflettling this morning, having concluded the torque sensor had gone faulty on my TSDZ2 motor fitted hybrid. Motor removed and the hybrid is now very unhappy as it has no chain, bottom bracket, cranks or pedals. Did try refitting it with its original bottom bracket but the filing of the frame to clear it of the unfinished inside from seat and tube posts necessary for the motor to slide in had too damaged the threads. A push fit BB would be a solution but seems a bit of a waste of money once the TSDZ2 is well.
Looks like a trip for some slime filled inner tubes for my road bike to give it a fighting chance of not having a number of punctures on the cycle track to and from work as it stands in on the commute


----------



## Bad Machine (11 Jan 2020)

Dry run with my headset and fork assembly, then checked everything again - and measured twice. Threaded spare steel locknut onto 1" tube BEFORE clamping up and cutting fork tube to correct length. Tidied up sharp edges and cleaned away filings, then repeated dry run - success ! I now have a trike with three wheels, not two.


----------



## roadrash (11 Jan 2020)

Bought some green bar tape months ago then misplaced it , found it again yesterday and fitted today, somehow it looks pale in the pic , it is actually lime green, same as the green on the frame


----------



## roadrash (11 Jan 2020)

Looks better in this pic but still pale


----------



## CanucksTraveller (11 Jan 2020)

I dragged my wife's hybrid out of the garage after a long (one year plus) hiatus for her, then:
Cleaned it thoroughly.
Lubed everything. 
Pumped the tyres up.
Adjusted gears. 
Adjusted brakes. 
And it's good as new and good to go!


----------



## Mike_P (11 Jan 2020)

roadrash said:


> Looks better in this pic but still pale
> View attachment 500180


Given me an idea re your reference to matching the green on the frame, have a white Defy with now somewhat less than pure white bar tape, it has blue flashes on the frame so maybe blue bar tape would look better than bog standard black and be less obviously mucky.


----------



## Heigue'r (12 Jan 2020)

Changed the chain,cassette and jockey wheels on the commuter,also had a new chainring to fit but in a rush,stripped a couple of bolts fitting the new one.I had an old ultegra crankset with a worn chainring so took the bolts from that and then decided to use this ultegra crankset(original from bike replaced with 105 crankset) and fit the new 105 chainring.Success which just left the pedals to swap over..Q lots of swearing until I remembered Ive got an impact driver😁..took a few seconds with that.Job done.
Washed the mountain bike and washed the summer bike which was used in place of the commuter is some crap conditions during the week


----------



## Ming the Merciless (12 Jan 2020)

Pumped up Brommie tyres having not ridden it much recently. It’s a fun bike to be out and about on if the roads aren’t too full of holes.


----------



## Phaeton (12 Jan 2020)

Phaeton said:


> Made a mess of the washing machine today, the bearings had stopped growling & were getting angry, they are easy to find but the rubber seal in front of the bearings is taking some finding, it's a Fagor which aren't made anymore.
> 
> 
> View attachment 498635
> ...


All put back together, working fine, £50 & a few hours work against £800 for a new washer happy bunny time.


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## Mike_P (12 Jan 2020)

More defettling today with the TSDZ2 motor now 95 % dismantled and nothing obviously wrong other than I only found two not three springs from one part of it - have brushed and searched the area where I took that bit apart with a bright front light and no sign of the third one. Meanwhile did get a couple of slime tubes on the road bike yesterday (local Halfords complete stock of them).


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## cyberknight (13 Jan 2020)

Changed shifters on the commuter from the old 8 speed shimano with thumbies to claris with cables for the gears outside the bar tape.
Won the shifters, mechs plus 3 part used chains on fleabay for £30


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## Vantage (13 Jan 2020)

First job was to fit the front rack. Being a Tubus Tara Duo Lowrider, it needs bolting on the inside fork legs aswell as the outers. But the fingers wouldn't fit around the spokes. So the front wheel had to come out. Then I had to compress the rack a bit so the mounting holes lined up. Having fumbled and dropped the bolt numerous times which caused the spacers to roll under the side unit a couple times I got the thing fitted.
But there was a problem. The mudguard was warped at the front. Messing with the stays endlessly did no good. It's borked. So, the old cream guards came out and had to be fitted. Cue endless faffing about with nuts, bolts, dremelling holes and patching holes. But they're fitted.
Then the rear rack had to be fitted. As it's a non disc brake specific rack, numerous washers and spacers in the correct order need to be use and as with the front rack and mudguards, lots of clumsy bolt dropping and spacer/washer recovery front under the couch and side unit ensued.
Checked the panniers for fitting and all is well.
Much swearing and shouting did not happen. At all. Honest.


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## roadrash (13 Jan 2020)

Vantage said:


> Much swearing and shouting did not happen. At all. Honest


I bet you came up with a few new ones as well


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## Bad Machine (14 Jan 2020)

_"Are we there yet ?". 

*"No".*_

Assembled the seat/boom/steerer mount correctly, and estimated the correct position on the boom from various photographs of original machines. Assembled the steerer bearing and new horizontal steerer, then added two titanium "uprights" for the left and right hand grips.
Checked position and adjusted for left and right turns, to confirm clearances around seat when turning.













Slapped forehead on discovering the chain line from front to rear will slice right through seat base and support. Doh !
Collected pencil, rubber and scrap paper en-route to destination at desk.


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## Nigelnightmare (14 Jan 2020)

On the Hase the seat base frame is in the middle of the main tube.
Also the Hase seat base has a lower/deeper frame to allow clearance for the top chain tube.

It looks like the lower chain-line will also go through the handlebars, if so they will need moving as well!

HTH
Good luck.


----------



## Andy in Germany (15 Jan 2020)

Swapped the saddle from my touring bike to my commuter, and fitted my new Brooks Flyer to the tourer, with all due ceremony of course.

Took the pedals on the commuter to bits, repacked the bearings and tightened them: they're really scrap but hopefully I can get a couple more months out of them (Ie: long enough to get a job so I can pay for new pedals)

Hopefully the replacement toe clips will arrive today and I can fit those too.


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## Rusty Nails (15 Jan 2020)

Fitted mudguards to my road bike.

If I am going to ride in this weather I do not want a dirty stripe up the back of my pants and jacket.


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2020)

About to bolt my outer and middle chain rings to the crank.


----------



## robgul (15 Jan 2020)

Made a truck for my workstand to be able to wheel it out of the way (and not bang my head on the clamp arm) - it's a Park Tool professional stand -the one with the VERY HEAVY baseplate. Truck consists of a square of plywood with stretchers underneath along each edge and 80mm rubber wheeled swivelling castors at each corner, with the base plate located and held in place with strips of timber to make a sort of tray. Castors lock (and even have Park Tool blue locking levers ) for when it's in use. The truck means that I can wheel it away to the corner of the garage with the baseplate tucked under one of the work-benches. Genius!

It's just another item on castors to make best use of the space - 2 or 3 woodworking machines can also be wheeled out when I want to use them.

Rob


----------



## Illaveago (15 Jan 2020)

I thought I would like a polished handlebar stem on my bike . I started off by lightly filing some of the scratches out with a needle file and then 

continued





over the rest of the stem before polishing it up with Megiuars metal polish.


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## Rusty Nails (15 Jan 2020)

Illaveago said:


> I thought I would like a polished handlebar stem on my bike . I started off by lightly filing some of the scratches out with a needle file and then
> 
> View attachment 500625
> 
> ...



I love polished alloy stems and crank arms. I've even been known to polish wheel rims and hubs.


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## Illaveago (15 Jan 2020)

Rusty Nails said:


> I love polished alloy stems and crank arms. I've even been known to polish wheel rims and hubs.


I like riding along in the sunshine with all the polished bits reflecting the blue sky .
I might overdose on the chrome frame !


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## Rusty Nails (15 Jan 2020)

Illaveago said:


> I like riding along in the sunshine with all the polished bits reflecting the blue sky .
> I might overdose on the chrome frame !



I had an alloy Merlin Malt mtb which I was going to respray but after stripping the paint I polished it, liked the look, and kept it like that with a repolish every year.


----------



## biggs682 (15 Jan 2020)

Been stripping tubular wheels down and so far 4 campagnolo record hubs


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## Andy in Germany (15 Jan 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Swapped the saddle from my touring bike to my commuter, and fitted my new Brooks Flyer to the tourer, with all due ceremony of course.
> 
> Took the pedals on the commuter to bits, repacked the bearings and tightened them: they're really scrap but hopefully I can get a couple more months out of them (Ie: long enough to get a job so I can pay for new pedals)
> 
> Hopefully the replacement toe clips will arrive today and I can fit those too.



Update: Replacement toe clips have failed to arrive. Yah Boo.


----------



## Gunk (15 Jan 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Update: Replacement toe clips have failed to arrive. Yah Boo.



All seems to be slow this week, I’m waiting some stuff for my Raleigh that hasn’t arrived yet, very frustrating


----------



## roley poley (16 Jan 2020)

new bike back from its 6 week breaking in free service so I can now get the hacksaw out!!! Lost a good (bad) length of saddle stem more weight than use. Stopped the toe tap on front mud guard by remounting the eyelet on the rear of fork crown to the front and clipped its stays down with good wire cutting pliers. Some nice clinks heard from the scrap box as I gained enlightenment OMMMM


----------



## fossyant (16 Jan 2020)

My portable pressure washer project parts are on 'order'. Consists of a 25l water container (went for red), with an ebay special 12v pump and hoses - total cost £25. I've a few MTB rides coming up where we are not riding from home, so a filthy bike going into the back of the car (can't be bothered with the rack in winter) isn't wanted. I believe pressure is just above tap pressure, which is enough for getting the worse off before a full clean at home.

New SRAM jockey wheels are awaiting fitting to the FS - one of the Jockey's has no seals left - mud and crud got in between the cover plate and the bearing seal, and it's 'melted' the seal. Still works fine, but being 'Mr Picky', I'm replacing them.


----------



## Gunk (16 Jan 2020)

Gunk said:


> All seems to be slow this week, I’m waiting some stuff for my Raleigh that hasn’t arrived yet, very frustrating



Seat post has arrived 👍 just waiting for the seat


----------



## fossyant (16 Jan 2020)

biggs682 said:


> Been stripping tubular wheels down and so far 4 campagnolo record hubs
> 
> View attachment 500627



Oh nice, in the days when they did grease ports. My DA hubs have grease ports. Fabulous idea.


----------



## Andy in Germany (16 Jan 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Update: Replacement toe clips have failed to arrive. Yah Boo.



Further update: Replacements arrived and are fixed on the pedals. Pedals aren't on the bike as yet, but it's a step forward...


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## Gunk (16 Jan 2020)

Gunk said:


> Seat post has arrived 👍 just waiting for the seat



And the seat has just turned up. Bit of fiddle arsing around to look forward to!


----------



## Andy in Germany (16 Jan 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Further update: Replacements arrived and are fixed on the pedals. Pedals aren't on the bike as yet, but it's a step forward...



And finally pedals are fitted. They are still complete wrecks but hopefully will hold out for a bit.

Wow, that was almost live blogging like cool people do.


----------



## si_c (16 Jan 2020)

Fitted a second bottle cage to my Trek and tweaked the front brake cable to make the braking a little less bitey then didn't like how far the pads were from the rims so changed back


----------



## Gunk (16 Jan 2020)

Worth the wait 👍







All fitted


----------



## Notafettler (16 Jan 2020)

Just leaving will look for some deep puddles. A Ford would be great.


----------



## Vantage (16 Jan 2020)

Fitted my notsoslow Voyager tyres today. Rearranged the contents of my panniers to balance the weight better. 
All set to leave in the morning for an overnight camp


----------



## Gunk (17 Jan 2020)

Cleaned, lubricated and trued the rear wheel on our bargain Focus road bike this evening. 







It’s a really nice, clean unmolested bike, I’ll photograph it and list it for sale tomorrow


----------



## Gunk (18 Jan 2020)

Here it is all cleaned and finished, it’s virtually unmarked, still on its original tyres so it’s had a sheltered life. It’s on eBay now


----------



## fossyant (18 Jan 2020)

Portable jet washer for the MTB. £10 25l jerry can and a £15 ebay pump and hose.

Its great. About double hose pressure at max so ideal for rinsing mud off. At low pressure would be great for cleaning dogs off before they get in the car.


----------



## Heigue'r (18 Jan 2020)

Swapped cassette to new wheels,pulled tubes out of old wheels,left the tyres on because they were cut to ribbons,rear less than 300 miles,the joys of commuting on londons CS3.I suffered 3 punctures on the rear on one day last week.Fitted schwalbe durano plus to the new wheels to see if they help with puncture protection.Dropped old wheels and tyres to the skip,wheels less than 4000 miles,front was slightly warped and had a ding in the rim from a crash last year and not alot of rim left,rear had even less rim left despite conciously braking with the front having suffered a blowout on a previous rear.rear also sounded like a box of rusty bolts,bearings on the way out I suspect.That was the commuter fettled

Got the good bike down of the wall,Its been hanging there since november,had a small bit of dust starting to gather so cleaned that off,have pumped the tyres up to pressure,just got the tool bottle ready and about to go out for an hour on it given the roads are bone dry.


----------



## roley poley (18 Jan 2020)

moved the rear wheel closer to frame as the chain tension on nexus 8 was like a bow string a bit of slack there now Feel that was going to cause extra wear for sure adjusted disc and pad alignment accordingly.That was after its 6 week check ,wondering how many new chains they sell over time .Anyway next job is to strip shop chain lube and replace with white lightening clean ride dry lube that can wait till sunday


----------



## fossyant (18 Jan 2020)

Heigue'r said:


> Swapped cassette to new wheels,pulled tubes out of old wheels,left the tyres on because they were cut to ribbons,rear less than 300 miles,the joys of commuting on londons CS3.I suffered 3 punctures on the rear on one day last week.Fitted schwalbe durano plus to the new wheels to see if they help with puncture protection.Dropped old wheels and tyres to the skip,wheels less than 4000 miles,front was slightly warped and had a ding in the rim from a crash last year and not alot of rim left,rear had even less rim left despite conciously braking with the front having suffered a blowout on a previous rear.rear also sounded like a box of rusty bolts,bearings on the way out I suspect.That was the commuter fettled
> 
> Got the good bike down of the wall,Its been hanging there since november,had a small bit of dust starting to gather so cleaned that off,have pumped the tyres up to pressure,just got the tool bottle ready and about to go out for an hour on it given the roads are bone dry.



Durano Plus were the only tyre that survived the Fallowfield Loop on my commute. The glass shredded every other tyre.


----------



## velohomme (18 Jan 2020)

Put the Mercier back together ready for spring. NOS 28 tooth block. NOS chain. NOS Mavic tubular rims laced to original Dura ace hubs with new tyres. New cables. All NOS same mid seventies as the bike.





Can't wait for the better weather.


----------



## Jenkins (18 Jan 2020)

Another week of commuting, another afternoon of cleaning the muck off, then cleaning and lubing the chain and replacing the rear brake pads on the Ventus commuter. Then changed the brake pads all round on the Spa as they were almost down to the metal, followed by fitting one of the £3 quick fit mudguards to the Voodoo 29er.


----------



## Justinitus (18 Jan 2020)

Had a free hour this afternoon, so put the heating and radio on in the garage and set about making a new tubeless inflator.


----------



## Tom B (19 Jan 2020)

Had a peculiar rattle that ive not been able to track down for a few weeks. Yesterday on the way to work i heard a twang and the rear SKS mudguard popped off the bracket. Got to work and had a look and noticed that the plastic had separated from the bracket as the rivits had given up.

Handily I had my pop rivit gun and a bag of rivits on me (I take mine everywhere, don't you?) as I was going to add a few robe hooks to the inside and outside of my locker. So ten mins later the mudguard was back to full working order.

It was probably further delayed trauma from when I hit a barrier with the bike on the car roof a few months back.


----------



## Gunk (19 Jan 2020)

Put some sounds in the garage today, saw this in a charity shop for £25 and grabbed it. Big improvement on the previous tinny transistor radio.


----------



## palinurus (19 Jan 2020)

Fixed commuter: super fast wash (it was cold), wiped rims, quick going over with the oily rag, lubed chain, quick check of rear tyre for embedded stuff. Back inside 10 minutes later.

You know that bit of the chainring that's behind the crank? I can never be arsed to clean that. Chainring is silver all round but with about 2 cm of black oily crap behind the crank.


----------



## Elybazza61 (19 Jan 2020)

Gunk said:


> Checked the tyres and oil level on my old Honda Fireblade which I haven’t used for a couple of months and then popped out for about a 50 mile round trip to run a couple errands.
> 
> 
> View attachment 499016
> ...



That is luuurverly


----------



## Gunk (19 Jan 2020)

Elybazza61 said:


> That is luuurverly



Here it is with all its clothes on


----------



## avsd (19 Jan 2020)

Fitted new chainset to commuter - Shimano 105.


----------



## Tom B (20 Jan 2020)

Changed the jockey wheels after noticing some unusual noises and behaviour. Definitely some wear in the bearing.


----------



## si_c (20 Jan 2020)

Tom B said:


> Changed the jockey wheels after noticing some unusual noises and behaviour. Definitely some wear in the bearing.
> 
> View attachment 501313


Did the same on Saturday - replaced the jockey wheels on my MTB - the lower one was almost completely round. Hardly surprising that shifting performance was sub-par.


----------



## fossyant (21 Jan 2020)

si_c said:


> Did the same on Saturday - replaced the jockey wheels on my MTB - the lower one was almost completely round. Hardly surprising that shifting performance was sub-par.



Must be jockey wheel changing time, did mine at weekend. Still spinning fine and not particularly worn, but the lower one had burnt off the rubber seals off the cartridge bearing due to mud between it and the end caps/spacer (MTB)


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (23 Jan 2020)

Out this morning, on the CGR, & noticed (or rather felt) that my riding position had changed slightly
On stopping & examining, the saddle-clamp section was twisting in the seat-pin, and the entire head was loose!

So, I cut it short, & headed home.

I washed it first (& _Senior Managments_ Boardman), as mine was absolutely grotty (there's basically a new housing estate being built on my commute)

I contemplated taking the (same size) off_ 'Preston' _(my blue '7005 Audax - as they call it), but that would have left me unable to ride that (to work) if I had a problem with the CGR
I knew I had another seat-pin somewhere

I found one in the shed, that was the 'bog-standard' one provided with my Gran Fondo (Ritchey WCS kit fitted, to it), but that was a 31.6(?)
Then, I saw it.
In the garage, there's a 1997 Raleigh Optima frame/forks hanging up...… with a seat-pin (which I thought was the right diameter)

Upon removing it, yes it was a 27.2, so even though it's polished finish (which I'd have liked throughout on the CGR, if the option was there, when I bought it) 
It was cleaned up, the broken ones settings measured, & newbie (well...… 22 years old) fitted to correct set-back & height





Sorry, thought it was a better focus than this, but it was almost 16:30 when it was taken
The 'white-bit' is where I greased it




2 x lights reinstalled too


----------



## Vantage (23 Jan 2020)

Washed the bike. I thought mudguards were supposed to stop crap forming all over the bike? Pah! 
Washed the dog. She stank. 
Took the vacuum cleaners to bits to clean them - filters etc. 
Replaced the crappy guy lines on the new tent with the good ones from the old tent. 
Put the slightly longer stem back on the bike...I'll discover next ride why I didn't like it in the first place...


----------



## Shearwater Missile (24 Jan 2020)

After buying a new Shimano square taper BB before Christmas I had it fitted today. Hand`s up that I did`nt do it. I had damaged the left hand crank release thread in trying to do the job myself so took it to George the bike man at Cotton. He managed to get the LH crank off with his crank remover, probably a better quality one than mine. The old BB was certainly noisy and rough although not much play in it. The new Shimano UN55 68 x 113mm feels like it turns in a tub of butter. It should have been changed about 3000 miles ago. Perhaps now I will cycle faster on my winter bike, not holding my breath I must add. Thanks George for sorting me out.


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## Shearwater Missile (24 Jan 2020)

Vantage said:


> Washed the bike. I thought mudguards were supposed to stop crap forming all over the bike? Pah!
> Washed the dog. She stank.
> Took the vacuum cleaners to bits to clean them - filters etc.
> Replaced the crappy guy lines on the new tent with the good ones from the old tent.
> Put the slightly longer stem back on the bike...I'll discover next ride why I didn't like it in the first place...


 Playing with the stem lengths ?I have been there done that too. In fact I have had more changes of stem length on my bikes than I have had hot dinners or so it might seem ! You will discover on the next ride when you get the sore neck or back.


----------



## Mike_P (25 Jan 2020)

Flipping  outside, thermometer might say 6 but with no sun and a cold breeze the road bike got a quick wipe and the still non ebiked hybrid pieces of cut inner tube glued where the motor clamps on to hopefully stop any creaks once it's refitted. The part I think the motor needs has arrived but missing a couple of bits so awaiting the arrival of those.


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## Shearwater Missile (25 Jan 2020)

After having the new BB fitted yesterday, today I have been re-indexing the gears. I had contacted Claude Butler of the size of BB that was used in a 2010 Roubaix and was told that they used both a 117mm and a 113mm, both of which are a 68mm shell. 117mm was way off and guessed that this have been used on a triple set up. I purchased the 113mm. The old one which I have now measured as you can`t read anything on it, actually measures 110mm so guess that is why the chain line is out slightly. It`d only be out by 1.5mm I assume. I must say that I noticed the difference on the ride today, especially on inclines. Did it make me faster though ? Umm no but my seat post had slipped about 10mm so that was something else to fettle. 
I made up a measuring rod some time ago that makes getting the saddle height right easy. It is simply two pieces of wood, one long piece and a shorter one at right angles which just sits across the saddle. The bottom of the long piece sits on the pedal with the crank in line with the seatpost. Simples !


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## Jenkins (25 Jan 2020)

Jenkins said:


> ...Also an attempt to cure a squealing front disc on another bike by cleaning the rotor with Fenwicks degreaser/cleaner, sanding the pads and adding a touck of Copaslip to the back of the pads when putting them back. Still need to test ride to check whether it's worked.





Jenkins said:


> The rotor cleaning & pad sanding didn't work and it still squeals like a banshee even with a light touch of the brakes, so I dropped the wheel out and swapped the pads round left to right this morning, but no test ride due to yet more rain. I may end up having to buy a new disc & pads as a last resort.


Well I did buy a new disc & pads, fitted them and guess what - more squealing and it seemed to get worse as they got more bedded in. Having tried everything to sort this out including undoing and retightening everything at the front end with no result, the only thing left was the brake mounting. So today I took off the 180mm disk fitted as standard (probably a bit of overkill to be honest) and replaced it with a 160mm disk and refitted the caliper without the spacer mount.

One four mile test ride later with the first part used to bed the disk in and...nothing! Not a sound so I can only guess that there was something in the original set-up with the spacer block & longer bolts that wasn't right.


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## roley poley (25 Jan 2020)

Jenkins said:


> So today I took off the 180mm disk fitted as standard and replaced it with a 160mm disk


you may have changed its resonant frequency (ever run a wet finger round the rim of a brandy glass to make it sing?) by reducing disc size .Just an idea but for whatever reason no squeal is better for efficiency and street cred


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## Pale Rider (26 Jan 2020)

A simple but important fettle this morning.

I removed and refitted the Suntour QLoc through axle on the front fork of my main bike.

This is important because the blasted thing rusts in place if left fitted for more than a month or two.

It came out OK, but needed a sharp tap on the end of an allen key I used as a drift.

Seems I just about got away with it.

Previously, it was a bike shop job - they have a heavy duty drift, having had several others rusted in.

Oddly, going tubeless is partly to blame.

When I was getting punctures, I was unwittingly keeping the axle free by removing it regularly.

Greasing it is the obvious option, but the fit is so snug the grease tends to wipe off as you push the axle through.

I'd get rid of it, but it's fork specific (no threads), and might be hub specific for all I know.

The cost/faff to benefit ratio of replacing it with a properly designed axle does not stack up.

I thought about trying to reduce its circumference with emery cloth or a cutting compound.

Might work, although it might also provide a key on the surface and make matters worse.

With no threads in the fork legs, it needs to be a close fit, making taking off too much a possibility.

Removing it occasionally is not so hard, but it's the type of little job that's easy to forget.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8IqJD34Ky0


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## Vantage (26 Jan 2020)

Got the wheel stand out last night to true the front wheel. It was wobbling over 5mm side to side. 
Must've done it when I sort of accidentally crashed into the side of someone's fence on the way to Acton Bridge and fell off. It piggin well hurt. 
The wheels running purfeck again though


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## DCLane (26 Jan 2020)

Vantage said:


> Must've done it when I sort of accidentally crashed into the side of someone's fence on the way to Acton Bridge and fell off. It piggin well hurt.



Were you ... sort of ... drunk at the time


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## Vantage (26 Jan 2020)

DCLane said:


> Were you ... sort of ... drunk at the time



If only...
That would have been a good excuse, but sadly no. I'm just getting crapper at bike riding


----------



## DCLane (26 Jan 2020)

Fitted a new rear jockey wheel to son's commuter.

His first race for 2020 is next Saturday in Leeds so rather than chance it on the day his race bike's come out of storage and been set up. All OK except the rear wheel needs trueing - an LBS job given it's a deep section carbon - so that'll have to wait. Backup race wheel on, brake pads switched from the Exalith ones used for the national hillclimb to carbon pads and with some cable adjustments all seems OK. Oh, and new jockey wheels fitted from Superstar Components instead of the Dura-Ace ones he's been using for the past 2 years - they were in better shape than we thought but a bit sticky.


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## Reynard (26 Jan 2020)

Right, that's Wiggy #2, the Chartres, cleaned from stem to stern and the transmission de-greased, cleaned and re-oiled.  I didn't expect to come across contractors moving a whole quarry's worth of gravel and muck onto the road along with their loads of sugar beet.  All spick and span now, though. 

Plus I fitted the handlebar extension that arrived on Friday. Must say, I'm glad I chose the red one as it really suits the bike's colour scheme. Only downside, the spacers that came with it were made of rigid plastic, not rubber, so the rather useless inner spacers went straight in the bin, and I replaced them with strips cut from one of those resistance / exercise band thingies that was knocking around in the "miscellaneous" drawer * in the kitchen.

* I reckon everyone probably has one of these - a drawer chock full of things like oddments of string, rubber bands, batteries, paperclips, small tools, sticky labels, tubes of glue and other random bits...


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## DCBassman (26 Jan 2020)

Reynard said:


> I reckon everyone probably has one of these - a drawer chock full of things like oddments of string, rubber bands, batteries, paperclips, small tools, sticky labels, tubes of glue and other random bits...


Yup, everyone. In fact I have several, dotted around the place...


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## cyberknight (26 Jan 2020)

Replaced the gaurds on my rat bike as something got stuck in-between the tyre and fender and snapped a chunk off it.
Replaced with zefal shield r30 s
Bit fiddlier than crud mk 2s to fit but a lot more clearance so they shouldn't rub so much 
stock photo from interweb


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## Reynard (26 Jan 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Yup, everyone. In fact I have several, dotted around the place...



Ah. All is well with the world, then...


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## cyberknight (26 Jan 2020)

also new BB and chain while i was at it , the BB lasted 18 months and for under £15 i cant moan , truativ powerspline and as its a commuter im keeping costs down by using spare parts for the bike so no fancy chainsets anyway


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## Jenkins (26 Jan 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> A simple but important fettle this morning.
> 
> I removed and refitted the Suntour QLoc through axle on the front fork of my main bike.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reminder - I must check the one on my Voodoo Bizango. I have had to resort to a bit of "persuasion" in the past.


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## Pale Rider (27 Jan 2020)

Jenkins said:


> Thanks for the reminder - I must check the one on my Voodoo Bizango. I have had to resort to a bit of "persuasion" in the past.



The fork, in Suntour terms, is fairly high spec, including magnesium legs.

My local bike shop observed I'm probably better off with a high spec Suntour in comparison to what would be a cheap original equipment Rockshox for the same money.

My guess is the combination of magnesium and whatever metal the QLoc is made of is causing the corrosion.

Although the binding could be happening in the hub.

Mine is on my ebike which is a heavy beast, making removing the QLoc more of a faff.

It would be relatively easy on a lightweight mountain bike.

The QLoc is reasonably robust, it's stood up to being whacked.

The bike shop told me most of the ones they've done have been the same, apart from one which was destroyed by the removal process.

I hardly need a suspension fork for my trekking use, but I would be curious to try a bike with a pukka £1,000 Rockshox having never done so.


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## Vantage (27 Jan 2020)

Removed the racks and a bottle cage. Bolted the rear light to the rear mudguard again. 
The bike is a couple tons lighter now.


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## adehooper (28 Jan 2020)

New wheel bearings front and rear on the CX bike, old ones were well knackered.


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## Andy in Germany (28 Jan 2020)

Finally changed the ancient and half broken pedals on the commuter bike. The old pedals were clicking and I could see the ball bearings. 
New pedals about to get a baptism of fire as I'm about to go out with a red storm warning.

It's all smugness and fun living car-free I tell you...


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## Andy in Germany (28 Jan 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Finally changed the ancient and half broken pedals on the commuter bike. The old pedals were clicking and I could see the ball bearings.
> New pedals about to get a baptism of fire as I'm about to go out with a red storm warning.
> 
> It's all smugness and fun living car-free I tell you...



Survived. So did the pedals.

There were a few moments I was glad I had a straight bar to hold the front wheel down.


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## Shearwater Missile (28 Jan 2020)

Yet another clean especially the drive train from the filthy roads on the Claude Butler. I know it is the winter bike and has mudguards but they don`t save the chain etc. I don`t mind wet roads but mud infested ones........urggghhhhh !


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## Tom B (29 Jan 2020)

Readers of this thread may be aware I repaired my SKS guards last week by re riviting the guards to the metal brackets.

It appears the guards and brackets are made of sterner stuff than elcheapo rivits from eBay. The vibrations caused the rivits to get chopped in half. One fell off while riding and the other in my hands while examining.

So I've had a trip to the local quality tool merchant and bought some quality rivits as re done them.

After that I adjusted the front cones. Then decided to strip them and re grease them. It's still not great so I might lash out on some new cones. Annoying really as I've just had the wheel rebuilt and could have changed the hub. Equally I suppose who cares if the hub is goosed I might as well ride it into the ground.


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## cyberknight (29 Jan 2020)

Need to recable the rat bike,2 weeks on shitty roads and the shifting Is farked


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## kynikos (29 Jan 2020)

Remove contents from box and build:







Sadly, I wasn't able to test ride it!

...but the smile on my grandson's face will be worth it. The balance bike has been getting some hammer and it's his 3rd birthday next month


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## 8mph (29 Jan 2020)

fixed a puncture, fitted brake pads and trued the front wheel of my mountain bike. Washed the rear rotor with warm soapy water which has stopped some horrific brake squeal.


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## keithmac (29 Jan 2020)

Gunk said:


> Checked the tyres and oil level on my old Honda Fireblade which I haven’t used for a couple of months and then popped out for about a 50 mile round trip to run a couple errands.
> 
> 
> View attachment 499016
> ...



Those Abba stands are a great piece of kit, we bought 3 for the workshop when they first came out (17 years ago?) and they are all still in use!.


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## keithmac (29 Jan 2020)

I've had a fair few modern bikes thought with diagnostic work needed (same old same old!).

Had the pleasure of working on this for last couple of days, really enjoyed it!. Can't beat adjusting things with screwdrivers..


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jan 2020)

kynikos said:


> ...but the smile on my grandson's face will be worth it.



There's something about that look when a child sees their own bike for the first time.


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## Gunk (29 Jan 2020)

keithmac said:


> Those Abba stands are a great piece of kit, we bought 3 for the workshop when they first came out (17 years ago?) and they are all still in use!.



Mine is over 10 year old and it’s been used for loads of projects.


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## keithmac (30 Jan 2020)

Once they're on the Abba there's no chance of them coming off!.


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## Slioch (30 Jan 2020)

keithmac said:


> I've had a fair few modern bikes thought with diagnostic work needed (same old same old!).
> 
> Had the pleasure of working on this for last couple of days, really enjoyed it!. Can't beat adjusting things with screwdrivers..
> 
> View attachment 502505


Now that's proper bike-porn


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## DCLane (30 Jan 2020)

Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa, adjusted front derailleur and fitted the 2nd replacement jockey wheel to son's Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter (only had one spare).

Then we adjusted the bars on his Langdale track bike - now it's lower so he can be faster as he wants a better bar balance


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## adehooper (31 Jan 2020)

New cleats on my shoes........That a surefire guarantee I'll fall off on my next ride out 🤣


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## Nigelnightmare (31 Jan 2020)

rowan 46 said:


> I am always impressed by anyone who can fettle with minimum swearing. Unfortunately it's the most used tool in my box.



Plasters are the most used in mine.
The good lady wife calls me "Holes in Keith".


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## Shearwater Missile (31 Jan 2020)

Removed both jockey wheels on the Sora and gave them a good clean. Cleaned the chainwheels too. The 39 tooth steel I thought had rust on it but it turned out only to be a funny colour mud that had splashed onto it. Now silver again.


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## Shearwater Missile (31 Jan 2020)

DCLane said:


> Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa, adjusted front derailleur and fitted the 2nd replacement jockey wheel to son's Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter (only had one spare).
> 
> Then we adjusted the bars on his Langdale track bike - now it's lower so he can be faster as he wants a better bar balance
> 
> View attachment 502659


I`d never manage that position now a days, actually I doubt I would have done when I was younger as well. Nice looking bike.


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## Andy in Germany (31 Jan 2020)

Finally got the bottom Bracket fitted and pedals on the Xtracycle (seen here being a touring bike:







Which means I'm not going to have to ride the admittedly sturdier but also much heavier Bakfiets when picking up Beautiful Daughter


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## Levo-Lon (1 Feb 2020)

Just noticed my lower jockey wheel was seized solid. 
Quick change as i had a spare so off out biking now.. I thought it seemed a bit stiff peddling


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## Bad Machine (1 Feb 2020)

Tongsheng Nightshade ? or VLCD5 Hoodie ? Maybe a niche one, this.

Tried it out this morning at 6.45am. A solution to the problem I have had with my Tongsheng TSDZ2 conversion e-bike's display when riding at night (and I really enjoy riding in the dark - no-one else around, and all you hear is the local widlife).
The VLCD5 display is remarkably big and clear for daylight viewing. But when using it at night - to turn on the front and rear bike lights - the display's backlight that then comes on is so bright, I lose my normal eyesight's darkness accommodation.

Maybe it's the contrast being too much - between the almost pitch black of our our local unlit country roads, and the display shining up at my face like a WW2 searchlight. It's amost uncomfortable, to the point on last Saturday evening I was riding for several miles with one mittened
hand covering the display.

Here's the removable "nightshade".






Seamgrip urethane glue, plastic fabric off-cut (from the base of a modified rack bag that covers the e-bike battery), two strips of double-sided velcro, and two layers of car window tinting film (20% variant). Sharp knife, steel edge and cutting board. Put together over several nights (working on one side at a time, 12 + hours for glue to cure. And 24 hours needed to avoid adhesion where you don't want it. DAHIKT).







Here's the effect.






As I'm not interested in my total distance ridden, or the other icons on the lower part of the display, I've reduced the window of information that shows through the tint to just the top half - power level, speed and battery level. The remote control allows all functions to be used, even though the buttons on the VLCD5 are covered. And when in place, the whole thing gives some protection against mud and rain.


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## Vantage (1 Feb 2020)

DCLane said:


> Cleaned the Wilier Montegrappa, adjusted front derailleur and fitted the 2nd replacement jockey wheel to son's Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter (only had one spare).
> 
> Then we adjusted the bars on his Langdale track bike - now it's lower so he can be faster as he wants a better bar balance
> 
> View attachment 502659



Where do the panniers go on that?


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## DCBassman (1 Feb 2020)

Clean and recheck the Merida Big Nine 40 D.
Strip off lights/bell/mudguards prior to disposal.


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## Spiderweb (1 Feb 2020)

Finished cleaning the filthy wheelset I picked up yesterday for my winter bike. Mavic rims with very little wear, shimano 600 Tricolour hubs , 8 speed Cassette with tyres and tubes all for £20!


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## Reynard (1 Feb 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> Just noticed my lower jockey wheel was seized solid.
> Quick change as i had a spare so off out biking now.. I thought it seemed a bit stiff peddling



Ah, but think of the extra calories you've burnt. Maybe they might even equate to an extra slice of cake...


----------



## Vantage (1 Feb 2020)

Stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the chainset and cassette. 
Waiting for the white spirit to clean the chain and that'll be oiled and put back on.


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## si_c (2 Feb 2020)

Mucky roads recently and the RD was sticking when moving down the block - there was too much friction between the outer/inner on the small loop just at the end.

As the bike was getting a little grubby I cleaned the whole lot - ran the chain through the sonic cleaner and lubricated the cables where appropriate.

Also found a better way of routing the dynamo cable up the fork leg, found a clip I can use which attaches to the same bolt as the mudguard stays and keeps the cable in the right place. Much tidier than the helicopter tape I was using previously.


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## Levo-Lon (2 Feb 2020)

Had a look at the seized jockey wheel and after much cleaning i revived it. 
Its now good as new and has white grease in it, the seals aren't the best so I'll add this to my regular checks. 

Sram know how to charge for their jockey wheels


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## PeteXXX (2 Feb 2020)

Rear gears need a fettle, whole bike needs a wipe down and the front mudguard has some rubbage going on. Probably just need to loosen the bolts and wibble it a bit then tighten them up again. 
I think it happened when I put the bike in the back of the car t'other day.


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## Heigue'r (2 Feb 2020)

Had slight chainrub on the front derailleur of my new build(nov).have only had it out a couple of times for test rides.Decided to investigate and start again with it.Followed the instructions to a T this time with a bit more confidence in what I was doing(first Di2 build) and now it is perfect.Happy days.


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## Gunk (2 Feb 2020)

Installed a set of roof bars onto Mrs Gunks Mini, (what a pig of a job) so I can transfer all the bike racks off my Golf as I’m getting a bit fed up with the reduced fuel consumption and the Mini only gets used for short local trips, so perfect for transporting our bikes.






I also adjusted front and rear mechs on our newly acquired Kona and it’s now listed on the bay of dreams.


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## roley poley (2 Feb 2020)

a scuffy sound from the front mudflap rub on tyre turns out to be hub bearings hmmm .I changed the quick release front axle to a solid about a year ago in the hope it would be less easy to pinch and reassembled with white grease out of a tube round my mates house ..little did I know that the drops of oil I put in over time would battle with white grease to make a mushy yuck .Cleaned and repacked with MY brown grease fine now and I know not to mix compounds of lube even if they are just to hand


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## Tenkaykev (2 Feb 2020)

Took my Brommie out for a spin, got halfway up a short steep slope when the hub gear changed itself into top. Had to really mash the pedals to get to the top of the slope.

Turned round and headed home. Saw that the gear adjuster lock nut had worked itself loose. I've never adjusted hub gears before, but after watching the excellent tutorial video from Brilliant Bikes I had it sorted and tested in no time.

While it was up in the stand I gave it a thorough clean and chain lube and checked the brakes.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Feb 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> Finished cleaning the filthy wheelset I picked up yesterday for my winter bike. Mavic rims with very little wear, shimano 600 Tricolour hubs , 8 speed Cassette with tyres and tubes all for £20!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bargain


----------



## keithmac (2 Feb 2020)

Diesel filter change on our Kuga today, spot the difference..

Full service history my arse..


----------



## roadrash (2 Feb 2020)

swapped the top cap for a top cap/ garmin mount on my Dawes discovery hybrid.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Feb 2020)

Oiled chain yesterday. It’s a recumbent one so oiling takes a bit longer. What a difference it makes after you’ve let a chain run dry.


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## Nigelnightmare (2 Feb 2020)

keithmac said:


> Diesel filter change on our Kuga today, spot the difference..
> 
> Full service history my arse..
> 
> ...



If youchanged it again next month it would look the same.
It's carbon from the partially burned diesel fuel.


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## Pale Rider (3 Feb 2020)

keithmac said:


> Diesel filter change on our Kuga today, spot the difference..
> 
> Full service history my arse..
> 
> ...



When I worked at the garage we used to like reading the usually long German names for bits on the Ford boxes.

We would then use them in our version of Germanglish.

For example: "I'm going to order some ausbesserungsfarbe for that blue Fiesta."

(Touch up paint).


----------



## keithmac (3 Feb 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> If youchanged it again next month it would look the same.
> It's carbon from the partially burned diesel fuel.



Genuinely interested in why it's partially burnt?, the lift pump in the tank feed the filter housing that then supplies the high pressure pump.

Is it the return from the spill pipes back to the tank that cause that?.

All the diesel I've had out of it while priming looked clear/ golden colour?.


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## Shearwater Missile (3 Feb 2020)

After yesterdays poor rear gear shifting I thought I`d better investigate. Low and behold it was the inner cable and a double whammy at that. It was frayed at both ends, inside the shifter and also inside the loop of the outer before the clamp. New cable fitted and the end soldered to prevent fraying and it makes life easier should I have to detach again. Re-indexed the gears and they feel like new. This is a Sora 3300 shifter and a 3500 rear derailleur. Just want to take it out on the road.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Feb 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> New cable fitted and the end *soldered to prevent fraying* and it makes life easier should I have to detach again.



I'm probably the last person here to come across that dodge, I'll still steal it though, thanks.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (3 Feb 2020)

Cleaned mud out from mudguard


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## Shearwater Missile (3 Feb 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> I'm probably the last person here to come across that dodge, I'll still steal it though, thanks.


You may not be the last person. I have never read it anywhere but just thought it a good idea. The trick is to do it when the cable is new as when it gets old it will tarnish and oxidize.


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## Nigelnightmare (5 Feb 2020)

keithmac said:


> Genuinely interested in why it's partially burnt?, the lift pump in the tank feed the filter housing that then supplies the high pressure pump.
> 
> Is it the return from the spill pipes back to the tank that cause that?.
> 
> ...


Sorry My bad!
Didn't look properly and assumed it was the oil filter from the state of it.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Feb 2020)

Applied a waterproof top coat to a leaking felt flat roof yesterday. That was 3.5 hours work. No rain forecast for next 5 days so hopefully enough time for it to fully cure before it gets wet. House stunk of white spirit last night but much better today.


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## keithmac (5 Feb 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Sorry My bad!
> Didn't look properly and assumed it was the oil filter from the state of it.



Yeh no chance of clean oil or filter, just idleing before checking the level is enough to colour it up!.


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## Tenkaykev (5 Feb 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> You may not be the last person. I have never read it anywhere but just thought it a good idea. The trick is to do it when the cable is new as when it gets old it will tarnish and oxidize.



Genuine question, I'd assumed the cable would be stainless steel? 
Can you solder it, or do you just just blob the end so the solder is really just sticking to itself around the strands?


----------



## Drago (5 Feb 2020)

Been using my Pinnacle a lot lately - it's an excellent foul weather road weapon. So, today I treated it to a clean and a spray of the plated bits with Duck Oil. Soon as the weather warms up itll be time for a service, but thats a month or so away yet.


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## Shearwater Missile (5 Feb 2020)

Tenkaykev said:


> Genuine question, I'd assumed the cable would be stainless steel?
> Can you solder it, or do you just just blob the end so the solder is really just sticking to itself around the strands?


That indeed is a good question. It certainly solders enough to stop the end from fraying. Once soldered I put a cap on it to finish the job. Perhaps it depends upon the quality of the cable. It said that it was stainless steel. I just use ordinary leaded solder as now a days you should use unleaded high melting point. I`ll take a photo tomorrow and post it on here.


----------



## pawl (5 Feb 2020)

I usually put a blob Super Glue the end of cables to stop them fraying and put an end cap on .Works for me.


----------



## youngoldbloke (6 Feb 2020)

pawl said:


> I usually put a blob Super Glue the end of cables to stop them fraying and put an end cap on .Works for me.


Heat-shrink does a neat job


----------



## Shearwater Missile (6 Feb 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> That indeed is a good question. It certainly solders enough to stop the end from fraying. Once soldered I put a cap on it to finish the job. Perhaps it depends upon the quality of the cable. It said that it was stainless steel. I just use ordinary leaded solder as now a days you should use unleaded high melting point. I`ll take a photo tomorrow and post it on here.






Said tinned cable end. I have never had one fray after soldering. The solder certainly has gone between the strands so will hold it in place.


----------



## Gunk (6 Feb 2020)

I just use a crimped nipple 😮


----------



## Shearwater Missile (6 Feb 2020)

Gunk said:


> I just use a crimped nipple 😮


So do I. I tin it so that if I have to take the cable off for cleaning etc it won`t fray once I have taken the nipple off. I can then thread it back through easily.


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## 13 rider (6 Feb 2020)

Spent the afternoon taking my TCR to bits to see if it fits in a borowed bike box for a trip abroad . Bit of juggling to get it to fit . But fit it did . Then managed to put it back together phew


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## Dogtrousers (6 Feb 2020)

I did once try using kneaded Babybel cheese rind as cable end caps. Now, I know what you're thinking ... "That's a brilliant idea. I must try it myself." Well, I'm sorry to say that, foolproof as it may sound, it was actually a rubbish idea.


----------



## Andy in Germany (6 Feb 2020)

It turns out that Proofide works far better at room temperature. This is why I'm applying the stuff to my Brooks saddle in our attic apartment to the bemusement of my wife and family.


----------



## keithmac (6 Feb 2020)

Abba stand out again today (pair of fork seals to an FZ6), done 83,000 miles and still runs like a Swiss watch!.

Excuse the mess, stupidly busy today..


----------



## DCBassman (7 Feb 2020)

Had hoped to use some of yesterday and today to start on re-dropping the Scott. Oh no. Washing machine has failed (Miele, 20years, can't complain) so instead spent day sourcing and collecting another (AEG). Have removed old one from the flat, now to get the new ine in and working.
Then get the incredibly heavy Miele to the dump, sorry, Recycling Centre. Where I will of course try not to acquire another bike...


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## Vantage (7 Feb 2020)

I've been hearing a 'tinkling' sound when spinning the rear wheel when I rebuilt it so fearing cracked or crushed ball bearings, I took the rear hub to bits. All fine and dandy. 
Put new grease in and put it back together and once again running as smooth as one of Dean Martins chat up lines.


----------



## Grant Fondo (7 Feb 2020)

Domus said:


> The Gran Fondo is the bike I fancied, the chap at Ribble sat me on it and the Sportive and said the Sportive geometry would suit me better, they were about the same price so got that. Do you think my saddle needs moving back?
> My winter bike is also a Ribble a CR1, rack, mudguards and a Son dynamo hub, I may get some 28mm Durano DDs to help with the poor roads.


My team of lawyers are still talking to Ribble's people but hopefully an enormous cheque will drop through the letterbox soon


----------



## Gunk (8 Feb 2020)

Sorted this out today, serviced and cleaned it. Now on eBay waiting for a new owner.


----------



## Grant Fondo (8 Feb 2020)

New bits installed on my 1995 Cannondale M500
XT front shifter replacing original gripshift
New Lizardskin grips
Cut down original CODA bar ends
Out for a quick blat this morning pre-storm, still love this bike after all these years


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## Reynard (8 Feb 2020)

Gunk said:


> Sorted this out today, serviced and cleaned it. Now on eBay waiting for a new owner.
> 
> View attachment 503726



That's nice. Junior bike?


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## Gunk (8 Feb 2020)

Reynard said:


> That's nice. Junior bike?



No 17” frame 26” wheels


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## Reynard (8 Feb 2020)

Gunk said:


> No 17” frame 26” wheels



Dang... Much too big.


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## Gunk (8 Feb 2020)

Had our first 29er through the workshop today, bought it locally very cheap neglected and dirty with a flat tyre.

It is mahoosive!







The frame was a real state so I cut it back and polished it.











Everything was rusty but responded well to some much needed oil but gears all change fine, so it didn’t need much work.






With some elbow grease it came up really well.






Everything was filthy, covered in cobwebs and leaves.






But after a couple of hours of cleaning, detailing, a new rear inner tube and a final quick service it’s ready for sale. Total costs £5.99 plus .99p for a cheeky celebratory Aldi beer 






It’ll be on the bay of dreams tomorrow


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## MonsterEnergy (8 Feb 2020)

Found some woods where i am marking out a simple, but fun trail near my house, and building a small jump out of wood to fit into the trail, to make it more real life trails.


----------



## MonsterEnergy (8 Feb 2020)

i was also trying to take out my pedals and handlebar grips. Anyone know what new colour to get for pedals, and grips, to look good on a black, with a few white and green stripe frame. Please suggest what you think.
I have also been practising riding down steeper steps, and sadly took to much air out, and got a puncture. I won't be back on my mtb, until i get a new inner tube. The high winds, will also cause some disturbence😥


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## Gunk (8 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> i was also trying to take out my pedals and handlebar grips. Anyone know what new colour to get for pedals, and grips, to look good on a black, with a few white and green stripe frame. Please suggest what you think.
> I have also been practising riding down steeper steps, and sadly took to much air out, and got a puncture. I won't be back on my mtb, until i get a new inner tube. The high winds, will also cause some disturbence😥



I would just stick with black, less is more


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## MonsterEnergy (8 Feb 2020)

Gunk said:


> I would just stick with black, less is more


ive got black already, but wanting new ones and that looks really cool...I got advise from sam pilgrim and matt jones...insane mtb and freeride.They said to get different colour but asking what everyone thinms


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## Gunk (8 Feb 2020)

I’m just not a very blingy person.


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## Mike_P (8 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> i was also trying to take out my pedals and handlebar grips. Anyone know what new colour to get for pedals, and grips, to look good on a black, with a few white and green stripe frame. Please suggest what you think.


Green might work especially if you match the strip


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## MonsterEnergy (8 Feb 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Green might work especially if you match the strip


yeah...its a really small and thing strip


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## Gunk (9 Feb 2020)

Quickly pulled it out of the garage for a quick photo shoot this morning, it’s responded well to treatment.


----------



## pawl (9 Feb 2020)

Just put new Shimano sl pedals on my 2003 Giant.


----------



## geocycle (9 Feb 2020)

Ciara stopped play so fettled the Spa. Put a new layback holdsworth seat post on to get my brooks a bit further back. Decided to stick with black to match the bars. Lowered bars 5mm as well. Just need to find an opportunity to test ride.


----------



## Arjimlad (9 Feb 2020)

New Superstar wheels for my Giant Revolt, new cassette, rim tape, popped the tyres on etc.
Took the discs off my old wheels for now. 

I also took the rear derailleur to bits, cleaned it up with Screwfix no nonsense degreaser, and opened up and regreased the part which carries the bolt attaching it to the hanger. New jockey wheels installed too.

Hoping for a smooth fast ride tomorrow especially with a tailwind home 🌬️👍🚴


----------



## carlosfandangus (10 Feb 2020)

Ciara has defiantly stopped play, 60 mile plus winds, put a new chain on the gravel bike, the Shimano one was starting to wear, the track I ride along has been partly surface dressed with fine grano chippings and even a 10 mile ride has meant a clean and re lube, using an FSA (chocolate!!!) chain that I have in stock, the last FSA I used only lasted 500 miles, one more left, its either use them or throw away, the first one was that good


----------



## fossyant (10 Feb 2020)

New pads on the FS MTB yesterday. Noticed whilst on a pootle with Mrs F that the rear started to sound 'grindy'.

So what went from lots of pad, very little wear, to no pads after one sloppy ride in the Peaks a couple of weekends ago. Proper grinding paste. Both sets worn out. Any discount offers on Uber Bike ? Need spares.


----------



## roadrash (10 Feb 2020)

took of the 11-25 cassette and replaced with 12-28 on the road bike
.


----------



## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

This is my Carrera Vulcan Hardtail
Any upgrades you think i should do?


----------



## roadrash (10 Feb 2020)

More to the point is ....are there any upgrades YOU think you should do. Is there anything that you are not happy with


----------



## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

roadrash said:


> More to the point is ....are there any upgrades YOU think you should do. Is there anything that you are not happy with


pedals, grips, seat


----------



## roadrash (10 Feb 2020)

then there is your answer, not much point changing anything else if you are happy with it


----------



## Gunk (10 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> View attachment 504018
> This is my Carrera Vulcan Hardtail
> Any upgrades you think i should do?



Not much really they’re a good bike out of the box, 120mm fork and hydraulic brakes. Just keep it clean, well oiled and just enjoy it.


----------



## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

Gunk said:


> Not much really they’re a good bike out of the box, 120mm fork and hydraulic brakes. Just keep it clean, well oiled and just enjoy it.


halfords sayed something about my brakes...something about them being too tight. They said something about taking it in for a bike check, and getting them too look at them or something...Anyone know what he meant?


----------



## Ming the Merciless (10 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> halfords sayed something about my brakes...something about them being too tight. They said something about taking it in for a bike check, and getting them too look at them or something...Anyone know what he meant?



He meant they’d like you to give them some money.


----------



## Mike_P (10 Feb 2020)

Not that happy with yesterdays application of bar tape so rewrapped it tonight, the blue unfortunately is somewhat darker than the blue elements of the bikes trim. Also had the black enamel out to touch up the black trim on the offside fork and the brake lever which had been scuffed on Fridays incident with an icy road. Awaiting the replacement rear derailleur hanger.


----------



## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> He meant they’d like you to give them some money.


dot be so pathetick
Anyone know what i should include in my mtb trail im building with no tools, but with a few small wooden jumps, and a small troul


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## Ming the Merciless (10 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> dot be so pathetick
> Anyone know what i should include in my mtb trail im building with no tools, but with a few small wooden jumps, and a small troul



It’s true they are just touting for trade.


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## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> It’s true they are just touting for trade.


okay


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## MonsterEnergy (10 Feb 2020)

What do you think about including in my mtb trail im building with no tools. Ive made a couple of small jumps out of wood, and am making a small trail in woods nearby


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## Nigelnightmare (11 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> What do you think about including in my mtb trail im building with no tools. Ive made a couple of small jumps out of wood, and am making a small trail in woods nearby


Is it a public right of way?
If so please be careful/mindful of others who might injure themselves on YOUR jumps. 
Then claim compensation from you!

That's the sad state of affairs we live in.

Have fun.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Feb 2020)

lylecane said:


> What do you think about including in my mtb trail im building with no tools. Ive made a couple of small jumps out of wood, and am making a small trail in woods nearby



A trail centre with a café is always a good shout. Maybe a bike washing area.


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## Shearwater Missile (11 Feb 2020)

At the weekend our Panasonic recorder (HDD and DVD) failed as Mrs S kindly pointed out when I returned from a ride. Top off and saw 3 capacitors had blown their tops off. Found them on ebay, ordered them and they arrived today. Out to the garage, replaced said capacitors, back indoors and plug in. "Please wait" flashed in the display and sure enough it came back to life. Top on, connected up and job done. I like to keep my hand in, so to speak. Very satisfying to repair something rather than bin it.


----------



## All uphill (11 Feb 2020)

Had a play with my shiny new derailler alignment tool, on a steel 501 bike I built recently. The alignment was way out so not surprising that I couldn't get the gears changing smoothly.

All working beautifully now, so I am happy. 

Buying a relatively expensive tool I will rarely use doesn't make a lot of sense in one way, but I enjoy it.


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## MonsterEnergy (11 Feb 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> A trail centre with a café is always a good shout. Maybe a bike washing area.


come on..be realistic...just on my own for fun just building a small trail to do.


----------



## roadrash (12 Feb 2020)

Hmm, I will try again after posting this in the wrong thread...

A new 10 speed chain fitted this morning , the other worked ok with the new cassette but it was noisy, I was surprised at the difference when I laid them side by side, I didn't think it was that worn , ah well all working fine and buttery smooth and quite, I cant be doing with noisy transmission I like the only the sound of tyres on tarmac and my breathing  panting for breath.


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## carlosfandangus (12 Feb 2020)

Moved mine too 

I have recently swapped chains too... my chain measuring thingy's (2 different makes) were saying nearly at 75% (11speed) however I was also surprised at the length new to old when laid side by side, however this was existing Shimano and a new FSA that I know wont last long


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## dave r (12 Feb 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> Moved mine too
> 
> I have recently swapped chains too... my chain measuring thingy's (2 different makes) were saying nearly at 75% (11speed) however I was also surprised at the length new to old when laid side by side, however this was existing Shimano and a new FSA that I know wont last long


how they wear is always surprising, a few years ago I had a male/female half link in the transmission of my fixed, I used it with two chains separate and was going to use it with a third chain but looked at the wear on it when I took it off and replaced it, the pins were worn half way through.


----------



## roley poley (13 Feb 2020)

A strange crunchy sound from my right pedal turned out to be a crushed ball bearing as where there should have been 13 in the race there was 12 and crumbs. Never had that happen before.New balls for all ,clean out and grease . Also the sticking return of the rear brommie brake solved by stripping and solvent cleaning all moving parts of what I can only describe as glue in the pivot points ! Darn sure I used brown grease and a drop of oil over time not Bostick


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## MonsterEnergy (13 Feb 2020)

Come on add some pictures of stuff uve done today.
Go out and build some jumps...My freinds have taken diggers down into queensferry somewhere, with there digger, and made massive tabletops, spines...etc..They are insane


----------



## Drago (13 Feb 2020)

Out on a ride today popped yet another spoke on my Aksiums. I'd bought them for my Felt, but when they proved troublesome I replaced them with DT Swiss jobs and demoted the Aksiums to my general purpose Pinnacle. Well, no more - the original cheapo, but hassle free, CPX 22's that were on the Felt when I bought it have now gone on the Pinnacle, and the sheet Aksiums consigned to the wall hanger of shame. In the warmer weather I may rebuild them myself with decent spokes and sort them properly, but until then I don't even want to loom at them - not at all suitable for heavy, powerful riders, and I wish I'd never bought them.

So, yeah, in a nutshell I swapped an moderately expensive but crap set of wheels off the Pinnacle, and replaced them with a cheap but perfectly reliable pair.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (13 Feb 2020)

My fitness yet again. Bumped my fitness up 1.345 units.


----------



## chriswoody (14 Feb 2020)

With both kids recently upgrading to 24 inch wheeled bikes, it's time to turn my attention to cleaning up their old bikes to sell. My daughters Puky bike has a SRAM i3 rear hub which apparently has a coaster brake in it, however, it's never worked. It's never been a problem though because it also has front and rear v-brakes. With the bike being sold though, I thought it was a good time to strip it down and finally make it work. A quick flick through the internet turns up an interesting fact that apparently SRAM recalled a bunch of these hubs because of a problem with the grease used in assembly that caused the brake to gum up. The strip down was delayed though when I discovered a key lock nut was 22mm and I didn't have a 22mm locknut spanner. So today with a shiny new lock nut spanner in hand, I embarked on the strip down.







I think it's safe to say, my hub is one of those effected by the grease problem, this stuff is like treacle! It may look reasonably clean, but that's one gummed up hub and coaster brake. At the top of the picture, those upright cylinders are meant to be pushed outwards and onto the brake shoes, by a cam on the inside. Whilst the cylinders look clean, the whole affair is gummed right up. A little while later, I'd stripped and cleaned the brake assembly.






I was intending on finishing there and re-assembling everything, but with the whole gearbox covered in this treacle, I've taken the decision to strip and clean the lot. However, that's it for today, it's beer O'Clock.


----------



## Rusty Nails (14 Feb 2020)

Spent the morning trying to set up my new (used) Genesis Datum, hoping to get out for a ride later on, only to come up against a few problems. There's a warp in the rear disk rotor which I couldn't straighten out, the internal cabling for the gear cables was a bugger to finish, and I couldn't get the front mech to push the chain fully onto the big ring, even after checking the usual things like chain tension and limit screws.
So no ride today.


----------



## MonsterEnergy (14 Feb 2020)

Spent this Evening, building a few small bike ramps/jumps to use on grass banks to get some air time, and for my mini trail. Although because there's so many trees by my trail, you can't get very much speed, but will try and clear out a lot of space to fit a bike jump, which should be fun. BUT, it will takes absolutly ages.but it will keep me and my younger brother, occupied. 
If anyone has got any ideas on how to make a small jump/ramps, drop offs, out of small pieces of wood, and with a little mud, Please reply to this post.
Thanks


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (15 Feb 2020)

I ought to change the chain, & clean the cassette/jockey wheels/chainrings on my CGR

Thankfully senior managements C-HR is out at the road-side, so I can take the workstand into the garage to do it
Or ought I to wait whilst next weekend, due to the inclement weather we're receiving (another weeks muck/rain won't make a lot of difference)


----------



## MonsterEnergy (15 Feb 2020)

I spent today building a few wooden jumps/ramps. Big and Small, and was great fun
Hopefully be testing them next wk, when the whether chears up.
Could i use wooden jumps on concrete, or would it be best to do it on grass?


----------



## Jenkins (15 Feb 2020)

A day of general fettling thanks to Storm Dennis

A few days ago I found a pair of old stubby bar ends while looking for something else - these went on the Bootzipper
The Giant flatbar and the Ventus commuter were given a quick frame clean and a chain cleaning and lubing
The rear tyre on the Spa was changed as it was badly cut and, checking the tyre after last weekend's puncture, a couple of them had gone through the carcas. This also involved re-setting the mudguard as the old tyre was a 32mm, the new one a 37 .
The wheels on the Pickenflick flatbar were changed from the Superstar Components) (red rims) to the spare set of handbuilts (black rims) I had for the Spa.
The chainset on the Planet X was removed and the bottom bracket re-tightened as a creak has developed recently, although being a SRAM GPX it probably needs replacing anyhow. The seat post, saddle, etc will all be checked in due course once it dries out.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Feb 2020)

Put some Storm Dennis air in my tyres to make the bike go faster.


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## pawl (16 Feb 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Put some Storm Dennis air in my tyres to make the bike go faster.




Hope you didn’t source it from the headwind direction.Could be interesting going backwards at fifty MPH


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (16 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> I spent today building a few wooden jumps/ramps. Big and Small, and was great fun
> Hopefully be testing them next wk, when the whether chears up.
> Could i use wooden jumps on concrete, or would it be best to do it on grass?


You might get a better response asking about stuff like this in the mountain bike section.


----------



## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

My fettle today was a tubeless tyre sealant top up.

There was a little left in both tyres, but the front was losing pressure and there was hardly a teaspoonful in that one.

Unfortunately, resealing proved hard despite me managing it last time.

After about an hour of frustration, I bit the bullet and set out in search of a compressed air inflator.

Edinburgh Bikes in Newcastle had a Specialized Blaster in stock, which I thought was a good effort because I don't imagine it's a fast seller.

They also gave me a couple of presta valve cores - I managed to bend one of mine messing around.

I removed the valve cores, and with the correct tool the job proceeded relatively smoothly.

The front took a couple of goes even with the Blaster.

I used a method we used to use on car tyres which is to lean the tyre against the wall at a shallow angle, and apply pressure to the centre of the wheel as the air goes in.

Works well, particularly if you only have one bead to seal.

The tool was £55, but worth it to do the job reliably and at a time when I want to do it.

My local bike shop is pretty good, but you do sometimes have to book jobs in ahead of time, and leaving the bike there for a day is a faff.

One thing I noticed was a small amount of sealer appeared around a couple of spoke holes.

This despite there being Schwalbe tubeless rim tape and two wraps of Gorilla tape on the rim.

Who'd have thought getting a container with 33 holes drilled in it would be hard to make airtight.

This time I used OKO sealant, which I've never heard of but is only eight quid for a big bottle.

I need a lot to smear around the inside of my large balloon tyres.

The stuff looks the same as any other, and while it's recommended for garden tractors and the like, a blow up tyre is a blow up tyre.

It does say it's not recommended for speeds above 50mph, so any demon descenders should look elsewhere.

https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/specialized-air-tool-blast


View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Road-Tyre-Sealant-Puncture/dp/B006THGZZ2


----------



## Racing roadkill (16 Feb 2020)

The weather is seriously shite today, so I packed the headset bearings in the Hybrid with extra grease before setting off.


----------



## carlosfandangus (16 Feb 2020)

This is what I use.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WSOKOMMT/oko-magic-milk-tyre-sealant

My wife uses a mobility scooter which has pneumatic tyres, I was buying Slime for her tyres, lots of thorns!! most of her journeys are 2 miles on a diss used railway line.

I bought a 5 litre so I always have it in stock, its in my tubeless bike tyres too, £39.99 works out a lot cheaper than slime for the scooter and appears to do the job well.
I had a 10mm slice in a tubeless tyre that sealed with a worm....However, I failed by putting to much pressure in with CO2


----------



## ianrauk (16 Feb 2020)

2 new tyres on the commuter ready for tomorrow's commute


----------



## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> This is what I use.
> https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WSOKOMMT/oko-magic-milk-tyre-sealant
> 
> My wife uses a mobility scooter which has pneumatic tyres, I was buying Slime for her tyres, lots of thorns!! most of her journeys are 2 miles on a diss used railway line.
> ...


Same brand and it looks like the same stuff.

Cheap, as you say.

I used close to half of my big bottle, but that's still only four quid for each pair of top ups.

Incidentally, after spinning the wheel of the tyre which was losing pressure, a couple of dribbles of sealant appeared on the tread.

I can't see anything in the tyre from the outside, but I suppose a better job would be to check the inside as well.

Now that would be messy.


----------



## carlosfandangus (16 Feb 2020)

The 5 litres I bought came with a syringe kit to fill either presta or schrada , I have 4 large tyres on the scooter to fill so its good for me to have in stock, just get fed up of the other half saying " just check my sealant"
Maybe the dribbles are just the porosity of the tyre sealing up or previous "p's" that have re sealed


----------



## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> The 5 litres I bought came with a syringe kit to fill either presta or schrada , I have 4 large tyres on the scooter to fill so its good for me to have in stock, just get fed up of the other half saying " just check my sealant"
> Maybe the dribbles are just the porosity of the tyre sealing up or previous "p's" that have re sealed



I think so, I could hear a low hiss for a few seconds, but no longer.

To complete this deeply fascinating topic, my cheapo Halfords track pump would only put about 85psi in the Blaster.

The guy in the shop said they aim for about 100psi, and the tool is rated to 140psi.

A better track pump might have saved me having to do one tyre twice.


----------



## carlosfandangus (16 Feb 2020)

I have a "coke bottle" gheto blaster, however have only needed this when making non tubeless tyres tubeless, land cruisers as a bit of an experiment.
The Michelin power gravel and Vittoria trail tech I have now fitted did not need any more than a track pump, they are both tubeless tyres so a tight fit.
I have a spare 1kg fire extinguisher that I will adapt to make a "blaster" should the need arise, I might make it anyway...


----------



## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

I wonder if the 2.4" balloon tyres on my bike are harder - or easier - to seal than narrow roadie tyres.

The rims are tubeless ready, so should have the correct profile.

The tyres are not, which may be another factor.


----------



## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

It wouldn't be a fettle for me if I didn't do one job and make another.

While upending the bike I managed to snap my bar end mirror.

It only cost me a fiver, but had done sterling service for the three years I've had the bike, and survived being clouted numerous times on A frames and other restrictions on bike paths.

Never mind, I need another for another bike, so I've ordered two.


View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOBILITY-SCOOTER-BAR-END-MIRROR-3-SAFETY-MIRROR-ADJUSTABLE-50-OFF-Pair/dp/B01LZNP8SI/ref=lp_458329031_1_48?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1581863717&sr=1-48&th=1&psc=1


----------



## Gunk (16 Feb 2020)

I use one of those on the Ridgeback pub bike, they are very good, especially riding through town.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (17 Feb 2020)

I was going to replace the bottom bracket cable guide. I thought that after nearly 16000 miles it must be worn so ordered one and it arrived today.
First I slackened off the cables, moved the old guide down the cables and checked for wear first, then gave it a clean. No wear, so I thought why bother upsetting the cabling and re-aligning. So I slid the old one back and put in the nice shiny screw that came with the new guide. So at the end of that escapade all I achieved was an upgraded screw !


----------



## MonsterEnergy (17 Feb 2020)

Today it's been quite wet in Scotland, but i managed to get out on my bike for a few hours, and tested my homemade bike ramps, and were not too bad.
I also when to my homemade trail.....(well not really a trail yet)........and just had fun......the woods im building them in is not a great place for digging mud, as its not good mud, and is hard to dig up...When u do dig it up, it all sticks stays together, and you can't build a descent jump/burm.....Rather annoying, but its just fun to ride your bike and get muddy, and skid and stuff,,,,so OVERALL wasent a bad day....apart from the whether😥


----------



## JhnBssll (17 Feb 2020)

A fun and unusual fettle for me this evening 😊 A friend's boat sank in storm Ciara last week and his small petrol generator went down with it. He's managed to refloat the boat but sensibly didnt try to start the generator  I got a call from him whilst out at the weekend asking if I was in, and could he drop it round for me to look at. I was out at the time and he didn't want to leave it out in the rain until I pointed out it was submerged in salt water a week ago, and the rain would probably do it good 

Anyway, I started stripping it down this evening 😊 I forgot to take a photo of it while it was still in once piece, but here it is with the first side panel removed...







Fortunately it was only underwater for 12 hours or so - this means whilst there is some corrosion it's relatively minor and all the fixings came out without much fuss 

First job was to get the electronics out and clean the salt water off them. They were already drenched, so I cleaned them with some detergent and rinsed them off. They're now drying on a radiator where they'll stay for a week or so to get the last of the moisture out.






This left the fuel tank and generator unit to strip...






I removed the inlet and exhaust next. Unsuprisingly this resulted in a minor escape of seawater from both ends of the engine 











Never a good sign but not unexpected. Next I popped the rocker cover off and checked in the sump to see if the oil was contaminated...






Good news, no sign of any ingress here  The oil looks nice and fresh, I'll leave that side of things alone. I also popped out the spark plug which also looks fine, no corrosion at all and a good colour 

I visually checked the generator coils, all seem ok but I'll take a closer look when I've cleaned it up a bit more. For now it's looking a little sorry for itself on my workbench, where it will stay for a week or so until it's dried out.






I wonder if it'll ever work again


----------



## Chris S (18 Feb 2020)

I tightened up the bottom bracket on my bike. I had to spray it with WD40 and leave it soaking overnight. I was then able to tighten it with an adjustable spanner without taking the crank off.


----------



## chriswoody (18 Feb 2020)

Continued to work on the SRAM i-motion 3 hub, on my daughters old bike, over the last days. I've stripped it all down and cleaned all of the components up, the grease was in a truly awful state. All done now though, just need to pop it back together. 

look closely at the pawls in this picture and you'll see how their not springing back because of the sticky grease:






All cleaned up now though and ready for the rebuild:






I love taking these kind of things apart just to see how it all works and the engineering involved.


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## pawl (18 Feb 2020)

Bet this gets moved.Replaced the connection between the roof gutter and down pipe blown off in the recent gales.Multi skilled us cyclists 🚴‍♀️.


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## LeetleGreyCells (18 Feb 2020)

So did something I've never done before today. As I've been mostly Zwifting in the past few weeks on my spare not-worth-anything bike which is hooked up to the turbo, my Fuji has been sat in the garage feeling unloved. As I'm doing my first Audax on Sunday, I thought I'd better give it the once over - best thought ever! Checked the rear gears - indexed nicely, but no freewheeling as the cassette/hub was stuck. What? What do I do? Get the tool kit out. I've never had to remove the sprockets before, but a quick search told me how. Fortunately, I have a tool kit that my wife bought me with all the tools I could need in it. Cassette off, gave it a good clean. Lots of wet grit around the _[insert name of the bit the cassette slides onto]_ so gave it a squirt of GT85 and set to cleaning. A short while later, I had movement. More cleaning and another squirt of GT85 and it spun nicely. Sprockets back on, wheel back on the bike and all is working well. Thank goodness. I also fitted a new gear cable for the front derailleur. I've fitted cables before so that was a piece of cake.

I need to learn how to take apart the hub (I apologise if I'm getting the part names wrong!) so I can give it a good clean and re-grease the bearings. The Park Tools website was good for removing the cassette so I'll look there for instructions (or should that be destructions!).

I do like to be able to fix my own bike.


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## JhnBssll (19 Feb 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> So did something I've never done before today. As I've been mostly Zwifting in the past few weeks on my spare not-worth-anything bike which is hooked up to the turbo, my Fuji has been sat in the garage feeling unloved. As I'm doing my first Audax on Sunday, I thought I'd better give it the once over - best thought ever! Checked the rear gears - indexed nicely, but no freewheeling as the cassette/hub was stuck. What? What do I do? Get the tool kit out. I've never had to remove the sprockets before, but a quick search told me how. Fortunately, I have a tool kit that my wife bought me with all the tools I could need in it. Cassette off, gave it a good clean. Lots of wet grit around the _[insert name of the bit the cassette slides onto]_ so gave it a squirt of GT85 and set to cleaning. A short while later, I had movement. More cleaning and another squirt of GT85 and it spun nicely. Sprockets back on, wheel back on the bike and all is working well. Thank goodness. I also fitted a new gear cable for the front derailleur. I've fitted cables before so that was a piece of cake.
> 
> I need to learn how to take apart the hub (I apologise if I'm getting the part names wrong!) so I can give it a good clean and re-grease the bearings. The Park Tools website was good for removing the cassette so I'll look there for instructions (or should that be destructions!).
> 
> I do like to be able to fix my own bike.



Excellent work  The bit the cassette slides in to is called the freehub body, otherwise your terminology is spot on  Well done for having a go, and extra points for actually fixing it on the first attempt


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## LeetleGreyCells (19 Feb 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> Excellent work  The bit the cassette slides in to is called the freehub body, otherwise your terminology is spot on  Well done for having a go, and extra points for actually fixing it on the first attempt


Cheers! I've been watching YouTube videos today about cleaning and re-greasing the ball-bearings in the hub. I need to get some grease (I have copper anti-seize grease which I use for putting pedals on, etc., but which I don't believe would be suitable for this job) and a grease injector as it seems the easiest way to pack the grease in. I think it's white grease I need (from watching the videos). Plus a cheap magnet on a telescopic pole (which I know I can get from B&M or Home Bargains for £1) would be very helpful too to remove the bearings. I already have cone spanners. This'll be a job for after the audax as I don't want to _not_ be able to fix anything I may get wrong in putting it all back together and stop my chances of starting/finishing the audax.


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## palinurus (20 Feb 2020)

Rear wheel on the fixed commuter had developed quite a bit of play. Off work today so went out in the drizzle and wind to take a look at it. Bought the wheel on eBay a few years ago after hitting a big pothole, sort of as a temporary stop-gap until I could get something nicer built. So took it off, sprocket came off easily! (two winters and the anti-seize grease was still looking fresh under the thread). Was going to see about getting something built but figured since the wheel was perfectly serviceable I'd just change the bearings, wouldn't even have to get the tyre off.

Mounted the hub flange on some handy bits of wood and gave the axle a few whacks with the rubber hammer but nothing was budging. Went away and had a cup of tea, went back out, screwed a wheel nut onto the end of the axle to protect it and gave it two whacks with a lump hammer. That one did it, used the axle and hammer to get the other side out. Just got to wait for my new bearings now.


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## 8mph (20 Feb 2020)

Fitted drop bars, levers, brakes, cables and bar tape to my new Marin Muirwoods


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## Pale Rider (21 Feb 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> but no freewheeling as the cassette/hub was stuck.



Your fettle may well have sorted it, but if it happens on a ride a good tip is to bounce the back wheel off the ground a few times.

The shock will often persuade it to work again.

Also worth a go if you lose drive.


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## LeetleGreyCells (21 Feb 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> Your fettle may well have sorted it, but if it happens on a ride a good tip is to bounce the back wheel off the ground a few times.
> 
> The shock will often persuade it to work again.
> 
> Also worth a go if you lose drive.


Thanks for this. There was a lot of grit at the base of the free hub body which I cleaned out so it will no doubt happen again. I'm going to call at Decathlon today while I'm out with my son to pick up some white grease, etc. so I can give it all a proper clean and re-grease (next week, hopefully).


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## jowwy (21 Feb 2020)

8mph said:


> Fitted drop bars, levers, brakes, cables and bar tape to my new Marin Muirwoods
> View attachment 505440


are you able to change the front arms around on your rack, so the front lifts up and level??


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## Pale Rider (21 Feb 2020)

jowwy said:


> are you able to change the front arms around on your rack, so the front lifts up and level??



An off level rack is against 'the rules'.

But the angle does increase heel clearance for pannier bags.


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## 8mph (21 Feb 2020)

jowwy said:


> are you able to change the front arms around on your rack, so the front lifts up and level??


Yeah but I plan to strap a 13L drybag to the top of the rack and this way I can tuck it right up to the seat post.


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## SkipdiverJohn (21 Feb 2020)

Fettling is probably not _quite_ the right term, but I popped in to a colleague's workshop and availed myself of the 6" engineer's vice he's got bolted to a nice heavy bench that isn't going anywhere.
My Raleigh roadster forks were clamped tightly in and a length of scaffold tube slid over the end of the LH fork blade and a little gentle persuasive pressure applied, until I had lessened the amount of accident damage misalignment. The blades/dropouts also had a bit of twist in them, so they were not quite at right angles to the fork crown, which caused the wheel to point at a slight angle when the steering was set straight ahead.. I clamped each dropout in the vice in turn, and used a length of flat steel bar inserted between the blades just below the crown, to twist each blade until the crown axis looked to be at right angles to the dropouts.
When I got home I trial fitted the front wheel in the fork, which revealed it's much better, but still needs a bit more tweaking before I'll be happy with it, plus the RH dropout needs filing slightly deeper to compensate for a small difference in the effective length of the two fork blades. I'm just thankful it's made of steel and not carbon fibre!


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## CXRAndy (22 Feb 2020)

My JCB circular saw developed a very noisy grinding bearing/s. I know its a cheap saw but has some nice easy adjust features. I decided to strip down, use my newly acquired bearing puller kit. It came apart so easily and doddle to diagnose. Large front bearing had collapsed discarding the bearing cage. 

20 mins later, new set of bearings installed and rewire cable after I cut into it on day one


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## SkipdiverJohn (22 Feb 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> 20 mins later, new set of bearings installed and rewire cable after I cut into it on day one



It's always satisfying repairing something that has gone wrong that numptys would just stare at blankly before tossing it in the bin. Even better if you salvage something discarded by someone else then resurrect it at minimal cost. I pulled a portable colour TV out of a skip that just needed a plug fuse, it worked perfectly afterwards!


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## JhnBssll (22 Feb 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's always satisfying repairing something that has gone wrong that numptys would just stare at blankly before tossing it in the bin. Even better if you salvage something discarded by someone else then resurrect it at minimal cost. I pulled a portable colour TV out of a skip that just needed a plug fuse, it worked perfectly afterwards!



I was given 4 identical LCD computer monitors by the last place I worked at as they were all broken. 4 electrolytic capacitors and about 80p later and they were all fully functional and on eBay


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## SkipdiverJohn (22 Feb 2020)

Big business doesn't want us to keep using & fixing older things, they just want us to chuck stuff away and buy new, even if the old stuff is easily repairable. So much for being "green".....


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## C R (22 Feb 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Big business doesn't want us to keep using & fixing older things, they just want us to chuck stuff away and buy new, even if the old stuff is easily repairable. So much for being "green".....


One of the mantras in Brave New World, ending is better than mending.


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## CXRAndy (22 Feb 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Big business doesn't want us to keep using & fixing older things, they just want us to chuck stuff away and buy new, even if the old stuff is easily repairable. So much for being "green".....



My trade/business was TV repair and every other type of electronic equipment. It was a great, satisfying job. Actually I treated it as a hobby, just loved repairing things. 

Sad day when new TVs/Video/DVD players were so cheap that my business was no longer viable. I enjoyed my 20 years in the trade. 

All my friends and college mates have all left the trade. There used to be 10 Repair shops where I had my shop, when I closed, there were 2 left. Now none

Just a waste of resources,. I see so much equipment in the local tip it makes you cry.

I salvaged a 48 port network (POE) Cisco switch. I looked it up, £800+vat new

It may not be a gigabit speed but it works perfectly and will do for a few years until I find a gigabit version


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## SkipdiverJohn (22 Feb 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> All my friends and college mates have all left the trade. There used to be 10 Repair shops where I had my shop, when I closed, there were 2 left. Now none
> 
> Just a waste of resources,. I see so much equipment in the local tip it makes you cry.



So ordinary people were "saving the planet" by routinely repairing and salvaging stuff, but not making a fuss about it, long before the concept got hijacked by the eco virtue-signallers, who try to make out it's something new!
I'm no tree-hugger, but modern consumerist, big-business controlled society is incredibly wasteful and exploitative of cheap labour. Before manufacturing globalisation, throwaway economics didn't add up.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Feb 2020)

Oiled the chain. It’s a recumbent so that took two hours.


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## dave r (22 Feb 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> So ordinary people were "saving the planet" by routinely repairing and salvaging stuff, but not making a fuss about it, long before the concept got hijacked by the eco virtue-signallers, who try to make out it's something new!
> I'm no tree-hugger, but modern consumerist, big-business controlled society is incredibly wasteful and exploitative of cheap labour. Before manufacturing globalisation, throwaway economics didn't add up.



Yes we made do and mended stuff. Just after we were married our friends fridge packed up, they had a new fridge we had the old one, I put a new thermostat in it and we used it for years, in the end we replaced it with a bigger one and gave it to a friend who needed one.


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## Mike_P (22 Feb 2020)

The throw away approach was clearly demonstrated by the IT clowns at work when larger monitors were installed, some of the displaced ones were only a few months old and they were all piled on top of each other, backs with fixing screws in them on top of screens


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## Gravity Aided (24 Feb 2020)

I changed out components on the Trek 400 Elance, from the SunTour Spirit 9000 series stuff to Shimano 600 Accu-shift (indexed) so I can return the Fancy SunTour stuff to the co-op. Bianchi project has not gone so well, and I'm thinking about going with more modern group on that, and dressing the Elance for the local Eroica event. I had decent temperatures over the weekend, so i got in both a ride and fettling over both days. now it is set to turn colder ( 28F for a high temperature) for a few days.


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## C R (24 Feb 2020)

On the subject of mending, though not bike related. I replaced the pull cord light switch in the bathroom a few days ago, because the mechanism in the old one was sticking. 

Mrs CR and mini CRs complained that the new switch is very stiff and noisy, so I opened the old one, cleaned it up, changed the frayed cord, and it's now working like new, ready to go back in.


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## pawl (24 Feb 2020)

Put a new blade on my lawn mower,in anticipation of spring 😀😀😀😀


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## palinurus (24 Feb 2020)

palinurus said:


> Rear wheel on the fixed commuter had developed quite a bit of play. Off work today so went out in the drizzle and wind to take a look at it. Bought the wheel on eBay a few years ago after hitting a big pothole, sort of as a temporary stop-gap until I could get something nicer built. So took it off, sprocket came off easily! (two winters and the anti-seize grease was still looking fresh under the thread). Was going to see about getting something built but figured since the wheel was perfectly serviceable I'd just change the bearings, wouldn't even have to get the tyre off.
> 
> Mounted the hub flange on some handy bits of wood and gave the axle a few whacks with the rubber hammer but nothing was budging. Went away and had a cup of tea, went back out, screwed a wheel nut onto the end of the axle to protect it and gave it two whacks with a lump hammer. That one did it, used the axle and hammer to get the other side out. Just got to wait for my new bearings now.



Just put the new ones in, all lovely.

I had no idea how to do it of course, found a tip on LFGSS- use the old ones to drive the new ones in using the wheelnuts. Worked very nicely.


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## MonsterEnergy (24 Feb 2020)

does anyone out there do mtb, or is it all just road cycling....When i say mtb, i mean partly road biking, but a bit of cross country route?


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## Spiderweb (24 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> does anyone out there do mtb, or is it all just road cycling....When i say mtb, i mean partly road biking, but a bit of cross country route?


You really need to post this type of question in the ‘Mountain Biking, Trails & BMX’ section.


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## ColinJ (25 Feb 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's always satisfying repairing something that has gone wrong that numptys would just stare at blankly before tossing it in the bin. Even better if you salvage something discarded by someone else then resurrect it at minimal cost. *I pulled a portable colour TV out of a skip that just needed a plug fuse, it worked perfectly afterwards!*


A friend of mine used to buy faulty Apple computers on eBay, strip out any working parts, and resell those. He once got a 'dead' iMac for a pittance and discovered that all _it_ needed was a new fuse!

I bought a faulty reel to reel tape recorder from a junk shop when I was a teenager. The fault turned out to be a loose wire on the tape head. It only took me a couple of minutes to fix it, and most of that time was waiting for the soldering iron to heat up.


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## Tenkaykev (25 Feb 2020)

Fitted a new battery to the 2012 macbook air that my wife uses. Quite straightforward, the replacement battery came with the required screwdrivers and fitting instructions.

The original battery was showing 67% capacity so I charged it up to 100% and left it playing a continuous stream of YouTube videos from Brilliant Bikes. Original battery lasted 3 1/2 hours.

The logic board in the macbook air is quite compact, most of the space is battery which covers the width of the machine and is shaped to fit.

New battery fitted and the same YouTube test saw the replacement battery lasting over 7 hours.

Although my wife uses the laptop almost exclusively with the charger plugged in and connected, the machine now feels " snappier" and more responsive.

I've suggested that running it off battery alone a couple of times per month might be better for the long term battery life.


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## carlosfandangus (25 Feb 2020)

We have 3 laptops and one Microsoft surface, I appear to be the only one who runs of battery regularly, I don't know how many times I have told Mrs fandangus and the two girls that they need to run off battery now and again, sick of tripping over leads.


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## Tenkaykev (25 Feb 2020)

Interesting to see the improvement in battery chemistry over 7+ years.
I shall be keeping an eye on things as it is an aftermarket replacement battery and not an Apple branded one. 
It did seem very well made with all the safety certifications and a decent warranty so hopefully it won't start to degrade too quickly.


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## MonsterEnergy (25 Feb 2020)

can u change the suspension on your forks softer or harder.....Ive got 120ml travel, and it feels like ive got nothing when im jumping of a few small jumps.....


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Feb 2020)

Received my custom raw mud flaps. Black in middle is 3M reflective so shows up white under lights. The yellow is fluorescent. Going to fit in next few days.


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## Nibor (27 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> can u change the suspension on your forks softer or harder.....Ive got 120ml travel, and it feels like ive got nothing when im jumping of a few small jumps.....


Depends what make / model of forks you have.


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## MonsterEnergy (27 Feb 2020)

Nibor said:


> Depends what make / model of forks you have.


XCM


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## Spiderweb (27 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> XCM


Suntour XCM are a very basic coil sprung fork and unfortunately offer no adjustment.


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## Nibor (27 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> XCM


If you mean SR Suntour XCM you may be able to wind up the preload to make them a little firmer, and if you know the exact model you may also be able to source a replacement harder spring.


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## Spiderweb (27 Feb 2020)

Nibor said:


> If you mean SR Suntour XCM you may be able to wind up the preload to make them a little firmer, and if you know the exact model you may also be able to source a replacement harder spring.


Suntour may have improved this fork in the last couple of years but my experience is with a neighbours older MTB, the preload adjust made no noticeable difference and they were a very stiff fork. If @MonsterEnergy is a lightweight rider then he may be wanting softer suspension?
As you say the OP may be able to get a different spring, I didn’t realise this was an option with this fork, you learn something new every day


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## MonsterEnergy (27 Feb 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> Suntour may have improved this fork in the last couple of years but my experience is with a neighbours older MTB, the preload adjust made no noticeable difference and they were a very stiff fork. If @MonsterEnergy is a lightweight rider then he may be wanting softer suspension?
> As you say the OP may be able to get a different spring, I didn’t realise this was an option with this fork, you learn something new every day


so could i possibly get the sam 120mm travel but different make. e.g Rockshox. Would that make a difference?


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## Spiderweb (27 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> so could i possibly get the sam 120mm travel but different make. e.g Rockshox. Would that make a difference?


Is the fork you have too stiff or too soft, what don’t you like about it?
You could try what @Nibor suggests, a different spring?
You could get another fork but for complete adjustment to suit your riding and your body weight then you would need an air fork and they are not cheap.


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## crossfire (27 Feb 2020)

Nice job!


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## MonsterEnergy (27 Feb 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> Is the fork you have too stiff or too soft, what don’t you like about it?
> You could try what @Nibor suggests, a different spring?
> You could get another fork but for complete adjustment to suit your riding and your body weight then you would need an air fork and they are not cheap.


its too stiff


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## MonsterEnergy (27 Feb 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> Is the fork you have too stiff or too soft, what don’t you like about it?
> You could try what @Nibor suggests, a different spring?
> You could get another fork but for complete adjustment to suit your riding and your body weight then you would need an air fork and they are not cheap.


what would i search? Sorry to be a pain


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## roadrash (27 Feb 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> what would i search? Sorry to be a pain




Air suspension fork


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## MonsterEnergy (27 Feb 2020)

roadrash said:


> Air suspension fork


okay....thanks. I will probably save up for one...Maybe
thanks anyway...great help


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## DCLane (29 Feb 2020)

Adjusted and checked over my son's Cervelo following a racing incident in his U16 race earlier; both him and bike OK - he managed to finish so that's points and 3rd cat next year.

Cleaned:

His Columbus X-wing commuter as it'd been through previously flooded paths
My Avanti commuter
Some cassettes of winter gunk
Fitted a new axle to a rear Mavic vintage wheel I got this week as part of a pair. The rear had a snapped axle so the seller gave me an extra Campagnolo Record rear for free 

Pulled the NeilPryde out of storage and checked over for possible use tomorrow. 

Batteries into an old PowerTap rear wheel and we'll see if it still works: bought 'unchecked' which tells me it probably won't.


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## Gunk (29 Feb 2020)

Spent all day in the workshop today, changed a bent chainring and fitted a new chain on my Brompton and then tackled this horror!



























Firstly I jet washed it and then detailed it, it took hours, the brakes were so bad they ended up in the bin, luckily I had a spare set in my box of treasure. The drivetrain was filthy and rusty but responded to treatment, with a wire brush, lots of oil and WD40.
















In the end it came up OK, you’d never win the Tour de France on it but it’ll make a good commuter for someone and the only expenditure was some new handlebar tape.


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## roadrash (29 Feb 2020)

ahhh ...there WAS a bike under all that shyte, well done ,@Gunk looks good.


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## MonsterEnergy (29 Feb 2020)

spending the day learning new tricks after looking at some professional bike vids on yt.
Quite a successful session.


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## Shearwater Missile (29 Feb 2020)

After buying a new bottom bracket cable guide a couple of weeks back and then finding it did`nt fit as I mentioned in a previous posting. I looked at it again and thought why not drill another mounting hole about 5mm away I have nothing to loose. In doing so and then fitting it allowed the cables not to foul the frame. Now why did`nt I think of that before ? A quick indexing set up and away she went.
With that added hole it has shifted the cables away from the frame. A lot of cable guides have more than one mounting hole anyway.


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## HLaB (29 Feb 2020)

I thought my chain sounded a little strained on climbing last week so I ordered a new chain and cassette. New chain was fitted tonight and if it doesn't skip on tomorrow's ride, fine, no more fettling for now; if not the new cassette will need fitting. It a bit infuriating I'm having to do all fettling just now by eye as I'm still waiting for my fingertip nerves to grow back post chemo, so I'd rather the former but given a broken link found I'm betting on the latter.


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## Mike_P (1 Mar 2020)

Rebuilt my TSDZ2 motor with a new torque sensor installed - put back on the hybrid and went on a test ride and its still dead Very wary of spending any more time and money on it so do I buy another and flog off all the parts I do not need or do I buy one of these https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/3717/products/giant-entour-e1-disc-e-hybrid-bike-2019-steel-blue.aspx?


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## jowwy (1 Mar 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Rebuilt my TSDZ2 motor with a new torque sensor installed - put back on the hybrid and went on a test ride and its still dead Very wary of spending any more time and money on it so do I buy another and flog off all the parts I do not need or do I buy one of these https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/3717/products/giant-entour-e1-disc-e-hybrid-bike-2019-steel-blue.aspx?


I’d buy the later knowing it’s got a decent motor, battery and a warranty


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## LeetleGreyCells (2 Mar 2020)

Clean the bike and wheels thoroughly, lubed the chain, indexed the gears. Drivetrain running smoothly. All ready for my BC Ride Leader course on Saturday. Hoping I can get a ride in before then, but it’s looking like a busy week.


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## Shearwater Missile (2 Mar 2020)

Replaced both inner derailleur cables and what a faff. The faff was due to the old cables having a coating on them which when pulled through bunched up. Some of this coating left itself inside the final loop of the RD outer and some more inside the outer by the shifter, which was a beggar to get out. Once in and indexed and now the 105 feels as smooth as butter. The old cables were the original from 2015 so can`t complain.


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## Vantage (2 Mar 2020)

For the 2nd time, I've had to strip and rebuild a wheel. From Spa. This time the front. Because like the rear, it was constantly going out of true. 
So here it is... 

Mr Dave Gill of Spa Cycles, your wheel building skills are quite frankly, crap.


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## EltonFrog (2 Mar 2020)

I’ve put a spare emergency stunt bottle cage on the new bike while await a pair of matching ones to arrive.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> Spent all day in the workshop today, changed a bent chainring and fitted a new chain on my Brompton and then tackled this horror!
> 
> View attachment 506487
> 
> ...



Is that your cyclocross bike?


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## Gunk (2 Mar 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Is that your cyclocross bike?



It looked like it had been dragged from the bottom of a lake, it’s the worst one my son has bought, I wouldn’t have bought it, it’s too far gone really.


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## Mike_P (4 Mar 2020)

Giant fettling today - new ebike has mobile phone app and uses the phone as its display so the first thing needed was a rather worrying download of new firmware for the ebike. A rather anxious few minutes but all went well. Then I noticed a loud rubbing noise as I wheeled it forward and did a short test ride to the end of the street and back which confirmed an intermittent rubbing noise which I immediately traced to the rear disc brakes and redid their alignment to no avail. So off with the wheel, ebike flippable once battery is removed, and the brake pads removed and yes one of the pistons was slightly proud. The tyre lever trick failed to budge it so off to LBS for the appropriate tool as this is my first bike with disc brakes. Wheel refitted now a continuous loud rubbing noise so redid the alignment of the pads again and again to avail. Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed a mudguard clip rubbing on the wheel.
Now quietened took it for a very short test ride as I do not get on with flat pedals and the SPDs have yet arrive. That showed the seat height was a touch too high. Back home a light bulb moment - the Defy has its seat post marked for your height so I know that is bang on. Used a 1m metal rule to measure the height of the top of the saddle on the Defy and the ebike adjusted accordingly. Bottle cage added, a cheap Halfords alloy one but IME they do the job perfectly.
Time out from the bikes to wash a filthy car and then cabled up the Defys new rear derailleur for the third time. First time was using the previous derailleurs cable but not only was it fraying at the derailleur end I had discovered it was fraying at the hood to the point it took ages to extract it. The second cable I thought was fitted okay to cut but subsequent need to pull it tighter resulted in that fraying alarmingly. So it was indeed third time lucky. So here are the two bikes making the back yard look a bit like a Giant showroom.





The lack of markings on the ebike looks a bit odd to me - it does have Giant on the front of the head tube but in dark grey which makes it pretty invisible.


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Mar 2020)

Finally fettled new mud flaps onto bike. Rear was a pain removing original flap and rivet. But got there in end. Sharp metal implement go hole in right place for the front,


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## Richard A Thackeray (5 Mar 2020)

New chain, & cassette onto the CGR

I'd originally just replaced the chain, after washing it on Monday afternoon, but riding to work 'early doors' Tuesday morning, resulted in some jumping on the higher sprockets (numerically lower), so as I've had a new cassette that wasn't used 2 chains ago, it went on
(KMC X10)

In addition, the drivetrain is silent again, when it's reversed out of its parking place at work


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## Mike_P (5 Mar 2020)

More Giant fettling today - changed the inner tyres on the ebike to ones with removable cores and filled them with slime, while the Defy got its auxiliary brake levers secured properly for the first time since I changed the bar tape, having found some padding of the appropriate thickness. They are very useful when pot hole spotting allowing a more upright stance. Decided the ebike needed some lettering on its down tube to brighten it up so ordered some white Giant die cut letters from an ebay seller which match the style of those on the Defy. Also sorted out the shelving in the bike shed as it was overcrowded as I had found Homebase selling waterproof storage cases for £5 so all the non Aldi bike tool set tools are now in one.


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## MonsterEnergy (5 Mar 2020)

When i move into a low gear, my chain rattles. Anyone help how to fix this?


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## Mike_P (5 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> When i move into a low gear, my chain rattles. Anyone help how to fix this?


Check the clearance between the rear derailleur and the cassette - its should be pretty close without the chain getting trapped partly between them. You use the B-screw on the derailleur to adjust this, I find it quite therapeutic watching the chain as I adjust it, you want it so the chain gracefully moves between the two at a angle that looks natural. 
If its the front derailleur and you are on the largest chainring is probably just one of those things, there is usually a limit on the combinations that can be catered for and in that case its best to have that rattle and a corresponding one of small chainring and smallest cassette cog as a warning that really you should be on the other chainwheel.


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## Heigue'r (6 Mar 2020)

Swapped out brake pads,were getting a little thin


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## Mike_P (6 Mar 2020)

Finished off putting former ebiked hybrid back to normal pedal power re-equipped with its triple 28-38-48 chainring and repaired its left SPD pedal which had lost its bolt, washer, spring etc. Postie also brought the new SPD pedals for the new ebike so by 4pm I actually had three fully functional bikes. Have personalised the new ebike with a BC sticker on the rear of the seat post and sort of double bar tape wrapped some cut inner tube with double sided tape on its rear around the end of the top of the pannier rack as its too readily grounded when flipping the bike over.


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## roubaixtuesday (7 Mar 2020)

Major vernal equinox fettle of commuter, brought forward a couple of weeks.

New cassette, chain, chain ring, tyres + clean.

Before and after:












The marathons have done about 15,000 miles, and I think they could well have managed a few more, but decided it was about time.

Found a very strange crack in the front one:






Hadn't really planned on swapping the chain ring but inspecting it showed the teeth very worn compared to the new one, so bit the bullet.




New one is functionally fine, but frustratingly slightly different to the old one. Separate thread on that.


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## dave r (7 Mar 2020)

Noticed over the last couple of weeks that the guttering for the kitchen roof had got blocked, I couldn't get at it from below, I hadn't got a ladder long enough, but its a flat roof so I got the little kitchen steps got out through the back bedroom window and sorted it from above, lots of debris in the guttering and a rather happy looking plant growing in the end blocking the down pipe, cleared it all out, then noticed that there was a lot of debris on the roof as well, with a lot of small seedlings growing on it, so cleared all that as well.


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## Mike_P (7 Mar 2020)

Further customisation of the new ebike, added a bar end mirror, one of the Mirracycle ones that can be moved out of the way so its tucked under the handlebar to be pulled into place if needed.


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## CanucksTraveller (7 Mar 2020)

I replaced a bent gear hanger on my daughter's bike, the bent hanger was as a result of a small prang last week where the rear mech bore the brunt. 
Rear mech and wheel came off, the hanger was swapped, then everything went back on with the wheel needing only a tiny bit of encouragement from a hammer to re seat. 

Happy daughter can now use all 7 gears without the chain heading for the spokes.


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## wafter (8 Mar 2020)

Following a shamefully short service life ended by a sidewall blowout I replaced the nasty Specialised Armadillo tyre on the rear of my beater road bike with a nice new bargain £10 Vittoria Zaffiro Pro; an easy choice given the price and the great service the same tyre has given me so far on my other road bike.

As usual it wasn't straightforward due to a radial bulge at the valve which was eventually attributed to the thickish (0.6mm) rim tape interfering with the tyre bead. This was because the tape was a) too wide so encroaching on the bead seat and b) doubled-up at the valve, making the situation far worse in that spot. Tyre ended up going on and off the rim 4-5 times as I labouriously trimmed the outside edges of the tape with scissors and shaved down the edges of the double-thickness portion with a knife.

It's still not quite right but a lot better than before and nothing that can be felt on the road. After the obscene time spent on the job I didn't really feel like going out for a ride but forced myself. Turned out to be a nice little thrash for which I felt a lot better on my return; the bike feeling a bit faster now I've got rid of the old tyre and its atrocious rolling resistance


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## roubaixtuesday (8 Mar 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Major vernal equinox fettle of commuter, brought forward a couple of weeks.
> 
> New cassette, chain, chain ring, tyres + clean.
> 
> ...



And job completed with new jockey wheels. Shifting now perfect! The old ones were more than a little worn...


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## Gravity Aided (8 Mar 2020)

Replaced brakes from the co-op on the Trek Elance with proper accurate Shimano SLR brakes and levers from the same time period, as the bicycle was originally specced with these. Although I have upgraded shifting to Shimano 600 indexed, that would have been a common upgrade in that time period. I have already checked with the local Eroica-type ride people to make sure that's all okay for the ride in which I participate.


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## carlosfandangus (8 Mar 2020)

After giving the bike a good clean/wash yesterday I re fitted the rear derailleur, I have had a problem where it will not change from large/large down the cassette to the next cog ( I know, don't cross chain) any way I replaced the rear "hoop" and the cable, outer's are fine and only 1000 miles old.
The cable would go slack on the chainstay but the mech would not move, cable is free to move in the hoop, Shimano manual downloaded and set up from a new install, high/low set, B screw set to take any slack out of the chain when low/low and 6mm clearance when on large, it still wont change down, it is slightly better though, 1 clicks of the shifter get no movement, 2 and it changes down to the 3rd largest cog, all the rest is good, have to remember to stay out of big/big, this is the only issue I have.


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## wafter (8 Mar 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> After giving the bike a good clean/wash yesterday I re fitted the rear derailleur, I have had a problem where it will not change from large/large down the cassette to the next cog ( I know, don't cross chain) any way I replaced the rear "hoop" and the cable, outer's are fine and only 1000 miles old.
> The cable would go slack on the chainstay but the mech would not move, cable is free to move in the hoop, Shimano manual downloaded and set up from a new install, high/low set, B screw set to take any slack out of the chain when low/low and 6mm clearance when on large, it still wont change down, it is slightly better though, 1 clicks of the shifter get no movement, 2 and it changes down to the 3rd largest cog, all the rest is good, have to remember to stay out of big/big, this is the only issue I have.


Of course avoiding cross-chaining is always the way to go, however FWIW I've had success lubricating sticky cables by withdrawing the cable from the outer and running it through a pan of moulten wax - a nice, dry, long-lasting lube that shouldn't draw grit into the outer as wet lubes can, and well worth a punt before replacing cables IMO


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## carlosfandangus (8 Mar 2020)

I already had a new cable so I just replaced it, the cable moves fine, even through the rear hoop, its just the mech does not move down the cog from largest to next, newish mech and the spring seems fine, what are your thoughts on adjusting the "B" screw to give a larger gap than the 6 mm that Shimano specify? not tried that yet.


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## wafter (8 Mar 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> I already had a new cable so I just replaced it, the cable moves fine, even through the rear hoop, its just the mech does not move down the cog from largest to next, newish mech and the spring seems fine, what are your thoughts on adjusting the "B" screw to give a larger gap than the 6 mm that Shimano specify? not tried that yet.


Cool 

I'm afraid the intricacies of the "B" screw are somewhat outside my sphere of knowledge; other than (IIRC) having to abuse it once to cure a chain slipping issue. Good luck getting it sorted!


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## MonsterEnergy (8 Mar 2020)

Does anyone know how to loosen the brakes, as mine are very tight, and you can only pull them a little?


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## Bad Machine (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> Does anyone know how to loosen the brakes, as mine are very tight, and you can only pull them a little?


I'm sure there'll be someone who does, but with so many different varities of brakes, cables and levers, you'll make it easier if you can post some photos on here so people know what you've got. Photos of the brake levers, how they connect to the cable that runs all the way to the brakes themselves, and a photo of the brake arrangements on the wheel ? That'd be helpful.


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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)

Bad Machine said:


> I'm sure there'll be someone who does, but with so many different varities of brakes, cables and levers, you'll make it easier if you can post some photos on here so people know what you've got. Photos of the brake levers, how they connect to the cable that runs all the way to the brakes themselves, and a photo of the brake arrangements on the wheel ? That'd be helpful.


okay...will do


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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)

Bad Machine said:


> I'm sure there'll be someone who does, but with so many different varities of brakes, cables and levers, you'll make it easier if you can post some photos on here so people know what you've got. Photos of the brake levers, how they connect to the cable that runs all the way to the brakes themselves, and a photo of the brake arrangements on the wheel ? That'd be helpful.


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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)




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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)

sry, they are not very good pictures, but im sure you can see them


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## Reynard (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> Does anyone know how to loosen the brakes, as mine are very tight, and you can only pull them a little?



I think it's just a matter of slackening the tension in the brake cables. (Assuming there's no crud inside the outer cable that's making things stick.)

Look at where the wire cable feeds into the brake calliper. There should be an allen key bolt that holds down a small metal plate which keeps the cable in place on the calliper. Loosen the bolt a fraction, feed the wire back into the outer cable - say 5 mm to start (I don't know how tight your brakes are) and re-tighten the bolt. Squeeze your brake lever a few times to get the feel of things.

N.B. You don't want to have things too slack.


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## Bad Machine (9 Mar 2020)

Reynard said:


> I think it's just a matter of slackening the tension in the brake cables. (Assuming there's no crud inside the outer cable that's making things stick.)
> 
> Look at where the wire cable feeds into the brake calliper. There should be an allen key bolt that holds down a small metal plate which keeps the cable in place on the calliper. Loosen the bolt a fraction, feed the wire back into the outer cable - say 5 mm to start (I don't know how tight your brakes are) and re-tighten the bolt. Squeeze your brake lever a few times to get the feel of things.
> 
> N.B. You don't want to have things too slack.



Having had a quick visual check on the 'net, I think we're talking Clarks Skeletal SX hydraulic brakes, rather than cable. That's where I'll stand back and read what others may recommend - interesting !


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## Reynard (9 Mar 2020)

Bad Machine said:


> Having had a quick visual check on the 'net, I think we're talking Clarks Skeletal SX hydraulic brakes, rather than cable. That's where I'll stand back and read what others may recommend - interesting !



Eh, I'd forgotten about hydraulics - the discs on my hybrid are mechanical.


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> View attachment 507762
> View attachment 507764
> View attachment 507765


As others have said those appear to be hydraulics which are generally self adjusting once correctly bled and set up. Can you explain a bit more about what the issue is?


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## mjr (9 Mar 2020)

Removed the top nuts from a headset so I can get a new lower nut tomorrow from the nuts and bolts shop. Hopefully.

Also reset the road bike tyres to lowest possible pressures for today's grass tracking.


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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> As others have said those appear to be hydraulics which are generally self adjusting once correctly bled and set up. Can you explain a bit more about what the issue is?


thanks.Now, its just when i took my bike in to get slime put in my tyres, and a new inner tube, halfords told me that the brakes were quite hard, and would need to be looked at.


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## MonsterEnergy (9 Mar 2020)

Reynard said:


> I think it's just a matter of slackening the tension in the brake cables. (Assuming there's no crud inside the outer cable that's making things stick.)
> 
> Look at where the wire cable feeds into the brake calliper. There should be an allen key bolt that holds down a small metal plate which keeps the cable in place on the calliper. Loosen the bolt a fraction, feed the wire back into the outer cable - say 5 mm to start (I don't know how tight your brakes are) and re-tighten the bolt. Squeeze your brake lever a few times to get the feel of things.
> 
> N.B. You don't want to have things too slack.


thanks for your help. Could you please indicate where the brake calliper is. Is it the thing right next to the handlebar?
Sry im rather thick


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> thanks.Now, its just when i took my bike in to get slime put in my tyres, and a new inner tube, halfords told me that the brakes were quite hard, and would need to be looked at.


Them saying that the brakes were quite hard doesn't really help on this occasion. Do they mean something has seized, do they mean the pads are contaminated so that they don't slow the bike even when pulled hard or was the guy just not used to the feel of a hydraulic brake compared to a V-brake?

What problem have you noticed yourself?


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> thanks for your help. Could you please indicate where the brake calliper is. Is it the thing right next to the handlebar?
> Sry im rather thick


By the way, the caliper is the part that squeezes the brake pads onto the disc. @Reynard was describing a cable operated caliper which is very different to yours. Do not start undoing anything.

Edit to correct myself as Reynard is talking cable discs.


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## Reynard (9 Mar 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> thanks for your help. Could you please indicate where the brake calliper is. Is it the thing right next to the handlebar?
> Sry im rather thick





Rickshaw Phil said:


> By the way, the caliper is the part that squeezes the brake pads onto the disc. @Reynard was describing a cable operated caliper which is very different to yours. Do not start undoing anything.
> 
> Edit to correct myself as Reynard is talking cable discs.



Scrub everything I've said then.  I'm talking through my a**e when it comes to hydraulics on bikes... 

As @Rickshaw Phil says, the caliper is the bit that straddles the brake disk. When you pull the lever (that's the bit on the handlebar) the brake pads get pushed against the disk by a piston, and this is what slows you down. On my bike, the piston is mechanically actuated, on yours, the system is filled with a fluid that serves the same purpose.


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## Tom B (10 Mar 2020)

Weekend fettling.

Changed the brake pads again - Carryingthe little lad around eats pads.

Had mooch around to try and find a clunky rattle that sounds familiar but can't remember what it was last time. I'm going to blame freehub / mudguards.

One of my SPD pedals has been very increasingly loose recently so found some cleats and decided to swap them over to eliminate cleat wear.

I had slackened and re nipped the bolts a few weeks earlier to ensure they'd come out.

First shoe, no problem.

Second shoe (affected pedal) first screw no problem. Second seemed a bit tight so broke out the plusgas and the proper T-bar key. Lots of swearing still no movement. Then with a flash or of sparks the head of the screw split!

More swearing.

Drilled out the top of the screw with a lh drillbit and released the cleat. Despit several attempts was unable to get much leverage on the remaining bolt. So drilled out as much as I could which wasn't easy as the plate kept wanting to disappear into the shoe.

Left with a bit of a nub but thought I'd just use the other pair of holes in the plate. Fitted cleat to these holes but it appears the cleat just touches the remaining bit of bolt preventing it from sitting flush and mating with the pedal.

I think I'm going to have to break out the dremmelalike and grind some off.

Anyone know if you replace the bolt plates?

A pound to a penny it'll be the pedals that are worn


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## Rickshaw Phil (10 Mar 2020)

Reynard said:


> Scrub everything I've said then.  I'm talking through my a**e when it comes to hydraulics on bikes...
> ................


Says the doctor of engineering.

Sorry if I came across badly. I just didn't want @MonsterEnergy to start wielding tools and ending up in an oily mess until we have an idea of what's actually wrong.

For what it's worth a google search found these videos and tech sheets for installation and maintenance of the Clarks Skeletal range: http://www.clarkscyclesystems.com/the-bike-bench/how-to-videos/exo-skeletal-brake-system.html


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## Reynard (10 Mar 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Says the doctor of engineering.
> 
> Sorry if I came across badly. I just didn't want @MonsterEnergy to start wielding tools and ending up in an oily mess until we have an idea of what's actually wrong.
> 
> For what it's worth a google search found these videos and tech sheets for installation and maintenance of the Clarks Skeletal range: http://www.clarkscyclesystems.com/the-bike-bench/how-to-videos/exo-skeletal-brake-system.html



Nah, you didn't come across badly, @Rickshaw Phil 

My area of expertise is strength of materials AKA breaking things, not fluid mechanics...


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## Mike_P (10 Mar 2020)

Further customisation of the Gaint ebike - no mistake whose make it is now


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## Pale Rider (10 Mar 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Further customisation of the Gaint ebike - no mistake whose make it is now
> View attachment 507868



That's not a bike, it's a sofa.

To which I would add, I like sofas.

Traditional upright Dutch roadster riding position with swept back bars set higher than the saddle.

Supremely comfortable.

My local bike shop sells a steady stream of steerer extenders to riders who want to achieve that position.


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## C R (10 Mar 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> That's not a bike, it's a sofa.
> 
> To which I would add, I like sofas.
> 
> ...


It is interesting what different riders find comfortable. I rode my wife's "city" bike the other day, and ended up with back ache, the only reason I could think of was the upright position.


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## Gunk (10 Mar 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> That's not a bike, it's a sofa.
> 
> To which I would add, I like sofas.
> 
> ...



Just bought one for Mrs Gunk


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## Pale Rider (10 Mar 2020)

C R said:


> It is interesting what different riders find comfortable. I rode my wife's "city" bike the other day, and ended up with back ache, the only reason I could think of was the upright position.



Could be, I think you use slightly different muscles to hold the upright Dutch position.

I've tried it on a couple of bikes, and it makes me wonder why I would ride anything else.

However, I have the impression that deploying my limited power is more difficult.

A flat bar bike with the bars set slighter lower than the saddle enables me to somehow lean into the downstroke when trying to push on.


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## Mike_P (10 Mar 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> Traditional upright Dutch roadster riding position with swept back bars set higher than the saddle.


If Giants sizing guide is to be believed it's actually on the small size so what the saddle height to bar height is like for anyone shorter can only be imagined. I presumably needed a ML which they do not make that ebike in and I tried a L out, never seen a top tube so long!


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## Pale Rider (10 Mar 2020)

There are limits - or perhaps not:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBqrI_vQWc


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## chriswoody (13 Mar 2020)

The rear wheel on my Kona has needed rebuilding for the last two months, but I keep putting the job off. However the constant fettling and tightening of the loose spokes is not doing the wheel any favours. One of the big hurdles has been my lack of a proper wheel truing stand, I figured though that a complete rebuilt warranted more than just cable ties around the seat stays to true it back up. So I was curious about whether or not I could make my own using the excellent plans in Roger Musson's book. A quick ratch around my cellar and I found a manky 2m long plank of wood going spare. An hour later, I'd turned part of it into something resembling the upright in the plans.






So now I know it's feasible I'll see if I can find time tomorrow to start building the rest.


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## 8mph (13 Mar 2020)

Fitted these rigid forks to my Cove 26er. The geometry seems about right and it's bought the weight of the bike down considerably. My sus forks haven't been serviced for at least 3500 miles!


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## Drago (14 Mar 2020)

Not fettled owt, but ordered a new Connex chain for the Pinnacle. Itll need a new cassette next time around so this chain will get ground to dust before being replaced again.


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## Elybazza61 (14 Mar 2020)

I 'may'* have opened up one of the non Di2 compatable internal cable entry point to take a Di2 cable on the ally X-Trail.

I blame JnhBssll with all his Di2 builds





*Ok did


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## Jenkins (14 Mar 2020)

An afternoon of basic frame cleaning and chain chain cleaning & lubrication for the Planet X, Bootzipper, Spa Elan & Pickenflick.

The Van Nicholas main commuter got the same, plus new Swissstop pads all round and a replacement of both of the metal clips where the Raceblade Longs attach at the rear brake bridge as I noticed that they had started to split. This took longer than expected as the brake bolt had seized in place as the clips were fitted before I knew about Copaslip, so some 'persuasion' was required.


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## dave r (14 Mar 2020)

Got my geared bike out the shed where its been all winter, new big ring fitted, new chain and cassette. Gave it a check over and a clean ready for use during the summer.


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## Shearwater Missile (15 Mar 2020)

Just had to tweak the FD trim on the summer bike after fitting new cables a week or so back and the first time out today. The RD cable was spot on. Now was that down to me or how good Shimano 105 is ? I know my Sora bike takes longer to tweak.


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## Gunk (15 Mar 2020)

Started the Raleigh Cameo today, it was filthy and can’t have ever been serviced, I hate V brakes! They took an age to get working and set up properly. Rear brakes were completely seized due to a rusted inner cable, fronts were not working as a bolt had come loose and the spring had popped out. 

Both wheels bearings had to stripped and rebuilt, luckily the bottom bracket is a cartridge type so was Ok and head bearings just needed some grease and adjustment.

Tomorrow I’ll fit some new tyres replace the brake blocks and it should be good to go. All in £55 on the road. It’s a really pretty bike.


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## Tom B (15 Mar 2020)

Nowt exciting i'm afraid.

Took the cleat off my shoe and ground some more of the old nut off, now the new cleat sits better on the shoe and clips in and out nicely.
Turns out it was the cleat that was worn, not the pedal. 

Good news i don't need new pedals, bad news, i need another set of cleats as those on my other shoes are equally sloppy.


Having looked at the thread about chainring wear i was considering posing a picture of mine for yellowsaddle to cast his expert eye over. But i couldnt be shamed with the filth of a couple of weeks of commuting. Made up a squirty bottle of degreaser and set about cleaning up the oily bits.
Further fettling ensued as whenever turned the pedals back the chain derailed on the derailleur top wheel. 
Its still not right, but its better.


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## 8mph (16 Mar 2020)

Jenkins said:


> An afternoon of basic frame cleaning and chain chain cleaning & lubrication for the Planet X, Bootzipper


How are you finding the Bootzipper? I haven't seen any reviews.


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## Spiderweb (16 Mar 2020)

8mph said:


> How are you finding the Bootzipper? I haven't seen any reviews.


I watched a recent Bootzipper review and really like the look of them;

View: https://youtu.be/xiRiSYU1uJc


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## 8mph (16 Mar 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> I watched a recent Bootzipper review and really like the look of them;
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/xiRiSYU1uJc



Thanks, I'll check out the video.


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## Gravity Aided (16 Mar 2020)

I added a 16 liter bike basket to my Dawes winter bike.


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## Gunk (16 Mar 2020)

Rear end all bolted together, tyre on, gears adjusted, new brake blocks and those pesky V brakes working properly


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## Gunk (16 Mar 2020)

Managed to grab a couple of hours this evening and finish it off.

Oiled everything, straightened the bent chain guard and refitted it.






Fitted the front tyre, once the wheel was back in it took another 20 minutes to set up the front brakes but they’re spot on now






Had a quick ride around the block and it’s really good, brakes are very good, much better than I thought they would be.

Sadly lost the light before I could take a final grand reveal photo (I’ll take one in the morning) but here it is back under the porch, Mrs Gunk is going to test ride it tomorrow


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## Rusty Nails (16 Mar 2020)

Not so much fettling as preparing to fettle.

I looked around my two sheds this afternoon and realised I have enough frames, wheels and components to build three bikes. Nothing special, but if I am to go under house arrest for the next four months at least I will have some projects to work on.


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## biggs682 (16 Mar 2020)

Fitted some new tyres and inner tubes to my R.E.W Reynolds


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## Jenkins (16 Mar 2020)

8mph said:


> How are you finding the Bootzipper? I haven't seen any reviews.


I'm probably not the best one to provide a review of its true capabilities as I'm much more of a roadie and only put 200 miles on it, but...

I've got the 29er wheel size and it's probably on a par with similar bikes with suspension forks for weight due to it being all steel rather than aluminium. On road it's pretty comfortable and surprisingly rapid, but this may be in part due to me running the Panaracer 2.1" wide tyres at near max pressure (around 50psi). Despite this it's coped with what limited off roading I've done quite well. Nicely put together and looks quite smart in the grey paintwork, but the decals are a bit cheap & one has peeled off completely. The only thing I needed to sort out from the factory was to adjust the limit screw on the dreailleur and put a Charge Spoon saddle on.

There's mounting points for a rear rack & the front fork has 3 bottle cage type bosses for additional luggage Be aware that it comes with basic riser bars - the ones on the above video are cost option extras, but there is another version with drop bars, 650b wheels & cable brakes - which brings me on to my only problem with my bike. Despite completing the bedding in procedure, the original fitment 180mm front brake just refused to stop squealing and got worse with each application. I sanded the pads & degreased the disc with no change. I then fitted a new disc & pads, carefully bedded them in - same result. As a last resort I removed the spacer on the caliper mount, fitted a 160mm disc and - silence so it may be something in the fork/spacer combo that doesn't work. It's not affected the braking as I'm using it most as a utility bike or occasional commuter, not a downhill racer!

I don't know what you may want one for, but would I be right in thinking you took an adapted MTB around India last year? If so, then the standard gearing set up may need a bit of a rethink for a similar adventure - SRAM Eagle 1 x 12 is fine for my light use, but parts may be a bit expensive/difficult to find if something goes wrong on a similer trip to the India one. The £200 frameset could be a good starting point for your own choice of components.


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## 8mph (16 Mar 2020)

Jenkins said:


> I'm probably not the best one to provide a review of its true capabilities as I'm much more of a roadie and only put 200 miles on it, but...
> 
> I've got the 29er wheel size and it's probably on a par with similar bikes with suspension forks for weight due to it being all steel rather than aluminium. On road it's pretty comfortable and surprisingly rapid, but this may be in part due to me running the Panaracer 2.1" wide tyres at near max pressure (around 50psi). Despite this it's coped with what limited off roading I've done quite well. Nicely put together and looks quite smart in the grey paintwork, but the decals are a bit cheap & one has peeled off completely. The only thing I needed to sort out from the factory was to adjust the limit screw on the dreailleur and put a Charge Spoon saddle on.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your thoughts it looks like an absolute bargain. I wasn't aware that it had butted tubbing, the quality of the welding or that it had gussets. I'm not in the market for one but I'm keen to see what the backpacking crowd make of it. Looks like a great all-rounder. 👍


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## Gunk (17 Mar 2020)

Took a couple of quick snaps this morning of it in daylight.


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## derrick (17 Mar 2020)

Was cutting some 6 x 2 timbers with the electric saw yesterday, all of a sudden there was a clunk and it stopped. also tripped the circuit breaker, Just what i needed, thought i would pull it apart and see what caused it. I found the front bearing had collapsed, out with the old one, measured it up. ordered a new one from Wych bearings, £6.00 with postage. hopefully get it tomorrow, then can get on with building my staircase.


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## DCBassman (17 Mar 2020)

Chain and cassette removed from Merida Big Nine 40 D, then bike presented to new owner!


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## FrankCrank (18 Mar 2020)

What with all the doom and gloom of late, needed a little distraction, so decided to make a bike clamp. Had an old frame lying about, so chopped a section from it and used up some other bits and bobs:









Some bits of old innertube come in handy:




Attached to the workbench:




And my trusty Raleigh Twenty clamped in to test it out:





I know you can get stands and clamps cheap, but where's the fun in that eh


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## Chris S (18 Mar 2020)

My front wheel was creaking so I stripped the axle down. The grease on one side was congealed and the other was absolutely clean - it had never been greased. I cleaned out the congealed grease and packed both cones with Vaseline (it seemed about the right consistency). I then went to repack the ball bearings and noticed there were 19. I had made sure that none of them had dropped out so the wheel must have been running around like that since it left the Raleigh factory in 1990. I refitted them, adjusted the cones and now the wheel is as quiet as a new one. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts.


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## Shearwater Missile (18 Mar 2020)

Since I`d taken the summer bike out twice since Sunday and thought that the brifters were not quite at the right angle compared with my Claude Butler winter bike. So I undid the bar tape just enough to be able to lower the brifter by about 2-3mm and then re-taped. The nice thing about Cinelli tape is that you can re-use it and it still looks good. Went out for a 24 miler and they were just fine. So now they are virtually level where as before they had a slight incline and not so comfortable for my wrists.


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## derrick (18 Mar 2020)

Both bikes cleaned and lubed ready for the weekend, If we are allowed to ride.


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## MonsterEnergy (18 Mar 2020)

derrick said:


> Both bikes cleaned and lubed ready for the weekend, If we are allowed to ride.


Where do you live? It is very scary at the minute...Deaths are rising rapidly daily. It is a critical Situation


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## DCLane (18 Mar 2020)

Fitted a pair of Arisun Rapide tan wall tyres to the Raleigh Pioneer.

But given I've been isolated by the GP until Monday, then 12+ weeks from then pending confirmation it all may be elementary.


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## Gunk (18 Mar 2020)

Adjusted the bottom bracket on my Brompton


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## roley poley (19 Mar 2020)

went to Edinburgh cycles in leeds to pick up an ordered on line bb 110mm for the brommie only two workers there turning work down on the phone as not enough staff as off poorly, will fit it fri and hope the chain alignment for my double chainwheel is yummy.... wish me well


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Mar 2020)

Brompton in super shopper mode as the multiple shop from the 70’s seems to be back with us.


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## Gunk (19 Mar 2020)

roley poley said:


> went to Edinburgh cycles in leeds to pick up an ordered on line bb 110mm for the brommie only two workers there turning work down on the phone as not enough staff as off poorly, will fit it fri and hope the chain alignment for my double chainwheel is yummy.... wish me well



Can you post some photos.


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## FrankCrank (20 Mar 2020)

Does the Brommie have a cup and ball style BB?


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Does the Brommie have a cup and ball style BB?



Yes, which I don’t mind, they’re easy to maintain (if you can remove them). Longer term, a job on my list to strip it and rebuild it, however for now it’s tight and smooth with no play.

They did used to do a modern ISO cartridge style BB for the older crankset but they are no longer available.


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## FrankCrank (20 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> Yes, which I don’t mind, they’re easy to maintain (if you can remove them). Longer term, a job on my list to strip it and rebuild it, however for now it’s tight and smooth with no play.
> 
> They did used to do a modern ISO cartridge style BB for the older crankset but they are no longer available.


Hard to see how they justify the price for the fold alone?


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Hard to see how they justify the price for the fold alone?



They are silly money, however this probably the only project I’ve ever done where I haven’t lost money, they really hold their prices


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## Bad Machine (20 Mar 2020)

In January, the NHS Physiotherapist advised that raising the height of my mother's favourite armchair would make it easier for her to sit down and stand up. They said that an order had been placed, and it wouldn't be too long before someone would be along to fit it. Unfortunately she got admitted to hospital four weeks ago; thankfully all is now well and she is ready to go home. Except I learnt that the request for home support items gets cancelled if the individual gets admitted to hospital........

Rather than add to what the local hospital have on their plate, I shoved all the bike bits to one side and dug around for 3x3, screws, offcuts of stair spindle baserail and wood glue. Couldn't find the PVA late last night, so decided get up early and go do battle with the toilet-roll stockpilers - be at Wilko for the 8.00am opening. Job done, just waiting for the glue to set (the zip ties are to tie the casters to the risers).






Normal bike fettling will be resumed shortly.


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## Donger (20 Mar 2020)

My number one bike had developed two creaks.

After reading the Brooks saddle thread, I quickly sorted the creaking saddle by giving the tension adjuster a quarter turn using the spanner that came with the saddle. Easy peasy, and sorted in 30 seconds.

The other creak was coming (I think, by a process of elimination) from one or other of the pedals. Borrowed a Park Tools pedal spanner from @Dark46 the other day , and found it surprisingly easy to remove both pedals after a quick use of Google. Once off the bike, I could confirm that there is some rattle and lateral movement suggesting the bearings are nackered. Unfortunately my number two bike was less co-operative, and I was unable to free the pedals from that one. Would have been nice to try them out on number one bike to confirm that the pedals were the source of the noise. Given the wobbly bearings, I think I'll buy a couple of new ones anyway.


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## chriswoody (20 Mar 2020)

Continued to work on my home made truing stand. Almost there now, just need to make one mounting bracket and the guages.


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## roley poley (20 Mar 2020)

failed to release my bottom bracket on the brommie left hand cup came off but not the right (left hand threaded undo clockwise) need to get that 2ft bit of scaffold bar my mate has for EXTRA leverage meanwhile it will lay on its side and soak through some easing oil


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2020)

roley poley said:


> failed to release my bottom bracket on the brommie left hand cup came off but not the right (left hand threaded undo clockwise) need to get that 2ft bit of scaffold bar my mate has for EXTRA leverage meanwhile it will lay on its side and soak through some easing oil



You can rebuild the BB with leaving it in situ.


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## roley poley (20 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> You can rebuild the BB with leaving it in situ.


going to 110mm sealed bb cartridge rather than the 118mm sealed bb cartridge so the shorter axle 4mm each side can allow room for the double chain ring to work without chain rubbing on the larger inner when I select the smaller outer. Spaced them apart with 2mm washers but not enough ,will see how we go


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Mar 2020)

Put my outdoor rear wheel on bike and went for solo ride. I have a turbo wheel should outdoor exercise be banned.


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (20 Mar 2020)

The 3D widget I bought a few weeks back to hold my Exposure light under my Garmin holder worked fine but is designed to be held in place by three screws, but my Garmin holder only has one (in the centre). A few test rides showed the light was rotating gently to the right as I rode - meaning a very bright light risked shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers (it’s angled down slightly but even so I’d rather not take the risk). I didn’t want to permanently fix it with superglue, just in case I change lights at some point, so today I just wedged a thin couple of lines of blutack in the joint between the bottom of the Garmin holder and the top of the light holder. Works fine. Light now stays perfectly stable.

Only problem is I needed a slightly shorter screw as the blutack meant the existing screw wouldn’t fully screw in. Had one the right diameter but it’s a rounded-head screw that stands slightly proud when screwed in, rather than a flat-head that sits flush - and turns out it covers the two little holes on the underside of my Garmin 810 through which all the beeping sounds emerge. Not sure if that’s a win-win or a win-lose! Will see how I feel in a few days before deciding whether I can be bothered cutting down the length of the original flat-head screw to bring the beeping back.

Ian


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## keithmac (20 Mar 2020)

Gave my lad a hand with his forks on Monday, strip clean and grease.

He did most of it I just gave him some pointers.

Stanchions are a bit worn but still do the job and no play in the sliders.

Got the bits for his Honda MT-5 project so might tackle the engine rebuilt with him on Sunday.


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2020)

I have to look away 😮

I can’t look at a bike upside down resting on concrete, it just upsets me.


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## tom73 (21 Mar 2020)

Quite pleased with myself the front chainrings on the spa always looked a bit past it and having some time ago replaced the rear cassette. Something was not quite right. So I thought just replace it. So now we all have a bit more time on our hands and now the crank puller has arrived. 
I did a quick read up and checked it with youtube. So it may have taken a bit longer but i've done it never changed one before.
One new crankset is up and running 
Just needs indexing and it should be good to go.


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## keithmac (22 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> I have to look away 😮
> 
> I can’t look at a bike upside down resting on concrete, it just upsets me.



I've got some pipe lagging that could go over the handgrips and lift it off the floor but he'd already got it off the floor, wheel and caliper off before I got outside!.


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## Gunk (22 Mar 2020)

keithmac said:


> I've got some pipe lagging that could go over the handgrips and lift it off the floor but he'd already got it off the floor, wheel and caliper off before I got outside!.



He needs some proper learning 😂


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## Elybazza61 (22 Mar 2020)

X-Trail converted to Di2 yesterday.

Running 1x11 at the mo as need a front derailleur clamp, also rear hydro hose replaced.

All went smoothly;only issue being the hose routing as it had a banjo on one end(br-785 caliper has banjo fitting) so had to rig up a guide hose to pull it through.

ST-R785 levers.






E-Bay purchased used and slightly abused Ultegra GS mech.






External battery holder.






Di2 updating.






All plugged in and showing Garmin steerer mount.






Actually realised I don't have a picture of the whole bike!.

Will post one later.


God knaws if I'll actually ride it any time soon


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## Gunk (22 Mar 2020)

My passenger door handle on my 2015 Golf jammed today, really irritating, I removed the handle, lubricated everything, reassembled and no difference  then took a bit of material off the facing surfaces and it’s very slightly better, but still sticks. Bloody nuisance it looks as if it needs a complete new handle unit, colour coded so it won’t be cheap


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## keithmac (22 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> My passenger door handle on my 2015 Golf jammed today, really irritating, I removed the handle, lubricated everything, reassembled and no difference  then took a bit of material off the facing surfaces and it’s very slightly better, but still sticks. Bloody nuisance it looks as if it needs a complete new handle unit, colour coded so it won’t be cheap
> 
> View attachment 509776



I've found thick gearbox oil works well for lubing plastic parts (Silkolene BOA 90 Hypoid), WD40 etc not so well.


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## keithmac (22 Mar 2020)

Well me and the boy had a go with our MT-5 engine today.

I was surprised how stout and well engineered the gearbox internals were, puts the Aprilia/ Gilera 50's I've had in bits at work to shame (plus this is a 1983 bike!).

New main bearings and seals in, was hoping to get it back in and running but had to order a piston (no point doing it half cocked).

Should have a tune out of it next Sunday!


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## pawl (22 Mar 2020)

keithmac said:


> Well me and the boy had a go with our MT-5 engine today.
> 
> I was surprised how stout and well engineered the gearbox internals were, puts the Aprilia/ Gilera 50's I've had in bits at work to shame (plus this is a 1983 bike!).
> 
> ...



That looks in really good condition


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## keithmac (22 Mar 2020)

pawl said:


> That looks in really good condition



Yeh I was really surprised, rhs main bearing runs in gearbox oil so really it was only lhs main bearing that needed replacing. All the rest was spot on, gears and dog teeth like new!.

It was run on premix when we got it, I think they didn't run enough oil in with the fuel.

Barrel will hone nicely and a new piston will sort it out.

Might run it on Premix at 2.5%, don't really trust the oil pump.


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## Gunk (22 Mar 2020)

The Tikka Massala with rice readymeal pots are a good idea!


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## keithmac (23 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> The Tikka Massala with rice readymeal pots are a good idea!



I've got stacks of them (take some meals to work and keep the tubs), keep all our margarine tubs as well.

Come in handy for all sorts!.

Apparently they can't recycle black plastic so at least they are getting more use.


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## Gunk (23 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> My passenger door handle on my 2015 Golf jammed today, really irritating, I removed the handle, lubricated everything, reassembled and no difference  then took a bit of material off the facing surfaces and it’s very slightly better, but still sticks. Bloody nuisance it looks as if it needs a complete new handle unit, colour coded so it won’t be cheap
> 
> View attachment 509776



Called the dealer and spoke to a very experienced parts guy, he’s pretty sure that it’s the mechanism in the backing plate which is causing the problem, so cheap fix but labour intensive as the door card will have to come off. I’ll probably get them to do it.


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## Dark46 (24 Mar 2020)

First ride if selve isolation and I didn't really enjoy it as I didn't have @Donger S wind brake in front of me!
I did a shorter version of what we've done in the past weeks as my legs didn't really feel 100%. 22.9 miles in the bag though and good to get out in the fresh air


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## Richard A Thackeray (24 Mar 2020)

keithmac said:


> Well me and the boy had a go with our MT-5 engine today.
> 
> I was surprised how stout and well engineered the gearbox internals were, puts the Aprilia/ Gilera 50's I've had in bits at work to shame (plus this is a 1983 bike!).
> 
> ...



Wife had a MB-50, when she was in year one of 6th Form
I only got to know her in her 2nd year of 6th, so it had gone

Maybe I ought to enlighten you
This was back in mid 1986...…...………..

Together since then, married in 1998


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## keithmac (24 Mar 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Wife had a MB-50, when she was in year one of 6th Form
> I only got to know her in her 2nd year of 6th, so it had gone
> 
> Maybe I ought to enlighten you
> ...



Good to know!.

I had my MT-5 at 6th Form (not this one though). Rebuilt it same as this one as it had knocked the big end out.

Happy days!.


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## Richard A Thackeray (24 Mar 2020)

keithmac said:


> Good to know!.
> 
> I had my MT-5 at 6th Form (not this one though). Rebuilt it same as this one as it had knocked the big end out.
> 
> Happy days!.



Was the road-bike the MB-5 (or '50')
I can't remember (& she won't)

Only remainder by that time, was her Belstaff


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## keithmac (24 Mar 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Was the road-bike the MB-5 (or '50')
> I can't remember (& she won't)
> 
> Only remainder by that time, was her Belstaff
> View attachment 510292



Yeh the MB was the road bike and the MT was the trail bike.

Plenty MB-50's ended up with H100 engines in!, the exhaust was an issue fitting an H100 into the MT-5.


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## DCBassman (25 Mar 2020)

Just a quick clean and lube after only my second ride this year. Gears were just slightly off at first, but after some slight tweaking of the shifter-mounted barrel adjusters during the ride, it all settled down nicely.


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## roley poley (25 Mar 2020)

Finally removed the BB on my Brompton with the help of the leverage of a 2ft section of scaffold bar ,took the 118mm out and put in 110mm .Now I thought I can run the double chain wheel (50 inner x 36 outer) without the chain rubbing the larger when running on the smaller ...YES!! and about 1mm clearance of the 50 from rear hinge ..NO!! the 50 catches on the rear hinge on folding ….BUM …. SO...will try the 112mm I have and use more spacers between chain wheels


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## fossyant (25 Mar 2020)

No fetling, been on the MTB last two days, and not even needed to wash it ! It's relatively dry out, and dusty. Whooooo


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## keithmac (25 Mar 2020)

Piston came today for the MT-5.

Honed barrel and rebuilt with new piston and genuine Honda little end!.

Faced off cylinder head (was nice and flat!) and put it back together.

Odd how the mark IN on piston, most 2 strokes have an arrow pointing to exhaust.

Mulling over fitting modified reeds or just leave it standard for now.

Proper oil for it, should run forever.


----------



## Tom B (25 Mar 2020)

Changed the brake pads in rush on Saturday after the old new pads lost the friction material on Fridays commute.

Needed the bike for work all weekend so just pushed the pistons back and slapped in new pads.

They wasn't happy all weekend or monday so today, prior to ordering new caliper decided to give the bike a fettle and the calipers a proper clean and inspect. Soaked them in brake cleaner and gave it a good toothbrushing then a soak in brake oil. The amount of filth was amazing and what looked like a small chunk of stainless spring came out.

Refitted with a new disk as the old one was way thinner than scrap.

New chain fitted as the weather isn't so filthy.

Swapped my spare wheel back to the proper wheel after it was repaired following November's bike Vs barrier incident. This necessitated a three way tyre swap as the front tyre was scrap.

Fiddled with the indexing and dropped the bike off the Aldi stand when the clamp became detached from the horizontal bar.

Took it for a spin and found the brake was was behaving.

Nipped the front cones slightly and noted the front pads were very thin. Spent an hour rummaging in the shed for new pads for that caliper but couldn't find any. Pads for every other caliper including two sets for the car that does less miles than the bike per year.

Found a strange orange thing in the shed that appears to be some sort of grass cutting hoover so tested that out.

Washed the bike down and cleaned the garden and toddler who was covered in bike gloop.

Came in and ordered some cables and outers for the missus bike after noticing here were looking a bit rusty and feeling rough. Albeit they're ten years old and had several seaside camping trips.


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## Richard A Thackeray (25 Mar 2020)

Nothing much

*1. *_Senior Managements_ Boardman
She went to office on it this morning
As she'd told me yesterday that she intended to, I checked it over;
Lubed the chain (wipe over, with 'dieselly cloth')
Tyres reinflated
Brakes checked over
Pannier-rack bolts checked for tightness
Also washed all the 'storage dust' off it







She's not used it since (I think?) January, but intends to now, as the local Councils sports facilities are all closed (Zumba, swimming pool. etc..)

Granted, she'll not really be commuting on it, at present. but tells me she'll be going out most days on it, whilst working from home
(unless she really has to visit a client)


*2. *My CGR
- took the recently replaced cassette (beginning of month) off my CGR, to clean it properly, & behind it (some tangled grass from yesterdays bridleway travels)
- gave the chain (replaced with cassette) a wipe-over, as the factory lubrication was starting to dry-up, & looked dirty
- the jockey wheels. derailleur cage, chain-rings & front mech also cleaned
- tyres checked for cuts (nothing worthy of note)
- front pads taken out to check for wear (fine!!!)


----------



## FrankCrank (26 Mar 2020)

....was bored yesterday, so had a go on Youtube on the box. Watched a great vid of a couple of fellas, in India I think, stripping a Honda Benly, resto and rebuild, filmed in fast motion. Mesmerised by the whole thing, only basic tools, and working on the floor for the most part (an Asian thing). 
A very relaxing 45 minutes watching others do the fettling, and fantastic end product,must try and catch some more...


----------



## Dale 1956 (26 Mar 2020)

I took off my bar end shifters and turn them to down tube shifters and they are the friction shifter only I don't like the click shifting at all never did either.Later on I'm going to change my handle bars out I have the Woodchippers2 on my Surly Disc Trucker for now.And I did get to ride it a little today first time I have got to ride in over a year it felt good too.


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## keithmac (26 Mar 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> ....was bored yesterday, so had a go on Youtube on the box. Watched a great vid of a couple of fellas, in India I think, stripping a Honda Benly, resto and rebuild, filmed in fast motion. Mesmerised by the whole thing, only basic tools, and working on the floor for the most part (an Asian thing).
> A very relaxing 45 minutes watching others do the fettling, and fantastic end product,must try and catch some more...



There's a Royal Enfield video from their factory, the men who do all the coachlining by hand are mesmerising to watch!.


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## Richard A Thackeray (26 Mar 2020)

A friend had given me a pair of bar-ends a while ago... more of a swap, really!
I had a pair of Scott Drop-Ins that he wanted for a retro-build that he was undertaking
(they were on my Dyna-Tech 755Ti, from new/1994, till 2009)





So, this afternoon, after my 'allowed exercise', seeing as SWMBO has resurrected the bike, I set to.
Bolt-on grips were removed, & set aside
Bar-ends placed on, & set at same angle as stem (initially)

SWMBO summoned to sit on it, so I could look at the correct wrist angle
Grips marked, cut with hacksaw, & reinstated

All bolts tightened 


















Then, it was a walk to the local garage that sells 'red' diesel, as my gallon has been used up, after about 3 years
(used for cleaning cassettes/chain-rings/jockey-wheels, & lubricating chains)


----------



## FrankCrank (27 Mar 2020)

Amused myself today by making a wheel truing stand from some old offcuts:








Till now been using upturned bike method - thought about time I went all posh


----------



## Dale 1956 (27 Mar 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Amused myself today by making a wheel truing stand from some old offcuts:
> View attachment 510781
> 
> View attachment 510782
> ...


Nice job you did that will help you out a lot on wheel work.I like.


----------



## fossyant (27 Mar 2020)

Nothing again. The MTB is remarkably clean given it's now done 50 miles off road this week. I'll wash it after work today (or in my lunch break).


----------



## Vantage (27 Mar 2020)

Got some better dyneema guy line and cam cleats for the zephyros 2.
Replaced them all and accidentally ripped off one of the tabs on the inner tent...feck!
Can't sew for sh** so that'll be an interesting challenge.


----------



## dave r (27 Mar 2020)

I've given my fixed a clean and a check before putting it away for the summer, front wheel is knackered, its got sealed bearings and they've got play in them, rim is worn thin, a smidge over 1mm, I'll have look at it over the summer and see if its worth bearings and a rim or a replacement wheel, the wheel is about 5 years old and has done about 10000 miles. Theres plenty of meat on the front tyre but its cut up a bit, the rear is worn almost to the point of squaring off so it needs a new set of tyres. The chain I put on in october is knackered, 0.75 , its done a smidge under 2000 miles. I think I will be doing an overhaul sometime in the summer. I got the geared bike out and fitted the new pump I brought, and I transferred the saddle bag and computer over from the fixed, I'm now ready for the summer.


----------



## Gunk (27 Mar 2020)

As I’ve now finished the Brompton and put a few miles on it, I thought it would be sensible just to check everything and make sure everything is still tight.






I wasn’t happy with the front wheel bearings so greased and adjusted them, after some careful tweaking with the spanners it runs really well now.

Cleaned the chain, touched up some scratches by the Chainstay and gave it a quick wipe over.

A new sealed old style ISO BB bracket arrived today (these are genuinely like hens teeth to get hold of) so once I’ve sourced a FAG tool I’ll fit it.


----------



## fossyant (27 Mar 2020)

Pah, there is me saying nothing, and I've noticed a little play in the rear wheel's bearings on my MTB. I'll pull to bits tomorrow, but I suspect a worn non-drive side bearing - still running freely, but a tiny amount of play that won't pre-load out. Had this before with my fixie's sealed cartridge bearings.


----------



## roley poley (27 Mar 2020)

Spaced the double chain wheel on Brompton with m10 washers from screwfix £4.09 for 100 rather than buy them on line £7.48 for 10 at sjs so had my daily exercise combined with shopping may well need longer chainring bolts as I feel they are on max extention


----------



## DCBassman (27 Mar 2020)

Received and swapped over the new rear wheel for the Trek following Wednesday's motorised pringling. All good, ride tomorrow.
The buckle is actually pretty slight, so when this pandemic is all over, I'll take it to the Plymouth BikeSpace open workshops and get them to help me true it, or try to.
I deceided to support an LBS for this wheel, good price, etc. But it (a Raleigh) is not nearly so nicely finished as those from Taylor Wheels in Germany, which cost the same, sometimes even a bit less, including shipping. Were I able to swan about as normal, I'd have swapped the Trek and Scott from the garage, and ordered up from Taylor. The LBS did a great job getting it in so quickly, though, full marks to them - Rockin' Bikes, Yelverton.


----------



## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (27 Mar 2020)

Cleaned and fitted new tyres on my fixed.


----------



## EltonFrog (27 Mar 2020)

Stripped down my old Raleigh Twenty it’s now a box of bits.


----------



## Gunk (27 Mar 2020)

EltonFrog said:


> Stripped down my old Raleigh Twenty it’s now a box of bits.



Photos please, I do like a 20


----------



## EltonFrog (27 Mar 2020)

Gunk said:


> Photos please, I do like a 20


Pop over to the projects fred


----------



## Gunk (29 Mar 2020)

I got the Elvish down from the top of the racking in the garage this morning, once it’s on the ground you realise how tiny it is on it’s 20” wheels.





I also cleaned the windows in the garage lifted the blind and let some sun in 






The Elvish has been untouched since November so I just firstly checked everything, put some air in the tyres, cleaned and oiled the chain. One problem I do have is with the rear wheel, the rim has taken a hard knock and whilst I’ve strighted it it does have a low point. I don’t have the expertise to fix it, and I doubt I can source a replacement rim so I need to find someone locally who will rebuild it. The rear jockey wheels also need replacement but NOS Simplex are £25 

What I did do though was to spend some time on the paintwork, I cut it back with paint restorer and then gave it some polish, the colour now really comes through, it must have been a really sharp bike back in the 1970’s when it was new.











So now it’s back up on the shelf whilst I work out how to sort out the rear wheel. No hurry though as it’s far too small for anyone in our family.


----------



## Mike_P (29 Mar 2020)

Thought it was only a case of a new gear cable needed on the Defy but ended up cleaning the rear derailleur shifter with a number of WD40 soakings and then an application of GT85 along with new length of outer from the shifter to the downtube. Seems okay now...


----------



## roubaixtuesday (29 Mar 2020)

Intended to go out on the summer bike a couple of weeks ago, immediately noticed rear tyre down to canvas. 

Bought tyre last weekend, went to fit it yesterday, noticed the freehub was very draggy - to the point where the chain sags when freewheeling. 

I keep a spare wheel, so swapped cassette on to that, fitted new tyre, quick ride ride the block, and boy, did it feel good!

After, took the hub axle out, all seemed well. Couldn't work out how to get to the free hub bearings, can someone point me to a good guide? I vaguely remember disassembling one before, involving a very large allen key, but it didn't seem obvious and I was wary of ball bearings falling out all over the place.


----------



## keithmac (29 Mar 2020)

Breathed life back into out MT-5 over the past few weeks.

Been great working with my son and daughter to get it back in the road. 

I'm sure he'll look after it considering all the work he's put into it. Look on his face when we got it running was priceless!. 

Need to work out how to put a video up.


----------



## ChrisEyles (29 Mar 2020)

Went to change the pads on my disc brakes today and realised one of the pistons was seized in the caliper. 

Managed to free it up, then extended it out and gave it a good clean. Seems to be moving freely now, but on trying to fit the pads realised they don't fit this caliper. 

New ones on order, hopefully the brake will work ok when it's all back together (not used to fiddling with hydraulic brakes).


----------



## Chris S (29 Mar 2020)

There was a grating noise from my bottom bracket so I stripped it down. One of the bearing cages was broken so I removed both and stuck the bearings on the spindle with Vaseline. It's now really smooth and quiet.


----------



## ChrisEyles (29 Mar 2020)

^ always wondered how those cages manage to break! They're convenient for the tiny bearings in a headset but I prefer loose bearings in a cup & cone BB.


----------



## C R (29 Mar 2020)

ChrisEyles said:


> ^ always wondered how those cages manage to break! They're convenient for the tiny bearings in a headset but I prefer loose bearings in a cup & cone BB.


They corrode over time. For bottom brackets they don't seem to last very long. When I had a cup and cone bottom bracket I used to just discard the cage and use the bearings loose.


----------



## Gunk (29 Mar 2020)

I’ve always preferred loose bearings


----------



## pawl (30 Mar 2020)

Set a bike up on the turbo(of unknown origin) borrowed from my daughter.Only thing that doesn’t work is the cable thingy that controls the pressure to the roller doesn’t work.Think cable is seized will just use the gears to control effort. 


Not looking forward to hours of utter boredom if cycling gets band.


----------



## roley poley (30 Mar 2020)

Cleaned rims and blocks ,checked brake pad alignment and wound the adjusters out to near max to squeeze the last out of the shoes on the hybrid .Been using it local on my hour a day up hill and down dale to use as much energy in the time provided and they show the usage. Have a theory not to tighten the brake cable at the pinch bolt as when you come to change blocks and slacken it back to the original full shoe distance a weak point has been made by its compression ,you can see it as a squished kink in the cable run . Am I just paranoid ,a tight Yorkshireman or do others change blocks and cable at the same time?


----------



## Elybazza61 (30 Mar 2020)

Yesterday was mostly spent fitting PDW 'fenders' on to the Kanzo;fair bit of faffing to get the rear stays to fit, ended up using some qr mudguard adapters.

In other news second batch of broad bean seeds sown along with beetroot and chard,should get pots in this coming week-end.


----------



## DCLane (31 Mar 2020)

This lunch-time whilst working from hope I set the 'winter commuter' Avanti Circa 1 up as a summer 'cross bike with cross wheels and tyres with some adjustments to the mudguards. I also changed the chain as it wasn't looking great. Cleaned from late winter gunk and lubricated.

What were in a better state was the wheels so rather than being binned they'll do for later this year once things improve. Both spun well and apart from surface rust on the bolts/skewers were fine.


----------



## carlosfandangus (31 Mar 2020)

pawl said:


> Set a bike up on the turbo(of unknown origin) borrowed from my daughter.Only thing that doesn’t work is the cable thingy that controls the pressure to the roller doesn’t work.Think cable is seized will just use the gears to control effort.
> 
> 
> Not looking forward to hours of utter boredom if cycling gets band.



I have taken the cable off mine, it is so much easier to use the gears, at least you are not wearing one cog on the cassette, however I spend most time in one gear once I have warmed up


----------



## Vantage (1 Apr 2020)

Tent related. 
I tore one of the tabs on the inner tent off a couple days ago and set to sewing it back on today. 
As you can see, my sewing skills are second to none and worthy of the tate.


----------



## chriswoody (1 Apr 2020)

Finished off my Wheel Truing stand today, it's a little rough in places, but it works. With all of the DIY stores shut to normal customers, it was a case of using anything I could find from in my workshop. I made a deviation from the plans in the way I made the truing gauge, I may also screw the gauge to the base, I need to test the 20 inch wheel in my folder for fit first.


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## Gunk (1 Apr 2020)

Does it fold flat for storage?


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## fossyant (1 Apr 2020)

My Praxis GXP BB removed, regreased and my seat clamp removed, cleaned and re-assembled on the MTB. Getting some creak on steep climbs, mainly when sat, so it's one of the two.


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## SkipdiverJohn (2 Apr 2020)

Changed the bars on my "best" Raleigh Pioneer today for some salvaged off a donor 3-speed I was given. Been meaning to do this for a couple of weeks. The one shortcoming of this Pioneer was that it originally came with MTB style bars as the Trail model seemed to be marketed as a "MTB lite" rather than a commuter. Because of that, the bar height at max adjustment was always about an inch less than I would have liked, having no rise on them. The "new" bars are a semi-North Road pattern (IIRC, they were known as "all-rounders" BITD) and they have made a huge improvement to what was already a good riding bike. After I'd finished refitting the various bits in the right places I went out for two hours, and covered just under 20 miles. I would have stayed out longer, but I'd restocked the fridge with bottles of Bank's bitter when I went to Lidl earlier, and all that cycling was making me thirsty!


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## chriswoody (2 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> Does it fold flat for storage?



Up to a point. The bolts holding the uprights are only tightened up using wingnuts, so they'll easily undo and the uprights can be taken off. I'll do the same with the guage if I attach it to the base. So not too bad for storage. 

All in, it's cost about Ten euros for a bunch of M8 nuts and bolts and a slab of steel, the rest was from scrap or old screws etc. Quite pleased with that.


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## Gunk (2 Apr 2020)

I’d stick a plastic valve cap over the bolt that you are using as a gauge.


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## SpokeyDokey (2 Apr 2020)

Pumped up tyres, removed clip on mudguards and sprayed some ACF on various shiny bits that would otherwise corrode and irritate me.


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## JhnBssll (3 Apr 2020)

I woke up this morning and decided it was to swap my wheels over on the Pilot  I gave her the obligatory clean in the process; chain removed and decreased, cleaned the cassette of the winter wheel for storage, removed the brake pads to clean the calipers and checked all the pistons were moving freely.

I decided to weigh the wheels out of interest, including tyres, and was surprised at the difference. The mavic aksiums were 650g heavier overall, quite significant 

Anyway, all back together ready for an evening ride out before dinner now 

Before, with the Aksiums I use over winter:






And after with the summer wheels back on 





Next job will be to remove the decals from the wheels, I'm not overly keen on them. It'll look cleaner without them  plus the weight different will increase to 653g


----------



## Ming the Merciless (3 Apr 2020)

Fitted rear wheel and went for a ride.


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## Gunk (3 Apr 2020)

In anticipation of a decent weekend, I dug out the barbecue. Learnt a lesson and that is to never put it away dirty, it was full of mould and mouse droppings. Took 2 hours with elbow grease, wire wool and a wire brush to get it clean, but it’s already for lamb kebabs tomorrow evening!






I also decided to touch in the silver bolts on my Brompton modified basket.








I though it just looked a bit “DIY” with the silver bolt heads. So I masked them all off








and then painted them with satin black






really pleased with the results, looks much better.


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## Shearwater Missile (3 Apr 2020)

Finished my home made bike stand today. Just waiting for some end caps to arrived for the metal tubing to finish the job off. All made from materials that were in the garage when we moved here 11 years ago. I said they`d come in handy. I will paint the metalwork black as I think it would look better





, maybe a job for tomorrow.


----------



## bikingdad90 (3 Apr 2020)

Untaped the old bar tape and moved the shifters up the bar and re tighten and rewrapped. I also rotated the bars downwards so the aero bars are actually now aero and flat. Will see how the next few rides go and if all is good will fit the nice new green fizik bar tape I have.


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## C R (3 Apr 2020)

Adjusted the reach of the brifter levers in my new bike, it was a bit of a stretch to brake from the drops.


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## SkipdiverJohn (3 Apr 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> I will paint the metalwork black as I think it would look better, maybe a job for tomorrow.



When I last checked a couple of days ago, Lidl's still had plenty of metal paint in rattle cans left @ £2.99 a go. They had black and two shades of grey, a light-ish one and anthracite, which is fairly dark. I picked up a few of the latter in case I find myself needing to repaint any bike frames.


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## Shearwater Missile (3 Apr 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> When I last checked a couple of days ago, Lidl's still had plenty of metal paint in rattle cans left @ £2.99 a go. They had black and two shades of grey, a light-ish one and anthracite, which is fairly dark. I picked up a few of the latter in case I find myself needing to repaint any bike frames.


Thank you for the suggestion. I have some metal paint that I did my railings with last year. I think you`d be pleased as it only cost me £2.50 to make and that was for the end caps.


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## JhnBssll (4 Apr 2020)

I have spent the last hour peeling 120 individual purple blobs of vinyl off my wheels, all the time questioning why I ever stuck them on in the first place  Much neater now I would say, ill get a photo of her out in the open tomorrow all being well 







During the ride this afternoon I noticed the seat felt a little low so I've popped it up 5mm or so. I think I'm pointing my toes down more during pedalling recently, although it hasn't been a conscious change.

Garage needs a tidy again


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## JPBoothy (4 Apr 2020)

Yesterday, I had one of those "I think I'll just give my CX bike a quick wash moments" which took a couple of hours! The wash itself took no time at all but, the Disc caliper overhaul (inc pad replacement), the chain removal + clean, and the cleaning of the cassette, chain-rings, F+R mechs and lubrication of just about everything else took a little longer 

My daily 30min exercise 'allowance' ride that followed has never felt/sounded so smooth


----------



## carlosfandangus (4 Apr 2020)

Just find it amusing how we all appear to have found things to make or mend during this period, I have found myself wanting to swap my tyres, just for something to do


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## slow scot (4 Apr 2020)

With the help of some Tektro brakes I've got my Holdsworth Professional back on the road. Argos Racing Cycles provided its lovely new paint job.


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## Shearwater Missile (4 Apr 2020)

As a follow up to yesterdays post. I painted the metal parts on the cycle stand black, that was after a coat of rust killer. Looking on the paint tin it says it takes 16 hours to dry, so it will stay on the bench until tomorrow. What can I make today folks ?


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## carlosfandangus (4 Apr 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> As a follow up to yesterdays post. I painted the metal parts on the cycle stand black, that was after a coat of rust killer. Looking on the paint tin it says it takes 16 hours to dry, so it will stay on the bench until tomorrow. What can I make today folks ?


How about a rear derailleur hanger checker?


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## Shearwater Missile (4 Apr 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> How about a rear derailleur hanger checker?


Or perhaps a wheel truing stand. I like working in wood. When I think about it, I wished I`d kept my Meccano kit. Projects just waiting for the drawing board.


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## carlosfandangus (4 Apr 2020)

Going to re index my gears, would not change to low low when I needed it, made it up the stoney footpath all the same


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## Mike_P (4 Apr 2020)

Rear shifter opened upon again due to ongoing problems and a couple of tinyl flat pieces of what I presume must have been previous lube fished out and the whole soaked in oil.


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## JPBoothy (4 Apr 2020)

slow scot said:


> With the help of some Tektro brakes I've got my Holdsworth Professional back on the road. Argos Racing Cycles provided its lovely new paint job.


Slight side issue but, how do you find your Tektro brakes? Some of my 'bike snob' work colleagues tend to knock anything not branded by the big names (Shimano/Sram/Campag etc..) but my Genesis SS came with Tekro fitted and, I would say that they are the best side pull brakes that I've ever had.


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## slow scot (4 Apr 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Slight side issue but, how do you find your Tektro brakes? Some of my 'bike snob' work colleagues tend to knock anything not branded by the big names (Shimano/Sram/Campag etc..) but my Genesis SS came with Tekro fitted and, I would say that they are the best side pull brakes that I've ever had.


I bought their brakes initially for an old Claud Butler that needed long drop brakes and found them to be perfectly OK. So had no qualms recently in buying the shorter drop ones for my Holdsworth. Their quick release mechanism is not my favourite, but price and stopping power both fine. I would recommend them.


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## carlosfandangus (4 Apr 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> Going to re index my gears, would not change to low low when I needed it, made it up the stoney footpath all the same


It was a slight cable tension that caused it, I also opened up the "B" screw distance, this has solved the up change issue I was having.


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## roley poley (4 Apr 2020)

if it counts the wardrobe ,sock drawer, t-shirt pile and decided I have a lot of new bike wipe rags


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## anothersam (4 Apr 2020)

Nothing today, but I have BIG plans for tomorrow. Going to try (again) to source the noise on a 20 year old titanium bike which has so far defied not just me, but a bike shop mechanic, who had it for almost an entire month. Have already wished myself luck on that one.







If I’m feeling particularly masochistic, will extricate my wife’s electric beast bike from the back of the shed and get it up to speed, the first step of which will be sandblasting away the dust.


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## ColinJ (4 Apr 2020)

The rim on my Campagnolo Neutron front wheel is worn after I stupidly used it through a mucky winter a few years back. With the emergency services overstretched by COVID-19, me being a heavy bleeder due to long-term warfarin use, and a lot of fast descents round here, a potentially dodgy front wheel is the last thing that I should be riding!

I was going to swap the wheel for the Mavic Aksium that I have on my turbo trainer bike but it seemed a shame to downgrade the wheel on my best bike. Then I remembered that I had a pretty decent Campagnolo Proton front wheel in my cellar. I just checked it and it runs true and the bearings seem good so I have swapped the tube and tyre over to that wheel now and fitted it to my best bike.

I'll get someone with callipers to check the remaining rim thickness on the Neutron and see whether it _is_ still safe. If it is, I'll keep it as a spare wheel. If not, I _will _put it on the turbo bike and keep the Aksium as a spare.

It is handy to have a spare wheel ready to go for those days when you discover a puncture just when you are about to dash out to meet someone***.





*** I am thinking for the post-COVID crisis future, naturally!


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## ColinJ (4 Apr 2020)

Hmm... I have just been looking at some photos of worn rim cross-sections online. It is clear that it isn't necessarily possible to measure the thickness of the entire rim wall if it has a box construction. Blow it - turbo duties, spare Aksium!


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## biggs682 (4 Apr 2020)

Not worked on anything but opened the shed and found these .


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Apr 2020)

Fixed puncture on wife’s bike. Good old fashioned patch and rubber cement. Found the culprit in tyre as well. Jobs a good un.

Since forecast is warm next 7 days I’ve also taken winter tyre off front of the recumbent and fitted summer rubber.


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## ColinJ (4 Apr 2020)

I decided while I was at working on the best bike I would swap saddles. I had a Ti Planet X saddle to put on in place of the ordinary alloy-tubed one which was on there. It will make a tremendous difference to my post-virus climbing times - I compared the weights and the new saddle is... 5 whole grams lighter! 

I noticed that the front brake block which I nursed through to the end of last season had only about 1 or 2 rides left in it and I don't want to risk wrecking the wheel that I have just put on so I replaced the block with a new one. 

I also did the decent thing and washed the bike.

I'll go out on the bike tomorrow to remind myself how much I enjoy riding it.


----------



## JPBoothy (4 Apr 2020)

My wife asked if I'd take a look at her broken heater 😳


----------



## figbat (4 Apr 2020)

On the Cube hardtail:

Replaced the rear mech cabling - it’s internally cabled with just the inner so I had to pull through an old bit of inner as I withdrew the old cable then use that to pull the new inner back through. I then had to do it all again as I had forgotten to fit the outer at the handlebar end.  Such a light gear change action now though.

Replaced the cable for the remote fork lockout. I’ve only been meaning to do this since I first got the bike, about 4 years ago.

Did a lower leg fork service - new dust seals, wiper and oil. What a difference!


----------



## Gunk (5 Apr 2020)

Weather was so nice today I made a cup of tea, put the radio on and fitted the Gatorskin tyres to my road bike which I’ve been meaning to do for ages.






I wanted something a bit more all round than the current Schwalbe One’s that it came with, they’ll be perfect for a project bike and they fold so easy to put on a shelf in the garage.






whilst the wheels were off I cleaned and really detailed the whole bike.

tyres went on easily






just hope there’s not an exercise ban as I’m looking forward to putting some miles on it on the road rather than the turbo!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (5 Apr 2020)

Nothing much

*1.* Finished de-mossing the block-paved drive (double car width), started on a garden path, but it's too windy & was all blowing about before I could sweep it up - so that's for another day

*2.* Chain-rings off the CGR, & cleaned, along with the chain and derailleurs

*3.* Pre-coloured hard-board 'triangles cut up, to help brighten up the stairs to the basement 
That portion is presently painted/stained a dark charcoal (& it's easier than painting, & peeling the carpet back)


----------



## 13 rider (5 Apr 2020)

Just been outside to wash the bike after today's ride . Thought that back wheel looks a bit flat ,yep 40 psi instead of 80 psi found a blob of tubeless sealant on the tyre . Didn't even notice while on the ride I like my tubeless wheels 
Checked the sealant via a syringe in the valve core ,nearly all gone so topped up the sealant pumped back up and all resealed ok . 5k miles might be time for a new tyre noticed a few cuts in the tyre so time for a new one I think


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (5 Apr 2020)

Fitted a Brooks C15 Cambium to the Raleigh. I've been wanting to try one of these for a while and finding one on offer about a month ago, couldn't resist.

First impressions on a test are very favourable. Time and mileage will tell of course.


----------



## Gunk (5 Apr 2020)

Just gave my motorcycle a wash and put it in to hibernation. 🙁






that’s enough fiddle arsing around today, off to put my feet up now 👍


----------



## CXRAndy (5 Apr 2020)

derrick said:


> Was cutting some 6 x 2 timbers with the electric saw yesterday, all of a sudden there was a clunk and it stopped. also tripped the circuit breaker, Just what i needed, thought i would pull it apart and see what caused it. I found the front bearing had collapsed, out with the old one, measured it up. ordered a new one from Wych bearings, £6.00 with postage. hopefully get it tomorrow, then can get on with building my staircase.
> View attachment 508768


Just did the same for my circular saw


----------



## DCLane (5 Apr 2020)

SWMBO asked us to look at her bike (  - she's not ridden it for 5 years) so we got her Specialized Globe Daily 2 out, cleaned and lubricated it plus fitted new hand grips. The Nexus hub works fine and she wanted a rear bag for shopping fitting so we did that. She _might_ use it  It's one of these:





Also did a 'wheel' tidy up and sort out. As a result I've got 10 wheels to sell. We're focusing on upgrading what we have and these are no longer needed.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (5 Apr 2020)

DCLane said:


> SWMBO asked us to look at her bike (  - she's not ridden it for 5 years) so we got her Specialized Globe Daily 2 out, cleaned and lubricated it plus fitted new hand grips. The Nexus hub works fine and she wanted a rear bag for shopping fitting so we did that. She _might_ use it  It's one of these:
> View attachment 512810
> 
> Also did a 'wheel' tidy up and sort out. As a result I've got 10 wheels to sell. We're focusing on upgrading what we have and these are no longer needed.


That’s a very nice Dutch bike. My wife wants one just like that in the picture.


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## gavgav (5 Apr 2020)

The better weather and roads drying up, mean it should be time to get out on the Carbon road bike, soon (exercise still allowed permitting!) and so I dug it out of the shed, today.

Tyres pumped up to required pressure, chain cleaned and oiled, dust from the winter storage wiped off and shakedown test for all of 1/2 a mile around the estate.

Looking forward to getting out properly, on the roads again, with it


----------



## Gunk (5 Apr 2020)

gavgav said:


> The better weather and roads drying up, mean it should be time to get out on the Carbon road bike, soon (exercise still allowed permitting!) and so I dug it out of the shed, today.
> 
> Tyres pumped up to required pressure, chain cleaned and oiled, dust from the winter storage wiped off and shakedown test for all of 1/2 a mile around the estate.



That’s a big estate, where do you live Sandringham


----------



## gavgav (6 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> That’s a big estate, where do you live Sandringham


 Brilliant!


----------



## fossyant (6 Apr 2020)

Replacement bearings arrived in the post this morning. 6903RS stainless. Popped the non drive side end cap off, removed cassette, undid drive side cap, freehub slid off.

Removed brake disc.

Popped wheel over a piece of timber with a hole in, axel in hole, wood block on other end of axel, hit with hammer. Bearing popped out. Put axel back in and repeat other side.

Cleaned hub, put new bearing on axel, lined up with hub, 22mm socket on outer edge of bearing, and tapped back in each side. Perfect.

Re-assembled.

Both old bearings still smooth, but non-drive side had play. Binned. Other bearing saved (probably never to be used again).

Might do the freehub at some point. Uses 2x 6092 bearings with a spacer in the middle.


----------



## bikingdad90 (6 Apr 2020)

Finished the bar tape on my road bike. Just waiting for my green saddle to arrive then I think she is finished.

Looked at prices for a trainer sweat guard online and borked at the price so grabbed an old unused micro fibre towel and cut it to shape. Secured with three tie wraps (need to source some Velcro straps) and a bit of electrical tape and jobs a good un.


----------



## roley poley (6 Apr 2020)

seat post sink on the Brompton.. it felt so weird like I was growing with the joy of cycling on my exercise allowance ..no ..slightly greasy seat post ..cured it with a bit of alcohol gel from my hand sanitiser


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## Gunk (6 Apr 2020)

As I've got plenty of time on my hands at the moment I'm enjoying going though all of our bikes, deep cleaning, detailing and servicing each one.

Today was the turn of my sons road bike, this really is a lovely thing, Nice light carbon frame and a durable Sora 2x9 groupset, we only paid just over £300 for it 18 months ago, an absolute bargain! however like most teenagers he just rides it, it's never cleaned or loved so I attacked it on the work stand today.






First job was to deep clean it and with the wheels off I managed to get into every crevice and detailed it. I also lightly cut back the paintwork with some cutting paste and it came up beautifully.

My son was complaining about the brakes so I swapped the original Sora's for a set of almost new Shimano BR-R561 callipers I had in the garage with actually look identical to the Silver Sora callipers I removed, but they are a big improvement.






I doubt I'll get any gratitude, but I think it looks stunning!






Next up will be my 2007 Specialized S Works Epic mountain bike, I haven't given that a proper deep clean for years so should keep me occupied for a couple of hours.


----------



## swee'pea99 (6 Apr 2020)

Just trying to remote-fettle for my daughter who's stranded in a little fishing village in Morocco and has just managed to lay her hands on a bike, but the brakes are apparently a bit of a nightmare. Tried to talk her thru' cables and nuts and adjusters...I think she got it. She said the bloke who lent her the bike waved away her concerns, saying 'in Morocco, we do it like this' - jamming his foot against the rear wheel.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (6 Apr 2020)

Dragged down some more wood from the garage loft to make cycle stand number 2, this time all wood. Cut the wood but will assemble and paint another day.
Still waiting for the rubber tubing ends to arrive to finish stand number 1 made last week. I will post a picture when finished.


----------



## Drago (6 Apr 2020)

Started stripping the Pinncale fors its yearly going over. Wheels off, frame books and crannies cleaned. Sealed headset bearings re lubed by virtue of lifting the seal with a scalpel and injecting new grease with a syringe. Tomorrow it's new cassette and chain time.

The Felt has taken front line duties for the meantime, bit if the weather turns wet I'll use the carbon Boardman, cos I don't like it much and if it gets all dirty and sheety I don't care.


----------



## Jenkins (6 Apr 2020)

First job of the day was to fit the newly arrived FSA wing compact handlebars to my best Van Nicholas - these are the same bars as on my Spa and extremely comfortable with a slightly flattened top, but 44cm wide which is the same as on the commuter Van Nicholas, so the best of both worlds. A few short trips around the block to get the correct position before applying new tape with a proper test ride to follow tomorrow (hopefully).

Next up was the Spa. It's been on a mixed set of Vittoria tyres for a while - 32mm up front, 37 on the rear - and I've been meaning to swap these for the 32mm GP 4 Seasons I pcked up at the end of last year. Spinning the wheels to check the new tyres were seated correctly, the bearings felt a little rough so the axles on both were removed and additional grease added. The rear took more time that expected to set back up, but both seem to be a lot smoother and freeer running.


----------



## derrick (6 Apr 2020)

Had a bit of a click coming from the BB on Sundays ride, Today i took it all apart, but could not find anything obvious, so cleaned it all up and put it back together, will try it on Tuesday to see if the click has gone.


----------



## fossyant (7 Apr 2020)

Stickers arrived today.

1st job was wash my bike down as I'd done a 16 mile off road ride this morning. 

2nd job was to autoglym Mrs F's BMC Fourstroke MTB.

Once this was done, the courier delivered my stickers. Bright green Rock Shox stickers for my fork and shock. Tart.


----------



## derrick (7 Apr 2020)

Took it for a ride today. Noise gone.👍


----------



## Drago (7 Apr 2020)

Gave the Felt a tweak, pre ride checked, then a quick 11 mile thrash.


----------



## fossyant (7 Apr 2020)

derrick said:


> Took it for a ride today. Noise gone.👍



Usually fixes these issues. Strip, clean, grease, back together.


----------



## bikingdad90 (7 Apr 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> Finished the bar tape on my road bike. Just waiting for my green saddle to arrive then I think she is finished.
> 
> Looked at prices for a trainer sweat guard online and borked at the price so grabbed an old unused micro fibre towel and cut it to shape. Secured with three tie wraps (need to source some Velcro straps) and a bit of electrical tape and jobs a good un.
> 
> ...



More pictures


----------



## Chris S (8 Apr 2020)

biggs682 said:


> Not worked on anything but opened the shed and found these .
> 
> View attachment 512567


You forgot about them?


----------



## biggs682 (8 Apr 2020)

Chris S said:


> You forgot about them?



Not quite but out of sight out of mind


----------



## Elybazza61 (8 Apr 2020)

helped manager with a Canyon that had Di2 issues; after going through the diagnostics it had a dead battery.

Helpfully Canyon in their wisdom have the battery mounted in the down tube in front of the bb so the press fit bb has to be removed to access it;why the hell they can't fit it in the steerer or seat post I don't know,so customer has a bigger bill coming for labour.

The more Canyons that come in the less I like them,,,


----------



## Gunk (8 Apr 2020)

It was the turn of my mountain bike today.






Most of my efforts were focussed on the rear mech, I haven’t posted any “before” photos as I’m so ashamed of the state of it. Both jockey wheels had to be removed and I scrubbed and degreased it.











I also cut back the frame and forks, they came up really well.











I even cleaned and detailed the levers and shifters. Whilst up on the stand I realised that the Headset bearings need changing, it’s notchy, so that’s another job for another day.






also cleaned and cut back the crankset.





I spent a good hour on both wheels.






This is the deepest clean it’s had in probably 5 years, tomorrow it’s off to the woods to cover it in mud again 🤦‍♂️


----------



## FrankCrank (9 Apr 2020)

Decided my Raleigh Twenty should have it's original fork back, but a bit modified:

First, the Raleigh steerer tube hack off, and a new one added with the standard 24TPI





Next, some V-brake studs added





A fiddly welding job for sure





And installed back on the bike. Rubbish touch up paint, but what the hey





Can't be too many double crown forks with V-brakes on them


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (10 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> Most of my efforts were focussed on the rear mech, I haven’t posted any “before” photos as I’m so ashamed of the state of it. Both jockey wheels had to be removed and I scrubbed and degreased it.
> 
> View attachment 513544
> 
> ...



My bike used to get fairly grubby on certain CX courses
Some were notorious for really claggy mud


----------



## JPBoothy (10 Apr 2020)

biggs682 said:


> Not worked on anything but opened the shed and found these .
> 
> View attachment 512567


Aha, I wondered where I had left them.. That was a helluva party though


----------



## Shearwater Missile (10 Apr 2020)

Does anyone else have problems with saddle bag velcro straps rubbing against the lyrca shorts causing them to fray and wear ? I have tried an idea I came up with. I had some rubbery finishing tape that came with my Cinelli bar tape. I glued some of it to the outside of the strap and then tucked it behind the seat post. After today`s ride the tape was still there and no more fraying. Fingers crossed.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (10 Apr 2020)

Made and fitted an improvised rod brake clamp to my old Raleigh Dawn Tourist 3-speed roadster, using a M8 HT set screw I had to hand. Filed off the thread on one side of the screw to create a flat, then cross drilled it 4mm dia for the rod to go through. Cut the hex head off with a small cordless angle grinder, and smoothed the cut surface with a flat file. Fitted to bike and secured with a flat washer & nyloc nut, then cut off the excess thread length with the grinder - gradually so I didn't overheat the nyloc. Metric coarse isn't the ideal thread as it's deep, so the root diameter is less. It's only a quick get out of trouble bodge/fix though, so I can have two brakes not just one! If the correct clamp that has gone AWOL turns up, I'll refit that. If not, I'll make one myself in my old Myford centre lathe, or I'll do the same as this time but use a 5/16" UNF bolt instead of a metric set screw. 
Having got the rear brake working, I've discovered that it's efficiency is shite, and way less than the front brake, which is very good. Looks like I'll be removing the rear brake blocks next and either roughing them up to increase friction, or replacing them. On the plus side, I had a nice relaxed 10 mile road test to add to the 30 miles I did this morning on my Pioneer.


----------



## Mike_P (10 Apr 2020)

Very light fettling today - swopped saddles between the hybrid and the ebike. The Hybrids saddle was that supplied with it by Ridgeback, a "Ridgeback Custom" saddle which I found very comfortable without needing any padded shorts so whilst it was an ebike conversion it was fine for commutes and shopping trips. The saddle supplied with the ebike in comparison gets a bit tedious to ride on without unpadded shorts on longer shopping trips.


----------



## voyager (11 Apr 2020)

The latest trike has been road tested and awaiting paint , with 3 weeks of lockdown , now awaiting a few more shakedown rides before strip and spray.


----------



## Gunk (11 Apr 2020)

Mrs Gunk reminded me today that the bikes have received plenty of attention but the garden hasn’t.

So today I tackled our bench and path. Both looking very neglected.






I jet washed and repaired the bench






Then I jet washed the path, it is in a bit of state and has settled (I laid it 17 years ago) so when all this is over, I’ll lift it and replace the slabs with proper stone, but it looks so much better. Off for a cheeky beer now.


----------



## DCLane (11 Apr 2020)

Tidied the shed (bike parts storage unit) a bit more and got a number of items to put on eBay.

Also swapped the front tyre on my Avanti Circa from a 35 to 30mm cross tyre and did a test ride https://www.strava.com/activities/3285235444 . No longer catching - so the '35mm limit' mudguards I have don't _actually_ work with 35mm tyres


----------



## Gunk (12 Apr 2020)

The rear mudguard was picking up a few scratches on my Brompton, probably caused by my uneven block paving, I cut the mudguard back with cutting paste and removed most of them, but decided to raise the roller slightly with a rubber gasket






it just raises it enough








I managed to do it all without removing the rear wheel.


----------



## Gunk (12 Apr 2020)

And with gasket trimmed back


----------



## roley poley (12 Apr 2020)

Tidied and cleaned the no1 and no2 tool box out, promoted and relegated between them, found some autosol and was so bored I polished the wheel rims (not the brake surfaces).Twinkly ! Never been like that before.Best get that bathroom painted before I wear my thumbs out with over twiddling them hadn't I ?


----------



## DaveReading (12 Apr 2020)

Chain has been rubbing on the FD. Put a straight edge on the cage and realised it wasn't pointing quite fore-and-aft.

Then I remembered that I'd lent my multitool to my son to fix my disabled grandson's trike, and my loose Allen keys were somewhere under a pile of junk on my bench.

So I'm ashamed to say that I resorted to a couple of taps with a hammer to rotate the FD. Happily, it worked well.


----------



## EltonFrog (12 Apr 2020)

I’ve cleaned and degreased about eight years worth of crap off the chain rings, chain, and dismantled rear derailleur and jockey wheels of my Whyte Coniston hybrid today, it’s taken about four hours. Just the rear cassette and the rest of the bike to clean tomorrow.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (13 Apr 2020)

My Octavia, not my CGR

Rear wiper's not working
Have managed to persuade the nut holding the wiper arm on, to come loose (short bar onto 14mm socket) & a few taps from a rubber mallet

Next job, once the penetrating oil has had chance is to try & get it off the splines...…………………….
(before removing the tail-gate interior trim)


----------



## EltonFrog (13 Apr 2020)

Finished cleaning all the crap off my Whyte Coniston today, including removing the chain ring, cranks and bb, gave them a good sorting, then the cassette, Christ, that took feckin ages, then cleaned the frame and other bits and put the bike back together and test rode it. All works!


----------



## CXRAndy (14 Apr 2020)

DCLane said:


> SWMBO asked us to look at her bike (  - she's not ridden it for 5 years) so we got her Specialized Globe Daily 2 out, cleaned and lubricated it plus fitted new hand grips. The Nexus hub works fine and she wanted a rear bag for shopping fitting so we did that. She _might_ use it  It's one of these:
> View attachment 512810
> 
> Also did a 'wheel' tidy up and sort out. As a result I've got 10 wheels to sell. We're focusing on upgrading what we have and these are no longer needed.



Similar to my wife's bike, except slightly different downtube allowed me to fit this

She never refuses to cycle to the local watering spots


----------



## wafter (14 Apr 2020)

The Boardman's not really had any attention since last year so I gave it a bit of a spring clean. Chain off and chucked in the wax bath, wheels off, everything cleaned and frame (carnauba) waxed. Seatpost removed and cleaned of some grit and crap that had made its way in via the slot in the rear of the frame / along with the (thankfully light) corrosion that had resulted.

I adjusted the saddle to give a little forward rake which seems to have helped my stability and ability to remain low at the front of the bike. Bike re-assembled with my spare waxed chain and I went out for a ride; to be yet again reminded that I need to tweak the limit screws on the front DR to stop the chain rubbing at the top end


----------



## Slioch (14 Apr 2020)

I've had a Shimano R500 wheelset on my winter bike for about 5 or 6 years now and done several thousands of trouble-free miles in the wet and muck, so decided it was high time to give them a bit of tlc.

Axles stripped, cleaned, bearings replaced, regreased, and reassembled, and a spin round the block to check everything is working as it should.

I was really surprised at how good a condition they were still in. The original grease was still green coloured and not the usual grey gungy stuff you'd expext to find, and there was minimal wear on the ball races. Amazing really for such a budget-priced set of wheels.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 Apr 2020)

I may get the single speed ready for the road today, as it has snowed here a bit and riding is a bit out of the question. Or I may start on the touring bike build.


----------



## keithmac (16 Apr 2020)

Been working on this today, really like the SP1's. Just very well built and executed.


----------



## Gunk (16 Apr 2020)

That’s lovely 🥰🥰🥰


----------



## carlosfandangus (16 Apr 2020)

only rode one once, a friends, I couldn't keep the front down


----------



## Gunk (16 Apr 2020)

I did a couple of minor jobs this afternoon, firstly I trued the front wheel of my road bike using the cable tie and masking tape method!








The chain guard ring on my Brompton keeps popping off which is really annoying, I managed to permanently secure it with tiny black cable ties which are very subtle, so pleased with the fix 👍


----------



## tom73 (16 Apr 2020)

Following on from fitting a new chainset a few weeks ago. Thought I get the Spa off the turbo and get it ready for shopping trips. 
Rear cable was looking a bit past it's best so changed that and the outers. 
Indexed and it's working so must have done something right. 
The front indexing was not playing so after a bit thought i'd go for it. 
So changed cable and outers too. 
Had a short test ride and indexing is still a little out but it's better than it was. 
Never changed a cable before never mind two so Happy with an afternoons work.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (16 Apr 2020)

Since making cycle stand no1 two weeks ago I have been waiting for the end covers to arrive, they did today. The only trouble was that in my haste I`d ordered 30mm square instead of 40mm. I was not going to send them back. After watching the Repair Shop last night I had some inspiration. I will make 4 end caps out of wood, which is what I have done and rammed them home with a mallet. They are now drying, as I painted them black to match the metal work. So what can I do with the 4 x 30mm end caps ? I had another idea, I`d cut them down ( the part that gets rammed into the tubing) and glue them to the bottom of the stand as feet. Hoping of course that hard as nails is as good as it says on the tube. I will post a picture once dry and finished. I hate wasting things, especially if I have had to pay out for them !


----------



## EltonFrog (16 Apr 2020)

When I’m fettling with bikes I’m usually doing it on my drive at the front of the house. We live down a dead end track but it’s a bridleway ( more like a footpath really). A woman on Monday walking past noticed me fixing my bike and told me the brakes on hers were broken. LSS , I fixed the brakes on her nice 1991 Cannondale SM800. I had buy a new cable. Just charged her for that.

I also did a bearing service on my SA Hub of the Raleigh Twenty I’m doing up.


----------



## CXRAndy (17 Apr 2020)

keithmac said:


> Been working on this today, really like the SP1's. Just very well built and executed.
> View attachment 515463


Weren't they known for timing chain engine destroyers?


----------



## DCBassman (17 Apr 2020)

Fettled one of my old HP business PCs from dual-core to quad core, and gave it a different HDD. Faster, quieter.


----------



## Shearwater Missile (17 Apr 2020)

As promised the pictures of cycle stand number one with the home made end caps fitted and the plastic feet which should have been the end caps !









My other fettling was replacing the rear brake cable on the Claude Butler, only because it was looking rusty and cleaning the caliper. I think next thing to buy will be some new brake shoes as they have taken a punishment this winter.


----------



## keithmac (17 Apr 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> Weren't they known for timing chain engine destroyers?



We've had a few through the workshop and never seen one fail.

I've done a VTR head replacement due to timing tensioner failure and slipped cam timing though.


----------



## fossyant (17 Apr 2020)

Chasing a persistent creak in the FS. Ive stripped and regreased all the pivots, bearings and bushes on the rear suspension. I did everything bar the two bearings by the rear axel. Still squeaked, so today was those last two. Loads of crap in the joint so hoping that's sorted. I've got a full set of bearings on order anyway.


----------



## roley poley (17 Apr 2020)

fitted the eazy wheel extension bar I got in the post today and shoved the brommie vigorously around the kitchen floor to test ,only just managed not to go vroom ,vroom like a 3 year old with a new dinky toy


----------



## Gunk (17 Apr 2020)

roley poley said:


> fitted the eazy wheel extension bar I got in the post today and shoved the brommie vigorously around the kitchen floor to test ,only just managed not to go vroom ,vroom like a 3 year old with a new dinky toy



Could you post a couple of photos?


----------



## roley poley (17 Apr 2020)

h






* photos are hard to take gunk but just for you mate*


----------



## EltonFrog (17 Apr 2020)

Shearwater Missile said:


> As promised the pictures of cycle stand number one with the home made end caps fitted and the plastic feet which should have been the end caps !
> View attachment 515719
> 
> 
> ...


I like that.


----------



## keithmac (17 Apr 2020)

Bit of an odd day today..

Finished off a service plus chain and sprockets replacement on an early Blade, all went to plan.

Next up was a Yamaha twin that wouldn't run, spent a couple of hours sorting the carbs (think this is the worst out of balance set of carbs I've ever seen!).

Next up was a Panigale with intermittent engine management fault, traced it in the end after a lot of grief to vertical MAP sensor intermittent failure when heat soaked. After doing all the hard work customer says he'll fix it himself (ho hum!). Good luck with that..

Last was a nice RD125 LC, (looked nice on the outside!). Found double the amount of gearbox oil that it should have in it and all that work and someone filled the engine with plain tap water. Need to ride it and make sure it's no leaking in the morning after sorting that one out.


----------



## Gunk (17 Apr 2020)

keithmac said:


> Bit of an odd day today..
> 
> Finished off a service plus chain and sprockets replacement on an early Blade, all went to plan.



Of course it did, it’s a Blade!


----------



## keithmac (17 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> Of course it did, it’s a Blade!



The Blade was lovely, nice comfy and smooth, the Panigale was horrible in comparison (noticed it was in Sport 195bhp mode though!).

Blade every time for me..


----------



## keithmac (17 Apr 2020)

Before and after on the 400 Yamaha and the mess that came out of the RD125's radiator..


----------



## 13 rider (18 Apr 2020)

Was working across the road from a local bike shop yesterday so nipped in bought a new chain for the Defy it was getting worn and also wanted to support the shop . 
Fitted this morning after giving the rest of the drive chain a good clean everything nice an shiny


----------



## fossyant (18 Apr 2020)

My frame bearings arrived first thing from Wytch Bearings so set about replacing all 8. Pressed the bearings out using a variety of sockets and a vice. Pressed them in, again using sockets of corresponding sizes to the bearing. Took a few hours as I had to dismantle the back end of the FS including the mech and rear caliper. All back together and cleaned.


----------



## DCBassman (18 Apr 2020)

Handlebar real estate expansion.




Fitted the Cateye Velo 2 computer courtesy of @EltonFrog and it's all working.


----------



## simongt (18 Apr 2020)

Aldi were recently flogging aerosol cans of WD40 motorbike chain cleaner. Now, knowing what a task keeping a cycle chain clean is, I thought hmm, why not - ? Big chain, wee chain, it's just a size thing - ! The can boasts ' removes dirt, grime, dust & oil', 'leaves no residue, quick drying, maintains performance of chain.' 
Tried it on several of our bikes and cor, works a treat - ! Being under pressure, it literally blasts the muck off the chain. Probably not quite as efficient as a proper chain cleaner, but certainly comes a pretty good second - ! 
If you 'try this at home', be advised to put a bit of cardboard or similar between the chainstay & rim before using, otherwise the crud will get all over said parts; arrgghh - !


----------



## keithmac (18 Apr 2020)

Little update on the XJ400 Maxim. 

Started it up this morning and it just didn't sound "right", off RHS cylinder on choke.

Considering customer had "rebuilt" the carbs I wasn't intending to go inside the bowls..

Anyway, first thing noticed was the choke jet in the bowl was clogged shut, easy job there. Then looking at the fuel floats they just looked wrong. 

Reset float heights and thought happy days!. Engine still didn't sound right so after a load of faffing around pulling plug leads and trying to get it running on RHS only I found the tip of the pilot air screw had been snapped off inside the carb!.

God knows how they managed that!.

Anyway hopefully I'll be able to get the pilot air screw tip out on Tuesday.

Would have been quicker if they'd just brought the bike in without "fixing" it first, you can't assume anything!.

Wrong.





Right.





Yamaha special tool.





????


----------



## DCLane (18 Apr 2020)

Wheels off the Fuji Track Classic I bought earlier this week. The chain was at the limit so that was removed and a new one ordered.

Then started to remove the rust / damaged paintwork and clean it. Lots of tar marks which are gone. The paint doesn't quite match so a new enamel was also ordered.

Drop bars fitted, but I'd prefer narrower ones. Also whilst the bottom bracket's good the headset will need greasing before I'm done.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (18 Apr 2020)

Just a check-over & (dieselly tag) wipe-over of the derailleurs/chainrings of _senior managements_ Boardman & my CGR
One loose rack-bolt in the Boardman






*EDIT @21:47*
A photo from last year, as I put bar-ends on it last month; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-fettled-today.87079/post-5928351


----------



## Jenkins (18 Apr 2020)

New, slightly narrower handlebar fitted to the Bootzipper and a new seatpost fitted to the commuter Van Nicholas - for no other reason than I can and there's nothing else I'm spending my money on at the moment. 

My attempts to fit a matching seatpost to my best Van Nicholas have been thwarted (for the moment) by the old alloy post being stuck in the frame, while I'm still waiting for a delivery from Ribble for the Bootzipper to complete the hattrick


----------



## dave r (18 Apr 2020)

Minor fettle for me today. I'd put a new chain and cassette on my Eastway about a month ago, swapped the knackered 11-27 for a 12-28, all had been well until this afternoons ride where I'd had a few ghost shifts and a couple of miss changes early in the ride before it all settled down again. Tonight I cleaned it again, relubed it and tweaked the high, low and b screws, I'll see how it is on my next ride but the change felt better tonight. The only thing I found was that the high screw was out a bit.


----------



## Spartak (19 Apr 2020)

Fitted some old Schwalbe CX tyres onto my Bowery single speed bike to use on my social distancing gravel route I'm riding with my daughter these days... 👍


----------



## Gunk (19 Apr 2020)

I stripped out and serviced the bottom bracket on my Brompton today.

the fixed cup came out with some old fashioned leverage






once everything was out I cleaned up the threads






It’s been replaced as the bearings were in really good condition, just needed a good clean.










I had some new bearings so I popped them in with plenty of grease, I also copper greased the threads although the fixed cup was a pig to get back in as someone had previously chewed up the BB thread, but a light tap with a mallet seated it on the thread and it then easily spun home. The shaft is sided which I realised when the crank was too close to the frame!

All adjusted and finished.


----------



## roley poley (19 Apr 2020)

Swapped my B67 for the Flyer I got on Fri from SJS, much better, the B67 was too broad. A flyer is the update for the B66 champion that FITS ME .Wish I had known that as I could have saved myself 3 month of suffering .Any one want to buy a slightly used B67 ? Hey ho ...live and learn


----------



## Gunk (19 Apr 2020)

Had a very pleasant lunch in the garden and then tackled a job I’ve meaning to do for a while and that’s to tidy up the tatty outside lights, so firstly I cleaned them before painting them in smooth Hammerite.












job done 👍


----------



## Dogtrousers (19 Apr 2020)

I just fitted a new chain.
I found my quick link pliers easily. They were where they should be. I threaded the chain through the derailleur cage correctly first time.

Am I a genius or what?

Well, no, not really. I forgot to cut it to length before I fitted it.


----------



## Asa Post (21 Apr 2020)

My morning walk round the garden revealed that the pond pump had stopped overnight. 
The filters were due for a clean, so I did that. It still didn't work.
I checked all the electrics, and they were fine. I could hear the pump working, but no water came out of the fountain.
I disassembled it, and couldn't see any problem. Then I took the black plastic cover off the UV lamp.
Inside the cover was a small newt, feebly waving its legs. I moved it to another "pond" (just an old raised bed with pond liner inside it) where lots of newts live.
Reassembled the pump, turned it on, and it worked perfectly.


----------



## DaveReading (21 Apr 2020)

Asa Post said:


> Inside the cover was a small newt, feebly waving its legs.



Probably pissed ...


----------



## smokeysmoo (21 Apr 2020)

Heard a bit of noise from the front brake on my Marin the other day, and immediate thought was pads.

So yesterday I whipped them out and I think you'll agree they're FUBAR!






So I've ordered some replacements from Discobrakes and washed the bike today so it's ready for its new boots when they land👌


----------



## JhnBssll (21 Apr 2020)

I've been having trauma's with my power meters since I bought them, they've never worked properly. I've got a refund processing now so have bought replacements, the first of which I fitted today. Hopefully I'll get to give it a try on Thursday as I'm off work from then until Tuesday so should get some miles in. The weather is certainly looking pleasant 


















This bike is normally kitted with ultegra, the dura-ace crank arm was ordered for my Bianchi which hasn't arrived yet due to the factory shutdown in Italy. The Ultegra crank arm also hasn't arrived yet, despite being ordered over 2 weeks ago - note to self, never use Tweeks Cycles again  They were showing the Ultegra Stages power meter in stock and happily took my money on the 5th of April. I haven't heard from them since despite emails, phone calls, facebook messages etc... The crank isn't marked as dispatched but I can't get through to anyone to cancel my order and buy it elsewhere. So annoying. If they are having problems due to Covid I could understand it, but they've got big notices up everywhere saying mail orders aren't affected, business as usual - and they even had the audacity to comment on a positive trust pilot review this afternoon, despite dozens of unhappy customers having heard nothing from them


----------



## Gunk (21 Apr 2020)

Is the Brompton finished John?


----------



## JhnBssll (21 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> Is the Brompton finished John?



No 

It's currently still quarantined at the lbs, I haven't had any reason to drop by and its not 'essential' enough for a trip of its own. Gutting really as it's the ideal project to be getting on with while I'm stuck indoors


----------



## Gunk (22 Apr 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> No
> 
> It's currently still quarantined at the lbs, I haven't had any reason to drop by and its not 'essential' enough for a trip of its own. Gutting really as it's the ideal project to be getting on with while I'm stuck indoors



The lack of projects is driving me nuts, I’ve got loads of time but nothing to work on and I offloaded a couple of good project bikes for nothing earlier this year when we had far too much on going on. 

Now I’m enjoying Brompton ownership myself, I’m just intrigued to see how yours comes out, especially the DI2 conversion. Not sure I’m convinced about the camo paint scheme though, you’re a braver man than I am!


----------



## Shearwater Missile (22 Apr 2020)

The chain jumped off whilst shifting large to small on my last ride, 2nd time in about a month. This is on the CB 9 speed Sora. First time, the chain catcher put it back on again but this time it was partially jammed. I think the chain catcher had slipped down so I have raised it about 10mm so it catches the chain before it has time to drop. We`ll see how that goes. Admittedly it does not happen often but an it is an annoyance.


----------



## 12boy (24 Apr 2020)

John, I guess your definition of essential is different than mine. At least the B has had a nice long paint cure.


----------



## CXRAndy (24 Apr 2020)

All but a couple of finishing bits, Genesis Day One SS is now 





11 Speed Alfine Di2


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Apr 2020)

Received two Schwalbe Marathon tyres at the beginning of the week ('28' with the reflective sidewalls)
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/change-of-tyres-poll.259999/

I decided to fit them an hour or so ago
I was surprised how easily they went on, having read/heard stories about them..... in fact, the Durano's were more trouble to remove







I only had chance to roll down the street & back, so hope to try them out tomorrow


----------



## Gunk (24 Apr 2020)

Why three lights Richard?


----------



## Ming the Merciless (24 Apr 2020)

Oiled my recumbent chain, which took 3 hours


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> Why three lights Richard?


It's actually 4 x rear/4 x front

A bit of redundancy, if the charge drops, so I have back-up

2 x https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi.../bikehut-50-lumen-rear-bike-light-684507.html (wifes Boardman also has two of these, but BIGGER reflectors)
1 x https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi.../bikehut-25-lumen-rear-bike-light-684440.html
1 x Smart? ( the uppermost)








2 x https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...argeable-front-bike-light---black-208302.html (as ''repeaters')







I was given this (courtesy of a friend/work collegue) & need to return it to Hope, to be repaired, which will replace the 'Smart white'. or the (Planet X) Magic-Shine
(R8)







And this, which I think(?) was on the towpath (access road to Birkwood Lock) on the Aire & Calder Navigation Canal, when my regular route was fully closed for water-main repairs
(circa 23:00)


----------



## Gunk (24 Apr 2020)

I leant against an open door there, you do like your lights!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Apr 2020)

Gunk said:


> I leant against an open door there, you do like your lights!


It helps prevent my being knocked off, & having to return to work in a big yellow truck (Ambo), as it'd be far too embarrassing!!


----------



## roley poley (24 Apr 2020)

For extra back up I stick a stripe of red retro-reflective tape up the centre of the mudguard on each bike and keep it clean


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (24 Apr 2020)

roley poley said:


> For extra back up I stick a stripe of red retro-reflective tape up the centre of the mudguard on each bike and keep it clean


Both mudflaps are from 'Raw', & are retro-reflective 
(essentially same finish as stripe on a 'hi-viz')


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Apr 2020)

Received the Ultegra stages crank arm so fitted it this evening, updated it to the latest firmware version and calibrated it ready for a test ride tomorrow 






Whilst I was there I decided to trim the steerer down. I'd left it 10mm long when I built it in case it needed tweaking. With several hundred super comfy miles done I figured it was time to neaten the front end up 😊





















I might shift one of the 5mm spacers above the stem at some point but will leave it as is for now  Looking forward to riding it tomorrow


----------



## Ming the Merciless (25 Apr 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> Received the Ultegra stages crank arm so fitted it this evening, updated it to the latest firmware version and calibrated it ready for a test ride tomorrow
> 
> View attachment 517673
> 
> ...



Is that a plumbers pipe cutter?


----------



## carlosfandangus (25 Apr 2020)

Looks like a jig for a hacksaw, used a pipe slice on the alloy steerer, wish I had used a jig on the carbon, I had to file mine flat


----------



## JhnBssll (25 Apr 2020)

As above, its a hacksaw guide. I also use a park tool hacksaw blade specifically for carbon to get a nice clean cut


----------



## Gunk (25 Apr 2020)

A lot today, finished off the refurbishment of the Mavic wheels for my Peugeot project, 
















Then tackled the stem, bars and old Weinmann levers











Finally I stripped and rebuilt the shifters and cleaned up the seat stem. So a busy day.


----------



## pawl (25 Apr 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> It's actually 4 x rear/4 x front
> 
> A bit of redundancy, if the charge drops, so I have back-up
> 
> ...



I’ll bet you used to ride a motor scooter back in your mod days😀😀😀😀


----------



## Mike_P (25 Apr 2020)

Annoying creak when pedalling so hopefully solved by the tightening of the cleat bolts on the shoes


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (25 Apr 2020)

pawl said:


> I’ll bet you used to ride a motor scooter back in your mod days😀😀😀😀




Me, aged 21 ish





And, a while afterwards 22 - 24??)








Thus, I think no mirror stacked scooter


----------



## Gunk (25 Apr 2020)

You don’t look like the sort of person back then who’d have four rear lights, what happened?


----------



## Jenkins (25 Apr 2020)

With the recent good weather, not a lot needed doing - just chain cleaning & lubricating on the 4 bikes that form my TI fleet as they've been used the most. Also the tube on the front wheel of one of them needed patching as it was a bit soft having picked up a thorn somewhere on Wednesday.


----------



## Mike_P (26 Apr 2020)

Noticed the chainstay protector was looking a bit tatty on the Defy, clear on a white bike so put a new one on, sourced again at not very high expense from a length of wide exterior sellotape. Slight mucky end of the tape disguised by a British Cycling sticker


----------



## biggs682 (26 Apr 2020)

Busy morning doing maintenance and repairs to our granddaughters bike , after a little fall and getting a puncture during an 8 mile ride with her parents .















































Faults found rear pads were just rattling around on the slide not actually touching the rim !!!
Rear puncture repair . Greased both axles and adjusted the one piece crank free play . 
Just need a new lever now .


----------



## Rusty Nails (26 Apr 2020)

Nothing!

In this lockdown my bikes have been fettled to death.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Apr 2020)

*Project Realign Mudguards*
After bit of mudguard theory here; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/not-all-mudguards-are-equal.257141/post-5875576

I decided, in conjuction with the new tyres to move the 'guards (even though, there's a chance that the -now, treaded- tyres may pick up more muck?)

*Pre adjustment*





I loosened it all, & removed the top mount, everything came away wonderfully, as it was all (taken apart &) copper-greased, when the bike originally arrived


I tried to get 2 spacers in, but it was too much
The white nyloc nut is from a yellow/white number plate mounting set
(yes, I know the reflective tape is peeling, it is on the off-side too)






This was as good as I could get it, as the 'guard has been sprained once, after getting a stick in the spoke, and folding up
(the q/r mounts worked splendidly)






The rear wasn't too bad, with just one high spot






With the 'guard being repaired once - with zip-ties, at the brake-bridge- I'm slightly limited as to how much I can jiggle it about


----------



## Gunk (26 Apr 2020)

Ended up washing our two mountain bikes after my son thought it would be a good idea to come home via a field where they were muck spreading, the shite got absolutely everywhere 






My Brompton seatpost has been playing up, it’s slipped down very slightly on longer rides and has been a bit sticky when raising and lowering it. I popped it out and cleaned the post and insert with some flash floor wipes and dried it all off, the insert was filthy and it now grips and slides up and down perfectly, so a nice quick simple fix!


----------



## Drzdave58 (26 Apr 2020)

Did some fettling with leather the last few days...my brother recently passed away and left a bunch of leather craft tools and cowhide...ive never done leatherwork in my life so I thought I would give it a try seeing as how there’s not much to do during this covid lockdown..i watched many YouTube videos about leather craft to learn the basics and started by making a couple of basic leather bracelets with some 357 magnum shell casings. They turned out good so I thought about making a nice leather bike bag/tool pouch. I spent many hours hand stitching the leather on this and can see why handmade products cost so much. I made a few small mistakes on it but was able to cover them up pretty good. Overall I was very pleased how it turned out for my first try. The styling of it should suit my ruff cycle custom electric build (see avatar)but may make another for my Moulton tsr.


----------



## Gunk (26 Apr 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> *Project Realign Mudguards*
> After bit of mudguard theory here; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/not-all-mudguards-are-equal.257141/post-5875576
> 
> I decided, in conjuction with the new tyres to move the 'guards (even though, there's a chance that the -now, treaded- tyres may pick up more muck?)
> ...



If you release the centre stay very slightly it will straighten the blade and push the front down against the tyre.


----------



## Drzdave58 (26 Apr 2020)

Drzdave58 said:


> Did some fettling with leather the last few days...my brother recently passed away and left a bunch of leather craft tools and cowhide...ive never done leatherwork in my life so I thought I would give it a try seeing as how there’s not much to do during this covid lockdown..i watched many YouTube videos about leather craft to learn the basics and started by making a couple of basic leather bracelets with some 357 magnum shell casings. They turned out good so I thought about making a nice leather bike bag/tool pouch. I spent many hours hand stitching the leather on this and can see why handmade products cost so much. I made a few small mistakes on it but was able to cover them up pretty good. Overall I was very pleased how it turned out for my first try. The styling of it should suit my ruff cycle custom electric build (see avatar)but may make another for my Moulton tsr.


Got it on my bike


----------



## rogerzilla (26 Apr 2020)

Retapped the accursed 78mm Raleigh BB shell on the Twenty to 24tpi and faced it all the way down to 73mm.


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (26 Apr 2020)

My bottom bracket has been creaking a bit lately.

It’s a BBR60 Hollowtech II which has done about 7,000 miles so I thought I’d replace it after giving the bike it’s weekly wash and lube.

After removing the crankset, I attempted to undo the left-side first, but the crappy rubberised insert that Shimano provide for use with the normal size BB tool just wasn’t up to the job of removing it. It had started to fall apart the last time I used it, but replacing it had slipped my mind.

So I cleaned and greased the crank shaft and refitted everything. Then ordered the reduced-size Shimano tool which should fit the BBR60 without any adapter required.

I went out for a ride this evening, and bugger me if it’s stopped creaking. 

I can’t understand how a little clean and grease of the shaft should have fixed it?

But I’m not complaining.


----------



## Domus (27 Apr 2020)

Bought a new mech hanger from Ribble, swapped it over so I know the spare will fit in an emergency, also used my multi tool to replicate being out on a ride. I confess to using the workstand though. 

Black is original (now in saddlebag)


----------



## cyberknight (27 Apr 2020)

new freehub for rs11s but i have lost a ball bearing somewhere so its off to the lbs tomorrow


----------



## DCBassman (28 Apr 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Me, aged 21 ish
> View attachment 517894
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (28 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Double-bound Telecaster. About the best looking guitar ever. Should have kept my JD...
> Thus, I think no mirror stacked scooter



Oh, I'm not sure...
I still want one of these!
_Senior Managment_ says "No!"


----------



## Domus (28 Apr 2020)

Changed the hanger on the winter bike today. Simple job turned into a more difficult one. The derailleur to hanger bolt was quite stiff so to prevent me stripping the thread on re assembly I pulled it apart. The dried up muck inside surprised me it was horrible.  All cleaned and greased but not easy to pre load the spring to put it all back together. Original hanger in saddle bag, hopefully never to see the light of day.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (28 Apr 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> *Project Realign Mudguards*
> After bit of mudguard theory here; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/not-all-mudguards-are-equal.257141/post-5875576
> 
> I decided, in conjuction with the new tyres to move the 'guards (even though, there's a chance that the -now, treaded- tyres may pick up more muck?)



I've had a couple of rides now, yesterday & today
Both have incorporated fairly rough woodland/bridleways, all rutted and tree-root strewn
There's no rattling, but everything's dry, so nothings been picked up yet to see what the clearances are (barring 'horse poop')

There is some 'slap' from the rear flap onto the tyre, but that was there before on slow-technical work


----------



## smokeysmoo (28 Apr 2020)

smokeysmoo said:


> Heard a bit of noise from the front brake on my Marin the other day, and immediate thought was pads.
> 
> So yesterday I whipped them out and I think you'll agree they're FUBAR!
> 
> ...



*UPDATE* The pads have never arrived from Discobrakes  
However, I've no doubt they were sent out and they have refunded them immediately, so top marks for their customer service I suppose. 
I was really hoping they'd still turn up yesterday or today and I would have repaid for them, but sadly they've not 
So I've had to order elsewhere as the bikes on the stand waiting for them and it's in the way now, apparently 
When/if the Discobrakes ones do arrive I'll be sure to mark them return to sender


----------



## carpenter (28 Apr 2020)

Feeling very pleased with myself:

Old Birmalux rim on Sunshine hub (1960's?) started breaking spokes. So making most of "lockdown, I have removed old spokes, polished hub and rim, replaced hub bearings and fitted stainless Sapim spokes.
Used an old frame as a jig with whiteboard marker to highlight wobbles - just finished and all looks good. First time that I have built a wheel - many thanks the Sheldons site!
Proof of pudding will come after a couple of rides 😊


----------



## roley poley (29 Apr 2020)

tracked the squeak down to the new saddle and drip of wd40 put on contact points.... will remove the metal frame to coat with a thin rub of proofide underneath as it does seem a bit dry


----------



## DCLane (30 Apr 2020)

Progress at last in the Fuji Track Classic single speed project. Paint's finished, or rather I've given up after 14 coats touching-up and put a pair of stickers over the two worst areas now the paint's up to level and almost matches. New chain on with a larger chainring - it had a 46 and I want it to take up to a 52. Discovered the bcd is 130, which doesn't fit most of my track stuff but I've got a 51 on there. Wheels fitted. Just waiting on the handlebars: they're a week overdue and according to the postman he's seen them at the back of a pile of parcels  (he did however deliver a pair of Aeronova carbon ones ordered yesterday that we won't need yet  ). Photo when the bars are on with bar tape.

Also began the PlanetX hillclimb project now my LBS has fitted a headset. Bars and rear derailleur fitted. I'll get round to other bits today at some point.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (1 May 2020)

I mentioned fitting the Schwalbe Marathons earlier
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-fettled-today.87079/post-5969570

Last night, when I got home (circa 22:30), before I opened the gate, I leant it against my car & took this
It's only with an iPhone, so not the best of pictures

Crikey, there's a lot of lateral reflectivity there!!


----------



## Gunk (1 May 2020)

It looks the Coca Cola lorry 😂


----------



## Ming the Merciless (1 May 2020)

Fettled a couple of cups of green tea.


----------



## fossyant (1 May 2020)

Decided to service the XT 'trail' pedals as I'd not touched them for 4 years, well I say service, it's a case of putting a dollop of grease in there and nipping up the bearings. 

I wondered why there was loctite on the small locknut on the axel, until I managed to undo it. Someone had stripped the nut on assembly from factory, just fell off. Well that's a conundrum.

I've got two pairs of normal XT pedals, so on the set I don't use, stripped them down and 'borrowed' the tiny lock nut and put it on the trail pedals. Managed to find another nut (not quite the right part) and put that back on the normal XT's.


----------



## Heigue'r (1 May 2020)

Washed and degreased the TCR pro.Then tilted the saddle slightly nose down as was starting to get slight perenial numbness afyer 25 or 30 miles.The bike came with a cadence sensor which I never used so fitted that and connected it up to the wahoo.Tweeked the front derailleur cable tension and also tweeked the high position stop as there was a slight rub at 52-11.I also re-lubed the chain and pumped the tyres up to 90r 85f.Looking forward to a ride out in the morning.


----------



## carpenter (1 May 2020)

Bloody hell Mr Longbottom (apologies for the language ), but I am* so* *impressed* with your storage system


----------



## BianchiVirgin (2 May 2020)

Well, took delivery of Di2 upgrade bits today. Unpacked them, as you do, and discovered unbelievably, that I was sent 2 right hand levers. Not sure if this is a Shimano or Merlin cockup but it strikes me as Shimano given the way it was packed and labelled. Anyway, now it has to go back, setting me back by at least a week. 
Also waiting on SJS to deliver my braze on band on converter job so I wasn't finishing today anyway.
SJ S have loads of small bits of everything but they are slow.


----------



## DCBassman (3 May 2020)

Hoovered the dust bunnies out of the PC so I could use the card reader to upload cycling pics!


----------



## pawl (3 May 2020)

Put a pod in the coffee thingy☕️☕️☕️☕️


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 May 2020)

As mentioned elsewhere, I noticed an odd knock which I could feel through the pedals on the Raleigh last time out. Spinning the wheel at the end of the ride showed the hub bearings were as rough as anything which seemed to narrow it down so yesterday I investigated.

Non-drive bearings were clean and shiny but my heart sank over on the drive side when the magnet pulled out not just the ball bearings but also a clump of filings - not good.

It seems that two of the balls had started to disintegrate. Luckily the cup and the cone are undamaged so I was able to rebuild with new balls and all is sweetness and light again. It made sense to service the front wheel at the same time and give the bike a clean and a check over. The knockabout bike got a clean too while I had everything to hand.






I don't think they are meant to look like that!


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## Mike_P (3 May 2020)

pawl said:


> Put a pod in the coffee thingy☕️☕️☕️☕️


Be careful, my Sainsbury's had almost sold out of them on Thursday, almost as scarce in that useless store as frozen veg.


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## Gunk (3 May 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> As mentioned elsewhere, I noticed an odd knock which I could feel through the pedals on the Raleigh last time out. Spinning the wheel at the end of the ride showed the hub bearings were as rough as anything which seemed to narrow it down so yesterday I investigated.
> 
> Non-drive bearings were clean and shiny but my heart sank over on the drive side when the magnet pulled out not just the ball bearings but also a clump of filings - not good.
> 
> ...



I’ve never seen that before


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## Rickshaw Phil (3 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’ve never seen that before


It's a first for me too. I usually service the hubs annually but looking at my records I missed it last year. Won't be lax like that again.


----------



## pawl (3 May 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Be careful, my Sainsbury's had almost sold out of them on Thursday, almost as scarce in that useless store as frozen veg.





Hate to say it but I got mine from Amazon.£20 for 120 Strength 12


----------



## Shearwater Missile (3 May 2020)

Replaced the front inner cable on the Claude Butler, rear was done a few weeks back. After I got the old cable out I started to put the new one in, which proved a bit of a faff as the swivelly part that the pear end fit in came out. I laid the new cable down to take this swivelly out, thinking it would be easier to slide the cable through there first and then through the brifter hole and cable. When I went to pick the cable again, it had gone. Like, it was only about 2 minutes since I laid it down. I searched for a good 10 minutes for it, moving things here, moving things there. I went into a Victor Meldrew " I just don`t believe it". Then by magic I spotted it. It had slid off the bench and decided it liked the look of a garden waste bag at the side of the bench, I mean that cable came alive just like a slippery snake. I tamed it and fitted it and now ready to go !


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## Gunk (3 May 2020)

No fettling today, but as my motorbike was out of the garage, I cleaned it out and organised my cycle storage, which was a bit chaotic, seven bikes in total!

The answer was to put them in at an angle, the Brompton slots in the gap. perfect!


----------



## roley poley (3 May 2020)

ok got to ask... is that black trombone slide on the side a family size D-lock?? if it isn't I wouldn't have put it past you to have made one to guard your loved ones


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## Gunk (3 May 2020)

roley poley said:


> ok got to ask... is that black trombone slide on the side a family size D-lock?? if it isn't I wouldn't have put it past you to have made one to guard your loved ones



It’s one of these, a spare!


----------



## DCBassman (4 May 2020)

Light not quite steady enough on bar extender. 
Found a piece of old road inner tube and put that on first, then then the rubber Crivit mount.
Rock solid.


----------



## roley poley (4 May 2020)

OW! Found the missing dust cap with my bare foot on the carpet, always the best way.


----------



## 8mph (4 May 2020)

Swapped tubes and tyres over to my new disk wheels, replaced chain, removed front v-brake from and fitted a hydraulic brake. The bike feels more stable, which is either due to the rim being 10mm wider or 300g heavier than the old one.

Noob mistakes: First time I've used the Shimano quick link and I found it a faff. I didn't have the foresight to order a left hand shifter, so had to remove the brake lever to accommodate the hydraulic brake. The modification works but it'll need a new 3 x rapid fire shifter. Went to fit LX front mech but didn't have a shim, replaced the old deore mech, realised afterwards that the deore mech had a shim I could have used.

There's a little chain rub on the front mech when on the big ring. Tried tweaking the mech again but on closer inspection it turns out the chainring is slightly bent, have parts on the way.

Didn't get a ride in but I learnt a few things along the way. The bikes having a good overhaul, including BB, cassette, shorter stem, hi rise bars and pedals. I don't have a clue about servicing the old Manitou Elite forks, they ride OK but that job are well overdue.


----------



## Gunk (5 May 2020)

Fitted some rather natty bar tape to my Peugeot project bike.


----------



## pawl (5 May 2020)

Cleaned and lubed chain rear mech cassette and chain rings


----------



## Heigue'r (5 May 2020)

Dropped the saddle height on my tcr sl..Ive had the bike setup allmost to the milimeter of my other tcr but it was never right.Ive tried everything to sort it out,saddle forwards,backwards,tilt up,tilt down.I could not for the life of me figure it out and put it back to same measurements of the very comfy tcr.Saddle height was probably 2 or 3mm higher on the sl but still was way out.Ive had laser levels out and plumb levels out trying to figure out how it was riding so different to the other tcr.All measurments were the same apart from the saddle being 3mm higher so I was not going to cut the post just to get the 3mm...last night I found the difference...the bloody pedal stack height..did not enter my mind to check as both systems are shimano double sided spd's..the £20 ones from decathlon are on the tcr pro and shimano xtr on the tcr sl..there is approx 5mm difference in these..I was tempted to order the parktool tool to cut it but as I had cut it allready and that went ok,it was out with the hacksaw,combination square,pencil and hoover..saved a few quid there










Job done..test ride later or tomorrow as allready been out for a few miles today


----------



## Con (5 May 2020)

Well lockdown is getting really boring so I decided to swap my chain set for a slightly more modern one for no other reason than to pass the time I've gone from 3x square taper to 2x hollow. It was a complete pain in the ass to get the front mech to work but after about two hours of trial and error it's now shifting nicely. I think it suites the bike a lot better and I also saved just over 1lb which is nice.


----------



## Gunk (5 May 2020)

That’s a really nice upgrade, looks great.


----------



## pawl (5 May 2020)

Con said:


> Well lockdown is getting really boring so I decided to swap my chain set for a slightly more modern one for no other reason than to pass the time I've gone from 3x square taper to 2x hollow. It was a complete pain in the ass to get the front mech to work but after about two hours of trial and error it's now shifting nicely. I think it suites the bike a lot better and I also saved just over 1lb which is nice.
> View attachment 520169
> 
> 
> View attachment 520170






My giant bought new in 2003 came with a Campag triple if memory serves me correctly Campag called it a racing triple.

Model OCR compact Aluminium frame Carbon forks Waiting for the Campag group set to wear out so i can change
To Shimano group set.As I get older I find the lack of not being able to up the biggest cog above 28


----------



## Con (5 May 2020)

pawl said:


> My giant bought new in 2003 came with a Campag triple if memory serves me correctly Campag called it a racing triple.
> 
> Model OCR compact Aluminium frame Carbon forks Waiting for the Campag group set to wear out so i can change
> To Shimano group set.As I get older I find the lack of not being able to up the biggest cog above 28


Can't you just swap the rear mech to a medium? I think they will go up to 32 but I'm not 100% on that


----------



## rogerzilla (5 May 2020)

The Twenty is now rideable again after retapping and cutting down the BB shell, fitting a conventional chainset, a bar and stem swap and some purple bits. Needs a good coat of wax now.


----------



## Gunk (5 May 2020)

You’ve made a lovely job of that


----------



## rogerzilla (5 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> You’ve made a lovely job of that


Thanks. It's going to have dynamo lighting and some 406-sized mudguards (the 451 originals are in great condition but you could drive a bus between them and the tyres), but it's great fun as it is and looks suitably garage-built.


----------



## DCLane (5 May 2020)

Collected a Peugeot 525 Comp from a club-mate - a 'rush' job to be given out as a birthday present for someone tomorrow.

OK condition but filthy. Lots of cleaning, missing crank bolt replaced, touch-up about 1000 stone chips with the filthiest cassette I've seen (also loose). Needs a new chain and different bottle cage tomorrow morning and we should be good to go.







No complaints as for the price I'm happy, particularly so given the shortage of bikes at the moment. However it's clear they had a different regime to mine given they spent £400-500 about 2 years ago on a 105 groupset but didn't get the frame re-painted.


----------



## ColinJ (5 May 2020)

I have some fettling to do tomorrow and will update this post when I have done it!

I set off on my singlespeed bike this evening to do a quick trip to Lidl before it closed. I was just getting out of the saddle to accelerate up to speed when I heard an alarming 'CLICK' and felt a judder through the transmission so I sat down sharpish and stopped. I had snapped one side of a chain link and the other side was about to fail too. That could have led to a nasty crash if I hadn't reacted so quickly... 

I could put in a new pair of links but the current broken chain was getting worn so it would be better to replace it.

I can't remember if I used up my stock of spare chains. If necessary I will pinch the chain off my 'furloughed' CAADX. That bike needs its fork replacing under a Cannondale recall notice but I won't get that done until the coronavirus panic is over.


----------



## pawl (6 May 2020)

Con said:


> Can't you just swap the rear mech to a medium? I think they will go up to 32 but I'm not 100% on that



Already have a long cage 9 speed .The largest Campag cassette I could find was 28 I believe Campag latest 11 Speed does go up to 32 teeth


----------



## tom73 (6 May 2020)

Bagged a few brownie points fitted new peddles to Mrs's 73's FX and checked it over. All nice and ready for her quick ride for her prescription. 
Look they even match the dog


----------



## DCLane (6 May 2020)

Many brownie points earnt from SWMBO as I've finished the tidy up of a Peugeot 525 Comp collected late last night. About 1000 touch-ups checked and re-done where needed, new chain fitted, wheels trued, brake pads all turned the right way  ; bottle cage, bottle, lights and saddle bag plus spares all donated from my storage shed.

It's off to someone's surprise 50th this evening as a present once I've put polish onto the frame; just waiting as long as I can for the paint to dry.

From receiving a panicked phone call on Monday evening to sourced and finished bike today I'm satisfied, but tired.


----------



## roley poley (6 May 2020)

Reduced brake power on front disc so removed and cleaned the disc brakes pads and rotors with spray .Found they had a bit of a glazed surface so a rub of fine emery cloth on the faces and a bit of surface keying on the rotor .The rear were fine but did them too. AHH hello stopping power where have you been hiding


----------



## Gunk (6 May 2020)

Not much today but as I’ve been using the Brompton almost daily I thought it would be sensible to just check that everything is tight and clean it at the same time.

so over a beer and nibbles with the radio on I spent a very pleasant hour in the sun fiddling and cleaning.


----------



## Nigelnightmare (6 May 2020)

pawl said:


> My giant bought new in 2003 came with a Campag triple if memory serves me correctly Campag called it a racing triple.
> 
> Model OCR compact Aluminium frame Carbon forks Waiting for the Campag group set to wear out so i can change
> To Shimano group set.As I get older I find the lack of not being able to up the biggest cog above 28


Could you put a "derailleur hanger extender" on it?
Like this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alloy-Bi...var=424948341424&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2648
It allows you to use bigger cogs on the cassettes.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (6 May 2020)

Another round of wheel bearing servicing, on the Dawes Galaxy this time. No serious issues on this one, although being the original wheels from 1997 they are showing their age a bit. It'll keep them going for a while longer.


----------



## DSK (6 May 2020)

Finished work a bit early so did a bit of bike detailing, just need to wax it and condition the rubber hoods tomorrow.

*WHEELS*














*BAR TAPE*













*DEGREASED AND WASHED*


----------



## pawl (6 May 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Could you put a "derailleur hanger extender" on it?
> Like this
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alloy-Bi...var=424948341424&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2648
> It allows you to use bigger cogs on the cassettes.




Length of the cage is not a problem It already has a long arm rear mech.It is also a triple.What I would like to do is increase the size of the largest ,currently a28.Searches for Campag 9 speed only show up to 28


----------



## dave r (6 May 2020)

Fitted a Vision Team 30 wheelset to my eastway tonight, took them out the box and noticed the bearings seemed a bit tight and dry, so I lubed and adjusted the bearings before I started, had them running free and smooth as silk, came to fit the wheels and they're a bit wider than the standard Eastway wheels so had to reset the brakes, my Durano tyres proved to be a sod to fit and almost defeated my thumbs, they almost fall on and off the original wheels, the tyres haven't seated on the rim well so I'm going to have to work them completely on the rims before I ride it.


----------



## RoubaixCube (7 May 2020)

I went back and cleaned the chain of my Triban *AGAIN *- I thought i did a proper job the other day but there was still black gummy mess from the wet lube i was using. The drivetrain is CLEAN but the chain is still not quite spotless. Degreaser & a nail brush soon sorted that out.

This bike has been untouched since some of the much colder and damper SLRs earlier in the year. Some Squirt wax lube will be applied when the chain is dry. Been running this stuff on my Cube for the last few weeks and im pretty satisfied at how smooth it keeps things running. I think it performs better than the Finish Line Dry Teflon lube ive been using on it thus far.


----------



## Gunk (7 May 2020)

Fitted some new brake shoes and new cassette on my Pug project, now finished!


----------



## rogerzilla (7 May 2020)

I retaped the bars on The Mighty Quinn, which has stayed clean for six weeks (a record). It's usually my commuting bike and only gets cleaned in April and October.


----------



## Gunk (7 May 2020)

That’s a very nice bike


----------



## Nigelnightmare (7 May 2020)

pawl said:


> Length of the cage is not a problem It already has a long arm rear mech.It is also a triple.What I would like to do is increase the size of the largest ,currently a28.Searches for Campag 9 speed only show up to 28


Hence my suggestion of a derailleur hanger extender as this will lower the top jockey wheel (moving it away from the cassette) allowing more clearance for larger gogs.
The downside is it will be farther from the smaller cogs and may not shift as crisply as before.

Hope that makes sense.


----------



## pawl (8 May 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Hence my suggestion of a derailleur hanger extender as this will lower the top jockey wheel (moving it away from the cassette) allowing more clearance for larger gogs.
> The downside is it will be farther from the smaller cogs and may not shift as crisply as before.
> 
> Hope that makes sense.




Thanks for your advice ido appreciate it.Still can’t find anything above a 28 cog on nine speed Might think about changing the chain set


----------



## DCBassman (8 May 2020)

If it's a Campag freehub, you'd have to change the wheel begore you can use Shimano cassettes. I think.


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## Tenacious Sloth (8 May 2020)

Noticed on my ride yesterday that the changes on my Ultegra 8000 rear derailleur weren’t very crisp.

Put it up on the workstand today expecting to have to tweak the cable tension adjuster a little only to discover that I couldn’t select the inside or either of the two outermost cogs.

Hmmmm... unclamped the cable and discovered I could only get 8 clicks on the shifter in either diection while maintaining a tension on the cable.

Turned out the cable was very badly frayed inside the shifter. In fact it was only hanging on by a couple of strands. Lucky I checked before it totally broke or it would have been a nightmare getting the cable end out of the shifter.

Luckily, I had two sets of gear cables in my spares bin so changed the rear inner and outers, which is more of a task than usual on the Kinesis Titanium as the cables are internally routed.

It’s mainly used as my summer bike and has done 7200 miles since the cable was installed when I built the bike.


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## FrankCrank (9 May 2020)

A crank removal tool I ordered arrived yesterday, after several weeks waiting (no surprise). It cost 2.56 quids delivered, so I was expecting it to be made of cheese or the threads to be a sloppy fit, but none of this. My other one I left back in UK by mistake, so got this just as a stopgap. Removed cranksets from 2 old bikes here this morning, new tool worked a treat. 

It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day, so a welcome distraction for a couple of hours


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## CXRAndy (9 May 2020)

Fitted double leg centre stand to wife's Ebike. Nice heavy duty- 80kg weight capacity for bike.


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## Gunk (9 May 2020)

It must be a sign that I’ve got plenty of time on my hands when I decide to do jobs like this!

The roof rack and cycle carriers live permanently on Mrs Gunks car, so today I pulled them off cleaned and greased everything and repainted the scruffy feet.


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## FrankCrank (9 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> It must be a sign that I’ve got plenty of time on my hands when I decide to jobs like this!
> 
> The roof rack and cycle carriers live permanently on Mrs Gunks car, so today I pulled them off cleaned and greased everything and repainted the scruffy feet.
> 
> ...


Nice and sturdy for the next haul of project bikes eh


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## Gunk (9 May 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Nice and sturdy for the next haul of project bikes eh



You’ve always got to be ready to pounce on these Gumtree bargains!


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## 12boy (9 May 2020)

Gunk, you know that Peugot is begging for a nice honey colored saddle to go with the bar tape and if you fit toeclips, tan ones too.


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## Gunk (9 May 2020)

12boy said:


> Gunk, you know that Peugot is begging for a nice honey colored saddle to go with the bar tape and if you fit toeclips, tan ones too.



The next owner can do that, it’s being collected in the morning!


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## 8mph (9 May 2020)

Swapped my Race Face 90mm stem for another Race Face 60mm with 31.8 mm clamp. Took off the Ritchey Rizer bars and fitted 680mm Dabomb Tactical Hi rise bars. Removed Acera 8 speed shifter and fitted an LX shifter and new cable. Getting all the levers, grips and shifters in the right place so they don't obstruct each other took some doing. 

I have the left hand shifter to fit tomorrow, the simple plastic Deore shifter that it will replace actually sits snugly under the brake lever and in retrospect I may have just bought a matching right hand trigger shifter. Still, the LX shifters are well made, if a little heavy. 








Swapped out the Hollowtech BB and Crank for an identical (but much better nick) LX 572 triple. Mucked around with the Deore front mech. I have a new LX mech which I may get around to fitting tomorrow. Still waiting on nukeproof pedals that were ordered 3 weeks ago, and it would be nice to upgrade the rear mech before the o erhaul is done. 

The old 26ers had a fair whack of money thrown at it but I have a few spares now. I think I may have been better off with a 40mm stem, as it is the bike looks a bit like an old ATB bike. The hi rise bars are just great, there bike just feels bigger and I can get behind the saddle without having to drop it.


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## Bad Machine (9 May 2020)

Slightly different before and after photos to share.
Four weeks ago I took an off badly and broke my collarbone. 






It may be a while before I can comfortably ride the upright again, so the recumbent trike (which was in bits at the time, for servicing) needs putting back together. I'm starting with the small jobs - today was removing rusted front mudguard clamps (Dremel) and replacing with new, and re-mounting the lower stay (riveter).


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## ColinJ (10 May 2020)

ColinJ said:


> [Broken chain on singlespeed bike...]
> 
> I could put in a new pair of links but the current broken chain was getting worn so it would be better to replace it.
> 
> I can't remember if I used up my stock of spare chains.


I _have _run out of spare chains. 

I realised that I could just replace the broken outer link with a quicklink so I did that to get the bike back on the road. (I use it for many of my trips to the shops - I wouldn't want to risk leaving my best bike unattended, even though I use a very chunky d-lock.)

I have ordered a new chain and will replace the worn one with that and reclaim the barely used quicklink.


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## mjr (10 May 2020)

Stuck QR skewer. Total failure. Might get it out after soaking in dismantling fluid but I fear it'll snap in there. New axle (on clearance!) and skewer ordered in case I can't fix it.


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## Gunk (10 May 2020)

probably a bit late now but I always grease them


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## dave r (10 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> probably a bit late now but I always grease them



And I do


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## 12boy (10 May 2020)

I grease everything except the square spindle on bottom brackets. Why not? Grease is cheap. Helps prevent aluminum-steel corrosion, eases putting on parts or removing them. Grease and rags to clean up excess are my friends in keeping bikes riding well.


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## Gunk (10 May 2020)

I’ve been meaning to sort out my rear shock on my MTB for a while now. It was rebuilt a couple of years ago and I’ve never been happy with it, it just seems too soft. I couldn’t find the original manual so I’ve just lived with it. A quick Google today and I downloaded the manual which gave the PSI settings.






I put the correct pressure in for my weight adjusted the rebound and hey presto, perfect! A nice simple fix which I should have done years ago.


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## SkipdiverJohn (10 May 2020)

I've got a confession to make; there was an outbreak of weight weenyism earlier today at SkipdiverTowers.
A few months back, I acquired a fairly light road saddle and alloy seatpost as part of one of my bargain bucket used bike purchases. When I measured it in an idle moment, I was surprised to find it was a 25.4 mm, the size normally found on the less exotic variety of Raleighs, but chromed steel. That got me thinking, my 501 framed Pioneer has a 25.4 seatpost, so why not swap the steel one for this lightweight alloy one?.
The very good comfortable Selle San Marco saddle that came with the Pioneer weighs 0.82 lbs, and the steel seatpost weighs 0.7 lbs. So I weighed the alloy one before fitting it-0.61lbs. It's a good seatpost with fine angle adjustment increments, but the weight saving for all the faffing around was a massive 1 1/2 ounces! 
Moral of the story; don't always assume fitting an alloy part in place of a steel one will give you a huge weight saving - often the difference will be pretty small.






Then, during my 17 mile morning ride the gearchanges started to get rough and noisy. I tweaked the barrel adjuster en route, but the respite was only temporary, so I eventually gave up on it and returned to base. Nothing was obviously amiss so I was rather confused about the cause of the racket - until I grabbed the freewheel cluster and discovered I could move it *sideways* along the axis of the axle! Oddly it is still transmitting drive and freewheeling OK even in that condition. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much as the wheelset came off a 99p eBay special and I've had getting on for a thousand miles out of it, plus the chain is still the one the bike came with and could be the original 1995 one for all I know!. Looks like a new 14-28 freewheel and 6 speed chain is on the cards, glad I don't run 11 speed stuff....


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## All uphill (10 May 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> I've got a confession to make; there was an outbreak of weight weenyism earlier today at SkipdiverTowers.
> A few months back, I acquired a fairly light road saddle and alloy seatpost as part of one of my bargain bucket used bike purchases. When I measured it in an idle moment, I was surprised to find it was a 25.4 mm, the size normally found on the less exotic variety of Raleighs, but chromed steel. That got me thinking, my 501 framed Pioneer has a 25.4 seatpost, so why not swap the steel one for this lightweight alloy one?.
> The very good comfortable Selle San Marco saddle that came with the Pioneer weighs 0.82 lbs, and the steel seatpost weighs 0.7 lbs. So I weighed the alloy one before fitting it-0.61lbs. It's a good seatpost with fine angle adjustment increments, but the weight saving for all the faffing around was a massive 1 1/2 ounces!
> Moral of the story; don't always assume fitting an alloy part in place of a steel one will give you a huge weight saving - often the difference will be pretty small.
> ...


I love that metallic purple - what a colour!


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## SkipdiverJohn (10 May 2020)

All uphill said:


> I love that metallic purple - what a colour!



I really like the colour as well - it's my favourite out of all my bikes. It's official name is Mirror Red, and appears to have been applied over something else, possibly an aluminium/silver base layer. It's quite reminiscent of the old-school flamboyant paint finishes on vintage road frames. Unfortunately, the bike has seen a bit of action before it came into my hands and there are a few dings and scrapes on the top tube that detract from the appearance. I've never been tempted to respray it though, because there's no way I could ever replicate the finish Raleigh applied in the factory.


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## Nigelnightmare (11 May 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> I've got a confession to make; there was an outbreak of weight weenyism earlier today at SkipdiverTowers.
> A few months back, I acquired a fairly light road saddle and alloy seatpost as part of one of my bargain bucket used bike purchases. When I measured it in an idle moment, I was surprised to find it was a 25.4 mm, the size normally found on the less exotic variety of Raleighs, but chromed steel. That got me thinking, my 501 framed Pioneer has a 25.4 seatpost, so why not swap the steel one for this lightweight alloy one?.
> The very good comfortable Selle San Marco saddle that came with the Pioneer weighs 0.82 lbs, and the steel seatpost weighs 0.7 lbs. So I weighed the alloy one before fitting it-0.61lbs. It's a good seatpost with fine angle adjustment increments, but the weight saving for all the faffing around was a massive 1 1/2 ounces!
> Moral of the story; don't always assume fitting an alloy part in place of a steel one will give you a huge weight saving - often the difference will be pretty small.
> ...



Loving the colour aswell.
Make sure to regularly move the seat post or it might seize up (Alloy-Steel)!
Did you lube it before fitting?


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## Racing roadkill (11 May 2020)

I’ve been on a bit of a fettle fest of late. Today’s effort was a new rear brake for my winter hack. It’s a hydraulic disc set up, and the original failed with a loud pop when I was on a ride on Saturday, one of the piston seals failed, and left me with no rear brake.















it went on without a fight, I’ve just got to finish centering it up, but I’ll need to do that tomorrow. I think I’ll need to use the folded business card trick to get the clearance I need.


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## Bad Machine (11 May 2020)

The intention today was to clean, lube and replace the existing FSA bottom bracket.
Removing the bearing seal on the drive-side revealed a dark brown gunge, very different to that seen on the non-drive side.
Decision made to replace the whole BB, with a 68mm Shimano UN55 127mm. Much easier to fit than the FSA. 
Cranks cleaned, pedals lubed, chain tube cleaned and remounted. The plan is to install the chain tomorrow.


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## Gunk (11 May 2020)

Racing roadkill said:


> I’ve been on a bit of a fettle fest of late. Today’s effort was a new rear brake for my winter hack. It’s a hydraulic disc set up, and the original failed with a loud pop when I was on a ride on Saturday, one of the piston seals failed, and left me with no rear brake.
> View attachment 521547
> 
> 
> ...



good choice, I have Level TLM brakes on mine and my sons MTB’s. They’re very good


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## Racing roadkill (11 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> good choice, I have Level TLM brakes on mine and my sons MTB’s. They’re very good


It was the price that piqued my interest initially, when it turned up I was amazed at the quality of fit and finish.


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## SkipdiverJohn (11 May 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Did you lube it before fitting?



Inside of the seat tube was liberally smeared with oil, and the seatpost itself was dipped in oil before fitting. I'm well aware of the corrosion issue with alloy seatposts in steel frames, as I've currently got a stuck one to remove from a lugged Reynolds 500 Dawes frame that would make a nice SS project to play around with.


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## Jenkins (11 May 2020)

A day of fettling. All 7 operative bikes were treated to a quick frame wipe down and the chains were properly cleaned and lubricated. The front inner tube on the best Van Nicholas was replaced as a previous patch had failed and I had a spare (unpatched) used tube lying around. Next the standard 50/34 SRAM chainrings on the Pickenflick were changed for 48/36 Spa Cycles ones as a better set-up for a flat bar and because they look better than the SRAM jobs...




I'd forgotten about the captive bolt behind the crank arm on the original rings, hence the odd positioning of the pin which would normally stop the chain getting trapped on overshifts, but I found a standard chainset bolt on my spares tub which fitted easily and I'll just have to be carefull on upshifts on the front.

Finally each bike was turned upside down and photographs taken of the frame numbers, then the complete bike was photographed (the right way up!) for identification purposes in the unlikely event of theft & recovery.


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## ColinJ (11 May 2020)

Jenkins said:


> Next the standard 50/34 SRAM chainrings on the Pickenflick were changed for 48/36 Spa Cycles ones


I put a triple chainset from Spa Cycles on my best bike. I chose 48 teeth for the big ring and 36 for the middle ring which turn out to be ideal sizes for 90% of my riding, and I have a luxury 28 in reserve for anything steeper than 15% (or even for long stretches of 10%).



Jenkins said:


> I'd forgotten about the captive bolt behind the crank arm on the original rings, hence the odd positioning of the pin which would normally stop the chain getting trapped on overshifts


I was once doing a ride with another CycleChat member. I glanced down at his chainset and I spotted that he had got the big ring rotated so that the pin wasn't in the right place. I asked if he had recently put a new big ring on and he replied that he had, and asked how I knew. I explained about the pin, and he told me that he didn't know what it was for. Literally just a few seconds later he overshifted and got the chain trapped between the crank and the ring...

"_Er, it is to stop *THAT *happening!_"


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## Bad Machine (12 May 2020)

1" threaded headset removed, cleaned, greased, replaced. Primax/Rudelli.
Twice - Front and rear. One where you'd expect it to be, the other under the seat for the steerer.
Don't know if they'd ever been done before, but once cleaned and lubed, they felt smooth - good for a while yet.

Chains (it has two), and bleeding Magura HS33 and Julie brake lines will have to wait until Thursday.


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## Deafie (13 May 2020)

Replaced the rear fender stay on the Raleigh. Couldn't get an original Raleigh one so modified a fender from a cruiser ( ballon tyre ). Bent it to shape to fit the mudguard with a hammer and block of wood then drilled a new hole and cut it down with the angle grinder.
It's a bit of a bodge but it does the job. I may paint it one day...


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## Gunk (14 May 2020)

Fitted a nice new saddle to my road bike. I’ve been wanting one of these for about a year and this one popped up brand new on eBay with about 40% off, so it was meant to be.


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## roubaixtuesday (14 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> Fitted a nice new saddle to my road bike. I’ve been wanting one of these for about a year and this one popped up brand new on eBay with about 40% off, so it was meant to be.
> 
> View attachment 522255
> 
> ...



Very nice, but I'm afraid you're going to need to get some tan bar tape now...


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## Gunk (14 May 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Very nice, but I'm afraid you're going to need to get some tan bar tape now...



Naah, I’m keeping the black, I don’t want it looking too blingy.


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## DSK (14 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> Naah, I’m keeping the black, I don’t want it looking too blingy.



Nice looking seat, I was going mention the colour clash as well lol. I like the shiny paintwork!


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## ColinJ (14 May 2020)

I have just replaced the chain on my singlespeed bike.

I had just shortened the new chain and fitted it when I remembered that I had been thinking of replacing the fairly worn 52 tooth chainring with a relatively unused 54 tooth ring that I have sitting in my spares box. The 3.8% increase in gearing would have been handy for whizzing up and down the local valley roads, and on my long flat(tish) forum rides in Cheshire and the Vale of York, but would have made it a bit tougher to ride the bike up significant hills.

I want to go out on the bike before doing anything else to it, but I might put the new ring on and lengthen the chain this evening or tomorrow.

_PS I now have been out for an hour on the bike. It is amazing how much quieter it is with a new chain, and I can also feel the difference when pedalling. I wouldn't claim that there is a big difference in the efficiency of the bike; it just sounds and feels nicer to ride!_


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## Gunk (15 May 2020)

In my quest to make my road bike more comfortable I fitted a 70mm stem today.







I find many road bikes seem to be sized for apes, I’ve now brought the seat forward and with a shorter stem It’s now nice and comfortable, I’m no longer stretching to rest on the hoods.


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## ColinJ (15 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> I find many road bikes seem to be sized for apes, I’ve now brought the seat forward and with a shorter stem It’s now nice and comfortable, I’m no longer stretching to rest on the hoods.


Oi - who are you calling an ape! 

I have the _opposite _problem - I am effectively a tall person stuck with (relatively) short legs. I am 1.86 m (6' 1") overall but the top half is that of a person >= 1.93 m (6' 4") and the bottom half of someone <= 1.78 m (5' 10"). 

I ride a 58 cm bike. I pushed the saddle back and put a very long stem on . That is a nice comfortable setup for me, no longer requiring me to arch my back to scrunch up on the bike! 

I probably should have bought a bike with a 60-61 cm frame so I could use a normal length stem and had the saddle clamp halfway along the rails.


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## Racing roadkill (15 May 2020)

I was having a spot of bother with centring the rear brake on my good old Boardman Hybrid. I’ve treated it to some super duper shiny Carbon rims, which are made by Mavic, and feature a new design of rear hub / freehub. This is a good thing ( because it’s very clever) but a bad thing, in that I’d never heard of it, and didn’t know how it worked. Basically you can modify it to fit everything from 135mm to super boost, with changeable collars. I didn’t know that to start with. Once I’d worked out what I had ( 142 mm thru axle as standard ) I bought the 135mm collar, and some 12-15mm to thru axle to QR adaptors. So far so good. However, the rear brake was just shy of where it needed to be to not rub on the right hand pad. So I tried the trick with a folded card over the disc to try and give it the gap it needed. Nope, still rubbing slightly. So I had a close look at the hub, on the non drive side was a little plastic collar
I gripped it in a pair of pliers and bingo, it popped off.






I put the wheel back in, and the calliper then centred perfectly. The bike is much lighter and more responsive now, and I’m using tubeless tyres ( which actually work on this sort of application ). Every day’s a school day with these new Mavic hubs as well.


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## roubaixtuesday (16 May 2020)

Having finally acquired the correct size quill to ahead converter, plus realised I needed a longer front brake outer to match, new extender stem fitted to tandem. Removal and replacement of bar tape, plus canti brake fettling made this a rather time consuming procedure.

Then followed the inevitable "I reckon I can get those rear brakes a bit better yet" and the bitter taste of defeat, as the cantis came out on top again.

Still, the machine is now as close to a perfect fit as its possible to get for two people over a foot apart in height, and a definite improvement.


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## Nigelnightmare (16 May 2020)

Looks like the chain from front to rear cranks is a tooth or two out as the cranks aren't lined up.


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## roubaixtuesday (16 May 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Looks like the chain from front to rear cranks is a tooth or two out as the cranks aren't lined up.



Yeah, thought they were about as close as they'll get, but it does look like you're right.


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## DCBassman (17 May 2020)

Yesterday...fitted second (non-matching!) bottle cage. Tweaked FD limit screws to give proper access to inner ring (triple). Fitted Koolstop Salmons. Realised that my first attempt at bar taping is slowly but surely falling off...


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## carlosfandangus (17 May 2020)

My first attempt at bar taping was like that, it took me a few tries to eventually get it right, you think you have done a good job then something doesn't look right and you inevitably have to do it again


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## pawl (17 May 2020)

About to start to give cassette chain and chain wheel it’s weekly clean.

EDIT. Done all that Now going to clean paths and patio areas.

God I’m knackered 😇😇😇


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## DSK (17 May 2020)

1. Adjusted the stem spacer to rise it, now I get no aches.
2. Washed, waxed (with Sonax hybrid wax), cleaned the bar tape and seat to immaculate condition to remove the LBS grease marks.
3. Fitted clear paint protection film.


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## Gunk (18 May 2020)

I sorted out some storage in my garage this morning. When I have a project bike on the workstand it’s always a nuisance where to store the wheelset, they tend to get in the way. I’ve just replaced a shower screen so an old aluminium extrusion with some pipe insulation did the trick, it’ll hold the wheels up out of the way.






Spare tyres were hung up with a strap and cable tie, so I sorted out a proper hook to make access easier. It will also hold a wheelset if needed.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 May 2020)

Replaced Derailleur jockey wheels on recumbent. Derailleur is pretty old and wheels original. Yep pretty worn. Also reseated bar tape on road bike and applied fresh electrical tape.


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## mjr (18 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> probably a bit late now but I always grease them


Me too, but I didn't fit that one! I just get to pick up the pieces...


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## Gunk (18 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> I sorted out some storage in my garage this morning. When I have a project bike on the workstand it’s always a nuisance where to store the wheelset, they tend to get in the way. I’ve just replaced a shower screen so an old aluminium extrusion with some pipe insulation did the trick, it’ll hold the wheels up out of the way.
> 
> View attachment 523149
> 
> ...



and in action!


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## DCBassman (19 May 2020)

Started by adjusting the FD limit screws after the chain-off yesterday. There's quite some paint damage from this, may invest in a catcher. Worked perfectly on the stand. Decided to try and improve the slightly clunky shifting at the rear. BIG mistake. Made it worse. Lost my head somewhat, swapped the RD twice, put the original Alivio 410 back on without the hanger extender. Set up fine. Went out. FD a bag of stinky-poo. Basically down to having no fine adjustment to play with. As mentioned elsewhere, going flat-bar again. Harrumph.
Good thing: the other day, before changing some half-worn generic Clarkes brake blocks, I gave the rims a good clean. Slight but noticeable improvement. Having given the rims another quick wipe and then fitted Koolstop Slamons, BIG improvement in braking. And they don't seem to leave so much residue on the rims either. Thanks once again for the tip @Yellow Saddle .


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## DCBassman (20 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> To be honest, I'm regretting the reversion to drops, because the brifters are a travesty compared to flat-bar EZ-Fires. Time to swap back, and thank feck for also getting away from bar tape. Another nuisance I can do without.
> 7.94 miles, avg 8.8 mph, 774ft gain.
> Let the conversion begin! Again!


Got the Trek out of storage to pilfer the ST-EF65-9 4-finger EZ-fire brifters. Ordered a set of 2-finger versions to replace them. The 4-finger ones have variable brake capabilities, the 2-finger are for V-Brake only. Will use the flipped original Scott stem to put the flat bar in approximately the same place as the hoods on the drops, as that was a nice reach. Pics later...


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## ColinJ (20 May 2020)

Today, I have mostly been fettling...






... my old PC mouse!

I prefer using a mouse with my laptop. The track pad is ok for occasional use but a mouse is much better for intensive graphical work and I have been playing about with Xara Photo & Graphic Designer recently.

I really liked my old Microsoft mouse but it has died the death. (It looks like somebody immersed it in a vat of strong coffee, though I don't remember any coffee break accidents. Anyway - it is no more; it is an EX-mouse.)

I have a couple of cordless mice but they play up after a while; it is probably a driver issue. I haven't been able to get them to behave themselves so I have put them to one side for now.

I found a cheapo Labtec corded mouse in the drawer of my desk and I have been using that. It isn't as good as the MS mouse was but I can live with it. Well, I _could _until the point where the scroller wheel started playing up. It felt like my finger was slipping on the rubber wheel. About 3 times out of 4 there would be slippage rather than, er, scrollage. It was starting to do my head in!

Ideally I would have bought a new MS mouse but funds are tight, and I don't like binning things that I can repair so I decided to sort the mouse out.

Close inspection revealed that my finger was _NOT _slipping on the rubber wheel - it appeared that the rubber wheel itself was slipping inside the mouse. I disassembled it and discovered that the rubber wheel is in fact a doughnut-like ring fitted round an inner plastic wheel on a little shaft. I could feel that the rubber was not gripping the wheel properly. When I removed the ring I could see that it was relying on friction between it and the wheel, but the wheel's outer edge was perfectly smooth so there was little friction between the two. I thought about trying to superglue the two items together but they looked like they might be a bad combination for superglue - I haven't had much success with materials like that. Then it dawned on me that I could create the friction needed by roughing up the edge of the wheel. I took a sharp knife to it and scored a deep crosshatch pattern onto it. I refitted the ring and hey presto - the two stick together nicely.

I just put the mouse back together and it works perfectly. Yay - _a few crisp tenners saved***_ and another chunk of plastic did not end up getting chucked away!










*** I just looked up how much corded mice cost. You can actually get them for under £10 now, so not a huge saving, but still - waste not, want not!


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## roley poley (20 May 2020)

Fitted a rack and some quick release/safety mudguard clips to the rear, so now I can remove the wheel without unbolting the eyelets just by popping them out the clip. Off to the garden centre for some plants and BOING talk about quick release !!.A folded fag packet fettle of a shim saw me home over the bumps in the road in fact its so good I might leave it there


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## DaveReading (20 May 2020)

Not bike fettling, but I found a new use for one of these:




Just after the lockdown started, with exquisite timing (see what I did there?), my Lorus analogue watch battery died. So a trip to Timpson to have a new battery fitted was no longer an option.

I stuck it out with my cheapo digital watch for a few weeks, then I gave up and ordered a replacement battery on eBay.

Toolkit to replace battery: kitchen knife with a sock wrapped around the blade to lever the back of the watch off, tweezers to extract the battery and insert the new one.

Then of course there's the expected YouTube video showing how to replace the back using a press and the appropriate dies so that you don't crack the glass - none of which I had, of course.

So the poor man's equivalent: put the back on loosely, correctly oriented, and use sellotape to stop it moving. Similarly, tape the spoke key against the backplate with the numbers facing outwards. Put the whole assembly in a vice with a kitchen chopping board to spread the load on the (fortunately flush and flat) glass and carefully tighten until a sudden click indicates that the backplate is seated.

Job done !


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## carlosfandangus (20 May 2020)

Number 11 also fits Presta valves too, handy if you go tubeless


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## DCBassman (20 May 2020)

Well, my fettling, see above, has left me with no serviceable bikes. The Scott fd would not play with the ST-EF65s, so, have to revert to 8-speed, which was the plan originally. All the major bits are fitted, but I've managed to screw up three cables, so while I await those, I am wheel-less...


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## DSK (20 May 2020)

I cleaned the drive train today as I think its picked up a bit of dirt/dust/grit when I've been forced into the gutter over the past few days. I then decided to give the clean bike a wash anyway as you can never have a bike that's too clean,


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## Richard A Thackeray (21 May 2020)

There's been a creak from the BB area of my CGR for a couple of weeks
Nothing apparently loose, no damage to the frame

Yesterday though, I got it on the workstand, took off the chainset (opportunity to dismantle, & clean the inner ring - where it's behind the spider)
Experimentally, I put the spanner on the bearing cups, & gave them a tap with the rubber mallet

The drive-side moved about 3/4 turn (to tighten), the non-drive about 1/4 turn (to tighten)

I didn't get chance to try it, to see if it made a difference, & maybe not today neither
I'll go to work on it tomorrow & report back


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## DCBassman (21 May 2020)

Today's fettle, part the first:
The Scott now has brakes. No gears, but it_ will _stop...


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## carlosfandangus (21 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Today's fettle, part the first:
> The Scott now has brakes. No gears, but it_ will _stop...



Half way there
Anyhow, after last weeks crash, my RH shifter had moved somewhat, I moved it back straight away, still well attached, however I went out for a ride yesterday and the stem appeared to be slightly out too, I couldn't make a perceivable adjustment by eye alone (i tried) so it was out with the 6 foot level as a straight edge to line both wheels up and a smaller level across the seat and stem, slightly out so adjusted straight, we will see how we get on


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## DCBassman (21 May 2020)

Today's fettle, part the second:
Now have a working road bike with 3x8 speeds. 'Twas a fight, put the hanger extender back on, front mech fought and fought and kept throwing the chain right past the big ring. Daaah. Think I might ask for a rematch to get it to 9 once I've finished recabling the Trek.
Absolutely cream-crackered after nearly two full days of it...
Edit: also changed back to the 1.5" City Jets on the Trek.


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## SGG on a bike (21 May 2020)

Replaced the front brakes on my old GT Outpost. It has Shimano Altus Cantilever brakes and had suffered the broken plastic cap syndrome. Went like for like purely for convenience, but seems to haul up better with the slightly later "updated" version of same with the black plastic cap. Waiting for some new tyres to arrive now, as I discovered a slight bulge in the sidewall of the existing front while sorting the brakes. Putting on a pair of City Jets, so I guess that will make it a hybrid


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## Gunk (21 May 2020)

With a lot of WD40, wire wool, a few rags and some elbow grease, today I turned a shabby Dawes which was going to be thrown away, into a nice little bike!


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## palinurus (21 May 2020)

Someone gave me an old Peugeot (Carbolite, 10-speed, cottered cranks) so I took off the mudguards and cleaned it up. It looked pretty tatty to start with but there was so much dried-up oil over everything that a good wipe showed the shiny stuff underneath. The steel bits (bars, cranks, pedals, rims) are a bit rusty.

God knows why I cleaned it up, frame's a 58. Sort of satisfying I suppose. It's not so large I can't ride it- I'll take it around the block shortly.

Same person is also giving me a Moulton (not sure what kind exactly, one with a shopping bag on the back- not a sporty one). Will pick it up tomorrow. No idea what condition.


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## palinurus (21 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> It's not so large I can't ride it- I'll take it around the block shortly.



It goes and it stops, although it is considerably better in the going department. I haven't done anything to the brakes yet except for twiddling the adjuster a bit.


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## Drzdave58 (21 May 2020)

Put some new maxxis tires on my moulton today


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## Rusty Nails (21 May 2020)

The past few weeks, my Genesis Datum has developed the dreaded press-fit BB creak about 30 mins into a ride. Took the cranks off, cleaned it up and re-fitted it. Will try it out tomorrow, but expect that I will need to change it. I am considering going for one of the metal alternatives such as Hope, but they are quite expensive.


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## Jenkins (21 May 2020)

Not so much as a fettle (that will be tomorrow), more of a fiddle. 
A few years ago I gave my sister a Giant CRS1 flatbar that I couldn't get on with - it's at least 1 size too large for her and it was sold as a mens bike, but she loves it for her 2 mile commute to work and because the price was right and it comes with free servicing! I picked it up this afternoon as she said the gears and the brakes needed adjusting, so on getting home I had a quick look and all it seemed to need was the gear cable and the cable operated brakes tightening up a bit, plus a bit of a clean. However, I couldn't resist test fitting a set of Clarks M2 hydraulic brakes I had lying around on the frame just to see if they would go as a free upgrade for her. They did so I've now got to strip the old cables & levers off and replace them with the new bits as well as sort the gears tomorrow.


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## FrankCrank (22 May 2020)

Thought it about time I made something for installing/removing headsets:





Tried it out on an old frame, worked a treat, and the basher-outer


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## Low Gear Guy (22 May 2020)

After a long ride I can declare that last weekend's disc brake repair was a success and the intermittent scraping sound has gone away.

I took off the disc, cleaned it and screwed it back in place again. I had suspected it to be bent but I couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Now working fine but I don't know why.


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## Gunk (22 May 2020)

Low Gear Guy said:


> After a long ride I can declare that last weekend's disc brake repair was a success and the intermittent scraping sound has gone away.
> 
> I took off the disc, cleaned it and screwed it back in place again. I had suspected it to be bent but I couldn't find anything wrong with it.
> 
> Now working fine but I don't know why.



Sometimes is can just be caused by the position of the wheel in the dropouts


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## carlosfandangus (22 May 2020)

I am so bored, my wife says take your bike apart and put it back together again, that will take most of the day, I am going to wait until the young man who lives across the road comes back from school and I will wash and service his dads MTB, he has been using this as well as his BMX, last time out he said the brakes are rubbish, I can see new pads and cables as a minimum.


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## Low Gear Guy (22 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> Sometimes is can just be caused by the position of the wheel in the dropouts


I had previously taken the wheel out and replaced it.


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## palinurus (22 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> Someone gave me an old Peugeot (Carbolite, 10-speed, cottered cranks)



Here's that Peugeot

Suicide levers. I will of course try them out later to see how suicidal they really are.
Tyres holding up OK, 'Super Fast' brand- sound promising.






Some bits are shiny.
Cottered cranks on this one.






Some bits aren't so shiny.










It's got a sticker on it from Bob Addy's shop.
I once traded in a Carbolite Peugeot for a Muddy Fox Courier in there.


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## Low Gear Guy (22 May 2020)

Suicide levers with steel rims are satisfactory providing you are willing to use passing fences etc. for additional help with braking


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## palinurus (22 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> Here's that Peugeot
> 
> Suicide levers. I will of course try them out later to see how suicidal they really are.



Not very suicide-y. I can do a good emergency stop on the flat from a decent speed. Disappointing.

I wouldn't want to use them on a good descent, not that I'm going anywhere near a good descent with those tyres.


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## palinurus (22 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> Not very suicide-y. I can do a good emergency stop on the flat from a decent speed. Disappointing.
> 
> I wouldn't want to use them on a good descent, not that I'm going anywhere near a good descent with those tyres.



Obviously things would change somewhat were it to be raining.


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## carlosfandangus (22 May 2020)

I have "suicide levers" on my Peugeot, however it was re wheeled before I got it , it wears alloy sup pros, they are still not great, however will slow you down


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## palinurus (22 May 2020)

Low Gear Guy said:


> Suicide levers with steel rims are satisfactory providing you are willing to use passing fences etc. for additional help with braking



I think the rusty bits give a grippy braking surface!


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## Gunk (22 May 2020)

My new Mavic Aksium wheels arrived today for my BMC ALR01 £195 brand new with tyres and an 11 speed 105 Cassette. They’re an improvement on the original Shimano RS010 wheelset which came with the bike.






I popped the cassette off greased the spline and removed the ugly spoke protector, I also removed the mahoosive reflectors.

All fitted, although it was a reasonable spec new, to suit me, I have now replaced the Handlebar stem (70mm), seat, crankset and calipers (105 5800 to match the rest of the groupset) and now the wheels, it’s all finished now (that’s what I’ve told Mrs Gunk!). It’s a now a perfect road bike for me, not too fancy and ideal for weekend rides with my son, Smooth, easy to ride and a perfect fit.


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## Gunk (22 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> Here's that Peugeot
> 
> Suicide levers. I will of course try them out later to see how suicidal they really are.
> Tyres holding up OK, 'Super Fast' brand- sound promising.
> ...



I sold one of those last year, it was huge!


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## palinurus (22 May 2020)

Earlier this week I tidied this Raleigh Pioneer up for someone. Cleaned up rusty chain, brake and gear tweaks, air in tyres, bit of a polish generally- total cost: £0






In the photo you can see the rear mudguard looks a bit weird- found the stays had been threaded through the wrong side of the mount so I sorted that out today, put some of those little rubber caps over the ends (took them off the mudguards I junked from the Peugeot)

It came with no front 'guard and I don't have anything suitable.

She's just picked it up, and now I have her daughter's bike to do (looks like a very similar job)


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## Jenkins (22 May 2020)

Jenkins said:


> Not so much as a fettle (that will be tomorrow), more of a fiddle.
> A few years ago I gave my sister a Giant CRS1 flatbar that I couldn't get on with - it's at least 1 size too large for her and it was sold as a mens bike, but she loves it for her 2 mile commute to work and because the price was right and it comes with free servicing! I picked it up this afternoon as she said the gears and the brakes needed adjusting, so on getting home I had a quick look and all it seemed to need was the gear cable and the cable operated brakes tightening up a bit, plus a bit of a clean. However, I couldn't resist test fitting a set of Clarks M2 hydraulic brakes I had lying around on the frame just to see if they would go as a free upgrade for her. They did so I've now got to strip the old cables & levers off and replace them with the new bits as well as sort the gears tomorrow.


Turned out to need very little work - checked the derailleur hanger and that was almost perfect so re-set the high & low screws on the derailleur, tightened the gear cable and lubed the chain. Then removed the old cable brakes and replaced them with the Clarks hydraulics and a quick test ride to bed the brakes in and check all was well befiore putting it back into the car and returning it to my sister.


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## TheDoctor (23 May 2020)

We've replaced a kitchen waste disposal unit. Bit of headscratching, a few leaks, but we have mixed water, food scraps and electricity and nothing has exp!oded. Yet.


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

This is more like 'what might I decide to fettle in the next few days'.

So far I haven't decided what to do with this one...


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

First frustration already: Woods valves.

Came with a pump but the adaptor had perished. Tried to jam the adaptor into the track pump but it was too crumbly.


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## carlosfandangus (23 May 2020)

Don't know why, but I like that


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

Having a coffee instead


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## roley poley (23 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> First frustration already: Woods valves.
> 
> Came with a pump but the adaptor had perished. Tried to jam the adaptor into the track pump but it was too crumbly.


donated my '64 standard to the moulton preservation society they have loads of bits if you want to do them up


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

Got air in the tyres lads. Cut more of the adaptor away and jammed it in the Schrader end of the track pump.

Tyres aren't in the best condition.


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## roley poley (23 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> Got air in the tyres lads. Cut more of the adaptor away and jammed it in the Schrader end of the track pump.
> 
> Tyres aren't in the best condition.


hows the rear fork they were prone to crack or rust just behind the rear hinge like mine did but then I did carry a full mail bag out on delivery on it for over 3 years good bikes


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## SGG on a bike (23 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> This is more like 'what might I decide to fettle in the next few days'.
> 
> So far I haven't decided what to do with this one...
> 
> View attachment 524277


Last time I saw one of these was when Fiona Mairs was riding one in 1976. Always had a soft spot for her


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

roley poley said:


> hows the rear fork they were prone to crack or rust just behind the rear hinge like mine did but then I did carry a full mail bag out on delivery on it for over 3 years good bikes



That's the bit I'm not sure about yet. I've just given it a clean to get rid of the furry grime that was all over it.

Will go over the area with Mr Sheen and have a good look- it's still too filthy down there!


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

So roughly cleaned the grime off it, rims are better than they looked. Chain off, chainring cleaned up. Have a different bike to work on this afternoon so no more today.

Haven't decided what to do with it or even whether to keep it yet. Will tinker with it a while and see if I decide...


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## roley poley (23 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> That's the bit I'm not sure about yet. I've just given it a clean to get rid of the furry grime that was all over it.
> 
> Will go over the area with Mr Sheen and have a good look- it's still too filthy down there!


well made little work horses with low nickability all the best in your fettle


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## PeteXXX (23 May 2020)

Wheel off fettle earlier today.. 
Bushwhacked on a local ride.


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## Gunk (23 May 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Very nice, but I'm afraid you're going to need to get some tan bar tape now...



I’ve been persuaded, I’m going to fit some Cinelli cork ribbon in natural colour.


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

No fettling for ages and then three come along at once. Well, four.






Not much wrong with this: re-seated the rear tyre, chain cleaned and re-lubed, rear mech re-indexed and the BB was loose. Gave it a quick wash.


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

I realise I'm going to either have to decide to get rid of the Moulton or start disassembling it and have a really good look at it.

First things first though: I'll slap the chain back on when I've cleaned it and pedal it around the block to see what it's like.


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## HLaB (23 May 2020)

Not today but yesterday. I had managed to run my tubeless disk with a threadless stem extender for about 3000 miles no problem but I couldn't get it to seal properly when I fitted new tyre so I ordered a threaded stem extender a fortnight or more and it came yesterday. I was going to put it on my long stem but it was seized (I could probably un seize it by dissolving the sealant) so I used a clean short stem and two extenders and that all seems to be holding air. I'm itching to take it out for a test but its turned a tad blowy out there


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## roubaixtuesday (23 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’ve been persuaded, I’m going to fit some Cinelli cork ribbon in natural colour.
> 
> View attachment 524326



Ah, succumbed to the inevitable! Picture when fitted please?


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## Elybazza61 (23 May 2020)

Some more bits done on the new All-City;mudguards fitted(although not perfect yet) and new bar-tape.


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## palinurus (23 May 2020)

One last bit of fettling joy today: sticking out of the Moulton bag was an SKS frame pump "I wonder if that will fit my Surly", I thought.

Well, it does. Satisfying.


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## pawl (23 May 2020)

Washed the car as as bikes all fettled.What the hell am going to do tomorrow.Ah I know go for a ride


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## SkipdiverJohn (23 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> This is more like 'what might I decide to fettle in the next few days'.



A real Moulton Moulton, as opposed to a later Raleigh Moulton.....


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## Gunk (24 May 2020)

Finally sorted out a sticking lock on the luggage compartment.


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## Bad Machine (24 May 2020)

The previous owner of a recumbent trike I'm renovating had cut a slice off both the upright seat frame tubes. With additional scrapes around top of each tube I'd surmise it was done to avoid the need to remove the seat when moving the trike from the back to the front of his terrace house.






Whilst that may well have eased movement through his back passage (sorry for that one), it does mean the top of the mesh seat covering can't be correctly tensioned. 

Using metal bonding resin as glue, two support tubes were inserted to an appropriate depth first, then a correctly-sized and shaped "crown" was bonded onto the support on each side.











File/sand to flush, now the frame is ready for some paint.


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## palinurus (24 May 2020)

Well, I don't know why but I've started cleaning up the steel and chromed parts on the Moulton (aluminium foil and a bathroom descaler), maybe because I wanted to see how well it worked- it works quite well.

Shiny!











The rims are pretty good under the grime and rust.

The rear mudguard has a lot of chrome flaked off, the front is good.

The rear fork looks OK to me but I'm going to need to get it off and have a good look (if I keep it!)


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## palinurus (24 May 2020)

Judging by the brake blocks (I think they are original: 'John Bull' brand) and chain I don't think it's seen a whole lot of use & by the pattern of grime and rust I reckon it's been stored in a garage for a long time. The pedals look more worn than they should be- perhaps the rubber just creeps over the years so they've sort of deformed rather than worn.


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## rogerzilla (24 May 2020)

Stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the Sachs Duomatic.


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## Gunk (24 May 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the Sachs Duomatic.



Respect


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 May 2020)

Some half-hearted tinkering on the Kingpin. Removed the front luggage rack as I doubt I'll use it and I think it looks much better without.

Apart from cleaning and basic lubrication I've used the bike as bought 'til now. While the front wheel was off I decided to service the bearings and unfortunately they look as though they have never been done. Very little grease and what there was had the consistency of tar. The cones are pitted and the balls weren't great either. Greased and rebuilt with new balls which will keep them going for a while longer. I do have new wheels in mind at some point anyway.

I had hoped to do something with the rear hub today but I see that it needs a 16mm cone spanner which I don't have. I'll have to check what other tools I'm missing.


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## palinurus (25 May 2020)

palinurus said:


> I realise I'm going to either have to decide to get rid of the Moulton or start disassembling it and have a really good look at it.



While scraping away at the rust spots on the rear rim today I settled on perhaps a light restoration. Clean up, tyres & tubes, cables, oil in the hub and see how it goes. I haven't got anywhere to store it (I don't want to leave it under a cover during the winter) so I'll probably move it on later but I want to ride it first.


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## Gunk (26 May 2020)

Changed the bar tape today.


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## Racing roadkill (26 May 2020)

I cleaned the chain and drivetrain, and put the second bottle cage on the Bianchi today.
I was riding with one bottle yesterday, and it wasn’t enough.


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## si_c (26 May 2020)

Brake upgrade on the Trek, swapped out the Tektro R531F brakes for a set of R7010s instead, a cosmetic rather than functional upgrade as the brakes weren't lacking power before hand.

Easy on easy off for them both, far easier than I'd imagined and actually much easier to install direct mount brakes than regular rim brakes.


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## carlosfandangus (26 May 2020)

That will teach me to cut bar off anything I can find!! had to buy more for the job anyway, new chain whip made but not needed yet.


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## carlosfandangus (26 May 2020)

Before photo..... Gmail is a bit laggy today


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## FrankCrank (26 May 2020)

Gunk said:


> Changed the bar tape today.
> 
> View attachment 525090
> 
> ...


Looks very nice Mr Gunk. That saddle though, hope it's more comfy than it looks. In my quest for the least uncomfortable saddle I got a Charge Spoon a while back, following many favourable comments about it. Man, it was painful, couldn't wait to put that one down to a mistake. Got a Brooks B66 from my brother, he hated it, but it's great for me. Even siblings are designed differently


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## Gunk (26 May 2020)

I’ve used a Charge spoon before and they are a very comfortable saddle. time will tell on the fancy Selle Italia SLR, first impressions are good though.


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## carlosfandangus (26 May 2020)

I like the look of that saddle @Gunk, however have to disagree with the charge spoon, I just couldn't get on with mine, swapped for a felt one that I initially couldn't get on with, came fitted to a new bike (stop gap), However it has stayed on for over 1000 miles, just goes to show how we are all different, I hope you get on with that saddle, it really does look good, especially now you have changed the bar tape to suit 

edited.... it is a fabric with titanium rails.... pinched back of my 13 year olds bike


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## palinurus (26 May 2020)

Cleaned up the chain of the Moulton in the ultrasonic bath at work, came up pretty good. Stuck it back on.

Can't ride it around the block until I get some tyres and tubes (current ones have probably been on there since 1965, although the front is still holding air!)


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## Gunk (27 May 2020)

I added a power supply to my under seat storage











with an adapter the optimate also plugs in


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## palinurus (27 May 2020)

Bartape! also had a go at the rust spots on the rims, although that isn't so obvious.

No further work planned for this one.


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## DCBassman (28 May 2020)

Gears, always fettling gears...
Well, I've had more than my fair share of irritation with front and rear mechs lately, but I think I've cracked both ends.
I've had a couple of severe chain-offs from the small ring, and the chain has got twisted. Having set up the limit screws on the FD for the umpteenth time, I think it will stop, but have decided to fit a chain-catcher. Any recommendations?
I only noticed it while trying to get the rear gears indexed. While sitting on the 11t sprocket, the chain would suddenly lift up to the next one, then drop again. I watched it go round several times before twigging what was going on. This also explained the once-in-a-chain-revolution rubbing noise I was getting. So, have attempted a bit of un-twisting, and seems OK, but new chain incoming!
Also fixed up the Cateye Velo 2 cable, and now spinning the front wheel to input an extra 48km to the odometer after missing the long ride the other day.


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## DSK (29 May 2020)

Gave the propel another wash and wax.
Finished applying clear protective film to the remaining key areas (the whole bike in my book).


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## DCBassman (30 May 2020)

Changed the brake/shifters on the Trek from St-EF65-9 4-finger multi-option braking to the 2-finger V-brake-only version. Will redeploy the 4s, reset for caliper brakes, for another attempt on the Scott 9-speed flat-bar conversion. The Scott reverted to 8 easily enough, but I can no longer tolerate the 'Megarange' jump in the lower gears.


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## Mike_P (30 May 2020)

A question, fed up with trying to read the tiny direction descriptions on the screen of an Element Bolt I am trying to rig up a credit card sized magnifier and something similar to but smaller than the Topeak mount would be ideal
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-cage-mount
Anyone know of any such item?


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## dave r (30 May 2020)

A minor fettle fail for me yesterday, we haven't been able to open the lid on our kettle for a while, I found the securing screw and got the cover off the handle last night, lots of odd shaped pieces of plastic and springs in the top of the handle, when you press the button it moves a spring loaded piece of plastic which hits something under the lid and the lid flies open under spring pressure. I got it working whilst the cover was off but when I put the cover back on it stopped working so I'll have to have another look.


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## Mike_P (30 May 2020)

dave r said:


> A minor fettle fail for me yesterday, we haven't been able to open the lid on our kettle for a while, I found the securing screw and got the cover off the handle last night, lots of odd shaped pieces of plastic and springs in the top of the handle, when you press the button it moves a spring loaded piece of plastic which hits something under the lid and the lid flies open under spring pressure. I got it working whilst the cover was off but when I put the cover back on it stopped working so I'll have to have another look.


Would that be a Russell Hobbs kettle, had the same problem with a 30 month old one and they sent me a brand new kettle; it had a extra years free warranty on top of the normal two.


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## dave r (30 May 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Would that be a Russell Hobbs kettle, had the same problem with a 30 month old one and they sent me a brand new kettle; it had a extra years free warranty on top of the normal two.



its a Tesco branded kettle, we've had it a few years, its just annoying that the kettle is working as it should its just the lid thats knackered.


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## Mike_P (30 May 2020)

dave r said:


> its a Tesco branded kettle, we've had it a few years, its just annoying that the kettle is working as it should its just the lid thats knackered.


Just a thought, could a metal handle of some sort be attached to the lid held by a magnet on the underside?


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## dave r (30 May 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Just a thought, could a metal handle of some sort be attached to the lid held by a magnet on the underside?



Its possible that theres a magnet in the plastic lid and its holding the lid shut against the metal body of the kettle, the spring loaded plastic piece that the button presses against breaks the hold of the magnet and the springs open the lid, I couldn't see a catch when I had it apart.


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## JPBoothy (30 May 2020)

I wasn't planning on a fettle but, I sold my sons Giant mtb in less than 4hrs on Gumtree so I thought I would give the gears/brakes a tweak before it was collected. Used bikes are like gold at the moment and I had over 30 messages/calls. I'm always glad to see a bike go to a 'genuine' home who will use it rather than a shark out to make money though. I think you can spot the difference


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## JhnBssll (30 May 2020)

I just finished a strip clean of the Pilot Veturi. It was a little dirty and I had a slight click from the bb area.

I took the opportunity to respray the custom rear brake mount as it had started to come away - I had run out of rubbing alcohol when I originally painted is so am guessing there was still some coolant residue on it from machining.

I stripped all the old paint off and roughed up the aluminium a bit before thoroughly degreasing, masking and etch priming...






I forgot to take photos of the colour coat and primer going on, but it cured enough to refit in no time out in the sun so back on it went...






In the meantime, while it was drying, I had whipped the cranks out and found the non-drive side bearing of the Hope BB to be feeling fairly rough. Since the click was only present when putting power through the left hand crank I figured it was worth inspecting this further. Unfortunately when I went to remove the BB I realised I had lent one of my BB tools to a friend and of course it was the one I needed  Not wanting to admit defeat I managed to remove the bearing shield and seal from the cartridge bearing without damaging them. The grease looked in good condition on the surface from the side I had access to but I decided to flush it out and repack it anyway. I flushed it through with degreaser first before thoroughly rinsing with water and then allowing to dry in the sun. I then repacked with grease, working it through all the gaps. It feels a lot better now, but isn't quite as smooth as the other side. When I get the BB tool back I'll think about replacing it - I'm going for a ride shortly so will soon find out if it's still clicking 

Once all back together I gave the frame a polish - I had read that Pledge household polish brings titanium up a treat and I wasn't disappointed 
















I'm now off to get her dirty again


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## DCBassman (30 May 2020)

Ooooh, shiny!


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## DCBassman (30 May 2020)

Right, Scott conversion to 9-speed flat-bar, .part the, oh who the heck knows...
I decided that this second attempt would also see me having another go at fitting the Alivio RD-M4000 mech. Well, that bit worked!
After much cussing and swearing, I got it all going, but it's taken me most of the day, and then I managed to ruin the rear brake cable, and the only spare I have is, you guessed it, too short.
So, to hell with the roadie for a bit. The Trek mtb is nicely sorted, so I'll ride that until the bits arrive!


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## carlosfandangus (30 May 2020)

Just fixed the lad across the road's front skewer on his MTB, " I don't know what happened, I hit it with a hammer and it just broke!!!!"

I had only rear spares in my draw, got one off another bike in the shed at the back of the house, why cant you just buy a front? more searching on the bay of deals required, If I have to buy a pair I will have 3 spare rears.


----------



## Hugh Manatee (30 May 2020)

I did the measurements about five times and then reached for the hacksaw. It went well and finally the new forks are fitted. I think I remember getting the yellow paint colour matched. I will dig out the aerosol and see if it still work. It can stay a multicoloured job for now though. The main thing is they fit and the steering seems ok post crash! Thanks @fixedfixer for selling the forks that finally get this back on the road.
I tried the back wheel and adjusted the brakes. The front also had a new cable outer as the previous one was slightly too short.
Rear mech fitted and adjusted. All gears can now be engaged.
The job I was least looking forwards to was next. Fitting the bar tape. The stuff I got from P lanet X seemed to fall apart in my hands and was in the bin after the first wrap. Absolute rubbish. Luckily, I remembered having this stuff up in my stores stash in the loft. Not the best application but, I'm not too unhappy with the result.






All that remains now is to fit the new Speedplay pedals to the cranks and the cleats to the shoes. I'll do that tomorrow in time for a test ride.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (2 Jun 2020)

Given the chain on the recumbent a wipe down with a rag and white spirit. Excess oil,and gunk nicely removed. Waiting for the white spirit to evaporate. Then relube and rewipe chain. Then will also swap turbo wheel for the outdoor wheel.

Also adjusted bearings on the front wheel. Tightened them up a bit. Grease in bearings looks fine right now.


----------



## DCBassman (2 Jun 2020)

Attempted to fit cheap ergo bar-ends/grips. Failed due to incorrect manufacture...


----------



## JPBoothy (2 Jun 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Given the chain on the recumbent a wipe down with a rag and white spirit. Excess oil,and gunk nicely removed. Waiting for the white spirit to evaporate. Then relube and rewipe chain. Then will also swap turbo wheel for the outdoor wheel.
> 
> Also adjusted bearings on the front wheel. Tightened them up a bit. Grease in bearings looks fine right now.


White Spirit is my 'cheap and effective' go to cleaner for everything. Don't anybody be drawn in by that eco-friendly 'Clean Spirit' as it is total crap.


----------



## DCLane (3 Jun 2020)

Bits and pieces over the past couple of days with the PlanetX hillclimb bike build stalled as I'm still sourcing a crankset and shifters:

- The Dawes Kingpin's been partly stripped in preparation for new wheels and a re-paint.
- Swapped the Absolute Black oval chainrings from my son's winter Boardman, where he was testing them, to his BeOne Raw training bike. Not the easiest job and, as that's the one we're both currently using on the smart turbo it should be interesting to see what they're like.
- Began work on the Peugeot Tourmalet project; crankset off, brake cable rusted stuck inside the frame freed, bottom bracket removed and re-greased.
- Wrong size front wheel that came on the Peugeot re-greased with new bearings.
- Drillium chainrings with stuck bolt loosened; I drilled out the bolt.
- Tyre onto a track wheel for the Fuji Track Classic; just a grasstrack rear wheel needed now.


----------



## Drago (3 Jun 2020)

New rear brake blocks on the Pinnacle.


----------



## Gunk (3 Jun 2020)

DCLane said:


> Bits and pieces over the past couple of days with the PlanetX hillclimb bike build stalled as I'm still sourcing a crankset and shifters:
> 
> - The Dawes Kingpin's been partly stripped in preparation for new wheels and a re-paint.
> - Swapped the Absolute Black oval chainrings from my son's winter Boardman, where he was testing them, to his BeOne Raw training bike. Not the easiest job and, as that's the one we're both currently using on the smart turbo it should be interesting to see what they're like.
> ...



I had a Tourmalet 30 years ago, it was a really lovely bike, I gave it to my brother and within a week he managed to get it stolen.


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## Chris S (3 Jun 2020)

I replaced my ergonomic Selle Royale with a flat one from a BSO. It's much more comfortable.


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## Racing roadkill (3 Jun 2020)

I updated the firmware for my gearing, then trimmed in the front mech a bit today. I much prefer doing it with a computer, rather than cable tension.


----------



## fossyant (3 Jun 2020)

Bit of paint touching up after Sunday's Epic ride. We did some seriously bouldered descents and one rock absolutely walloped the frame. Found out it had kicked up, and gone between the tyre and swing arm, and took a chunk out of the chainstay - certainly wasn't a 'carbon bike descent' - you'd be some what worried.


----------



## itboffin (3 Jun 2020)

Swapped my 3x8 to 1x8 and shortened the chain to suit also took a bit of bake outer off the rear mech to make it look a bit neater, just waiting for a lockout remote lever before giving it a bash in the forest, the narrow wide 34T chainring should be a good compromise and even better when my 11-34 8 speed cassette arrives.


----------



## Chris S (4 Jun 2020)

The crank axle on my 1990's Raleigh was bent so I got a replacement exactly the same length.

Unfortunately the distance between the bearing races on the original was 58mm and it was 52mm on the new one. I couldn't screw the adjustable cup in enough to compensate so I just put another row of ball bearings on top of the existing one. I've now got a 33 bearing crank.


----------



## Racing roadkill (4 Jun 2020)

I re greased the headset on the old Boardman Hybrid today. It’s running super smooth again now.


----------



## Gunk (4 Jun 2020)

Serviced my Honda


----------



## JPBoothy (4 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Serviced my Honda
> 
> View attachment 527437


That's the nicest ebike I have ever seen


----------



## JPBoothy (4 Jun 2020)

I have just had my stand out on the lawn tuning in the gears and setting-up the brakes on my wifes friends husbands () new Merida road bike after he went mad adjusting the High/Low screws himself. Not a bad looking bike for a sale price of around £500 but everything was unbranded apart from the 8spd Shimano Claris. I hadn't realised that even Claris now has the cables routed behind the bar tape.


----------



## CXRAndy (4 Jun 2020)

Ive had lots of failures some bike related. 

Mended Karcher pressure washer-new start run capacitor 

HP laptop- new mini pci wifi card

Found reason for random RCD tripping on consumer unit-earth leakage clamp confirmation

Currently fabricating simple bracket for expansion coolant bottle to sort out loss of coolant from ride on mower

Wife's pedal crank fell off mid ride, a quick retrace of route found dropped allen bolt


----------



## pawl (4 Jun 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> That's the nicest ebike I have ever seen


 


The memory of riding similar bikes .Looking at that photo just makers my back ache.Last bike I had was a B M W R80 Knocked up ver touring miles on that.


----------



## Nigelnightmare (4 Jun 2020)

New chain and cassette on the Trice XL so now it's road ready after all the upgrades of the last few months:-
Brakes (Hope Mini 2002-07), ..................…...…………………...Was TRP Spyres
Rear hub (Hope RS Mono), .....................…......…………...…...Was Shimano Deore
Derailleurs (Shimano Ultegra, 6500 9speed), ...............…..Were Shimano Deore
Crankset (165mm FSA triple), .................................………….Was Shimano Tiagra 9 speed Triple
Rebuilt front wheels to 3X DT spokes, ………………...………..Was 2X plain spokes
Sun-up eco maxidyn spoke drive dynamo on rear wheel,
Lights Front, AXA 70 Luxx (dynamo) + Hope R4+,
Rear AXA riff (dynamo) + Lidl usb rechargeable thing,
Topeak ride case and stem mount for phone + charging from dynamo.
I haven't been out on it yet but it's been tested on the turbo trainer and everything seems to work.
It even charges the phone (iPhone 6s) with the lights on doing 9 mph.


----------



## Racing roadkill (4 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Serviced my Honda
> 
> View attachment 527437


Ooh I like that.


----------



## Bad Machine (4 Jun 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Sun-up eco maxidyn spoke drive dynamo on rear wheel,



 Can we have some photos of that ?


----------



## philtalksbx (4 Jun 2020)

New chain and 38T inner chainring on the CB to follow up the bar tape and cables on Tuesday. Much smoother and happier uphill than the 42 gave







There's a build thread somewhere with more details if you are curious.


----------



## rogerzilla (4 Jun 2020)

Fitted a B&M μ dynamo rear light. It is impossibly small.


----------



## DCLane (4 Jun 2020)

The Peugeot 525 I mended a bit for someone needed a couple of jobs; new front gear cable and adjusting the rear. All done. Then had a look at a friend's vintage Kalkhoff which still had the same cables from 30 years ago  . Adjusted a bit, fitted new brake pads and advised them to get a full set of inner/outer cables which would probably sort the 'sticky' shifting 

Began work on the Peugeot Tourmalet, fitting new Leechi brake levers and the front brake cable, a replacement crankset and inner/outer gear cables. Rear brake cable to do tomorrow plus seatpost / paint / wheels if they arrive and a chain. It'll be done quicker than planned.


----------



## Tom B (5 Jun 2020)

The new non drive side crank on my clunker came loose for the second time in a week.

Not wanting to start the grease no grease debate again, but stripped it off, degreased both sides lightly scuffed up the BB side and reassembled slightly over tightened.

*I neither fitted the new crank nor greased it


----------



## Gunk (5 Jun 2020)

Tom B said:


> The new non drive side crank on my clunker came loose for the second time in a week.
> 
> Not wanting to start the grease no grease debate again, but stripped it off, degreased both sides lightly scuffed up the BB side and reassembled slightly over tightened.
> 
> *I neither fitted the new crank nor greased it



my preference is to copper slip the fixed cup and make sure it’s tight. The adjustable non drive side I assemble dry.


----------



## C R (5 Jun 2020)

I got the wrong size toe clips for my road bike, and was getting bad toe overlap with the mudguard in place, swapped with the smaller ones in my commuter, and no toe overlap in either bike now.


----------



## JhnBssll (5 Jun 2020)

Just finished building a bike for a colleague who wanted to be able to keep up whilst walking her dog in the local forest. She hasn't ridden a bike for many years so I've tried to build something fairly robust but easy to ride. I think its come out rather well, the frame is second hand but most other bits are new bargains I've picked up whilst perusing various sales or parts from my spares cupboard 











I'll drop it round tomorrow morning  I'm really impressed with the brakes, front and rear hydraulic disc brakes including levers, calipers, hoses and rotors for 40 quid brand new and they weren't even on sale  They work a treat too, unbelievable value  Clarkes Clout if anyone wants to try for themselves  They came pre assembled and bled but with a couple of spare olives and barbs in case you want to cut the hoses down, which I did.

Great little bike, should last her well 😄


----------



## Gunk (5 Jun 2020)

you've made a really nice job of that.


----------



## roley poley (5 Jun 2020)

Put an extra rear light holder on each bike so I can run two lights at the same time .Seemed silly to just carry a spare light in case one failed and not use it ,safer too. Checked the voltage on the batteries with a multi meter and threw the weaker away for new .The two spares I carry in my toolkit were FLAT !! Must have shorted out against the alan keys and adjustable spanner etc they roll around with the new ones have been wrapped in insulation tape...Took the top off the rubber solution for some reason and someone has drunk it while I wasn't looking!!!(evaporated) So trip to get some more of that on Sat


----------



## Mike_P (5 Jun 2020)

Refitted the road bike with mudguards


----------



## palinurus (5 Jun 2020)

Gear lever came apart on the Elephant bike so the end of the outer cable kept coming out of the housing, no good as I had a trailer of groceries to deliver today and I needed 1st gear.

Fixed it by wrapping electrical tape around the body.


----------



## Vantage (5 Jun 2020)

New lower geared cassette fitted, new chain fitted and chainset stripped, cleaned and rebuilt. Mechs cleaned up. 2nd bottle cage fitted.


----------



## JPBoothy (5 Jun 2020)

I replaced a 3mtr length of plastic gutter in the wind which was challenging as it bends like crazy when you pick it up.


----------



## DCBassman (6 Jun 2020)

New rear brake cable for the Scott. Couldn't get old ferrule out of the adjuster. Looks like I've buggered it.
Cannot find out what model of brake they are, nothing on them. Sod it. Ordered a s/h set of Br1055 105 short-drops off ebay.
Damned bike.


----------



## si_c (6 Jun 2020)

DCBassman said:


> New rear brake cable for the Scott. Couldn't get old ferrule out of the adjuster. Looks like I've buggered it.
> Cannot find out what model of brake they are, nothing on them. Sod it. Ordered a s/h set of Br1055 105 short-drops off ebay.
> Damned bike.


Which brake levers do you have on there at the moment? Those brakes you've ordered are SLR brakes, modern Shimano brakes use SLR-EV which has a different cable pull amount.


----------



## DCBassman (6 Jun 2020)

si_c said:


> Which brake levers do you have on there at the moment? Those brakes you've ordered are SLR brakes, modern Shimano brakes use SLR-EV which has a different cable pull amount.


Currently using ST-EF65-9 flat-bar shifters. 4-finger version which can be set for different brake types.


----------



## JhnBssll (6 Jun 2020)

I dropped the Kona off with its new owner today and left with her husbands bike to service and upgrade 







The new project is a 2013 Giant Revel 4. Ive stripped it down and will be replacing the Suntour forks with some new Rock Shox 30's and converting from V-brake to disc 











For a low price bike this frame is really nice  Should be a fun little project 😊


----------



## Jenkins (6 Jun 2020)

Finally dug the Voodoo out of the back of the shedwhere it's been sat since the end of January. It was put away caked in mud, in need of having the gears sorting out and for a slight wobble in the rear wheel to be dealt with. Once i'd finally got the front wheel removed (bloody useless Q-Loc system stuck again) it was onto the stand and off with the derailleur so that the hangar could be given a bit of a tweek. Then off with the rear wheel and a full frame clean. Wheel & derailleur back on and a reset of the high & low screws and the cable got the gears sorted and some random tweeking of the spokes got the wheel slightly more straight. Finally a clean & lube of the chain and a 10 mile test ride to check all was well.

Still undecided as to whether to keep this or sell it - it's heavier and slower than the rigid Bootzipper on road, while only marginally more comfortable off road.


----------



## Tom B (6 Jun 2020)

Picked up the newly rebuilt rear wheel for my MTB from the local wheelgod. Pretty chuffed with the new superstar V6 hub. Even more chuffed with the positive effect the new hub has had on shifting, keeping the chain on and rolling resistance. Having a wheel the rocks around, tries to steer from the rear and a freewheel that rocks around mustn't be good for the transmission after all.

After taking the MTB for a spin I took the little lad out for a ride on my hybrid. Braking to a stop down a big hill the rear brake lever suddenly dropped to the bar and the brake made unhappy noises. Luckily just as I stopped.

Examination of the pads showed that the friction material had come off most of the pad.

This is the second time this has happened in about 6weeks. The supplier exchanged the last lads. But I'm now wondering if the pads are counterfeit. I've never had them fail like this before.
Might send photos to Shimano /Madison for their thoughts.


----------



## Gunk (6 Jun 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> I dropped the Kona off with its new owner today and left with her husbands bike to service and upgrade
> 
> View attachment 527967
> 
> ...



They’re a good bike, my son had one (looks very similar) before he upgraded to his current Trance Advanced.


----------



## Levo-Lon (7 Jun 2020)

Spent a good while yesterday trying to sort out why my hub ,SRAM 746 goes tight when I fit the 12speed xd cassette.
Stripped the hub bearings ,cleaned re-greased both ok.
Ended up swapping axle from my Roval wheel and that solved it.
No idea what's going on other than a machining variable .
The dodgy axle fitted with Shimano free hub works perfectly.
But with a XD driver it goes tight.

Sadly I don't really need to buy new wheels


----------



## DCLane (8 Jun 2020)

Lots more progress over the past couple of days on the Peugeot Tourmalet I picked up a couple of weeks ago:

Replacement 'Aero' crankset fitted, flat pedals fitted
Paint (metallic black) arrived and frame/forks touched up
New Leechi brake levers, which came with all the cables, fitted so they match the original
Inner/outer gear cables fitted
New Mach1 CFX wheelset fitted, 7 speed cassette and used Rubino green tyres: they were the only used tyres I had available
Chain fitted
Just waiting on the seatpost to arrive to fit the saddle. I _might_ also drop the stem as it's high. And short me can't reach! Then bar tape last once I'm happy with everything and it's done. I toyed with the idea of getting some celeste bar tape to match the name/logos but I've loads of black bar tape in stock so that's going on instead:





This won't be staying as it's a 57cm so too big, but I've saved another bike from the skip.


----------



## Gunk (8 Jun 2020)

Got the Elvish down today as I noticed that Jockey wheels are in a state.













The Shimano wheels I have in my box of spares don’t fit and these Simplex ones seem to be like hens teeth.






so if anyone has some serviceable jockey wheels they’d like to part with please let me know.

I also need a Samir Saminox 500a complete rear wheel or a rim but the chance of finding one of those is going to be remote.


----------



## si_c (8 Jun 2020)

Re-wrapped the right side bar tape on the Kinesis, was starting to bunch up in places, it's quite a bit thicker than the bar tape I normally get (Lizard Skins 3.2mm) so it doesn't go on as smoothly. Much better now, I was going to do the left side as well but it is half and half bar tape and electrical tape at this point as it got badly scuffed in a crash earlier this year.

I do have some Deda tape I could put on, but I really really like the Lizard Skins tape - it's super grippy and comfortable - and the Deda feels cheap in comparison. I may do it this weekend give it a try but what's holding me back is the lack of Lizard Skins in black nationwide.


----------



## si_c (8 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Got the Elvish down today as I noticed that Jockey wheels are in a state.
> 
> The Shimano wheels I have in my box of spares don’t fit and these Simplex ones seem to be like hens teeth.
> 
> ...



Why don't the Shimano ones fit?


----------



## Landsurfer (8 Jun 2020)

Removed the extremely complicated fuel tank vent system and bash plate from the RE Himalayan 400. I'm not refitting the bash plate as the only time i ride off road is if i've just crashed through a hedge.


----------



## carlosfandangus (8 Jun 2020)

@Gunk 
Is this any good to you? happy to do a straight swap for that old Fireblade Jockey wheels are in good nick, took of a bike that had been in a garage for 30 years


----------



## pawl (8 Jun 2020)

Had a mad session at the garden centre this morning. Bought a wall trough and plants to stock it

Also the following 

Bag of compost 
Box of Growmore plant fertiliser 
Box of lawn fertiliser 

Never felt so fertile 

When I tottered up what i had spent I could have bought two Michelin Endurence
Tyres and an inner tube 😭😤😤🤬😡😱😱


----------



## Gunk (8 Jun 2020)

si_c said:


> Why don't the Shimano ones fit?



They're completely different, the centre hole for Simplex and Suntour is a larger diameter. I'm struggling to find a set, it might end up cheaper fitting a complete used vintage Huret mech instead. I'm not paying £30 for a set of Jockey wheels for a bike that spends its life up on the top of some shelves in my garage!


----------



## carlosfandangus (8 Jun 2020)

If the mech will do you can have it for the postage cost, would love the Fireblade though


----------



## Gunk (8 Jun 2020)

carlosfandangus said:


> If the mech will do you can have it for the postage cost, would love the Fireblade though



Definitely, thanks.


----------



## carlosfandangus (8 Jun 2020)

Just send me a PM with your address and I will post tomorrow


----------



## palinurus (8 Jun 2020)

palinurus said:


> Gear lever came apart on the Elephant bike so the end of the outer cable kept coming out of the housing, no good as I had a trailer of groceries to deliver today and I needed 1st gear.
> 
> Fixed it by wrapping electrical tape around the body.



The tape generally holds out a couple of days. Tried to effect a permanent repair with a cable tie but it didn't work out (with practice I bet I could make it work, but I only had one cable tie long enough). Ordered a new shifter.


----------



## Vantage (8 Jun 2020)

Busy couple days... 
I've gone back to using my B17. I discovered the nut on the tension bolt had seized and no amount of looking at it angrily would make it move. I instead used the dremel, diamond bit and 20,000rpm to grind 2 flats on the end of the bolt so I could get an adjustable spanner on to hold it still while brute force was used to free the nut. It worked. I've tightened the lacing, removed some of the hammocking and proofided it. 
Both wheels have been retrued following some minor wobbliness. 
Made a longer, tidier light mount for the front light. Tidied up the handlebar and fitted a Hebie steering damper.


----------



## ColinJ (8 Jun 2020)

I have been trying to track down an irritating but elusive ticking noise which only appears when I am giving my singlespeed bike some stick. It usually only happens when I am riding uphill. Lower pedalling forces don't cause it.

It isn't the chain - the old one snapped and the noise is still happening with the new chain.

It isn't the pedals - I swapped in another pair and the noise remained.

It isn't the seatpost/saddle - the bike is still noisy when I pedal standing up.

I am (_almost_) certain that the tick isn't coming from the front of the bike so it isn't the bars, stem, fork, front wheel, headset or brake hoods.

I wondered about the bottom bracket. I checked it and thought I could feel a little play. I had found a really nice newish Chorus BB in my spare parts box so I swapped that in and... it feels smoother than the old one but the noise is _still_ there.

The freehub is next to be investigated. I found another one in the spares box so that can be substituted for the current one. The new BB is slightly shorter than the old one so my previously perfectly chainline has been lost. It isn't _bad _now, but I need to move the sprocket by 1 spacer to get it perfect. I can check/replace the freehub while I am at it.

PS I forgot... I went to tighten the chainring bolts and 2 of the 5 are rounded off internally so the hex key slips. I can't make sure that they are tight enough. I'll have to get them out somehow and replace them with new ones. I'll look for a screwdriver with a blade the right size that I can hammer into the holes to get a grip.


----------



## Racing roadkill (9 Jun 2020)

I’ve ( hopefully ) sorted the brake fade issue with the Bianchi.


----------



## rogerzilla (9 Jun 2020)

I recommissioned my ex-wife's Carrera Subway 8, which has been sitting around for a decade. In that time she's been remarried and separated again 

These things are not easy to work on, with very unusual components, and most bike shops would struggle even to remove the wheels. Roller brakes and a Nexus 8-speed hub. The hub wouldn't shift to the lowest 4 gears but it was just a sticky cable and cassette joint, thank goodness. Cleaned both up and the gears are nice and snappy again. Pumped a bit of the special grease into the roller brakes and cleaned their cables too. The only parts I actually changed were the inner tubes (I injected Slime too) and some rusty M5 bolts. After a good clean, it's as good as new. 

I put the seat up and rode it back round there. The kevlar-belted tyres make it hard work but it needs all the help it can get on Swindon psyclepaths, which are liberally glassed by the local mouth-breathing yoof.


----------



## carlosfandangus (9 Jun 2020)

The young lad across the road came to see me again, every 3 days so far, last time it was brakes, this time he had rode 2 miles from his grans house with a loose (very) saddle, 30 seconds with an allen key, all fixed..... cant wait for the next trial and tribulation.


----------



## Low Gear Guy (9 Jun 2020)

I mended a slow puncture in a Marathon Dureme at the cost of a broken tyre lever.


----------



## JPBoothy (10 Jun 2020)

Low Gear Guy said:


> I mended a slow puncture in a Marathon Dureme at the cost of a broken tyre lever.


Slow? Why how long did it take you


----------



## itboffin (10 Jun 2020)

Me after puncturing my tricep on the front chainring of my turbo bike, three very deep oil indented holes in my arm have taken hours to clean out completely.

That’ll teach me for cleaning the mat under my turbo whilst in the small ring


----------



## Tom B (10 Jun 2020)

Had a fettle with the indexing on my mtb after fitting the new rear hub left it a bug's willy out. 

Much happier.

Now I've noticed that the crankset wanders out by a few mm. I'll have no idea where that is coming from on the new fangled BB stuff. For another day.


----------



## Nigelnightmare (11 Jun 2020)

Pumped up the tyres on the neighbour's daughter's friend's bike so they could go out for a ride.
Did a quick once over on it before they went, surprisingly everything looked good and more importantly WORKED, even the chain was adjusted & lubed.
They couldn't get the pump on the valves as they had gone down inside the rim almost flush.


----------



## DCLane (11 Jun 2020)

Crankset for the PlanetX build arrived - no o'rings so bought two of those. More added to the build cost!

Also fitted the bar tape and seatpost/saddle to finish the Peugeot Tourmalet project:


----------



## Racing roadkill (11 Jun 2020)

My 12 speed 11-32 Super Record cassette turned up today, so I replaced the 11-29 which the bike came with. I’ve just got to wait for the weather to clear up now, so I can get a test ride complete.


----------



## palinurus (11 Jun 2020)

Replaced the tyres and tubes on the Moulton Deluxe so this means I could ride it! sort of, anyway. One of the pedals is almost seized so I didn't go far. Got three out of four gears, 1st is a neutral. Steering isn't quite as free as it should be, feels a bit weird cornering.


----------



## JPBoothy (11 Jun 2020)

itboffin said:


> Me after puncturing my tricep on the front chainring of my turbo bike, three very deep oil indented holes in my arm have taken hours to clean out completely.
> 
> That’ll teach me for cleaning the mat under my turbo whilst in the small ring


Ouch! I work with a chap who is in his mid 50's now (not sure that's relevant) and he has the tip of one finger missing down as far the first joint after getting it crushed between the chainring and chain on his BMX when he was younger


----------



## JPBoothy (11 Jun 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> I dropped the Kona off with its new owner today and left with her husbands bike to service and upgrade
> 
> View attachment 527967
> 
> ...


Any further progress on the Giant?


----------



## JhnBssll (11 Jun 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Any further progress on the Giant?



Minimal progress I'm afraid, I'm waiting on parts to arrive. The new brakes turned up today but still no wheels, mechs, shifters or forks so I'm a little stuck  I do however have a second project to work on in parallel - a friend is dropping his brand new 2019 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 off tomorrow along with a box of Di2 flavoured goodies for me to fit for him  That should keep me busy for at least an evening or two while I wait for the parts to arrive to finish the Giant upgrade 😊


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jun 2020)

Today's mini-fettle...!

I have my singlespeed bike upside down in my kitchen. I will be taking the rear wheel off to check the freehub and wheel bearings and adjust the sprocket position by one spacer width to line up with the chainring after recently putting a narrower BB on the bike. 

Meanwhile... I brushed against the front wheel and noticed that it only rotated for a few seconds before stopping. That got me curious so I gave the wheel a gentle flick and timed it. It stopped rotating after just 10 seconds. The brakes were not rubbing so there was too much friction in the bearings. I checked the quick release and it was stupidly tight. (I have no idea what made me do it up that tight! ) I loosened it and gave the wheel another gentle flick. This time it span for 1 minute 10 seconds! The QR was a bit too loose to use like that so I adjusted it to a sensible tension. The wheel then span for 30-40 seconds after a similar flick. In the grand scheme of things the extra resistance was pretty small but it could potentially wear the bearings out quicker so it was worth reducing.

I'll check the rear wheel and freehub over the next couple of days.


----------



## Dogtrousers (12 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> In the grand scheme of things the extra resistance was pretty small


Come on, you're throwing away a golden excuse.

Try something like this: So _that_ explains why I can't get up Cragg Vale in 20 minutes! I knew there had to be a reason.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jun 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> Come on, you're throwing away a golden excuse.
> 
> Try something like this: So _that_ explains why I can't get up Cragg Vale in 20 minutes! I knew there had to be a reason.


As opposed to being a bit old, overweight and lazy! 

Funnily enough, I was thinking about that challenge recently. .. I am way off that kind of pace these days and wondered if I will ever manage it. I would certainly have to take my cycling more seriously and I can't see me doing it beyond the age of 70 unless I already have done before then, and that is only 5.5 years away! (Where does the time go? )


----------



## Dogtrousers (12 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> As opposed to being a bit old, overweight and lazy!
> 
> Funnily enough, I was thinking about that challenge recently. .. I am way off that kind of pace these days and wondered if I will ever manage it. I would certainly have to take my cycling more seriously and I can't see me doing it beyond the age of 70 unless I already have done before then, and that is only 5.5 years away! (Where does the time go? )


I coulda had class. I coulda been someone, I coulda been a contender. But I did the front QR on my SS up a bit too tight, and got a one way ticket to Palookaville.


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## JhnBssll (12 Jun 2020)

I had a nice long fettle this afternoon 

I'd been thinking about how to attach the rear brake hose on the Revel, as despite having a disc brake mount the frame was only kitted out for cables. After a bit of googling I was able to order these:






so I wiped down the areas of frame where I would stick some clips and, well, stuck some clips 😄
















Pretty pleased with that, and since nothing else had arrived I went on to the next job... My friend had dropped off his TCR and a box of Di2 goodies 

I was pleasantly surprised to find on removing the lower cable guides that there was just enough space to get in to wire the frame without pulling the BB out, result 






So without much messing around I quite quickly had the frame wired and the mechs bolted on...











He had sourced all of the correct frame fittings, grommets etc which saved me a ton of time, it's the little finishing touches that tend to take the most work with these things.

Also rather handily Giant had thought to pre-drill a hole I normally have to drill myself, in the end of the bars to fit the bar end junction box 






I insist on using these, even thought they're a little more expensive and a little more of a faff, because they're just so much neater. I managed to get it all installed, set up and firmware updated in a little over 4 hours, without ever really hurrying. These installs definitely get quicker the more you do them  Here's the finished bike - I'm not entirely sure I want to give it back 






I'm off out to the garage again in a minute to play with the Bianchi for a little while


----------



## Ming the Merciless (12 Jun 2020)

Reclined the seat of my recumbent by a further 10 degrees.


----------



## palinurus (13 Jun 2020)

palinurus said:


> Replaced the tyres and tubes on the Moulton Deluxe so this means I could ride it! sort of, anyway. One of the pedals is almost seized so I didn't go far. Got three out of four gears, 1st is a neutral. Steering isn't quite as free as it should be, feels a bit weird cornering.



More tinkering.

Firstly I got the pedal spanner out, I figured I'd have to go buy some PlusGas but both came loose easily, all knuckles intact. I don't have any replacements yet so I tightened them back up. I ran a tiny bit of oil into the bearing of each and now they spin- well they move anyway.

Took off the chainguard, no matter how I adjusted it the crank hit it or the chainring did (it was either ding-ding-ding or scrape-scrape-scrape with nothing in between). I will straighten it out off the bike.

Took it out for a couple of miles- it runs OK. Got four gears.

One of the legs of the front fork is bent backwards. I couldn't work out why the fork crown wasn't pointing straight ahead when riding, the dropouts are misaligned basically.

Cables will need replacing, went looking into my bits box and obviously some years ago I was anxious about running short of cables and outers- I probably have all I need except a gear cable.


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## Gunk (13 Jun 2020)

Started restoring my CB Olympic


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Jun 2020)

I struggled to get up the motivation for a ride today so eventually I thought I'd fetch the Kingpin out and finally sort out the Sturmey Archer hub, now that I have the right cone spanner. The hub has some noticable drag so was clearly in need of a service - I've done it the cheat's way by buying a new-old-stock AW hub from SJS and swapping the internals. In the end it proved to be much easier than I'd feared, although cleaning off all the caked on oil/muck before starting took time and I didn't rush the job so as to make sure I didn't do anything silly.

The old internals look clean and in far better condition than I expected so I intend to use them to teach myself how to properly strip and service one of these hubs then put it aside as a spare.

While doing this job I've also changed the sprocket for a 17 tooth as the 18 tooth that the bike came with is a little too low geared for my liking (and an OE 16 tooth might be a bit on the tall side for the local hills). It feels good on a short test ride - looking forward to trying something a little longer fairly soon.


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## biggs682 (13 Jun 2020)

Removed and re wrapped the fresh bar tape on my Specialized as previous person did from bottom of bars upwards badly 
Once bar tape done swapped the stem out for a slightly longer one and then a quick road test to check all ok for the morning


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## Spiderweb (13 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I have been trying to track down an irritating but elusive ticking noise which only appears when I am giving my singlespeed bike some stick. It usually only happens when I am riding uphill. Lower pedalling forces don't cause it.
> 
> It isn't the chain - the old one snapped and the noise is still happening with the new chain.
> 
> ...


I had a similar ticking issue on my Tricross. I went through everything to no avail. It sounded as though the annoyance was coming from the rear wheel so I put a tiny bit of grease in between the spokes where they cross, I also checked spoked tension, I’m certainly no expert but I tighten a few that felt or sounded to have less tension. Problem solved, no more ticks.


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## ColinJ (13 Jun 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> I had a similar ticking issue on my Tricross. I went through everything to no avail. It sounded as though the annoyance was coming from the rear wheel so I put a tiny bit of grease in between the spokes where they cross, I also checked spoked tension, I’m certainly no expert but I tighten a few that felt or sounded to have less tension. Problem solved, no more ticks.


Ah, that's one thing that I _didn't_ think of!

Anyway, the freehub is off and the main wheel bearings feel a bit rough so I will replace those and see if the ticking goes away. If not, I'll look at those spokes next.


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## Survivor Bikes (14 Jun 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I struggled to get up the motivation for a ride today so eventually I thought I'd fetch the Kingpin out and finally sort out the Sturmey Archer hub, now that I have the right cone spanner. The hub has some noticable drag so was clearly in need of a service - I've done it the cheat's way by buying a new-old-stock AW hub from SJS and swapping the internals. In the end it proved to be much easier than I'd feared, although cleaning off all the caked on oil/muck before starting took time and I didn't rush the job so as to make sure I didn't do anything silly.
> 
> The old internals look clean and in far better condition than I expected so I intend to use them to teach myself how to properly strip and service one of these hubs then put it aside as a spare.
> 
> While doing this job I've also changed the sprocket for a 17 tooth as the 18 tooth that the bike came with is a little too low geared for my liking (and an OE 16 tooth might be a bit on the tall side for the local hills). It feels good on a short test ride - looking forward to trying something a little longer fairly soon.



You’ve gotta love a Kingpin. Re the AW hub; Just don’t lose the pawl springs and you can’t go wrong. Its not a bad idea to use assembly oil (for engine building), when you reassemble them too. Clever little mechs, and really satisfying to service. Well, for me at least... Perhaps I should get out more.


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## ColinJ (14 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Anyway, the freehub is off and the main wheel bearings feel a bit rough so I will replace those and see if the ticking goes away. If not, I'll look at those spokes next.


The spokes in the wheel do not actually touch each other, so that _isn't_ the cause of the ticking noise.


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## Grant Fondo (14 Jun 2020)

New wheels going on later. Never swapped rotors etc before, fairly straightforward?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Jun 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> New wheels going on later. Never swapped rotors etc before, fairly straightforward?
> View attachment 529861



If centrelock then yes if six bolt watch you don’t strip the threads. For centre lock removal / fitting you use the same tool as for a shimano cassette.


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## roley poley (14 Jun 2020)

fitted new rotor to my front wheel yesterday and wondered why my alan keys didn't fit ?? A quick Google and found I needed a torx 25 so had a good look yup it's a star fitting not hex well I never knew that ! ! was thinking I needed some sort of 3.5 mm hex key ...will have a pootle around the empty sports centre car park today to break it in and see if my stopping power has improved


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## biggs682 (14 Jun 2020)

Moved bikes around to get my Ian May and Viscount out ready for using .

Ian just needed a saddle, pedals refitting and some air in the tyres then a short road test .

The Viscount needs a bit more so it will have to wait a while .


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## Gunk (14 Jun 2020)

Weeding the drive is next job


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## Gunk (14 Jun 2020)

that looks new out of the box!


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## carlosfandangus (14 Jun 2020)

Just did a "stealth" job in the back garden, normally clean the bike at the front, however the crud from Fridays wetish ride, mostly off the roads meant more than 1 stiff link and the rear mech was covered in crud too, now dry and small sponge soaked in GT 40 to give the chain a good clean

Edited..... just didnt make any sense at all


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## Vantage (14 Jun 2020)

Swapped the Hypers out for the 'trekking' tyres as the next ride involves lots of canal path. 
Made a newer tidier seatstay fitting for the rear mudguard using 2 chairing bolts and sleeves and a bit of tent pole repair sleeve. 
Partially mowed the rear garden. 
Took the lawnmower to bits to discover a snapped drive belt, hence the partially mowed lawn. New belt ordered.


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## carlosfandangus (14 Jun 2020)

Sorry to give it more contexts, we have a hosepipe ban at the moment, does the 2' length hard attached to the rear tap count as a hosepipe?


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## itboffin (14 Jun 2020)

Full groupset sonic degrease of erm seven bikes and replaced the completely seized non drive side bottom bracket bearing with a road bottom bracket, smooth as butter now and I’m going to use that as my excuse for going so slow last time I tried to ride to westbury via the plains, pots holes that could swallow a tank and the gale force winds also didn’t help


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## Hacienda71 (14 Jun 2020)

Bearings went in the front Superstar wheel. Couldn't find the size online, only a pack at £18 from Superstar. Whipped out the old bearings. Conveniently had the size code on them, ordered a new set for £5 Inc postage from Kent bearings. Only problem is bike not fully coordinated with substitute wheel on.


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## JPBoothy (15 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> The spokes in the wheel do not actually touch each other, so that _isn't_ the cause of the ticking noise.


Could it be your Watch


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Jun 2020)

Roger Longbottom said:


> ...................................... I haven't done any maintenance on the front forks as I know nothing about suspension bikes.
> .......................................


I wouldn't worry too much about that. If they are anything like the BSO I had, which was a similar vintage, then there is very little you can actually service on them.


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## DCBassman (15 Jun 2020)

Fitted the 90s vintage 105 brake calipers to the Scott. Shakedown cruise this afternoon. 
A weight-weenie apoplexy-inducing 25g weight penalty!


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## Teamfixed (15 Jun 2020)

I have drilled out a broken adjuster screw in a campag triple front derailleur, re tapped it to 4mm and replaced with new adjuster screw. It was even tenser than an episode of supervet


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## Bad Machine (15 Jun 2020)

In return for my neighbour's help cleaning out 3x blocked gutter drainpipes, I helped him clean and regrease the rear hub on his 35+ year old bike. Asymmetric winged hub nuts, no less !


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## ColinJ (15 Jun 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Could it be your Watch


Ha ha - no... My last watch stopped ticking about 20 years ago and I never bothered with one after that. These days, most of carry a very accurate alternative timepiece about with us - a phone!

The ticking must be pretty loud to bother me because I have about a 50% hearing loss so I don't notice subtle sounds.

I'll replace the wheel bearings tomorrow and see if the noise goes away.


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## Gunk (15 Jun 2020)

I managed to repair my 60 year old Bluemels mudguards, I riveted in a new fixed bridge and replaced the sliding bridge, I also fitted a new mudflap and polished them up. I've now ordered some NOS brass draw bolts and rubber end caps. total costs will be £10!


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## JPBoothy (15 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Ha ha - no... My last watch stopped ticking about 20 years ago and I never bothered with one after that. These days, most of carry a very accurate alternative timepiece about with us - a phone!
> 
> The ticking must be pretty loud to bother me because I have about a 50% hearing loss so I don't notice subtle sounds.
> 
> I'll replace the wheel bearings tomorrow and see if the noise goes away.


Tis true.. I used to feel naked if I had forgot to put my watch on when leaving the house, but as you have said, with a mobile (or cycle computer) there is not the same need anymore. The luddite in me still hates the fact that a mobile has taken away some of our 'alone time' though.


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## Rusty Nails (15 Jun 2020)

I fitted a new rear gear cable on a friend's bike.

Used to be a simple job.

This was a brand new carbon road bike with 105 hydraulic brakes/shifters. He'd put a larger cassette and mech on but messed up the gear cable and couldn't get it to shift to the five lowest gear sprockets. Why do they change the cable runs so often on new versions of the same shifters? Never come across this one before so had to look on the internet.

Then the faff of running the new cable via a cable liner through the frame and stays. I love my carbon bike, but I love the cable runs on my steel bike better.

I always keep a spare gear and brake cable in my emergency kit, but I hope I didn't have to change one on my carbon bike on the road.


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## si_c (15 Jun 2020)

Hosed the Racelight down after a trip down a local bike route to the shops. Filthy after the rain the other day, I'd forgotten how mucky it was as normally I'd take the road.


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## ColinJ (15 Jun 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Tis true.. I used to feel naked if I had forgot to put my watch on when leaving the house


I think it took me about 6 months to lose that feeling! It would feel equally odd now to start wearing a watch again.


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## biggs682 (15 Jun 2020)

Some basic checking that the pads are set at right position to hit the Tim's when applied. 
Also adjustments to the rear mechanism to keep the chain out of the rear wheel .


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## ColinJ (15 Jun 2020)

_Tim's..._ Is that an auto-correction for something else?


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## Rickshaw Phil (16 Jun 2020)

Made and fitted a new mudflap for the Dawes Galaxy. The old one had curled up after riding through a diesel spillage recently. It still did the job fine, but the look of it annoyed me.


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## Gunk (16 Jun 2020)

Stripped, polished and rebuilt a set of Weinmann 999 centre pull brakes.


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## JPBoothy (16 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Stripped, polished and rebuilt a set of Weinmann 999 centre pull brakes.
> 
> View attachment 530315
> 
> ...


You are definitely a dab hand at all things 'Bike' Mr Gunk


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## ColinJ (16 Jun 2020)

I do have bike fettling to do, but for the second time in a week my microwave oven cut out so I thought I'd fettle that first...

It is a big, powerful 3-way oven (microwave/fan/heating element). It has been overheating but comes back to life once it has cooled down.

The first thing I noticed was that the corner of the kitchen that I put it in is rather too confined a space - a shelf below, cupboards above, chimney breast to the right, wall to the left and another wall too close behind. I decided that I would place it to the front of the shelf after fettling, rather than to the rear of it.

Once I had brought the oven out of its cubby hole, I saw that its cooling fan grille was 75% blocked with thick dust. That definitely wouldn't help so I cleaned that. I took a look inside the oven and couldn't see anything else obviously wrong with it. I put it back together and will have to see if the increased space round it and clean grille have fixed the overheating problem. 

Wheel bearing fettling to come...


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## DCLane (18 Jun 2020)

Progress of sorts on the PlanetX hillclimb build:

- Dura-Ace shifters fitted, Clarks Zero-G lightweight brake cable inners/outers fitted to the Ultralight Titanium brakes.
- Aerozine lightweight seatpost clamp in place of the PlanetX one (16g saved)
- The carbon saddle now has 'padding'; two short rubberised strips to prevent sliding forward 
- Rotor crankset's fitted, although it doesn't spin as freely as I'd like
- Stem dropped to the point we're going to shorten the steerer to
- Largest chainring we'll use for hillclimbs fitted (we've 40/42/44/46 tooth options) rather than the 50/34 the crankset came with

Just waiting for new jockey wheels to arrive and the rear derailleur plus chain and gear cables will be fitted. Then final adjustments to cables/chain/etc. with the Dura-Ace pedals going on once I find where I put them for safe-keeping  . Hoods will come off and tape/heatshrink plastic to go on. Photo to date:






It _may_ need a shorter and lighter stem once done. The Zipp one fitted's a bit portly at 130g. Also the budget's gone over the £500 limit a tad as well with about £560 spent to date. The only other cost would be a lighter stem though so almost done buying parts.


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## Gunk (18 Jun 2020)

I made my own headset press this morning, cost me £170 less than the Park Tools press! £3 for the M8 threaded bar, the 17mm nuts and M8 washers I already had, and I used a couple of large sockets from my tool box.






Worked perfectly!


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## Survivor Bikes (18 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> I made my own headset press this morning, cost me £170 less than the Park Tools press! £3 for the M8 threaded bar, the 17mm nuts and M8 washers I already had, and I used a couple of large sockets from my tool box.
> 
> View attachment 530680
> 
> ...


Necessity is the mother of invention, or something like that  Good stuff !


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## JhnBssll (18 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> I made my own headset press this morning, cost me £170 less than the Park Tools press! £3 for the M8 threaded bar, the 17mm nuts and M8 washers I already had, and I used a couple of large sockets from my tool box.
> 
> View attachment 530680
> 
> ...



I've got one just like that 

I had a fettle yesterday evening. The wheels arrived for the Giant so I swapped the tyres over, fitted the discs and put the new cassette on. I then refitted the rear wheel, mechs and chain.






The new forks are due to arrive tomorrow so I should finish the build off in the next day or so 😄

Before I put the tools away I decided to have a go at another 'favour' job I'd taken on a few days previously...






Little outboard from a friends dinghy - he moors his yacht a mile out in the river, so this thing cutting out causes him a lot of rowing, especially if he's against the tide  I hadn't been inside an outboard before so thought it might be an interesting learning experience 

Anyway, I whipped the plug out and binned it, it was nice and corroded on the outside but didn't look too bad at the tip. Next I disconnected all the hoses and linkages from the carburettor and whipped that out too. My friends guess was the fuel had gummed up the jet so I figured I'd check that first.






Turned out there was some debris in the float chamber and a scaley build up on some of the surfaces so I gave it a good clean with carb cleaner. I was able to clean the jet with a very fine piece of copper wire I had in the garage and then set about reassembling it all.










Since it was late by this time I decided not to try and run it  Instead my friend came over at lunchtime today to test it so we filled the big bucket with water and dropped the prop in. It chugged into life on the second pull of the chord and within a few minutes was ticking over nicely with the choke off. It was still stalling when falling back to idle, so I tweaked the idle screw slightly and it was good as gold. Throttle response was good, didn't seem to bog down and it was no longer cutting out 😄 Great success. My friend is pleased as it's saved him a £150 rebuild cost and a 6 week wait, not to mention lots of rowing  Hoping to get out again for more fettling later this evening


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## DCLane (19 Jun 2020)

Collected my retro GT MTB today from storage after 3 months with no access. It's been cleaned and will be put on sale later. Whilst I like it I've only ridden 8 miles in 3 years, which is far too little for an all-original bike:


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Jun 2020)

Put some air in a tyre. That is British Cycling level 1 ride leader accreditation achieved.


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## MonsterEnergy (19 Jun 2020)

DCLane said:


> Collected my retro GT MTB today from storage after 3 months with no access. It's been cleaned and will be put on sale later. Whilst I like it I've only ridden 8 miles in 3 years, which is far too little for an all-original bike:
> 
> View attachment 530997


are you going to get a new bike once u've sold it


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## DCLane (19 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> are you going to get a new bike once u've sold it



It was to be used as a 'snow' bike with studded tyres. Instead I used my Raleigh Pioneer which also has them and this was never used. Local shopping trips were on the Dawes Kingpin I have or my Raleigh and I can't ride off-road any more due to past injuries.

Having recently bought a new track bike and re-built a 'spare' track bike we're also building a hillclimb bike for my son so have run out of space. When that's done there's the Dawes Kingpin to upgrade. Something needs to go!


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## rogerzilla (20 Jun 2020)

I fitted the brakes to the Bob Griffin, which I've turned into a flat bar singlespeed. Centre-pulls with smooth-post pads are not easy to set up. Did 36 miles on it this morning. It's brutally efficient and totally silent when pedalling. The White Industries freewheel can wake the dead, though...but thar's half the point of buying one.


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## DCLane (20 Jun 2020)

Son's tub blew whilst we were out having a practice on the TT bikes this morning, so swapped wheels with mine and sent him on his way. A 30mph blow-out was 'interesting' apparently 

Old tub removed, replacement to go on later.

We also dropped the bars on his TT bike: I was convinced they were too high so dropped them 1". We _may_ lower them further by swapping the stem over or taking spacers off the larger part of Argon's 3D headset but the tool's got to arrive to do that. Once happy the steerer can be cut.


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## Gunk (20 Jun 2020)

I fitted the inner and outer brake cables to my CB project, all the work has really paid off (about 4 hours of restoration on the brakes alone) the 60 year old Weinmann Vainqueur 999 centre pulls are now as smooth as my modern 105's.


----------



## palinurus (20 Jun 2020)

palinurus said:


> The tape generally holds out a couple of days. Tried to effect a permanent repair with a cable tie but it didn't work out (with practice I bet I could make it work, but I only had one cable tie long enough). Ordered a new shifter.



Fixed it proper now. Bonus: I found I could fit the new shifter without having to remove bar grips, brake lever and without having to remove the cable (I pulled the barrel end with some pointy pliers and after a few attempts got it to seat inside the lever)


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## palinurus (20 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> I made my own headset press this morning, cost me £170 less than the Park Tools press! £3 for the M8 threaded bar, the 17mm nuts and M8 washers I already had, and I used a couple of large sockets from my tool box.
> 
> View attachment 530680



More sophisticated than mine!


----------



## palinurus (20 Jun 2020)

Someone dumped a small table outside our flat. Ms P rescued it, it's quite handy as a sort of portable laptop table (when you have two people trying to work from home in a small flat it's useful)

The top was scratched so I sanded it down, stained it and then finished it off with some floor oil samples in sachets I've had for quite a while.


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## Gunk (20 Jun 2020)

palinurus said:


> More sophisticated than mine!
> 
> View attachment 531234



Same principle though!


----------



## C R (20 Jun 2020)

palinurus said:


> More sophisticated than mine!
> 
> View attachment 531234


People actually sell those in ebay, I wonder who buys them instead of making their own.


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## C R (20 Jun 2020)

New chain for the triban, only about 650 miles, though I kept it reasonably clean, and was only once ridden in the wet.


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## Gunk (20 Jun 2020)

C R said:


> People actually sell those in ebay, I wonder who buys them instead of making their own.



My next job is to make a headset removal tool out of some scrap steel tube, I’m not paying £16 for the same thing


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## Grant Fondo (20 Jun 2020)

DCLane said:


> Collected my retro GT MTB today from storage after 3 months with no access. It's been cleaned and will be put on sale later. Whilst I like it I've only ridden 8 miles in 3 years, which is far too little for an all-original bike:
> 
> View attachment 530997


Lovely! Gave my 1995 Canny a fettle today, same vintage as your GT? Relegated to outdoors storage, 'posh' carbon bikes get the indoor treatment.


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## DCLane (20 Jun 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> Lovely! Gave my 1995 Canny a fettle today, same vintage as your GT? Relegated to outdoors storage, 'posh' carbon bikes get the indoor treatment.



Similar age - mine's a 1991. The buyer turned up late this evening and decided he was too tall. So onto the next buyer on my waiting list!


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## Grant Fondo (20 Jun 2020)

DCLane said:


> Similar age - mine's a 1991. The buyer turned up late this evening and decided he was too tall. So onto the next buyer on my waiting list!


Point him in my direction, mines an XL


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## DCLane (20 Jun 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> Point him in my direction, mines an XL



He was clearly collecting bikes to order for a range of people; mine was no. 6 today. I'm waiting for the next buyer on my list to turn up, probably tomorrow. If not I've got a long waiting list.

Edit: I forgot it was going on eBay. Sold in 2 minutes at my 'buy now' price. Buyer's already paid and is collecting Wednesday.


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## Rickshaw Phil (21 Jun 2020)

Six bikes cleaned, four chains mickled, one front derailleur adjusted and set up properly, kick stand tightened, bar tape secured, missing pedal reflector replaced.

Yesterday's fettling on my own and family members bikes. My dad has shown an interest in getting his bike out for the first time in years so that has had a check over and clean up. It's hardly been ridden so apart from dirt and slight corrosion from being in store, it's in good order. I discovered a fundamental error in the fitting of the front derailleur which would have been glaringly obvious if not hidden behind the full length chainguard ('tweren't me). He now has all gears available.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (21 Jun 2020)

Fettled my stem to a shorter one and although it wasn't an uncomfortable position it instantly became more relaxed, had some offsized 3mm and 2mm spacers so they were swapped around with a 5mm essentially lowering the bars 2mm..

Would barely be noticeable


----------



## roley poley (21 Jun 2020)

fitted a bb7 and rotor on the front of my genesis day one 20 ,never been happy with the promax that it came with for stopping power,the rear is fine.Rode round and round the empty sports centre car park to test and settle it in .WHAT'S THAT DOUBLE CLICKY NOISE ! !?? well after all I could think of to find it ,seating of caliper ? bearings?pad space?watch the park tool vid again ,more tea ,fag on doorstep...you know when a tyre has been moulded and there are tiny little thin stalks of rubber left sticking out of the tread from the injection process........they are just long enough to tap a mudguard and do your head in...nipped back with nail scissors in 2 min ...The brakes are fine,and sunday dinner tastes better


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## Gunk (21 Jun 2020)

Picked up a very nice used 1970's wheelset and finished off my CB project (fitted chain, adjusted brakes, gears etc)





















Just the bar tape to do and then it's ready for proper maiden ride!


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## Gunk (21 Jun 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> Lovely! Gave my 1995 Canny a fettle today, same vintage as your GT? Relegated to outdoors storage, 'posh' carbon bikes get the indoor treatment.
> View attachment 531266



I really like that!


----------



## Grant Fondo (21 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Picked up a very nice used 1970's wheelset and finished off my CB project (fitted chain, adjusted brakes, gears etc)
> View attachment 531473
> 
> 
> ...


Spent the last few hours fiddling around with an 11 speed ultegra block (which fell apart), nice to see a good old fashioned 5 speeder


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (21 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Picked up a very nice used 1970's wheelset and finished off my CB project (fitted chain, adjusted brakes, gears etc)
> View attachment 531473
> 
> 
> ...


Did you clean them up? If not, the wheels have been very well looked after!


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## Gunk (21 Jun 2020)

No that’s how I bought them. Lovely chap, just down the road. He’d owned the bike from new it had only done 500 miles in 40 years


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## carlosfandangus (21 Jun 2020)

Not been on my bike all week, first week back at work and I have not got the energy or inclination, however the lad across the road went past today and did a u turn, his brakes were not working again!!! he has grown into his dads MTB, it will need pads soon (cable disks) a small adjustment to the in board (fixed) pads and he was on his way.
He did show me his wounds while he waited.... he had gone over the bars on one of the local BMX tracks, he now knows, don't sit on your bike at speed when going over the first "lump" he went straight over the bars at the top!!! lesson learned, it has not put him of cycling in the slightest


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## roley poley (21 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Picked up a very nice used 1970's wheelset and finished off my CB project (fitted chain, adjusted brakes, gears etc)
> View attachment 531473
> 
> 
> ...


the refreshing sight of a 5 speed block


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## Grant Fondo (22 Jun 2020)

roley poley said:


> the refreshing sight of a 5 speed block


On my usual (flat) route i probably dont use 18 of the possible gears anyway. I used to cycle all around Dorset on a 5 speed, granted the legs were in better nick, but gears today are surely overkill. I have got 3 bikes with 74 gears between them! Kudos to the 5 speed


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## jowwy (22 Jun 2020)

I've been fettling the wall fixings for the sun canopy over the decking before this weeks heat wave kicks in........


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## Gunk (22 Jun 2020)

Sorted out all the crap I'd accumulated over the years, organised it and boxed it all up so I can find stuff rather than buying more of the same. Quite satisfying.


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## JhnBssll (22 Jun 2020)

I've just had an interesting fettle, building an acoustic damper for the front bedroom window  Before anyone gets excited, it's to stop road noise coming in, not other noise escaping 

The local major A road is closing overnight for 6 weeks and diverting passed ours, so we'll have lorries rumbling through the village for the foreseeable. When it has happened in the past for the odd day or two we have accepted a bad nights sleep, but this doesnt seem like a good option for 6 weeks on the trot  We've got new windows being installed in 10 days time with acoustic glass, but I figured I would build something semi-permanent in addition that could be removed and stored for next time the road closes.

I ordered a batch of 24 12" square acoustic foam tiles last week; they came vaccuum packed so it has taken a few days for them to regain their shape and size  I also picked up 3 sheets of 12mm MDF from the local builders merchant and some slide bolts. Screws, hinges etc I had already in the garage.

Anyway, here's what I've come up with - just needs some paint now 






When removed the only sign of it will be the two top slide bolt latches, the ones at the sides are hidden behind the curtains. I've made the right hand side panel come out on it's own so we can easily whip it out and open the window to get some fresh air during the day. Overnight we'll have the aircon running which was installed a few weeks back, also in preparation for a summer of closed windows 






And here is a view in the gap between window and acoustic foam 





I have to say it works rather well  Once bolted in, you can hear more road noise from the next room than you can through the window  Hopefully it'll be enough to take the edge off so we can get some sleep


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## Leaway2 (22 Jun 2020)

I replaced the bearings in my Mavic freehub (again). Found a pair of Dunlop bearings on Ebay for £3.95 with free postage. I ordered them on Friday and they arrived this (Monday) morning by 1st class post.
So a "big up" for National bearings.


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## BianchiVirgin (22 Jun 2020)

Stripped and checked my BB and gave it a fresh bath of grease. Weather was crap yesterday so didn't get out in the morning to double check it. Nor today.


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## JhnBssll (22 Jun 2020)

Just popped out to the garage to remove the front tyre from the Bianchi. It's almost brand new but has developed a bulge which creates an alarming looking wobble. I've contact Wiggle customer services in order to return it but am not expecting a quick turn around, and they appear to have none in stock anyway. I had a look around at the other shops I frequent and none of them appear to have them in either, so I've ordered one from Mantel in Holland  Once Wiggle get around to replacing the defective one I'll pop it on the shelf as a spare  Anyway, new tyre is due to arrive on Wednesday so figured I'd get this one removed and the rim cleaned up in preparation.

Wheel all cleaned up after the tubeless waltz had been completed 






Heres the defective tyre, a Conti GP5000 TL - you can see it's barely been used, I'd say it's done less than a hundred miles from new.






And here's the Bianchi, missing a wheel and wondering when she'll get ridden again 






I need to get some more miles in on her before I decide whether to drop the stem slightly, but it's a pretty involved process with the internal cable routing so I don't want to have to do it too many times


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## Gunk (22 Jun 2020)

I bet you’re in that garage because you can’t sleep, it’s too quiet!


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## MonsterEnergy (23 Jun 2020)

completed a 5.35mi cycle in 25minutes. 
Is this good for a 15 year old? Considering it was quite alot uphill


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## fossyant (23 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> completed a 5.35mi cycle in 25minutes.
> Is this good for a 15 year old? Considering it was quite alot uphill



Wrong thread


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (23 Jun 2020)

Replaced the old (and perishing) brake hoods on my Condor Pista with new Cane Creek ones I’d ordered on spec from the US (only place that stocked the old style, which Condor told me their brake levers were based on). Good news is they fitted no problem.

Next job is to strip some rust off both seat stays where clip on mudguards rubbed off the paint, then repaint. Rust remover arrived from Halfords last week, touch-up paint arrived from Condor yesterday. Now, just need to work out whether I can be bothered to do it today in the blazing sunshine...


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## MonsterEnergy (23 Jun 2020)

fossyant said:


> Wrong thread


does it matter


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## slow scot (23 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> does it matter


Yes it does matter. You don't want to find that things are in the wrong place, do you?
As you get older these things will matter more, as they now do to many of us on the forum.
But good on you for your ride. Post it on the "Your ride today" thread, and then more people will see it.


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## MonsterEnergy (23 Jun 2020)

slow scot said:


> Yes it does matter. You don't want to find that things are in the wrong place, do you?
> As you get older these things will matter more, as they now do to many of us on the forum.
> But good on you for your ride. Post it on the "Your ride today" thread, and then more people will see it.


okay...sorry about that
where abouts is that


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## fossyant (23 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> does it matter



Yes, because you'd get no answers.


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## fossyant (23 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> okay...sorry about that
> where abouts is that



Use SEARCH above right !


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## si_c (23 Jun 2020)

Fitted the new wheels to the bike yesterday after picking them up from the LBS. First set of carbon wheels I've had so I'll have to see how they compare to my handbuilts.


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## jowwy (23 Jun 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> completed a 5.35mi cycle in 25minutes.
> Is this good for a 15 year old? Considering it was quite alot uphill


Welcome to the forum young lad, its good to see your out riding.........i have added a link to the thread you require. 

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-ride-today.173254/

ignore the oldies


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## chriswoody (23 Jun 2020)

The other week I purchased a bleed kit for SRAM from epic bleed solutions after seeing a few recommendations on here amongst others. At almost 40% cheaper than the official SRAM kit I thought it was worth a punt. So last week I made an attempt to bleed my back brake and the kit failed big time. The junction between the pipe and the screw on adapter failed under pressure and DOT 5 fluid went everywhere. Luckily the floor of my cellar is concrete and the fluid on the frame cleaned up with alcohol, so no harm done. I fired off an email to them straight away and they responded the next working day. Apologising and promising to send some new adapters immediately. The new adapters landed in my postbox yesterday morning, I really can't fault their customer service, so tonight was attempt number two.

I'm pleased to say it all went like a charm. It's a bit of a fiddly process, but strangely calming, slowly pulling and pushing the plungers to expel the air and exchange the fluid. I followed a combination of instructions including the excellent video from GCN. I've not completely finished, because I've some new pads arriving tomorrow, so once their fitted, I'll take the bike for a shakedown spin around the local streets. However, the lever certainly felt firmer and there was a lot of bubbles in the Syringes after I'd finished.

I've also fitted a new chain, after nearly 3000km I figured it must be time, even though the chair wear checker says it's in fine fettle, I don't want it to wear to the point where I'll need a new cassette as well.


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## roubaixtuesday (23 Jun 2020)

The Mystery of the Creaking Tandem. 

For the last couple of months, the tandem has had an annoying minor creak, or tick. Bitter past experience of cracked frames tells me not to ignore such noises.

On a normal bike they can be hard to solve, but on a tandem with double the pedals, chains, cranks, bottom brackets etc it's a proper detective job. 

It didn't happen when free wheeling. 

First job: tighten chain ring bolts. No joy. 

2nd job: tighten crank bolts. No joy. 

3rd job: try cycling out of the saddle, one at a time (not an easy exercise, by the way)... BINGO! Stoker out of the saddle stops the creak. 

4th job: WD40 on saddle fixings. No joy. Find twisting the saddle replicates the creak. 

5th job: remove saddle. It's a Brooks, so has metal to metal contact at nose. Lube that. Thoroughly grease rails and fixing bolts. Refit. No joy.

6th job: Seat post is a thud buster, so there's plenty of scope for creaks there. WD40 to all exposed joints. No joy. 

7th job: Need to isolate to saddle or seat post. Fit different saddle. Creak remains. BINGO! It's the thud buster. 

8th job: The thud buster can be split apart, 6 Allen bolts. Loosen them one by one... four in, creak disappears. Loosen the last two, WD40 into the split. Re tighten. Still no creak. BINGO! Solved!!

9th job: Refit original saddle. 

10th job: whoop for joy, lift tandem onto wall rack, retire for shower and beer.


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## fossyant (23 Jun 2020)

jowwy said:


> Welcome to the forum young lad, its good to see your out riding.........i have added a link to the thread you require.
> 
> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-ride-today.173254/
> 
> ignore the oldies



He's been here for ages - we've been offering loads of advice.


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## ColinJ (24 Jun 2020)

I was about to tackle replacing the bearings on my singlespeed bike's rear wheel today when a pal texted me to see if I was in. He was going stir-crazy sitting around at home and asked if he could come and sit in my sunny back yard for a chat and a cuppa. He is a pensioner now but used to be a bike mechanic so I got him to do the bearings for me while he was here. Before I put the freehub back on I moved the sprocket over by one spacer to correct the chainline which had been put slightly out recently when I fitted a shorter bottom bracket.

The chainline is perfect again and a minor rumble from the wheel bearings has now gone BUT I still have not eliminated the annoying ticking noise that started me off on the various jobs on the singlespeed... Drat!

It feels better with its new BB, chain, and wheel bearings, but I MUST track down that noise and eliminate it! 

My suspicions now turn back to the chainring bolts. 3 of them are tight, but the other 2 have rounded hex heads so the allen key isn't gripping them and I therefore can't check that they are tight too, or tighten them if they aren't. I'll have to get them out somehow and put in some new ones. It looks like being too hot for riding during the day tomorrow so I'll try to do the job in the afternoon and go for a test ride in the evening when it should be cooler.


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## avecReynolds531 (24 Jun 2020)

It's always a happy feeling when new brake blocks are fitted. Done this morning with the cables adjusted & lubricated. The V brakes on the bike have plenty of stopping power & are within my (laughable) level of bike mechanics. 

Tyres were topped up with a Silca Pista which I've had since the Romans wore sandals - I say thank you everytime for decades of great service and a company that allow you to buy spare parts, rather than bin and buy another. 

I heard it said that the steel barrel of the Silca is a Columbus frame tube - could be?


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## DCBassman (24 Jun 2020)

Fitted new Charge Spoon to the Scott, and prepped for a longish (for me) ride. This included resetting the Cateye computer to 209cm wheel circumference, as the recommended 211 is giving way more distance covered than GPS.


avecReynolds531 said:


> I heard it said that the steel barrel of the Silca is a Columbus frame tube - could be?


Now I must try to acquire one of these, just for that fact!


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## roley poley (24 Jun 2020)

adjusted the bearings on the Nexus 8 that was a faff about ...they are done on the LEFT side for anyone who may want to do it in the future don't even think about going in on the drive side.. much easier rolling now thankyou... quite obvious really with the gift of hindsight


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## ianrauk (24 Jun 2020)

Up early this morning to strip down and clean/relube/grease/oil the Ti commuter. Also put in some new disc brake pads. 
Boy it was hot in the garage.


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## JhnBssll (24 Jun 2020)

just spent a sweaty 30 mins in the garage fitting the new GP5000 TL to the Bianchi, boy those things are tight  Anyway I got it on, sealant in and inflated so will check on it again later 

Next job I noticed the koi were up at the top of the pond and the airflow appeared lower than usual from the oxygenation pump. Opened it up quickly and found one of the bellows had split, had a spare part in the cupboard so swapped it over and its back up to full capacity now 😊 Hopefully the fishies will be a little happier shortly


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## Gunk (24 Jun 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> just spent a sweaty 30 mins in the garage fitting the new GP5000 TL to the Bianchi, boy those things are tight  Anyway I got it on, sealant in and inflated so will check on it again later
> 
> Next job I noticed the koi were up at the top of the pond and the airflow appeared lower than usual from the oxygenation pump. Opened it up quickly and found one of the bellows had split, had a spare part in the cupboard so swapped it over and its back up to full capacity now 😊 Hopefully the fishies will be a little happier shortly



It's a fettlefest John! 

I'm taking it easy today, did some work this morning and in anticipation of a very hot motorcycle ride tomorrow morning to Hungerford to meet some pals (I must be mad!) I checked the oil level and tyre pressures, took all the linings out of my textile jacket and opened all the vents.


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## rogerzilla (26 Jun 2020)

Rebuilt some M324 SPD pedals. I have the tool but it doesn't help one jot with placing 14 tiny bearings, as a neat ring, in a race deeply recessed into the body. I can see why few people bother!


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## DCBassman (26 Jun 2020)

Stripped and rebuilt the Scott's rear hub after finding the drive side cone loose. Fixed, and nice to know it's serviced.


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## roley poley (26 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Rebuilt some M324 SPD pedals. I have the tool but it doesn't help one jot with placing 14 tiny bearings, as a neat ring, in a race deeply recessed into the body. I can see why few people bother!


tweezers in the toolkit help stubby fingered me


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## rogerzilla (26 Jun 2020)

Got it down to 15 mins now. I have a small pointy thing from a jeweller's toolkit that I accidentally magnetised (weakly). It holds a ball on the point until it gets stuck in the grease.


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2020)

I am still struggling to extract the 2 damaged chainring bolts on my singlespeed bike to check my hypothesis that the annoying ticking noise that I am hearing under load on that bike is due to being unable to tighten those bolts. 

I had an idea which might support the hypothesis - to lube the bolts and the interface between the spider and the ring. Maybe by making the various bits of metal slippery, any slight movement between them may be steady and silent rather than sudden and noisy?

I have been waiting for a thunderstorm to pass over and conditions to cool. I'll nip out on the bike later to see if it still ticks!

I still need to replace the bolts but will be in less of a hurry if I can get the bike to STFU in the meantime! 

While I was at it, I discovered that the bolt holding the chain tensioner's jockey wheel on was loose so I tightened it. I lost a jockey wheel bolt on a ride once and it was a real show-stopper - I searched the road for many metres for the missing bolt but there was no sign of it. In the end I scooted home on the bike, a distance of about 5 kms. At least I have avoided that happening this time.


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## BianchiVirgin (26 Jun 2020)

Sort of accidentally solved a creaking match yesterday that I was nearly convincing myself was from the BB. However, given that it is a Wheels Manufacturing BB I wasn't convinced enough, rather still suspicious it was from the rear wheel somewhere. The wheels have about 10000km on them and may be getting a bit long in the tooth. Anyway, got a puncture yesterday, first one in forever, and when refitting the back wheel I tightened the skewer another half turn. Result. End of creak .


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## Gunk (26 Jun 2020)

Reunited the original mech and shifter on my CB project.


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## DCLane (26 Jun 2020)

Replacement tyre taped onto my son's disc wheel after his tub tyre exploded on Saturday.

Having also had a blow-out on Wednesday I fitted a new GP4000S to my road bike.

Then glued two used tubs onto a pair track wheels I bought to go onto the Fuji Track Classic: that gives me track wheels and I'll use the current ones to put cross tyres on for grasstrack. Also re-greased the wheels; they're in decent condition considering the hubs are dated 1975 and 1977.


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2020)

I've been for a test ride...


ColinJ said:


> I had an idea which might support the hypothesis - to lube the bolts and the interface between the spider and the ring. Maybe by making the various bits of metal slippery, any slight movement between them may be steady and silent rather than sudden and noisy?


As soon as I rode up a little hill, the ticking started! So, the lubing hadn't done much good. But... 5 kms down the road it occurred to me that the noise was getting quieter, and also less frequent. By the end of the 18 km ride I reckon the intensity and frequency of the ticking had reduced by about two thirds. The lube must have been slowly worked into places where the ticking was originating from.

It will help for now, but I must replace those damaged chainring bolts ASAP.



ColinJ said:


> While I was at it, I discovered that the bolt holding the chain tensioner's jockey wheel on was loose so I tightened it.


There is a metal hoop round the chain, attached either side of the jockey wheel. It had been touching the chain, which is why I noticed that the fixing bolt was loose. When I tightened the bolt I made sure that the hoop no longer contacted the chain. On this evening's ride I noticed that the chain movement was quieter than it had been. (Hardly surprising really!)


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## JhnBssll (26 Jun 2020)

Gave the XR4 a clean this evening followed by its first coat of matt protector wax  Always a good way to while away a few hours 































While the wheels were out i also put some protective tape on the back of the seat tube to keep the paint in good nick. I was getting a slight squeal from the front brake just as I came to a stop so I also took the opportunity to take the pads out and give them a light sand. They had a slight glaze so hopefully they'll bed back in on the next ride. I also cleaned the disc with some isopropyl alcohol to make sureits not contaminated with grime  Raining tomorrow judging by the forecast but I'm due to be riding with a friend on Sunday morning so will see if its solved it then


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## roley poley (27 Jun 2020)

tried my old but good pedals out on the genisis with toe clips and straps now I know why I gave them up over 10 years ago 'orrible foot clamps will ride them as platforms and have a better safer time


----------



## Tenacious Sloth (27 Jun 2020)

I’m going to treat the Ti to a new BB and chain today.

The DuraAce 9100 BB has done just over 8,500 dry miles since I built the bike a couple of years ago and has recently started clicking. It doesn’t feel bad but I’m fairly sure it’s the bottom bracket as, with the bike in the stand and turning the crank by pushing on the crank arms I can still hear a faint click. This rules out chainset, peddles, saddle rails, seatpost and headset. I also get the click if I change to the small chainring.
The chainring bolts are tight and the chain doesn’t appear to have any stiff links, so...

i was going to change it last week, but it turns out the BBR9100 requires a different tool to BBR60 as, even though they look identical to the naked eye, there is a couple of mm difference in the diameter.

Shimano are the best when it comes to fleecing the maximum amount of cash out of cyclists with their groupset upgrade path. I’m sure they could knock out DuraAce for a fraction of the current cost if that was all they had to tool up for. I imagine they make quite a bit from cyclists upgrading groupset components.

Anyway, I thought I’d replace the chain for a new one while I’m at it. I tend to favour the KMC X11EL over the shimano offerings so have a new one of those.

Is it just me who loves a nice new shiny chain fresh out of the packet?


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## silva (27 Jun 2020)

Bought thursday a steel rear rack extender for 2 euro.
It was a poor build, seem common these days, the side parts to keep bags etc away from the wheel had alot wiggle room, like 4-5 cm on their farest point, due to too long bolts, only 5 mm thread, undeep cross bolt heads, closed nuts and even plastic or whatever washer-looking soft plastic or rubber parts between the steel parts. On top of that, even rubber end caps on the frame tubes, through which the bolts also went. 
As such, little to no tensioning was possible.

So I decided to dump those soft washers and to replace the bolts/nuts with better and correct length ones.
The original M5 bolts also went through holes that were abit too wide, so I arrived at the idea of tapping out them out to M6 using all 3 of a set of metric taps. So quite some work, 4 x 3 =12 times tapping.
The steel appeared thick enough to make that suffice on its own, still I decided to put nuts on top of them.
Result of the work is a very stiff and strong frame:






The welding of the steel tubing is also poor. Strong enough for the job, but it could have done better (longer welds). The main problem is that alot inner area is exposed to rust. So I will have to paint those places, or cover them with silicone.
Over some weeks vacation. I will then try to mount this frame on the bike in my avatar, that currently is extended by alu triangles, held in place with belts and polyester/nylon strapping.
I already had to reinforce the whole (used stainless construction torsion steel bars for it)
This rear frame extender would make it alot more proper looking than now.
At the price of some added weight (due to steel).
In order to support the back (alot weight can be there), I'll see if I can connect the lower parts of the bag supports to the bikes frame somehow and on top of the light support frame part, at the lowest point also a connection, as to get rid of the leverage weight can get.


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## Gunk (28 Jun 2020)

Inspired by an idea from @raleighnut Ive made a fixed cup removal tool, this grips the cup and when you tighten it, as the cup
has a left hand thread, it removes it.


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## raleighnut (28 Jun 2020)

Gunk said:


> Inspired by an idea from @raleighnut Ive made a fixed cup removal tool, this grips the cup and when you tighten it, as the cup has a left hand thread, it removes it.
> View attachment 532874
> 
> View attachment 532875


I's not my idea, I think I read it first on Sheldon Brown but it certainly works.


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## stoatsngroats (28 Jun 2020)

Having moved, I’ve secured the bikes with a ground anchor, and made a place for the panniers to stay. I just have to make time to give the bikes a good clean, and then when the ‘new home’ jobs are done, we’ll be able to cycle again!


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## philtalksbx (28 Jun 2020)

Started stripping a Raleigh Record Ace frame that I may swap the gear from my Claud Butler onto if it comes up nicely. It was a nice price on eBay, even in the current market and reasonably local, so resistance was useless.
It had a dent in the top tube and I had tried finding some frame rolling blocks or maybe finding some way of making my own. In the end I was rooting through a parts bin and found an old stem that was just about the right size. I cut it in half, clamped it in a workmate and found it did a decent job at reducing the depth of the dent. Happy days.





The result on the frame dent was pretty good.





That should come up well enough with some primer-filler, so what the hell, into it with the Nitromors.....


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## Jenkins (29 Jun 2020)

A few little jobs this morning while waiting for a sold bike to be collected.

New Charge Spoon saddle fitted to the Van Nicholas commuter replacing an older, scruffy one.
The replaced saddle was moved over to my Giant flatbar and I also finally got round to changing the chainrings on this bike from the standard 50/34 to a 48/36 combination.
Replaced the bottom bracket on the Spa Elan. First Hollowtech (BBR60 and came with the tool adapter) I've done and it was a bit disconcerting when I couldn't unscrew the plastic disc from the crank at first. A quick re-run of the YouTube video I'd checked when I ordered the BB revealed my error - it's crank bolts first, remove spacer THEN undo plastic disc. After that it was plain sailing - off with the old, on with the new and refit cranks, etc, followed by a quick test ride later in the afternoon.


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## Bad Machine (30 Jun 2020)

My daughter said she was sure her Dad could help, rather than him having to take it to Halfords. Symptoms = "It wasn't changing gear properly". Remedy - "my Dad could have a look, he's on furlough".
So I got to work on her friend's Carerra Crossfire this evening. Front mech had slid down, and the rear mech had taken a bash, putting the limit screws at different angles. 






The poor lad whose bike it was wasn't having a good week, having had a car accident on Monday. I'm not sure how long the threads on the rear mech will hold the limit screws, but everything works again, properly. Whilst I had it, the brakes benefitted from winding the pads in a little, and improving the tension on the cables. Tyres back up to pressure. Not difficult, but I know my daughter will take some pleasure in handing it back to him, knowing her Dad did that.


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## tom73 (30 Jun 2020)

Our pantry has always been a bit of mess and it’s not played well with my ocd. 
It mostly has always doubled are tool store and other useful rammel. Most of the storage in the past has not really worked and not really fitted well. Now with added bike tools time was right for right solution. So had a look on ikea site found something and they arrived yesterday. So built them up and today refined what went in what place. 2 wall mounted storage units later and now one tidy pantry and one happy me. Also built up the replacement chair for the living room desk.

Then spent the afternoon giving the hound a fur cut. Been a while since I’ve done one and our last
dog was not the happiest at having it done either and had less fur due to his health conditions.
This one however just let’s you do want you want though he is a bit fidget. All in all I’ve not done bad.


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## Nigelnightmare (1 Jul 2020)

tom73 said:


> Our pantry has always been a bit of mess and it’s not played well with my ocd.
> It mostly has always doubled are tool store and other useful rammel. Most of the storage in the past has not really worked and not really fitted well. Now with added bike tools time was right for right solution. So had a look on ikea site found something and they arrived yesterday. So built them up and today refined what went in what place. 2 wall mounted storage units later and now one tidy pantry and one happy me. Also built up the replacement chair for the living room desk.
> 
> Then spent the afternoon giving the hound a fur cut. Been a while since I’ve done one and our last
> ...



Never mind the "cowboy's", your poor little dog has to watch out for the "Indian scalp hunters".
My little Shi-Tzu is very laid back & easy going, she just lays in whatever position you put her in while you cut her hair.


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## si_c (1 Jul 2020)

Went for a ride between meetings today and the front disc brake on the kinesis had developed a monster screech. 

Took the pads out and they were almost completely glazed over on both sides so five minutes with a file and some brake cleaner and the howl has gone.

Checked the caliper alignment and it wasn't great, I'd futzed with it at the road side after getting my new wheels so spent another couple of mins fixing that too.


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## philtalksbx (2 Jul 2020)

I put a Campagnolo Veloce triple crankset onto the Claud now that the ISO bottom bracket has come. The bracket is a Centaur at 111mm. The crankset looks lovely. 

The problem is getting the front mech to match up - its the Exage 300 that was on the bike originally, and there are two things I am struggling with.

The small ring on the crankset is 30 teeth and the mech is rubbing at the lower rear on the horizontal section, not the sides, so it seems to be too high for the vertical chain position. If I push it out manually it is at the right height to just clear the big ring, so I can't lower it. I guess the cage is too short for the 30 tooth crank and a longer version is required. Also, the mech doesn't seem to have the range on the high limit screw to make the full traverse needed for the triple. Lower limit screw is set ok, but the crank still has quite a bit of clearance to the frame. I wondered about a narrower bottom bracket but have only found ISO versions down to 107mm so far and the 2mm move inboard isn't going to change much as the outer face of the cage barely passes the big chainring at the moment.

So, are there specific front mechs with longer cages and wider limit screw range that will do a triple crank? I'm familiar with different cage lengths on rear mechs but this is a bit new for me at the front. The shifter is a downtube friction model so there are no issues with range or compatibility there. Rear mech is a Dura-Ace 7700 and the cassette is a 7 speed (at the moment but plan to go to 9 speed later on.)


----------



## JhnBssll (2 Jul 2020)

Several reports of the tabs breaking off the quarter turn mounts of the Karoo computers so I decided to copy a modification I'd seen in the facebook owners group. It seems it was also a regular problem with certain Garmin models, as a product called 'Dog Ears' exists to repair them - essentially a machine aluminium cap that is glued and screwed over the broken garmin mounts.

Since my Karoo isn't actually broken, I didn't fancy the gluing bit. So instead the mod involved making an intermediate metal part that screws to the computer, for the 'dog ears' mount to screw to.

Here's the back of the karoo as standard on the left, and the dog ears cap on the right.






Normally I would CAD something up and get it machined but under the circumstances getting homework done in the lab is tough to justify so I decided to get the hacksaw and files out in the garage instead 😊

I had a look around for scraps of aluminium to use but instead chose one of several spare Hope pad blanks used for bleeding. For whatever reason I've got about 10 of them so figured I wouldn't miss one if it were to accidentally get chopped up  So I drilled a hole in it and screwed it to the back of the computer...






Unfortunately it didnt work, the dog ears kept sliding off - further refinement was going to be needed...






This seemed more promising  I retained the original locating hole to attach the lanyard to. Four holes in total were needed - the original through the middle at a slight angle to bolt it to the computer, one above and one below drilled and tapped for the dog ears to screw to, and one to the right to locate an anti-rotation pin through that locks in to the computer case to stop it spinning round when you try and attach or remove it 

And here it is reassembled in all its dog ears glory 






It's not the most elegant engineering project I've been involved in, but I suspect it will do the job better than the original so I'm happy with it for now, at least until I can come up with something better


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## raleighnut (3 Jul 2020)

philtalksbx said:


> I put a Campagnolo Veloce triple crankset onto the Claud now that the ISO bottom bracket has come. The bracket is a Centaur at 111mm. The crankset looks lovely.
> 
> The problem is getting the front mech to match up - its the Exage 300 that was on the bike originally, and there are two things I am struggling with.
> 
> ...


I get that 'rubbing on a couple of my bikes if I use too small a rear gear when on the inner ring of a triple.At least I know when I'm 'cross chaining' badly and change to the middle ring.


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## Elybazza61 (3 Jul 2020)

Just finished the neighbours Cannondale MTB(with a lefty!0

Basically he bought it for £400 from his brother-in-law and asked me to get it 'useable'

So problems were SRAM brakes were foobard and spares are hard to get,inner plate on XTR rear mech was broken and pulley wheels knackered as was the chain, cassette and chainring(been run 1x with a normal chainring.
Plus wheels a bit out of true.

Now it's sporting some nice XT hydros,FSA narrow/wide chainring(3-bolt FSA cranks so no other options),Sun-Race cassette and Gussett chain;wheels are still wobbly and can't be trued so will need new rims(hubs are XT and lefty front);all for £250.

Oh and I got paid in beer for my labour


----------



## Alembicbassman (3 Jul 2020)

Servicing the hubs on my commuter in the kitchen workshop.


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## Gunk (4 Jul 2020)

As I'm without a current project I'm back to the French Elvish kids bike, just doing some additional jobs to really make it actually useable. Today I fitted a pair of fresh brake cables and swapped the brakes over so the rear is on the left rather than the right. Next will be a replacement rear wheel, freewheel and chain.


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## DCLane (4 Jul 2020)

Finished my son's hillclimb bike project for his 16th birthday; current weight is 5.6kg with some minor tweaks to do which _should_ drop it to 5.5kg.

- Picked up some 1175g 50mm deep carbon wheels; the seller gave me lightweight skewers and carbon pads as well. A nice man.
- Fitted an ultra-lightweight Vittoria Crono Evo-CS 20mm front tub and Continental Competition 22mm rear tub
- Fitted temporary Ultegra pedals
- Adjusted the brakes, which now work. Lighter pads on the way as I don't want to chop down the Swissstop ones.
- Added handlebar tape. It's there, honest: one strip on each down curve, one strip where the cables are 
- Added a Dura-ace 11-28 cassette






Still to tweak; probably one more chain link removed (-4g), Dura-Ace pedals when I find them  (-20g), a lighter stem (-25g), steerer to be cut (-25g), chopped brake pads (-5-10g), brake hoods to be swapped for heat-shrink plastic and possibly the left Dura-Ace lever lightened. The largest / heaviest 46-tooth chainring is fitted; all the others (38/40/42/44 tooth) are lighter.


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## Gunk (4 Jul 2020)

I decided to rescue the knackered 60 year old wheelset which came with my Claud Butler, they were filthy with a couple of broken spokes. The rear hub isn’t worth saving, but the front hub and both rims are. With a wire brush attachment on an electric drill and some wire wool, the rims look surprisingly good.

The plan is to rebuild the front (to test my skills) and then swap the original rear rim on to the replacement hub which is on the bike, I’ve never built wheels before but I’m sure it’s something I can do. The nice thing will be that the bike will have its original rims.


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## Gunk (5 Jul 2020)

Continued with my front wheel build today.

Firstly I cleaned, stripped and serviced the hub with new bearings.






I then cleaned all of the 32 spokes with course wire wool and white spirit 






and then polished the rim with fine wire wool and Autosol






I then found a very good video on YouTube on how to build a 32 spoke wheel, took me a while but here is the result 






With some time and patience, I've managed to get it running straight and true, considering I was going to chuck it away, it is amazing what is possible with some time and effort, total costs = zero!


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## jowwy (5 Jul 2020)

I fettled an extension to the decking to house the hot tub


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## Gunk (5 Jul 2020)

jowwy said:


> I fettled an extension to the decking to house the hot tub
> View attachment 534339
> 
> 
> ...



Did you plant some Pampus Grass in the front garden as well?


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## jowwy (5 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> Did you plant some Pampus Grass in the front garden as well?


No...


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (5 Jul 2020)

Finally got around to fitting the Rene Herse Cayuse Pass 700 x 26mm tyres to my best bike, in place of 23mm Conti 4000s. Went for a quick test ride. Seemed ok - comfortable (not that I noticed the Conti being uncomfortable) and no noticeable difference in speed. Only time will tell on puncture resistance.

Jury still out on whether they are worth £87 each 😭


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## Nigelnightmare (5 Jul 2020)

NotAsGoodAsMyBike said:


> Finally got around to fitting the Rene Herse Cayuse Pass 700 x 26mm tyres to my best bike, in place of 23mm Conti 4000s. Went for a quick test ride. Seemed ok - comfortable (not that I noticed the Conti being uncomfortable) and no noticeable difference in speed. Only time will tell on puncture resistance.
> 
> Jury still out on whether they are worth £87 each 😭


Ouch!!!
I didn't even pay that much for my CAR tyres (£270 for 4 tyres) and they weren't bargain basement ones either.
The cheapy cheapy ones were £40 each inc fitting and disposal of your old ones.

I don't think I've ever paid more than £18 for bike tyres.


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (6 Jul 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Ouch!!!
> I didn't even pay that much for my CAR tyres (£270 for 4 tyres) and they weren't bargain basement ones either.
> The cheapy cheapy ones were £40 each inc fitting and disposal of your old ones.
> 
> I don't think I've ever paid more than £18 for bike tyres.



I reckon at least half the cost is shipping/duty. They’re made in Japan (by Panaracer), then imported into US, then shipped from their to UK, so two sets of costs. I reckon I usually pay about 30-35 for each Conti tyre, but I only buy them every 5 years or so at most. So these cost double and here’s hoping they don’t wear out too quickly!


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## avecReynolds531 (6 Jul 2020)

NotAsGoodAsMyBike said:


> I reckon at least half the cost is shipping/duty. They’re made in Japan (by Panaracer), then imported into US, then shipped from their to UK, so two sets of costs. I reckon I usually pay about 30-35 for each Conti tyre, but I only buy them every 5 years or so at most. So these cost double and here’s hoping they don’t wear out too quickly!


Thanks for posting about the Rene Herse tyres. Could you let us know sometime down the line please - how they are in terms of longevity, punctures & ride quality?


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## rogerzilla (7 Jul 2020)

Rebuilt the back wheel on the Harry Quinn track bike with a better example of a Record Pista hub. Couldn't get bearing adjustment right (you have to do it AFTER tensioning the wheel on hubs with nutted cup and cone hubs). Decided it might be a bent axle although the hub was NOS and unused. Axle looked ok when rolled on a worktop but a used Record Pista axle from my shed totally solved it and proved the NOS one was bent. So that's why no-one ever built it into a wheel!


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Jul 2020)

Not really fettling, but a puzzle to work out. A new ETC Watchman Camera Light arrived this morning which was great and then it came to mount it on the bike which had me scratching my head for a few minutes. The back of the light shell is angled to help aim the camera and this mounts onto the seat post. When mounted on the seat post, the light doesn't leave room for my saddle bag. Not acceptable. Tried lots of permutations and couldn't figure out how to mount the camera light. It wouldn't go on the seat stay as then the lens would be pointing up at the sky. Finally, it came to me to mount the light on my saddle bag using some of the extra rubber bands that came with the light sliding them under the Topeak logo badge on the saddle bag. Success! It was attached. It seems secure (famous last words).

I'm not sure how effective it's going to be though as the saddle bag wobbles quite a lot even when I've got the velcro strap tight on the seat post. I will have to test the camera picture and report back. I may have to find some way to stop the saddle bag wobbling.


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## rogerzilla (8 Jul 2020)

Laced a "Hubsmith" Brompton front hub to the original rim using Brompton (Sapim) superlight spokes. The hub manufacturer recommended doing it x2 like Brompton's own superlight hub, so I did. It almost looks like a normal wheel in the first photo...


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## Alembicbassman (9 Jul 2020)

Finally got the puzzle back together today. Hopefully using it for work soon. Really like the retro Shimano CI Deck dials.


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## LeetleGreyCells (9 Jul 2020)

Re-greased the bearings in the hub of the rear wheel on the Fuji and fitted a new cassette and chain. The old chain desperately needed replacing. First time I'd serviced the bearings so fingers crossed I've done it right. Everything seems OK though... (famous last words!)


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## Jenkins (9 Jul 2020)

Just a basic six bike chain & frame cleaning day today, plus a bit of grease added to the rear wheel bearings of one bike.


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (10 Jul 2020)

Fitted new race blade mudguards to the fixed. Stupidly did so by bending over the bike rather than putting it on a work stand. My back is now spasming painfully so a ride to test clearances will have to wait until tomorrow!


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## DSK (10 Jul 2020)

di2 full groupset upgrade
new bars and tape
Fit new wheels to 2 bikes


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## Gunk (11 Jul 2020)

I gave my son's filthy and neglected mountain bike a well overdue deep clean and service today, I also sorted out a sticking rear brake.

I recently bought a chain keeper, I don't know how I managed without one for so long, a really useful little gadget.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

New insoles


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## avecReynolds531 (11 Jul 2020)

Removed an old chain, cleaned the derailleurs, chainset and freewheel, 
...then measured, cut & fitted the new chain (KMC with quick link),
for the blue bike shown on the left


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## philtalksbx (11 Jul 2020)

The decals for the Record Ace arrived today. 

That meant a final colour coat and then very (VERY) careful application with a lot of lining up assistance from Mrs P. The result is beyond what I hoped for, so here are the first pictures of the frame. 

A bit of context and a disclaimer first - this is not going to be a faithful restoration project as it will be fitted with the slightly more modern kit (Dura-Ace 7700 9 speed, love it!) currently running on a 90's Claud Butler frame. I thought long and hard about the pale green colour scheme and just didn't fancy it. The decals, which would still salute its origins, are black and gold so I went for a Ford white for crispness and universal availability for future repairs. I'm sure its not to everyone's taste but I think it looks lovely....


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## JhnBssll (11 Jul 2020)

Taking the new XR4 out for a spin tomorrow so gave it a once over this evening. The front brake was still under-performing so I sanded the rotor and bedded it back in, much better now.

Before and after sanding:











I then put some air in the tyres, checked the chain and re-paired some sensors after my cycling computer did a software update earlier 😊

I still can't get over how clean the lines are on this bike with no cables in the way


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## Gunk (12 Jul 2020)

I collected and cleaned up my new purchase, plus touched in some knocks and scratches on the frame.






I deep cleaned and serviced it, it didn't need much just plenty of lube.






I then swapped the Brookes for my Selle Italia SLR (much lighter and far more comfortable)











Bar tape next, I hate white, so I'm fitting Cinelli cork in black, when Amazon deliver it later. I also found a new home for the Brooks, nothing like a bit of upcycling! I loosened off the tension bolt and it's now OK, not as comfortable as the standard Brompton saddle, but when it looks this good who cares!


----------



## silva (12 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I am still struggling to extract the 2 damaged chainring bolts on my singlespeed bike to check my hypothesis that the annoying ticking noise that I am hearing under load on that bike is due to being unable to tighten those bolts.
> 
> I had an idea which might support the hypothesis - to lube the bolts and the interface between the spider and the ring. Maybe by making the various bits of metal slippery, any slight movement between them may be steady and silent rather than sudden and noisy?
> 
> ...


A ticking noise on that place is usually a chainring worn more than the chain. If you pedaling out of the saddle, and bend forwards, does the noise change/disappear?
A quarter mount rotation of the chainring may then make the noise go when in the saddle.


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## ColinJ (12 Jul 2020)

silva said:


> A ticking noise on that place is usually a chainring worn more than the chain. If you pedaling out of the saddle, and bend forwards, does the noise change/disappear?
> A quarter mount rotation of the chainring may then make the noise go when in the saddle.


I was thinking along those lines myself. 

If I am pedalling fairly gently the noise is absent. Once I put more effort in, it starts. It happens when my right pedal is at about 5 o'clock (looking from the chainring side). I climbed out of the saddle the other day to confirm that the saddle and seatpost were not culprits - I still got the noise. I can modify it by varying my pedalling style.

I'll take the chain off tomorrow and look at the chainring. If I spot any burrs on the teeth, I'll file them off and see if that fixes the problem.

I still have a stuck chainring bolt so I would have to sort that out before rotating or replacing the ring.


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## Gunk (13 Jul 2020)

Up early as usual (bloody birds!) so grabbed a coffee and changed the bar tape.


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## Gunk (14 Jul 2020)

Fitted a nicer SA 3 speed shifter to the Brompton this morning


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## DCLane (14 Jul 2020)

Today a couple of parts arrived to (almost) finish the PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb project:

- Found the lost Dura-Ace pedals (in the shed, by the door  ) so fitted them instead of the Ultegra ones (-10g)
- A carbon 42T chainring swapped for the existing 46T steel one I'd used as a 'chain limit' guide
- Stem arrived so swapped it with the Zipp one we'd used on the original build (110g vs. 140g = -30g)
- Blue lighter carbon-specific brake pads fitted front and rear (about -10g)

The steerer's still to be cut at the LBS and brake hoods swapped for heat-shrink plastic but we're almost there. Test hillclimb this Friday.






As my 16yo's hopefully getting a team bike for 2021 I'm going to be putting my NeilPryde Nazare back to original later then try selling it as I'll use his current Cervelo S3. Anyone want an Ultegra-equipped 2015 race bike in Small?


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## roubaixtuesday (14 Jul 2020)

Rear cantis on the tandem. We're going to the Alps next week  so they need to be right.

But is there anything more frustrating than adjusting cantis?

The wheel was slightly out of true. Truing wheels definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I have a go, and convince myself after half a turn on two or three spokes it's pretty much bob on. 

Now the brakes. One brake block seems to be catching under the rim so I take it off, and it's worn a ridge, so I trim that with a Stanley knife. Check the other, the same. Minute adjustment then necessary to get them just close enough to the rim, right angle and parallel to rim. 

Further adjustments on tension are a pain as the tension screw on this is not the easiest (see pic), indeed almost entirely useless, so I end up adjusting by taking up a little slack at a time on the yoke instead. 

Eventually, spot on. But far worse than any other rim brake system I've owned. 

Any advice:

1. Tension adjusting screw. Is there a better option available than the one in the pic? It's utter shite!

2. Would mini Vs be better? Other options?


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## C R (14 Jul 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Rear cantis on the tandem. We're going to the Alps next week  so they need to be right.
> 
> But is there anything more frustrating than adjusting cantis?
> 
> ...


Is the cable coming out through the slot I the screw? Can't the screw be turned by 180 degrees so the slot is in the other side?


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## roubaixtuesday (14 Jul 2020)

C R said:


> Is the cable coming out through the slot I the screw? Can't the screw be turned by 180 degrees so the slot is in the other side?



Good question. 

If it's set up as you suggest it limits the cable pull as the yoke impinges on the end of the screw. 

As it's set up the yoke continues to rise until the brake lever maxes out.

I'm not at all sure if this is how it's meant to be!

But the issue is more convenience of adjustment - the brakes are good, it just takes a lifetime to get them set right.


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## C R (14 Jul 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Good question.
> 
> If it's set up as you suggest it limits the cable pull as the yoke impinges on the end of the screw.
> 
> ...


Would need a more zoomed out picture to understand the layout, I have very limited experience with cantis, Vs seem much easier to get right, but that may be just me.


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## roubaixtuesday (14 Jul 2020)

C R said:


> Would need a more zoomed out picture to understand the layout, I have very limited experience with cantis, Vs seem much easier to get right, but that may be just me.



Nope, that's my exact experience too.

The machine is now hanging up in the garage, and I'm too lazy to haul it's 20+ kgs down and back up for more photos... Will post more next time out.


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## Gunk (14 Jul 2020)

The cable guide also has a slot, as does the nut, you just need to release the tension and turn the bolt so the slot is at 180 degrees and the cable will run normally.


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## roubaixtuesday (14 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> The cable guide also has a slot, as does the nut, you just need to release the tension and turn the bolt so the slot is at 180 degrees and the cable will run normally.



Sorry, I'm not following you. 

The set up works as-is, perfectly. It's just hard to adjust tension (as the adjustment screw is tiny, inaccessible and under tension).

If the bolt is moved 180 degrees then the yoke meets the end of that adjustment screw before the full cable pull is achieved from the lever, which limits maximum braking power. Does that make sense? As it is, the yoke actually overlaps the screw a bit under maximum braking. 

The yoke is close to horizontal already, so tightening that probably wouldn't help the issue with impinging on the screw and I daresay could cause other issues?

Is there a recommended cable angle at the yoke?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Jul 2020)

My 10 year old frame fit Zefal pump. Something went in handle when fixing puncture today so it would no longer spring to fit on pump peg and frame. Brought it home in seat bag. Fiddling with it back home, thinking I’d need to replace it. I pulled it out to full extension and beyond and it pulled whatever had got out of position back in place. Frame fit pump now refitted. 😀


----------



## DCBassman (15 Jul 2020)

Had one of those feelings looking at a Dell Studio 1735 laptop on ebay. "Powers up, but screen unresponsive ". Aha! Got it for a song. It does have some corner damage, but nothing unfixable.
Popped in some ram - bingo! There's nothing wrong bar the damage. That's what the feeling was: they're assessing this with no installed ram, and no PC wakes up without it!
So my Dell Studio 1535 has grown a bit!


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## NotAsGoodAsMyBike (15 Jul 2020)

Replaced my old black stem cap with a new alloy version (see separate thread on the choice between steel or alloy). Here’s the before and after pics


----------



## HLaB (15 Jul 2020)

For the last couple of sessions the turbo has been pretty squeaky so after this mornings squeaky session I decided to track it down the the large metal cone/ flat washer was only finger tight. So I tightened it at the flat spot (designed or a spanner) and the squeak seems to have went away during the subsequent session. After which I did a spin down calibration.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (15 Jul 2020)

After receiving my Planet X order today. I set to......
SEE BOTTOM OF POSTING
For a couple of weeks, there's been a creaking from the front of my CGR

Diagnosis pointed to a crack in a fork-blade, as the only time it disappeared was when out of the saddle (no, it wasn't a loose saddle/cracked rail/etc..)
My thoughts were that the noise went, as more weight was closing the hair-line gap

So, with a brew, the strip-down started













All came apart well, & the steerer-tube was measured
I was going to just use a hacksaw, but decided to try the pipe-cutter (as it ought to give a 'squarer' cut)





Damned hard work though, compared to using in on copper pipes 

Trial fit, then start reinstalling






Damn, Bugger, Buggerance!!!
There was a lot of play in it, a hell of a lot of 'rocking' when the front brake was applied
So, more tea was made & a think





Incidentally, this is my pot;







I just tinkered with the clamp, & 'star-nut' bolt. & it seems to have disappeared
I'll ride it to work tomorrow, & see how it goes - let it all bed-in

With that in mind, the mudguards were also remounted
The re-sited stays needed shortening, so the Dremel came out





Prepared for sparks!
Being sensible, whilst using the Dremel with a cutting-disc to trim the mudguard stays
The head-torch was for the shadows that I was creating over the items

I could certainly feel the sparks, & 'disc-dust' on my face!!

_Better Safe, Than A Visit To The Opthalmologist!!_
(I've seen the damage a disc can do, even a Dremel disc, if it breaks-up!)




When I went in, to make another brew, Senior Management asked if I'd sorted it, so after explaining in lay-mans terms, she asked why not just buy a new bike?!!?
I was prepared to say "Okay!!"

However, I'm not really a fan of 'dropped stays', & it would have been this (to be reasonable about costs)
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al-orange-shimano-tiagra/
Plus. I'd need new wheels, as all frames are now 'thru-axles', unless Aksyiums can be adapted??



The Red Print...........

I had contacted Ribble, but, they told me they had no (first generation) CGR forks in the warehouse - and none on order
The guy who contacted me sympathised. & stated that they may be able to offer a discount on a new frame/forks (but as of ordering the PX items, yesterday, there was no return email)
Other companies like Kinesis had nothing suitable, then I looked at Planet-X, & the London Road fork was in stock!
(Q/R, not 'thru', and... set for 140mm discs)
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FOPXLOROAM/planet-x-london-road-fork

Now,_ if_ they offer me a decent discount on a titanium CGR frame/forks, I might overcome my dislike of 'dropped-stays'
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-ti/


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## bikingdad90 (15 Jul 2020)

Fettled the wife’s Dutch bike. I used a paste of salt and white wine vinegar and scrubbed it on the chrome bars leaving it to soak for a good 10-15 mins before rubbing off. The bars came up lovely and shiny and the surface rust is gone. 

While the bars were soaking I removed the rust from the chain and fettled the mudguard and changed the brake pads on my kids bike. 

Once the bars were sorted I fitted a wicker basket and she is over the moon.


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## Gunk (15 Jul 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Being sensible, whilst using the Dremel with a cutting-disc to trim the mudguard stays



Using a Dremel to cut mudguard stays is not that sensible, cable cutters trim them much cleaner and much safer!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (16 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> Using a Dremel to cut mudguard stays is not that sensible, cable cutters trim them much cleaner and much safer!


Couldn't find mine
They all have caps on, similar to these


https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p2352/STRONGLIGHT-Draw-Bolts


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## Gunk (16 Jul 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Couldn't find mine
> They all have caps on, similar to these
> 
> 
> https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p2352/STRONGLIGHT-Draw-Bolts



Spa do sell some great stuff, I can't stop buying things from them, I'm addicted!


----------



## 13 rider (17 Jul 2020)

Broke a spoke on my rear wheel today not a job for me so spent time swapped tyre over onto my spare rear wheel so I could take the wheel to Lbs . Rewarded myself with a cup of coffee ,Halfway down the mug there's a knock at the door ,a parcel ,the 2 new tyres I ordered 2 days ago that were not due until Tuesday . Finished the coffee then back out took the tyre off and put the new one on and also replaced the front . So I'm now well practiced in tyre changing


----------



## JhnBssll (17 Jul 2020)

Had the Bianchi on the workstand this evening for a quick clean. Also moved the hoods up a few mm and dropped the nose of the saddle by a degree after the 65 miler last Sunday. Hope to get out for another longish ride this weekend to see if the adjustments have improved things


----------



## Ming the Merciless (17 Jul 2020)

Oiled my recumbent chain. Three hours later had cup of tea.


----------



## FrankCrank (18 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Oiled my recumbent chain. Three hours later had cup of tea.


Did you dab a bit on each link with a cotton bud?


----------



## silva (18 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was thinking along those lines myself.
> 
> If I am pedalling fairly gently the noise is absent. Once I put more effort in, it starts. It happens when my right pedal is at about 5 o'clock (looking from the chainring side). I climbed out of the saddle the other day to confirm that the saddle and seatpost were not culprits - I still got the noise. I can modify it by varying my pedalling style.
> 
> ...


I don't think (not sure) it's about "burrs" / filing off, but about the "pitch", the distance between engagement points (teeth), being bigger, giving the teeth tips suddenly a bigger distance to travel to the chains next rollers, causing that ticking. That suddenly being the cause of the ticking noise.
Chainring teeth wear more near the clock positions of the cranks due to pedaling force peaking there. 
Rotating the chainring on its mount changes the clock position, ideally would be precisely the amount teeth where wear concentrated on, but the chainring bolts number only allows an as close as possible (so the ticking is reduced not eliminated).
In the past I did rotate chainring several times, and I indeed experienced ticking frequency / number changes.
Only crap is that rotating a chainring on its mount is a hassle due to the bolts design so trying alot wears the slots in the nuts.
The story can be complexer and harder to cope with, if additionally wear is concentrated on chain links too. My current gear 47/16 is an ideal spread, still I got the ticking starting some weeks after mounting a new
chain on a worn chainring. Before I had a 48/16 and clearly wear concentration on chain links, and it did make a difference to shift the chains position on the chainring, now it doesn't.
There are several causes simultaneously involved, chains slackness also has an effect.


----------



## Gunk (18 Jul 2020)

A nice parcel arrived from Spa Cycles this morning.

My Raleigh Ti Rep came with the correct pedals but was missing the original toeclips and saddle (this was the main reason I bought it so cheap) The San Marco Concor Supercorsa saddle I've bought off eBay and that's coming from Italy ,the correct VP components toeclips and straps I sourced from Spa for only £23 which I was really pleased with. So I've reunited the bike with all it's original equipment for about £65.

The pedals should look like this






















So these are now going into a box in the garage for safe keeping as instead I've fitted these, again from Spa (about half the price some chancers are asking on eBay!) 












They are lovely quality with sealed bearings and look almost identical to the original VP pedals. but these are double sided so I can use SPD cleats for longer rides. I also fitted a second Blackburn bottle cage to match the original.


----------



## ColinJ (18 Jul 2020)

silva said:


> I don't think (not sure) it's about "burrs" / filing off, but about the "pitch", the distance between engagement points (teeth), being bigger, giving the teeth tips suddenly a bigger distance to travel to the chains next rollers, causing that ticking. That suddenly being the cause of the ticking noise.
> Chainring teeth wear more near the clock positions of the cranks due to pedaling force peaking there.
> Rotating the chainring on its mount changes the clock position, ideally would be precisely the amount teeth where wear concentrated on, but the chainring bolts number only allows an as close as possible (so the ticking is reduced not eliminated).
> In the past I did rotate chainring several times, and I indeed experienced ticking frequency / number changes.
> ...


I took a look at the ring. It was definitely showing signs of wear and there were small burrs. I managed to remove the damaged chainring bolt so I took the ring off and filed down those burrs. I then rotated the ring by 72 degrees (1 bolt's worth; 1/5 rotation).

I found a new bolt in my spares box and made sure that the ring was tightly bolted down in its new position. The noise persists!

The obvious thing to do now is to put a new ring on. The worn one is a 52 and I found an almost new 54 in the spares box. I could use that but it would obviously increase the gear ratio by nearly 4%. That would be handy on the flat because the singlespeed is slightly undergeared, but it would make any climbing even harder than it already is. 

There is also the question of how well the chain would fit with an extra pair of links in. The chain tensioner might not be able to take up all of the slack. A half link would probably be the answer. I might give it a go with a slackish chain just to see if that fixes the noise and sort the chain tension out later.


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## JPBoothy (18 Jul 2020)

Following a sudden seized rear wheel on my Cannondale CAADX that some how even managed to snap the QR skewer, I took the opportunity to have a good strip down while the wheel was away being rebuilt using a new sealed hub. The chain, chain-rings, cassette, jockey-wheels & cables are are all off and will soon be replaced, I have managed to open/clean and re-grease the sealed BB + Head/Fork bearing races, and a second hand pair of TRP Spyres arrived today which I have stripped/cleaned in readiness for putting back on tomorrow. I know there is a lot of mixed opinions on the Spyres but I decided they were worth a go if only to satisfy my own curiosity. I have even gone for new pads, compression less outer cable and a new disk on the front to 'try' and get the maximum benefit/improvement over my original Promax Renders. Once you start you can easily get carried away. I think bar tape will be the final piece of the jigsaw though


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## DCLane (18 Jul 2020)

RH Ultegra 6700 stopped shifting en route to a club ride this morning on my Wilier Montegrappa commuter. Hot-footed it home in 1st/11th and swapped bikes, diagnosing a broken upshifter. The internals had come apart and it wasn't catching.

Fitted the spare I had in stock this afternoon after giving it a good clean. New brake/gear cables installed and all working again.

I'm aware it's a known issue with the RH shifter, which was why I'd a spare one. Now I need to get another spare.


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## Vantage (18 Jul 2020)

My hand.
Pams dog attacked Tara because she was playfully growling as I tickled her. This is from trying to break them up. My neck and chin are also cut and a few minor marks on my left hand.
Pams dog has now been permanently banned from my home.


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## JhnBssll (18 Jul 2020)

Oh god, thats not ideal  Hope you and Tara mend quick! Is the other dog known to be aggressive?


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## Vantage (18 Jul 2020)

No but its not the first scuffle they've been in.
Previously its been Tara just being grumpy, not letting Molly play with her toys, growling if Molly gets too exited. Molly doesn't like being left out and just pushes in if Tara and I have a game of tug the rope etc, which understandably upsets Tara.
Molly went too far tonight.
We always thought Molly to be the non aggressor out of the two of them. Boy were we wrong.
Tara has a cut ear but nothing serious. I'm still leaking from my chin and middle finger but that's down to blood thinners.
Luckily, the bike is OK. It was knocked over.


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## avecReynolds531 (19 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> Spa do sell some great stuff, I can't stop buying things from them, I'm addicted!


+ 1
Totally agree about Spa & the range of what they carry - from Berthoud to Zefal


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## JPBoothy (19 Jul 2020)

Vantage said:


> My hand.
> Pams dog attacked Tara because she was playfully growling as I tickled her. This is from trying to break them up. My neck and chin are also cut and a few minor marks on my left hand.
> Pams dog has now been permanently banned from my home.
> 
> View attachment 536809


That was a 'like' for sharing your story not for being bitten by the way 

What type of dogs are they?


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## Vantage (19 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> That was a 'like' for sharing your story not for being bitten by the way
> 
> What type of dogs are they?



Fluffy ones


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## Gunk (19 Jul 2020)

Bar tape again today, I wasn't happy with the brown tape on my Claud Butler, too brown, looked cheap and was horrible to the touch so I swapped it to black instead. this stuff was off eBay and it's been in the garage for years, but looks great and much nicer to the touch.


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## JPBoothy (19 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> Bar tape again today, I wasn't happy with the brown tape on my Claud Butler, too brown, looked cheap and horrible to the touch so I swapped it to black instead. this stuff was off eBay and it's been in the garage for years, but looks great and much nicer to the touch.
> View attachment 536904
> 
> View attachment 536905
> ...


Well it looks good. There is definitely an art to putting bar tape on correctly. It is up there with putting mastic around the bath/shower in my opinion. If done right it looks great but if not then it looks bloody awful


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## JPBoothy (19 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Following a sudden seized rear wheel on my Cannondale CAADX that some how even managed to snap the QR skewer, I took the opportunity to have a good strip down while the wheel was away being rebuilt using a new sealed hub. The chain, chain-rings, cassette, jockey-wheels & cables are are all off and will soon be replaced, I have managed to open/clean and re-grease the sealed BB + Head/Fork bearing races, and a second hand pair of TRP Spyres arrived today which I have stripped/cleaned in readiness for putting back on tomorrow. I know there is a lot of mixed opinions on the Spyres but I decided they were worth a go if only to satisfy my own curiosity. I have even gone for new pads, compression less outer cable and a new disk on the front to 'try' and get the maximum benefit/improvement over my original Promax Renders. Once you start you can easily get carried away. I think bar tape will be the final piece of the jigsaw though


I spent most of the day refitting, replacing and lubing so there is a strong smell of GT85 and Grease in the house tonight. I did make one schoolboy error though by deciding to snip my old brake outer cable into short pieces for the bin and then realised that it was in fact my other new one


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## JPBoothy (20 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> Bar tape again today, I wasn't happy with the brown tape on my Claud Butler, too brown, looked cheap and horrible to the touch so I swapped it to black instead. this stuff was off eBay and it's been in the garage for years, but looks great and much nicer to the touch.
> View attachment 536904
> 
> View attachment 536905
> ...


I have decided to be brave and fit a coloured tape to my bike this time 'despite colours always getting dirty from your hands' but, I usually struggle with the ends being too bulky to get the plugs in. Any tips?


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## Vantage (20 Jul 2020)

Don't use so much. 
I always wrap from the bar ends up too. 
That way, rain runs over the sides on the tape rather than under the tape.


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## Ilikeboardmans (21 Jul 2020)

Cateye computer speedometer etc. Very pleased.


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## Gunk (21 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I have decided to be brave and fit a coloured tape to my bike this time 'despite colours always getting dirty from your hands' but, I usually struggle with the ends being too bulky to get the plugs in. Any tips?



sometimes I do just trim it down slightly, I’ve also used a mallet to tap the plugs in


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## itboffin (21 Jul 2020)

After installing a new suspension front fork Fitted a new longer disc brake hose and successfully filled it with oil so much so that it feels better than the rear which was done in an LBS, also had to fit a new crown race and level the saddle all ready for tomorrow’s off-road to the pub in the next village, what could possibly go wrong


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## JPBoothy (21 Jul 2020)

itboffin said:


> After installing a new suspension front fork Fitted a new longer disc brake hose and successfully filled it with oil so much so that it feels better than the rear which was done in an LBS, also had to fit a new crown race and level the saddle all ready for tomorrow’s off-road to the pub in the next village, what could possibly go wrong


The pub could be closed


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## itboffin (21 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> The pub could be closed



nooooooooo


----------



## itboffin (23 Jul 2020)

itboffin said:


> nooooooooo



it was open, yey!


----------



## Survivor Bikes (25 Jul 2020)

Hi team. Got time for a quickie?

I extracted and cleaned up a Raleigh integrated side stand. (Part 1 of 2)




This frame will be used in an upcoming project. Prior to being blasted back to bare metal, it needs to be completely stripped down. All that remains on this one is the integrated side stand; which is found on a lot of Raleigh and Schwinn models of this vintage.




Now, I know everyone has their own technique for this; but I favour the ‘bit of notched 3/4 inch pipe’ approach. Basically cut off a couple of inches, and notch it, thusly...




Next, you need to dig out a good quality G-clamp. As you can see, I’ve got a rather large one. Don’t let that put you off though; it’s how you use it that matters...




With the frame secured in a vise, arrange your G-clamp and bit of pipe as shown.




Then carefully compress the internal spring, until you can remove the small mushroom shaped retaining pin.









The internal parts can then be removed with ease; revealing the dogging action of this assembly.








Returning to the vice, carefully compress the spring once more, in order to fully dismantle the assembly.




End of part 1


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## Survivor Bikes (25 Jul 2020)

I extracted and cleaned up a Raleigh integrated side stand. (Part 2 of 2)





Having dismantled everything, give your bits a quick clean...




On a side note, if you ever see a military surplus SA80 cleaning kit, grab one. The little brushes are perfect for small jobs like this.




Finally back to the vise once more to reassemble the compression spring. It’s now ready to be lubricated and reinserted.




Peace ☮


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (25 Jul 2020)

Added cleats to my son's new Shimano SPD shoes. Hopefully get time to check the positioning tomorrow.


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## Survivor Bikes (26 Jul 2020)

Gunk said:


> sometimes I do just trim it down slightly, I’ve also used a mallet to tap the plugs in


Ah, a non-marking rubber mallet. The cycle owner’s best friend 🙂


----------



## JPBoothy (26 Jul 2020)

Survivor Bikes said:


> Ah, a non-marking rubber mallet. The cycle owner’s best friend 🙂
> View attachment 537973


Ha Ha, good advice at the right time as the tape arrived yesterday and will be getting put on shortly. Yesterday's job was re-indexing (with a little help from GCN) after changing my gear cables. I dodged a bullet when the barrel adjuster got cross threaded though .. My CAADX looks so clean and sounds so smooth after a full strip down 'and many new parts' that it will be a shame to get it dirty now


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## JPBoothy (26 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Ha Ha, good advice at the right time as the tape arrived yesterday and will be getting put on shortly. Yesterday's job was re-indexing (with a little help from GCN) after changing my gear cables. I dodged a bullet when the barrel adjuster got cross threaded though .. My CAADX looks so clean and sounds so smooth after a full strip down 'and many new parts' that it will be a shame to get it dirty now


Phew, job done but it took me blinkin ages despite watching a few GCN/Park Tools YouTube clips beforehand. I tried the figure of 8, and the up & over but, there was still a sneaky bit of black hood/bar peeping through. After many re-wraps I managed to get the two little extra pieces they provide to stay in place while I mummified them. Luckily I had some spare 'screw-in' end plugs as the Selle-Italia tape was quite thick and the 'push-in' plugs would have been a struggle I think.. Even with the 'pursuader' (big mallet)


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## Survivor Bikes (26 Jul 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Phew, job done but it took me blinkin ages despite watching a few GCN/Park Tools YouTube clips beforehand. I tried the figure of 8, and the up & over but, there was still a sneaky bit of black hood/bar peeping through. After many re-wraps I managed to get the two little extra pieces they provide to stay in place while I mummified them. Luckily I had some spare 'screw-in' end plugs as the Selle-Italia tape was quite thick and the 'push-in' plugs would have been a struggle I think.. Even with the 'pursuader' (big mallet)


Great job mate; time to luxuriate in the glow of a difficult job well done 👍


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## Spiderweb (26 Jul 2020)

Fitted a new Ultegra 12-30 cassette and new KMC X10 chain to the Tricross. Should be a little easier on the legs climbing some steepish hills in the Yorkshire Dales next weekend.


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## DCLane (26 Jul 2020)

With selling my NeilPryde and TT's re-starting I've a few little jobs to do. First two done today;

- Principia TT2 Light had some cable adjustments before my first TT on Saturday near Northallerton. Son's TT bike needs a bit more work; that's tomorrow and it'll take 3 of us to figure out how.

- Son's PlanetX hillclimb rig had a Dura-Ace shifter swap: 9000 to 9070 on the left. A bit fiddly but it saved about 70g and we won't be using the shifter part anyway, just the brake. We're still considering dismantling and drilling it to save more weight.


----------



## Tom B (27 Jul 2020)

My fleet have given me an easy run recently but...

Came back of hols by the sea and gave Mrs Bs bike a clean up, she seems to pick up more crap on her jockey wheels despite less milage.gave them a good clean, and cleaned and lubed the chain. Noticed her noodles are looking a bit scabby but couldn't find any in my box.

I noticed when I took my bike off the roofrack.inhad a front flat. So stripped out the tube, inspected tyre and tube and could not fine any.air escaping, visually auditably or in a bucket. Reinstalled tube and pumped it up. But it's still losing air over 2-3 days.

Had noticed an odd bind or rub on the front brake that only occured when I got out of the saddle. Took the front caliper off hozed it down the brake cleaner and refitted. Problem solved.

Fiddled with my right pedal ( 520s ) but unable to make it hold the cleat well in any shoe, so I think the cleat holding bit is worn out.

Decided I need a new chainring as the current ring is more worn than the worn one I took off a few years ago. Umming and aaahhing about new ring or crankset.


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## DCLane (27 Jul 2020)

A bit more work on the PlanetX hillclimb rig during my morning coffee break from work. The chain kept jumping off the jockey wheels when in the largest cog if pedalling backwards more than one revolution; that wouldn't normally matter but in a hillclimb it's common to get set with a holder. At 5.5kg with everything lightened we're working with some tight tolerances which makes it all a bit of a hassle.

So I changed the rear mech hanger and adjusted everything but it still kept coming off. The solution?  Think about the chainline  . Swapping the chainring to the inner slot solved it. Maybe I should have considered that before  .

Just need to get the steerer cut and we'll do a final photo onto this post. All working and we're happy with the outcome given the original budget was £500 without wheels: the cost turned out to be £635 and £935 with wheels/tyres.


This evening we started to remove the 'large' headset spacer from my son's Argon E-116 TT bike to lower the bars. It's got a weird 3D headset and a special tool's needed to dismantle it. Having bought this (it didn't come with the bike) we set about lowering his bars. Not the best photo but this was how they started this evening, having lowered by one spacer already - far too high:






To remove the lower 3D spacers the forks needed to come out as they were part of the headset. Everything was stuck, dirty and/or dry which meant slow going. All parts were dismantled and cleaned with new grease. The tool, suggested in Argon's video to be simple to use, needed some 'persuasion' to work but we got there.

Bars lowered and some testing done: In some places you spend money in a wind-tunnel sorting out fit and reach. In my household you use me and a brother since the bars were loose, with mum taking the photos:





He's happy with the fit and after a short test ride (in shoes & helmet), with slight saddle tilt, declared it better. Proper test-ride to follow before a TT on Saturday. The steerer's going to be cut as well once everything's sorted.

My NeilPryde's going to have to wait until tomorrow for a crankset swap.


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## PeteXXX (28 Jul 2020)

New brake cable and guide pipe fitted to grandson's bike, ably (!!) assisted by said grandson.






Cut the old cable and concertinered guide pipe.






Those cable ends are fiddly things for little fingers..






And all the old bits, plus 1 mug of tea and 1 mug of hot chocolate to aid fettling. 

Test ride around the garden, a few adjustments
Proper ride around the park, with mum, later.

No swear words were used during this fettle! 

👌


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## Ilikeboardmans (29 Jul 2020)

Fitted bar ends... on the inside. Anyone else done this?


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## Jenkins (29 Jul 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Fitted bar ends... on the inside. Anyone else done this?
> 
> View attachment 538560


Er - Why?


----------



## itboffin (29 Jul 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Fitted bar ends... on the inside. Anyone else done this?
> 
> View attachment 538560



yes I think from Lachlan Morton’s from EF education did this for his dirty Kansa ride amongst others to great success


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## CanucksTraveller (29 Jul 2020)

Today I sorted out my noisy, squealing front disc brake. 
I actually bought new pads in preparation for it, thinking it would be the surest fix, but on taking out the old ones there is only maybe 20 percent wear. I cleaned them and the rotor up with rubbing alcohol, refitted the pads and adjusted the brake, and now all is good. And I still have spare pads for the future!


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## tom73 (29 Jul 2020)

Giving the ribble a washed down , chain cleaned and re-lubed.


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## Dark46 (29 Jul 2020)

Today well it started yesterday with doing bar tape for the first time. Then today I changed my mavic Askium wheels for Fulcrum Racing 5's . Again for the first time swapping the discs over and the cassette, adjusting the gears . After I put the Fulcrums on I didn't have the full range of gears. So started from the beginning. Then did 10 mile check rid me and everything went 100% so really chuffed.


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## DCLane (30 Jul 2020)

A small one this; over the weekend I bid and won the auction for a Dura-Ace shifter that had been painted. It was cheap as a result:

Arrived today and someone had painted it matt black at one point. And then tried to sand off the paint, scratching the shifter in a couple of places with a lot of paint still on.

So ... cue careful removal over lunch of the matt black paint, plus polishing of the scratches. After cleaning the result is a nice, clean shifter which just needs a new brake hood.


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## PeteXXX (30 Jul 2020)

Much use of a 3 mm Hex Key to tighten up the Bell on my CX.


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## C R (30 Jul 2020)

PeteXXX said:


> Much use of a 3 mm Hex Key to tighten up the Bell on my CX.
> 
> View attachment 538778


That's an interesting location, does it interfere with braking?


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## PeteXXX (30 Jul 2020)

C R said:


> That's an interesting location, does it interfere with braking?


Nope. I did check! Easy to Ping, too.


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## JhnBssll (30 Jul 2020)

I fitted the new orange ceramicspeed OSPW to the Oltre earlier so I've just moved the existing black one over to the Veturi


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## C R (30 Jul 2020)

PeteXXX said:


> Nope. I did check! Easy to Ping, too.


Thanks, I'll give it a go.


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## Gunk (30 Jul 2020)

An afternoon off today so I swapped over the tyres on my Raleigh Ti Rep






The original 7 year old Challenge tubular were badly cracked and pretty hopeless if you get a puncture.






So after a lot of deliberation I bought a set of these, the most expensive tyres I've ever bought at £96 a pair 






It was the right decision as they look very similar to the originals but take a traditional tube. I think they look stunning!











I've kept the originals for safe keeping, together with the original Concor leather saddle, pedals, toeclips and white bar tape so it can all be put back to standard if ever I decide to sell it.


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## Bad Machine (31 Jul 2020)

It's possible some old-school riders will cry seeing what I've done to a working gripshift, but first, drill, dremel and hand-files all came out yesterday for fettling the left handlebar end on my recumbent e-trike; electrical cabling for the crank drive's throttle and the bar-end "kill switch" now run down through the Al tube to an exit in a hole half-way up the internal fixing of the (now redundant) twist grip. 







The old grip shift's internal spring was removed (its rotation is now limited by an M3 bolt inserted and epoxied into the internal guide), a path for the 6mm cable drilled through from the elbow, the internal bore of the plastic adjuster nut drilled out too, and now the multi-core cable can run out in the same route as the original gear cable.











A SPST latchable on/off switch was epoxied into an offcut of 22mm tubing, then inserted into the bar end. That'll work as the "kill switch" for the Togsheng motor, should something go wrong 

The rubber grips needed trimming to take acount of the curve, but the end result has everything at fingertip reach - brake, throttle and kill switch.


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## 13 rider (1 Aug 2020)

Just changed my tubeless rear wheel . The old one was being to show wear after 7000 miles . Having never changed a tubeless before was slightly worried I wouldn't get it to seat . I haven't been unhappy with the stock gavia tyres that came with the bike so replaced like for like as I now the tyre rim combo were designed together and works . Did have to use a co2 canister to blow it on the rim but the job went smoothly and it's holding air


----------



## rogerzilla (2 Aug 2020)

How to salvage a Raleigh fork with a longish steerer that has 26tpi threading but was mistakenly cut for a 26.4mm crown race NOT BY ME (thus requiring a frankenheadset).

1. Cut off old threads.

2. Get the fork die and cutting oil and re-thread to ISO.

3. Test for smoothness and perpendicularity with fussy alloy threaded race.

It's still long enough for a 21 1/2" frame. Came off a 23".

Here's the fork and the old 26tpi threaded bit. See the difference? It's quite hard.


----------



## DCLane (3 Aug 2020)

The Wilier's off the road until I repair an Ultegra shifter, with a second breaking yesterday. So, out comes the Ridgeback Platinum audax bike - unused for over a year since a 600km last June - which got a deep clean and removal of audax-related paraphenalia.

My son's Argon TT bike had issues on Saturday's TT. First the brakes kept catching on the wheel, then he got a flat. Not a good day for him.

Old tub off, new one to be stretched.

Then we set to on his TRP brakes. The E-116 Argon has known issues with these brakes and we'd not looked at them. Cue 3 of us (him, his engineering-student brother and me) working out how to dismantle, clean, re-grease and put them back together. Argon helpfully supplied a detailed manual but it was still complicated.

They're cleaner and now move but we still need to renew front and rear brake cables with new adjusters that have been ordered.

The deadline is Saturday for another TT so cables are scheduled for tomorrow evening.


----------



## DCLane (4 Aug 2020)

Cleaned my Ridgeback Platinum and son's BeOne after our ride today.

Then set to work on his Argon TT bike's wierd brakes (TRP brakes on an E-116). With him we dismantled and re-cabled the front, tidying the bodge of previous installation. After a break began work on the back, which is more problematic: the outer cable is fed through the frame in several places, coupled to an adjuster then a v-brake connector. No wonder they're deemed troublesome 

Still waiting on the adjusters to arrive so the front's almost complete and the rear will take a bit more time. We'll finish this job tomorrow hopefully ...


----------



## fossyant (5 Aug 2020)

New lime green Ritchey WCS Trail grips fitted to the MTB. Tart.


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## JPBoothy (5 Aug 2020)

fossyant said:


> New lime green Ritchey WCS Trail grips fitted to the MTB. Tart.


At least you will recognise it if it wanders off.


----------



## biggs682 (5 Aug 2020)

Re taped two bikes 







Forgot to take a picture of both afterwards


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## DCLane (5 Aug 2020)

Continued progress on son's Argon E-116: new Continental Competition tub stuck on and front brakes working having been re-cabled. Rear brake is a pain; the v-brake style TRP right/left sections won't work properly together. They're all full of fiddly screws/levers/springs and are abysmal to set up correctly. Almost there though ...


----------



## si_c (5 Aug 2020)

Cleaned the Racelight - took it offroad on Monday and it was filthy.

Also noticed the deraileur hanger was a little bent which explained the funny shifting - not dirty as I'd thought. Bent the hanger back more or less into place - much better than it was - although it could probably do with being done properly at the LBS. I'll get them to look at it next time I'm down there.


----------



## Ilikeboardmans (6 Aug 2020)

Jenkins said:


> Er - Why?


Because found myself wanting to rest hands in that way on the flat bar. Its actually OK.

Had the bike weighed today. 8.3kg. Very pleased and still spent under £500 building it.






Got a floor pump. Nothing special.




Got these gatorskin tyres. Took my existing ones off and realised they are even lighter already (rubino pro). Returned the gatorskins to halfrauds.




Got some glasses.




Some bontrager silicone grips and carbon bottle holder.

And ensuite coming along good in the HMO.


----------



## C R (6 Aug 2020)

During the previous ride the bike developed an annoying rattle at the front. Had a look today, and it turned out to be one of the mudguard stays hitting the brake cable. Careful bending of the stay to route it away from the cable got rid of the rattle.


----------



## C R (7 Aug 2020)

The holding strap on the carrier for the foldable lock in my commuter was almost fully broken, so made a new one out of inner tube. Carrier life extended and inner tube partially re-used.


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## DCLane (7 Aug 2020)

Finished my son's Argon E-116 brake re-build; they now work better than they've done in a year. Whilst checking it over I noticed the jockey wheels were a bit gummed up so fitted new red ones. All ready for Saturday's TT near Doncaster and hopefully he'll not have a mechanical this time - photo from last Saturday in Darlington


----------



## DaveReading (7 Aug 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> Red ones? That's got to be worth a couple of mph!!



Yes, photo from the drive side, please !!


----------



## JPBoothy (8 Aug 2020)

Roger Longbottom said:


> Today I fitted some tubeless tyres, tonight I can quite safely go out burglaring (is that even a word) as I have no thumb prints left.
> 
> Tight is an understatement!!


Was it one of those when you feel as if you're pushing your thumb nails off.


----------



## Archie_tect (8 Aug 2020)

Having kept the roof bars from our Passat in 2006 I was really surprised and pleased to see the clamp profile fitted the roof rails on our Seat Leon estate.
Having to transport our tandem soon, I tried to fit them yesterday only to find the cross bars are too short by about an inch- so a trip to Halfords is now required to find longer aero bar sections.... why isn't life ever simple?


----------



## Archie_tect (8 Aug 2020)

Archie_tect said:


> Having kept the roof bars from our Passat in 2006... I tried to fit them yesterday only to find the cross bars are too short by about an inch- so a trip to Halfords is now required to find longer aero bar sections.... why isn't life ever simple?



Tried for 2 hours, between Halfords and VW in Silverlink, to sort out longer aero bars for the clamps I have... Halfords could only suggest buying a complete new Thule system... £240!

Thought that was ridiculous so home again...

I worked out if I left off the locking plastic caps off the roof bar brackets and inserted a neoprene strip under the brackets to protect the car rails they fitted without compromising the slotted bar connectors on the old cross bars. The locking ends end caps just prevent access to the hidden bolt fixings so unless someone has a matching tool from a set of 2006 VW Passat roof bar they can't steal them [unlikely]... success and £240 saved!


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## JhnBssll (8 Aug 2020)

I fettled a friends Giant road bike earlier in the week - he was complaining of a spongey front brake but none of the local shops could get it in anytime soon so I told him to bring it over  It wasn't too bad but there was definitely some air somewhere so I did a quick bleed and managed to liberate some pesky bubbles  A quick test ride then revealed the brake was squealing a little at low speed and not performing particularly well, so I whipped the rotor and pads off and lightly sanded them then bedded them back in, all working nicely again  Before I handed it back I checked over a few other bits and pieces and found a few other issues - rear mech cage slightly bent, chain rubbing on front mech in certain gears but most concerning was the state of the chain - my wear gauge dropped straight in and had enough spare room to wiggle around  I suspect it had never been changed and was well past its serviceable life. I gave my friend the good news and he picked the bike up that evening along with a shopping list 

This evening it was back so I fitted a new chain and cassette, tweaked the rear mech cage slightly and adjusted the front mech to get it all working nicely again  He'll pick it up tomorrow, hopefully it's running nicely for him again otherwise I'm sure I'll be seeing it again soon 

I've helped a few people out recently and enjoy doing so - as with most people reading this thread bicycle maintenance is one of my hobbies but people still get very confused when I tell them I don't want paying because I had fun fixing it


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## JPBoothy (9 Aug 2020)

As I have been hearing a lot about garage break-in's lately, and more importantly bike theft from them, I purchased a pair of Enfield door bolts to support the spindly little pin that the older doors like mine have. However, as the metal is so thin (2mm approx) I decided to reinforce the door by making/riveting a steel plate behind each lock first. I'm sure the neighbours were thrilled when I disturbed their sunny Saturday afternoon with my Angle Grinder. I did apologise to a young lady who only moved in on the Friday and reassured that it doesn't happen often though


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## JhnBssll (9 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> As I have been hearing a lot about garage break-in's lately, and more importantly bike theft from them, I purchased a pair of Enfield door bolts to support the spindly little pin that the older doors like mine have. However, as the metal is so thin (2mm approx) I decided to reinforce the door by making/riveting a steel plate behind each lock first. I'm sure the neighbours were thrilled when I disturbed their sunny Saturday afternoon with my Angle Grinder. I did apologise to a young lady who only moved in on the Friday and reassured that it doesn't happen often though



Great idea, can't be too careful and sounds like a 'proper job'  We also seem to have had a spate of breakins in my area recently. I have gradually been improving my garage security over the past few years - I installed an electric roller shutter in place of the flimsy main door first, and more recently have removed the old wood and glass personnel door and replaced it with a modern reinforced composite door with a much smaller window. Both are held in with far more fixings than is really necessary, but at least I know if someone does get in I couldn't have done much more to stop them  Of course they'll also trigger the alarm and CCTV so I'll have a chance of either catching them at it or finding them later for a chat


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## Gunk (9 Aug 2020)

As I can access mine from the house, I’ve drilled through the sides of the up and over door and I use a couple of Allen keys as removable bolts


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## rogerzilla (9 Aug 2020)

I fixed my mate's bike after his massive A&E-level smash yesterday. Bars and a brake lever needed straightening and both wheels needed a bit of truing. He was in hospital for 8 hours but it's just extensive cuts and bruises. His head (and everything else) hit the ground so hard that there was impressive blood spatter on the tarmac and on the inside of his helmet. He was incoherent for about 30 seconds and doesn't remember it.

Moral - don't make a full sprinting effort on a fixie with worn cleats and your SPDs on minimum tension. You might pull a foot out.


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## JPBoothy (9 Aug 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> Great idea, can't be too careful and sounds like a 'proper job'  We also seem to have had a spate of breakins in my area recently. I have gradually been improving my garage security over the past few years - I installed an electric roller shutter in place of the flimsy main door first, and more recently have removed the old wood and glass personnel door and replaced it with a modern reinforced composite door with a much smaller window. Both are held in with far more fixings than is really necessary, but at least I know if someone does get in I couldn't have done much more to stop them  Of course they'll also trigger the alarm and CCTV so I'll have a chance of either catching them at it or finding them later for a chat


If my bikes were new and could be replaced 'like for like' on the insurance then I would be annoyed but not as much as I would be when left trying to replace my much loved older models. You become attached and get to know the various little niggles don't you.. I have been looking on Ebay for a set of those spiked walls that close in like in the Indiana Jones movies but they are impossible to find. I was even thinking of that massive boulder that rolls down the narrow passage but that would just be overkill and would crush my bikes too


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## DCLane (9 Aug 2020)

With my son's new race bike not arriving until March next year, and my NeilPryde Nazare sold plus the Wilier Montegrappa out of action, I delved into eBay and today won the auction for a 2012 Raleigh SP Race frame / Formigli forks with parts (bottom bracket, headset, stem, bars, seatpost, crankset). Collected early this evening and checked over; whilst there's a bit of damage on the the downtube it's all otherwise OK apart from a damaged bottom bracket spacer that won't fit (ordered). Oh, and it was advertised as a 54cm frame but the sticker on it states 56cm. It should fit me ... _just_. This was the purchase with the almost new FSA Energy crankset and bottom bracket bearings in a bag:







The plan? To build a temporary 'best road bike' using only items from my bike parts storage. Now there _is_ a full Dura-Ace groupset in there, but that's for a later project 

Having begun a rummage progress to date is this:





- 40cm Deda handlebars swapped with a 42cm Specialized set, one damaged stem screw changed
- Shimano Ultegra 6800 crankset, pedals, brakes, front & rear derailleur fitted
- Shimano 105 5800 shifters fitted
- Bontrager Paradigm RL 128mm saddle fitted - white as I've used all my 128mm black ones
- Veltec Speed 42mm wheels with an Ultegra 11-28 cassette and GP4000 tyres added
- Elite carbon bottle cages (black and orange but I'd got no black/red/white only. Blue/gold/silver/green yes, but no black/white/red).

To do:

- Replace the damaged bottom bracket spacer (ordered at a cost of £3)
- Cables - probably white as I've several sets of Clarks white brake cables from a Halfords sale (all from stock so it may be a white brake and black/red gear cable combo). Edit: had another rummage and found a new set of red gear/brake cables so I'll use those.
- Chain from stock
- Bar tape - Prologo red from stock

To date only the spacer is going to be bought, with the FSA crankset and Deda bars the frameset came with being sold to cover some costs.

And no, you _can't_ have a rummage. It's a deep and full parts base, described by SWMBO as "you've got an entire bike shop in there"


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## JPBoothy (9 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> With my son's new race bike not arriving until March next year, and my NeilPryde Nazare sold plus the Wilier Montegrappa out of action, I delved into eBay and today won the auction for a 2012 Raleigh SP Race frame / Formigli forks with parts (bottom bracket, headset, stem, bars, seatpost, crankset). Collected early this evening and checked over; whilst there's a bit of damage on the the downtube it's all otherwise OK apart from a damaged bottom bracket spacer that won't fit (ordered). Oh, and it was advertised as a 54cm frame but the sticker on it states 56cm. It should fit me ... _just_. This was the purchase with the almost new FSA Energy crankset and bottom bracket bearings in a bag:
> 
> View attachment 540756
> 
> ...


You don't hang around Mr Lane (or do you prefer DC) and they are right about that 'scrap/storage' box. It's looking good so far though


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## DCLane (9 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> You don't hang around Mr Lane (or do you prefer DC) and they are right about that 'scrap/storage' box. It's looking good so far though



Thanks - I get called David / DC / Mr Lane or even "oi you". The aim is to have the Raleigh ready this week as I'm relying on my audax bike at the moment; if I hadn't needed a spacer it'd have been finished tomorrow.

A lot of bikes/wheels/parts were sold last year to help fund my wife's new company, but there's enough left over to last a while.


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## JPBoothy (9 Aug 2020)

I had a dabble on ebay myself and today agreed upon a price for a Genesis Day One 10 that I'll have to take a trip to Leeds for this week. I like their Steel bikes and already have a SS 'Flyer' road bike. This one is more of a SS Gravel bike with a lot more tyre clearance and Disc brakes so ideal for a bit of dirty rough stuff (if you know what I mean ). It is currently sporting Flat bars and has been fitted with Shimano Hydraulic brakes but the sale includes the original drop bars/levers and mechanical Disc callipers should I wish to change it back. I have been after one of these for myself for a while but this one is for my teenage son who is not really at home on a bike. I thought a SS would stop him attempting to throw the chain and strip the teeth from the cassette on one of my bikes that he has commandeered 'and crashed spectacularly' during the lockdown. His new one just happens to be my size too


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## Bad Machine (10 Aug 2020)

The Hase Kettwiesel recumbent trike frame I'm working on has a front boom with a BB housing width (measured) of 65mm. Amongst the many items missing from the bundle of components I bought for a rebuild was the spacer / chainstube stay. I copied the design from plenty of web photos and a similar item that's on my original Hase Lepus.





















No dremel today - just careful use of the hand drill, files and carbide paper, using 3mm Al plate. It took a while, but I've now got that all important 68mm for the new Shimano BB-UN55.


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## gbb (10 Aug 2020)

Sundays ride on the Carerra E immediately told me theres a minor problem, a light clattering from the RD. You could immediately see the cage was misaligned with the cassette.
Tonight, RD off the hanger, a tad of a pull with an adjustable spanner, refit RD , now almost perfect visually.

Question is...how did that happen ? cos I'm certain it wasnt me....(casts suspicious glance at my wife  )


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## DCLane (11 Aug 2020)

Very slow progress on the Raleigh SP Race build this evening:

- The seatpost seemed small for the frame, so I had a look; a 27.2mm seatpost plus sleeve had been used which was why the seatpost clamp didn't quite fit. Swapped for a 31.6mm seatpost and correct-fitting clamp
- Front brake cable fitted in red fine
- Rear brake cable had a guide already fitted by the seller to help. Only it wouldn't work with the cable outer. 3 1/2 hours later, one cable outer and inner down I eventually got the red cable outer through the frame and inner fitted. 

Gear cables and a chain will have to wait until Tuesday ...


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## JPBoothy (11 Aug 2020)

gbb said:


> Sundays ride on the Carerra E immediately told me theres a minor problem, a light clattering from the RD. You could immediately see the cage was misaligned with the cassette.
> Tonight, RD off the hanger, a tad of a pull with an adjustable spanner, refit RD , now almost perfect visually.
> 
> Question is...how did that happen ? cos I'm certain it wasnt me....(casts suspicious glance at my wife  )


Oh it won't be her fault! My wifes standard answer is usually "well it was okay when I used it"..


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## JPBoothy (11 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> Very slow progress on the Raleigh SP Race build this evening:
> 
> - The seatpost seemed small for the frame, so I had a look; a 27.2mm seatpost plus sleeve had been used which was why the seatpost clamp didn't quite fit. Swapped for a 31.6mm seatpost and correct-fitting clamp
> - Front brake cable fitted in red fine
> ...


I'm yet to have a bike with frame routed cables but from what I've read they seem to be a bit a faff.. Difficult to fish through and rattles etc..


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## DCLane (11 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I'm yet to have a bike with frame routed cables but from what I've read they seem to be a bit a faff.. Difficult to fish through and rattles etc..



It depends on the bike, but this one was an absolute pain. Clearly for structural integrity there was one hole part-way down the top tube to thread the outer cable through. It must've been small as nothing else alongside would go through and with a cable inner as a guide the outer wasn't flexible enough to get past the hole.

The cable guide that had been fitted was useful to start with although it ended up being removed and I tried separately. In the end I succeeded with a different outer and a light, pulling the outer through the other end by locating it with a watch screwdriver when it was visible 

Anyway, gear cables and a chain today. Then testing and bar tape. Just waiting for a replacement crank outer cover to arrive and it'll be done. Time's tight this week and I've a TT bike to renew the brakes on, which will get priority as soon as they arrive.


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## bikingdad90 (11 Aug 2020)

That looks nice and smart!


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## rogerzilla (11 Aug 2020)

Gunk said:


> As I can access mine from the house, I’ve drilled through the sides of the up and over door and I use a couple of Allen keys as removable bolts


I have a wall anchor bolted to the garage floor and a padlocked chain from that to the thick central vertical member (fnarr!) of the door. It would certainly slow them down a lot.


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## screenman (11 Aug 2020)

Played with this for half an hout


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## screenman (11 Aug 2020)

I should add that dent was midway through and I never took the finished one, my website people used to moan like mad that I never give them before and afters.


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## bikingdad90 (11 Aug 2020)

I thought you had changed the door handle!


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## screenman (11 Aug 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> I thought you had changed the door handle!



I am useless with a camera, I am suprised my thumb is not in there. 19 plate Golf customer was quoted £925+vat by a bodyshop that said a new door was required, I got it to about 95% in my opinion, the customer was delighted at the £50+vat I charged him.


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## bikingdad90 (11 Aug 2020)

I’ve got a scratch on my nearside rear, the missus scrapped it against the wall of her Grandmas garden. Need to get round to getting it sorted as it’s a Renault and above the wheel arch so prime place to start rusting!


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## DCLane (11 Aug 2020)

+1 to thinking the door handle had been changed 

SWMBO's Honda Jazz (she's NHS and they were designed for nurses) has scratches / parking dents on every panel and the bumpers. I can't be bothered getting it fixed but probably should.

My Peugeot Tepee looks like it's a mobile skip: it was driven into a car park barrier damaging the doors, sills and roof. Having had one careless old lady owner I don't care what it looks like. The engine's been re-built and it's unlikely to be stolen. As a bike shipping device to races / for purchases and a race support wagon it's great.


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## Rickshaw Phil (11 Aug 2020)

Some fettling on the Raleigh today. I'm only part way through so I won't share until it's finished but it's making me


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## screenman (11 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> +1 to thinking the door handle had been changed
> 
> SWMBO's Honda Jazz (she's NHS and they were designed for nurses) has scratches / parking dents on every panel and the bumpers. I can't be bothered getting it fixed but probably should.
> 
> My Peugeot Tepee looks like it's a mobile skip: it was driven into a car park barrier damaging the doors, sills and roof. Having had one careless old lady owner I don't care what it looks like. The engine's been re-built and it's unlikely to be stolen. As a bike shipping device to races / for purchases and a race support wagon it's great.



I do not think you would rank high on the type of customer I would market too.


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## JPBoothy (11 Aug 2020)

Apologies in advance as this is not a 'Fettled Today' post, but more of a 'will Fettle tomorrow' question.. During my last few rides I have been driven mad trying to pin point a noise which I have finally determined as being the front disc brake pads rattling in the caliper. Has anybody had to cure this same problem themselves?


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## DCBassman (11 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Apologies in advance as this is not a 'Fettled Today' post, but more of a 'will Fettle tomorrow' question.. During my last few rides I have been driven mad trying to pin point a noise which I have finally determined as being the front disc brake pads rattling in the caliper. Has anybody had to cure this same problem themselves?


Rim brakes...


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## JPBoothy (11 Aug 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Rim brakes...


Ha Ha, I won't disagree with you on that one but I like the other 99% of my bike so I learn to live with them. Unfortunately, I have the mechanical ones rather than the better performing hydraulic type too. Although having said that, I recently upgraded them to a second hand pair of TRP Spyres (duel piston) and they are actually quite good.


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## DCLane (12 Aug 2020)

Finished the Raleigh SP Race last night with new gear cable inner & outers in red, having removed a very stuck inner cable on the RH shifter. Then added a KMC chain and red bar tape.

I'm still waiting for a washer for the LH crank and will then set up the front derailleur. Otherwise it's done. Total spend by me: £8 plus the frameset / parts supplied and parts from the shed. I _should_ get £20-40 selling the supplied crank and bars with a net spend of around £70-80 for a bike that'll hopefully do me as a 'best' bike until March.






One issue is the chip on the downtube underside, under the 'A', which concerns me a bit:


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## davidphilips (12 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> If my bikes were new and could be replaced 'like for like' on the insurance then I would be annoyed but not as much as I would be when left trying to replace my much loved older models. You become attached and get to know the various little niggles don't you.. I have been looking on Ebay for a set of those spiked walls that close in like in the Indiana Jones movies but they are impossible to find. I was even thinking of that massive boulder that rolls down the narrow passage but that would just be overkill and would crush my bikes too


Maybe look out for one of these car alarms, dont know the best place to get them or even best place to dump any body they catch?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U4ZYOBzEEs


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## JPBoothy (12 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> Finished the Raleigh SP Race last night with new gear cable inner & outers in red, having removed a very stuck inner cable on the RH shifter. Then added a KMC chain and red bar tape.
> 
> I'm still waiting for a washer for the LH crank and will then set up the front derailleur. Otherwise it's done. Total spend by me: £8 plus the frameset / parts supplied and parts from the shed. I _should_ get £20-40 selling the supplied crank and bars with a net spend of around £70-80 for a bike that'll hopefully do me as a 'best' bike until March.
> 
> ...


Very nice.. Why the concern, is it a Carbon frame?


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## rogerzilla (12 Aug 2020)

The bar end shifters didn't turn up but the downtube cable adjusters did, so I bolted them to the (rather nasty canary yellow) Eddy Merckx and also cut the gear cable outers to length.


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## davidphilips (12 Aug 2020)

Very well done David a £1,500 bike for about £75.


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## DCLane (12 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Very nice.. Why the concern, is it a Carbon frame?



Yes - full carbon frame and forks. The replacement forks made me wonder if it was in a crash, which the seller denied. However it looks like an impact of some sort on the bottom. The paint's chipped and the top layer of paint come off in the shape of a small triangle at one point.

I'm not too concerned but will have a proper look at it. At first glance there wasn't any 'give' at any point there.


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## JPBoothy (12 Aug 2020)

I did a 150 mile round trip to collect my ebay purchase from Leeds this morning (Genesis Day One 10 Disc) and apart from a few scuffs it seems like a good bike. The seller had converted it from the original drop bar with mechanical discs spec, to a flat bar with hydraulic discs but, I may change it back though as the flat bars are massively wide (720mm) and the hydraulic brakes far too fierce/sharp for my liking. I am not a great fan of discs at all really but, as I don't do any mad downhill stuff, then given the choice I actually feel more in control with a mechanical set-up using TRPs than the instant grab of the hydraulic version. Each to their own I suppose. I whipped the chain off and gave everything a thoroughly good clean but I think I will get my local bike mechanic to take a look at the rear wheel bearings as I have re-packed them with grease but can't seem to lock the cones in the right place. It either binds or runs freely but has some play. I am no expert with wheel bearings and know my limits.


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## JPBoothy (12 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> Yes - full carbon frame and forks. The replacement forks made me wonder if it was in a crash, which the seller denied. However it looks like an impact of some sort on the bottom. The paint's chipped and the top layer of paint come off in the shape of a small triangle at one point.
> 
> I'm not too concerned but will have a proper look at it. At first glance there wasn't any 'give' at any point there.


You see some cracking (no pun intended) used Carbon bikes on Ebay/Gumtree but I would always be worried about any potential 'undeclared' cracks putting me in A&E.


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## rogerzilla (13 Aug 2020)

Some 7sp bar end shifters* arrived from fleaBay so I finished the Eddy Merckx Strada OS. Now it's raining, of course.

*temporary until I sort out some 7sp STI units...which do exist.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Aug 2020)

My fettling of the last couple of days is complete and the Raleigh has a new look. I'd have written this up last night but a close lightning strike zapped my computer  (thankfully it has booted up alright this morning).

Since getting my Galaxy and finally getting comfortable with drop bars I've found myself frequently wishing for matching hand positions on the Raleigh too. I'd been put off by the bike having a longish top tube which I thought would mean having to to go shorter than the existing 80mm stem (if I could even find a suitable quill replacement), however after recent rides where I felt I could have stretched out more and after comfortably riding a hired gravel bike (Genesis CDA) that was a size larger than I'd have picked out, I thought the idea could be a goer so this birthday I asked for lots of parts and have now done the build.

I took my time over a couple of afternoons when it was too hot and muggy for riding so Tuesday was about removing the old and fitting the new bar and brake levers, then yesterday I connected up the new shifters and wrapped the bars. It's only the second time I've wrapped drop bars so the right hand side took three attempts before I was happy. It was all finished, with a short test ride done, when the first rumbles of thunder started.










Trying it for size at points during the build and on a very short test it feels subtly different to the Galaxy but still a comfortable reach. The gears are noticably nicer shifting just riding round the block. I don't suppose there are many people running Alivio derailleurs with Dura Ace shifters. I'm looking forward to trying it out properly soon.


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## Saracenlad (13 Aug 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> My fettling of the last couple of days is complete and the Raleigh has a new look. I'd have written this up last night but a close lightning strike zapped my computer  (thankfully it has booted up alright this morning).
> 
> Since getting my Galaxy and finally getting comfortable with drop bars I've found myself frequently wishing for matching hand positions on the Raleigh too. I'd been put off by the bike having a longish top tube which I thought would mean having to to go shorter than the existing 80mm stem (if I could even find a suitable quill replacement), however after recent rides where I felt I could have stretched out more and after comfortably riding a hired gravel bike (Genesis CDA) that was a size larger than I'd have picked out, I thought the idea could be a goer so this birthday I asked for lots of parts and have now done the build.
> 
> ...


Very nice too.


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## rogerzilla (13 Aug 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> i don't suppose there are many people running Alivio derailleurs with Dura Ace shifters. I'm looking forward to trying it out properly soon.


I'll be running 1990-era Shimano 600 tricolour derailleurs with Sora shifters. Choice is limited in 7 speed!

How many speeds is your Raleigh? Dura-Ace shifters were only compatible with DA mechs up to and including (I think) 8 speed. There is a workaround possible - see Sheldon Brown's website.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Aug 2020)

Saracenlad said:


> Very nice too.


Thanks.


rogerzilla said:


> I'll be running 1990-era Shimano 600 tricolour derailleurs with Sora shifters. Choice is limited in 7 speed!
> 
> How many speeds is your Raleigh? Dura-Ace shifters were only compatible with DA mechs up to and including (I think) 8 speed. There is a workaround possible - see Sheldon Brown's website.


It's 9 speed. Yes the instruction sheet claims the shifters are only compatible with the matching Dura Ace 7700 derailleurs, but it's cobblers. Fortunately I already knew that having built up the Galaxy with the same bar end shifters and Deore.


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## rogerzilla (13 Aug 2020)

Yes, 9/10 speed road Shimano is all compatible EXCEPT for a change they made to the front mech pull ratio between 7800 and 7900. This is only an issue if you have STI shifters.

Edited because 11 speed is incompatible with anything that went before. In the end the small cog spacing and slightly stickier underbar STI cabling meant they needed to significantly increase cable movement to keep it reliable.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Aug 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Yes, 9 speed+ road Shimano is all compatible EXCEPT for a change they made to the front mech pull ratio between 7800 and 7900. This is only an issue if you have STI shifters.


I do wonder if there was a technical reason for the change or they just didn't appreciate people like me undermining the exclusive stuff by mixing and matching?


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## rogerzilla (13 Aug 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I do wonder if there was a technical reason for the change or they just didn't appreciate people like me undermining the exclusive stuff by mixing and matching?


Probably for a lighter action. The previous 10 speed front upshift was noticeably firmer than the rear upshift and Shimano want it all to feel like a video game.


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Aug 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Probably for a lighter action. The previous 10 speed front upshift was noticeably firmer than the rear upshift and Shimano want it all to feel like a video game.


Ah, that sounds fair enough. I can see it would be more complicated to get the feel right on STI shifters compared to a bar end lever.


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## rogerzilla (13 Aug 2020)

Gave the Merckx a quick test ride. Much plusher than the Boardman Team Carbon and the Ron Cooper (from which the wheels and all components came). Some of this may be due to the carbon fork, which is sadly going to have to go...I don't trust a 25-year old carbon fork with a steel steerer glued to an alloy crown glued to carbon blades glued to alloy fork-ends! I have a steel Merckx fork of the right tubing and age but it needs a longer steerer brazing in; Merckx forks with a 190mm+ steerer seem to be unobtanium.


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## DCLane (14 Aug 2020)

16yo son managed to pull his TT disc out of line on Saturday's TT along with the brakes failing again after 3 miles - the springs had lost their 'spring' and we think it was the rough surface which set them off after we'd spent some time re-greasing everything.

Just _how_ a 53kg child can knock a tightened wheel out I haven't a clue, but ... 

So, on Saturday we sourced the only replacement rear brake in the UK for an Argon E-116 TT bike, which we swapped for the old one today. Very fiddly but, along with a new rear skewer set to 'over-tightened', he had a go to try and break it. All good so hopefully this Sunday's TT at Mallory Park won't result in a 3rd mechanical in a row. Croft and Cragg Vale (a hillclimb but ridden on a TT bike) follow next week before a couple more warm-ups and then the GHS youth national's in September.

Oh, and for @Dogtrousers this is the bike from the RH side with the red ceramic jockey wheels. The rear brake's underneath obscured by the outer oval chainring:






It may not be as good as some of the ultra-expensive TT bikes a few of the youth have but it's what he's got.


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## jowwy (14 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> 16yo son managed to pull his TT disc out of line on Saturday's TT along with the brakes failing again after 3 miles - the springs had lost their 'spring' and we think it was the rough surface which set them off after we'd spent some time re-greasing everything.
> 
> Just _how_ a 53kg child can knock a tightened wheel out I haven't a clue, but ...
> 
> ...


thats a cracking looking machine.....


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## Dark46 (14 Aug 2020)

Today for the first time I changed the discs and pads on my bike today. Okay I've not been on a test run yet because of the wet, but I wish some other jobs were as simple.


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## DaveReading (14 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> Oh, and for @Dogtrousers this is the bike from the RH side with the red ceramic jockey wheels. The rear brake's underneath obscured by the outer oval chainring:



Thanks !



DaveReading said:


> Yes, photo from the drive side, please !!


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## Bad Machine (14 Aug 2020)

I've been on brake duty too. Mounted the NOS Magura HS33 rim brake cylinders I've been saving (in the _Box of Special Things_) on the trike rebuild front fork, in just a few minutes, then spent the next 90 cleaning a pair of Julie calipers ready for the rear. Brief intermission for tea and Torx T7 screwdriver online order (I located T4,T5,T6 in the house, and T8,T9,T10 in the garage - so where was T7 ?).






Much satisfaction had at end result of cleaning process - I used Bilberry alloy wheel cleaner (normally for bringing up a shine on car wheels) and a soft brush to good effect. New pads ordered, as I found uneven wear on one pair, and as the brake levers were still attached, a quick squeeze revealed an almost immobile piston.

edit - here's the finished Julies.





_Note to self - keep a pair of used disc pads for when a sticking hydraulic piston needs repeated pressing back into the caliper (because the flat-bladed screwdriver will leave ruts in the braking compound no matter how careful you lever). _


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## IaninSheffield (16 Aug 2020)

Rainy morning, so rebuilt rear 20" wheel for my Dahon Speed TR onto a 'new' SRAM Dual Drive 3-speed hub. New cassette added. New chain to size and fit, then final adjustments of both gear systems - keeping fingers crossed!


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## JPBoothy (17 Aug 2020)

Bad Machine said:


> I've been on brake duty too. Mounted the NOS Magura HS33 rim brake cylinders I've been saving (in the _Box of Special Things_) on the trike rebuild front fork, in just a few minutes, then spent the next 90 cleaning a pair of Julie calipers ready for the rear. Brief intermission for tea and Torx T7 screwdriver online order (I located T4,T5,T6 in the house, and T8,T9,T10 in the garage - so where was T7 ?).
> 
> View attachment 541695
> 
> ...


I've never seen those brakes before. Any good? Is there an advantage over standard rim brakes? I can imagine they would be good for anybody with limited strength in their hands though.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Aug 2020)

I gave my Univega Supra Sport some new bars, trekking bars to be exact, and added new brake cables as I had MTB brake levers on the trekking bars. It rides very nicely.


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## Gravity Aided (17 Aug 2020)

Next up, Raleigh Sojourn Tourer. Could be the last project. Riding bicycles now being favored over fettling.


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## JPBoothy (17 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> Finished the Raleigh SP Race last night with new gear cable inner & outers in red, having removed a very stuck inner cable on the RH shifter. Then added a KMC chain and red bar tape.
> 
> I'm still waiting for a washer for the LH crank and will then set up the front derailleur. Otherwise it's done. Total spend by me: £8 plus the frameset / parts supplied and parts from the shed. I _should_ get £20-40 selling the supplied crank and bars with a net spend of around £70-80 for a bike that'll hopefully do me as a 'best' bike until March.
> 
> ...


Have you ridden your Raleigh yet, or are you still waiting on that washer?


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## DCLane (17 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Have you ridden your Raleigh yet, or are you still waiting on that washer?



It finally turned up today; went in perfectly and the Raleigh's now finished.

From a first short test ride the SP Race is more of a 'cruiser' than a 'racer' but I'll know more tomorrow on a longer ride. It's a world away from the NeilPryde Nazaré hardcore aero bike that it's temporarily replacing whilst I wait for my son's Cervelo S3.

It's a bit lighter than my Wilier Montegrappa (with broken Ultegra shifter - this evening's job) and is more akin to this than the NeilPryde/Cervelo.


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## Bad Machine (17 Aug 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I've never seen those brakes before. Any good? Is there an advantage over standard rim brakes? I can imagine they would be good for anybody with limited strength in their hands though.



I'm pretty pleased with the HS33s - as rim brakes they're not difficult to set up correctly (the spherical washer that holds each side's cyclinder in the right position gives you plenty of adjustment to get the pad face flat against the rim, and yet angle the cylinder so that it doesn't foul fat tyres (I've got Crazy Bob 406-54 on the trike at the moment), and the HS33s have a progressive "bite" (is that what they mean by good modulation ?). A quick release on the left side allows for easier removal and fitting of the wheel, and the thing I like the most - there's no cable to freeze in really cold weather.






I first came across them on a Hase Lepus (here's mine, above) , but I think their fan base was originally in MTB. Yes, would agree that they may be worth considering for those who can't squeeze a brake lever really hard.

If you're already having to deal with hydraulics for the rear discs, then having hydraulics for the front isn't extra work.
In the same way, I wouldn't choose to have them if the rear were mechanical disc brakes.


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## rogerzilla (18 Aug 2020)

Some mysteriously branded "Micronew" 2 x 7 brake/shift levers turned up from Amazon. They appear to be well made and the important bits, like the brake cable anchor, are metal. I suspect they are in fact a Chinese brand name for the slightly more common Microshift. I'd left the cables a bit long on the Eddy Merckx so I could swap the existing controls for these when they arrived, so I carefully changed everything over. Then the left lever wouldn't quite pull enough cable for my 600 tricolour front mech, but I had a later Dura-Ace one kicking around to solve that (I will swap the rear mech for DA when I get round to it - I have a nice 7700 one in the garage).

They weigh EXACTLY the same (to the nearest 2g) as the brake levers and bar-end shifters they replaced, and the indexing is bang on for the ancient HG70 7 speed cassette (which I must swap back for the 13-21 because it has identical sprockets to my 10 speed bike, just missing the 11, 12 and 23!

Then I thought I'd weigh it. 21 1/4 lb without pedals, which is...er...3 1/2 lb heavier than my Boardman Team Carbon with go-faster bits. This is a lot less dull to ride, though.


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## Vantage (20 Aug 2020)

Replaced the abysmally crap SunRace DT shifters with new Dura Ace ones. Soooooooooo much nicer shifting


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## Bad Machine (20 Aug 2020)

Gave the wooden workbench a couple of coats of protective oil.
(bled both front and rear hydraulic brakes)


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## JPBoothy (20 Aug 2020)

Painted the Garage door and fitted the wheels back on the Genesis Day One SS that I bought for my teenage son after having new cones & bearings fitted by a local bike mechanic. I also changed the 'wobbly' 17t Dicta sprocket for a nice solid 16t Sturmey Archer sprocket and the bike now runs nice and smooth


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## DCLane (20 Aug 2020)

Bit of a busy day today;

- Replacement Ultegra 6700 shifter fitted to my Wilier Montegrappa as I'd broken one. A couple of adjustments and all was OK.

- Raleigh SP Race had a few minor adjustments after the build last week; cables shortened a bit, chain link out. All good.

- Son's BeOne Raw Comp needed a LH Dura-Ace shifter change after he broke it, a couple of new cables, rear tyre, new bar tape, brake pads. Waiting on a new rear brake and should be good for the weekend.

My Dawes Kingpin's waiting on the frame being widened ready for the build. That'll start next week although the wheels haven't been built yet.


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## Ilikeboardmans (20 Aug 2020)

Wannabe weight weenie here. Bike started at 8.9kg initially. (Totally new to cycling, lockdown). Done the below in the last 7ish days. Bike now weighs bang on 8kg. Favourite upgrade upto now has to be the continental race supersonic tubes 50 grammes each.

Got some tektro RL720 brake levers 90grammes.








Ultegra r8000 rear derailleur







FD 9000 dura ace front derailleur








Bontranger paradigm RL saddle very comfortable. I got a 70g carbon saddle as well - not comfortable !








Frame bag. 150ish grammes. Not always used.


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## Ilikeboardmans (20 Aug 2020)

And done the below in last few hours lol. Had a slow puncture, lovely tiny piece of wire i found






Then began disassembling the rear hub. Bearing gone, it was.very obvious.

















New bearings in.














While im in there, cleaned cassette and rest of drive train ready for oiling tomorrow.












Have converted to 11 speed with xtr front shifter, fitted carbon seat post, and started swapping some non load bearing bolts for titanium. The black ones for bottle cages are titanium.

Thats enough for tonight.


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## Vantage (20 Aug 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Bike now weighs bang on 8kg.



My saddlebag weighs about that


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## HLaB (20 Aug 2020)

Before my time trial tonight, my rim tape gave up. Fortunately it was the other bike 👍 I was sat reading papers and I heard a rush of air then pop as the tubeless tyre unseated. Took the tyre of and noted straight away the hole in the rim. So after the TT I cleaned the tyre and rim well; fitted new rim tape; added sealant and repeated. Touch wood an hour later the tyre is still solid. The wheels have been on this bike 10,000 miles and were on another bike for a few before it; which doesn't sound a bad return to me. I just hope that if the rear goes its similarly when I am sat on the sofa with the bike in the bathroom 😂


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## DCBassman (21 Aug 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Had one of those feelings looking at a Dell Studio 1735 laptop on ebay. "Powers up, but screen unresponsive ". Aha! Got it for a song. It does have some corner damage, but nothing unfixable.
> Popped in some ram - bingo! There's nothing wrong bar the damage. That's what the feeling was: they're assessing this with no installed ram, and no PC wakes up without it!
> So my Dell Studio 1535 has grown a bit!


And a second one, in even better nick, although I don't think I've ever removed that much fluff from a laptop before. Upgraded ram and cpu, transferred spare drive from 15" model, and bingo. Oh, had to install a UK keyboard, this one came from la belle France.


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## DCLane (21 Aug 2020)

@Ilikeboardmans - good start there

Any further weight-reducing activities probably start getting expensive:

- Lighter bars and stem
- Lighter wheels and tyres
- Lighter seatpost
- Lighter crankset; there's a big weight difference between a Shimano 105 and Ultegra/Dura-Ace/Rotor

Oh, and I use a Bontrager Paradigm saddle as well.


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## CXRAndy (21 Aug 2020)

This afternoon fitted a loft hatch. God they're heavy when you don't take ladder off and lifting on your own


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## CXRAndy (21 Aug 2020)

Vantage said:


> My saddlebag weighs about that



My bike with Alfine hub, dynamo hub and Topeak panniers is around 25kg


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## Vantage (21 Aug 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> My bike with Alfine hub, dynamo hub and Topeak panniers is around 25kg



Yep, mines about that too. 

Currently it's loaded up with a full compliment of panniers and camping gear and tipping the scales at around 39kg.


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## DCLane (21 Aug 2020)

New Ultegra 8000 rear brake caliper arrived so finished my son's BeOne Raw for a team selection camp tomorrow. Some of the jobs on this took both of us; the bike's Dutch and very rare, plus fiddly to work on.

Also on his Columbus X-Wing commuter I swapped the front stem for a longer one, changed the front brake outer and inner cable. Good to go for his start at 6th form.


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## bikingdad90 (21 Aug 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> This afternoon fitted a loft hatch. God they're heavy when you don't take ladder off and lifting on your own



I’ve never had much luck with loft hatches, all the houses I have owned have needed a custom hatch doing with metal ladders on loft floor to drop down as the roof trusses have been those tall A frames and needed to be cut to fit or if rotated so you don’t need to can’t be dropped down without hitting something! Grrr, means I can’t have any nice wooden Fakros and have to make do with metal ladders. 

@DCLane how do you manage to break two shifters? I’ve never ever broke one.


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## DCLane (21 Aug 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> @DCLane how do you manage to break two shifters? I’ve never ever broke one.



_Technically_ I only broke one of them; Shimano Ultegra 6700 right-hand shifters have a reputation for the up-shift breaking. 

The other was my son breaking his left-hand Dura-Ace 9000 one. He got the bike tangled up in a race a while ago, not needing the small ring for a few months, and we've got round to fix it this week.


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## dave r (21 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> _Technically_ I only broke one of them; Shimano Ultegra 6700 right-hand shifters have a reputation for the up-shift breaking.
> 
> The other was my son breaking his left-hand Dura-Ace 9000 one. He got the bike tangled up in a race a while ago, not needing the small ring for a few months, and we've got round to fix it this week.



My Tigara left side went on the downshift, if I got it on the big ring there was no guarantee it would drop onto the little ring, I tried all the usual stuff but nothing fixed it so I brought a replacement of E Bay and thats worked perfectly since I fitted it.


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## CXRAndy (22 Aug 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> I’ve never had much luck with loft hatches, all the houses I have owned have needed a custom hatch doing with metal ladders on loft floor to drop down as the roof trusses have been those tall A frames and needed to be cut to fit or if rotated so you don’t need to can’t be dropped down without hitting something! Grrr, means I can’t have any nice wooden Fakros and have to make do with metal ladders.
> 
> @DCLane how do you manage to break two shifters? I’ve never ever broke one.



The Keylite are quite simple once you have put noggins in, then the two wood pieces in the kit-which folk think are packing spacers . 

Mount these spacers below rafter by 12mm(plasterboard) plus 2mm for skim plaster.

Push whole hatch into created gap, hooks one side and slips and locks the other. 

Just need to fit tiny spacers on long sides, insulation foam and kingspan


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## rogerzilla (22 Aug 2020)

Swapped a 6400 rear mech for a 7700 rear mech. I'm switching the Merckx over to 90s Dura-Ace, mostly 7700, as 600 tricolor pre-dates the frame. Sticking with 7402 cranks, though, as Octalink is nasty.

Also keeping the wheels with their 6400 hubs because they're my favourite wheels from the 100 or so I've built. 36 spokes but they're all DT Revolution except the rear RH side, which is DT Competition (this is the way I always build race wheels). They spin up to speed very easily and are just about nuke-proof. Still perfectly true and I haven't touched them since I built them in 2017. Rigida SHP rims from the days when the braking surface was anodised.


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## Ilikeboardmans (22 Aug 2020)

I didnt know building work is included in this thread ))

Bathroom 4 done of 10 bed HMO. Squeezed this under the stairs, there will be a screen fitted between toilet and walk in shower. I stick with electric showers to keep them independent from the boiler and even mains water supply since its pumped from cold water storage tank. Ensuite bathroom is supplied by boiler though to keep things under 100Amps overall. Few more weeks to complete then openrent it.


Wiring hanging out to the side is for underfloor heating control. Its a simple on off switch with 5 power levels and a 2 hour on only button. I think this is better than a room thermostat. Cant see tenants complaining. Ive gone all out on this one.





























Very nice loft hatch above even for drop down ladder.


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## wafter (22 Aug 2020)

Today I've removed, waxed and refitted chains on the Genesis and Raleigh since both had got wet and as much as I love waxed chains they don't do so well with water ingress 

This was facilitated by making a few useful little tools - the first a hanger made from an old spoke to thread through the folded chain and allow it to be dunked in the wax pan / easily manipulated / hung up to drip dry.

The second is a chain tool made from a bit of 1/16" welding rod to hold it in place on the bike while quick links are removed and installed; saving the pleasantries of having to grip the chain and keep it under tension while attempting to hook everything together.

The idea was stolen from someone cleverer than me on the net with a few little twists of my own. I formed it round an existing chain so it's around 8 links / 4 link-pairs long and should also be useful for sizing new chains since its length can be reproduced with full links rather than being some arbitrary amount 











Unfortunately no pics of the hanger in use as the chain fell off post-wax and it was more trouble than it was worth to put it back on again for a pic (waxy hands, camera etc). I'm quite pleased with how it turned out for a "make it up as you go along" tool, although the upward kink at the threaded end could do with being a bit longer to prevent the chain coming off (although I've just had a brainwave that I can retain it with an old nipple - which still fits and looks like it'll work perfectly  ). I'd also have preferred the fat / hub end to be facing in the other direction, but it's not the end of the world.

Very pleased with today's productivity and it's really nice outside so may well go out for a bimble in a bit


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## Gunk (22 Aug 2020)

I finally found some time this afternoon to fit a pair of new Panaracer tyres to my 1962 Claud Butler. When I restored it earlier this year because the costs were rising I decided to refit the tyres which came with it, which was always a temporary solution.






So back on the stand. It's not a light bike!






And all fitted.


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## avecReynolds531 (22 Aug 2020)

I retired a well worn Suntour ARX GT (long cage) rear derailleur this morning and replaced it with a Cyclone II GT (which matches the front derailleur).

Suntour made some lovely derailleurs - sad how it went for them:

From this excellent Retrogrouch article: https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/06/suntour-derailleurs.html

'Around 1975, SunTour introduced the Cyclone, which looked beautiful, shifted flawlessly, and was one of the lightest derailleurs available. Only the Huret Jubilee was lighter (about 175 g. vs. 140 g.). It also looked expensive, but wasn't. According to _The Dancing Chain_, in 1975, a Campagnolo Nuovo Record or a Huret Jubilee cost about $40, a Shimano Crane (Dura-Ace) was $20, and Cyclone cost only $16. Ironically, it was SunTour's more "fair" pricing policy that kept it in a lower "status" as compared to the competition in the eyes of some American cyclists. Rather than price their products based on what the market would bear, SunTour set prices based on production costs plus a fair profit, according to Berto. To people accustomed to the notion of price-equals-prestige, there was a perception that SunTour components were somehow less desirable than offerings from Shimano or from Europe.'


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## DCBassman (22 Aug 2020)

Fitted new-to-me Shimano 550 wheels to the Scott. Camera has ditched the pics, will update. Bike looks more coordinated with silver wheels than black, so extra plus!


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## HLaB (23 Aug 2020)

Had a tick,tick, tick for the last couple of months when I put the bike under strain that would go silent when I let the chain get dirty. The chain has done 4,000miles now but cleaned up easily as I would expect. I've changed my cleaning routine though, I now use mucoff and a small portable pump before wiping down with a baby wipe. Before I took longer and used more baby wipes. The Park chain measurer said it was good however on every link I checked.






Nonetheless I ended up changing the chain/ cassette anyway.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Aug 2020)

Gunk said:


> I finally found some time this afternoon to fit a pair of new Panaracer tyres to my 1962 Claud Butler. When I restored it earlier this year because the costs were rising I decided to refit the tyres which came with it, which was always a temporary solution.
> 
> View attachment 543107
> 
> ...



Paselas?


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Aug 2020)

Adjusted v brakes on wife’s bike. Pumped up tyres on our road bikes.


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## Gunk (23 Aug 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Paselas?



yes


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Aug 2020)

Gunk said:


> yes



I have one in 37mm on front of my recumbent. Lovely riding tyre and copes well with light gravel.


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## roley poley (23 Aug 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> I retired a well worn Suntour ARX GT (long cage) rear derailleur this morning and replaced it with a Cyclone II GT (which matches the front derailleur).
> 
> Suntour made some lovely derailleurs - sad how it went for them:
> 
> ...


not a snob and did the job xxx


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## Gravity Aided (24 Aug 2020)

I cleared my garage out, always a great undertaking for any cyclist/tinkerer. Ready for Raleigh Project Sojourn.
As our Feckless Leader would say,
"It's gonna be great, folks, it's gonna be great."


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## RoubaixCube (24 Aug 2020)

Lowered my bars & fiddled some tumblers. Not quite sure if its just the warmer weather making my rear tyre feeling a little flat or if i have a slow leak.

went out for a local 6 mile circuit despite possible slow leak, Enjoyed the lower riding position a lot more. Feels more natural. Might lower it further.


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## dave r (26 Aug 2020)

Yesterday I had the front wheel off my fixed and in the LBS to have new bearings fitted, when I got it back I put a fresh tyre on it, and put the old front tyre on the back, whilst I was doing that I swapped out the 48 tooth ring for a 44 tooth and swapped the 19 tooth cog for a 17 tooth, I rode 48 x19 last winter and didn't get on with it, I was very slow. If I don't get on with the 44x17 I'll go back to 44x18. I also put a new chain on it and gave it a bit of a clean, I must have cleaned a pound of road dirt out from under the mudguards, I'll give it a polish before I start using it.


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## si_c (27 Aug 2020)

Finally got round to upgrading the Trek today.

Removed the "old" Tiagra shifters and RD (I say old, they've done less than 1000mi and are in near mint condition) and put on a set of R7000 shifters I had in a cupboard and the new R7000 rear derailleur. Took the 10sp cassette off the wheel and was glad I'd ordered the 11sp cassette which fits on a 10sp freehub (it's 11-34 so nice wide range for climbing hills, and it looks like I'll be lending it to my Dad fairly often and he's in his 70s so the extra range will be good for him too).

I'm leaving the Tiagra crankset and front derailleur in place - they are perfectly fine with the new 105 for now - ultimately I will upgrade them too and then I'll likely sell the complete Tiagra groupset to recover some costs.

New inner cables for the brakes and gears too - a good thing too as the old cables were showing signs of corrosion as the previous owner had kept it in a barn for two years. Only minor problem was the nipple for the right shifter got stuck and then the ratchet wouldn't engage for the upshift or downshift. Took a bit to get the cable out and then cycled the levers both directions a few times to get it to reset. Annoying as I'd already cinched the bolt at the derailleur and I had to undo it and pull the cable out, lesson learnt - check the action works beforehand.

Re-used the bar tape as it was in good condition, and although I have new bar tape ready to go on, I'll leave it for now.

Overall not too bad a setup - I'll have to check the indexing on a ride tomorrow to make sure it's ok, but seems to shift no problem so far.

Weight has dropped to 9.8kg including pedals and all the mounts etc on the bike, which for an alloy 62cm frame I'm very happy with. Crankset upgrade should drop another couple hundred grams and I've got new tires coming tomorrow which should be a couple hundred grams lighter too. Should offset the mudguards nicely when I get to put them on.


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## Hugh Jampton (28 Aug 2020)

After suffering for a while, decent brakes for the folder.

Myself and Lady J are going down to the South coast in a couple of weeks. We take folding bikes with us, as they are easy to fit in the Mini and can be kept secure there, when hotels etc. do not have anywhere for storage.

Had bought a cheap chinese folder from Fleabay for me and a Apollo Tuck for her. I realised the error of my thinking when the cheapie Chinese one's BB appeared to be made of butter! I bought a folding frame from Edinburgh Cycles. Some proper 20" wheels and then with spares from the shed, built the folding bitsa below







Donors were an old mountain bike for the rear derailleur, 9 speed cassette and sti trigger, saddle, brake levers, handlebars and stem. Crank and BB just kicking around. The brakes, folding stem and tyres are from the Chinese folder. Had to buy the wheels and seatpost, seatpost clamp to fit the frame.

Brakes were apalling, so took the plunge and got a very good deal on a set of Deore v brakes.






Now braking is much better.

Bike rides well. Will be cycling round Bournemouth, Poole and surrounding areas in the next few weeks.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (28 Aug 2020)

Added my new saddle which the postie delivered today. Looking forward to trying it out. High hopes.


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## si_c (28 Aug 2020)

Cleaned the Kinesis - it was a bit grim following a trip down a freshly chipsealed road a couple of weeks ago complete with semi liquid tar and sunday's trip over a sheep crap covered cycleway.

Also swapped the saddle on the Trek for the Fabric saddle which arrived today and took it for a quick spin around the block to check the indexing, nearly there but a bit off in the higher range. Am planning on a longer ride tomorrow so I may take that over the Kinesis and dial it in properly.

Also took a spare wheelset out of the loft and gave it a thorough clean in anticipation of pressing it into service next week as part of winterising the Trek.


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## roubaixtuesday (29 Aug 2020)

MTB was in a right state, having been borrowed by youngest several times featuring many crashes, then ridden through thick mud by me thrice this week. All round clean, then spent ages trying to get the gears to run without rubbing on front derailleur. Eventually realised it was out of alignment and a minor rotation sorted it.

Also took the pads out just to take a look so I can source spares, having never changed them. They don't look very worn, but how do you judge this on disc pads? I've no idea. 

New chain cleaning method of spraying wd40 liberally then very close pressure wash of the chain in situ worked a treat . I expect someone will be along shortly telling me I need an ultrasonic bath or somesuch to do it properly.

Next the posh road bike. Now up to near 2000 miles so treated it to a new chain and all round clean after a wet ride last weekend. Had been suffering rumbling in bottom gear, which a tweak of the B screw remedied. 

Finally tightened the tandem timing chain which looks a little saggy. Rotating the eccentric BB isn't the easiest, even though its free in the shell, but got there in the end.


----------



## DCBassman (29 Aug 2020)

Cleaned the Scott after today's ride. Started, very slowly, removing bits and cleaning the Revell mixte.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Aug 2020)

Bolts on right shoe cleat were loose this morning. So loosened moved cleat back in place, then tightened up again. Reminded me I haven’t been doing loose bolt checks every 4 weeks or so.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Aug 2020)

After 5 years of dedicated service I have given up fighting and fettled new brake pads* and fresh DOT5.1 into my rival hydro brakes 

Someone remind me how much trouble disc brakes are? 

*that weren't needed just yet


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## Pale Rider (31 Aug 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> They don't look very worn, but how do you judge this on disc pads? I've no idea.



The only way is to assess the depth of the friction material.

Not so easy given there's only a millimetre or two in it.

Comparing the new pads with the old ones should give you a good idea.


----------



## Gunk (31 Aug 2020)

Swapped over the modern Selle Italia SLR saddle (which was always temporary) for a correct leather San Marco Concor, took a bit of adjustment (I’ve dropped the nose a bit since taking the photos) but it’s very comfortable and looks period correct





















I also got the little Elvish down pumped up the tyres and a spin around the close, rides really well, it’s a shame I’m not 10 again!


----------



## Gravity Aided (1 Sep 2020)

Working on the Raleigh Sojourn over the weekend.. Pictures soon.


----------



## fossyant (1 Sep 2020)

Replaced both saddle clamp bolts on the MTB. Had a little creaking on a ride at weekend, tightened a bolt and it 'slipped' - it had threadded. Fortunately, managed to undo it and retighten to continue the ride. Inspected bolt and it's not too bad, but just not worth the risk of it failing mid ride, so replaced both bolts (to match - can't have mis matched fastenings on a bike).


----------



## roubaixtuesday (1 Sep 2020)

Roger Longbottom said:


> Applied a tubeless specific patch to the inside of my three week old tubeless tyre which had obviously punctured. Sealant held at low pressure to get home but not when I blew it up with the track pump.
> 
> Then, hooray, I managed to get the thing back on!!!!!! Left it to soak in boiling hot soapy water for ten minutes pre fitting, still a devil of a job to get on but easier than my maiden attempt.
> 
> Got the tyre to "pop" with the track pump, will leave it overnight to see if still inflated then add sealant through valve tomorrow.



Each to their own, but every single thing I read about tubeless makes me want to avoid it like the plague!


----------



## pawl (2 Sep 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Each to their own, but every single thing I read about tubeless makes me want to avoid it like the plague!





Would agree with that For an old fossil like me cycling maintenance is getting al little to complicated .l don’t want disc brakes or cables that disappear into the frame tubes .If I was in the market for new bike I would struggle Some nob head looked at my Planetx carbon and said fancy buying a bike with exposed cables.


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## pawl (2 Sep 2020)

New Ultegra brake blocks arrived this morning Will fit them tomorrow.


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## si_c (2 Sep 2020)

Fitted new tyres and tubes to the spare wheelset for the Domane. This is so I can fit mudguards tomorrow - the new tyres are 25mm and come up on the rims as 24.5mm. After riding 28mm for 3 years they are soooooo narrow - the same tyre in 28mm comes up as 29.8mm on my Racelight's wheels.


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## DCBassman (2 Sep 2020)

Today was spent fettling a box of varied stuff into a very large computer case, to end up with more pc power than I could ever reasonably need. When I say big case, I mean Corsair Obsidian 750D big. GTX Titan X graphics.
All for nowt...
Except the time to build and fettle, of course!


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## JhnBssll (2 Sep 2020)

I fettled the commuter yesterday after it's first outing for a while. It's kitted with SRAM Rival 22 and the righthand shifter seems to have developed a fault. On the way home at least 30% of my upshifts failed - the shifter clicked and the chain shifted on to the bigger sprocket, but as soon as the lever started moving back to its rest position a second clunk sent the chain back to the sprocket from whence it began  I was able to get it to shift when I remembered and made my actions slow and deliberate, but as soon as I forgot and started shifting naturally the fault reappeared. Once on the stand in the garage of course it worked flawlessly  Seems the ratchet mechanism isn't holding it's new position, perhaps an alignment issue or a fault with one of the pawls. It's only done a few thousand miles and has been looked after - now trying to decide whether to try and fix the shifter, replace it, or replace the lot. I've got my eyes peeled for cheap R7020 bits as the hydraulic 105 stuff looks rather nice. It would be useful from a compatibility perspective to have 3 road bikes running shimano gears and hope calipers.

I also noticed the wobble in the Aksium Disc rear wheel has become more pronounced - I picked the pair up second hand for a good price but the nipples were all seized. I cut the front spokes out and built a dynamo hub in to the Aksium rim but the rear nipples weren't budging so I've been nursing it a bit. I finally bit the bullet and have ordered a cheap replacement hub and some new rims so will replace the rear wheel and rebuild the front  I still need to size the spokes but waiting on the rim ERD from the supplier - they're Bontrager rims but I cant find the dimensions listed anywhere 

I'll ride it as is until the hub and rims arrive and consider my position re. groupset possibilities  The bike's great to ride so I'm not worried about spending a bit of money on it, and the racks at work are safe enough, so maybe it's time I treated it to some new bits 🤷‍♂️


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## Ilikeboardmans (3 Sep 2020)

Wannabe weight weenie here again. Running out of things to upgrade.

Got an excellent condition ultegra r8000 crank 52 36 172.5 very pleased.







Cleaned up and fitted with ultegra chain.








Fitted it with dura ace 9100 bottom bracket. £28 from Taiwan seller on ebay. Nothing wrong with it. Correct weight. I only order if the seller is "big" and or established.











Fitted some carbon titanium skewers.






New weight of bike 7.9kg. I can take 120grammes off if i fit the super uncomfortable all carbon saddle (which i do have).

My existing wheels weigh 1650grammes...wh6800 ultegras...i will upgrade after a while of riding. Only just got into cycling from lockdown . Eventually will switch to drop down handlebars.







I suppose i could get an ultegra cassette to replace the last 105 part on the bike.

Thats all for now!


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## fossyant (3 Sep 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Wannabe weight weenie here again. Running out of things to upgrade.
> 
> Got an excellent condition ultegra r8000 crank 52 36 172.5 very pleased.
> 
> ...



Shaved off all that weight, then puts a flappy bag on it. Tisk tisk.


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## C R (3 Sep 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Wannabe weight weenie here again. Running out of things to upgrade.
> 
> Got an excellent condition ultegra r8000 crank 52 36 172.5 very pleased.
> 
> ...


Nice project, but, doesn't that big bag sort of defeat the purpose of the exercise?

Beaten by @fossyant


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## fossyant (3 Sep 2020)

Currently awaiting delivery of heavier duty tractor tyres for my best bike, 25c - oh my word ! Will have to see if they fit.


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## fossyant (3 Sep 2020)

Tractor tyres fitted. Gone are the days of 18c tubular TT tyres.


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## fossyant (3 Sep 2020)

Bit of a dust off, literally, a few years worth. New rubber fitted.


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## fossyant (3 Sep 2020)

Bling.


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## Gunk (3 Sep 2020)

Ilikeboardmans said:


> Wannabe weight weenie here again. Running out of things to upgrade.
> 
> Got an excellent condition ultegra r8000 crank 52 36 172.5 very pleased.
> 
> ...



I think you've made a nice job of that. Really cool bike.


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## si_c (3 Sep 2020)

Fitted the mudguards to the Trek to put it into it's final form as my go to bike for transport/bad weather - took me over an hour and a half as the clearance under the brake bridge was fscking tiny and it took me ages to get it to stop rubbing. The front took a while as well as the fork crown bolt didn't want to go in - lots of gunk on the threads had to keep backing it all the way out. Ended up using a different bolt as the one that came with the guards used a 2.5mm allen bolt so swapped it for one with a 4mm head so it wouldn't round out.

Just need to keep running it in, only done about 1k miles on it so far so still dialling in the position. Probably will drop the handlebars a couple of spacers over time.

Here it is as it is currently fitted out, since we're mentioning weights today it's 10.5kg total weight as you see it in a size 62cm including pedals, saddlebag, guards, lights and frame mounted pump.


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## Ilikeboardmans (3 Sep 2020)

Lol. Thanks for all comments, the bag is used sometimes only, but especially after i have tinkered with the bike in case of say a snapped chain - which happened today whilst testing the new crank. (My fault i installed the chain poorly ). 

I also dont have the clothing to carry pump spare tube multi tool levers food bars etc, yet.

Why the hate for frame bags online? This one only weighs 150grammes. I know its not "aero". 

Overall ultimate goal is to be well under 10kg with water and spares/tools for longer rides. If i hit a hill the water goes in my back pocket.

Anyway am looking at the paint now and thinking it needs to go. Lol.


----------



## Donger (3 Sep 2020)

A very well spent half hour saw me fit a new KMC 9 speed chain, swap back from my spare San Marco Rolls saddle to my favourite and newly repaired Brooks B17 and replace a couple of bolts on one of the toe clips. A two minute test ride confirmed everything now feels exactly as it should. Roll on the next ride.


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## roubaixtuesday (3 Sep 2020)

New 11-36 Cassette fitted to tandem for lower gears than 11-32 current. Will it work with the nominally only fit for 34T Sora derailleur?

Yes it will - perfectly - on the stand at least. 
And even ok on big/big without a chain change. 






However, a road test is *not* going to happen until new tyres arrive...








Further problems arise as son announces his chain is skipping. No problem, says I, for I have new 9 speed chain no longer needed for tandem you can have, and we can also swap in the old tandem cassette which is fortuitously identical!

Old chain off, cassette swapped. Now for chain... Bugger. Chain not in box, will be delivered later. Gah!


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## si_c (3 Sep 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> New 11-36 Cassette fitted to tandem for lower gears than 11-32 current. Will it work with the nominally only fit for 34T Sora derailleur?
> 
> Yes it will - perfectly - on the stand at least.
> And even ok on big/big without a chain change.


Worked fine for me when I was running a Sora drivetrain, no issues at all.


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## roubaixtuesday (3 Sep 2020)

si_c said:


> Worked fine for me when I was running a Sora drivetrain, no issues at all.



Yup. Works perfectly on the stand, no problems anticipated. But there's no way I'm taking that tyre up a hill to properly test it out!


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## Pale Rider (4 Sep 2020)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Yup. Works perfectly on the stand, no problems anticipated. But there's no way I'm taking that tyre up a hill to properly test it out!



I've seen several cyclists over the years who seem content to use tyres in what I regard as a dangerous state.

New bike tyres can be obtained relatively cheaply, so to me it's not worth the added risk of punctures, let alone a possibly nasty crash.


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## straas (4 Sep 2020)

Took off some rusty bolts that have been annoying me, put them in my hand drill and gave them a going over with wire wool.

Muuuuuuuuch better now


----------



## rogerzilla (5 Sep 2020)

Some s/h PD-9000 pedals arrived from the Bay of Thieves. LH one felt ok, RH one was initially seized, then had a lot of play. Opened it up. Oh dear. Inboard bearing full of rust. After cleaning up, this is the pitted state of the race machined into the axle, and the good (LH) one for comparison.

A new axle assembly will cure it (the races pressed into the pedal body are all good) but one of those costs what I paid for the pedals. I suppose I could reassemble them and send them back, but that's a lot of work. Maybe I can get a discount. The state of the RH bearing should have been obvious.


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## SkipdiverJohn (5 Sep 2020)

I'd just whack them full of grease and use them as they are. A pedal is a pedal in my book. So long as it rotates it's doing it's job.


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## Gunk (6 Sep 2020)

I rode my 2007 S Works Epic today after a period being laid up due to a seized caliper. Did about 18 miles, brakes are now fine but it wasn’t shifting properly.

once home I popped it on the stand, the cable was a little bit slack, once tightened it seems to have cured the problem.











I also gave it a good clean and hung it back up in the garage. I don’t use it much, but it’s a very enjoyable bike to ride and great for trails and woods.


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## stoatsngroats (6 Sep 2020)

Put Stans fluid in Mrs SnGs front tube, rear was already done a while ago, but checked and what is in there is still fluid!
Put some in both tubes on the CDA, and then put some in FILs e bike, for some peace of mind for Mrs SnG, MIL, and I. Also tightened ever-so-slightly the rear bearing on FILs as he said it seemed a little wobbly.
Not a bad Sunday, oh, and the day started with the Fox, lounging about in the sun, and not the slightest bit interested in us using the garden.


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## palinurus (6 Sep 2020)

I've had the bits for this garden bench for 13 years- it was flytipped near my old allotment. I used it as an allotment seat until the wood finally gave way, then I brought the metal bits home on my bike trailer.

Finally got around to painting the metal and replacing the slats!


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## palinurus (6 Sep 2020)

In another 13 years I'll get around to repainting that fence.


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## roubaixtuesday (7 Sep 2020)

24T inner chainring arrived for the tandem this morning.

So a cheeky lunchtime fettle to fit it.

It's several years since I've used a chainset removal tool, and I have vague recollections of easily crossed threads, so approached with a judicious mixture of paranoia and trepidation. And plenty of grease.

Job all complete in 30 minutes, works OK on the stand. RD seems to cope with the entire range big/big to small/small (just) despite being some way beyond its nominal capacity (11-36 and 24/36/46 = capacity of 47 vs nominal 43).

I think the front seems to be struggling to get into the big ring a little, but need to test that out on the road to be sure, and it's pouring down. Might one expect some small but noticeable variability in how far across a chainset gets on a square taper, and perhaps it's not quite as far across as it was? I'm always a little wary of overtightening things.


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## DCLane (7 Sep 2020)

Son's team have suggested he try narrower bars, so we picked up a set. However, it looks like they're 'copy' EC90 bars and both of us are uncomfortable with him having them on his training bike which is used for longer rides and group training. This video shows them to be strong, but neither of us want to take the chance - we had a go at breaking them as well before installation.

So they've gone onto his Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter with some red bar tape / white cables as that's what we had in the shed. At the same time a longer Deda Zero stem's gone on as he's grown since we first built the bike. 6th form starts tomorrow so we had a deadline.

Apologies for the useless photos - it's pouring down here and we're heading to Manchester velodrome so this is all I got


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## pawl (7 Sep 2020)

Cleaned chain chain wheels cassette


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## MonsterEnergy (7 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Son's team have suggested he try narrower bars, so we picked up a set. However, it looks like they're 'copy' EC90 bars and both of us are uncomfortable with him having them on his training bike which is used for longer rides and group training. This video shows them to be strong, but neither of us want to take the chance - we had a go at breaking them as well before installation.
> 
> So they've gone onto his Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter with some red bar tape / white cables as that's what we had in the shed. At the same time a longer Deda Zero stem's gone on as he's grown since we first built the bike. 6th form starts tomorrow so we had a deadline.
> 
> ...


Random question, but where do you live.
I recognize the bike


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## DCLane (7 Sep 2020)

MonsterEnergy said:


> Random question, but where do you live.
> I recognize the bike



Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. Seen going up/down the Spen Valley Greenway during commuting times. Usually far too quickly


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## si_c (7 Sep 2020)

Finished the install of 180mm rotor on my Trek MTB, and then recabled the rear derailleur after installing a new cassette. The derailleur clamp arm rubs against the cassette in a couple of gears so ordered a derailleur extender which will arrive tomorrow.

Also checked the hanger alignment on the Domane - as suspected it was way way way out - so using my new alignment tool I got it pretty close to straight. A 40km ride this evening with some hills resulted in no skipping gears or problems unlike previously so we'll see for now.


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## HLaB (8 Sep 2020)

I fitted a new power meter crank to my bike tonight. I wanted to replace the BB at the same time only to find out my TL-FC25 adaptor wasn't compatible with the current BB and a TL-FC24 adaptor is needed.


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## si_c (9 Sep 2020)

Fitted the link extender to the MTB yesterday - all perfect.

Went for a ride, I'd recently raised the saddle a touch on the Domane and it ended up being a more comfortable position so half way round on the Racelight I raised the saddle on that too. And overtorqued the binder. And rode home 11 miles unable to sit down.


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## 8mph (9 Sep 2020)

Straightened my mech hanger using a spare rear wheel. It worked a treat.


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## Ming the Merciless (9 Sep 2020)

Fitted new boom to recumbent and move the BB, cranks, Derailluer, dynamo light across.


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## si_c (9 Sep 2020)

Put an new (salvaged from old frame) seat binder onto the Racelight - seems the old one only engaged half the threads with the bolt used, poor design IMO so hardly surprising that my ham handed attempt at fitting resulted in the threads being stripped. At least the saddle stays in place now


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## ColinJ (9 Sep 2020)

I don't much like riding in the dark but at this time of year I am often returning from rides at around sunset so it is wise to have lights on my bike. I went to switch the rear light on the other night and discovered that it had fallen off. It was only a cheap red LED flasher from Lidl so I'm not bothered about the cost, but it needed replacing...

I used the red LED setting on my head torch for a couple of rides but decided to pinch the light off my CX bike which is out of action, awaiting a replacement fork (CAADX safety recall - check if this applies to yours *HERE*!). 

The light from the CAADX is one that I found lying on the road so that makes up for losing the newer one, especially because it is a lot better than the one that I lost. It is very bright and has several different eye-catching flash patterns.

I searched around my junk box and found a bracket that the light clips into. Pretty lucky that, because otherwise I would just have bodged it onto the seatpost with cable ties!


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## 12boy (9 Sep 2020)

I know this is a cycling forum but I've been working on this for about 10 months so here goes....
Began with an old 4x8 1100 lb load Harbor Freight that cost about $300 new and was used to haul branches, manure, compost rocks etc. Was red, faded to pink and was coated with anti rust polymer and painted black. (first pics)
Then a bed and sides were built increasing the width to 6'2"" at the widest and a semicircular flap was added to each end with a set of hinges to allow the flaps to be folded down for more aero travel and less sensitivity to cross winds. 7 rafters were made to notch into slots on the edges of the flaps, and a 4x6 sleeping platform with lots of storage below was added. It could be removed if I needed to haul big things. It has a window with screen over the bed and and Dutch doors on the rear. I'm 5'8" so 6' 2" is long enough to sleep on. The hubs were repacked and it has new tail lights and wiring. I am guessing it weighs about 600 lbs unloaded and my Honda Element can tow it easily. I have a pic with it folded for travel and a couple more showing the top up and the interior. Mrs.12 insisted on a table so one pulls out of slots under the bed. I hope to spend a night in it yet this fall. My neighbor from across the street did half of the work, and having a second pair of hands was invaluable. It was a lot of fun for both of us.





Ju


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## 12boy (11 Sep 2020)

We had an early snowstorm which dumped about 8 inches of snow, and since all the trees still had green leaves many branches were broken. My sheepherders wagon was parked under a crab apple tree and survived some branches and a lot of snow. The only problem is one of the roof spars popped out of its sockets, probably due a branch falling on the canvas. Good to know it can handle the snow.


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## si_c (11 Sep 2020)

Bled the front brake on the Racelight - it's been a bit spongey since I installed it over 2k km ago and I'd never bothered to sort it as a couple of pumps on the lever made it prefectly usable. Gave it a quick go over today in lieu of doing any real work and it's much better than it was, no sponginess in the lever anymore although it still pulls much further than I would like.

Quite a lot of air bubbles came out so will probably rebleed it in another few hundred kms once I've seen how it settles.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Sep 2020)

Adjusted a headset


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## JhnBssll (12 Sep 2020)

Decided to go ahead with the SRAM to Shimano swap on my commuter after a friend offered to buy the working SRAM bits. Set to work this evening removing the RIval 22 bits and got stuck at the rear mech. The main bolt had seized solid inside the mech body - the thread was free as I had copper greased it on assembly, but even after a soak in penetrating oil and a few sharp taps it wasn't budging  I ended up removing the mech hanger and placing it in the vice before sawing through the mech body. This released the bolt allowing me to unscrew it the rest of the way but obviously destroyed what was left of the mech  Fortunately the rest of it was in pretty good nick - the knackered mech also goes some way to explain why I couldn't find anything wrong with the shifter while I was investigating some problems the other day 

I popped the new M475 rear hub and R800 cassette on and placed them in the rear dropouts to check everything fits nicely before I build the wheel. I've also fitted the levers and front mech, but still waiting on new brake calipers. Actually I haven't ordered them yet, so the commuter will be off the road for a while  
















The rims I'll be using arrived the other day, Bontrager Affinity TLR's. The front is 24 hole and the rear 32 hole but having ordered them together from the same shop I at least thought they would match 






Slightly annoying, I've asked the shop if they can supply a matching set of decals and, if not, I'll just peel these one's off until I source some from elsewhere  The spokes should arrive at some point so I'll have to strip the hub out of the front wheel ready to start building the new rims up. I popped the tyres and tubes off this evening so we're all set to go again when more bits are here 😄

Wiggle have also upset me having supplied me with an R7000 mech minus the usual hanger. It certainly wasn't advertised as such and the picture showed the hanger fitted but this is what arrived 






I've contacted them 3 days in a row so far and they've not given me any answers. I understand they're busy, but when they're sending out incorrect components or components with bits missing you've got to wonder whats going on


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## CanucksTraveller (12 Sep 2020)

I re-taped the handlebars this evening, I had put brown leather on a few months back thinking it would match the saddle but it was too light a colour and it was also too thin and therefore not very comfortable, especially off road. So I trimmed it at each end and left it as a base layer, and re-covered with Cinelli cork tape. Looks far more suited to this bike and is thick and comfortable. 
Before:





After:


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## Gunk (12 Sep 2020)

Cinelli cork is my tape of choice, it's on all my bikes. like you I've flirted with brown, it never matches the saddle so mine are all back to simple black.

Yours looks great.


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## LeetleGreyCells (13 Sep 2020)

Yesterday’s fettling was not done by me. On Friday, we bought a new-to-him bike for my son who is growing far too quickly. A 2014 Merida Cyclo-Cross 4. Lovely bike. His first ‘adult’ bike, his previous was an Islabike Luath. My son needs to start learning to fettle so I taught him how to swap pedals (flats to clipless), attach a bottle cage and pump up his tyres. He did it all himself. We all have to start somewhere. He’s not keen on getting grease (copper slip) on his fingers though  

I fixed a loose rivnut on the seat post and painted the rivnut’s chipped paint with black nail polish courtesy of my daughter. Out for a ride this morning, so we’ll see how the boy gets on with the bike.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Sep 2020)

Fitted a new crank to the Raleigh Sojourn, after finding a newer, wider spaced crank arm for the non-drive side. I was then able to fit a narrower BB, so the 9 speed rear won't have issues when some cross-chaining is going on. While I am not a big fan of compact frames on a full-dress tourer, I think this bicycle may change my mind. It will depend on how it functions with panniers and touring load.


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## fossyant (13 Sep 2020)

Noticed a light squeek from the MTB when climbing. The chain and cassette was overdue a clean so dissassembled and degreased. On assembly, found the cassette was slightly wobbly. Re-assembled, the same. Popped the non-drive side end cap off the axel and undid the drive side cap, and popped the freehub off. The outer of the two bearings has a little play on the freehub. Ordered two 6902 bearings from Wych and I'll be pressing the old ones out upon arrival. The hub had new bearings six months ago - they are OK.


----------



## Jenkins (13 Sep 2020)

Finally got a proper test ride in on the Ventus with the new carbon seatpost - even with carbon assembly paste used and the clamp done up with the torque wrench set at 6nm there was a bit of slippage so I've reset everything and gone for something around 10nm with no cracking noises heard yet (I may have rounded off the allen key head though). Also there was a nasty rattling noise from the back wheel, but I recognised that from a different bike as a loose cassette so the wheel was whipped off when I got home and tightned up the lock ring.


----------



## si_c (14 Sep 2020)

Been finding myself shifting forward on the saddle lately which has been irritating me. Got the spirit level out, not quite level. Sorted now.


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## Gravity Aided (15 Sep 2020)

Saturday, I went through three more cranks and a bottom bracket to finally get the Raleigh in running order.


----------



## PeteXXX (15 Sep 2020)

New bell fitted to the CX as the pinger had fallen off the old one. 

🛎


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 Sep 2020)

Note to self: The Raleigh Sojourn frame does not accept BioPace rings well.


----------



## fossyant (15 Sep 2020)

Must say, in the two sets of 'formula' hubs I've had, they are easy to service. The bearings arrived earlier this morning. Popped the freehub in the vice, but the bearings wouldn't pop out (being careful). As I couldn't see a circlip, I drifted the outer bearing out with a flat head screwdriver - that popped out easily. Inner bearing was held in by a circlip. Checked it and the inner bearing was perfect, so left it. The outer one was rough and had play, so just pressed a new bearing in using a socket and the vice. 

All sorted and freehub perfect again.


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## LeetleGreyCells (15 Sep 2020)

Replaced spoke in rear wheel.


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## JhnBssll (15 Sep 2020)

Fitted and fettled the two wheels I built yesterday to the commuter. Wrapped the bars. Posted the faulty R7000 mech back to Wiggle and ordered a replacement from BikeInn. Swore about Hermes after the parcel that was due today containing my new brake calipers didn't arrive  There's always tomorrow...












I'm really pleased with the wheels, the 32mm Gatorskin tyres measure 35mm when mounted and inflated so should be a comfy ride 😊 Poor thing has put on a bit of weight though with the slightly more rugged rear wheel and she was hardly svelte beforehand


----------



## ColinJ (15 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> Must say, in the two sets of 'formula' hubs I've had, they are easy to service. The bearings arrived earlier this morning. Popped the freehub in the vice, but the bearings wouldn't pop out (being careful). As I couldn't see a circlip, I drifted the outer bearing out with a flat head screwdriver - that popped out easily. Inner bearing was held in by a circlip. Checked it and the inner bearing was perfect, so left it. The outer one was rough and had play, so just pressed a new bearing in using a socket and the vice.
> 
> All sorted and freehub perfect again.


That was supposed to my task today! My new bearings arrived, I got the freehub apart, but then discovered that I need the old 12 mm steel axle type, rather than the newer 17 mm hollow alloy axle type - double drat!!!


----------



## fossyant (15 Sep 2020)

The Formula freehub is very simple. It's basically a cylinder. The pawls are 'external', and engage the serrations on the hub, and then two bearings and a spacer are pressed in.


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## ColinJ (15 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> The Formula freehub is very simple. It's basically a cylinder. The pawls are 'external', and engage the serrations on the hub, and then two bearings and a spacer are pressed in.


That is a Campagnolo rebrand, isn't it? If so, that's probably equivalent to the freehub that I've got! (On Campagnolo Khamsins.)


----------



## fossyant (15 Sep 2020)

ColinJ said:


> That is a Campagnolo rebrand, isn't it? If so, that's probably equivalent to the freehub that I've got! (On Campagnolo Khamsins.)



No I don't think they are - Formula are a bit of a generic brand (far eastern) - I think FFWD are a Campag brand. This is MTB, so Campag only had a brief spell in the 90's with their MTB gear - my word it was lovely though.


----------



## fossyant (16 Sep 2020)

Emergency chain repair today. On shifting down from the big to small I got some chain suck under load. Chain jammed on frame. Well, one link twisted on the chain. Crank Bros multi tool to the rescue, bent link out, and fitted a spare quicklink.

Time for a new chain and cassette. I've got just over 4 years on the MTB cassette and two chains. A new chain isn't going to mesh with the cassette, so time to change. Availability not great for a 12-36 so I've plumped up for a slight upgrade from a 1050 to a 1070 cassette, with two chains. £102 poof gone. 

Thank goodness it's not 12 speed or the bill might be 3 times that.


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## si_c (16 Sep 2020)

Cleaned the chain and cassette on the Racelight after ride in pretty grim conditions yesterday. I'd hosed the bike off afterwards so the worst was off the bike, but the chain had gone slightly rusty as had parts of the cassette.

All sorted now although the wheelset needs a good clean to get the crap off.


----------



## Reynard (16 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> Availability not great for a 12-36 so I've plumped up for a slight upgrade from a 1050 to a 1070 cassette, with two chains. £102 poof gone.
> 
> Thank goodness it's not 12 speed or the bill might be 3 times that.



Ouchie! I feel your pain... (or rather, your wallet's pain)


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## fossyant (16 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> Ouchie! I feel your pain... (or rather, your wallet's pain)



£6.60 a sprocket and £18 for a chain (I ordered 2). A SRAM GX Eagle cassette is around £150. 

Never expected 4 years from a cassette on an MTB. I've eaten a chain ring in that time.


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## si_c (16 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> Emergency chain repair today. On shifting down from the big to small I got some chain suck under load. Chain jammed on frame. Well, one link twisted on the chain. Crank Bros multi tool to the rescue, bent link out, and fitted a spare quicklink.
> 
> Time for a new chain and cassette. I've got just over 4 years on the MTB cassette and two chains. A new chain isn't going to mesh with the cassette, so time to change. Availability not great for a 12-36 so I've plumped up for a slight upgrade from a 1050 to a 1070 cassette, with two chains. £102 poof gone.
> 
> Thank goodness it's not 12 speed or the bill might be 3 times that.


Eep!  That being said I've just replaced the 11-46 on the MTB a week or so ago - dreading replacing the GX Eagle cassette on Mrs Cs MTB


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## fossyant (16 Sep 2020)

si_c said:


> Eep!  That being said I've just replaced the 11-46 on the MTB a week or so ago - dreading replacing the GX Eagle cassette on Mrs Cs MTB



£66 for the 1070 - could have gone for a 1030 for about £40.


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## si_c (16 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> £66 for the 1070 - could have gone for a 1030 for about £40.


Yeah not too bad I guess, saved a few grams


----------



## Reynard (16 Sep 2020)

Maybe there is a benefit to sticking with some of the more humble offerings after all...  

There's more money left in the piggy bank to spend on cake.


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## JhnBssll (16 Sep 2020)

Brakes arrived for the commuter this morning  Seems Hope have started shipping calipers with a bleed syringe with is jolly decent of them 







You may notice I've been my usual tarty self and ordered some blue bore caps, which also arrived today 😄 I've got a few different sizes of hope bore cap tools and knew I had the right ones for these so had them swapped out fairly quickly...






I popped the rear one on first, bolted it roughly in place and trimmed the hose to length. I had already fitted the hose at the lever end, and run it through some heatshrink tubing with the dynamo wire for neatness. Once it was all the right length and I'd put the barb and fittings on I got the heat gun out and shrank it down 






popped the back wheel in to check for clashes and all is good 






Same again at the front but minus the heatshrink  This time I had to bend the upper mudguard stay slightly to allow it to pass around the caliper without touching.






Once both hoses were fitted I unbolted both calipers and let them spin around to release the twist in the hose before refitting them - tightening the fittings on these seems to wind the hose around with them so you can build up quite a bit of twist if you're not careful 

I'm now off out to dinner and will likely be late home, but will try and get some mineral oil in them and give them a bleed before I go to bed 😊


----------



## Landsurfer (16 Sep 2020)

Had a quiet morning testing a traction controller for installation on a train in Dartford tomorrow afternoon
346 Fine English Miles ...
Probably take me 3 days + to cycle there and back .... but it's work ... so need to back the same day ..
So off on the "super high risk" Motorbike .....  Eat your heart out Covid ...
p.s ... work are paying me 60p a mile non taxable expenses ... HUZZAH !


----------



## Jenkins (16 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> £6.60 a sprocket and £18 for a chain (I ordered 2). A SRAM GX Eagle cassette is around £150.
> 
> Never expected 4 years from a cassette on an MTB. I've eaten a chain ring in that time.


Thankfuly I've got the Eagle NX on the Bootzipper so the cassettes are "only" around £100


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (16 Sep 2020)

A couple of lists ticked

Commuter;
(2017 Ribble CGR)
- pump up of tyres (as I was feeling tree-roots, when heading home through NewLands Woods)
- wipe-over of chain/jockey-wheels/chain-rings with a 'red' diesel rag
- brake pads taken out to check for wear
- 3 of the rear-lights taken off to put on charge
- magicshine front light taken off to charge
(4 front lights/4 rear lights)


My car;
(2011 Skoda Octavia estate 1.6Tdi)
- oil level checked (first time I've physically touched car since going to York on Sunday, but going to Sutton-in-Ashfield, tomorrow afternoon)
- tyre pressures checked
- washer bottle topped up
- air filter taken out/visually examined for condition


Wifes Toyota C-HR hybrid, & daughters Vauxhall Adam were checked yesterday tea-time


----------



## Jenkins (16 Sep 2020)

Anyhow, today's fettling was simply to let some of the air out of the Bootzipper's tyres. It's a rigid 29er that I mainly use on road and some smoother bridleways so I keep the tyre pressure at around 45psi for road bias. Tomorrow I'm planning on going up to Rutland Water which is more off road & rougher so the tyres have been dropped to around 25psi for a bit of bump absorbtion.


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> Maybe there is a benefit to sticking with some of the more humble offerings after all...
> 
> There's more money left in the piggy bank to spend on cake.


This. Cake! And, it must be said, Marmite crisps...Sat in the sun watching the birds feeding in the apple trees...I like this house-sitting malarkey!


----------



## Reynard (17 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> This. Cake! And, it must be said, Marmite crisps...Sat in the sun watching the birds feeding in the apple trees...I like this house-sitting malarkey!



I'm a bit up in the air with respect to Marmite crisps. Marmite rice cakes, on the other hand...


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> I'm a bit up in the air with respect to Marmite crisps. Marmite rice cakes, on the other hand...


Try some Burts Guiness crisps then!


----------



## philtalksbx (17 Sep 2020)

I made some tweaks to the fit of the Record Ace - I was getting a bit disillusioned that it was too big and would have to be sold on. I just couldn’t get comfortable on it.

As a new idea I changed the angle of the bars in the stem to bring the brake hoods up a bit (turns out I had been over-focused on moving them on the bars and not getting a good result) then moved the saddle forward a bit and ta-dah, suddenly it felt right.

A quick (very) 25km on a favourite route landed me half a dozen PBs on Strava and it just felt quick too. I now have no plans to sell it on, sorry. Those PBs by the way are over my 8kg carbon bike, so that is pretty good for a 1983 steel with a seven speed cassette. Happy days!


----------



## Reynard (17 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Try some Burts Guiness crisps then!



I'll keep an eye out for them. I do like a good crisp.  (Except salt & vinegar or pickled onion... Bleurgh...)


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> I'll keep an eye out for them. I do like a good crisp.  (Except salt & vinegar or pickled onion... Bleurgh...)


Salt and vinegar fine, pickled onion Bleurgh, cheese and onion Bleurgh, prawn cocktail, Bleurgh...I could go on...
I'm old enough to remember Smiths Crisps with a twist of waxed paper containing salt. Bliss.


----------



## itboffin (17 Sep 2020)

Took this new in June cassette off to clean and noticed the deep grooves the also new in June KMC X11 link pins have made.


----------



## Reynard (17 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Salt and vinegar fine, pickled onion Bleurgh, cheese and onion Bleurgh, prawn cocktail, Bleurgh...I could go on...
> I'm old enough to remember Smiths Crisps with a twist of waxed paper containing salt. Bliss.



Smith's "Salt & Shake" iirc... 

Now I do happen to like cheese & onion.  They're especially good in a crisp sandwich.


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> crisp sandwich


No. Just no. Never even remotely understood the concept...


----------



## si_c (17 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> No. Just no. Never even remotely understood the concept...


Mmmm wotsits sandwich 🥪


----------



## Reynard (17 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> No. Just no. Never even remotely understood the concept...



Oh dear... 

It's the natural evolution of the chip butty...


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

Reynard said:


> chip butty


Something else that's entirely passed me by...


----------



## DCBassman (17 Sep 2020)

si_c said:


> Mmmm wotsits sandwich 🥪


I might just consider that...


----------



## HLaB (17 Sep 2020)

My new BB and wrench for it came today. So tonight's main fettle was fitting it.

My secondary fettle was on my other bike after adding a cleat shim last week to make my cleats the same I lowered the saddle by 2mm.


----------



## JhnBssll (17 Sep 2020)

filled and bled the new brakes this evening. They're not quite perfect but I'll leave them to settle for a day or two before giving them another bleed. Now I'm just waiting on the rear mech and she'll be on the road again


----------



## figbat (17 Sep 2020)

Replaced the slightly wobbly and wholly ineffective Weinmann front caliper on the Kingpin with a brand new, dual-pivot, long-drop Dia-Compe one from SJS for just £17. Also replaced the slightly bendy Weinmann brake lever with a 3-finger one from an old MTB. The first brake test after this upgrade had me literally laughing out loud as the vintage bike stopped in a way no vintage bike has a right to. For the first time ever I managed to lock the rear wheel as a consequence of the front brake being so good. And this is on the standard chromed steel rim - I have an alloy one to go on at some point.


----------



## DCLane (18 Sep 2020)

Last Saturday my youngest had a flat at Knowsley due to a load of glass on the track. New Conti GP Supersonic tyre fitted with replacement latex tube; the old tyre was about done anyway.

Also I drilled some holes in his brake pads on the PlanetX hillclimb bike before Sunday's hillclimb  . I reckon it's saved about 10g although the bike without pedals is 5.5kg. The brake hoods haven't been swapped for heat-shrink plastic yet as the one we've got is too narrow so that's another job waiting.


----------



## C R (18 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Last Saturday my youngest had a flat at Knowsley due to a load of glass on the track. New Conti GP Supersonic tyre fitted with replacement latex tube; the old tyre was about done anyway.
> 
> Also I drilled some holes in his brake pads on the PlanetX hillclimb bike before Sunday's hillclimb  . I reckon it's saved about 10g although the bike without pedals is 5.5kg. The brake hoods haven't been swapped for heat-shrink plastic yet as the one we've got is too narrow so that's another job waiting.
> 
> View attachment 547858


Genuine question, how much difference in the final time does he get from that sort of weight shaving?


----------



## itboffin (18 Sep 2020)

With 0 puncture protection


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Sep 2020)

fossyant said:


> £6.60 a sprocket and £18 for a chain (I ordered 2). A SRAM GX Eagle cassette is around £150.
> 
> Never expected 4 years from a cassette on an MTB. I've eaten a chain ring in that time.



9 speed chains £8.99


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Sep 2020)

C R said:


> Genuine question, how much difference in the final time does he get from that sort of weight shaving?



None


----------



## DCLane (18 Sep 2020)

itboffin said:


> With 0 puncture protection



0 on the front, a bit on the back.



C R said:


> Genuine question, how much difference in the final time does he get from that sort of weight shaving?





YukonBoy said:


> None



The low weight _should_ help him. He's 53kg and it's about 1.5kg lighter than his race bike.

We've done a back-to-back test between the two bikes (PlanetX vs Cervelo S3) and it's about 15-20 seconds over a mile uphill.

Drilling the brake pads? No time saving, but I like drillium  . And drilling his carbon chainrings (38/40/42/44/46) would get a bit messy.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> 0 on the front, a bit on the back.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



He was talking 10 grams saving. Which is what I was referring to, not the overall weight. Drilling brakes for 10g, pointless .


----------



## itboffin (18 Sep 2020)

At those weights zero advantage just compromise, what do you mean by its 1.5kg lighter than his bike that doesn’t make sense in that context, unless his bike is +50kg 🙃🤣


----------



## C R (18 Sep 2020)

itboffin said:


> At those weights zero advantage just compromise, what do you mean by its 1.5kg lighter than his bike that doesn’t make sense in that context, unless his bike is +50kg 🙃🤣


I understood he meant that the hill climbing bike is 1.5kg lighter than the road bike.


----------



## DCLane (18 Sep 2020)

itboffin said:


> At those weights zero advantage just compromise, what do you mean by its 1.5kg lighter than his bike that doesn’t make sense in that context, unless his bike is +50kg 🙃🤣



His Cervelo S3 race bike is 7kg
The PlanetX hillclimb bike is 5.5kg

That's quite a difference in the weight weenies world of hillclimbing. BTW I'm using his Cervelo in the national hillclimb which will be my excuse


----------



## PMarkey (18 Sep 2020)

I'm hoping to get my Longstaff trike down to 13.6kg for the Holme Valley Whs hill climb on the 10 October


----------



## itboffin (19 Sep 2020)

putting stock Ultegra on my Cervelo R5 replacing the custom super lightweight wheelset and campag has added 1kg its still 7.1kg with pedals bottle cages and garmin mount, doing the same on my Scott CR1 SL has taken it down to 7.2kg

I can see it wont be long before I put the lightweight wheels back on the Cervelo, matching groupset vs weight mmmmm


----------



## PMarkey (19 Sep 2020)

Might not use the Longstaff for the hillclimb as I have just picked up a Rogers with differential drive , it's running single speed at the moment with the option to run it fixed  but it's a possibility and should be lighter than the Longstaff just needs new wheels it might even come in under 13kg


----------



## Gunk (19 Sep 2020)

Fitted the children's seat to the little Elvish and built up my Raleigh Eclipse project bike so a busy day.


----------



## Bad Machine (19 Sep 2020)

Finished mounting SKS Wide mudguards on both left and right rear trike wheels. Obviously with a trike the stays can only be fastened to the inboard edge, so a minimum of four stays per side were required. 

Frustratingly, none of the stays could run in a straight line from the fixing points to the mudguard edge - they've had to navigate around brake calipers and seat stays (a pipe bender produced some impressive curves). And the end result looks remarkably like last year's village fete Buzz Wire game.


----------



## Gunk (19 Sep 2020)

Bad Machine said:


> Finished mounting SKS Wide mudguards on both left and right rear trike wheels. Obviously with a trike the stays can only be fastened to the inboard edge, so a minimum of four stays per side were required.
> 
> Frustratingly, none of the stays could run in a straight line from the fixing points to the mudguard edge - they've had to navigate around brake calipers and seat stays (a pipe bender produced some impressive curves). And the end result looks remarkably like last year's village fete Buzz Wire game.



A post like that deserves some photos


----------



## figbat (19 Sep 2020)

Today I built my first ever wheel. Then I built my second. Using the original hubs out of the original 440 wheels on my Kingpin I laced them to a new pair of 451 alloy rims. The lacing process was therapeutic and enjoyable. I had a quick go at truing the rear wheel and quickly realised it needed more than a few minutes so I left it and will go at it fresh tomorrow.


----------



## Gunk (19 Sep 2020)

I built my first a few months ago, it went much better than I expected


----------



## DCLane (19 Sep 2020)

I tried. It didn't


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## JhnBssll (19 Sep 2020)

I do love a good wheel build 😊 Very therapeutic, as you say 

Today the replacement for the replacement rear mech arrived for the commuter  This time it was complete with no bits missing so on it went 😊 I trimmed the cables and indexed both mechs, completing the overhaul. The brakes still aren't great but I'll ride it around a bit and see if they settle before I bleed it again - it definitely needs another bleed, but giving the air a chance to rise to the levers might make my life a bit easier when I come to do it 












I'm really pleased with how it's come out, a very quick spin around the block suggests its riding really nicely too. The wheels *should* be pretty rugged and once the brakes have bedded in it'll stop pretty rapidly too. She's put on a bit of weight bless her but I think it's all for the best...






A chunk of the extra weight is in the new rear wheel, moving from 24 to 32 spokes and a big chunky mountain bike hub has no-doubt added a few hundred grams. This bike only has to get me to work and back - it doesnt have to do it quickly, just reliably


----------



## Bad Machine (19 Sep 2020)

Gunk said:


> A post like that deserves some photos



Will do, tomorrow morning 












They were SKS Bluemells 60mm, 20". The edge fixings were problematic - they are designed to only "accept" the stay rod radially, so if your mounting point(s) are not roughly at the centre of s 20" diam arc, then the plastic moulded edge fixings don't sit on the lip of the mudguard at the expected angle .


----------



## figbat (20 Sep 2020)

figbat said:


> Today I built my first ever wheel. Then I built my second. Using the original hubs out of the original 440 wheels on my Kingpin I laced them to a new pair of 451 alloy rims. The lacing process was therapeutic and enjoyable. I had a quick go at truing the rear wheel and quickly realised it needed more than a few minutes so I left it and will go at it fresh tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 548104
> 
> ...


And here is the result of today’s fettling: new rims on old hubs, new tyres.


----------



## JhnBssll (21 Sep 2020)

I'm planning to ride the commuter in to work tomorrow and it hasnt had a proper shakedown, so I decided I best bleed the front brake a little better this evening beforehand  It feels a lot better, perhaps still slight room for improvement but I'll see how it rides first and go from there 😊


----------



## FrankCrank (21 Sep 2020)

Here's my latest cobbled together klunker:




Since my other folding bike decided some time back to fold (snap) in the wrong place, been needing a replacement travel bike to chuck in the back of the car. A neighbour was having a clearout, so gave me the old steel frame, and lots of bits rescued from the deceased folder, and all else from my scrap bins. Rides real well, super simple as a one gear, one brake basic runaround. After some more evaluation, may make it a 3-speed, and add a rear brake, but for now it'll do nicely. Would be fair to describe the patina as 'resued from a ditch' - but then again don't have to worry too much about it being stolen


----------



## DCBassman (22 Sep 2020)

Fitted new rear tyre to Scott. First experience of folding tyres. Bloody hard to fit! Looks good though, but will eventually have to get another for the front, the mismatch will drive me daft...


----------



## fossyant (23 Sep 2020)

Following on from replacing the freehub bearings on my Boardman FS, a ride last week ended up with a bit of chain suck under a down shift on the front ring. This bent a chain link. Out with the Crank Bros multi tool and fitted a chain link to get home.

Decided it was time for a new chain, but the cassette was worn. So £106 for SRAM 1070 cassette (blingy) and two SRAM chains. O next ride, noticed the bigger 4 sprockets on the smaller chain ring felt 'jumpy' under heavy load (climbing). Checked mech, nothing as all 10 sprockets worked perfectly on the big ring.

Now, the big ring was replaced recently, but the inner steel ring is 4 years old. Again, as others have found, parts are a little hard to get. Same ring was £14 plus £6 postage, or the upgraded alloy ring £21 from Amazon, no post. That arrived last night, so chainset out, BB bearings cleaned and re-greased, and re-assembled.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Sep 2020)

New chain(s) fitted to recumbent. It is 236 links long. It is adjusted to enable big big and small small ring combinations without breaking the chain or derailleur. It’s not a combination you aim for, but sometimes when tired on an audax at night you may find yourself in that combination going up a hill that’s steeper than you thought. Best that things not break at that moment.

I have spare chain rings and cassette. Going for a ride after lunch to check. Hopefully I’ve caught any wear soon enough not to need replacing them.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Sep 2020)

PMarkey said:


> I'm hoping to get my Longstaff trike down to 13.6kg for the Holme Valley Whs hill climb on the 10 October



For most it’s a personal challenge. I’d rather be faster uphill due to fitness not because I knocked weight off the bike. Make sure you aren’t carrying 1.5 litres of water up the hill 😂


----------



## rogerzilla (23 Sep 2020)

I reassembled some 105 SPD-SL pedals at lunchtime. They're very easy. 

M324 SPDs are the worst, even with the special tool, because of the deeply-recessed inboard race. 

Dura-Ace SPD-SL are easy with the right tools (the tiny race deep inside the pedal automatically arranges the balls for you with a few shakes) but are an absolute bear to adjust correctly; the cone and locknut are rather coarse-threaded for the job.

The very easiest are M525, because they use 1/8" bearings - much less fiddly!


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

My son snapped his mech hanger just before Sunday's hillclimb - it went whilst he was pootling in 3rd gear and appears to be a manufacturing issue. Turned into a fixie by a spectator he had a go anyway. Even with the chain slipping he put in a reasonable time - going up in a 42x23 ratio.

New mech hanger installed, new rear gear cable as the other had frayed and derailleur put back along with the chain repaired (a KMC X11-SL and had only done 20 miles). All good and ready for Saturday's Halifax Imps hillclimb. Hopefully this time it will be a proper test of the new bike.


----------



## PMarkey (23 Sep 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> For most it’s a personal challenge. I’d rather be faster uphill due to fitness not because I knocked weight off the bike. Make sure you aren’t carrying 1.5 litres of water up the hill 😂


My weight loss program consists of taking the carradice off,removing the bottle cages and swapping the Brooks for something less comfortable  I've never done a hill climb before so this one sets my baseline.


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

PMarkey said:


> My weight loss program consists of taking the carradice off,removing the bottle cages and swapping the Brooks for something less comfortable  I've never done a hill climb before so this one sets my baseline.



That's a dangerous start 

Son's PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb bike has a single carbon front chainring, Dura-Ace 9000 RH shifter and DA 9000 Di2 LH shifter (70g lighter), carbon crankset, lightweight carbon wheels and tubs, women's carbon bars, carbon seatpost and carbon saddle. He had a budget of £500 so couldn't go with anything specialist.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> That's a dangerous start
> 
> Son's PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb bike has a single carbon front chainring, Dura-Ace 9000 RH shifter and DA 9000 Di2 LH shifter (70g lighter), carbon crankset, lightweight carbon wheels and tubs, women's carbon bars, carbon seatpost and carbon saddle. He had a budget of £500 so couldn't go with anything specialist.



Has he removed saddle and seat post those two are a significant weight to lose


----------



## DCLane (23 Sep 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Has he removed saddle and seat post those two are a significant weight to lose



We're not sure about having a seatpost and saddle in the CTT regulations. Combined they only weigh 180g though.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> We're not sure about having a seatpost and saddle in the CTT regulations. Combined they only weigh 180g though.



18 times the weight saving of drilling the brakes !


----------



## roley poley (23 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> My son snapped his mech hanger just before Sunday's hillclimb - it went whilst he was pootling in 3rd gear and appears to be a manufacturing issue. Turned into a fixie by a spectator ............................Well done friendly spectator


----------



## tincaman (26 Sep 2020)

Pulled a thorn out of the tubeless 36mm road tyre, tyre went down! Luckily I was at home. Pumped 50ml of OKO sealant in, pumped it up, sealed instantly. Been using this recently, cheaper than the PlanetX OKO High Fibre, seems just as good. I do water it down a bit though.

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Road-Tyre-Sealant-Puncture/dp/B006THGZZ2


----------



## Tom B (26 Sep 2020)

Kept getting flats on my rear this week right close to the valve. Thought I'd missed a thorn but then found this...





Turns out a fault batch of innertubes was to blame. The shoulder was ballooning and popping.


----------



## rogerzilla (26 Sep 2020)

Some cheap and rather ill-favoured M737 SPDs turned up from the Bay of Thieves. Terrible condition and one had really chewed-up bearings (a new axle unit is on the way). The other one was gummy but cleaned up fine, and all races were good. Very smooth now with new bearing balls, stuffed with calcium grease. These early pedals have no lip seals so need a total grease fill to keep water out. I fitted SRP alloy collars as the plastic ones look awful after 30 years and can shear off.

They have hinged front and rear bindings, unlike later SPDs (except M536 and possibly one or two others). Weight is...substantial. One of these weighs more than a PAIR of current SPD-SL road pedals.

How's this for patina?


----------



## DCBassman (26 Sep 2020)

Talking of pedals, had some clicks and creaks start and get worse on the recent Okehampton ride. Decided it was pedals, swapped the pair off the Trek to the Scott. Today's ride: no difference at first, then it all seemed to ease off a bit. Suspicious.
Wonder if there's a crack in the frame? The riding today was different also, new rear tyre.
More investigation needed...


----------



## Gunk (26 Sep 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Some cheap and rather ill-favoured M737 SPDs turned up from the Bay of Thieves. Terrible condition and one had really chewed-up bearings (a new axle unit is on the way). The other one was gummy but cleaned up fine, and all races were good. Very smooth now with new bearing balls, stuffed with calcium grease. These early pedals have no lip seals so need a total grease fill to keep water out. I fitted SRP alloy collars as the plastic ones look awful after 30 years and can shear off.
> 
> They have hinged front and rear bindings, unlike later SPDs (except M536 and possibly one or two others). Weight is...substantial. One of these weighs more than a PAIR of current SPD-SL road pedals.
> 
> How's this for patina?



I hope you didn’t actually part with any money for those.


----------



## dave r (26 Sep 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Some cheap and rather ill-favoured M737 SPDs turned up from the Bay of Thieves. Terrible condition and one had really chewed-up bearings (a new axle unit is on the way). The other one was gummy but cleaned up fine, and all races were good. Very smooth now with new bearing balls, stuffed with calcium grease. These early pedals have no lip seals so need a total grease fill to keep water out. I fitted SRP alloy collars as the plastic ones look awful after 30 years and can shear off.
> 
> They have hinged front and rear bindings, unlike later SPDs (except M536 and possibly one or two others). Weight is...substantial. One of these weighs more than a PAIR of current SPD-SL road pedals.
> 
> How's this for patina?



I think well used is the phrase.


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Sep 2020)

Today I've mostly been fitting mudguards to the Pilot Veturi, which has precisely zero fixing points 

I've gone for Kinesis Fend Off aluminium full length jobbies and they seem really good quality so far. I've modelled and printed some prototype brackets and got the rear guard nicely mounted but the front is going to be more tricky.

I started by making some basic clamps to fix the stays near the dropouts:






Next up I made a clamp that fits over the chainstay bridge to secure the other end:











This held the guard quite nicely but it still had enough wobble to give me concerns about rattles, especially knocking against the seat tube as there's only around a millimetre of clearance there.






Normally it would be held tight here by clamping to the seatstay bridge but this frame doesnt have one so I decided to make my own...






It's not fixed to the frame but designed to wedge in place. When I've printed final versions off and lined everything up I'll drill the guard and bolt it to the bridge but even with no bolts its completely solid so I'm very pleased  I've since tidied the CAD models up ready to print final SLA parts which should stand up to a bit more abuse 

The front is going to be a challenge. The carbon forks are a fairly complex shape which makes it difficult to recreate accurately when the measuring tools I have available are a steel rule and some digital vernier calipers  I've sent an email off to one of the guys at Pilot to see if they're willing to send me some CAD data of the forks which would be a massive help, otherwise I may have to take them off and scan them which would be a bit of a drag 






My concept will be to mark the guard up and cut out the section that currently passes through the forks, then print a front and rear bracket that somehow connect together and mount the two bits of mudguards directly to them. This should give a bit more tyre clearance. I'll print more brackets to mount the stays to the lower legs but that bit should be relatively straight forward in comparison 

Hopefully I'll have the winter wheels built up soon too, still waiting on the rims I ordered in July 😭


----------



## Pale Rider (27 Sep 2020)

tincaman said:


> Pulled a thorn out of the tubeless 36mm road tyre, tyre went down! Luckily I was at home. Pumped 50ml of OKO sealant in, pumped it up, sealed instantly. Been using this recently, cheaper than the PlanetX OKO High Fibre, seems just as good. I do water it down a bit though.
> 
> View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Road-Tyre-Sealant-Puncture/dp/B006THGZZ2




I used OKO sealant for my last top-up.

The tyres are Schwalbe Moto X 2.4" balloons so have a large internal surface area.

With that in mind I walloped in about 250ml of sealant.

Some appeared around a couple of spoke nipples, which shows the stuff is doing its job.

The tyres now hold pressure pretty much as well as tubes.

I've also seen a couple of spots on the tread so the sealant has saved me at least two punctures.


----------



## rogerzilla (27 Sep 2020)

Gunk said:


> I hope you didn’t actually part with any money for those.


Believe or or not a NOS pair will cost you £100 and many used ones have missing screws. They are the original SPD.


----------



## JhnBssll (27 Sep 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Believe or or not a NOS pair will cost you £100 and many used ones have missing screws. They are the original SPD.



I had a second hand pair of these as a teenager. I can still recall the pain as I went past the point of no return pulling my first wheelie, landing turtle like on my back with the bike still attached


----------



## rogerzilla (27 Sep 2020)

I could only afford the "DX" ones (M525) at the time. They were £72! I remember driving to a weird one-man MTB shop/shed somewhere in the wilds of the South Hams to get them for that price. NOS ones are still around. You get zero float with current SH51 cleats and I wouldn't risk SH56 cleats at all. The M737 pedals have a little bit of float built in.


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## Gravity Aided (27 Sep 2020)

I and the seller were able to budge the stuck seat post on this black chrome 1986 Schwinn Sierra , so I bought it, and finished the seat post work when I got home. I took the bicycle for a ride, and all the rest of the functions seem to be getting along just fine. I do plan to find some contemporary parts to fix up the tired shifters and wrong drive train components. It is a great bike as it is now, and at 22.5 inches, is tall enough for me, yet short enough for off-roading and trail riding on dirt trails and tracks.


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## rogerzilla (27 Sep 2020)

Stripped down the Eddy Merckx Strada OS for respraying. It's only been built up for a couple of months so this wasn't hard...except the Italian BB fixed cup, which I'd put in very tight and with medium threadlock. Having experienced how difficult it was to remove, I have no fear of one loosening on a ride now.


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## Gravity Aided (28 Sep 2020)

Got my Bianchi Squadra on the road today. I had to straighten the frame and find new forks as the old ones were toast from an accident the previous owner had. They pulled hard to the left, and until I build my fork straightening device, the unicrown fork from a Raleigh Technium Citysport will suffice quite well. The ride from this bicycle is fantastic, even with the impromptu fork. I think the original fork was also Cr-Mo. All the old Shimano 600 has wound up on this bicycle as I plan to modernize my Trek Elance 400. For some reason, Bianchi used Shimano 600 for this bicycle, and it works a treat.


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## si_c (28 Sep 2020)

Changed the seatpost binder on the Domane - even torqued to the max the seatpost was sliding down a tad. Sorted now.

Also removed two full links from the Racelight as I'm not fitting more than a 30t cassette to it any time soon so don't need the excess and then dropped the handlebar height by 5mm. Went out for a ride to see how much of a change it made, but it's still feeling slightly compressed at the front and longer rides are giving me a bit of lower back pain so got a slightly longer stem to stretch my back out a touch.


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## DCBassman (28 Sep 2020)

Ok, not a fettle yet, but a preliminary pre-fettle reseach session - making sure the part number if the auto gear selector on my car matches the one on ebay. The car has recently decided that IT will decide which gears to play with...
The fettle will be awful, despite the fact it can be done entirely inside the car.


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## bruce1530 (28 Sep 2020)

New jockey wheels.
And (new) mudguards back on for the winter.


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## rogerzilla (28 Sep 2020)

Fixed the temperamental i-stop in the Mazda 6. It has a habit of thinking the battery isn't charged, when it is actually full. The remedy (if you're sure the battery really is charged) is to disconnect the negative lead for half an hour. This makes stop-start work for months before it goes into another sulk.

It seems to be precipitated by low use and gets upset if there is even slight self-discharge. Once or twice a week is not what the designers had in mind.

The benefit of all this technology? It informed me that, in 2.5 years, I've saved enough petrol, by not idling, to cover 20 miles. That's nearly £1.70!


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## roley poley (28 Sep 2020)

new cable on hybrids hub gear


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## si_c (28 Sep 2020)

Hosed the racelight down after today's ride in the pissing rain. Then gave everything a good wipe down.

Wet lube is definitely the go to for the rest of the year by the looks of it.


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## si_c (1 Oct 2020)

Replaced the 110mm stem on the racelight with a new 120mm.

Feels a bit different but I'm yet to go out for a ride on it. I've a suspicion it will take a while to either get used to it or bin it off.


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## DCBassman (1 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Ok, not a fettle yet, but a preliminary pre-fettle reseach session - making sure the part number if the auto gear selector on my car matches the one on ebay. The car has recently decided that IT will decide which gears to play with...
> The fettle will be awful, despite the fact it can be done entirely inside the car.


Here's the replacement part. 





It means removing the centre console, which in my case contains all sorts of Bluetooth gubbins. Not fun. Then remove and replace the selector itself, without dropping the link to the transmission. I am prepared for that with the proverbial wire coathanger...
Not only should this fix the oddball behaviour, it might just get me brake hold back again.
Here's hoping...


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## DCBassman (2 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Here's the replacement part.
> View attachment 550185
> 
> 
> ...


Done. P6 made it straightforward (Proper Planning etc, something I'm not generally too good at!).


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## Reynard (2 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Done. P6 made it straightforward (Proper Planning etc, something I'm not generally too good at!).



Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance


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## DCBassman (3 Oct 2020)

Reynard said:


> Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance



Exactly, and for once, I read and re-read the instructions, figured out tool needs, and managed it in approximately the time the workshop manual states. Interesting also to discover just how much plastic is used to build even once-experience cars.
Not that I paid a lot. Bangernomics working quite well so far!


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## Reynard (3 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Exactly, and for once, I read and re-read the instructions, figured out tool needs, and managed it in approximately the time the workshop manual states. Interesting also to discover just how much plastic is used to build even once-experience cars.
> Not that I paid a lot. Bangernomics working quite well so far!



I'm assuming you mean once-expensive rather than once-experience...


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## DCBassman (3 Oct 2020)

Reynard said:


> I'm assuming you mean once-expensive rather than once-experience...


Autocorrect to the rescue, s usual!


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Oct 2020)

Given the bike a wash......in storm Alex.


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## Gunk (4 Oct 2020)

I applied my restoration skills to our kettle this afternoon 

Before












After


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## Reynard (4 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> I applied my restoration skills to our kettle this afternoon
> 
> Before
> 
> ...



You know that the only possible celebration is to make a


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## Gunk (4 Oct 2020)

Reynard said:


> You know that the only possible celebration is to make a



I did have a cheeky cup of Earl Grey and a KitKat to celebrate


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## Archie_tect (4 Oct 2020)

Finally got the [stainless steel] bike rack that I've been meaning to get for the last 30 years... will be bolting it to the concrete tomorrow! That'll hopefully fettle any would-be theft attempts and tidy things up a lot.


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## Rickshaw Phil (5 Oct 2020)

Partially successful fettling yesterday. As has been mentioned elsewhere, @gavgav has a new bike so I was recruited to fit the new set of SKS mudguards. We started with the rear one which after some faffing about clearly was not going to fit straight due to being pushed out of line by the front derailleur clamp. We were right on the verge of giving up when I thought of trying again with a spacer added like I had to on my Raleigh and it works nicely.

Unfortunately when it came to the front mudguard we had less luck. The clearances are simply too tight for it to fit with the supplied gravel tyres. Gav was planning to change to more road/touring oriented ones at some point anyway so this has just brought that purchase forward and we'll have another go when the new ones come. The bike is useable in the meantime but looks odd.

Today's fettling has been less complicated; after my second home-made lamp bracket failed on the knockabout bike earlier in the year I hadn't got round to making a replacement yet. I've gone for a much simpler bracket this time that just clamps round one of the rack uprights (instead of being mudguard mounted) which I hope will be more robust.

While working on the bike I noticed that one of my brakes was a little slow to release so I've cleaned and regreased all the pivots.


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## fossyant (5 Oct 2020)

I'll be fixing a puncture later after washing the mud off the bike. I'm expecting a double flat with the pesky farmer cutting hawthorns on my route today.


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## Rickshaw Phil (5 Oct 2020)

fossyant said:


> I'll be fixing a puncture later after washing the mud off the bike. I'm expecting a double flat with the pesky farmer cutting hawthorns on my route today.


You aren't the only one. I had to do a roadside repair last time out. Bloody cuttings.


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## dave r (5 Oct 2020)

Having had problems with the rear mudguard on my Eastway, I put new wheels on it a few weeks ago and since then I've been having problems with the mudguard rubbing, theres not a lot of room under the brake bridge, and every time I fixed it the problem came back. So I got a set of SKS Raceblade's from Tredz. https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SKS-Raceblade-Long-Mudguard-Set_89347.htm
Taking them out of the packet they looked like a chinese puzle, but they clipped together and fitted without major problems, they're not a full mudguard, protecting behind the brake bridge but not in front, they stop the brown streak up the back and protect the rider behind but not the bottom bracket area, theres only a six inch length in front of the brake bridge. So as I didn't need the front mudguard, the current one works well, I modified the front mudguard and fitted it to the back to turn the mudguard into a full one, it needs a little bit of fettling but I've got no rub now. The only other problem is that they are designed to fit on the axle not on mudguard eye so the stays are too long, something I'll look at later.


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## itboffin (5 Oct 2020)

Super wet muddy ride yesterday I had a grinding sound from the rear wheel no rubbing anywhere I could see so I opened the brake release still the same yet today’s ride no noise at all, I’m confused what’s rubbing?


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## Jenkins (5 Oct 2020)

dave r said:


> Having had problems with the rear mudguard on my Eastway, I put new wheels on it a few weeks ago and since then I've been having problems with the mudguard rubbing, theres not a lot of room under the brake bridge, and every time I fixed it the problem came back. So I got a set of SKS Raceblade's from Tredz. https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SKS-Raceblade-Long-Mudguard-Set_89347.htm
> Taking them out of the packet they looked like a chinese puzle, but they clipped together and fitted without major problems, they're not a full mudguard, protecting behind the brake bridge but not in front, they stop the brown streak up the back and protect the rider behind but not the bottom bracket area, theres only a six inch length in front of the brake bridge. So as I didn't need the front mudguard, the current one works well, I modified the front mudguard and fitted it to the back to turn the mudguard into a full one, it needs a little bit of fettling but I've got no rub now. The only other problem is that they are designed to fit on the axle not on mudguard eye so the stays are too long, something I'll look at later.
> 
> View attachment 550871
> ...


@dave r The silver 'L' shaped clips you've mounted at the dropouts (rack mounting point?) are supposed to be fitted with the QR skewer going through where you've put the bolt and should be fitted the other way round - see below from my Van Nic commuter. It'll make the guards a much closer fit.


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## dave r (5 Oct 2020)

Jenkins said:


> @dave r The silver 'L' shaped clips you've mounted at the dropouts (rack mounting point?) are supposed to be fitted with the QR skewer going through where you've put the bolt and should be fitted the other way round - see below from my Van Nic commuter. It'll make the guards a much closer fit.
> View attachment 550888
> View attachment 550889



I have mudguard eyes on my Eastway, thats what I've mounted the silver brackets on, I'm aware the brackets are designed to go on the quick release but I don't want to put anything on the quick release.


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## Jenkins (5 Oct 2020)

Full day of bike fettling today
'Best' Van Nicholas & Planet X: Full clean & lube of the chains and a quick frame wipe down as dry use only.
Pickenflick: Full chain clean & lube, frame wipedown and clean the wheels
Giant flatbar & Bootzipper: Full chain clean & lube, plus washing down the frame & wheels thanks to recent muddy & off road rides.
Spa Elan: Full chain clean & lube, washing down the frame & wheels after recent wet rides, fix a puncture in the front tube (only noticed when getting the bike out of the shed), treat the frame to a polish with Autoglym.
Commuter Van Nicholas. Major refresh of the drivetrain and replacement of the rear brake calipers - see the picture below for the bits replaced - plus rear tyre replaced. Also washed down the frame and polished it with Autoglym while the parts were off. 




The chain & cassette (yes it was silver originally) will be cleaned off tomorrow just to see exactly how much wear has been inflicted. Also the drive side of the BB was still quite smooth, but the non-drive side was horribly rough. These parts were fitted at the end of December 2018 and have done just over 4500 miles in all weathers.
With any luck, I'll also get round to replacing the bars on the commuter Van Nic as well.


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## Jenkins (6 Oct 2020)

As a follow up to the above, this morning I did replace the bars on the commuter Van Nic, added new tape (which is redder than in the pic below) and took it for a couple of trips round the close to fine tune the position. How it looks now (until the first wet commute next week!)




Now to show what damage using a single chain & cassette for 4500 miles can do, while spending the vast majority of the time using just two gears. Firstly, the chain - a SRAM PC1031 - not the best pic, but you can see that over a 12 link run the 'stretch' is somewhere between 1/4 and 3/8 of an inch




The cassette was a SRAM PG1050 12-25, but I spend almost the whole time on the 16 or 15 tooth sprockets, so the picture below shows from L to R the 17, 16, 15 & 14 tooth ones. No wonder the chain had started to skip under load on the 16!


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Oct 2020)

Fitted a new outer chain ring to my recumbent. The chainset is originally from my mtn bike where the outer chain ring would see much less use. So when I replaced the chain two weeks ago I was all set with spare middle and inner rings and a cassette. None of those needed replacing but the outer one did. This caught me off guard as it was only ring I didn’t have a spare of. Originally I tried reusing the chain ring bolts but the star outer bolt had rounded on one. So fitted new bolts as I have a bag of stainless steel spares from Spa anyway. The cranks are 11-12 years old, so doing well.

Spares box now also topped up with a spare outer ring ful for next time.

Going for a test ride after lunch. I’ve been spinning like a dervish in the middle ring. So looking forward to my more usual cadence on the flat / downhills.


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## avecReynolds531 (8 Oct 2020)

Ongoing trouble with a rear wheel moving out of alignment (steel frame/ horizontal dropouts), & advice from forums, meant taking a hacksaw to shorten the fitted spindle ( to 120 mm OLN), filing & cleaning the Gipiemme driveside dropout, and fitting a serrated washer before the spindle spring & nut. 
Tomorrow is due to be sunny, so I'll have the chance then to see if there's improvement. Not optimistic, reckoning a better QR spindle will probably be the way.... 

Seems to be a common problem 

Reduced the spring tension on the pedals as a precaution: for the next time the rear wheel tries to move into the left chain stay.


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## Elybazza61 (8 Oct 2020)

Part built gravel front wheel in downtime at work today;Hope RS-4 centre lock on to DT-Swiss GR 531 RIM  

Still got to wait for the frame to be built and rear hub and other Hope stuff to arrive so no rush with this


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Oct 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> Ongoing trouble with a rear wheel moving out of alignment (steel frame/ horizontal dropouts), & advice from forums, meant taking a hacksaw to shorten the fitted spindle ( to 120 mm OLN), filing & cleaning the Gipiemme driveside dropout, and fitting a serrated washer before the spindle spring & nut.
> Tomorrow is due to be sunny, so I'll have the chance then to see if there's improvement. Not optimistic, reckoning a better QR spindle will probably be the way....
> 
> Seems to be a common problem
> ...



On a 1990s tandem the axle ends projected a little beyond the horizontal dropouts. The dropouts of that era being somewhat thinner than these days. I found adding some washers on inside of dropouts and using an internal cam QR sorted it out.


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## Rickshaw Phil (10 Oct 2020)

A couple of fettling sessions for me:

*Yesterday* I got the Raleigh out as I've decided to finally retire the rear tyre. It's a ten year old Marathon and has done somewhere north of 10,000 miles so I think I've had my moneys worth even if there is still a bit of life left. New one fitted on the front and swapped the old front to the back.

I popped a new chain on and with the old one not being excessively worn I hoped the cassette would be alright for a bit longer but unfortunately it was skipping on a short test ride (only on one gear frustratingly). Thankfully Dave Mellor's had the one I wanted in stock and I just had time to get over to them before they closed.

*Today* I headed over to @gavgav's to fit the new Marathons he's ordered and complete the fitting of the mudguards. The wheels on the new bike are tubeless ready so the tyres were a tighter fit than I'm used to. I don't like using tyre levers for fitting but they did the job. The mudguards work much better with these tyres and I didn't have any trouble getting the front on this time. Getting a satisfactory adjustment was a lot more time consuming though but we finally got there and my new toy (a bolt cropper) made short work of trimming the stays to length.


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## gavgav (10 Oct 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A couple of fettling sessions for me:
> 
> *Yesterday* I got the Raleigh out as I've decided to finally retire the rear tyre. It's a ten year old Marathon and has done somewhere north of 10,000 miles so I think I've had my moneys worth even if there is still a bit of life left. New one fitted on the front and swapped the old front to the back.
> 
> ...


Much appreciated work fettling up the new bike


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## Gunk (10 Oct 2020)

Not much fettling today, just sorting out parts and seeing what's missing for two builds coming up, an Ultegra upgrade for my son's road bike and a turbo trainer build.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (10 Oct 2020)

Mudguards are back on


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## fossyant (10 Oct 2020)

New Minion on the rear as I'm doing some pukka off road rather than my lunchtime commute from home to home. The good news is I've doubled my time on the bike this year, hence the wear.

The old tyre can go back on for lunch rides.

Same tyre below, old and new.


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## Gunk (10 Oct 2020)

Which is which? 🤔


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## JhnBssll (11 Oct 2020)

Back from holiday this evening, and what better than a fettle after a 405 mile drive 

I had a couple of bits turn up while I was away to continue to wrestle some nice full length mudguards on to the ti bike with no mounting points. I got the rear test fitted a few weeks back, which looked like this...






This evening it was time to have a play with the front. I'd ordered a 'mudhugger' model specifically for gravel bikes which straps to the fork leg and decided it warranted closer inspection. A quick test fit suggested it might make an ideal donor mount...






Next out came the hacksaw to chop the shiny metal guard in two... No going back now 






I trimmed the plastic guard down so it was long enough for fixings each side of the forks then measured, drilled and riveted the bits together.
















Still some trimming to be done but pretty succesful so far!!  I've got a couple of stay mounts on the way which should arrive later in the week. Once they're here I'll do a final fit and take her for a test ride


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## Gunk (11 Oct 2020)

Lovely bit of home engineering there John 👍


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## Gunk (11 Oct 2020)

Are you going to fabricate a stay to to stop the end flapping Around?


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## JhnBssll (11 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> Are you going to fabricate a stay to to stop the end flapping Around?



Yes, I've got a few bits on order to experiment with fixing the stays to the fork legs. It won't be ridden with the guards on until the stays are properly attached


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## JhnBssll (12 Oct 2020)

I've got the turbo bike up on the stand at the moment 😊 It hasn't had a service for a while so figured I'd give it a going over now before I crack on with some winter training - I'm planning on giving Sufferfest a go 

I check the chain fairly regularly but this time the 0.5% mark had been reached so I'll pop in to the lbs to pick up a new one in the morning. I didnt think it had been on long, but checking Strava it seems it's done 2000 miles and with almost zero freewheeling on a turbo I guess it isn't bad. I'm glad I checked it before I cleaned the old one, that's saved me a job  I'll grab some new inner gear cables too, the shifting has been dodgy recently and I'm hoping fresh inners will cure it.

Next I flipped the stem upside down, hoping it will improve comfort. The SCR is quite a long and low bike which isn't ideal for stationary cycling so I had already fitted a slightly shorter stem which improved things a bit, this should be better still but I can easily flip it back if not.






Since there's going to be a new chain going on I figured I'd give the mechs and chainset a good degrease, they're now nice and shiny again 😄











The brake blocks have got plenty of wear left in them, in fact they're pretty much untouched. Weird 






Finally I turned my attention to the Kickr and Climb units, they'd gathered plenty of grease and dust and needed a bit of TLC. All clean again now, and I've degreased the cassette ready for the new chain too 😊






I was careful to spray on to a rag and then wipe it down rather than spraying directly on to the expensive unsealed electronic device 

Should be all back up and running tomorrow in time to try Sufferfest out in the evening. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to that or not 🤔


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## tom73 (13 Oct 2020)

Sufferfest @JhnBssll been thinking about that be interesting to see what you think.


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## JhnBssll (13 Oct 2020)

tom73 said:


> Sufferfest @JhnBssll been thinking about that be interesting to see what you think.



I'll let you know when I've tried it, people keep telling me good things about it but the name alone is enough to put me off 

Had a further fettle today after collecting a new chain and a couple of new inner gear cables from the lbs  The turbo bike is now all back together and functioning rather nicely again 😊 I've tweaked the saddle position slightly since the bars have been raised, looking forward to trying it out later 







In other exciting news the bits arrived in the post for my mudguard project so I've had a play with that too 😄 Here are the little mounts I was waiting for...






They suit tubes from 10 to 34.9mm diameter and varying cross sections so figured they were worth a try.






They seem to do the job perfectly, I'll have to monitor them in use to check they don't slacken off through vibration etc but I think they'll be up to the task 

With that little problem solved I did some more trimming of the front guard then trimmed the stays to length - very pleased with the result. I also popped the rear guard back on to get a feel for the finished effect 😊
















I think it looks rather smart


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## Spiderweb (13 Oct 2020)

New front mech cable fitted to my 2001 steel framed Marin Muirwoods.


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## DCLane (13 Oct 2020)

Having collected a NeilPryde Nazare on Sunday I got to looking at it today. Now I _knew_ it wasn't clean from when I picked it up and was unable to test-ride due to a rusted chain but ... it was covered in filth and glue residue. The previous owner's now disabled so they're excused for not cleaning but it was clearly missing even regular basic maintenance. This is the seller's photo and I'll add mine once more work is done:






So ... I removed the old chain and cleaned. Still cleaning. Pedals are off along with the lights / light brackets and saddle bag. The seller gave me parts, tools and clothes which I appreciate given this needs quite a bit of work. Many of the clothes are off tomorrow to be passed onto others as they won't fit me.

Lots still to do over the next few days:

- Wheels / mudguards and other parts to come off for deep cleaning
- New tyres needed as the current ones are badly cracked
- Different saddle as the one on there's got a bit of damage
- Crankset to be swapped for a 52/36 Shimano one, with PF30 adapters to go on
- New cables will probably be needed
- New chain required
- Full lubrication needed
- Bars / stem to be lowered and we might fit a different stem

Once all that's done, hopefully by the weekend, it's going on our Zwift set-up for us to use in the new Zwift Racing League.


----------



## Gunk (14 Oct 2020)

Tried to fit a Chorus 9 speed Cassette on a later Eurus wheel (for my turbo trainer build) which uses the Campag/Fulcrum freehub, bloody nightmare, only Campag make lockrings with different sized threads. So none of mine fitted. Anyway after some research I found that part number R1-023 fits with a 12T small cog and one was on eBay for £12.95 so a result! 

I've built a few bikes up from scratch and it is a slow painful experience, nothing you have in the shed fits and when you add up all the additional odds and sods it's always cheaper just to buy a complete used bike.


----------



## Reynard (14 Oct 2020)

Sorted out the spongy front brake on my newly-built-up MTB by nipping up the cable a few mm, and have also raised the saddle a touch. Hopefully I'll get out for a ride tomorrow to continue fine-tuning the set-up.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Oct 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> I'll let you know when I've tried it, people keep telling me good things about it but the name alone is enough to put me off
> 
> Had a further fettle today after collecting a new chain and a couple of new inner gear cables from the lbs  The turbo bike is now all back together and functioning rather nicely again 😊 I've tweaked the saddle position slightly since the bars have been raised, looking forward to trying it out later
> 
> ...



Let me know how the mini fix work out. I currently have some pdw fixings for my stays but they mount via QR and are a pain when removing front wheel as it requires fully removing the QR.


----------



## DCLane (14 Oct 2020)

Continued on the NeilPryde Nazare I bought last weekend:

Removed the pedals and FSA Gossamer crankset. Took out the BB30 caps and cleaned/greased everything.
Added some BB30/Shimano adaptors. The replacement Shimano crankset needs spacers so that'll be tomorrow.
Cleaned the front and rear derailleurs; almost a full dismantling. The bike seems to have gone through a tar-like substance and then been stored. They were coated in it so took some cleaning and then greasing.
Continued cleaning the tar off the underside of the frame. That's all done.
Removed the brakes and the mudguard adaptors. The brake pads are on the wrong way round so removed them for better pads (still to do)
Cleaned the tar-like splatters from the front and rear wheels plus hubs.
Tomorrow I'll fit the crankset and adjust the front derailleur up. The cable bolt's seized so that's soaking overnight.
Then it'll be adjusting the shifters to fit better, lowering the bars and possibly a better stem, swapping the saddle and fitting a new chain. Probably Friday/Saturday for some of those.

One thing I've learnt from this: tar is a good frame protector. It's also a pain to get off. The rear derailleur was stuck; I wonder whether the seller struggled to ride their NeilPryde partly because everything was just gummed up and they couldn't turn the pedals?


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## Landsurfer (14 Oct 2020)

I am currently fettling a Class 159 DMU Hydrostatic system in Salisbury ..... which is nice .....


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## rogerzilla (15 Oct 2020)

Hydraulic transmission? Didn't know it had survived after BR killed off the Western Region locomotives.


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## Landsurfer (15 Oct 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Hydraulic transmission? Didn't know it had survived after BR killed off the Western Region locomotives.


Not transmission .... hydraulic cooling fans, air con and alternator ...


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2020)

Diesel-mechanical DMUs then?


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## Landsurfer (15 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Diesel-mechanical DMUs then?


Diesel Multiple Unit. Each carriage has its own engine, allowing for self rescue and independent operation, if a single engine fails the hotel power for the carriage can be provided from the operating units.


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> Diesel Multiple Unit. Each carriage has its own engine, allowing for self rescue and independent operation, if a single engine fails the hotel power for the carriage can be provided from the operating units.


Yep, but diesel-mechanical or diesel-electric was what I meant.
I can still remember diesel-mechanical DMUs powered by AEC Regent bus engines...and those are tough enough to probably still be going!


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## Landsurfer (15 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Yep, but diesel-mechanical or diesel-electric was what I meant.
> I can still remember diesel-mechanical DMUs powered by AEC Regent bus engines...and those are tough enough to probably still be going!


Diesel electric passenger trains are called DEMU's, Voyager is a prime example ..19ltr Cummins Diesel engine, driving alternator, which drives DC traction motor ...in the carriage.... which drives the traction bogie gearbox via a shaft .... less than simple !!!
But super efficient ... at 125mph on a 4 car unit only 1 or 2 engines will actually be above idle speed..


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## derrick (15 Oct 2020)

Built this up today.


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## Gunk (15 Oct 2020)

Just trying to buy a BMX at the moment, my lad wants one, should be a giggle


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## derrick (15 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> Just trying to buy a BMX at the moment, my lad wants one, should be a giggle


There are some good deals on Ebay or Facebook market place, Go for a good one, well worth it as they ride so much better than a starter bike, My Eastern rides the best but my We the people aint far behind, Do your homework and you could end up with something nice for not a lot of money.


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## FrankCrank (16 Oct 2020)

derrick said:


> Built this up today.
> View attachment 552664


Very clean and smart. One thing that struck me was brakes, or lack of. Presuming you'll be adding V-brakes, and noticed the rear bosses are mounted inside the rear triangle, rather than outside, if that makes sense? Only time I've seen something like this is on recumbents, where the brake arms could foul on the chain, so are placed on the opposite side of the frame. I know next to nothing about BMX's, so maybe this is all quite normal - just curious. I'm from the Raleigh Chopper era, so missed out on having a blast over the park on something like this


----------



## Vantage (16 Oct 2020)

Removed the mudguards, lights, extra bottle cage and steering damper all in an attempt to see how light less heavy I could make the Wayfarer.
Still just under 14kg. Feckin heavy lump!
But it has the "gravel bike" look down to a T.


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## derrick (16 Oct 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Very clean and smart. One thing that struck me was brakes, or lack of. Presuming you'll be adding V-brakes, and noticed the rear bosses are mounted inside the rear triangle, rather than outside, if that makes sense? Only time I've seen something like this is on recumbents, where the brake arms could foul on the chain, so are placed on the opposite side of the frame. I know next to nothing about BMX's, so maybe this is all quite normal - just curious. I'm from the Raleigh Chopper era, so missed out on having a blast over the park on something like this


The rear brake will go on, Just waiting for the paint to harden properly. although one or no brakes is quite normal for a bmx, they use a U brake on them rather than v brakes, so brake is inside frame and out of the way.
PS, your never to old to ride bmx.


----------



## Gravity Aided (16 Oct 2020)

Still removing paint from the found Raleigh Competition frame. Ready to return to the heat gun for the last stubborn bits of it. Much lighter, with the removal of 5 colors in several coats. I can now see detail on the lugs, etc.


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## DCBassman (16 Oct 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> Diesel electric passenger trains are called DEMU's, Voyager is a prime example ..19ltr Cummins Diesel engine, driving alternator, which drives DC traction motor ...in the carriage.... which drives the traction bogie gearbox via a shaft .... less than simple !!!
> But super efficient ... at 125mph on a 4 car unit only 1 or 2 engines will actually be above idle speed..


Super-efficient, maybe. Bloody horrible things to travel on, noisy and uncomfortable. Efficiency aside, a vast step down from Class 43s.


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## cyberknight (16 Oct 2020)

Had to take mudguard off commuter as the crud mk 3 sticky pad came off the frame at work so rode home with it sticking out of the pannier , i think i might have some spare pads in the bitsa box


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Oct 2020)

My GPS batteries. On a recent 400km audax I had to abandon after three sets of AA rechargeable discharged early. I’ve now bought a smart charger, arrived today, that charges independently and can do lithium ion, lipo and Nimh etc. It had an lcd display showing each battery voltage. Seems the cheap charger I had had charged one battery of each pair but the voltage of the other battery was only 1.2v not 1.5v. So as a pair they drop below min voltage for GPS much earlier than they should. GPS turns off. Now recharging all the AAs I have.


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## Gunk (16 Oct 2020)

derrick said:


> There are some good deals on Ebay or Facebook market place, Go for a good one, well worth it as they ride so much better than a starter bike, My Eastern rides the best but my We the people aint far behind, Do your homework and you could end up with something nice for not a lot of money.



We're now the proud owner of one! A Mafiabikes Kush 2, needs a good clean but not bad for £65


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## derrick (16 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> We're now the proud owner of one! A Mafiabikes Kush 2, needs a good clean but not bad for £65
> 
> View attachment 552809


About time we had a few more bmx ers on here, nice one.


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## DCLane (16 Oct 2020)

More work, including a 'fail' on the NeilPryde:

The front derailleur cable was completely stuck, even after soaking. So, rather than snap the frame hanger the front mech's been removed, I then tried to undo the cable bolt and failed even with massive force, so I have fitted a replacement Ultegra one.
Aero seatpost out, carbon greased as there wasn't any and back in.
Swapped the damaged saddle for a Bontrager Paradigm in my size.
Then tried to fit the BB30-24mm adaptor and a Shimano Ultegra crankset. The crankset's way too wide as it's just a basic pop-in spacer. Failed, cracked the cheap plastic spacer. Ordered another proper one on 'next day' delivery.
Once the replacement spacers are in and the crankset it'll be new cables, better brake pads and a chain ready for a test-ride on Sunday. Hopefully. _If_ the spacer's arrive tomorrow.

Also cleaned my son's BeOne and adjusted/tightened the bars after they moved yesterday in the middle of a sprint at training  We share that joy; my turn to clean this week.


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## Gunk (16 Oct 2020)

There’s a place in heaven for you @DCLane


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## DCLane (16 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> There’s a place in heaven for you @DCLane



As long as he wins tomorrow morning's hillclimb he'll be forgiven. The NeilPryde urgency is because of the Zwift Racing League - he's supposed to be taking part.


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## Mike_P (16 Oct 2020)

Been suffering from creaking loose cleat mounts or at least that what I thought until I locktighted them and also tried different shoes and eventually dawned on me it was one side of the dual sided SPD pedals, and to be more precise pretty convinced it was the right hand one, so both mechanisms well sprayed with GT-85 and then some light oiling.


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## JPBoothy (17 Oct 2020)

I have just bought my 2nd Genesis Day One 10 SS Disc in just over a month and seem to have been fettling daily everytime the postman (or women) brings me a new set of track nuts or bar tape etc.. The first one was for my teenage son and is set up with flatbars and hydraulic brakes which suits his 'occasonal' local ride to the shops but I decided to leave mine with the drops but replaced pretty much everything else. It was a real bargain so I didn't mind spending on it to get it just how I wanted and it needed a bit of TLC after appearing to have been a bit neglected. I found mud inside just about everything so the wheel and headset bearings had to be changed straightaway. The BB was surprisingly smooth though so that stayed in place which was probably just as well because it seemed to be pretty well stuck in the frame anyway. However, the best change (and another bargain) were the TRP Spyre Calipers off ebay which appeared to be brand new and came with new pads too. I have previously fitted a set to my CAADX which are good but they are nowhere near as good as these latest ones. I think it must be down to getting a more direct pull with SS levers over the STI type but I may be wrong. Even the Swalbe 700 x 40 tyres from Halfords were a bargain (£12) and are so grippy and comfortable too. I feel like a child again and just want to put on my oldest cycling kit and find every dirty muddy trail whenever I can


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## JhnBssll (17 Oct 2020)

Replaced the thru axles on the Veturi. The miss match between front and rear had annoyed me from new so I'd been looking on and off for a while. The rear needs a 6mm hex key to remove it and has a 1.75mm pitch thread whereas the front had a rather bulky quick release cam lever and 1.5mm thread. When the Bianchi arrived with its rather nifty hide-away thru axle levers I tried to find out who made them but with no luck. Around a month ago I happened by chance upon a thread in another forum about 'Rapi-Lock' replacement thru axles - I'm very glad I clicked on it, as it answered all of my questions 

The Rapi-Lock appears to be near-identical to the Bianchi thru axles in operation, with two differences. Firstly the hide away lever is black rather than silver, and secondly they come as a rather nifty kit of parts to allow you to build the axle up to suit the bike...







You measure a few dimensions of the original axle and identify the thread pitch then use the chart on the right to work out what parts to assemble together. Simple as that. Once assembled you fold the lever out, tighten the axle then stow the lever away again as with the Bianchi's axles.
















Simple little mod but its solved one of the only irritations I had about the bike


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## DRM (17 Oct 2020)

Fitted some Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres on the Marin Gravel bike, I’m keen to see how they perform tomorrow


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## DCLane (17 Oct 2020)

Finished work on the NeilPryde Nazare:

Replacement BB30-24mm adaptors arrived and fitted
Shimano Ultegra crankset and pedals fitted
Front derailleur cable and brake cable set installed
Rear derailleur cable adjusted
Swapped the Shimano RS21 wheels for a red Superstar Components set
Chain added. I think it's a 'lightly used' one that's done about 50 miles only.
After a short test-ride the bars were lowered, stem dropped and seatpost raised. Fits much better.

The front derailleur's still catching a bit though. That'll have to wait until the morning before I hope to get a proper test-ride in. Once that's done it'll be onto the turbo, probably with a different saddle, for a winter of Zwift racing.


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## jongooligan (18 Oct 2020)

Completely disassembled, cleaned and regreased a Shimano dual pivot brake caliper. Both pivots are now working and the brake has stopped binding. It's amazing how much easier the bike is to pedal now. I thought losing a mile per hour from my average speed was down to old age. Turned out it was down to poor maintenance.


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## chriswoody (18 Oct 2020)

The Kona has been demanding some fettling love for a while now, so today I finally got around to several of the jobs. First thing on the agenda was to fit the new brake pads to the front, that I'd bought several months ago. I whipped the old ones out, or at least what was left of them! Then I took the opportunity to give the inside of the calliper a good old clean out.






Then with that done I gently pushed the pistons back and inserted the new pads. I haven't taken the bike out yet to bed the new pads in, that's tomorrows job.

Then it was on to the headset which was a little loose, a quick five minute job and alls well. Then on to the transmission. The last few months have been a quick wipe down with an oily rag and re-oil job, so today was a little more thorough. I took the jockey wheels out and gave them a good scrub. The SRAM jockey wheels look deceptively simple to disassemble, but there are a few traps for the unwary bike mechanic. Firstly whilst the top and bottom pulleys are interchangeable, they are "handed" so they must go the right way around. Both of them are marked with a U on one side and a L on the other, you need to make sure that they correct letter is facing outward on their respective positions. The bearing dust covers are also different as are the bolt lengths for top and bottom. With all the pieces cleaned and correctly assembled it was time for the chain to get a quick wipe down and re-oil, then the cassette a quick wipe and inspection. With over 4000km on it, the cassette is still working as good as new.






So aside from bedding in the new pads, a good couple of hours fettling and hopefully a happy bike now.


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## Gunk (18 Oct 2020)

I started preparing for my next project a parts bin special turbo trainer bike. 

I put the tyres and tubes on the wheelset






I then cleaned up the 9 speed Sora groupset which was taken off my sons bike (I've now upgraded it to Ultegra)






I'm just waiting for a couple of bits, including the frame! and I'll start building it next weekend.


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## Reynard (18 Oct 2020)

Sorted out the saddle height on the MTB, taking the ballpark measurements off the other two bikes. Hopefully I've done the clamp bolt up tight enough this time - the saddle slipped nearly two inches on Friday, no wonder it was getting progressively harder to pedal... 

Also took the bottle cage and frame pump off the road bike and put them onto the MTB as a temporary measure. I'm unlikely to use the road bike until the spring, and in any case, it needs a bit of fettling to sort out a graunchy headset and a front derailleur that apparently has a mind of its own.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Oct 2020)

Pumped up my road bike tyres. My recumbent is bike of choice , so road bike tyres often need a top up when I do ride it.


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## Jenkins (19 Oct 2020)

Having done a couple of long commutes on Van Nic since replacing the bottom bracket, chain & cassette, it was time to check that everything had settled and was still tight - the crankset was fine, but I took out the rear wheel and was able to tighten the cassette lockring by about a dozen clicks despite having done it up tightly when replacing the cassette a couple of weeks ago.


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## derrick (19 Oct 2020)

Playing with the paint and cling film. Was a bit rushed but could look really nice.


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## derrick (21 Oct 2020)

Got hold of another project today. Full chromoly frame not sure what colour to do this one,


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## Reynard (21 Oct 2020)

derrick said:


> Got hold of another project today. Full chromoly frame not sure what colour to do this one,
> 
> View attachment 553772



Keep the colour as is maybe? I rather like that...


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## wisdom (22 Oct 2020)

Got the commuting bike prepped for the fast upcoming winter.All bearing stripped cleaned and regreased.New brake pads fitted.All cables cleaned and lubricated.
Shimano spd,s stripped cleaned and regreased.refitted with coppaslip.
Lights charged and backups fitted.
Ready for anything now.


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## Gunk (22 Oct 2020)

Started building up my turbo trainer bike.


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## DCLane (23 Oct 2020)

Setting national hillclimb bikes up today:

- Son's PlanetX is the easiest; a wheel swap with his spare race front and a Bontrager / HED rear which now has a junior cassette on - that'll become his training wheel in the Spring.
- I'm using my son's Cervelo S3, if well enough to take part. That needed his old Mavic Ksyrium Exalith wheels putting on, together with Exalith pads and the chainring changing from a 42 to a 36: we'd left the 42 on from last year's hillclimb as there hasn't been much need for a 36 this year.
- Removed the 'youth' cassettes from his race and spare wheels, so they can be sold. We're a 'junior' cassette short but at least that's a job done.


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## Gunk (23 Oct 2020)

Lockring finally arrived today so finally I was able to finish the turbo build.

The Campag cassette and Shimano groupset isn’t exactly a marriage made in heaven but it works and selects all 9 gears.


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## carvelos (24 Oct 2020)

Today I have mostly been....Trying to free a rusted steel quill from steel forks on a knackered '90's steel framed peugeot 'mountain bike' with vinegar, patio smells really weird, I have just destroyed handlebars and forks using brute force and have now cut off quill and removed buggered forks and thrown them in bin. Next job caustic soda on ali seatpost stuck in same frame, at the end of all this I am building a better version of a pashley five speed that I shall call the la Peugeot Vitesse Cinq . It will be worth it. New forks coming and lots of velo orange bits being saved for....


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## FrankCrank (25 Oct 2020)

carvelos said:


> Today I have mostly been....Trying to free a rusted steel quill from steel forks on a knackered '90's steel framed peugeot 'mountain bike' with vinegar, patio smells really weird, I have just destroyed handlebars and forks using brute force and have now cut off quill and removed buggered forks and thrown them in bin. Next job caustic soda on ali seatpost stuck in same frame, at the end of all this I am building a better version of a pashley five speed that I shall call the la Peugeot Vitesse Cinq . It will be worth it. New forks coming and lots of velo orange bits being saved for....


.....no pics? - tiss only a dream


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## carvelos (25 Oct 2020)

If this was a dream I can't imagine what my waking hours would be like!
Yes there will be pics.................. (or blood)


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## DCLane (26 Oct 2020)

Son's Cervelo S3 cleaned and put back to 'race' spec - outer chainring added, bottle cage, bar tape back on.

Then we looked at the PlanetX that caused us problems at the national hillclimb. @fossyant 's suggestion a replacement hanger was added on Saturday and there wasn't _that_ much missing off the rear corner. It's mostly small chunks so we've spent the day effecting a repair; it's not pretty but works.

Then to the parts - we discovered that the problem is being caused by the chain coming off the bottom jockey wheel so it was catching and snapping the mech hanger:

the chain was twisted so I've replaced the section of KMC X11-SL chain that was damaged rather than fit a new one as it's done under 20 miles.
the rear mech cage was also twisted so a replacement Dura-Ace 9000 derailleur was fitted.
the mech hanger wasn't great either so he straightened it using a hanger alignment tool and my 16yo's learnt a new skill.
Wheel back in, cables in and with some adjustments he's got a working bike again. The resin repair needs to cure properly but it looks like the frame's OK.

Unfortunately hillclimb season's finished for 2020 so Strava KOM hunting it'll be 

Total cost has been minimal; we had the fibre resin anyway, the replacement chain parts were from the original and it's just a spare rear mech we've used and I'll find a replacement cage for the one we took off. If it doesn't work he's learnt some things and we've lost nothing really.


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## Alembicbassman (26 Oct 2020)

Getting through the cleaning phase of my 1994 Diamond Back Ascent.

Nice shiny STX parts.






Came in looking like this:


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## Gunk (27 Oct 2020)

This evening I started to clean and service stuff ready for my next build. A Reynolds 653 Ribble. (Kindly donated by @Hugh Jampton )

Started with the front and rear mechs, this 1990’s Shimano stuff (105 1055 7 speed) is beautiful quality. It always comes up well.

Before






After


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## Gunk (27 Oct 2020)

Cleaned up the lovely Nervar Crankset with wire wool and Autosol


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## DCBassman (28 Oct 2020)

Have 105 1055 brakes on the Scott. Look good and work well.


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## Gunk (28 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Have 105 1055 brakes on the Scott. Look good and work well.



I like early 105, it’s heavy but very reliable and well made and I’ve used it before, the plan is to match it with early Sora 2x7 Brifters rather than friction shifters. Again like all my projects I’m missing a load of stuff. So back on eBay, lots of saved searches!


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## Gunk (28 Oct 2020)

Fitted my ShiftMate to my Shimpagnolo and it works!


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## si_c (28 Oct 2020)

Cleaned the Racelight, sort of. Sheep sh1t all over the underside of the downtube, and clogging up the spokes on the rear hub. That'll teach me to ride through a sheep field with full pens after a heavy downpour. Wiped down the chain and cassette and hosed it down fairly thoroughly.

Gotta do it again tomorrow after tonights ride


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## Vantage (28 Oct 2020)

Bought a mini sewing machine earlier in the week and been learning stuff on it. Had to sort the timing on it. 
I can now thread it and do a not too messy straight-ish line 
Upcoming projects are to shorten my sleeping bag liner to fit the new bag better. Make a better pole and peg bag for my tent. Make the tent footprint fit better. And sort out my troozers. 
Following all that, I'll be launching a new line of bespoke artisan crotch warmers for the discerning gentleman. Orders yours today for the special low price of £9.99 at www.icantsewforshit.com


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## TheDoctor (28 Oct 2020)

Did some unfettling.
Earlier in the year we put up stud walls to make three rooms out of our home office. Never properly finished, but used for a few months.
I've now removed one of the rooms, thusly.

Here's the start point.
I'm standing in one room, there's a doorway on the left, down a little corridor, and the doorway and the room on the right is going.






Plasterboard Expelliarmus!





Insulation (mostly) gone. The far wall behind the table is staying, the one on the left is next to go.





Bang! and the wall is gone.
I have lots of left-over plasterboard. And 2-by-4s.





Taping the joints. The polystyrene on the floor is to catch splashes of filler.





First coat of paint.





Door hung and architrave in place.





Door hung a bit better and skirting done.





Just need to go round and caulk the last few bits, then get rid of a load of plasterboard.


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## jowwy (29 Oct 2020)

TheDoctor said:


> Did some unfettling.
> Earlier in the year we put up stud walls to make three rooms out of our home office. Never properly finished, but used for a few months.
> I've now removed one of the rooms, thusly.
> 
> ...


must be one big house and office to be able to split it into 3......can i ask why your removing one? are you back at work? or another reason?


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## weareHKR (29 Oct 2020)

Vantage said:


> www.icantsewforshit.com


Had me in stitches that did!


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## TheDoctor (29 Oct 2020)

jowwy said:


> must be one big house and office to be able to split it into 3......can i ask why your removing one? are you back at work? or another reason?


The office is a brick-build outbuilding, about 5m by 9m.
We needed an extra room divided off for a few months, but don't any more.
The bit you can't see (because it's behind me in the photos) is becoming my bike workshop, complete with coffee maker and beer fridge.


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## jowwy (29 Oct 2020)

TheDoctor said:


> The office is a brick-build outbuilding, about 5m by 9m.
> We needed an extra room divided off for a few months, but don't any more.
> The bit you can't see (because it's behind me in the photos) is becoming my bike workshop, complete with coffee maker and beer fridge.


Nice.....nothing better than your own bike shop. I got a coffee machine in my home office......saves a lot of walking up and down the stairs


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## DCBassman (29 Oct 2020)

This pair of Wellgo LU987U pedals.




A bit rough. My first attempt at servicing pedals, and after finishing the first ine, a ball left over!
Did the second, made sure of no inadvertent 'spares', then re-opened the first and dropped the truant into place.
To be re-fitted to the Scott, and now I know what to do, will take the pair currently on the Scott, service them, and fit them to the Trek, which is sans pedals atm.


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## Alembicbassman (29 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> This pair of Wellgo LU987U pedals.
> View attachment 555209
> 
> A bit rough. My first attempt at servicing pedals, and after finishing the first ine, a ball left over!
> ...



I've found inconsistencies in ball count on cheap pedals. I think quite a few get dropped in the factory. I doubt many ever get serviced. I've done quite a few VP and Wellgo sets on my commuter bikes. The cones sometimes need 'nipping up' after a few rides after the bearings have been re-greased. You can do this with the pedals on the bike.


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## pjd57 (30 Oct 2020)

The handles on our granddaughters pram needed new foam padding.
Unfortunately it was riveted together, no worries, roll of handlebar tape from LBS.
Not as good as new. Better than !


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## Gunk (30 Oct 2020)

Added a homemade decal just for a bit of fun.


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## Spiderweb (31 Oct 2020)

Time to replace all cables inners & outers on my winter bike & new bar tape too. The outers were all cracking and there was hesitation in my gear shifting. My German made Enik Pordoi has always had the brakes the wrong way round (right brake lever operated the back brake) although it never bothered me it was now time to go the British way.


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## Gunk (31 Oct 2020)

Nice 105 1055 groupset there!


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## HLaB (31 Oct 2020)

I filled up the tubeless winter wheels and put them and mud guards on the bike. Then fettled the guards to make sure there was no rub.

What can I say setting up and maintaining tubeless is a right faff 🙄


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## Gunk (31 Oct 2020)

HLaB said:


> What can I say setting up and maintaining tubeless is a right faff



I’m sure there are lots of benefits, but they’re not for me, I like the security of carrying a spare tube on longer rides.


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## Gunk (31 Oct 2020)

Rather than waste £16 on a new Q/R seat clamp for my turbo trainer bike, I made my own, I drilled out the existing clamp and fitted a quick release skewer that I already had. Works a treat, the whole family can now keep fit!


----------



## DRM (31 Oct 2020)

Fitted the Schwalbe G-One Speeds onto my Verenti Technique that I’d swapped for Vittoria Terrano Dry tyres on the Marin gravel bike, 700x30 so should be a nice comfy ride on that one, really pleased that they fit, and it seems I’ll still be able to fit the SKS Raceblade XL’s too  when needed


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## HLaB (31 Oct 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’m sure there are lots of benefits, but they’re not for me, I like the security of carrying a spare tube on longer rides.


I carry a spare tube too. Fortunately I've not had to use it


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## carvelos (1 Nov 2020)

carvelos said:


> If this was a dream I can't imagine what my waking hours would be like!
> Yes there will be pics.................. (or blood)


Forks have arrived, cheap and black and shiny just as promised. The caustic soda for melting seatpost has to be about the most fun you can have whilst burning skin, losing eyesight and creating both toxic black froth and hydrogen gas in a small shed. I used to do health and safety training so feel very conversant in the damage I could cause and have rated my risk assessment as red and terrifying defcon1. Here is a crappy picture of the seatpost before the chemical torture begins and after I proved heat was ineffective











and the forks that weigh five stone:


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## roley poley (1 Nov 2020)

carvelos said:


> Forks have arrived, cheap and black and shiny just as promised. The caustic soda for melting seatpost has to be about the most fun you can have whilst burning skin, losing eyesight and creating both toxic black froth and hydrogen gas in a small shed. I used to do health and safety training so feel very conversant in the damage I could cause and have rated my risk assessment as red and terrifying defcon1. Here is a crappy picture of the seatpost before the chemical torture begins and after I proved heat was ineffective
> View attachment 555826
> 
> 
> ...


oh yeah working with caustic soda as my dad did for years ruins your lungs take care for your future lifespan😣


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## Johnsco (1 Nov 2020)

I've been doing quite a lot of fettling these past few days.
Having received my two new alloy wheels for the Carlton from BankruptBikeParts, I've got them fitted at last.
Among the many challenges, I had to sort out various axles, bearings, cones and locknuts.
Sounds simple ... Not so.
I find I've two sizes of locknuts .... 1/2 inch, for which I have a suitable open-ended spanner, and 15mm.
Well I have plenty of 15mm spanners, but this one needed to be less than 3mm thick.
After half an hour in my scratching boxes, I got a piece of 3/32 inch gauge plate and made one.
Simples !


----------



## Johnsco (1 Nov 2020)

More fun followed.
I find that all my axles are 3/8 inch diameter ........ Which is a pity, as my drop-outs will only take 5/16 inch.
Easily-fixed ....
Filed flats on all the ends to fit the required 5/16 inch drop-outs.
More fun followed.


----------



## Johnsco (1 Nov 2020)

The new front wheel went into the 100mm OLD with no problems.
The rear wheel took quite a bit of fiddling and swapping round of various lock-nuts and distance pieces to get the set correct on the 120mm OLD.
It took several tries to get the alignment and the setting of the rear DR mech correct.
The DR mech is in poor shape, and may be the next job.
That's the subject of another post.
Since I got the wheels on, the weather has been dreadful, and I've only been able to try them briefly.
All appears to be good.
The old Carlton has a new spring in its step.
Many thanks BankruptBikeParts..


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## Johnsco (1 Nov 2020)

The new clark's brake shoes and pads fitted easily into my old Weinmann 730 centre pulls.
What a difference - Especially in the wet.
I used them for the first time today in wet conditions.
1000 per cent improvement.


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## Gunk (2 Nov 2020)

Johnsco said:


> The new clark's brake shoes and pads fitted easily into my old Weinmann 730 centre pulls.
> What a difference - Especially in the wet.
> I used them for the first time today in wet conditions.
> 1000 per cent improvement.



I need to do the same mod


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## Johnsco (2 Nov 2020)

Well-worth it and not a lot of money.
Here's the ebay link I used.
You might even get them cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clarks-C...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## Hugh Jampton (2 Nov 2020)

Prepping the Ribble CGR for winter and a possible return to commuting.

Have ridden the bike over summer with 700c wheels and road tyres




Now with winter upon us, i decided to revert with the 650b wheels and gravel tyres the bike came with. Also bought some SKS mudguards to fit. And what a ball ache they proved to be!

The mudguards come with fixtures to connect to a bike with pivot brakes. The CGR does not have these and instead has bolts situated on the underside of the forks and rear bridge. The front mudguard has a bracket riveted to the guard. I had sawn off the upright part of this bracket and drilled out one of the rivets This allowed me to bolt under the forks.




The rear bracket snaps onto the guard. Made of plastic and was a little easier to fettle.







Fixed under the bridge




Guards in place and 650b wheels back on





Guards are in Matt Black and blend well with forks and other matt black components. Getting them centered is a pain and they seem to move out of alignment as soon as you look at them. Need to add spacers to front guard to bring level with wheel, just need to source a longer bolt.


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## weareHKR (2 Nov 2020)

Looks great, top work...


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## carvelos (4 Nov 2020)

carvelos said:


> Forks have arrived, cheap and black and shiny just as promised. The caustic soda for melting seatpost has to be about the most fun you can have whilst burning skin, losing eyesight and creating both toxic black froth and hydrogen gas in a small shed. I used to do health and safety training so feel very conversant in the damage I could cause and have rated my risk assessment as red and terrifying defcon1. Here is a crappy picture of the seatpost before the chemical torture begins and after I proved heat was ineffective
> View attachment 555826
> 
> 
> ...


Latest update, entire shed floor now coated in expired caustic soda juice, seatpost gettng really thin as it is eaten away. Big flush out on Saturday and then a fresh batch to pour down. I love it!


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## DCBassman (6 Nov 2020)

Today, I shall be fitting a new nearside upper ball joint to the front of the car. Fortunately, it's a later modified model where this is a separate item and not an integral part of the suspension arm. Once that's done, and it's needed because I have to drive to Bristol tomorrow for an MRI, I can retire to the workstand and get going on the mixte...


----------



## mjr (6 Nov 2020)

Johnsco said:


> The new clark's brake shoes and pads fitted easily into my old Weinmann 730 centre pulls.
> What a difference - Especially in the wet.
> I used them for the first time today in wet conditions.
> 1000 per cent improvement.


Which ones are you using? I just ordered some of the lightweight shoes for a V braked folding bike after discovering I had no blocks left at last and the ones on that bike are worn out.

I also replaced the cassette on the folding bike and regreased the wheel bearings while they were easy to access. Surprisingly clean but I guess it's because the folding bike does nothing like the miles of the others.


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## Johnsco (6 Nov 2020)

mjr said:


> Which ones are you using? I just ordered some of the lightweight shoes for a V braked folding bike after discovering I had no blocks left at last and the ones on that bike are worn out.
> 
> I also replaced the cassette on the folding bike and regreased the wheel bearings while they were easy to access. Surprisingly clean but I guess it's because the folding bike does nothing like the miles of the others.


This is the link for the Clark's brake pads.
You might get them cheaper, but they came quickly and well-packed.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clarks-C...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## mjr (6 Nov 2020)

Yeah. I went for the CPS513 because saving less than 50g will make such a difference to a folding bike


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## ColinJ (6 Nov 2020)

(A couple of days ago) I replaced the pedals on my singlespeed bike, having _FINALLY _tracked an annoying ticking sound to a dodgy LH pedal.

The bike also got new rear wheel and freehub bearings, a new chain, a new bottom bracket and miscellaneous bits cleaned, lubed and/or adjusted. It now feels really good to ride and is beautifully quiet when doing so.


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## DCBassman (6 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Today, I shall be fitting a new nearside upper ball joint to the front of the car.


Er, no, I wont. Cannot get the joint off the arm. Different tool ordered, as I don't feel too comfy hitting a Merc with a large hammer...
Off to do the bike now.


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## ColinJ (6 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Er, no, I wont. Cannot get the joint off the arm. Different tool ordered, as I don't feel too comfy hitting a Merc with a large hammer...
> Off to do the bike now.


Don't hit the bike with the hammer either!


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## DCBassman (6 Nov 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Don't hit the bike with the hammer either!


As I've just discovered, I'd probably not need a hammer to make it fold in half...


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## bikingdad90 (6 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> As I've just discovered, I'd probably not need a hammer to make it fold in half...



Sounds like it’s new bike time!!!!


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## DCBassman (6 Nov 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> Sounds like it’s new bike time!!!!


Unfortunately, not remotely possible...


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## Gunk (6 Nov 2020)

Fitted tyres, tubes and cassette to a wheelset ready for my latest build.


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## ColinJ (6 Nov 2020)

I just fettled my electric oven!

The door has been coming loose over the past month or so, and today it just flopped down on one hinge. I thought that something had probably snapped but when I unscrewed the shell of the oven and pulled it out from the surrounding woodwork I saw that a bolt had come out of the side of the hinge. I spotted the bolt lying inside the wooden enclosure and managed to extricate it. It only took a couple of minutes to bolt it all back together again.


----------



## TheDoctor (7 Nov 2020)

De-airlocked the shower pump and it's now working properly.
It's barely been used since March, and had sprung a bit of a leak.
All joints harrassed with PTFE tape, mounted on a new piece of closed-cell foam (from an old camping mat) and it's now providing hot-and-cold squirty goodness.
I've also got a new wireless keyboard and mouse.
It came with a silicon overlay for the keyboard, which replicates the dead flesh feel of a Spectrum.
One gets nostalgic!


----------



## carpenter (7 Nov 2020)

Old set of Gatorskins were beginning to look a bit frayed around the edges (couple of long strands of fibre were coming loose from the sidewalls), so after a bit of research I settled on replacing them with Vittoria Open Pave CG III tyres.

I broke two tyre levers getting the Gatorskins off - are they usually a bugger or could it be their age ?
Then when I opened the Vitoria box, I got worried; had I bought the wrong type of tyre/was there a manufacturing fault? I have never seen a totally flat profile try before:




After all the faff trying to get the Gatorskins off, I thought that I may as well give it a go.
Actually quite easy to put on the wheel, looking good and looking forward to finishing the build so that I see how they feel:


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## Gunk (7 Nov 2020)

They're a lovely tyre, I'm a big fan of Vittorias


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Nov 2020)

Greased derailleur jockey wheels and annoying squeak gone away.


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## DCLane (7 Nov 2020)

The NeilPryde Nazare got a crank spacer to try and sort out front derailleur catching / shifting issues. Not sure if it's worked fully but it's sorted the front mech catching.

Also put new bearings and a new freewheel onto a Mavic MA2 wheel that's used on my Raleigh Pioneer. All works well now. 

At some point in the next week my son's Argon TT bike's getting an upgrade. That'll be a job and a half ...


----------



## HLaB (7 Nov 2020)

Been getting power meter drop outs/ spikes all week. I suspected at first something was interfering with the Ant+. But I've been gradually ruling out possibilities. On my other bike outside today, it finally came to me, it must be the pedal power meter.

I clipped the shoe in and whilst the cleat was about 5mm clear of the power pod. If I rotated the shoe to the full extent of the cleat float however, the cleat would just touch the power pod. I must have been doing this occasionally, hence the drop outs/spikes. My bike fit the other week had moved the cleats back by a few mm. That must have been enough to cause it.

I filed down the left out side of the left cleat so it never touched and on tonight's 30min turbore session power never once dropped out or spikes 👍


----------



## DCBassman (8 Nov 2020)

Yesterday's fettle, not being able to face stripping and scrapping the Revell, was to install something later than 4.4.2 Kitkat onto my old Note 10.1 tablet.
It fought and squirmed, but now has a version of Android 6 installed, extending its usable life a bit.


----------



## Drzdave58 (10 Nov 2020)

Treated my 65 Moulton to a new Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub, new crankset, sealed BB, new chain


----------



## carpenter (10 Nov 2020)

I never thought that I would like a Moulton, but that is the dog's dangles


----------



## fossyant (10 Nov 2020)

carpenter said:


> I never thought that I would like a Moulton, but that is the dog's dangles



It is isn't it !


----------



## Gunk (10 Nov 2020)

Some black Brompton mudguards would finish it off, very nice though, I really like it.


----------



## FrankCrank (11 Nov 2020)

Drzdave58 said:


> Treated my 65 Moulton to a new Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub, new crankset, sealed BB, new chain
> View attachment 557508
> 
> View attachment 557509
> ...


Do you suffer any heel strike on the plastic toggle-chain cover? Reason I ask, my Raleigh Twenty has this issue, just occasionally I get heel strike. Could always line it up with the seat stay rather than the chain stay on mine, but not an option on yours really. Anyways - splendid looking bike - well done


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## Drzdave58 (11 Nov 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Do you suffer any heel strike on the plastic toggle-chain cover? Reason I ask, my Raleigh Twenty has this issue, just occasionally I get heel strike. Could always line it up with the seat stay rather than the chain stay on mine, but not an option on yours really. Anyways - splendid looking bike - well done


No...no heel strike...u could install pedal extenders on yours..it would bring your feet out another inch.


----------



## Gravity Aided (11 Nov 2020)

Finished the paint job on the Raleigh Competition G.S., except for the three coats of clear that go on over the decals. When I order the decals, and they arrive and are applied, then it will get three coats of clear, the fine old Campagnolo parts I have collected will be cleaned, as well as the brakes and stem. Everything will get polished and the bicycle will be as new again. I have also sourced an old set of Cinelli handlebars to go with the Raleigh stem, replacing the TTT time trialing bars. Basic Black looks pretty good.


----------



## Gravity Aided (12 Nov 2020)

At the weekend, I finished this, my drop-bar touring bicycle with 26" wheels, made from an old mountain bike that was a bit too tall for off road delights.


----------



## Gravity Aided (15 Nov 2020)

Now with new rear wheel to match the front, new chain also appearing soon .


----------



## carvelos (15 Nov 2020)

carvelos said:


> Forks have arrived, cheap and black and shiny just as promised. The caustic soda for melting seatpost has to be about the most fun you can have whilst burning skin, losing eyesight and creating both toxic black froth and hydrogen gas in a small shed. I used to do health and safety training so feel very conversant in the damage I could cause and have rated my risk assessment as red and terrifying defcon1. Here is a crappy picture of the seatpost before the chemical torture begins and after I proved heat was ineffective
> View attachment 555826
> 
> 
> ...


all that was left of a 8" seatpost that surrendered to caustic soda. THE BEST thing I hav ever done!!


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## DCLane (15 Nov 2020)

Bits and pieces today;

Changed a tube in the new Raleigh arrival so I could give it a test-ride, cleaned it a bit further as well
Sorted the new Shimano 7000 front derailleur on the NeilPryde Nazare and it's now going to be used as a Zwift-specific bike
New chain on my son's BeOne Raw Comp
And fitted a new double-threaded spoke onto a HED carbon deep section front wheel I'd picked up as 'broken', which required removing and re-fitting the bearings. It's a non-aero spoke but the only one I could find, so I bought a second as a spare. All done, trued and tubular tyre re-stuck down. Not bad for a £25 spend.
That leaves the Raleigh project to do and an Ultegra 6600 - Dura-Ace 7900 rear derailleur and crankset upgrade on my son's TT bike. We _could_ go 11 speed but have decided not to for now. And the Dawes Kingpin modified project to build, although the wheels are still in bits for that.


----------



## JhnBssll (15 Nov 2020)

I've had my commuter out of action for a few weeks (not that it matters a great deal during lockdown ) due to a rubbing front caliper. I had tried all the usual culprits so ordered some new cup and cones washers to see if that helped. They arrived yesterday, and this evening I got a chance to play again so popped them on. It made a slightly difference but still rubbing 🤔

The caliper is almost brand new, a Hope RX4 post mount 4 piston jobby, and has rubbed since it was fitted. Cracking piece of kit when working and since I have several sets I know they're usually reliable and easy to adjust. With that in mind I removed it again and inspected the fork posts a bit more closely. This revealed the mounting surface wasn't perfectly square to the rotor surface, no wonder I couldn't get them set up  I don't own the proper kit for re-facing them but I do own several files and a calibrated eye so I set to squaring them up  10 mins later and after a few trial fits I had the caliper refitted and the rotor spinning unobstructed  Hopefully I'll get a chance to pop in to work at some point soon to test it all out, but I'm not expecting any problems now its all aligned properly.

I can't work out why the old SRAM calipers didn't rub, unless the mounting surfaces on those were wonky in the opposite direction and countered it  Maybe they did rub and I just didn't notice - it's a dynamo hub so theres a bit of drag from the front anyway but I can't imagine I've not noticed it in the ~2000 miles I ran the old brakes


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## Tripster (16 Nov 2020)

Not some much fettling but cleared a space in garage for wife’s ‘small’ rowing machine. Then built it....
Concept 2 is actually 9ft x 4ft space needed so a fair chunk of my garage taken now😒


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## Johnsco (16 Nov 2020)

Sounds like an unwelcome intrusion into a good man's fettling area to me !


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## si_c (16 Nov 2020)

Tweaked the front brake on the Trek - the pads had started to wear a bit and I don't like the barrel adjuster being too far out so I wound it back in and then pulled a bit more cable through the clamp.

Much better now.


----------



## Alembicbassman (21 Nov 2020)

Added a retro Zoom stem to the Diamond Back Ascent.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zoom-Ahe...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## carpenter (21 Nov 2020)

I have the same Diamond Back "Ascent" with girder style stem (I love the look, but it is rather long - I feel that I stretch to far when riding the bike).
I am interested in why you chose to change yours and how it changes the feel of the bike.


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## Alembicbassman (21 Nov 2020)

carpenter said:


> I have the same Diamond Back "Ascent" with girder style stem (I love the look, but it is rather long - I feel that I stretch to far when riding the bike).
> I am interested in why you chose to change yours and how it changes the feel of the bike.



I bought the bike a few weeks ago from the local scrap man. It did come with the 130mm girder stem originally. The Zoom stem is 10 degree rise and 10mm shorter. The head tube and steerer are quite short, so it just raises the bars a bit to make it a little less racy and more comfy. The stack height of the Zoom is quite high, so you won't be able to run the canti hanger under the stem. It fits straight onto the compression ring in the aheadset.


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## si_c (21 Nov 2020)

Alembicbassman said:


> I bought the bike a few weeks ago from the local scrap man. It did come with the 130mm girder stem originally. The Zoom stem is 10 degree rise and 10mm shorter. The head tube and steerer are quite short, so it just raises the bars a bit to make it a little less racy and more comfy. The stack height of the Zoom is quite high, so you won't be able to run the canti hanger under the stem. It fits straight onto the compression ring in the aheadset, the upper allen bolt is just level with the cut steerer tube.
> 
> View attachment 559318


That seatpost


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## Alembicbassman (21 Nov 2020)

si_c said:


> That seatpost



Yeah, I think somebody found the reach a bit too long. I've bought a few bikes like this. They turn the seatpost round insead of buying a shorter stem.

Shame about the Avenir saddle, the shell had split so it wasn't salvageable.

I have the seatpost the 'correct' way round.


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## Gunk (21 Nov 2020)

Had a very pleasant afternoon, building this






Into this


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## bikingdad90 (21 Nov 2020)

@Gunk glad to see the bars put to good use.


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## Ming the Merciless (21 Nov 2020)

Oiled chain during a ride.


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## Gunk (21 Nov 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Gunk glad to see the bars put to good use.



Thanks they were perfect


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## itboffin (21 Nov 2020)

Rolson matted the entire mancave floor, swept clean yet again only for the wind to blow dust and leaves back in, swapped tyres on four sets of wheels and disk rotors on two sets, fixed two punctured tyres one with a 1/2" thorn still in the casing, more dusting of said cave and then a wipe down of chains, plus a half arse attempt at degunking a rear mech.

Swapped out the turbo bike front wheel for an old one, adjusted my turbo setup so the secondary laptop monitor is closer and in a more upright position ....drank some beers


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## Gunk (21 Nov 2020)

itboffin said:


> drank some beers



Did some of that as well!


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## Johnsco (22 Nov 2020)

Simple job today ...
Made a wooden duck-board for the cellar floor (my workshop).
My feet are getting increasingly cold standing on the damp concrete floor.
Must be careful not to drop small components thru the spaces.


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## bikingdad90 (22 Nov 2020)

Johnsco said:


> Simple job today ...
> Made a wooden duck-board for the cellar floor (my workshop).
> My feet are getting increasingly cold standing on the damp concrete floor.
> Must be careful not to drop small components thru the spaces.



Have you got any off cuts of carpets you can put down. Makes a massive difference to warmth.


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## DCLane (22 Nov 2020)

Adjusted the NeilPryde's front derailleur for Zwift turbo use. Still not 100% but better.

Also worked on my son's Argon TT bike:

- Dura-Ace 7900 crankset and rear derailleur
- New chain
- New rear disc
- Trued the front wheel as I wasn't happy with 1mm of movement
- LBS have added new, very-fiddly-to-fit, cables as I've been unwell to go with the new rear and re-furbished front TRP TT-specific brakes

Hopefully that'll be working properly for the 2021 TT season as it's been broken for much of the latter part and we've had to bodge parts for him to get on the start line, resulting in several DNF's.


----------



## HLaB (22 Nov 2020)

Hopefully my fettling today was self induced. I fitted my winter wheels at the end of October and when I cleaned the cassette noted that it was wobbling. Today when I cleaned it, the wobble started to get on my nerves and I decided enough was enough. I took it off, cleaned it up and refitted it and all seems good; there's no longer a wobble, hopefully it remains that way. My theory when I fitted it at the end of my chemo last year when my finger sensitivity, strength and coordination was compromised, I couldn't have compressed the cassette enough before I tightened it and it came loose


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Nov 2020)

New disc brake pads on front. Plus given the bike a wash. It has mudguards, so it’s generally just the lower parts of frame and wheels that need doing.


----------



## Tripster (22 Nov 2020)

Topped up the tubeless tyres on MTB with Stans sealant. Seat the single speed up, pedals fitted, cleats adjusted, brakes still crap 🤷‍♂️. Maybe look at new pads for the TRP Spyres. 
washed the car with Muc-Off jet washer.


----------



## Saluki (22 Nov 2020)

Cleaned all the crud from around the head bearings. It’s been a bit muddy lately and the steering felt kind of gritty. Not now, all lovely and smooth again.


----------



## PeteXXX (23 Nov 2020)

Applied loctite to the bolt that's been continuously getting loose on the kickstand on my Raleigh Evo-2 folder.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (23 Nov 2020)

Finally got round to do something which I've had the bits for for years. Changed the handlebars on my fixed Pompino from the original ones (which I had always thought a little too narrow for me) to some On One Midge bars. I think they look the part (sort of path racer style) and first ride impressions are good. They are slightly lower than I'm used to, but brakes fall easily to hand and they are a comfortable width.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (23 Nov 2020)

Put the new wheels on the tandem. 

Spent the customary 9 hours or so setting up the canti brakes. What a PITA they are!

Test ride needed, but a bit dark now...


----------



## Tail End Charlie (24 Nov 2020)

Thought I'd change the 16 tooth sprocket on the Sturmey Archer on my Kingpin to something bigger to help when loaded with shopping. I checked my various spare hubs, one has an 18 tooth, hurrah, so I whipped it off. Took KP rear wheel off, got sprocket off - it's flat whereas the other is dished.  So reassemble everything to how it was. At least it didn't take long.


----------



## Donger (24 Nov 2020)

Fitted a new saddle, then stuck a Cree light on a new Rixen & Kaul fork crown fitting. Pesky gear cables kept dislodging the light, so I had to hold them out of the way with a cable tie. Then the front mech wouldn't lift up onto the big ring, so I had to try putting the cable tie in different positions that didn't affect gear changing. Eventually seem to have found the magic formula by trial and error. Fingers crossed. Can't wait to try out the light on a night ride and fine tune the saddle position. But wouldn't you know it, my bottom bracket has suddenly started playing up. A trip to my new local mechanic looms.


----------



## Tom B (24 Nov 2020)

Snapped a gear valve on the MTB yesterday so had a quick look at it today with a view to making sure I've got the bits I need.

It's a sram GX rear mech on a 2X setup. Despite being supposedly a clutch mech it throws the chain off alarmingly and annoyingly often. Including a fart yesterday where it locked and left me with loads of loose chain. It isn't the keenest precisest shifter and all in all my 25yr old 7x3 is probably less trouble. And it really dislikes back pedaling.

Anyway it seems there is a huge amount of waggle in the various pivots of the mech easily enough to move it a cog or two. Looking online it seems a common complaint on these mechs (perhaps sram in general).

So I'm probably looking to change the mech at some point too, probably for Shimano with which I'm more familiar (so the shifter too). Was surprised to find how little 10spd there was with stock. I knew things were bad at the moment but still was surprised.

I'll probably stick a cable in for now and sort it once chrimbo bills are paid.

On the other bike I've cleaned and regressed the front hub. Probably for the last time on that one, it's on about 25k the cups are beyond goosed. The mother in law has ordered me a new superstar V6 hub for Christmas. She's a dab hand on the tools and fancies herself as a wood worker so I keep hinting she needs to make one of those wooden trying stands that get posted here.

Replaced a lost stud in my schwalbe winter tyres ready for the ice and cleaned and tittivated the wheels they're on.

Glued some conduit together and then that to the shed to house the cables for my new outside lights. Going to put them on a timer mounted in the consumer unit. They total 6watts the power saving will probably never pay for the timer and bits, but I just can't leave them dayburning and going to she shed to turn them on/off is a faff.

While I had the araldite out I glued a strip over the cracked bit of my sks chromo mudguards. It ain't pretty, and it might not last but we'll see.


----------



## DCLane (25 Nov 2020)

Started working on the Raleigh I picked up a couple of weeks ago. Frame cleaned with autosol to remove 40+ years of grime and wheels out. Front wheel re-greased as best I could as it's a dynamo and the rear's cleaned with the internals soaking - gear oil in later.

I'm not sure it's been cleaned since some sort of modifications with shopper shifters / saddle / chain protector. The bike's not moved in 14 years at least and I was told it could have been 30 years since last used.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (25 Nov 2020)

Tail End Charlie said:


> Thought I'd change the 16 tooth sprocket on the Sturmey Archer on my Kingpin to something bigger to help when loaded with shopping. I checked my various spare hubs, one has an 18 tooth, hurrah, so I whipped it off. Took KP rear wheel off, got sprocket off - it's flat whereas the other is dished.  So reassemble everything to how it was. At least it didn't take long.


Can you get round that by rearranging the spacer washers?


----------



## Tail End Charlie (25 Nov 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Can you get round that by rearranging the spacer washers?


I did wonder that, but I was rushing and I needed the bike today. Will have a closer look when more time.


----------



## DCBassman (26 Nov 2020)

Pre-ride check revealed a brake block askew, so sorted that and checked the others for tightness. 
Gave brake tracks a good clean while I was at it. 
Raised saddle a few mm to compensate for the heavier footwear I'll be wearing until warmer weather returns.
Added a piece of inner tube to bars (damn, these things are SO useful!) to stop my front light from rotating under the influence of cattle grids...


----------



## Gunk (26 Nov 2020)

Replaced the crankset on my Ribble project. Just need to swap over the front mech, I can't get it to shift properly.


----------



## cyberknight (26 Nov 2020)

greased rear wheel bearings on the commuter as it was very noisy, no grease at all on the non drive side !


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (26 Nov 2020)

cyberknight said:


> greased rear wheel bearings on the commuter as it was very noisy, no grease at all on the non drive side!



I wouldn't buy a secondhand car from you!


----------



## cyberknight (26 Nov 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> I wouldn't buy a secondhand car from you!


thats how it came new from the shopim gussing probably very little thin stuff ib it to start with , factory built wheels for you


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## SkipdiverJohn (26 Nov 2020)

There is such a thing as routine maintenance you know, where you strip down things like wheel bearings, BB's and headsets and reload them with fresh lubricant. You don't have to wait until they start making a noise before doing them!


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## cyberknight (26 Nov 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> There is such a thing as routine maintenance you know, where you strip down things like wheel bearings, BB's and headsets and reload them with fresh lubricant. You don't have to wait until they start making a noise before doing them!


less than 6 months old , i do routine maintenance you dont have to be condescending


----------



## DCLane (27 Nov 2020)

Looked at this Daytona which I collected on Wednesday. Cleaned all the dust / dirt / cobwebs off and checked it over. Seatpost and everything else moves although two chain links are stuck.

I'm guessing it's not been used in a _long_ time, and although I can't confirm a date there's an '86' sticker on it.







Lots of light surface rust on wheels / components but nothing seems major. Being advertised before I break for parts.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> Started working on the Raleigh I picked up a couple of weeks ago. Frame cleaned with autosol to remove 40+ years of grime and wheels out. Front wheel re-greased as best I could as it's a dynamo and the rear's cleaned with the internals soaking - gear oil in later.
> 
> I'm not sure it's been cleaned since some sort of modifications with shopper shifters / saddle / chain protector. The bike's not moved in 14 years at least and I was told it could have been 30 years since last used.



Should be ready for PBP 23


----------



## DCLane (27 Nov 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Should be ready for PBP 23



It'll not be doing PBP - we've got a special bike build planned for that


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> It'll not be doing PBP - we've got a special bike build planned for that



A tandem?


----------



## DCLane (27 Nov 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> A tandem?



Only if I can persuade my 16yo, who'll be 19 by then, to join me. That is a possibility, except he'll want to be on the front with me as stoker.


----------



## Tripster (27 Nov 2020)

Stripped front hub as it was a bit naff. Brake pads out ready for new ones tomorrow and this weekend a new Shimano BB coming


----------



## Gunk (27 Nov 2020)

I had a closer look at my latest project, a 1970’s 531 Claud Butler Majestic (I’m planning to start it over the Christmas break) sourced another Mavic front wheel and a nice used San Marco Rolls saddle. I’m really looking forward to this one.


----------



## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

Tripster said:


> View attachment 560451
> 
> View attachment 560452
> 
> ...


I had the rear ones from my exact same bike stripped out last week for the 2nd time after a horrible grinding/cracking noise began. Fortunately I seem to have adjusted it correctly this time as it stayed quiet after a good ride out yesterday. I'm not sure how long it will last though as the cup on one side is a bit pitted.. However, todays fettle has been a disaster as my ham fisted attempt to remove my crank arms to get to my BB resulted in me stripping the threads on both sides. I was being so careful to not cross thread the pulling tool that I failed to noticed that the crank arm wasn't moving and I foolishly kept on forcing the spanner around. What an idiot I feel now ..

Any suggestions on what I should do now would be much appreciated. How can I get the 'knackered' arms off short of an Angle Grinder?


----------



## Tripster (28 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I had the rear ones from my exact same bike stripped out last week for the 2nd time after a horrible grinding/cracking noise began. Fortunately I seem to have adjusted it correctly this time as it stayed quiet after a good ride out yesterday. I'm not sure how long it will last though as the cup on one side is a bit pitted.. However, todays fettle has been a disaster as my ham fisted attempt to remove my crank arms to get to my BB resulted in me stripping the threads on both sides. I was being so careful to not cross thread the pulling tool that I failed to noticed that the crank arm wasn't moving and I foolishly kept on forcing the spanner around. What an idiot I feel now ..
> 
> Any suggestions on what I should do now would be much appreciated. How can I get the 'knackered' arms off short of an Angle Grinder?


Oops.... My front was a bit naff but the rear rolls quiet and nice. BB is fine, no play, rolls good and quiet but I just fancied changing it and doing more maintenance whilst home so started on the SS.
No advice on crank arms but plenty of guys/gals on here with loads of experience that no doubt will be along to help. Let me know how you resolve it and I can do same this weekend 
If all the threads stripped then the crank arm is ruined I guess so destructive removal is an option. I have read that riding the bike uphill under pressure with crank arm bolts loose results in loosening of the tapers but no idea if that works, sure you will get plenty of help today on here


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## DCBassman (28 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Any suggestions on what I should do now would be much appreciated.



3-arm bearing puller?


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## Archie_tect (28 Nov 2020)

[Copied from 'Your ride today' thread so apologies if you've seen it there already!]

I put my original stainless steel mudguards and rack back on my Dawes Lightning for the winter and went out for a quick check to make sure nothing's rattling... still has all the Dawes sales stickers on it, and the LBS label on the frame... with the old Workington 4 digit number for The New Bike Shop [new in 1982!].


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## bikingdad90 (28 Nov 2020)

That looks the bees knees.


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## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

Tripster said:


> Oops.... My front was a bit naff but the rear rolls quiet and nice. BB is fine, no play, rolls good and quiet but I just fancied changing it and doing more maintenance whilst home so started on the SS.
> No advice on crank arms but plenty of guys/gals on here with loads of experience that no doubt will be along to help. Let me know how you resolve it and I can do same this weekend
> If all the threads stripped then the crank arm is ruined I guess so destructive removal is an option. I have read that riding the bike uphill under pressure with crank arm bolts loose results in loosening of the tapers but no idea if that works, sure you will get plenty of help today on here


Thanks, lets hope so as the superb technical knowledge on this forum has got me out of a few problems in the past.. I bought my bike in a poor state a few months ago with the intention being to make it a go anywhere winter muddy trail bike and have enjoyed learning by changing every bearing and bolt, fitting new calipers, cables, tyres, sprocket and even bar tape. I really enjoy riding this bike which is why I'm so gutted and annoyed by my stupidity. In hindsight (such a wonderful thing ) I can see that I was just not paying attention to the obvious signs that something was wrong. The BB was 'like yours' okay really but I just wanted to have changed every part during my strip and rebuild, but unless I'm now very careful I could wreck the bike if the BB proves to be as stuck as the crank arms! Make sure you hold the outer part of the pulling tool still with a spanner whilst winding in the centre bolt so that you don't repeat my error


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## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> 3-arm bearing puller?


Or maybe a 'proper' mechanic with gentle childlike hands instead of my Gorilla like mitts! My confidence has been knocked but I'm sure that I'll be back in my garage wreaking havoc later today.


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## DCBassman (28 Nov 2020)

A good going over for the Scott with a brush, but needs a deeper clean soon. Relubed drivetrain, rechecked and tightened seatpost, seivelled bars to point brakes down more. Then such gardening as we have here took over, so no time to ride today. Next, restart work on the Revell mixte.


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## Gunk (28 Nov 2020)

I swapped over tyres on my Ribble 631 project bike today, I’m going to use the tan walls for another bike.

I think I made the right decision.

Before






After


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## bikingdad90 (28 Nov 2020)

I think @Gunk that deserves some red bar tape or something to set off the bling.


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## Tripster (28 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> I swapped over tyres on my Ribble 631 project bike today, I’m going to use the tan walls for another bike.
> 
> I think I made the right decision.
> 
> ...


Hetty looks to approve 😊


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## Gunk (28 Nov 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> I think @Gunk that deserves some red bar tape or something to set off the bling.


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## bikingdad90 (28 Nov 2020)

That’s totally bonkers @Gunk as you can’t see the red in the other pictures. Assume it’s the light playing tricks and in real life it’s brighter.


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## Ming the Merciless (28 Nov 2020)

Front disk brake lever was reaching the bars. I checked and the pads are not worn out. I guess it really needs more brake fluid. Meanwhile I’ve changed the lever reach and can now brake without lever reaching bars.


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## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Or maybe a 'proper' mechanic with gentle childlike hands instead of my Gorilla like mitts! My confidence has been knocked but I'm sure that I'll be back in my garage wreaking havoc later today.


Phew, confidence restored after finally resorting to cutting off the crank arms with my Grinder and removing the BB after soaking it with WD40 beforehand. Frame threads now cleaned out and lightly greased with copper slip until the new parts are sourced. I have never felt so pleased at having to spend money because I know that I have definitely dodged a bullet here 

Unfortunately the writing on the BB has surface rust over it so apart from the 68mm width I can't read any other information. Is it just the spindle length that I need to know as I'm assuming the thread is English on a British made bike?


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## SkipdiverJohn (28 Nov 2020)

> Any suggestions on what I should do now would be much appreciated. How can I get the 'knackered' arms off short of an Angle Grinder?



I would have applied heat, since you have an alloy crank on a steel shaft. They have different thermal expansion coefficients so you can take advantage of this. Hot air gun/paint stripper gun would be my preferred tool, or even a blowtorch. Jam a wedge shaped object like a big screwdriver blade or cold chisel between the crank arm and BB cup, whack it with a big hammer, and you'd have a good chance of getting it to move.


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## Gunk (28 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Phew, confidence restored after finally resorting to cutting off the crank arms with my Grinder and removing the BB after soaking it with WD40 beforehand. Frame threads now cleaned out and lightly greased with copper slip until the new parts are sourced. I have never felt so pleased at having to spend money because I know that I have definitely dodged a bullet here
> 
> Unfortunately the writing on the BB has surface rust over it so apart from the 68mm width I can't read any other information. Is it just the spindle length that I need to know as I'm assuming the thread is English on a British made bike?



What crankset are you going to use?


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## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> 42604"] Any suggestions on what I should do now would be much appreciated. How can I get the 'knackered' arms off short of an Angle Grinder?



I would have applied heat, since you have an alloy crank on a steel shaft. They have different thermal expansion coefficients so you can take advantage of this. Hot air gun/paint stripper gun would be my preferred tool, or even a blowtorch. Jam a wedge shaped object like a big screwdriver blade or cold chisel between the crank arm and BB cup, whack it with a big hammer, and you'd have a good chance of getting it to move.
[/QUOTE]
I spent an hour or so with a mallet, large screwdriver and large bolt fitted into the crank bolt hole while I tapped from the back but it was stuck fast and going nowhere. I haven't got a heat gun or blow lamp and without I was starting to damage the cups of the BB and if that got stuck then it could really have been game over if the tool couldn't be fitted into it.. Even with the heat of the Grinder it wouldn't shift until cut right through.


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## HLaB (28 Nov 2020)

Not really much settling from me today, cleaned, lubricated it and fitted a bracket for a Garmin Varia taillight. I spent a few minutes playing/ pairing the light. I guess I'll only see on the road if the radar is any good.


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## JPBoothy (28 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> What crankset are you going to use?


I'm not sure to be honest as I know little about them and even spoke to Dolan and Brick Lane Cycles but they were quoting big money which I'm not prepared to pay on a bike that I bought cheap and have enjoyed tinkering with (except for the BB incident) myself. I will a buy decent BB but won't go overboard on the crank set. Not cheap and nasty though or 2nd hand either.


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## Reynard (28 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I'm not sure to be honest as I know little about them and even spoke to Dolan and Brick Lane Cycles but they were quoting big money which I'm not prepared to pay on a bike that I bought cheap and have enjoyed tinkering with (except for the BB incident) myself. I will a buy decent BB but won't go overboard on the crank set. Not cheap and nasty though or 2nd hand either.



Spa Cycles do some nice cranksets at a decent price.


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

Reynard said:


> Spa Cycles do some nice cranksets at a decent price.


Forgive my ignorance on what may be an obvious question here but, why does a SS crank set have to be Axle length compatible (i.e - "suitable for a 103mm Axle length") ? Surely as long as the tapered end is the same (ISO/JIS) then it should fit on every axle length? I appreciate the importance of getting the Axle length right so that the chainline is correct but not how it affects the 'fit' of the crank set itself


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## Reynard (29 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Forgive my ignorance on what may be an obvious question here but, why does a SS crank set have to be Axle length compatible (i.e - "suitable for a 103mm Axle length") ? Surely as long as the tapered end is the same (ISO/JIS) then it should fit on every axle length? I appreciate the importance of getting the Axle length right so that the chainline is correct but not how it affects the 'fit' of the crank set itself



That was my thought as well. I just bought a triple with more teeth to replace a triple with too few teeth and simply bunged it on...


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## Gunk (29 Nov 2020)

Our toaster on the workbench today, the timer had stopped working. £12.79 for a new one and 15 minutes to fit it.


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## lazybloke (29 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> Our toaster on the workbench today, the timer had stopped working. £12.79 for a new one and 15 minutes to fit it.
> 
> View attachment 560762
> 
> ...


What do you use to keep your toaster so shiny?
The central bit (with the slots) on mine looks fine, but the ends are going really dull.


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> Our toaster on the workbench today, the timer had stopped working. £12.79 for a new one and 15 minutes to fit it.
> 
> View attachment 560762
> 
> ...


Nice one👍 Toast (and Jam) is an essential in my eyes?


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

lazybloke said:


> What do you use to keep your toaster so shiny?
> The central bit (with the slots) on mine looks fine, but the ends are going really dull.


It's the bits that fall in that always kill ours off.


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## Ming the Merciless (29 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Forgive my ignorance on what may be an obvious question here but, why does a SS crank set have to be Axle length compatible (i.e - "suitable for a 103mm Axle length") ? Surely as long as the tapered end is the same (ISO/JIS) then it should fit on every axle length? I appreciate the importance of getting the Axle length right so that the chainline is correct but not how it affects the 'fit' of the crank set itself



Single speed chains are not designed to flex side to side like that for derailleurs. Get the chain line out and you are likely to see many dropped chains.


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

lazybloke said:


> What do you use to keep your toaster so shiny?
> The central bit (with the slots) on mine looks fine, but the ends are going really dull.


I can understand the importance of Axle length if you have a Front Derailleur as it could hinder you changing from one chainring to another but if you only have one anyway then whats the reason? I thought changing my BB would be an easy job but the terminology and options are a minefield (BSA/ISO/JIS/68mm/73mm etc..)  

However, I'm actually enjoying learning new things in a weird way.


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## Gunk (29 Nov 2020)

lazybloke said:


> What do you use to keep your toaster so shiny?
> The central bit (with the slots) on mine looks fine, but the ends are going really dull.



Autosol and fine wire wool, ours is over 20 years old


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## Leaway2 (29 Nov 2020)

I replaced the BB30 bearings on my Cannondale.




removed.




I needed to make a press for my threaded bar as I did'nt have a washer big enough.




bearings in and Full speed ahead!


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## Gunk (29 Nov 2020)

I'm surprised you didn't clean and detail the crankset before you refitted it, WD40 and wire wool would have had that looking like new. Plus it's so easy to clean it when it's off the bike.


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## Leaway2 (29 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> I'm surprised you didn't clean and detail the crankset before you refitted it, WD40 and wire wool would have had that looking like new. Plus it's so easy to clean it when it's off the bike.


I "sort of" cleaned it on the back before I reinstalled it. I'm a lazy sod.


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

Leaway2 said:


> I replaced the BB30 bearings on my Cannondale.
> View attachment 560837
> 
> removed.
> ...


Nice work.. I like home made tooling it shows initiative.. Lucky you had the exact diameter hole cutter. What is the part number of the Bearing as I have probably reached the end of the road with prising off the seal and re-packing mine with grease?


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## DCLane (29 Nov 2020)

Cleaned my Wilier and my son's BeOne after a ride for me to Holmfirth yesterday and his two trips up Holme Moss over the weekend.


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## JPBoothy (29 Nov 2020)

Yes I can imagine it would over time but wouldn't that be more to do with axle length rather than crank spec? Whenever I remove/refit my SS rear wheel it always feels like a trial and error guessing game to get it central again. Is there a knack/tip for doing it?


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## Leaway2 (29 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Nice work.. I like home made tooling it shows initiative.. Lucky you had the exact diameter hole cutter. What is the part number of the Bearing as I have probably reached the end of the road with prising off the seal and re-packing mine with grease?


Bearings are 6806. I bought them off eBay. Bearings only so i didn't get new seals. I did order a kit from CRC/Wiggle, but as i paid i noticed that the ID was 28mm not 30, even though it said BB30.


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## derrick (30 Nov 2020)

Finished lacquering my bmx helmet today.


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## JPBoothy (30 Nov 2020)

derrick said:


> Finished lacquering my bmx helmet today.
> View attachment 560936


You did what to your Helmet


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## Tripster (30 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Phew, confidence restored after finally resorting to cutting off the crank arms with my Grinder and removing the BB after soaking it with WD40 beforehand. Frame threads now cleaned out and lightly greased with copper slip until the new parts are sourced. I have never felt so pleased at having to spend money because I know that I have definitely dodged a bullet here
> 
> Unfortunately the writing on the BB has surface rust over it so apart from the 68mm width I can't read any other information. Is it just the spindle length that I need to know as I'm assuming the thread is English on a British made bike?


I removed my BB on the Genesis day one today. All came of ok. Crank puller from Park tool worked a treat and just a couple of gentle taps with a soft mallet to get it moving. BB replaced with a Shimano UN55, 68 x 118 square taper. £13 from Amazon
I used a Pro Bike tool for the BB which although good for removing was not that good at replacing the new one. It does have a hex head but it’s too small to get a good amount of socket on and any decent purchase on the splined tool. So it’s not torqued up as per Shimano, it’s torqued up as per my soft mallet 
The new BB is different in that the shells on either side have a shoulder to meet the frame but the old one does not, it just ends with threads. When the drive side installed and up to frame the non drive side has a gap of less than a mm to frame. I measured the old and new and this would work out right as the old had a thread showing on non drive side when drive side up flush (if that at all makes sense)


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## JPBoothy (30 Nov 2020)

Tripster said:


> I removed my BB on the Genesis day one today. All came of ok. Crank puller from Park tool worked a treat and just a couple of gentle taps with a soft mallet to get it moving. BB replaced with a Shimano UN55, 68 x 118 square taper. £13 from Amazon
> I used a Pro Bike tool for the BB which although good for removing was not that good at replacing the new one. It does have a hex head but it’s too small to get a good amount of socket on and any decent purchase on the splined tool. So it’s not torqued up as per Shimano, it’s torqued up as per my soft mallet
> The new BB is different in that the shells on either side have a shoulder to meet the frame but the old one does not, it just ends with threads. When the drive side installed and up to frame the non drive side has a gap of less than a mm to frame. I measured the old and new and this would work out right as the old had a thread showing on non drive side when drive side up flush (if that at all makes sense)


After researching myself into a frenzy about BB Axles/Threads and Tapers all weekend I finally ordered the new BB and Crankset for my own Genesis Day One 10 today. I went for the same one that came out (FSA RPM 68mm) but mine is quite a long Axle 127mm. I also opted for a new KMC chain being as I was having a new chainring. God knows who put the original crank on because there was no way I would have got it off without cutting it off with my Grinder. Even when it was off and I put it into a vice the tapered end would still not budge whilst hitting it with a Lump Hammer & a Punch!


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## bikingdad90 (30 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> After researching myself into a frenzy about BB Axles/Threads and Tapers all weekend I finally ordered the new BB and Crankset for my own Genesis Day One 10 today. I went for the same one that came out (FSA RPM 68mm) but mine is quite a long Axle 127mm. I also opted for a new KMC chain being as I was having a new chainring. God knows who put the original crank on because there was no way I would have got it off without cutting it off with my Grinder. Even when it was off and I put it into a vice the tapered end would still not budge whilst hitting it with a Lump Hammer & a Punch!


The brand Norco was really bad for this type of thing: everything went on with a air drill. Great for fast assembling but rubbish for removing with hand tools.


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## Tripster (30 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> After researching myself into a frenzy about BB Axles/Threads and Tapers all weekend I finally ordered the new BB and Crankset for my own Genesis Day One 10 today. I went for the same one that came out (FSA RPM 68mm) but mine is quite a long Axle 127mm. I also opted for a new KMC chain being as I was having a new chainring. God knows who put the original crank on because there was no way I would have got it off without cutting it off with my Grinder. Even when it was off and I put it into a vice the tapered end would still not budge whilst hitting it with a Lump Hammer & a Punch!


The new BB would only let the crank bolt in by a thread or so and didn’t fancy pushing crank on and stripping threads. I Ended up knocking on a bit with soft mallet and not best practice I know but all worked out good in end and pulled up with bolt to correct torque. It’s a learning curved hence I am doing it on this bike and not any of the others

Just waiting for Chain tugs to arrive, new tyres and brake pads. The track uts arrived but a very sloppy fit so not sure if I will bother with them


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## JPBoothy (30 Nov 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> The brand Norco was really bad for this type of thing: everything went on with a air drill. Great for fast assembling but rubbish for removing with hand tools.


I am going to ignore the advice that I keep reading on 'dry fitting' the new tapered axle into the new Crank and give them both a light smear of copper grease I think. I am wondering if there has been a mix of Japanese (JIS) & European (ISO) tapers fitted which has caused them to become so tightly wedged as there is apparently a slight difference in the profiles. I am also going to invest in a 3 jaw puller to keep in my tool box just in case I ever come across the problem again as those Aluminium threads in my crank arm didn't stand a chance.


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## JPBoothy (30 Nov 2020)

Tripster said:


> The new BB would only let the crank bolt in by a thread or so and didn’t fancy pushing crank on and stripping threads. I Ended up knocking on a bit with soft mallet and not best practice I know but all worked out good in end and pulled up with bolt to correct torque. It’s a learning curved hence I am doing it on this bike and not any of the others
> 
> Just waiting for Chain tugs to arrive, new tyres and brake pads. The track uts arrived but a very sloppy fit so not sure if I will bother with them


I found out the hard way that the front & rear track nuts can be different sizes. From a DIY mechanics point of view that makes about as much sense as why the industry uses different sized loose ball bearings everywhere too! I don't think the BB shell is supposed to be tightened excessively as on the many YouTube clips that I've watched they have always come off with minimal effort.


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## Tripster (30 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I found out the hard way that the front & rear track nuts can be different sizes. From a DIY mechanics point of view that makes about as much sense as why the industry uses different sized loose ball bearings everywhere too! I don't think the BB shell is supposed to be tightened excessively as on the many YouTube clips that I've watched they have always come off with minimal effort.


Front and rear M10 but the difference I old nuts and new is ridiculous. Yeah it says 50-70 Nm but O gave it a few good taps and that’s that. All greased up and I lightly greased the tapers too


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## JPBoothy (30 Nov 2020)

Tripster said:


> Front and rear M10 but the difference I old nuts and new is ridiculous. Yeah it says 50-70 Nm but O gave it a few good taps and that’s that. All greased up and I lightly greased the tapers too


I think a soft mallet on the cranks is the only way to seat them onto the taper though so I don't think that is bad practice really as a taper is designed to be 'wedged in' so as to make a tight fit. A tap is not the same as damn good hammering or worse still the use of Air Tools as mentioned by @bikingdad90 earlier.


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## Tripster (30 Nov 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I think a soft mallet on the cranks is the only way to seat them onto the taper though so I don't think that is bad practice really as a taper is designed to be 'wedged in' so as to make a tight fit. A tap is not the same as damn good hammering or worse still the use of Air Tools as mentioned by @bikingdad90 earlier.


Well I may have wrapped a rag around the mallet and given a touch more than a ‘tap’


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## Tripster (2 Dec 2020)

A slow day, tyres did not arrive nor did new brake pads 😠... chain tugs did so fitted, serviced rear wheel hub bearings and stripped tyres ready for new arriving. Front track nuts look ok


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## JPBoothy (2 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> A slow day, tyres did not arrive nor did new brake pads 😠... chain tugs did so fitted, serviced rear wheel hub bearings and stripped tyres ready for new arriving. Front track nuts look ok
> View attachment 561298
> View attachment 561299
> View attachment 561300


Nice Nuts (China?).. What size tyres are you putting on? I went big (40's) and it has made it feel really nice for soaking up the bumps & holes. My BB arrived today which I have fitted hand tight for now so hopefully the crank set and chain will arrive tomorrow and then I can get my own Day One back on the road.


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## Tripster (2 Dec 2020)

eBay, yeah China probably but the fit is slack so not the best QA
Went Schwalbe G Ones in 30mm. Did the BB up and gave it a few thwack with the soft mallet. Everything spinning beautifully. Post some pics of the day one 10 when complete 👍


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## JPBoothy (2 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> eBay, yeah China probably but the fit is slack so not the best QA
> Went Schwalbe G Ones in 30mm. Did the BB up and gave it a few thwack with the soft mallet. Everything spinning beautifully. Post some pics of the day one 10 when complete 👍


I seem to struggle posting pics for some reason. I usually get a message saying wrong format but to be honest I am a bit of technology luddite.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Dec 2020)

I went clipless on the Recumbent trike today, added some basic Shimano MTB pedals, added some new fender hardware, and tightened the bolt that holds the chain guard tubes in place. I also added new cleats to the shoes and tightened the lock on the pedals. It is a trike, I should not have to worry about "clipless moments".


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## dave r (2 Dec 2020)

Rear hub service for my fixed tonight. Riding back from my ride yesterday it sometimes wasn't in its normal stealth mode, a check tonight showed that the hub bearings were as rough as a badgers arse, no free play though, sealed bearings so I popped the seals off and gave them a clean and and fresh grease. The drive side wasn't bad, the grease I put in when I changed the bearings last was still there and in decent condition, in the non drive side the grease was still there but was black and orrible, all sorted now, smooth again. I also chcked the bottom bracket and pedal bearings, all smooth and free running.


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## Tripster (2 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I seem to struggle posting pics for some reason. I usually get a message saying wrong format but to be honest I am a bit of technology luddite.


I fancy doing up an old steel bike, seen an Ellis Briggs Favori not far from me. As I was born in Bradford it seems kind of neat it’s an Ellis Briggs bike. 22” fame so a touch small for me....


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

Well the tyres arrived from Planet X so fitted the Schwalbe G One folding tyres. And that’s it as the sodding disco brake pads still not arrived. They may well be cheap but delivery is crap. Should have paid the extra for Shimano







Edit: Disco brakes asked me to wait until 11th to see if pads turn up ...cancelled order and ordered some Nukeproof M525’s from Chain Reaction and paid for next day delivery. Been waiting for pads since 27th November


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## JPBoothy (3 Dec 2020)

Out of interest, have you got the TRP Spyre's fitted to any other bikes? The only reason that I ask is because the set that I fitted to my Day One are excellent and I can lock the rear wheel with light finger pressure from when my hands are on the hoods (not that I want/need to) but the ones fitted to my Cannondale CAADX are rubbish in comparison. I can't decide whether it is the calipers, as those bought for the Genesis looked almost new compared to those bought for the CAADX, or that you get a better 'more direct' pull with the Genesis levers because they are not designed as a dual purpose lever like the STI lever is. Any thoughts?


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

The TRP Spyres on mine use to be excellent, the rear still locks easy enough but the front is rubbish. The pads are worn, glazed and probably contaminated after a while stood and not cleaned or used. I am going to reset the rotors/cable and then finish adjustment using pads. 
Rest of bikes are hydraulic disc and stopping power is massively different. As a mechanical disc though I think the TRP’s are exceptional but can only comment on the Genesis ones


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## JPBoothy (3 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> The TRP Spyres on mine use to be excellent, the rear still locks easy enough but the front is rubbish. The pads are worn, glazed and probably contaminated after a while stood and not cleaned or used. I am going to reset the rotors/cable and then finish adjustment using pads.
> Rest of bikes are hydraulic disc and stopping power is massively different. As a mechanical disc though I think the TRP’s are exceptional but can only comment on the Genesis ones


A lad I work with raves about his Hydraulic brakes but unless your bike is specced with them to start with then they are just too expensive to upgrade. I bought an identical Day One for my son that had been converted to a Flat Bar with 'cheap' Shimano Hydraulics but I find them too sharp. I tend to give my pads a deglaze with light sand paper monthly but have read that any sprays such as GT85/WD40/Polish should be sprayed onto a cloth away from the bike if possible as the mist drifts onto brakes very easily. To be honest, apart from the wet weather benefits I would rather have a good set of side or centre pull canti's as they are much less hassle and very good in the dry.


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> A lad I work with raves about his Hydraulic brakes but unless your bike is specced with them to start with then they are just too expensive to upgrade. I bought an identical Day One for my son that had been converted to a Flat Bar with 'cheap' Shimano Hydraulics but I find them too sharp. I tend to give my pads a deglaze with light sand paper monthly but have read that any sprays such as GT85/WD40/Polish should be sprayed onto a cloth away from the bike if possible as the mist drifts onto brakes very easily. To be honest, apart from the wet weather benefits I would rather have a good set of side or centre pull canti's as they are much less hassle and very good in the dry.


Agree much less hassle. Simple to work on and simple to maintain. I was back and forth about multiple things including disk or rim brakes on next bike but fortunately (or unfortunately) bike builder does not do rim brake bike anymore so that decision was sorted for me. The hydraulics are fantastic and I would have nothing else on the MTB in the Lake District but on a road bike I think it’s personal choice. I really love my day one and will always have it regardless of any other bike


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## JPBoothy (3 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> Agree much less hassle. Simple to work on and simple to maintain. I was back and forth about multiple things including disk or rim brakes on next bike but fortunately (or unfortunately) bike builder does not do rim brake bike anymore so that decision was sorted for me. The hydraulics are fantastic and I would have nothing else on the MTB in the Lake District but on a road bike I think it’s personal choice. I really love my day one and will always have it regardless of any other bike


Yes, definitely 'horses for courses' I agree, as that Mtb business looks bloody risky at times. Good fun though but, I'd want as much stopping power as I could get. On the road though, and unless I was a regular Alp type decender or commuting daily come rain or shine, then I think my anticipation and an average set of canti's would be perfectly adequate for me and if my latest bikes hadn't already been specced with discs then I wouldn't have bothered.


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Yes, definitely 'horses for courses' I agree, as that Mtb business looks bloody risky at times. Good fun though but, I'd want as much stopping power as I could get. On the road though, and unless I was a regular Alp type decender or commuting daily come rain or shine, then I think my anticipation and an average set of canti's would be perfectly adequate for me and if my latest bikes hadn't already been specced with discs then I wouldn't have bothered.


I had a Cube cyclocross bike with cantis and for the life of me I could not get on with them. I miss the simplicity of rim brakes but it never stops raining here and getting older so need the extra  power. 
New Nukeproof pads arrive tomorrow so hoping to get them in, set and get out to at least bed them in. Cannot decide if to put the full mudguards on or not... do you run them on yours. ?


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## Gunk (3 Dec 2020)

I did downhill for many years with canti brakes  the introduction of disc brakes were a revolution in the MTB world. Still not really convinced about their migration over to road bikes, personally I think it’s a fashion, I still prefer a decent rim brake, I’ve never felt that a road bike brakes have ever been wanting, unless it’s a set of Weinmann 999 centre pulls on a chrome rim in the rain


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

Maybe so, I think some of its fashion and some is just natural progression. Are they needed on the road ? Maybe for winter commutes or all weather riding but for summer then probably not. They offer security to some who may be a little nervous and like the extra stopping power. Looks wise it’s like anything, some will and some won’t. I still like discs but think a real road race bike looks the dogs bollocks with rims


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## Gunk (3 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> but think a real road race bike looks the dogs bollocks with rims



I couldn’t have put it better


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## JPBoothy (3 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> I had a Cube cyclocross bike with cantis and for the life of me I could not get on with them. I miss the simplicity of rim brakes but it never stops raining here and getting older so need the extra  power.
> New Nukeproof pads arrive tomorrow so hoping to get them in, set and get out to at least bed them in. Cannot decide if to put the full mudguards on or not... do you run them on yours. ?


Not on my 'muddy day' bikes (Genesis & CAADX Disc) but I have a CAADX with Flat Bars and Canti's which have them on for nipping to the shops etc.. I know they make sense but my thoughts about the look of a CX bike with mudguards is similar to that of yours and @Gunk about road bikes with Discs. Each to their own though


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## Tripster (3 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Not on my 'muddy day' bikes (Genesis & CAADX Disc) but I have a CAADX with Flat Bars and Canti's which have them on for nipping to the shops etc.. I know they make sense but my thoughts about the look of a CX bike with mudguards is similar to that of yours and @Gunk about road bikes with Discs. Each to their own though


And the mudguards will stay on the shelf


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## JPBoothy (3 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I did downhill for many years with canti brakes  the introduction of disc brakes were a revolution in the MTB world. Still not really convinced about their migration over to road bikes, personally I think it’s a fashion, I still prefer a decent rim brake, I’ve never felt that a road bike brakes have ever been wanting, unless it’s a set of Weinmann 999 centre pulls on a chrome rim in the rain


I don't know which is worse though, a squealing contaminated disc or the scraping of grit on a wet muddy rim


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## Tom B (4 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I don't know which is worse though, a squealing contaminated disc or the scraping of grit on a wet muddy rim



I prefer a squeal to a gritty rim at least I can use that to announce my arrival.

As for fettling.

I saw on the weather foreskin there was a chance of snow for today's commute and I thought it felt a bit sleety on the way home so I thought I'd better dig out my winter wheels with the studded tyres.

I had it in the back of my mind they needed fettling. Turns out I didn't do much in the way of cleaning after last use and at some point had borrowed the inner tube. Free hub needed freeing off as it was doing it's best to be a fixie, hubs cleaned and greased, tyres fitted tubes inflated and a 180mm disk fitted not that I plan on cooking the brakes on these tyres it's just easier than changing the caliper mount each time I change the wheel over. Hot tap outside is still the best thing since sliced bread.

Went to bed.

Woke up, flags are dry, no snow milder than yesterday. Bahhhh


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## GoldenLamprey (4 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> I saw on the weather foreskin there was a chance of snow for today's commute



A nifty trick if it works for you!


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## Tripster (4 Dec 2020)

GoldenLamprey said:


> A nifty trick if it works for you!


At least you can roll the polo neck up if the forecast is bad


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## Tripster (4 Dec 2020)

Happy days, arrived next day delivery 😊


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## RoubaixCube (4 Dec 2020)

A very successful battery transplant.






I did unfortunately make a bit of a bodge of it. the first time i sealed it back up. I hadn't realised that actually pinched and broke one of the cables when screwing the board back in. I had already put silicone sealant on and had everything put back together so taking it apart again meant that sealant got everywhere.

sealant used was Granville Black Silicone Sealant i bought from Halfords. Not sure how waterproof or water resistant the stuff is but Im not in a hurry to test it out. 

Battery was purchased off ebay here. slightly lower capacity than the original battery I pulled out but it should beat losing 20% of charge for just over an hour in the saddle. Weather for Saturday looks clear so it will be the first ride with the new battery installed.

::EDIT::

also -- I think Leyzne use the same battery in some of their Zecto drive lights. I know they use 650mAh batterys. I should open mine up and have a look


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## Gunk (4 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> weather foreskin




Almost had a little man accident when I read that


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## Mike_P (4 Dec 2020)

Attempted fettling re somehow getting full length mudguards on a Giant Defy. First problem is not one I was expecting; an indent on the front mudguards that sticks the wheel. Wondering whether to cut it out or hammer it flatter.


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## Gunk (4 Dec 2020)

If you hammer it out the whole mudguard will drop slightly, is there no way of lifting the mounting to pull the mudguard away from the wheel?


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## derrick (4 Dec 2020)

Waiting for a bit of paint to dry so it was time to see if i could put some sort of frankin bike together. came up with this. Looking forward to a play, nice and light front end, should be good to wheelie.


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## Tom B (4 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> Weather foreskin




Ahhh that moment when the private joke escapes.

Let's just blame predictive text..



Gunk said:


> Almost had a little man accident when I read that



Lol



GoldenLamprey said:


> A nifty trick if it works for you!



You need a large mast to get the signal and you have to remember not to check when the summer thunderstorms are due when you are a the park.


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## dave r (4 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Attempted fettling re somehow getting full length mudguards on a Giant Defy. First problem is not one I was expecting; an indent on the front mudguards that sticks the wheel. Wondering whether to cut it out or hammer it flatter.
> View attachment 561578



Fit in front of the fork, between the fork and brake, instead of behind the fork.


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## Mike_P (4 Dec 2020)

dave r said:


> Fit in front of the fork, between the fork and brake, instead of behind the fork.


Could resolve it but will need the fixing mount moving unless that can be trapped okay by the brake assembly.


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## JPBoothy (4 Dec 2020)

GoldenLamprey said:


> A nifty trick if it works for you!


It must be like reading a palm


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## dave r (4 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Could resolve it but will need the fixing mount moving unless that can be trapped okay by the brake assembly.



My fixed with the mudguard bracket fitted behind the brake, no need to move anything.


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## JPBoothy (4 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Could resolve it but will need the fixing mount moving unless that can be trapped okay by the brake assembly.


I've uttered many an expletive when putting mudguards on over the years so goid luck wiyh that job


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## dave r (4 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I've uttered many an expletive when putting mudguards on over the years so goid luck wiyh that job



You're not alone there, my Eastway was a nightmare.


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## Mike_P (4 Dec 2020)

Flip, the rivets holding the mount on are pushing the mudguard away from the inside of the fork too much. Off with them tomorrow and a mudguard bridge hopefully acquired from Spa.


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## Gravity Aided (5 Dec 2020)

derrick said:


> Waiting for a bit of paint to dry so it was time to see if i could put some sort of frankin bike together. came up with this. Looking forward to a play, nice and light front end, should be good to wheelie.
> View attachment 561587


Thats about as mullet as it gets, even down to the spoke count. Business out front, party in the back.


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## JPBoothy (5 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> Happy days, arrived next day delivery 😊
> View attachment 561549


Hooray, 2 out of my 3 new parts have arrived now (BB & Cranks) so just the new Chain and I'm back on the road/trail again 

I even used your tried & tested 'gentle thwacking' method with the rag covered mallet on my Cranks! I was very tempted to used my old chain but "one must be patient"


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## JPBoothy (5 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Attempted fettling re somehow getting full length mudguards on a Giant Defy. First problem is not one I was expecting; an indent on the front mudguards that sticks the wheel. Wondering whether to cut it out or hammer it flatter.
> View attachment 561578


I would usually stick a bit of colour matched electrical tape on the inside of my forks or rear triangle at any likely 'rubbing' spots to save the paintwork


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## cosmicbike (5 Dec 2020)

New rear gear cable fitted to the Van Nic. Old one shredded itself inside the shifter, what a PITA it was to get that out. Note to self, replace cables more often...


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## LeetleGreyCells (5 Dec 2020)

New brake blocks fitted to daughter's Islabike. Only took me less than five minutes including adjusting the straddle cable length to accommodate full brake blocks (the old ones were a couple of rides away from useless).


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## derrick (5 Dec 2020)

Gravity Aided said:


> Thats about as mullet as it gets, even down to the spoke count. Business out front, party in the back.


It was enjoyed by all.


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## Gravity Aided (5 Dec 2020)

Found and started refurbishing an old Robinson SST BMX our bike co-op had in the basement. Someone had been using it as a kids bike, little plastic stars on the spokes.


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## JPBoothy (5 Dec 2020)

derrick said:


> It was enjoyed by all.
> View attachment 561770
> View attachment 561772


I like that you didn't volunteer to be the test driver/rider yourself @derrick


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## derrick (5 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I like that you didn't volunteer to be the test driver/rider yourself @derrick


Oh i did but no one with a camera, I will always be the first to try something new,


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## Gunk (5 Dec 2020)

I cleaned up a used Mavic Open 4CD wheel I’ve just bought for an upcoming project, I also stripped the hub cleaned and greased the bearings and reassembled.

I also fitted a replacement front mech to my Ribble project bike and finally finished it.


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## Tom B (6 Dec 2020)

Was asked to look at one of the collection of bikes I look after at work because the "front wheel won't tighten up" and keeps working loose despite being tightened with all their might.

Had a look and first noticed there was about 8mm of thread sticking out of the we nut where normally there is none visible..

Tried undoing the qr and found the plastic nut had broken off the steel inner nut and the spring was mutilated. Eventually got the nut off after much swearing and removing bits of spring from the thread. Qr skewer felt a bit bent but that isn't necessarily new.

Immediately noticed the hub seemed narrower than the fork drop outs and the little bits you'd expect to sit in the drop outs fitted between them.

Closer inspection shows that the nut side of the wheels Bearing dust cap was squished flat and has clearly been forced in against the hub body by the fork let/drop out. The wheel is locked solid. I suspect the whole hub and axle has been turning in the dropout I did think the rider had more mechanical sympathy, but apparently not.

I only had my cheap cone spanners and they didn't feel they'd budge it so God knows what's going on. Put a spare wheel into the bike for now and the defective one can go to the LBS for repair next week. I'm expecting a new axle and hub.


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## JPBoothy (6 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> Was asked to look at one of the collection of bikes I look after at work because the "front wheel won't tighten up" and keeps working loose despite being tightened with all their might.
> 
> Had a look and first noticed there was about 8mm of thread sticking out of the we nut where normally there is none visible..
> 
> ...


Blimey, you would have thought there would be obvious warning signs to rider long before it got so bad. If it is a cup & loose bearings type of hub I'd like to see the state of them after having been tightened to such a degree! Good luck with that one


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## Gunk (6 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Blimey, you would have thought there would be obvious warning signs to rider long before it got so bad



Just looking at the state of some of the bikes chained up here in Oxford, the riders are either completely oblivious to the mechanical condition of what they are riding, or just don't care, most look like death traps.


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## Tom B (6 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Blimey, you would have thought there would be obvious warning signs to rider long before it got so bad. If it is a cup & loose bearings type of hub I'd like to see the state of them after having been tightened to such a degree! Good luck with that one



I'm curious as to where the bearings are! I can only imagine they've been crushed or pushed through the inner cup. But it still doesn't explain how the axle has become shorter.

I'm going to ask for photos because I'm not entirely happy with how it's been treated. The rider has been moaning about wanting new bikes for a few months.


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## JPBoothy (6 Dec 2020)

Last night I finally decided that the stopping power of the rear TRP Caliper on my CAADX was now becoming totally useless and needed urgent attention. The first thing I did was to remove an excessive 'loop' in the cable near my bars, then removed/replaced the pads with softer organic ones, removed the Caliper and wound the pistons out to get to any dirt behind them and dislodged it with a few 'carefully aimed' blasts of automotive brake disc cleaner before leaving it to dry and then finally applied a tiny bit of light lube. The disc itself even got a de-glazing with wet and dry.. Just back from a ride and what a difference! Lots of instant grab and no squeals


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## cyberknight (6 Dec 2020)

just fitted a brand x integrated headset as a replacement for the fsa acb one as the fsa ones are expensive and this was listed as a compatible replacement .The top part fitted perfectly but the bottom bearings did not fit into the frame , they seem to the eye to be the same size but to get in into the frame i would have had to hammer it in and then it would be stuck in permanently .It solved the issue of the rocking top part which was the issue im guessing the upper split ring was worn and not seating flushly .Annoying but not unhappy as the lower bearings are in good nick anyway.


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## Mike_P (6 Dec 2020)

Major surgery required on the front mudgear with the indent and a section adjacent removed to clear the brakes and not jam the wheel. Now needs a bit filling in somehow - gaffer tape beckons possibly




The rear also needed chopping to avoid the brake assembly




The result of this is the mudguard bridge needs setting away from the forks even when using the mudguard Problem Solver brake bolt. The longest A2 M6 bolt Screwfix had was 60mm




but its still pushing the mudguard inwards so just ordered some 100mm ones off ebay.


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## Tom B (6 Dec 2020)

cyberknight said:


> just fitted a brand x integrated headset as a replacement for the fsa acb one as the fsa ones are expensive and this was listed as a compatible replacement .The top part fitted perfectly but the bottom bearings did not fit into the frame , they seem to the eye to be the same size but to get in into the frame i would have had to hammer it in and then it would be stuck in permanently .It solved the issue of the rocking top part which was the issue im guessing the upper split ring was worn and not seating flushly .Annoying but not unhappy as the lower bearings are in good nick anyway.



Just replaced my acb bearings with some from superstar. £9 for a 2pk.

https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-spares/mountain-spares-headset/

I didn't think they was obscenely priced and the originals lasted 6years 20k or so in all weathers.


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## bagpuss (6 Dec 2020)

After finding my round to it tool.
Finally cut down steerer on new forks for my Lynskey sportive . They had been in the shed for the last year.
The old forks being well past it .Carbon finish bubbling at top and both mudguard eyes u/s {stays held on by zip ties}
Ordered new crown race for headset . So by the end of next year i should have the job finished


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## cyberknight (6 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> Just replaced my acb bearings with some from superstar. £9 for a 2pk.
> 
> https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-spares/mountain-spares-headset/
> 
> I didn't think they was obscenely priced and the originals lasted 6years 20k or so in all weathers.


i needed a complete headset somehow i misplaced a spacer/seal from the fsa one and you cant get a spare one ( i even contacted fsa )


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## biggs682 (6 Dec 2020)

Mine was defettling ie pulling my F R Russell apart ready for some refreshing work


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## cyberknight (7 Dec 2020)

cyberknight said:


> i needed a complete headset somehow i misplaced a spacer/seal from the fsa one and you cant get a spare one ( i even contacted fsa )


CRC replied apparently the lower bearing is a different size and not compatible  
Still i got the bike fixed for £13 rather than £60 ish


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## biggs682 (8 Dec 2020)

Pollards chain washed and cleaned and re tensioned as it was just showing some slack

Oh and swapped wheels on my R.E.W Reynolds just need some tyres now and some fresh grease in the hubs


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Dec 2020)

Took rear wheel out and scraped all the mud out the inside of mudguard. Mudguard definitely been doing its job.


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## fossyant (8 Dec 2020)

New chain ring fitted. Means the crankset has to come off. Good job as the drive side bearing was stuck. Needed cleaning and greasing up. The last ride was a mud slop. Checked jockey wheels too. Dry bearings.


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## Tom B (8 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Blimey, you would have thought there would be obvious warning signs to rider long before it got so bad. If it is a cup & loose bearings type of hub I'd like to see the state of them after having been tightened to such a degree! Good luck with that one



Took some pictures today. I don't think they do it justice. The seal should be quite plump and it's pretty much squashed flat against the hub. It's the non disk side.


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## fossyant (8 Dec 2020)

Decided to change to BBB Rolley Boy Jockeys rather than the SRAM as the SRAM ones need regular checking. The end caps cause crap to be trapped between the cap and the bearing rubber weather shield - it had damaged one again. Also orderd a longer jockey bolt as the OEM one is shorter than I'd like on the lower wheel. 

Whilst I was at it, I swapped the chain over - going to run two on the MTB and alternate them. I must say I've eaten through a whole transmission this year.


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## Landsurfer (8 Dec 2020)

In Bletchley / MK fettling one of these again ... god it's cold ... 
I was sat under the vehicle this afternoon with a cordless heat gun directing hot air onto the hands of one of our Leckies while he was wiring in the coms computer .... 
They don't tell you about this in College / Uni ... 





Just as well us older guys are all ex miners / military ... we know how to look after the lads and lasses under the train .... keep them warm and dry .... top technicians all ...


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## fossyant (8 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> In Bletchley / MK fettling one of these again ... god it's cold ...
> I was sat under the vehicle this afternoon with a cordless heat gun directing hot air onto the hands of one of our Leckies while he was wiring in the coms computer ....
> They don't tell you about this in College / Uni ...
> View attachment 562379
> ...



I shut the garage door, and turned on an electric fan heater to do my bike !


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## JPBoothy (9 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> I shut the garage door, and turned on an electric fan heater to do my bike !


Me too.. I transferred my old Technics Hi-Fi from the house into the garage recently and the sound quality and reception are so much better than the old plastic 2 band cracking radio that I put up with for years. Everytime I moved to reach my toolbox the station would be gone! Hmm, my happy peaceful place


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## JPBoothy (9 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> In Bletchley / MK fettling one of these again ... god it's cold ...
> I was sat under the vehicle this afternoon with a cordless heat gun directing hot air onto the hands of one of our Leckies while he was wiring in the coms computer ....
> They don't tell you about this in College / Uni ...
> View attachment 562379
> ...


I work in a large office and you have never heard moaning like it because the Air-con is too hot/cold etc.. I take my hat off to those who toil away in the wet and cold outside throughout the year


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## derrick (9 Dec 2020)

Put this together for friend yesterday, made a change from building bikes, but it has put me a bit behind on two bike builds. lol.





Got to build this up this afternoon.


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## JPBoothy (9 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Hooray, 2 out of my 3 new parts have arrived now (BB & Cranks) so just the new Chain and I'm back on the road/trail again
> 
> I even used your tried & tested 'gentle thwacking' method with the rag covered mallet on my Cranks! I was very tempted to used my old chain but "one must be patient"


Still no chain after a week! Today is the last day of their 'estimated' delivery date range so we shall see


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## JPBoothy (9 Dec 2020)

derrick said:


> Put this together for friend yesterday, made a change from building bikes, but it has put me a bit behind on two bike builds. lol.
> View attachment 562504
> 
> 
> ...


I like the bike better than the Dolls house


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## Jenkins (9 Dec 2020)

Some very necessary cleaning of the main commuter and the Giant flatbar. While it was on the stand, I took the opportunity to check the front tyre of the Giant as it had picked up a very slow punture (about 10psi per day) last week. Found a hole in the tyre and some very bad nicks, but also that the rubber in the tread/digonal slashes (see below) had opened up exposing the puncture protection layer. The rear turned out to be the same so both have been binned and replacements ordered.


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## si_c (9 Dec 2020)

Rode to the shops yesterday - halfway there the derailleur started clanking against the spokes after a shift. Figured the hanger might be slightly bent so pulled out the alignment gauge only to find that one of the screws had stripped out of the hanger. Fitted the spare from my saddlebag and shifting is perfect again - didn't even need to adjust the cables.

Ordered a replacement hanger. Now just need to replace the tyre from the sidewall tear I got going to the shops today


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## JhnBssll (9 Dec 2020)

Fitted the right hand power meter to the Bianchi. Won it on eBay earlier in the week and arrived this morning  I already had a stages g3 left crank so now I've fitted the right crank and paired the two sensors it'll give me left/right split power and pedal balance data 
















I also took the opportunity to fit invisiframe covers to both crank arms to protect them from scuffing 😊


----------



## JPBoothy (9 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Still no chain after a week! Today is the last day of their 'estimated' delivery date range so we shall see


Well wouldn't you know it, along came the missing chain on the last day! The trouble is that after days of watching the letterbox 'so I could justify a quick trip to the garage to fettle' when it finally dropped through I just couldn't be arsed..


----------



## dave r (10 Dec 2020)

New square taper bottom bracket fitted to my fixed tonight.


----------



## Buck (10 Dec 2020)

Actually yesterday but put the mudguards on my old bike which is now officially my winter bike.
not really designed for mudguards but I’ve managed to get them on despite the minimal clearance.

Hopefully out for a ride this weekend (will miss riding my lovely ‘summer bike’ )


----------



## Ming the Merciless (11 Dec 2020)

New pads in the front disc caliper. That’s better, travel back to where it should be, and more importantly brake function. Refitted rear wheel after deflating and removing flints from tyre. Just remembered need to reinflate to usual pressure. Will do that in a minute. Also refitted front mudguard bolting it to front instead of rear of fork. That should give better coverage and stop spray off top of wheel.


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## si_c (11 Dec 2020)

Got a gash in the sidewall of a tire - pretty big cut and judging from the marks on the side of the tire something fairly substantial went through it.

Couldn't get a replacement of the same size and model in reasonable time so put a pair of Rubino Pros in 25c on. I could have just bought one, but I hate mismatched tyres and wheels.


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## fossyant (11 Dec 2020)

Not the bike, but the old Hifi.

I have a 1986 JVC Separates system, with a newer Technics 5 disc changer (the original JVC CD packed up). It's all 'touch' buttons and cost about £500 back then (excluding the CD unit). The balance and volume sliders have been playing up - i.e. crackling and losing balance between the speakers. We've not used it for ages. MrsF wanted to use it again. We forgot where it was plugged into as well... found that. Anyway, the volume and balance sliders were still not working well. Got out the electrical contact cleaner spray and squirted it in each side of both sliders. Ran them up and down.

Fixed the issue. 34 years of iccle bits of dirt gone. I do love electrical contact cleaner - no need to pull it to bits.

It's a cracking system, and we can only run the volume at 2 out of 10. 2.5 is incredible. We're also using some speakers that MrsF's mum and dad used to make - they had a loud speaker company at the time in the 80's - wood cabinets etc, no plastic. I've popped a Bluetooth receiver on the aux channel to make it useable with phones etc.


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## DCBassman (11 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> I have a 1986 JVC Separates system


I love either keeping old stuff running or bringing it back to life with a modern purpose.
My computer and TV play sound through a set each of 1990s Yamaha YST-MS30 2.1 speakers. They're not excessively powerful, but they do sound good.


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## fossyant (11 Dec 2020)

DCBassman said:


> I love either keeping old stuff running or bringing it back to life with a modern purpose.
> My computer and TV play sound through a set each of 1990s Yamaha YST-MS30 2.1 speakers. They're not excessively powerful, but they do sound good.



Star Wars sounds immense through the old Hifi... Incredible..... only for when I am in the house.


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## si_c (11 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> Star Wars sounds immense through the old Hifi... Incredible..... only for when I am in the house.


Hard to hear it when you're outside to be fair.


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## C R (11 Dec 2020)

si_c said:


> Hard to hear it when you're outside to be fair.


Well, he said they only put the volume up to 2, if they push it to 11 he may be able to hear it on his rides


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## Jenkins (11 Dec 2020)

Major weight reduction programme on the Spa Elan - gave it a good clean after yesterday's ride and scraped 6 months worth of acumulated of mud from the undersides of both mudguards.


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## JPBoothy (11 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> Not the bike, but the old Hifi.
> 
> I have a 1986 JVC Separates system, with a newer Technics 5 disc changer (the original JVC CD packed up). It's all 'touch' buttons and cost about £500 back then (excluding the CD unit). The balance and volume sliders have been playing up - i.e. crackling and losing balance between the speakers. We've not used it for ages. MrsF wanted to use it again. We forgot where it was plugged into as well... found that. Anyway, the volume and balance sliders were still not working well. Got out the electrical contact cleaner spray and squirted it in each side of both sliders. Ran them up and down.
> 
> ...


I mentioned on another thread the other day (so sorry to repeat myself) that I have moved my 20yr old Technics HiFi into my garage and the lovely deep sound is fantastic compared to my tinny plastic 2 band radio that preceded it.. I still have my 30yr old AIWA Separates HiFi stored in the loft and can't bare to part with it unless it goes to a good home. The old stuff is great though IMO


----------



## HLaB (11 Dec 2020)

Lol after reading this thread I remembered to pump my tyres up before tomorrow. My last fettling of that bike had to been cleaning and lubing it last Sunday.


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## JPBoothy (11 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Well wouldn't you know it, along came the missing chain on the last day! The trouble is that after days of watching the letterbox 'so I could justify a quick trip to the garage to fettle' when it finally dropped through I just couldn't be arsed..


 Well, I erm need to own up to being a bit of a dobber, especially after having the cheek to complain about how long it took for my chain to arrive.

I ordered the wrong size! 

My chainring and Sprocket are both 3/32" and for some unknown reason I ordered a 1/8" by mistake. I know that I could use it but it just seems to wallow about on the teeth so the old one has had a damn good clean and lube and sounds very quiet again so I'll be out in the morning for a test ride to somewhere that will sell me Coffee


----------



## Gunk (11 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I mentioned on another thread the other day (so sorry to repeat myself) that I have moved my 20yr old Technics HiFi into my garage and the lovely deep sound is fantastic compared to my tinny plastic 2 band radio that preceded it.. I still have my 30yr old AIWA Separates HiFi stored in the loft and can't bare to part with it unless it goes to a good home. The old stuff is great though IMO



I’ve got a 15 year old Sony micro system in the garage, the speakers are attached to the wall, it was £25 from a charity shop and the sound quality is amazing!


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## JPBoothy (11 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’ve got a 15 year old Sony micro system in the garage, the speakers are attached to the wall, it was £25 from a charity shop and the sound quality is amazing!


Definitely improves the fettling though doesn't it


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## DCBassman (12 Dec 2020)

If I were to need a fettling-specific sound system, I'd rig one of two Grundig Concert Boy 1100s I have to an mp3 player. Mono, but fabulous.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Dec 2020)

I gave the in-line adjuster on my front mech a turn as it was catching on the chain in the higher gears, pumped my tyres up and bought a new stem off EBay for a bargain price of £6.90. Still selling new for €59 at their shop https://shop.vannicholas.com/en/products/vnt-elements-accessories/VNT-Stem-Alloy-6061/8098#MHSC2402.


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## JPBoothy (12 Dec 2020)

DCBassman said:


> If I were to need a fettling-specific sound system, I'd rig one of two Grundig Concert Boy 1100s I have to an mp3 player. Mono, but fabulous.


Would the result be like Marty plugging his Guitar into Doc's big amp in Back to the Future


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## DCBassman (12 Dec 2020)

Fettled a pair of old, thin cycling gloves into winter fettling mitts.


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## DCBassman (12 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Would the result be like Marty plugging his Guitar into Doc's big amp in Back to the Future


Probably not quite. Big beast though, powered by 6 D cellls! Can do mains also.


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## JPBoothy (12 Dec 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Fettled a pair of old, thin cycling gloves into winter fettling mitts.
> View attachment 562972


That looks like a long job.. They would be handy (no pun intended) for me as somebody will always phone/text when I'm mid fettle and my touch screen won't work with my gloves on.


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## fossyant (12 Dec 2020)

Back to the bike. The BBB Roller Boy jockey's turned up today, quickly followed by 2 new jockey bolts from SJS. The lower jockey bolt was about 3mm too short for my liking as it didn't thread far into the inner plate. The new jockeys use a small spacer, like Tacx, depending on which make you are replacing. Checked with the callipers and the width was within 0.3mm of the original. The positive side is the spacers are smaller than the SRAM ones, so won't collect grime right next to the seals.

Also arrived was a lightly used Shimano M570 5 arm larger chain ring for my old MTB - that's getting a bit shark toothed with use and the chain rings are like rocking horse poop to get hold of. The guy selling it apologised for the delay in posting. His flatmate was awaiting Covid results, and he couldn't go out to post it until his mate was clear -


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## fossyant (12 Dec 2020)

PS the old HIFI is working properly still. Been on all day.


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## Gunk (12 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> PS the old HIFI is working properly still. Been on all day.



Mine has been on this afternoon (even has an iPod dock!)






Packed up the Ribble today and dropped it off at the Parcelforce depot, fitted a tyre to the front wheel on my CB Majestic project. I'm struggling not start on this, as I really need to save it for the Christmas break, I will have 10 days off and not much to do so it'll keep me out of mischief.


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## JPBoothy (12 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Well, I erm need to own up to being a bit of a dobber, especially after having the cheek to complain about how long it took for my chain to arrive.
> 
> I ordered the wrong size!
> 
> My chainring and Sprocket are both 3/32" and for some unknown reason I ordered a 1/8" by mistake. I know that I could use it but it just seems to wallow about on the teeth so the old one has had a damn good clean and lube and sounds very quiet again so I'll be out in the morning for a test ride to somewhere that will sell me Coffee


If anybody would like the new KMC 1/8" SS Chain that I purchased in error then you are welcome to it for the price of the postage 👍


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## fossyant (12 Dec 2020)

I had the Zwift PC on in the garage playing the tunes through a cheapish soundbar, whilst I was fettling. Need to upgrade to an old hifi soon. TBH, it's loud enough !


----------



## bagpuss (13 Dec 2020)

Computer fitted to my Wayfarer,at least I will now know how far I haven't been .New bar tape as the 20 year old blue that came with bars had lost all its adhesion . Butterfly bars are not the easiest to wrap


----------



## Hebe (13 Dec 2020)

I finished putting the rear wheel back on my Vita - reconnected the brakes, tightened and closed the QR skewer and cursed the pump. Also cleaned the chain and lubed it.


----------



## Mike_P (13 Dec 2020)

Sort of sorted the rear mudguard on the Defy - the 100mm bolt did the trick holding the mount far enough from the seat stay that there was plenty of adjustment available. Opted, like the front, to fit the mount place with Everbuild Stixall, a bonding and sealing sealant, and the same for rear reflector. That way not it is dependent on the bendy metal bits being tight enough and not fouling the tyre. The 100m offset probably helps with the fact the front end of the mudguard is a good inch from the seat tube which has no fixing provision for a mudguard anyway. Oddly however there are fixing holes at the bottom of seat stays for the rear supports. Leaving it all to set overnight for any final tweaking tomorrow.


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## Mike_P (14 Dec 2020)

The stikall did not work on the rear mudguard mount; presumably I should have clamped it but had not as I did want a clamp permanently stuck to the mudguard by any excess. So a lot of scratching, chipping and filing to remove it and the mount crimped in place. Bike the right way up and and an immediate problem, through the 100mm offset of the mount, in that the mudguard needs some extra support towards the top so a further set of stays and fixing bits ordered, and the mudguard split into two to go either side of the brake assembly.


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## JPBoothy (14 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Well, I erm need to own up to being a bit of a dobber, especially after having the cheek to complain about how long it took for my chain to arrive.
> 
> I ordered the wrong size!
> 
> My chainring and Sprocket are both 3/32" and for some unknown reason I ordered a 1/8" by mistake. I know that I could use it but it just seems to wallow about on the teeth so the old one has had a damn good clean and lube and sounds very quiet again so I'll be out in the morning for a test ride to somewhere that will sell me Coffee


After a few weather related excuses I finally took my Genesis SS for a spin tonight and the new crank set, BB and clean chain felt silky smooth. However, in just the 3wks since I last rode it my fitness has dropped and I was puffing a bit. Luckily I had the bonafide excuse in writing from FSA that reads 'you may find that your new BB will initially feel a little stiff for the first few rides' which I will be quoting regularly


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## Tripster (15 Dec 2020)

started putting this together


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## bikingdad90 (15 Dec 2020)

Understated class mason bikes! Nice blue colour.


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## Big John (15 Dec 2020)

Serviced a single speed freewheel after first looking at a YouTube instructional video. Don't videos make it look easy?

For those who've attempted this feat of digital dexterity you'll understand my complete relief at having completed the job without throwing the bits in the bin. There's three hours of my life gone that I won't get back any time soon.

If any of my fellow tatters haven't tried this then don't. Buy a replacement if the old one plays up. It has two bearing races both containing about 45 microscopic bearings (1/8th bearings....bloody small for a guy with fingers like sausages) that once they see daylight take the opportunity to try and escape. It takes the patience of a saint as well as the eyesight of an outhouse rat to complete the task. 

Enjoy a challenge? Go on then.....give it a go.....dare ya 😉


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## Tripster (15 Dec 2020)

Cleaning Mavis and giving her a run up whilst she is stored for winter


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## JPBoothy (15 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> Cleaning Mavis and giving her a run up whilst she is stored for winter
> View attachment 563518


Aha, now I know why you are the King of Strava and always setting PB's.. You are a charlatan Sir 😲


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## Tripster (15 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Aha, now I know why you are the King of Strava and always setting PB's.. You are a charlatan Sir 😲


How very dare you !  Besides I wouldnt even know how to work Strata


----------



## JPBoothy (15 Dec 2020)

Tripster said:


> How very dare you !  Besides I wouldnt even know how to work Strata


Me neither, I was just trying to sound cool and techno savvy (no he wasn't the Lone Rangers sidekick)


----------



## Spiderweb (15 Dec 2020)

JhnBssll said:


> Fitted the right hand power meter to the Bianchi. Won it on eBay earlier in the week and arrived this morning  I already had a stages g3 left crank so now I've fitted the right crank and paired the two sensors it'll give me left/right split power and pedal balance data
> 
> View attachment 562629
> 
> ...



Wow, your Bianchi looks fantastic😍


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Dec 2020)

Oiled chain on recumbent and fitted a winter tyre on the front to see if

1. They fit
2. Ride ok and not too slow.

Passed on both counts. Will take off tomorrow and refit when we get a cold snap.


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## Tom B (16 Dec 2020)

Received my replacement rear mudguard. (Have sks changed the design?) Ordered bare mudguards from sjs and was suprised when they turned up with everything bar instructions. I wasn't expecting the fitting kit or rods.


Quickly and pretty badly fitted it, but it'll keep me clean and dry later.


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## Johnsco (16 Dec 2020)

I fitted SKS mudguards recently. Bought from Spa Cycles
They came with full fitting kit.
They are awkward and fiddly to fit - Time and care needed to get it right.
But they do give me confidence.
The look good and seem to be pretty robust.


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## Gunk (16 Dec 2020)

Johnsco said:


> I fitted SKS mudguards recently. Bought from Spa Cycles
> They came with full fitting kit.
> They are awkward and fiddly to fit - Time and care needed to get it right.
> But they do give me confidence.
> The look good and seem to be pretty robust.



I’m thinking of buying a set, they seem good value, I would only use them in the winter.


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## Tripster (16 Dec 2020)

Trying out a couple of the Clunk wall mounts. Apart from stupidly puncturing the vapour barrier it’s been a reasonably successful day


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## Johnsco (16 Dec 2020)

I recommend them - But warn those around you that there may be lessons in foul language while you are fitting them.
See photo


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## LeetleGreyCells (16 Dec 2020)

Johnsco said:


> I recommend them - But warn those around you that there may be lessons in foul language while you are fitting them.
> See photo


They look good. Could you rivet a homemade mudflap to the rear mudguard for greater coverage? Are the mudguards durable enough to do so? Enquiring minds...


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## Gunk (16 Dec 2020)

Johnsco said:


> I recommend them - But warn those around you that there may be lessons in foul language while you are fitting them.
> See photo



There is foul language most of the time anyway!


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## Tom B (17 Dec 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> They look good. Could you rivet a homemade mudflap to the rear mudguard for greater coverage? Are the mudguards durable enough to do so? Enquiring minds...



Yes. There are longer flaps available too that slip over and rivit through.

My last set were repairs with rivets after a bike on car barrier interface issue. Just make sure you get short but quality rivets.


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## Gunk (17 Dec 2020)

I was off work today and this arrived.







My Van Nicholas Amazon






It was absolutely filthy! So I put it on the bike stand and cleaned it all up, fiitted my Elite bottle cages and Selle Italia SLR saddle which was a chore because the VN titanium seat post has to be bent open to swap saddles.


















Next job was to tape the bars (Cinelli cork tape of course!) shame to cover them as they're a work of art!











Popped a set of spare pedals on it and put it on the turbo and just checked everything, first impressions are that I got the sizing spot on, the geometry is really relaxed so should be great to ride longer distances on (which is what I've bought it for) front mech needs some further adjustment, but it is a gorgeous bike, hopefully on Sunday I will give it it's maiden ride.


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## dave r (17 Dec 2020)

Someones been a lucky boy! I had the back wheel off my fixed and in the LBS to have its bearings replaced, sealed hub, when I was putting the tyre and tube back, fitting the wheel and adjusting the chain I spotted something, then muttered "oh s***.






The chain knackered, its not gone where I joined it, I put a male/female half link in and thats where its joined. As it was fine when I did the weekly check on Friday so must have gone on my Tuesday ride to Wellesbourne. I kept the spare links when I shortened it when I was fitting it so I replaced the damaged links, thoroughly checked it and have ordered a replacement chain.


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## fossyant (17 Dec 2020)

Treated myself to some new fettling tools, and a Xmas pressie for my son. Bought him some long impact sockets to go with the impact driver I bought him as an early xmas present when he was changing suspension top bushes.

I've got a blind bearing puller kit with a hammer slide, and a set of bearing presses. Will be handy when changing the MTB suspension bearings, or servicing/changing the wheel bearings. Also ordered some fine 'picks' so I can get the bearing seals off easier than using a small pin.

I've previously got them (bearings) out with a vice and a suitable socket or two. I'm going to need another tool box for bike tools. Already have two.


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## Gunk (18 Dec 2020)

dave r said:


> Someones been a lucky boy!



After 9 builds this year it’s nice to buy something for myself which is ready to ride out of the box.

The bike was exactly the sort of thing I would have built myself and as the size was spot on I took a deep breath and bought it. It was expensive but far less than building it up myself.


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## dave r (18 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> After 9 builds this year it’s nice to buy something for myself which is ready to ride out of the box.
> 
> The bike was exactly the sort of thing I would have built myself and as the size was spot on I took a deep breath and bought it. It was expensive but far less than building it up myself.



Pictures are needed.


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## bikingdad90 (18 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> After 9 builds this year it’s nice to buy something for myself which is ready to ride out of the box.
> 
> The bike was exactly the sort of thing I would have built myself and as the size was spot on I took a deep breath and bought it. It was expensive but far less than building it up myself.



9 builds, I would not only be out of the house, I’d be out of the doghouse and in the grave! No way would my other half let me have that many bikes. I’m lucky enough to have 3!


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## JPBoothy (18 Dec 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> 9 builds, I would not only be out of the house, I’d be out of the doghouse and in the grave! No way would my other half let me have that many bikes. I’m lucky enough to have 3!


Is it a brand new bike then? When you said it was 'filthy' I thought it must have been another of your projects/finds.


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Dec 2020)

After Doug lost his back light during a ride last night (as reported here) I've sorted out some replacements. First was a cheapish rack mounted light that I got ages ago intending to use it on my knockabout bike but never actually fitted. It's okay, but fitting it showed up how cheaply made it is. On the plus side the built in reflector is better than the Cateye one on his mudguard.

Next up was to also fit the Planet X Phaart Bleep that I got him a while ago and has been sitting unused since. The standard seat post mounting is no good as his bag would be in the way so I've made a bracket out of some aluminium to mount it onto one of the rack uprights. A little bit fiddly to fit but it's sorted and nobody will be able to say they didn't see him now.

Edit to add: I completely forgot to mention making a fresh mudflap for the Raleigh. The tyre can just touch the flap when the mudguard wobbles on rough roads and eventually wears a hole.


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## Gunk (18 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Is it a brand new bike then? When you said it was 'filthy' I thought it must have been another of your projects/finds.



It’s about 10 years old, I’ll post some photos over the weekend.


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## Gunk (18 Dec 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> 9 builds, I would not only be out of the house, I’d be out of the doghouse and in the grave! No way would my other half let me have that many bikes. I’m lucky enough to have 3!



They’ve almost all been sold on, luckily I have a very understanding wife!


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## Gunk (18 Dec 2020)

dave r said:


> Pictures are needed.



I took a couple of photos earlier this evening, as you can see it is a really nice bike.






















This evening I swapped the handlebar stem for a shorter 80mm the reach was too long for my short arms. I put it back on the turbo, adjusted the front mech and raised the seat another cm with the replacement 80mm stem it now fits like a glove, hopefully if it stays dry on Sunday I’ll manage to get out.


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## Tripster (19 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I took a couple of photos earlier this evening, as you can see it is a really nice bike.
> 
> View attachment 563987
> 
> ...


Super nice that is. I do like rim brakes on a road bike, they look clean and uncluttered. Lovely kitchen too 👍


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## bagpuss (19 Dec 2020)

The Van Nicholas Amazon looks a very tidy set up . I have recently made a switch back to bikes with canti lever brakes .Much better clearance than dual pivots for fitting mudguards . Not a fan of discs on a road bike/tourer if fitting guards . Front stays clearing the piston leaves alot to be desired imho . A fork with eyelets half way up would be better . This was the case on some touring frames from the 40's/50's . That said with carbon forks it may not be possible/ limited market?


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## Gunk (19 Dec 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> It's nearly finished, you forgot the mudguards. Lots of clearance!



I will fit a rack and mudguards, give me a chance 🙄


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## JPBoothy (19 Dec 2020)

bagpuss said:


> The Van Nicholas Amazon looks a very tidy set up . I have recently made a switch back to bikes with canti lever brakes .Much better clearance than dual pivots for fitting mudguards . Not a fan of discs on a road bike/tourer if fitting guards . Front stays clearing the piston leaves alot to be desired imho . A fork with eyelets half way up would be better . This was the case on some touring frames from the 40's/50's . That said with carbon forks it may not be possible/ limited market?


I have an older Cannondale CAADX with Canti's and I agree that they are much better (in the dry) than other types IMO..


----------



## Mike_P (19 Dec 2020)

More of what do I need to fettle. Found what seems to be a plastic clip fit cable guide but cannot work out where it has come from


----------



## DCLane (19 Dec 2020)

After the left Shimano 6800 crank came off on my morning's ride -  - with the bolt threads and crank threads stripped (they've done about 15000 miles) I borrowed the 6600 crank from my son's TT bike swap last month and used that as a temporary solution. All the RH crank and pedal threads cleaned and greased ready for when I source a spare.


----------



## Mike_P (19 Dec 2020)

Most of the day spent fettling the metal bike shed; finally put the dehumidifier in it. Definitely in need of it today with the roof dripping with condensation.
A hole was needed in the side for the outlet tube which took far longer than expected to create due to the battery powered drill deciding it needed charging and ultimately resort to a file due to hole size needed. An existing hole on the other side enlarged to take an extension cable, one from Screwfix with a nice weatherproof socket on the end and a hole drilled in the garden shed for the cable to access the mains socket in there. 

Fitted a dehumidifier control unit between the extn lead and the dehumidifier itself which has a digital readout of just how wet it is and a cable senor which was fitted midway across the roof. 90% it said, target is 50% so electric company will be rubbing their hands  

Holes in the shed painted with the correct paint for the shed and the hole to the garden shed a surround of sealant. 

One problem created is that the road bike now has to lifted over the outlet tube and a drop fitted onto a bracket . To make it simpler have ordered a skateboard mini ramp so hopefully the bike can then be pushed in up and over the tube.


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## JPBoothy (19 Dec 2020)

It sounds good enough to live in. Good job


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## bagpuss (19 Dec 2020)

Cleaning bike for me today .I reckon enough mud came of it to plant seeds🌱 ,thats even with full mudguards! Roll on some dry weather.


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## Gunk (19 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I have an older Cannondale CAADX with Canti's and I agree that they are much better (in the dry) than other types IMO..



They are really cool, I adjusted mine this evening, so easy, the shoes adjust in and out so you can get the alignment spot on. I also trued the rear wheel which was very slightly out and did a little more detailing (I couldn't help myself) sadly the Conti GP 4000's are cracked so they'll need replacing.


----------



## Gunk (19 Dec 2020)

DCLane said:


> After the left Shimano 6800 crank came off on my morning's ride -  - with the bolt threads and crank threads stripped (they've done about 15000 miles) I borrowed the 6600 crank from my son's TT bike swap last month and used that as a temporary solution. All the RH crank and pedal threads cleaned and greased ready for when I source a spare.



I recon the earlier 6600 series is better quality, just feels bit more premium.


----------



## Donger (19 Dec 2020)

Now that I have the necessary tools, I fitted a new cassette for the first time today. Thought I'd better skill up and learn how to do a few more jobs as my local LBS is now closed. I'd have felt even smugger if I'd not had to pay import duty on one of the tool packages that I'd been waiting for.


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## Gunk (19 Dec 2020)

Donger said:


> Now that I have the necessary tools, I fitted a new cassette for the first time today. Thought I'd better skill up and learn how to do a few more jobs as my local LBS is now closed. I'd have felt even smugger if I'd not had to pay import duty on one of the tool packages that I'd been waiting for.



It’s a very satisfying feeling doing it yourself


----------



## BianchiVirgin (19 Dec 2020)

Bled the brakes on the Ekar groupset. Still not convinced they're right yet but I'll take them for a spin tomorrow.


----------



## Tripster (19 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> They are really cool, I adjusted mine this evening, so easy, the shoes adjust in and out so you can get the alignment spot on. I also trued the rear wheel which was very slightly out and did a little more detailing (I couldn't help myself) sadly the Conti GP 4000's are cracked so they'll need replacing.
> 
> View attachment 564082


Oh what a fool I am, I did t look closely enough and thought it had rim brakes


----------



## ianrauk (19 Dec 2020)

Had a spoke go on a weekday commute so popped it into my lbs for a new one. Picked it up today and replaced the replacement wheel.


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## LeetleGreyCells (19 Dec 2020)

Swapped the stem on my son's bike from 100mm to 50mm as he was a little stretched out. Won't have chance to put him on the bike until tomorrow so should he still be a little too stretched out I'll move the saddle horizontally. Also swapped the tyres from road to knobbly for tomorrow.


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## JPBoothy (19 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> They are really cool, I adjusted mine this evening, so easy, the shoes adjust in and out so you can get the alignment spot on. I also trued the rear wheel which was very slightly out and did a little more detailing (I couldn't help myself) sadly the Conti GP 4000's are cracked so they'll need replacing.
> 
> View attachment 564082


My Cannondale with the Canti's is converted to flat bar so you get an even better pull from the levers and they are so sharp and a doddle to set-up using the barrel adjuster👍


----------



## JPBoothy (19 Dec 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Swapped the stem on my son's bike from 100mm to 50mm as he was a little stretched out. Won't have chance to put him on the bike until tomorrow so should he still be a little too stretched out I'll move the saddle horizontally. Also swapped the tyres from road to knobbly for tomorrow.


I managed to steal a few more mm on my sons bike by swapping the 'set back' seat post for a virtually straight one 👍


----------



## Tom B (19 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Most of the day spent fettling the metal bike shed; finally put the dehumidifier in it. Definitely in need of it today with the roof dripping with condensation.
> A hole was needed in the side for the outlet tube which took far longer than expected to create due to the battery powered drill deciding it needed charging and ultimately resort to a file due to hole size needed. An existing hole on the other side enlarged to take an extension cable, one from Screwfix with a nice weatherproof socket on the end and a hole drilled in the garden shed for the cable to access the mains socket in there.
> 
> Fitted a dehumidifier control unit between the extn lead and the dehumidifier itself which has a digital readout of just how wet it is and a cable senor which was fitted midway across the roof. 90% it said, target is 50% so electric company will be rubbing their hands



Out of curiosity what sort of shed do you have?

My metal shed has some vents but does suffer from condensation my concern is that I'd effectively be trying to dehumidify the world.

What dehumidifier did you use?

Really interested in how you get on.


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## Mike_P (20 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> Out of curiosity what sort of shed do you have?
> 
> My metal shed has some vents but does suffer from condensation my concern is that I'd effectively be trying to dehumidify the world.
> 
> ...


The shed is the flat roof floorless 2 bike Asgard locker. The dehumidifier is a Ecoair DD1 simple which does have an inbuilt sensor but I thought a separate one would be better as it would be more readily adjustable (not necessarily having to move both bikes out to get at it) while also allowing for a sensor to be better located around the middle of the shed. The dehumidifier is towards the back with a brick keeping it from going too close to the rear wall, has it be 40cm from a wall. The bikes fit either side, the road bike in front end first and the other backwards. The sensor is an Inkbird IHC-200 which will also work a humidifier or fan if too dry although that is pretty unnecessary for this purpose. The default settings seem fine and in the shot below the dehumidifier is operative as the top reading in the display is greater than 55; whilst it is set to 50 there is a differential value of 5 so that if you have both a dehumidifier and a humidifier they are not both on the same time. Might tweak that to the minimum value of 1.





The outlet simply dispenses onto the paving slabs adjacent which are slightly uneven giving an immediate drainage point


----------



## Gravity Aided (20 Dec 2020)

Changing out tires and chain on my Trek Navigator 200, winter beater bicycle.


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## Gunk (20 Dec 2020)

Got out on the VN Amazon this afternoon and got well and truly soaked, drivetrain despite my unfounded concerns about the front mech was flawless, but brakes were terrible so I've sorted them out now and they are now perfect, loads of adjustment is available so I dropped the blocks slightly and moved them much closer to the rims. Handlebars were also not tightened enough (I was worried about damaging the carbon bars so probably over cautious with the torque)

However, the bike was stunning to ride, (smooth and comfortable!) plus a perfect fit, next job mudguards and a rear rack.


----------



## JPBoothy (20 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> Got out on the VN Amazon this afternoon and got well and truly soaked, drivetrain despite my unfounded concerns about the front mech was flawless, but brakes were terrible so I've sorted them out now and they are now perfect, loads of adjustment is available so I dropped the blocks slightly and moved them much closer to the rims. Handlebars were also not tightened enough (I was worried about damaging the carbon bars so probably over cautious with the torque)
> 
> However, the bike was stunning to ride, (smooth and comfortable!) plus a perfect fit, next job mudguards and a rear rack.
> 
> View attachment 564238


Nice. I've never ridden on a Titanium bike, how does it compare to Steel/Aluminium and Carbon?


----------



## Gunk (20 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> Nice. I've never ridden on a Titanium bike, how does it compare to Steel/Aluminium and Carbon?



I rides very similar to a nice steel framed bike, with the touring geometry it feels slightly old fashioned which I like.


----------



## JPBoothy (20 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I rides very similar to a nice steel framed bike, with the touring geometry it feels slightly old fashioned which I like.


I have started to like Steel again after realising that the newer grade/spec is not the same as the old heavyweight material used for making Grifters etc.. I was a bit apprehensive about what the fork would feel like but it's absolutely fine and the amount of discomfort/buzz compared to my carbon forks is marginal despite me mainly using it on rough surfaces. I'm sure that after a longer touring type ride I may think differently though! Did all of the VN's come with carbon forks or has yours had them fitted afterwards?


----------



## Gunk (20 Dec 2020)

JPBoothy said:


> I have started to like Steel again after realising that the newer grade/spec is not the same as the old heavyweight material used for making Grifters etc.. I was a bit apprehensive about what the fork would feel like but it's absolutely fine and the amount of discomfort/buzz compared to my carbon forks is marginal despite me mainly using it on rough surfaces. I'm sure that after a longer touring type ride I may think differently though! Did all of the VN's come with carbon forks or has yours had them fitted afterwards?



I'm pretty sure they all come with carbon forks, mine is a bit unique as the previous owner built it up from a bare frame to his own spec, he did a first class job, all the components are top quality.

It will be interesting to try a back to back comparison as I now own Aluminium, Steel, Carbon and Titanium biles, I will have set up an experiment using the same test route.

Interesting article here

https://www.pedalrevolution.co.uk/why-buy-a-titanium-bike/


----------



## JPBoothy (20 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I'm pretty sure they all come with carbon forks, mine is a bit unique as the previous owner built it up from a bare frame to his own spec, he did a first class job, all the components are top quality.
> 
> It will be interesting to try a back to back comparison as I now own Aluminium, Steel, Carbon and Titanium biles, I will have set up an experiment using the same test route.
> 
> ...


Interesting stuff.. I was aware the the weight/strength benefits as I work in the Aerospace Industry but I've never been a big fan of the 'naked' frame look on a bike. When I got my first CAADX they did it in polished Aluminium with a black carbon fork which was a higher spec and cheaper than the one I chose at the time but my bikes have to appeal to me visually or I just can't get on with them. Shallow I know


----------



## Tom B (20 Dec 2020)

Mike_P said:


> The shed is the flat roof floorless 2 bike Asgard locker. The dehumidifier is a Ecoair DD1 simple which does have an inbuilt sensor but I thought a separate one would be better as it would be more readily adjustable (not ,..............
> 
> snip



Thanks for the update. I have the asgard centurion. Did the dehumidifier have the outlet tube option or did you have to butcher it?

Let us know how you get on and if it cures the condensation / alters the weather.


----------



## carvelos (20 Dec 2020)

Got my trusty Raleigh Discovery frame back from Gary at GA Cycles in Shirley Southampton where he has been correcting my hamfisted attempts at cold setting the frame to 135mm.
I did the deed BADLY two years ago and have enjoyed endless bent axles and weird rubbing sounds as the back wheel tried to release itself from the torture I had inflicted upon it.
Gary reports that the frame is now better than new which must have been the early nineties. I have many thoughts for it.... Nexus hub / coaster brake / Alfine hub / roller brake / 1/8" chain and single chainring .......in fact anything I can think of rather than more crunchy derailleurs and worn out spindly chains as I plough through the best grit the Isle of Wight can throw at me. The bike in various incarnations has done over 20k miles with me and deserves some love now.
New headset bearings installed and now to draw up the wishlist for a last minute Santa!!
It really has been a Trigger's broom of a bike and will be again HO Ho ho!!!


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## Mike_P (20 Dec 2020)

Tom B said:


> Thanks for the update. I have the asgard centurion. Did the dehumidifier have the outlet tube option or did you have to butcher it?


There is a knock out on the casing of the dehumidifier and the tube pushes onto a connector inside.


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## bagpuss (21 Dec 2020)

cleaned up a pair of wheel that came off the Viscount I rescued last week . L/F with sealed bearing stainless spokes on mavic red ladel 27x1 1/4 rims {well the tyres fitted are} .Good pair of useful vintage wheels . Hale autosol metal polish .


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## palinurus (21 Dec 2020)

My legwarmer grippers had gone all kind of curly and they weren't very comfortable. Went over them with a very cool iron- it worked


----------



## Rusty Nails (22 Dec 2020)

Finished the balance bike I have rebuilt for my granddaughter for Christmas.

It had been thrown out by a neighbour. I stripped it down, sanded the old paint off, repainted it, greased the hubs and it's ready to go.

Really enjoyed the project, and it's the first one that required woodwork.


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## TheDoctor (23 Dec 2020)

Fettled a cake :-)





Otago is one of the places where Yellow-Eyed Penguins live.
Making things out of sugar paste is trickier than it looks...


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## JPBoothy (23 Dec 2020)

TheDoctor said:


> Fettled a cake :-)
> View attachment 564685
> 
> 
> ...


It's a good job that you didn't spill any of the yellow on the snow or that would have unleashed lots of imature humour


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## TheDoctor (23 Dec 2020)

Like I didn't consider it...


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## Mike_P (24 Dec 2020)

More bike shed fettling; the skateboard ramp, required to lift the road bike over the dehumidifier outlet pipe, was delivered rather too efficiently by Yodal on Tuesday which did scupper my lunch arrangements for my last pre Christmas working (at home) day as I needed to do a bit of shopping so a short lunch and a later break needed. 
So, after a dismal day yesterday only fit for ducks, a cold but largely sunny Christmas Eve morning saw the bikes and a few bits out of the shed and the annoying discovery that the ramp was too wide, or rather the shed too narrow as it means strictly the dehumidifier is too close to the side walls of the shed. A corner cut out of the ramp to fit around part of the dehumidifier and a cheap storage box from B&Q beyond, quickly filled up with spare parts. Being a bit flimsy I stuck an appropriately sized sheet of 3mm hardboard on the inside of the lid to hopefully give it a bit more strength. 
The road bike now fits in without having to be hung from a hook in order to clear the dehumidifier outlet pipe.




Nevertheless the preparation of the improved accommodation upset both bikes as whilst I was taking a coffee break they briefly got snowed on.


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## Gunk (25 Dec 2020)

I’ve had some nice stuff for Christmas so couldn’t resist having a fiddle whilst lunch was cooking

kids bought me a lovely Japanese tool box






so filled it up with all my bike specific tools.





My wife bought me a bench mounted stand, perfect for holding and restoring bare frames over the bench


----------



## Gunk (25 Dec 2020)

Had some time this afternoon and fitted my new mudguards and pannier rack, as usual the mudguards were a pig to fit but with some patience I’m pleased with results.

I can’t believe how light it all is for a touring bike.


----------



## Juan Kog (25 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> Had some time this afternoon and fitted my new mudguards and pannier rack, as usual the mudguards were a pig to fit but with some patience I’m pleased with results.
> 
> I can’t believe how light it all is for a touring bike.
> View attachment 565149
> ...


Mudguards on your turbo bike ? I'm sorry you're workshop has such a severe flooding problem. 😂


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## Gunk (25 Dec 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> Mudguards on your turbo bike ? I'm sorry you're workshop has such a severe flooding problem. 😂



I just use the turbo as a stand


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> Had some time this afternoon and fitted my new mudguards and pannier rack, as usual the mudguards were a pig to fit but with some patience I’m pleased with results.
> 
> I can’t believe how light it all is for a touring bike.
> View attachment 565149
> ...



Wait till it’s loaded for a tour. Then you’ll forget about the bike weight


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## Juan Kog (25 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I just use the turbo as a stand


I guessed that . I’ve given my script writer a Christmas holiday and I’m doing my own jokes. It shows doesn’t it.
The bench mount work stand looks very useful.


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## Gunk (25 Dec 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> The bench mount work stand looks very useful.



the idea is for it to hold a bare frame over the bench, I’ve got a bike ready for restoration so we’ll see how it works


----------



## cyberknight (25 Dec 2020)

new boots on the winter bike


----------



## Saluki (25 Dec 2020)

Mid ride bit of indexing as I couldn’t get smallest two cogs on the cassette or big ring


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## FrankCrank (26 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’ve had some nice stuff for Christmas so couldn’t resist having a fiddle whilst lunch was cooking
> 
> kids bought me a lovely Japanese tool box
> 
> ...


That's a swanky looking toolbox you got there. During my apprenticeship days, we made our own steel toolboxes as and when needed. All well and good, but you could often come in the next day and find it welded shut by the resident prankster. I assume your 'bike specific' hammer collection resides in the old toolbox


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## Gunk (26 Dec 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> That's a swanky looking toolbox you got there. During my apprenticeship days, we made our own steel toolboxes as and when needed. All well and good, but you could often come in the next day and find it welded shut by the resident prankster. I assume your 'bike specific' hammer collection resides in the old toolbox



I’ve also got a tool cabinet, but was getting fed up of going backwards and forwards for bike specific tools, so earlier this year I but all the bike tools in to a large Tupperware box, when I saw this lovely red tool box a month ago I knew it would be perfect, so it ended up on my Christmas list.

There isn’t a bike specific hammer, I clout it with whatever is to hand!


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## Gunk (26 Dec 2020)

VN is all finished now, popped out for a quick test ride to collect some essentials, I’m so glad I bought it (I nearly didn’t)


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## Landsurfer (26 Dec 2020)

I bought this yesterday, collecting it from Preston on our way to Glasgow in the morning ... some fettling, add a rack and number 2 bike will be ready for clip-less riding ... £120 ...


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## fossyant (26 Dec 2020)

Updated the maps on the Garmin Explore - wasn't the best idea as I ran it at the same time my daughter was downloading COD, son on line, us watching on demand and my daughter gaming as well. Fortunately, the broadband coped with it all.

Ihave some rotory wire brushes for the dremmel and drill - will be starting a full refurb of my Ribble 653 after Christmas.


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## Gunk (26 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> I bought this yesterday, collecting it from Preston on our way to Glasgow in the morning ... some fettling, add a rack and number 2 bike will be ready for clip-less riding ... £120 ...
> 
> View attachment 565311



I like that very much, tall frame though 60cms?


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## Landsurfer (26 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I like that very much, tall frame though 60cms?


yes .. i like 24-25 inch frames ... always feel better on a large frame ...


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## Gunk (26 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> yes .. i like 24-25 inch frames ... always feel better on a large frame ...



I’ve restored a few that big, at 5’8” I can barely ride them


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## Landsurfer (26 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> I’ve restored a few that big, at 5’8” I can barely ride them


6' 3" ... very long legs .... when my wife first met me she said , quietly in her head, but actually out loud to her friend ..... "my god, wrap around legs" ..


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## Juan Kog (26 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> I bought this yesterday, collecting it from Preston on our way to Glasgow in the morning ... some fettling, add a rack and number 2 bike will be ready for clip-less riding ... £120 ...
> 
> View attachment 565311


Red always my first choice for frame colour. Have you had chance to decipher the frame number to date the frame .Nice looking bike happy retro cycling in the new year.


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## DCLane (27 Dec 2020)

Cleaned son's Boardman AirPro and fitted new SwissStop rear brake pads. Tried, and failed, to fit a GP4000 tyre so it's got a spare wheel on.

My Avanti Circa was cleaned from today's ride and my Wilier Montegrappa was cleaned plus a replacement rear mudguard and bracket after that snapped yesterday on rough roads. I also swapped the replacement Ultegra 6800 crank I bought last week with the 6600 one that was on temporarily.


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## si_c (27 Dec 2020)

Washed the Trek as it was making grinding sounds when braking, totally filthy before, now cleaner but probably needs a full teardown and clean in spring.


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## Gunk (27 Dec 2020)

Started my CB Majestic refurbishment. Frame is now cleaned and detailed.


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## fossyant (27 Dec 2020)

Started the refurb on my Ribble 653. Its started to develop a bit of surface rust under the top tube and down tube, so being a fussy bugger, I've decided to refurb it and repaint in a perlescent white. It's metalic white and dark dreen at present (well was). Sanded it down, and where there was rust, taken this down to the surface. Dremeled all the lugs with a rotating brush to ensure they are corrosion free. Currently has it's first coat of grey primer, and I'll flat this back with wet and dry tomorrow, before starting with a white primer. Certainly not rushing this. Replacement transfers can be got from H Lloyd's. Everything came off the frame, seatpost etc no mither. The inside of the frame still smells of grease and oil.

I'll post some pics as it progresses. Although the frame looked in good condition, I'd been meaning to re-do it for some time.


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## fossyant (27 Dec 2020)

PS I forgot how light the frame actually is for steel ! I'll get the scales out tomorrow !


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Dec 2020)

Fitted winter tyres to recumbent. If it snows and settles tomorrow I’ll still be heading out riding.


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## Andy in Germany (27 Dec 2020)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Fitted winter tyres to recumbent. If it snows and settles tomorrow I’ll still be heading out riding.



I'll be doing that on the commuter when I get back to my apartment next week: I have a suspicion that the rural roads I use won't be cleared of snow.


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## DCLane (27 Dec 2020)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Fitted winter tyres to recumbent. If it snows and settles tomorrow I’ll still be heading out riding.



It's a job on my 'to do' list once I get my current marking pile (virtual pile as it's on the computer) out of the way: winter tyres plus my spare wheels that are at the back of the storage unit under all my other wheels.


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Dec 2020)

DCLane said:


> It's a job on my 'to do' list once I get my current marking pile (virtual pile as it's on the computer) out of the way: winter tyres plus my spare wheels that are at the back of the storage unit under all my other wheels.



Spare wheels with winter tyres on would be quicker to swap. But it wasn’t a long job and the cold spell looks set for at least the next week, if not longer.


----------



## Gravity Aided (28 Dec 2020)

Started fixing the Trek Navigator, but need tools from the co-op, so I moved on to getting my Schwinn Passage touring bicycle ready to go to the co-op by removing leather saddle, fenders, and front rack (rare in these parts) and starting to fit the same to the Raleigh Sojourn, except for the front rack, which is now on the Panasonic 26" tourer. Still needs some straightening. But the Panasonic, now that it has fenders and racks, looks much more like a touring bicycle than the Trek 950 did. Also, I put a leather saddle on the Panasonic as well, something from Amazon.


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## Landsurfer (28 Dec 2020)

Todays fettling .... 23 mm worn tyres replaced with BTwin 700 x 28 tyres and new tubes and Blackburn MTB bottle cage fitted. The Sugino 52 / 42 double chainset rings where replaced with a single new 38 tooth plain alloy Stronglight ring without ramps or pins. I've removed the front changer.
Bought a new 6 speed freewheel from Decathlon and a suitable chain, i'll change those tomorrow. I'll replace the damaged quill pedals with some V8 Wellgo copies i have ..... BUT .. I am so tempted to fit M520'S....


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## fossyant (28 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> PS I forgot how light the frame actually is for steel ! I'll get the scales out tomorrow !



Fork 670g, frame 1,720g. Going to nead more white primer as the white perlescent is virtually transparent so the base has to be 100% In the process of initial primer coats, and rubbing back to remove some of the sanding marks from the lug areas. 

No rush as I'm alowing 24h between coats/rubbing down. Going to look rather nice close up as I tested some of the perlescent on the fork legs.


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## Gunk (28 Dec 2020)

Cleaned up a Stronglight chainset this afternoon


----------



## Johnsco (29 Dec 2020)

Today was a day for fettling the cars.
Winter screen-wash in the washer bottles and general safety check.
Temperature only just above freezing !!


----------



## DCBassman (29 Dec 2020)

Yesterday and day before was re-fettling the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Managed to get it running LineageOS 14.1, which is Android 7.1 Nougat, so it will keep running apps for a few extra years. Only downside is that the Samsung specific keyboard dock is not recognised at all. Bummer. And there appears to be no solution, so dug out a folding Bluetooth keyboard and paired it, all working well.


----------



## Landsurfer (29 Dec 2020)

Been back to Decathlon today for a chain, brake cables, cable outer but cannot buy a 2 prong freewheel removal tool anywhere, and need some tan brake hoods ... If anyone with 20 miles has a freewheel removal tool i can borrow ( use at yours, not send to me) and of a pair of brake hoods to sell please get in touch.
As for the frame scratches, i'm going to wax polish the frame externally. Had Connors £9.99 endoscope down the tubes today, all is well, and now sprayed in motorcycle chain lube .. the stiff BB will be replaced eventually as the chain lube seems to have given it a new lease of life. OOHH EA ... Bit of lube love ...


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## Gunk (29 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> but cannot buy a 2 prong freewheel removal tool anywhere



Park tools do them, try Spa in Harrogate


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## Johnsco (29 Dec 2020)

Hi Landsurfer.
I've got a Park Tool FR-2 .... 2 prong freewheel remover.
Where are you ?
You're welcome to use.
I'm in Leeds LS3.


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## Landsurfer (29 Dec 2020)

Not far from where i work in holbeck ...


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## Johnsco (29 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> Not far from where i work in holbeck ...


I'll pm you my details.
You're welcome to use.
John


----------



## Landsurfer (29 Dec 2020)

Whats so annoying is i know i have one ... but after searching for 2 days i cant find it !!
Thank you Johnsco


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## Johnsco (29 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> Whats so annoying is i know i have one ... but after searching for 2 days i cant find it !!
> Thank you Johnsco


..... The story of my life !!!


----------



## Domus (30 Dec 2020)

Well, after fitting my new Wahoo mount which now goes to the left of my stem it interfered with my dynamo light switch. In re routing the wires I inadvertently moved the light and could not put it back. So, a washer was filed to clear the bend in the light bracket but the mounting screw was then too short . A hunt through the spares box turned up a screw of the right length but then the brake noodle was in the way, brake cable removed and all tightened up.  Brake cable re fitted but noticed the brake arms were not moving together. Turns out the RH one was almost seized, so another job needed doing. By this time the garage was getting chilly, both arms stripped, cleaned and greased, re fitted and adjusted . Phew, a two minute job took most of the morning.


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## fossyant (30 Dec 2020)

The refurb is coming on. Forks primed and pearlescent white applied. Lacquer to go.

Frame partially primed. Need another tin.


----------



## Gunk (30 Dec 2020)

Stripped, cleaned and rebuilt a pair of 750's this afternoon, for some reason it's a job I always enjoy.


----------



## Mike_P (30 Dec 2020)

Changed the bell on the ebike, it's original had developed that annoying habit of not doing what its supposed to do when needed yet on test working fine. A RockBros type fitted (arrived today, ordered Xmas day on eBay) which seemed to be a three hand job but eventually got the strap fitted.

Update on the mudguards for the Defy, back set now on in two parts either side of the brakes with an additional stay and a cable tie around the down tube for the rear section.

I had painted them black and the added micrometres of two coats of primer and two of paint must have been a touch too much for the front ones, I knew the clearance was minimal but had not realised just how minimal. So cut to the rear of the forks and the front reduced so that the only bit of the hole that was formed is now under a crimp on mudguard bridge. Awaiting some A2 stainless steel bits to form a support over the top of the brakes.


----------



## fossyant (30 Dec 2020)

Ran out of primer, so nipped out for two more cans. No more pearlescent white in the store, so popped to another to take their last can.


----------



## Gravity Aided (30 Dec 2020)

Finished work on the Raleigh Sojourn today, attached the fender with a 50mm bolt and a 5/16 socket as a spacer so the mounting hardware would take the mounting arm of the fender out far enough to avoid clearance issues with the disc brake actuator


----------



## carvelos (30 Dec 2020)

carvelos said:


> all that was left of a 8" seatpost that surrendered to caustic soda. THE BEST thing I hav ever done!!
> View attachment 558323


----------



## Landsurfer (30 Dec 2020)

How's the steel ???????


----------



## Landsurfer (30 Dec 2020)

I gave in to the pull of the dark side .... M520's are now installed ....


----------



## Big John (30 Dec 2020)

Made a homemade hanger alignment tool with the help of YouTube. Couldn't bring myself to part with around £30 for a tool that won't get used that often. Tried it on the winter bike but sadly the hanger was straight so didn't use the tool to straighten it but at least it showed it was all as it should be.


----------



## Gunk (30 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> I gave in to the pull of the dark side .... M520's are now installed ....
> View attachment 566261



You could have given them a quick clean first!


----------



## fossyant (31 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> You could have given them a quick clean first!



Something tells me the pedals have hardly been used.


----------



## Landsurfer (31 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> Something tells me the pedals have hardly been used.


Just under 3000 miles i'll have you know .... mint !


----------



## Gunk (31 Dec 2020)

Landsurfer said:


> Just under 3000 miles i'll have you know .... mint !



What is the bike? Looks nice


----------



## biggs682 (31 Dec 2020)

fossyant said:


> The refurb is coming on. Forks primed and pearlescent white applied. Lacquer to go.
> 
> Frame partially primed. Need another tin.
> 
> ...


Looking good 



Landsurfer said:


> Whats so annoying is i know i have one ... but after searching for 2 days i cant find it !!
> Thank you Johnsco



Glad I am not the only one


----------



## Landsurfer (31 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> What is the bike? Looks nice


1985 Raleigh Sirocco ..... £120 ... since then I've spent another £30 0n bits ... but still a bargain ... no rack mounts so i'll be fitting "P" clips to get round that one ...


----------



## Gunk (31 Dec 2020)

I turned my attention to the Mavic wheelset which is going on to my CB Majestic rebuild. I stripped and serviced the hubs, cleaned everything and gave the hubs a polish with Autosol, fitted some new tyres and they're now ready to fit.


----------



## carvelos (31 Dec 2020)

carvelos said:


> all that was left of a 8" seatpost that surrendered to caustic soda. THE BEST thing I hav ever done!!
> View attachment 558323


What I forgot to mention was how I had plugged the seat tube with surgical rubber gloves and kitchen roll to stop all the caustic juicy loveliness escape...
This lead to a 6" hard plug of ossified crystallline cruelty that would not be shifted - I tried long metal rods and savage biffing and then went down the route of compounding the problem by ramming an old steel axle down into it to wedge it even more...... (All this would never have been needed if I had only bought a small rubber basin plug when I had the freakin chance. (Why can't we live in hindsight it's such a wise place???).

Solved today by the 10 - 15 minute application of my trusty propane torch that not only made the frame glow a lovely colour, but also filled the village with black toxic fumes that I am writing to Boris about as a cure to Covid or at least any breathing ever!! The wedged axle fell out, rubber ash and crap tumbled down to the bottom bracket and all is right with the world. 
Planning on Hammerite dark green with oil based gold pen accents around the lugs. Trial pic to follow as soon as special pen arrives


----------



## Chris S (1 Jan 2021)

I stripped the spokes from a scrap wheel and then wondered if I could rebuild it again. I took a look at Sheldon's guide and gave it a go.

I had broken some of the spokes so I rebuilt it with 24 (instead of 36) and used a simple 2-cross lacing pattern. I kept the hub as central as possible when I was putting them in so the wheel was more or less true after I tightened them.

The whole build took less than 90 minutes. It would have been even quicker if I hadn't made a mistake with the first trailing spoke and had to redo them.

The wheel was at least as solid and as true as my existing one so I put an old tyre on it and went for a test ride. It didn't feel any different, even over speed bumps. If it had a full compliment of spokes (and no empty holes in the rim) then I'd probably keep it as a spare.


----------



## carvelos (1 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> I turned my attention to the Mavic wheelset which is going on to my CB Majestic rebuild. I stripped and serviced the hubs, cleaned everything and gave the hubs a polish with Autosol, fitted some new tyres and they're now ready to fit.
> 
> View attachment 566475
> 
> ...


Looking good, I'm really sorry but the first time I (mis) read your polishing regime I convinced myself you had used Anusol and I found myself thinking of all the chemist products I could use - I mean Vaseline is best for seatposts as it is soap free and pumice stone is great for paint removal..


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (1 Jan 2021)

Nothing much, just 2 jobs

*1. *Fitted a bracket for the front light that I bought last week
It was this bracket from Halfords; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...pe/bikehut-out-front-combo-mount-684374.html?

However, on looking at it, it's suggested mounting the light upside-down
Sadly, the Garmin portion won't remove, so the bracket is inverted

However, it's very flexible now, due to the weight being out-front
As much as I don't really like the silicone strap with it, I may have to resort to it
(I'm days-off today/tomorrow, so it'll be an 'early-turn' on Sunday, when I try it)












*2.*
I removed the chain, & very easily indeed, with my new 'quick-link' pliers, & left it soaking in a dish of (mixed) m/cycle chain-oil & diesel
The jockey-wheels, cassette & front derailleur were all cleaned up with diesel
The chain-rings removed to allow full access to clean then


----------



## Jenkins (1 Jan 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Nothing much, just 2 jobs
> 
> *1. *Fitted a bracket for the front light that I bought last week
> It was this bracket from Halfords; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...pe/bikehut-out-front-combo-mount-684374.html?
> ...


If you're not using the Garmin part of the mount with the Halfords light, what you need instead is something like the Hope universal handlebar mount, which screws to the underside of the light. You shuld be able to find it for around a tenner, plus postage.


----------



## Jenkins (1 Jan 2021)

Having finally run out of adjustment on the rear brakes on the main commuter when the barrel screw reached its limit, it was finally time to replace the brake pads. I didn't realise just how little material there was left on them!


----------



## bagpuss (1 Jan 2021)

Replaced cleats on winter cycling boots . What should of been a simple job,turned into slightly more of a problem, owing to the bolts heads been totally knackered . Ended up having to drill 2 out .Managed to exract remains of bolts from the internal fixing plate .New cleats fitted and adjusted . Road tested etc . Warm feet on tomorrows ride .


----------



## Gunk (1 Jan 2021)

Finished off the CB project bike. Really pleased with this one, I like the clean but slightly tatty frame (I clearcoated it so it’s useable)


----------



## Juan Kog (1 Jan 2021)

My fettling did not go to plan today . My Boardman fixed needed some TLC ,it was not a quiet ride in part due to a well worn bottom bracket . Change the bottom bracket, simple what could possibly go wrong.
I then remembered the extractor threads were a bit worn on this chain set , again not a problem. Well it was the extractor tool just chewed up the remaining threads. “ oh crumbs “ I said or something like that, 
This could mean the visit of shame to the LBS . But I’m pleased I managed to sort it myself. See photo.



tomorrow I’m going to dig out my angle grinder to chop that chain set up , then I won’t be tempted to put it back on a bike.


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## bikingdad90 (1 Jan 2021)

I had a failed fettle. I fitted some spare calipers on my bike, unfortunately I needed long reach ones and the spares were short reach so didn’t sit right on the rim. No probs, I’ll just swap back to the old calipers. When doing so I lost the serrated washer on the rear brake on the garage floor black hole and now it doesn’t sit tight. 

Ah well bike is out of action for a few days but it has given me an excuse to pay £2.99 for some new tyres from Planet X along with the £6.99 DPD postage fee as they had the washer in stock. I also got a 1.85mm spacer for a cassette and a few other bits I needed that I put off purchasing.

Once my Mavic jersey sells on CC I’ll probably buy the ice cream jersey from Planet X which I have had my eye on.


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## HLaB (2 Jan 2021)

First fettle of the year. I ran my front pads close to the limit and finally got round to replacing them  They had been fine until yesterday so that motivated me. I had left them so long it wasn't a case of simply sliding them out of the holder so I had to remove them. The pads still wouldn't slide out and I almost gave up then they suddenly did slide out with little force.

After sliding the new pads in, I refitted the holders.


----------



## Gunk (2 Jan 2021)

Not much fettling today but a set of halo Allen key skewers arrived this morning from Spa so I fitted them to my Van Nic. I used the bike earlier today to pop down to Waitrose so it was nice to have the added of security of not having Q/R skewers.







I wasn't happy with the brake shoes, they were giving zero feel so I swapped them out for a Shimano set I already had, after a short run this morning, although the fronts squeak slightly they are much better. I really like these Canti brakes, easy to set up and work really well.






This afternoon I cleaned and tidied up my (small) workshop area after the CB rebuild.


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## fossyant (2 Jan 2021)

More spraying the Ribble 653. The forks are finished and I'm nearing the end of priming the frame. Fitted ice tyres to both MTBs and swapped the Mavic QRs off the old MTB for Shimano ones.


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## Gunk (2 Jan 2021)

fossyant said:


> More spraying the Ribble 653. The forks are finished and I'm nearing the end of priming the frame. Fitted ice tyres to both MTBs and swapped the Mavic QRs off the old MTB for Shimano ones.


 
we need some photos!


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## derrick (2 Jan 2021)

This.


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## fossyant (2 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> we need some photos!



Primed frame






Forks...


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## fossyant (2 Jan 2021)

Left the crown race on as it needed painting. Cartridge Shimano 600 headset


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## Gunk (2 Jan 2021)

Looking good! I did one recently, they're a lovely frame


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## fossyant (2 Jan 2021)

Components all cleaned up. Shimano 600


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## Gravity Aided (3 Jan 2021)

I replaced the old freewheel on my Trek Navigator 200, as the old freewheel was acting up with the new chain. I had just gotten this for a winter bicycle, so I am slowly going through and correcting all its woes. From the look of things, it was the previous owners' winter bicycle as well.


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## fossyant (4 Jan 2021)

Pearlescent paint going on. Tin and a bit so far. Tin left, then lacquer.


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## yo vanilla (4 Jan 2021)

Just finished sprucing up this old Trek. Purchased for $40, have about $65 in it (plus some on-hand items)





I have to decide what to do with it now. I thought at first I would sell it. It's kind of growing on me now, but I do already have two 90's rigid MTB's at home. I do love the 90's though....


----------



## Johnsco (4 Jan 2021)

I bought a replacement rear DR for the Carlton.
A vintage Zeus Criterium off ebay.
While attempting to strip it down for a service and lube I came across these silly screws that hold the jockey wheels in the cage.
The heads are circular with a small flat on one side only .... Unhelpful !!!
I could move one of them with a small adjustable, but there wasn't the space to get it on the other screw.
I modified an old 3BA open-ended spanner with a hack-saw and a couple of small files.
Result .... Success - It fitted OK and managed to unscrew the second screw.
The old Zeus DR that I am retiring has proper hex-head screws for the jockey wheels.
[Sorry the photo focus isn't very good - The camera might be the next thing needing fettling]


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## Richard A Thackeray (5 Jan 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Nothing much, just 2 jobs
> 
> *1. *Fitted a bracket for the front light that I bought last week
> It was this bracket from Halfords; https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...pe/bikehut-out-front-combo-mount-684374.html?
> ...



Curiously, I rode to work with the 'extension' on Monday, in the dark, & the light kept turning off
It was on, what I'll call, _setting 3 _
(I'll call_ setting 1_, the brightest)

Even odder, I tried it on _setting 1_, & it was fine

I was wondering, if when attaching it to the bracket I'd fastened the screw too tight, & was distorting the casing/disturbing the electronics??


When I got home, I removed it all, & went back to the silicone band
As for how it works now? - I have no idea, I went in the car this AM
I'll try it in the morning


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## Leaway2 (6 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> I'm surprised you didn't clean and detail the crankset before you refitted it, WD40 and wire wool would have had that looking like new. Plus it's so easy to clean it when it's off the bike.


Fitted new Gossamer crankset after criticism about the the state of my current crankset. I am holding @Gunk responsible for this expense.


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## Gunk (6 Jan 2021)

I’ve always liked FSA stuff, it’s nicely made and that looks proper, like a crankset should look like.


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## biggs682 (6 Jan 2021)

Cabled up the calipers on the Dave Russell and fitted some pedals then treated myself to a test ride


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## fossyant (7 Jan 2021)

Painting is now finished. Went through 3.5 tins of primer, 2.5 tins of pearlescent and a tin of lacquer. Just letting it all harden for a week or two before re-assembly and parts arriving. Spare paint will be in case there is ever any damage !

Given the weather, I had a fan heater on in the garage, and the paint was kept in the house, and returned into the warmth after each coat. Copious use of a hair dryer was also needed.

I'm currently awaiting delivery of the 'Ribble' transfers and the 653 stickers from H Lloyds. Tyres, cables, bar tape and bottle cages are coming from Planet X, new aero seat post from SJS cycles (original fluted seat post is a bit tatty) and a Charge Spoon from Leisure Lakes (like rocking horse poop to obtain).

The old San Marco Regal is a bit tatty (well it's not that bad but the rails are pitted and one of the 'rivets' was replaced with a plastic one some years ago). No point having anything tatty on it as the rest has come up well. Also ordered some PTFE gear liner to line the cable guides on the bottom bracket (they are part of the BB shell rather than a plastic guide - this will also protect the paint).


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## Gunk (7 Jan 2021)

fossyant said:


> and a Charge Spoon from Leisure Lakes (like rocking horse poop to obtain).



It's probably all CC members buying them, there are plenty of threads extolling their virtues


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## fossyant (7 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> It's probably all CC members buying them, there are plenty of threads extolling their virtues



I think they are either not making them anymore as only newer models were showing in stock. The newer models won't look right on an 80's bike.


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## Gunk (7 Jan 2021)

Packed up a bike this afternoon


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## cosmicbike (7 Jan 2021)

Yesterday, commuter given new chain, new bottom bracket (previous PF30 lasted over 10k miles, no complaints here) and front 50T chainring as the original was very shark like after 17,000 miles in all weathers. 22 miles today with no clicks, I'm happy with that.


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## Gunk (10 Jan 2021)

I had a tyre swaporama this afternoon, I replaced the 23c GP 4000's off my Van Nicholas for new 28c GP 5000's. They just fit under the mudguards, but they will be much better for town riding with panniers. If needed I can run them at 85psi which will make riding a bit more comfortable.






I recycled the slightly worn 4000's on to my Ribble EM2 Turbo bike, I've also today bought a spare Campag rear wheel off eBay just for the turbo, so I can then quickly swap rear wheels and use the Ribble on the road this summer. Plus it will be useful as a spare road bike, if we ever have guests again!






So that was my fart arsing around this afternoon!


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## bikingdad90 (10 Jan 2021)

I’ll be doing the same @Gunk when my new tyres arrive. Continental speed contact tyres going on the new wheelset and the Bontranger R3 tyres going on my spare wheelset to get rid of the cheapo kenda tyres. Now just need a cheapo rear wheel to put the kenda tyre on for the turbo.


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## Gunk (10 Jan 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> I’ll be doing the same @Gunk when my new tyres arrive. Continental speed contact tyres going on the new wheelset and the Bontranger R3 tyres going on my spare wheelset to get rid of the cheapo kenda tyres. Now just need a cheapo rear wheel to put the kenda tyre on for the turbo.



The problem is with Campagnolo is that there is no such thing as a cheap decent spare rear wheel. However I picked up a brand new Mavic CXP rim with a Campy hub, so with a used identical Chorus cassette I’m all in for just over £100, if it had been Shimano I could have bought everything for about half the price.

All this Agro because I had a Eurus wheelset I wanted to use. I should have sold them and just bought a decent used Mavic Aksium wheelset, you live and learn!


----------



## Andy in Germany (10 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> I had a tyre swaporama this afternoon, I replaced the 23c GP 4000's off my Van Nicholas for new 28c GP 5000's. They just fit under the mudguards, but they will be much better for town riding with panniers. If needed I can run them at 85psi which will make riding a bit more comfortable.
> 
> View attachment 568295
> 
> ...



I had a similar time putting studded tyres on my commuter. It turns out they are heavy: When I'd fitted he studded tyre on the back I took the front out and the upside down bike tipped backwards.


----------



## Tom B (10 Jan 2021)

I was annoyed a few days ago that both my Lezyne rear lights packed up at the same time. Having had issues with poor build quality and parts choices on Lezyne stuff in the past I had put them to one side for a closer look. Neither would charge.

The Zecto drive was about 2 years and 2 months old and the stripdrive about 3. Lezyne's website said for warranty lengths in UK ask your retailer. Tredz very curtly and slightly rudely said "on yer bike". So I didn't order a replacement from them.

Took the strip drive to bits, or rather just pulled the gubbins out, the fault appears to be an IC chip that when plugged into the charger just gets stupidly hot. Googling the numbers on the chip gives no suggestion of what it does but I'll hazard a guess it's the charge controller. So tossed that aside as I doubt I'd be able to physically replace the chip anyway.

Took the Zecto drive apart. As soon as I had the PCB out it worked as it should. Fiddling around showed the fault was with the micro usb connector. I remembered I had some of them from when I replaced on in a phone years ago so dug them out. Managed to free the old connector from the PCB but my soldering iron was far to big to reattach. Tried a bit of copper wire in the iron which failed but then hit on using a sewing needle from the missus seeing kit. Bingo.
When I came to reassemble it I noticed that two of the holes in the red plastic lens which form part of the front were broken. Managed to get them back together with araldite and then strengthen them. Left it to cure before I reassemble.

For a brand that sings about their design quality I'm unimpressed with lots of aspects. The fact the thing is held together by 1mm or so of brittle lens plastic on the vulnerable corners. The really poor seal and ingress protection on both the Zecto drive and the stripdrive. I can't help wondering if they've both suffered ingress which has caused the problem. Newer stripdrives have a different charging arrangement, but are still poor. If I bought it again tomorrow I think I'd seal it up with Epoxy.

The bike desperately needs a new crank, chain and cassette. Being deep in mingy salty weather I'm loathed to change it. It all needs doing so it's not like anything is lost by leaving it. But the drive chain does go really rusty really quickly. Leaves me pondering if old really worn chains rust faster.

Anyway washed it clean and relubed.


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## fossyant (11 Jan 2021)

Fitted the headset races back onto the Ribble (bearing presses and a threadded bar). Fitted the rear drop out adjusters, fitted the new seat post and saddle (something to hold the bike by), threadded in the BB (not tight yet), drilled out the BB cable guides to 3mm to fit PTFE liner and fitted 3m helicopter tape to the drive side chain stay.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Jan 2021)

Its seems my front hydraulic brake on my recumbent needs bleeding. So that will be tomorrow afternoon‘s fettle once the rain stops. Get that lever travel nice and crisp again. Ridden through too many floods of late!


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## Tom B (12 Jan 2021)

Crowed too soon about not changing anything on my worn-out chainset. Over last two days it wouldn't stay in the middle ring and there was so much wear side to side in the chain it would take three clicks to change on the RD. Leaving me with just the middle of the block. It seems all that rusty gunk was stiffening up the chain.

Ive slapped a chain on it for now and we'll have a laugh at how hideously skatey it is later


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## Gunk (12 Jan 2021)

Tom B said:


> rusty gunk



you called? 🤓


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## Ming the Merciless (12 Jan 2021)

Car failed MOT.

Wiper blade split drivers side
Bonnet wouldn’t close.

So bought and fitted new wiper.
With help of flat blade screw driver, socket set, unbolted bonnet latch, applied copious penetrating and lubricating oil, then rebolted in place. That sorted out bonnet latch

Car passed retest MOT when I took it back.

Ran out of daylight to bleed the hydraulic front brake on my recumbent.


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## Johnsco (12 Jan 2021)

Another member spending the day fettling the car.
I foolishly broke the turn-signal lens in my passenger-side door mirror.
It contains a number of small yellow LEDs
Fortunately you can buy the lamp unit without having to replace the whole mirror.
That was today's fettle - Fiddly - But less difficult to change it than I expected.
Success !!
MOT test next Monday.


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## Tom B (13 Jan 2021)

Tom B said:


> Ive slapped a chain on it for now and we'll have a laugh at how hideously skatey it is later



Answer, exceedingly. 

Only the two largest sprockets were serviceable.

New cassette fitted. I await the arrival of my new crankset from bikeparts.co.uk....

Anyone used them?





Ming the Merciless said:


> Car failed MOT.



As mine has got older I have taken to presenting it for Mot before fixing faults. I would hate to spend time and money fixing known faults A only to find unknown fault B writes it off.


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Jan 2021)

Installed Android 11 on my phone


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Jan 2021)

Tom B said:


> Answer, exceedingly.
> 
> Only the two largest sprockets were serviceable.
> 
> ...


Yes, but quite a while back under their previous incarnation: Woolly Hat Shop. Service from them was fine.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Jan 2021)

With another all day wet one I still haven’t bleed the front hydraulics. Dry tomorrow so fingers crossed before an outing afterwards.


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## fossyant (14 Jan 2021)

Most of the Ribble is back together. Separate thread for photos. The quill stem didn't want to go back in. Had to remove the 'wedge' pop the long bolt on it, and tap it in with a hammer. Then take stem, fit that too, and tap that in as well. It moved fine after the first CM.


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## bikingdad90 (14 Jan 2021)

Put my new 28c tyres on the road bike and then had a load of irritating rubbing/squealing noise from the rear mudguard near the brake calipers. In the end wheel out, mudguard bridge nut hole butchered to allow me to move it further up with a junior hacksaw blade and then trimmed some of the mudguard away in the narrower section to try and stop the noise. Seems to have done the trick but will see how long the guard now lasts and how long it is silent before it shuffles and starts again.


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## Gunk (14 Jan 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Put my new 28c tyres on the road bike and then had a load of irritating rubbing/squealing noise from the rear mudguard near the brake calipers. In the end wheel out, mudguard bridge nut hole butchered to allow me to move it further up with a junior hacksaw blade and then trimmed some of the mudguard away in the narrower section to try and stop the noise. Seems to have done the trick but will see how long the guard now lasts and how long it is silent before it shuffles and starts again.



I’ve just changed from 23c to 28c on my Van Nic Amazon, luckily no mods needed, they fitted perfectly.


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## DCBassman (15 Jan 2021)

Pre-ride fettle on the revell mixte. Change pedals, raise saddle a bit, then pump tyres. Pedals, check, saddle - seat pin sheared.
Taking the Scott, then...


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Installed Android 11 on my phone



and this time it seems stable, with no crashes or reboots since installed. When I installed Android 8, it wasn’t very stable. Probably installed an incompatible version of Google apps on top of Android. Anyway, so far, so good, with latest update I’ve applied.


----------



## DCBassman (15 Jan 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> and this time it seems stable, with no crashes or reboots since installed. When I installed Android 8, it wasn’t very stable. Probably installed an incompatible version of Google apps on top of Android. Anyway, so far, so good, with latest update I’ve applied.



Is this via Lineage or similar? Wondering if I should push my S7 Edge up to 10 or 11...


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Is this via Lineage or similar? Wondering if I should push my S7 Edge up to 10 or 11...



Yes Lineage with Nikgapps.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2021)

Blimey it’s cold outside.

Have now bleed the front hydraulic Shimano XT brakes. With it hovering around zero the tube was not flexible enough to fit over bleed port. So ran it under hot tap for a while, which made it warm and flexible enough. Plenty of air bubbles came out, which is what the bleed is all about removing. Then could not fit wheel back in with pads back in. So spent some time trying to push pistons back into caliper body. I’d overfilled it with brake fluid, and made mistake of pulling lever once bleed block out. So master cylinder port off, and managed to push pistons fully in, catching excess fluid in paper towel.

Good news after all of that is that brakes nice and crisp again. Bleeding brakes when it’s freezing outside isn’t the easiest! I had to keep popping back inside to warm hands up. The rear brake is fine, so at least I only had one brake to do.

Now cup of tea and washing up whilst I warm up. Then pop out for an hour ride or so to ensure everything is good.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2021)

The other thing I have fettled is to retrieve the draw string from inside one of my Ron hill bikester bottoms. Seems it got pulled one end whilst in washing machine. Must tie in knot next set I put in the wash.


----------



## 12boy (15 Jan 2021)

About month ago I went to the balefill to drop off branches in exchange for a voucher which will get me $5 off off wood chips in the spring. They grind up branches, leaves etc and make wood chips, compost and mulch so all that gets recycled instead of buried in the balefill. Folks also drop off bikes they don't want and that's where I picked up a Tange chromo Bianchi Nyala frame, which per the Suntour Mount tech derailleur was a 93. Nothing else on the frame but a corroded BB, heavy cranks with triple steel chainrings and some Deore cantis which were missing parts. And the frame and fork weighed at least 9 lbs.
But, bored as hell, I poked through my stuff, found a good UN55 cartridge BB, an ok saddle, a couple of wheels, cheapo brake levers, crap pedals and my summer semislick 2" city tires. I bought a Tange head set, a seatpost, new cables and cable housing and a pair of v-brakes. The seat post was too big, although the LBS guy and I found specs that said it was 26.6 and that is what we ordered . Also on hand was an ok 40 tooth chainring, a semi cherry Sugino rd2 crank set, a cobbled together KMC chain, a flat bar and Ergon grips with small bar ends.
Sanded down the seat post a bit, greased the jockey wheels on the derailleur, and repacked the wheels, changing the parts on the rear hub to center it in the chain stays. Put everything together and it works pretty well. In the summer the sun heats up my minivan to 60C and that will cure a rattlecan paint job fairly quickly. I will strip the frame and fork, treat the rusty spots and paint it when it is warm enough outside.
I think it is about 27 lbs as is. The saddle and the single aluminum chainring stripped some weight.











Between the long wheelbase and the 2 " tires it has a pretty plush ride. I do love level top tube chromo bikes and this one with studded snows will be good enough in the winter months. Light years away from the elegant jobs I've you guys turn out but still fun to work on.​


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## fossyant (15 Jan 2021)

Had to chip this lot off.









Fortunately it just fell off as an Icy lump when washed with hot water.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Jan 2021)

12boy said:


> About month ago I went to the balefill to drop off branches in exchange for a voucher which will get me $5 off off wood chips in the spring. They grind up branches, leaves etc and make wood chips, compost and mulch so all that gets recycled instead of buried in the balefill. Folks also drop off bikes they don't want and that's where I picked up a Tange chromo Bianchi Nyala frame, which per the Suntour Mount tech derailleur was a 93. Nothing else on the frame but a corroded BB, heavy cranks with triple steel chainrings and some Deore cantis which were missing parts. And the frame and fork weighed at least 9 lbs.
> But, bored as hell, I poked through my stuff, found a good UN55 cartridge BB, an ok saddle, a couple of wheels, cheapo brake levers, crap pedals and my summer semislick 2" city tires. I bought a Tange head set, a seatpost, new cables and cable housing and a pair of v-brakes. The seat post was too big, although the LBS guy and I found specs that said it was 26.6 and that is what we ordered . Also on hand was an ok 40 tooth chainring, a semi cherry Sugino rd2 crank set, a cobbled together KMC chain, a flat bar and Ergon grips with small bar ends.
> Sanded down the seat post a bit, greased the jockey wheels on the derailleur, and repacked the wheels, changing the parts on the rear hub to center it in the chain stays. Put everything together and it works pretty well. In the summer the sun heats up my minivan to 60C and that will cure a rattlecan paint job fairly quickly. I will strip the frame and fork, treat the rusty spots and paint it when it is warm enough outside.
> I think it is about 27 lbs as is. The saddle and the single aluminum chainring stripped some weight.
> ...



I used to have a mtn bike I bought mid 90s. The geometry wasn’t far off road bike, hence the longer top tubes than you see now. Steep downhills were exciting.


----------



## ebikeerwidnes (15 Jan 2021)

Very minor thing - but I have had my bike for about 18 months
When I got it I was so excited I just jumped on a rode it - I realised the saddle was a bit high - but by the time I got home I had forgotten about it

Anyway - it was in the LBS last week to replace some worn out gears and they must have done a test ride and had to drop the saddle a bit
so now it was too low

so today I finally - after 18 months - spent all of 2 minutes putting it at the right height!

hardly major engineering - but whatever


----------



## Gunk (15 Jan 2021)

I changed the 35 year old strip light in the garage for a 6’ 7200 Lumens LED strip light off Amazon, the difference really is night and day! Best £34 I’ve spent for a long time, should have done it years ago.


----------



## Dogtrousers (15 Jan 2021)

OK I didn't actually fettle this today. I did it a few weeks ago. 
This is the back of my rack, on which I can now mount a Garmin Varia light and a small Cateye light side by side. Neither mount was designed for this purpose, nor was the rack, so a good deal of bodging was required but both mounts have proven to be secure under real-world testing.


----------



## dave r (16 Jan 2021)

I put a new back brake cable on my fixed, now strictly speaking I don't need a back brake on my fixed, but its my winter bike and I don't want to rely on a front brake and my feeble leg braking skills when its slippery. Whilst I was doing the job I finally got round to changing the brake calliper, the one that Genesis fit is a bit too short reach, it needs the rear wheel as far forward in the track end as it will go, then when the chain wears and the wheel is pulled back you can't adjust the brake to keep it on the rim, so a longer reach back brake and a new cable fitted this morning.


----------



## philtalksbx (16 Jan 2021)

I finally put some barrel adjusters on the Record Ace. I bought them back in the autumn but lost a couple of months to you-know-what and only now am I finally turning my mind back to cycling.








Hopefully now I can dial in the indexing just right. Maybe three months in the shed has caused the rear mech to bind a bit because it wasn‘t shifting consistently on the first click to begin with. It improved on the test ride but maybe needs a bit more tlc and new lube on the pivots.


----------



## derrick (16 Jan 2021)

Put this together yesterday, Shake down ride today, Two BMXs welded together. 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqRqeiQUdP8:laugh
:


----------



## Gunk (16 Jan 2021)

After a longer ride this afternoon I decided that the fancy SLR saddle I fitted wasn’t doing it for me, 






so I swapped it for a comfortable gel Selle Italia I had in my box of bits, which is an old favourite, Van Nicholas don’t made swapping seats an easy task, the titanium seat post has to be bent open to remove the seat and then clamped shut with some mole grips to get the bolts back in, as I’ve done it before, it wasn’t quite so nerve racking this time.






My spare rear wheel for the Shimpag turbo bike also arrived, the seller was accurate in his description it genuinely is like new.











I’m just waiting for Campagnolo Chorus 9 Speed cassette to arrive, I did however have a spin around the close on the Shimpag now it’s fitted with a pair of road tyres and was really pleased with how it rides, I’m looking forward to a proper road test once we have some better/dryer weather.

Tyre fitted and it’s hanging up waiting.


----------



## C R (16 Jan 2021)

derrick said:


> Put this together yesterday, Shake down ride today, Two BMXs welded together.
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqRqeiQUdP8:laugh
> :



Neat. Do you have some kind of jig to hold the frames accurately for welding or do you "gently" set the thing straight after welding.


----------



## derrick (16 Jan 2021)

C R said:


> Neat. Do you have some kind of jig to hold the frames accurately for welding or do you "gently" set the thing straight after welding.


A piece of string from back to front.  Needs a few tweaks, got to work out how to make seat slide back and forth.


----------



## Tom B (16 Jan 2021)

Noticed the right shifter was getting sticky and reluctant on my last ride so stripped it off and cleaned it out today. Flooded it with carb cleaner and then with GT85 a few times. Found I've left my grease at my dad's so used some scented vaseline on the grease points.

Certainly smells nice.

The freewheel unit was sticking on my last ride, but seems much better today. It was sub minus 7 so I wonder if the grease was getting thick and reluctant or if there was some ice in there. Still doesn't bode well.

It's a Shimano 8speed freehub body is there any point in taking it apart or just swap it out?


----------



## Jenkins (16 Jan 2021)

A few hours this afternoon removing the mud, road grime and grit, then cleaning & lubing the chains on the three bikes that have seen commuting and general riding duties so far this year. 

With the weather forecast for the next week, looks like this will be repeated quite often.


----------



## Andy in Germany (18 Jan 2021)

Finally changed my luggage rack: 







The old one was a salvage when I fitted it to this bike nearly a decade ago and was a bit awkward so it was time to replace it. 

I'll need to fine tune it at work with the longer hex keys they have there, but it's solid enough for tomorrows ride. 

To my frank astonishment the dynamo lights still work too...


----------



## 12boy (18 Jan 2021)

In the past I sprayed a Raleigh Technium with gray primer and my 85 'Dale mtn bike with red, and then clear coated them both. Both, but especially the gray had sort of a metal flake quality that was only visible after the clear coat. The red wound up an oxblood color. I am thinking I'll do this Bianchi in the red in the spring when I can spray paint outside. If/when I do this I'll post some pics for your derision. 
I had made up the Technium for my nephew who had a lot of problems. He wound up killing himself and at his memorial and old friend of his asked if he could have it so I know it got a good home. The good thing about primer is there's no need to strip the frame so it works well to just paint over it. Kinda sleazy but it certainly works. Primer is a lot more forgiving of painting goofs since it tends to dry flat and matte.


----------



## Tom B (18 Jan 2021)

12boy said:


> In the past I sprayed a Raleigh Technium with gray primer and my 85 'Dale mtn bike with red, and then clear coated them both. Both, but especially the gray had sort of a metal flake quality that was only visible after the clear coat. The red wound up an oxblood color. I am thinking I'll do this Bianchi in the red in the spring when I can spray paint outside. If/when I do this I'll post some pics for your derision.
> I had made up the Technium for my nephew who had a lot of problems. He wound up killing himself and at his memorial and old friend of his asked if he could have it so I know it got a good home. The good thing about primer is there's no need to strip the frame so it works well to just paint over it. Kinda sleazy but it certainly works. Primer is a lot more forgiving of painting goofs since it tends to dry flat and matte.



There was a time when royal mail pillar boxes were painted in red undercoat and then varnished in clear gloss.. Or so I am told by a believable source.


----------



## Grant Fondo (19 Jan 2021)

Finally got Conti 5000's on new Easton's if it stops raining I might try them out.


----------



## Gunk (19 Jan 2021)

Grant Fondo said:


> Finally got Conti 5000's on new Easton's if it stops raining I might try them out.



I’ve just fitted a set of 5000’s (also on Easton's) tyres seem pretty good especially in the filthy weather we’ve been having


----------



## Andy in Germany (19 Jan 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Finally changed my luggage rack:
> 
> View attachment 569591
> 
> ...



Fine tuning done although finding tools was a headache. The rack is now on straight and not interfering with the brakes which was one reason for changing the rack: The old one was a bit too wide for V-Brakes.


----------



## accountantpete (19 Jan 2021)

Carbon rear wheel off ebay with a DT Swiss hub - the bearings are shot so took out the freehub bearings easily enough but the axle is jammed solid. So will try a press tomorrow.


----------



## Jenkins (19 Jan 2021)

A non starter of a fettle today. 

I ordered & received a front chainring from Superstar Components last week so that I can try my Pickenflick flatbar with a 1x setup instead of the double currently fitted. It was only when I went to fit it this morning that I thought it looked a bit small - they'd sent a 40 tooth ring, not the 46 I'd ordered & paid extra for. Still, at least I had an excuse for a ride to post it back for replacement.


----------



## Saluki (19 Jan 2021)

Took saddle from summer bike and put it on my old CX. While the Genesis is waiting for parts, I will ride it, not taking my lovely old steel roadie out in this weather.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (20 Jan 2021)

Fitted the Zefal Epsion z56 mirror to my recumbent. It replaces a Zefal Spy mirror. The latter is designed to be fitted to handlebars further away I think. So half my shoulder was in the rear view. New mirror is on a stalk and a little under 4 times surface area. So hopefully I’ll have a much better view to the rear. The clamp needed a couple of wraps of electrical tape on the bars under it, to ensure it tightened up nice and firm.

Also chucked a couple more puncture kits in tool bag and found my decent tyre levers which were hiding on road bike. 

Tomorrow looks drier for a first run of new mirror.


----------



## Chris S (20 Jan 2021)

I put a 700C innertube into a 650A tyre to see if it would fit. I wasn't really surprised to find that there would have been a 30mm fold in it.


----------



## si_c (20 Jan 2021)

Done a couple of things over the last week - tweaked the derailleur position on the Racelight - there was a slight delay in shifting up or down the block. Seems better now. Also retaped the bars - used the same tape, just unwound and rewound as it had started to unravel a bit at the curve of the tops.

Then adjusted the rear mudguard position on the Trek - it's now much closer to the tyre at the rear so less visible. Works a tiny bit better too.


----------



## DCLane (21 Jan 2021)

Cleaned a couple of bikes; my Wilier Montegrappa and son's Boardman AirPro.

Now I'm painting up some chips/scratches with lacquer after on his Boardman and then his BeOne. Using a Junior 14-28 cassette isn't kind on the frame in places as the chain-line can get tight at some points. It's chipped off paint at both right rear chainstays. With the Boardman being re-sprayed matt black over metallic blue (not by us) it's a bit messy to tidy up.


----------



## Drzdave58 (21 Jan 2021)

I finished up making a bike bag today for a chap I know.


----------



## C R (21 Jan 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> I finished up making a bike bag today for a chap I know.
> View attachment 569978
> 
> View attachment 569979
> ...


That looks great. What material did you use?


----------



## DCLane (21 Jan 2021)

@Drzdave58 - do you do requests?


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## Drzdave58 (21 Jan 2021)

C R said:


> That looks great. What material did you use?


Veg tanned cowhide


----------



## Drzdave58 (21 Jan 2021)

DCLane said:


> @Drzdave58 - do you do requests?


I would consider it but I live in Canada so shipping to UK would be pricey.


----------



## Andy in Germany (21 Jan 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> I finished up making a bike bag today for a chap I know.
> 
> View attachment 569978
> 
> ...



Very nice. How did you make the stamp?


----------



## Drzdave58 (21 Jan 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Very nice. How did you make the stamp?


I did it by hand with basic tools. Rather time consuming but fortunately I have lots of time on my hands.😊


----------



## pawl (21 Jan 2021)

Changed the rear gear inner cable as gear change had got a bit iffy.Not sure if it was actually the cable.The ferrule on the outer where the outer enters the rear mech he’d a split in it.All OK ✅ now


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Jan 2021)

Chain needs oiling next time out. I dare not do it on patio as it inevitably ends up being traipsed into house. So will do it mid ride. Possibly tomorrow as forecast looks sunny.


----------



## Gunk (22 Jan 2021)

After seeing @fossyant Ribble 653 build thread, I really liked the Chorus lookalikee seat post From SJS. The original post on my Raleigh Ti rep was scratched to buggery by the previous owner, so although 50g heavier, this is the perfect replacement.







Before fitting I used a Dremmel with a sanding attachment and got rid of all the sharp edges around the top of seat tube which you do seem to get with a steel frame.

Fitted it and adjusted the saddle. For £16 delivered I'm chuffed to bits with it.


----------



## fossyant (22 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> After seeing @fossyant Ribble 653 build thread, I really liked the Chorus lookalikee seat post From SJS. The original post on my Raleigh Ti rep was scratched to buggery by the previous owner, so although 50g heavier, this is the perfect replacement.
> 
> View attachment 570082
> 
> ...



Looks the part. Yes it's slightly heavier, it was mentioned in the reviews, as the tube is quite chunky, but it's ideal for a retro rebuild. 

I do like SJS for 'stuff'.

Started using them when I wanted a replacement Dura Ace 'cartridge' headset. Must have been 15 years ago. Another supplier said they 'had one in' but they lied, so phoned SJS, they said 'hmm we are supposed to have it, we'll check'. Phoned me back, 'we can get you one direct from Madison', and hey presto it turned up.


----------



## Tom B (23 Jan 2021)

Fitted some Noah and Theo pads a few days ago. Normally use OEM shimano but they keep shedding the material. 

The spring with the n&t pads is considerably more butch and isn't as tightly folded and kept pushing my pistons back giving excess lever travel. So I've stripped them off again and whacked it with a hammer. Made me feel better, I'll see if it's better later. If it I've got some shimano springs kicking around.


----------



## Gunk (23 Jan 2021)

As it looks as if I’ll be based from home for while now I decided to relocate from the kitchen table to our bedroom.

I dismantled two sets of IKEA drawers to make room, relocated all the clothes into storage boxes into our built in wardrobes, built up a new desk and this is the result!


----------



## bikingdad90 (23 Jan 2021)

@Gunk are you really tall. Looks like a children’s desk from the pictures


----------



## Gunk (23 Jan 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Gunk are you really tall. Looks like a children’s desk from the pictures



No, its a full size desk just narrow


----------



## biggs682 (24 Jan 2021)

Looks an uncomfortable chair as well


----------



## Gunk (24 Jan 2021)

biggs682 said:


> Looks an uncomfortable chair as well



With a cushion on the base it’s pretty good, makes you sit upright.


----------



## Gunk (24 Jan 2021)

I swapped the Chorus 9 speed cassette over to my spare Turbo wheel today, I can't believe the difference in weight between a Campag Eurus with a GP4000 tyre and a Mavic CXP Elite with a cheap Turbo tyre (both weighed minus the cassette)












Spare wheel slotted in a treat, just a tiny tweak was needed on the barrel adjuster, I'm now just waiting for a used Chorus 9 speed to turn up to put on the Eurus wheel (first one got lost in the post!)


----------



## cyberknight (24 Jan 2021)

Attempted to take BB out of the commuter but its in solid so its off to the LBS, tried full body weight big spanner and a hammer and its not budging so let the feck about with it.
Put a new chain on and goign to do the braked pads and tubes later


----------



## bikingdad90 (24 Jan 2021)

cyberknight said:


> Attempted to take BB out of the commuter but its in solid so its off to the LBS, tried full body weight big spanner and a hammer and its not budging so let the feck about with it.
> Put a new chain on and goign to do the braked pads and tubes later


Does the BB squeak by any chance? The one in my Boardman was fine but was over tightened, took two lads strength to get it to release, once it was free it was greased and put back into correct torque then it was happy days.


----------



## cyberknight (24 Jan 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Does the BB squeak by any chance? The one in my Boardman was fine but was over tightened, took two lads strength to get it to release, once it was free it was greased and put back into correct torque then it was happy days.


nope 
its been fine just worn quickly 6 moths or so of commuting, probably cheap stuff originally so it has some play already , i can normally do these but its so tight i cant budge it so im letting them play with it ,
I have noticed with htese sort of BB i can get squeaking and i found if i greae the inside of the non drive side cup it helps


----------



## DCBassman (24 Jan 2021)

Upgraded the main PC and the TV streaming PC to 802.11ac wireless, to go with the newly upgraded 71 Mbps fibre connection. Which costs £2 a month less than the 39Mbps it replaced.
First, tried two cheapy AC dongles for under £11 the pair. Useless. A couple of days later, on Amazon, saw someone had some TP-Link Archer T2U Nano adaptors at £8.99 each, around half price. Faltless install, upgrade drivers from supplied CD, full ac connections up and running.


----------



## Jenkins (24 Jan 2021)

Jenkins said:


> A non starter of a fettle today.
> 
> I ordered & received a front chainring from Superstar Components last week so that I can try my Pickenflick flatbar with a 1x setup instead of the double currently fitted. It was only when I went to fit it this morning that I thought it looked a bit small - they'd sent a 40 tooth ring, not the 46 I'd ordered & paid extra for. Still, at least I had an excuse for a ride to post it back for replacement.


I've received the replacement chainring, but stil not got round to fitting it to the Pickenflick.

However, I did order a second ring (44 tooth) and this was fitted to my Giant Rapid 1 flatbar yesterday. I was going to run it with the front derailleur still fitted for a while just in case the gearing was all wrong and wanted to change it back, but after a couple of test rides I've now removed it and the shifter. Running a 44t front & 12-28 ten speed cassette instead of the 48/36 double with the 12-28, effectively means the only gears I've lost are the 48-12, 36-25 & 36-28 combinations which won't be missed as it's fairly flat around here.


----------



## Gunk (24 Jan 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Upgraded the main PC and the TV streaming PC to 802.11ac wireless, to go with the newly upgraded 71 Mbps fibre connection. Which costs £2 a month less than the 39Mbps it replaced.
> First, tried two cheapy AC dongles for under £11 the pair. Useless. A couple of days later, on Amazon, saw someone had some TP-Link Archer T2U Nano adaptors at £8.99 each, around half price. Faltless install, upgrade drivers from supplied CD, full ac connections up and running.



absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but sounds very impressive 😂


----------



## cyberknight (24 Jan 2021)

whilst adjusting the brakes i noticed the rear wheel has a lot of play in the cones, i dont have the right size for these wheels so its another job i will ask them to do and ask what size cone spanner to buy for next time


----------



## Andy in Germany (25 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> *absolutely no idea what you’re talking about*, but sounds very impressive 😂



Glad I'm not the only one...


----------



## DCBassman (25 Jan 2021)

Installed the new seatpin on the Revell. Wouldn't tighten up. No washers in the parts bin. Hang on, seat pins were on BOGOF. Yes, really! Borrowed the washer off the spare - perfect.
Off for a ride when my fingers un-freeze...


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (25 Jan 2021)

Been a busy day today. First a walk with @gavgav (making the most of it while the rules still allow) then afterwards I did some fettling on a friends bike. I helped deliver it to her a few days ago from where it had been stored and found the chain rusty, the gears skipping, the front brake lever came back to the bar and the back tyre was perished.

It's an electric bike with a rear hub motor and hub brake so the worst bit was getting the wheel off and on again. Everything else went pretty well. The old tyre turned out to be even worse than I thought and was actually coming apart at the bead - you can see daylight through it.. New tyre, new chain, new freewheel, set up the gears and the front brake is nicely adjusted now too.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (25 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but sounds very impressive 😂



Essentially he made his wifi connection go faster


----------



## TheDoctor (25 Jan 2021)

I'm about to fettle my Brompton. I think I'll have the ideal gearing if I remove the 34T chainring, fit a 44 instead, and leave the 50T.
The 34T gave me gears of 22" 27" 34" 42" 54" and 66". whereas the 44T will be 28" 35" 44" 54" 69" and 85", which would work nicely for touring. For general use I'll still have the 50T for 32" 40" 50" 62" 79" and 97", which was the default range for the M6R.
I did try the 44T a while back, as a single-ring, but my most commonly used gears when unladen were 54" and 69", a double shift.
I've spent way too long thinking about this...


----------



## ebikeerwidnes (25 Jan 2021)

Minor thing but I fixed the annoying intermittant slow puncture today that has been bugging me for a couple of months
Basically the tyre would be flat in the morning - pump it up and it stays up for a few weeks - no loss of pressure - then suddenly goes flat again
which can happen if you have goo in the tubes

anyway - took it out this morning and removed the rear wheel - tube showing no sign of any leaks - even in the sink (wife was still asleep - didn't have to use the bucket!
so checked the tyre - no sign of anything on the outside - ran my fingers round the inside - was about to give up when something sliced into my finger
Looked - slight sign of something - which disintegrated when I tried to get it out with pliers
Turned out to be a piece of green glass that was totally embedded in the rubber and razor sharp - finally managed to force some thin tweezers through the slight slit in the thread and push it out - and find the place where the goo had sealed the hole it had made
The damn thing must have been there for ages and occasionally it got pushed into the tyre - at which point the goo sealed it - but if that happened as I was putting it away and the hole was at the top then the goo flowed to the bottom and didn't work

Maybe - it is a theory - but at least the tube is now sealed properly


----------



## DCBassman (25 Jan 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Essentially he made his wifi connection go faster


That's what I said...


----------



## biggs682 (26 Jan 2021)

Just ordered tools and equipment from screwfix to do one of the worst jobs in the world imho


----------



## TheDoctor (26 Jan 2021)

Just finished on the phone - reduced the broadband bill by £21 a month.
Does that count as a fettle?


----------



## pawl (26 Jan 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> Just finished on the phone - reduced the broadband bill by £21 a month.
> Does that count as a fettle?





More of a miracle


----------



## pawl (26 Jan 2021)

My legs on the turbo


----------



## HLaB (26 Jan 2021)

My fettle at the weekend was pretty minor. The front mud guard clip onto the front brake bolt had come a little loose. So the front of the guard was able to drop to the bottom off clip and occasionally rub at low speed. I loosened the brake bolt, slided the clip up 3mm and tightened the bolt again faster than it took to type this 😂


----------



## Gunk (26 Jan 2021)

Fitted a cassette to my Turbo bike, I now have two rear wheels.


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (26 Jan 2021)

A bit more fettling today. I got the knockabout bike out late this afternoon just to clean it but noticed a few things and before I know it I'm doing a minor service.

New chain, new front brake cable and noodle, new brake blocks both ends and adjusted the rear wheel bearings. Just getting dark when I came to pack up so I'm glad I didn't leave it any later.


----------



## derrick (26 Jan 2021)

stripped a Tacx neo 2 smart trainer tonight, needs a new bearing. now ordered hopefully get it back together for the weekend.


----------



## Gunk (27 Jan 2021)

derrick said:


> stripped a Tacx neo 2 smart trainer tonight, needs a new bearing. now ordered hopefully get it back together for the weekend.



You’re just showing off that you’ve worn it out!


----------



## derrick (27 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> You’re just showing off that you’ve worn it out!


Ha Ha, It's not mine. Belongs to one of the young guns in the club.


----------



## Tom B (27 Jan 2021)

Had a bit of a slidey skid on my spikey tyres a few days ago so just replaced a few lost studs.

Got the knack now.


----------



## cyberknight (27 Jan 2021)

Bike sorted £25 to install new BB and tighten cones ,now I know I need 17 mm spanners I will get some and next time I should be able to get the BB out as I intend to pull it and check the grease I've the weekend


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Jan 2021)

Oiled chain and couple of drops on spd springs whilst I was there. I do the oiling whilst out on rides to avoid getting oil on patio and traipsing it in. Recumbent nice and quiet again.


----------



## cyberknight (27 Jan 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Oiled chain and couple of drops on spd springs whilst I was there. I do the oiling whilst out on rides to avoid getting oil on patio and traipsing it in. Recumbent nice and quiet again.


Do you also spray the whole pedal platform? I find doing that also helps with creaking from the shoes that SPD are famous for


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Jan 2021)

cyberknight said:


> Do you also spray the whole pedal platform? I find doing that also helps with creaking from the shoes that SPD are famous for



Not this time though I have sprayed with wd 40 before.


----------



## 3narf (27 Jan 2021)

This! https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/oh-ffs.270761/

All sorted, set up and ready to go. I got it given by a neighbour so it only owes me for the chain and seat.


----------



## Gunk (27 Jan 2021)

I swapped over bottle cages, decided that a titanium bike deserved titanium cages.


----------



## philtalksbx (28 Jan 2021)

Curiosity has turned to the dark art of wheel building so I though I'd have a go. The first try has been to put a new rim on an old wheel - so I bought a Mavic OpenPro in 36 hole format to replace the very past it CXP11 rim on a front wheel in the garage. Whilst Wiggle were doing their thing I dismantled the old one, cleaned up all the spokes (boring and repetitive) and then sorted out the slightly crunchy Shimano 300 hub. Shiny spokes and a smooth hub were joined by some very smart rims last night. 

With a combination of some YouTube videos and Roger Musson's excellent book (I built his stand in the the first lockdown to true some wheels) I set to with the lacing. That seemed to go OK and with a bit of fiddling everything went where it was supposed to go. I'm now in the tuning phase and that will probably take a few more hours, but I'm enjoying the process and I'm sure will get better and faster in time. First ride later today I hope.


----------



## fossyant (28 Jan 2021)

Tom B said:


> Had a bit of a slidey skid on my spikey tyres a few days ago so just replaced a few lost studs.
> 
> Got the knack now.



I bought the replacements 'with' the inserter tool. TBH, only replaced two studs on 4 tyres, and that was when I'd just got the tyres. I have two types of studs.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (28 Jan 2021)

philtalksbx said:


> Curiosity has turned to the dark art of wheel building so I though I'd have a go. The first try has been to put a new rim on an old wheel - so I bought a Mavic OpenPro in 36 hole format to replace the very past it CXP11 rim on a front wheel in the garage. Whilst Wiggle were doing their thing I dismantled the old one, cleaned up all the spokes (boring and repetitive) and then sorted out the slightly crunchy Shimano 300 hub. Shiny spokes and a smooth hub were joined by some very smart rims last night.
> 
> With a combination of some YouTube videos and Roger Musson's excellent book (I built his stand in the the first lockdown to true some wheels) I set to with the lacing. That seemed to go OK and with a bit of fiddling everything went where it was supposed to go. I'm now in the tuning phase and that will probably take a few more hours, but I'm enjoying the process and I'm sure will get better and faster in time. First ride later today I hope.
> View attachment 570928



Wheel building is great and if done with patience the wheels will stay true a long time. Plus gives you a lot of confidence if the wheels take a bit hit, that you will be able to sort it on the road.


----------



## Gravity Aided (28 Jan 2021)

My single speed has finally had a front brake found for it, although I did have to drill the fork so a recessed barrel nut would fit. This bike was originally a ten-speed with a claw derailleur mount and slotted rear dropouts. So I took it to single speed, and it works much better in that guise.




Soon to recieve fenders.


----------



## philtalksbx (28 Jan 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Wheel building is great and if done with patience the wheels will stay true a long time. Plus gives you a lot of confidence if the wheels take a bit hit, that you will be able to sort it on the road.


Noted re patience - for the newbies, when do you stop chasing perfection? Is there a view on "good enough"


----------



## Ming the Merciless (28 Jan 2021)

philtalksbx said:


> Noted re patience - for the newbies, when do you stop chasing perfection? Is there a view on "good enough"



Yes when you hit your own limit on diminishing returns.


----------



## Gunk (28 Jan 2021)

philtalksbx said:


> Noted re patience - for the newbies, when do you stop chasing perfection? Is there a view on "good enough"



I did my first wheel build last year and it went really well, very satisfied with the results.


----------



## Gunk (28 Jan 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Wheels have long been a mystery to me. Wheel building is skill I'd love to have. I have a couple of wheels lined up for practice by replacing rims. But the voice of sanity keeps whispering - it's a skill that will take a lot of time and some new equipment to acquire, and that you'll use maybe once a year, if that. And you are completely cack-handed and will be rubbish at it.
> 
> Maybe I should have a bash at learning to true them first.



I did mine with some old wheels, and a spoke spanner, trued them by fitting them to a bike and using a cable tie attached to the frame as a guide, all a bit crude but they both came out well.


----------



## philtalksbx (28 Jan 2021)

Don't worry DT, on todays evidence its possible to get pretty good results with minimum experience. It's the fine tuning that gets you and Ming is right on diminishing returns on today's efforts. I got mine OK sideways, also round, slapped it on the bike and felt great looking down at something I'd made. The dish is a bit off but that's for another day. Celebratory beer I think.


----------



## Big John (28 Jan 2021)

Doing up a road bike I knocked up for use on the rollers/turbo. Had the bits for years but a few years ago got round to putting it all together. Now the bike is showing signs of distress from all the salty sweat it gets showered in whenever I use the rollers/turbo. I do extensively clean it after each session but that sweat gets everywhere and the poor thing was crying out for some TLC so I stripped it yesterday except for the stem, which wouldn't budge. It's a one inch threaded set of forks and I'm sure you all know how stuck a stem can get. Last night I turned it upside down and drowned the forks with easing oil. Today I got it in the stand with the front wheel in so I could hold the forks in place. Got an old, strong Allen key in the top with a metal pipe for extra leverage. After nearly rupturing myself it finally went with a crack. Hurrah. With a little help from an industrial size hammer and wooden block I finally got the stem out. That's enough for today. I think I need a lie down 🍺


----------



## Gunk (28 Jan 2021)

Big John said:


> Doing up a road bike I knocked up for use on the rollers/turbo. Had the bits for years but a few years ago got round to putting it all together. Now the bike is showing signs of distress from all the salty sweat it gets showered in whenever I use the rollers/turbo. I do extensively clean it after each session but that sweat gets everywhere and the poor thing was crying out for some TLC so I stripped it yesterday except for the stem, which wouldn't budge. It's a one inch threaded set of forks and I'm sure you all know how stuck a stem can get. Last night I turned it upside down and drowned the forks with easing oil. Today I got it in the stand with the front wheel in so I could hold the forks in place. Got an old, strong Allen key in the top with a metal pipe for extra leverage. After nearly rupturing myself it finally went with a crack. Hurrah. With a little help from an industrial size hammer and wooden block I finally got the stem out. That's enough for today. I think I need a lie down 🍺



Easiest method is to put the stem in a vice and use the bike frame for leverage, never fails!


----------



## stoatsngroats (28 Jan 2021)

Just fitted a Brompton mud flap to my SKS speed rocker mudguard set, as I’d noticed that I was getting some foot and BB/Cr splash.
It was easy, and as the flap is quite big, but floppy, no issues when ‘puddling’!
Images to follow if anyone’s interested.
£4 from Brilliant Bikes for the flap, 2 holes to make in the front guard, and all went swimmingly 😂


----------



## Gunk (28 Jan 2021)

stoatsngroats said:


> Just fitted a Brompton mud flap to my SKS speed rocker mudguard set, as I’d noticed that I was getting some foot and BB/Cr splash.
> It was easy, and as the flap is quite big, but floppy, no issues when ‘puddling’!
> Images to follow if anyone’s interested.
> £4 from Brilliant Bikes for the flap, 2 holes to make in the front guard, and all went swimmingly 😂



I've used a Brompton mudflap on a couple of projects, cheap and work very well


----------



## stoatsngroats (28 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> I've used a Brompton mudflap on a couple of projects, cheap and work very well


Yes, I agree, I only did the front, and will look at the front end of the rear guard, to see if I can lower the end of that one to below the BB


----------



## fossyant (28 Jan 2021)

Does fettling a 'hoover' count ?


----------



## Andy in Germany (28 Jan 2021)

fossyant said:


> Does fettling a 'hoover' count ?



Have you found a way to use it to power a bicycle?


----------



## fossyant (28 Jan 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Have you found a way to use it to power a bicycle?



Not yet !


----------



## PeteXXX (28 Jan 2021)

Bottle cage afixed to Granddaughter's new bike that I bought her for her 13th birthday a few days ago. 

New handlebar grips fitted to grandson's bike as one had split most of the way up, and t'other was totally missing. I used my daughter's hairspray to make the new ones stick nicely.


----------



## Gunk (28 Jan 2021)

PeteXXX said:


> I used my daughter's hairspray to make the new ones stick nicely.



good tip that, I’ve done it for years.


----------



## Andy in Germany (28 Jan 2021)

Fitted a replacement handle on my Ortlieb bag, after managing to break the last one somehow far to embarrassing to remember.


----------



## PeteXXX (28 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> good tip that, I’ve done it for years.


Indeed. Makes them slide on easily and they'll never twist once they're in place. 
To remove, pour hot water over them and off they come!


----------



## Gunk (29 Jan 2021)

Earlier this week I fitted an aftermarket Evolution Campagnolo cassette to my turbo bike and the whole family have been moaning about the shift quality, it is poor.

Luckily I won this on eBay for less than £9 delivered, it was filthy and badly described and listed, anyway my gain as underneath the crud it’s in really nice condition, looks like a Veloce Cassette.












Back on the bike and what a difference, I’ll stick the Evolution on eBay, someone else can put up with rubbish shifting!


----------



## FrankCrank (30 Jan 2021)

It was high time I made a new gate, the old one having all but rusted to a heap after some 15 years or so of service





Safety first - now where did I leave my gloves





A friend dropped by to help with the initial install - all went smoothly





Twiddling with my knob - as you do





New roller guides all set up





And the completed gate





Managed to recycle the old wood and wheels into the new one, so it's a bit like Triggers broom I suppose


----------



## 12boy (30 Jan 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> I'm about to fettle my Brompton. I think I'll have the ideal gearing if I remove the 34T chainring, fit a 44 instead, and leave the 50T.
> The 34T gave me gears of 22" 27" 34" 42" 54" and 66". whereas the 44T will be 28" 35" 44" 54" 69" and 85", which would work nicely for touring. For general use I'll still have the 50T for 32" 40" 50" 62" 79" and 97", which was the default range for the M6R.
> I did try the 44T a while back, as a single-ring, but my most commonly used gears when unladen were 54" and 69", a double shift.
> I've spent way too long thinking about this..
> ...


----------



## 12boy (30 Jan 2021)

Enjoyed switching the bars and stem, and tweaking the saddle position on my Balefill Bianchi. I do like riding a bike that fits and works as it should and is has enough "patina" the snow, ice and salt found on our winter roads isn't a problem.


----------



## Toshiba Boy (30 Jan 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> It was high time I made a new gate, the old one having all but rusted to a heap after some 15 years or so of service
> View attachment 571187
> 
> 
> ...



Blimey, Reading looks a bit different to last time I was up visiting the in Laws pre Covid.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (30 Jan 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> It was high time I made a new gate, the old one having all but rusted to a heap after some 15 years or so of service
> View attachment 571187
> 
> 
> ...



Thank god you’ve got some shorts on.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (31 Jan 2021)

stoatsngroats said:


> Yes, I agree, I only did the front, and will look at the front end of the rear guard, to see if I can lower the end of that one to below the BB



You might be better rotating the whole mudguard downward so the lower edge at the front comes slightly below the BB line, then fit a longer flap at the back to compensate.
I did the downward rotation trick on a Pioneer which I wanted to be able to tip up on it's back wheel to walk it through the house. I needed the rearmost edge to be higher so it didn't ground out, but saw no reason to shorten the whole thing. Reorienting it gave the bonus of slightly more forward spray suppression.


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## philtalksbx (31 Jan 2021)

I decided to take the Record Ace back to downtube shifting as I have a cunning plan for the Tiagra group set. The parts box gave up a lovely Campagnolo Veloce triple crankset and a Daytona triple mech. That plus Shimano 7 speed Exage with indexed shifters have made a very nice set. From an icy garage, the first ride was in freezing cold drizzle but I hardly noticed it as the ride was so good.


----------



## DCLane (1 Feb 2021)

Been busy last weekend - not with bikes, although my Raleigh Superbe is finished (must get photos!) and I cleaned and put new tyres on two others, but this:







Rug (£20 for a 9' x 7' rug that's great if you're colour-blind) plus mat and sort-out to create a warmer workshop area in the conservatory. Bike stands, tools, rollers (another set's out of shot along with a track bike to the right plus a turbo trainer and trolley for race day), parts for 'jobs to do' on one shelf and all the other bits I need organised.

I've still got the parts store which holds everything I need but there's no space in there for a workshop area. It's not pretty but functional and has my son's 'race box' of parts/tools, tools set out, lubricants, chainrings for track, hillclimb bike box of bits and most other things I use there along with my Christmas present ultrasonic cleaner. The desk's from work when I need to work out of my wife's office that I currently occupy most days so I can't put a vice onto it unfortunately.


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## 12boy (1 Feb 2021)

Ain't it amazing how far a bit of steel can bounce on a concrete floor. Rugs are good. That's a lot neater than my sty. Years ago I made a suitcase type box for most of my bike tools for reasons I can't recall, but it is useful.


----------



## derrick (1 Feb 2021)

Gave this a once over and a clean, New addition to the bmx stable. looking forward to a fun summer.


----------



## Drzdave58 (1 Feb 2021)

Finished another bike bag today. Used ash wood for the side panels this time with 357 shells .


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## 12boy (1 Feb 2021)

Wowsers Dzddave 58. That's not just fettling, that is art.


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## Drzdave58 (1 Feb 2021)

12boy said:


> Wowsers Dzddave 58. That's not just fettling, that is art.


Hey thx!


----------



## si_c (2 Feb 2021)

Found my shimano bleed block doing some tidying up, reminded me the brakes on the Racelight were starting to have a fair bit of lever pull - checked the pads and they were below 1mm, so swapped in some N&T ceramic pads to replace the stock shimano ones. The backing plate on these is a tad thicker than the shimano ones, so it's rubbing a bit on the rotor even with the pistons fully retracted. Will probably get some sandpaper on it later this week to ease it back - don't want to glaze the pads unnecessarily.


----------



## Gunk (2 Feb 2021)

Put yet another saddle on the Van Nic, third time lucky, I like this one!


----------



## Ming the Merciless (3 Feb 2021)

Serviced the bearings on my Shimano dynamo hub. Nice amount of extra grease squeezed out as I screwed the cone back on. You can never have enough grease.


----------



## 12boy (3 Feb 2021)

I've always been an aficionado of "grease is cheap, let it squirt out when it goes together. The only 2 things I don't grease are bottom bracket spindles and my Brompton seat post.


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## Drzdave58 (3 Feb 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Serviced the bearings on my Shimano dynamo hub. Nice amount of extra grease squeezed out as I screwed the cone back on. You can never have enough grease.
> View attachment 571920


Actually they say too much grease can cause some problems too..I always try not to over grease bearings.


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Feb 2021)

Serviced rear wheel bearings. Basically take QR out, cassette off, undo left hand locknut, then remove locknut, spacer and cone. Remove the axel catching any ball bearings. Remove the seal using a flat screw driver to ease it out. Remove and clean ball bearings both sides. Replace if necessary. Clean the cup and cones. Clean the seals. Grease RH cup, put ball bearings in, add more grease. Add seals, bit more grease. Do same for LH cup. Grease RH cone and threads of axel. Insert axel from RH side. Make sure inserted probably and no balls knocked out. Turn axel by hand to check nice and smooth. Grease LH cone and threads. Finger tighten LH cone then back off 1/4 turn. Add spacer then locknut. Tighten locknut against cone using the thin 15/17mm spanners. Check there is a minor bit of play in axel and that wheel spins smoothly in hands.

Overall about an hour elapsed, including cleaning the wheel first before opening up the hub. Nice satisfying and simple work. Love working on the bikes when it’s routine maintenance. Normally aim to check hubs once a year, but this was prompted by a flood that went over hubs last Sat. Didn’t want to ride bike again till I’d checked both front and rear hubs.

Now enjoying lunch and getting warm again. Will head out for test ride later.


----------



## Leaway2 (4 Feb 2021)

The Garmin 200 has been showing battery low after only about an hours ride. I've ridden an imp century in the past and it lasted OK, so I have changed the battery. The replacement (£10 from Ebay) was 600 mAh. When I opened up the Garmin the original was 700mAh.




Took out the display and removed the circuit board. Removed the speaker wires and soldered the new battery in.




A bit fiddly, but do-able. I was surprised that when I switched on after replacement, my rides and courses were still there, so there must be back up battery/capacitor.


----------



## 12boy (4 Feb 2021)

Bought half a dozen arrows yesterday which will require gluing in the knocks and point inserts. Also brought a couple of 26" wheels from my storage area to break down and see if the cups and cones are good. If so, I will grease em up and true em if needed. Good to have a couple of indoor projects.


----------



## si_c (4 Feb 2021)

Leaway2 said:


> I was surprised that when I switched on after replacement, my rides and courses were still there, so there must be back up battery/capacitor.


The data is held on non-volatile storage so it doesn't need a battery attached to keep it. Basically the same sort of storage that an SD card uses.


----------



## DCLane (4 Feb 2021)

Switched from 'snow' wheels to 'cross' wheels on my Avanti cross bike for a ride, adjusted the brakes and cleaned it. Given I treat the thing with contempt it keeps going.

Son's BeOne Raw bike is getting the paint touch-up treatment: two years of being used in race training and it's got battle scars. The oyster pearl colour is impossible to match so it's getting something as close as I can do. Red's done and then a bit of the black logo. The wheels have also been cleaned and greased:


----------



## si_c (5 Feb 2021)

Swapped the rear brake pads on the Trek from the Shimano ones to some Clarks I had sat in a box. The old ones were well down past the wear markers and were starting to disintegrate into a grey paste. The new (been in a box for at least 3 years) clarks ones are quite a bit harder than the stock and don't slow the bike down as quickly but have polished up the rims nicely on my trip out to get some coffee.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Feb 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> Actually they say too much grease can cause some problems too..I always try not to over grease bearings.



Proper longer test ride today and nice and smooth.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Feb 2021)

During longer test ride of my wheel bearings service, my rear disc brake pad got down to the metal backing plate. Ooops. Rode home using just front brake. New pads now fitted after pushing pistons back.

Next on list to service is pedal bearings.


----------



## philtalksbx (5 Feb 2021)

Today brought the Record Ace back to full downtube properness. After taking off the strangely unsatisfactory Tiagra group set, I saw some Sunrace indexed 8 speed shifters on a band mount so snapped them up and fitted them today. 




They just fit, just work, and feel right for the bike. A quick loop around a very wet Oxford once the rain had eased proved the point. Very happy.


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## Ming the Merciless (6 Feb 2021)

philtalksbx said:


> Today brought the Record Ace back to full downtube properness. After taking off the strangely unsatisfactory Tiagra group set, I saw some Sunrace indexed 8 speed shifters on a band mount so snapped them up and fitted them today.
> View attachment 572256
> 
> They just fit, just work, and feel right for the bike. A quick loop around a very wet Oxford once the rain had eased proved the point. Very happy.



Simple, reliable and effective


----------



## chriswoody (6 Feb 2021)

Whilst spring would be a better time, the rear hub on my Tern is starting to really grate and graunch. So with half term starting and a full on apocalyptic snow storm forecast, I decided today was as good as any to start.











The Shimano single speed coaster brake hub really is a nice little thing, well made and reliable, just needing a clean and re-grease every so often.


----------



## cheshirerob (6 Feb 2021)

Purchased some Hunts from the LBS before they increased the prices. Also to see what all the hype is about.
Its funny really because when I passed people on my old wheels they murmured Hunt, so now I can agree.


----------



## stoatsngroats (6 Feb 2021)

Cleaned the chain and fitted a front Pitlock, which has been wanting done since September. I can understand the desire to keep a qr, but I had the pitlock, and I feel more secure locking without leaving the front wheel unsecured.
Waiting (im)patiently for the Tacx to allow some miles in the garage, when I return a positive COVID test during the next 2 weeks.


----------



## chriswoody (7 Feb 2021)

Completely stripped the Hub today and cleaned all the grease out. Everything seems in fine fettle, just might need some new brake shoes the next time I strip it down. . I also bought a new rear cog, for the princely sum of €2.50. Despite there being next to no info available from Shimano about this hub, I worked out that it uses the same cog as Nexus/Alfine hubs, so dead easy to source. I Just need to clean the wheel now and then reassemble it all.


----------



## cyberknight (7 Feb 2021)

just put a new front tyre on the commuter to match the back one, wiggle lifeline commuter tyres 700x28 that are a lot wider than the stock kenda ones and hopefully better at protection.
Rode with one the rear the other day and it seemed ok rolling resistance wise and at £12.49 each worth a punt , next time i might go for the armored version


----------



## Jenkins (7 Feb 2021)

cyberknight said:


> just put a new frony tyre on the commuter to match the back one, wiggle lifeline commuter tyres 700x28 that are a lot wider than the stock kenda ones and hopefully better at protection.
> Rode with one the rear the other day and it seemed ok rolling resistance wise and at £12.49 each worth a punt , next time i might go for the armored version


I fitted those to one of my bikes at the start of the year. Puncture on the first ride when a small piece of flint managed to get through the thinnest part of the tread, but no problems in the 300+ miles since. Seem to be quite a fast riding tyre and good value.


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## FrankCrank (8 Feb 2021)

chriswoody said:


> Completely stripped the Hub today and cleaned all the grease out. Everything seems in fine fettle, just might need some new brake shoes the next time I strip it down. . I also bought a new rear cog, for the princely sum of €2.50. Despite there being next to no info available from Shimano about this hub, I worked out that it uses the same cog as Nexus/Alfine hubs, so dead easy to source. I Just need to clean the wheel now and then reassemble it all.
> 
> View attachment 572646


Just a heads-up in case yourself or others are unaware - Shimano and Sturmey Archer sprockets are interchangeable


----------



## Gravity Aided (8 Feb 2021)

New brake cables for the single speed, and 3" of snow and -16C.


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## FrankCrank (8 Feb 2021)

Had some old sliding gate rollers lying about, so decided to put one to good use by making it into a cotter pin removal tool 






Raided the scrap bin for some other odds and ends, and voila




Won't get used in anger till I'm next back in UK - got an old Raleigh Twenty there waiting for a new lease of life. Bit fiddly to make, but hard to come by a dedicated tool to do the job, so kept me amused for a while


----------



## PeteXXX (8 Feb 2021)

Two new 20" tyres time for grandson's bike...
He didn't wear them out, I got it 2nd hand a month or do ago.

Im sure he'll scrub the tread off, too, though 😂


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## FrankCrank (10 Feb 2021)

As I've got some scraps left over from other projects, thought I'd go all posh and make me a proper repair stand. Made the clamp part quite some time back, from an old kiddies bike front end





So just had to make the stand part to finish the job





A quick test to see how it goes with one of my daily plodders





And next my R20. Fear ye not all those who know R20's - the original tonnage has been greatly reduced with its modernisation





So, it's survived the first tests - will use it to do a project soon and give it a thorough workout, and maybe even a lick of paint


----------



## DCLane (12 Feb 2021)

Next door neighbour wants a cheap MTB to leave at the depot he's based at during the week - he sleeps in his wagon. The budget: £40-50. And did I have anything?

Last week I didn't. Today however I picked up this for £15 - an old Townsend MTB:






Overall, despite some rust (which is now off) it wasn't in bad condition, just needing lubricant for the chain and a front mech adjustment. The rear wheel was moving about and I thought "new freewheel" but the rear wheel nuts had simply lost all their thread: new nuts solved it.

Why however did they not put 10p-worth of grease in the wheel hubs and elsewhere? The front hub's had grease, a clean and new bearings. As the rear's a non-reusable freewheel it's had a clean and grease on the non-drive side only with as much grease as I could get down to the drive side.

Total cost is under £20. Now to see if it fits him ...


----------



## 12boy (12 Feb 2021)

I've spent many an hour taking some POS from the dump or a garage sale, fixing it up and giving it away to someone. Cheap entertainment for me and lots of fun.


----------



## Oldhippy (12 Feb 2021)

New brake shoes and rear inner tube fitted today.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Feb 2021)

Getting a pc to run at 4k resolution on the new TV. Once done, it's done, but getting it there...


----------



## dave r (12 Feb 2021)

Spent an hour tonight cleaning the transmission and putting a new chain on my Eastway ready for summer.


----------



## bikingdad90 (12 Feb 2021)

Put another block of wood under the front wheel of the bike on the turbo trainer as currently using a wheel stand. Need to sort a proper riser out.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (12 Feb 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Put another block of wood under the front wheel of the bike on the turbo trainer as currently using a wheel stand. Need to sort a proper riser out.


I have a proper riser (came with the turbo) and still have to use an old chopping board to lift the front end a little higher.


----------



## Drzdave58 (13 Feb 2021)

Replaced the stitching, conditioned and polished the leather and put glass reflectors on this bag I made for my ruff electric bike. This was the first bag I made.


----------



## Gunk (13 Feb 2021)

Started a groupset swap. Rebuilding with Campy Mirage


----------



## chriswoody (13 Feb 2021)

Finally managed to get around to re-assembling my hub. I started by popping the torque arm and bolts onto the end of the axle, then mounting it in the vice. I then dry fitted the clutch assembly and brake shoes to check their alignment.






Then I covered everything in grease, before popping the wheel over the top and fitting the last of the gubbins onto the drive side. I then test fitted it back in the rear of the bike before adjusting the bearings. 






Just need to clean and refit the chainset, then we're all good to go.


----------



## Tom B (13 Feb 2021)

Its been a busy week...

Fixed a puncture.

Got the urge to play on my MTB earlier this week, but I'd put it away in a sulk in December after it suffered some mechanical issues. Particularly the long standing crank allergy to the chain, a stiff bb, free hub issue and needing a new tyre.
See here
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/tight-bb-and-reluctant-freehub.270172/

Decided it couldn't be all that bad and got it out, put it in the conservatory with a fan heater on it for a while and then set to with some GT85, plusgas, a tractor tyre and a bucket of optimism.

Got the freehub running much better after deciding the qr didn't need to be tightened by he-man (look it up kids) and changed the tyre.
Set about the BB with an absence of relevant tools and basically hosed everywhere i could with lube. It was still stiff and rumbly but much better.

Decided to ride to work on it via the hillso, got to owork and found the crank was moving much better, still rumbly but at least the cranks would spin freely.





On my other bikes this week I have found that the cold (under minus 5) is detrimental to my free hubs.
I have two shimano freehubs (m475 type) that have quit in the cold, sticking in freewheel mode. Both brought back to life by pouring some boiling water over the hub or leaning against a radiator. I can only assume they have either got water inside that is icing up or the cold is making the grease too sticky. They both live in dryish, but unheated sheds.

Bought some Noah and Theo ceramic pads a few months ago after a recommendation on here (the shimano resin i had been using for years had started to shed the material - possibly a bad batch). Smashed through them after about 200miles, contacted N&T who have been really helpful. They have suggested my rotors are resin only types and this is chewing up the pads.

Popped to pick my lad up from the inlaws (child care bubble) and got some surprise fettling in as the nephew had somehow rounded out the nut that holds the seat to the seat rails. Found the headset was loose, brakes decorative and wheelbearings worn and loose - is there anything that destroys confidence in bike handling more than a wonky headset?. Did the best with the rest and tried to get the seat post out to work on, after much swearing decided it was only the cold stopping it, so poured some warm water over the frame and out it popped. Turns out the threaded nut part of the clamp is goosed, so decided to add a nut. Of course the bolt is some oddball thread so it will have to wait until I can get a new nut to suit or a new bolt to suit the nut. Nephew wants a new bike for his imminent birthday, so it doesn't have to be pretty. Tried to convince his BIL that some brake-pads may be a wise investment in the interim to ensure the continued existence of his eldest. I might find some especially as the bike is likely to be handed down and we wouldnt want it to be damaged before my lad is big enough to ride it.

Had a beer this evening (i'm a light weight) and decided it would be a good idea to strip off the MTB having borrowed the necessary tool from a colleague.

That self extracting crank idea is neat. Having got the BB bearing out now they both turn pretty easy, the drive side feels dog rough and the whole thing was filthy. Ive cleaned it up a bit and was amazed that the covers for the bearings just fell off in my hands. Both full of black gunk, looked like moly grease and the rougher bearing was fully of rusty sludge. The bearings dont seem to want to come out of the cups. Toyed with the ideal of soaking them in diesel or carb cleaner but then thought that would probably just wash out the remaining grease and remembered that I didnt have any of either.

Cleaned up the bits a bit, shiney rings on the crank spindle - wonder if the spindle has been turning in the seized bearings?






Had a celebratory (successful disassembly) whiskey, then inhibitions suitably lowered went online and bought a new crankset for the MTB along with a new RD, 10MM Hex socket, a collection of brake pads I have 5 different pads over my 3 bikes and a new rotor. Just need to figure out how to assemble this CL - 6Bolt adapter now.

Still need to source a suitable Shimano 10speed shifter.

Anyway should I put copperslip on the BB cup threads?

And what's the point of that wavey washer other than to hold grass and crap?


----------



## Gunk (14 Feb 2021)

Tom B said:


> Anyway should I put copperslip on the BB cup threads?



You should thoroughly clean the threads and then assemble them dry,


----------



## Tom B (14 Feb 2021)

Gunk said:


> You should thoroughly clean the threads and then assemble them dry,



Cheers I wasn't sure if there was some threadlock on them when I took them out.


----------



## Gunk (14 Feb 2021)

Fitted a crankset this morning.


----------



## fossyant (14 Feb 2021)

The Ribble refurb got it's first full Autoglym polish - just bringing up the gloss coat.


----------



## ChrisEyles (14 Feb 2021)

Rear shock service getting my old Marin Mount Vision ready for the spring. 






Waiting for some new bushes and shock mount hardware before putting it back on the bike.


----------



## Gunk (15 Feb 2021)

Finished fitting the rest of the groupset this morning, bars are taped and cables all connected


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Feb 2021)

Patched a rear wheel puncture. Going to reclamp front derailleur cable shortly so can get big ring more easily.


----------



## Gunk (15 Feb 2021)

All done ✅ 

also managed to sort out out dripping kitchen taps!


----------



## Ming the Merciless (15 Feb 2021)

After unclamping front derailleur cable, realised cable not moving freely even without tension. So cut some fresh cable outer and fitted new outer with new cable. Squirted some oil in bar end shifter whilst everything disconnected. Rewrapped bar tape opposite way to expose clean bit under overlap. See contrast in photos. Ran out of black electrical tape, so temporarily added blue tape. I’m not one to let how it looks stop me enjoying getting out on a ride.


----------



## derrick (15 Feb 2021)

Put this together over the last couple of days, Just a bit of fun,


----------



## Tom B (15 Feb 2021)

Pulled BB bearing propperly to bits and greased them up pending the arrival of my new ones.

Refitted them and changed the brake pads.

Making friends with sintered pads.

Had some help so it took most of the afternoon.


----------



## Big John (15 Feb 2021)

Work as a volunteer at a local bike charity on a Monday. Lost over an hour of my life, and several other people's lives, trying to remove a cup and cone bottom bracket off a very old and mistreated hybrid. Drive side fought bravely but we managed to get that side off. The easier side normally, the non drive side, refused to budge. We tried every trick in the book and finally ended up using a length of scaffold pipe. We hate being defeated, and I'd love to bring the tale to a happy ending, but alas it was Bike 1 So-Called-Mechanics 0 ☹️ Tonight it's soaking in easing oil for another attempt tomorrow by a fresh team of volunteers.


----------



## si_c (16 Feb 2021)

New grips and pedals (both Pink) on Mrs C's Trek Roscoe and slackened off the dropper post cable to see if that resolves the downward slide.

Removed BB and cranks from the Racelight and cleaned an old FSA BB to fit, the left side bearing was very dry and felt rough, so a few cycles through the sonic cleaner and some IPA to remove the gunk and I refilled with grease. Much better now and should last. Also re-fitted my old power meter as I want to put the 4iii on the Trek.


----------



## CXRAndy (17 Feb 2021)

Refitted anti rotation bracket on wife's ebike. The motor had rotated and was pressing on the frame. I'd removed the bracket to accept full centre stand. I took the brackets down on the bench sander, now both fit. A quick chain adjustment, oil, tyres pumped and battery topped up since September.

Test ride, Id forgotten how quick her bike is

All ready to go now


----------



## 12boy (17 Feb 2021)

Got my balefill Bianchi frame working, largely with parts already on hand, although cables, a Tange headset and an old fashioned Al seatpost were bought. I also have an old 'Dale mtn bike so the wheels with studded snows I had on it were swapped for the 2 " hybrid tires wheelsI first had on the Bianchi. I had flipped North Roads on 'Dale and a flat bar on the Bianchi and swapped those as well. Also swapped out the lightweight ass hatchet saddle for one of 5 identical Velo Orange leather saddles I use on my favorite bikes. It is heavy with the tires and saddle but goes well on ice and snow up to 4 inches. I've always preferred level top tubes and chromo frames so although the 'Dale has a better, at least lighter frame, the Bianchi will probably be my keeper for a while. When it gets warmer there will be some rattle can painting but for now it is too cold for that.


----------



## si_c (17 Feb 2021)

I fitted a different crankset to the Racelight the other day - not had a chance to get out on it since, but went out today and realised I'd fitted the inner ring the wrong way round - the chain just dropped between the two and got stuck. Guess what I've just had to do....


----------



## weareHKR (17 Feb 2021)

si_c said:


> chain just dropped between the two and got stuck. Guess what I've just had to do....


 Something similar to a Fleetwood Mac track?


----------



## fossyant (17 Feb 2021)

Deda Dog Fang fitted to the Ribble - chain came off twice on the turbo last night (cross chained bad lad ) but not happened on the road. As the paint is all new, thought I'd stop any possibility of paint damage.


----------



## si_c (17 Feb 2021)

weareHKR said:


> Something similar to a Fleetwood Mac track?



Something like that


----------



## JhnBssll (18 Feb 2021)

We bought our friends daughter a replacement bike just before christmas after some thieving bugger stole hers from their garage  It came back to us this afternoon, left outside the garage with the rear mech in the rear wheel  It was fabulous to see it's been well used and is already carrying a few battle scars from it's short life but not so great to see the twisted mech and bent gear hanger  I had a quick chat with my friendly lbs whom we purchased the bike from and he's having real trouble getting stock, as seems to be the case in many places currently. With that in mind I set to work stripping it down to inspect the damage... Here it is before I started taking it apart - the mech had already been pulled out of the wheel at this point but it was quite clear there was still something wrong 







I whipped the mech off and removed the hanger - a quick look showed it was slightly twisted. I know from experience that straightening alloy hangers isn't always a brilliant plan but with no replacements easy to come by I had nothing to lose and tweaked it back square. This was going to be easy 😊 I then took a closer look at the mech and realised perhaps it was going to take longer than anticipated - the poor thing was bent in just about every direction possible  I guess I took about 40 minutes with an adjustable spanner, a vice and a hammer to coax the various bits of pressed metal back in to some sort of shape, reassembling and test fitting on occasion, until I was relatively happy with it. At that point I bolted it all back on and refitted the chain and was pleasantly surprised to find it works pretty well 










It's still slightly bent, not helped by the amount of play in the main pivot which I suspect is a non-standard feature of this particular mech  It will likely need replacing in the near future, but I've reset all the limit screws so hopefully it shouldn't embrace the spokes again unless it takes another big knock 

With it working properly again I gave it a clean, trued the slight buckles out of the wheels, shortened the brake cables to neaten the front end up and fitted purple crimp ends to all the cables 😊

I shall leave it outside the garage again in the morning for it to be collected on her way past  Hopefully we'll be able to meet people face to face again soon, this is all very strange 😄


----------



## Gunk (18 Feb 2021)

Cleaned up a set of vintage VP SPD pedals and fitted a new q/r seatclamp


----------



## HLaB (18 Feb 2021)

Pumped up my tubeless tyres. I last pumped them up mid Jan and then we got a spell of icy weather and I appreciated the extra grip.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (18 Feb 2021)

Cleaned the Bianchi after a filthy long ride yesterday. Found a little creak that had been bugging me and which I'd thought was the BB. It was actually the derailleur hanger creaking a teeny weeny amount in the dropout. Who'd have guessed?

Next up is the gravel bike. Need to tighten the shifters and rewrap the bars. They're a mess. And clean it too.


----------



## itboffin (18 Feb 2021)

Sonic cleaned a blackened cassette very satisfying


----------



## Ming the Merciless (18 Feb 2021)

Glued plastic outers back on the bar end shifters. Now nice and solidly fixed in place.


----------



## Jenkins (18 Feb 2021)

A few small things on the only bikes I seem to be using at the moment thanks to the weather...

Put the M324 pedals back onto the Spa instead of some Exustar items which I never really got on with. Cleaned & lubed the chain.
Cleaned & lubed the chain on the Giant
Changed the tyres on the 29er to some WTB Slick Comps as It's very little used off road, then cleaned & lubed the chain.


----------



## Drzdave58 (19 Feb 2021)

Made another bike bag this week using dark walnut side panels clear coated.


----------



## Oldhippy (19 Feb 2021)

You sir are very talented.


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## Drzdave58 (19 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> You sir are very talented.


I appreciate the compliment.😊


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## Oldhippy (19 Feb 2021)

Is it a hobby or a job?


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## Drzdave58 (19 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> Is it a hobby or a job?


Oh...I’m retired...it’s just a hobby..actually my brother passed away a year ago and left some leather crafting tools and leather..so I thought I would give it a go. Its a good way to fill some time. My leather is running out tho so I’m not sure if I will continue with it or not.


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## Oldhippy (19 Feb 2021)

I have stock piled old leather handbags along with all my jewellery making stuff and after I've moved next for new job I fully intend to do my allotted hours, cycle, make jewellery and craft odds and sods and read a lot more.


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## Oldhippy (19 Feb 2021)

From the photos you clearly have the talent and that kind of stuff is very saleable indeed. I was in Cornwall a couple of years back and found a shopping selling handmade leather stuff. Eyewatering prices but gorgeous. I wanted a leather belt pouch but just couldn't justify £100 plus quid for it.


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## Drzdave58 (19 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> From the photos you clearly have the talent and that kind of stuff is very saleable indeed. I was in Cornwall a couple of years back and found a shopping selling handmade leather stuff. Eyewatering prices but gorgeous. I wanted a leather belt pouch but just couldn't justify £100 plus quid for it.


Yes..it’s hard to find someone willing to pay what they are worth considering the time put in to make them. So, if I can sell them for a fair price, I will consider investing in more leather to make more. They are kind of a specialty item.


----------



## BianchiVirgin (19 Feb 2021)

New FSA headset bearings fitted to the Bianchi today. 'Bout time too after nearly 3 years. The top one was fairly OK but the lower was a little rough. Not bad though considering some of the weather it's been through.


----------



## HLaB (19 Feb 2021)

I don't know if you can call it a fettle as it only took 5 mins. Its been nearly 4 months since I last topped them up, I would have done it earlier but the bike has stayed indoor for the last two weeks. I removed the valve cores from my tubeless tyre. Inserted circa 30ml of sealant in both tyres. Reinserted and tightened the valve core and pumped the tyres back up to pressure, (well slightly above, 95psi). I'll run them at 80psi topping up at circa 2-3 week intervals. There its took me longer to type this than actually do it


----------



## Vantage (20 Feb 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> Made another bike bag this week using dark walnut side panels clear coated.
> View attachment 574639
> 
> 
> ...



Now THAT'S nice!


----------



## Vantage (20 Feb 2021)

I've been fettle free for a couple months but I started making new mudflaps the other day. The poppers came today and getting them fitted to the mudguards was a ballache. 6 pairs of poppers died during my attempts but alas I have won the battle.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (20 Feb 2021)

Not much of a _fettle_. more of a check-over/clean-up of my CGR, when I got home from work
I'd gone in the car, as I dropped daughter off at her part-time job at 05:50, then left early to pick her up at 13:00

Once home, I disposed of the old chain (that's been on since October), hopefully, the weather will be kinder to this one
The chain-rings also came off, to allow me to check them/clean the frame easily behind them
Disc-pads were also checked, & cassette cleaned with a brush, & old towel run through it

It was then well scrubbed, as far as feasible, with the wheels out

Once it had dried, in the breeze, I put on a new chain, one of the pair that I bought at Decathlon, at the end of last month

I had to shorten it, as rather oddly, they're 118 link


It looks okay, but on inspection the hubs could have been cleaner, as there's still muck in the spoke-mounts (Aksyium wheels)
I might cut some of the reflective tape, I still have, to cover the 'London Road' logos






Hmm... that front mudflap's still dirty on the reflective side


----------



## JhnBssll (20 Feb 2021)

I gave the Pilot a good clean today then fitted the long awaited drive side stages powermeter. I originally ordered it in early December but it finally arrived today from the 3rd supplier - top marks to Sigma Sports for getting it to me in 2 days after I'd waited 2 months for others to try and fail  It was also an opportunity for me to try out my new toy - a 15 litre ultrasonic cleaning tank  The first job for it was cleaning the old chainset ready for sale, it came out rather sparkly 😊











When that was done (6 minutes) I threw the chain and cassette in for good measure and gave them a 10 minute clean while I fitted the new chainset. I wiped the frame and wheels down then reassembled...











All shiny again! Last job was to update the firmware in the older left hand power meter so it matched the new right hand unit then pair them together; this way the left hand unit gathers the data from both meters and combines it to send to the computer to give overall power as well as left/right balance info.

All clean again and ready to get dirty


----------



## Drzdave58 (21 Feb 2021)

I finished up another bag today. Brown dyed leather with oak side panels .Colonial American stain and clear coated.


----------



## randynewmanscat (21 Feb 2021)

A chainset, toe clips and straps to pedals, then a disruptive friend called by to disrupt, note to self turn the gate intercom off.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Feb 2021)

Pumped up tyres on wife’s bike ahead of her first ride in a few weeks. Tomorrow I’ll oil the chain.


----------



## randynewmanscat (21 Feb 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Tomorrow I’ll oil the chain.


Not the brake pads as I do with my dear hearts steed?


----------



## postman (21 Feb 2021)

Did a bit of cleaning five family bikes and pumped up all tyres.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Feb 2021)

randynewmanscat said:


> Not the brake pads as I do with my dear hearts steed?



Reminded me I need to fit new brake pads to her bike as well. I have the pads but been no rush as she hasn’t been riding through winter.


----------



## randynewmanscat (22 Feb 2021)

Someones shed.


----------



## Gunk (24 Feb 2021)

I managed to source a really clean Campag Veloce 12-25 cassette for my spare turbo rear wheel. This matches the cassette ratios on the road wheel, so I fitted it and was really pleased that it just slotted in and worked without any adjustments to the indexing.












I know there are mixed views on using a second turbo wheel, but it saves wear on the other better quality Chorus cassette and GP4000 rear tyre. I can now swap them over in less than 30 seconds, so for me it’s a good solution.


----------



## DCLane (24 Feb 2021)

Cleaned my Wilier Montegrappa after I _thought_ it didn't need cleaning from Monday's ride. It was  Swapped the 10 speed cassette on the Ritchey wheels for an 11 speed of the Shimano RS wheelset I got this week and put some Fulcrum 5's on.

Then had a play with my Christmas present of an ultrasonic cleaner; it shifted a winter's worth of grime from the 10 speed cassette. That'll go onto the Shimano RS wheels for when the Wilier's being sold later this year.


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Feb 2021)

Swapped the wheels over on my Pilot last night and whipped the mudguards off in the hope I could commute in on it today. With the office being largely closed it can be stored nice and securely and is more fun to ride than the commuter  I'd forgotten how grim riding with a heavy laptop in a rucksack was 

Also cleaned the cassette on the summer wheels before installing, but only so I had an excuse to fire up the ultrasonic cleaner again  Crikey they're loud, I hadn't really noticed the first time but at 10pm you're more aware of how much noise you're making in the garage


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (25 Feb 2021)

Not bikes, but cars
Daughters M-B, washer bottle filled/oil & tyres checked
My Octavia; the same

Wifes C-HR, again, the same, when she got home


----------



## si_c (25 Feb 2021)

Pulled my MTB out of the shed where it has languished since before the first lockdown. Brakes were fscked completely, so new pads in both front and rear with the rear needing a full bleed as it was full of air. The pads were down to the backing plates so not entirely surprising.

Also pulled off the rear wheel pulled the axle to put some grease on the bearings as they were a little dry and straightened the hanger. All done in just over an hour, so pretty pleased with that.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (25 Feb 2021)

si_c said:


> Pulled my MTB out of the shed where it has languished since before the first lockdown. Brakes were fscked completely, so new pads in both front and rear with the rear needing a full bleed as it was full of air. The pads were down to the backing plates so not entirely surprising.
> 
> Also pulled off the rear wheel pulled the axle to put some grease on the bearings as they were a little dry and straightened the hanger. All done in just over an hour, so pretty pleased with that.



Hopefully not this bad 
Not mine!!! (taken from social media)


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## Oldhippy (25 Feb 2021)

Might need replacing. I'm no expert mind.


----------



## itboffin (25 Feb 2021)

Swapped 105 left side 4iiii power meter to the winter bike then fitted new Ultegra R8000 with same make of power meter to the spring bike, gave it a little light wash down to removal all the dust 🙄


----------



## ColinJ (25 Feb 2021)

Today, I have mostly been reviving a dead Garmin Edge 200!



Sharky said:


> Well the new battery came today. Managed to get it apart and separate the circuit boards etc, but failed miserably trying to put it all back. Some of the connectors are so tiny that it is difficult making a good connection, so I gave up and ordered a new garmin.





ColinJ said:


> Bad luck, but at least you end up with a new device!
> 
> If you haven't killed it altogether, would you consider parting with it for _not-very-much_?





Sharky said:


> PM me your address and I'll pop it in the post. I had thrown it into the bin, so might need a bit of cleaning!



@Sharky was kind enough to do just that and didn't even charge me the postage.

Before:





I was a bit overconfident - it _WAS _really fiddly! I had 4 or 5 attempts to put it back together last night and got it working for 1 minute but when I reassembled the case the damn connector fell off again!

I had another go today and finally managed to get the power connector and screen cable inserted properly. 

The next problem was that I didn't have a Torx driver to fit the tiny screws for the case. I gave up trying to use other types of screwdriver and hunted through my various piles of junk to find 4 small Philips style screws.

After:





Yay!

I have charged the battery up to 100% and am going to switch the device back on just before I go to bed so I can check the battery life. It is a new battery so I am hoping for 12 hours or so. That would be enough for most rides that I am likely to do. If I can get 9+ hours then a quick recharge at cafe stops would see me through a day.

_*Many thanks @Sharky! *_


----------



## Pale Rider (26 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Today, I have mostly been reviving a dead Garmin Edge 200!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



A powerbank extends the life of my Edge Touring.

Mine still works when plugged in, although Garmin being Garmin, some don't.

Taking the York/Humber Bridge ride as an example, without the powerbank the Touring conked out just as we returned to York.

With the powerbank, I left the cafe stop with a full battery, so plenty of power for the rest of the ride.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I have charged the battery up to 100% and am going to switch the device back on just before I go to bed so I can check the battery life. It is a new battery so I am hoping for 12 hours or so. That would be enough for most rides that I am likely to do. If I can get 9+ hours then a quick recharge at cafe stops would see me through a day.


I left the Garmin running overnight indoors and the battery lasted 13 hours. I didn't get a satellite lock so it wasn't exactly equivalent to running the GPS out on the bike. It might be that it used more power trying to get a lock, or perhaps it gave up and saved power? 

It will be some time before I do one really long ride with it, so I'll recharge it, do lots of short rides, and keep an eye on how many hours of riding I get before the battery goes flat.

It is looking pretty promising though!


----------



## si_c (26 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I left the Garmin running overnight indoors and the battery lasted 13 hours. I didn't get a satellite lock so it wasn't exactly equivalent to running the GPS out on the bike. It might be that it used more power trying to get a lock, or perhaps it gave up and saved power


Leave it recording on a window ledge - that'll give you a good idea.


----------



## DCLane (26 Feb 2021)

Son's BeOne has been a pain to work on; it got a thorough clean, new front gear cable, paint touch-up but the rear mech wouldn't shift properly at all. In the end we've replaced the cable inner and outer, which has sorted the issue. Re-wrapped the bar tape OK and that _should_ be it done after what seems like ages: ready for Spring/Summer training and as a back-up race bike.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Feb 2021)

si_c said:


> Leave it recording on a window ledge - that'll give you a good idea.


If you mean _indoors_ - that's what I did but it didn't get a satellite lock through the glass. My Edge 500 _can _in that position so I was a bit surprised. I'm thinking of putting it in a sealed plastic bag out in my back yard tonight.


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## si_c (26 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> If you mean _indoors_ - that's what I did but it didn't get a satellite lock through the glass. My Edge 500 _can _in that position so I was a bit surprised. I'm thinking of putting it in a sealed plastic bag out in my back yard tonight.


That would probably work, assuming the badgers don't take it in the night.


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2021)

si_c said:


> That would probably work, assuming the badgers don't take it in the night.


They'd have a bit of a climb to get in and out! 

I've never seen a live badger. I've seen a couple of dead ones at the roadside though.

My niece rang her mum the other evening in great excitement, having had a badger run out in front of her in Exeter. Unfortunately if they carry on doing that, sooner or later a car _will _get them!


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## Pale Rider (26 Feb 2021)

Your battery test should work.

My Edge Touring doesn't always lock on to a satellite in the house, but mostly works well enough outside.

However, it conked out in Grizedale forest in the Lake District, presumably due to tree cover.

It was irritating because I was leading my brother and sister-in-law on a road circuit.

They didn't mind having to stop a couple of times at junctions and crossroads, but I wasn't able to provide the seamless leading experience I had intended.


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## ColinJ (27 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'm thinking of putting it in a sealed plastic bag out in my back yard tonight.


12.5 hours so far... (I'm checking it every 30 minutes.)


----------



## DRM (27 Feb 2021)

Fitted a new freewheel & crankset to Ye Olde Ancient Raleigh to replace the extremely worn originals, but have now found that the BB axle will need replacing as the chainrings/cranks are too far out and the front derailleur won’t reach the large chain ring, but the gear skipping is now gone, as is the dork disc off the rear wheel


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Feb 2021)

New brake blocks fitted and oiled chain. Wife’s bike.


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## Leaway2 (27 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> 12.5 hours so far... (I'm checking it every 30 minutes.)


What battery did you fit?


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## ColinJ (27 Feb 2021)

Blimey - the GPS is still working after 15 hours - I'm pleased with that! It is getting boring going out to check every 30 minutes so I'll check after 16 hours, 17 hours and so on... I imagine that it will pack up soon.



Leaway2 said:


> What battery did you fit?


@Sharky kindly donated the GPS and new battery to me so I don't know where the battery came from. Hopefully he will see that I tagged him and come along to tell you! 

I'm not sure that one forum member tagging the same other member twice in the same thread actually works, so if Sharky doesn't make an appearance then try tagging him yourself, and I'm sure that he will be alerted to that!


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## Sharky (27 Feb 2021)

It was this one
Garmin Edge 200 Battery (bestbattery.biz)

@Leaway2
@ColinJ

Just tried my replacement, a Garmin 130+. A bit smaller screen and fairly basic, but compared to the 200, much more complicated.
All I use is mileage, avg speed & time, but I'll have a play with the other options in due course.

Also bought the tool kit to go with the replacement battery


----------



## ColinJ (27 Feb 2021)

Sharky said:


> Just tried my replacement, a Garmin 130+. A bit smaller screen and fairly basic, but compared to the 200, much more complicated.
> All I use is mileage, avg speed & time, but I'll have a play with the other options in due course.


I'd never heard of the Garmin 130+ - that looks a handy little device.

The Edge 200 is _*still*_ going after 16 hours. I don't intend to be doing any 16 hour rides in the near future! 

One day I fancy seeing how far I could ride in daylight one Midsummer's Day and around here that would be a maximum of 17 hours. It looks like a quick recharge at a cafe stop would be all that was needed for the 200 to see me through the ride. If I ever do it, I'll make it a forum ride - I can think of a few locals who would probably join me.


----------



## Sharky (27 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'd never heard of the Garmin 130+ - that looks a handy little device.
> 
> The Edge 200 is _*still*_ going after 16 hours. I don't intend to be doing any 16 hour rides in the near future!
> 
> One day I fancy seeing how far I could ride in daylight one Midsummer's Day and around here that would be a maximum of 17 hours. It looks like a quick recharge at a cafe stop would be all that was needed for the 200 to see me through the ride. If I ever do it, I'll make it a forum ride - I can think of a few locals who would probably join me.


Towards the end, I was down to 50% charge after a 90 minute ride.
Hope you cleared out those rides I did. I don't want you getting a free 126 miles added to your annual total 
Cheers


----------



## ColinJ (27 Feb 2021)

Sharky said:


> Towards the end, I was down to 50% charge after a 90 minute ride.


Ouch! No, that wouldn't have been great. Ok for little local rides, but no long ones.



Sharky said:


> Hope you cleared out those rides I did. I don't want you getting a free 126 miles added to your annual total
> Cheers


Ha ha - I did notice that you had left some on there!

I haven't really gone through all the different menus yet trying to see how it works. I'll reset everything

I think I'll go outside at the 17 hour point and bring it back in whether it has run out of juice or not. I was curious how long it would last but I am getting bored of traipsing out into the yard over and over...


----------



## DCLane (27 Feb 2021)

Racing looks to be returning. So, rather than do it last minute and not have time to get used to the race bikes, this morning I:


Pulled son's Cervelo S3 race bike out, made a few adjustments and got it ready for him racing 3rd cat until his Ridley team bike arrives
Pulled son's Argon TT bike out, again a couple of adjustments and ready
Pulled my Principia TT bike out, a few more adjustments and ready
Pulled son's PlanetX hillclimb bike out and was fine, except the seat clamp has half-split. New one to be ordered.
He did a test ride on his BeOne just to make sure all the bits we've cleaned / replaced were all working.
After a ride I then looked at finishing the Raleigh Superbe-thing I bought last year. Adjusted the Sturmey Archer rear adjuster and now it's got all 3 gears. Saddle tightened up and a lot of metal polishing. It's 'done' as far as I'm happy with, photos tomorrow.

I'm in two minds about dismantling the front dynamo: it's not working well so I've disconnected it. However, as the Raleigh's probably not staying I could do with attempting a fix.


----------



## si_c (27 Feb 2021)

Replaced the QR on my MTB seat post collar, the plastic washer for the cam had worn badly, acceptable after 14 years I suppose.


----------



## ColinJ (27 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I think I'll go outside at the 17 hour point and bring it back in whether it has run out of juice or not. I was curious how long it would last but I am getting bored of traipsing out into the yard over and over...


Ha - I went out there after 17 hours and the Low Battery warning popped up just as I picked the device up.

I'm going to adopt battery conservation measures with it... I'll recharge it to 60% after any ride which takes the charge below 50%. 60% charge puts a lot less stress on the battery when charging and storing it. It should be plenty to last for my normal rides. I will charge it up from 60% to 80% just before my 100 km rides. If I am going to do 100+ miles, I'll take it up to 100% just before setting off so it isn't kept fully charged for long.



Pale Rider said:


> A powerbank extends the life of my Edge Touring.
> 
> Mine still works when plugged in, although Garmin being Garmin, some don't.
> 
> ...


I'm recharging from my powerbank now. On the higher current output it has taken the GPS from 4% to 39% in 20 minutes so I agree that a quick top-up should be all that is needed. I'll be able to top-up the Edge 500 as well, either at the same stop or one of the others on a longer ride. (If I buy another cable I could do both at the same time, though the powerbank will split the charging current between the 2 outputs.)


----------



## bikingdad90 (27 Feb 2021)

I messed about with my bike fit on the fly while riding to try to rid myself of lower back pain. Ended up rotating the bars forward slightly as I had too much weight on my hands. I spotted that one as I looked at the bike from a distance and noticed the hoods were not level. Next I moved the saddle down a few mm’s as I was over extending one leg and I also moved the saddle forward a few mm to try and balance the out the leg stroke. I may end moving the saddle back if I find after a while it burns my legs.

I may end up moving the cleats forward a few mm as they are as far back as they go but can’t work out if that move my leg back or forward and how to compensate the saddle for/aft for best fit.

My back pain is due to a prolapsed disc and a curvy spine which makes my tummy stick out and bum stick out because it curves my spine.


----------



## si_c (28 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'm recharging from my powerbank now. On the higher current output it has taken the GPS from 4% to 39% in 20 minutes so I agree that a quick top-up should be all that is needed. I'll be able to top-up the Edge 500 as well, either at the same stop or one of the others on a longer ride. (If I buy another cable I could do both at the same time, though the powerbank will split the charging current between the 2 outputs.)



For longer rides I use a top tube bag with a small 2500mah battery in it - coiled USB cable from that to the charge port on the Garmin. Computer runs off the external battery until that's depleted before switching to the internal. I also put snacks in the bag as well.


----------



## ianrauk (28 Feb 2021)

2 new boots for the Van Nick. Ready for some nice, dry, spring and summer riding.


----------



## chriswoody (28 Feb 2021)

With all the winter forest riding, the bike needed a proper wheels off clean. Whilst I was there I had a good look to check if anything needed replacing. Turns out one of the sealed bearings in one of the derailleur jockey wheels is running rough and the brake pads in the rear are on the low side. Along with needing a new gear cable, looks like I've got some fettling ahead of me.


----------



## itboffin (28 Feb 2021)

Two bikes two stem changes, slightly long one for the winter bike which somehow seems to have had a shorter one than my bike fit in 2008 said I should have and a deda superzero for the summer bike


----------



## Drzdave58 (28 Feb 2021)

Finished another bag today. Oak side panels in a cherry stain and clear coated with black leather.


----------



## si_c (28 Feb 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> Finished another bag today. Oak side panels in a cherry stain and clear coated with black leather.
> View attachment 576323
> 
> 
> ...


You're knocking them out quite quickly now


----------



## Drzdave58 (28 Feb 2021)

si_c said:


> You're knocking them out quite quickly now


Yes. I'm trying to keep myself busy while the weather is cold. I hope to soon be able to get out for some riding. I completed 5 bags over the last while so I am done for now.


----------



## HLaB (28 Feb 2021)

Rescued a Ridgeback Velocity from my parents shed. It the bike I used to commute on 12 years, no idea how I lugged it up Dundass St back then. Pumped up the tyres and they seemed good, the brakes work fine in the stand. But the chain was rusted solid. I burst my multi tool last week so I had another go at it this week with a proper chain tool. Success, although I had to split the chain in two places to get it out of the jockey wheels.
Fitted the new chain and all seems good for now 🤔


----------



## ChrisEyles (28 Feb 2021)

Gave my fork a service this weekend. I'd left it too long, it feels amazing now!


----------



## Leaway2 (1 Mar 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Ha - I went out there after 17 hours and the Low Battery warning popped up just as I picked the device up.
> 
> I'm going to adopt battery conservation measures with it... I'll recharge it to 60% after any ride which takes the charge below 50%. 60% charge puts a lot less stress on the battery when charging and storing it. It should be plenty to last for my normal rides. I will charge it up from 60% to 80% just before my 100 km rides. If I am going to do 100+ miles, I'll take it up to 100% just before setting off so it isn't kept fully charged for long.
> 
> ...


I replaced my battery earlier this year, same capacity. Not sure why the 700's are not available. I think this battery will outlast my riding days and possibly me


----------



## Sharky (2 Mar 2021)

ianrauk said:


> 2 new boots for the Van Nick. Ready for some nice, dry, spring and summer riding.
> View attachment 576276
> 
> 
> View attachment 576277


Which varient of rubino Pro are these? I have these on a couple of bikes and thinking of replacing. But when I search, there are graphene, speed, control, pro varients.

Thanks


----------



## ianrauk (2 Mar 2021)

Sharky said:


> Which varient of rubino Pro are these? I have these on a couple of bikes and thinking of replacing. But when I search, there are graphene, speed, control, pro varients.
> 
> Thanks




Just Pro's. From Wiggle at £14.00 a pop. A bargain


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## Sharky (2 Mar 2021)

ianrauk said:


> Just Pro's. From Wiggle at £14.00 a pop. A bargain


Thanks. I might get a couple lined up.


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## si_c (2 Mar 2021)

Replaced the chain on the Kinesis - chain checker showing .75 so swapped in the spare and ordered a replacement. Also took the opportunity with the chain out to lubricate the pivots on the RD and the cables.


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## gbb (2 Mar 2021)

A bit of cleaning and maintenance on the Crossfire e.
Rear wheel out...
Clean and inspect the cassette. Very dirty, cleaned. Looking worn on some teeth, note to myself, start looking for a replacement as well as a cassette removal tool. I have 2, one is Campag, one is shimano but for hollow axles.
Chain cleaned and lubed, wear checked, 75% indicator not dropping in so seems ok.
General clean of the whole bike.
Mud guards all off, give the bike a cleaner look.
Fit a bag to the crossbar.
Repair my Park Tools frame pump (not really a repair, one of the notches that allows you to extend and fix the length of the pump has snapped off, very disappointing considering the cost and age of it. Resorted to a wrap of tape around the broken bit...not very high tech but hey ho.


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## Jonjay (2 Mar 2021)

Having got the bike back after a replacement shifter under warranty, used it as an opportunity to adjust the bars and levers a bit and try my hand at fitting new bar tape. Possibly should have got some cheap stuff to practice as found it a bit of a ball ache, with much swearing and rewrapping. Overall not too bad for a first effort


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## hennbell (2 Mar 2021)

Trying to replace the drivetrain on my 2017 Emonda. Its was a frame replacement and initially built up with 2008 mechanical Ultrega.
I an trying to get new Ultrega mechanical or Di2. I simply can not get a bike store to get the parts any time soon. They claim lack of supply due to covid, is lack of supply a world wide issue ?


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## Tom B (2 Mar 2021)

Spent yesterday installing some trunking down the back of the house and along the extension so I can feed some network and coax along it for when our new tv / it unit arrives. Planned on allowing about 3 hours but everything that could go wrong went wrong so took all day.

This meant the bike washing / mickling took place early evening. Ably assisted by a three year old meant water went everywhere and drying and relubing was pretty basic.

Got up this morning, found it was minus 6 in the bike shed, went back in, put some thermals on, went out got the bike out. Firstly found the shifter wouldn't, then found the freehub was stuck in freewheel. Is this a common problem in cold weather? I've had a few do it this winter? I'm assuming it's frozen water causing the issue.

Took the bike in the house put the fan heater in then hub and shifter and had a brew.

Set off for work and found the rear wheel bearings were making some horrendous noises to accompany the knackered front hub. The noises got really horrible and alarming closer to work.

Got to work and tried dropping in some oil into the wheel earrings as a put me on. Somehow seemed worse.

Got home and stripped it out. Remembering this wheel hasn't been stripped for 3years and three winters of commuting. Oops.

The freehubbody was full of manky gritty brown water I've cleaned that out and it seems a lot better, but probably could do with being replaced if I can figure it out which one it is.

After I cleaned it up I was amazed how the cones and cups are in good condition. But don't you hate it when your balls get scored!







Rather than reassemble it I've stuck my spikes on for tomorrow and will hope alfrauds have some balls tomorrow.


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## Tom B (2 Mar 2021)

Ooh and took the pedals of the little lads frog so he can us it as a balance bike


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## Richard A Thackeray (3 Mar 2021)

@Tom B 

Stripped hubs/BBs down many a time, on the work bikes over the years
(also to the MTB & CX bikes after grotty races)


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## Richard A Thackeray (3 Mar 2021)

After a curious lack of front braking, & commenting on here yesterday, see page 2; https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/disc-pads-glazing.268958/
I've been outside this morning, with the intention of swapping the pads front to rear, as a first line of investigation

Yesterday, when I pulled them out, I _wet & dry_'d them to try & remove a glaze. but on replacement, they were terrifying, even just in the drive
(they'd smoothed up..)

I tried a pair of older (genuine Shimano pads, that I'd replaced), they were better - but with too much lever travel for my preferences

So, with a bit of lateral thinking, a few grains of rock salt were put between the present pads (Discopads 'sintered') & ground-up
Once washed off, & replaced.....

Now admittedly, that's just based on trying them, up & down the drive, but they're biting like a LandShark chasing a scrote


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## ColinJ (3 Mar 2021)

I wanted to try navigating with my recently-fettled Edge 200 so I did one of my local loops using it and it worked flawlessly, unlike the Edge 500 that I have which I could never get to do that (it's a well-known problem and despite attempts to fix it, Garmin never seemed to really sort it out).

I already have an old Garmin Etrex which is reliable but it is big and clunky so I like the idea of using the small 500 for data and the equally small 200 for navigation.

What the ride reminded me of though is that my eyesight is getting worse and I really need help to read the small screen. *THESE* cycling glasses with reading inserts look good - I have just ordered a pair. I will save them for rides where I need to take the Edge 200 out with me and use my cheapo safety glasses when I don't. (For local rides I don't need help with navigation so I will just take the Edge 500 and I can still make out the numbers on that without help.)


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## keithmac (3 Mar 2021)

Learnt a valuable lesson (don't buy taps from B&Q!).

Managed to salvage them with some brass base rings (£7 each) but 2 years is a poor show imho.


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## Vantage (4 Mar 2021)

Right, first thing I did prior to putting the bike away for my break from cycling was to wash it. This caused a problem. Somehow, water got into the dyno hub and bollixed the bearings. 
New hub arrived today so I stripped down the wheel, gave it a good clean and laced up the new hub into the old rim. Wasn't till I got the last nipple screwed in that I noticed I've laced the rim back to front. FFS! 
Repeat wheel strip planned for tomorrow and second attempt to do it properly.


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## si_c (4 Mar 2021)

Vantage said:


> Right, first thing I did prior to putting the bike away for my break from cycling was to wash it. This caused a problem. Somehow, water got into the dyno hub and bollixed the bearings.
> New hub arrived today so I stripped down the wheel, gave it a good clean and laced up the new hub into the old rim. Wasn't till I got the last nipple screwed in that I noticed I've laced the rim back to front. FFS!
> Repeat wheel strip planned for tomorrow and second attempt to do it properly.


Like becaused I've sort of done that - run ahead with myself then realised that I'd laced everything one hole out so the valve stem was in the wrong place.


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## Vantage (4 Mar 2021)

Done it! Even made a wheel dishing tool. 
I'll test it out tomorrow.


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## DCBassman (5 Mar 2021)

hennbell said:


> Trying to replace the drivetrain on my 2017 Emonda. Its was a frame replacement and initially built up with 2008 mechanical Ultrega.
> I an trying to get new Ultrega mechanical or Di2. I simply can not get a bike store to get the parts any time soon. They claim lack of supply due to covid, is lack of supply a world wide issue ?


Yup...


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## randynewmanscat (5 Mar 2021)

Bodge repaired my rotavator. Crummy idler pulley is 2 62012 bearings stacked with a nylon sleeve over both. Nylon sleeve held on with nought but friction, yes... 
Contact adhesive saves the day. Friend asked why not turn an alu sleeve and press fit. I pointed to the garden, things need planting. 
The pulley spitting the sleeve off unnoticed for a while has spoiled the poly V belt, it can wait. 





After breakfast I'm off to fight with the dry earth.


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## si_c (5 Mar 2021)

Took the chain off the Trek and ran it through the sonic cleaner until properly clean. Was pretty grim. Then relubricated and put back on taking the opportunity to clean the derailleur and rear cassette at the same time.


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## bikingdad90 (5 Mar 2021)

Swapped my shifter hoods from black to blue. I am quite pleased with the quality of the Chinese rubber. Sets off the bike nicely, it only has Claris R2000 on it.

I need to get round to changing the stem spacers to some carbon ones I have and refit a bell.


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## itboffin (5 Mar 2021)

Good bar wrapping foo and yes I also think that looks better


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## HLaB (5 Mar 2021)

Put a new tubeless tyre on my bike. The old one had just had a top up of sealant so I manufactured a funnel to rescue most of that. Didn't have an air tank to hand but it seems to have seated nicely and filled any air gap after 5 goes with the track pump.


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## Mike_P (6 Mar 2021)

The dehumifier in the bike shed has been relatively fine, although even with the drain tube seemingly well attached the water tank still fills up. Think come summer I might see if its possible to look inside to figure out how its drainage works. Any way mid week and having had the ebike out late in day for some tinkering I pushed it back in the shed for an almighty clatter to occur along with a loud squealing noise. With a light source switched on (a front light) discovered the wires associated with the humidity controller all tangled up with the ebike and the display reading ER. Disconnected the controller and left the dehumifier working off its inbuilt sensor (no idea where to turn the control knob to) . Eventually discovered the plug on the end of the lead inside the humiidty sensor had come disconnected; quite how it managed that if it had been put together right as the wire loops around a peg to act a cable clamp.
Spent time today with cable tie mounts and a roll of exterior mounting tape making all the cables tight against the inside of the shed and the controller, sensor and sockets also stuck in place
Sun was now out - um, time to go out on the road bike, ah! flat front tyre - that took two attempt to fix the puncture of the inner tube during which I tried to remove the RH Crank bolt on the ebike in order to easily fit a chainring bolt fitted chain guard - could not shift the bolt so tried fitting the chain guard without removing the chainring only to find the chainring bolt spacers I had, even doubled, tripled, quadrupled were not wide enough Trips needed to Screwfix tomorrow for a drill mounting nut spinner and Spa on Monday for some thicker spacers.
Packed up, opened the fridge door and discovered a 2 pint bottle of milk had leaked nearly a pint into bottle container on the door


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## Tom B (6 Mar 2021)

But other than that all okay @Mike_P ?

For my fettling got the new bearings out for my everyday wheel compared them to the existing good bearings and decided I was happy.

Put them all together with the axle bits in a tub on top of the fridge while I got on with making some pretzels.



*Not bad for first effort.


Snapped a gear wheel in the mixer. Found the part was more expensive than the mixer was so ordered a new mixer. Decided to get the rest of the bits for the old mixer off the top of the fridge and knocked the box off bits of bearings and axle bits down the back of the fridge. Anyways...

Fettled the little lads seat a bit further forward and lower. Then remembers my MTB bike seat post is wayyyyyy to long for the frame so whipped it out and chopped 6" off. That should see me 0.25s faster up the local climbs.

Gave the MTB a quick mickle and reset the pressures in the suspension to what I had written on my wall last year.

Noticed the kids in the street had set up a ramp / jump. Well it would have been rude not to.

(No I didn't fall)


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## HLaB (7 Mar 2021)

A bit of enforced fettling for me today. The cr@p roads seem to have did in my rear mudguard brackets. Took me a while and then I figured out a bodge to stop it happening at every bump in the tarmac.






It wasn't pretty though so I bodged something better tonight. Electrical tape is a bit thicker than a bar wrapper so I'll see how well it holds as I doubt I got the bracket completely in the clip.


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## biggs682 (7 Mar 2021)

Been suffering the last few weeks with the outer flap on the letter box lifting and closing with the very the very lightest breeze so swapped it around and seems to be sorted


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## Gunk (7 Mar 2021)

HLaB said:


> A bit of enforced fettling for me today. The cr@p roads seem to have did in my rear mudguard brackets. Took me a while and then I figured out a bodge to stop it happening at every bump in the tarmac.
> 
> View attachment 577522
> 
> ...



Looks like a nice Ti frame


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## Jenkins (7 Mar 2021)

Just as an experiment, I changed the handlebars on my Pickenflick from 600mm flat bars to some 740mm MTB riser bars.The only problem I found after a test ride was getting it through the back door and into the shed thanks to the bars' width.


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## Gravity Aided (8 Mar 2021)

Mustache bars the other day, after single-speeding the Facet Biotour 2000 over the winter.


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## Mike_P (8 Mar 2021)

After a weekend of getting no where quickly rapid progress today after a two pound spend in Spa Cycles for a set of chainring spacers that you can easily pay £6+ each elsewhere. The new chain guard fitted to the ebike without taking the crank off, just enough space twix the spider and motor at one location to get the rear part of chainring bolt assembly sort of in place and then tease with allen key in place.




Also a further quid spent on a mudguard bridge which allowed the rear mudguard on the Defy no longer to need a cable tie around the seat stays.


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## Gunk (8 Mar 2021)

Spa are brilliant for those hard to find items and usually a fraction of what some jokers are asking on eBay


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## Ming the Merciless (10 Mar 2021)

Serviced lower pivot on rear derailleur, after it got sticky. Now good as new. Not bad for a 13 year old derailleur


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## JhnBssll (10 Mar 2021)

Replaced the mudflaps on the Pilot with some flashy colour coordinated Raw jobbies  Very pleased with them 






The front is similar in dimensions to the original but the rear is longer but skinnier. I'll likely try them out soon - since the weather is a bit grim again I'll be reinstalling them and swapping the wheels back over later this evening


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## ColinJ (11 Mar 2021)

Gunk said:


> Spa are brilliant for those hard to find items...


The _Spa Cycles_ shop _itself _is a "_hard to find item"_... 

I was in Harrogate with my cyclist cousin and we decided to pay them a visit. Without using Google Maps we probably wouldn't have located them! (The shop is tucked away on some kind of industrial estate.)


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## davelincs (11 Mar 2021)

I’ve just removed the rear wheel, removed the cassette and chain both soaking in a degreaser solution, washed the bike down, having a cuppa now , will be assembling soon ,and trying out some new smoove lube,I’ve had for a few weeks, hope it’s as good has I’ve been told, a mate recommended it , I will let you know my thoughts when it’s had a good run or two


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## Gunk (11 Mar 2021)

Fitted some new SwissStop brake shoes to my TRP canti brakes today, the previous Shimano shoes didn’t inspire much confidence, hopefully these will be better. First impressions are positive.


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## Gunk (11 Mar 2021)

Quick test ride to the shops and they’re much better. I also shortened the pull so they’re much sharper.


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## ColinJ (11 Mar 2021)

Gunk said:


> Quick test ride to the shops and they’re much better. I also shortened the pull so they’re much sharper.
> 
> View attachment 578100


Can't you get your lock through the front wheel rim as well?

I have a lock which IS big enough to do the bike frame and a wheel. I reckon a sneak thief would be more likely to nick the front wheel because it is quicker and less messy (oily chains/fingers) to get out than the rear one.


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## Gunk (11 Mar 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Can't you get your lock through the front wheel rim as well?
> 
> I have a lock which IS big enough to do the bike frame and a wheel. I reckon a sneak thief would be more likely to nick the front wheel because it is quicker and less messy (oily chains/fingers) to get out than the rear one.



No need, both wheels have security bolts instead of Q/R spindles


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## ColinJ (11 Mar 2021)

Gunk said:


> No need, both wheels have security bolts instead of Q/R spindles


Good thinking!


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## Mike_P (11 Mar 2021)

ColinJ said:


> The _Spa Cycles_ shop _itself _is a "_hard to find item"_...
> 
> I was in Harrogate with my cyclist cousin and we decided to pay them a visit. Without using Google Maps we probably wouldn't have located them! (The shop is tucked away on some kind of industrial estate.)
> 
> View attachment 578045


Its a pity there is not an entrance off the road behind the shop, The Avenue, which leads straight onto the cycleway along an old railway line that connects with NCN67 Nidderdale Greenway. At least the fencing is useful for bike locks in the absence of anything else, and probably better than Chevin who have those horrible (create a buckled) wheel tube things.


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## JhnBssll (11 Mar 2021)

This evening I refitted the winter wheels and mudguards to the Pilot complete with the new mudflaps I installed yesterday. She may get a ride out tomorrow afternoon to collect the car from the garage if it's ready in time and it's been pretty damp these last few days


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## fossyant (13 Mar 2021)

Re-measured the saddle height on the recently refurbished Ribble and it was 5mm too low, so adjusted that.

Then I removed the drive side bearing on my Praxis GXP BB off the full suss as it was a bit stiff. Blasted the crud out with brake cleaner and repacked with grease.


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## Jenkins (13 Mar 2021)

Saddle swap - lightly used second hand Charge Spoon for a very heavily used (minimum 10,000 miles of arse cheek/saddle interface in under 5 years on the main commuter) and tatty condition Charge Spoon.

As an aside, it seems like production of the Spoon has re-started as a number of places seem to have got new stock.


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## JhnBssll (13 Mar 2021)

Jenkins said:


> Saddle swap - lightly used second hand Charge Spoon for a very heavily used (minimum 10,000 miles of arse cheek/saddle interface in under 5 years on the main commuter) and tatty condition Charge Spoon.
> 
> As an aside, it seems like production of the Spoon has re-started as a number of places seem to have got new stock.



I love the Charge spoon on my commuter - it's a Charge Plug so came with a Spoon as standard, I wasn't aware they were 'special' until some time later  Unusually though, when I tried to use one on another bike it just wasn't as comfortable  The only thing I can think of is I don't use padded shorts on the commuter, so maybe the Spoon fits my natural arse shape but not my arse with enhanced cushioning  Good to hear they're potentially back in production though 

As an aside, have you cycled past my house recently?


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## Jenkins (13 Mar 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> <snip>
> As an aside, have you cycled past my house recently?


Not past, but a couple of weekends ago I went into Claydon and turned off at the triangle and up the Old Norwich Road, but not without a quick check up the road to see how much work you'd done. 

Did you know your handywork (as of December 2020) can now be seen on Google Streetview - I won't link for obvious reasons.


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## fossyant (13 Mar 2021)

Jenkins said:


> Saddle swap - lightly used second hand Charge Spoon for a very heavily used (minimum 10,000 miles of arse cheek/saddle interface in under 5 years on the main commuter) and tatty condition Charge Spoon.
> 
> As an aside, it seems like production of the Spoon has re-started as a number of places seem to have got new stock.



Good. Mine was quite hard to get in January.


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## Jenkins (13 Mar 2021)

fossyant said:


> Good. Mine was quite hard to get in January.


Merlin Cycles seem to be the best priced for the plain black one (https://www.merlincycles.com/charge-spoon-cromo-rail-saddle-106422.html) with the brown one widely available for around £30


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## fossyant (13 Mar 2021)

Jenkins said:


> Merlin Cycles seem to be the best priced for the plain black one (https://www.merlincycles.com/charge-spoon-cromo-rail-saddle-106422.html) with the brown one widely available for around £30



Think I paid £35 as I could only get the stealth black. Would have gone black with red logos and silver rails.


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## Jenkins (14 Mar 2021)

Jenkins said:


> Just as an experiment, I changed the handlebars on my Pickenflick from 600mm flat bars to some 740mm MTB riser bars.The only problem I found after a test ride was getting it through the back door and into the shed thanks to the bars' width.


And it's back on with the flat bars. While the risers felt fine on a short test ride, on today's longer riide I found myself too upright and pushed back on the saddle due to the shape of the bars. It was almost as if a shorter stem had been fitted.


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## 12boy (15 Mar 2021)

Actually if raising the bars meant you were leaning less to hold the bars it is pretty much the same as a shorter stem.


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## Chislenko (15 Mar 2021)

Today, mostly I made a wheel trueing stand from an old set of forks and other assorted stuff I had in the shed. It's only good for 700 wheels but as all my bikes are 700 not a problem.











Had to enlarge one of the holes in the workmate to take the steerer tube but works a treat.


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## DCLane (15 Mar 2021)

Stuck latex inner tubes into the two Novatec wheels we've sourced for my son to use as training wheels. His Cervelo has a slightly twisted rear Dura-Ace mech so un-twisted that. Hopefully.

Then pulled out the pile of parts that was my Dawes Kingpin plus the box of replacement parts for the build which I packed away about 9 months ago when the frame went off for a re-paint. It would've helped if I'd kept better notes for re-building but ... 

As it's been powder-coated quite a bit of excess laquer's got in, so I've removed bits. Still more to do. That was shown when the RH bottom bracket went in but the LH threaded section won't go in as some laquer's still on the threads. A job to do there as I'm swapping from the old-style bottom bracket threaded cups/bar to a square taper one.

Headset cups polished and in - that was about it given I'm not feeling 50%, let alone 100%. I _hope_ it's deep bottom, thin top. Diagrams showed it that way.

Then it'll be:

- The rest of the headset needs metal polishing, along with the seatpost clamp, then installing with new 1/8" bearings.
- New A-head quill stem adaptor with stem, for new carbon bars that are en route.
- The revised lightweight seatpost goes in with lighter saddle.
- Need to decide whether I'm using the Dura-Ace 170mm crankset or the Tange 165mm I've got.
- Drill a hole for the Campag derailleur hanger I picked up costing £25 
- LBS has been chivvied along with the wheel build; 451 rims on wider hubs.
- Once LBS has done the wheels I'll re-space the frame.
- Shifter(s) and rear derailleur. It'll get a 10 speed of some sort.
- Chainring(s) and chain.
- Brakes to fit and cable everything.

Still to buy: 10 speed RH flat bar shifter, possibly LH double shifter as well.

Photos when I've got more bits together.


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## FrankCrank (16 Mar 2021)

Decided my recently fettled bike maintenance stand needed some sort of tool tray attached. An old frying pan should do the trick









It'll build up a layer of oil over time, so maybe I could rig up a camping stove under it and cook some bacon & eggs - yummy


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## DCBassman (17 Mar 2021)

Wheels-off rim and brake block clean-up on the Revell mixte, to try and improve the braking somewhat. Which about describes the result, they improved...somewhat. But still not what I'd like, or anywhere near. I see long-drop dual pivots in my near-ish future...


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## DCLane (18 Mar 2021)

New SRAM Red cassette and seat clamp onto my son's hillclimb bike - it's now down to 5.4kg but that's it. No more to lose without spending big £'s. Seat clamp was fiddly as the PlanetX frameset is an odd size and we're working with a slightly too-small seat clamp and seatpost: problem solved with a bit of tape plus carbon paste which should hold.

Also more work on the Dawes Kingpin; forks in with new top/bottom bearings, new quill stem in and carbon bars, seatpost in with purple saddle. Photo tomorrow.


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## LeetleGreyCells (19 Mar 2021)

New brake and gear cables, jockey wheels and bar tape fitted to my Fuji. 

Strangely, I couldn't fit a new Shimano gear cable to my Shimano Claris left shifter - the cable barrel was too big. On checking the original cable, it's a Campagnolo 1.1mm cable. Weird. So I've ordered a replacement which, due to the current nature of things, should arrive in about 10 days or so. The old cable will suffice until then. 

I did check the brake pads before finishing with the new brake cables, and there's plenty of wear left.


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## JhnBssll (19 Mar 2021)

A couple of small jobs on the Pilot; I removed the rear wheel and added a 0.2mm shim behind the disc rotor in an attempt to align it more closely with the rotor on my other rear wheel. Seems to have done the job, I should now be able to swap the wheelset over without tweaking the caliper alignment  The fronts already lined up - I used the same hubs for both wheels which helps I guess. I also tweaked the thru axles - I was getting a rattling from the telesopic levers that tighten/loosen the axle. An email from the customer support team suggested I adjust them so the levers were vertical instead of horizontal when stowed so I'll see how they behave next time I'm out on it 

I also had a play with the Oltre - I'm getting the frameset replaced under warranty because the bottle bosses on the downtube are wonky  This seems to be a marmite topic - when I show people they either cant see anything wrong and think I'm nuts, or agree that it would drive _them_ nuts  I guess it depends how OCD you are...






Anyway, as a result of it being replaced in a month or two I'm taking the opportunity to play with the stem height... I had used all 4 spacers when it arrived and had planned to tweak it down over time but for various reasons I barely used it last summer so it has remained at full height... This evening I checked the geometry charts for both the XR4 and my old XR3 - the XR4 has a 5mm shorter headtube, but otherwise they're pretty similar. Looking at old photos I could see I had 30mm between the top of head tube and the underside of the stem on the XR3, which suggests to get the same bar height on the XR4 I would need 35mm - I actually had 45mm  So I've been riding the new 'racier' geometry bike with a higher front end than the one it replaced  Oops... I decided to start by taking 15mm out to go down to the same 30mm of spacers I had before but a 5mm lower overall bar height due to the shorter head tube...

As soon as I took the top cap off I rememered what a faff the internal routing made the steerer assembly 






To allow for spacer removal without completely removing the hoses, the spacers are split into two halves - you can see the split line here...






The rear brake hose and Di2 cable run though them at the front - all very neat when assembled but a real nuisance for adjustment and maintenance 






Anyway I had time to get the bars lowered down and tightened before I called it a day and came indoors... I'll have to go back out tomorrow to trim the steerer, which will require front and rear caliper removal to allow enough play in the brake hoses to lift the bars out of the way to clamp on the cutter guide  All fun and games... 😄


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## JhnBssll (20 Mar 2021)

I finished the job this morning  I swapped one of the remaining 10mm spacers for a 5mm then trimmed the steerer tube down to suit before reassembling. I gave her a quick clean, did a quick 'burp' bleed of the brakes and cleaned the rotors with alcohol. Once all back together I gave her a blast down the local bus lane which has a couple of very small hills which are handy for bedding in rotors  By the time I had whizzed up and down a few times they were biting nicely again  I see her in the corner of my eye on the office wall all week but I still forget how pretty she is in daylight  Hoping to pop out for a longer spin either this afternoon or tomorrow morning!


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## Landsurfer (20 Mar 2021)

Juan Kog said:


> My fettling did not go to plan today . My Boardman fixed needed some TLC ,it was not a quiet ride in part due to a well worn bottom bracket . Change the bottom bracket, simple what could possibly go wrong.
> I then remembered the extractor threads were a bit worn on this chain set , again not a problem. Well it was the extractor tool just chewed up the remaining threads. “ oh crumbs “ I said or something like that,
> This could mean the visit of shame to the LBS . But I’m pleased I managed to sort it myself. See photo.
> View attachment 566742
> tomorrow I’m going to dig out my angle grinder to chop that chain set up , then I won’t be tempted to put it back on a bike.


Angle grinder and alloy don’t mix ...... be very careful .... you cant grow new fingers ...


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2021)

I added some Campy decals to my Ribble Turbo bike


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Mar 2021)

Oiled road bike chain before going for ride. This was because my recumbent had a rear flat when I was getting it out for ride, so used the bike n+1 insurance policy. So got that puncture to fix at some point this weekend.


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## keithmac (20 Mar 2021)

Trip down memory lane today, got 4 bikes in for carb work and chose the Honda NC30 (VFR 400R) first.

One of my first jobs was sorting out Japanese Imports 25 years ago, must have done 40+ NC30's!.


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2021)

I owned one about 25 years ago, brilliant little bikes, great for learning how to get your knee down!


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## Juan Kog (20 Mar 2021)

Landsurfer said:


> Angle grinder and alloy don’t mix ...... be very careful .... you cant grow new fingers ...


Thanks for the warning, I didn’t bother with the angle grinder I just threw it in the scrap bin .


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## JPBoothy (20 Mar 2021)

Juan Kog said:


> Thanks for the warning, I didn’t bother with the angle grinder I just threw it the scrap bin .


I recently had a Steel crank extractor tool versus aluminium crank threads incident which didn't end well at all. Fortunately, along came Mr Grinder (if you know what I mean ) and off those pesky cranks came. It was on a SS bike so the replacement crank set wasn't that expensive and being a Steel frame helped too. Grinders are a brutal last resort but when used carefully can be a godsend


----------



## keithmac (20 Mar 2021)

I've had to cut wheel nuts off in situ before without damaging probably £1000 worth of wheel (or the axle).

Just take your time..


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## fossyant (20 Mar 2021)

Gunk said:


> I added some Campy decals to my Ribble Turbo bike
> 
> View attachment 579536



Campag, not Campy ! Tisk tisk. Are you a Yanky ?


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## fossyant (20 Mar 2021)

Had a slight click from the 90's MTB drive chain on the ride back from my covid jab. Bike was due a decent clean up - outer plates of the chain were good, but inner edges grubby. Chain into degreaser, cranks off and cleaned, cartridge BB loosened off and tightened up again (usual suspect for clicks). Likely I'll need a new BB at some point - no play but a little rough and too free spinning for a cartridge square taper. It's had a hard life though.


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## Jenkins (20 Mar 2021)

Three bits of work done today

1 - Sorted out the slow puncture on the Giant from Thursday. Turned out to be a tiny piece of flint that had only just penetrated the carcase. Wouldn't have found it if I hadn't lined up a marker on the tyre with the tube's valve stem.

2 - Another change for the Pickenflick flatbar. Fitted this with the SRAM Rival crankset with 46/36 gearing that I picked up a couple of weeks ago and put a pair of old, but unused 37mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres on (was on 28mm GP4000s)

3 - The drivetrain on the Spa Elan has been getting increasingly rough having done around 7000 miles with just one change of chain and cassete from new, so a major overhaul was called for. New chain & cassette fitted, jockey wheels removed, cleaned, greased & refitted. Bottom bracket (Hollowtech) removed & replaced with a Praxis GXP compatible unit . Well worn Shimano 105 crankset removed and replaced with the low mileage SRAM Rival unit fitted with Spa Cycles chainrings taken off the Pickenflick earlier. Frame cleaned with Autoglym car polish.


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## chriswoody (21 Mar 2021)

I've needed to change the gear cable for a while, the changes have lost their crispness and the cable end has become frayed after I lost the end cap on a tour last year and I was unable to replace it before it started fraying. Now as much as I like SRAM and my Rival 1 groupset, the whole changing gear gable thing is just one monumental faff that involves stripping the bar tape off to get to the cable. However, being 1x, there's only one cable to replace. The original Kona bar tape is past it's best though, so all things considered it's actually two jobs for one.













So new Jagwire cable and one side re-taped with Cinneli Cork tape. Just need to clean the rubber brifter hood and re-tape the other side to match.


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## JPBoothy (21 Mar 2021)

chriswoody said:


> I've needed to change the gear cable for a while, the changes have lost their crispness and the cable end has become frayed after I lost the end cap on a tour last year and I was unable to replace it before it started fraying. Now as much as I like SRAM and my Rival 1 groupset, the whole changing gear gable thing is just one monumental faff that involves stripping the bar tape off to get to the cable. However, being 1x, there's only one cable to replace. The original Kona bar tape is past it's best though, so all things considered it's actually two jobs for one.
> 
> View attachment 579722
> 
> ...


I fell into one of those "I think I will just change the brake cable" traps, on my oldest CAADX and ended up changing the Cassette, Large Chainring, Jockey Wheels, Chain, both Brake/Gear inner + outer cables, Cantilever Pad inserts, dismantling & regreasing the BB/Headset sealed bearings and ordering a small chainring and set of bolts to go with it.. It now runs silky smooth but 30mins into yesterdays ride I got a rear puncture


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## roubaixtuesday (21 Mar 2021)

Vernal equinox, so major fettle of minor issues. 

First up tandem- just a quick clean and polish to remove the winter grime from drive train and frame. 

Before:















Couldn't be arsed with any more photos as next up was MTB - clean and change winter ice spiker tyres to normal ones. Ice spiker tyres were obviously designed by one of life's true masochists. Not only are they, as the name suggests, festooned with razor sharp tungsten spikes, they're also the tightest fitting SOBs I've ever encountered. Duly, the air turns blue and various portions of flesh are gouged from my hands, but eventually, job done. 

Third, winter/ commuter bike. Full clean and minor gear fettle. The latter, alas, much extended after realising the adjuster screw on the rear mech was seized solid in both the gear outer *and* in the derailleur itself. Vats of WD40 and grease followed, and eventually the gears succumbed and behaved. Park tool videos never seem to show this sort of activity, funnily enough. Also realise the bottom bracket is on the way out, but don't have a spare. 

Finally, pride and joy, the summer road bike. Clean of frame and drive train makes it look ready for anything, perhaps even my lumbering dead weight. Also attempt my 14th centering of the rear brake recently, I'm getting rub out of the saddle for reasons I can't at all fathom. Too far to the nearest hill to test it properly, so to the garden for a rest whilst the sun sets.


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## Landsurfer (21 Mar 2021)

I’ve got this to fettle in the morning. Currently, just arrived at my hotel .... twinned with the Marie Celeste’ ...... supposedly in Shrewsbury ..... but actually not near anything.com !


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## JPBoothy (22 Mar 2021)

My new FSA 36t chainring arrived today but, has anybody a clue as to what the different WB* part number stamped into the back of the ring refers to as the only check I have ever made previously is the BCD measurement to ensure that it fits the crank spider? I have just checked my other CAADX and the 36t on that has a different WB number again. I now have x3 36t chainrings with 3 different part numbers on them


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2021)

Recumbent. Fixed rear puncture and changed from winter tyre to summer tyre. Changed front tyre from winter to summer one. Sorted out Dynamo light that had stopped working. It was just that a wire had pulled loose in the Lego brick connector. That’s good as I’d serviced bearings in Dynamo a couple of months back and was concerned I’d broken it! Either that or riding through deep floods had done it. No time for test ride. I’ll get that done tomorrow


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## DCBassman (22 Mar 2021)

Scott roadie.
Having discovered the protruding chainring bolt after the last ride, I decided I'd take off the wheels and clean, check the rear tyre, and remove the cranks and chainset and clean them, as well as fixing whatever was wrong. Also gave me a chance to get at bits of the frame that have needed to be cleaned for...some time.
The errant bolt was the long one that goes into the rear of the drive-side crank arm, so no bits lost. Time to dismantle it!










It were bloomin' filthy, with ridges of crud between each ring. The middle ring is getting quite worn. The small ring has a chipped tooth, from which I removed some burring. And cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. One more discovery is that these chainrings are steel.
On the stand





Paint damage









Rear tyre: there's a definite, if slight, bulge beginning to make itself felt. This tyre has probably done less than 300 miles (Edit: 180 miles by the logs), so not too impressed.
Good, cheap, tough 25mm tyre recommenddations, please? And maybe also a square-taper 50-39-30 crankset...

Gave the rear mech a good clean, and it needed it. Chain got a clean as well, of course. All back together and singing sweetly!


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## JPBoothy (22 Mar 2021)

I have a theory with tyres that the stupidly expensive ones last no longer than the cheapo's, especially where glass is concerned! The £10(ish) Swalbe Lugano or Vittoria Zaffiro have always been a decent 'skinny tyre' buy for me but, the Vittoria seem a bit tighter to put on and require strong thumbs.


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## si_c (24 Mar 2021)

Swapped cranksets on the racelight recently to put the better power meter on it, which mean that the 4iiii was sat on the side unused, didn't want to put it on the Trek as that runs 50/34 not 52/36, so ordered a set of absolute black chainrings which arrived today along with bolt covers. Put them on and swapped over the cranksets and it looks really nice. The bolt covers are intended for Ultegra not 105 so they don't quite line up with the spider but it's a minor issue and I love the colour of the chainring.

Makes me happy as I only went for AB due to the complete lack of availability in the UK of shimano chainrings.






Also swapped on the R7000 front derailleur which went on really easily, once you understand how the derailleur setup works it's really easy to get it perfect without needing to adjust any cable tension. Much better than older versions of 105.


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## chriswoody (24 Mar 2021)

So the Spring fettling on the Kona continues. I needed a new bottom bracket and chain. Whilst I was there I also decided to fit a smaller 32tooth chainring on the front, a job I've been meaning to do for a while. So after work today this little package of bits was waiting for me.







The existing bottom bracket is a Race Face one and looking around at alternatives I found that a Shimano XT one would fit the bill nicely. Except when it arrived, I noticed a problem straight away, it was far too small. Lots of cursing followed by checking online, everything should be right, but it was demonstrably smaller than the one I had. You can see the problem when compared to the standard Hollowtech spanner:






Then ratcheting through the box, I discovered a plastic widget thingy and the penny dropped, clever Mr Shimano had included an adapter for my spanner so I could fit it. Apparently this is some new advancement, shrinking the bearing sizes so they wear out quicker and leave you out of pocket sooner! 






With the drama of the BB sorted, it was onto the crankset. It's a lovely light design, closely resembling an Octalink fitment, frustratingly my old Square taper remover won't remove Octalink, so I had to buy a new crank puller. The crank came off easily enough, and on the back is a small lockring holding the chain ring on. The lock ring is removed with a Square taper bottom bracket removal tool. All very neat and no crank bolts in sight.






With the chainring on, I re-assembled it and then cut the new chain to length. With everything back together I must admit I really like the new smaller black BB cups. I'm not normally to obsessive about colour co-ordination, but these small cups set against the rest of the black transmission looks really nice, so much better than those large silver cups on before.






Pleased with the way it's all turned out and it rides so much smoother than before.


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## palinurus (25 Mar 2021)

Flat tyre on the community allotment wheelbarrow. Tried putting some air in it with the track pump- no luck.

Then investigated and found it was tubeless, and it was hard to get a seal around the edge. Wrapped a luggage strap around the tyre to squash the bead against the wheel and had another go. No luck.

Decided to put a tube in it instead. Tried to inflate the tube only to realise that there was no air coming out of the Schrader end of the track pump.

Going to be dark soon, can't be arsed to see if I can find a Schrader adaptor in the shed.

This is the typical trajectory of most of my fettling.


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## palinurus (25 Mar 2021)

The wheelbarrow itself is wheelless, a brick supporting the front end, and filled with weeds and heavy clods of earth. It's possible it will be there for some time.


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## Leaway2 (26 Mar 2021)

Shredded another gear cable. So replaced it with the last one from stock.


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## Hicky (26 Mar 2021)

Swapped out knackered twistgrip shifters for 7 speed triggers bought off @DCBassman along with new cables and grips for the youngest son along with a good cleanup. Pics to follow.


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## palinurus (28 Mar 2021)

palinurus said:


> Flat tyre on the community allotment wheelbarrow. Tried putting some air in it with the track pump- no luck.
> 
> Then investigated and found it was tubeless, and it was hard to get a seal around the edge. Wrapped a luggage strap around the tyre to squash the bead against the wheel and had another go. No luck.
> 
> ...



Yes! was tidying the toolbox and found it! so now I have got the tube in and- after considerable wrestling- got the tyre back on the wheel. Got air in it, ready to re-attach.

I expect the Schrader adaptor I ordered from eBay will turn up tomorrow.


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## LeetleGreyCells (28 Mar 2021)

Nothing major. The Campagnolo 1.1mm cable I ordered arrived yesterday which I need for my Shimano Claris LH shifter (it makes no sense to me either) and has fitted perfectly first go.

I‘ve also put off-road tyres on my and my daughter’s bikes ready for a ride tomorrow now that they are off school. Son’s bike is already ready.

Oh, and I’ve also swapped the batteries in my speed and cadence sensors (CR2032 if you’re interested) as they were dead on my last ride.


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## DCBassman (28 Mar 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Rear tyre: there's a definite, if slight, bulge beginning to make itself felt. This tyre has probably done less than 300 miles (Edit: 180 miles by the logs), so not too impressed.


Having contacted Wiggle about the tyre, a replacement is on its way!


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## Ghost66x (28 Mar 2021)

Made a post at Cyclechat.net 

1 replied. Thanks guys.


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## JhnBssll (29 Mar 2021)

Ghost66x said:


> Made a post at Cyclechat.net
> 
> 1 replied. Thanks guys.



I read your post but didn't have anything to add to Cyclops' fairly thorough reply. Perhaps now you've responded with a little more info you'll get some more help  The bike looks ace, definitely worth saving - can't help but think you'll need to use period second hand parts though as compatibility is generally rubbish between the current stuff and older bikes 

I had a quick unplanned fettle of the Bianchi this evening - went to check the Di2 battery charge by quickly connecting with the phone app - this is the easiest way whilst it's hanging up on the office wall. At least that was the plan. First the phone app updated itself, and then it decided I had a firmware update due which I figured I may as well do too. Of course it crashed halfway and bricked the wireless unit didn't it  Down came the bike, down the stairs and over to the garage to connect to the PC via USB to recover the firmware. I connected it up and, guess what, the PC app was out of date and needed updating  10 minutes later it had done its thing so I whipped the seatpost out and disconnected the battery to reset the Di2 then connected it up. It immediately told me the firmware was bricked (as if I didn't already know ) and restored it for me. The new version of software seems much prettier than the one it replaced but no more user friendly - its almost as if Shimano don't want people using it  Anyway, all back up and running now ready for a ride to see the inlaws in their garden after work, which will be weird after so long of seeing nobody but the wife  Which reminds me, I should really make plans to see my own parents since I've only seen them about 4 times in 9 months, and two of those were at funerals


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## C R (1 Apr 2021)

There was a lot of creaking from the stem area in my road bike, which several rounds of cleaning retightening wouldn't fix. Finally I decided to go for the nuclear option of dropping out the forks and clean the headset too. I had been reluctant to do it as I hadn't adjusted an A headset before, but it was really easy, and all quiet now. I also moved the stem down by one spacer while I was there.

Now the barstard SPD's are creaking, argh!


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## dave r (1 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> There was a lot of creaking from the stem area in my road bike, which several rounds of cleaning retightening wouldn't fix. Finally I decided to go for the nuclear option of dropping out the forks and clean the headset too. I had been reluctant to do it as I hadn't adjusted an A headset before, but it was really easy, and all quiet now. I also moved the stem down by one spacer while I was there.
> 
> Now the barstard SPD's are creaking, argh!



Are you sure it wasn't the SPD's all along?


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## JhnBssll (1 Apr 2021)

I had a lot of creaking from the BB area on yesterdays ride, I suspect worn cleats on my commuter shoes so I'll take it for a spin with different shoes before I take anything apart


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## C R (1 Apr 2021)

dave r said:


> Are you sure it wasn't the SPD's all along?


Yep, the loud creak at the front is gone, and it was reproducible leaning side to side on the bars on the floor, without being on the pedals. The SPD creak is much quieter, but now that the front is quiet it has started to annoy me.


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## fossyant (1 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> Yep, the loud creak at the front is gone, and it was reproducible leaning side to side on the bars on the floor, without being on the pedals. The SPD creak is much quieter, but now that the front is quiet it has started to annoy me.



You often get a build up of black aluminium deposits on the steerer, usually around where the split washer is that pre-loads the bearing. Used to happen fairly regular on my commuter road bike. Bit of wet and dry to clean up, re-grease and it's OK for some months.


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## C R (1 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> You often get a build up of black aluminium deposits on the steerer, usually around where the split washer is that pre-loads the bearing. Used to happen fairly regular on my commuter road bike. Bit of wet and dry to clean up, re-grease and it's OK for some months.


Yep, that was it.


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## Tenacious Sloth (1 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> Yep, the loud creak at the front is gone, and it was reproducible leaning side to side on the bars on the floor, without being on the pedals. The SPD creak is much quieter, but now that the front is quiet it has started to annoy me.



You need to stop NOW before it’s too late.

I fixed one creak after another until the bike was totally silent.

Now the sound of my arse cheeks rubbing together when I peddle is driving me mad!


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## C R (1 Apr 2021)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> You need to stop NOW before it’s too late.
> 
> I fixed one creak after another until the bike was totally silent.
> 
> Now the sound of my arse cheeks rubbing together when I peddle is driving me mad!


Maybe you should pedal instead!


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## Tenacious Sloth (1 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> Maybe you should pedal instead!



Doh! Schoolboy error. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?


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## DCBassman (1 Apr 2021)

Today, I shall be fitting these to the Scott, while it awaits the replacement tyre that has vanished into a black hole 'twixt Wiggle and Hermes.





It's not a major change (down from 52-42-30), but brings it more in line with gearing on the Revell mixte, which I really like.
And the poorly-hidden weight weenie in me will luxuriate in the few grams saved over steel rings currently fitted! Stupid, I eat more than the difference in weight if I sprinkle a few extra sultanas on my bran flakes!
Thanks to @Xipe Totec for the rings!


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## JhnBssll (1 Apr 2021)

I rode the Bianchi on Monday and noticed the brakes weren't feeling great; biting OK but a little spongy. I then rode the Pilot on Wednesday and the brakes felt night and day better, despite being near enough identical - both Hope RX4 calipers and shimano levers. This evening I decided to bleed the brakes on the Bianchi (for the eleventeenth time) to try and get them where they should be 











They're a lovely looking brake and work fantastically when properly set up, but bleeding them can be a real pig of a job  I've set up 4 pairs of them now and of those 4 pairs 5 calipers have been no problem at all. The other 3 calipers have been a real pain and these are 2 of them  The 4 pistons and oilway layout doesn't make it easy for air to escape once you get a pocket trapped. Lots of vacuum and careful piston extension/retraction was needed but eventually I got there with both  They now feel great and, more importantly, exactly the same as the others  Hopefully I'll get a ride out on her soon to try them out but it's looking pretty windy over the long weekend so might have to wait - the pilot tends to take the inclement weather better


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2021)

Fitted the new-to-me chainrings to the Scott, all good bar one persistent problem, which predates the change. Always cable-stretchingly hard to click onto the big ring. Having faffed with it extensively once the rings were fitted and the FD adjusted to suit, I'm pretty sure that this is a slight compatibility issue. The ST-EF65-9 shifters are MTB. When the bike was 8-speed, it wore a pair of ST-R221L/225R Claris/Sora STI flat-bar shifters (currently resident on @Reynard 's MTB build). The 221 left hand shifter matches road shifters perfectly, and copes well with MTB front mechs too, although I've no idea why this should be so. It just works. So I may yet revert to a pair of these and go back to 8-speed.
New rings weighed:





Old rings:





That's quite a difference! Not that it will be noticeable with me sat on top...
Also took the guards off the mixte, makes it look like a 'trackie'!


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## JhnBssll (2 Apr 2021)

Different cable pull ratios on some shimano road vs mtb front mechs - sounds like the shifters might be trying to pull more cable than the mech will allow?


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Different cable pull ratios on some shimano road vs mtb front mechs - sounds like the shifters might be trying to pull more cable than the mech will allow?


To me, it feels the opposite, forcing the shifter to pull enough to get the mech swung out. Either way, can't be doing the shifter much good: on the stand, it takes both thumbs to make it click in. The mechanism won't stand that for too long, I;m thinking...


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2021)

And yet the 221 will do road and mtb. Odd.


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## JhnBssll (2 Apr 2021)

Just did a quick bit of reading and it seems 9 speed are cross compatible so the problem potentially lies elsewhere


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Just did a quick bit of reading and it seems 9 speed are cross compatible so the problem potentially lies elsewhere


For rear mechs, absolutely, but front mechs, not so much, I've always understood. It may also be that it's time the mech was fully stripped and cleaned. That's been done by me...never. And no idea if ever before that either. Remembering how the bike was when it came to me, it had been used hard and not well-maintained. Living outdoors under a cover isn't ideal either, but that's not something I can change.


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## palinurus (2 Apr 2021)

Gatepost at the back was wobbly. All rotten. Got one of those metal post repair things. Removed the gate, the fence panel and then the post just flopped over, the base was all spongy.

Tried whacking in the repair spur but it got stuck and I bent the pointy bit. Cut off the bent bit with a hacksaw.

Turned it 180 degrees and tried it that way and it went in easier, but it was really difficult to keep it straight. Sort of compensated a bit when I did the clamping bolts up.

Well- all reassembled and it's well solid, but a bit lean-y.


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## palinurus (2 Apr 2021)

Next time I'll get someone else to do it.


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## dave r (2 Apr 2021)

palinurus said:


> Next time I'll get someone else to do it.



Thats my plan with our post out the back, the base is rotten, its 2 metres tall and supports a fence and gate of a similar height.


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## palinurus (2 Apr 2021)

dave r said:


> Thats my plan with our post out the back.



It's a good plan.


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## DCLane (2 Apr 2021)

Bits setting up for son's team training weekend (Sat/Sun) and a TT for him on Monday:

- His BeOne training bike cleaned and adjusted by him. All working for tomorrow with a new GP5000 front tyre.
- The planned Superstar Components spare wheels had bearings seized from salt/water on his winter bike so I've got the bearings out and on order. Winter cassette cleaned 
- Cassette onto a pair of Shimano RS wheels as spares, into a bag for the team car
- His Argon TT bike still kept moving the rear wheel despite a new rear disc, new tyre, new rear brakes. A lesson: if you've checked everything else, check the skewer. New skewer and it's sorted.
- Latex tube into the front TT wheel for my Principa as I've been accepted onto a TT on the 11th


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## JPBoothy (3 Apr 2021)

A bit of post Friday fettle advise needed if you would be so kind nice people.. Yesterday, I finally got around to fitting my new FSA 36t 10spd Inner chainring on my Cannondale CAADX but I noticed during my ride today that there was a bit of intermittent chain slipping so I ended up riding home in my 46t large ring. As everything worked fine before then the problem is definitely caused by the new chainring. The only thing that struck me as unusual was that the new part had the appearance of being an outer ring as it was nicely painted with the FSA branding and had a nice paint finish with polished metal cut-outs as opposed to the more 'industrial' looking inner chainring that it replaced. It also felt a bit more lightweight and thinner too. Any ideas/suggestions? Could it actually be an outer ring even though it is only 36t?


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## Big John (4 Apr 2021)

Has it got a part number stamped on it anywhere?


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## JPBoothy (4 Apr 2021)

The original was stamped as WB078 36t 2H/Y, the new replacement is stamped as WB200 36t 2F/Y, and to complicate matters further the 36t ring on my other CAADX is stamped as WB308 36t 22157.


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## SkipdiverJohn (4 Apr 2021)

Spotted a busted MTB wheel in the skip at work this week, so I dived in and fished it out. The wheel was toast but the Schwalbe tyre on it looked more promising so I pulled it off the rim and ditched the wheel back where it came.
Had a spare half hour to kill today waiting on an eBay item, so I checked over the tyre, a 26" x 1.75" Silento, and deemed it serviceable. Put a known good street find inner tube inside and fitted it to a spare front wheel. Swapped wheel for the knobbly-shod one on my Raleigh Highlander MTB.
Had a result with eBay, so in a good mood I decided to go for an hour test ride staying fairly local to make sure the tyre held up - which it did. That bike is getting spendy, it owes me £24 in total over three years. Mind you, it's running on Schwalbes front and rear now, and the back one was £2 used so I suppose it isn't that extravagant!


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## Chislenko (5 Apr 2021)

Post winter stripdown, clean and maintenance today of winter bike.

First job....order a new chain...oops.


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## Chislenko (5 Apr 2021)

Chislenko said:


> Today, mostly I made a wheel trueing stand from an old set of forks and other assorted stuff I had in the shed. It's only good for 700 wheels but as all my bikes are 700 not a problem.
> View attachment 578743
> 
> 
> ...




Update, before anybody wastes their time doing this, today I found the Achilles heel with this project .. .

It's only good for front wheels!!!!! Obviously wider rear axles won't go in front drop outs!!!!

Rather annoyingly have just thrown out a rear triangle which I could have made another one out of for rear wheels.

As Delboy would say "what a plonker"


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## SkipdiverJohn (5 Apr 2021)

What's wrong with that chain? I'd use it some more. It still looks chain-shaped to me....


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## DCLane (6 Apr 2021)

I debated whether this was 'fettling' then thought "I'll post it anyway". Son no. 2 helped with myself - one armed - and about 12 others with the track cleaning at Quibell Park, Sunthorpe for track racing:






With two winters and no use last summer it's taken two weekends of scraping and sweeping to get the track ready. We could only help on one of the days, but it's almost ready for racing to resume in 2021, which we hope it does.

If anyone wants a go, have a look here: https://www.facebook.com/scunnytrackleague

Other velodromes are also getting ready with similar cleaning. Newcastle-under-Lyme's gone further and is even putting new boards up


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## T4tomo (6 Apr 2021)

Unstuck the stuck bolts on this chainring to replace the slipping middle ring.
Then made some burgers with a hint of coriander, garlic and GT85.


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## dave r (6 Apr 2021)

Out on my bike this morning and the front hub was grumbling all the time I was out, I looked at it after lunch and it was rougher than a badgers a**e, so I spent time this afternoon giving the hub a clean and regrease, black grease in one side, no grease in the other side with discoloured but still shiny balls. I'm not sure what was going on, I brought the wheel last summer and cleaned and greased it before I put it on the bike. I checked the back wheel and the hub is still running as sweet as a nut., the front is as well now I've sorted it.


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## Leaway2 (6 Apr 2021)

T4tomo said:


> View attachment 582632
> 
> 
> Unstuck the stuck bolts on this chainring to replace the slipping middle ring.
> Then made some burgers with a hint of coriander, garlic and GT85.


Saves buying a non stick pan.


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## C R (6 Apr 2021)

Laughing aside, I hate using either gt85 or wd40, I have a dull low intensity headache for a couple of days every time I use them, even if I wear a mask. Even the smell of it on the bike afterwards can make me nauseous. Am I the only one?


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## Leaway2 (6 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> Laughing aside, I hate using either gt85 or wd40, I have a dull low intensity headache for a couple of days every time I use them, even if I wear a mask. Even the smell of it on the bike afterwards can make me nauseous. Am I the only one?


I quite like the smell.


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## Gunk (6 Apr 2021)

Leaway2 said:


> I quite like the smell.



Me too, reminds me of happy times in the workshop


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## biggs682 (6 Apr 2021)

Finally got around to taping the bars on my Eddy Merckx


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## Ghost66x (6 Apr 2021)

no idea what fettled means but ill post my new drive train that was completed today!!

2005 Norco Atomik

1x8 Drive setup
Truvativ Hussefelt 170mm Cranks
North Shore Billet -Norco VPS 12mm Derailleur Hanger
Raceface Narrow/wide SINGLE chain ring -9/10/11 spd - 32t
SRAM 8 speed cassette 11-32t
SRAM 8 Speed Chain
BOX Four 8 speed CLUTCH rear derailleur
BOX Four 8 Speed Single Click Shifter
Bontrager COMP series Shift cable and Housing - White for that accent!

No issues what so ever!

Thoughts?


----------



## FrankCrank (7 Apr 2021)

dave r said:


> Out on my bike this morning and the front hub was grumbling all the time I was out, I looked at it after lunch and it was rougher than a badgers a**e, so I spent time this afternoon giving the hub a clean and regrease, black grease in one side, no grease in the other side with discoloured but still shiny balls. I'm not sure what was going on, I brought the wheel last summer and cleaned and greased it before I put it on the bike. I checked the back wheel and the hub is still running as sweet as a nut., the front is as well now I've sorted it.


Used to work with a fella who lived in a small Wiltshire village, and he said out there everything was as something as a badger, or part thereof. Had a similar experience with wheel bearings a while back, rear wheel, and it was an intermittent grinding that took a while to figure. The bearings were dry, and misshapen, so replaced and repacked the grease and all was hunky-dory again. Strange thing was the races looked perfect?


----------



## davelincs (7 Apr 2021)

Renewed the brake cables on the summer bike (inners) changed the brake blocks , all ready to ride when summer arrives


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (7 Apr 2021)

My CGR lives in one of the staff changing rooms at work, but today they were being painted

I went in there, at one point in the morning, to find my (usually carefully positioned to avoid falling/scratches) bike leant against a moved locker............ metal to frame 
Once I'd checked it, & put a towel around the frame as protection

Come home time, it was all still okay, but I had to try to find my t-shirt & bib-shorts, as they'd just moved everything that was on top of the lockers

Heading up the drive, & over the recent refilled trench in the road, there was a rattle
Carrying on, waving an Ambulance crew I know, there was another rattle over a secondary trench

I stopped for a look, the uppermost stay on the rear mudguard had come away from the rivets
The inside plate was intact (I grease them every so often)

I'm assuming that the painters (or another staff-member) moved it/knocked it & the stay slid along the lockers breaking the (winters salt weakened?) rivets

On arriving home after my woodland diversion, I set to, for a quite literal 5 minutes!
1 x cordless drill
1 x 4mm bit
1 x cable-tie
1 x pair pliers (to cut tie)


Wheel out, then derailleur/chain covered with towel






Rivets drilled out






Cable-tie inserted & then cut








And........... no rattle!!


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## Jenkins (7 Apr 2021)

cyberknight said:


> just put a new front tyre on the commuter to match the back one, wiggle lifeline commuter tyres 700x28 that are a lot wider than the stock kenda ones and hopefully better at protection.
> Rode with one the rear the other day and it seemed ok rolling resistance wise and at £12.49 each worth a punt , next time i might go for the armored version





Jenkins said:


> I fitted those to one of my bikes at the start of the year. Puncture on the first ride when a small piece of flint managed to get through the thinnest part of the tread, but no problems in the 300+ miles since. Seem to be quite a fast riding tyre and good value.


I've just junked both tyres after less than 600 miles. It turns out that the piece of flint damaged the carcase of the tyre causing it to rub on the inner tube causing another puncture.




While the bike was on the stand, I had a quick check of the rear tyre and noticed that some of the rubber appeared to be separating from the carcase, exposing the puncture resistant strip (the blue layer) underneath




I've contacted CRC to see what they think.


----------



## bikingdad90 (7 Apr 2021)

@Jenkins could you not sand down that carcass and take off the sharp bits?


----------



## Jenkins (7 Apr 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Jenkins could you not sand down that carcass and take off the sharp bits?


Possibly, but it's still a weak spot and I'm surprised that a small flint could cut the threads that easily. I've already fitted a part used GP4000 SII in its place


----------



## Colin Grigson (8 Apr 2021)

After receiving my cleaning kit order from Bike 24, I cleaned my son’s S-Works drivetrain first and then the remainder of the bike - the drivetrain was really dirty and he got stuck in too which was nice to see - he’s only 11. It has white bar tape and saddle and it’s so difficult to remember not to touch either during cleaning - I’ll stick to black on my bike when it eventually arrives 
First time using a ‘chain cleaner’ device with a reservoir of cleaning fluid and various brushes inside - fantastic bit of kit - the chain was sparkling when we’d finished , rinsed and re-applied lubricant.


----------



## DCBassman (8 Apr 2021)

Scott: fitted the replacement tyre. Then decided to remove the front derailleur and give it a thorough clean and lube.
It's still very difficult to get it to the big ring, on the stand anyhow. Will ride and see what happens.

Revell: more messing with the rear brakes. It occurs to me that I cannot preserve that undercurved cable run using dual pivots of any kind, because you can't reverse the adjuster and the pinch bolt as you can with these old Weinmanns. Somewhere in the spares box is a pair of Clarks MTB blocks for V-brakes. Will attempt to fit those during the next fettling session.

Gratuitous pic of the Revell with guards removed.


----------



## Gunk (8 Apr 2021)

I got my motorcycle ready for the new owner to collect at the weekend, removed the trickle charger pig tail and gave the bike a deep clean. I’ll be sorry to see it go but time to move on


----------



## DCLane (9 Apr 2021)

Tyre onto a second-hand carbon front wheel we'll use as a spare for my son's training bike. He's being moved onto carbon wheels from the Superstar Components ones he's used for about 4 years.

And bearings into his winter set of Superstar wheels. A winter's hammering in all weathers has turned the bearings gritty.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (9 Apr 2021)

C R said:


> Laughing aside, I hate using either gt85 or wd40, I have a dull low intensity headache for a couple of days every time I use them, even if I wear a mask. Even the smell of it on the bike afterwards can make me nauseous. Am I the only one?



You must be over-sensitive. The only solvent that has any adverse effect on me is if I wipe stuff down with Xylene paint thinners for a prolonged period in a poorly ventilated area. That stuff will get you high and give you a bad head. So would the Trico 1.1.1. that I used to use at work 30+ years ago. Nothing else bothers me.


----------



## jowwy (9 Apr 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You must be over-sensitive. The only solvent that has any adverse effect on me is if I wipe stuff down with Xylene paint thinners for a prolonged period in a poorly ventilated area. That stuff will get you high and give you a bad head. So would the Trico 1.1.1. that I used to use at work 30+ years ago. Nothing else bothers me.


Spending money bothers you........thats a given


----------



## Mike_P (10 Apr 2021)

Back last autumn I commented on a broken valve to a Joe No Flats inner tube on my hybrid. It had one outing later in the year, when I could not that morning be bothered to fix a flat on the road bike, and the tyre pressure still seemed okay but over winter it had depressurised somewhat so a new Joe No Flats inner tube acquired and this afternoon I plucked up courage to tackle the matter. Turned out not be a shower of sealant and the old tube was fully deflated by gripping its valve in a pair of end cutters and twisting it until something gave. Thankfully the inner tube came cleanly out of the tyre; I have one in the past that had sealed itself to the tyre meaning a new tyre needed as well. New one fitted although getting the tyre on needed added strength from a mug of tea and a hot cross bun.


----------



## DCBassman (10 Apr 2021)

Both the Scott and the Revell on the stand today.
First the big job, the front mech on the Scott. After much cursing and much study of the Park Tools Blue Book, I've got it working. Took over an hour...
Second, replace the Koolstop Salmon Classics on the rear of the Revell mixte with a set of generic MTB blocks, Clarks, I think. After cleaning the rims YET AGAIN. It seems to have made A difference, but I'm too tired now to take either for a blast to see if all this work has actually achieved anything...


----------



## Gunk (10 Apr 2021)

I connected up a lead and socket to the power lead of my TomTom Rider so it can be plugged straight into the loom of my new BMW motorcycle. It allows the sat nav to be powered on and off with the ignition and avoids the need to connect it directly to the battery, so a nice elegant solution. Unfortunately my soldering was not particularly elegant, but it should all work.


----------



## pawl (10 Apr 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> After receiving my cleaning kit order from Bike 24, I cleaned my son’s S-Works drivetrain first and then the remainder of the bike - the drivetrain was really dirty and he got stuck in too which was nice to see - he’s only 11. It has white bar tape and saddle and it’s so difficult to remember not to touch either during cleaning - I’ll stick to black on my bike when it eventually arrives
> First time using a ‘chain cleaner’ device with a reservoir of cleaning fluid and various brushes inside - fantastic bit of kit - the chain was sparkling when we’d finished , rinsed and re-applied lubricant.




I’ve been thinking about getting one of those chain cleaning tools What make did you get?


----------



## bikingdad90 (10 Apr 2021)

If not a chain cleaner has anyone used the Tru tension kits? The videos look cool especially the degreaser but dubious of how effective it really would be as it goes from greasy to shiny with a spray only.


----------



## Colin Grigson (11 Apr 2021)

pawl said:


> I’ve been thinking about getting one of those chain cleaning tools What make did you get?


I bought the ‘muc-off’ brand - I’d recommend it unreservedly


----------



## kellis (11 Apr 2021)

I bought the Park Tool one and its great


----------



## DRM (11 Apr 2021)

kellis said:


> I bought the Park Tool one and its great


And you can get replacement parts for it too.


----------



## Jenkins (11 Apr 2021)

Having finally got a new chain for the Bootziper (NX Eagle - very little stock anywhere) I fitted it this morning. Initially I'd shortened it too much causing the chain to slip on the cassette as there wasn't enough contact area, so I then added all the links back in and removed them one or two at a time until it all worked properly. 

Anybody who says the SRAM quick links are single use only is wrong - I'd saved the one from the old chain and used this when sorting out the correct chain length meaning it's been opened & closed 4 times so far.


----------



## C R (12 Apr 2021)

New pads and cables for the brakes on the commuter. As I am not commuting I had neglected it, and just noticed that the pads on the front were well past the wear indicator.


----------



## biggs682 (13 Apr 2021)

Fitted a set of gatorskins last night to my Woodrup single speed


----------



## FrankCrank (15 Apr 2021)

Made my first ever weld on alluminium today, quite pleased with it really:




My DC machine is only supposed to be good for steel, you need an AC/DC one for ally, and helium instead of argon, and different tungstens, but guess you don't know till you try. This was just a test piece for a neighbour who wants to make a part for his car, so it was him really who talked me into it. Obviously if you were doing a lot of ally welding you'd have all the proper gear, but for a one-off it's good to just use what I've got


----------



## DCBassman (15 Apr 2021)

Today was fettling some bits on the Trek 800 Sport prior to sale. I'll be sad to see it go, I've had it from new in 2001, but I've no ongoing space for three bikes, so...
Crankset off and cleaned, refitted. Cleaned the lower frame while it was off. General checking of bolt tightness, brake block alignment, anything else I could think of. Front wheel off and bearings checked and greased. They looked fine, added some more grease, reset cones and refitted seals. All good.
Ready to go!


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## Chris S (15 Apr 2021)

Not so much fettling as a lucky accident. I've got a non-OE bottom bracket in my Raleigh and I couldn't tighten up the adjustable cup enough to get rid of all the free play. I cycled up a steep hill today and the extra load seems to have tightened things up for me. The free play has gone.


----------



## HLaB (16 Apr 2021)

Its going to snow tomorrow, my fault  I stuck the summer wheels back on the bike. The tubeless tyres were still seated so I went with the easy 15minutes option of removing the valve cores and topping up the sealant. 3 hours after reinserting the core and topping up they are still solid. I hope they still are in the morning


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## JhnBssll (16 Apr 2021)

I had my mates daughters bike back on the stand this evening. It had taken another whack to the rear mech  I had already straightened the mech and hanger once before so was a bit concerned when I found the hanger looked like this...







Fortunately I was able to gently tweak it back straight but I wouldn't want to try it again 😋 The mech was wrecked so that has gone in the bin and a replacement Tourney mech has gone on in its place. All adjusted and ready to collect tomorrow now 😊


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## Reynard (16 Apr 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> I had my mates daughters bike back on the stand this evening. It had taken another whack to the rear mech  I had already straightened the mech and hanger once before so was a bit concerned when I found the hanger looked like this...
> 
> View attachment 584304
> 
> ...



Maybe a bash guard for the rear mech might be a good thing, I'd imagine...


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Apr 2021)

A friend recommended me when his next door neighbour had a problem with a bike he'd been given so I took a look on Saturday.

The bike was a basic Trax full suspension, so very low end, and once the front derailleur and the brakes had been tweaked the real problem was the cheap copy of a Shimano Tourney that had been put on the rear. The one fitted was pretty much impossible to index due to the amount of play in the pivots but the chap had bought a couple of them and the other one was better. The design meant that the body didn't pivot correctly but a thin washer corrected that and it now has all gears available. The guy who owns the bike had convinced himself that nobody would be able to fix it - it was very nice to prove him wrong and the bottle of home-brewed wine I got for my trouble wasn't bad.


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## TheDoctor (19 Apr 2021)

Does getting myself fettled count?
Before

After

My last haircut was in August!!


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## Chris S (19 Apr 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> Does getting myself fettled count?
> Before
> View attachment 584754
> 
> ...


You are Sinbad from Brookside AICMFP


----------



## Ming the Merciless (19 Apr 2021)




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## fossyant (19 Apr 2021)

New UN-300 fitted to the old MTB - slight change in construction as the non-drive side bearing seems to be stuck on to the casing, rather than being part of it. The locking cup also has an additional bearing seal on it too. Previously, the bearings were inside the casing.


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## DCBassman (21 Apr 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Just did a quick bit of reading and it seems 9 speed are cross compatible so the problem potentially lies elsewhere


And yes, you're right. The new rings don't shift properly because there's no ramps and pins on them, causing the need for too much pull to successfully change. Back to the old ones this morning...


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## DCBassman (21 Apr 2021)

DCBassman said:


> And yes, you're right. The new rings don't shift properly because there's no ramps and pins on them, causing the need for too much pull to successfully change. Back to the old ones this morning...


Actually, there are ramps and pins, but different to the original set. Original 52-42-30 refitted, and easier to fettle, by a long way. Off to ride it!


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## DCBassman (21 Apr 2021)

I think I'd need to fit a whole new front-end transmission to solve this - new BB, crankset and chainset, and new fd. Probably not worth it.


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## Gunk (21 Apr 2021)

Some cheap Torx tools arrived today, made a holder out of a block of wood and an old number plate, total costs, zero!


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## Gunk (21 Apr 2021)

All to hand now, black for bikes, orange for motorcycle


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## PeteXXX (21 Apr 2021)

New gear cables fitted on the Canyon CX. By some stroke of luck/skill/miracle, once I'd tightened the pinch bolts and flicked through the gears and derailleur, no further fettling was required. 
Even on a half mile test ride, smooth changes up and down!! 🤯


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## HLaB (21 Apr 2021)

I took apart, cleaned and greased the pivot point on the rear v brake of my TT bike as it has been lightly rubbing. It was actually quite clean and moving smoothly enough. There is either a fraction too much resistance in the internally routed cable which goes an indirect route (via the bb and up the seat tube) or a fraction of play in the brake lever stopping it springing back automatically. If you manually spring the brake lever back which seems to be loose enough the v brake lever moves 0.2mm more and there is no rub 🤔


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## HLaB (21 Apr 2021)

HLaB said:


> I took apart, cleaned and greased the pivot point on the rear v brake of my TT bike as it has been lightly rubbing. It was actually quite clean and moving smoothly enough. There is either a fraction too much resistance in the internally routed cable which goes an indirect route (via the bb and up the seat tube) or a fraction of play in the brake lever stopping it springing back automatically. If you manually spring the brake lever back which seems to be loose enough the v brake lever moves 0.2mm more and there is no rub 🤔



Lubed as much cable as I could expose, put a 0.2mm spacer on the brake bolt and it seems to have got me the marginal more play I needed 🤔


----------



## Gunk (22 Apr 2021)

Removed all the aftermarket rim tape off my new bike today, cleared the garage of bikes to make space. Pig of a job but all peeled off with some heat from a hairdryer


----------



## Gunk (22 Apr 2021)

As I was “working from home” today I also decided to paint the Allen keys which I use to secure my up and over garage door to the frame, the idea is that they’ll be more noticeable as I often forget to fit then


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Apr 2021)

Tightened bolt on the stalk of my mirror on my recumbent. It now doesn’t vibrate out of alignment over a rough bit of road. Perfect.


----------



## FrankCrank (23 Apr 2021)

Gunk said:


> All to hand now, black for bikes, orange for motorcycle
> 
> View attachment 585027


Been on the lookout for a set of posh allen keys with handles - I'll check out Decathlon and have a butchers.


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## Gunk (23 Apr 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> Been on the lookout for a set of posh allen keys with handles - I'll check out Decathlon and have a butchers.



I’ve had the Decathlon set for just over a year now and they’re good quality, I would recommend them.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/set-of-6-allen-keys-8-mm-adaptor/_/R-p-170693


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 Apr 2021)

A "service" on @gavgav's road bike. I say service but it's more of a checkover really as almost everything is cartridge bearings which are all silky smooth still. Changed the gear cables.

The rh pedal _isn't_ smooth so will want a strip and regrease (from a glance at the Shimano manual I may need to get in a special tool for that) and the back tyre has developed a bulge. The tyres are the originals which have done a fair few miles so Gav has ordered a pair.


----------



## fossyant (23 Apr 2021)

"Mr Sheened" the Ribble 653 and gave the Look Carbo Pro's a good clean.

Took a bit of sandpaper to my Look Delta cleats to clean them up and remove alloy deposits, plus took off any burrs on the edges.

Lunch ride coming on to get it dusty again !


----------



## Spiderweb (24 Apr 2021)

Dragged my Roubaix out from the Garage, I think it has been collecting dust for two and a half years! Gave it a good Fettle, glass cleaner works really well on a matte finish carbon frame, cleaned the cassette and chain and lubed with finish line ceramic wet. Pumped up both tyres, the rear tyre was letting out air as quick as I was pumping it in so replaced the tube.
Went out for a ride, almost 65 miles, I really love this 10 year old bike and should ride it more often.


----------



## JhnBssll (24 Apr 2021)

Spiderweb said:


> Dragged my Roubaix out from the Garage, I think it has been collecting dust for two and a half years! Gave it a good Fettle, glass cleaner works really well on a matte finish carbon frame, cleaned the cassette and chain and lubed with finish line ceramic wet. Pumped up both tyres, the rear tyre was letting out air as quick as I was pumping it in so replaced the tube.
> Went out for a ride, almost 65 miles, I really love this 10 year old bike and should ride it more often.
> 
> View attachment 585417



Looks great, nice work  I loved my Roubaix, sometimes wish I hadn't sold it but in the end it had to go to fund my Ti frameset  I still see pictures of it occasionally as I'm still in touch with the guy that bought it, we even meet up for rides occasionally despite living over a hundred miles apart 😊


----------



## cyberknight (24 Apr 2021)

Recabled the new build last night and it fixed the poor brake performance


----------



## DCLane (24 Apr 2021)

Simple job but it's taken months to get the part from Argon; my son's E-116 TT bike has a new rear bottom bracket/brake cover as we bought it without one. It cost just £1.50 but needed to come from Canada.

They break easily so we've got a couple of spares as well.


----------



## ChrisEyles (24 Apr 2021)

Had a bit of an off at cwmcarn last week on my MTB and thoroughly Pringled the front wheel. 

Had to unlace the rim to brute force it back into shape, now rebuilding up my first wheel from scratch - wish me luck! 

















Fortunately I escaped with only minor scrapes, can't wait to get out there again and do it properly next time.


----------



## fossyant (24 Apr 2021)

Just Mr Sheened the Ribble again after 33 mile road ride.

A word of warning. Don't ever get a pure white bike unless you like cleaning, and definitely don't paint one pearlescent white. It shows up every spec. That said, it looks bloody fantastic in the sun.


----------



## Gunk (24 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> Just Mr Sheened the Ribble again after 33 mile road ride.
> 
> A word of warning. Don't ever get a pure white bike unless you like cleaning, and definitely don't paint one pearlescent white. It shows up every spec. That said, it looks bloody fantastic in the sun.
> 
> View attachment 585494



my son has a white CF Ribble, it always looks filthy


----------



## fossyant (24 Apr 2021)

Gunk said:


> my son has a white CF Ribble, it always looks filthy
> 
> View attachment 585496



At least there is some black and red. The white shows up everything, brake dust is a nightmare as are drink drips. And don't get me started on oil. At least the contact points on my best bike are chrome (rear triangle and forks) which saves a load of bother.


----------



## Jenkins (25 Apr 2021)

Chains day today. As it's been dry for so long round here I've not cleaned any of them for over a month, so I had an afternoon in the shed listenting to the radio and cleaning and lubricating the chains on 6 of the bikes (the other is brand new with only set up mileage on it.


----------



## DCBassman (26 Apr 2021)

Scott not working well gears wise, needs investigation. So for the present, will relegate it to standby status IF the new brakes work well on the mixte.
So, the plan:
Swap wheels between the two bikes. Lots of work here, as the tyres cannot be swapped between them.
Fit new brakes to mixte, and test. I will also swap the Koolstop Salmons from the Scott.
Swap saddles also.
This will leave me with the Scott returned to how I originally got it, bar the 105 brakes, and needing some serious front derailleur/shifter fettling, and the mixte as an all-out Silver Machine! Hopefully start later today, pictures will be taken!


----------



## JPBoothy (26 Apr 2021)

After months of deliberation 'and probably much to the disgust of a few purists) I finally took the plunge on Saturday and converted my second Cannondale CAADX to flat/riser bars from the original drops. I have tried different frame/stem combinations over the years and have even had professional bike set-ups but my neck and drop bars just don't get along for rides over 2hrs.. I appreciate there is a lack of hand positions without the drops but it feels very nice to ride and more importantly I now want to ride it again. Besides, I still have my drop bar SS Genesis for when I fancy a short 'real' ride.. I'm only joking with the 'purist' and 'real ride' comments by the way, as it's each to their own


----------



## dave r (26 Apr 2021)

JPBoothy said:


> After months of deliberation 'and probably much to the disgust of a few purists) I finally took the plunge on Saturday and converted my second Cannondale CAADX to flat/riser bars from the original drops. I have tried different frame/stem combinations over the years and have even had professional bike set-ups but my neck and drop bars just don't get along for rides over 2hrs.. I appreciate there is a lack of hand positions without the drops but it feels very nice to ride and more importantly I now want to ride it again. Besides, I still have my drop bar SS Genesis for when I fancy a short 'real' ride.. I'm only joking with the 'purist' and 'real ride' comments by the way, as it's each to their own
> View attachment 585878
> View attachment 585879



That looks very nice.


----------



## DCBassman (26 Apr 2021)

Well, I installed the brakes on the mixte, but that was it. Too much backache. Here's some pics:




Rear: all good, cable run is neccesarily loopy, but I can live with that and the cable ties.




Front: needs revisiting with a longer cable! It doesn't help that I set it with the QR open. D'oh...
But I was in too much pain to fuss.
The point is, it stops! Quickly!
So it will get a spin tomorrow.


----------



## JPBoothy (27 Apr 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Well, I installed the brakes on the mixte, but that was it. Too much backache. Here's some pics:
> View attachment 585970
> 
> Rear: all good, cable run is neccesarily loopy, but I can live with that and the cable ties.
> ...


I found TEKTRO caliper brakes to be the sharpest and most reliable that I've had. Better than any of my Shimano.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Apr 2021)

The Scott originally had Tektros of some sort, still in a box somewhere. Good brakes. But 105s are as good and look better! Certainly these R559s will transform the Revell from a slightly dubious proposition to a well-usable bike.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Apr 2021)

A couple of other minor bits I managed yeserday:
Slight play in the Revell headset: tweaked.
Checked LH shifter on the Scott to see if it is the source of the ring selection problems. No obvious faults or fraying cables.
This morning: checked Revell over pre-ride, and reset the front brake cable. Needs a new inner, though...


----------



## roley poley (28 Apr 2021)

Took Bromie's back wheel off then the toggle chain out the hub gear to pour oil in,twiddle and repeat ..black gunge mopped up as it came out the other side ..much smoother now thankyou


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (28 Apr 2021)

Actually from Sunday as I haven't been on the site for a few days:

New front cones and a new-old-stock freehub body on the Dawes Galaxy together with fresh ball bearings all round. The bike is still on its original Shimano Parallax hubs so it was nice to be able to find the parts to bring them back to being like new. With the rims being in great condition (not the originals I suspect) it hopefully gives me a few more years before I need to think about buying new wheels. While at it I've also replaced the outer chainring which doesn't look very worn but has been causing problems with chain suck when trying to shift gear.

The Raleigh also had a wheel bearing service - the front wheel bearings are fine but at the rear the non-drive side cone is pitted, the cup in the freehub body is getting worn and the pawls have been known to slip (very infrequently). I've got some oil inside the freehub which made it sound better straight off. With these being non-branded hubs that have done plenty of miles I think replacement wheels will be the solution in the not too distant future.


----------



## gavgav (28 Apr 2021)

Actually yesterday, but after @Rickshaw Phil quite rightly condemned my road tyres on the Carbon, I ordered up a couple of Vittoria Rubino’s and fitted them. A bit of a faff, as always seems to be the case with new tyres, but they’re on. Had a bit of trouble getting the rear wheel to sit correctly again, which also seems to have affected the gears and brake alignment. Meddled with both and they appear better, but it needs a test ride now to be certain.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (29 Apr 2021)

I took the chain-rings off my CGR, to clean them/wipe between the teeth, when I got home from work this afternoon
During reassembly, somehow I sheared a chain-ring bolt

I don’t think l’ve broken one in the past 20 years
Removing the threaded portion without damaging the outer-ring took some lateral thinking
Curiously, a 4mm Allen-key fitted into it, to unscrew it!

Thankfully, I kept bolts from past chainsets


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2021)

Fitted new saddle to Max the MTB and tweaked height and position to satisfaction.

The old-style saddle clamps are a right faff compared to the newer ones though. Get it not-quite-right and suddenly you're chasing bits of it all over the floor...


----------



## DCBassman (1 May 2021)

Reynard said:


> The old-style saddle clamps are a right faff compared to the newer ones though. Get it not-quite-right and suddenly you're chasing bits of it all over the floor...


Yup, the mixte has one...will be looking soon to get a one-piece jobby, but the vintage size won't help.


----------



## Reynard (1 May 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Yup, the mixte has one...will be looking soon to get a one-piece jobby, but the vintage size won't help.



Shim needed then, huh? 

But likewise me. Not always convenient to stick two 13mm spanners in one's pocket / bar bag / whatever...  And the original seat post is rather scruffy to boot. Looks rather incongruous given how smart the rest of the bike is now.


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## DCBassman (1 May 2021)

Reynard said:


> Shim needed then, huh?


No, the reverse, if anything. They are not common in that thin a size. Plenty of models on Ebay, but that size is nearly always'Sold out'. Agreed about the pair of 13mm spanners. Not the most convenient of things.


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## Reynard (1 May 2021)

DCBassman said:


> No, the reverse, if anything. They are not common in that thin a size. Plenty of models on Ebay, but that size is nearly always'Sold out'. Agreed about the pair of 13mm spanners. Not the most convenient of things.



Ah, that's a bummer.  The current parts shortage is a right arse, isn't it?


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## JhnBssll (1 May 2021)

I took a mates bike in to sort out over the weekend. He recently swapped his Cannondale Synapse with full ultegra for a new Trek Marlin ebike conversion. Clearly they're quite different bikes, but he commutes almost daily by bike in all weather and he wanted something that was going to help him home. Anyway, this thing is fairly nicely put together with a Bafang mid drive motor but it had come loose. On examination it seems the unit is designed to fit a narrower BB shell so they've used 10mm spacers to increase the mounting width. Unfortunately this means the threaded section of BB is now too short to fit both the tightening ring and lockring, so the lockring had been glued on  I've stripped it, cleaned it and reassembled the tightening ring with permanent thread lock before gluing the lockring back on over the top, no other options I could think of. Since its not under torsional load it should prevent it loosening again, if not It's at least bought me some time to think of a better fix.







I've had another friend's son's bike in the garage for a week awaiting new bartape so I wound that on this afternoon as well. Hopefully both bikes will be collected at some point tomorrow so I can move in the garage again


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## Tenacious Sloth (1 May 2021)

Finally got around to converting my Kinesis Ti over to tubeless.

I’ve been running my winter CAADX tubeless over the winter and have enjoyed the additional comfort of running lower pressures.

The Schwalbe Pro TLEs were trickier to get seated on the Pacenti Forza rims than the Specialized Roubaix tyres on the CAADX had been with the same rims.

In fact, I had to inflate with an inner tube first to get one of the beads seated before inflating successfully tubeless.

This involved forcing a new tyre over a rim a total of five times altogether, which now means I can use the tips of both thumbs to illuminate darkened alleyways.


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## 12boy (2 May 2021)

I bought a Holdsworth Special, full Campy with a Cinelli stem a few years. Worked ok but I have always wanted a British 3 speed so I set one up with taped and twined moustache bars a Nitto stem and an SA bar end shifter. The Campy levers were disappointing so they were replaced with some Dia Compes with the little pivoting brake release. Those plus the Campy QR on the brake means I can pull 35 mm tires on and off without deflating the tire. I used the stop part off a v-brake shift noodle to allow me to tape a bit of cable housing permanently under the tape. This cable housing only runs as far as the bar tape, so I could go back to the down tubeshifters without removing the tape and twining. The Dia Compe levers work much better than the Campys although they don't look as nice. 
This bike had downtube shifters so I replaced them with a clamp on single cable stop which was soaked in Coke for a day to kill the rust, This bike has the derailleur cable runs on top of the BB instead of below which should keep the cable cleaner.
For some reason, I like the old style seat posts withe the clamp on steel saddle clamp so that is there as well. 
It was not possible to get a good chainline with the Nuevo Record crankarms but a new Shimano BB and a 110 BCD Sakae crankarm works fine. I ordered some new short chainring bolts which are nice. 
Functionally this fine, but I would still like to find some touch up paint and polish some of the Al bits.


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## 13 rider (3 May 2021)

After yesterday's ride where I had an embarrassingly noise drivetrain . Got home took the chain off and gave the drivetrain a deep clean ,full degreased the chain and apply new lube trying squirt which is suppose to keep everything cleaner as it s bit more like wax . I will let you know how it works


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## JhnBssll (3 May 2021)

The ebike was collected yesterday morning. Unfortunately it came back yesterday evening  When he called I was initially worried that there was something amiss with my handiwork but turns out his son had crashed it after a few beers  the front wheel was so buckled the tyre rubbed on both fork legs  I had a good look over the rim and couldn't see any cracks or dents so decided it was worth at least trying to rescue it. I stripped the wheel down and found a few blocks of wood to fashion a jig in the vice then slowly and carefully went about reshaping the rim. Once the main bends were improved I laced it up again and went about trying to true it. I was quite pleased with the outcome - it was by no means straight but I managed to get the wobble down to a couple of mm with relatively even spoke tensions. Popped the tyre back on and went for a test ride, all seemed good so dropped the bike back with its owner. I hope not to see it again for a while


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## figbat (3 May 2021)

When I built this bike I had wanted to put flared bars on it but some cheap parallel ones came up so I used them. This week I picked up some cheap flared bars and fitted them today, along with some new tape.


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## CXRAndy (3 May 2021)

Prepped my new carbon built wheels for tubeless and fitted tyres.


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## HLaB (3 May 2021)

Got in from my 🌨 ride today and once I had went in a warm shower and subsequently had lunch, I turned my eye to the bike. Over the course of the 60miles ride the rear tubeless tyre had delaminated.





I suppose 7-8000miles and no p'tures was an ok lifespan. But I replaced it tonight.






The Logo doesn't line up with the valve  but hey ho


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## Domus (4 May 2021)

Gold chain fitted to summer bike, after my ride on Sunday my chain tool told me it was time for a change. The Gold KMC had been in my drawer for quite a while.
"My Precious"


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## Landsurfer (4 May 2021)

Fitted a new driveline to my steel wonder bike.
Single Stronglight chainring, 36 tooth .. new chain, Decathlon 9 speed, FOMTOR 11-40 cassette from Amazon ... 
Off for a tootle round in the morning...


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## Andy in Germany (4 May 2021)

Things most people use while maintaining their bike:

Screwdrivers, hex keys, tyre levers and the occasional large hammer.

Things I ended up using to maintain my bike:






4 metre long belt sanders.

The Deck on the Xtracycle was looking a bit faded after about six years use, and was mostly a uniform dark brown. As I'd carefully made it from several different woods to make a nice striped effect, this was not ideal, so yesterday I gave it a bit of a going over at work to get past the sun bleached layer and find the original colours, then oiled it generously and left it to dry over night, which meant some improvisation to get my bag and a load of kindling back to the apartment, and gave it a strange appearance this morning:






I gave it another coat of oil this morning, then screwed the cross pieces back on over lunch, and dropped it back onto the frame before the evening commute:






Beautiful Daughter will be pleased as well, as I've rounded off the edges better to make it more comfortable...


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## si_c (4 May 2021)

Went for a ride in the rain yesterday and the front brake on the Kinesis felt like there was nothing there, checked it over at lunchtime today and one of the pads was down to the backing plate almost. The other looked fine though. Swapped out both pads for the spare set, much better now.


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## DCBassman (5 May 2021)

Want to ride the Scott again, so in a minute, when the rain stops, I'll go and adjust the front mech to give me just the two smaller chainrings. I never, or very rarely, use the 52t anyhow, so it's time to stop trying to make it work and just have an easy life...

Edit: I'll fit the newer lightweight rings while I'm at it, so it will end up 39-30 to 12-36. No speed machine, but great for the hills.


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## Reynard (5 May 2021)

Max the MTB got a very thorough bath this morning. And I made the seat post considerably less tatty by tackling the rust with tin foil. I was a bit sceptical at first, but goodness, that doesn't half work!

WD40 sprayed on the drive train while everything dries, and then tomorrow I'll lubricate everything properly.


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## DCBassman (5 May 2021)

Wow, it seemed to be easy to set the Scott front mech today. Suspicious...
Never got to try it properly due to a puncture, and a frayed tyre, so bailed out.


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## fossyant (5 May 2021)

Out on a ride on the MTB earlier, and that 'cheep cheep' dry chain/jockey birdy was following me round. Jockeys are new and the chain oiled. Hmm must be the birds 

Gave the bike a once over, and noticed it was coming from the non-drive side of the wheel. Wheel out, cassete off, axel out and tapped the non-drive side bearing out. Rather stiff. Limited 'cleaning materials' at the caravan, although most of my tool kit. Bearing cover off, and dripped oil into the bearings and left to soak. Whilst at it, cleaned up the freehub and re-lubed one of the outer bearings. Got non-drive side bearing and wiped it out, and regreased. Now, pressing back into the hub was tricky as I had no socket, and the bearing press won't fit over the axel. Tapped in with a freehub remover, then the final bit, carefully with a screwdriver on the outer edges.

Then checked rear pads - well worn. Front pads on way out so replaced the lot.

Good job I checked as I plan Llandegla this week.


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## ColinJ (5 May 2021)

I decided that I preferred my riding position on my singlespeed bike to my position on my best bike. I checked and found that the drop from saddle nose to top of bars was slightly more on the best bike (13.5 cm (5.5") vs 12.5 cm (5") on the singlespeed) so I moved a 1 cm spacer from above the stem to below it. That subtle change enabled me to reduce the tilt on my saddle by one 'notch' on the clamp. I like a small downward saddle tilt to avoid genital numbing but it was too much before, causing me to tend to slide forwards.

I've only done a short test ride but I think this will be much more comfortable.


----------



## Colin Grigson (6 May 2021)

I bought my 12 year old son this Venge Vias (49cm frame) secondhand, but with the seat post retracted as far as possible into the seat tube, the saddle was still too high. I removed the seat post and Di2 battery from within, cut off 70mm and re-fitted the battery and refitted the seatpost/saddle. He’s already tested it and it’s now perfect. I also, prudently, ordered a replacement full length seat post to accommodate future growth.


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## ColinJ (6 May 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I bought my 12 year old son this Venge Vias (49cm frame) secondhand, but with the seat post retracted as far as possible into the seat tube, the saddle was still too high. I removed the seat post and Di2 battery from within, cut off 70mm and re-fitted the battery and refitted the seatpost/saddle. He’s already tested it and it’s now perfect. I also, prudently, ordered a replacement full length seat post to accommodate future growth.
> View attachment 587408


Wow - when I was 12, I rode a heavy steel-framed 5-speed Raleigh... 

(... which some thieving bastard stole from the school bike shed a year later!!! )


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## DCBassman (6 May 2021)

Re-shod the front wheel of the Scott:





The old tyre was more than a bit scuffed...





Also fitted the bottle cage mounts to the Revell, but food called before I could get pics. Once I've finished that and fitted the new front brake cable, more pics!


----------



## DCLane (8 May 2021)

A productive morning;

The Pug 525 I'd organised and put together for someone's been in my storage for a while as they were away. They're back so I gave it a once-over, mended some parts, replaced a few others and it's all now working. They'll be told that since they didn't look after it I won't be fixing it again  .

The Fuji Track has got a set of cross tyres onto some spare wheels ready for grasstrack on Monday evening at Leeds. My son and myself will be sharing it. The original wheel's been re-purposed and the front track wheel I'd sourced was being a pain, so I've stuck a new Raleigh Pioneer wheel on that was lying about which matches the frame nicely. Grasstrack use was one of the original ideas so we'll give it a go.






His Columbus X-Wing commuter cross bike's had a new rear gear cable and check-over. It's an old carbon/aluminium frame mix loosely held together with horse poo since all it's done for the past 4 years is go 13 miles to/from school on greenways. We put a pair of carbon EC-90 handlebars on last year as a test and they've worked well. Running a 10 speed mix of Ultegra (front mech), 105 (rear mech / cassette), Tiagra (shifters) and Sora (crankset) has been fine.






And finally his Langdale track bike's getting some red/white paint touch-ups ready for the 2021 season. It's got a bit battered from track use and transport over the past year so tidying's needed before outdoor racing starts in a couple of weeks. We adjusted the gearing as well as he's gone up an age category, with a test at Scunthorpe yesterday evening.


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## 12boy (8 May 2021)

What tires would the Fuji take that are suitable for grass? The biggest I could fix were 28mm.


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## DCLane (8 May 2021)

12boy said:


> What tires would the Fuji take that are suitable for grass? The biggest I could fix were 28mm.



We're running Continental CX Comp 30mm which is probably the limit. The next step is some 32 and 35mm (_if_ they fit) which we'll take if the 30mm are too slippy - the centre tread is flatter than most, which will either be our successful decision or our un-doing


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## C R (8 May 2021)

Put mudguards back on the road bike. I think the reason for the good weather last summer is that I never took them off.


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## Ming the Merciless (8 May 2021)

Plugged my audax phone (cheap £4.99 thing) to charge. Does that count?


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## bagpuss (8 May 2021)

Polished up the front large flange Campagnolo Record on my Raleigh Randonneur ,came up a treat with autosol .
Serviced Shimano pd -A520 pedals on two bikes checked tyres and general cleaning a polish all good wet day stuff . 
Out tomorrow to cack it all up again!


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## HLaB (9 May 2021)

I put an aero bottle cage onto my TT bike looking for those marginal gains 🤔


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## oldfatfool (9 May 2021)

Self build Sunday, custom 1/2 rocker for neo 2t, 1 old wardrobe door, 3 rubber bobbins, 4 wardrobe door handles and 2 inflatable bladders, cost excluding door and handles approx £40.


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## 13 rider (9 May 2021)

New chain fitted to the Defy which is mainly used for commuting duties . So gave the drivetrain a deep clean and trying squirt lube on it . Been happy with it so far on the TCR it seems to keep the side of the links cleaner


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## T4tomo (10 May 2021)

Replaced the RH shifter on the best bike, so good excuse to fit some snazzy bar tape.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 May 2021)

Dynamo Hub on front wheel of recumbent had some play in it. Adjusted right hand side and locknut tightened up. Took a couple of goes, but seems spot on with QR done up now. Will take it for a run tomorrow.


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## TheDoctor (11 May 2021)

Fitted a new 34T chainring to the Ribble, after the old one somehow exploded three of the bolts and then bent itself waaaaay out of shape.
Got a disappointingly expensive quote for powdercoating my old Paul Donahue 531ST frame, so a trip to Maldon to get it powdercoated there will be coming up soon. I've had that frame since 1992 so the paint is looking a bit sad. I'm thinking RAL6027 for the Bianchi Celeste lookalike-ness


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## carpenter (12 May 2021)

^^^^^ CTC at Maldon - good choice


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## TheDoctor (12 May 2021)

I was hoping someone would say that! I thought I'd get it done locally, but CTC at Malden are not too far away, a useful amount cheaper and are well used to doing bikes, so it's a no-brainer.


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## carpenter (12 May 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> I was hoping someone would say that! I thought I'd get it done locally, but CTC at Malden are not too far away, a useful amount cheaper and are well used to doing bikes, so it's a no-brainer.



I have used them on a couple of frames:
"illusion cherry" - I liked the finish on my Dancelli so much that I also had a Mercian done (pictures below show Mercian before and after).
Very helpful (Italian, I think) chap was very understanding and helpful about masking the Dancelli.


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## Willd (12 May 2021)

Fitted a new chain, original one had done around 2,700 miles


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## Ming the Merciless (12 May 2021)

A puncture whilst out riding


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## Andy in Germany (12 May 2021)

Completely failed to fit a dog trailer on the Landlady's bike; it fitted directly onto the axle and the bolt was too short.

I told her to go to the bike shop around the corner and see if they had a solution.


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## DCLane (12 May 2021)

Son's racing on Sunday in the Yorkshire 'test' road race Cat 2/3/4, but has decided to use his BeOne training bike rather than his Cervelo race bike due to some technical reason I don't understand. 

We were going to fit carbon wheels instead of the Superstar Components aluminium ones so I've done that with carbon brake pads.


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## bikingdad90 (12 May 2021)

Replaced my sons rear brake cable as it was starting to fray and done the same on my Wiggins Rouen which was fraying inside the shifter. No more slack in either now.


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## DCLane (19 May 2021)

Not feeling great today after my 2nd Covid jab yesterday, so no photos. The second Dawes Kingpin I bought in April has been sat in the pile of pieces it arrived in. So ... given the brain and body aren't really working together today I looked at the pile after finishing my teaching. Imagine this, but with most of the bits now inside the pannier bag:






Having chatted with my son, since it'll be his, we'd decided on some silver paint. The battered and chipped frame and forks received a sand-down with faded/chipped stickers and un-seized bolts removed.

First three coats of silver paint on both frame and forks. I've then cleaned the crankset and ordered some new decals. The chainguard is battered so I'd already got a NOS replacement green one before realising the frame paint was too far gone and I couldn't find a match. More paint tomorrow, then I'll let it cure whilst the decals are en route, then laquer and a re-build.

The _aim_ is to make the Dawes Kingpin FB Group ride that's being held in Thorne on 5th June. Not sure I'll make it though as I've a lot of work on at work, my son's got racing as have I, and there's then this.

Looking at the pile of parts it came in there _are_ cables, but I'd prefer to fit new gear/brake cables so they've been ordered. However, the original cable outers are in dark green which given it's now silver I'm not too bothered about matching. The front wheel received new bearings a couple of weeks ago but new tyres would be good. I do have a spare pair of wheels/tyres from my stalled Kingpin build that we won't need which may be used instead.

Saddle and bar grips cleaned, seatpost, stem, bars and kick-stand metal, pannier bag (now empty) cleaned and polished. That'll do for today.

Photos when we're closer to being done and I'm feeling better. The pannier rack will need cleaning & polishing, as will the mudguards which will also need some fettling to remove dents and creases.


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## TheDoctor (20 May 2021)

A non-bike related fettle here...
While cooking dinner t'other day, the oven element started making all kinds of interesting BZZZEEEEERT-y noises, combined with flashing lights and cessation of heat output.
I had to finish the roasties off in a frying pan...
Anyhoo, got the offending element out.




Here's a close-up of the busted bit.





The resistance wire inside failed and then arced for a bit. That's what blew the hole in the side, letting the smoke out. Electronics and electrics all work on smoke, and when there's a hole, the magic smoke escapes and they stop working (may not actually be true).
Just need to wait for a replacement element now...


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## battered (20 May 2021)

I cut off and filed flush some redundant brackets on my singly. I'm going to get it blasted and powder coated soon, but I need to remove the surplus junk first. I've sorted the brand, it's going to be a Speed Lobster (TM). Because I can.


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## DRM (20 May 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> A non-bike related fettle here...
> While cooking dinner t'other day, the oven element started making all kinds of interesting BZZZEEEEERT-y noises, combined with flashing lights and cessation of heat output.
> I had to finish the roasties off in a frying pan...
> Anyhoo, got the offending element out.
> ...


That sounds like it was rather exciting, ours just refused to heat up


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## TheDoctor (20 May 2021)

It was quite fun in a WTF-was-that-oooh-sparks! sense, but less so from a where's-my-dinner point of view. I'm just glad the chicken was cooked.


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## TheDoctor (20 May 2021)

battered said:


> I cut off and filed flush some redundant brackets on my singly. I'm going to get it blasted and powder coated soon, but I need to remove the surplus junk first. I've sorted the brand, it's going to be a Speed Lobster (TM). Because I can.


I was considering doing that with the cantilever brake studs on my 531ST, but I chickened out and ordered some mini-V brakes instead. Not quite as retro as the downtube shifters will be...
And it's going to be a


.
Because I can


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## DCLane (20 May 2021)

More work on the Kingpin parts as I'm not well today; all of the metal bits were polished and the dents knocked out of the mudguards as best as possible. Dynamo lights cleaned.

The seat clamp's in a bad state so I'll attempt to re-chrome it. If that doesn't work it'll have to be painted chrome or metallic green to match the chainguard.


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## bikingdad90 (20 May 2021)

Moved the baby gate from the top of the stairs to the kiddies bedroom in a move to reclaim our bed after months of co sleeping.

Wish me luck as said child is well stubborn; last time we tried took over 3hrs of night owl activities before sleep came!


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## DCLane (20 May 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Moved the baby gate from the top of the stairs to the kiddies bedroom in a move to reclaim our bed after months of co sleeping.
> 
> Wish me luck as said child is well stubborn; last time we tried took over 3hrs of night owl activities before sleep came!



Persevere, it'll be worth it.


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## bikingdad90 (20 May 2021)

DCLane said:


> Persevere, it'll be worth it.


It will be a battle of the wills. Our other two gave up at 2hrs! Maybe I should start a thread with bets on how long the third child takes to fall back asleep 😴. I don’t need one on time as it’s always between 11pm and 1am every night.


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## slowmotion (20 May 2021)

This afternoon I found the answer to a question that's been troubling me for a while. How long does it take to remove a cheap 10mm diameter steel shackle D lock? Armed with a 115mm diameter angle grinder, a 1mm thick steel cutting disk and my very best Bike Thief black beanie hat, I soon found out.

20 seconds.


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## DCLane (21 May 2021)

Bits and pieces; a new tub onto my son's spare race wheel after the old one went pop last week. It's a Maxxis Campione TT which hopefully will be OK as a spare. The old one was used once I think from memory in 2 years.

Also, we swapped the Rotor 52T standard chainring for a Rotor 52T aero one on his Cervelo S3 race bike ready for a cat 2/3/4 race tomorrow in Middlesbrough.

A bit more painting for the Kingpin and I'm trying to work out whether I want the seat-clamp silver, green or metallic green given the chrome's too bad to use. New decals have arrived as well.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 May 2021)

Fitted new sintered pads both front and rear to my hydraulic brakes on recumbent. Burnt them in on a ride as soon as fitted. Braking nice and crisp again. They should see me through to autumn or mid winter given the mileage I do.


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## Tenacious Sloth (22 May 2021)

carpenter said:


> I have used them on a couple of frames:
> "illusion cherry" - I liked the finish on my Dancelli so much that I also had a Mercian done (pictures below show Mercian before and after).
> Very helpful (Italian, I think) chap was very understanding and helpful about masking the Dancelli.



No wonder you used that colour on two frames, it‘s gorgeous!


----------



## cyberknight (23 May 2021)

today 
pulled and greased BB on ribble build as it was creaking , installed new mudgaurds then greased rear wheel hub on the yellow boardman.
yesterday
Fellow club rider was having issues with gears and needed the bike for a sportive so i said if he hadnt got it sorted i would pop around, when i got there i could hear it wasnt right straight away so after a quick look ....
Chain to short 
FD high stop wrong
RD at max adjustment before i even touched it .

So luckily he had a chain so he put that on and after a bit of twiddling he said it was the best it has ever sounded , so impressed he gave me his old turbo trainer an elite novo smart as he had a wheel off smart trainer


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 May 2021)

Oiled chain on Brommie. Clippered hair on head.


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## DCLane (23 May 2021)

Son's old tub tyres off his race wheels after one delaminated during his race yesterday  causing a DNF. New ones en route.

New rear gear cable on his BeOne Raw

Finished the paint on the Dawes Kingpin I've been spraying, with new decals added. Laquer as soon as it's drier and warmer.


----------



## chriswoody (26 May 2021)

The pads on my rear caliper have been a little in the low side for a few weeks now, but Sunday's wet ride finished them off. So stuck some new ones in, also gave the pistons a good clean whilst I was there.

Little concerned about my cranks as well, seems to be some play in the bottom bracket/cranks. The BB cups are only a few months old as well, so shouldn't be knackered already, I need to investigate further.


----------



## battered (26 May 2021)

Swapped the utterly worn out jockey wheels on my town bike for some from the bits box. Little used, from an xtr rear mech that was being used, believe it or not, as a chain tensioner on a single speed that I bought for loose change. The wheels have so little wear that I doubt the rest of the mech is worn.

I fancy getting some pretty jockey wheels for the MTB, the originals are well worn and the boring grey plastic Shimano ones are dull, dull, dull.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (26 May 2021)

Fixed my front mud flap which split. Took it off, cleaned it, then applied rip stop cello tape (type you see on boxes) either side of split. Reattached. Also adjusted front wheel hub as felt a bit too tight after an earlier adjustment


----------



## Jenkins (27 May 2021)

Rear deraileur cable snapped at the shifter on the Spa Elan so I had the fun of working out what bits to remove to dig out what was left, realise i didn't have a spare in the shed, go out and buy a new one, then work out how to fit it and re-fit the removed bits. Still can't get a clean up or down change in the lowest two gears on the new Michie cassette fitted ealier in the year no matter how I set things up - it's almost as if there's a spacing issue even though the cassette is corrctly fitted & tight on the hub (no problem with the previous Shimano & SRAM ones)

Also took the opportunity to check the hangar alignment (slight tweek needed) and check the brake pads (almost down to the metal so new ones ordered.)


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (28 May 2021)

Yesterday’s fettling included:
My Carrera Vengeance - rear brake pads (one of the resin pads sheared off the metal bracket during some MTBing yesterday morning), check and adjust front brakes for better performance.




My daughter’s new-to-her Dawes Bullet LT - swap tyres from hybrid to knobbly (Schwalbe Black Jack), free the rear brake cable, index gears (main issue was with limiter screws pushing jockey wheel cage into spokes).


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## DCBassman (29 May 2021)

Went out this morning to prep bike for a ride, rear flat. Bum. So decided to do what was intended a while back, swap the wheelsets between the two bikes. This entailed a full tyre and cassette swap also, as the 28s on the mixte are too big for the Scott. My thumbs hurt.
So the Scott is now back to how it was when I got it, barring number of gears and bars.
The Revell mixte is now all silver, and probably has fewer spokes than any other such bike!





Now, can I get out for some miles, please?


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## LeetleGreyCells (29 May 2021)

Fitted new cable to rear brake on my daughter’s bike as the old one was sticking.


----------



## Reynard (29 May 2021)

Re-seated the RH Ergon grip on the MTB after it came loose during my ride. Roadside repair was only partially effective, so did it properly when I came home.

Also had to sort out the saddle clamp after that developed a mind of its own during a particularly bumpy section of my ride. A pair of 13mm spanners is devilishly hard to find in the middle of nowhere, so had to manage the last four miles with a hand on the nose of the saddle to keep it level.


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## C R (29 May 2021)

I decided to jinx the weather by taking the mudguards off the road bike.


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## DCBassman (29 May 2021)

C R said:


> I decided to jinx the weather by taking the mudguards off the road bike.



I did that weeks ago with the mixte. Why do you think it has rained so much?


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## bruce1530 (29 May 2021)

I also took mudguards off today. Probably not a good sign.


----------



## Reynard (29 May 2021)

My road bike is still mostly hibernating...


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## TheDoctor (29 May 2021)

I'm torn between calling my rebuilt 531 ST Cafe Racer [in a olde-worlde cursive font] or Pub Runner [in a sci-fi BladeRunner style font].
It's gonna be a month before I get it back from the powdercoaters, so I have time to decide. I'm currently gathering together the bits to rebuild it [we have the technology] and wondering if I ought to get some taps to clean the threads out.


----------



## Specialeyes (30 May 2021)

Took the Regina freewheel off my X4 (seriously, those 2-prong locknuts are made of cheese) and replaced it with a NOS Maillard with a luxurious 28T largest sprocket, put a blingy gold chain on the Argentin and then the Amazon guy arrived with 3 Ikea Dimpa bags which are the perfect size for a folded Brompton and, at about £3 each are 1/10 the price of a Brompton bag. All that, then didn't have time to go for a ride!


----------



## roubaixtuesday (1 Jun 2021)

Big ride planned tomorrow  so checkup on road bike.

Minor chain rub on front derailleur, (11 speed, R8000) so spent about 6 hours faffing to no avail before _reading the manual and following the instructions_. 

Now seems perfectly set up but I'm buggered if I really understand what the screws do; the high and low screws aren't backstops like a normal derailleur but seem to adjust the leverage in some complicated shimano-ey way. 

Then the rear brakes which insist on rubbing when out of the saddle. Much faffing again, eventually OK, but would like them closer to the rim and don't really understand why they started rubbing. Somehow appears the wheel has more flex than it used to. There's no wiggle at the bearings. 

So, all set for Dales epic on the morrow.


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## Punkawallah (1 Jun 2021)

Front derailleur on a (new) Dawes Renown. It rattled on a test ride, turned out to be 'off line' from the chainring - bloody shoddy quality control.
If I knew who worked in the store it came from, I'd whinge. Of course, after 35 years (1986 model) the store probably won't be there - unbelievable :-)


----------



## Andy in Germany (1 Jun 2021)

I painted the hallway but I expect that doesn't count.


----------



## Punkawallah (1 Jun 2021)

Was the bike in it at the time :-)


----------



## DCLane (2 Jun 2021)

Been a busy few days finishing things off. Firstly, having stuck new tubs onto my son's race and spare race wheels, the valve extender on the rear sheared off. I needed to un-tape, removed threaded plastic, and re-tape the rear tub. All done, even if he DNF'd last night due to feeling ill.

The Kona Paddy Wagon fixie, which we'll use for grasstrack racing, has been finished. New Schwalbe CX Comp 30mm tyres with latex tubes, replacement stem, handlebars, bar tape, seatpost and saddle from the parts store were used together with a pair of new 'Ultegra' pedals that came via eBay. Only they were fakes and the seller told me to keep them! (Reported to eBay anyway)

Some paint's been added as the bike wasn't packed well, plus the LBS removed the freewheel we won't need. From this on Friday lunch-time:





To this yesterday:




The irony of my half-Irish son competing on a Paddy Wagon isn't lost on me 

The Dawes Kingpin has also had work, with the aim of being finished for Saturday's small wheeler Norman Charters Memorial Ride out of Thorne.

Having arrived in LOTS of pieces - think everything dismantled bar the bottom bracket because it was stuck - it's been re-sprayed silver (badly  ) and re-built. Originally it looked like this, but it all arrived in the saddle bag plus frame, forks, wheels, bars, seatpost all in a box:





It's been a clean-up on a budget rather than an expensive re-build. That's being saved for the separate Kingpin TT project we've got very slowly on-going.

So ... everything's been cleaned thoroughly, new bearings in everything that had bearings originally or seemed to - mainly because they either weren't there or were out anyway - new rear tyre, new gear cable outer/inner, new inner brake cables, new brake pads, new chain, all the metal-work cleaned and polished plus a NOS chainguard. I accidentally ordered cotter pins from the wrong seller so ended up with one rather than a pair, so a second new one's still to arrive. The LH brake lever needed new bits and some fettling to work properly. A challenge was that many of the parts on this 1973 Kingpin didn't match the 1975 Kingpin project we're working on, so it was a bit of trial and error.

Currently a non-dynamo front wheel's on for the moment which is off my other Kingpin as I don't need the dynamo lights yet.

I couldn't match the green so went with a set of silver spray cans and new decals. The seatpost clamp was too-far gone to polish so that's now in green enamel and I simply did the head-tube chrome parts in silver. More laquer needed but overall it's OK. The gears aren't set up yet, hence the long gear cable. Oh, and a prize for the CC'er who spots the bodge 





If I can get it all working properly I'll make Saturday's ride.


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## T4tomo (2 Jun 2021)

DCLane said:


> Oh, and a prize for the CC'er who spots the bodge


appears to be parts of 2 chains on there.... and you've changed the rear brake cable routing


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## DCLane (2 Jun 2021)

T4tomo said:


> appears to be parts of 2 chains on there.... and you've changed the rear brake cable routing



The rear brake wouldn't route properly as it's a replacement newer caliper rather than the Dawes original, so routing from the top worked better. Or rather it _actually_ worked.

Well spotted with the chain; I'd only got most of one new chain that came in a box of random bike bits I bought, a new section off another from the Raleigh Superbe build or a CeramicSpeed one. Connecting the two up seems OK - once a few miles are done it won't be that obvious anyway


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## Spiderweb (2 Jun 2021)

I Gave the Tricross a quick clean after the weekend riding in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
I was experiencing some ‘lag’ when dropping down into higher gears, I’d changed the gear cable not that long ago so just renewed the outer housing near the rear mech, after today’s ride the shifting is now perfect.


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## weareHKR (2 Jun 2021)

For what it's worth I change both at the same time regardless!


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## Punkawallah (2 Jun 2021)

Down tube shifters save a fortune, then :-)


----------



## Reynard (2 Jun 2021)

Some more in-ride fettling of Max the MTB...  This time, needed to sort out some rotating bars.

Have discovered that there's a big difference between "road tight" and "off road tight" 

Saddle did stay put this time.


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## Andy in Germany (2 Jun 2021)

Spiderweb said:


> I Gave the Tricross a quick clean after the weekend riding in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
> I was experiencing some ‘lag’ when dropping down into higher gears, I’d changed the gear cable not that long ago so just renewed the outer housing near the rear mech, after today’s ride the shifting is now perfect.
> 
> View attachment 591853



Trying to remember when my chain was that clean...


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## DCBassman (2 Jun 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Trying to remember when my chain was that clean...


No matter what sort of shiny transmission device I buy, it is always uniformly black inside a couple of weeks, no matter what I try to do with it.
I think all these people have secret ultrasonic baths...and use them weekly!


----------



## DCBassman (2 Jun 2021)

DCBassman said:


> No matter what sort of shiny transmission device I buy, it is always uniformly black inside a couple of weeks, no matter what I try to do with it.
> I think all these people have secret ultrasonic baths...and use them weekly!


AND they have a lifetime supply of quicklinks! Damn them all to hell!


----------



## DCLane (3 Jun 2021)

Minor fettling on the Kingpin I completed earlier this week; all the gears now work. Or at least they're all there: what gear you _actually_ get is a different matter. Everything adjusted to start, stop, clunk, etc. as expected.

It's ready for the Norman Charters Memorial Ride in Thornes on Saturday, meaning SWMBO's taking son no. 2 to his 3/4 race in Middlesbrough instead.

Or at least it'll _start_ the ride. Given I've gone up/down the street on this bike and it's the furthest it's been for a long time whether it'll _get round the 20+ miles _and _back_ is a different matter 

This is actually a Raleigh Twenty group ride, and having had two Twenty's that I didn't like (OK, a Twenty and a Stowaway) turning up on a Kingpin could be interesting.


----------



## Spiderweb (3 Jun 2021)

I took my Paul Hewitt Chiltern to work today, it had been left after a wet ride a couple of months ago and was a filthy mess with a stiff chain.
Around about an hour of cleaning and finished off with Autoglym polish the Flamboyant Blue paint work looks sparkly and like new.


----------



## Punkawallah (3 Jun 2021)

Fettled a gear set on a box build - front mech too low, cables too loose, and a random plastic disc between the dropouts and the hub. Got to love cheap imports :-) 
Other than that, Shimano happy to click away, 'just another day at the office' for it.


----------



## bikingdad90 (3 Jun 2021)

@Spiderweb solid 8/10 there, just let down by the black stem and black bars.


----------



## Punkawallah (3 Jun 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Spiderweb solid 8/10 there, just let down by the black stem and black bars.


You're forgetting the 'biggie-smalls', aligned valves and protruding stem :-)


----------



## Spiderweb (3 Jun 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Spiderweb solid 8/10 there, just let down by the black stem and black bars.


That’s just mean! 2 whole points deducted😡


----------



## Spiderweb (3 Jun 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> You're forgetting the 'biggie-smalls', aligned valves and protruding stem :-)


Oh for gods sake, get a life😂


----------



## Punkawallah (3 Jun 2021)

AH, YES, founding member of Zombie Lives Matter, here. (Or the 'Vitally Challenged' and we like to say) :-)


----------



## C R (5 Jun 2021)

Sorted out a creak that's been driving me nuts for the last few weeks. Finally tracked down to the seat post clamp. Now there's a quieter noise from the rear wheel, have oiled the spoke crossing points, which seems to have helped, let's see how it sounds tomorrow.


----------



## philtalksbx (6 Jun 2021)

A bit thwarted on a cassette swap. The new 7-speed is slack on the hub whilst the old one is a good fit with no float. I’m used to using spacers, but didn’t expect to need one this time. I think 1mm should do it, back to find one on the web.


----------



## Punkawallah (6 Jun 2021)

C R said:


> Sorted out a creak that's been driving me nuts for the last few weeks. Finally tracked down to the seat post clamp. Now there's a quieter noise from the rear wheel, have oiled the spoke crossing points, which seems to have helped, let's see how it sounds tomorrow.



You never eliminate the noise, just swap it for a quieter one :-)


----------



## Ming the Merciless (6 Jun 2021)

Fitted my new vintage style bell to my recumbent. Gives a nice pleasing ring.


----------



## C R (6 Jun 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> You never eliminate the noise, just swap it for a quieter one :-)


It definitely seems to be the case. The headset creak was easy to diagnose and fix, the seat post creak took a while to diagnose, first thinking pedals and then bottom bracket. This one is definitely the wheel, either spoke crossings or spoke niples.


----------



## Oldhippy (6 Jun 2021)

I adjusted my Brooks fiddling nut and the difference for a few turns with a spanner was surprising. I also changed the angle of my bars a tad.


----------



## avsd (6 Jun 2021)

Cleaned bike, new front tyre, cassette and chain. All set for a min-tour of Ring of Kerry next week.


----------



## DCLane (6 Jun 2021)

My Raleigh SP Race road bike's been creaking from the bottom bracket area. So I had a go at removing the bottom bracket after a ride today.

Out came the non-drive side and I didn't think "why's it not look like a Shimano one?" The drive side undid but wouldn't come out easily - turns out what's in there is a SP Cycle threaded BB30-24mm bottom bracket (AliBaba cheap Chinese-made BB) 

When I bought the frameset it came with a bottom bracket in, plus a Shimano crankset and I'd not thought to check.

Cue "I've only got Shimano bottom brackets" and "oops!" But ... I'd bought a Rotor 4224 BB30 bottom bracket a few years back and it was in the parts store. I had considered sticking it on eBay and was glad I didn't because it went in nicely.

New bottom bracket, also a new chain for good measure as it was at .75 stretch, and _hopefully_ that's the creak cured.


----------



## DCBassman (7 Jun 2021)

Extra pre-ride checks for the Scott to make sure I'd not forgotten to tighten anything up after last week's mods. Then pump up tyres, reset saddle angle, and dose the chain with GT85. Ready to roll!


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (7 Jun 2021)

Cleaned my Fuji, adjusted disc brakes for better stopping power (thought it might be important  ) cleaned disc rotors, mickled and oiled chain, swapped Wahoo mounts (from one that clamps to handlebar to one that attaches by stem bolts), added handlebar bag and mounted the folding lock holder that I had for Christmas and haven’t had the opportunity to use yet.

All ready for a longer ride tomorrow as part of my preparation for my first calendar audax event in three weeks  My rides have been much too few and far between, as well as too short, as of late to the point I’m worried I’ll DNF on the day


----------



## DCLane (7 Jun 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> All ready for a longer ride tomorrow as part of my preparation for my first calendar audax event in three weeks  My rides have been much too few and far between, as well as too short, as of late to the point I’m worried I’ll DNF on the day



Which one? Tarporley or Tockwith? I looked at the Tockwith one but son no. 2 is likely to be racing the Junior CiCLE Classic that day so I'll be down there if he is.


----------



## philtalksbx (7 Jun 2021)

Finished fitting a pair of 105 shifters to begin the Tiagra upgrade process on the Orbea. I’ve been so into other projects I had neglected this one and the first ride told me how I should have paid it more attention. Awesomely quick and smooth. First ride on that bike in about a year, more to come soon I’m sure.


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Jun 2021)

DCLane said:


> Which one? Tarporley or Tockwith? I looked at the Tockwith one but son no. 2 is likely to be racing the Junior CiCLE Classic that day so I'll be down there if he is.


Rutland and Back starting in Bolsover, Derbyshire.


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## DCLane (7 Jun 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Rutland and Back starting in Bolsover, Derbyshire.



Ah! This one: https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=8718

Might be riding it as well. Just avoid the cyclist in the Ravensthorpe CC jersey


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## LeetleGreyCells (7 Jun 2021)

DCLane said:


> Ah! This one: https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=8718
> 
> Might be riding it as well. Just avoid the cyclist in the Ravensthorpe CC jersey


I'll look out for you at the start


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Jun 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Cleaned my Fuji, adjusted disc brakes for better stopping power (thought it might be important  ) cleaned disc rotors, mickled and oiled chain, swapped Wahoo mounts (from one that clamps to handlebar to one that attaches by stem bolts), added handlebar bag and mounted the folding lock holder that I had for Christmas and haven’t had the opportunity to use yet.
> 
> All ready for a longer ride tomorrow as part of my preparation for my first calendar audax event in three weeks  My rides have been much too few and far between, as well as too short, as of late to the point I’m worried I’ll DNF on the day



Don‘t worry about DNF. Just tell yourself you’ll try and finish even if out of time.


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## DCLane (7 Jun 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Don‘t worry about DNF. Just tell yourself you’ll try and finish even if out of time.



That'll possibly be me if I make the ride; I'll have track-raced the night before and haven't been over 100km this year 

Note: track racing and audax don't work well together.


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## TheDoctor (8 Jun 2021)

Spent yesterday building this up.






It's a Ribble Winter frame, which I bought a few years ago but I never got it into a build I was happy with. Until now...
Gearing - 8 speed 13-32 custom fettled cassette. It's a 13-26 cassette, with the 14T removed and a 32T fitted as the lowest gear. Bit of a kludge but it works. 34T chainring, for gear inches of 69, 60, 53, 47, 43, 39, 35, 28.
Bits and bobs off my old Ribble and from the Heap of Possible Usefulness. Sora chainset and brakes, Tiagra flat bar brake levers and 8 speed rapid-fire shifter, Acera rear mech. RS30 wheels, 25mm tyres, riser bars and bar ends. And a Brompton saddle.
Took it out for a test ride this morning. 20 miles done and breakfast got.
MBIFO Greggs.


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## Andy in Germany (8 Jun 2021)

Does hiding two potentially nice bike frames before they get cut up for scrap at work count?


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## Ming the Merciless (8 Jun 2021)

Bit of black touch up paint applied to bike frame


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## Punkawallah (8 Jun 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Does hiding two potentially nice bike frames before they get cut up for scrap at work count?


It’s not ‘hiding’, it’ ‘storing’ :-)


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## Andy in Germany (8 Jun 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> It’s not ‘hiding’, it’ ‘storing’ :-)



That's right; 'storing'. I'm 'storing" them in the undergrowth behind the broken wagon...


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## Cycleops (9 Jun 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Does hiding two potentially nice bike frames before they get cut up for scrap at work count?


Of course and would make you eligible for the CC ‘hero of the month’ award🥇


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## DCLane (9 Jun 2021)

I've put this in the Mundane News thread as well, but this lunch-time I collected a Dawes Galaxy from a lovely lady. It'll be a summer project to get it all back working again:






Cables and other bits were stuck after being sat for a few years. A quick clean and most have been unstuck. Parts needed:

- All cables, inner and outer
- New chain
- New rear tyre
- New brake pads
- Probably a new cassette
- Possibly a new bottom bracket
- Wheels to be looked at, probably new grease/bearings in the rear, definitely in the front
- The saddle front's scuffed so I'll change that
- Bars are high, so the stem might be swapped as well.


----------



## Punkawallah (9 Jun 2021)

Brakes and pedals on a Raleigh Pioneer. Bloody cantilevers.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (10 Jun 2021)

Four bikes washed and oiled; front brake on my daughter's MTB adjusted (rubbing); new inner to rear brake, and front brake adjusted on my MTB.

Handlebar diameter measured for flat-bar conversion on a bike for my wife (she doesn't like drop bars). Levers and shifters to source too, plus new cables. I want to re-paint but it may have to wait.


----------



## Mandobob (10 Jun 2021)

Fitted some GB Sport Mk 3 side pull brakes to my 1957 Roberts Cycle Industries Falcon Club Special. Followed by twin Cyclo Benelux band-on derailleur changers.

Used almost the entirety of my cycling toolbox, my day to day tools box, the man drawer in the kitchen, the plastic storage box of useful leftover bike bits and pieces and considerable patience, trying not to damage the new paint on the frame.

Can see the end of the project in sight now.


----------



## ebikeerwidnes (10 Jun 2021)

Got a slow puncture today - fed up with this - damn thing has sealant in it but the hole is right on the raised bit where there is a seam - just won't seal

So I chucked that one in the bin and installed the spare

Noticed that the derailleur is basically covered in grit/mud/sand and all sorts so set to dismantling it and scrubbing it with degreaser and a toothbrush
reassembled with grease and oil and stuff
only to notice that the rest of the transmission is not too clean either so dismantled the whole thing and scrubbed it all

All clean so went out for a short ride to check it all still works

flat tyre after about 2 miles!!!!!!

RIght - pumped tyre up and went directly to LBS - did not pass GO - did not collect £200 - just got 2 new inner tubes and chucked the current one (and 7 patches on it) in the shed and put a new tube in the tyre


Probably going to run across someone trimming hawthorn hedges in a day or two and get a load of new holes!!!


----------



## Punkawallah (10 Jun 2021)

Clinchers with inner tubes are your friends. Repeat the mantra 10 times daily for full effect :-)


----------



## TheDoctor (11 Jun 2021)

Well, after my bike rebuild earlier in the week...
Today I replaced the rear mech hanger and rear mech, re-indexed the gears, and [mostly] trued out a massive buckle in the rear wheel. And ignored a spoke with an ominous crumple in it.
I took the new bike on a Wednesday Night Ride to the Pub [WNRttP] and upon leaving the second pub in a state of overwhelming refreshment, my mate fell off his bike, knocking me off mine. And lo! Much damage was done, as we both landed in a big heap, with my bike on the underside.


----------



## Punkawallah (12 Jun 2021)

Those bloody potholes do get bigger the further the night goes on. It’s a well known fact . . .


----------



## TheDoctor (12 Jun 2021)

The embarrassing thing is - we hadn't even made it as far as the road.
We were in the beer garden.
Oh, and Note to Self. Do not buy cheap rear mechs off Ebay. They're [shockingly poorly made] copies, not genuine kit at all. I've just had to get some from Wiggle.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (12 Jun 2021)

Not fettled yet but today’s outing says front derailleur and shifter setup needs fettling as getting big ring is getting harder.


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Jun 2021)

I've been reassembling the cheap Brompton S6L I bought last week. It was like new under the grime! So far:

Stripped it right down to the bare frame. Yes, rear hinge out too.

Rebuilt both hubs (and that was the last of my special SRAM IGH grease).

Chased and faced BB shell. It was not good. Fitted a Shimano 113mm UN54.

Fitted new rear bushes after adding a grease point to the hinge tube.

Fitted Tange alloy cartridge headset.

Trued both wheels. Front one was yuck, rear not so bad.

Still need to ream and reassemble rear hinge (someone is lending me the tool, which you can't buy any more), refit derailleur mechanism, fit Sugino XD2 RH crank and 52T ring, fit chain and cable it all up. Oh, and the little nylon spring sleeves on the el cheapo rear brake had crumbled so I need to fit a couple of Shimano sleeves. Thankfully the spring is the same diameter.

The bike shows no signs of having done any real mileage in its 16 years: rear sprockets and rims are basically as new. I reckon the rear hinge was over-reamed at the factory, as there was definitely > 2mm play.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (13 Jun 2021)

After failing to fit the new rim tape I knew was essential _before_ today's ride, fitted the new tape _after_ the ride instead. Oh, and fixed a picture due to said tape _during_ the ride, of course. 

Yesterday, fitted new gear cable and saddle to mum's bike and fettled gears on dad's. 

Their gratitude for such an easy task was positively heart warming, my father regarding bicycle maintenance as a particularly mystifying form of necromancy.


----------



## Punkawallah (14 Jun 2021)

Rear hub service on the Galaxy. Needs more tlc than the front, as the faces in the hub are marked and tend to chew the bearings. I persist because it’s a wide flanged hub.

Was intending to swap out the freewheel for a 14 - 32 from Bankrupt bike parts (just to see if the derailleur would cope) but found I did not have the necessary removal tool. Bugger.


----------



## Gunk (15 Jun 2021)

Cleaned up and serviced Mrs Gunks bike. It’s been sitting under our open porch for almost a year, the rear canti brake was seized but managed to get it working smoothly. Just need to persuade her to use it a bit more.







I also helped my neighbour change the rear brake pads on his Honda Grom (in fact I did it, whilst he watched) anyway it was my good deed for the day, as he’d tried to do it without removing the rear wheel and made a proper mess of it.


----------



## DCLane (15 Jun 2021)

Yesterday's grasstrack went OK, but the Kona Paddy Wagon was way under-geared, leaving us both spinning in thin air. So ...

Son no. 2's taken the Fuji Track Pro and we've put the better green wheels we've got onto that. They don't match but who cares. He's now running 48x16 = 81"
I've got the Kona Paddy Wagon and the 43T chainring with 16T sprocket (72"  ) is now 43x15 = 77" and has the Fuji's wheels on. The chain's too short for anything else, although I _might_ lengthen it to fit 46x16 = 79" if it's still too spinny.


----------



## bikingdad90 (15 Jun 2021)

I dismantled and emptied the front bedroom in anticipation of the carpet fitters coming and then took a door off ready to be eased before putting the bedroom all back together afterwards once they were done. I’m knackered!


----------



## cyberknight (16 Jun 2021)

last time i rode the bike in question was a club run 2 weeks ago where it pished it down and the wheel bearings sounds a bit crunchy so today i greased the wheel bearing , good job i did as the freehub was sticking so i it was basically a geared fixie !, luckily i had the right size allen key so i pulled the hub and blasted it with gt 85 to loosen it and reassemble the lot which is now running sweet again


----------



## DaveM77 (17 Jun 2021)

Just picked up my first set of carbon wheels. FFWD F4d. Will fit them and try them out as soon as work lets me


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (18 Jun 2021)

Managed to bring the MTB forks back to life enough to ride with my daughter. 
On the lookout for some cheapish rockshox or equivalent though.


----------



## rogerzilla (18 Jun 2021)

Someone kindly lent me the Brompton reamer (no longer sold to end users, only dealers), so I reamed the new bushes and put the S6L back together. It is perfect - moves freely but absolutely no play. The last one a shop did for me was fractionally tight.

As you can see, I added a grease port. It's M6 threaded so I can temporarily screw in a grease nipple if I want to use a high pressure grease gun (the threads aren't deep enough to withstand a grease gun being yanked off the nipple, but the nipple can be unscrewed with the gun still attached, and the blanking screw replaced). As I know the bushes are slathered in marine grease right now, I just pumped the tube full so there is no space for water to enter.


----------



## FrankCrank (19 Jun 2021)

The puncture fairy struck, this time on my LWB. Anyways, gave me a chance to see if it fits into my recently made stand - works a treat. Using the LWB each evening, new action camera clamps easily to the handlebars. Makes for a steady perch, and nearly at eye level.
The new camera novelty will soon wear off, then I can alternate with rides on the trike, that should stop it sulking


----------



## DCBassman (19 Jun 2021)

Laptop upgrading. This one's a Dell Studio XPS 1640. It came with a Core 2 Duo T6600, 2M L2 cache, 800MHz FSB, @ 2.2GHz. First step, upgrade CPU to Core 2 Duo T9550, 6M L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB, @2.66 GHz. I probably won't notice much difference, but it takes it to almost the top of the processor tree. Now needs RAM upping to 8GB and, that would be useful, a battery!


----------



## battered (19 Jun 2021)

Fettled a Trek Cane Creek hybrid. I've started volunteering for a bike charity, someone had donated this in a worn out state. It now has new chain, cassette, chainrings, brakes, tyres and a cable or two. It's cleaned up and will be put out for sale this week. It's going to be a decent bike for someone, which is nice because as it sat it was beyond economic repair but now it's a running bike.


----------



## Gravity Aided (20 Jun 2021)

Garage sales in my neighborhood over the weekend. While cleaning the garage, my neighbors threw out an old Raleigh Rampar R1027, and I picked it up out of the gutter.


----------



## Andy in Germany (20 Jun 2021)

Gravity Aided said:


> Garage sales in my neighborhood over the weekend. While cleaning the garage, my neighbors threw out an old Raleigh Rampar R1027, and I picked it up out of the gutter.



Google shows a racer and BMX version. Which one have you got?


----------



## DCBassman (20 Jun 2021)

Added/ swapped a few bits.
New front tyre on the Scott.





Change bottle cage on Revell from





to





Put removed cage next to its sibling on the Scott.





..except I forgot to take an 'after' pic. D'oh...
Then there's this:










This is under each end of my Oxford Aquatech 2-bike cover. Now, I swear that the instructions said that the bikes should face opposite ends, and it certainly works fine that way. Now I'm not so sure...
Ah well.


----------



## Gravity Aided (20 Jun 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Google shows a racer and BMX version. Which one have you got?


The racer. With Pletscher rack, Bluemels shortie fenders, and a dynamo light


----------



## Gravity Aided (20 Jun 2021)

And a whole lot of rust on the components, but none on the frame.


----------



## Punkawallah (21 Jun 2021)

Packing the panniers for a coast to coast trundle.

Or, rather, packing, then unpacking, then packing again :-)


----------



## DCLane (21 Jun 2021)

Not bike-related, although I've started work on the Dawes Galaxy AL and Raleigh Strada I picked up last week, but door-related.

The lever on our patio door stopped working last week. SWMBO announced that this meant we needed an entire new double-width patio door 



Now, I'm not _from_ Yorkshire but have been here for well over 20 years. I'm guessing some of that must have rubbed off by now  . So ... I took the handle and lock apart, discovering what had broken was a small lever-type piece of plastic. Lots of heavy, solid steel door handle/lock and it's controlled by a cheap piece of plastic.

I found it on eBay at £3 and ordered 3 of them just in case. Well ... you never know! They arrived and this time are solid metal with a grub screw to tighten.

Duly fitted to both sides, replacing the other side's cheap piece of plastic, and adjusted - it all works . The lever now feels much more 'solid', and therefore we don't need a new patio door 

Bike fettling to resume tomorrow after grasstrack racing, when I'll send an update on both bikes.


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## biggs682 (21 Jun 2021)

Fitted some Marathon's to my latest Koga arrival


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## Jenkins (21 Jun 2021)

Just a bit of cleaning & lubricating on a couple of the most used bikes in the fleet. While cleaning the main commuter a few areas needing attention were identified - a new wheelset needed (see here), new tyres needed (rear worn to a flat profile, front can't see the wear guide holes) & bar tape to be replaced (horibly grubby).


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## battered (21 Jun 2021)

DCLane said:


> . I took the handle and lock apart, discovering what had broken was a small lever-type piece of plastic. Lots of heavy, solid steel door handle/lock and it's controlled by a cheap piece of plastic.


There's a good reason for the lock being operated by a plastic lever, it's to stop force attacks. Some locks are steel all the way through, the thief puts a lever (say a metal tube) over the handle and swings on it. Bang go the lock internals, the thief is in. If the handle is sacrificial, this can't happen because the handle simply breaks off before the internals can be damaged. Cue the crappy plastic lever.


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## DCLane (22 Jun 2021)

battered said:


> There's a good reason for the lock being operated by a plastic lever, it's to stop force attacks. Some locks are steel all the way through, the thief puts a lever (say a metal tube) over the handle and swings on it. Bang go the lock internals, the thief is in. If the handle is sacrificial, this can't happen because the handle simply breaks off before the internals can be damaged. Cue the crappy plastic lever.



Worth knowing that - thanks; this is one of three locks with two top/bottom ones plus an additional locked conservatory door, so should be OK.

Also, it was the internal one that snapped in this case.


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## Low Gear Guy (23 Jun 2021)

I have installed a pair of Marathon Plus (26 inch) tyres. This was much easier than expected and certainly not as difficult as other tyres I have fitted. Is their reputation undeserved?


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## DCLane (23 Jun 2021)

Earlier today I nearly damaged my son's Cervelo S3: I was tired from a long work day and his chain, rear mech and hanger had been clipped in last night's 2/3/4 race. The first thing was to change the chain for a new one as it was needed anyway and then tried to re-align the hanger - which turned out to be bent in several directions  . Having done that the rear mech wouldn't go in, but with his help and patience we got there. It's now all working fine and ready for this Sunday's Junior CiCLE Classic which he's riding.

After a ride out this evening I finished swapping the rear sprockets on the two grasstrack bikes so they're back as intended. All ready for next Monday's Yorkshire grasstrack championship.

Finally some tyre swaps this evening; two new Pirelli P Zero Velo red tyres on the Veltec Speed wheels which are currently on my Raleigh SP race bike. In a childish way I like the wheels as they've got 'SPEED' printed on them all over 

A used GP4000 tyre off the front of the Veltec's went onto the rear of the Dawes Galaxy I'm working on, plus a Rubino onto the front - both replacing Marathon tyres. Also a Selle Italia saddle added to replace the slightly damaged Dawes saddle it had.


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## LeetleGreyCells (24 Jun 2021)

After transporting yesterday, reattached the front wheel, seat post and handlebars to the Pashley trike.

Swapped saddles from my wife’s former MTB (which is now my son’s) and replaced with a Charge Spoon. 
Put the Charge Ladle on my wife’s bike - next job is to convert from drop to flat bar (I now have all the parts). 

Replaced the black handlebar grips on my daughter’s MTB with purple ones to match the bottle cage. I want to source some purple flat pedals for her next. Clean the grips I’d removed and set them aside to be used on my wife’s flat bar conversion.

Next job, the conversion check over daughters CX bike for tomorrow night’s race. Then the next job, the conversion of my wife’s bike.


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## DCLane (24 Jun 2021)

More work on the Dawes Galaxy AL; new RH gear cable inner and outer, plus LH outer. That confirmed what I thought - the LH Claris shifter's broken, despite heavy cleaning, so a Wanted post was put on CC.

Continued cleaning the Raleigh Strada I picked up on Sunday. Now ... what to do next?

Finally, we set up my son's hillclimb bike for a hillclimb up Cragg Vale next Tuesday. It was last used in last October's national hillclimb with a 38T chainring. Cragg Vale doesn't need that so we tried a 44T, but have settled on a 46T with 11-28 cassette - it'll still weigh 5.4kg. A TT bike _will_ work on Cragg Vale but he's decided to go for lightness over aerodynamics, having tried it with a TT bike and his race bike previously.


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 Jun 2021)

Some fettling from a few days ago. As has been mentioned elsewhere, @gavgav had a gear cable break recently which made his request for me to do a service rather more urgent.

First job was to get the broken end out which was easier said than done. After trying and failing I came back to it fresh the next day and with the use of a thin screwdriver and my special cable end recovery tool (a small hook made from a paperclip) it came out, which I was quite relieved about as the alternative according to the dealer manual would have involved unwrapping the bar tape then removing and partly dismantling the shifter.

The rest of the service was more straightforward. The rear pads will want replacing before the next service and fortunately it seems that the Shimano pads that Gav already has some spares of are compatible with the TRP Spyre brakes.

Servicing the hubs I found that the front one looked like new but my heart sank on seeing the discoloured grease in the rear. It turned out not to be as bad as it looked though with nicely run in bearing tracks and only needed new balls and fresh grease.

The chain was stretched so I've put on a new one but a test ride showed that it slips very occasionally under heavy load on the smallest sprocket, which is a little disappointing after only 1400 miles. Being so occasional, Gav is going to try it for a bit and see how it goes once the new chain has bedded in. I think there is a good chance it will be alright but I now have a cassette in stock in case I'm wrong.


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## rogerzilla (25 Jun 2021)

Rebuilt a pair of PD-7810 SPD-SL pedals, probably Shimano's best ever. They are incredibly difficult to adjust as the cone is quite coarsely-threaded. It takes 5 minutes to load the 26 balls and the needle cage bearing, and 20 minutes of faffing to get the preload just right.


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## cyberknight (25 Jun 2021)

Took the crank arm off to install wavy preload washer the lbs had forgotten and found they had also missed the bearing seal on the drive side


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## neil_merseyside (25 Jun 2021)

cyberknight said:


> Took the crank arm off to install wavy preload washer the lbs had forgotten and found they had also missed the bearing seal on the drive side


Name and shame, perhaps just the town as they need avoiding.


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## cyberknight (26 Jun 2021)

neil_merseyside said:


> Name and shame, perhaps just the town as they need avoiding.


unfortunately i am friends with the owner , its a family member who runs it day to day .

Trouble is i am having trouble actually finding a 30 mm PF30 dust seal


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## neil_merseyside (26 Jun 2021)

cyberknight said:


> unfortunately i am friends with the owner , its a family member who runs it day to day .
> 
> Trouble is i am having trouble actually finding a 30 mm PF30 dust seal


So if they treat a knowledgeable person in a cavalier way then newbies will be lambs to the slaughter, let's hope they only overcharge whilst servicing things badly, rather than doing stuff wrong that's dangerous (or not doing stuff and leaving stuff dangerous).


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## Punkawallah (26 Jun 2021)

So, replaced brake blocks and cables after the coast to coast (blocks were wrecked) and cleaned the Galaxy down. Tomorrows job is to replace the broken rear spoke (sacken-fracken-Dick-Dastardly).


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## Chris S (27 Jun 2021)

I dismantled a Sturmey Archer twistgrip shifter. The 'pawl' was a plastic clip that performed an interference fit with two other pieces of plastic. I reckon a sharp shift would break it.


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## neil_merseyside (28 Jun 2021)

Chris S said:


> I dismantled a Sturmey Archer twistgrip shifter. The 'pawl' was a plastic clip that performed an interference fit with two other pieces of plastic. I reckon a sharp shift would break it.


Self regulating then? Sharp shift and twist grip not being common bedfellows methinks.


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## Chris S (28 Jun 2021)

You can turn a twist shift sharply.


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 Jun 2021)

After a recent ride where the chainring started to foul the frame I've taken the opportunity to update the Kingpin to a cotterless chainset and some new pedals. I went for an inexpensive Stronglight ST55 from Spa Cycles (partly for the cost, partly because the higher spec single chainring sets are currently out of stock in 170mm), the recommended 119mm bottom bracket and some "rat-trap" style pedals. Stepping down from 48 to 46 teeth seemed like a good idea to ensure a little more frame clearance and changing from a 17 to a 16 tooth sprocket at the rear would ensure the gearing would stay approximately the same.

The old chainset and bottom backet came off nice and easily (something you can't take for granted on a 42 year old bike) and the new parts went on. Unfortunately the bottom bracket is too long for this application. Much measuring and reference to spec sheets later and I thought that a 110mm would be nearer the mark, although a 107 also seemed to be an option. This time the BB came from SJS Cycles as I also wanted to order a new 16 tooth sprocket, thinking that it would be good to have all new parts rather than all new except for the sprocket with indeterminate number of miles already under its belt.

The new parts came on Saturday and I'm pleased to say 110mm is exactly right for this bike. The new parts look in keeping with the vintage of the bike and it feels nicer to ride now.


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## FrankCrank (28 Jun 2021)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> After a recent ride where the chainring started to foul the frame I've taken the opportunity to update the Kingpin to a cotterless chainset and some new pedals. I went for an inexpensive Stronglight ST55 from Spa Cycles (partly for the cost, partly because the higher spec single chainring sets are currently out of stock in 170mm), the recommended 119mm bottom bracket and some "rat-trap" style pedals. Stepping down from 48 to 46 teeth seemed like a good idea to ensure a little more frame clearance and changing from a 17 to a 16 tooth sprocket at the rear would ensure the gearing would stay approximately the same.
> 
> The old chainset and bottom backet came off nice and easily (something you can't take for granted on a 42 year old bike) and the new parts went on. Unfortunately the bottom bracket is too long for this application. Much measuring and reference to spec sheets later and I thought that a 110mm would be nearer the mark, although a 107 also seemed to be an option. This time the BB came from SJS Cycles as I also wanted to order a new 16 tooth sprocket, thinking that it would be good to have all new parts rather than all new except for the sprocket with indeterminate number of miles already under its belt.
> 
> ...


Nice looking machine - still retro, but with a few modern touches. At least the BB upgrade is straight forward on a KP, unlike the R20 with its awkward shell length and thread pitch


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 Jun 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> Nice looking machine - still retro, but with a few modern touches. At least the BB upgrade is straight forward on a KP, unlike the R20 with its awkward shell length and thread pitch


Thanks. A bonus that I hadn't really thought about until the parts came is that they are substantially lighter than the old bits, by more than a kilo.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jun 2021)

Mudguard reflector was rattling. Turns out the bolt connection had snapped. So reflector removed and reflective tape put on mudguard.


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## Punkawallah (30 Jun 2021)

New brakes, cables, outers and tyres on a B-Twin kids MTB. Well, new to the bike - all from donated bikes that would be uneconomical to recycle. Now just have to find short bar grips & I'll be happy :-)

Why is it always the grips that go on kids bikes :-)


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## bikingdad90 (30 Jun 2021)

Bankrupt bike parts are a good place to look for kids bike grips.


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## Jenkins (30 Jun 2021)

Two lots of bike work today - with mixed results.

First up was the Van Nicholas which is the main commuter bike. Having found out how badly worn the rear wheel was last week, I treated it to a new wheelset (picked up on the cheap from Superstar Components nearly 2 years ago), tyres (Michelin Pro 4 Endurance) & tubes, plus a change of bar tape as the old stuff was getting somewhat grubby and gave the cassette a soak & clean in degreaser while changing over the wheels. A quick re-set of the positioning of the pads to account for the new rims and a couple of photos showing the updated spec for ID purposes in the unlikely event it gets nicked and it's ready to go.

Then the Giant flatbar which, on Sunday night's very wet commute home, was making some horrendous noises from the disc brakes. A search of my spares box turned up a couple of old discs with light use and a couple of pairs of pads so I set to work. Front wheel off, disc & pads changed and then on to the rear. It was only as I was removing the last of the bolts holding the rotor on that I saw the "140" etched on it - in 6 years of ownership & even while starting to remove the disc I'd never noticed that it was smaller than the front one! Tightened the bolts back up and moved on to the pads, only to find out that they were spare SRAM fitment pads for one of the other bikes which will teach me for not checking everything carefully. Correct rotor & pads now on order.


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## C R (30 Jun 2021)

Yesterday, new cassette and chain on the commuter. I've sort of neglected it, and it was making horrible noises during the school run. I had the parts so thought I might as well fix it, as I will start going to the office from time to time soon.


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## rogerzilla (1 Jul 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> Nice looking machine - still retro, but with a few modern touches. At least the BB upgrade is straight forward on a KP, unlike the R20 with its awkward shell length and thread pitch


I faced my R20 down to 73mm width and retapped it to ISO. The tapping was very easy, the facing very tedious.


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## DCLane (2 Jul 2021)

Bits and pieces today;

- Adjusted son no. 2's BeOne after a couple of races, including being used by another rider at the CiCLE Classic last weekend.
- He also wanted to test a different set-up on his Cervelo, so that's ready as well. I'm not sure testing it in a 2/3/4 race on Sunday up/down Oliver's Mount at Scarborough is the best option though 
- New bar tape on the Raleigh SP Race I have as the old tape's  . It's only £1 tape as I'm considering a bar swap to one of the spare 3T Aeronova bars he has if his delayed Ridley's delayed any more.


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## DCBassman (2 Jul 2021)

Prior-to-ride fettle: Check over the Scott and swap the nice Humpert grips off the mixte, as have been having some OA/tendonitis issues in my thumbs.


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## battered (2 Jul 2021)

Realigned brakes on new-to-me Giant Defy, unsticking the brake hanger in the process which was suffering from ally-steel corrosion, sorted out a notchy headset, and fitted a shorter stem with a 15 deg rise. See how that goes later.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Jul 2021)

Oiled my recumbent chain. That took a couple of hours. Front gear cable will need replacing tomorrow before a ride. Have an audax event on Wed so finally replacing cable that has been on its way out for about 4 weeks. I run bar end shifters so not expecting it to take very long.


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## Rusty Nails (2 Jul 2021)

A friend of mine asked me to look at his bike as he was getting a bit of noise from his front disk brakes.

I took the pads out and they were worn down to the metal on one pad and the bottom half of the surface on the other was missing. The inside of the disk is quite scratched so I will probably recommend a new disk as well as new pads.

He has absolutely no idea of looking after a bike, leaves them out in the rain every day, drops them against walls, has no idea that you can clean mud off a bike, and gets a new mid-range bike every two or three years. On the plus side he gives me his old bikes which I take into the community bike workshop I volunteer at. There are always plenty of good spares on them for other bikes.


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## 13 rider (3 Jul 2021)

First go at servicing cup and cone wheel bearing on the commutes rear wheel which has been making some horrid noise . Surprised how relative simply it was after watching a you tube video I felt like an expert right up to the point I dropped a ball bearing on the sawdust covered floor !!!!. No you tube videos on how to find a ball bearing that's been dropped . After grovelling on my knees I found it all back together and running quiet


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jul 2021)

13 rider said:


> First go at servicing cup and cone wheel bearing on the commutes rear wheel which has been making some horrid noise . Surprised how relative simply it was after watching a you tube video I felt like an expert right up to the point I dropped a ball bearing on the sawdust covered floor !!!!. No you tube videos on how to find a ball bearing that's been dropped . After grovelling on my knees I found it all back together and running quiet



A magnet can help. Guess how I know this..


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## C R (3 Jul 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> A magnet can help. Guess how I know this..


I learnt that trick servicing a cup and cone hub on the lawn. Placing a big bowl underneath can save many hours of annoyance.


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## 13 rider (3 Jul 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> A magnet can help. Guess how I know this..


Yes that's how I found it but was keeping the info as a trade secret


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jul 2021)

13 rider said:


> Yes that's how I found it but was keeping the info as a trade secret



I've gone and ruined that then. 

Oops.


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## Punkawallah (3 Jul 2021)

Big dust sheet on the floor for me :-)


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jul 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> Big dust sheet on the floor for me :-)



For bike maintenance specifically, or do you generally need one to catch food, appendages et c?


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Jul 2021)

I’ve replaced the inner gear cable on my front bar end shifter. It had become difficult to get the big ring and the cable has frayed near derailleur bolt. I discovered that the part highlighted in the image wasn’t orientated correctly. Explains why lever didn’t have full throw for big ring. So re assembled and greased the moving parts. The lever movement is now so light and easy and smooth. Got to love bar ends, dual control can’t touch the smoothness when they are adjusted correctly.

Set off on test ride and oddly found my rear gears weren’t shifting. Seems the cable had decided to choose this moment to slip in derailleur bolt. Pulled it hand tight and tightened up bolt. That was it, as I run friction rear as well no fiddling to get indexing right.

Then continued test ride checking every gear combination. Jobs a good one.


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## Reynard (3 Jul 2021)

Mmmmm, I use a plastic tray whenever disassembling anything.  Have a stash of them in the garage - things like re-purposed mushroom punnets and those large trays from pork steaks.


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## Punkawallah (3 Jul 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> For bike maintenance specifically, or do you generally need one to catch food, appendages et c?


Why, yes! How did you know?


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## 13 rider (3 Jul 2021)

Reynard said:


> Mmmmm, I use a plastic tray whenever disassembling anything.  Have a stash of them in the garage - things like re-purposed mushroom punnets and those large trays from pork steaks.


Yes I was doing in properly over an old tea tray but dropped the bearing as I picked it up to put in back in and being a ball bearing it bounced and rolled !!!


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Jul 2021)

13 rider said:


> First go at servicing cup and cone wheel bearing on the commutes rear wheel which has been making some horrid noise . Surprised how relative simply it was after watching a you tube video I felt like an expert right up to the point I dropped a ball bearing on the sawdust covered floor !!!!. No you tube videos on how to find a ball bearing that's been dropped . After grovelling on my knees I found it all back together and running quiet



Laying out your work area and being ready for things to drop is key. My favourite is walking round bike and kicking something I’d laid neatly on the ground.

I think people get scared off by bearings but they really are simple in terms of parts and how you adjust them. Ball bearings are also cheap to buy so you can just put new ones in when servicing.


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## Reynard (3 Jul 2021)

13 rider said:


> Yes I was doing in properly over an old tea tray but dropped the bearing as I picked it up to put in back in and being a ball bearing it bounced and rolled !!!



Ah.

Yes.

One of *those*


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## TheDoctor (3 Jul 2021)

Old paint




New powdercoat




And stickers 




It's my old 531ST frame, been powdercoated by Maldon, and being rebuilt over the summer.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jul 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> Old paint
> View attachment 597194
> 
> New powdercoat
> ...



Ooooooooo...

I'll admit to a certain amount of frame envy there; that's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for.


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## biggs682 (3 Jul 2021)

Removed the fr pannier rack on the Koga


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## Svendo (3 Jul 2021)

Serviced the shimano spd-sl pedals (pd-6620) on the daily commuter. As usual tighten up the bearings to just tight, repack with grease to push the old grey stuff out and remount with bucket of copper ease. Then decide too tight as the pedals not returning to 'neutral' under gravity. remove, loosen a bit, refit, then repeat until bored. Which was today twice. I'll wait for more of the old grease to work its way out and get annoyed in the mean time when reclipping in and fluffing it for a bit instead.
I also lightly greased the drop outs as the pedal service is chasing some terrific groaning and clicking "from the bottom bracket" that was not cured by replacing the actual bottom bracket last week. I now have a perfectly serviceable part worn BB in my toolbox.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jul 2021)

Svendo said:


> I also lightly greased the drop outs as the pedal service is chasing some terrific groaning and clicking "from the bottom bracket" that was not cured by replacing the actual bottom bracket last week. I now have a perfectly serviceable part worn BB in my toolbox.



I have a very slight creaking in a certain gear that has been part of my bike for several years despite changing all the components that could possibly cause it...


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## DCLane (3 Jul 2021)

Cleaned the Avanti Circa winter cross bike after using it on a club ride today. It needed a clean as I can't remember when it was last done 

My Peugeot Tepee's got a cracked exhaust manifold. Given this car's got 150,000 miles and it's old/battered but still runs well I thought I'd try using some JB Weld to fix the crack. It worked with an old car I had about 15 years ago. Suitably mixed & filled and we'll see tomorrow if it works as I'm off to Scarborough.


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## Punkawallah (4 Jul 2021)

Re-positioned the front mech on the Renown - somehow managed to get turned on the tube. Parallax error :-) Anyway, turned into a long-winded journey into ‘Is the thread in the clamp stripped/Is the bolt the wrong size/why can’t I find a longer replacement/is it wrong to use an inner tube retaining nut for a spacer/where is the aluminium foil/why did Suntour use such crap alloy’ land. Then adjust the brakes (been doing a few miles).


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## Gunk (4 Jul 2021)

Today I pulled out my Gary Fisher MTB from deep storage, I bought it pre Covid for £15 stuffed it away and forgot about it. Gunk Jnr wanted a hack to get in and out of Oxford so I dragged it out and stuck it on the stand. When I bought it, it came with a carrier bag of bits. It was sold as spares or repair and it looks as if someone just lost interest in it. Everything was there apart from a chain, seat post and seat. I had an old seat and post so £10 later (chain from Decathlon) it was all together and rides really well.







It needs a new RH shifter as it’s 7 speed and the cassette and mech are 8 speed, eBay came to my rescue £8 for new one, so less than £35 and it’s a nice little bike.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (4 Jul 2021)

My work bike has had chain rub on front derailleur for ages now and no matter how much I've faffed and fettled can not eradicate it. Today I'd gotten fed up of the constant noise so went caveman and bent it slightly with some pliers. Still shifts perfect and no rub


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## Jenkins (4 Jul 2021)

After Wednesday's brake disc sizing & pad identification error with the Giant flatbar, the correct parts were collected together over the remainder of the week and fitted this afternoon, along with a change of pads all round on the Picknflick


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## Punkawallah (5 Jul 2021)

Replaced broken rear drive side spoke on the Galaxy. Turns out the others weren’t too clever, either. DT Swiss from Rose cycles quote 12 week delivery, so t’ebay to the rescue with 10 for £10.


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## C R (5 Jul 2021)

Deep clean of the road bike after yesterday's wet ride.


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## rogerzilla (5 Jul 2021)

Finished the 2 speed conversion on the titanium Brompton. It's not much lighter than it was as a 3 speed  but it is a pound lighter than a factory S2L-X. No mudguards, but it does have bar ends and a bottle cage, which are about the same weight. Most of the extra saving comes from the Flite saddle and original titanium seatpost, which wasn't available for long. Cost £80 new and robdogs sell them for three times that nowadays!


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## DCLane (5 Jul 2021)

I've been slowly cleaning up the Raleigh Strada I bought a couple of weeks ago. Having sourced some replacement brake hoods, albeit in black, it's ready for a sale attempt on here and RetroBike rather than stripping it down. Today I finished cleaning, adjusted the cables and swapped the brake hoods from a different pair of brake levers:


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## LeetleGreyCells (5 Jul 2021)

Converted an Islabike Luath 700 from drop bar to riser bar. All straightforward. Not happy with the brake levers, they are not the best quality, but will be fine for now until I find a better pair - one of the current new ones will not adjust the lever reach as the screw hole has rounded out and the hex bolt just slips. The levers are perfectly fine for stopping the bike though, no issues there. I'm going to find a more robust set. My own fault trying to save money on the brake levers as I paid a little more for the gear trigger shifters to get the ones I wanted.


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## DCLane (5 Jul 2021)

We've been working on my son's hillclimb bike this evening. The seatpost has an annoying habit of going down; it's supposed to be for a 31.4 seat tube, but measures for a 30.8 despite what's printed on it. And no, we're not using another as the seatpost weighs only 90g.

Tried tape. Didn't work. Tried non-slip tape. Too wide. So we used masking tape, which has worked.

Then, as I'm putting the wheel covers on, a front spoke goes  . It needed a replacement front tub anyway, but it looks like the allloy spoke nipple's snapped. I _really_ hope it's not a bonded one as the wheels are 1100g.

I'll use the time it's out of storage to swap the shifter hoods for heat-shrink plastic (should save 40-50g) and remove the left Di2 shifter internals and non-brake levers (saving 20g or so), with the aim of bringing the bike down to 5.3kg.

The joys of working with an ultra-light bike


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## itboffin (5 Jul 2021)

Carbon paste is good for that seatpost job


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## DCLane (6 Jul 2021)

itboffin said:


> Carbon paste is good for that seatpost job



It is, but the gap was too great.

We wrapped masking tape all around it to a close-enough width, then added carbon paste.


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## FrankCrank (6 Jul 2021)

An empty drinks can comes in handy for making shims - easy to cut with decent pair of scissors


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## Ming the Merciless (6 Jul 2021)

Just checking bolts and found one missing in cleat on left shoe. Replacement bolt put in.


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## Punkawallah (6 Jul 2021)

Shimano hub rs400 needed a new spindle (quick release rusted in), transpires the collection of parts did not conform to t’Interweb exploded diagram. Sooooo, a lovely time had cobbling from provided parts and spares to get the bugger back together.

Also replaced rear brake cable on a trike, who knew they had ‘tandem’ length cables?


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## chriswoody (6 Jul 2021)

The back brake lever on the Kona has always been a bit on the soft side and travels back too far before biting. Despite several bleeds it's never got better. Witness marks on the reservoir cover suggest that there may be a small leak from the breather hole and it's not uncommon to also find the bladder has been incorrectly installed from new. At only €11 for a new one, it made sense to just swap it out and see what difference it would make.

So today I finally got around to swapping the old reservoir cover for a new one. I first tipped the bike up on the stand to bring the cover horizontal and then unscrewed the old cover.












Comparing old to new it's clear something isn't right, the old one is crumpled up.

With the cover replaced I completed a bleed of the whole system. As you can see from the reservoir syringe, there was a lot of air in there!






So after a clean down, I took it for a spin down the road and everything felt much better, so I'll call that a win.


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## battered (6 Jul 2021)

Another vote for a beer can making a shim for a seat pin.

Edit, shim not whim. Damn you autocorrect.


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## Rusty Nails (7 Jul 2021)

I volunteer at a community bike workshop and when I went in yesterday they had a nice looking Orbea that had been started the day before by another volunteer who had completed the check sheet and started putting the kit on it.

We decided to do a good job of it with DT Swiss wheels and Ultegra gears, brakes and shifters. Great, I thought, as I often get rubbish to work on, so I put it all together with everything working sweetly and a good test ride.

After the ride I was just attaching the worksheet to it when I noticed something odd about the non drive side chainstay. There was a very shallow dent in it, but looking at it carefully I could see that the chainstay was curved so that the middle of it was almost a cm lower than the drive side.

We have a policy of not selling on a bike that has any frame damage so I had to completely strip it again.

That will teach me not to rely on someone else's pre-work checksheet.


----------



## rogerzilla (7 Jul 2021)

A chap on the CTC forum kindly let me have an old 6-speed Brompton wheel for the price of postage, and most Sachs/SRAM IGH parts are now unobtanium so I wanted a spare mechanism, or at least parts like the fragile axle key. It looked minging on the outside, rusty shell and seized spoke nipples, but the insides are perfect. They're currently marinating in degreaser.


----------



## Mark Grant (7 Jul 2021)

New 10sp chain on my Van Nic Euros.


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## TheDoctor (7 Jul 2021)

Fettled a new Microshift M26 rear mech onto the 8-speed Ribble, and went for a ride.
Got back and took it off again. It shifted like a bag of spanners. It's impossible to make it index properly - there's just too much play everywhere, Utter garbage.
I've already got onto Wiggle about it. Sadly, I bought two. I wanted one for the 9-speed 531ST, but there's no way on Earth it'll index.
What with a couple of fake Shimano Acera rear mechs from Ebay, I'm done with cheap kit. Legit Shimano or nothing.
On a happier note, I've cleaned up some old brakes for the 531. Quick polish with WD40 and they look fine. Deep-drop RX100 nut-fitting at the front, and a deep-drop Tektro Allen-fit front brake with a nyloc nut swapped on for the back. The wonder of a large spares heap


----------



## HLaB (7 Jul 2021)

Three night's of fettling for me as I search for watts/speed (tbh there's more to be gained by having the guts to stay on the TT extensions longer.
Firstly I put new elbow pads on the bike hopefully that will help with the confidence, it certainly feels better.
Secondly I changed the two spacers below the stem for the aero spacer that came with the bike.
Tonight I put new rubber on. A TT specific tyre and a latex inner tube on the front (the rear is a tubeless disc). I was surprised how easy it was, YouTube is full of horror stories.


----------



## DCLane (8 Jul 2021)

With a new LH shifter arriving I worked on the Dawes Galaxy AL today:

New LH Claris triple shifter
New outer and inner front gear cable
New inner brake cable
Front/rear derailleurs adjusted
It's now all ready to go on sale later today.






Non-Shimano replacement white hoods onto the Shimano Exage shifters I bought just for the hoods so they could go onto the Raleigh Strada I have for sale. These _might_ get used on the Olagnero I bought, providing I can remove the stuck seatpost: the seller wasn't totally honest with me and I should have checked. They're not _quite_ a perfect fit, but good enough.

Also, removed the tub from my son's hillclimb bike's front wheel - it'll need a specialist spoke nipple that I'll need to source


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (8 Jul 2021)

Swapped tyres to my new 28c Continental GP5000 from 32c Schwalbe Durano. Test ride tomorrow.


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## ColinJ (9 Jul 2021)

Do shorts count...? 

I have an old pair of baggy shorts that I bought when I was much lardier than I am now so they are too loose on me now. They don't have loops for fitting a belt, and belts are not that comfy on residual belly flab anyway. There are Velcro straps on either side to take up some slack but I needed another few cms taking in beyond what the Velcro offered me.

I remembered yesterday that I have a press-stud kit so I checked where I needed the straps to be pulled to and fitted studs to suit. The shorts feel more comfortable now and don't keep sliding down. I won't bother doing it again once I have lost even more weight, but this will give me another season from the shorts and money won't be so tight next year (state pension time - yay!) so I will treat myself to new kit then.


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## battered (9 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Do shorts count...?
> 
> I have an old pair of baggy shorts that I bought when I was much lardier than I am now so they are too loose on me now. They don't have loops for fitting a belt, and belts are not that comfy on residual belly flab anyway. There are Velcro straps on either side to take up some slack but I needed another few cms taking in beyond what the Velcro offered me.
> 
> I remembered yesterday that I have a press-stud kit so I checked where I needed the straps to be pulled to and fitted studs to suit. The shorts feel more comfortable now and don't keep sliding down. I won't bother doing it again once I have lost even more weight, but this will give me another season from the shorts and money won't be so tight next year (state pension time - yay!) so I will treat myself to new kit then.


Aldi have baggy shorts with a lycra liner for £5.99 reduced from £7.99 this week if they have any left. I have bagged a set, they are good enough for the money.


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## ColinJ (9 Jul 2021)

battered said:


> Aldi have baggy shorts with a lycra liner for £5.99 reduced from £7.99 this week if they have any left. I have bagged a set, they are good enough for the money.


I was in a bit of a hurry the other day in Aldi so I didn't check the special offers. I might have a quick look later when I nip out for a paper.


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## ColinJ (9 Jul 2021)

battered said:


> Aldi have baggy shorts with a lycra liner for £5.99 reduced from £7.99 this week if they have any left. I have bagged a set, they are good enough for the money.


I've just been to my local Aldi. They didn't have the shorts, but they were doing the short liners for £2.99 so I bought a pair. My baggy shorts have a skimpy liner and the Aldi liner is also quite thin, so together they should be pretty comfy. I'll test the combination on my 100 mile forum ride tomorrow!


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## rogerzilla (9 Jul 2021)

Some idiot (me) refitted the AM axle key cap instead of the AW one when converting a Sturmey-Archer AM to the AW-style toggle. So I had to pull it all apart and swap it over. The AW cap is fractionally deeper, with smaller square slots in each side. It is easy to mix them up.

It worked as it was, but the axle key could rotate, making fitting the toggle after fixing a puncture, a bit of a faff.


----------



## si_c (9 Jul 2021)

Gave the Racelight a once over before tomorrow's ride, it's not been cleaned in a while, but it wasn't particularly filthy either. Checked brake pads etc, seems all good.


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## ColinJ (9 Jul 2021)

si_c said:


> Gave the Racelight a once over before tomorrow's ride, it's not been cleaned in a while, but it wasn't particularly filthy either. Checked brake pads etc, seems all good.


I hope that I won't regret trying to get one or two more rides from my front brake pads! They are worn, but more at one end than the other so I have realigned them to wear them more evenly. We don't have many descents tomorrow so there should be little need for heavy braking.


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## si_c (9 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I hope that I won't regret trying to get one or two more rides from my front brake pads! They are worn, but more at one end than the other so I have realigned them to wear them more evenly. We don't have many descents tomorrow so there should be little need for heavy braking.


Rim or Disc?


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## mickle (10 Jul 2021)

I embarked on a strip down and rebuild of my hack Tourer. It's a mid 90's Marin Kentfield of double butted chromoly. Here it is back from having the paint removed. I'm going to attempt to braze in another pair of bottle bosses under the DT. Some additional front rack beaze-ons and maybe even a flat mount rear disc mount if I'm feeling brave enough. First job is cut the head tube down by four or five mm to fit a non Shi**no headset.


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## ColinJ (10 Jul 2021)

si_c said:


> Rim or Disc?


Rim, and yes - I _HAVE _destroyed a rim doing this before! 

Having said that, it was on a mountain bike and I was doing a severe descent which left me no choice but to carry on braking even though the wheel rim was screaming for mercy. I don't there is anywhere on this almost entirely flat route where heavy braking would be needed for more than a second or two.


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## rogerzilla (10 Jul 2021)

mickle said:


> I embarked on a strip down and rebuild of my hack Tourer. It's a mid 90's Marin Kentfield of double butted chromoly. Here it is back from having the paint removed. I'm going to attempt to braze in another pair of bottle bosses under the DT. Some additional front rack beaze-ons and maybe even a flat mount rear disc mount if I'm feeling brave enough. First job is cut the head tube down by four or five mm to fit a non Shi**no headset.
> View attachment 598202


What's the stack height? I have always been able to find a headset to fit, usually a Tange FL270C (which is excellent).


----------



## mickle (10 Jul 2021)

rogerzilla said:


> What's the stack height? I have always been able to find a headset to fit, usually a Tange FL270C (which is excellent).


I've got a very nice Richey cartridge headset I want to make fit.


----------



## fossyant (10 Jul 2021)

Reynard said:


> Mmmmm, I use a plastic tray whenever disassembling anything.  Have a stash of them in the garage - things like re-purposed mushroom punnets and those large trays from pork steaks.



I have a rather nice Park magnetic tray. My son has 3 Clarke ones that probably cost less than the Park.


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## cyberknight (10 Jul 2021)

new tyres for the commuter as the cyclepath to work has shredded the originals, the grooves were full of grit and you could see the breaker in multiple places .
Gone for durano plus which were a pig to put on but nothing for the muck to get lodged in hopefully and the gel insert should give me a bit more protection.
Just ordered some better levers so i have a set for on the road too


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## LeetleGreyCells (10 Jul 2021)

Bought a new 26" CX bike for my daughter as she's outgrown her 24". The new one is a Moda Major X and is in good condition with the odd mark. Most importantly, my daughter is really pleased with it.






Got started by adjusting the brake cables and adding her Shimano M520 clipless pedals. 

Next, I need to pick up some inner tubes (as I don't have any 26 x 1 3/8), new bar tape (probably a matching blue as white gets too grubby too quickly), a new inner gear cable for the front derailleur. It'll need new tyres and cassette for CX racing - mud tyres and the current cassette is 11-26 and I think she needs a bigger range for climbing.


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## Reynard (10 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Bought a new 26" CX bike for my daughter as she's outgrown her 24". The new one is a Moda Major X and is in good condition with the odd mark. Most importantly, my daughter is really pleased with it.
> 
> View attachment 598424
> 
> ...



That's really rather nice. Lucky girl. 

I'm not going green. Oh no, I'm not...


----------



## Dogtrousers (11 Jul 2021)

Fairly typical fettling session this morning.

Half an hour drinking coffee.
An hour watching how-to videos on youtube, drinking coffee
Worry about "you may or may not need spacers" do I? Feck knows.
Rant to wife about why is everything so complicated these days. Receive blank stare in return.
Displacement activity: The garage needs sweeping. One hour sweeping garage and faffing about.
Bike on stand. 
Radio battery runs flat. Go inside to get a charger, and have a cup of coffee while I'm at it.
Step 1. remove widget with special plastic tool. It should only be fingertight. Have tool. Can't shift it. Nope, really can't shift it.
Go inside for bacon butty.
Send email to LBS booking bike in for work.



Still at least the garage floor got swept.


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## LeetleGreyCells (11 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Bought a new 26" CX bike for my daughter as she's outgrown her 24". The new one is a Moda Major X and is in good condition with the odd mark. Most importantly, my daughter is really pleased with it.
> 
> View attachment 598424
> 
> ...


I've ordered Schwalbe CX Pro tyres, inner tubes and blue bar tape. Hopefully, they'll arrive in a few days as I have a very impatient girl wanting to get some practice in. I cannot get the cassette I want as it's out of stock everywhere - a sign of the times.


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## DCBassman (13 Jul 2021)

Today was a fiddle day, too achy to ride, so spanners out!
Swapped the Scott stem for a slightly shorter, steep rise stem. Need a little more upright. Put original grips back on.
Mixte: swapped to the comfy Norco saddle, in the vain hope of keeping it dry for a while. Humpert grips back on.
Sorted bits box, there will be stuff to sell soon!


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## cyberknight (13 Jul 2021)

Feck up  
decided to recable the RH shifter on the carrera as the shifting has been sluggish , i have done dozens of cables so an easy job .....





or so i thought  
the cable end missed to stop in the shifter somehow and pulled through underneath it and is now jammed in there below the cable exit hole .
The only way i can see to get it out is to drill a hole in the side of the shifter as when you try to push it out from the other side it just jams against the inside of the shifter body .
To top it all i took off the lower plate to gain access and managed to drop the screw that hold it in and i cant find it


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## cyberknight (13 Jul 2021)

Took the baordman to another shop today to get the creaking BB sorted 
i told them the issues and they said i should take it back but i have no faith in the original shop so i would rather pay to get it sorted .


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Swapped tyres to my new 28c Continental GP5000 from 32c Schwalbe Durano. Test ride tomorrow.



Let us know if they give a 10 mph average speed boost 😁


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## ColinJ (13 Jul 2021)

My singlespeed bike transmission was becoming increasingly noisy on my recent Garforth forum ride. It turned out that the worn chainring was starting to snatch at the chain as it released it. I pinched a chainring from my turbo trainer bike as a temporary fix. The bike is nice and quiet again, and the pedalling action feels 'smoother'. The latter improvement could be purely due to me feeling better about the bike now that it doesn't sound like a faulty washing machine!


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## LeetleGreyCells (13 Jul 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Let us know if they give a 10 mph average speed boost 😁


They are definitely faster than the Durano tyres. Looking forward to a proper long ride test.

-----

Fettling today consisted of replacing an 11-26 cassette on my daughter's new-to-her bike with an 11-32. I went to change the tyres too with the new ones that arrived this morning and discovered I had the wrong size - the wheels are 650A and not 650B. Spent a couple of hours looking for others to no avail. Half way through while texting a mate about cassettes, I mentioned the tyres issue - he evidently looked for me too but with success! He even rang the shop to find out if they had any in stock - no, _but_ they are coming in next week! Success!


----------



## biggs682 (13 Jul 2021)

Had a couple of busy nights , changing cassette's , chain , front break cable , swapping tyres and some basic tightening of nuts and bolts on my Koga Roadrunner


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## ColinJ (13 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> I had the wrong size - the wheels are 650A and not 650B.


I didn't even realise that there were 2 different versions... Mind you, I haven't got any bikes with either size wheels so it doesn't affect me!


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## bikingdad90 (13 Jul 2021)

650a is slightly smaller than 650b I believe but as 650b is a common size for wheelchair users there is a mass market unlike A’s which is a bit more niche as it’s a classic wheel size from older generation bikes. I believe the difference in radius is about 4mm so if there is enough play in the calipers it might be worth the swap at some point?


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## LeetleGreyCells (14 Jul 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> 650a is slightly smaller than 650b I believe but as 650b is a common size for wheelchair users there is a mass market unlike A’s which is a bit more niche as it’s a classic wheel size from older generation bikes. I believe the difference in radius is about 4mm so if there is enough play in the calipers it might be worth the swap at some point?


The wheels I have are about 20mm bigger than the standard size. I’m more than a little annoyed at the odd wheel size. Fortunately, my daughter should grow out of the bike before I need to change the tyres again, once I’ve got the CX tyres on.


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## Reynard (14 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> The wheels I have are about 20mm bigger than the standard size. I’m more than a little annoyed at the odd wheel size. Fortunately, my daughter should grow out of the bike before I need to change the tyres again, once I’ve got the CX tyres on.



What size frame is it, just out of interest?


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## LeetleGreyCells (14 Jul 2021)

Reynard said:


> What size frame is it, just out of interest?


I'll have to measure it.

I have sourced (or rather a friend managed to find them while I was busy pulling my hair out) some CX tyres - there is only one make available for 37-590 wheels: Kenda K812 (can't get 35-590 CX tyres). The shop should get them in at the end of next week. It has been a real pain in the derrière. What is annoying is I got a set each of road and commuter tyres with the bike, but my daughter needs CX mud tyres. Hopefully all will be resolved soon.


----------



## Reynard (14 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> I'll have to measure it.
> 
> I have sourced (or rather a friend managed to find them while I was busy pulling my hair out) some CX tyres - there is only one make available for 37-590 wheels: Kenda K812 (can't get 35-590 CX tyres). The shop should get them in at the end of next week. It has been a real pain in the derrière. What is annoying is I got a set each of road and commuter tyres with the bike, but my daughter needs CX mud tyres. Hopefully all will be resolved soon.



Thanks 

Might be tempted when your lass grows out of it - if it's the right size...  Might get lynched, but hopefully by then I'll have moved on the MTB that is too big for me. Well, that'll be my excuse when the time comes i.e. one out, one in... 

Need to rebuild the MTB though, it's currently a bare frame and a pile of bits - some of which have migrated to the Raleigh.


----------



## ColinJ (14 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> My singlespeed bike transmission was becoming increasingly noisy on my recent Garforth forum ride. It turned out that the worn chainring was starting to snatch at the chain as it released it. I pinched a chainring from my turbo trainer bike as a temporary fix. The bike is nice and quiet again, and the pedalling action feels 'smoother'. The latter improvement could be purely due to me feeling better about the bike now that it doesn't sound like a faulty washing machine!


Aaargh... the noise came back after about 20 minutes of quiet riding!!!! I'm struggling to think what could make it do that...


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## bikingdad90 (14 Jul 2021)

Is the bottom bracket facing round with no flat spots? Is it possible it is slightly misaligned so flexes the chainset when pedalling?


----------



## fossyant (14 Jul 2021)

I got on the bike and rode it. Then got back and put it away. Wasn't even dirty, so no wash. Is that OK. 



Bloody first this year.


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## Punkawallah (14 Jul 2021)

Pictures, or it didn't happen :-)


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2021)

cyberknight said:


> Feck up
> decided to recable the RH shifter on the carrera as the shifting has been sluggish , i have done dozens of cables so an easy job .....
> 
> 
> ...


Update 
In the end i drilled out an extension to the hole where the cable goes in to retrieve the cable end and managed to pull it out and put it ion properly , all working fine now


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (15 Jul 2021)

Replaced front brake cable outer on my daughter's new-to-her bike and replaced the bar tape. I think the old bar tape was the original from when the bike was new - it was originally white, but looked more black when I removed it. Now, it has nice blue tape to match the decals on the bike. 

Next are new tyres which will be available to collect from 23rd, hopefully. It will also need a new gear cable for the front derailleur soon.


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## ColinJ (15 Jul 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Is the bottom bracket facing round with no flat spots? Is it possible it is slightly misaligned so flexes the chainset when pedalling?


But why would it come and go...? 

Putting a new chain on has helped a lot.

I think it was a combination of a semi-worn chainring and chain, plus maybe a little bit of wear in the BB (though that feels pretty smooth when turning the cranks with no chain attached). I also want to try different pedals to see if they may have been contributing to the din. 

I found a couple of BBs in my spares drawer which I could try swapping in some time if I have to. I'd have to check whether they were compatible first.


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## LeetleGreyCells (15 Jul 2021)

Reynard said:


> What size frame is it, just out of interest?


44 cm (from centre of BB to top of seat tube)


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## ColinJ (15 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> But why would it come and go...?
> 
> Putting a new chain on has helped a lot.
> 
> ...


I've come to the conclusion that maybe just one ball bearing in the BB has developed a fault. Sometimes the faulty bearing surface might be in such a position as to be load bearing and therefore noisy. At other times, it might have turned in such a way that the damaged bit is not load bearing and therefore quiet.

I'll investigate the spare BBs tomorrow to see if one of them does the trick.


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## Reynard (15 Jul 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> 44 cm (from centre of BB to top of seat tube)



Thanks 

My Wiggins roadie is 38cm from BB to top of seat tube, but it's a more compact-style frame on 650c wheels. It's the standover height that'll swing it when the time comes. But please do bear me in mind for the future xxx

In the mean time, I hope your lass enjoys that very fine bike. She's a very lucky girl.


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## Spiderweb (15 Jul 2021)

I replaced my 2 worn chainrings today, now running 48/33 instead of 48/34. 
I bought TA chainrings, could anyone tell me what the small alloy spacer is for, it came in a bag with the larger spacer & Hex fixing that I fitted on the outer chainring behind the crank arm?


----------



## DCLane (15 Jul 2021)

@LeetleGreyCells - out of interest why a Moda rather than an Islabike / Frog? I'm curious. They seem OK, just a little heavy for what they are.

For that size frame my son rode a battered old 650c wheel Islabike cross bike (upgraded to 16 speed from 8) alongside a new 650c Felt F95Jr which was extremely good for the £400 purchase price, followed by a 43cm Argon Krypton as a first 700c wheel bike.


----------



## si_c (15 Jul 2021)

Power meter crankset has been giving erratic readings since the Garforth ride, recalibrating, cleaning and reinstalling the chainrings failed to fix it. Seems a long standing problem I thought I had fixed has reoccurred.

Not convinced of its reliability so replaced with a new Shimano crankset.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (16 Jul 2021)

DCLane said:


> @LeetleGreyCells - out of interest why a Moda rather than an Islabike / Frog? I'm curious. They seem OK, just a little heavy for what they are.
> 
> For that size frame my son rode a battered old 650c wheel Islabike cross bike (upgraded to 16 speed from 8) alongside a new 650c Felt F95Jr which was extremely good for the £400 purchase price, followed by a 43cm Argon Krypton as a first 700c wheel bike.


It’s what was available in the size we needed and at the price it was a bargain too. And finally, when we went to have a look at it, my daughter fell in love with it and that was that. The weight difference isn’t much and she’s happy which means she’ll want to ride more. Besides, she’ll have grown out of it in 18 months…

I’ll also add that the geometry is perfect for her, the bike fits her like the proverbial glove.


----------



## cyberknight (16 Jul 2021)

Got the carbon back from lbs after they re checked the BB and they said I should check my headset too as it was also creaking.stripped it down and gave all the bits a grease and retourque.Now I have a silent bike again.Kudos to the shop for knowing I can do that bit and not charging me for it


----------



## HLaB (16 Jul 2021)

A bit of enforced fettling last night. I made the mistake of pumping my front tyre to 100psi yesterday expecting the latex tube to lose pressure. It didn't and we were on the alternate TT course which is deceptively rough. First lap felt ok despite the terrible clip in but after hitting a pothole (thankfully not deep), the 2nd lap didn't feel right. By the time I got to the end the left extension was rather lose and by the time I got home I had a new UCI banned position.





I better check the right extension before tomorrow's TT 😂


----------



## GuyBoden (16 Jul 2021)

With different shoes on yesterdays ride, I moved my saddle 3mm higher, it was a big job, but I was up to the task.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2021)

I'm going to try putting a spare BB on my singlespeed bike to see if I can finally stop recent annoying noises from it. A new chain has helped, but not eliminated the problem. I think everything was wearing out at the same time! I'll report back later...


----------



## Ming the Merciless (16 Jul 2021)

Tightened up the rear hub cones to take out a bit of play. Quick job as taking out play just involves removing QR and adjusting non drive side.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (16 Jul 2021)

Changed the pads on our lasses bike yesterday and clean the chain on a couple of my bikes


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'm going to try putting a spare BB on my singlespeed bike to see if I can finally stop recent annoying noises from it. A new chain has helped, but not eliminated the problem. I think everything was wearing out at the same time! I'll report back later...


Aaargh! I forgot that one of the spare BBs was Italian thread and tried fitting that... I switched to the English-threaded one, then forgot that I had turned the bike round so I was trying to screw it in the wrong way. I got flustered and put the left crank on the righthand side. I corrected that and then ended up with both cranks facing in the same direction!! Short of completely destroying the threads on the BB shell, I couldn't have messed it up more... 

Anyway, _eventually _the replacement BB felt good and sounded nicely silent. But for only 1 km!

I swapped the pedals for another pair. The bike sounded nicely silent. But for only 1 km!

This is doing my head in! Changed chainring, quiet for a while, then noisy again. New chain, quiet for a while, then noisy again. Replaced BB, quiet for a while, then noisy again. Replaced pedals, quiet for a while, then noisy again. The lockring is tight. The stem bolts are tight. The headset is ok. The bottle cages are bolted in properly. The QRs are fine. The spoke tensions are good...

The noise sounds like it is coming from the front half of the bike but I have been caught out like that before! Now I am wondering if the fault is in the freehub. I have another singlespeed rear wheel on my turbo trainer bike. I'll try swapping that in tomorrow...

If it isn't that, what could it be? A hidden crack in the frame or some other obscure fault like that?


----------



## Punkawallah (17 Jul 2021)

Is the saddle tight? You could try greasing the mudguard bridge. Been caught out by both of these :-)


----------



## DCBassman (17 Jul 2021)

Following on from the Great Drivetrain Swap between the Scott and the Revell, and as a consequence getting the Scott to play ball with its front mech, the swap will be reversed. It will mean a mismatched cockpit on the Scott, but I've managed to live with that on the mixte, so...
This puts the mixte back to pure "Silver Machine" looks, while the Scott is a colourful mess anyhow.
Sounds like a plan!
I'd put both to 8-speed, but can't get/afford the parts, although I've been entertaining evil thoughts about some of the extra wide range ZTTO cassettes to be found here and there. 11-40 8-speed, anyone?


----------



## ColinJ (17 Jul 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> Is the saddle tight?


I just checked the bolts - they are tight


Punkawallah said:


> You could try greasing the mudguard bridge.


I just have a rear mountain bike mudguard bolted on to the seatpost and that bolt is tight.

One thing I noticed last night is that the noise seems to be worst when pedalling easily, and gone (or almost gone) when pedalling hard. Maybe it _IS _the freehub... 

It is a strange sound. Not the usual clicks, clunks, or ticks - more of a clicky tinkling!

Some people might question why I am making such a fuss about a little noise. The reason (apart from it being irritating) is that I have had sudden bike failures in the past after ignoring such noises!

The noises started on my 100 mile Garforth forum ride recently and I was worried that the bike might break down miles from a railway station. I will be using it on a 105 mile Humber Bridge ride in 2 weeks time and I want to have sorted it out and have done some test rides before then.


----------



## Spiderweb (17 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I just checked the bolts - they are tight
> 
> I just have a rear mountain bike mudguard bolted on to the seatpost and that bolt is tight.
> 
> ...



I was cycling with a friend last week and his bike was making quite a high pitched fast rattling sound so we stopped to check it over. We went through everything with Alan keys, all tight enough. I took his front wheel out and bounced it on the tarmac, it rattled, I held the valve and did the same again and no rattle.
I was out with him yesterday and he’d wrapped tape around the valves where they pass through the rims, all quiet as a mouse now.
He has a fancy bike with carbon rims and valve extenders, this may be different to yours Colin but worth checking, I’ve heard of this happening with alloy rims too.


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## ColinJ (17 Jul 2021)

Spiderweb said:


> I was cycling with a friend last week and his bike was making quite a high pitched fast rattling sound so we stopped to check it over. We went through everything with Alan keys, all tight enough. I took his front wheel out and bounced it on the tarmac, it rattled, I held the valve and did the same again and no rattle.
> I was out with him yesterday and he’d wrapped tape around the valves where they pass through the rims, all quiet as a mouse now.
> He has a fancy bike with carbon rims and valve extenders, this may be different to yours Colin but worth checking, I’ve heard of this happening with alloy rims too.


I've had a similar problem in the past. The valves on this bike have those little screw-on collars and I made sure that those are tight. Mind you, it is still possible that something is moving around there. I'll check again - thanks.


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## cyberknight (17 Jul 2021)

Back to the LBS
BB started creaking again after a couple of miles , i am getting a bit miffed


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## ColinJ (17 Jul 2021)

Actually... '_creaking_' is a better description of the noise from my bike.

I'm about to put another rear wheel on to see if that fixes the problem. If it _DOES _then I know where to focus my attention. If it _DOESN'T_ then I will start getting seriously concerned about the cranks and frame because I have checked or replaced virtually everything else!


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## si_c (17 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Actually... '_creaking_' is a better description of the noise from my bike.
> 
> I'm about to put another rear wheel on to see if that fixes the problem. If it _DOES _then I know where to focus my attention. If it _DOESN'T_ then I will start getting seriously concerned about the cranks and frame because I have checked or replaced virtually everything else!


I was about to suggest that you carefully inspect the welds and joins at each spot on the bike, so dropouts, bridges, tube intersections. I had a constant creaking on my Felt, turned out to be the top tube/seat tube weld.


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## Arjimlad (17 Jul 2021)

New bar tape today 😊 went for something discreet and understated.


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## cyberknight (17 Jul 2021)

cyberknight said:


> Back to the LBS
> BB started creaking again after a couple of miles , i am getting a bit miffed


sorted they reseated bearing , the crank arm was loose and tightend up rattling shifters for free so i bought a new pump whilst there


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## ColinJ (17 Jul 2021)

si_c said:


> I was about to suggest that you carefully inspect the welds and joins at each spot on the bike, so dropouts, bridges, tube intersections. I had a constant creaking on my Felt, turned out to be the top tube/seat tube weld.


I've just swapped over the wheel from my singlespeed turbo trainer bike. I had in mind at the time i put that together that by using another 19 sprocket in the same position on the freehub, I had a backup wheel for the singlespeed road bike.

I had a turbo tyre on the second wheel so I've put an old road tyre on instead. Once the temperatures have dropped off a bit I'll go for a ride to test the bike with this wheel.

I will take a look inside the original freehub anyway. It wouldn't hurt to clean it and give it a light lubing.


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## Svendo (18 Jul 2021)

Diassembled, serviced the free-cycle scooter for #1 child. Had a basic threaded type headset, bearing race surfaces formed from the actual steerer tubes and caged bearing sitting in it. Surprisingly little corrosion do lots of new grease and reassembled and tightened. Also got the folding mechanism working better, then drilled a couple of extra holes so the handle bar height can now suit either child better.


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## cyberknight (18 Jul 2021)

installed a replacement chainring on the carrera , as some one here suspected when i bought the chainset the chainring is cheese and already rubbing on the FD under load .
Still worked out cheaper than buying a branded set and for the commuter as long as its functional im happy but i learnt not to buy that set again


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## Gunk (18 Jul 2021)

I found some shade in the garden and sorted out Gunk Jrs £15 Gary Fisher. It had a 8 speed cassette and 7 speed changer. The replacement 8 speeder cost less than a new pair of grips!







I also fitted some new grips, serviced the rear wheel bearings and fitted some washers to stop the tyre rubbing the frame. No dramas, it all came together well after some fiddling sorting the indexing out.






Total cost are now about £40, he loves it, ideal as a hack and it fits me so when things start to get back to normal it’ll be a perfect pub bike, here in Oxford anything decent doesn’t last very long!


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## Gunk (18 Jul 2021)

I also dragged this out from under the cover where some of the future projects are stored, had it a couple of years and paid a tenner for it. Probably the dirtiest bike I’ve ever bought.
















Some degreaser, soap and water and a Karcher soon sorted it out. The tyres hold air, the hydraulic rim brakes sort of work, so does the groupset. I’m not feeling the love for it so it’s now on eBay.


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## si_c (20 Jul 2021)

Redid the left hand bar tape on the race light as it had shifted and there was a gap forming.


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## JoeyB (21 Jul 2021)

I've just replaced the USB port on my trusty Garmin 800. Charges up a treat now... no faffing around with cable. USB daughter board cost around a tenner from China.


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## ColinJ (21 Jul 2021)

[Tuesday]

Yet another test of my noisy singlespeed bike... Once again, it seemed ok for a short while but then the damn noise returned.

I was beginning to suspect that one or both square taper cranks were damaged due to riding with the retaining bolts not tight enough. I got a bit paranoid about _OVER_tightening crank bolts after cracking this crank a few years ago...






I reckon I went too far the other way after that though, and haven't been doing crank bolts up tight enough. I read the other day that they need to be "_tighter than you would think_". I checked and the RH one was not tight at all and that was despite having tightened it '_somewhat_' the day before...

So, my next step was to swap the RH crank for the one from my turbo trainer bike. While I was at it I cleaned and lubed the chainring bolts. I did them up nice and tight, having got rid of any dry metal to metal contact points...

Another test ride... Ooh, that was sounding a _LOT_ more promising!

I thought that I had cracked it but I started to notice a much more subtle creaking noise. It turned out that it was a secondary creak from the saddle area. I had previously discounted the saddle/seatpost as noise sources because the main creaking noise had continued when I was out of the saddle. Now, all creaking noise went away when I stood out of the saddle.

SO... main noise problem solved, some saddle noise to deal with.

I stopped mid-test-ride and tried to tighten the clamp bolts - _they creaked_! The threads were a bit corroded so the bolts were reluctant to tighten. I waited until I got home, loosened the bolts, lubed the threads, left them for 15 minutes, then did them up again. This time I could tighten them properly without any creaking noises as I did so. I also lubed where the rails were clamped. I'll do another test ride... I am feeling optimistic now!

[Time passes... _SLOWLY!_]

Another test ride done. SUCCESS!!



I took a look at the square taper hole in the discarded crank. I am sure that it is no longer square! I took a photo of it and have drawn a rectangular border round the hole to compare the edges of the hole to. (The camera wasn't directly above the hole so it appears to taper bottom to top, but ignore that. The important thing to note is the the corners look like they have widened due to movements of the crank.)





(I know that looks like a childbirth photo, but the red colour is actually grease, and the weird dark crinkled bit in the centre is the surface of the glass kitchen chopping board that it is sitting on! )

Riding with the bolt not tightened properly obviously allowed the crank to squirm slightly and widen the hole. Those movements created the creaking noise. As the hole got looser, the crank got to a critical degree of wear, and that happened halfway through my recent Garforth imperial century ride. The noise was rapidly getting worse and I feared that something was about to break. I think that the crank _would _have broken eventually if I had just ignored the noise and carried on riding the bike over the next few weeks.

In the course of all of this, I have replaced the bottom bracket, the chain, the sprocket, and the crank. The crank was the only thing that really needed doing but it won't hurt having a newer sprocket on - the old one was getting pretty worn anyway. The old bottom bracket and chain probably still have a lot of useful life in them, so I will add them to my stock of half-worn spares!

I'll put the worn crank on the turbo trainer bike. I don't use it much and always have loud music on when I do, so I won't hear any creaks! I never get out of the saddle on the TT, so if the crank suddenly fails I shouldn't get hurt.

[Wednesday]

Another quick test ride...

Primary creaking noise problem (worn RH crank): FIXED!

Secondary creaking noise problem (corroded saddle clamp bolts/loose clamp): FIXED!

Now that the bike is almost silent, I can hear that there is a very minor click/creak every now and then. It may well be that the LH crank is damaged in the same way that the RH one was. I don't have a matching crank, but I do have one which would do the job if necessary. I'll see how it goes. If the subtle noise gets worse, or continues to annoy me then I'll do the swap. For now, I've had enough of messing about with the bike when I would rather be riding it!


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## si_c (21 Jul 2021)

Swapped the bottle cage bolts on the Racelight as they've developed some surface rust. I put on some "titanium" bolts I bought on ebay for a fiver. They may not be Ti, but they are heat anodised and look nice


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## ColinJ (22 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Now that the bike is almost silent, I can hear that there is a very minor click/creak every now and then. It may well be that the LH crank is damaged in the same way that the RH one was. I don't have a matching crank, but I do have one which would do the job if necessary. I'll see how it goes. If the subtle noise gets worse, or continues to annoy me then I'll do the swap. For now, I've had enough of messing about with the bike when I would rather be riding it!


Ha... I _DID _ride it, and that minor creak _DID _annoy me, _BUT_... the bike is really quiet when I stand up to climb hills so the RH crank, chain etc. have definitely been sorted out and the LH crank seems good for now.

The creaking only happened when I was sitting down, but I had already tightened the saddle clamp bolts...

It was 03:25 and I knew that I would be thinking about that creaking noise rather than going to sleep so I just took the saddle off to try to sort this final problem out. It took me about 10 seconds to discover what the cause is - one of the two rails on the saddle is not tight where it fits into the rear of the saddle! I might get away with dripping some lube in there. A better solution would be to bond it in there properly. I don't need to do either for now because I have a spare saddle and that one does _NOT _have loose rails. I'll put that on in the morning and do _Yet Another Test Ride_, and will be _VERY _disappointed if the bike is not quiet for that!

I'll make sure to sort out the creaky saddle before I need it for my mountain bike, which is the next bike to be sorted out.

Right, I'm off to bed!


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## Punkawallah (22 Jul 2021)

Good luck :-)


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## JoeyB (22 Jul 2021)

Started fitting my Di2 upgrade parts and other bits to the winter / all season bike last night. Just need some more headset spacers as my new stem isnt as thick as the old one. I assumed they were all a standard dimension in terms of stack height....sigh

Also sliced my knuckle open on one the brake rotors whilst undoing a tight thru axle.


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## Dogtrousers (22 Jul 2021)

I'm going to be a bit disappointed when @ColinJ finally does sort his noisy bike out. It will be like getting to the end of a really good book.


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## ColinJ (22 Jul 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> I'm going to be a bit disappointed when @ColinJ finally does sort his noisy bike out. It will be like getting to the end of a really good book.


Ha ha - I feel the same way myself, but at least _it's getting better all the time_... (Maybe someone should write a song about it! )

The problem is though, I am getting fussier and fussier now. I think the bike is probably as quiet now as it ever has been but after all of this effort I only want to hear the sounds of tyres on tarmac, and of the freehub clicking when I freewheel. Anything extra is playing on my mind.

I spotted another potential source of clicks - the valve on the rear tube was free to move round in its hole in the rim. I've put one of those knurled collars on now to make sure that the valve can't move.

I'm going to do a longer test ride this evening to see what the current state of play is.


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## Reynard (22 Jul 2021)

Hmmm, and I kept being tempted to suggest earplugs as a solution...


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## ColinJ (22 Jul 2021)

Reynard said:


> Hmmm, and I kept being tempted to suggest earplugs as a solution...


At the rate that my hearing is going, I soon won't need them! 

(The other solution would be to ride in noisy traffic...)


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## ColinJ (22 Jul 2021)

I made one final tweak before going out... I hadn't checked the cleats on my shoes, then I remembered why - the hexagonal holes in 3 of the 4 bolt heads are not hexagonal anymore! At some point in the future, I may have to do some serious bodging to get the old bolts out. Nowt to do with them for now though. I did manage to loosen the 4th bolt, and guess what...? Yes, it was corroded and creaked as I undid it! I lubed the thread and then tightened and loosened the bolt a few times, before doing it up as tight as I could without risking damaging that one too. 

While I was at it I tried to get some oil under the cleats and also put a thin coat on top of them. If the cleats had been making any noise, that was about all I could do for now to reduce it.

I didn't end up doing a long ride, but 5 km including some short 10% ramps was enough to tell me what I had been dreading finding out...
... Yes - I've finally run out of noises to complain about!






I'm sure that something will go wrong again soon, but for now the bike is beautifully quiet and smooth to ride. The only things left to moan about are the local traffic, the local road surfaces, and the unfitness of the bike's designated rider!


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## neil_merseyside (22 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> and the unfitness of the bike's designated rider!



Oh come on you can do a 100 mile ride, not that many keen cyclists can do that.


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## ColinJ (22 Jul 2021)

neil_merseyside said:


> Oh come on you can do a 100 mile ride, not that many keen cyclists can do that.


I'm not quick though!


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## FrankCrank (23 Jul 2021)

Microwave decided to pack up. Did the obvious and checked the fuse, which had blown. Replaced, but blew again straight away. A bit of research on the tube revealed a likely culprit was the main capacitor:




A check with the multimeter showed it was indeed shorted, so ordered a new one (three quid). 
Fitted, and up and running again. Nice to get a cheap result in these throwaway times


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## DCLane (23 Jul 2021)

Bits on son's hillclimb bike - and yes, every change got weighed:

New front spoke and wheel trued
Replacement Conti Podium TT 19mm tub instead of the Vittoria Evo CX as they only now come with non-removeable valves and the extenders won't go through the valve hole  (+20g). On the up-side I've 3 new spare Vittoria Evo CX tubs to sell and the Podium TT tub _should_ last longer than 5 miles.
Removed the brake hoods (-43g)
Removed the LH electronic shifting module as a) it's broken and b) we don't use it on a single chainring set-up (-11g)
Swapped the stem bolts for black titanium ones (-18g) which I'd forgotten I'd bought a couple of months ago
Just under another 50g saved, although I've about 15-20g of heat-shrink plastic to add on as replacement 'brake hoods'. That means it'll still be in the 5.2-5.3kg range with the swappable chainrings (the heaviest 46T is on currently) and I don't think we can do any more with it without changing the frame, but that'd break through the £1000 we've spent to date.

Note that this bike is only used for hillclimb competitions. The low weight and lack of any real padding anywhere makes it too hard-core and twitchy for general riding. Basic photo:






Please don't send me to the WeightWeenies forum. They're obsessives


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## neil_merseyside (23 Jul 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'm not quick though!


As my last 3x 10mile laps at Garforth got into the 15+mph range, and I think only a cigarette paper between us timewise
I think not, maybe not as fast as you'd like perhaps. Have you thought of using gears 


Lap 8 38:14 lap time5:54:11 cumulative 80.00 15.7 av Lap 9 38:48 lap time6:32:59 cumulative 90.00 15.5 av Lap 10 39:20 lap time7:12:18 cumulative 100.00 15.3 av


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## ColinJ (23 Jul 2021)

neil_merseyside said:


> As my last 3x 10mile laps at Garforth got into the 15+mph range, and I think only a cigarette paper between us timewise
> I think not, maybe not as fast as you'd like perhaps. Have you thought of using gears
> 
> 
> Lap 8 38:14 lap time5:54:11 cumulative 80.00 15.7 av Lap 9 38:48 lap time6:32:59 cumulative 90.00 15.5 av Lap 10 39:20 lap time7:12:18 cumulative 100.00 15.3 av


That's quite interesting... I didn't save my GPS tracklog so I can't check exactly what I did. 

I have my Garmin set to display current speed and _overall_ average speed which includes all stoppage time so the average I saw was more like more like 16 kph/10 mph. I do remember know that I was doing 24 - 25 kph (15.0 - 15.5 mph) on most of that run back towards Garforth.

I'm sure that I am a lot slower than I once was. Mind you, I'm a lot _older _than I once was too!


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## jowwy (25 Jul 2021)

Been getting the new trek zwift ready……so fitted new 80mm stem, new inline Pro seatpost and just ordered a new duotrap sensor to connect to the garmin

i like having a new bike to fiddle with


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## rogerzilla (25 Jul 2021)

I dismantled another Sturmey-Archer AM for overhaul. This one had obviously been apart before, as someone had converted it to take an AW toggle (I always do this too). This morning's café ride was on an old 1930s clubman with an AM hub - I have a few of them! They are good on Bromptons and the mechanism screws straight into the standard shell, with no need to rebuild thd wheel.


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## roubaixtuesday (25 Jul 2021)

Rewired the hedge strimmer after #3 son cut through the cable...


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## Gunk (25 Jul 2021)

After adjusting the rear wheel bearings last weekend on the Gary Fisher pub bike I noticed that the wheel still had loads of play, so I decided to the job properly today, I removed the spindle cleaned all the horrible nasty grease, threw away the old bearings. I fitted new ball bearings, regreased everything and now as smooth as silk.


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## Jenkins (25 Jul 2021)

Chains cleaned and lubed and tyre pressures topped up on all 7 bikes. The Planet X Pro-Carbon was then treated to a new set of Brand X compact bars and some decent BBB tape.


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## JoeyB (27 Jul 2021)

Over the weekend I finished my Di2 upgrade. Todays arrivals include new Dura Ace 140mm rotors. I now need a second set for other wheels and a second cassette for other wheels. Its just never ending...

On the plus side, my winter bike is now better equipped than my old summer bike... which can only mean new summer bike required.


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## JoeyB (27 Jul 2021)

New rotors fitted.


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## C R (28 Jul 2021)

My seat was making an awful lot of noise during last weekend's ride. I was imaging all sorts of complicated reasons for the racket, but it turns out that the seat clamp was just not tight enough. Now to chase the creak in the right cleat.


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## Gunk (28 Jul 2021)

Check the cleats on your shoes are fully tightened


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## dave r (28 Jul 2021)

A non bike related fettle today, I noticed last winter that the back bedroom radiator was loose. I drained the radiator this afternoon and took it off the wall, it turned out that the rawplugs the bracket screws were screwed into on one end had disintegrated and there wasn't anything holding the bracket on the wall, I was able to just pull the bracket off the wall with almost no effort. I drilled the holes a little deeper, put in new slightly bigger rawplugs and put in filler where the plaster was missing round the holes. After waiting a while for the filler to dry I screwed the bracket back on the wall, remounted the radiator, refilled it and repressurized the boiler, the radiator is now solid on the wall.


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## C R (28 Jul 2021)

Gunk said:


> Check the cleats on your shoes are fully tightened


They were bloody tight, it felt like the allen key might break as I undid the bolts, greased everything and back bloody tight again, and no creak from the pedals this evening. The seat, though, sounds like unfinished business.


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## JhnBssll (29 Jul 2021)

I'd left my Bianchi hanging on the wall so long both tyres were flat and had popped off the rims  They'd been losing pressure slowly since I built them so I knew something wasn't quite right and decided to take the opportunity to strip them down and start again  First thing I noticed on both wheels was the tubeless tape was peeled up in a few places, and sealant had gotten to the spoke holes. That won't have helped then  I had bought a big roll of unbranded yellow tape some time back, seems this was false economy. Unfortunately it's also fitted in 2 other wheel sets so they'll probably get stripped at some point too if they start losing air  The next thing I noticed when cleaning the tyre up was there were nobbles of rubber all the way around both beads of both tyres, the larger of which had dry sealant around them. Seems pretty silly to have knobbly bits on a sealing surface to me so I went round with my side cutters and trimmed them all off 







I had bought some Schwalbe high pressure rim tape to try this time; it states it's good to over 100psi with only one layer of tape applied which is higher than the tyres so I only wrapped it round once where I would normally do twice. It went on really nicely, sticking down well without too much effort so we'll see how well it stands up to use.






With that done I prepared to wrestle the tyres back on, but was fairly surprised to find I could mount and demount them (I put the first bead on backwards first, of course) then mount them again fairly easy by hand. Presumably this was due to the single layer of tape but I'm surprised that thickness of material makes such a big difference. I needed tyre levers to remove when I started with the old rim tape fitted  I popped some new sealant in before rolling the last of the bead over the rim then it inflated perfectly with no leaks first time  Seems to be seated nicely so I span it up a few times and will check it again in the morning to see how its holding 






All being well I'll do the rear tomorrow - I've cleaned the tyre up and trimmed it's nobbles (ooh er!) but havent cleaned and taped the rim yet in case the tape was rubbish


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## fossyant (29 Jul 2021)

Fitted the rack to my old MTB, and washed my panniers (5 years without use). Might be commuting next week.


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## fossyant (29 Jul 2021)

Bike light repairs.

Bought a 'Ding' light via kick starter about 7 years ago. Took 18 months to actually arrive, but by then I'd broken my spine and wasn't commuting. Pah.

Anyway, it was a good idea in that it has a down light to light up the road beneath and to your sides. Down side, the body itself had numerous issues. First use was off road muddy ride, not particularly wet. Water got into the light and the downlighter. Sealing was shocking, so I glued it all together. Roll on a year or two of occasional use, came to fit to bike and the mount ripped straight off. Tiny screw holding it on, but it snapped the fitting point.

Chucked it in the spares. Roll on yesterday, hmm, would a bigger self tapper work. Tried it, but the casing then fell to bits. Rummaged in the spares and found a tube of epoxy. Squirted some inside the casing where the hole now was, then applied more to the bracket and screwed the self tapper in. 24h later and its rock solid.

A test ride will see if it holds up.


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## LeetleGreyCells (29 Jul 2021)

Fitted the newly arrived Kenda K812 mud tyres to my daughter’s 650A wheels. They are not as wide as I expected. I might get the vernier callipers on the tyres later as while they fit perfectly and are the right size for the wheel, I’m sure that the marked 37mm is not the actual size as they appear narrower. Of course, it could just be my imagination.

The real test will be to see how they perform in the mud.


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## JhnBssll (29 Jul 2021)

The final width of the tyres will depend on the width of the rim they're mounted to; a wider rim gives a wider tyre cross section with a flatter tread profile whereas a narrow rim will generally give the same tyre a smaller cross section and more rounded tread profile 😊


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## mickle (29 Jul 2021)

In 1988 it looked like this:


Now it looks like this:


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jul 2021)

mickle said:


> In 1988 it looked like this:
> View attachment 601586
> 
> Now it looks like this:
> ...



The scuff marks I can identify with on my own elderly mechs. What is the advantage of the bigger jockey wheels?


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## mickle (29 Jul 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> The scuff marks I can identify with on my own elderly mechs. What is the advantage of the bigger jockey wheels?


Reduced jockey wheel rpm equals reduced bearing drag, larger diameter means the chain articulates less, so a corresponding reduction of chain link drag - also reduced wear rate, greater tooth capacity and increased cage plate (aka chain) tension. I'm guessing. The truth is I just like the look of them.


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## mickle (30 Jul 2021)

I needed to find a few mm






I refuse to let Shi**no dictate my stack height.


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## fossyant (30 Jul 2021)

mickle said:


> I needed to find a few mm
> View attachment 601719
> View attachment 601720
> 
> ...



That's one way.... God knows what I'l do when I eventually replace the STX headset on my MTB - the original Tange headset was a very low stack, so not much 'steerer'


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## mickle (30 Jul 2021)

fossyant said:


> That's one way.... God knows what I'l do when I eventually replace the STX headset on my MTB - the original Tange headset was a very low stack, so not much 'steerer'


This was just to get some material out of the way before hitting it with the facing tool. 

I remember the STX being pretty tall...


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## HLaB (30 Jul 2021)

Built a bike stand.
https://bike-nook.thanedirect.co.uk...4lWiMnQf-AxnDOqM6AwZjhoM5xIH7UARoCUVIQAvD_BwE


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## Gunk (30 Jul 2021)

I hope you didn’t pay £50, they’re £30 on eBay


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## C R (2 Aug 2021)

This thing





was limiting the air tightness of the rear tyre on my daughters bike. Thorn removed and tube patched means air retention ability is now restored.

Also gave my road bike a good wash and fettle, as it was filthy from yesterday mornings very wet ride.


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## dave r (2 Aug 2021)

HLaB said:


> Built a bike stand.
> https://bike-nook.thanedirect.co.uk...4lWiMnQf-AxnDOqM6AwZjhoM5xIH7UARoCUVIQAvD_BwE



They're neat.


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## keithmac (2 Aug 2021)

My lads MT-5, we've been finishing off wiring loom today (after a brand new Stator proved faulty ffs).

New wheels left to go in and some pain to do but will be ready for his 16th!.


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## HLaB (2 Aug 2021)

dave r said:


> They're neat.


Reading the reviews I was a bit dubious about their stability. They are actually quite stable. Whilst I am not going to try it out I feel I could bump into them and they'd be ok. I certainly feel comfortable enough shuffling the stand around with the bike in it 👍


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (4 Aug 2021)

General bike cleaning and checking ahead of Saturday's audax - gears indexed, chain oiled, brake pads adjusted, etc. I still need to check tyre pressures, but can do that tomorrow or Friday.


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (4 Aug 2021)

Preping the good bike for tomorrow's ride came across this split in the centre of the rear tyre.
Bit miffed considering it was bought new in June with less than 500 miles on it.
Dug out a cheapo Vittoria from the back of the shed so I can get out but wondering about the longevity of conti grand sport races as this is the second one I've had with this issue now, appreciate it could just be bad luck like. Still very annoying.


----------



## keithmac (5 Aug 2021)

Dug my diy ebike out for work this morning, raised seat 10mm and altered angle back slightly.

I built it years ago and never really used it, waste of money if I don't!.

Love the Nuvinci 360 hub, are the still producing them I wonder?..


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## JoeyB (5 Aug 2021)

Fitted cassette and rotors to new Hunt wheels today. Just waiting on some inner tubes with 60mm valves to arrive then they can go on the bike...i knew something would catch me out!


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## Punkawallah (5 Aug 2021)

Switched tyres & tubes on the Renown, 23mm to 25mm.

Just my o c d clicking in - 23mm were a mixed pair, the 25mm were matched :-)


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## JoeyB (6 Aug 2021)

Inner tubes have arrived, new wheels going on shortly. Pics to follow.


----------



## DCLane (6 Aug 2021)

Sorted the Raleigh SP Race - currently my 'best' bike as I'm waiting for son's Cervelo, when it'll become the commuter bike - for tomorrow's Straight on at Rosie's 212km audax. It's done a fair few miles since last looked at so I swapped the wheels for ones with better tyres, lubed it all and adjusted bits.

Son's Columbus X-Wing needs a new rear wheel bearing, so I got that out and cleaned the rear cassette. I'm guessing it's been a year of greenways (think horse poo / dirty water / plants) since he last cleaned it  . It'll also get a new chain, new bar tape, new rear brake pads and a new tyre before being put back into service for another year.

Also updated the Elite Zumo smart turbo and Sterzo to the latest firmware.


----------



## Salad Dodger (6 Aug 2021)

My fettling today was mainly of a non bicycling nature. Undercoating paintwork in daughters new ( to her) house.
But I did remember to put the ebike batteries on charge, as I expect the bikes will get a fair bit of use next week.....


----------



## Baldy (8 Aug 2021)

Decided to try the touring bike with straight bars instead of the butterfly bars.






If it ever stops raining I'll go out to try them.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (8 Aug 2021)

22 km into yesterday's 212 km audax, I lost drive as the free hub spun freely in both directions (my wife came and rescued me). So I've had a fettle to see what the issue is. As I am a cheapskate I really did not want to have to buy a new wheel and I've never laced a wheel if I were to only change the hub. However, tentatively, I don't think I will need to do either.

I removed the qr and axle, ball bearings, etc., cleaned the grease out then liberally sprayed the inside with WD-40 Fast Release Penetrating Spray that I already had. Boom! Free hub working again. Lots of rust coloured liquid coming out so I'm guessing the springs/pawls were simply seized. Wiped all the rusty liquid off and re-sprayed again, repeating the process three times. Now, I've left the wheel as is in the garage to air dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll put it all back together again and see if it's worked. At the minute, turning the freehub body with fingers, it's engaging as it should.

Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (8 Aug 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> 22 km into yesterday's 212 km audax, I lost drive as the free hub spun freely in both directions (my wife came and rescued me). So I've had a fettle to see what the issue is. As I am a cheapskate I really did not want to have to buy a new wheel and I've never laced a wheel if I were to only change the hub. However, tentatively, I don't think I will need to do either.
> 
> I removed the qr and axle, ball bearings, etc., cleaned the grease out then liberally sprayed the inside with WD-40 Fast Release Penetrating Spray that I already had. Boom! Free hub working again. Lots of rust coloured liquid coming out so I'm guessing the springs/pawls were simply seized. Wiped all the rusty liquid off and re-sprayed again, repeating the process three times. Now, I've left the wheel as is in the garage to air dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll put it all back together again and see if it's worked. At the minute, turning the freehub body with fingers, it's engaging as it should.
> 
> Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞


I've just been wondering if I can dribble as little chain oil or similar into the tiny gap between the plastic freehub body and the hub - I know it's tiny, but that's where most of the rust coloured penetrant spray came out of; in order to keep the springs and pawls lubricated - what do you think? Or do I just leave things be if the free hub engages as it should after air drying tomorrow?


----------



## Dogtrousers (8 Aug 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> I really did not want to have to buy a new wheel and I've never laced a wheel if I were to only change the hub.


I don't understand the reference to lacing. Surely you just remove the old freehub and screw in a new one.

Unless, of course your campaign of squirting has fixed the old one.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (8 Aug 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> you just remove the old freehub and screw in a new one.


I can't remove the current freehub at the minute as it needs a larger hex key than I have - it seems it needs a 12 or 14 mm rather than the usual 10mm.


----------



## Gunk (8 Aug 2021)

Cleaned and detailed my motorcycle this afternoon, luckily the sun came out, touched in some stone chips on the wheels, oiled the chain and checked all the fastenings. A very therapeutic couple of hours, all ready for it to get filthy again.


----------



## Elybazza61 (8 Aug 2021)

Finished stripping parts off the Ridley Kanzo Adventure ready for sale .


----------



## Chislenko (9 Aug 2021)

Today I removed, cleaned, re greased my headset bearings.

I have no idea why as I only built the bike last year, probably nothing left in the house to paint!


----------



## fossyant (10 Aug 2021)

Tested the modifications to the CRS fitted to the old MTB.

Crud Reduction System.

Pop bottle mudflap wrapped in duck tape worked well but needed extending. Overlapped tape has improved crud reduction exponentially. Might add another 5cm.


----------



## ColinJ (10 Aug 2021)

fossyant said:


> Tested the modifications to the CRS fitted to the old MTB.
> 
> Crud Reduction System.
> 
> ...


That should work!

I put SKS Longboards on my CAADX. The front mudguard certainly lived up to its name - it was actually TOO long so I kept catching it on rocks, kerbs etc. 

I trimmed a few cms off it; still loads of coverage but it now rarely snags on anything.


----------



## Chislenko (10 Aug 2021)

Must be a mudguard day!!

I had an old broken front mudguard due for the skip so took the mudflap bit from it and "engineered" it on to the rear mudguard on my winter bike.

Of no help to me really but last winter I had an unannounced wheel sucker behind me for about a mile. I stopped at the traffic lights, he pulls up beside me and cheekily says " Your rear mudguard is not giving me any protection, I am getting all your spray" !!!!

So if you are about this winter sir, this is for you.


----------



## fossyant (10 Aug 2021)

If anyone is wheel sucking me on the 'commute', then rat's pee infused canal water you will get. The 'flap' has about 5cm of duck take double wrapped, so is still very flexible. Will add a little more - BB was completely dirt free, but cranks and shoes copped for it. It doesn't do more than farm tracks and canal as off road now, occasionally a bit of rough, but it's handy for training and not getting me filthy. Also saves all the work on the FS - can save that for real off road.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (10 Aug 2021)

After losing drive 22km into an audax on Saturday, I discovered the springs and pawls in my free hub had seized. Sprayed it several times with WD-40 Penetrating Spray (different to regular WD-40) to unseize the mechanism and flush the crap out. Let it air dry before respraying each time. Today, I put it all back together today and it works perfectly, if not better than before.


----------



## DCLane (10 Aug 2021)

Son's Columbus X-Wing has had a school year, when open, of commuting using greenways and canal paths. It looked  and ready for the annual service (he _does_ check it over, but not a 'proper' service). Today it's had:

- New rear bearing on the Fulcrum 5 LG wheel, with everything cleaned and re-greased including the cassette that was  plus a new rear tyre
- New rear post mount brake pads
- New Velox Guidoline bar tape which looks nice - not expensive and very easy to fit
- New Shimano jockey wheels
- New Ultegra chain
- Paint on the bits he's chipped or scratched. There's probably more Humbrol enamel on there after 4 years' use than the original paint.

That should do it for another year, except for tyres/brake pads/cables, when it'll be re-serviced ready for him should he go to university.


----------



## keithmac (10 Aug 2021)

Living the not so Super Dream today.

3rd set of carbs where some numpty has snapped the pilot air screw off in the carb body, heat and wifes sewing needles to the resue in the morning..









My GS550E is nearly do, rides lovely now (another snapped pilot air screw victim..).
















Luckily he had the new pilot air screws and hadn't messed with them.


----------



## biggs682 (11 Aug 2021)

An early workshop job today was to swap stem , saddle and pedals on my recently arrived Bianchi Via Nirone all done and tested startingto feel comfy now


----------



## bikingdad90 (11 Aug 2021)

Bianchi’s are nice bikes but I’m slightly nervous of been out and about and a campagnolo part breaking because there are not many local dealers in Teesside.


----------



## JoeyB (11 Aug 2021)

Finally, new wheels fitted after a fupar on my part meant I needed different size thru axle adapters.


----------



## DCLane (11 Aug 2021)

Son's replacement tub stuck on after he punctured on Saturday, ready for an E/1/2/3 race tonight in Sheffield.

Given ProBikeKit haven't delivered, or despatched, a spare tub - late again  - then I _hope_ nothing happens before Saturday when he's racing in Northern Ireland. Today's Covid PCR test permitting. I again fell for their 'low price' offer, but again they failed.


----------



## keithmac (11 Aug 2021)

My lad was in at work today as he missed Saturday.

We did a Transalp 700 fuel pump this morning (Honda only supply the full pump hanger assy at £600+vat + fitting), we repaired it for £70 replacement pump and 2hrs labour (£120) to the bike.

This afternoon he was striping a moped down.

So proud of how he's coming on, everything you tell him goes straight into the memory bank!.


----------



## DCLane (12 Aug 2021)

Final check of son no. 2's BeOne Raw that he's taking as a main/spare bike to a 132km race in Northern Ireland this weekend and I found a tear on the rear tyre  . A quick swap with a new GP5000 and hopefully it'll be OK.


----------



## HLaB (13 Aug 2021)

Cleaned my bike then put a new chain on it. I'll give it a short run tomorrow to see if it needs the new cassette I've got too.


----------



## ColinJ (13 Aug 2021)

I _finally _noticed that the bars on my singlespeed bike have gradually been rotating forwards... That probably explains why my wrists have been getting uncomfortable on the bike recently. 

My stupid mistake... I had tightened the top screw (bolt?) on the face plate of the stem too far and not noticed that the top of the plate had made contact with the stem. I loosened that screw, rotated the bars back, and then tightened the top and bottom screws equally.


----------



## bikingdad90 (13 Aug 2021)

Fitted new Exhustar pedals to my bike and fitted the cleats too. I then had a little play with the handlebars and saddle height.


----------



## chriswoody (14 Aug 2021)

The Shimano single speed coaster brake hub is a lovely little piece of engineering. Peddle forward and the driver unit turns, which screws the clutch up the screw thread. The serrations on the end of the clutch unit "bite" into a narrow track inside the hub body, providing forward motion. Turn the cranks backwards, results in the driver unit screwing the clutch unit in the opposite direction, which has the effect of disengaging the clutch and simultaneously pushing the two brake shoes outward and into the hub shell. All very simple and effective.






Problems arise when the small serrations on the clutch unit become worn down and the clutch struggles to get enough bite onto the hub shell, so meaning forward drive is sporadic and the cranks often slip. Luckily, they only cost 8 Euros to replace so today was replacement day. I also purchased two new brake shoes and replaced those at the same time, again, cheap as chips.






A bench vice really makes the job much more straight forward and after cleaning and re-greasing everything, it all went back together nice and quickly. A quick spin up the road made me realise I need to re-calibrate my back peddling technique, these new brake shoes can induce a pretty mean skid if you over do things!


----------



## Gunk (14 Aug 2021)

I spent a very pleasant couple of hours sorting out the £50 Allez ready for sale. Managed with zero costs. I replaced the horrible mis-matched brake callipers with a set of Ultegras which I had left over from another project.











the frame was really nasty, but soap, water and fine wire wool sorted it out, everything else was spot on, indexing all good, no play in the headset or BB, so 2 hours of elbow grease and it’s now ready for a new owner, it would make a perfect turbo bike. Not sure about the white seat, blue cables and brown bar tape, the previous owner certainly had strange taste!


----------



## Andy in Germany (14 Aug 2021)

I noticed yesterday that the small wheel on the rear cassette was giving more friction than the others, so I fixed the adjuster screws. Of course with a 50% chance of getting it right I went and "fixed" the wrong one and then had to sort that out too, and then overtightened the other one so it wouldn't change up to top gear when riding even though it did while fixing it, but I sorted it out eventually.

I think...


----------



## avecReynolds531 (14 Aug 2021)

Cleaned and reset the threaded headset & quill stem, adjusted cones in a wheel, and indexed the 8 speed derailleur on this old hybrid.


----------



## bikingdad90 (14 Aug 2021)

@Gunk if you can spare £10.00 get some matching blue bar tape and it’ll look loads better or go for some plain black.


----------



## Gunk (14 Aug 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Gunk if you can spare £10.00 get some matching blue bar tape and it’ll look loads better or go for some plain black.



I agree but this a small profit, quick return. So no expenditure is allowed!


----------



## bikingdad90 (14 Aug 2021)

The going rate on EBay is circa £250-£300. I’d be expecting a large profit!!!


----------



## Andy in Germany (14 Aug 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> I noticed yesterday that the small wheel on the rear cassette was giving more friction than the others, so I fixed the adjuster screws. Of course with a 50% chance of getting it right I went and "fixed" the wrong one and then had to sort that out too, and then overtightened the other one so it wouldn't change up to top gear when riding even though it did while fixing it, but I sorted it out eventually.
> 
> I think...



You know that clicking I couldn't diagnose earlier? I just happened to look at the bike from the side, instead of from above or behind...







Moral of the story: if you look at things from a different angle, you may see things you'd miss otherwise...

Unfortunately if predictably, I don't have my chain breaker tool here...


----------



## ColinJ (14 Aug 2021)

I got as much life out of the front brake blocks on my singlespeed bike as I could. In practice, that was probably more than I _should_! I just took a look and they were only one or two descents away from shredding the wheel rim... 

I've just put some new blocks in!

ColinJ's _Tip for the Day for Novice Bike Mechanics_:

This really should be obvious, but I know at least one mechanically unskilled person who got it wrong, and it could be a disastrous mistake to make, so here you go...

If you have rim brakes on your bike and they are the sort that have rubber brake blocks which slide into metal shoes... _WARNING - THE LEFT AND RIGHT SHOES ARE *NOT *INTERCHANGEABLE!! _If you get them the right way round, the action of braking forces the blocks hard into the shoes and keeps them there. If you mix up the left and right shoes, when you brake the rims will try to drag the blocks out. That would _not _be a good thing to happen... 



Andy in Germany said:


> Moral of the story: if you look at things from a different angle, you may see things you'd miss otherwise...
> 
> Unfortunately if predictably, I don't have my chain breaker tool here...


What have you done, not taken enough links out of a new chain?


----------



## Spiderweb (14 Aug 2021)

Gunk said:


> I spent a very pleasant couple of hours sorting out the £50 Allez ready for sale. Managed with zero costs. I replaced the horrible mis-matched brake callipers with a set of Ultegras which I had left over from another project.
> 
> View attachment 604139
> 
> ...


A 2010 Specialized Allez for £50, that’s a great buy.
Could I ask what you would use fine wire wool on the frame for?


----------



## Saluki (14 Aug 2021)

Fixed my weird clicking brake.


----------



## ColinJ (14 Aug 2021)

Saluki said:


> Fixed my weird clicking brake.


What was causing the clicking?


----------



## Gunk (14 Aug 2021)

Spiderweb said:


> A 2010 Specialized Allez for £50, that’s a great buy.
> Could I ask what you would use fine wire wool on the frame for?



It’s a matt silver finish and the black grime just wouldn’t shift, a mixture of oil and brake dust. I tried soap and water with a spray of Muc off, then brake cleaner, degreaser. In the end soap and water with fine wire wool bought it back to life. I was super careful and didn't rub to hard.


----------



## Spiderweb (15 Aug 2021)

Gunk said:


> It’s a matt silver finish and the black grime just wouldn’t shift, a mixture of oil and brake dust. I tried soap and water with a spray of Muc off, then brake cleaner, degreaser. In the end soap and water with fine wire wool bought it back to life. I was super careful and didn't rub to hard.


Ahh, I was just wondering, I have a Matt finish frame with some very fine scratches on the top tube, I have tried T-Cut and they are better, I think more T-Cut and more rubbing will get them out, the problem is that that area is now shiny, just wondering if the finest steel wool would bring back the Matt finish?


----------



## Oldbikefan (15 Aug 2021)

Stripped the Moonrun to bare frame because there were no buyers and I need the room. Bolted the Suntour XC-E triple chainset, cranks, pedal and Venture brake levers to the Pioneer.
I now have 15 gears and a lighter bike. (The original steel and plastic chainset weighed a ton.)


----------



## Gunk (15 Aug 2021)

Spiderweb said:


> Ahh, I was just wondering, I have a Matt finish frame with some very fine scratches on the top tube, I have tried T-Cut and they are better, I think more T-Cut and more rubbing will get them out, the problem is that that area is now shiny, just wondering if the finest steel wool would bring back the Matt finish?



Or try a Scotchpad


----------



## Andy in Germany (15 Aug 2021)

ColinJ said:


> What have you done, not taken enough links out of a new chain?



Basically, yes, and I haven't noticed the extra friction for over a year (!), possibly because this bike is lighter than my usual longtail so it felt much easier to ride.


----------



## DCLane (16 Aug 2021)

Bits today:

New rear mech hanger on my son's Cervelo S3 after a crash ended his Irish race on Saturday prematurely 
His hillclimb bike was set up with a 40T chainring ready for a practice climb up Winnat's Pass tomorrow, where the national hillclimb will be this year: https://www.facebook.com/WinNats21/
His BeOne Raw required a couple of minor adjustments and a clean, after we'd taken it with us to Ireland
My Fuji Track which I've used for grasstrack racing has had a bent left crank for a while. I didn't do it, honest  . So tonight I've swapped it for a new LH one, and it's all OK now.


----------



## Andy in Germany (16 Aug 2021)

These:






Now I need to find someone to teach me how to braze bits on a bike...


----------



## HLaB (17 Aug 2021)

Well it was actually yesterday now, given is not long past midnight. But I had tubeless ready disk wheels and tubeless ready 40mm tyres. So I converted them to tubeless. I was originally intending to do just the front tonight but it took about 15mins. How much harder can the rear be  It actually came off easy and converted easy too but then I came to refit it. I wondered at first why the derailleur didn't move. Then I realised quickly it has a clutch. What was more time consuming however was getting the rear through axle to line up. There must be a technique


----------



## keithmac (17 Aug 2021)

Winterising my ebike, back mudguard sorted.

Fitted cover to NCX seatpost (what a great idea!).

Measured wheel rims for Tannus Tyres.

Used my new tyre tool, great bit of kit and will still get used on the other bikes!.


----------



## keithmac (17 Aug 2021)

Patio needs re-grouting, I just can't get the motivation to do it..


----------



## 13 rider (17 Aug 2021)

@keithmac I not sure you need the child's windmill on the bike


----------



## keithmac (17 Aug 2021)

13 rider said:


> @keithmac I not sure you need the child's windmill on the bike



@13 rider that's another story altogether, believe it or not they are excellent mole repellents (so my wife says..).


----------



## alicat (17 Aug 2021)

Scarified the lawn (started Friday). Looks like the dark side of the moon. Turns out that what looked like grass was creeping buttercup, moss and thatch with a little grass just to fool me into complacency.....


----------



## dave r (17 Aug 2021)

Sorted the loose wheel bearings on my Good Ladies wheelchair this afternoon.


----------



## fossyant (18 Aug 2021)

My old MTB fettled for the commute come end of month. Canal stormer. 

Fitted front light extension for the Ding front light as it needs to be under the bars for the 'downlight' to work. Also fettled the panniers for a tight fit as they bounced about too much last commute. Fitted five wraps of inner tube each side to reduce the clatter when going over cobbles.


----------



## Andy in Germany (18 Aug 2021)

fossyant said:


> My old MTB fettled for the commute come end of month. Canal stormer.
> 
> Fitted front light extension for the Ding front light as it needs to be under the bars for the 'downlight' to work. Also fettled the panniers for a tight fit as they bounced about too much last commute. Fitted five wraps of inner tube each side to reduce the clatter when going over cobbles.
> View attachment 604870



A very smart looking bike, especially considering its vintage.


----------



## fossyant (18 Aug 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> A very smart looking bike, especially considering its vintage.



It's an early 91/2 DB Ascent Ex - had a few upgrades (XT rear mech, canti's and pedals. The rest is LX. It was marbled grey, but was resprayed about 20 years ago to this blue.


----------



## si_c (18 Aug 2021)

Cleaned the Domane.

Swapped the bottle cage bolts on the Racelight for anodised TI ones, pulled the 28mm all weather AW2 tyres off the carbon wheels and added Trek's tubeless rim strips, fitted some new 32mm Bontrager R3 lightweight tyres and added the sealant. Tyres were a complete bastard though, now have a blister on a thumb, but I'm running 65psi instead of 95, so expecting a huge comfort boost.


----------



## Reynard (18 Aug 2021)

Removed the cutting deck off the ride on mower and gave the outside of it a good clean.

The blades don't turn, so am suspecting seized bearings. But that is a puzzle for another day.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (20 Aug 2021)

Patched puncture on rear wheel of Brompton. Did a quick YouTube for refitting chain tensioner. The put it in a semi fold to release chain tension was just the bit I needed. Now ready for ride to pub with wife.


----------



## pawl (20 Aug 2021)

For some reason the cable on the rear mech was very loose Would only change through three gears.Tightened up Jobs a good un No idea why the cable had slipped


----------



## Ming the Merciless (20 Aug 2021)

Trying some rack parts that arrived for wife’s bike. But seat post clamp / rack strut mount is too small. So ordered next seat post clamp size up. Want to confirm it all works, testing with my rack, before buying full rack.


----------



## Elybazza61 (20 Aug 2021)

Got the X-Trail ready for Tonights FNRTTC London-Cambridge.


----------



## keithmac (20 Aug 2021)

I've got this waiting for me tomorrow, customer has paid a pretty penny for a bobber conversion elsewhere and come away with this mess..

Randomly blowing fuses within 200 miles of the job, no bloody wonder!.

First off I wouldn't hang a 20 amp fuse off a 10 amp lighting supply but I think that's only the tip of the iceberg..

Been emailing the "elektronic box" manufacturer in Germany and they have been more than helpful.

Just twice as much work following someone else into a job unfortunately but customer wants it right and is prepared to wait which is nice!.

Looked a reasonably neat job to start with but it's just a complete mess, loom tape hides a multitude of sins..


----------



## jowwy (21 Aug 2021)

Elybazza61 said:


> Got the X-Trail ready for Tonights FNRTTC London-Cambridge.
> 
> View attachment 605172


What tyres you got on that there machine???


----------



## Chris S (21 Aug 2021)

I noticed a floppy chain link so I replaced it with a quick link from a Bell 'chain repair kit' that I bought from Asda about 10 years ago. I knew it would come in handy sometime.


----------



## dave r (21 Aug 2021)

keithmac said:


> I've got this waiting for me tomorrow, customer has paid a pretty penny for a bobber conversion elsewhere and come away with this mess..
> 
> Randomly blowing fuses within 200 miles of the job, no bloody wonder!.
> 
> ...



I think the best description of that is a tangle of b******ds, good luck.


----------



## keithmac (21 Aug 2021)

dave r said:


> I think the best description of that is a tangle of b******ds, good luck.



3 hours in, chopped most of it out and traced all the circuits back.

They had the luxury of 3 fused supplies and hung everything off a 10 amp lighting circuit!.

I don't think they understood the concept of shrinkwrap either..


----------



## dave r (21 Aug 2021)

keithmac said:


> 3 hours in, chopped most of it out and traced all the circuits back.
> 
> They had the luxury of 3 fused supplies and hung everything off a 10 amp lighting circuit!.
> 
> ...



Well done, how much more is there to do?


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Aug 2021)

Checking my road bike rack on recumbent. To see if it fits and if not what needs changing. Some shorter offset struts and spacers at dropouts to clear disc calliper and it should be a good un.


----------



## keithmac (21 Aug 2021)

dave r said:


> Well done, how much more is there to do?



I'm hoping to have it done in another 2 hours (back in one piece, ready to ride).

Then I've got a few roadtests to do to prove it's fixed properly (don't want any comebacks).

Treated myself to a new multimeter a while back, I do that many wiring repair jobs it was a good investment. 

You can link it to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and record/ graph outputs (ideal for testing ignition systems).

The job I am on now would have been quicker if I'd started it from scratch, but what can you do..


----------



## dave r (21 Aug 2021)

keithmac said:


> I'm hoping to have it done in another 2 hours (back in one piece, ready to ride).
> 
> Then I've got a few roadtests to do to prove it's fixed properly (don't want any comebacks).
> 
> ...



It sounds like it will be a good job well done.


----------



## keithmac (21 Aug 2021)

My lad's been on with stripping engines this afternoon, he's getting more confident and getting his eye in with the socket sizes. Really happy and he says he loves it so a win win.


----------



## Elybazza61 (22 Aug 2021)

jowwy said:


> What tyres you got on that there machine???


Travail Cannonball (light and supple version)700x38


----------



## keithmac (22 Aug 2021)

Got my GTO-Twin Turbo running after being stood 2 years (could be 3!).

Drained tank down and purged fuel lines, put some Aspen long life fuel in.

Manually rotated crankshaft 4 times (they have a habbit of jumping cam timing so better safe than sorry!).

Fired up after 10 seconds of cranking, runs like a dream!.

Need to strip brakes next weekend and get it MOT ready hopefully.












View: https://youtu.be/hrC6GTDQUuY


Put some bonnet struts on the family Kuga as well, nice day of tinkering on my own stuff for once!.


----------



## DCLane (23 Aug 2021)

A number of little, bitty jobs:

- Son's BeOne training bike adjusted after the gear cable stretched

- Tyres onto the carbon wheelset I bought last week, need to find a Junior cassette somewhere

- A rear tyre onto my Holdsworth roi de velo track bike. I'd worn the tread off the current rear tyre completely through use at Quibell Park, Scunthorpe and I'm on the track at Manchester on Thursday, so would have been sliding all over.

- I began work on the NeilPryde Bayamo frameset I bought. It needed carbon paste on the seatpost (had none) and the old, seized grease removing from the headset (  ) with the entire headset cleaned and re-greased. It gave me a chance to look inside the frame whilst the forks were out and, apart from being filthy - now clean, it's all OK. Stem on so everything's held in place and it's ready for a groupset and part swap from my Principia at some point, once the remedial paintwork is done later this week.

Photos will appear once the build starts. No-one wants to see a gunk-seized headset.

I also did a bike swap-around with the grasstrack bikes going away for the winter and the Raleigh Pioneer coming out for winter use, having a check-over.

Non-bike related I also prepped the first of two bedrooms I'm painting today, this one being son no. 1's.


----------



## bikingdad90 (23 Aug 2021)

@DCLane is kids sports any good?
https://kidsracing.co.uk/


----------



## fossyant (23 Aug 2021)

I did a gunked up headset on my old MTB on Thursday lst week, overdue. IT's an old 1 1/8th Shimano cartridge bearing headset which are rare, so refurbing/cleaning was the only option.

Today, nothing more than a quick wash of the best bike as there was a fair bit of insect kill splattered on it from the incredible speeds it does


----------



## DCLane (23 Aug 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> @DCLane is kids sports any good?
> https://kidsracing.co.uk/



It's decent stuff and they're at many of the youth events. However, they are top-end price wise. Funkier children's clothing is cheaper and probably as good.

What's it you're after from them?


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (23 Aug 2021)

DCLane said:


> It's decent stuff and they're at many of the youth events. However, they are top-end price wise. Funkier children's clothing is cheaper and probably as good.
> 
> What's it you're after from them?


I think @bikingdad90 meant for the junior cassette you're wanting


----------



## bikingdad90 (23 Aug 2021)

I’m actually after a 165mm 48/34 or that takes a square taper in black.

I can find 170mm and 160mm but not 165mm in stock. I’d take the crankset as I have 110BCD 5bolt chainrings already.


----------



## DCLane (23 Aug 2021)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> I think @bikingdad90 meant for the junior cassette you're wanting



We can get one, either an Ultegra 6800 or 8000 14-28 but they're not cheap. And on a pair of wheels which are 'spare' it's not worth buying new . We've one on the smart turbo I'll probably pinch and I think one elsewhere, but I can't remember where in the parts shed currently.


----------



## DCLane (23 Aug 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> I’m actually after a 165mm 48/34 or that takes a square taper in black.
> 
> I can find 170mm and 160mm but not 165mm in stock. I’d take the crankset as I have 110BCD 5bolt chainrings already.



They're fine with those type of thing as it's the 'odd' item they have for children's sizes. Bankrupt Bike Parts are another option, but they only have a 48/40 one, although that's just £7: https://www.bankruptbikeparts.co.uk...wheel-set-40-48-black-bbp2213223?search=165mm

SJS Cycles are another good route for odd items, although theirs is £38: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainsets/alloy-compact-double-square-taper-chainset-5034t-165mm/

But you _really_ want a drillium Velo Orange one  . Just £205 from eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192127036608


----------



## bikingdad90 (23 Aug 2021)

I’m keeping an eye on SJS, hoping they bring the price back down to £24.99!


----------



## PeteXXX (24 Aug 2021)

Grandson's bike was given a general lube and fettle before we go out for a ride today. Brakes adjusted and levers brought nearer so he can reach them more easily.


----------



## JoeyB (24 Aug 2021)

Built my spare frameset up (old winter bike) ready for its new owner. Just waiting on a cassette to arrive and then it will be good to go...


----------



## DCBassman (24 Aug 2021)

Quick fettle that wasn't. 
Gave headset on the mixte a good tighten, feel ok, will test it next ride. Then fiddle with the front mech on the Scott. Reasonable after about 30 minutes of fiddling. We'll see...
Hang on, what's that clicking? Chain jumping. No stiff links. Damn, seems to be the lower jockey wheel. No idea why, or how to stop it. Far too irritating to ride it like that. Mech swap...
This is a Sora 3300 GS, and it's always been pretty flawless. The only spare I have is an old 7-speed Altus, the original from the 2001 Trek mtb. Oh well...
Took about 15 minutes to dial it in, and despite the cage length being very similar to the Sora, it does not need the hanger extender. Massive jockey wheels, though. Must be longer in some dimension, as I needed to refit the links I'd removed some weeks back. All good, now to ride it...


----------



## keithmac (24 Aug 2021)

dave r said:


> I think the best description of that is a tangle of b******ds, good luck.



All back in one piece, properly wired with separate circuits and fuses for speedo and lighting (both available from factory fusebox..).

Found the "smoking gun", speedo cable poorly secured and earthing out though brake disk!. 

If it was wired properly it should have just popped instrument fuse, because they couldn't be bothered it basically stranded the bike with no possibility of re-starting!.

As it stands now if either lighting or speedo dead shorts it will blow it's own fuse and bike will still run (redundancy).

For sake of another hour they could have wired it properly (but looking at the mess I don't think they could tbh)..


----------



## dave r (24 Aug 2021)

keithmac said:


> All back in one piece, properly wired with separate circuits and fuses for speedo and lighting (both available from factory fusebox..).
> 
> Found the "smoking gun", speedo cable poorly secured and earthing out though brake disk!.
> 
> ...



Well done! Good job.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Aug 2021)

Rack fettling for wife’s bike. Correct size seat post clamp with rack mounts arrived yesterday. So today testing mounting my own rack with the longer struts and special clamp I needed. All works great. So now ordered a full rack (black one) and panniers for her. Mini tour in September. Here we come.


----------



## JoeyB (27 Aug 2021)

JoeyB said:


> Built my spare frameset up (old winter bike) ready for its new owner. Just waiting on a cassette to arrive and then it will be good to go...
> 
> 
> View attachment 605804
> ...



Sold this bike today

Never sold a bike before, only ever bought more. Strange feeling.... not sure I like it.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Aug 2021)

JoeyB said:


> Sold this bike today
> 
> Never sold a bike before, only ever bought more. Strange feeling.... not sure I like it.



Room now to buy another


----------



## JoeyB (27 Aug 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Room now to buy another



Absolutely. Technically the frameset has already been purchased (De Rosa SK) but the general parts shortage has meant build has been delayed...


----------



## 400ixl (27 Aug 2021)

Pulled my old Dawes road bike out of the shed (not been used in 20 years). Stripped it down, but not sure it is worth saving to be honest as its pretty rusty in places.

Frame is a Reynolds 500 CroMo tube with Shimano Light Action SIS 6 speed groupset and Weinmann brakes. So fairly basic components.

Do have a set of 700c wheels which are Mavic MA2 Argent rims with Shimano 105 hubs with it. Spokes have rusted up, but the rest are good and straight. Probably the only parts worth salvaging?


----------



## JoeyB (27 Aug 2021)

400ixl said:


> Pulled my old Dawes road bike out of the shed (not been used in 20 years). Stripped it down, but not sure it is worth saving to be honest as its pretty rusty in places.
> 
> Frame is a Reynolds 500 CroMo tube with Shimano Light Action SIS 6 speed groupset and Weinmann brakes. So fairly basic components.
> 
> Do have a set of 700c wheels which are Mavic MA2 Argent rims with Shimano 105 hubs with it. Spokes have rusted up, but the rest are good and straight. Probably the only parts worth salvaging?



Convert it to single speed, remove the brakes and sell it to some hipster...


----------



## Ming the Merciless (27 Aug 2021)

JoeyB said:


> Absolutely. Technically the frameset has already been purchased (De Rosa SK) but the general parts shortage has meant build has been delayed...



What forks came in the frame set?


----------



## HLaB (27 Aug 2021)

In prep for tomorrow, I cleaned my TT bike topped up the tyres with sealant and then lubed it again. The disc with a circa 80mm stem topped up no mess but I was a little too impatient on the front wheel with a shorter stem and got some blow back of sealant. I should have injected it more slowly


----------



## Gunk (28 Aug 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> The going rate on EBay is circa £250-£300. I’d be expecting a large profit!!!



You were right, it made £240


----------



## Ming the Merciless (28 Aug 2021)

Took my rack off wife’s bike ahead of a ride. Have now ordered her rack and panniers ahead of our Sept tour.


----------



## bikingdad90 (28 Aug 2021)

@Gunk good to hear. I assume you will be reinvesting and flipping more?


----------



## DaveReading (29 Aug 2021)

New chain, hadn't been checking the current one often enough and it had grown by about 1%.

Predictable result with the new one - new cassette now on order ...


----------



## keithmac (30 Aug 2021)

Been after a loft ladder for a while but restricted by width and height.

Finally found a 4 piece one that would fit.

Cut joists and framed it out on Friday night, cut ceiling after work on Saturday then fitted the hatch yesterday.

Really nice bit of kit, worth the mess!.

Just needs trimming up now.


----------



## cyberknight (30 Aug 2021)

new door handle and latch for internal door , had to fill , sand and paint door too as i couldnt get one the same size, cleared up little plastic balls from an exploding bat cushion, cleaned bath room, cleaned house , 3 loads of washing and just having a quick sarnie before i tighten the cones on the commuter bike


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (30 Aug 2021)

My new KMC chain arrived today and so I've removed the old stretched chain and added the nice, shiny new chain. I also wanted to check a slight wobble I'd noticed with the cassette when removing the wheel so had a quick look, tightening of cones and all fine and working well. While I was there and as usual with a new chain, I indexed the gears and generally made sure the drivetrain was running smoothly.


----------



## JoeyB (31 Aug 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> What forks came in the frame set?


Sorry missed this, just a standard carbon disc mount fork I believe...?


----------



## DCLane (31 Aug 2021)

Having damaged a carbon wheel rim I bought some resin, hardener plus other bits and have had a go at repairing the damaged lip. The result isn't bad and, although I'd not use it on the road for safety reasons, it's holding a tyre fine and is on the smart turbo. I've also swapped the Junior 14-28 cassette for an 11-28 on the smart turbo. It _might_ make a difference to my performance on Zwift but I doubt it. The Junior cassette's gone onto the carbon wheelset I bought a week ago for training use.

I then glued a new Tufo tub onto one of my son's spare track wheels. We checked the others after this was pushed off far too easily: one other is damaged for his front track disc so we're awaiting a new tub for that.

His PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb bike snapped yet another mech hanger. Prior diagnosis of issues picked up that the rear mech sometimes caught in the lowest gear, so we've put in a replacement Dura-Ace rear mech. All seems OK but he'll need a couple of tests before hillclimb season starts proper.


----------



## keithmac (31 Aug 2021)

Some more carbs today (Superdream 400), another snapped pilot air screw (people wind them in too far and they snap off in carb housing).

Warmed it through with electric heat gun then manged to push it out with a sewing needle, part of my toolkit now!.

I've got a 1974/5 CB750 in for carbs as well, and a Triumph Bonneville. 

Test fitted needle in good side to get correct diameter, took a pair if needle nose vice grips and large circlip pliers plus plenty of heat to remove the broken one from the other side.





New jets, fuel need, slide needle and guides fitted, float height set etc.


----------



## Gunk (1 Sep 2021)

That’s a dying art, not many workshops out there able to service carbs these days.


----------



## keithmac (1 Sep 2021)

Gunk said:


> That’s a dying art, not many workshops out there able to service carbs these days.



Yeh I've probably had 20 carb jobs through this year already, the state some of them have been in is shocking, even worse when you're following some else in who's already charged the customer for the pleasure..

Even simple stuff like fuel/ float heights etc.


----------



## keithmac (1 Sep 2021)

Just balancing up the Superdream then this is next, going to be a fair few hours to get it spot on but worth the effort!


----------



## JoeyB (1 Sep 2021)

This will explain why my chain isn’t running smooth!! Better sort it before it blows up under load


----------



## keithmac (1 Sep 2021)

Forgot about my Bonneville, had a go at that this afternoon..

Carb slides not opening fully, snaged slide springs, vacuum slide diaphragms incorrectly fitted, had to cut slots into the seized "tamperproof" pilot air screws to remove.

Yet again sorting last blokes mess out .




















Ordered some bits to finish it tomorrow hopefully..


----------



## Andy in Germany (2 Sep 2021)

A rough chain on the Tourer had been diagnosed as it being several links too long, so that in some gears the rear mech was fully retracted and the chain still loose, so it rubbed against the jockey wheels.

This clearly was urgent, so I dithered and tried to ignore it for a week or two.

Yesterday I decided enough was enough, and it was time to fix the chain. I didn't have a tool to open the missing link, but I was not worried: I had found several Youtube videos showing that this is simply achieved by wrapping a used gear cable around the missing link and pulling it with a pair of pliers, and stick it one to the capitalist-consumerist society.

I attempted this method, and it was a valuable experience. For one, it told me that this method didn't work.

This was annoying, so I went to get my things together for another rattly ride. On the way, I reflected that I shouldn't be downhearted: I'd learned from the experience and I would find another way forward. What, for example, would Napoleon have done?

Invade Sardinia, probably. This was not helpful.

Suddenly a light bulb moment: I had a spare missing link in my tool bag. I needed to remove several links. I could remove the links around the ML, and then just put one link in.

This was achieved, with a bit more removed than I was planning. I rode nervously around the car park: silence.

I cycled back from work marvelling at the lack of effort, and no longer clicking in a manner that had brought small children out to watch.

30km later the chain hasn't landed on the road in a rather ugly mess: the bike is working, gears change first time; everyone is happy.


----------



## JoeyB (2 Sep 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> A rough chain on the Tourer had been diagnosed as it being several links too long, so that in some gears the rear mech was fully retracted and the chain still loose, so it rubbed against the jockey wheels.
> 
> This clearly was urgent, so I dithered and tried to ignore it for a week or two.
> 
> ...



This did make me chuckle, I can only apologise that it had to be at your expense!

I use the gear cable method, but found that it has to be of sufficient length otherwise you don't get enough free for a strong grip.

I'm thinking I'll just replace my damaged chain link with another quick link, I too found one in the tool box a couple of days ago!


----------



## Dogtrousers (2 Sep 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> I attempted this method, and it was a valuable experience. For one, it told me that this method didn't work.


There's another method whereby you make the split link stand up from the chainwheel in a kind of V shape, and hit it with a brick.

That doesn't work either (IME)


----------



## si_c (2 Sep 2021)

Been unhappy with the brake line routing on the Racelight, it was a little shorter (perhaps an inch) than I would have liked meaning that the line rubbed against the fork a bit. I've been meaning to do this for a while, so took advantage of watching a seminar this afternoon to pull the line off entirely and fit a new brake line.

Was a little apprehensive as this is the first time I've fully replaced a brake hose, but it all went really smoothly. The old hose came off easily enough after fully draining the system - although there was a little rust like discolouring at the caliper end. Took the new hose, new barbs installed, olive fitted and new fittings that came with the kit. Greased the threads which hadn't been done on previously, and installed.

New brake fluid to fill and flush the lines and all done. Didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it might, about a half hour.


----------



## keithmac (2 Sep 2021)

Been riding to work on my homebrew ebike, love it to bits!. 

Adjusted the saddle one click back but as you can see in the picture it was a click too far.

Just waiting for my Tannus Airless tyres to arrive but I think Hermes have lost them by the look if it, bloody hope not!.






Calibrated the Triumph speedo as well, so it's ready to get collected now. Was relatively straight forward after I'd got my head around it (used GPS measured mile, then compared to GPS speed, it's bob on).

How a shop can (very badly) wire a speedo in, charge customer and not even try to set it up is mind boggling really..






Got legged in to a Harley Prep (and carb clean!) as well, not too bad a job.











Had an accident on the Snap-on van last week as well, like moving house moving tool boxes!. Ignore the catalogue pose .


----------



## JhnBssll (4 Sep 2021)

A bit more prep for the Oltre this afternoon ready for tomorrows ride. A quick wheel off clean (it was dusty more than anything ) was the first job.

With the chain removed I decided it was time to swap it for its warranty replacement - the coloured coating had started to come away in chunks and KMC sent a free replacement after I sent them a few photos and some details - fair play to them 

On reassembly I noticed the rear disc was scuffing slightly so I spent a bit of time getting it straight again. Whilst doing this job I noticed the left hand pedal was very tight on its bearings. I say noticed, I mean remembered - this was a job I'd been meaning to do for months  So I quickly stripped it and adjusted the bearings before popping it back together again 😊

All shiny and clean again for tomorrow's ride, and wearing her new chain 😊











Still waiting on the warranty replacement frame to cure the wonky bottle cage mounts but given the state of the bicycle market that might be a year away as yet, I've been waiting 6 months already since they confirmed they'd replace it  With it being perfectly rideable I'm not in any hurry, in fact its ace knowing it'll be replaced at some point as I don't have to worry about picking up scuffs or stone chips (or loosely clamping the top tube in a workstand )...


----------



## fossyant (4 Sep 2021)

Replacement cartridge bearing sourced on ebay for my old MTB's Shimano STX headset - they are getting hard to find. The only issue I've had, the last 20 years that that headset has been there, its the original headset was a very low stack, and even removing the washer, I only get about 5mm maximum thread for the top lock nut to secure with. Well it was starting to strip, and I've got no spares, so flipped the locknut for the 'unused' thread and it's secure (tested on a very bumpy off road ride). Nice to have a smooth headset again. Should last a long time as the bike is wearing full guards now.


----------



## pawl (4 Sep 2021)

Cleaned the chain ,chain wheel Took rear wheel out gave the sprockets a good scrub All nice and shiny,Looks to good to ride Hope there’s no rain forecast


----------



## FrankCrank (5 Sep 2021)

Fixed a puncture, and proud of my frugality at having 7 patches on a 20" tube


----------



## Salad Dodger (5 Sep 2021)

The seat post on my ebike lowers itself into the frame of the bike, slowly but surely, and no amount of pressure on the seat post clamp will stop it. Maybe its a reflection of the weight that it is expected to bear. 

Today I got fed up with this impromptu dropper post. I have put a jubilee clip round the seat post so that (hopefully!) it can't sink further into the frame on every ride.....


----------



## si_c (5 Sep 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> The seat post on my ebike lowers itself into the frame of the bike, slowly but surely, and no amount of pressure on the seat post clamp will stop it. Maybe its a reflection of the weight that it is expected to bear.
> 
> Today I got fed up with this impromptu dropper post. I have put a jubilee clip round the seat post so that (hopefully!) it can't sink further into the frame on every ride.....


Remove the seatpost, clean the inside of the frame and the post itself, then remove the clamp and clean the bolt and all the threads. Regrease the threads on the bolt, and refit, chances are something got greased or oily and there's not enough friction in the system to hold it in place. If that fails, refit jubilee clip


----------



## Andy in Germany (5 Sep 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> The seat post on my ebike lowers itself into the frame of the bike, slowly but surely, and no amount of pressure on the seat post clamp will stop it. Maybe its a reflection of the weight that it is expected to bear.
> 
> Today I got fed up with this impromptu dropper post. I have put a jubilee clip round the seat post so that (hopefully!) it can't sink further into the frame on every ride.....



The seat post on my tourer does that, but as it takes several weeks before I notice I generally reset it, make a mental note to deal with the problem, then forget it for six weeks until I realise my knees are around my ears again, and repeat...


----------



## FrankCrank (5 Sep 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> The seat post on my ebike lowers itself into the frame of the bike, slowly but surely, and no amount of pressure on the seat post clamp will stop it. Maybe its a reflection of the weight that it is expected to bear.
> 
> Today I got fed up with this impromptu dropper post. I have put a jubilee clip round the seat post so that (hopefully!) it can't sink further into the frame on every ride.....


Maybe a shim could be added to fix the problem. A drinks can comes in handy for this, great excuse to neck a beer


----------



## roubaixtuesday (5 Sep 2021)

First the tandem canti brakes needed adjusting due to wear. Inevitably with cantis this ended up taking about an hour or so. Such a pain to set up. 

Then the tyre inner tube and cassette needed swapping over to a spare wheel after yesterday's incident. Will get the pringled one re-rimmed, but that's an LBS job, no wheel builder am I.







Also patched the tube from yesterday's puncture. Finally, got round to putting cleats on the new MTB shoes, the old ones being well and truly past it...





And faffed around deciding how many insoles to add to compensate for my problem of having very long and very narrow feet.


----------



## keithmac (5 Sep 2021)

Framed my loft hatch today, bought a PVC kit but it didn't cut the mustard unfortunately so...

I dug some skirting out of the loft, then I dug out and unboxed a table saw I've owned for probably 10 years to rip it down to size.

After fitting the trim I then had to make a table to sit on top of the table saw so I could put all the tut back in the right place .

Pleased with the trim, coving needs filling then a few coats of paint will sort it out.

The plasterboard was a right mess where last loft hatch had been fitted so this has been screwed into the joists/ frame above to support it all. 

Took me all afternoon but I wasn't rushing, nice to just potter around once in a while .

Got Oil and Filter to do on the family Kuga but that can wait until next Sunday..


----------



## Andy in Germany (5 Sep 2021)

keithmac said:


> Framed my loft hatch today, bought a PVC kit but it didn't cut the mustard unfortunately so...
> 
> I dug some skirting out of the loft, then I dug out and unboxed a table saw I've owned for probably 10 years to rip it down to size.
> 
> ...



Crikey that's tight. Nice work though.


----------



## keithmac (5 Sep 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Crikey that's tight. Nice work though.



Cheers! I did a few test drops while fitting it, there's 5mm clearance all round.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (6 Sep 2021)

As I'll need my MTB all this week, I thought I'd better clean it up and have a test ride. Problems with gears ghosting on middle sprockets so new chain on and hope for the best. Second test ride: no, it's the cassette and I don't have a new one to fit and the shops are now shut. Remembered I had an old cassette from another bike that is very worn but may do as a stop-gap - fitted it and tested: it's fine for normal pootling but slips under big power - that's perfect as no big power is needed. Replacement ordered for click and collect tonight, and it will only take two minutes to swap them over. Ready to go!

I also swapped the tyres over for hybrid as more fit for purpose this week.


----------



## bikingdad90 (6 Sep 2021)

@keithmac we got ours done last year and find we get a little bit of expansion on the locking side (closest side in your pictures) in the summer but then it shrinks back down in the winter, don’t be tempted too trim it back initially, just give it a good shove to close it up.


----------



## keithmac (8 Sep 2021)

1975 CB750 today, 2 1/2 hours in before they've even seen the Ultrasound bath..

Not going to be a straight forward job, they're in a bit of a state and been half done a while back it seems..


























Bits ordered and boxed up.

Full service (valve clearances etc) on this after lunch!..


----------



## keithmac (8 Sep 2021)

Z1000SX has exploded, 4 hours in and all exhaust clearances out of spec (tight as they always are).

Cam out and ordered shims for tomorrow, then put it all back together..


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (8 Sep 2021)

My new cassette for the MTB was finally ready to collect, I did so and fitted it. Lovely shifting.


----------



## DCLane (9 Sep 2021)

The rear gears on my Raleigh SP Race went to single-speed last night after the cable went, so a new rear cable was installed. It's done 2500 miles since built late last year so a decent amount of use.

The bike's heading into commuting use, so needed to be ready for when I start commuting again in a week or so - albeit one day a week at first.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (9 Sep 2021)

Removed old 8-speed cassette & chain, cleaned the hub before cutting & fitting new KMC chain & Microshift cassette. 
Checked and tightened rear mudguard chainstay point while the wheel was out. 
Indexed the rear derailleur, set limits on the front derailleur, and attended to more paint chips.


----------



## CXRAndy (9 Sep 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> The seat post on my ebike lowers itself into the frame of the bike, slowly but surely, and no amount of pressure on the seat post clamp will stop it. Maybe its a reflection of the weight that it is expected to bear.
> 
> Today I got fed up with this impromptu dropper post. I have put a jubilee clip round the seat post so that (hopefully!) it can't sink further into the frame on every ride.....



Take the post out degrease. Then rub with 100 grit sandpaper to roughen the post where it sits in the frame. 

Ive just had this on my new bike, with a new post. No more slipping 👍


----------



## keithmac (9 Sep 2021)

My Tannus Airless tyres have arrived finally!. 

Job for the weekend methinks..


----------



## Andy in Germany (9 Sep 2021)

Just took delivery from Rose of several bike parts. That they are intended for Beautiful Wife's bike in Stuttgart 200km away is a slight inconvenience...


----------



## fossyant (9 Sep 2021)

My daughter came down to ask for more ink in the printer as she was about to print for college. Both blacks were low (one is photo black).

Replaced them and bing bong printer system error. Nothing would fix it so out comes all 5 cartridges and the print head removed and taken into the garage and blasted clean with electrical contact cleaner. If this doesn't work (it will be dry by tomorrow) then its new printer time. Had it 10 years.


----------



## DaveReading (9 Sep 2021)

fossyant said:


> My daughter came down to ask for more ink in the printer as she was about to print for college. Both blacks were low (one is photo black).
> 
> Replaced them and bing bong printer system error. Nothing would fix it so out comes all 5 cartridges and the print head removed and taken into the garage and blasted clean with electrical contact cleaner. If this doesn't work (it will be dry by tomorrow) then its new printer time. Had it 10 years.



Snap.

I've just resurrected a 15-year-old HP Photosmart, which gives good results for an elderly budget printer, but is a more than a tad temperamental. I'm discovering the joys of refilling integrated printhead/cartridges. 

Anyone looking at the syringes littering my desk might get the wrong idea ...


----------



## Leaway2 (9 Sep 2021)

keithmac said:


> My Tannus Airless tyres have arrived finally!.
> 
> Job for the weekend methinks..
> 
> View attachment 608401


Let us know how you get on with these please.


----------



## FrankCrank (10 Sep 2021)

fossyant said:


> My daughter came down to ask for more ink in the printer as she was about to print for college. Both blacks were low (one is photo black).
> 
> Replaced them and bing bong printer system error. Nothing would fix it so out comes all 5 cartridges and the print head removed and taken into the garage and blasted clean with electrical contact cleaner. If this doesn't work (it will be dry by tomorrow) then its new printer time. Had it 10 years.


Mrs Crank got a new laser printer a short time back, and run out of toner now. When new, they only partially fill them it seems. Anyhow, printer cost around 45 quid, new toner cartridge is 27 quid. Could have got this for maybe half, but she wants an original cartridge as it's for her work. Glad we don't have a colour one and all that extra kerfuffle.


----------



## DCLane (10 Sep 2021)

Son no. 2 needs to read course notes and routes better 

He's riding tomorrow's national junior TT and decided late last night that a TT bike wouldn't be a good idea due to the early climbs and tight corners; the TT forum had notes on it. The power riders might be OK but at 53kg he's going on his road bike with 60mm wheels rather than a rear disc to climb faster then see what happens on the descent. In Yorkshire we'd call it a 'spoco' TT course: https://www.strava.com/segments/27947991

So cue clip-on bars added, with a full 11-28 Dura-Ace onto his spare 60mm deep race wheels which co-incidentally have 22/23mm TT tubs on, Garmin mount on the stem rather than the bars. All set early this morning ready for the event tomorrow on the south coast. Now that's a drive given he's a 2/3/4 race on Sunday in Wakefield so the TT bars will be off and wheel changed for that late tomorrow evening. 

TBH I'm not expecting a brilliant result but he's at least having a go tomorrow: it'll be a morning test-ride and he _may_ decide to use the TT bike after all - in which case it's 'as you were' .


----------



## fossyant (10 Sep 2021)

DaveReading said:


> Snap.
> 
> I've just resurrected a 15-year-old HP Photosmart, which gives good results for an elderly budget printer, but is a more than a tad temperamental. I'm discovering the joys of refilling integrated printhead/cartridges.
> 
> Anyone looking at the syringes littering my desk might get the wrong idea ...



New print head ordered for £25. If all else fails there are Office Jets with a good spec and auto document feed for scanning for £120 with 9 months free HP Instant ink. No brainer. Loathed to bin it unless it's really 'dead'.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (10 Sep 2021)

Set up front light on hack bike; powered from an old hub dynamo.


----------



## Spiderweb (11 Sep 2021)

Gave my bike a really good clean and fitted some Conti GP5000’s which I found really difficult to get on the rims and had to use tyre levers. Never had them before so let’s see if they live up to the hype on today’s ride.


----------



## keithmac (12 Sep 2021)

Lovely looking bike you've got there 👍.


----------



## keithmac (12 Sep 2021)

My lad is adament we're taking the gearbox and engine out of my Mk2 Golf today so we'll see what happens!.

Got Arlo CCTV to fit as well and my Tannus tyres hopefully, busy day off work (busman's holiday ,).


----------



## rogerzilla (12 Sep 2021)

The factory didn't grease the tapers when fitting this crank a couple of decades ago, so the extractor ripped out the threads. Now, I used to have a gear puller somewhere but goodness knows where it went. So less sophisticated means were employed.



2021-09-12_08-22-17 by rogerzilla, on Flickr


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## FrankCrank (13 Sep 2021)

rogerzilla said:


> The factory didn't grease the tapers when fitting this crank a couple of decades ago, so the extractor ripped out the threads. Now, I used to have a gear puller somewhere but goodness knows where it went. So less sophisticated means were employed.
> 
> 
> View attachment 608865
> 2021-09-12_08-22-17 by rogerzilla, on Flickr


Bit of epoxy on that and it's good to go.


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Sep 2021)

FrankCrank said:


> Bit of epoxy on that and it's good to go.


Done,but the front indexing's not quite right. Maybe I should add a few pop rivets.


----------



## jowwy (13 Sep 2021)

rogerzilla said:


> The factory didn't grease the tapers when fitting this crank a couple of decades ago, so the extractor ripped out the threads. Now, I used to have a gear puller somewhere but goodness knows where it went. So less sophisticated means were employed.
> 
> 
> View attachment 608865
> 2021-09-12_08-22-17 by rogerzilla, on Flickr


a good welder will have that ready to go in a few hours.......if not, then duck tape will sort it


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Sep 2021)

jowwy said:


> a good welder will have that ready to go in a few hours.......if not, then duck tape will sort it


And cable ties. All joining repairs on a bike need cable ties.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (13 Sep 2021)

Rode home with my lad from work tonight, he says to me he might need new pedals, I have a quick look and they are snapped in half. (He still has the cheap plastic ones that came with the bike.)

Remind me when we get home I say to him. 5 minutes after getting home I find a spare pair of V12s and they are fitted. My good deed of the day done - until he tells me tomorrow there is something wrong with them and that will remind me why I had taken them off one of my bikes some time previous.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (13 Sep 2021)

Re did bar tape on left side of road bike.


----------



## Punkawallah (13 Sep 2021)

Ongoing saga of the Saddle Creak. Removed saddle bag & mini pump. Still creaks. Removed saddle & cleaned rails + clamp, then re-assembled. Tomorrow, we ride!


----------



## avecReynolds531 (13 Sep 2021)

Dynamo wiring arrived - rewired the connector at the hub, and set up both lights again on the hack bike.


----------



## DCBassman (14 Sep 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> 10/10 for manufacturer's name/valve alignment on the front wheel. 6/10 on the rear.


Mine are perfectly aligned. However, when loading bike on car the other day, noticed the rear rotation direction was wrong. Only been like it 6 months. Observant, that's me...


----------



## Spiderweb (14 Sep 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> 10/10 for manufacturer's name/valve alignment on the front wheel. 6/10 on the rear.


I know! And it’s really irritating me. They were so difficult to get on the rims, I noticed it wasn’t quite lined up. It was so tight I was unable to slide it over 100mm and didn’t want to take it off again.


----------



## Andy in Germany (14 Sep 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Mine are perfectly aligned. However, when loading bike on car the other day, noticed the rear rotation direction was wrong. Only been like it 6 months. Observant, that's me...



I should have the name and valve lined up?


----------



## keithmac (14 Sep 2021)

Trying to salvage an MP3 tilt lock system today, split the unit and clocked the drive gear 180 degrees to use the unworn section.

It needs calibrating on the diagnostics so weather or not it will be a success is anyones guess but worth a try!.

















Silly money for new parts and no availability so nothing to lose having a go.


----------



## Spiderweb (14 Sep 2021)

Gave my Tricross a good clean today and fitted new 28mm Continental GP5000’s. @Dogtrousers I properly lined up the Conti logo with my valves just for you!


----------



## DCLane (14 Sep 2021)

Cleaning and other bits today;

My Avanti Circa 1 winter commuter got a clean and cyclocross wheels on for a bit of use prior to the winter.






Then I had a look at the bike I'd bought a couple of weeks ago and gave three of the four away. I kept the Dawes Kingpin; it was a bit of a mess with not much working. The rear tyre and tube were in bits although the rear Sturmey Archer hub worked along with the shifter after some lubricant persuasion  , so I did a temporary swap with a spare wheel.

Both handlebars grips were covered in some sort of ooze (old sun-tan lotion?  ) and a mess so they've been swapped with a spare pair. The seatpost was unstuck and cleaned - more  - and it'll need a new chain. The left brake cable is stuck, so that was cut off and a new one's being put together. Front wheel has had the bearings re-greased and a spare used front tyre.

I _really_ don't need a 3rd Kingpin; I've a good one, a TT/racing project one, and wouldn't mind a folding version. But this one's spare for the moment: it'll head off to my storage unit once I get access again to it in a couple of weeks' time.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (14 Sep 2021)

Nothing. All my fettling is done on patio and it’s been pissing down all day


----------



## Svendo (15 Sep 2021)

Replaced the broken expensive Cannondale carbon bottle cages (~£30 reduced in 2016), 18gms plus rubber grommet and bolts on the Suoersix evo hi-mod. Now have 2 x XLC BC01-C1 cages (£14.99 each) 20 grams snd reused the titanium bolts. They’re labelled Carbon but look like polycarbonate.


----------



## biggs682 (15 Sep 2021)

Started giving my recently acquired Carrera crixus cx a check over and as usual no grease in the front hub  so remedied that and fitted a different tyre as well.


----------



## Gunk (15 Sep 2021)

DCLane said:


> Cleaning and other bits today;
> 
> My Avanti Circa 1 winter commuter got a clean and cyclocross wheels on for a bit of use prior to the winter.
> 
> ...



I hope you pulled those weeds up at the same time!


----------



## DCLane (15 Sep 2021)

Gunk said:


> I hope you pulled those weeds up at the same time!



Not my weeds but the seller's. There were _far_ more in their front garden


----------



## rogerzilla (16 Sep 2021)

Tried to true the wheels on the s/h Ridgeback MTB we bought for a niece, found the whole lot was rusted solid after 25 years ("rustless spokes", my arse) so chopped the whole lot out and ordered 64 DT Competition in the same lengths.


----------



## keithmac (17 Sep 2021)

Emergency shoe repairs, Gorrilla Glue Gel and a bike stand clamp!.


----------



## Elybazza61 (17 Sep 2021)

Thorough(fish) clean for the x-trail;hasn't been even wiped over since the Fridays London to Cambridge ride and has had a lot of commute work since then.

All nice now though


----------



## HLaB (17 Sep 2021)

I swapped out my chain a few weeks ago on the road bike and although it wasn't slipping, it seemed a bit noisy but on the two harder group rides I have done it has slipped once at the end of the 30mile route when I stand up to sprint uphill. I bought a spare cassette at the time I bought the new chain so that was put on just before tea. Hopefully it will be fine on my next hard group ride final sprint next week.


----------



## keithmac (18 Sep 2021)

The Buccaneer is finally under surgery, permanently magnet rotor and electronic ignition going on and the horrific Dynastart and mechanical regulator going in the bin!.

Got the stator on and keyless flywheel timed up yesterday, brackets made to mount new coil etc just wiring to do today.


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2021)

This was a bike I bought for one of my boy‘s friends, he’s 11 but a bit vertically challenged. The BB and headset hadworked loose and it was a bit scruffy. I took it to my repairer friend locally for those things as he has the tools and gave it a new chain and tyres.
Bought a couple of rattle cans and finished it in stealthy black and red. Added a three way LED light for £2.50.
He (Dickson) is very pleased with the result.


----------



## Elybazza61 (19 Sep 2021)

Yesterday re-fitted front Terravail Cannonball tubeless with fresh rim tape and sealant.

Today checking the luggage set ups on my X-Trail and the better halfs' Kona for the forthcoming Champing break in Naarf*ck.


----------



## Punkawallah (19 Sep 2021)

Puncture on the Renown fixed - well, puncture, more like old inner tube failed at the valve seat. At lest it got me home :-)


----------



## C R (19 Sep 2021)

Gave the road bike a good clean after riding through a deluge this morning.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (19 Sep 2021)

Added my newly purchased Boardman Hybrid Team Pedals to my Fuji. Pumped up the back tyre too as it had lost a little pressure.

Yesterday, I added my pannier rack and correctly set up my new Ortlieb panniers.


----------



## keithmac (20 Sep 2021)

Seviced our Kuga on Sunday, half way through designing a dipstick for the Powershift gearbox (it's a very convoluted way to set oil level and basically requires half a gearbox service to set, bloody madness!).

My Mk1 GTECH has been languishing in the shed, my son has expressed an interest in if for a work steed so gave it a good clean today. 

50% TFR and detaling bushes have brought it up as good as new!. Just have to keep bike wet, clean in sections and rinse often.

Considering it's done 8,000 miles with basically no maintenance it's amazing how well it's come up, Carbon Belt and Pulleys still perfectly servicable.

The Nomad Rechargeable pressure washer is ideal for the bikes.

Washed my Mk2 GTECH as well which is a rarity!.

Can't make my mind up about the Tannus Airless tyre on my mid drive but that's a tread all on it's own..


----------



## DCLane (20 Sep 2021)

Adjusted the front and rear derailleurs on my Raleigh SP Race as they weren't shifting properly.

Then pulled son no. 2's PlanetX hillclimb bike out. The crankset's always been a bit 'sticky' and I don't like that thought: it's purely for hillclimb competitions and it'd mean he lost power. So ...

Out comes the FSA 3D crankset; a bit dirty but fine
The Dura-Ace 9000 bottom bracket was a bit sticky and has always been a tight fit. So I'll save that for something else as it's got less than 10 miles on.
Swapped that with a new ceramic-bearing Aerozine and bit the 15g weight increase. In that goes, with a longer fixing bolt.
All spins nicely and freely. Just needs testing before a hillclimb on Saturday up something steep: https://veloviewer.com/segments/13283733

Now time to play with my new NeilPryde Bayamo TT bike build, having picked up some Zipp bars with Dura-Ace brake levers last week.


----------



## Supersuperleeds (20 Sep 2021)

Got our lasses bike out for her this morning and noticed the tyres were a bit spongy so left them and went to work.






Pumped them up when I got home tonight


----------



## HLaB (20 Sep 2021)

I paired my new TickR with the phone, garmins and laptop #DigitalFettling


----------



## rogerzilla (21 Sep 2021)

Finished this commuting bike for SO's niece. Needed more fettling than anticipated...had to rebuild both wheels with new spokes, cut off the original cranks as they were seized to the BB, both shifters were broken, chain was minging, V-brakes had been set up by a mechanic who had obviously never worked on V-brakes before (the pad spacers were the wrong way around for the boss spacing, so the arms were at a crazy angle).

It was just supposed to be new tyres and mudguards


----------



## Punkawallah (21 Sep 2021)

You know, I've got a similar t-shirt to that one :-)

Fettling wise, brakes adjusted on the Renown (fair wear & tear) and _another_ quarter turn on the adjusting screw to try & stop the rattling at the far end of the gears.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (21 Sep 2021)

Came home to be told my wife's car had a flat tyre. Flat swapped for spare. My wife will take the flat to the garage tomorrow to be repaired (nail in the centre of the tread).


----------



## rogerzilla (22 Sep 2021)

For what it's worth, this is what V-brakes should look like. More like an H than a V! The fat spacers had been fitted on the pad side of the arms, meaning there was about an inch of cable between the rubber boot and the opposite arm.


----------



## rogerzilla (22 Sep 2021)

The Moulton came back from the powdercoaters (it's pretty good, for powdercoat) so I re-riveted the rear suspension block. Not easy at all - the holes have to be exactly lined up in a piece of 1965 metal that has now been bent three times (once at the factory, once to get it off and once to get it back on). But it's done, and I've touched up the paint.


----------



## Gillstay (22 Sep 2021)

Went through this Raleigh and put it on e bay in the hope someone will use it as it was skip destined.

It felt wrong to just chuck a well made cycle that some kid may get some pleasure out off.


----------



## bruce1530 (22 Sep 2021)

Replaced tyres (2x Schwalbe Durano DD)
Replaced the FD skid plate
Needed to do a few other minor jobs, cursed when I realised my toolbox was at daughter's house...


----------



## Mike_P (23 Sep 2021)

Bike accessories fettling today. Having bought a Garmin Varia a few weeks back I have been using a below top bar bag instead of a saddle bag. Depending where I put the below top bar bag my left leg caught it to differing extents. Postie turned up today with a new quick release Bontanger saddle bag and 3D printed saddle bag compatible Varia mount. Both fitted, the 3D one on the upward angle of the saddle bars and the saddle bag as normal.


----------



## DCBassman (24 Sep 2021)

Today I replaced the stem on the Revell mixte. It's a vintage 1" threaded job, fitted until now with a low 80mm SR stem, which almost certainly was fitted with drops originally. 
Now has a much taller post, with a 60mm riser stem. In fact it is too large an item really. At a reasonable height, it's as low as it will go, and the wedge is almost visible under the fork crown. But it has done what I wanted, and made the fit similar to the Scott. 
Comparison 




Shiny.
No idea when I'll get to ride it!


----------



## C R (24 Sep 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Today I replaced the stem on the Revell mixte. It's a vintage 1" threaded job, fitted until now with a low 80mm SR stem, which almost certainly was fitted with drops originally.
> Now has a much taller post, with a 60mm riser stem. In fact it is too large an item really. At a reasonable height, it's as low as it will go, and the wedge is almost visible under the fork crown. But it has done what I wanted, and made the fit similar to the Scott.
> Comparison
> View attachment 610684
> ...


I'd be concerned if the wedge is as high as you say, you don't want that to slip.


----------



## HLaB (24 Sep 2021)

I don't know if applying electrical tape counts as fettling but every time I used my Varia on my TT bike (mostly in training) it done this:


I used it for the first time on a TT last week and was impressed with how much more visible it looked, so I did this:






Not really pretty or aero but there's only one TT left for me so sourcing something better can wait till next year.


----------



## Punkawallah (24 Sep 2021)

Tape of any type always counts :-)

Finally got rid of my saddle creak by rubbing the rails with grease. Let's see if it continues in silence . . .
Collected from the post office and swapped out the chain ring on the Galaxy. 52/42 down to 48/34. Still keeping the bigger ones for when the rings on the Renown go ;-)


----------



## TheDoctor (25 Sep 2021)

My Lenovo 100s Ideapad has always had a slightly iffy keyboard, but it's got a lot, lot worse over the last few years.
Changing the keyboard means taking the entire laptop to bits.
How hard can it possibly be?
Before...





OK, break out the Precision Screwdriver of Destiny, and let us begin!

Mid-fettle...




It's amazing how big the battery is (big black thing in middle, white text on it) compared to the actual computing bit (blueish thing on the right with barcode sticker).
A new keyboard was under a tenner of the Bay of E. It's underneath just about everything in there...
After.




Ideapads come in a few colours, with either a black or white keyboard.
White ones have a white keyboard, so of course I was going to fit a black keyboard. Because I can!
Sadly, the keyboard is still rubbish. I now suspect the keyboard driver chip is a bit knacked.
That's a surface-mount component, and I don't have the part, or the kit to rework it.
I have also come to accept that my eyesight is no longer up to precision electronic work. After my retinal bleed in May 2008, my depth perception at close range is shot, and my now-dominant eye has heavy astigmatism. I can correct the astigmatism with a contact lens, but I just can't do close-up stuff anymore.
However. I have taken my laptop to bits, and reassembled it, and it still works! Considering it cost me £83 in 2016, and I'm happily running a business on it, it's doing OK.


----------



## DCBassman (25 Sep 2021)

C R said:


> I'd be concerned if the wedge is as high as you say, you don't want that to slip.


Not high. The new stem fills the entire steerer tube from top to bottom. It ain't going anywhere!


----------



## keithmac (25 Sep 2021)

She's a runner but far from finished..


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxU4cElsk4&feature=youtu.be


----------



## DCLane (25 Sep 2021)

I've continued working on the Kingpin I bought a few weeks ago; new chain and the rear wheel's been cleaned and oiled, with a swap for the correct white Brooks saddle (one came in a pile of bike bits I was given). Just a tyre/tube swap to the original rear wheel from 7/1986 and that's this bike done with photo to follow.


----------



## Andy in Germany (25 Sep 2021)

Not directly on the bike but...






I cut down an old hex key so I can tighten up my bike stand more easily: previously I've had to use the ball end of a hex key because the bolt it is tucked down under the gear mech, so the socket was getting wrecked.

Now the stand is tight, the bolt is not getting damaged, everyone is happy.


----------



## Punkawallah (25 Sep 2021)

The Joy of Hex?


----------



## Punkawallah (26 Sep 2021)

Mounted two hooks on the garage wall to store the 'not in use' bike according to season. Bit of a jiggly to make sure of clearances etc, but seems to work. Now have to visit the flbs to score some scrap inner tubes as 'padding'.

Remains to be seen if the stored bike takes my head off when exiting the parked car . . .


----------



## HLaB (26 Sep 2021)

My fettling gets lame, today I put a new battery in the power meter


----------



## DCLane (26 Sep 2021)

Prep work for my son's Irish nationals next week:

His Argon TT bike is set up with full adult gearing. Cue crankset off, oval 52/36 chainrings onto his winter bike crankset as they were 110bcd and his TT cranks are 130bcd. Then a Junior cassette onto the TT disc. All working with a 52 front chainring instead of a 53 without any adjustments.

His winter Boardmain AirPro had plant growth in it  - it _did_ have a long, hard winter's use but I'd presumed the new headset and clean had sorted most of the issues. All cleaned inside ready for the 'loan' cranks to go back on in 10 days or so. It'll need the rear brake looking at though as that's a bit sticky.


----------



## FrothNinja (26 Sep 2021)

Goobed the chain, cleaned the rear set, got distracted & only just realised the front is still crusty.


----------



## Oldhippy (27 Sep 2021)

First time I have ever done this, but look it's purple! 😎


----------



## carpiste (27 Sep 2021)

DCLane said:


> Prep work for my son's Irish nationals next week:
> 
> His Argon TT bike is set up with full adult gearing. Cue crankset off, oval 52/36 chainrings onto his winter bike crankset as they were 110bcd and his TT cranks are 130bcd. Then a Junior cassette onto the TT disc. All working with a 52 front chainring instead of a 53 without any adjustments.
> 
> His winter Boardmain AirPro had plant growth in it  - it _did_ have a long, hard winter's use but I'd presumed the new headset and clean had sorted most of the issues. All cleaned inside ready for the 'loan' cranks to go back on in 10 days or so. It'll need the rear brake looking at though as that's a bit sticky.


It all sounds very much like witchcraft to me! 🧙‍♀️ 🧙‍♂️


----------



## biggs682 (27 Sep 2021)

Kicked the squealing banshee out of the brakes on my recently acquired Dawes Super Galaxy 
@Illaveago


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (27 Sep 2021)

General check over of the bike. Slight wobble to the cassette which needs investigating. I’ll need new brake pads soon too. Tightened up the pannier rack too.


----------



## C R (27 Sep 2021)

It looks like the roads are scheduled to be wet for the foreseeable, so the mudguards are back on the road bike.


----------



## Drzdave58 (27 Sep 2021)

I added some black walnut along with some copper accents to my Ruff bike. I also moved the shifter.


----------



## Oldhippy (27 Sep 2021)

What a fine looking machine sir! Do you have the required attire to ride in style I wonder? Accy will assist there I think.


----------



## DCLane (27 Sep 2021)

Three tube changes during my commute this morning / evening - the roads in the rain this morning were terrible and I couldn't see the glass in the cycle lane. Then another coming home in the dark.

It was all at one point in south Leeds, with lots of glass in both cycle lanes. Having removed a piece of glass in torrential rain I promptly got another. So had to ride to work on a flat rear. Another one coming home having bought another couple of tubes today.


----------



## Drzdave58 (27 Sep 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> What a fine looking machine sir! Do you have the required attire to ride in style I wonder? Accy will assist there I think.


well thank you….think I have good taste in clothing too.


----------



## Mike_P (27 Sep 2021)

Mike_P said:


> 3D printed saddle bag compatible Varia mount.


which lasted 106 miles and broke


No reponse from seller (3ddesigncentre) yet - would a more solid 3D print be better? 
UPDATE: Seller has advised they think it was a faulty print and are provding a replacement.
Anyway decided the DIY approach was neccessary so the supplied Varia mount disassembled (2 bolts), a piece of plastic card cut and drilled to the spacing of the Varia mounts bolt holes and that then used as a template to drill through the end of the saddle bag on its rear light loop. Plastic card on the inside of the saddle bag, with now washer fitted bolts passsing through it and the bag for the mount fixed in place.



Slightly off centre - the O and G of Bontrager were the correct spacing and an easy drill alignment mark.


----------



## D_97_goodtimes (28 Sep 2021)

I could be riding my bike
I could be cleaning my bike
I could be eating a bacon sandwich

Needs must…….

Now - Have to hope DIY store has new plywood and fittings

This is my number 4 bike


----------



## Tenkaykev (28 Sep 2021)

Some lovely pink handlebar grips complete with tassels, plus a pink basket and bell complete with Unicorn stickers for granddaughter's balance bike 😎


----------



## Hebe (28 Sep 2021)

I know this barely counts as fettling, but air put in all the tyres of all the bikes. The ongoing fuel problems means that my partner will be breaking out his (once in a blue moon) bike. Daughter has covid so her bike won’t be going anywhere for a bit. There’s just something about doing bike stuff in the garage 🤓


----------



## keithmac (28 Sep 2021)

Leaway2 said:


> Let us know how you get on with these please.



Put my finding in here..

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/tannus-tyres.278288/#post-6545624


----------



## sasquath (29 Sep 2021)

Improvised phone holder for zwifting using leftovers from scope camera holder and GoPro mounts. Too wobbly, but better than holding it...


----------



## HLaB (1 Oct 2021)

I'm still in two minds about tonight's fettling. I have never came across a plastic sleeve left in a bb. However, when I last changed my BB I noticed that in the then new frame the sleeve fitted perfectly and googling suggested that it protects the BB bearings so I left it in. The bike has been silky smooth sat down pedalling but everytime I stood up or pushed off with one foot it made a right honk like squeaky brakes x5 without the extreme resistance to match the noise. So I took the sleeve out tonight.

I'm fairly certain that's what the noise was but I have to admit the sleeve done a good job of keeping things clean. Hopefully, the noise stops now but if not its going back in


----------



## HLaB (2 Oct 2021)

HLaB said:


> I'm still in two minds about tonight's fettling. I have never came across a plastic sleeve left in a bb. However, when I last changed my BB I noticed that in the then new frame the sleeve fitted perfectly and googling suggested that it protects the BB bearings so I left it in. The bike has been silky smooth sat down pedalling but everytime I stood up or pushed off with one foot it made a right honk like squeaky brakes x5 without the extreme resistance to match the noise. So I took the sleeve out tonight.
> 
> I'm fairly certain that's what the noise was but I have to admit the sleeve done a good job of keeping things clean. Hopefully, the noise stops now but if not its going back in


9x better on that ride, no one footed pedaling noise or when I threw the bike left right on a climb but there was still the occasional but quieter noise when I stood up. Which to me suggests it wasn't the sleeve but it does enimate from the BB I cleaned up


----------



## pawl (2 Oct 2021)

Changed rear tyre on my old Ribble Can’t remember when I bought the bike 653 Reynolds tubing


----------



## Andy in Germany (3 Oct 2021)

Just cleaned the chain and rear mech with 2 old toothbrushes, a used washing up sponge, some rags and rather more WD40 than I'd planned. Now re-oiled and cleaned clean on the outside so it will be interesting to see of the rattling was dirt or not.


----------



## Oldhippy (3 Oct 2021)

Deconstruction of the Rayleigh has commenced. Going to powder coated frame matt black and Mad Max it with quality parts as they become available.


----------



## Andy in Germany (3 Oct 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> View attachment 611954
> 
> 
> Deconstruction of the Rayleigh has commenced. Going to powder coated frame matt black and Mad Max it with quality parts as they become available.



You had to go one better didn't you?

I think "Max Max"ing a bicycle is an excellent example of British Irony in action.


----------



## Oldhippy (3 Oct 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> You had to go one better didn't you?
> 
> I think "Max Max"ing a bicycle is an excellent example of British Irony in action.


It will be tastefully done, all matt black, hub gearing methinks. Am considering brazing the racks permanently on the frame as well.


----------



## Gunk (3 Oct 2021)

Cleaned my disgusting greasy Weber BBQ and put it away for the winter, also gave my motorcycle a deep clean.


----------



## rogerzilla (3 Oct 2021)

A fellow Moulton rider sourced me a nice rivet-type head badge for my 1965 Standard rebuild but, as a series 2 bike, it had a smooth stick-on decal rather than a proper embossed head badge. 

There is no way I am drilling holes in the frame, so I put a couple of rivets of the right type and size into a tin can, filed off the mushroom at the back and glued the fake rivets to the badge. Just need some car badge fitting tape now.


----------



## dave r (4 Oct 2021)

I've had my fixed out of the shed today and checked it over ready for winter, unusually the chains still got some life in it, usually after a winter round the local lanes its knackered, the tyres had some life left in them but were affected by several cuts and there a bulge in the side wall of the front one so replacements have been ordered, the front rim is getting a bit thin, 1.2 mm last time I checked, so I'll check it again when I change the tyres, otherwise all OK, bottom bracket and wheel bearings are good, brake blocks have plenty of meat on them and are well adjusted, and nothings loose, so its been washed down and put back in the shed till later this month.


----------



## fossyant (4 Oct 2021)

A fair bit done to the MTB today. Two days of MTB'ing at Penmachno and Llandegla. Penmachno was exceptionally wet - literally riding in a stream for four hours. Plenty of hub deep puddles, including one that was upto my knees. 

Bikes were surprisingly clean after day one, but Llandegla was damp, so fairly mud splattered. 

Took the precaution to re-grease both hubs, check the freehub, re-grease both jockey wheels, and re-grease the BB bearings. They needed it. Some water in the hub axels ! Chain and cassette degreased. and swapped onto chain 'two' - running two chains on the MTB.


----------



## Drzdave58 (4 Oct 2021)

I made this rear fender from black walnut and got it setup on my Ruff bike today


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (4 Oct 2021)

Morning: Punctured on the way to work. Checked the tyre couldn't find the reason. Installed new tube. Refused to inflate. Faulty? Installed last spare tube. Inflated, but not great. Rode to work.

Lunchtime: Patching tubes.

Afternoon: Puncture on the way home. Installed patched tube. Deflated. Rang my wife to meet me in the car at a spot I knew she'd know and walked 2 miles to reach her.

Evening: Go and buy a load of new tubes and some CO2 cylinders. Check tyre again - still cannot find any reason for the puncture. Fit new tube and inflate. Cross fingers it stays inflated. Search online for a better pump, preferably a mini track pump.


----------



## DCBassman (6 Oct 2021)

Revell mixte: haven't ridden for a month, so wanter to prepare this for a ride tomorrow.
Re-insert bar end-cap that I'd forgotten to replace after stem swap.
Clean and lubricate drive train. Not too bad, all things considered.
Clean brake tracks with isopropanol. They needed it, quite apart from all the GT85 I'd just been spraying about.
Scott roadie: some other time...


----------



## si_c (6 Oct 2021)

Replaced the bar tape on the Trek, it was the original Bontrager cork and whilst it was serviceable I'm not a huge fan of the texture and in wet weather it gets slippy. Put on some BBB Flex Tape, very very impressed with what was a budget buy, very grippy and nicely padded, definitely looking forward to seeing how it rides in more depth. Quite different from the Lizard Skins I have used in the past or the SuperCaz I'm using on the Racelight.

Also replaced the PSU in my computer, the old unit had developed a whine and being 11 years old I decided to be cautious and replace it. Put in a Corsair 850W unit and then spent an hour tidying up the cable runs at the back as well as rerouting some of the HDD data cables. It looks slightly cleaner from the front and the back looks tidier, not that anyone will ever see either, but I'll _know_ they do.


----------



## fossyant (7 Oct 2021)

Glued my saddle on the commuter tank. Noticed on Tuesday that the saddle cover was coming unstuck on one side from the base, out with the superglue and some spring clips and left it to set for an hour.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (7 Oct 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> View attachment 611158
> 
> 
> First time I have ever done this, but look it's purple! 😎



I see the bike computer says it’s time to sleep


----------



## DCLane (8 Oct 2021)

Several bits, some by me, some by my LBS:

Son's Ridley Noah Fast is _almost_ ready, we're just waiting on the carbon bars arriving from Ridley to swap with the aluminium ones supplied. My LBS swapped the bottom bracket for an improved Rotor one, changed the Vegast crankset for a Dura-Ace with Absolute Black chainrings we'd supplied along with Dura-Ace pedals. They also added some race tyres plus training tyres to his new race and training wheels as they had stock.

Son's BeOne Raw training bike also had a headset re-done by them; really quick turn-around in less than a day.

The Dawes Kingpin TT project that's been sat for over a year has finally had the wheels built by my LBS - it's been a 15 month wait. Pandemic, massive demand, etc. caused the delay but they've been done well. Now to get on with the rest of the project, although I'll need to source some shifters and brakes.

Dawes Kingpin no. 3 got new tyres/tubes and I've a minor bit of fettling to adjust the kick-stand, which is bent, or swap it for a different one. Then I've to think what I'll do with a third one.

And last night I impressed SWMBO by finishing the touch-up paint on my NeilPryde Bayamo TT frame on the dining table: it needed a flat, level surface to lay the frame sideways on for the top-coat on a frame chip and the table suited well. I _think_ her tone was her being impressed, or at least I'll take it as that


----------



## Svendo (8 Oct 2021)

The gradual replacement of metal fixings with zip ties on my commuting bikes mudguards continues:
Found one rear stay mount had sheared where it bends. So drilled some holes in the remaining part and the guard. Hacksawed and filed the prongs protruding from the guard. Then re attached with zip ties, backed up with wire scavenged from a Prosecco cork cage.


----------



## woodbutchmaster (9 Oct 2021)

Decided to refit my Look 253 , remove all the Italian components and replace with French .
This is as far as l have got ,now all l need to do is get all the stuff in the right position and cable it up....this may take me rather a long time !! anyhow a quick photo of some of the Mavic bits and pieces


----------



## Ming the Merciless (9 Oct 2021)

Fitted rear rack to my recumbent. I was awaiting some offset struts as the seat stays are further apart than your standard bike. All good but need to shorten struts by 3.5cm. That will allow the pannier hooks to be wider apart for stability. Got to love Tubus. If there’s an adaption needed to fit their racks to your bike. You can guarantee they probably have it.

Got a mini four day tour planned end of the month. More touring after winter. Touring in comfort.


----------



## Gunk (9 Oct 2021)

Svendo said:


> The gradual replacement of metal fixings with zip ties on my commuting bikes mudguards continues:
> Found one rear stay mount had sheared where it bends. So drilled some holes in the remaining part and the guard. Hacksawed and filed the prongs protruding from the guard. Then re attached with zip ties, backed up with wire scavenged from a Prosecco cork cage.
> View attachment 612565
> View attachment 612565



I’ve got a spare bridge if you want one


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## Svendo (9 Oct 2021)

That’s kind, The part that broke here is proprietary to fit the mounts. The rear brake bridge mount has been replaced and broken again, and a new bridge is in the spares box. But the temporary zip ties there are going into their 3rd winter!


----------



## pawl (9 Oct 2021)

Gave the chain cassette and chain wheel it’s weekly clean a


----------



## FrothNinja (9 Oct 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> I made this rear fender from black walnut and got it setup on my Ruff bike today
> View attachment 612142
> 
> 
> ...


Flat tank stylee girder fork frame - looks cool, how does it ride?


----------



## Drzdave58 (9 Oct 2021)

FrothNinja said:


> Flat tank stylee girder fork frame - looks cool, how does it ride?


Rides like a dream.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (10 Oct 2021)

After a number of punctures in the rear wheel over the last week, I have attempted again to diagnose the cause. Worthwhile, as on day after work, I had to walk for 2.5 hours until my wife could pick me up (I wouldn't pay for a taxi as that would have been most of that day's pay wasted - it would have been at least a 6 hour walk in total, if I'd had to walk all the way home). 

For the umpteenth time this week, I have gone over both the tyre and wheel _millimetre by millimetre _and found absolutely nothing. I have gone through my entire store of tubes including after having patched a number of them. I have also checked the rim tape and spokes, nothing poking through, not even a burr that could have ripped a tube.

Having put the job off until today, as I have been extremely tired all week, I had what may be an epiphany. What if I was using the wrong size tube? 

Bear with me.

I used to run 32mm tyres on my bike so had 28-38mm tubes. I then switched to 28mm tyres and kept the same tubes. What if the 28-38mm tubes were too big and being pinched in some way shape or form when going over a bump?

I was that tired the other night, I bought the wrong size tube in Halfords (I had ridden 23 km to work, worked all day, ridden 2km then walked for 2.5hours pushing my bike, so I'm allowed  plus running round like a blue-ar$ed fly for the previous 3 days  ). I bought 23-32mm tubes.

This may be it says I. There'll not be any extraneous material (although inflated) to be pinched. So I've installed a 23-32mm tube into the wheel. I've taken the bike for a test ride (only 6 km or so total), purposely ridden over a few bumps, and it _seems_ fine. 

I did have a issue where the bead didn't seat properly causing a flat spot. A dab of washing up liquid sorted that out. 

Could this be it? Could I have solved it? Could I have been so tired, I couldn't see the wood for the trees? I don't know. Time will tell I suppose.


----------



## dave r (10 Oct 2021)

This afternoon I replaced the Rubinos that were on the fixed with Vittoria Zaffiro's, the Rubinos still had some life left in them but had cut up. While I was at it I cleaned up the rear hub and cog, I also checked the thickness of the front rim, its worn and about 1.2 mm thick, I should get another winter out of it but I'll keep an eye on it.


----------



## numbnuts (10 Oct 2021)

I circumcised my flag pole on my trike by two inches


----------



## Jenkins (10 Oct 2021)

Tightened the screw holding the reflector to the rear mudguard on the Spa to cure a minor rattle.


----------



## FrankCrank (11 Oct 2021)

numbnuts said:


> I circumcised my flag pole on my trike by two inches


Should we call you Numbnob now.


----------



## Chris S (12 Oct 2021)

I sprayed a gum wall tyre black so it matched my other one. It looks really smart, now I've just got to wait and see if the paint stays on.


----------



## biggs682 (12 Oct 2021)

Cleaned and greased fr wheel bearings on latest project


----------



## Drzdave58 (13 Oct 2021)

I finished up cleaning and reassembly on my 64 Moulton. New cable housings, tires, tubes, saddle, grips. Waiting for new pedals, bar end plugs and Moulton transfer to arrive. Took it for its maiden voyage and it rides beautifully.


----------



## Andy in Germany (13 Oct 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> View attachment 613474



Oh, that's what a Moulton looks like.

Mild case of Bike Bell Envy. Where does that come from?


----------



## Drzdave58 (13 Oct 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Oh, that's what a Moulton looks like.
> 
> Mild case of Bike Bell Envy. Where does that come from?


The bell came with the bike, but u can order them .


----------



## biggs682 (13 Oct 2021)

Stripped rear wheel hub bearings on my latest project , drive side were dry and very worn so replaced them and added some grease non drive side were treated to some fresh grease 

Hopefully that should stop the grumbling noise ,

Just waiting for some new quick release levers then i can do an evaluation ride .

Less than 2 years old according to previous owner and it doesn't look like it's ever had any maintenance done


----------



## bikingdad90 (13 Oct 2021)

Not so much a fettle, more I got fettled or to be accurate the machine I was on got fettled.

I was in the gym tonight and the leg press I was using the guard/rest jammed in the open position so I couldn’t end my set, had to shout a buddy who was in the gym over to unstack the weight and then I could get down. Had to hold 120kg for a good minute or two 😂😂.
Reported it to staff who put an out of order sign on it.


----------



## DCLane (14 Oct 2021)

Drzdave58 said:


> The bell came with the bike, but u can order them .



Velo Orange has nice stuff. Expensive, but nice.

The Velo Orange bottom bracket in my son's 'Project Orange' Carlton Corsa is a) probably worth more than the rest of the bike, and b) will out-last everything else.

Oh, and my Ridgeback Platinum has Velo Orange brakes. They're brilliant and a nice piece of bling.


----------



## postman (14 Oct 2021)

Non cycling put two single beds together,found a small fault with mine.A support bracket it out of line all it needs is a small hole enlarging with a wood drill bit,ten min job,but company are coming out next week to look at it.


----------



## Gunk (16 Oct 2021)

I gave my Van Nicholas a deep clean and service today












it was a bit neglected,






so I took my time and with a rag and WD40 I cleaned every nook and cranny, degreased and lubricated the chain and checked all the bolts were tight.















too nice to use now!


----------



## fossyant (16 Oct 2021)

Chain de-gunk on the commuter. Managed to lose two rollers from each end link. Found them in the end (I've recently chucked out all the old bits of chain). Pondering getting some Marathon Tour tyres second hand off ebay as I'm picking up thorns every other commute at the moment.


----------



## FrankCrank (17 Oct 2021)

Gunk said:


> I gave my Van Nicholas a deep clean and service today
> 
> View attachment 613892
> 
> ...


Think I spotted an ant walking along the frame leaving dirty footprints. You'll have to start all over I'm afraid.


----------



## Punkawallah (17 Oct 2021)

Yeah! Damn ants that won’t wear slippers indoors! Inconceivable!


----------



## ColinJ (17 Oct 2021)

Laptop mouse fettling!

I had a problem with a mouse last year...



ColinJ said:


> Today, I have mostly been fettling...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sorted! 

Then @slowmotion donated a wireless mouse to me, which was great until it too developed a problem: single clicks were seen as double clicks.

So...



ColinJ said:


> I searched online and apparently it is a common problem with Logitech mice so I consulted online technical experts for advice (YouTube videos!) and found 2 proposed solutions...
> 
> One looked likely to work, but fiddly, and potentially fatal to the mouse - take the whole thing to bits, including the microswitch under the 'button' (in this case there isn't a button top, the top of the mouse casing is designed to just flex up and down for clicks), bend the springy electrical contacts, and reassemble everything.
> 
> Option two was much simpler. It seemed unlikely that it would work but several people in the comments section said that it had fixed _their _mice, so I thought I would give it a go. That involved removing the battery and one screw to get the mouse open, and then applying a drop of lube to the little plastic rod that presses down into the microswitch to push the spring contacts together. The speculation was that friction was stopping the rods springing back quickly and smoothly enough to avoid contact bounce. I did this in the ad break of one TV show and to my surprise it seems to have worked. TBH, it was such a quick fix that if I had to relube it once a month it wouldn't bother me! I'm going to do a test... Before lubing the mouse, if I clicked once on each word in this paragraph, about one in eight clicks would have registered as double-clicks and highlighted the word. Hang on... Super - 0% accidental double-clicks, and 100% deliberate double-clicks, and that was with the double-click time extended to a more user-friendly length.



I have never had that double click problem again. What _has _happened recently though is the same kind of scroll-wheel problem that I had on my old corded mouse, so I decided to try the same fix. I disassembled the wireless mouse, and sure enough - the rubber surround of the scroll-wheel had come loose on the wheel itself. I took the rubber off and cut a rough crosshatch pattern on the outside of the plastic wheel. That surface is rough enough for the rubber surround to grip. No more scrolling problems!


----------



## bikingdad90 (17 Oct 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Not so much a fettle, more I got fettled or to be accurate the machine I was on got fettled.
> 
> I was in the gym tonight and the leg press I was using the guard/rest jammed in the open position so I couldn’t end my set, had to shout a buddy who was in the gym over to unstack the weight and then I could get down. Had to hold 120kg for a good minute or two 😂😂.
> Reported it to staff who put an out of order sign on it.


UPDATE: was there on Friday and it was fixed, I was able to leg press ok after it was fixed.
I thoight what the hell and stacked 200kg on it (5x20kg on each side) and surprised myself at how I was able to do a few sets. Think it is a new PB and I’m more of a sprinter than a climber.


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## biggs682 (17 Oct 2021)

Swapped saddle on my recently acquired Dawes Giro 500 to an smp one and sorted out the handlebar height at the same time all ready for use now


----------



## Tenkaykev (17 Oct 2021)

Used a self adhesive patch to fix a puncture in granddaughters “ Frozen “ themed inflatable bed after it went pop while I was blowing it up. ( I got impatient with the slow progress using the crappy device supplied, so I rigged it up to my track pump and got a bit carried away )


----------



## Andy in Germany (17 Oct 2021)

Tenkaykev said:


> Used a self adhesive patch to fix a puncture in granddaughters “ Frozen “ themed inflatable bed after it went pop while I was blowing it up. ( I got impatient with the slow progress using the crappy device supplied, so I rigged it up to my track pump and got a bit carried away )



"let it go..."


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## bikingdad90 (17 Oct 2021)

Tenkaykev said:


> Used a self adhesive patch to fix a puncture in granddaughters “ Frozen “ themed inflatable bed after it went pop while I was blowing it up. ( I got impatient with the slow progress using the crappy device supplied, so I rigged it up to my track pump and got a bit carried away )


Oops…



Andy in Germany said:


> "let it go..."


Award for pun of the year!!!


----------



## Alembicbassman (18 Oct 2021)

Brake calipers from a £20 facebook road bike, very rusty and stuck. Removed most of the rust with the Dremmel, now just a strip down, clean and polish.


----------



## si_c (19 Oct 2021)

Refitted mudguards to the Trek now that the bad weather is setting in. Only took about 10 mins.


----------



## RoubaixCube (20 Oct 2021)

Visited the LBS on Monday to check in the wobbly wheel. The techs conclusion was yes the wheel was slightly out of true but my tyre was pulling it even more out of true  - Cost me £15 to have it trued.

Quite a few comments about the wear/condition of my tyre were made. _"you really need to change it, this tyre is done. Like really really done..."_ - They are quite pitted due to the rather _lavish_ London roads but I haven't worn them down to the bare threads yet 

I think they were the first pair of tyres i put on the bike when it arrived at my door in 2016. Back when Rubino Pro's were some £15-20 a pop. They've way outlasted other CC member's sets that started split down the middle or the sidewall so im not too fussed that I have to change them. They have earned their retirement.

Last week i did some cable tightening on the Triban as shifting on the rear was occasionally rather sluggish or would completely hesitate to change at all and that did result in an incident of chain slippage which almost had me face plant into the tarmac next to the side of a bus and moving traffic to my other side.  I thought the chain had either broken or come off but it was still fine. I just about managed to keep my balance 


-- Today however, I will be swapping to some of them new Rubino pro's that i picked up from Wiggle a month ago.


----------



## Punkawallah (20 Oct 2021)

Sorted the brakes on a kiddies bike, and serviced a ladies bike (new tyres, gear cables, saddle, pedals) for it to go on sale. Apparently it was a ‘Toys ‘r Us‘ brand! Who knew?


----------



## fossyant (20 Oct 2021)

Darn thorns.

Fitted tyre liners to the commute MTB at weekend, and it's stopped at least two thorns on Tuesday's commute (pulled them out of the tyre), but something's caused a really slow puncture, and even dipping the tube, I can't see any air loss. It's dropping about 5 PSI over 3 hours. Another tube I think.


----------



## C R (20 Oct 2021)

fossyant said:


> Darn thorns.
> 
> Fitted tyre liners to the commute MTB at weekend, and it's stopped at least two thorns on Tuesday's commute (pulled them out of the tyre), but something's caused a really slow puncture, and even dipping the tube, I can't see any air loss. It's dropping about 5 PSI over 3 hours. Another tube I think.


Problem with the valve not sealing?


----------



## fossyant (20 Oct 2021)

C R said:


> Problem with the valve not sealing?



Nope. Double checked again and can't find a hole. Binned it. Did pull another three thorns out that were stopped by the liner this evening. Going to have to buy a petrol leaf blower and clear a 4 mile stretch of canal - might be slow if I tie it to the front of the bike


----------



## Andy in Germany (20 Oct 2021)

fossyant said:


> Nope. Double checked again and can't find a hole. Binned it. Did pull another three thorns out that were stopped by the liner this evening. Going to have to buy a petrol leaf blower and clear a 4 mile stretch of canal - might be slow if I tie it to the front of the bike



Put one on the back as well and it'll speed you up.


----------



## fossyant (20 Oct 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> Put one on the back as well and it'll speed you up.



Or two on the back for some 'assistance' ?


----------



## Andy in Germany (20 Oct 2021)

fossyant said:


> Or two on the back for some 'assistance' ?




You like living dangerously...


----------



## Svendo (20 Oct 2021)

Fitted a new BB cable guide to the Dolan commuter. Old one had deep channels worn in it but not through to the frame yet. I’ve reused the old bolt as the new one was too long, and had a hex head. I also reckon the cross-slot is safer in this position where it gets caked in grot and infrequently cleaned. I’m also pleased that superglue worked to prevent the cables unravelling and it all went back together nicely.


----------



## dave r (20 Oct 2021)

fossyant said:


> Nope. Double checked again and can't find a hole. Binned it. Did pull another three thorns out that were stopped by the liner this evening. Going to have to buy a petrol leaf blower and clear a 4 mile stretch of canal - might be slow if I tie it to the front of the bike



You could always attach a yard brush to the front of the bike.


----------



## Andy in Germany (20 Oct 2021)

dave r said:


> You could always attach a yard brush to the front of the bike.



That's the most dangerous suggestion yet, what if he hits a solid obstacle at speed?


----------



## fossyant (20 Oct 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> That's the most dangerous suggestion yet, what if he hits a solid obstacle at speed?



Skittles....


----------



## fossyant (20 Oct 2021)

Snow studs will be on shortly and they are like armoured - my risk is frosty mornings on canal cobbles with water overflow. I'll fit these and I should be thorn free. Although looking chilly tonight ! I've gone all year on these tyres off road (just bridleways etc for this particular bike) and not had an issue, but the canal banks have had the hawthorns cut.... Not too fussed as I'm only commuting two days a week and can check the tyres next day. Got a big supply of patches and glue, and it doesn't take long to sort.


----------



## neil_merseyside (20 Oct 2021)

Andy in Germany said:


> That's the most dangerous suggestion yet, what if he hits a solid obstacle at speed?


Who'd ride a bike if possible danger was considered?


----------



## HLaB (20 Oct 2021)

I fitted new hoods tonight. I had hoped that the split/rotating hood was the reason my left shifter is misbehaving but it isn't so I've cleaned and looked everything externally too, so I guess the next step is to take things apart. The shifter is going freely to a point where it sticks but if I give it a bit of momentum it gets passed that point 🤯


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (20 Oct 2021)

Adjusted rear brake on a child's bike as the back wheel would barely turn.


----------



## Drzdave58 (20 Oct 2021)

Had these aluminum cranks and chainwheel polished for my Moulton


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Oct 2021)

Rack now fitted after struts shortened and ends touched up. Pannier hooks now moved wider as struts no longer interfere. Ready for mini tour before winter hits.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (21 Oct 2021)

Excuse the mess! Currently sorting a load of equipment for work and doing my bike repairs in my office so its got a bit messy.

Todays job was to finally fit the new calipers that @DCBassman kindly gave me at the same time as fitting the SKS Chromoplastic mudguards as pointed out by @figbat on the bargain thread. Brakes went on no bother, clearance for the mudguards was minimal, but I have got there. I was expecting the chainstay area to be the main issue but actually it was the front fork which caused me the most headaches.

Need to tweak the rear of of the rear one once I get it on the ground in the daylight and trim the brakes.


----------



## DCBassman (21 Oct 2021)

Fitted a new screen to an iPhone 6.
Won't be doing that again.


----------



## Chislenko (22 Oct 2021)

Today was a senior moment. Mrs.C wanted a bottle holder on her bike.

I had a spare in the garage, went in my bike spares draw and found two Allen bolts.

Put the bottle cage in place then spent ten minutes cursing why the bolts wouldn't screw in.

I was only trying to screw the bolts into existing Allen bolts that were already in the frame!!!!

Anyway she now has a bottle cage and as no-one was there to observe I haven't been carted off to an old people's home....yet!


----------



## FrankCrank (22 Oct 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Fitted a new screen to an iPhone 6.
> Won't be doing that again.


Blimey, iphone 6 eh. Latest one is iphone 13 - yours must be a valuable antique now . Goodness knows what they'll call the next one.


----------



## HLaB (22 Oct 2021)

My left shifter seems to be sticking about the mid point but it shifts freely either side so I lazily got a tin of GT-85 and with a straw sprayed it into every part of the shifter and front mech that moved. If its still problematic tomorrow I'll have to take things apart :-/


----------



## gavroche (23 Oct 2021)

Whilst cleaning my Allez, I happened to check the wear and tear on the chain and realized it needs replacing so I ordered a new one from Chain reaction. It is coming next Thursday. £18.99 including delivery charge.
I did noticed last time I went out ( last Thursday) that gear changing wasn't very smooth so that could explain it. At present, I have a 11-30 cassette and will probably change it to a 11-32 when stocks are coming in again. Would it still run on 11-36 though?


----------



## Salad Dodger (23 Oct 2021)

Put a new inner tube in the front of my MTB, so I could sell it as fully rideable. First to see it bought it at lunchtime, so now I can rearrange the contents of the garage as the bike is no longer taking up wall space.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (23 Oct 2021)

Fixed a leak around the hose (under hard braking) on my front hydraulic brake lever. The compression nut just needed loosening off, then retightening and all good. Then bled both front and rear brakes. First time in 23 months with no maintenance other than replacing pads. Not too much of a maintenance headache. Whole procedure took 30 mins followed by test ride. All good.


----------



## biggs682 (23 Oct 2021)

Just fitted some new greentyres ie solid tyres to a friends wheelchair went on a lot easier than expected


----------



## GeekDadZoid (23 Oct 2021)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Excuse the mess! Currently sorting a load of equipment for work and doing my bike repairs in my office so its got a bit messy.
> 
> Todays job was to finally fit the new calipers that @DCBassman kindly gave me at the same time as fitting the SKS Chromoplastic mudguards as pointed out by @figbat on the bargain thread. Brakes went on no bother, clearance for the mudguards was minimal, but I have got there. I was expecting the chainstay area to be the main issue but actually it was the front fork which caused me the most headaches.
> 
> Need to tweak the rear of of the rear one once I get it on the ground in the daylight and trim the brakes.



Brakes dialed in and ready to roll in the morning. Still not 100% happy on the rear guard but going to ride it first before I faff, I think I can get it a little closer.


----------



## ColinJ (23 Oct 2021)

gavroche said:


> Whilst cleaning my Allez, I happened to check the wear and tear on the chain and realized it needs replacing so I ordered a new one from Chain reaction. It is coming next Thursday. £18.99 including delivery charge.
> I did noticed last time I went out ( last Thursday) that gear changing wasn't very smooth so that could explain it. At present, I have a 11-30 cassette and will probably change it to a 11-32 when stocks are coming in again. Would it still run on 11-36 though?


I usually find that rough gear changing is due to friction in the cable, assuming that the gears are adjusted properly. Try taking the chain off and pull and release the cable by hand and watch the derailleur move in and out. It should move smoothly. If the cable is gunked up then you will probably be able to see that the derailleur moves in fits and starts. If that is the problem then you might get away with just cleaning and lubing the cable. If not, try replacing the loop of outer cable that goes to the derailleur.

As for the 11-36... If you set the chain length just long enough for a 30 then it will be a bit short for a 32 and a lot short for a 36! I always make my chain just long enough to cope with the biggest ring to biggest sprocket combination. Obviously by that definition, if you then made the biggest sprocket bigger, then the chain would be too short. 

PS So leave some spare length in the new chain. It would be easier to shorten it later if you had to, than it would be to make it longer again!


----------



## Landsurfer (23 Oct 2021)

Fed up with the water in my instrument binnacle on the RE Himalayan ... Condensation is rife on these bikes.
This where my instruments spend lots of time ... stripped down on the radiator !!!







Thursday morning, about 1100hrs, Ribblehead Viaduct in the North York Moors, bright sunshine, bloody freezing, waterlogged instruments...


----------



## gavroche (23 Oct 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I usually find that rough gear changing is due to friction in the cable, assuming that the gears are adjusted properly. Try taking the chain off and pull and release the cable by hand and watch the derailleur move in and out. It should move smoothly. If the cable is gunked up then you will probably be able to see that the derailleur moves in fits and starts. If that is the problem then you might get away with just cleaning and lubing the cable. If not, try replacing the loop of outer cable that goes to the derailleur.
> 
> As for the 11-36... If you set the chain length just long enough for a 30 then it will be a bit short for a 32 and a lot short for a 36! I always make my chain just long enough to cope with the biggest ring to biggest sprocket combination. Obviously by that definition, if you then made the biggest sprocket bigger, then the chain would be too short.
> 
> PS So leave some spare length in the new chain. It would be easier to shorten it later if you had to, than it would be to make it longer again!


Thanks for all the advice. 
At the moment, it is nearly impossible to buy a new cassette anywhere so that will be for a future purchase, if things ever get back to normal.


----------



## Gunk (23 Oct 2021)

Landsurfer said:


> Fed up with the water in my instrument binnacle on the RE Himalayan ... Condensation is rife on these bikes.
> This where my instruments spend lots of time ... stripped down on the radiator !!!
> 
> 
> ...



any idea what’s causing it? I’ve never had that issue with any motorcycle modern or old


----------



## cyberknight (23 Oct 2021)

new chain on the commuter as after 3 months its at 100 % , very odd but it was "new " from the lbs that i have had issues with .
new bearings for the rear wheel on the ribble but i reckon the freehub needs replacing as the drive side cup is rough inside .
Took the mudgaurds off the boardman rebuild as i cant get on with the old sks ones as they are past it and rattle and rub so they need replacing even after i have bodged and screwed them to keep them working .


----------



## roubaixtuesday (23 Oct 2021)

New bottom bracket for the winter bike/ commuter.

Buggered it up in various different ways but got there eventually. 

The diameter of the exterior was larger than the old one (why??? I mean, FFS, WHY???) so my BB spanner didn't effing fit. Happily, it came with a plastic thingumabob which fitted over and could be used to do it up by hand. Naturally, I only realised after finishing the whole job that it was actually an adapter that fitted into the original spanner. I'm far too lazy to take the whole thing apart, so let's hope finger tight is tight enough. 

Next up, after fitting it all, realised I'd failed to put the chain round it. So needed to split the chain and rejoin. Doh!!

Finally, the plastic puller that brings the cranks together wouldn't, or at least not together enough with finger strength. So used mole grips on it for purchase. Was this wise? Who knows. 

All seems good in the end but I do seem to be an incompetent sausage-fingered bodger.


----------



## Juan Kog (23 Oct 2021)

@cyberknight and @roubaixtuesday you sound like me , don’t buy new when you can carry out a totally unsatisfactory bodge . Not sure how to do something, look at a YouTube video. Nah just carry on and figure it out myself ..


----------



## HLaB (24 Oct 2021)

A failed fettle last night 
My sti shifter has been jamming half way (moving freely either side). So its mainly been a one by 52t and shift the 36 have been limited (easy to shift to hard to shift back). I unhooked the cable, confirmed the mech was moving freely and the sti seemed to be moving freely too. I put a new cable in and it was the same problem. Which has me thinking its the internal cabled outers. I added in a lot of Grease to overcome what the issue was and the cable went in smoothly enough. Connected it back up then ditto, same problem.  I then added in some GT85 to the shifter using a straw to get it in deep. Things seemed to improve, but weren't perfect, so I done it again etc, etc and every time it seemed to get better. Then 'bang', the whole thing seized and the trigger shifter no longer shifted down (just moved freely). I decided before I made things worse (if not already too late) to take it to a lbs


----------



## ColinJ (28 Oct 2021)

My DIY singlespeed bike was largely slung together from old spare parts. Ever since I built it I have been a bit irritated by the feel of the rear brake. It worked ok, but it felt a bit 'spongy'. If I applied the rear brake and then let go of the lever, the brake took about a second to fully release. I assumed that it was caused by cable friction due to me reusing very old brake inners/outers from an old bike. I decided to try and sort the problem out today...

As soon as I undid the rear brake cable it became obvious that most of the problem was NOT in the cable. The dual pivot calliper had an awful lot of friction in its pivots. I disassembled as much of the brake as I could and cleaned and lubed all the moving parts. It feels a lot better now. There is probably _some _excess friction in the old cable and I couldn't completely disassemble the brake because of corrosion and a worn hex bolt so that didn't get a _full _overhaul.

Still, I think that 2/3 of the sponginess has gone and I can put up with the rest until the spring. I will be an OAP by then and have more money to spend on my bikes. At that point I plan to put some new parts on the bike and will try to get the brake perfect then.


----------



## LWeleven (28 Oct 2021)

Cleaned it up ready for sale on the hunt for a used Checkpoint or similar


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## Andy in Germany (28 Oct 2021)

ColinJ said:


> My DIY singlespeed bike was largely slung together from old spare parts. Ever since I built it I have been a bit irritated by the feel of the rear brake. It worked ok, but it felt a bit 'spongy'. If I applied the rear brake and then let go of the lever, the brake took about a second to fully release. I assumed that it was caused by cable friction due to me reusing very old brake inners/outers from an old bike. I decided to try and sort the problem out today...
> 
> As soon as I undid the rear brake cable it became obvious that most of the problem was NOT in the cable. The dual pivot calliper had an awful lot of friction in its pivots. I disassembled as much of the brake as I could and cleaned and lubed all the moving parts. It feels a lot better now. There is probably _some _excess friction in the old cable and I couldn't completely disassemble the brake because of corrosion and a worn hex bolt so that didn't get a _full _overhaul.
> 
> Still, I think that 2/3 of the sponginess has gone and I can put up with the rest until the spring. I will be an OAP by then and have more money to spend on my bikes. At that point I plan to put some new parts on the bike and will try to get the brake perfect then.



That reminds me, I need to tighten up the back brake on the commuter... (exits to do same).


----------



## 13 rider (30 Oct 2021)

My rear tubeless tyre has been losing more pressure than normal of late . In the week I removed everything to reinstall in a fresh but found a split in the side wall were it wraps the bead so new tyre I think also a lot of sealant had got between the layers of rim tape . I decided to bite the bullet and start afresh . Visited the LBS this morning ,new tyre ,rim tape and valve purchase , left with the comment see you this afternoon when I cock it up . A bit of faffing later and all installed holding pressure and test riden 17 miles all good hoping to find a fully inflated tyre in the morning . Didn't seem as bad as feared first time I have changed from giant stock tyres which are designed for my rim to another brand , gone for a Pirrelli ( good enough for Lewis Hamilton not that he has a choice ) gone from a 25mm to a 28mm . Felt nice on the test ride


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## ColinJ (30 Oct 2021)

13 rider said:


> Didn't seem as bad as feared first time I have changed from giant stock tyres which are designed for my rim to another brand , gone for a Pirrelli ( good enough for Lewis Hamilton not that he has a choice ) gone from a 25mm to a 28mm . Felt nice on the test ride


I would like to put 28s on the road bikes I have up here but there isn't the clearance so I have to stick with 25s. 

The bike that I have at my sister's house in Devon is a gravel bike with loads of clearance so I will be putting bigger tyres on that. At least 28s, but I may go to an even bigger size.


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## 13 rider (30 Oct 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I would like to put 28s on the road bikes I have up here but there isn't the clearance so I have to stick with 25s.
> 
> The bike that I have at my sister's house in Devon is a gravel bike with loads of clearance so I will be putting bigger tyres on that. At least 28s, but I may go to an even bigger size.


Another advantage of disc brakes bigger clearances


----------



## Ming the Merciless (30 Oct 2021)

Oiled the chain on my recumbent. It was about 500km overdue as I should have done it before a recent mini tour but forgot.


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## Gunk (30 Oct 2021)

13 rider said:


> Another advantage of disc brakes bigger clearances



Or cantis


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## ColinJ (31 Oct 2021)

I'd forgotten how much I dislike cantilever brakes!

I always found them fiddly to adjust properly, thought they looked ugly, and found that they didn't work as well as the dual pivots/v-brakes/disk brakes on my newer bikes.


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## Gunk (31 Oct 2021)

Everything you say is true @ColinJ but I just like quirkinesses of them, these are now set up perfectly and after many hours of fiddling and adjustment, plus decent swisstop pads, they work well.


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## biggs682 (31 Oct 2021)

Fitted a front mudguard , stripped and cleaned a pr of old Courier centre pull calipers and cabled up a front mechanism


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## Elybazza61 (31 Oct 2021)

Today I have been mostly swapping the horrid SRAM reverse shift set-up on the Tern folder for some Shimano Altus 9-speed(with Tern adapter bracket);


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## HLaB (31 Oct 2021)

I fitted new front pads to the commuter and pumped it tyres up in prep for my first commute for a year and half. What could go wrong; the ping demic (or what ever its called)! 'You have bee in close contact with some one with C19 and are recommended to test/isolate'. The last person I saw (in fact the last time I was out) was last Sunday, a week ago. They've came back from holiday and tested positive. I'd be pretty sure I was clear but I've had an annoying cold/ occasional cough all week and even though I have had zero other symptoms


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## bruce1530 (31 Oct 2021)

Fettled: nothing. But if the question had been "what have you broken today"....

.. it would be a petrol lawnmower 

Now, it's not a particularly good one. It was the cheapest no-name-brand one in B&Q about 6 years ago. I used it for a year or so, and it was a pain - too small and underpowered for my garden. But it did the job.

Then it broke after 2 years. Pissing petrol all over the deck. 

A replacement carb from eBay sorted that - but in the interim, my wife had spoken to a neighbour, who is a gardener, and he offered to cut the grass once every 4 weeks for a very reasonable rate. He's been doing that ever since, and I've just been doing additional cuts in between when the grass is growing quickly.

Earlier this year, a tiny spring broke, I fixed it with a bit of elastic from a face mask.

I don't even put the thing under cover when not in use - for the last 2 or 3 years it has sat outside, behind the garage. And it starts first time every time!

Anyway - yesterday, decided to squeeze in one last cut before winter. Half way through, hit a big stone. 

It used to have one big blade. Now it has 2 smaller ones. 

And I've got a half cut lawn.

replacement blade is almost half the price I paid for the whole thing 6 years ago. Although I can get a 3rd party one for £15


----------



## rogerzilla (1 Nov 2021)

Sorted out a Moulton F-frame rear rack - freed off the "foot" of the bottom strut with a blowlamp and Plus Gas, and drilled out the rusted screw holding the top strut to the rack. Then straightened it - it was twisted, sheared sideways, bent, you name it.

Also did some minor straightening of a front rack to ensure all the bolts lined up before it goes off for powdercoating. They'll look like new in a fortnight's time.


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## Chris S (1 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> something's caused a really slow puncture, and even dipping the tube, I can't see any air loss.


I had the same problem. I pulled at a patch edge that had come away from the tube and it was possible to gradually peel it back. They were just stuck together and not chemically bonded. Another patch fixed the problem.


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## Tom B (3 Nov 2021)

I've fallen out of love with cycling and lost my mojo other than the necessity of commuting since spring. As a result the bike has been on a bit of a maintenance holiday (new baby and 3yr old hasn't helped).

Got a new superstar front hub for crimbo last year, finally got around to getting it built up by the not so lbs using one of them EST vouchers.

By this point the front wheel and bearings had deteriorated to the point there was a constant buzz through the handlebars and the guys in the office could hear me arrive on what sounded like a demented Newton's cradle.

Picked up the wheel and set about swapping the tyre over (you didn't think I'd buy a new tyre too did you) and found I had no rim tape, so ordered some (I'm a velox man). Fitted it at the second effort and only had to cut one brake disk screw out. The difference was amazing, but did allow me to then notice the play in the headset bearings.

Decided to push the boat out and fit the new set of bearings I've had in stock for a while now. They'd been swapped around and regreased when I ordered the spares and waited for them. According to Strava they've got about 30k on them so they've served well.

Cast my eye over the back end as I suspected the brake pads are low and noticed a bit of play in the wheel bearings. They haven't been touched for 3-4 years of daily commuting, kid ferrying and utility riding as well as pleasure rides etc.

Whipped the wheel out and fiddled with the bearings, but bit gutted to find theyre cones as I thought they was sealed cartridge type hence not touching them. I'm not the best with cone type and couldn't really find a balance between notchy and not loose.

Then noticed I had a broken spoke too, wheel is really true despite this so now toying with the idea of rebuilding it onto a new hub, getting the lbs to do the spoke and bearings or doing both myself. I'm just time poor at the moment. Annoying the spokes are a bit oddball too (it's a Shimano mt15 wheel with aero spokes) can't help but wonder how far behind the rest of the spokes will be.


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## 8mph (4 Nov 2021)

Pretty much everything on my new Dawes Countryman, except for the BB. Both Maillard hubs were still packed with grease, so I just took the play out of the crank, replaced pedals and saddle, fettled brakes, limit screw, removed mudguards, fitted a front rack and tightened a couple of spokes. 

This old tech is so much easier to work with imo, pretty pleased with the results, the bike feels smooth.


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## simongt (4 Nov 2021)

Raised the quill stem on my Galaxy as I've been getting slightly sore arms towards the end of my daily twelve mile commute. Took it up to the 'max' mark, seems to be doing the trick. 
Equipment - Hex key, wrench & 'ammer.


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## SydZ (4 Nov 2021)

Simple job today. Adjusted light brackets on the front of my commuter after I got a comment from someone last night saying that I dazzled them. On inspection one bar bracket had rotated a little so they were correct.


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## biggs682 (4 Nov 2021)

Fitted some guards to my Dawes Giro 500


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## fossyant (4 Nov 2021)

SydZ said:


> Simple job today. Adjusted light brackets on the front of my commuter after I got a comment from someone last night saying that I dazzled them. On inspection one bar bracket had rotated a little so they were correct.



I just fry anyone I come across on the canal.  Not had any complaints, and the cooking bacon smell is quite nice.


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## Elybazza61 (5 Nov 2021)

Added some sealant to the front Teravail Cannonball on the X-Trail after last weeks 'puncture';tyre had stayed up so no need at the moment for a plug(couldn't actually find the hole!).


----------



## Rickshaw Phil (5 Nov 2021)

A few bits and pieces on the knockabout bike (Hawk Trakatak) after my long ride yesterday. I had a pannier try to abandon ship crossing a bump so spent a while tweaking various things to make them fit better.

I picked up a puncture in the back tyre late in the ride so fixed the tube and decided to swap back to the Marathons for the winter for a couple of reasons; one being that I think they feel better on mud/leaf mulch covered lanes than the Vittoria Randonneurs (which otherwise are _very _nice) and the other being that my Marathon Winter studded set is the same size so my speedo should still be fairly accurate when swapping over on icy days.


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## dave r (6 Nov 2021)

A wheelchair repair for me today, my Good ladies wheelchair broke last weekend, fortunately we were only a few yards from the house, initially I brought another wheelchair and E-Mailed the website I brought the chair off, it was only 11 months old, after a couple of E Mails a pair of replacement brackets arrived in the post Thursday. Tonight I've fitted them, I changed both even though only one was broken, I looked at it at first wondering about how to dismantle the chair but soon realized I didn't have to as I was able to fit them whilst the chair was folded by just pulling it about, I was surprised at how flimsy they were considering they were a major part of the structure.


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## Willd (7 Nov 2021)

Front derailleur stopped dropping down to the small ring, which was OK yesterday until I got here:





- cue cross chaining, puffing and panting 

Checked it this morning, return spring thankfully OK, so a liberal application of Gunk degreaser, wash & dry and then a good spray of WD40 and everything seems to be back to normal


----------



## si_c (7 Nov 2021)

Cleaned the Trek commuter as I'd quickly lubricated the chain after ignoring it for a while. Unfortunately the chain was quite clearly worn so I replaced both it and the rear cassette with spares from my box. Also cleaned the derailleurs and made some adjustments to the indexing front and rear so it's a bit quieter and smoother. Nothing major it had just bedded in a bit more since I changed the cables and I had never got around to setting the stops properly on the front.

Unfortunately that's the last chain but had a quick look online and Halfords have a couple about a half hour ride away so I'm heading out to get a couple now. Need to have a look and find some more decently priced cassettes though.


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## biggs682 (7 Nov 2021)

Just a seat post swap over for me oh and a quick wipe down of the Dawes Giro


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## Tom B (7 Nov 2021)

Was riding one of the clunkers on Saturday nailed the brakes on a big hill and suddenly lost braking released and grabbed the brake again and it bit but was all grindy. Wasn't as exciting as it sounds.

Swapped the pads today looks like it shed the friction material.


----------



## biggs682 (8 Nov 2021)

Just fitted some Schwalbe Durango etape plus tyres .
Next is new brake cables and bar tape


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## biggs682 (8 Nov 2021)

New cables and bar tape done
So that's me finished for the day


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## rogerzilla (10 Nov 2021)

Fitted decals, brakes, mudguards and a rear rack light to the Moulton "Speed" (which is actually a series 1 Standard with alloy worky bits and dropped bars - I have a genuine Speed in the loft pending a proper resto). Just needs cables, chain and bar tape now. The FW rear hub has been kicking around for 11 years. It's immaculate and I hope it works. The Standard was an early BoA bike, so 3-speed only.


----------



## LeetleGreyCells (13 Nov 2021)

Fitted a new lockout remote lever and cables to my MTB, added air to the shock and forks and given the whole bike a damned good clean. Oh, and I had a look at tyre pressures, but I'm afraid my pump doesn't seem accurate.


----------



## DCLane (13 Nov 2021)

A number of bits over the past few days;

I swapped the crankset on son no. 2's Argon TT bike, which we put to 52/36 for his national championships, back to the 53/39 one originally on it, together with swapping the rear cassette from 14/28 to 11/28 for TT'ing next year. The crankset was 'borrowed' from his Boardman, so ...

Son no. 2's winter Boardman Airpro has had more work after we realised it was in a worse state than thought. Following a new bottom bracket, new Absolute Black winter chainrings and the crankset going back on which we 'borrowed' it's had a new chain and new rear jockey wheel plus adjustments.

The Harry Quinn I bought last month has got a seatpost that fits plus a cleaned saddle from a large box of donated bits I was given. I've still to change the chain, which will depend upon whether the chainrings (86bcd?) are changed. The rear brake doesn't work which appears to be the way it's routed; that'll be looked at next. Then I've to decide what to do with both the crankset and the high stem; I'd like to change that for something lower.

My Raleigh SP Race was squeaking, so it's been re-greased and has had winter wheels put on.

Son no. 2's BeOne has had winter aluminium wheels with different brake pads rather than carbon wheels/pads.

The pedals on my winter commuter/cross Avanti Circa were squeaking, so they've been lubricated and it's been checked over.


----------



## bikingdad90 (13 Nov 2021)

I took my existing mudguards off as they were too narrow and fitted some new ones which I thought would work with wider tyres.

Epic fail, too thick under the rim brake, i couldn’t seat the rear wheel in the dropouts. Rear Mudguard back off and then proceed to do the same on the front.
My Wiggins Rouen is now without mudguards but has 700x32c tyres fitted for winter.


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Nov 2021)

I have some new wheels for the Raleigh and got round to fitting them at the weekend. I'd already stripped and regreased the bearings some days ago (they are new-old-stock so fresh grease in the hubs _was _a good move) and fitted rim tape so it should have been a simple case of swapping cassette, tyres and tubes and putting on new brake blocks.

In practice, the cassette swap was fine, the front tube and tyre went on fine but on fitting the rear I noticed that the tyre had two bulges in so was scrap. As a temporary measure I brought out an old tyre to fit onto the back but then the valve came off the tube just after i'd inflated it. I decided to replace both tubes so it all came apart again. Fitted and adjusted the new brake blocks - simple, but it always takes me a while to get them just so.

Having that well worn tyre on the back of a new wheelset irked me a bit. A browse online showed that my favourite local bike shop has Vittoria Revolution Tech tyres in stock (which is one I'd already been thinking of trying) in a matching size, so I dashed down to get one before closing time. The back wheel therefore got taken off again to do the swap.

Vittoria make a big claim about this tyre being faster rolling than a slick. I don't know if I'll notice a difference there with just having the one on the back but what I did notice on the test ride is that it feels smoother over the rough roads than the Marathon it replaced.


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## biggs682 (16 Nov 2021)

Busy tonight 
Fitted mudguards to my Pinnacle Sentinal ready for winter bike useage
Un wrapped bars and re used old tape and ir looks a lot neater done centre to out 
Adjusted rear mechanism so hopefully now ready for miles 

Found a set of wheels suitable for the https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/stuart-sinclair.281268/#post-6587921 so removed existing freewheel


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## Svendo (16 Nov 2021)

Fettled a proper bodge today. Last week on the nice bike I noticed a bit of a slow shift, looked down and saw the 19 cog was ‘floating’ between the 17 and 21. It would still shift on and off, but a bit rough, credit to Shimano engineering (DA 9000).
It’s the DA cassette that came with the groupset, so I was a bit miffed and although I have an Ultegra spare I want full value from it.
Found that it’s the middle cog of a group of 3, and the heads of all 4 pins have sheared 3 inboard and one outboard, all obscured by the 17 cog so can’t directly replace the pins with something.





So need to put a spacer between the 19 and 17 cog to hold it against the carrier.
Of course I used zip ties, sanded down from 2.54 ish mm to 2.15ish (spacers officially 2.18)
Three in place, (4th pin wouldn’t move out of the way) carefully orientated to avoid fouling the chain (I hope). And Robert is my Mother’s Brother 😎


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## bikingdad90 (17 Nov 2021)

#BODGE @Svendo.


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## Hebe (17 Nov 2021)

Yesterfettling: seat post adjustments and air in tyres. Plus finding the spare tube for the Vita which for some reason was not on the bike with the tyre levers etc.


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## C R (19 Nov 2021)

After my last ride I noticed that one of the pads in the rear caliper was rubbing the disc, so sorted that out today. Also greased the seat post, which was doing a right racket at times, and now it is quiet, and pumped up the tyres.


----------



## Fredo76 (22 Nov 2021)

Replaced a dinged Mavic MA40 clincher rim with a new Mavic Open Elite, finally.




After having put maybe 100 miles on my 35 year-old Specialized Turbo R tires, I'm hesitating to replace them needlessly, but another thread on here suggests I need to, alright...


----------



## DCBassman (22 Nov 2021)

So far today: a Gronlid 3-seater sofa and matching footstool, and two Sakarias chairs. Still to do: Ekedalen dining table and Havsta table nest.
Yes folks, it's IKEA. The irritating all day long.


----------



## DCBassman (23 Nov 2021)

DCBassman said:


> So far today: a Gronlid 3-seater sofa and matching footstool, and two Sakarias chairs. Still to do: Ekedalen dining table and Havsta table nest.
> Yes folks, it's IKEA. The irritating all day long.



Still to do: the Ekedalen dining table, Venetian blind in bedroom, and wall-mount the TV. My bikes are being sorely neglected...


----------



## DCLane (24 Nov 2021)

A few bits over the past couple of days;

I've finished off the Harry Quinn I was cleaning up, with some adjustments needed and a different 0.2mm wider seatpost following a test ride. I still need to get a new rear tyre, but that's it ready.







My son's Novatec carbon training wheels got a new set of bearings in the front. Rear's still to do. And a new battery in his power meter.

My Avanti Circa 1's got a new chain, jockey wheel and a clean-up, with the Fulcrum 5 wheel needing a new bearing in the freehub which has also been cleaned and thoroughly re-greased.

Also, I've looked at the Claud Butler I picked up recently, got the seatpost free and decided that'll do given it's too good to break and too big to ride, so it's on sale here for £60 - https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/claud-butler-531-24-frame-touring-bike-14-speed-£60-dewsbury-west-yorkshire.281493


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## Svendo (24 Nov 2021)

Rear gear cable snapped in the lever on the way home. I’ve replaced it and the front brake cable since I was in the lever and been meaning to do that for a couple of months as it had got ‘creased’ and didn’t quite return properly.

Pros: after winding the high stop to put me in the 13 cog I got to experience the ‘purity’ of a single speed (albeit with an ‘auto flip flop hub’ achieved by using the front derailleur, 81 and 110.1 inches)

Cons: bit worried as the frayed end and nob bit seem to be irretrievably stuck somewhere in the ratchet part of the lever. Doesn’t seem to be an easy way to get it out unless it shows itself enough to get some needle nose pliers or tweezer on it. With a bit of wiggling and persuasion it’s all working freely across the gears. But it’ll niggle for a while until I forget about it.


----------



## chriswoody (27 Nov 2021)

Finally got my backside into gear and took the Jockey wheels out for a clean. They've needed doing for a while now as you can see.










I just hope the Wife doesn't notice I used her toothbrush!


----------



## LWeleven (29 Nov 2021)

Fitting something a bit more grippy


----------



## DCBassman (1 Dec 2021)

DCBassman said:


> So far today: a Gronlid 3-seater sofa and matching footstool, and two Sakarias chairs. Still to do: Ekedalen dining table and Havsta table nest.
> Yes folks, it's IKEA. The irritating all day long.


And some more today, with a major Besta suspended cupboards installation in the lounge. After much swearing and cussing, three out of five shells mounted. Now completely knackered. And much more to do to complete it, plus fit lights at some point too.
I can't really complain, three of the fairly large cupboards are for me to hide my computery junk in!


----------



## fossyant (1 Dec 2021)

Svendo said:


> Fettled a proper bodge today. Last week on the nice bike I noticed a bit of a slow shift, looked down and saw the 19 cog was ‘floating’ between the 17 and 21. It would still shift on and off, but a bit rough, credit to Shimano engineering (DA 9000).
> It’s the DA cassette that came with the groupset, so I was a bit miffed and although I have an Ultegra spare I want full value from it.
> Found that it’s the middle cog of a group of 3, and the heads of all 4 pins have sheared 3 inboard and one outboard, all obscured by the 17 cog so can’t directly replace the pins with something.
> View attachment 618044
> ...



Now that is a bodge, but needs to be binned ASAP. Great get me home... but... yikes....


----------



## fossyant (1 Dec 2021)

LWeleven said:


> Fitting something a bit more grippy
> 
> 
> View attachment 619989
> View attachment 619990



What's the scruffy looking cable for ?


----------



## fossyant (1 Dec 2021)

chriswoody said:


> Finally got my backside into gear and took the Jockey wheels out for a clean. They've needed doing for a while now as you can see.
> View attachment 619655
> 
> 
> ...



Regrease the cartridge bearings too


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## Svendo (1 Dec 2021)

fossyant said:


> Now that is a bodge, but needs to be binned ASAP. Great get me home... but... yikes....


We shall see, I’ve tested it on the trainer and it’s ok so far. I think the worst case is cogs moving about rather than anything fatal.


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## fossyant (1 Dec 2021)

Svendo said:


> We shall see, I’ve tested it on the trainer and it’s ok so far. I think the worst case is cogs moving about rather than anything fatal.



I wouldn't....


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## ColinJ (1 Dec 2021)

Svendo said:


> We shall see, I’ve tested it on the trainer and it’s ok so far. I think the worst case is cogs moving about rather than anything fatal.


I have a very painful memory of what happened when MY bodge meant that I suddenly lost drive when sprinting out of the saddle... (A clothes peg bodge to hold a broken gear cable in position! )



ColinJ said:


> I hurtled from the start at the kind of speed that only an over-sized teenager on an under-sized bike can manage. Surely the win was on? Well it might have been, but a minor rut in the road surface had other ideas... I hit the rut while powering at full-speed out of the saddle and felt a shockwave judder through the frame of the bike. It was all too much for the temporary clothes-peg gear-repair...
> 
> My memory of events goes into Sam Peckinpah slow-mo mode here ! The clothes-peg fell off and there was a twanging noise as the severed gear cable came loose. The chain lost tension as the rear derailleur went walkabout. My body became weightless for a few moments as I launched forwards. In mid-trajectory I smacked my right knee into the handlebar stem but ignored the pain of that because I was rather more concerned with where my helmetless-head was going. In fact it was destined for a close-encounter-of-the-tarmac-kind but fortunately I seem to have a thick skull. Emergency braking was now required so I dug my left shoulder down hard onto the road surface and that eventually did the trick. I actually slid across the finish line but the damn timekeeper was distracted by my screams and forgot to look at his watch. Drat - I could have had 'em all !
> 
> I was helped to my feet my mates. They were all looking at my shoulder in a "So _that's_ what they're made of!" way which I found distracting so I took a look myself. Once I came out of the faint, my mates were kind enough to help me to my feet again and then... a strange wailing sound erupted from my body. It was pretty scary, I can tell you!


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## chriswoody (2 Dec 2021)

fossyant said:


> Regrease the cartridge bearings too



So there I was thinking stupidly thinking that these bearings were sealed and hence un-servicable. Your post prompted a quick Google and hey presto, lots of useful info about popping the seals off and giving them a quick once over. Luckily I have some picks in my toolkit, so some time in the next couple of days I'll get that job done.

Thanks for that much appreciated!


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## fossyant (2 Dec 2021)

chriswoody said:


> So there I was thinking stupidly thinking that these bearings were sealed and hence un-servicable. Your post prompted a quick Google and hey presto, lots of useful info about popping the seals off and giving them a quick once over. Luckily I have some picks in my toolkit, so some time in the next couple of days I'll get that job done.
> 
> Thanks for that much appreciated!


You may need a pin rather than a pick. Try and prize out the seal from the outside as this is the non-rotating edge.


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## DCBassman (2 Dec 2021)

DCBassman said:


> And some more today, with a major Besta suspended cupboards installation in the lounge. After much swearing and cussing, three out of five shells mounted. Now completely knackered. And much more to do to complete it, plus fit lights at some point too.
> I can't really complain, three of the fairly large cupboards are for me to hide my computery junk in!













I'm happy that the whole thing sits on that six-inch shelf, I like the insurance...


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## jongooligan (2 Dec 2021)

This happened to my Kinesis Race Light T2.






It's been wobbly for a while but luckily it snapped when I was taking it out of the garage. Would have been a real PITA if it had happened a long way from home as there's not a chance of getting it out. 

This has been my workhorse bike for a long time. I've done some real epics on it including an 1100 mile C2C from the 
Pacific to the Atlantic in South America and a Super Randonneur series. I'm not sentimentally attached to it but it's the most comfortable aluminium bike I've owned and I'd like to keep it. Over the years everything on it except the brake calipers have been replaced and now it was time to find a new frame.

Luckily I know someone who knows someone who is slightly taller than me, who has recently given up cycling and who has a Kinesis Race Light T2 frame for sale.

So now this:






Has become this:






Meet the new bike; same as the old bike. All the parts from the original T2 frame are now on the new (second hand) T2 frame along with a new seat pin. It's just as comfortable as the original. Like Grandad's axe which had two new heads and three new shafts but was still Grandad's axe this still feels like my old bike.


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## alicat (2 Dec 2021)

Three unblocking jobs from the past week: vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and toilet. I now know too much about removing unpleasant muck from places I'd rather not have close contact with!


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## Cycleops (3 Dec 2021)

Another job helping two local lads who I'd previously patched up their full squisher BSO. The bearing for the rear suspension was shot and wobbling around making the bike unrideable. I took it my local repairer who got it welded up. Needed a new tyre and front brake connecting up.

This time I met them by chance with a bashed front rim. What happened I asked. 'A car hit it' one of them replied. Don't know how that can of happened but I took them too nearby repairer.






It turned out the tube was knackered too. The rim had also managed to spoil the front brake. Anyway he had a old wheel, rather rusty which he fitted. Can't claim any fettling I'm afraid.










Here's the repairer's son fitting the tyre and tube.
I left them with their repaired bike and strict instructions not to take it near any cars.
They were very grateful.


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## HLaB (3 Dec 2021)

I finally went on holiday a week back and I got round to rebuilding the road bike which was in a bike box (I had used the gravel bike in the interim). At the same time I rebuilt it with SKS Raceblade Long Mk II mudguards. I was going to put the winter wheels on but I decided to leave that for another night (they need fresh sealant and I'd have to swap cassettes or get a new chain/cassette).


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## palinurus (8 Dec 2021)

Front brake- new brake pads and cable for the commuter, plus cleaned front rim and lubed chain. Only commenting because I had the sensible idea to do it at work so I could be warm and dry while doing so.


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## bikingdad90 (8 Dec 2021)

palinurus said:


> Front brake- new brake pads and cable for the commuter, plus cleaned front rim and lubed chain. Only commenting because I had the sensible idea to do it at work so I could be warm and dry while doing so.


Hours lunch break? I’d only have time for pads and cable in my 30mins.


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## palinurus (8 Dec 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Hours lunch break? I’d only have time for pads and cable in my 30mins.



Yes- I get an hour if I want (I don't always take the whole hour- depends what I'm up to). During Covid there are no managers about (except me!) so as long as I get my stuff done I can do a bit of tinkering. That said it only took about 30 mins, my chain lubing routine doesn't take long.


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## HLaB (9 Dec 2021)

Well that was a mistake. I got the winter wheels out seated the tubeless tyres instantly no mess. I then picked up the rear which was making a swishing sound. Which I decided was too loud. Perhaps it was a bit of old sealant So I unseated it poured out the sealant (a bit of a mess) to discover the tire/ rim bed is clean and the swishing noise is deep in rim body somewhere in the spoke holes I can't get it to seat now which is messy. I've left it for a bit and I'll try again with the air tank or I'll try later with a CO2 can. If it seats I'll put up with the swish for now and fix it later when I have more space. If it doesn't seat it's a trip to a lbs for rim tape and more sealant and I'll try to find the source of the swish.


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## HLaB (10 Dec 2021)

HLaB said:


> Well that was a mistake. I got the winter wheels out seated the tubeless tyres instantly no mess. I then picked up the rear which was making a swishing sound. Which I decided was too loud. Perhaps it was a bit of old sealant So I unseated it poured out the sealant (a bit of a mess) to discover the tire/ rim bed is clean and the swishing noise is deep in rim body somewhere in the spoke holes I can't get it to seat now which is messy. I've left it for a bit and I'll try again with the air tank or I'll try later with a CO2 can. If it seats I'll put up with the swish for now and fix it later when I have more space. If it doesn't seat it's a trip to a lbs for rim tape and more sealant and I'll try to find the source of the swish.


I took the rim tape off. It seems like hardened sealant had fallen through the spoke hole (I don't have that problem with my other rims, they're completely sealed, no spoke holes). Re taped it and after a couple of seating attempts whilst the sealant found it's way to the holes, it sealed. I'll not use it tomorrow but it looks good and is holding air. The front which I done yesterday is still solid


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## DCLane (10 Dec 2021)

I finished working on my son's BeOne Raw training bike after it stopped moving fully on a hilly ride Sunday, the result being he had to ride every hill in the big ring. The Dura-Ace rear derailleur pivot had seized; it's been dismantled with every part cleaned and/or greased. Add to that a new KMC black lightweight chain plus new rear gear cable and it's all good to go.

I've a stack of small jobs piling up across the bikes but a work backlog as well, so the jobs may well have to wait.


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## wafter (11 Dec 2021)

I offered a further, liberal dose of "hammer-based persuasion" to my seized seatpost and quill stem. They responded with their usual stoney chorus of "zero fooks". The bike remains inert and useless; as I expect it to until I find the resolve to crack out the hacksaw


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## DCLane (11 Dec 2021)

Son no. 2's bike and mine were cleaned after today's rides out ready for another training ride tomorrow for him. He'll need a rest day on Monday to recover.


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## biggs682 (11 Dec 2021)

Shortened a chain by removing a link , so will see if its better tomorrow


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## Dogtrousers (12 Dec 2021)

Been having some indexing problems. Started thinking it was a B screw problem or something exotic like that.

Turned out the cause was that the the bolt holding the mech to the frame was a bit loose. Should have been bleeding obvious but as I was looking at it with the wheel in and everything under tension I missed it until I noticed the mech wobbling a bit with the wheel out. So last night I put the bike away and retired to peruse the Shimano tech docs as I wanted to avoid my traditional balls-up.

This morning nipped the bolt tight, tweaked the indexing and all seems good.

(Famous last words)


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## Juan Kog (12 Dec 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> . Should have been bleeding obvious but as I was looking at it with the wheel in and everything under tension I missed it


A couple of years back one of my fixed wheel bikes was really noisy, particularly under load . I thought it was the bottom bracket in its death throes. When I loosened the back wheel and released the tension on the chain all the chain ring bolts were loose . I know if I maintained my bikes properly, I would have noticed when the first bolt worked loose .


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## HLaB (13 Dec 2021)

I went to swap the cassette off the summer wheels for the one on the winter wheels today. The cassette came off the winter wheels no problem but the cassette on the summer wheels (I think only 1600, mainly dry, miles old) was solid. I'll try again in the morning but for now I have fitted a brand new cassette to the winter wheels so I could use them and ordered a new chain.


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## GeekDadZoid (16 Dec 2021)

I finally gave up on trying to get the original front derailleur working with the new crankset on the Holdsworth. So plumped for the matching FD to the crankset. Once the position was found, quick cable swap and all was working, I'm using friction shifting on the front so no faff at all. Might get to take it out on Friday for a spin.


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## biggs682 (16 Dec 2021)

Fitted a set of bars and stem to the F R Russell winter bike next job is to connect some cables


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## ColinJ (16 Dec 2021)

A couple of years ago I lowered the stem on my singlespeed bike by swapping the big spacer underneath for the small one on top. It was meant to be a quick test but I forgot about it and carried on riding the bike with that setup. It did feel fairly comfortable like that, but I thought I'd try swapping it back today to see which position I prefer. 

I have swapped it back now. I'll nip out this evening and do a short test ride once the traffic level has died down.

It might be that I would really prefer a position in between the two extremes, in which case I will have to hunt around for some small spacers to use in place of the bigger one.


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## avecReynolds531 (16 Dec 2021)

Replacement dynamo front light and cable.
Front brake cable, cleaned and reset v brake springs & pivot points.
RD inner & outer cables fitted & indexed. Cleaned & reset main derailleur bolt & pivot points.


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## ColinJ (17 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> A couple of years ago I lowered the stem on my singlespeed bike by swapping the big spacer underneath for the small one on top. It was meant to be a quick test but I forgot about it and carried on riding the bike with that setup. It did feel fairly comfortable like that, but I thought I'd try swapping it back today to see which position I prefer.
> 
> I have swapped it back now. I'll nip out this evening and do a short test ride once the traffic level has died down.
> 
> It might be that I would really prefer a position in between the two extremes, in which case I will have to hunt around for some small spacers to use in place of the bigger one.


I just did a 10 minute test ride. I definitely prefer the bars in the slightly raised position so I will keep them like this. 

I will try the same change on my best bike when it comes out of hibernation in the spring.


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## dave r (19 Dec 2021)

Normally I put a new chain on my fixed at the start of winter and its knackered by the spring, normally at 0.75, last spring I put the gauge on the chain and it was still serviceable. After my ride Thursday I noticed there was a slack spot in the chain so i brought the bike in this afternoon for a fettle, I put the gauge on the chain again and its worn but still serviceable, the first thing I found was that I'd pulled the wheel over slightly in the track end, having sorted that out and retentioned the chain I spent a little while playing with the chainring centring on the spider reducing the slack spot and removing a tight spot. I also checked the front wheel rim, its now six years old and getting worn, I put the gauge on it and its at 1.2 mm so OK for now.


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Dec 2021)

Recharging four AAA batteries having used my rear lights in fog today and decided they need a boost


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## Juan Kog (19 Dec 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Recharging four AAA batteries having used my rear lights in fog today and decided they need a boost


Good ,non of those new fangled USB rechargeable battery lights .


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## pawl (19 Dec 2021)

cleaned the bike Oiled the chain Ran the gears up and down the cassette gear change was all over the place Tried re indexing No joy Problem was the guides under the bottom bracket were clogged with crud Quick scrub Spray with oil Problem solved


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## DCLane (20 Dec 2021)

The brakes on my Avanti Circa cross / winter commuter have been steadily getting worse; it's gone from a squealing front plus weak rear to a screaming part-working front and a non-existent rear.

So, this evening I removed the old Avid Shorty 6 cantilever brakes I'd used when building the bike up two years ago and replaced them with a pair of Shimano CX-50's and improved pads, plus new cables and straddle cables.

All seems good; i.e. they at least work so there will be a test-ride tomorrow.


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## Gravity Aided (25 Dec 2021)

I am planning wet sanding for the Raleigh Competition frame I found some time ago, then time to sand and polish components.


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## Saluki (25 Dec 2021)

I cleaned my cassette while bike bud tightened the cones on the rear wheel. Does that count as a Xmas fettle.


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## bikingdad90 (25 Dec 2021)

I altered the bike seat height and for/aft position of my sons new bike and relocated a bell on my daughters balance bike to make it easier to use the grips.


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## Hebe (27 Dec 2021)

Not quite fettling… Santa put a spare inner tube in my daughter’s Christmas stocking. Today we brought in the mini pumps from both her and my bikes and practused attaching either pump to the tube and inflating it. She’s doing cycling for her D of E Bronze and we’re including some basic maintenance, repair and GCN watching… especially on the weeks when she’s been too busy to get out on the bike or the weather’s been too rubbish.


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## Jenkins (27 Dec 2021)

As much as I hate the current run of wet & grotty conditions, it's given me a chance to catch up on a bit of maintenance.

Spa Elan - chain cleaned & lubed, wheels de-mudded, frame cleaned and given a quick polish with GT85
Van Nicholas commuter - chain cleaned & lubed, wheels cleaned, dreailleur jockey wheels removed, greased and refitted, frame cleaned
Giant flatbar - chain cleaned & lubed (it really needs replacing along wih the cassette as I think they're the originals with around 5000 miles on them), wheels cleaned, frame cleaned and pedals replaced with a better condition used pair from the box of bits.


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## raymondo60 (27 Dec 2021)

Gave the MTB a thorough clean, then went out for a towpath jaunt and got it completely mucky again. Rinse and repeat.


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## HLaB (28 Dec 2021)

After my Hollowtech crank failure the other day (you know the type that according to sh1tmano doesn't exist) I am on a borrowed bike. It's got quite nice Portland Works Fenders but at about 50 miles the bolt for the rear stays decided that on Scottish roads with tyres at 70psi the tempo pace was too much for it. To their credit they held together for another 18 or so miles (although I did have to frequently stop to put the clamp back in position). The real fettle though was when I got back home. I took an old every ready light bracket apart to get its nut & bolt which I used on the mudguards.


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## Hebe (29 Dec 2021)

A day with a lovely surprise. I had promised the girl that we would swap the pedals on her Liv hybrid for something a little less slippy in the wet. The LBS that I went to for tyres kindly loaned me a pedal spanner. I looked at you-tube and said to the girl that this job would either be very quick or very annoying and long. It was an absolute piece of cake. Compared to the last time when I had to use a mallet… I did one pedal and my daughter did the other one. Win.


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## chriswoody (29 Dec 2021)

During today's rather wet and muddy ride the back brake was first dragging and scraping like mad, then it decided to give up the ghost completely. So this evening I thought I'd better give it the once over. Suffice to say one of the pads was worn down completely and the other one was not much better. One of the pistons was also sticking like crazy, so a complete clean of the calliper and pistons with Isopropyl alcohol took care of the pistons. Then I found a replacement set of pads and popped them in.

I checked the rear disc as well and decided it was high time it was replaced, I've had a spare kicking around for a while now, knowing that the rear was getting thin, I decided tonight was the night to replace it. Say what you like about discs, but I do love the fact that both pads and discs are easily and cheaply replaceable.

Also wiped off the chain with an oily rag and gave it a drop of oil.


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## DCLane (30 Dec 2021)

Bits by me, bits by my LBS (Sowerby Cycles, Mirfield):

- My Raleigh SP Race snapped a gear cable on Monday, with the rear cable guide tiny rivets also snapping (they were corroded) in the process. The LBS re-riveted the guide back on, with a new cable and new brake pads since they were down to the metal 

- They also put new freehub bearings in my son's rear carbon Novatec training wheel. Despite covering only 3500 miles they've been hard miles on his training bike.

- I cleaned my Avanti Circa and adjusted the newly-fitted Shimano brakes. It all stops well.

- Son no. 2 also snapped the chain on his Boardman AirPro yesterday going up a steep hill -  - so that's been mended as well. It also needed a new rear mech hanger fitting, together with some other fettling. All good (hopefully) for a ride tomorrow.


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## Hebe (31 Dec 2021)

Introduced the girl to cleaning her bike and lubing the drivetrain. It’s not noticeably cleaner but sounds a lot less crunchy.


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## HLaB (31 Dec 2021)

In all honesty I should have cleaned the bike I've borrowed after yesterday's 111 miles over the Campsies but I did it today


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## DCLane (31 Dec 2021)

A frustrating afternoon of fettling and failure today;

I've been building a NeilPryde Bayamo TT bike and it's all done bar cables and a chain. However ... I can't get bits undone to thread the brake cables through the Zipp bars (they came with Dura-Ace brake levers already installed) or the gear cables through the frame. As a result I gave up, very frustrated with a sore back after two hours of trying.

Son no. 2's Boardman AirPro's been playing up again; he lost two of four chainring bolts (red AtoZ ones) on his ride today and the brake got stuck on, partly because he thought a rocky farm track was a road. Brake unseized and tightened (it had moved) and the rest of the chainring bolts, which were also loose, swapped for better ones. We'll await the next thing to go wrong on this bike ...

Finally we're Calder Clarion's New Year TT tomorrow. Just 5 miles but it's a nice start to the year. My aim was my new TT bike as the Principia's in storage - given the cable failure above I'm doing it on my Raleigh SP Race commuter. Son no. 2's doing it on his Carlton Corsa orange fixie for fun, having raced one of our Dawes Kingpin's when the TT last ran two years ago. I'm sure his chainring bolts aren't the only screw loose there 

It's been a couple of years since the Corsa was last used and we pulled it out for a check-over, but it all seems to be working fine. Garmin mount on, plus front/rear lights are both are now CTT requirements.


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## palinurus (1 Jan 2022)

Wanted to ride my Surly- hasn't been used for a few weeks. The headset felt stiff, weird to ride. Noticed the tell-tale rusty drips below the headset. Turned around, quickly popped the forks out, roughly cleaned out the brown shite and sort of massaged some grease into the lower bearing- nice! got out and got it filthy riding around the lanes. Will have a proper look at it when I get time.


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## biggs682 (1 Jan 2022)

A while back i picked up a set of Hope hubbed wheels , which today i popped into the Sinclair machine i am using and thankfully the rear is the right OLN with the correct off set so a new Gatorskin fitted and left to sit for 24 hours before fitting and re setting the rear mechanism


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## Hebe (1 Jan 2022)

A couple of fettling successes today and a fail. I am putting new tyres on my Vita because the old ones are starting to crack. My successes were opening the noodles on the brakes and opening the quick release skewers. These wouldn’t normally be such achievements but everything came back tighter after the last service. I also got the tyre off ok… then absolutely could not get the tube/wheel/tyre to play nicely together. Turns out the tube is too big. Hopefully fixing that tomorrow.


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## JhnBssll (1 Jan 2022)

Fitted a new rear mech inner cable to the StumpJumper, a job that I've been meaning to do for about 6 months now  While I was at it I adjusted the caliper clearances and bled the front brake then put some air in the dropper post which had lost pressure. She's all ready for a new year run out now 😊


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## Elybazza61 (2 Jan 2022)

New cassette fitted on the stayer 650 wheel and Hope rotor on new Hope/DT front wheel (still waiting on spokes to build the matching rear).


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## Oldhippy (2 Jan 2022)

I cleaned and oiled my running gear and then went out and got it dirty again.


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## Ridgeback Roller (2 Jan 2022)

I cleaned, adjusted and re-greased the bearings in my summer wheels and fitted a pair of 28C Conti Grandprix GTs. They probably won't be used until the end of March but with a bit of luck they might have stretched a bit before the first p******e as they were very tight to fit first time round. Unfortunately I don't think the wheel rims are going to last another season, the wear dimples are becoming very shallow to almost 'where are they', so I'll be in the market for a lightweight set of wheels. I fancy a pair of handbuilt ones from SPA https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s1...e-Kinlin-rims-built-using-Sapim-CX-Ray-Spokes, just need to save up the pennies and make sure I stay under the 80kg rider weight limit..........


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## DCLane (2 Jan 2022)

I cleaned my Raleigh SP Race commuter after yesterday's time trial and today's ride, when I was caught in a huge unexpected downpour.

Also, given the rear Ritchey wheel is worn out, and the tyre worn through, I swapped the wheels for a temporary old Shimano set. Back to 23mm tyres for a week or so whilst I sort a replacement set, given the ones I'd ordered won't take 11 speed cassettes. I've a spare 10 speed Richey rear, so they'll be OK for a different bike, and the wheelset cost me the grand sum of £1.16 collected from eBay; 5000 miles of use later and I _think_ I've had decent value from them 

Son no. 2 had a blow-out over a pothole in the rain downhill, meaning his rear wheel was wobbly. That'll need some trueing, or it's junk.


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## Hebe (2 Jan 2022)

I now have the right size tubes for my new tyres. They are both very nearly fully on now, had to stop on the last tight bit because my thumbs were hurting. Last big push in the morning. My state of mind was slightly brightened by turning around and seeing the girl hula hooping with one of the old tyres


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## DCLane (2 Jan 2022)

@Hebe - why your thumbs? I'm presuming you're using a hand pump rather than a track pump?


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## Hebe (2 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> @Hebe - why your thumbs? I'm presuming you're using a hand pump rather than a track pump?


It’s new tyres as well as new tubes - I can now fit the tubes ok and am onto fitting the tyres. They’re just a bit tight going on over the rims and my thumbs gave out on the last few inches.


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## Elybazza61 (3 Jan 2022)

Check over for the Tern folder in prep for the train commutes*, just needed fresh front pads.
Clean up for the Stayer OG
And stripped more bits off the X-Trail and a clean down in prep for sale.

*Just in case there are driver issues and cancellations as it can be a ball-ache getting a non-folder on Greater Anglia trains.


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## GeekDadZoid (3 Jan 2022)

Accidental bike purchase late last night has given me another project to get started on. I have this earmarked for a friend but it might stay at mine as a spare bike. 

Just swapped the saddle, tweaked the brakes and got the tyres to the right pressure and went for a spin.

Deffo going to swap the wheels from the chrome ones, I have a set of 700c wheels with a screw on free hub which would require a cold set of the rear dropouts, so may do that.


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## Dogtrousers (3 Jan 2022)

Replaced my chain. And ... Wait for it ... Threaded it correctly through the derailleur first time! And didn't ping the quick link across the garage! Go me!! What a pro!


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## Juan Kog (3 Jan 2022)

palinurus said:


> Wanted to ride my Surly- hasn't been used for a few weeks.


@palinurus you have a Surly , which model ? . Steamroller owner here .


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## Gunk (3 Jan 2022)

Dogtrousers said:


> Replaced my chain. And ... Wait for it ... Threaded it correctly through the derailleur first time! And didn't ping the quick link across the garage! Go me!! What a pro!



My habit is to not thread though the front mech


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## biggs682 (3 Jan 2022)

Removed another link from a chain 
Inspected rear wheel after hearing what I thought was a spoke breaking and sure enough it was , so swapped rear wheel over and adjusted rear mechanism .


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## DCLane (4 Jan 2022)

Son no. 2 and myself finally wrecked 3 wheels following Monday's freezing wet ride; his blow-out buckled a rear rim and my £1.16 Ritchey wheelset eBay purchase have finally worn out the rims and bearings after 5000+ miles (that's decent Yorkshire value ).

So, two cassettes off and cleaned, then new GP 4 Seasons / 4000 tyres onto an almost new Superstar Components wheelset plus a spare rear. That'll do for a bit ...


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## palinurus (4 Jan 2022)

Juan Kog said:


> @palinurus you have a Surly , which model ? . Steamroller owner here .



A Pacer. Bought in 2014- first saw the frame in the LBS a couple of years before, didn't sell, then they built it up and still couldn't sell it, eventually they put it upstairs in the store room. Then one day I asked about it and they still had it, got a good deal on that.


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## Juan Kog (4 Jan 2022)

palinurus said:


> A Pacer. Bought in 2014- first saw the frame in the LBS a couple of years before, didn't sell, then they built it up and still couldn't sell it, eventually they put it upstairs in the store room. Then one day I asked about it and they still had it, got a good deal on that.


This is embarrassing my memory, you have already told me about your Pacer . It was only May 21 as well. I promise I won’t ask again.


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## newts (6 Jan 2022)

Today was new seat day, an hour on the turbo & we have a happy bot so far.


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## JhnBssll (6 Jan 2022)

newts said:


> Today was new seat day, an hour on the turbo & we have a happy bot so far.
> View attachment 625273



Excellent work, I'm yet to find my happy bot turbo saddle  Maybe this year is the year I discover it, perhaps I should restart the search


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## jowwy (7 Jan 2022)

newts said:


> Today was new seat day, an hour on the turbo & we have a happy bot so far.
> View attachment 625273


i have two of those saddles, they are indeed great for the bot


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## fossyant (8 Jan 2022)

Bearing service. I have some bearings on order from Wych bearings but thought I'd check them on the MTB. Non drive side BB bearing got a hammering in October (submerged) so i regreased it, but it's a little rough. Removed the circlip from the non-drive side cup and drifted the bearing out. Removed seals and soaked in white spirit then rinced and re-assembled. It's spinning well, so refitted.
Whilst at it, checked rear wheel bearings - one slighly rough bearing on the freehub (hubs were silky smooth despite a wet Gisburn ride before NY). Same process, drifted out, cleaned, regreased and re-fitted. Spares will be here next week, so if they get rough, the new ones will go in.


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## Mike_P (8 Jan 2022)

Last year's cobbled up mudguards rattled a bit too much last weekend when tried out for the first time this winter so today the Defy received a set of Flinger Race Pro mudguards. Four separate ones held by brackets that slot onto the brake bolts. Rear one was a bit problematic getting the front part and the brakes both correctly aligned and the chain did not co-operate when I removed the wheel ending up in one of those baffling tangled messes that it seems impossible to get into. As the Defy does have fixing bolt holes on the stays I did not have to use the assorted accessories to strap the rods in place. A mud flap fitted retrieved from the cobbled set and a rear reflector off a clamp rear mudguard.


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## dave r (8 Jan 2022)

I've fitted a new pair of Kool Stop salmon brake blocks to my fixed tonight, I was going to do the job last Monday but couldn't find my spare set of brake blocks, I ordered two new sets off SjS cycles then when we had the boiler serviced on Thursday and I was clearing the corner of the kitchen by the boiler I found my spare set of brake blocks.


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## newts (8 Jan 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> Excellent work, I'm yet to find my happy bot turbo saddle  Maybe this year is the year I discover it, perhaps I should restart the search


I was using a homemade rocker plate under the trainer last year, it helped with the numbness. I kept tripping over it in the garage it's now stacked at the back out of the way. I'm hoping the seat will be enough for comfort as I try some post covid turbo sessions.


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## Mike_P (8 Jan 2022)

Another matter finally resolved was how to fit a Varia mount to the ebike, two 3D printed higher than normal position saddle mounts having broken. The solution was to fit the actual mount devoid of any supporting parts onto the in built handle part of the battery that slots into the top of the pannier rack. A couple of suitable metal stand offs employed with one end chamfered to suit the angle and curve of the handle and holes drilled for 35mm long M3 bolts in order the mount it in place with a couple of pieces of blu tak pushed onto the back of the mount around the stand offs to keep them at the right angle.


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## GeekDadZoid (9 Jan 2022)

Waiting for some tools for the latest project from SJS so suspected a wrench free weekend, but all the parts for the swap to VBrakes for the Holdsworth had arrived. I planned on ordering some new bar tape to make it easier, but I found myself with a spare late evening with the rest of the house in bed or occupied so I went for it and replaced them. The bar tape came off badly but went back on ok, so it will do for now.

So it now has some Tektro RL520 paired with some nice Shimano Deore brakes and some new blocks. Test ride on mixed surface to come tomorrow.


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## DCLane (9 Jan 2022)

Annoying bits of bikes;

My Raleigh SP Race was cleaned and I adjusted the rear mudguard as it was catching.

Son's Columbus X-Wing cross-commuter had the front brake adjusted.

Son no. 2 set his Langdale track bike up with his Christmas present bespoke wheels from NR6 






I looked at his mis-behaving Boardman AirPro, adjusted the rear brake and other bits.

Finally, fitted the 2-ride old chain from his Boardman onto the NeilPryde that sits on the smart turbo. It immediately played up so I stuck a new one on instead. I _think_ I've bought a couple of fake KMC chains from eBay sellers as both have caused issues. Genuine retailers (eBay/elsewhere) from now on 

Just my Holdsworth track bike to do some work on (bar tape, new bottom bracket, new crankset, new chain).


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## Sticky Green (9 Jan 2022)

Stripped my rear campagnolo berlin 36 rim of its shimano 105 hub and spokes so that I could clean it up to match the NOS berlin 36 rim I managed to find. Intend to rebuild both with new butted stainless spokes and campagnolo hubs.


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## Fredo76 (11 Jan 2022)

That Langdale is sure 'not your father's Oldsmobile', isn't it? Would love to see the Holdsworth when you're done.

I converted my classic build to an eighteen-speed with a Red Clover Triplizer, a 42T chainring with arms for another 74 BCD chainring to make a Campagnolo or Stronglight double crankset into a triple. Here's mine with a Sekai 28T installed:



Before:



I replaced the original Sunour Cyclone rear derailleur with a Suntour V-GT Luxe to handle the wider range. After:






I called these 'stealth geezer mods'.


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## biggs682 (11 Jan 2022)

New pads fitted to the Sinclair along with a proper seat pinch bolt replaced a nut and bolt from the spares box


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## bikingdad90 (11 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> Son no. 2 and myself finally wrecked 3 wheels following Monday's freezing wet ride; his blow-out buckled a rear rim and my £1.16 Ritchey wheelset eBay purchase have finally worn out the rims and bearings after 5000+ miles (that's decent Yorkshire value ).
> 
> So, two cassettes off and cleaned, then new GP 4 Seasons / 4000 tyres onto an almost new Superstar Components wheelset plus a spare rear. That'll do for a bit ...


Where do you find such bargain wheelsets?

I’ve done some mind fettering, I’ve ordered a new winter bike; a Carrera vanquish disc 2021 in red. https://www.halfords.com/bikes/road...ad-bike-2020---red---s-m-l-frames-348526.html

It’s specced with;
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi.../topeak-mono-bottle-cage-cx---red-442916.html 2x red bottle cages,

Boardman handlebar bag
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...advanced-waterproof-handlebar-bag-184718.html

SKS bluemels from stock (single stays too)
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SKS-Blueme...-s221-4SURQ0sXf7mJ-Hi7vWwqnt66gQaAswaEALw_wcB

A Lezyne Femto rear light
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16182606/lezyne-femto-usb-drive-rear-bike-light-16182606

And from stock I have a cateye volt 400 front light and look keo pedals to go onto it plus a saddle bag already filled.

Just need to find a Garmin mount to complete it.

On order from the LBS I also have some Vittoria Terreno tyres in 709x33c which I hope will fit! @cyberknight, too tight?

https://www.nrgcycles.co.uk/wheels/tyres/vittoria-terreno-mix-gravel-tyre-700c-black__80891


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## DCLane (11 Jan 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Where do you find such bargain wheelsets?



They were eBay, collection only with just a photo. The seller had listed a pile of items and I bid on most of them, getting about 9 wheels, cassettes and tyres for around £40 in total. However, they lived in the back of beyond and there were no descriptions.

The Ritchey set was probably the best, and cheapest, of the whole lot.


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## cyberknight (11 Jan 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Where do you find such bargain wheelsets?
> 
> I’ve done some mind fettering, I’ve ordered a new winter bike; a Carrera vanquish disc 2021 in red. https://www.halfords.com/bikes/road...ad-bike-2020---red---s-m-l-frames-348526.html
> 
> ...


the blurb says it will take 32s if i remember rightly without gaurds , the stock tyres are very narrow for the stated width .I am running zaffiro pros in 28s with loads of clearance , as i using crud mk 3 gaurds its about as much as i would happily run for plenty of room to stop rattle and rub .


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## avecReynolds531 (12 Jan 2022)

New brake blocks for the V brakes on the everyday bike. Simple work and always has a nice result. 
The same bike gets cleaned & checked each week on days away from work: winter commuting can take a toll.


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## LeetleGreyCells (12 Jan 2022)

I've finally added the new disc brake callipers I bought to my Fuji. I've also tightened up the headset as there was a little play and touched-up the paint a little (it will need a second coat on those areas). I need to buy some new pedals for it, preferably ones with pins.


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## DCLane (12 Jan 2022)

A frustrating evening. And "frustrating" is the very polite word.

I tried to update my Holdsworth Roi de Velo track bike with a new (supposedly) Miche Pistard Air crankset. So ... removed the pedals, old Stronglight crankset, old Stronglight bottom bracket. New compatible Shimano bottom bracket in, right Miche crank on ...  The thread for the left crank is stripped / cross threaded. Hopefully I can get it re-threaded, otherwise I'll need a new bolt.

So: right Miche Pistard Air crank out, Shimano bottom bracket out, old Stronglight bottom bracket back in after greasing, old Stronglight crankset in, old pedals back on.

Then I changed the chain for a black/gold Pearl Izumi one, with just new bar tape to do after the issues below ...

In the middle of a hard training session my son was doing the gear cable snapped on the NeilPryde Nazaré that's on our smart turbo. It had snapped then jammed the shifter, so was a pain to remove. Threading the new cable through the frame was as annoying as on my NeilPryde Bayamo TT frame that I gave up on, but we got there with this. A new rear outer section was needed as well since this was ancient, or rather we'd never changed it. All in, and adjusted ... eventually.

Finally my PC went bang in the study / SWMBO's office  so I'm on 'her' PC temporarily until it's fixed or I buy a new one. It _has_ been playing up, so I'm guessing a new motherboard and/or processor since the power light is on.

At that point I gave up ...


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

Bike uncovered for the first time in a while, to check it's still there and the chain hasn't seized. All very good, actually, quick lube and check gear operation, minor tweak on FD needed, tyre pressures checked and set, job done.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

@DCLane, check the CPU cooler hasn't failed. My son's went bang recently, and it was due to the cooler packing up (water cooled) so the processor got immediately hot and wouldn't boot. New working cooler sorted it.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

Very minor fettle. During the last two Zwift sessions, my 19T sprocket on the Ribble felt very rough - fine in other sprockets - you could feel it through the pedals. Road ride showed nothing, as the roads are rough. So, into the parts bin, found two 19T sprockets, compared to the fitted one, and it did look slightly worn. Zwift later to check it out. I suspect the long ride to Wales and back (return being wet) wore the sprocket to the 'worn point' as I was in that gear most and the sprockets are old, chain new.


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2022)

fossyant said:


> @DCLane, check the CPU cooler hasn't failed. My son's went bang recently, and it was due to the cooler packing up (water cooled) so the processor got immediately hot and wouldn't boot. New working cooler sorted it.



Thanks. I flushed the power and plugged it back in - it re-started this time. Looks like the PC over-heated for some reason and I'm now running a temperature check program (Core Temp) to see what's going on, together with their temperature control function being on.

It _does_ look like it's over-heating, then shutting down, although this is the first time it wouldn't re-start. As there's no more internal fan slots I've ordered some externally-powered case fans and I'll plug them in.

It's a relief things are working as I've a major student hand-in today and working off SWMBO's touch-screen patient all-in-one PC isn't very efficient. I type at 80wpm and using that I'm down to about 4wpm.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> Thanks. I flushed the power and plugged it back in - it re-started this time. Looks like the PC over-heated for some reason and I'm now running a temperature check program (Core Temp) to see what's going on, together with their temperature control function being on.
> 
> It _does_ look like it's over-heating, then shutting down, although this is the first time it wouldn't re-start. As there's no more internal fan slots I've ordered some externally-powered case fans and I'll plug them in.
> 
> It's a relief things are working as I've a major student hand-in today and working off SWMBO's touch-screen patient all-in-one PC isn't very efficient. I type at 80wpm and using that I'm down to about 4wpm.



That's the issue, typing too fast !  Most likely the CPU that's overheating. Get out the hoover and clean the cooler (a small paint brush is usually better, but hoover nozzle near by to catch the fluff), also worth checking if you've a graphics card, that it's fan and cooling fins aren't covered in dust.

Eee, I remember a company I worked for had two servers that were 'cooled' by taking the sides off and having desk fans blowing in. We eventually got an air conditioned server room with rack servers.


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2022)

fossyant said:


> That's the issue, typing too fast !  Most likely the CPU that's overheating. Get out the hoover and clean the cooler (a small paint brush is usually better, but hoover nozzle near by to catch the fluff), also worth checking if you've a graphics card, that it's fan and cooling fins aren't covered in dust.


It's all very hot inside, but clean. My local PC place replaced the HUGE fan set-up I had with a much smaller one when it broke, and I suspect that's the cause. It's crashed again this morning but is now running much cooler with the case side off and sat flat. That'll do as a temporary solution and I'll keep an eye on things.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> It's all very hot inside, but clean. My local PC place replaced the HUGE fan set-up I had with a much smaller one when it broke, and I suspect that's the cause. It's crashed again this morning but is now running much cooler with the case side off and sat flat. That'll do as a temporary solution and I'll keep an eye on things.



You probably want more 'exhaust' fans. My kid's gaming PC's are set to pull air in the front with exhaust from the top rear and the top of the case. The inside of the case is room temperature ! Try flipping a fan or two to blow out of the case.


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2022)

fossyant said:


> You probably want more 'exhaust' fans. My kid's gaming PC's are set to pull air in the front with exhaust from the top rear and the top of the case. The inside of the case is room temperature ! Try flipping a fan or two to blow out of the case.



I'll do that when they arrive. Currently it's only the processor fan, the two on the dual graphics card and a small case fan. We're about to go to fan armageddon ...


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> I'll do that when they arrive. Currently it's only the processor fan, the two on the dual graphics card and a small case fan. We're about to go to fan armageddon ...


If your case has space, I've a Corsair H100i water cooler going up for sale today, and a rather nice 120mm 4-pin fan which is illuminated.


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2022)

DCBassman said:


> If your case has space, I've a Corsair H100i water cooler going up for sale today, and a rather nice 120mm 4-pin fan which is illuminated.



Unfortunately it doesn't, with too much in there already given it does all my work-related stuff and pretty much runs everything else we do. Dual graphics card, 3 x internal hard drives, two other PCi-e cards and other bits ...


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## LeetleGreyCells (13 Jan 2022)

Repurposed an old bike to use with Zwift so I don't have to keep putting my regular steed on and off the trainer. The bike needed a wipe down and re-lubing, gears indexing and tyres pumping up. We'll see how we go the next chance I get to go on Zwift.


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## Tom B (13 Jan 2022)

Finally got around to replacing the front mudguard lost last may.

Also and more pressingly swapped 3 sets of pads on two bikes eeeeekk. It'd been that long since I'd used the rear on one of them the rotor was rusting. Eeek.

One my commuter I've been needing to replace the crank rings for about 12 months. I slapped a new chain on it about 4 months ago as a put you on. It's only had a mickle since really. Really bad of me but I've been out of love with cycling and have a new born in the house. Had noticed that the chain was noisy and skating a lot. Noticed when fettling the brakes that the rollers are really loose and appear really worn. Never seen anything like it.

Really really really need to get around to putting on new crankset or chain ring.

Anyone got any 4 arm 48t chainrings they're getting rid of?


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## Spiderweb (13 Jan 2022)

Shiny new KMC 8 Speed Chain fitted together with new rear mech inner and outer cable. Brake cables to sort next, new bar tape and some long mudguards to fit. Just waiting for my mudflaps to arrive from RAW.


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> Unfortunately it doesn't, with too much in there already given it does all my work-related stuff and pretty much runs everything else we do. Dual graphics card, 3 x internal hard drives, two other PCi-e cards and other bits ...


Also have a _really big _case going!


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Shiny new KMC 8 Speed Chain fitted together with new rear mech inner and outer cable. Brake cables to sort next, new bar tape and some SKS long mudguards to fit. Just waiting for my long mudflaps to arrive from RAW.
> 
> View attachment 626245
> View attachment 626246


Oooh, smart!


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> I'll do that when they arrive. Currently it's only the processor fan, the two on the dual graphics card and a small case fan. We're about to go to fan armageddon ...



Blimey, no wonder !! Daughter's has three big exhaust fans, and one inlet fan, excluding the CPU, graphics and power supply fans !

Son's has 2 exhaust, three inlet, and a watercooler, which basically removes all the heat from the CPU outside.


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

@DCLane , what are the specs of the machine?


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## DCLane (13 Jan 2022)

DCBassman said:


> @DCLane , what are the specs of the machine?



It's an AMD FX-8350 processor with 16GB of RAM plus 3 x hard drives (2 x 1TB and 1 x 2TB), linked to an external hard drive.

There's also an NVIDEA GeForce GT740 graphics card, plus a wi-fi/bluetooth card and CD/DVD drive plus USB/sound ports.

It's certainly running a lot cooler with the case side off, so I'll see what adding a pile of case fans will do.

My challenge is that if I swap cases or do anything major with this I don't have the time currently, as I'm about to go into the busiest 4 weeks of my annual calendar. Once into mid-February a case / heatsink fan swap's more feasible.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> It's an AMD FX-8350 processor with 16GB of RAM plus 3 x hard drives (2 x 1TB and 1 x 2TB), linked to an external hard drive.
> 
> There's also an NVIDEA GeForce GT740 graphics card, plus a wi-fi/bluetooth card and CD/DVD drive plus USB/sound ports.
> 
> ...



Definitely more air flow needed - your poor PC is doing a Zwift Session without a fan or two !


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## DCBassman (13 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> It's an AMD FX-8350 processor with 16GB of RAM plus 3 x hard drives (2 x 1TB and 1 x 2TB), linked to an external hard drive.
> 
> There's also an NVIDEA GeForce GT740 graphics card, plus a wi-fi/bluetooth card and CD/DVD drive plus USB/sound ports.
> 
> ...





fossyant said:


> Definitely more air flow needed - your poor PC is doing a Zwift Session without a fan or two !


Exactly so, huge amounts of cooling needed. No idea if it is still true, but one of the major downsides of AMD processors in the past was that they always ran much hotter than Intel chips. Probably no longer so, but I've stuck with Intel nonetheless...
Buy really good fans, they're worth it.


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## fossyant (13 Jan 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Exactly so, huge amounts of cooling needed. No idea if it is still true, but one of the major downsides of AMD processors in the past was that they always ran much hotter than Intel chips. Probably no longer so, but I've stuck with Intel nonetheless...
> Buy really good fans, they're worth it.



Used to be the case, think they are fairly similar now. Air flow also protects the other components. Daughter has a big 'flower' thpe CPU cooer, and son as a cooler maser water pump - my word they shift some heat. Daughters Ryzen5 is newer than my son's I7, but he's got an RTX 2070, and daughter, his old GTX970 (she doesn't play sims like he does). Both machines are room temp inside the case.

On a cycling note, the 19T sprocket was definately worn and causing the chain to grumble - could only be felt on the turbo. Changed the sprocket and all quiet.


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## avsd (13 Jan 2022)

Ryzen CPU are more power efficient that Intel at the moment but @DCLane is a few generations older.


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## DCLane (14 Jan 2022)

Tidied the Claud Butler I had for sale and sold this morning to a nice buyer, who collects vintage bikes. And was taller than me.

Then set to work on my PC to fit LOTS of new fans, and cleaned out the case in the process. Whilst it currently sounds like a plane's about to take off, it's now running 35 degrees cooler 

Also, son no. 2's new Ridley Noah Fast had the final touches, apart from one jockey wheel which I'll do when the wheels are next out. If he doesn't get decent results with his first 'new' race bike since 2014 there'll be words ...


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## HLaB (14 Jan 2022)

I sent my old dura ace crank that failed off to get replaced today so I stuck an older Ultegra crank in temporarily. The Ultegra is a 10sp 50/34 and the Dura Ace was an 11sp 52/34. The internal chain width is supposed to be the same regardless of speed and its only supposed to be the external width of the 11sp chain that's different. The front mech probably needs adjusted but its running quite smooth and I stay in the big ring 99.9% of the time round here, so for a temporary bodge its hopefully ok.

Typically, I wore out my pedals over Christmas too so there a new set of them fitted. I hope the tension adjusters are set fairly neutral 🙄 I will probably loosen the left one (the foot I unclip 1st) after tea just to be safe.


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## bikingdad90 (15 Jan 2022)

She is built up. The rear mech was easy enough to index but the front mech was totally out of line and high/low limits were completely off. Had to faff round for a few hours to get it set up nicely with no grating. Just needs mudguards and pedals and then I can set up the position.


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## Jenkins (15 Jan 2022)

A bit of drivetrain swapping today.

The cheap SRAM Apex chainset I won on Ebay turned up on Thusday and it was in really good condition with hardly any wear on the chainrings, so the high mileage unit (also SRAM) on the Van Nicholas commuter was removed along with the bottom bracket. A new BB and the new chainset were fitted, along with some new rear brake pads and jockey wheels for the rear derailleur.

The chainrings were then removed from the old crankarm and put aside for future spares use. The FSA chainset & BB were then removed from the Giant flatbar and the 44T single ring from this was transplanted onto the old SRAM crankarm and the whole unit fitted to the Giant along with the old BB. For good measure a new cassette & chain were also added as the old ones were very badly worn.


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## HLaB (15 Jan 2022)

Nothing major I removed the cores of my gravel wheel stems, inserted 60ml of sealant into each, replaced the cores and reinflated. Sometimes the road bike sealant top up is so clean and easy but other times it's a right mess.


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## bikingdad90 (16 Jan 2022)

Progress update:
Mudguards on,
700x32 gravel tyres on,
Lights and accessories fitted,
Temporary pedals put on for shake down,
Position set up. 

Just waiting for my look keo pedals and some new shoes to arrive.


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## dave r (16 Jan 2022)

I spent some time today dealing with an unexpected minor domestic emergency, the end of the set of vertical blinds in the bay window had been dragging on the window sill, it looked like a screw had worked loose, I got my step ladder out and had a look, it turned out the screws had been put in with no raw plugs, the holes had enlarged and after a dozen years use the whole thing was hanging on to the ceiling by its fingertips, a search of various bits boxes and tool boxes revealed I hadn't got any suitable raw plugs, I'd got hundreds but not one that would do the job. A quick trip to the local pound shop to get suitable ones and I was able to get the job started, at which point it all came crashing down, so once I got it all sorted out I had to put it up from scratch, job done now and its all back up, now enjoying a.


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## Spiderweb (18 Jan 2022)

My filthy Paul Hewitt winter bike cleaned and lubed and new mudflaps from Raw fitted to try a limit splatter to both drivetrain and riders behind.
https://rawmudflap.uk/product/3stripe-mudflap/


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## Spiderweb (18 Jan 2022)

Some fettling and finishing to the Rourke this afternoon. New brake cables inner and outer, a bottle cage from the spares box, new Tortec mudguards with added mudflaps from RAW and finally some new bar tape to finish.


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## alicat (18 Jan 2022)

I replaced the element in my fan oven. A bit more hassle than I was expecting. Steak and mushroom pie to celebrate!


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## si_c (19 Jan 2022)

Getting a little bit of mudguard rubbing on the Trek, so took a look under the brake bridge and it appeared there was about 3mm space between the bridge and the guard, but because of the mount I couldn't move the mudguard any higher. Ordered a replacement metal mount, and filed down about 3mm from the bracket (same mount I was using already, which was a replacement for the weak plastic mount that was causing a rattle). Used my lunch today to take the mudguard off, replace the bracket with the new modified one and refit. 

The guard now sits a little higher on the tyre and there is a much smaller 1mm gap, so hopefully that will reduce the rub (only really happening when starting off from still when the load through the wheel is greater).


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## biggs682 (19 Jan 2022)

Carried out some adjustments to the new to me Galaxy , ie saddle and suspension seat post replaced , adjustable stem re positioned as were the levers , some lube added to the rear sti unit and finally tyres inflated oh and a road test


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## Mike_P (20 Jan 2022)

Two new Carnac helmets from Planet X (another £9.99 offer a couple of days back) which both had a twisted strap


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Jan 2022)

Treated a bit of rust on brake levers and applied some touch up paint. Not back on bike till Sat, so plenty of time for it to dry.


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## biggs682 (20 Jan 2022)

A bit more fine tuning around the Galaxy tonight .

Ie shorter seat post , selle SMP saddle, wider flat bars and a general check over .


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## GeekDadZoid (21 Jan 2022)

Managed to get all 4 gears running on my Wayfarer today after some very helpful advice on Facebook.

Really enjoying riding it at the moment.


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## bagpuss (21 Jan 2022)

Sorted this out .Cost me £85 off preloved .
Bars dropped {Spacer extension tube removed} Computer and spd pedals fitted .Rides lovely




Specialized Sirrus , before fettling


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## LeetleGreyCells (21 Jan 2022)

bagpuss said:


> Sorted this out .Cost me £85 off preloved .
> Bars dropped {Spacer extension tube revomed} Computer and spd pedals fitted .Rides lovely
> View attachment 627603
> 
> Specialized Sirrus , before fettling


Is that a suspension seatpost?


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## DCLane (21 Jan 2022)

PC and bike related; I now have a dedicated Zwift PC rather than cabling a long USB cable with ANT+ dongle, a VGA cable and a sound cable from my PC through the hallway and living room 15 metres to where the smart turbo is. Just to hope it all works now ... (one or two Direct GL graphics ANT+ dongle USB and audio cable reach issues to resolve still ).


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## bagpuss (21 Jan 2022)

Yes but it has had the spring thiny removed and replaced by the previous owner .


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## JhnBssll (23 Jan 2022)

I have signed up for an off road sportive that takes place in late Feb so decided to treat myself to some new tyres for the hardtail. When I built it up I bought a pair of Maxxis High Roller II's as they were on offer at the time. I really should have checked the reviews as it turns out they're slow rolling downhill mud tyres, not the quick and nimble tyre that should really be fitted on a lightweight XC bike 

This time I did read some reviews, and ended up choosing some Schwalbes; a Racing Ray up front and a Racing Ralph on the back. The treat pattern is far less aggressive and much shallower so should roll a lot more nicely 







While I had this beaut down from the rack I check the Di2 battery, completely dead  I haven't ridden her for over a year so some TLC is long overdue. I'll leave it charging overnight and check the situation in the morning then give her a good clean


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## DCLane (23 Jan 2022)

I cleaned my Raleigh SP Race after today's 100km reliability ride - as covered by Veloskin here https://veloskin.cc/blogs/veloskin/reliability-rides

Then looked at son no. 2's Boardman AirPro that snapped another gear cable on the same ride, this time leaving him with just two gears with a getting-sticky front derailleur as well. Running an aero race bike as a winter bike in all weathers is proving challenging.

Mud-wise the Boardman was OK this time. But the bottom end of the outer had rusted, presumably due to rain. Sorted with a new inner fitted and outer. The front and rear derailleurs had also picked up all sorts of gunk so they were both duly cleaned out and adjusted. Ready for the next calamity, although it's likely to be replaced in the short-medium-term by one of a pair of bikes I'm picking up tomorrow.


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## GeekDadZoid (23 Jan 2022)

No tinkering today other than drilling some holes in my rear baskets light plate so I can mount one of the lights I already have rather than buy another. 

Yesterday was busy though, I went to collect a bike from a Facebook Marketplace deal and ended up coming home with two, the seller wanted rid of a Claud Butler MTB from the late 80s I think it's the exact same frame as my Holdsworth I built into a gravel / adventure bike, he gave it me for free so I couldn't say no and took it to my BiL for him as I am out of space. 

The bike I went to collect and kept was a late 1970s Gazelle Trimsport with a step through frame. Bit of tightening of bolts and some air in the tyres and it got a spin around the park. A few more tweaks and checks and I took me to Lidl for supplies.

List of jobs is manageable so far.

New tyres (they are 37-590) 
New tubes
Couple of new spokes in the front. 
Brake hub service / clean.
Replacement chain guard sourced and fitted
Look at upgrading the front light to LED & standlight
Find suitable rear light
Possibly change the rear sprocket to make it easier on the knees 

With both bikes it close me about 67p per kg of steel.


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## JhnBssll (23 Jan 2022)

I spent an hour or so cleaning the Bianchi hardtail this morning after fitting new rim tape and tyres last night. I was pleased to see they'd both held pressure nicely, always a good start but never a given 






I went for a quick blast up the road and back to try and get a feel for how fast the new tyres roll (on tarmac at least) and there seems to be a big difference in speed and noise, the old high roller's used to really roar at speed on tarmac but these are more subdued 

The Racing Ray up front has a more directional tread, almost your classic chevron pattern with bits cut out. The tread has a nice rounded profile despite being mounted on a pretty wide rim which will definitely help in the twisty bits, the High Roller's were quite square shouldered.






The Racing Ralph on the back has a similar tread spacing and depth, and the same rounded profile, but the tread is arranged in more of a paddle layout for drive. I didn't notice when ordering, but the red stripe on the rear tyre denotes a slightly harder rubber than the blue striped front tyre, presumably fine tuning the grip vs lifetime and rolling resistance equation for each end of the bike.






The Di2 battery is fully charged so that seems fine too, I just need to make some time to get it all dirty again and try the tyres out 😊 I've also got a mudguard to fit under the saddle when I remember where I've put it


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## C R (25 Jan 2022)

New shifter cables for the road bike. The rear cable snapped inside the shifter during my Sunday ride, and I was concerned that it would be difficult to get the niple end out of the shifter.

I found the shimano dealers manual for my shifters, and it turns out that there's a cover underneath which can be removed to get the cable bits out, and in less than five minutes I had removed the broken bits. The longest time was taken by having to maneuver the cover out and in with the hood in place. The little barstard was well chewed up




I should have changed the cable before it got to this.

I also replaced the rear cable as a precaution. About half an hours work in all, everything indexed and working on the stand, hopefully will give it a try on the road at lunchtime.

Update after lunchtime ride. Shifting works great, and some hesitant changes I had attributed to the chain being close to needing replacement have disappeared, possibly the hesitancy was a sign of the cable fraying.


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## DCLane (25 Jan 2022)

Over lunch-time I had a look at the Forme and Boardman I collected yesterday, having been alerted by @cyberknight on this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-are-these-worth.282860/

The Boardman CX bike needed a quick clean, a couple of cable ends and then a new front outer and inner gear cable. It'd been converted to a single chainring, with the front mech still in place, but riders in the bit of Yorkshire where I live who run a single chainring quickly decide two is more useful  . It's now got all 20 gears with adjustments needed to both front and rear. Plans? Not a clue, but it could replace my Avanti Circa as winter commuter / cross bike.

For the Forme Thorpe Comp 1.0 that again had a minor clean-up but doesn't have a front mech any more, again having been converted to a single chainring. With son no. 2 mending his Boardman Airpro (again!) yesterday evening an overnight bike build wasn't required so I've time to decide whether to add in the front Claris derailleur I have spare or convert it all to 10/11 speed. The American Classic wheels it came with only take 10 speed; I checked  . We'll decide in the next week what to do although if his Boardman breaks again I _think_ my son will make the decision himself  . I'll have a hunt in the parts shed later to see whether I've enough 10 speed bits for a 10-speed build. Whatever we do it'd need a different crankset as both came with 175mm cranksets and he uses 170, me 172.5 as we've not got very long legs 

I do like it when a previous owner has taken care of their bikes, and it's showed with these two.


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## cyberknight (25 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> Over lunch-time I had a look at the Forme and Boardman I collected yesterday, having been alerted by @cyberknight on this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-are-these-worth.282860/
> 
> The Boardman CX bike needed a quick clean, a couple of cable ends and then a new front outer and inner gear cable. It'd been converted to a single chainring, with the front mech still in place, but riders in the bit of Yorkshire where I live who run a single chainring quickly decide two is more useful  . It's now got all 20 gears with adjustments needed to both front and rear. Plans? Not a clue, but it could replace my Avanti Circa as winter commuter / cross bike.
> 
> ...


If i had been the right size for those bikes i would have taken the forme myself ! ( if mrrs ck had allowed ) , 10 speed is as far as i have got even on the best bike .


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## Gunk (25 Jan 2022)

cyberknight said:


> 10 speed is as far as i have got even on the best bike .



me too, still running 10 speed on all my bikes.


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## dave r (26 Jan 2022)

Gunk said:


> me too, still running 10 speed on all my bikes.



10 speed Tiagra on my summer bike and running fixed in the winter.


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## Tom B (26 Jan 2022)

Front mech fettled.

It's just refused to move. Worked fine yesterday, just refused point blank today either by pulling the cable or pressing the lever. I'd like to say I knew what the issue was. But I hit it with the jet was for a couple of seconds, gave it a scrub with a dish brush and some degreaser and then dried and relubed it. It needs a bit of adjustment but works like new again. Can only assume some grit / stone general manc mankyness had got into it.
Or it was plain horrified about looking at the state of my chain rings .


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Jan 2022)

Drilled out seized bolts and fitted new headset bearing compression rings. Play eliminated and steering nice and smooth. Lots of grease for the bolt threads, don’t want the replacement ones seizing as well. Test ride of just under 2.5 hours, that’s the right length for a test ride, right?

This is a recumbent, you don’t use star nuts to set the bearing load / compression.


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## LeetleGreyCells (27 Jan 2022)

Installed new pedals and phone mount to my road/commuter/work/do-it-all bike and re-installed the pannier rack
Swapped the tyres on my back-up work bike back from knobblies to hybrid
Attempted to true the rear wheel on my MTB, stopped just before defenestrating said wheel (will continue truing attempt again soon) - also checked the brake pads from which I have ordered some new ones and a bleed kit
Lowered the saddle on my back-up work bike as it's the one I'll be using next week and the week after as it's more suitable for what I'll be delivering 
Updated the firmware on my Wahoo


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## HLaB (28 Jan 2022)

Could have done without learning that fettling lesson tonight. 

To start at the beginning my rear winter wheel pawls were jamming last night and I have not had time to fix it yet and my trusted lbs mechanic is on holiday also. So I swapped in the summer wheels which are tubeless. I took the valve core out of the rear to insert new sealant but couldn't get much in and ended up snapping the syringe extension and it was rather messy. I had an inkling something was blocking the stem. So I pumped them up hoping the pressure would unblock the stem. Took out the valve core again and the tyre stayed solid. So I had a proper clean out of the stem. Lol, once I did so the sealant went straight in in seconds.

Having learnt my lesson I gave the front wheel stem a proper unblocking. After doing so its sealant went in in seconds also and there was no mess 😂


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## Rickshaw Phil (29 Jan 2022)

Fitted new brake pads on the front of @gavgav's Genesis. The rear pads have some life left in them but will probably want new ones in the not too distant future.

Also tweaked the gears and had to fettle the bell - it's a Knog Oi Classic and the spring for the dinger doesn't actually appear to be made of spring steel, so with use it's taken on a bend. Seems a bit poor to me for a product that's not at the cheap end of the market.


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## roley poley (29 Jan 2022)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Also tweaked the gears and had to fettle the bell - it's a Knog Oi Classic and the spring for the dinger doesn't actually appear to be made of spring steel, so with use it's taken on a bend. Seems a bit poor to me for a product that's not at the cheap end of the market.


yeah my pinger went bye bye somewhere on the tow path ..shame


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## JhnBssll (29 Jan 2022)

Fitted my new 3d printed Karoo 2 adapter to the hardtail. Fitted a little ass-saver style mudguard under the saddle of the hardtail. Pumped up the forks ready for the mornings ride. Changed the cleats on the winter mtb shoes.


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## Tom B (29 Jan 2022)

Noticed a broken spoke. So chopped it out. 

Rough I know.


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## DCLane (30 Jan 2022)

Today's ride was cut short by a double fairy visit, so I came home and did some sorting out of the wheels in the parts shed. I've got mis-matched pairs and wheels we don't need, with those I do in the wrong place. Mostly sorted, with some that have question marks whether to keep or sell, plus quite a few to be sold.

Doing that meant I put junior race cassettes onto a couple of wheelsets for son no. 2 to use rather than just be sat waiting.

Also, with Sowerby Cycles doing the finishing work (different bottom bracket, cables, chain) to my NeilPryde Bayamo TT bike that's now finished. I'd had a go over Christmas but just couldn't get the cables through the bars and frame. Dura-Ace shifters and brakes, Ultegra crank / front / rear derailleur plus son no. 2's Starley TT disc wheel that he bent in 2020 and my ADR front, with the 100mm ADR as a spare rear. The finished article, having adjusted the seatpost to suit me:


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jan 2022)

Removed mud from a mudguard using a screw driver, and used same screw driver to tighten up a friction bar end shifter. Two different bikes, two different fettles, same tool, whilst out riding with my wife.


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## Gunk (30 Jan 2022)

This was the result of 150 miles yesterday.











Took most of the morning to give it a deep clean and oil the chain. The salt gets everywhere.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jan 2022)

Gunk said:


> This was the result of 150 miles yesterday.
> 
> View attachment 628878
> 
> ...



Nice ebike


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## Hebe (30 Jan 2022)

I watched you-tube and then adjusted a v-brake that has been stubbornly rubbing. Much to my relief it now doesn’t rub and still stops the bike when I need it to. After a succession of fettling fails that has made me very happy.


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## si_c (31 Jan 2022)

Stripped the chain off the Kinesis - it's been sat on the turbo unused for a few months, a symptom of my ongoing lack of motivation. The chain was claggy and sticky so ran through the ultrasonic cleaner for an hour whilst cleaning the cassette and removing, cleaning and regreasing the lower jockey wheel.

Also tweaked the derailleur hanger a touch as it was out of position.


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## DCLane (31 Jan 2022)

A frustrating morning of DIY failure, but over lunch I then got on with finishing the Forme road bike I collected from a contact of @cyberknight last Monday.

The single 50T and ground off 34T chainring were swapped with a different FSA 50/34 set, after a long soaking to get some seized/tight bolts off that my puny arms couldn't shift.
Bar tape removed so the loose ends could be re-wrapped after removing the gel pads on each side which was causing them to loosen. Both sides re-wrapped fully.
Front Tiagra 4600 derailleur fitted with new outer/inner cable. The hole to thread the gear cable through the frame was completely gunked up and it's taken several days of soaking and cleaning to get the gunk out.
All adjusted and pedals on with a road test. All works although imo it _could_ do with a chain link removing which we won't do if it's used as I'll swap the current 175mm 50/34 crankset to a 170mm 52/36 for son no. 2 or myself to use.






Plans? Not sure yet as when I collected the Forme my son was trying to fix his Boardman Airpro; whichever could be ready first was going to be used the next day for training. He got the Boardman done whilst I was in Derbyshire, giving me a bit more time rather than an overnight rush job.

However, having found out his BeOne can't be used in a UCI race in March (not an 'approved' frameset  ) he'll have to use his Cervelo, with our turbo-sat NeilPryde Nazarê as a back-up. The Forme therefore _might_ end up on our smart turbo for a bit since one of the bikes is off to Belgium early.


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## GeekDadZoid (31 Jan 2022)

Rat look trailer build last night, fairly good shake down ride today at lunch. Hopefully get the tweaks done in need to so I can take it to work tomorrow.


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## cyberknight (31 Jan 2022)

DCLane said:


> A frustrating morning of DIY failure, but over lunch I then got on with finishing the Forme road bike I collected from a contact of @cyberknight last Monday.
> 
> The single 50T and ground off 34T chainring were swapped with a different FSA 50/34 set, after a long soaking to get some seized/tight bolts off that my puny arms couldn't shift.
> Bar tape removed so the loose ends could be re-wrapped after removing the gel pads on each side which was causing them to loosen. Both sides re-wrapped fully.
> ...


sounds like it needed more work than i was expecting, given that i hope it was ok price wise ?


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## DCLane (31 Jan 2022)

cyberknight said:


> sounds like it needed more work than i was expecting, given that i hope it was ok price wise ?



Absolutely fine and I'd expected to do a bit of work. It was being a single front-chanring that's meant a bit more effort but I had all the parts in stock.


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Jan 2022)

Straightened bars with front wheel, not quite straight after last weeks fettling, and just enough out to be annoying. Also fitted new all metal left hand friction bar end shifter after current one had a plastic bit crack and kept loosening as result. Wasn‘t going to replace cable but found it was frayed at derailleur end, so fitted new gear cable as well. New bar end lever has lovely feel. Then went for lunch bike ride.


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 Feb 2022)

A bit of mixed fettling today: To start with I wanted to charge the batteries for a rear light in anticipation of a ride tomorrow but when I opened it up the clips holding the two halves together snapped off. The one I use on the Raleigh (same type - a Planet X Phaart Bleep) also broke a clip when I opened that up intending to use it instead. After some thought, a couple of rubber bands made of old inner tube seem to hold it together firmly enough so we'll see how that goes.

Later I got the bike out to just clean and oil the chain. While giving it a bit of a check over the pivots for the front brake arms seemed a bit sticky so I've cleaned and regreased them, and thought it would be a good idea to do the rears as well.


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## Ming the Merciless (1 Feb 2022)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> A bit of mixed fettling today: To start with I wanted to charge the batteries for a rear light in anticipation of a ride tomorrow



Thanks for that. Reminded me I want to charge the gps batteries for a ride tomorrow


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## bikingdad90 (1 Feb 2022)

Changed the tyres on my wife’s Dutch bike and discovered while the stumney archer hub wheel was off the bike that the 3speed shifter is goosed, will only change between 2 and 3 and not go into 1. Will book it into Cowleys in Northallerton to be fixed.


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## fossyant (1 Feb 2022)

New non drive side bearing fitted into the Praxis GXP BB shell on the full suspension MTB. Then found the chain wasn't spinning well. Deffo wasnt rear wheel bearings or the freehub as they had recently been done. Turned out to be the upper BBB jockey wheel. Flushed the cartridge bearings out and regreased.

Fall out from riding it through a few deep streams before Christmas. I'd not checked them since before a wet Penmachno either. Whoops.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (1 Feb 2022)

Spent my lunch break fettling a colleagues mtb as its been bugging me more than her .
Bled the rear brake so it now works and replaced both sets of pads.
New chain as the old one was knackered and 'sucking' badly.
Tightened the cones on the rear wheel and inflated the tyres properly.
I sure it'll be the same in a years time but shes happy, safe and I didnt have to make a coffee all afternoon


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## GeekDadZoid (2 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Changed the tyres on my wife’s Dutch bike and discovered while the stumney archer hub wheel was off the bike that the 3speed shifter is goosed, will only change between 2 and 3 and not go into 1. Will book it into Cowleys in Northallerton to be fixed.


Just the shifter that's goosed? Which style is it?


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## bikingdad90 (2 Feb 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Just the shifter that's goosed? Which style is it?


Think so as I had the cable unlinked at the time to remove the wheel and was operating the shifter on its own. 

It’s a twist shift one from the 90’s with orange indicators in the viewing window for 1/2/3. It was a skip find.


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## GeekDadZoid (2 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Think so as I had the cable unlinked at the time to remove the wheel and was operating the shifter on its own.
> 
> It’s a twist shift one from the 90’s with orange indicators in the viewing window for 1/2/3. It was a skip find.


Ahh ok, I've found SA shifters of most vintages don't like being shifted without cable tension.

I have not played with a twist shift SA so not sure of the cross comparability to the nice thumb shifters. Failing that SJS have twist shifters for less that £10.


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## DCLane (3 Feb 2022)

Given son no. 2 can't use his BeOne training bike at his first UCI race in March due to the frame not being on the 'approved' list we've had to sort a different 'spare' bike; the NeilPryde Nazaré that sits on our smart turbo is an approved frameset so he'll use that.

To give it a bit better kit I stuck a 3T Ergonova carbon handlebar on with the shifters set to suit his race set-up and some new Velox bar tape rather than the old aluminium NeilPryde bar and very tatty tape, although I still need to sort a different stem. It'll also need a new chain in the next fortnight as the fake KMC I bought via eBay is on it currently.

Given the bike's done under 20 miles on the road with a previous owner, plus about 2500 miles on our turbo, this wasn't a planned decision but it'll have to do. Off to Belgium on the team car roof it'll go. It's going from Zwift racing with the CycleChat C team to an international UCI event 

And if anyone thinks that Junior teams have a suite of race bikes available for their riders this I hope is evidence it's the opposite.


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## si_c (4 Feb 2022)

Took the chain off the Trek as it had a bit of surface rust and ran it through the ultrasonic cleaner whilst in meetings yesterday - on a roll with chain maintenance, just the MTB, and Mrs Cs bikes to do.

Scrubbed it with a toothbrush and relubricated and refitted. Still looks janky, but at least I know it's not filled with paste and grinding itself to death.


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## bikingdad90 (4 Feb 2022)

@DCLane Happen to have any 380mm centre to centre drop bars available that I could buy/swap with you for a 400mm and a 360mm? 
Anyone know anywhere them in stock too?


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Feb 2022)

Cleared out the mud that had accumulated in the rear mudguard. Silence once more.


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## DCLane (4 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @DCLane Happen to have any 380mm centre to centre drop bars available that I could buy/swap with you for a 400mm and a 360mm?
> Anyone know anywhere them in stock too?



Unfortunately not - I've only got a couple of pairs of 400mm Aeronova, a 420mm Ridley and a 420mm NeilPryde. A Google and eBay search threw up a couple of sources but at the £30-40 price bracket.

On another note I've swapped the 110mm NeilPryde stem for a 100mm Zipp one as a temporary measure on our NeilPryde Nazaré until I find a 'nice' one.


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## bikingdad90 (4 Feb 2022)

@DCLane thanks but they are too wide and I get hand pain with anything wider.


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## JhnBssll (5 Feb 2022)

I gave the Pilot a fettle this evening as I'm going to try and get out on her tomorrow. Trued the discs up as the rear was rubbing slightly, plugged the Di2 in to charge and oiled the chain. While I was doing so I noticed the BB felt a bit stiff and remembered I'd bought a new bearing for it  After a few minutes of searching I had located said bearing then removed the crank arm and non-drive side BB cup... It was a bit grim but felt a little better than it had when I'd previously inspected it - I'd flushed it and packed it with fresh grease at that point which has helped.







Anyway, out came the big hammer, vice and Hope bearing tools and then out came the old bearing  It drifted out fairly easily with a coule of good square whacks.






I cleaned the cup up then carefully wound the new bearing in with the vice and tool, loading only the outer race so as not to damage the bearing surfaces.






Great success. A few minutes later it was fitted back on the bike and the crank bolts had been torqued up. It all feels a little smoother now, hopefully the annoying click has gone too


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## GeekDadZoid (5 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @DCLane Happen to have any 380mm centre to centre drop bars available that I could buy/swap with you for a 400mm and a 360mm?
> Anyone know anywhere them in stock too?



Any good?

https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/comp...c75/handlebars-c589/stv-road-handlebar-p24527


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## GeekDadZoid (5 Feb 2022)

Look at you lot with all these shiny parts 😂

Been working on the saga that is the Gazelle again today. It's certainly lived a life over the last 40 odd years so getting things apart is problematic.

I have removed the chain guard for now as it was broken and replaced the two missing spoke on the front wheel. This now needs some truing but currently doing regular sprays of wd40 on the nipples.

I have fitted a 20t rear sprocket upgrading from the 18t it's a heavy bike and it's not flat in my town.

Fitted the marathon plus and new tubes.

Cleaned both hub brakes.

Will probably fit a new chain when I source a new chain case but the current one seems serviceable. 

Need to work out the gazelle bottom bracket.

Finally need a new non driveside but for the rear axle as the existing one with pretty much stripped.

Not even had chance to bring my £15 rod brakes Portuguese bike in for an assessment yet to it out in the rain.


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Feb 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I gave the Pilot a fettle this evening as I'm going to try and get out on her tomorrow. Trued the discs up as the rear was rubbing slightly, plugged the Di2 in to charge and oiled the chain. While I was doing so I noticed the BB felt a bit stiff and remembered I'd bought a new bearing for it  After a few minutes of searching I had located said bearing then removed the crank arm and non-drive side BB cup... It was a bit grim but felt a little better than it had when I'd previously inspected it - I'd flushed it and packed it with fresh grease at that point which has helped.
> 
> View attachment 629637
> 
> ...



Loving the purple touches


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## bikingdad90 (5 Feb 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Any good?
> 
> https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/comp...c75/handlebars-c589/stv-road-handlebar-p24527


Funny you should spot these, was looking on the Genetic website and considering purchasing direct.


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## Dogtrousers (6 Feb 2022)

Yesterday I had to move a cassette from one wheel to another. I removed all the bits of the cassette and carefully put them into a cardboard box so they didn't get dirty from the floor and nothing got lost. I then cleaned them individually and put them onto the other wheel. When I came to put it on the bike the indexing was a bit off, so I tweaked it. A really professional job. I should start a youtube channel showing people how to do this stuff.

Now to tidy up the garage.

*OH NO!* What's this spacer doing on the floor? It was the metal one that goes right at the bottom. It must have been stuck to the cluster of big sprockets with gunk and fallen off when I was handling it. Bollocks bollocks bollocks. So that's why the indexing was off. Oh well, these things happen. I'll take it all off and put it on properly. Chain whip, check. Cassette extractor? Where has my cassette extractor gone? It can't have just disappeared. Surely, it must be _somewhere_.

After a lengthy search of the garage and a lot of swearing I eventually found it hiding inside the cardboard box that I had used for keeping the cassette bits. Half an hour later, job done. I don't think I'll start that youtube channel.


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## si_c (6 Feb 2022)

Dogtrousers said:


> Yesterday I had to move a cassette from one wheel to another. I removed all the bits of the cassette and carefully put them into a cardboard box so they didn't get dirty from the floor and nothing got lost. I then cleaned them individually and put them onto the other wheel. When I came to put it on the bike the indexing was a bit off, so I tweaked it. A really professional job. I should start a youtube channel showing people how to do this stuff.
> 
> Now to tidy up the garage.
> 
> ...


You should. It would be a lot more entertaining than watching the 10,000th slickly produced video about how to change a cassette.


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## Gunk (6 Feb 2022)

Put a dart board up in the garage for my son to practice on.


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## FrankCrank (7 Feb 2022)

Who's doing the painting - they're making some wild shots


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## Gunk (7 Feb 2022)

FrankCrank said:


> Who's doing the painting - they're making some wild shots



It’s glue where the insulation used to be stuck to the door


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## JhnBssll (7 Feb 2022)

Just removed the Schwalbe One TLE's from my summer bike. I could never get them seated properly and they weren't the best rolling tyre I've ever ridden on so was time for a change. After some good reviews by friends of the Good Year Eagle F1 tubeless tyres I decided to try a pair on for size 😄






I got them both fitted in record time - these have to be the easiest tubeless road tyres I've ever fitted. The bead is still fairly tight, but theres enough give in the tyre to pull it over and they inflated easily with no leaks whatsoever. The bead popped on to the rim all the way around with no manipulation required... Very impressed 











Hopefully the ride is as good as the fit but I'll have to wait for the roads to clean up a bit before I find that out


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## itboffin (7 Feb 2022)

Nice tyres i've been meaning to give them a try, will be interested in your experience riding them, also nice wall mount what is that?


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## JhnBssll (7 Feb 2022)

itboffin said:


> Nice tyres i've been meaning to give them a try, will be interested in your experience riding them, also nice wall mount what is that?



It's a Cycloc Super Hero wall mount. I'm pleased with it, it's minimally invasive and holds the bike perfectly


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## itboffin (7 Feb 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> It's a Cycloc Super Hero wall mount. I'm pleased with it, it's minimally invasive and holds the bike perfectly



Cool I have their original wall mount and whilst neat isn’t as minimal, will investigate


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## CXRAndy (9 Feb 2022)

Stripped my neighbours' Stihl chainsaw carburettor down. It had poor idle, very reluctant to start, bogged down on throttle. Full strip down, blow out with airline. 

Today my McCulloch chainsaw developed virtually same issues. Unsurprisingly it had almost the same carburettor built 15 years apart


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## chriswoody (12 Feb 2022)

Last Sunday's ride was not great, aside from taking a massive tumble which winded me and left me with a bruised rib, the bloomin brakes were playing up again and binding.

So today I found some time to have a look at it all. First off I dropped the front wheel and took the pads out of the front caliper, mmm, think they might be dead, honestly I do regularly check them





Luckily I had one set of brand new pads ready to go in, unfortunately the pads in the back caliper were not much better, so the bikes off the road until I can get another new set of pads. As well as replacing the pads, I also gave the pistons a good flossing whilst I was there and cleaned up the caliper. I'm getting heartily sick of having to do this every few weeks at the moment, I really need to find out why they are so unreliable at the moment.

It could well be the sandy soil in the forests, combined with the relentless rainfall is giving the whole bike a hard time, not just the brakes. Whilst wiping down the chain, I thought I would take the jockey wheels out and not only clean them, but pop the seals on the bearings and clean them. After inspecting them a bit closer I decided it wasn't worth it, the jockey wheels are toast in all honesty, another victim of the sand. 






So the drivetrain is all nicely cleaned and back together, but I need to get some more pads before I can get it back on the forest trails.


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## JhnBssll (12 Feb 2022)

I've got my mates Marlin ebike in the garage at the moment for some tlc. He commutes on it in all weather so it gets a hard time and is regularly in for some work. This time round it was a drive train refresh with a new chain and cassette going on. I gave it a bit of a clean before I started and found the chainring teeth had seen better days...





I decided it was a bit futile fitting a new chain with the chainring in this state so have stripped it down and ordered a new one on Amazon for delivery tomorrow.





I popped the cassette on and have trimmed the chain to the correct length so it will only take a few minutes to reassemble once the chainring arrives.






Annoyingly I found a broken spoke in the rear wheel but don't have one long enough to replace it. I also found this crack in the rim by an adjacent spoke hole, so new wheel time is just around the corner...


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## si_c (13 Feb 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I've got my mates Marlin ebike in the garage at the moment for some tlc. He commutes on it in all weather so it gets a hard time and is regularly in for some work. This time round it was a drive train refresh with a new chain and cassette going on. I gave it a bit of a clean before I started and found the chainring teeth had seen better days...
> 
> View attachment 630707
> 
> ...


I see quite a few  coming your way.


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## DCLane (13 Feb 2022)

The start for today's 'mend bits' day; the flat I had on Friday's test-ride of new Schwalbe Durano 'Puncture Protection' tyres was caused by a side-wall blow-out after 1/4 of a mile - the seam had gone on both sides. That's in the bin as I've had them on the shelf for a year or so and I put a Vittoria Rubino on instead. I'll have a look at the second new Durano later too see if it has the same issue.

Now onto son no. 2's Boardman Airpro where the rear brake doesn't 'pull' until half-way down and has a distinct 'click' as it pulls. It's either the shifter that's broken, the rear brake, the outer cable or the inner cable, in reverse order of expense. The rear brake is fine on first look but the outer in several places is bunched-up. That'll be replaced along with a new inner and I'll add to this post to see if it solves the problem. If not, a new LH shifter is needed.


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## bikingdad90 (13 Feb 2022)

@DCLane it could be the cable is a little slack and also the retaining bolt on the caliper needs another half turn to stop the cable slipping. Had it before and took me ages to work it out as it was only moving by a mm or two!


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## DCLane (13 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @DCLane it could be the cable is a little slack and also the retaining bolt on the caliper needs another half turn to stop the cable slipping. Had it before and took me ages to work it out as it was only moving by a mm or two!



I'd _like_ it to be that, but unfortunately it's not. Having replaced all the cable outer and inner it's still causing the problem.

A closer look inside the shifter and there is wear where it's catching, and that seems to be the issue. Replacement left shifter needed


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## geocycle (13 Feb 2022)

New front wheel on the Thorn. Rim had worn through. Wanted to find a 26” rigida grizzly CSS to put on a SON 28 classic but not easy so bought a prebuilt Ryde Andra with a SON28 dynamohub. As my hub had done a lot of miles I decided a new one was justified. 70g more weight but looks the part. Irritating that fashion has moved on and 26” choice gets more limited.


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## woodbutchmaster (13 Feb 2022)

Here we go , cleaned and preened, the old Modolo/Mavic combo. ready to be fitted to my current vintage build.
Only drawback is that the frame/fork hasn't been painted yet


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## cyberknight (13 Feb 2022)

checked the commuter over post crash as its taken till now until i felt i could do enough to check, apart from the bars which needed straightening everything was good , not even a scratch !
while i was at it went over the rest of the fleet doing a quick look over


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## DCLane (13 Feb 2022)

Son no. 2 managed to break my car key earlier. It looks like the metal pin holding the key into the fob fell out. It now won't as it's held in by a small screw I put in. Not perfect, but fixed.


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## bikingdad90 (15 Feb 2022)

Took an hours lunch and swapped the brake pads in my rim brake bike from black general duty pads to red extreme weather pads (will see if stopping power is any different). 

After that I removed the bar tape from my Vanquish and moved the hood/shifter up the bar to a more comfortable position and altered my saddle height after fitting an in line seatpost the other day. Very scruffily re wrapped the tape and went for a shake down.

All seems good so I will now take off the rubbish cork tape and fit some nice tape when I have time. Probably once the kids are in bed.


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## Jenkins (15 Feb 2022)

Found out why the mudguards (SKS raceblade longs) were rattling more than normal on last night's commute - one of the metal clips that bolts to the rear brake had snapped under the brake bridge. It's been on there for something like 4 years and was a bugger to remove as the spacer fitted between it and the brake bridge had seized in place. Once off it was a quick swap for one of the spares I have, reassemble and refit the brake callipers then remove again, fit the correct length clip, re-reassemble and re-refit everything.


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## T4tomo (16 Feb 2022)

I fitted a set of cleats to a set of winter boots that arrived off ebay whilst waiting for dinner to cook.

Jobs are lining up, the OH's rear derailleur is unwilling to shift into smallest 3 sprockets. I suspect a sticky cable, so awaiting supplies before i start tackling that, as its still serviceable on the turbo.

Mate has had a new gravel bike delivered. When he got his current road bike, first downhill braking resulted in is handlebars slowly rotating forwards and his nose heading for the front wheel.  I've offered to pop round with my torque wrench to prevent a repeat.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Feb 2022)

Front Derailleur had been getting knocked when pedalling in big ring. Front derailleur straightened and nice and smooth again. Went for ride for a couple of hours and got puncture in last mile back home. Bike sat outside whilst I drink tea before my next fettling which is to fix the puncture.


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## bikingdad90 (16 Feb 2022)

@Ming the Merciless, where I am it would be getting rolled into the garage and left alone for another day. Absolutely chucking it down and blowing a gale, storm Dudley has well and truly hit with an orange weather warning. Got my kid and Maddie Moat on TV for company. Dads will know about Maddie 😋.


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## geocycle (16 Feb 2022)

Found inner tube making bid for freedom through sidewall of marathon supreme. Explains why it looked buckled when I was riding home. New tyre fitted and new ones ordered.


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## geocycle (16 Feb 2022)

Chain has started jumping off small ring when shifting down usually just before a big hill. Adjusted stop screw on front derailleur but not much as cage soon started rubbing on chain when on largest sprocket. Will need to think what else might be going on.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Feb 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Ming the Merciless, where I am it would be getting rolled into the garage and left alone for another day. Absolutely chucking it down and blowing a gale, storm Dudley has well and truly hit with an orange weather warning. Got my kid and Maddie Moat on TV for company. Dads will know about Maddie 😋.



Well the fix mostly consisted of me chasing the strip of patches and inner tube around the garden. Bit windy. After I’d put the rubber solution on I hung the tube in the porch to stop it blowing away again. Light rain but that was ok.


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## GeekDadZoid (16 Feb 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Front Derailleur had been getting knocked when pedalling in big ring. Front derailleur straightened and nice and smooth again. Went for ride for a couple of hours and got puncture in last mile back home. Bike sat outside whilst I drink tea before my next fettling which is to fix the puncture.



Hope it's not blown away :-/

I've not been up to much tinkering over the last week a combination of extra busy work and trying to reduce costs before the next gas bill, I am trying it be a bit sensible working on projects. But have been putting a list together of what's outstanding.

Need to get my head around rod brakes so I can get the latest project out the door for my sister. It's a Portuguese 90s vintage style bike so in quite nice shap, ideally I will find a cheap basket and it should be perfect for her for the few miles she will ride it a year.

I am also waiting for SJS to get the Sturmey Archer thumb shifters back in so I can get my gazelle back on the road with its new Marathon Plus tyres, this bike will live outside so cosmetics are not important, but I need to fit a front crate on it so I can free up the rear rack for some panniers. Should be my main errand bike then.

The Holdsworth Adventure bike is still the favourite and I think I want to make some effort to find a set of 700c wheels so I can run it over the summer without loosing too much speed. 130 OLD rear wheel makes it a little trickier especially as I would ideally like a freehub.

Raleigh Wayfarer needs the bottom bracket re assembled and the cranks replaced after some work, I have new cotter pins in stock now so it's just a time issue. Still need new stem / handlebars to get it perfect.

My old Saracen hybrid has probably hit the end of the road unfortunately, it's been a fab bike. I need to work out if I can comfortably tow the WeeHoo trailer with the Holdsworth, if so then that was it's last duty, so I will part it out. I'll probably use the tyres on the Holdsworth's 700c wheels when I get them and the wheels will probably go into storage as they are nice and strong. Rack and mudguards to be removed too then off to the great scrap heap in the sky. I'll check if the local bike recycling place want it for letting trainees wild on first.

The Dawes Giro 300 has been unused since about November due to the weather and terrible roads surfaces, but it needs a shake down ride so I can have it prepped for spring. 

The Emmelle will hopefully sell soon.

And the ever wonderful brompton needs a clean, it's been pulling the heavy lifting this year in the horrible weather so I'll treat it to a nice clean and relube. 

Enough bikes???


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## HLaB (16 Feb 2022)

Doh, I realised my road bike saddle had slipped by over 3cm. I think the in between position was pretty comfortable and efficient, that the height it was when I spent a week in Tenerife climbing but with my cranks failing a month later I've put on old cranks temporarily and whilst they are just 2.5mm longer I felt it. 3cm is too big for one go I think so I have put it up 1cm for now.


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## chriswoody (17 Feb 2022)

So after last weeks wet and gritty ride finished off both front and rear brake pads for good, along with the front rotor. I only had one set of spare pads on the shelf, so today a care package arrived for the bike. One set of pads will sit on the shelf as a spare set, but the other is going on the bike.






The new rotor was quickly fitted to the front wheel, after which I gave the front brakes a bleed. So on the front, that's the calipers and pistons all cleaned up and bled alongside a new rotor and pads.

On the back, it was just a new set of pads and the pistons/caliper was all cleaned up with isopropyl alcohol. Annoyingly the pads were still dragging on the rotor on one side, so I loosened off the mounting bolts and re-centred the caliper which cured that issue.

Then after the brakes, it was on to the tires, the old Raddler's were quite worn and the side lugs were in a right sorry state. The tires have been on there for two years now and a fair few thousand off-road kilometres, so they've done well. The only issue was breaking the seal on the rim, they've not been off the rim in two years and were seated really strongly. This is why I never carry a spare inner tube, because breaking the seal required me to get quite medieval on it, not something that's possible out on the trail. I was quite interested to see what two years worth of dried sealant looked like on the inside of the tire.





After the fight to remove the old tires, I cleaned up the inside of the rim with Isopropyl alcohol, the old sealant cleaned off the tape really easily and it all came up looking like new. The new tires went on quick and painlessly, a quick shot of 140psi through the airshot tank and the reassuring crack of tires seating onto the bead. I left the sealant out for now, I just want to check that all's well and they're holding air before I do so.

Whilst I was ordering the essentials, I also ended up ordering a new set of handlebars. The old Kona bars are not bad, but the curve on the drop is a little tight and they're not the comfiest to ride in that position. I was also hankering after more flare on the drops, the Kona comes with a smidge over 12 degrees and I wanted more. So I went for a set of 50 cm wide Salsa Cowchipper's, with 24 degrees of flare and a much nicer shape in the drops. Curiously they also have a shorter reach, which brings the hoods a tad closer to me. It didn't take long to fit them and I left them unwrapped for now while I dial in the fit. Riding around the estate though whilst bedding in the brake pads, they felt absolutely lovely, the extra width and flare over the old bars has really improved the low speed handling. I'm looking forward to getting the bike out on a longer ride now to test it all out, just a shame the current weather is really not conducive to riding in the forest.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (17 Feb 2022)

Bit more than a fettle but didn't feel it warranted its own modification/rebuild thread.

Fitted some Kona P2 forks to my Rockhopper to replace the knackered XCM'S.
New rear rotor and pads.
Fitted the Conti contact cruisers, these are the easiest tyres I've ever seated, took literally minutes.
Pannier rack to fit tomorrow when my mate drops it off.

Wouldn't have minded if it looked a bit 'hacky' as the plan is for it to be an all purpose do anything bike but actually think it looks alright so far.
It may end up with some different bars at some point too.

Before and after pics.


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## DCLane (17 Feb 2022)

Son no. 2's racing the Guido Reybrouck Classic in Belgium in March and I sorted out the wheelset he's going to be using this evening. We've gone traditional and probably against-the-grain as it's a cobbled race, possibly wet and with crosswinds.

In the parts store was a new 38mm Superstar Components wheelset in red, now with GP5000 25mm tyres and latex inner tubes plus a Junior cassette.

Why shallow-ish aluminium rims and clinchers? It's a lumpy race near the Belgian coast in mid-March. Likely to be wet and/or windy. With cobbles. We have to buy his wheels, so carbon ones on cobbles could mean an expensive day out. Also, he's only 53kg so any strong winds make life hard with deep section rims. And the wheels are mid-weight, which will help with the lumpiness with any carbon wheels we have being 50/60mm depth. He's selected GP5000's for their grip rather than the Pirelli's he uses normally, with latex tubes losing weight and rolling resistance. It _may_ help. But he also _may_ get absolutely battered by the competition.

_If_ racing happens on Sunday he'll give them a shake-down test. If not, we'll find another way. Photo once they're on the BeOne, although he'll be racing his Cervelo S3 (with a NeilPryde as back-up) since the BeOne isn't UCI approved and training on that next week whenever it's dry.


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## Fredo76 (18 Feb 2022)

Today I finally finished refurbishing my old Specialized training wheels. I started by removing the 35 year old tires - Specialized Turbo R 25c that actually measured at 21mm. I'm saving them as they are still good. Then I replaced the dinged front Mavic MA40 rim with a new Mavic Open Elite.



Trued up and centered the front, and re-dished and centered the old rear MA40. Took some steel wool to the stainless DT straight 14-gauge spokes, which got a lot of old dried crud off and shined them up well. Took a brass toothbrush to the old ferrules on the inside, oiled some of them, then cleaned up and buffed the inside track. Replaced the Specialized plastic rim tape with cloth Velox, 10mm front and 16mm rear. Mounted new 28 mm Specialized Turbo Cotton tires, 260g, using 85g Vittoria Latex tubes (pink!), and Stan's sealant right off, for our goathead-rich environment. The new 28s are a close fit on Fredo:





Had to deflate the rear to get it in. Pumped them up to 80 psi front, and 85 psi rear. Can hardly wait to try them out!






Cheers!


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Feb 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Hope it's not blown away :-/
> 
> I've not been up to much tinkering over the last week a combination of extra busy work and trying to reduce costs before the next gas bill, I am trying it be a bit sensible working on projects. But have been putting a list together of what's outstanding.
> 
> ...


If it's of any use, Bankrupt Bike Parts is showing these Sturmey Archer Shifters as in stock: https://bankruptbikeparts.co.uk/pro...e-in-england-nos?_pos=19&_sid=accef9009&_ss=r


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## JhnBssll (18 Feb 2022)

Just applied some invisiframe protectors to the cranks on my hardtail. I've got them on my road bikes but decided it was worth at least trying to protect the shiny on this one too 






Not a perfect application but good enough, they'll be dirty most of the time anyway 






I also adjusted the limits on the front mech as it was rubbing slightly. I've got a 35 mile event on Sunday, it's going to be wet and windy so I want the bike working as well as possible if only at the start line


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## GeekDadZoid (19 Feb 2022)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> If it's of any use, Bankrupt Bike Parts is showing these Sturmey Archer Shifters as in stock: https://bankruptbikeparts.co.uk/pro...e-in-england-nos?_pos=19&_sid=accef9009&_ss=r



Thanks. I actually don't like the trigger shifters like those, I much prefer the modern thumb shifter that they make. SJS have them in stock now so will make an order.


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## Sittingduck (19 Feb 2022)

Tried to resolve a creaky pedal/crank noise. 90% sure it’s the drive side pedal, that upon inspection had Some play. Unscrewed the spindle from the pedal body and spent about an hour trying to strip and resolve it but the 24 miniature bearings are a nightmare… there was too much lateral movement anyway so gonna have to order a new set of pedals. Out of stock in Decathlon which means 50 quid upwards for lowest level spd sl pedals which is a bit of a rip off.


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## bikingdad90 (19 Feb 2022)

Removed the stock 400mm Carrera bars off my Vanquish and replaced it with a set of 380mm (400 as sold) Deda Zero1 bars then did the best wrapping of tape I have ever done, it’s carbon effect and a little thin so will see how I get on with it, may replace It for something thicker; will take some pictures tomorrow. 

Did have to save the bikes tonight though! One of the shelves in the garage gave way and my tools started to fall off, threw myself in the way and held the shelf while I unloaded it all onto the floor. I was planning on taking the shelves down and replacing with metal racked shelves later on this year, looks like I will be doing it soon!


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## bikingdad90 (20 Feb 2022)

As promised, pictures; Excuse the messy garage.


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## Elybazza61 (20 Feb 2022)

Hope RS/DT wheels for the better half's Kona finished and fitted today (sorry no pics!)

Plus tyres and wheels swapped around for the Trek Multitrack prior to getting it ready for sale.


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## HLaB (20 Feb 2022)

Wasn't today but yesterday. I hadn't noticed that the seat post on my road bike had slipped so I took it out and put some carbon paste on it. I had also set my gravel bike saddle to the same height as the slipped post. I quite liked it but I decided to raise it a bit too. I ordered a SPD cleat shim from EBay ages ago but it never turned up and no one answered my emails. So I decided yesterday when I was in a fettling mode to add two road bike rectangular washers under the spd cleat but had to use longer road bike bolts too. Rode the gravel bike today, what a difference it has made 👍


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## Elybazza61 (21 Feb 2022)

Started sorting the Trek out to get it ready to sell.

So,

Sora 2 x 9 bits off and the original Acera 3x7 on,,,

,,but then realised I had no 7-speed chain or cassette in the parts bin.

So moved to the brakes and,,,

,,,found one of the callipers was broken  .

Spare v-brake arms found and fitted but no pads .

The joys of fettling .

Was going to tape and set up some tubeless wheels but lost any enthusiasm to do it.


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## avecReynolds531 (22 Feb 2022)

A new set of v brake blocks fitted this afternoon, cleaned wheels, chain & cassette. Looking forward to the end of winter, sunshine & summer, and not having the clean the bike pretty much every other day.


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## Jaker07 (22 Feb 2022)

Did a brake fluid top-up (front brake was a bit soft) and replaced the hoods. Didn't do a full system bleed, but gaining the confidence to do so at home vs taking it to LBS. Two lessons learned - make sure you get the exact model number for your hood replacements (8050s won't do if you have 8070s); sanitizer really helps when removing and installing.


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## DCLane (22 Feb 2022)

Set the track bike up on 92" for tonight's track league at Derby;


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## bikingdad90 (22 Feb 2022)

Built two 5 tier heavy duty shelving racks and installed them in the garage. The shelves that fell down have been dismantled and the things that were on them are now on the racking. Garage looks so much neater and organised.


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## GeekDadZoid (22 Feb 2022)

DCLane said:


> Set the track bike up on 92" for tonight's track league at Derby;
> 
> View attachment 632296



Stunning looking bike.

I've just picked up a new bike for my eldest son who is growing like it's going out of fashion. He was happily riding 24 inch wheeled bike 12 months ago, but last time he rode it last year late summer it was getting a bit clown like.

He gravitated towards a bigger frame in Decathlon as he liked the was it felt and as he is still growing and doesn't really ride other than the family rides I have kept my eye out for a bargain. 

Ended up with the "Bull" bike from Germany for the princely sum of £35. It looks a bit cheesy bit actually has some nice mid range components on it, it's 3x9 but had a long cage Deore rear derailleur so might switch to 1x9.

Extra advantage it I should be able to use it if need too.

Quick doing round the park got the initial list ready for jobs. 

Needs

New Cassette - 9 speed
New chain

I'll out a shorter stem on it, the bars are nice and wide so shouldn't be too twitchy.

Possibly stick some new tyres on it when I spot a bargain, but that's it.


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## cyberknight (22 Feb 2022)

Had some bontrager mudgaurds for ages but never got around to fitting them, tried them on the vannquish but as im running 28s the clearances were to tight for my liking so had to put the crud mk 3s on which as you know is a right faff getting them lined up again .Comteplating putting the bontragers on either the old boardman or ribble rebuild as im runnign 25s on those .


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## GeekDadZoid (22 Feb 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Stunning looking bike.
> 
> I've just picked up a new bike for my eldest son who is growing like it's going out of fashion. He was happily riding 24 inch wheeled bike 12 months ago, but last time he rode it last year late summer it was getting a bit clown like.
> 
> ...



So on further inspection, there was one very well hidden issue from the seller. The back wheel is a 7 speed one with a 7 speed cassette, no wonder the shifting was funky on my test ride when I got home.

Need to keep on the look out for some compatible wheels now :-(

Only thing that will make this a potential win is if the rear wheel will fit into my Holdsworth, it has an OLD of 130 but I think this wheel may fit from looking at it. If so then these wheels can go on the Holdsworth for the summer and I'll keep my eyes peeled.for a new set for the boy.

That will teach to not buy a bike in the dark again.


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## cyberknight (24 Feb 2022)

Stripped the turbo as it was making a grinding noise, took as much as i could apart and gave the bearings a blast of gt 85 , seems to have cured it for now .


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## chriswoody (25 Feb 2022)

So the saga of the soggy/dragging back brake continues. I've had a strong suspicion for a while that there is some air trapped in the caliper that my attempts at bleeding have been unable to shift. I came across a video by Park Tools that advocated removing the caliper completely and letting it hang under the bottom bracket. It makes a lot of sense because the hose drops down to the bottom bracket and then loops back up the chainstay to the caliper, creating a low spot, by removing it I eliminate that and create a straight run to the lever. Luckily I have externally routed hoses so it was a simple job to do.

So I removed the caliper and set up the syringe by using a piece of fencing wire to hold it upright onto the workstand. I then proceeded to bleed the caliper by gently pressurising the syringe and realising it, as well as gently tapping the caliper to hopefully dislodge any errant air bubbles. By the fourth run through some mighty big bubbles started to pop out and into the syringe and I run it through several times more to make sure it was completely bled. 

I must admit I'm feeling quietly confident that I might have cracked it. There was certainly a good amount of air from the caliper, as well as the lever. When I'd finished and popped it all back together, the lever felt a lot firmer than I'd felt in a long time and the travel is greatly reduced. Only time will tell, but hopefully that's the last bleed for a few months now.


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## fossyant (25 Feb 2022)

A slightly used SRAM 8 speed 12-16 cassette arrived today - perfect other than Hermes had banged the package snapping 3 teeth off the 13 sprocket. Fortunately, I didn't need the 12 or 13 as I'm using a 13 and 14 instead. The SRAM cassette is lots lighter than the Shimano one. Next job is to alter the rear cassette on the commuter MTB for a slightly closer ratio to suit the canal commute better. I'm using 2-3 gears only and the 'gap' between them isn't ideal being am MTB cassette


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## jowwy (25 Feb 2022)

fossyant said:


> A slightly used SRAM 8 speed 12-16 cassette arrived today - perfect other than Hermes had banged the package snapping 3 teeth off the 13 sprocket. Fortunately, I didn't need the 12 or 13 as I'm using a 13 and 14 instead. The SRAM cassette is lots lighter than the Shimano one. Next job is to alter the rear cassette on the commuter MTB for a slightly closer ratio to suit the canal commute better. I'm using 2-3 gears only and the 'gap' between them isn't ideal being am MTB cassette


Are you sure its 8 speed and not 5 speed???


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## fossyant (25 Feb 2022)

jowwy said:


> Are you sure its 8 speed and not 5 speed???


Whoops, 26 not 16, that was my TT days !


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Feb 2022)

Patched all these tubes

Removed cassette, chain, rear derailleur and chain rings. Replaced a ruined rear tyre with new one. Drivetrain overhaul ready for Spring and Summer. The parts have seen a number of chains and the rear derailleur is broken. No need to try and keep them with a new chain. I’ll be giving my recumbent a good clean whilst the drive train is off.


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## chriswoody (27 Feb 2022)

chriswoody said:


> So the saga of the soggy/dragging back brake continues. I've had a strong suspicion for a while that there is some air trapped in the caliper that my attempts at bleeding have been unable to shift. I came across a video by Park Tools that advocated removing the caliper completely and letting it hang under the bottom bracket. It makes a lot of sense because the hose drops down to the bottom bracket and then loops back up the chainstay to the caliper, creating a low spot, by removing it I eliminate that and create a straight run to the lever. Luckily I have externally routed hoses so it was a simple job to do.
> 
> So I removed the caliper and set up the syringe by using a piece of fencing wire to hold it upright onto the workstand. I then proceeded to bleed the caliper by gently pressurising the syringe and realising it, as well as gently tapping the caliper to hopefully dislodge any errant air bubbles. By the fourth run through some mighty big bubbles started to pop out and into the syringe and I run it through several times more to make sure it was completely bled.
> 
> ...



Well that optimism didn't last long. After successfully bleeding the caliper, I left the bike on the stand with the pads and wheel still out. I went down just now to quickly pop them back in before potentially going out for a ride, when I noticed the right hand side of the caliper is covered in brake fluid. Yep the piston/seal is leaking and it's not good. 

More annoyingly there are no replacement piston/seal kits available on any of the German online retail stores. Not sure what I'm going to do now, the back brake is fubared and no spare parts available, not a happy bunny.


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## CXRAndy (27 Feb 2022)

My neighbour, who is an lovely old lady. Her fence broke in the last storm.

So today armed with a bit of YouTube knowledge and some motoring tools, I set about getting the broken (rotten) posts out of the ground.

4 posts, less than one hour using this so simple but clever method







Using a door hook, screwed into the top of the rotton stump. A racket strap hooked around the elevated old post. Jack up the other end with a car jack. Out they pop in 30 secs.

Beats chipping away with a breaker bar. All the concrete came out too 

Now the shocking bit, 3 panels, 4 concrete post, 3 concrete barge boards and post mix. £350


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## T4tomo (28 Feb 2022)

Rear derailleur wasn't shifting down to anything small than cog 7 on the OHs Tiagra 4700 bike

Cable was jammed in the shifter but a bit of cover removal and fiddling got the culprit out.

Whilst under the bar tape routing is neat, it does stress cables.

tonight I'm going to replace the LH inner cable, before that gets to the same state


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## T4tomo (1 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Rear derailleur wasn't shifting down to anything small than cog 7 on the OHs Tiagra 4700 bike
> 
> Cable was jammed in the shifter but a bit of cover removal and fiddling got the culprit out.
> 
> ...


LH cable sorted and all beautifully indexed


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## fossyant (1 Mar 2022)

My Shimano 600 cartridge headset regreased at weekend after it dribbled a bit of rusty liquid out. Must have got wet back in September with 4 hours in piddling rain. . All ok though. Some moisture must have got trapped. Getting spare bearings is near on impossible.


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## fossyant (2 Mar 2022)

Sprocket shuffling on the commuter MTB. Spares bin dive for some more 'commute/flat' route gear ratios for the commuter as I only use one or two gears on most of the canal route, other than one for climbing the steep cobbled locks. Moved from a 12-32 7 speed to a 13-26 (13,14,15,17,19,21,26). Also a good time to put normal tyres back on (not ice tyres).


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## DCLane (2 Mar 2022)

A second bottle cage onto the NeilPryde Nazaré son no. 2's taking as a spare bike to Belgium in 3 weeks. Still need to swap a saddle and do the chain but it's almost there. The chain will probably be done tomorrow at some point.

Put a shorter stem and a bottle cage onto the NeilPryde Bayamo TT bike that's been built over the winter. Just a test ride now before a first TT on 19th March.


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## cyberknight (2 Mar 2022)

More turbo woes.
The tension adjust lever was not pulling any cable so I took it apart only to find that the cable head had come out of its slot and the pins that click into the serrated dial inside had come out of the slots . After putting the cable head back in and the pins back in place it was working again so I screwed it back together only to find I had lost a screw,no problem as I had a spare that fitted so I put it in only to find the original about 8 feet away 🙄


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## T4tomo (3 Mar 2022)

put a pair of GP5000s onto the new Zed carbon hoops, Disappointingly, as the "Grand Prix" part is virtually invisible but the 5000 very bright, it is impossible to line to the tyre logo's to the Zs on the rims so the look good on both sides of the wheel. and if you line up the "Continental" on the opposite side it looks like the 5000 is out of wonk 

So have had to go for 1/4 rotation approach.


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## fossyant (3 Mar 2022)

1/4 rotation, oh noooo...


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## T4tomo (3 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> 1/4 rotation, oh noooo...


what else can i do fossy - I have logos 180* apart on both tyres and rims and the F@@ckers wont line up because half this logo is invisible in real life:





b@rsteward Germans messing with my OCD

if you centre that logo, it just looks like the 5000 is off centre on both sides of the wheel


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## fossyant (3 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> what else can i do fossy - I have logos 180* apart on both tyres and rims and the F@@ckers wont line up because half this logo is invisible in real life:
> View attachment 633602
> 
> 
> ...



Out with a Sharpie !!!


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## fossyant (3 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> Out with a Sharpie !!!



Or new tyres


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## T4tomo (3 Mar 2022)

Hmmm - I might see if that whole logo comes off the tyre, as the "Continental" bit lines up nicely with "Hand built in the UK by Zed"

@DCLane - how do you solve this conundrum - you and your lad run GP5000's don't you?


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## DCLane (3 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Hmmm - I might see if that whole logo comes off the tyre, as the "Continental" bit lines up nicely with "Hand built in the UK by Zed"
> 
> @DCLane - how do you solve this conundrum - you and your lad run GP5000's don't you?



We use both GP5000's and Pirelli's. To make it acceptable I've put the edge of the GP5000 logo each side of the valve.


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## JhnBssll (3 Mar 2022)

I centre the continental logo with the valve but can see why a logo on the rim opposite this would cause some distress


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## Chislenko (3 Mar 2022)

I just stick the tyres on the wheel with no thought of where the logo ends up.

Life is too short to be worrying about things like this in my humble opinion.


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## youngoldbloke (3 Mar 2022)

It's a practical thing. Helps with locating punctures by providing a reference point.


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## fossyant (3 Mar 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I centre the continental logo with the valve but can see why a logo on the rim opposite this would cause some distress
> 
> View attachment 633615




Couldn't be doing with that. Sharpie or new tyre. It's all wonky !


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## fossyant (3 Mar 2022)

Chislenko said:


> I just stick the tyres on the wheel with no thought of where the logo ends up.
> 
> Life is too short to be worrying about things like this in my humble opinion.



Tisk tisk.  The answer is to get a tyre with a really big name printed on the side, then it's easy.

E.g. Maxxis Minion DHRII TR Max Terra 3C - takes ages to read all that.


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## Sittingduck (3 Mar 2022)

Chislenko said:


> I just stick the tyres on the wheel with no thought of where the logo ends up.
> 
> Life is too short to be worrying about things like this in my humble opinion.


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## GeekDadZoid (3 Mar 2022)

Managed a lunch time fettle today. I've signed up to do the Manchester to Blackpool ride for Christie's and decided that I will most likely want to do it on my Holdsworth as it's very comfortable and my Dawes can only take 23mm tyres.

The Holdsworth currently had 26 inch wheels but I wanted to convert it to 700c for this kind of ride, but be able to swap back for the winter. 

Vbrakes will have to be swapped for calipers so after some head scratching and measuring for clearance I have ordered some calipers and 28c tyres for the wheels I have, there will be no mudguards room but I don't run them now on it. Let's see how much faster on the road it ends up.


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## T4tomo (3 Mar 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I centre the continental logo with the valve but can see why a logo on the rim opposite this would cause some distress



I might see how they look with Continental above the Z logo, and the gubbins over the writings



Chislenko said:


> Life is too short to be worrying about things like this in my humble opinion.


Opinions like yours are quite frankly not helpful They are the reason the world has gone to hell in a hand cart


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## Sittingduck (3 Mar 2022)

Tried to use a stans no tubes kit to install TL tyres… failed. watched all of their comprehensive vids and tried following to the letter but after the sealant is added and I try to inflate them, they hold no air whatsoever, must have royally screwed up the tape install or be doing something badly wrong.

Going to regroup and have another go at the weekend.


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## C R (3 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> I might see how they look with Continental above the Z logo, and the gubbins over the writings
> 
> 
> Opinions like yours are quite frankly not helpful They are the reason the world has gone to hell in a hand cart


Indeed, next we'll see people turning their bikes upside down to fix a puncture, and everyone knows that way madness lies.


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## DaveM77 (3 Mar 2022)

Picked up a new toy for after Ride London Essex. A Cervelo P2 to have a go at Triathlons.
Headset and Forks tightened. Brake blocks put on. Needs a new brake cable for rear but apart from that in very good condition 
Will look out for some wheels then a bit of tweaking to the set up and it should be good to go.
Will upgrade bits when needed or when I find bargains


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## T4tomo (4 Mar 2022)

Right so here is the conundrum. its actually worse that i thought because the GP5000 stick isnt quite exactly opposite each other on both sides of teh tyre. it must be deliberate as both tyres are identical.

Line up continental to Z: side 1 looks fine, but flip it over and side 2 is out of wonk








The 1/4 turn out option its less noticeable...








what is best or i could just take a sharpie to the "5000" and the German flag. Its an Italian bike after all


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## fossyant (4 Mar 2022)

Ordered some loose 5/32 bearings and waterproof moly grease. Popped lower headset bearing off the Ribble and decided to pull the cartridge bearing to bits. Cleaned it up and noticed some pitting on the race, so removed the caged bearings and fitted the new loose bearings, packed with grease and re-assembled. Headset is much smoother now. I do have a Shimano 600 cartridge bearing on order, just in case. These things are like hens teeth, but fortunately they do last. I've three bikes that take the Shimano cartridge bearings. All have 'spare' bearings now, the best bike has a complete headset spare.


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Mar 2022)

Measured the integrated headset cups and bearings on my recumbent. I needed new bearings but the writing has worn off them and couldn’t remember which standard and sizing I needed. Vernier calliper to the rescue. Bearings ordered.


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## GuyBoden (4 Mar 2022)

Big job broke out, I fitted a new blue bell to match my blue handlebar tape.


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## chriswoody (5 Mar 2022)

Well the never ending saga of the brakes is continuing. 

My new Hope caliper arrived earlier this week to replace my broken SRAM caliper, and it's a thing of beauty. First order of the day was to offer it up to the mounts and check it fits, that done, I then popped the pads in and popped the wheel in, luckily it all fitted and lined up a treat. So I next looked into the attachment of the hydraulic hose, I'd already cut off the old SRAM hose fittings and cleaned up the end of the pipe, luckily I had enough slack in the hose to not need a whole new line. The first job was to splay open the end of the hose a little with a pick, which I did, then a small brass fitment is pushed firmly into the end of the hose. As I'd been warned, this was a complete mare, it just didn't want to go in, coupled with the fact it was near impossible to get a good grip on the hose itself. After finally getting 2/3 of it in, the worst happened and the barbed end of the brass fitment snapped off. 

One of the reasons I went with Hope, was because spares are readily available, so a new one is already on it's way and I've a also ordered some DOT assembly grease, which may help to seat the new one. I'm bloomin annoyed with myself though because it's yet another week with the bike off the road.


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## craigwend (5 Mar 2022)

My oldish Garmin Edge Touring the power button perished / crumbled / collapsed today, looked at various technical ways to fix it, but by using a piece of a cut up /to size 'rubber' (eraser) & some sticky back plastic (well tape) now fixed 


View: https://youtu.be/yc0dUVHr6ZI


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## JhnBssll (5 Mar 2022)

chriswoody said:


> Well the never ending saga of the brakes is continuing.
> 
> My new Hope caliper arrived earlier this week to replace my broken SRAM caliper, and it's a thing of beauty. First order of the day was to offer it up to the mounts and check it fits, that done, I then popped the pads in and popped the wheel in, luckily it all fitted and lined up a treat. So I next looked into the attachment of the hydraulic hose, I'd already cut off the old SRAM hose fittings and cleaned up the end of the pipe, luckily I had enough slack in the hose to not need a whole new line. The first job was to splay open the end of the hose a little with a pick, which I did, then a small brass fitment is pushed firmly into the end of the hose. As I'd been warned, this was a complete mare, it just didn't want to go in, coupled with the fact it was near impossible to get a good grip on the hose itself. After finally getting 2/3 of it in, the worst happened and the barbed end of the brass fitment snapped off.
> 
> ...



Been there, done that  I've got plenty of spare hope barbs for this very reason, let me know if you'd like one sending.


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## chriswoody (5 Mar 2022)

Thanks for the kind offer @JhnBssll, the postage to Germany wouldn't be worth it though. Thankfully a number of the online German retailers stock Hope parts and I've picked up a new one for €3. Just bloomin annoying and I hope it doesn't happen again!


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## palinurus (5 Mar 2022)

Noticed the Elephant bike front hub was binding after braking today- the brake arm was barely returning. Took it apart to put a little oil on the brake shoe pivot, super satisfying ten-minute job. Might do the same to the rear tomorrow.

Also replaced the battery in my 2012 MacBook Air. First time I've opened it up, next time I go in there will be to upgrade the SSD.


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Mar 2022)

Moved a cassette from one wheel to another to bring my road bike into action for tomorrow. Temporary till I have all the parts to overhaul my recumbent. Waiting on one set of parts which hopefully I’ll get in next few days.


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## palinurus (5 Mar 2022)

craigwend said:


> My oldish Garmin Edge Touring the power button perished / crumbled / collapsed today, looked at various technical ways to fix it, but by using a piece of a cut up /to size 'rubber' (eraser) & some sticky back plastic (well tape) now fixed



I need to fix the buttons on my Fly6, might have to try this! also the lens is all scratched- might try to clean it up using the diamond polisher at work.


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## craigwend (5 Mar 2022)

palinurus said:


> I need to fix the buttons on my Fly6, might have to try this! also the lens is all scratched- might try to clean it up using the diamond polisher at work.


Genuinely surprised at how well it works, went for a test ride and the 'button' is better than the old one. Might tidy the edges of the tape up a bit at some point


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## GeekDadZoid (5 Mar 2022)

Had a spare 45 mins in the sunshine so got the Holdsworth out for a clean, lube and tune up ahead of tomorrow morning's "training" ride.

I need to add some inline cable adjusters to really fine tune the shifting as Its just a little course with the adjuster, but it is good enough. I also need to give the rear brakes a proper adjustment, but I got them acceptable. Even made the effort to clean the pump SQR mount and the gimmicky rehook tool ( a present so it lives on the bike ). Hopefully the cycling spirits will reward me tomorrow.


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## DCLane (6 Mar 2022)

New cleats on a pair of road shoes. 

Then glanced down the side of the house where I've a few basic bikes under cover (our grasstrack fixies, a Kingpin, my son's orange Carlton and my Pioneer) - 

The wind last week's blown the cover away from the side of the house. So ... bikes out, dried, checked, tyres up and made sure they're OK. 

Now I'm sorting putting the cover back into place. After which I've a tub tyre to stick onto a spare TT wheel, along with a new chain onto the NeilPryde Nazaré son no. 2's taking to Belgium in a fortnight as a spare bike.


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## GeekDadZoid (6 Mar 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Had a spare 45 mins in the sunshine so got the Holdsworth out for a clean, lube and tune up ahead of tomorrow morning's "training" ride.
> 
> I need to add some inline cable adjusters to really fine tune the shifting as Its just a little course with the adjuster, but it is good enough. I also need to give the rear brakes a proper adjustment, but I got them acceptable. Even made the effort to clean the pump SQR mount and the gimmicky rehook tool ( a present so it lives on the bike ). Hopefully the cycling spirits will reward me tomorrow.



Ok the cycling spirits where not kind, two thorns straight through the tyre at 6km in, at least it was sunny.


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## palinurus (6 Mar 2022)

Boiler pipes were covered with a badly-fitting bit of MDF and attached with screws so I'd have to unscrew it to get to the filling loop. For ages it's been removed and leaning up against the toilet wall.

Added four button fix fasteners to it and filled the screw holes. Now I have a badly-fitting piece of MDF that I can easily remove. Might glue some trim to the edge or something to make it look a bit nicer one day.


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## craigwend (6 Mar 2022)

craigwend said:


> Genuinely surprised at how well it works, went for a test ride and the 'button' is better than the old one. Might tidy the edges of the tape up a bit at some point



Tidied up the tape not sure it makes that much difference  - though underneath made sure its waterproof as possible


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## Elybazza61 (6 Mar 2022)

An actual dry day off so the very filthy Stayer which was covered in the finest Cam river path crap cleaned and lubed.


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## Richard A Thackeray (6 Mar 2022)

Yesterday afternoon, the chain was removed, I also took the chain-rings off, to clean throughly, as was the front mech
A good dousing of 'red diesel' around the rear-derailleur, & left to drain/dry overnight

This morning, with a lot of road-muck washed out of the rear-mech, a new chain was fitted

I also pulled both sets of brake-pads to check for wear (discs also examined)

All seems fine now


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## palinurus (7 Mar 2022)

craigwend said:


> Genuinely surprised at how well it works, went for a test ride and the 'button' is better than the old one. Might tidy the edges of the tape up a bit at some point








Did a quick repair this lunchtime with electrical tape and some plastic foam stuff I found. Added a label because I can never figure out which side is the on/off button.

Did start polishing the lens but will need to take more time over it and use some coarser diamond paste to start with- didn't make much impression on the bigger scratches.


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## palinurus (7 Mar 2022)

palinurus said:


> Did a quick repair this lunchtime with electrical tape and some plastic foam stuff I found.



Works a treat, very satisfying bodge.


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## palinurus (8 Mar 2022)

palinurus said:


> Did start polishing the lens but will need to take more time over it and use some coarser diamond paste to start with- didn't make much impression on the bigger scratches.


Well I used some 6 micron paste followed by some half micron paste and it seems to have improved matters when it comes to reading number plates from video but there are still some deeper scratches left. The only way I'll get those out is to use 1200 grit emery paper to get below them and re-polish and it's not so easy to do that (the lens is set back a little from the surround so I'd have to grind through that too- it's possible to push the lens into the nap of the polishing pad but I can't do that with emery. It is handy having some almost unused metallographic sample preparation equipment at work)


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## C R (8 Mar 2022)

palinurus said:


> Well I used some 6 micron paste followed by some half micron paste and it seems to have improved matters when it comes to reading number plates from video but there are still some deeper scratches left. The only way I'll get those out is to use 1200 grit emery paper to get below them and re-polish and it's not so easy to do that (the lens is set back a little from the surround so I'd have to grind through that too- it's possible to push the lens into the nap of the polishing pad but I can't do that with emery. It is handy having some almost unused metallographic sample preparation equipment at work)


Is it actually a lens, ie, with curved surfaces or a flat window?


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## palinurus (8 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> Is it actually a lens, ie, with curved surfaces or a flat window?



No- the lens is underneath, it's a clear plastic window over the top of it.


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## DCLane (9 Mar 2022)

Bits and pieces prepping for a series of races;

The NeilPryde Nazaré that sits on our turbo trainer now has a new Dura-Ace chain and a pair of wheels (Superstar Components 30mm white with Pirelli PZero race tyres) and a race saddle. It's off to Belgium as my son's spare bike for his UCI race on the 20th rather than being used for C-category Zwift racing by me.







He tested his 2022 Ridley Noah Fast race bike this morning, so wheel swaps - race wheels to training wheels and back - plus a pair of light-weight thru axles put in by us both. All ready for Saturday's Eddie Soens race in Liverpool where I'm expecting him to get absolutely battered  (he's #78) with Ribble and Saint Piran out in force. The CyclePal disc brake aligner tool is witchcraft as it stops brake squeal easily. Just why someone thought thru-axles and brake discs make things easier I don't know; you have to use one tool to remove the thru-axle and another to loosen the brake caliper in order to stop the brake disc squealing. And that's on Shimano Ultegra throughout 






His wheel is back on his Columbus cross-commuter as he's had two flats in two rides and had borrowed my wheel. New tyres onto front and rear of his Columbus and hopefully that'll help.

Oh, and he also got one on his Ridley, so will put a new tube in that later. The roads locally are in a terrible state and don't appear to have been cleaned for well over a year  .


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## rogerzilla (9 Mar 2022)

Swapped the rear wheel on the 1964 Moulton back to a Sturmey-Archer AM. I didn't like the FW hub one bit. The ratios are all wrong, it's heavy, the triggers never hold bottom gear over bumps (unless a NOS trigger that hasn't rounded off the pawl plate yet) and it rattles insufferably in the most-used gear.


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## GuyBoden (9 Mar 2022)

I've installed my NOS Shimano Exage Sport Braze-On Down-Tube Shifters from my stock, the existing Shimano 600 Down-Tube Shifters were slipping a bit, so I decided to downgrade. There won't be many of these left as NOS.


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## Ming the Merciless (9 Mar 2022)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Yesterday afternoon, the chain was removed, I also took the chain-rings off, to clean throughly, as was the front mech
> A good dousing of 'red diesel' around the rear-derailleur, & left to drain/dry overnight
> 
> This morning, with a lot of road-muck washed out of the rear-mech, a new chain was fitted
> ...



Don’t forget to put the FD and chain rings back on.


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## Richard A Thackeray (9 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Don’t forget to put the FD and chain rings back on.



The ‘FD’ wasn’t taken off


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## HLaB (10 Mar 2022)

When I put new pads on my TT bike last year I couldn't get clamps unless both I wanted to pay through the nose and wait for ages. So I bought a cheap pair of clip ons that I could get that week and robbed the clamp of them. The only problem the clip on clamps took one larger M5 bolts. The pads had two M3 bolts supplied. I was able though to insert one bolt and use a nut to secure it.

That was good all last season but on last night's turbo session there was a bit of a snap on the left pad. I knew what it was straight away (two bolts were really needed). I finished my threshold session before confirming that was the issue.









Today I added a couple of cleat bolt washers above and below and that seems to have made the pad solid again; at least for turbore training. The upper washer is actually marginally too big for the bolt hole so the weight isn't on the broken bit🤞 I may need to get new pads and/or two bolt clamp for racing however 🙄










And to balance it up height wise I also added the washers to the right pad


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## JhnBssll (10 Mar 2022)

I finally got round to cleaning Vera this evening after she got dirty on Sundays damp ride.






With the chain and wheels removed I noticed the cranks weren't spinning freely which was a bit odd; I'd replaced the non-driveside bearing recently so took the cranks off to investigate. Everything seemed fine until I noticed the driveside washer was spinning between the cup and frame when I was wiping the frame, sure enough the driveside cup was loose. It had obviously would itself out slightly and in doing so increased the bearing preload  I've tightened it back up but will keep an eye on it, slightly strange  Anyway, with everything cleaned up and the batteries changed in the power meters it gave me an opportunity to fit the new Hollowtech preload cap that arrived recently 






Chain and cassette went in the ultrasonic cleaner for a while and after a quick wipe down were shiny enough to refit...










She's ready for this weekend again now 😊


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## si_c (11 Mar 2022)

Starting to get some slip of the rear mudguard around the bridge. Unfortunately it seems that I must have rounded out the hex fittings a touch when fitting them as I can't tighten the bolt at all now.

Fortunately I have a box of bolts so it took but a moment to get a replacement and fit it. The guards should now be rub free, will test them by riding to the delivery office to pick up a parcel now.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Mar 2022)

I rode through some floods over winter. Unfortunately one was a bit too deep. Although I stripped , cleaned and regreased wheel hub bearings; I neglected to do the same for the lower headset bearing. The result is that the water and grit that got into the bearing has done its damage.

The lower bearing is knackered but more importantly the lower headset race has become brinneled. This means it’s new headset time rather than just new bearings and a generous application of grease.

I have learnt my lesson. If you suspect water may have got into your headset bearings then take a look, strip it down , clean it and grease it. Bike booked into lbs for Monday for new headset cups as I don’t have the tools for that.

Hopefully bike back end of Monday then Tue fit new bearings , put fork back in etc.


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## Juan Kog (11 Mar 2022)

Cleaned and serviced the Steamroller today . I finished the washing outside just before the rain started.
It was a bit snug in the velo cave , I normally put a bike outside to give more workroom.
New Chain , new brake blocks . I found the reason for the irritating rattle , the rear mudguard. The rivets holding the stays were broken . So out with the Black and decker and pop rivet gun . Finally lube, adjust and polish .


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## fraz101 (11 Mar 2022)

Left work this afternoon (my early finish day) to find I have another puncture on front wheel……grrrrrrr

So spent my early finish repairing that. I hadn‘t had a puncture in around 2 years commuting on it, now had 3 in 3 months.


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## Sittingduck (11 Mar 2022)

Sounds like new tyre time…


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## fraz101 (11 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> Sounds like new tyre time…


Yes I was thinking the same, still plenty tread on it as well.


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## Sittingduck (11 Mar 2022)

fraz101 said:


> Yes I was thinking the same, still plenty tread on it as well.


Just bad luck then. how many miles they done?


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## fraz101 (11 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> Just bad luck then. how many miles they done?


I have no idea, the front is the original though, I have changed the rear once.

It‘s my commuter bike so never really kept a note of mileage


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## JhnBssll (11 Mar 2022)

Had a play with Olive the Oltre this evening, the rear tyre wasn't staying inflated and the matte frame tape had arrived so she was due a turn in the workstand.

Rear tyre first and I could feel air escaping around the valve stem so pulled the tyre and tape off then cleaned and re-taped the rim. I've found little point faffing around with tubeless, they either work or they don't and if they don't it's normally quicker to start again  I managed to keep the vast majority of the sealant in the tyre whilst removing and refitting and didn't make much mess which was a minor miracle, but topped it up a bit anyway. It seems to be holding air so far but time will tell 

On to the tape - I'd been waiting weeks for it as the supplier sent gloss first then there was a delay getting the matte sent out when I noticed their error  I didn't want to ride the shiny new frame until it had a few key areas protected but fortunately it hasn't dried out enough to take the best bike out recently anyway so I've not missed out on any miles 

I used a sharpy to draw on the backing where I needed to cut then used scissors and a craft knife to cut out the shapes. Heres the chainstay done:






Here's the rear of the seat tube in progress:





And done:





And here's the bottom of the downtube...






I went over the areas with the heatgun on medium heat when I was finished and am pretty pleased with the results; there are a couple of tiny bubbles but they're over imperfections in the paint so I can't smooth them out - I managed to resist the urge to try and sand the paint bobbles flat knowing I'd almost certainly immediately go through to primer and strongly regret my decision  I ended up just doing four pieces of protection film; one on the chainstay, two on the rear of the seat tube and one under the downtube, just to protect the main stone/debris impact points. It'll pick up scratches over time but I may as well try and prevent the worst of it when it's still brand new 

I also had a play with Vera the Veturi as her power meter has been playing games. It's a Stages G3 LR and randomly started giving spurious data on Sunday's ride having been fine for a few years until now. I updated the firmware and swapped the batteries but on my quick 9 mile loop to the doctors and back this morning it was still reporting slightly optimistic numbers - I don't think I can quite generate 5kW let alone average it  This evenings play showed the zero offset for the driveside crank is waaaayyyyyy out of the normal range - the calibration figure should be 890 +/-50 but it was reading 2502  I've lodged a ticket with Stages but for now I was able to unlink the two crank sensors and pair just the non-drive side so it'll still act as a single sided powermeter until I can get the other side sorted. Presumably at some point it'll have to come off and be sent away though putting the bike out of action. I'd had all sorts of problems with the Avio Powersense PM's and thought by moving to Stages I'd see some reliability but guess I was being overly optimistic again 

I also ordered an orange Burgtec hollowtech 2 preload cap for Olive which should arrive during the week as I was pleased with the purple one I've recently fitted to Vera 😄


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## Jenkins (11 Mar 2022)

Since replacing the crankset with a lightly used item on the main commuter in January I've had an odd problem in that in ONLY in the highest gear (50/12) the chain has skipped on the chainring and on a couple of occasions has shipped off the ring to the outside. On the workstand today I found that the chain was not meshing with the outer ring correctly on some occasions, but only on the area of the quick link where I'd removed a chain link to account for the smaller 34T inner ring (I normally run a 38T).

The first thing I did was to refit my preferred (older) chainrings from Spa Cycles to make sure it wasn't a problem with the new outer ring, but the chain still occasionally sat high when in the 50/12 combination. The quick link was an old item and had been removed & refitted a couple of times so was discarded and a brand new one fitted and which seems to have sorted the problem as the chain sat correctly on the chainring. The chain itself isn't on bad condition with over 3800 miles on it (and a matched cassette) and should see another few months..


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## bagpuss (12 Mar 2022)

Fettled a lovely Derek Wilkins bicycle today . The frames were hand built in Derby by Derek, mainly for fellow Members of the Derby Mercury RC . Off to a new home.




Original paint work ,I careful lady owner from new .


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## DCBassman (14 Mar 2022)

Today is clean and inspect day. I've ridden the Scott a handful of miles this year, purely on utility rides. So today, I'll get noth bikes properly ready, and tomorrow will ride one out.
Have been having mad thoughts about drops and DT shifters for the mixte, but it would mean new brake levers, which I can't run to at the moment...


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Mar 2022)

Replaced a dimmer switch with a normal light switch. I fitted the dimmer switch a couple of decades ago. It’s rated for loads of 60W to 250W as per photo. With LEDs now having replaced the old incandescent bulbs, the load is now only 15W. That means the LED flickers as the load is too low. LED bulbs are now happy.


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## T4tomo (14 Mar 2022)

so I eventually got out the sharpie to to GP5000's to hide the off-centre logo and fitted them to the Zeds and the Bianchi.
(and changed the brake pads for carbon rim ones!)


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## DCBassman (14 Mar 2022)

As promised, cleaned and inspected.
As usual, the *Scott*'s triple is playing up. Think I've improved it a bit. I might see if I can fit a sub-compact double, but finding a double rapidfire shifter for it is near-impossible. I may literally have had the last new one for the mixte*. Really needs the rear wheel bearings looking at, too.Not rough, but doesn't run on as it should after a spin. Not helped by an overly tight QR.
The *Revell* mixte, by contrast, needed a little air in the rear tyre, a wipe down, and a change of saddle. The comfy Norco one was, as expected, full of water...
Both bikes had the chains lubed, all well there. I did recheck and tighten the mixte's headset, as that's been the only recent problem with this bike. Both rear derailleurs worked well. The ancient Suntour front mech on the mixte just works, even though it's controlled by an indexed shifter. The whole bike just...works.
So the mixte gets the nod for a ride tomorrow. Won't be a long one, haven't ridden more than a mile in one go for months. But double figures is certainly the minimum target.
*Maybe not. Bankrupt Bike Parts has some more.


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## si_c (14 Mar 2022)

Cleaned the rear brake pads and swapped the front pads out as they were pitted, glazed and had chunks of aluminium in them.

The blocks now have Koolstop Salmons, for better braking performance in the wet. Just in time for the sunny hot and dry spring I'm anticipating.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Mar 2022)

Recumbent into bike shop to get out a part of bearing stuck in lower headset cup. All done £15 labour plus £9.99 for a new lower headset bearing.






Meanwhile I’ve bolted my new chain rings onto my 9 speed triple crank. Used new bolts and grease to stop them seizing for when I next replace rings a few years down the line. Gone from 22-32-44 to 24-32-46. Cranks are 14 years old and going strong. Tomorrow morning is reassemble recumbent time, lunch, then test ride.

Anyone wondering what the orange is, it’s reflective tape.


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## Tenacious Sloth (14 Mar 2022)

si_c said:


> Cleaned the rear brake pads and swapped the front pads out as they were pitted, glazed and had chunks of aluminium in them.
> 
> The blocks now have Koolstop Salmons, for better braking performance in the wet. Just in time for the sunny hot and dry spring I'm anticipating.



Why, are you moving overseas? 😂


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## C R (14 Mar 2022)

si_c said:


> Cleaned the rear brake pads and swapped the front pads out as they were pitted, glazed and had chunks of aluminium in them.
> 
> The blocks now have Koolstop Salmons, for better braking performance in the wet. Just in time for the sunny hot and dry spring I'm anticipating.


You should have done that in January, that would have put off all the storms in February.


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## si_c (14 Mar 2022)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> Why, are you moving overseas? 😂


I thought the sarcasm was fairly self evident


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## si_c (14 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> You should have done that in January, that would have put off all the storms in February.


Bullocks to that I barely left the house in February


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## T4tomo (15 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> so I eventually got out the sharpie to to GP5000's to hide the off-centre logo and fitted them to the Zeds and the Bianchi.
> (and changed the brake pads for carbon rim ones!)
> 
> View attachment 635370


I put the Fulcrum 5s that were on the Bianchi onto my OH's Trek Emonda to replace the stock Bontrager wheels. Our of interest I got the scales out as I was doing this swapping, I reckon she saved 800g and me 200g!


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## Hebe (15 Mar 2022)

Yesterfettling was putting air in all the tyres and establishing that I really do need to re-adjust the saddle height on the mixte after establishing that little Miss Hebe is not quite tall enough to ride it yet.


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## Hebe (15 Mar 2022)

DCBassman said:


> ...So the mixte gets the nod for a ride tomorrow. Won't be a long one, haven't ridden more than a mile in one go for months. But double figures is certainly the minimum target.


How did it go?


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Mar 2022)

Cleaning bike and wheels ahead of reassembly. Added new cassette to rear wheel. Sanded and used some touch up paint on some paint chips. Will give paint 24 hours then I’ll start reassembling.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (15 Mar 2022)

Nothing too interesting. My mtb had double punctures and my road commuter had a rear puncture, must've gone down in the shed over the weekend. Also patched a tube on little ones bike while I was at it, need to pick up some 20" tubes for it at some point. Fixed all after work tonight so at least I don't have to use the car tomorrow.
Best bike is currently taken apart ready for a bit of an overhaul at weekend now the nice weather is poking its head out.


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## GeekDadZoid (16 Mar 2022)

Been having a tinker the afternoon with my Holdsworth. I have signed up to do the Manchester to Blackpool Christies ride in July and I think this is the bike I will be doing it on. However when I built it I built it for Gravel so it has the original 26 inch wheels and nice chunky tyres. So I have been playing around converting it to 700c to give me a little more road speed and then i can run some more appropriate tyres. Clearance is a little issue on the front, but just tested and I can fit a 25mm tyre i think 28mm will be fine.

Caliper brakes test fitted on the front fine too.

I have a suitable rear wheel for testing but the rim is damaged so need to hun around for 130mm OLD Rear wheel with a 7 speed freehub.


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## chriswoody (16 Mar 2022)

Rather than what have you fettled today, it's a tale of what I've been fettling continuously this last week. So my first attempt to fit the new Hope caliper failed when I snapped the little brass insert that goes into the end of the Hydraulic hose. So with a new one here it was time to start again. Like last time, it would only go a few mm before refusing to go any further, this time though, rather than resort to brute force and ignorance I mulled it over for a day. I decided to try and gently heat the hose up with a hairdryer and I was astonished when it slid in with barely any pressure at all.






With that done, it was a simple matter to bolt the hose onto the caliper. From there I attempted my first bleed and it soon became apparent that there was another problem that I'd kind of been aware of, but avoiding, namely a sticking master cylinder in the brake lever. This can be common on bikes like mine that are used off-road, year round and subject to a lot of mud being flung up. So nothing for it, but to address that issue, so off came the brake lever and I stripped down the master cylinder. I felt vindicated when the master cylinder assembly (With the spring on in the picture), was stuck in the cylinder, rather than popping free when the pushrod assembly was removed. So with that removed, I gave it a good clean and then a gentle grease with SRAM dot grease.






With that re-assembled it felt like new and it was time to go back to bleeding the brakes. Boy was that frustrating, I bled them and I bled them, it really took some doing to get the air out from behind all four pistons and from the system in general. Hope has a video about bleeding these brakes, which differs from the instructions provided, which differs again to how you would bleed SRAM brakes. Eventually after combining lots of techniques from lots of methods we arrived at today, where after bedding in the pads we're done! I now have a functioning back brake that feels bloomin brilliant and looks fantastic. Let's just see how long it continues like that.


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## GeekDadZoid (16 Mar 2022)

Further to my above I have now swapped both wheels, fitted the new caliper brakes moved the cassette over to the 700 wheels.

I need to remember to order a lockring tool that doesn't have the centre pin so I can use it on my solid axel 26 inch wheels without having to remove the axel. 

I am planning a 10km or so bridal path ride tomorrow using the linear pull brake levers on the calipers. I know it's not recommended but I don't want to replace the bar tape and cables untill I am sure I like the new geometry, which I know will not be massively different, but I think it's worth testing first.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Mar 2022)

New headset bearings fitted, fork inserted, stem fitted, pre load done, bars on and straight, disc brake calliper rebolted into fork. Dynamo light rebolted onto derailleur post, Idler wheels degreased, cleaned then greased, new rear derailleur fitted, rear mudguard bolted back on after all the crud scraped out, rear wheel back in, new rear bar end friction shifted fitted, cranks fitted. Bit of touch up paint applied on paint chips.

All done in increasing heavy rain, I eventually had to call it a day.

To do, fit new chain, new gear cable outer, new gear cable inner, check shifting of both front and rear derailleurs and set limit screws etc. Then test ride to check everything after post winter overhaul. Hopefully I’ll finish the rebuild tomorrow then get a test ride in Friday then fine tune anything that arises from that.

Picture taken part way through, before the rain really came in.


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## JhnBssll (16 Mar 2022)

chriswoody said:


> Rather than what have you fettled today, it's a tale of what I've been fettling continuously this last week. So my first attempt to fit the new Hope caliper failed when I snapped the little brass insert that goes into the end of the Hydraulic hose. So with a new one here it was time to start again. Like last time, it would only go a few mm before refusing to go any further, this time though, rather than resort to brute force and ignorance I mulled it over for a day. I decided to try and gently heat the hose up with a hairdryer and I was astonished when it slid in with barely any pressure at all.
> 
> View attachment 635572
> 
> ...



That looks ace, they're great brakes aren't they. Once they're set up  Funny how some of them go without a hitch and others are a real pig to bleed but worth the perserverance! My commuter frame is a very similar colour to that by I went with the opposite colourscheme for the calipers, black with blue piston caps 😊 That works really nicely though 






Looks like we've even got the same discs, but this was originally a SRAM spec'd bike too before I switched it to 105 and Hope calipers, I only kept the rotors


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## chriswoody (17 Mar 2022)

Blimey @JhnBssll , that is a very similar colour, I was also wavering between the black or the blue caliper, it does look nice with the black caliper though. One thing I did do though, is to retain the original SRAM mounting bolts, the heads on them are a little more svelte than the Hope ones and they are a Torx fitment as well. As you said, I had actually just recently fitted new stock SRAM rotors, or I might have been tempted by the Hope rotors.

In the end, it was the advice on the instructions, to advance a pair of pistons and then push them back in with the bleed syringe open, that got the air out from behind the pistons. It still needed to be done a couple of times though. As you say, it's unpredictable about how they will bleed and these put up a right fight, Glad it's done now though.


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## Ming the Merciless (17 Mar 2022)

Fitted new rear bar end friction shifter and new outer and inner gear cables. Fitted chain. I’ve been fettling all week but yesterday’s heavy rain ended yesterdays fettling. Much easier today in sun. Completed post winter overhaul of my recumbent. Test ride tomorrow.






Chains ready to be joined with shorter chain shortened once checked for length big ring to big ring.






Amount of chain left over. Reckon I used 2 1/4 chains for the recumbent.


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## bikingdad90 (17 Mar 2022)

Fettled the front mech on the vanquish, was getting a bit of rubbing in some gears, now much better and a much smoother shift. It’s not perfect but it’ll do. Ideally I need one of the new tiagra mechs with a side pull hinge instead of a bottom pull that pulls sideways.


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## si_c (17 Mar 2022)

Had a bit of rim wobble on the rear of the Trek after my ride to the office on Tuesday. Mrs C is out tonight so figured I would clean the rim and true it, unfortunately after the clean it became clear that the rim is cracked in multiple places on the rim bed, so a terminal failure.

Sad news as the rim had only just gone out of true on that ride after about 12k km, it was concave along the braking surface but I had assumed it had a few thousand km left in it. In fairness it was a £120 wheelset from Wiggle about 7 years ago.


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## Sittingduck (18 Mar 2022)

Not zactly a fettle but a pre work wheel scrubbing session in the morning sun


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## fossyant (18 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> Not zactly a fettle but a pre work wheel scrubbing session in the morning sun
> 
> View attachment 635835



I have a wash session today too - mainly removing the dust of daughter and wife's bikes before they come down to our caravan. My best bike is coming and that's not moved from the ground anchor since October ! All need a dust and a tyre pump up.


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## Sittingduck (18 Mar 2022)

Am also seriously considering if today is gonna be the official 'mudguard removal day'. Bit early I know in mid March but it's so lovely out there...

Also might even leave them on the Ti bike and just remove the race blades from the Defy. That'll give me 2 non guarded road bikes, a guarded road/gravel bike and an MTB... should be enough for starters, right?


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## fossyant (18 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> Am also seriously considering if today is gonna be the official 'mudguard removal day'. Bit early I know in mid March but it's so lovely out there...
> 
> Also might even leave them on the Ti bike and just remove the race blades from the Defy. That'll give me 2 non guarded road bikes, a guarded road/gravel bike and an MTB... should be enough for starters, right?



Don't - we know who to blame !


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## fossyant (18 Mar 2022)

Fleet washed.


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## RoubaixCube (18 Mar 2022)

Weather is looking good so I put some cleats on the new planetx shoes and adjusted pedal tension. Slightly nervous as i haven't ridden with SH-51 cleats for a very long time. Have to remember to disengage a little early till i get used to them again.


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## si_c (18 Mar 2022)

Picked up replacement wheelset from the LBS today, they had a Shimano RS100 set in stock and offered me a decent discount on it, so although I could have got the same set cheaper online I just popped down on my lunch to pick them up today. Means I can take the bike out tomorrow.

Removed tyres, tubes and cassette from the old wheelset, fitted to the new and then pumped up the tyres. Only required a 1/4 turn of the rear barrel adjuster to get the gears working well enough. I can fine tune later.


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## cyberknight (18 Mar 2022)

replaced the brake calipers as the ones i did the ribble build the QR lever that opens the calipers up to get the wheel in/out doesnt work


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## Rickshaw Phil (18 Mar 2022)

After refitting the Vittoria Randonneur tyres to the knockabout bike ready for the warmer months it has become clear over the last three rides that they don't actually roll as well as the Marathon Greenguard they were replacing so I've swapped back.

The bike had new wheels at the same time as the Randonneurs - the rear one wasn't as true as I'd have liked on fitting but I thought I'd sort it later. After those three rides it's worse so detensioning and retruing from scratch seemed the best option. I'm really pleased with how that has come out. My good results on the Cytech course weren't a fluke.


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Mar 2022)

*Recumbent*

A mix of stuff Thu, Fri, short test rides Friday, with longer test ride today

Chain fitted and new bar end rear friction shifter , new cables inner and outer done. Front derailleur height adjusted for new bigger new big ring. Inner ring was too close to middle ring and chain was getting dropped. Removed recently refitted cranks, added spacers between inner chain ring and crank spider, plus replaced chain ring bolts with ones 2mm longer to take account of spacer depth, which sorted it out. Limit screws done front and back. Bracket for cycle star mirror is made of cheese, so cut off and replaced with normal zip tie. Proper bracket fitted to mudguard for chain stay bridge. What a difference and mudguard no longer rubs.



























Boom extended a little to increase reach to pedals. Test ride (of hour and quarter) confirms it is good, and I’ll leave it at new extension. Fitted a top tube bag for quick stop snacks in front of stem. If it’s other side my thighs catch it. The bag was stable and didn’t move at all or get caught by my legs on my test ride. Perfect.






Post winter overhaul complete and it is riding sweet and crisp once more.


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## cyberknight (19 Mar 2022)

I will be looking at the wheel bearings obn a set of rs 11s later , clicky / grinding noise today although they were fine last week


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## derrick (19 Mar 2022)

New front pads, osf shock absorber, osr suspension arm. I am now free to ride the bike next week.


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## DaveM77 (19 Mar 2022)

Well I was going to fit new tyres and tubes to the wheels I brought off eBay for my triathlon bike but that didn’t happen. 
Inner tube out the box, valve into hole. Thought is looked a bit big…… think I got an inner tube to fit a tractor wheel, it was massive!!!!
Inner tube reboxed and sent back to wiggle. New inner tubes now ordered 🙄


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Mar 2022)

Rotated drop handlebars towards me


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## HLaB (19 Mar 2022)

I might take my TT bike out tomorrow so I thought it was best to top up the sealant in its tubeless disc. It made a right mess of my floor, not


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2022)

Started reframing my sons road bike this morning, great to able to work outside again. Took about 30 minutes to dismantle it. BB was a bit tight but came out with some careful persuasion.


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## Gunk (20 Mar 2022)

Next stage was to take this out of the box and have a look at what’s involved.








Sadly, I can’t use the Colnago aero handlebar stem, so I‘ll use the existing bars, stem with regular spacers. I have also ordered a 41mm press fit Hollowtech 2 BB. Once that’s arrived I should be good to go.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2022)

The broken boa lacing on cycle shoes replaced after much fiddling with new lace to clear the outer sheaf of old lace out of channels.


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## T4tomo (22 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> The broken boa lacing on cycle shoes replaced after much fiddling with new lace to clear the outer sheaf of old lace out of channels.


I imagine that is a very fiddley job, bit satisfying once sorted.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2022)

T4tomo said:


> I imagine that is a very fiddley job, bit satisfying once sorted.



So fiddly I’d put them by bin on Friday. But had another go today and after poking out some broken sheath from the old lacing, managed to thread the last bit. If they go again it may be time to retire the shoes!


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## Oldhippy (22 Mar 2022)

Whilst off sick today despite feeling absolutely cack I am bored, so I cleaned my bike! I also cleaned and oiled my running gear which I do regularly anyway.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2022)

Oldhippy said:


> Whilst off sick today despite feeling absolutely cack I am bored, so I cleaned my bike! I also cleaned and oiled my running gear which I do regularly anyway.



Steady on now


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## Andy in Germany (22 Mar 2022)

Oldhippy said:


> Whilst off sick today despite feeling absolutely cack I am bored, so I cleaned my bike! I also cleaned and oiled my running gear which I do regularly anyway.



It'll rain now, just you wait and see.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2022)

After my major post winter overhaul of recumbent, I couldn’t leave out the bar tape. The drop bars on the recumbent use just under half the bar tape needed on road bikes. Thus I still had half of the tape I used originally when building the recumbent in 2019. The tape as you can see is a nice subdued colour. I also realigned the right hand bar end shifter whilst the outer gear cable was accessible and amenable to movement.

Now must repeat mantra, wear gloves working on mechanicals, and do not touch bar tape with gloves.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> Am also seriously considering if today is gonna be the official 'mudguard removal day'. Bit early I know in mid March but it's so lovely out there...
> 
> Also might even leave them on the Ti bike and just remove the race blades from the Defy. That'll give me 2 non guarded road bikes, a guarded road/gravel bike and an MTB... should be enough for starters, right?



What is the term “mudguard removal” ?


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## C R (23 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> What is the term “mudguard removal” ?


It is a ceremony that some cyclists perform when they wish for the weather to turn bad. A sort of rain invocation ceremony, if you like.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> It is a ceremony that some cyclists perform when they wish for the weather to turn bad. A sort of rain invocation ceremony, if you like.



Ah like a rain dance 😏


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## si_c (23 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> It is a ceremony that some cyclists perform when they wish for the weather to turn bad. A sort of rain invocation ceremony, if you like.


There is an alternate ceremony where cyclists clean their summer bike. Both ensure months of inclement weather.


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## youngoldbloke (23 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Ah like a rain dance 😏


Followed later in the year before the onset of an Indian Summer by the 'Lost nuts and Washers' dance.


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## Oldhippy (23 Mar 2022)

si_c said:


> There is an alternate ceremony where cyclists clean their summer bike. Both ensure months of inclement weather.


Summer bike? I just have a bike.


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## Twilkes (23 Mar 2022)

In my never ending quest for a silent bike I tried to identify the wheel rotation noise that had been bugging me for a while, and after readjusting the brakes I found that it was the little strands of stray rubber sticking out the side of the tyre pinging off the mudguard mounts!

On the plus side, I have now readjusted my brakes.


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## Sittingduck (23 Mar 2022)

I left them on! (on one bike) and removed the race blades on t'other, hence hedging my bets and confusing the rain gods. You can thank me later for the nice spell we are having


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## C R (23 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> I left them on! (on one bike) and removed the race blades on t'other, hence hedging my bets and confusing the rain gods. You can thank me later for the nice spell we are having


Nah, we'll blame you once it starts raining.


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## JhnBssll (23 Mar 2022)

Sittingduck said:


> I left them on! (on one bike) and removed the race blades on t'other, hence hedging my bets and confusing the rain gods. You can thank me later for the nice spell we are having



Pretty sure that just encourages drizzle


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## Gunk (23 Mar 2022)

I pulled the Ribble EM2 I built last year out of the corner of the garage where it’s been sitting unused for a while. Took the turbo trainer rear wheel off and swapped it for the Campagnolo Eurus wheel.

Gave it a clean, pumped up the tyres and popped out for a quick run, it’s absolutely stunning. A bit old school now, but with its Mirage 2x10 speed group set and super compact racing geometry it feels really special. It only weighs in at 8kgs which for an aluminium bike is remarkable. I must put some miles on it this year.


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## T4tomo (23 Mar 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> Pretty sure that just encourages drizzle


Very good

I'm lucky enough to have choice of bikes, some kitted with mudguards and some not. But I am itching to get out on the posh bike, was away last weekend sans wheels so haven't dusted it off yet.


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## numbnuts (23 Mar 2022)

For a few weeks now I was worried about my battery on my trike getting stolen while I go shopping and at £400 a time I didn't think the lock they supplied was adequate.
The sure way would be to remove it off the trike and take it with me, but at 3.5 Kg it's no light weight.
As the said battery slides in on a rail, I extended that and fitted a bike disc lock, OK it will not stop someone who is determined, but, it will slow them down if nothing else.


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## dave r (23 Mar 2022)

Dug my geared bike out of the back of the shed where its been hibernating all winter, put air in the tyres and checked them for debris, checked the chain, its worn but serviceable, checked the bottom bracket, its knackered, three year old hollowtec, still smooth but has free play in it, I had the LBS service the headset during the winter and thats OK, stripped cleaned and greased the wheel bearings, also noticed that the secur clips on the front mudguard are knackered, and I've only got one spare, looks like I'll be shopping bike bits later.


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## Gunk (23 Mar 2022)

Spa sell Secur clips for about £3 a pair


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## dave r (23 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> Spa sell Secur clips for about £3 a pair



I think thats where I got the last ones from.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> I pulled the Ribble EM2 I built last year out of the corner of the garage where it’s been sitting unused for a while. Took the turbo trainer rear wheel off and swapped it for the Campagnolo Eurus wheel.
> 
> Gave it a clean, pumped up the tyres and popped out for a quick run, it’s absolutely stunning. A bit old school now, but with its Mirage 2x10 speed group set and super compact racing geometry it feels really special. It only weighs in at 8kgs which for an aluminium bike is remarkable. I must put some miles on it this year.
> 
> View attachment 636594



Majority of the weight of a bike isn’t the frame


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## Gunk (23 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Majority of the weight of a bike isn’t the frame



I agree, but for an ally framed bike it’s very light, the Eurus wheel-set probably makes the biggest difference,


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## GuyBoden (23 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Majority of the weight of a bike isn’t the frame


I agree, it's usually the rider.


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## HLaB (23 Mar 2022)

My 172.5mm cranks failed a few months back and I finally got their replacement last week but I ordered a crank protector so hopefully they get scrubbed less by my ankle and that came today so I fitted the protector to the cranks and replaced the 175mm crank I had been using temporarily, swapped the pedal and raised my saddle by 2.5mm (added electrical tape to mark that). For such a small difference I thought about leaving the 175mm cranks on but I have a 172.5mm 4iiii power meter that would have become redundant and I'm a stats junkie sometimes.

Edit: Lol, and the final bit of fettling after typing the above, I remembered to switch the Garmin on and reactivate the power meter.


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## C R (23 Mar 2022)

Put a new chain on the road bike, which made it virtually unridable. Not really unexpected, as this would have been the fifth chain with this cassette at just over 5000 miles. Old chain back to keep riding until I get a new cassette.


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## Sallar55 (24 Mar 2022)

Last nights struggle fitting the new tubeless tyres, back was worn out. Don't like mismatched tyres😅. The black bottle can be pumped up to 11bar for an instant tyre fix, then it checking for a slow deflation if unlucky.


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## Gunk (25 Mar 2022)

Built a bench today out of two pallets. Mrs Gunk kindly painted it with black Cuprinol, should look OK when covered in cushions.


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## Andy in Germany (25 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> Built a bench today out of two pallets. Mrs Gunk kindly pained it with black Cuprinol, should look OK when covered in cushions.
> 
> View attachment 636969
> 
> View attachment 636970



Looks pretty good now, I reckon.


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## fossyant (25 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> Built a bench today out of two pallets. Mrs Gunk kindly pained it with black Cuprinol, should look OK when covered in cushions.
> 
> View attachment 636969
> 
> View attachment 636970



Looking good, get the decking oil out though ! 👅


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## DCLane (25 Mar 2022)

Son no. 2's 'winter' Boardman AirPro got a new chain, was cleaned up after a winter's road use -  - and popped onto our smart turbo for the summer. The wheels were cleaned, including the cassette -  - but appear to spin perfectly despite a winter's hammering (they're an old Superstar Components set).

That frees up a road bike (a NeilPryde Nazaré) which he took to Belgium last week. We've been finding ourselves a bike short occasionally and it saves me putting the Boardman into the storage unit.

The Boardman cyclocross bike I bought from here received more cleaning, although I need to change a brake cable outer plus the headset is creaking. A little work there although it seems to be a lower headset bearing.


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## HLaB (25 Mar 2022)

My 3d printed TT elbow cups for my TT bike cracked a few weeks ago so I was forewarned of their up coming catastrophic failure on Sunday. So when it ripped off during an interval I was fortunately knew instantly what it was and controlled it. I ordered new elbow cups on Tuesday from Revolver Wheels. I was wanting like for like but found out they were discontinued but found ones that were similar but three times the price because they were carbon. Given they were three times the price I'd thought I'd get a new bar clamp that would be more supportive of them. I could find one that was in stock though but the Decathlon clip on TT bars looked to have what I wanted. They all came today so I ended up fitting it all together. Unfortunately the Revolver elbow cups came with size 3 hex bolts and the Decathlon clamps took size 5 hex bolts. I used a bodge I have used before which I've found to be reliable of using a long No3 bolt in a No 5 bolt hole and securing it with a nut. The bodge seems good and it has never let me down when I have used it before. The only problem its a bit unsightly if you look at the underside of the TT pad


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## cyberknight (26 Mar 2022)

ordered a new shifter cover for my tiagra left shifter, it had been rattling for ages and having tightned it a few times the plastic had weakened so a bit fell off  ruddy stupid design !


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## harlechjoe (26 Mar 2022)

Used the chain bath and applied dry lube


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## fossyant (26 Mar 2022)

Washed the Ribble - got it slightly dusty and mucky today !


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## Gunk (26 Mar 2022)

harlechjoe said:


> Used the chain bath and applied dry lube



OOh er 😲


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Mar 2022)

Dry lube mid ride to quieten my wife’s squeaky chain. Silence is golden.


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## Spiderweb (27 Mar 2022)

craigwend said:


> My oldish Garmin Edge Touring the power button perished / crumbled / collapsed today, looked at various technical ways to fix it, but by using a piece of a cut up /to size 'rubber' (eraser) & some sticky back plastic (well tape) now fixed
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/yc0dUVHr6ZI
> ...



Thank you for posting this👍
With the help of a piece of old rubber eraser and insulation tape I now don’t have to use an old pen top to turn on my edge 1000.


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## fossyant (27 Mar 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Thank you for posting this👍
> With the help of a piece of old rubber eraser and insulation tape I now don’t have to use an old pen top to turn on my edge 1000.
> View attachment 637261



A bit of silicone round the rubber would help


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## Gunk (27 Mar 2022)

Started on the Colnago build this morning, fist job was to fit the BB


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## DCLane (27 Mar 2022)

Wheel and brake pad swap time on son no. 2's Cervelo S3 for a race today moving from aluminium to carbon wheels. It's not _quite_ warm enough for the other bikes to make the switch so they're staying on aluminium.

Boardman cross bike finished cleaning and tidying.

I'll spend a bit of time this afternoon attempting to sort the Olagnero frameset that's got a massively stuck seatpost. Current methods just aren't working so it'll be a hacksaw job, taking lots of time.


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## Gunk (27 Mar 2022)

All done, Ultegra 6600 groupset and Mavic Aksium Race wheelset, it’s come together nicely. I particularly like the internal cable routing. Makes it look very clean


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## fossyant (27 Mar 2022)

New wheels and brake pads for the commuter MTB. The rear Mavic Crossride had worn out the rear rim and it's just started to split. Replaced with a pair of Decathlon wheels for £85.


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## harlechjoe (27 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Dry lube mid ride to quieten my wife’s squeaky chain. Silence is golden.


Brilliant - I'll try it on my wife this afternoon


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## numbnuts (27 Mar 2022)

24 mince pies


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## T4tomo (27 Mar 2022)

Bar tape for the OH, I like the bike ribbon drops stuff.


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## si_c (29 Mar 2022)

Swapped the tyres on my spare wheelset for the Kinesis with newer (but still used) ones as the sidewalls were starting to crack (not been used for a while). 

I then replaced the rear derailleur cable as it was kinked and not feeding through the shifter properly. A job of just 10 minutes despite the dreaded internal cabling that seems to cause so much hassle (pro tip: feed a line of cable housing up the existing cable and then you can just run the new inner through that and remove it, no faffing with cotton and hoovers).


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## Svendo (29 Mar 2022)

Disassembled the plate axle on my good bike da9000 rear derailleur. It wasn’t springing back properly. Found it very dried and surface corrosion due to having been used for winter commuting. Scrubbed, decorroded and massively lubed. All gone back fine. Didn’t break the chain just I did the pulley wheels to remove from the bike. Quite a scary job, but went a lot easier using the DM from tech docs and YouTube videos of similar Shimano derailleurs. Good I don’t have to do the B-Axle as that looks much more involved!


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## Sallar55 (29 Mar 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Thank you for posting this👍
> With the help of a piece of old rubber eraser and insulation tape I now don’t have to use an old pen top to turn on my edge 1000.
> View attachment 637261


If your rubber cover has split I used to use the pen as above, then the switch fell apart. An easy fix is just use silicon to seal the hole. Almost bought another Edge 1000 but when you plug in a USB lead it switches on the unit. Goes off about 5mins after a ride is uploaded. I carry a little lipstick type powerpack to power up if needed. Someone played with the buttons and the ride uploaded and turned off at a cafe stop.


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## Richard A Thackeray (29 Mar 2022)

Just a 'quick-fix at work

I decided to ride to work via _NewLands Woods_, in the opposite direction to my ride home the other day
Not far into the Woods, just past the ruinous Stable-Block, I heard a clatter & then a rattle

I can only assume that a stick/small branch got caught up in the spokes & broke the -already repaired- mudguard mount??


I put up with the clattering on the ride to work, particularly over the Trash Screen Bridge & the speed-humps on the _‘towpath_’, actually an access road to moorings & 'Calder Row' (a row of terraced houses originally built by the canal company

Once at work, I took a photograph, to help explain my situation


Down into the 'basement', and a ‘begging visit’ to Medical Physics/EMBE saw me given a couple of cable-ties
Job done!


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## palinurus (30 Mar 2022)

For ages our back door hasn't closed properly- it would close and lock, but there was a bit of a gap and the more secure locking mechanism wouldn't engage. For some reason while waiting for the kettle to boil I had a little play with a screwdriver and moved one of the locking points a little inward, probably two minutes work, and now it's fine.

For about two years I've been thinking 'must get someone in to look at that'

Also I repaired a seam that had come apart on my old Ortlieb courier bag with Shoe Goo.


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## palinurus (30 Mar 2022)

Sallar55 said:


> If your rubber cover has split I used to use the pen as above, then the switch fell apart. An easy fix is just use silicon to seal the hole. Almost bought another Edge 1000 but when you plug in a USB lead it switches on the unit. Goes off about 5mins after a ride is uploaded. I carry a little lipstick type powerpack to power up if needed. Someone played with the buttons and the ride uploaded and turned off at a cafe stop.
> View attachment 637676


Nice coaster.


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## cyberknight (30 Mar 2022)

Attempting to replace a no name chainset i had on the commuter today, found out the threads are made of cheese as the crank puller has completely stripped them  
geuss its a trip to the LBS to get the cranks off or leave it till the BB needs changing ?


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## fossyant (30 Mar 2022)

cyberknight said:


> Attempting to replace a no name chainset i had on the commuter today, found out the threads are made of cheese as the crank puller has completely stripped them
> geuss its a trip to the LBS to get the cranks off or leave it till the BB needs changing ?



Are you getting rid ? - angle grinder, hacksaw or dremmel. It will come off if you cut a slot into the crank arm where the square taper is.


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## cyberknight (30 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> Are you getting rid ? - angle grinder, hacksaw or dremmel. It will come off if you cut a slot into the crank arm where the square taper is.


yes i am, the crank is so flexy i get rub on the FD when standing .I have replaced the chainring with a decent stronglight one and it still does it .


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## Gunk (30 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> Are you getting rid ? - angle grinder, hacksaw or dremmel. It will come off if you cut a slot into the crank arm where the square taper is.



I’ve had to remove one using this method, the bugger just wouldn’t shift


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## fossyant (30 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> I’ve had to remove one using this method, the bugger just wouldn’t shift



Same here, but didn't have an angle grinder or dremel at the time - took a while with a hack saw.


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## dave r (30 Mar 2022)

New Bottom Bracket, hollowtec 2, fitted to my Eastway tonight, plus replacement secur clips fitted, the mudguard stays on my Eastway don't work well with the clips, I'll have to have a rumage in the shed and see if I can find some better ones.


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## Richard A Thackeray (30 Mar 2022)

Tomorrow I need to strip down the rear-hub/freewheel
(Mavic Aksyium)

It's slipping, presumably the pawls aren't engaging?


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## GeekDadZoid (30 Mar 2022)

No fettling time really for me, been a bit busy, but I need to sort my saddle a it's nose bolt is a little loose after my crash on Friday. 

My brother in law is doing the Manchester to Blackpool ride with me in July but finds him Specialized hybrid a bit uncomfortable on longer rides so he looked to change the handlebars. He got some of the OnOne Geoff bars in the latest DFS, I mean Planet X Sale and fitted them the other day. He was struggling however to get into the lowest of his gears on the 1x10 setup.

I popped round tonight to have a look and the L limit screw was set to not allow the bike to shift into he big cog. He has probably only done 200km since he bought the bike and I suspect it was like this from the shop. Anyway all sorted now and properly indexed.


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## Richard A Thackeray (31 Mar 2022)

Thursday 31st

Over the past few rides, the free-hub has been misbehaving by intermittently not engaging................. invariably at a junction!!
I've stripped the wheel down & left it for some oil to work its way through to the Pawls






I couldn't get the free-hub body off, & can't remember how it went on, so just hoping (at the moment) that the oil leaches through
_Sods Law i_nvoked itself_, as _with the wheel out, I couldn't get it to reproduce the _none-engagement _

Old/tattered race (running) t-shirts around the hub, to try & prevent any contamination of the disc, as any oil passes through


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## HLaB (31 Mar 2022)

My fettling this week was on a colleagues folding mountain bike (a steel one as I found out). On the way down to his car he described his problems (especially with shifting) and told me a mechanic had looked at it. I bet the mechanic had tried everything I tried with the same result for the front derailleur. Although I hope the mechanic saw the bike prior to the rear shifter cable getting a massive kink, which was the obvious answer for why it wasn't shifting correctly. It also had Revo shifters and he was trying to describe the shifters he had as a kid and preferred (sounded like trigger shifters). He then told me about its weight and it wouldn't fold. I couldn't see anything other locking the frame clamp other than the QR but it was seized solid although the QR was clean In fact the whole bike including the tyres was clean, who ever sold him that for £250 saw him coming. Before me even suggesting it, he came out with to get trigger shifters he would be best replacing it. I then dropped a few other things like the fact that he (being a small person would appreciate a lighter frame) and didn't need a folding mechanism if he was never going to use it that way (I get a full size bike in and out of smaller cars easier with a QR front wheel).


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## cyberknight (31 Mar 2022)

another attempt at the crank , got the other side off but the replacement crank hole for the BB is not the same angle as the old one  
the stripped threads are still stumping me , my mate phil reckons he has something to get it sorted


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Mar 2022)

Fixed a front wheel puncture. Makes a difference as usually the rear…


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## crossfire (31 Mar 2022)

sort of bike related, stopped the office/computer chair sliding down by fitting 2 jubilee clips (1 was not quite enough) on the stem and screwing as tight as I could! Chair is comfy and doesn`t make my back ache, but gas adjuster is tired. Now I can read CC without fiddling with seat


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## Andy in Germany (31 Mar 2022)

Nothing fettled as such, but I had my first real look at the bike workshop I'm supposed to be taking over from next week...


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## Sallar55 (31 Mar 2022)

Chain was skipping, checked chain OK so changed a cassette I knew was good. Out for a bike check and skipping, looked at the middle ring and found out why.




Teeth worn out😩




Raided my spares and found a replacement


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## GeekDadZoid (31 Mar 2022)

Had a weird issue yesterday pulling away from the lights big noise and the cranks just span, couldn't seen anything obvious changed gear and carried on, closer inspection today revealed this 🤦‍♂️

Luckily I could raid the Dawes for a wheel so stuck a 28mm tyre on it and ready for the commute tomorrow.

Will investigate a replacement sprocket over the weekend.


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## Oldhippy (31 Mar 2022)

Oops!


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## C R (31 Mar 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Had a weird issue yesterday pulling away from the lights big noise and the cranks just span, couldn't seen anything obvious changed gear and carried on, closer inspection today revealed this 🤦‍♂️
> 
> Luckily I could raid the Dawes for a wheel so stuck a 28mm tyre on it and ready for the commute tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Too much power in your legs


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## Scotchlovingcylist (31 Mar 2022)

Those of a nervous disposition should look away now.....
Came out of the shops to find my rack mount bolt had sheared off, not sure if someone has been rough with it or what to be honest.
Drilled out the broken bolt, threads done in and not enough purchase to get a decent tap through, so.......
Is now sporting a decent tek bolt. Seems to be holding, time will tell.......


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## Gunk (31 Mar 2022)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Tomorrow I need to strip down the rear-hub/freewheel
> (Mavic Aksyium)
> 
> It's slipping, presumably the pawls aren't engaging?



good squirt with WD40 usually frees them


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## Gunk (31 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> Too much power in your legs



I definitely don’t have that problem


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## C R (31 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> I definitely don’t have that problem


Me neither


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## GeekDadZoid (31 Mar 2022)

C R said:


> Too much power in your legs


Would be nice to have too much power 🙂


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## Richard A Thackeray (31 Mar 2022)

Gunk said:


> good squirt with WD40 usually frees them


A mixture of that & 'good old' 3 in 1


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## DCLane (1 Apr 2022)

Cleaned my Raleigh Pioneer and son no. 2's Columbus X-Wing after use this week whilst he did his homework.

The rear mech on his BeOne's been playing up for a bit. Swapped it for a spare Dura-Ace one and a new gear cable. It looks like the current one has been clogged with gunk after 7000 miles so it'll go in the ultrasonic cleaner. Hopefully that'll solve the problem with it not rotating back, leaving a loose chain.


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## cyberknight (1 Apr 2022)

mate got my mangled crank arm off , i planned to put the new one on but cant be bothered today


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## Oldhippy (2 Apr 2022)

I tightened the skewer on my front wheel and adjusted my handlebars by a gnats wingspan.


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## cyberknight (2 Apr 2022)

finished replacing the chainset on the commuter, replaced the brakes on the latest rebuild as thecam that allows you to get the wheels out had packed up and also had a bit of a tidy up of the spares .


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## ColinJ (2 Apr 2022)

I sorted out a hob knob (as opposed to a Hobnob)! 

I had dropped a tin of beans on one of the control knobs on my gas hob. The innermost part of the knob was broken by the impact and the knob fell off.

I ordered some new 'universal' knobs from Amazon which claimed that they could be made to fit the controls on most hobs by using replaceable inserts. Sure enough, one of the inserts did the job.

Unfortunately, I had overlooked the fact that the original knobs have concentric collars underneath. The outer collar presses down on a small lever when the knob is pressed down and that operates the ignition circuit. I could turn the gas on with the new knob but not light it that way. (I could actually light the gas by pressing one of the _other _knobs down since all knobs operate the same ignition circuit, but I wanted the new knob to work properly.)

Then I noticed that the collar on the broken knob looked like it would be a snug fit round the collar holding the insert in the new knob. I used my trusty hacksaw to cut the broken knob up and extracted a length of the plastic collar. Yes - a perfect fit on the new knob. I had to fiddle with it slightly to get the positioning right but now the new knob is working perfectly!

OCD-suffering members may be appalled to hear that the new knob doesn't quite match the 3 remaining old ones. I could repeat the operation and convert the other 3 knobs but then I wouldn't have any spares in case of future breakages. I'll leave it as it is for now. If the mismatch starts to bother me then I can sort the problem out later.


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## Cycleops (2 Apr 2022)

Can't claim any fettling personally but I took this aluminium Claude Butler to my local repairer. I bought it for the boy in the pics a while ago. 
He says a few people borrowed it and made a mess of it. The RD was completely smashed,so that needed replacing as well as cables. One pedal was broken.
Here people tend to borrow others bikes and because it doesn't belong to them so treat it any how.
There was a problem with the adjustable stem which had developed a lot of play. I couldn't get it out and neither could Joe.
You can just see my Trek in the background


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## biggs682 (3 Apr 2022)

Had an hour starting my swap the wheels around on a few of my bikes. 

My old R.E.W Reynolds had a set of non descript wienmann rimmed wheels fitted and I had a spare set of Mavic M40 with campag hubs so the Mavics have gone on the R.E.W complete with some new 23mm gatorskins and the wienmanns have gone on the Sinclair. 

At some point in the future I need to get my Hope hubbed wheels fettled and then they can go on the Hardisty or that's the current plan


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## bagpuss (3 Apr 2022)

^^^Love hope hubs . The 4 pawls on the rear is like aswram of bees when free wheeling !!^^^


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## GeekDadZoid (3 Apr 2022)

New inserts for the Brompton, rear where almost at the wear line, the front had a fair bit left but made sense to swap the two. Gone for Fibrax ones.

Also done a hack on the mini rack to strengthen the rear wheels and also provide a light mount. Quite low but I have on on my saddle bag or seat post too.


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## HLaB (3 Apr 2022)

My first fettle was to clean and lubed my gravel bike after today's ride.
My second fettle was to clean my cleats so I could get them loose enough to shift by hand then re- tighten (they had been loose enough to rotate out of position)
My third fettle was to prepare my commuting bike. It had been in storage in a mates garage since before my cancer op in April 2019. It got treated to a clean and lube too and the tyres pumped up (I pump to circa 90 psi and in all that time there was still 60psi in the rear and 50psi in the front. I also recalled it's right pedal nose is worn so I put another pair on. At the same time I put a new battery in the cadence meter. I'll take it for a test ride tomorrow but it looks good and everything is functioning when wheeling it across the car park.


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## geocycle (4 Apr 2022)

A classic small job that escalated. The Spa needed a new chain. I have a pair of standard wheels with a part worn cassette that does the ‘back half’ of a chain‘s life. So swapped out the wheels and put the nicer tubeless pair back on. These needed sealant refill. Also had a small tick from BB area so took opportunity to remove and re grease chaiinset and BB. Then noticed the rear blocks needed changing so for first time ever managed to change the pads in situ Without removing the shoe. Adjusted the brake and snapped a few threads in the cable so replaced that as well. Checked gears and tweaked derailleur slightly. Finally shortened and fitted new chain!
At least it’s still raining so no ride time lost on my day off.


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## Richard A Thackeray (5 Apr 2022)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Thursday 31st
> 
> Over the past few rides, the free-hub has been misbehaving by intermittently not engaging................. invariably at a junction!!
> I've stripped the wheel down & left it for some oil to work its way through to the Pawls
> ...


Riding to work on Sunday, it was atrocious, to the point that I had to walk up_ Stanley Hill_ (1-in-12)
Likewise coming home I chose the flattest route, so partially along the (Aire & Calder Navigation) Canal towpath
I managed most of the river (Calder) banking & NewLands Woods, barring the last little slope

On arrival, after changing & making tea, I took it apart again
The splines (serrations?) on the actual hub were worn & shiney, so life-expired??

I decided a new wheel was required
Finding a 6-bolt hub was harder than I thought!
A work collegue (who's a 'thorper) suggested _Hope-Tech,_ which seemed a nice idea, till I looked at the price for a pai_r _

Thus yesterday, meant getting its predecessor out of the shed, for the ride to work (I was on a 10:00 - 17:00, so no need to swap lights onto iI
Ie, this; 




As the CGR's mainly a work-bike now, I don't get out as much as I'd like to, for a longer ride, I just ordered a pair of 'Never Heard Of Them!' wheels from Amazon
(ordered on Sunday evening, they were here when I got home at 14:30)
The longest part of the swap-over was finding my bottle of thread-lock for the disc-bolts


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## Fredo76 (5 Apr 2022)

Q: What's our vector, Victor?








A: We have clearance, Clarence!

I couldn't fit my 7-speed freewheel on my '80s vintage Specialized training wheels, so I bought a new rear wheel. Now it fits, barely. Had to put a washer under the derailleur to keep the bolt from sticking out. Proper part (hopefully) is ordered.

With this wheel, my 18-speed is now a 21-speed. I collect speeds...


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## Richard A Thackeray (6 Apr 2022)

Wednesday 6th
Not much!

After installing the new wheels that arrived yesterday, & riding to work on in this morning, all seems good

I did come back along the river (Calder) bank, & through NewLands Woods, it was quite dry, with just a couple of puddles

I decided to wash it
Chain-rings off; I know that one threading was a bit suspect, & I was careful the last time I had the rings off (about a fortnight ago), but it has lost that bolt
Thankfully, I have a spare chainset, that I'd bought to get an inner-ring, after  previously bending one, & it was cheaper to buy the entire unit, than a separate Tiagra '34' ring at the time, so it got a new '50' tooth ring


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## si_c (6 Apr 2022)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Thankfully, I have a spare chainset, that I'd bought to get an inner-ring, after  previously bending one, & it was cheaper to buy the entire unit, than a separate Tiagra '34' ring at the time, so it got a new '50' tooth ring


I had the same problem a couple of years ago, replacing the inner ring on Tiagra was ludicriously expensive, so I replaced it with a Sora R3000 inner ring - there is no difference that I could discern and cost less than a tenner. That same 34t ring is now doing service with a 105 chainset that I changed from 52/36 to 50/34 and I can't tell any difference on that either.


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## fraz101 (6 Apr 2022)

Spent a few hours attempting to re seat a tubeless tyre.

Ended up at the LBS to borrow his compressor. 

Came home and polished and waxed my frame with the wheels off.


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## Oldhippy (6 Apr 2022)

fraz101 said:


> Spent a few hours attempting to re seat a tubeless tyre.
> 
> Ended up at the LBS to borrow his compressor.
> 
> Came home and polished and waxed my frame with the wheels off.


You waxed your frame! Why?


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## fraz101 (6 Apr 2022)

Oldhippy said:


> You waxed your frame! Why?


Well I’m into car detailing and have many polishes and waxes.

I enjoy the process and my frame paintwork is squeaky clean,shiny and water will bead off now 😂


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## Gunk (6 Apr 2022)

fraz101 said:


> Well I’m into car detailing and have many polishes and waxes.
> 
> I enjoy the process and my frame paintwork is squeaky clean,shiny and water will bead off now 😂



what, you ride it in the rain 😮


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## fraz101 (6 Apr 2022)

Gunk said:


> what, you ride it in the rain 😮


Of course not! 😊


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## GeekDadZoid (6 Apr 2022)

fraz101 said:


> Well I’m into car detailing and have many polishes and waxes.
> 
> I enjoy the process and my frame paintwork is squeaky clean,shiny and water will bead off now 😂



I've done a basic wax on my Brompton a few times and it seemed to make quick cleans easier. My biggest issue is getting it clean enough to wax, I am rubbish at it. 

My mate wanted to swap his Brompton pedals so brought it and them round. I made him do it himself so he learnt but we came a cropper with the left pedal which would not loosen. If it was my bike I would probably have given it a bit of Elly with an breaker bar, but being his less that a year old electric brompton, I told him to ask the shop we both bought our Bromptons from. He gets all his work done there and is a good customer so I am sure they will just do it when he gets his next service. (Ps I do know which was to loosen the pedal, even if I do second guess myself every time)


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## fraz101 (6 Apr 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> I've done a basic wax on my Brompton a few times and it seemed to make quick cleans easier. My biggest issue is getting it clean enough to wax, I am rubbish at it.


waxing and clean paintwork definitely makes cleaning dirt off much easier.


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## bikingdad90 (6 Apr 2022)

@GeekDadZoid good shout asking him to take it into the shop. My dads Merida ride carbon frame has a stuck flat pedal on the drive side, it will not budge with a pedal spanner or pedal spanner and a mallet to “shock” the bond. I reckon it was cross threaded on factory installation rather than the less likely option of just done up ludicrously over tight as the left hand pedal came off easily. 

It’s an Ultegra chainset and drive side that is stuck, the bike shop he bought it from went bust (for reasons relating to naughtiness at another business site and getting caught by officials) so if the chainset is knackered it’s an expensive fix!


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## GeekDadZoid (6 Apr 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @GeekDadZoid good shout asking him to take it into the shop. My dads Merida ride carbon frame has a stuck flat pedal on the drive side, it will not budge with a pedal spanner or pedal spanner and a mallet to “shock” the bond. I reckon it was cross threaded on factory installation rather than the less likely option of just done up ludicrously over tight as the left hand pedal came off easily.
> 
> It’s an Ultegra chainset and drive side that is stuck, the bike shop he bought it from went bust (for reasons relating to naughtiness at another business site and getting caught by officials) so if the chainset is knackered it’s an expensive fix!



One of the issues we had was that the folding pedal on the brompton only has the option of using a hex key to remove it, the other side took a pedal spanner and was removed in short order. 

Did show to me I really need some hex bits for my socket set, I only have them for my torque wrench.


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## dave r (8 Apr 2022)

My Eastway had a new cassette and chain fitted last night.


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## HLaB (8 Apr 2022)

I fitted a new 2nd hand 172.5mm crankset the other week as mine was struck by the sh1tmano curse. The shop hadn't realised that my few months old 52t chainring had got damaged when the crankset failed so they gave me a temporary ring whilst mine was sent back under warranty (unfortunately the 2nd hand crank arms were not). The replacement 52t chainring came through the week so I fitted it tonight. At first go everything lined up but it refused to go that extra fraction of a mm to shift up from the 34 to the 52t. So I marginally tightened all the torx bolts, lubed the front mech and hey presto it shifts perfectly. When I drop the borrowed chainring off I may ask the shop to check the torque of the torx


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## DCLane (8 Apr 2022)

Cleaned my Raleigh SP Race commuter after a week's use commuting and other bits.

Then prepped son no. 2's Ridley Noah Fast for a race tomorrow in Hull, with his Cervelo as back-up. They _may_ be short of entrants so I also got a spare wheel ready in case I need to step in to fill the start sheet (hope I don't have to!).


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## GeekDadZoid (9 Apr 2022)

Spent a few hours this morning sorting the bike I picked up a few months ago for the eldest. He is growing like there is no tomorrow at the moment so have tried to future proof a little. (is ore the seat post being reversed, we did that to get some measurements when swapping the stem)

After buying in the dark I realised is had a 7 speed wheel and cassette rather than the 9 speed it has shifters for. I was striping my old hybrid for parts so used the wheels from that with the Marathon Plus tyres, stuck a budget 11-34 9 speed cassette on, new chain and stuck the shorter stem on and he has enjoyed his first test ride. He wants to start riding to school as after 2 terms he is already fedup of the walk.

Got some new pedals incoming now and will spend a few hours replacing cables over the next week or so, but more for preventative maintenance than requirements.


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## Gunk (9 Apr 2022)

No dipped beam so after a lot of stripping, checking and swapping of parts.





















It ended up being a loose relay buried under the rear seat


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## HLaB (9 Apr 2022)

I pumped up the tubeless tyres on my road bike. I had last pumped them up 3 or 4 weeks ago and although they felt hard it would have been niggling on the ride. The back had lost 15psi and the front less than 2psi (and most of that was probably just attaching the pump head). I'll probably check my gravel tyres in a bit but the barely loose any pressure over a month.


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## DCLane (11 Apr 2022)

What was supposed to be a simple set of tasks on the bikes this lunch-time has taken a bike longer:

- We've a pair of Fulcrum 5 wheels which son no. 2 used as his spares for winter training. Junior cassette off these, cleaned and standard cassette on. They're going onto my Raleigh SP commuter / winter bike.
- American Classic 10 speed wheels off the Raleigh, cleaned, Edco 11 speed cassette removed and a 10 speed cassette on as it has a 10-speed hub. All OK but ... the 500 mile tyres had rubber coming off both sidewalls. So ... new tyres onto those and I've put a new pair of Vittoria Rubino 2.0 Graphene on with the wheels going onto my Ridgeback Platinum audax bike.

This evening, rather than the rest of lunch-time, will now be spent setting up the audax bike for the Plains 300 this weekend.


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## GeekDadZoid (11 Apr 2022)

Lunch time tidy of the shed. Yes this is the after picture.

Also moved the Weehoo trailer that I use for the youngest back outside after its winter hibination. Hopfully get out with it this week.

edir - also fitted the hitch to the holdsworth.


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## ChrisKz (12 Apr 2022)

Finished building and converting 3 wheels . 2 x 20"x4.00 and a 26" x 4.00 . New hubs were used and 12g spokes ( from china as bloody expensive here in UK ) .. So built and trued . The old hub is the small one in the 1st pic , the new hub is to the left . the spoke length was 173mm ( i calculated this and was correct , I did double check and used a spoke ruler .( You can see that the wheel had rim brakes . so after rebuilding all sprayed up and 160mm discs on fronts and a 180mm for the rear .. I


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## dave r (12 Apr 2022)

Fettling fail for me this afternoon , putting new cables, inner and outer, on my Eastway which has 2 x 10 gears, I'd replaced the left Brifter a couple of years ago,but apart from tweaking the indexing I hadn't worked on the rear gears since the days of friction shifters and I made a right cock up of it, despite watching how to do it video's I managed to end up with the cable inside the brifter, I fished it out and I'll get another cable and try again, I'm putting this down as part of the learning process.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Apr 2022)

Nice simple fettle for me, I changed an inner tube.


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## derrick (12 Apr 2022)

Painted a wicker chair for a neighbour. Got the spray gun out for this one.


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## dave r (13 Apr 2022)

dave r said:


> Fettling fail for me this afternoon , putting new cables, inner and outer, on my Eastway which has 2 x 10 gears, I'd replaced the left Brifter a couple of years ago,but apart from tweaking the indexing I hadn't worked on the rear gears since the days of friction shifters and I made a right cock up of it, despite watching how to do it video's I managed to end up with the cable inside the brifter, I fished it out and I'll get another cable and try again, I'm putting this down as part of the learning process.



All sorted tonight, brought a new cable this afternoon, fitted it no problem, then spent an hour fine tuning the indexing and its all sorted, I also found the cause of a minor problem, I'd noticed that the change between the two smallest cogs was prone to the chain jamming, it turned out that the mudguard bolt was a bit long and was catching the chain, I packed some washers under the head and all is well now.


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## GeekDadZoid (14 Apr 2022)

Mystery Dawes stripped down and ready to prep for a rattle can paint job. 

Still unsure on the model and the lack of serial number confounds. Possibly a Horizon or Lightning but who knows.


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## Andy in Germany (14 Apr 2022)

What sort of rattlecan paint do you use @GeekDadZoid ? My rattlecan job is holding up okay but it scratches easily.


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## HLaB (14 Apr 2022)

A bit of a frustrating fettle from me last night but thankfully better today. After a good ride last night I stopped for a disk selfie.







Bad mistake, I got caught behind two joggers chatting away. No problem I thought a bit of patience, a noisy free hub and polite excuse me and I'll be on my way.
After a bit one did notice and beckoned his mate over so I could go by. His mate did but as soon as he did he closed the door forcing me into the longer grass. Much to his amusement "Oh you've got a blow out" 😡 The sealant didn't manage to seal it a tire worm probably wouldn't but I was close enough to home I just headed there to fix it.
Got back to something so larger an embedded a screw driver couldn't prise it out. I eventually got it out with needle nose pliers. I couldn't get the tyre to hold air over 40psi. New tyre needed I thought so I gave up and would try again in the morning after getting one at a lbs.
Then I realised I was waiting in today for a new router that I ordered and got the email that itd be delivered today. Stupid idiots took my money and are switching over my broadband but forgot to actually dispatch it. I stayed in for nothing and I could be without broadband/streaming all long weekend. The company wasn't sure how my old router would react.
Being what I thought was housebound I decided to borrow a tyre off my winter wheels. Couldn't get it to seat at first with the air tank and tried a few CO2 canisters, no success either. I was about to give up then I thought I'd have one more go. Instant success 👍

The other piece of fettling I done was to put a new rear derailleur cable in my TT bike. Being internally routed I took the easy step of just feeding through the old outers and just open up at the barrel adjuster to feed it through the smaller holes.


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## Richard A Thackeray (14 Apr 2022)

Thursday 14th

I had a bit of a rattle riding to work (very) 'early-doors' this AM
On arrival & looking at it, the bolf for the front near-side mudguard stay had somehow gone AWOL

A cable-tie held it in place, for the ride home (via the banking of the River Calder & NewLands Woods)

One was found, in a tin of 'odds & sods'


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## Andy in Germany (14 Apr 2022)

First full day at the bike workshop, so I was sorting out the workbench and getting myself together mainly, but I also managed to set some brakes on a clients bike, fit a luggage rack, and try straighten out some wheels as suggested by people here, using the brake blocks as a rough guide so it ran a bit straighter, it generally worked fairly well and I could get the brakes a bit closer to the rim.

I checked a bike a client had repaired and cleared for sale: the rear wheel seemed to have loose cones, so I went to take it off the bike to tighten them; someone had tightened the back wheel so much I had to put a 2' steel tube over the end of the 15mm spanner just to get them off again: anyone getting a puncture out on the road would have had serious problems.

I also tried to replace a seven speed shifter where the adjuster screw for the gears had snapped inside the shifter itself. Unfortunately it turned out that the "stored" shifters were largely broken in other ways so that will have to wait until a compatible one turns up.

Also on the jobs list: sort out the stores...


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## GeekDadZoid (14 Apr 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> What sort of rattlecan paint do you use @GeekDadZoid ? My rattlecan job is holding up okay but it scratches easily.



It's actually my first attempt 🙈 I have bought some Rustoleum primer in grey and then I have some Montana MTN 94 colour and Montana top coat. However I don't have the colour for this bike as I had originally bought the tins for spraying the fork on the Holdsworth. 

My plan colour wise with this is to have it in a mid grey colour and then augment it with some orange stickers and orange highlights. Might work 🤞so I will probably pop back to the art shop near work and buy a nice grey colour after the long weekend.


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## GeekDadZoid (15 Apr 2022)

After this mornings ride I was putting the bike back in the car and ended up being distracted and dropping the bike onto the floor with the rear wheel taking the brunt on its side and a spoke snapping. 

So had to swap to the spare spare, as I have two rear wheels out of action now, waiting for a 8 speed freewheel for one and now this one. Annoyingly my spare tyre is on the other faulty wheel so had to do a tyre swap too. 

I'll have to get this looked at by one of the LBS.


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## DCLane (15 Apr 2022)

With a 300km audax on Saturday night I've been slowly prepping the Ridgeback Platinum this week;

New Vittoria Rubino graphene tyres onto a pair of American Classic 38mm carbon wheels replacing the lightweight ITM ones I was using previously.
New batteries into the cycle computers, plus new power cables for the Garmin.
Playing with lighting options; the two Smart 50 front lights remain, supplemented by a Cateye 800 instead of a temperamental Hope Vision 1. The two Smart rear lights are staying as well: I had complaints that they were too bright at LEL in 2017 by riders who just sat on my wheel and didn't help    
Bag contents updated with new tubes, given those in the bag have sat there since 2015, new cream / other stuff as it was last changed in 2019 
All ready to go tomorrow night ...


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Apr 2022)

DCLane said:


> With a 300km audax on Saturday night I've been slowly prepping the Ridgeback Platinum this week;
> 
> New Vittoria Rubino graphene tyres onto a pair of American Classic 38mm carbon wheels replacing the lightweight ITM ones I was using previously.
> New batteries into the cycle computers, plus new power cables for the Garmin.
> ...



The plains 300? As for riders complaining lights too bright then sitting on your wheel and not doing any work…


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## DCLane (15 Apr 2022)

@Ming the Merciless yes, it's Plains 300. Are you riding it?

I don't mind people sat on my wheel. It was the complaining whilst being sat there for over 100k south-bound into the wind.


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## ColinJ (16 Apr 2022)

Sorry, but I agree with whinges about over-bright rear lights!

I organised an autumn forum ride years ago which got back after dark. I was riding behind one of our group who had a crazily bright rear light. We were on the fast descent of the A6033 to Hebden Bridge but I could barely see where I was going. Even when I dropped back 50 - 100 metres I was still being blinded by the damn thing.

As for bike fettling... I am mid-fettle, replacing the handlebar, stem, brake levers and bar tape on my singlespeed bike. When I built the bike a few years back I was hard-up so I used old junk parts wherever I could to save money. Now that the state is kindly giving me a pension, I can afford a few new nicer bike parts. I got all the parts I needed today so I set about doing the upgrade...

But then I realised what I had forgotten... new brake cables! The old inners were fraying and the old outers were worn and sticky. I ordered some inners and outers, which should arrive tomorrow. Meanwhile, I did what I could.

I took the old bar tape off. I am going to reuse that and put the new tape over it to give my hands extra comfort on our rougher northern roads.

I took the handlebar, stem, and old cables off.

I discovered that the new stem's steerer clamp is ever-so-slightly shorter than that of the old stem. I had to juggle spacers about between bikes to be able to clamp it on properly. I did that.

I fitted the handlebar.

I added the new brake levers. They are a huge improvement on my old ones. The 20+ year old previous levers were Campagnolo Ergopower 'brifters' with the worn-out shifter parts removed, but that left an uncomfortable sharp-edged gap underneath each handgrip which my fingers used to squeeze against. Also - the old hoods were falling apart. New Campag hoods would have cost as much as the new Tektro levers I have now which look better and are much more comfortable.

I'll complete the job tomorrow (Saturday) if the brake cables arrive as promised. (Amazon Prime haven't let me down yet, but I suppose there is always a first time.)

I have another fettling job planned which I will also hope to do tomorrow - _*to turn the bike into a 'dinglespeed'*_.


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## alicat (16 Apr 2022)

I fitted a key safe to the outside of the house to save me getting locked out. It was quite a challenge to tighten the bolts with the 8mm Y-spanner at my disposal. Very proud that I only drew blood once!


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Apr 2022)

DCLane said:


> @Ming the Merciless yes, it's Plains 300. Are you riding it?
> 
> I don't mind people sat on my wheel. It was the complaining whilst being sat there for over 100k south-bound into the wind.



I’ve been out on the Double Dutch 200 today. But Cheshire is the place of my birth and still have family that way. No doubt I’ll do the Plains 300 sooner or later.


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## Gillstay (16 Apr 2022)

Took a pedal off a crank today. Been soaking it in release agent, and warming it and nothing. Had to drive to a mates place, put it in his much bigger vice, spanner on one side, allen key on the other side with a 4 foot tube over it and we both carefully went the RIGHT way. It did not budge. Warmed it up, plus longer tube and more lube, nothing. Then warmed it as much as we dared without melting it and finally it came loose. Amazing how much force it took and it was always on the edge of shearing, rounding etc. I chose my chum with care as well. A chap with less mechanical nous would have knackered it. As a professional car mechanic he was amazed at what force was needed.
How they did it up so tight is beyond me.


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## Gunk (17 Apr 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Took a pedal off a crank today. Been soaking it in release agent, and warming it and nothing. Had to drive to a mates place, put it in his much bigger vice, spanner on one side, allen key on the other side with a 4 foot tube over it and we both carefully went the RIGHT way. It did not budge. Warmed it up, plus longer tube and more lube, nothing. Then warmed it as much as we dared without melting it and finally it came loose. Amazing how much force it took and it was always on the edge of shearing, rounding etc. I chose my chum with care as well. A chap with less mechanical nous would have knackered it. As a professional car mechanic he was amazed at what force was needed.
> How they did it up so tight is beyond me.



it amazes me how some people think hitting a spanner with a hammer will release it, heat and leverage is sometimes the only way of getting them off, or chucking it away and buying another one off eBay is sometimes the only option.

I always put some copper grease on the threads.


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## ChrisKz (17 Apr 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Took a pedal off a crank today. Been soaking it in release agent, and warming it and nothing. Had to drive to a mates place, put it in his much bigger vice, spanner on one side, allen key on the other side with a 4 foot tube over it and we both carefully went the RIGHT way. It did not budge. Warmed it up, plus longer tube and more lube, nothing. Then warmed it as much as we dared without melting it and finally it came loose. Amazing how much force it took and it was always on the edge of shearing, rounding etc. I chose my chum with care as well. A chap with less mechanical nous would have knackered it. As a professional car mechanic he was amazed at what force was needed.
> How they did it up so tight is beyond me.



Nothing worse than a steel bolt going into alloy/aluminium . I a;ways use Copper ease on the threads before reassembly . helps stop siezing and easier to take apart next time


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## Richard A Thackeray (17 Apr 2022)

Nothing with the CGR, but a bit of searching & subsequent testing


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## Oldbikefan (17 Apr 2022)

Got the Falcon out of hibernation for a check over, clean and polish


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## ColinJ (17 Apr 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I discovered that the new stem's steerer clamp is ever-so-slightly shorter than that of the old stem. I had to juggle spacers about between bikes to be able to clamp it on properly. I did that.





ColinJ said:


> I'll complete the job tomorrow (Saturday) if the brake cables arrive as promised. (Amazon Prime haven't let me down yet, but I suppose there is always a first time.)


Prime delivered on time!

Hint: Feed cable inners out from brake levers so outers can be fed back in over them Trying to do it the other way round is a nightmare! 

I put my old bar tape on the new handlebar and then my new bar tape over the top so I now have luxuriously thick cushioning under my hands when riding.

***** ABSOLUTELY VITAL SAFETY TIP ****
Whatever you do, don't get distracted when doing safety-critical maintenance jobs... 

I went out on a test ride and was proceeding slowly along a flat road when I noticed that the handlebar was a couple of degrees off being perpendicular to the front wheel. Sorry, five degrees. Make that ten degrees. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I realised my mistake and pulled over. Yes - after messing about with the spacers under the stem I had forgotten to retighten the bolts holding it onto the fork steerer, so the stem was no longer in control of the fork! Things could have got very messy on the fast descents later in the ride...

I tightened the stem properly before setting off again!
*********

The bike feels really good now. I'm looking forward to doing some great rides on it this year.


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## GeekDadZoid (18 Apr 2022)

Oldbikefan said:


> Got the Falcon out of hibernation for a check over, clean and polish



That colour 😍😍😍

I've been striping the frame on the mystery Dawes. Interesting find during the strip down is that the serial number is on the drive side dropout despite the face I believe it should be on the none drive side. 

Anyway strip down getting there on the frame.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Apr 2022)

Adjusted 3 speed hub on Brommie. Tested with trip to pub. Gearing no longer slipping in gear 3.


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## si_c (18 Apr 2022)

When building my Kinesis up a few years ago I'd re-used some of the bolts from the previous broken frameset as I saw no reason not to even though some of the bolts were not in the best condition. I was recently trying to adjust the caliper bolts on the front and over time the upper bolt was becoming progressively more rounded out despite taking a great deal of care with it. Needed to reposition the caliper today for a different wheelset, and the bolt was totally gone, couldn't remove it.

Popped down to Halfords this afternoon to grab a set of hex bolt extractors, worked perfectly first time, so I took the opportunity to go around and remove some other bolts which didn't need removing, but might conceivably become rounded out if I ever needed to remove them in the future.

Been a while since I've had so much fun with a new tool!!


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## Gunk (18 Apr 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Adjusted 3 speed hub on Brommie. Tested with trip to pub. Gearing no longer slipping in gear 3.



Hope you sunk a couple of pints to celebrate


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## Juan Kog (19 Apr 2022)

Gunk said:


> it amazes me how some people think hitting a spanner with a hammer will release it, heat and leverage is sometimes the only way of getting them off, or chucking it away and buying another one off eBay is sometimes the only option.
> 
> I always put some copper grease on the threads.





ChrisKz said:


> Nothing worse than a steel bolt going into alloy/aluminium . I a;ways use Copper ease on the threads before reassembly . helps stop siezing and easier to take apart next time


Everything I assemble gets a dollop of anti seize grease . In recent years I have been using Alum slip instead of Copa slip where steel and aluminium are assembled together.


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## fossyant (19 Apr 2022)

Swapped 2 sprockets on my best bike to change from 13 x 24 to 13 x 26 to match the Ribble (both 8 speed) 26 is really the max a Dura Ace 7402 will cope with. B screw all the way in and top jockey close to the 26, but it runs fine, tested on some Welsh hills this afternoon.

I raided the spares bin, and I've original UG Dura Ace sprockets on all but the 26, which is a HG sprocket with the wider spline dremmelled off  The 24 that was swapped for a 23 was Dura Ace but the biggest I had.


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## cyberknight (19 Apr 2022)

rode the "ribble" rebuild to work today , i had recently changed the brake calipers to another set as the originals the QR lever that opens the brakes up had failed .The front brake was slowly working towards the right rim every time i braked and eventually started to rub.
Took the brake off and installed another washer as well as a bit longer bolt that holds it altogether as the one that was on was small almost like one for the rear brake .
Fingered crossed it is sorted


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## si_c (19 Apr 2022)

Replaced the front pads on the Kinesis, cleaned both the rotors and cassette and then added 60ml sealant to both tyres.

Lubed and cleaned the chain and then went for a ride.


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## derrick (19 Apr 2022)

Finished putting the bike back together after a repaint,


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## GeekDadZoid (20 Apr 2022)

Back to a full complement of wheels today. The wheel with the broken spoke was taken to the local community cycle initiative who replaced the broken spoke plus another dodgy one a tried the wheel.

Then the freewheel very kindly sent by @slow scot arrived, so I replaced the broken one and this is now back on the bike.


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Apr 2022)

Cloned our Wi-Fi settings into a power line Wi-Fi range extender. Then linked it to the power line already connected to router by generating a fresh encryption key for them to share. Now plugged in, in a suitable spot, and the previous Wi-Fi dead spot in the house is no more. Wife will be pleased as she normally sits in that dead spot and accuses me of stealing her Wi-Fi.


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## Svendo (20 Apr 2022)

Put new bearings (6802) in my Superstar Components Volta front hub. Not used any fancy schmancy Bearing pullers, just a hammer and the old bearings as drifts and banged in as far as they'll go. Sympathetically obviously. This hub will probably get rebuilt with a XC270 rim when the Pacenti 23 rim it came with gives out.


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## 8mph (20 Apr 2022)

Started work on this Gary Fisher Alfresco (rescued from the recycling center). Couldn't give it much time but changed the tubes, set the gears up and took it for a quick ride. Pretty impressed with the ride quality considering the cheap parts, I'm hoping to use it for a few camping trips this summer.


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## T4tomo (21 Apr 2022)

derrick said:


> Finished putting the bike back together after a repaint,
> View attachment 640880



Ooooh nice colour! Did it need repainting due to some accident etc or was this a labour of love / desire?

or is it a halfords special you've dressed up as a cervelo


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## derrick (21 Apr 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Ooooh nice colour! Did it need repainting due to some accident etc or was this a labour of love / desire?
> 
> or is it a halfords special you've dressed up as a cervelo



Just fed up with the colour. Was a bit bland.


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## bikingdad90 (21 Apr 2022)

Had a few hours to play in the garage as wife was out;

- Bodged some clip on lifeline 700c mudguards onto a 24” kids bike, looks ok!

- refitted full mudguards to the Wiggins Rouen that originally had the lifeline mudguards on.

- replaced the chain on the Wiggins Rouen that had seized solid after I put it away wet, I forgot to clean and lubricate the chain.  . I managed to lose a set of quick links in the magic land of the garage floor in the process. A new chain and link now on order.


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## Juan Kog (22 Apr 2022)

You only lose quick links , I’ve managed to lose a track chain ring and a 4 litre container of degreaser recently.


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## Andy in Germany (23 Apr 2022)

In the bike shop, I had to fix/replace an elderly Altus 7 speed trigger shifter. Plan was to start with the easy solution of spraying with WD40 and letting any hardened grease soften and see of that did the job.

No WD40 though, and the only person who knows how to make an order is on holiday and promised to show me the procedure next week.

I decided to find a replacement, dug out the shifters box.

80% of the shifters were broken beyond repair or at least saleability so they went in the scrap bin. The others were not 7 speed, or they were non-indexed, or Sram... you get the idea.

I know there's a 3/7 speed shifter set in the other workshop and I need to go there next week, so I tidied one end of the workshop, which involved throwing out a large box of unsorted washers, screws and other bits, two broken radio controlled cars, and a dinosaur missing one leg, and cleaned the window.

On the way I found a 3/8 speed shifter pair under a pile of rags, so that was a bonus...


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## chriswoody (23 Apr 2022)

So after the saga of the back brake, I couldn't we'll leave my bike with mismatched brakes, especially as the Hope one is so much more powerful than the SRAM brake. So I've had a new Hope caliper sat on the shelf waiting for me to pluck up the courage to fit it to the front.

A quick test fit of the caliper threw up the first unexpected problem, the piston bore fouled the mounting plate. I checked and rechecked everything, including checking the Hope website. The calipers are definitely front brake, post mount and for 160 rotors. The only way to fix it,was to throw a couple of washers under there, this meant the top millimetre of the pads no longer contacted the disc, but given the greater surface area of the pads over the old ones, I'm still winning. 






So with the caliper mounted it was a simple matter of putting the fittings onto the end of the hose, clamping it all up and bleeding it.

Actually, who am I kidding, it's a Hope caliper. It put up a hell of a fight, but we got there in the end and now we have matching calipers that work.


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## bruce1530 (24 Apr 2022)

Today I lovingly packed the winter bike away for 6 months, and carefully prepped the summer bike for a season of fair weather riding.

or to put it another way, I took the full mudguards off...


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## Andy in Germany (24 Apr 2022)

bruce1530 said:


> Today I lovingly packed the winter bike away for 6 months, and carefully prepped the summer bike for a season of fair weather riding.
> 
> or to put it another way, I took the full mudguards off...



it'll rain for weeks now, just you wait and see...


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## Ming the Merciless (24 Apr 2022)

Replaced the orange retro reflective tape on my cranks as it was showing it’s age,


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## Oldhippy (24 Apr 2022)

I cleaned and oiled my running gear.


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## Juan Kog (24 Apr 2022)

Oldhippy said:


> I cleaned and oiled my running gear.


🤔 I do clean my trainers , but I’ve never thought of oiling them.


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## ColinJ (24 Apr 2022)

Juan Kog said:


> I’ve managed to lose ... a 4 litre container of degreaser recently.



I managed to lose about 0.5 litre of citrus degreaser from the 3.5 litres left in a 5 litre container recently... _without _losing the container! 

I was doing my washing up and realised that the lemon-scented washing up liquid didn't smell quite right. After some detective work I discovered that a degreaser container in the corner of the kitchen had spontaneously cracked and was dribbling degreaser onto the floor. I picked it up and looked at the bottom of the container. There was a small crack, which suddenly opened up and degreaser started gushing out! I quickly inverted the container to stem the flow then decanted what was left into 4 plastic Coke bottles which I had kept in case a large container of degreaser ever burst in the house... 

I have no idea why a container that I had not touched for about 9 months should suddenly crack, but thankfully I was there when it did so I didn't _completely _degrease the kitchen...


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## Andy in Germany (24 Apr 2022)

Today I adjusted various brake and gear systems, repositioned brake blocks so they acted on the rims, not the tyres of bikes, and failed to sort out a front mech which is refusing to drop the chain in the smaller front gear despite the stopper screws being out and the tension removed.

I also inspected and shortly after rejected several other bikes which I couldn't fix because I didn't have enough tools for everything. 

Oh, and I pumped up a lot of tyres.

Still, it's all practice.


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## 8mph (24 Apr 2022)

Pretty much stripped my new Gary Fisher down apart from the BB. Both hubs were in a sad state, headset was OK. Fitted a quill adapter. Salvaged and fitted rear shifter, front V - brake, rear mech and cables inners from a donor bike, avoided splitting the chain while I swapped parts over.

Race face stem and platform pedals from the spares bin fitted. General clean up and regreassing. Sadly, didn't get to go for a test ride but it's not far off from rideable.


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## ColinJ (24 Apr 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Today I ... failed to sort out a front mech which is refusing to drop the chain in the smaller front gear despite the stopper screws being out and the tension removed.


I had that once. I think I had fitted a slightly too-long bottom bracket to the bike.

I managed to get it to work by bending the outside face of the derailleur cage inwards by a couple of mm.


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## Andy in Germany (25 Apr 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had that once. I think I had fitted a slightly too-long bottom bracket to the bike.
> 
> I managed to get it to work by bending the outside face of the derailleur cage inwards by a couple of mm.



That could be it: in this workshop it could be anything. The mech looks pretty old so I wondered if it's a 2 speed mech on a three speed chain wheel, although that wouldn't make much sense. Will check the BB, as it will take more than bending the mech a couple of millimetres to get it to drop the chain. There may be photos later...


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## T4tomo (25 Apr 2022)

derrick said:


> Just fed up with the colour. Was a bit bland.



Yes new colour is great and big improvement.


----------



## cyberknight (26 Apr 2022)

New lifeline 622x25 road race tyres for the carbon steed as the michelin service 3s had worn out and the old 23s spares i had in spares were to harsh on me.Also swapped the stem for a shorter one as the back of my pinned shoulder is still struggling after about 25 miles .If it works it looks like i will need to change at least 2 more !


----------



## si_c (26 Apr 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> That could be it: in this workshop it could be anything. The mech looks pretty old so I wondered if it's a 2 speed mech on a three speed chain wheel, although that wouldn't make much sense. Will check the BB, as it will take more than bending the mech a couple of millimetres to get it to drop the chain. There may be photos later...



More likely a road triple front mech on a MTB crankset as they tend to have a wider stance.


----------



## Andy in Germany (26 Apr 2022)

si_c said:


> More likely a road triple front mech on a MTB crankset as they tend to have a wider stance.



Thanks for that. The design was new to me and I suspect from the 1990's. Unfortunately I'm in another shop at the moment and the bike won't be returned to the workshop until the need of the week.


----------



## ChrisKz (27 Apr 2022)

My shocks arrived a few days ago .. been busy cutting, drilling and welding my front suspension for my tadpole ... Hopefully post a pic tomorrow


----------



## BalkanExpress (27 Apr 2022)

After more time spent on it than I’m prepared to admit I finally fitted the rear brake cable on the current build.

The problem, early 1990ies Italian steel with internal routing, offset entrance and exit, no obvious internal guides, and I had waxed the inside of the frame to prevent corrosion. (Frame was shipped to me naked with no inner or outer threaded through the frame) 

After a lots of attempts to get the outer or the inner through the frame. I resorted to the vacuuming cleaner method. (See video). Not as easy as it looks. I used sewing thread to start with, no joy, either it was getting tangled in the frame or was sticking to the wax. Finally used the thin white twine you use for marking courses for bricklaying (first string I found in the DIY shop). A few attempts and bingo, string sucked out, inner threaded, and then the outer, the rest bodged in my usual hamfisted style.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXk5Zz9DZbc


----------



## bikingdad90 (27 Apr 2022)

Sewed up my aldi bib tights that had a hole in the pad, will see how I go before I buy a new pair.


----------



## Gunk (28 Apr 2022)

BalkanExpress said:


> After more time spent on it than I’m prepared to admit I finally fitted the rear brake cable on the current build.
> 
> The problem, early 1990ies Italian steel with internal routing, offset entrance and exit, no obvious internal guides, and I had waxed the inside of the frame to prevent corrosion. (Frame was shipped to me naked with no inner or outer threaded through the frame)
> 
> ...




Genius


----------



## Juan Kog (28 Apr 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Sewed up my aldi bib tights that had a hole in the pad, will see how I go before I buy a new pair.


Make sure you haven’t left the needle in the shorts .


----------



## Gunk (28 Apr 2022)

fitted a new cam chain adjuster on my BMW motorcycle


----------



## Ian H (29 Apr 2022)

I decided to fit a new rear gear cable and mech loop outer before tomorrow's 300. Ended up replacing the Ergo lever as well, so rather more work than intended. All back together now and ready to go.


----------



## Peter Salt (30 Apr 2022)

Wrapping bar tape... Part of me hates doing it, another one loves it.


----------



## palinurus (30 Apr 2022)

Transmission replacement on my Singlecross. Cog came off nicely (for once) been on there a while but the anti-sieze was still nice and white under the threads. 

Pain to get the chainring bolts off, was digging around in my toolbox looking for my chainring screwdriver thing (what's that called?) with the blue handle. Figured I'd lost it so struggled on using, variously, an old hacksaw blade and the tip of a trowel to stop them turning. Eventually got them off, cleaned them up with a spark plug brush.

Then found I'd bought the wrong BCD chainring.

Then I found the chainring screwdriver thing- turns out it has a black handle.

The v-brake adjusters were stuck, got the screws out, cleaned them up and replaced. Much better.

Replaced a nearly new Marathon (which had a cut in it) with a Delta Cruiser.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (30 Apr 2022)

Dropped my Brompton off at the LBS it came from. Whilst I feel like I can fettle it fine, they are the experts and there is a noise from the hub, in addition they will change the chain and sprockets for the same price I can buy them for. 

PluPlus they are a fab bunch of people and shop so nice to push some support thier way. 

This afternoon going to get Mrs GDZs new bikes sorted. Need to swap tyres onto it and swap the saddle plus a general service.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2022)

Redid mirror on recumbent as the shim had managed to slip and I needed to redo zip tie.


----------



## si_c (30 Apr 2022)

Pumped up tyres and cleaned drivetrain on both bikes in anticipation of going out for a ride. Then it started raining so I filled the kettle and sat back down.


----------



## 8mph (1 May 2022)

Fitted a hollow axle and serviced front hub for the third time this week 

Found a spare can of VW silver paint that's a perfect match for the frame and touched up a few chips and scratches. 

Nicked some pedals off one of my other bikes, tweaked the brakes and preload on the headset again and finally got to ride the new addition (Gary Fisher hybrid) 

It feels way more mountain bikey than the tourer I was hoping for, but pretty fast never the less.

Wouldn't be surprised if I finish this build and move all the parts onto a different frame


----------



## DCBassman (1 May 2022)

8mph said:


> Wouldn't be surprised if I finish this build and move all the parts onto a different frame


Having just renovated the Scott roadie with bits from the decommissioned mixte, I'm about to rob them off again for the newly acquired Trek Navigator! If the Scott could talk, I'm sure it would say, "What, _again_?"


----------



## 8mph (1 May 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Having just renovated the Scott roadie with bits from the decommissioned mixte, I'm about to rob them off again for the newly acquired Trek Navigator! If the Scoitt could talk, I'm sure it would say, "What, _again_?"


What plans do you have for the Navigator?


----------



## DCBassman (1 May 2022)

This...


----------



## GeekDadZoid (1 May 2022)

Been at our with the family today so no fettling but some good prep managed. One my mystery Dawes build the frame painting is coming along well ( No where near perfect ) and I am just waiting on some more stickers before the top coat goes on.

I I've been thinking about the rebuild and wanted to do it as cheap as possible but build a usable bike. Most of the parts I stripped of can be cleaned and reused, I have some bar end shifters and a nice saddle. But the original wheels are not in nice condition. I have the wheels from the carlton strip down, but I need to stick new tyres on them. However for £30 today I have managed to win a Dawes Lightning from the same area, but most importantly with very nice looking wheels and brand new tyres, additionally it's a few miles away.

Frame colour scheme.


----------



## buzz22 (2 May 2022)

I work in a Fire Station with quite a lot of crew that travel a long way to work so they stay at the station between shifts.
To help with their mental health I wanted them to have something productive to do so I've donated a few bikes for them to ride.
This is the 4th and final member of the fleet, a classic Malvern Star ladies step through, late 70's/early 80's I think.
Before:




After:









The perished 27 x 1 1/4 tyres got replaced with a set of Michelin World Tour gumwalls (that I think look great) with new tubes.
The mudguards went, new brake cables and shifter cable went on, and the old steel seat post was replaced with an alloy one.
A new chain of the correct length also went on.
The best improvement was alloy brakes (Weinmann rear, Lee Chi front) replacing the awful steel originals.
I had the brakes, tyres and seat post spare so total cost was $90- the bike was $25 and parts $65.
There's a real sense of satisfaction in taking a bike that just needed a little love and giving it a purpose.


----------



## dave r (2 May 2022)

Fitted new legs to our small kitchen cabinet today, the cabinet's about twelve year old and I'd noticed that the plastic legs were knackered when we had it out a few weeks ago, I got replacement legs from B & Q, I spent half of this morning emptying it and getting it out, if it wasn't for the fact that having a clear out would probably cause a family rift and a divorce I'd take half the contents down the local charity shop, I spent half the morning replacing the legs, not a difficult job, and then half the afternoon putting it back, getting it level and lined up with the rest of the other cabinets, that was a pain in the a**e, but its all back now, I've just got to put the stuff back.


----------



## geocycle (2 May 2022)

Rear derailleur cable snapped yesterday. Managed to bodge it by tying it off on a bottle cage to get home with two gears. Fitted new cable today, indexed gears and learned something new which is always satisfying.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (2 May 2022)

Moved rear brake lever and bell on recumbent and moved handlebars ever so slightly left to hopefully better centre them. Attached another bottle cage to wife’s bike and also moved her saddle up about 1/2 cm. Recumbent test ride of new setup tomorrow


----------



## Andy in Germany (2 May 2022)

Realised the brakes on the touring/commuting bike were nearly hitting the drops when I braked, so I tightened them up quickly.

Then I loosened them again a few metres later because I felt like I was suddenly riding uphill. It turns out that allowing brakes to release is also a good idea.


----------



## 8mph (2 May 2022)

I've never got on with bar ends but today I borrowed some and tried them out on the hybrid, mounted on the inside of the shifters. I'm pleased with the increased reach and my hybrid to tourer build is back on track. 

Yesterday I polished up some 80's Suntour platform pedals. I've ridden exclusively on 26" wheels for just over two years now but I'm preparing to let the Dawes Countryman go, it's the comfiest ride for country lanes and great for bikepacking but I've been struggling to keep up with friends on the road sections. Tonight I'll drag the bike indoors, dote on it a little while longer and polish up the concave rims.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (2 May 2022)

Failed fettle, the Dawes Lightning turned out to be a 26 inch wheel version. To be fair to the seller they where quite clear they where not sure what they had, but had put in it was 27 inch wheels. 

Hey ho, listed on a few Facebook groups to see if anyone wants it for a project for a teen / smaller adult. If noone wants it at the £25 I paid for it I might look at building a cycle speedway / "tracker?". 

On the plus point finished swapping the tyres onto Mrs GDZ's bike and got the brakes setup. 

Also took the kickstand off my GT as it was a bit dodgy, need to clean it up and refit.


----------



## C R (2 May 2022)

Gave the road bike a good clean and fettling of everything that needed fettling. It is now shiny, which probably means that it will rain tomorrow for my lunchtime ride.


----------



## Scotchlovingcylist (3 May 2022)

@8mph will be interested to see how you get on with them bar ends. Currently planning some mtb tours this year and exploring options such as this for more bar positions.
Also debating some bolt on tt style bars I've seen some tourers use.


----------



## cyberknight (3 May 2022)

Change the fleet to shorter reach/ raised the bars 1 spacer as needed so they all match as my ongoing shoulder issue is not resolving so i am shortening my reach to see if it makes any difference .


----------



## 8mph (4 May 2022)

speedfreak said:


> @8mph will be interested to see how you get on with them bar ends. Currently planning some mtb tours this year and exploring options such as this for more bar positions.
> Also debating some bolt on tt style bars I've seen some tourers use.



For road use it feels great, elbows and shoulders drop down into a more relaxed position and climbing while out of the saddle feels way more efficient, basically it feels like riding on the hoods of a road bike. 

On the down side, placement of the bar ends felt a tad too narrow and on descents brake levers are harder to reach and after two days of experimentation I bought some drop bars with Sora shifters on eBay for £26.95 which will work fine with my 8 speed set up.


----------



## Oldhippy (4 May 2022)

I have a fettle coming up. New disc pads, never done them before just watched a video on YouTube and it's no hassle.


----------



## Oldhippy (4 May 2022)

Well that was stupidly simple! I always assumed changing disc pads would be a complete faff. Easier than blocks! Very pleased.


----------



## Andy in Germany (4 May 2022)

8mph said:


> For road use it feels great, elbows and shoulders drop down into a more relaxed position and climbing while out of the saddle feels way more efficient, basically it feels like riding on the hoods of a road bike.
> 
> On the down side, placement of the bar ends felt a tad too narrow and on descents brake levers are harder to reach and after two days of experimentation I bought *some drop bars with Sora shifters on eBay for £26.95 which will work fine with my 8 speed set up.*



Do those work with Shimano gears? 

Asking for a friend.


----------



## 8mph (4 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Do those work with Shimano gears?
> 
> Asking for a friend.



Shimano Road and MTB shifters / mechs are interchangeable up to 9 speed, so yes, it's fine as long as they don't mix brands.


----------



## 8mph (4 May 2022)

Salvaged these parts of a bike rescued from the dump, initial clean reveals only a little wear.


----------



## Oldhippy (4 May 2022)

Really shocking how throw away culture is.


----------



## Andy in Germany (4 May 2022)

Today I started by trying to centre a wheel on the shop wheel jig.

I turns out that the shop jig isn't very good. I got the wheel straight sideways but I couldn't get the vertical buckle out.

On the other hand I found that one of my clients, a very quiet Iranian refugee who doesn't speak much German, is a bike wrench with 16 years experience. Watching him making miniscule adjustments and straightening the ding out was an education.

After this I learned how to take Alivio rapidfire shifters apart and get the ratchets and pawls to work.


----------



## Andy in Germany (5 May 2022)

Dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt elderly Alivio 7-speed shifters, replaces brake and gear cables and set up cantilever brakes and gears and straightened the wheels a bit so the brakes would be a bit tighter.


Decided the gears were not working because the chan was too long, worn and corroded to death, so replaced chain. This improved matters but tomorrow I'll have to replace the cassette.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 May 2022)

Failed to remove pedals that have been on the cranks many many years. Applied penetrating oil and will give it another go tomorrow


----------



## GeekDadZoid (5 May 2022)

Test setup of my tent bought from @rivers 

Pitched in a few minutes and plenty of room. Need to do a test pack this weekend for my first bikepacking adventure a week tomorrow.

Also need to choose which trangia to take and get that tested.


----------



## 8mph (5 May 2022)

Cut down my Ritchey Rizer bars and fitted some bar ends, replaced generic v-brake with Shimano, fitted new Clarks pads on the front, Jagwire pads on the rear.

Washed sleeping bag, ready for next trip. 

Stripped a few more bits off the Trek 7300 which I bought home yesterday, rack, brakes, the pedals were so stuck I've just pulled the crankset off. I'm intreaged with this 60cm frame, seems strong and light. 

Organised my spares a bit and packed all the tools away.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (5 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Test setup of my tent bought from @rivers
> 
> Pitched in a few minutes and plenty of room. Need to do a test pack this weekend for my first bikepacking adventure a week tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Test load out, still got to squeeze some spare clothes, sitting mat and food in there. 

Currently packed

Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Blanket
My down style jacket
Trangia 27
Water bottle
Fuel bottle
Pump
Tool kit
Inner tubes
Lighter


----------



## Oldhippy (5 May 2022)

I gave mine a quick clean and oiled the chain set.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Test load out, still got to squeeze some spare clothes, sitting mat and food in there.
> 
> Currently packed
> 
> ...



Bit close to tyre and watch that strap


----------



## DCBassman (5 May 2022)

Fettled two cheapo track pumps, one Lidl, one Tesco. Still not marvellous, but they now both work. The Lidl one is the better pump, but has a poor gauge, the Tesco is the reverse. But I now know how to service the Tesco one, and I'm sure I can improve it a bit.


----------



## rivers (5 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Test load out, still got to squeeze some spare clothes, sitting mat and food in there.
> 
> Currently packed
> 
> ...



I could pack the tent smaller if I strapped the poles to the downtube. I tested it with a bit of electrical tape and then ordered some velcro straps off of Amazon. It worked a treat. I was able to squeeze the tent into my handlebar bag.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (5 May 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Bit close to tyre and watch that strap



I'll make sure the straps are nice and out the way and safe. I think the tyre clearance is a perspective issue, I've been using this bag with much heavier loads for months with no issue, at the closest it's probably 10cm clearanc.


rivers said:


> I could pack the tent smaller if I strapped the poles to the downtube. I tested it with a bit of electrical tape and then ordered some velcro straps off of Amazon. It worked a treat. I was able to squeeze the tent into my handlebar bag.



I actually have a sleeping mat in the tent bag, I was just using it to replicate the drybag I could not currently find. The tent is in my bag..

I think you left the velcro straps in the tent 😂


----------



## rivers (5 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> I'll make sure the straps are nice and out the way and safe. I think the tyre clearance is a perspective issue, I've been using this bag with much heavier loads for months with no issue, at the closest it's probably 10cm clearanc.
> 
> 
> I actually have a sleeping mat in the tent bag, I was just using it to replicate the drybag I could not currently find. The tent is in my bag..
> ...



Free velcro straps then!


----------



## FishFright (5 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Today I started by trying to centre a wheel on the shop wheel jig.
> 
> I turns out that the shop jig isn't very good. I got the wheel straight sideways but I couldn't get the vertical buckle out.
> 
> ...



Followed by breakfast at Milliways ?


----------



## GeekDadZoid (6 May 2022)

Fitted the pedals as mentioned on the "what have you bought" thread to the Holdsworth and swapped the chain, gone back to a 7/8 speed as I was running a 9 speed for some reason I cannot remember.

Also put the decals on the Dawes frame and started the top coat, but it started to rain!!!

Also picked up my Bromton from its service, it needed a new chain and sprockets which I was expecting, but everything else was in order, they just tightined the cones on the hub as it was a little noisy.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (6 May 2022)

Sorry for the double post but some late night cleaning of the parts for the Dawes has turned out better than expected. 

Might get to start the rebuild next week.


----------



## Andy in Germany (7 May 2022)

@GeekDadZoid: The frame looks fantastic. how is the lettering/artwork applied?

Also, what do you use to clean parts?


----------



## netman (7 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> @GeekDadZoid: The frame looks fantastic. how is the lettering/artwork applied?
> 
> Also, what do you use to clean parts?



@GeekDadZoid... and what are the paints please? I like the colour


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> @GeekDadZoid: The frame looks fantastic. how is the lettering/artwork applied?
> 
> Also, what do you use to clean parts?



The lettering are cut vinyl, they are supposed to have a border but I found that awkward to apply to just went with the lettering.

I can't take any credit for the designs, the two lettering ones where from 2ndlifebikes on YouTube and the icon one is from eBay.

The parts where cleaned in warm water with some washing up liquid and then in a ultrasonic cleaner, just a cheap one.



netman said:


> @GeekDadZoid... and what are the paints please? I like the colour



The are Montana MTN 94 colours.

Anthracite grey rv-7016
Orange rv-2004

2004 being proper orange which is the same colour as the decals. I also did a few base coats of Rustoleum grey primer, I fully stripped the frame but not the forks as if I love riding the bike as much as I hope I'll get some replacement forks as there is pitting and some issues where the lamp braze on came off.

As my first every attempt at painting a bike I'm happy so far.

Spend a few hours this morning getting the parts together out of the spares box and starting to clean them. Mostly it will have its original parts, but will have modern handbars, recentish brake levers and bar end shifters. Will still be 2x5 with its original wheels too.

Just need to buy a silver stem now, I can handle the bars being black but not the stem.

Hoping to keep the cost down to sub £75 including the bike.


----------



## DCBassman (7 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Just need to buy a silver stem now, I can handle the bars being black but not the stem.


I have an 80mm vintage SR 1" stem. It'll need a polish and possibly a new bolt...


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

DCBassman said:


> I have an 80mm vintage SR 1" stem. It'll need a polish and possibly a new bolt...



I want to run modern bars so am looking for a ahead stem, I have the adapter etc. But thanks for the offer.


----------



## netman (7 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Just need to buy a silver stem now, I can handle the bars being black but not the stem.


You could always spray it in the grey or orange - might work?!


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

netman said:


> You could always spray it in the grey or orange - might work?!



What's there to lose, very good idea. I have just done a quick base coat. I'll probably go grey as the front of the bike will be orange heavy


----------



## palinurus (7 May 2022)

Cheap eBay saddle added to the Elephant bike, the old plastic sprung saddle squeaked so much. Haven't tried it yet, but unlikely to be worse.


----------



## Gillstay (7 May 2022)

Just started on this all steel Raleigh for a chum. Wants it to be an oily rag restoration so he can use it.


----------



## Gillstay (7 May 2022)

Just a quick follow up. What are people succesfully using using on the old Brookes saddle ?

Got new tubes and a couple of 27 inch tyres to go on it and then found it had 26'. I must just have assumed rather than looked. What a twonk.


----------



## palinurus (7 May 2022)

palinurus said:


> Transmission replacement on my Singlecross. Cog came off nicely (for once) been on there a while but the anti-sieze was still nice and white under the threads.
> 
> Then found I'd bought the wrong BCD chainring.



Got the right chainring fitted now, new chain on.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Just a quick follow up. What are people succesfully using using on the old Brookes saddle ?
> 
> Got new tubes and a couple of 27 inch tyres to go on it and then found it had 26'. I must just have assumed rather than looked. What a twonk.



If they are 26 1 3/8 which I suspect they are, then Spa have some older stock of the previous generation Marathon Plus for about £15 each. Bargain in my book, especially if the bike is to be used not just used as a show piece.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

palinurus said:


> Cheap eBay saddle added to the Elephant bike, the old plastic sprung saddle squeaked so much. Haven't tried it yet, but unlikely to be worse.



For an upright practical bike, I would highly recommend the selle royal classic 826, it's one of the common Dutch ones and is both comfy and hardy. Cheap too, I've got them from Practical Cycles on eBay in the past for about £15.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

So, plans cancelled today and I found I had the right sized bearings for the headset, I didn't order them for this so must have for a previous project. So I could start to put the build together. 

Really happy so far, I was not looking for the parts to look as new, so I have not obsessed over cleaning but everything seems mechanically sound so far. 

Need to order band on cable stops for the downtube and I might treat myself to some orange cable outer.


----------



## fossyant (7 May 2022)

Nothing more than wash off cow slurry from my best bike. Road covered in it, and it was fresh and deep.


----------



## Andy in Germany (7 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> The lettering are cut vinyl, they are supposed to have a border but I found that awkward to apply to just went with the lettering.
> 
> I can't take any credit for the designs, the two lettering ones where from 2ndlifebikes on YouTube and the icon one is from eBay.



Thanks. I'm having trouble finding 2ndlifebikes; the youtube channel has an email but does he have a web site or similar?


----------



## Andy in Germany (7 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> The parts where cleaned in warm water with some washing up liquid and then in a ultrasonic cleaner, just a cheap one.



Also handy; I may have a look for a low cost ultrasonic cleaner for work: it looks a simple job for some of my clients with learning difficulties but will really make a difference to how the parts look.

Probably a silly question, but I'm guessing cassettes/freehubs/sealed BB's can't be cleaned in one as it will destroy the lubrication?


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Thanks. I'm having trouble finding 2ndlifebikes; the youtube channel has an email but does he have a web site or similar?



https://www.saveoldbikes.com/

He makes them himself, he through a few other stickers in my pack too. 



Andy in Germany said:


> Also handy; I may have a look for a low cost ultrasonic cleaner for work: it looks a simple job for some of my clients with learning difficulties but will really make a difference to how the parts look.
> 
> Probably a silly question, but I'm guessing cassettes/freehubs/sealed BB's can't be cleaned in one as it will destroy the lubrication?


Mine is a really small one, made for jewelry etc, something's I have to do half at a time, like cassettes, I usually stick washing up liquid and warm water in it. 

You can do a cassette, but you wouldn't want to do a freewheel unless you where planning on servicing it and relubing. Same with anything sealed as you expected. 

Its bit a magic bullet, you do still need to do plenty of manual cleaning but it certainly gets into the nooks and crannies.


----------



## cyberknight (7 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> So, plans cancelled today and I found I had the right sized bearings for the headset, I didn't order them for this so must have for a previous project. So I could start to put the build together.
> 
> Really happy so far, I was not looking for the parts to look as new, so I have not obsessed over cleaning but everything seems mechanically sound so far.
> 
> ...



very nice . is it me or do the brake levers look like they could do with going up the bar a bit then rotate it down a bit? could be the angle of the piccie ?


----------



## GeekDadZoid (7 May 2022)

cyberknight said:


> very nice . is it me or do the brake levers look like they could do with going up the bar a bit then rotate it down a bit? could be the angle of the piccie ?



I think your right, I had kinda guessed where to put them, but I need to take the stem off tomorrow to give it a few more coats of paint so I'll line every up.

It's a shame I couldn't use the original bars as the I love the look of the shape of them, but as someone who rides on the hoods 99% of the time I just find the position and shape wrong. 

I actually sent these photos to the lady I bought the bike off, she had it from new, circa 1981, and really loved the bike, she had real seller remorse when selling I think, but she is very happy it's getting a new lease of life. It had been in the shed for 7/8 years. 

It was obvious how cared for a bike it was as everything was well lubed and adjusted, even after all that time in a shed nothing took any more effort to remove than if I had put it on 5 minutes ago.


----------



## biggs682 (8 May 2022)

Replaced this broken spoke


----------



## Andy in Germany (8 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> https://www.saveoldbikes.com/
> 
> He makes them himself, he through a few other stickers in my pack too.
> 
> ...



Many thanks: I really want my lads to clean the parts and be proud of what they do, so this may be a good extra tool.


----------



## RoubaixCube (8 May 2022)

Gave the Cube a proper clean yesterday - spent 2hrs on it 

Bought a set of master link pliers and removed the chain and immersed it in degreaser for a proper deep clean. Having no chain there allowed me to drop the wheels and give the rear derailleur and Jockey wheels a proper good seeing to.

soft sponge and spritz with some Muc Off Nano Tech cleaner and buffed out all the dirt that had become stuck/ingrained into the white paint. Never managed to get it this clean before but the Nano Tech direct from the bottle seemed to work wonders.

All back together this morning, chain back on, checked for wear and lubed. Drivetrain is looking better than it has done it months!

Being able to remove the chain makes life so much easier for cleaning.


----------



## mickle (8 May 2022)

Fettling my fork a bit shorter..


----------



## TheDoctor (8 May 2022)

Looks a bit drastic. How did the fork ends go back on?


----------



## 13 rider (8 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Looks a bit drastic. How did the fork ends go back on?


Bit off gaffer tape ,What could go wrong


----------



## GeekDadZoid (8 May 2022)

Spent ages looking for the right kind of band on cable stop for the Dawes, anything I could find with two cable stops seemed to have the locations under the tube in the modern fashion, which would not line up with the brazed on ones at the bottom of the tube. I found a solution on Bankrupt bike parts, but at £10 plus postage it felt like a bit too much for a budget project.

However, whilst chilling out this afternoon with a rare empty house, I realised in the "floor sweepings" bag I got from SJS a few months ago there where a few of the brazed on cable stop adapters, I considered, checked and confirmed that these can be fitted onto the original Huret band on. need to find some of the screw in cable adjusters for them, but I can run without for now.

Hopefully get those fitted this week.


----------



## mickle (8 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Looks a bit drastic. How did the fork ends go back on?



Not back together yet, just showing them up. I have to clean off the old brass before brazing it back together.


----------



## Gillstay (8 May 2022)

mickle said:


> Not back together yet, just showing them up. I have to clean off the old brass before brazing it back together.



And have to ask , Why?


----------



## Gillstay (8 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> If they are 26 1 3/8 which I suspect they are, then Spa have some older stock of the previous generation Marathon Plus for about £15 each. Bargain in my book, especially if the bike is to be used not just used as a show piece.



Thanks. Yes its to be used around Romney marsh. I think its still considered a modern bike by my chum down there. 

Could only find the 26 x 11/2 so may have to go with that.


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## mickle (8 May 2022)

Gillstay said:


> And have to ask , Why?



Why shorten the fork? Because it was designed for a 32c tyre plus mudguard and I want to install it on a bike which has short drop brakes. Basically I have this spare handmade fork which weighs loads less than the original fork but it's 20mm too long. I've removed the lawyer tabs and mudguard eyes too.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (8 May 2022)

Cleaned up and oiled lock mechanism for utility room. Lock turns nice and easy now.


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## GeekDadZoid (9 May 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Thanks. Yes its to be used around Romney marsh. I think its still considered a modern bike by my chum down there.
> 
> Could only find the 26 x 11/2 so may have to go with that.



26x1 1/2 are a different size and won't fit the rims. It's easier if you use the ERTO code, you probably need (590-37) which is the second option on this page.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s142p4416/SCHWALBE-Marathon-Plus-HS348


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## 8mph (10 May 2022)

Replaced 9 spokes and trued a rear wheel, replaced the old wheel. Upgraded to 8 speed, shifter, cables etc.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (10 May 2022)

Sorted the shed to fit another bike it, could do with getting on more in really so might need to pull it all out and reorganise.


----------



## itboffin (10 May 2022)

Converted a set of 650b DT Swiss wheels to tubeless running Schwalbe G-one bite tyres, it was so it as well, normal track pump and some Stans race sealant, whole job was done in less than 10 mins including removing and install the wheels back on the bike.


----------



## Ian H (10 May 2022)

Took the Continental Terraspeeds off the Black Hallett and replaced them with Panaracer semi-slicks. I re-used the sealant and just topped it up a bit. The Panaracers needed 170psi to seat; I run them at 50. The Terraspeeds are hung up ready to go back on at some point. Also replaced cassette and chain, and gave everything a good clean. All ready for the weekend 600. I'll ride it to the pub tomorrow just to check everything works.


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## bikingdad90 (10 May 2022)

Curious @Ian H if you had a failure that couldn’t be fixed at the road side by the sealant, do you still need silly 170psi to seat the tyre if a tube was used?


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## itboffin (10 May 2022)

wow 170psi i'm not sure my old weedy cyclist arms could even pump that high. I'm running the G-ones at 30psi and they feel rock solid, might go to 25/20 and see how that works.


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## Ming the Merciless (10 May 2022)

Waxed the chain on my recumbent


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## Ian H (10 May 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Curious @Ian H if you had a failure that couldn’t be fixed at the road side by the sealant, do you still need silly 170psi to seat the tyre if a tube was used?



No.


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## GeekDadZoid (11 May 2022)

Final test setup for Friday plus gave the drive train a fellow a check over.


----------



## Illaveago (12 May 2022)

I've been working on my neighbours bikes. One of them I could hardly push as the brakes were seized on. 
I haven't worked on disc brakes much , but I was surprised to discover what was causing them to stay on . I soon found out when I removed the pads.
Rust! 
The corrosion had swollen forcing the pads against the disc.


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## bikingdad90 (12 May 2022)

New caliper and pads I would think! What a bad state the bike isn’t have been in!!


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## Illaveago (12 May 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> New caliper and pads I would think! What a bad state the bike isn’t have been in!!



The rear set I managed to clean with rust remover. The front pads were replaced as one of the pads was concave! The pad must have jammed but the piston continued to bend the pad . The calipers cleaned up .


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## Andy in Germany (12 May 2022)

Illaveago said:


> I've been working on my neighbours bikes. One of them I could hardly push as the brakes were seized on.
> I haven't worked on disc brakes much , but I was surprised to discover what was causing them to stay on . I soon found out when I removed the pads.
> Rust!
> The corrosion had swollen forcing the pads against the disc.



Not a frequently used bike then.


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## Illaveago (12 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Not a frequently used bike then.



Left out in the rain as well !


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## si_c (12 May 2022)

For some reason I haven't worked out yet the cable for the rear derailleur slipped off the guide and got stuck in the shifter, so I couldn't change gear. Unfortunately that left me with the rear on an 11t sprocket and just the two gears from changing at the front, so 89" and 129", at the bottom of a fairly steep hill. My planned route was somewhat longer but I went home the way requiring the least number of gear changes!

Since I knew what the problem was it didn't take me too long to fix it today, released the rear derailleur then used an angled awl to unstick the cable once the tension had gone and got the cable end back into the guide. Then I just had to reindex the gears at the back.

Not the first time it's happened to me, first in a while, hopefully the shifters not goosed.


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## GeekDadZoid (12 May 2022)

hmmmm not a good day today, had the closest close pass I have ever had with an artic this morning, followed by a argument because i was out of order for shouting at him as he gave me "2ft of space"

Then my lunch time test ride ended abruptly as my chain slipped off the middle ring when pulling away from the lights, this is what I had experienced yesterday and previously as one offs, but I have managed to narrow it down now to when I am starting off in the middle ring and putting a decent amount of power down. Most of the time it ill just roll over as it slips but sometimes it drops completely.
Middle ring looks fine and not worn, cassette is fine I can replicate it on two different wheels with two separate cassettes, I have removed the BB and cranks and refitted to make sure all is tight, rear derailleur looks in order.

I am using friction shifting, so I can hear when I am slightly out of adjustment and I adjust for silence.

At a bit of a loss really.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> hmmmm not a good day today, had the closest close pass I have ever had with an artic this morning, followed by a argument because i was out of order for shouting at him as he gave me "2ft of space"
> 
> Then my lunch time test ride ended abruptly as my chain slipped off the middle ring when pulling away from the lights, this is what I had experienced yesterday and previously as one offs, but I have managed to narrow it down now to when I am starting off in the middle ring and putting a decent amount of power down. Most of the time it ill just roll over as it slips but sometimes it drops completely.
> Middle ring looks fine and not worn, cassette is fine I can replicate it on two different wheels with two separate cassettes, I have removed the BB and cranks and refitted to make sure all is tight, rear derailleur looks in order.
> ...



Edit:--- Just read someone suggesting online the b-screw adjustment may effect this due to insufficent chain wrap in middle/middle config which is where I get the issue. I have just given that a try and I cannot force it to happen as I could before. Test ride later to confirm.
Rechecked the middle ring too and its probably more worn than I thought, but its not that old, but is a low end shimano one. I might use this as an excuse to get a Spa touring one.


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## Andy in Germany (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> b-screw adjustment



What's this?


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## si_c (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Edit:--- Just read someone suggesting online the b-screw adjustment may effect this due to insufficent chain wrap in middle/middle config which is where I get the issue. I have just given that a try and I cannot force it to happen as I could before. Test ride later to confirm.
> Rechecked the middle ring too and its probably more worn than I thought, but its not that old, but is a low end shimano one. I might use this as an excuse to get a Spa touring one.



My thought would lean towards a worn middle ring, they're not as easy to tell when they are worn as they are usually chamfered on both sides to aid shifting, like a cassette would be so the tooth profiles are not round.


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## Ming the Merciless (12 May 2022)

Sanded then painted chain stay bridge on recumbent. Winter can be tough on that area and a few areas had got chipped. Now drying for next 16-18 hours or so, before I put mudguard back.


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## GeekDadZoid (12 May 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> What's this?


Its the screw that adjusts the rear derailleurs position in a front / back rotation, its normally set to ensure you have enough clearance to get onto the big cog.


si_c said:


> My thought would lean towards a worn middle ring, they're not as easy to tell when they are worn as they are usually chamfered on both sides to aid shifting, like a cassette would be so the tooth profiles are not round.


Well I have a trip planned tomorrow so I should be able to see how I go, but I was planning on getting a SPA CHainset at some point anyway so I will probably bring that forward a few months.


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## si_c (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Its the screw that adjusts the rear derailleurs position in a front / back rotation, its normally set to ensure you have enough clearance to get onto the big cog.



It also has an impact on shifting performance, the b-screw effectively regulates the angle of the upper and lower parallelograms of the derailleur, winding out the b-screw tightens that angle which reduces how crisp the shifts are. This is why a smaller block shifts better if setup correctly as the angles are looser. 

Best practice is to set it so that in the largest rear sprocket there is as small as possible a gap between the upper pulley and the largest sprocket, too small and they'll run into each other, which sounds dreadful.


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## Andy in Germany (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Its the screw that adjusts the rear derailleurs position in a front / back rotation, its normally set to ensure you have enough clearance to get onto the big cog.





si_c said:


> It also has an impact on shifting performance, the b-screw effectively regulates the angle of the upper and lower parallelograms of the derailleur, winding out the b-screw tightens that angle which reduces how crisp the shifts are. This is why a smaller block shifts better if setup correctly as the angles are looser.
> 
> Best practice is to set it so that in the largest rear sprocket there is as small as possible a gap between the upper pulley and the largest sprocket, too small and they'll run into each other, which sounds dreadful.



Many thanks. I'm taking the attitude that the more I ask the less likely I am to get into problems later in the bike shop I'm leading now: I'm painfully aware that I'm actually a carpenter, rather than a bike wrench, so I've got a lot to learn...


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## dave r (12 May 2022)

si_c said:


> It also has an impact on shifting performance, the b-screw effectively regulates the angle of the upper and lower parallelograms of the derailleur, winding out the b-screw tightens that angle which reduces how crisp the shifts are. This is why a smaller block shifts better if setup correctly as the angles are looser.
> 
> Best practice is to set it so that in the largest rear sprocket there is as small as possible a gap between the upper pulley and the largest sprocket, too small and they'll run into each other, which sounds dreadful.




The Park Tools guide states 5-6mm

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment


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## T4tomo (12 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Rechecked the middle ring too and its probably more worn than I thought, but its not that old, but is a low end shimano one. I might use this as an excuse to get a Spa touring one.



I had similar on a bike and just popped on a new stronglight middle ring (which spa sell).


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## si_c (12 May 2022)

dave r said:


> The Park Tools guide states 5-6mm
> 
> https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment



It probably depends on the derailleur so Park are being a little conservative I think, Shimano suggest as close as possible without not touching which is what I normally do. I only tend to use Shimano stuff on my bikes as I'm familiar with it, I've just taken a look for SRAM and for their latest kit it suggests between 14mm and 5mm depending on your cassette and derailleur . Campagnolo will be different again I guess.


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## C R (12 May 2022)

si_c said:


> It probably depends on the derailleur so Park are being a little conservative I think, Shimano suggest as close as possible without not touching which is what I normally do. I only tend to use Shimano stuff on my bikes as I'm familiar with it, I've just taken a look for SRAM and for their latest kit it suggests between 14mm and 5mm depending on your cassette and derailleur . Campagnolo will be different again I guess.



I remember seeing 2mm in a shimano manual, which I thought was quite brave.


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## GeekDadZoid (12 May 2022)

T4tomo said:


> I had similar on a bike and just popped on a new stronglight middle ring (which spa sell).



Unfortunately this is a riveted crankset I was aiming to build this bike on a budget, that's gone way out of the window now and obviously buy cheap buy twice it valid here.

I have done approximately 700km on this pretty much all muddy and wet, and I probably spent a large chunk of that in the middle ring. Still sounds a bit naff.

Edit. Went for a quick spin and it is improved and will be fine for tomorrow, but I can still make it happen if I try hard enough.


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## DCLane (12 May 2022)

Like @GeekDadZoid I had a mechanical earlier today. The rear mech on my Avanti went into the rear wheel on my Avanti, breaking a spoke and wrecking the cage.

After a long walk home it now has a replacement second-hand mech and a new spoke's on order.


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## T4tomo (13 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Unfortunately this is a riveted crankset I was aiming to build this bike on a budget, that's gone way out of the window now and obviously buy cheap buy twice it valid here.
> 
> I have done approximately 700km on this pretty much all muddy and wet, and I probably spent a large chunk of that in the middle ring. Still sounds a bit naff.
> 
> Edit. Went for a quick spin and it is improved and will be fine for tomorrow, but I can still make it happen if I try hard enough.



Ah sounds like it might be new crankset time. Which might also be new BB time too unless you strike upon a replacement that uses same length BB. 

You could try your luck used on ebay, but the issue with used triples is the middles ring normally sees the most wear, and it's hard to tell from looking how worn it is, until you try it. 

Given how much you seem to use and like that bike though, it prob deserves a new chainset!!


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## GeekDadZoid (13 May 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Ah sounds like it might be new crankset time. Which might also be new BB time too unless you strike upon a replacement that uses same length BB.
> 
> You could try your luck used on ebay, but the issue with used triples is the middles ring normally sees the most wear, and it's hard to tell from looking how worn it is, until you try it.
> 
> Given how much you seem to use and like that bike though, it prob deserves a new chainset!!



I ordered one last night! As you say I do enjoy riding this bike so it deserves it.

Spa recommend 110mm BB I currently have a 115 on there so I will probably wait for it to arrive and see how the chain line is.


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## Andy in Germany (13 May 2022)

Just looked up Spa. Alas they can't sell in the EU any more...


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## DCLane (13 May 2022)

Bike set-up today for the weekend's activities:

Son no. 2's Argon E116 TT bike was a simple tyre inflation / lights job for a TT on Sunday.

My Ridgeback Platinum was tyre inflation, lubrication, new batteries in everything and kit bag set up for a 400km audax.

Edit the above. He managed to break one of the pad holder bolts on his TT bike on a test ride this evening  . It's been dismantled, attempted - and failed -to drill out, and we've just JB-Weld'ed it for now plus tightened the other one.


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## GeekDadZoid (14 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> I ordered one last night! As you say I do enjoy riding this bike so it deserves it.
> 
> Spa recommend 110mm BB I currently have a 115 on there so I will probably wait for it to arrive and see how the chain line is.



Well the bike behaved flawlessly on my bike packing trip, not one single skip of the chain. I didn't use the middle ring at all, so I think I feel comfortable that is the issue. Had to put some decent power down on some slow steep ramps fully laden.

Bike now back to standard adventure spec.


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## biggs682 (14 May 2022)

Yesterdays fettling was a simple inflate tyres , swap out the suspension seat post and Brook's saddle for a standard post and a selle smp saddle and re align fr brake pads on the Cannondale T6000 touring i picked up yesterday afternoon ready for this mornings ride .

Well after 43 miles this morning i felt the bike was a bit cramped so once home swapped stem out for a longer and flatter one and moved saddle back on rails slightly all in all i found 5.5 cm and a quick road test tonight it feels a lot better so will see how it feels tomorrow am weather permitting


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## buzz22 (15 May 2022)

The front derailleur on my 1994 Giant CFR Pro Series was a Shimano RX100, this worked with combined brake/shifters but when I converted to down tube shifters the spring tension was too strong and the arm from pivot point to cable attachment too short. 
Because of this the lever could not hold the derailleur in place on the big ring and would slowly creep across.
My fix for this was a Shimano 600 Ultegra (Tricolor) derailleur, a 6401 model.
This model has adjustable spring tension as it's designed to be used with both types of shifters. It also has a longer arm so there is much better fine control as the lever moves further to make the derailleur travel.




This photo shows the original derailleur in my hand and new one on the bike.
You can see the difference in length between the pivot points and cable attachment points.


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## Gillstay (15 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> 26x1 1/2 are a different size and won't fit the rims. It's easier if you use the ERTO code, you probably need (590-37) which is the second option on this page.
> 
> https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s142p4416/SCHWALBE-Marathon-Plus-HS348



Thank you . I almost compounded my mistake. Sorted out now and the bike coming together well.


----------



## Alba Zeus (16 May 2022)

Had taken the integrated front light off my Orbea Gain D50 a few weeks back as it was rattling. Went to charge the bike yesterday and had the dreaded purple flashing light.

Thankfully the phone app is great and shows you what the error is so popped the light back on with some new screws (no more rattling) and thankfully error cleared and bike is now charging again.


----------



## C R (16 May 2022)

Oiled the chain and raised the seatpost and moved the seat forward a smidgen. Considered taking off the mudguards, but didn't want to tempt fate.


----------



## GuyBoden (16 May 2022)

Re-waxed my waxed chain. I'm trying to ingrain a monthly routine for the summer bike.

More chain waxing info here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/wet-lube-clean-up.283023/page-4#post-6688061


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## GeekDadZoid (16 May 2022)

So I picked up a very crusty Gary Fisher Sugar 2 from a localish scrap man today. Always a gamble with scrappers and they obviously want the best price they can get.

Started the strip down already. Not sure if this will get built back up or I'll just nab the parts for other projects. 

*Usable bits so far*

Deore XT rear derailleur needs a new spring and pulleys but it will be at minimum as spare for my lads bike.

Deore LX front derailleur in good nick. 

Charge Spoon saddle in crusty but usable condition, good for the spares box when cleaned up. 

Botranger triple crankset, scruffy but usable. Needs new chain rings but certainly good for the spares box. 

Shimano flat / SPD pedals that need cleaning and servicing. 

Decent front wheel that needs a good clean and service. Can't confirm the hub as it's very dirty. 

3x9 Deore LX brifters in a nice blue, just need a clean. 

Avid v brakes in decent nick.

*The unknowns are.*

Cane Creek AD10 rear shock - seems to work. 

Rockshock Sid hydraair seems seized. 

The frame BB and Seat post currently still to be removed, if they come out ok and I can service the linkages then i will look to recommission this, but if they cause any issues then the frame can be scrapped and the above to the Spares box or passed on.


----------



## buzz22 (17 May 2022)

I converted this:




To this:




I've posted a write up and photos in the build and modifications thread.


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## biggs682 (17 May 2022)

Bell fitted to Cannondale touring bike time for a rest after that


----------



## Peter Salt (17 May 2022)

New FD to match the rear. Have to say, much easier to set up then the previous generation. Replaced the inner & outer cables while at it


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## bikingdad90 (17 May 2022)

Yeah, I am lead to believe that 105 and upward front mechs have an independent trimming function that operates on a spring and doesn’t use the high and low screws to set the trim.


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## Ming the Merciless (17 May 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Yeah, I am lead to believe that 105 and upward front mechs have an independent trimming function that operates on a spring and doesn’t use the high and low screws to set the trim.



High and low have never been about trim. Just stop you shifting beyond the outer and inner cogs.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (17 May 2022)

Had a bit more fettle with the Gary Fisher which I have now decided is going to get scrapped. The frame has too many suspect buts going on with it and I would not be happy riding it myself.


----------



## Rusty Nails (17 May 2022)

Had a good day in the bike workshop. Was given a Raleigh Wisp frame and front wheel to build using any spare parts around the workshop. Ended up as a 3 X 7 flat bar with Weinmann side-pull brakes, Shimano Deore trigger shifters, GS200 mechs, LX chainset and newish silver mudguards. Very nice test ride. 
I love it when I get a free hand to build a bike.


----------



## bikingdad90 (17 May 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> High and low have never been about trim. Just stop you shifting beyond the outer and inner cogs.



On the rear mech yes, on the front mech, you tighten or loosen the high/low screw and adjust the cable tension at the clamp
simultaneously to prevent rubbing.


----------



## cyberknight (18 May 2022)

New spoke in the commuter as one I had in spares fitted, whilst I had the cassette off I always gave the hubs a squirt of grease.Then retrued the wheel.


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## GeekDadZoid (18 May 2022)

Managed to swap the new chainset on but had an issue and need a new FD.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/shimano-fd-m100-replacement.285381/

Advice welcome, trimmed the limit screws and just running on the inner two rings for now.


----------



## Andy in Germany (18 May 2022)

Cut through two bike locks to make this bike more presentable for a shop display:







Just to make it clear; the bike was a donation; I didn't just go outside and nick it off the street...


----------



## TheDoctor (18 May 2022)

Well, I *finished* fettling it today. Possibly...




531ST frame handbuilt by Paul Donohue in the late 80s, powdercoated in Celeste pearl by Maldon.
Suntour 9 speed downtube levers, running an Altus rear mech and an unidentified front from the Spares Heap.
RX100 nut mount front brake, about 20 years old, and a Tektro allenkey mount front brake nutmounted at the back.
A frankly God-awful 48/38/28 plastic coated steel chainset. I'll replace it at some point. 
11-36T cassette. Because I obviously need a gear range of 21" to 120" around Hertfordshire.
Although it's nice to have three different 36" gears to play with...
Wheels, 28mm tyres, seatpin etc from the spares heap. I can only assume the frame was poorly reamed when made, or something's gone a bit wrong, as a 27.2mm seatpost won't go in and a 27.0 is a bit loose. I got some shim material from the offy and that seems to be holding up well


----------



## itboffin (18 May 2022)

From memory there are 26.x something seatpins might be 26.4 or .8


----------



## si_c (18 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Well, I *finished* fettling it today. Possibly...
> View attachment 645237
> 
> 531ST frame handbuilt by Paul Donohue in the late 80s, powdercoated in Celeste pearl by Maldon.
> ...



Probably the seatpost clamp is slightly mis-shapen, this can happen if an undersized seatpost is used or the binder is over tightened. Check with a 27. seatpost and see where it's out of shape, if it's at the binder, you should be able to separate it a little and get the 27.2 post in comfortably.

The alternative would be to use a high grit sandpaper and slightly sand down the outside of the 27.2 seatpost until it slides in.


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## TheDoctor (18 May 2022)

itboffin said:


> From memory there are 26.x something seatpins might be 26.4 or .8



If a 27.0 is loose, then anything smaller will be worse...


----------



## itboffin (19 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> If a 27.0 is loose, then anything smaller will be worse...



Sorry should have added 26.x and shims, I’ve a btwin bike in the shed that came this way new, confused the hell out of me at first.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (19 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Well, I *finished* fettling it today. Possibly...
> View attachment 645237
> 
> 531ST frame handbuilt by Paul Donohue in the late 80s, powdercoated in Celeste pearl by Maldon.
> ...



Did the contents of the shim material go down well?


----------



## T4tomo (19 May 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Well, I *finished* fettling it today. Possibly...
> View attachment 645237
> 
> 531ST frame handbuilt by Paul Donohue in the late 80s, powdercoated in Celeste pearl by Maldon.
> ...



Nice looking frame. The stem and bar set up let it down a bit, but I assume that works for you for comfort, and a bike isnt just for looking at after all.


----------



## fossyant (19 May 2022)

Popped a spare 'Rock Bros' bell on my Full suspension MTB whilst doing general check over for a ride this weekend - the bike hasn't moved since the last big off road ride in December (it was cleaned and lubed). Just checked everything was lubed and running fine.

Bell replacement was because I stacked it in December going down a muddy 'Hully Gully' at Gisburn, and ripped the previous bell off snapping the steel 'strap'.


----------



## TheDoctor (19 May 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Did the contents of the shim material go down well?



Indeed so. I thought it best to chill the shim material. I mean, I could have used a 27.2 seatpost and sanded it diwn, but where's the fun in that?


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## DCLane (19 May 2022)

We're going grasstrack racing on Monday in Leeds so, given our level of preparation for it is nil, I pulled out the grasstrack bikes today:

- Son no. 2's Kona Paddy Wagon (green wheels, he's Irish  ) just needed lubricating.
- My Fuji Track needed a new rear tube and lubricating.

_Some_ practice before Monday's racing _may_ be sensible ...


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## GeekDadZoid (19 May 2022)

DCLane said:


> We're going grasstrack racing on Monday in Leeds so, given our level of preparation for it is nil, I pulled out the grasstrack bikes today:
> 
> - Son no. 2's Kona Paddy Wagon (green wheels, he's Irish  ) just needed lubricating.
> - My Fuji Track needed a new rear tube and lubricating.
> ...



Just watched a video and that looks fun. How many people tend to race at an event like that?


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## Andy in Germany (19 May 2022)

Worked with one of my refugee clients on getting him used to the new checklist; he can fix bikes but can't read German as yet so we worked on it together. He's also unused to the idea that I as his "boss" trust him to check, and if necessary, correct my repairs, but he's getting used to it.

The boss turned up with two bikes from his kids and asked if I could sort out the gears. I did my best but they'll really need re-cabling (the bikes, not the kids.) I also had some trouble with the rear V-Brake on one which wouldn't give the strong on/off response I can normally get out of them. Once agian a lot of the groundwork was done by one of my refugee clients who straightened the hanger and did a lot of the setup before going home. I left a message for the boss saying the bikes are generally okay now but they'll need a proper recalibrating before long.


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## DRM (19 May 2022)

Liked the last check Test Fahrt, usually gets me in trouble at home that one! 

And yes I know it really means test ride


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## Andy in Germany (19 May 2022)

DRM said:


> Liked the last check Test Fahrt, usually gets me in trouble at home that one!
> 
> And yes I know it really means test ride



There's always one, isn't there...

And it shows how long I've been here that I don't notice that any more...


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## si_c (19 May 2022)

Replaced the rear mudguard on the Trek, this took me about 2 hours over 2 days, including salvaging the brake bridge clip from the old set and straightening and refitting it.

Tolerances for a 25mm tyre are incredibly tight (<2mm either side) under the brakes, which is frustrating and took a while to get right, not helped by the fact I did on my lunchbreaks so was doing other stuff at the time. Looks ok now, no rubbing.


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## DCLane (19 May 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Just watched a video and that looks fun. How many people tend to race at an event like that?



There's 10-30 depending upon which race is being run at the time. It's a cross between track and cyclo-cross, with track bikes on cross tyres.


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## biggs682 (19 May 2022)

Absolutely nothing for some strange reason I can't think why


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## TheDoctor (19 May 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Nice looking frame. The stem and bar set up let it down a bit, but I assume that works for you for comfort, and a bike isnt just for looking at after all.



I'm sure I've got a traditional quill stem somewhere that'll get the bars where I want them, but can I find the thing?
Can I heck as like!


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## buzz22 (20 May 2022)

Finally got started on my 1982 Europa.
The Dia Compe gum hoods I ordered arrived so they went on to replace the disintegrated originals.
Before:





After:





The chromed front forks are getting a polish, you can see the difference a clean up makes with one side done and the other side to go:




Plenty of work to go....


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## Andy in Germany (20 May 2022)

buzz22 said:


> Plenty of work to go....



Looking at those pics, it'll be worth it...


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## T4tomo (20 May 2022)

buzz22 said:


> Plenty of work to go....



when you replace the bar tape, use a figure of 8 wrap round the hoods, it will eliminate that bare patch. chrome forks are coming up nicely


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## GuyBoden (20 May 2022)

I've applied some blue Loctite threadloc on my Italian BB threads, both are right hand thread, then re-tightened. Just to be safe and they don't unscrew due to precession.


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## buzz22 (20 May 2022)

Thanks for the tips all, apart from some Campag components on a bike years ago this is my first real experience with an Italian groupset. Love it so far


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## Elybazza61 (20 May 2022)

Removed Pelago rasket and Velo Orange crazy bars and fitted VO Randoneur bars and Wald front basket.


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## Andy in Germany (21 May 2022)

Set up and checked a couple of ladies trekking/city bikes (straight bar, drop frame, 28" wheels, lights, mudguards and luggage rack) which are fairly popular here. 
Then The Boss asked us to check over the gears on his kid's bikes, which were usual state of kid's bikes; we got them going again but they'll need re-cabling for the gears to work properly; he'll bring them back in Autumn...
Also found a rather nice trekking bike frame in the Great Clearout which may be rather better than the one I dug up off the scrap pile...


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## GeekDadZoid (21 May 2022)

I messed up with my SJS order and I didn't pay for fast shipping so rather than having to run two rings on tomorrows training ride, I found that Decathlon sell a microshift fd which claimed to be suitable. 

Ordered and clicked and collected for £7.99, fitting and setup was so quick and simple. I think it could probably do with dropping down by 5mm but I'm not going to mess today. 

Also fitted the new bar tape and re torqued everything. Forks got a respray which went very wrong so that will have to be redone. 🤦‍♂️


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## HLaB (21 May 2022)

I topped up the sealant in my gravel bike tyres before going to bed. I don't know if its the larger volume tyres or better valves but every time I have done it its been quick and no mess, whereas sometimes the road bike tyres can occasionally be the opposite


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## alicat (21 May 2022)

The washing line. The hooks that I used to use are impractical now that my garden has grown so I putted new ones on the patio.


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## buzz22 (22 May 2022)

To break up the enormous expanse of the head tube on my "Throwback" bike I had a decal made up for it which arrived yesterday.
Eventually the bike will get some colour but until then the BB (Buzz's Bike) sticker will do.


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## buzz22 (22 May 2022)

The front wheel of my Europa got a polish, the first photo shows it next to the rear wheel and hopefully a bit of a difference:





When it was finished I popped on the 700 x 25 Michelin Dynamic Classic- love a gumwall on an older bike.


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## buzz22 (23 May 2022)

The 1982 Europa that my mate gave me got some time and attention today- rear wheel polished, 6 speed cluster taken off and cleaned, new rear tyre fitted, new brake and gear cables, new chain and an overall clean.
It's not ready for the road yet as it's been sitting for 15 years so it will get a thorough service before it's first outing.
As soon as that's done I'll be out there!


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## Willd (23 May 2022)

Fitted a new chain and tweaked the high limit screw on the front derailleur, so far so good, no oily fingers over the weekend. Didn't really need the smaller chainring, but did a few test changes.


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## si_c (23 May 2022)

Swapped out the bar tape on the Kinesis. I'd been using Supercaz Galaxy which is aesthetically very pleasing and I could colour match with the frame, but unfortunately it appears they no longer do that particular style. The old tape had started to get a bit hardened after 2 years on the bike and wasn't as comfortable as it was, so swapped it for my preferred tape, plain black 1.8mm Lizard Skins DSP, which is lovely to the touch and great in all weather.

Was comparing to the BBB Flexribbon tape I've installed (it was cheap) on the Trek, which compares well in terms of comfort but doesn't quite match the DSP for visuals and tactile impact.


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## Jenkins (23 May 2022)

Time to renew parts of the drivetrain on the 'best' bike - it's been needed for a while and I've had the parts ready, but the chain finally started to skip on the outer chainring when under power yesterday making the change necessary. The bike's done about 7600 miles, mostly on the outer chainring, and only had one change of chain, cassette & bottom bracket in that time.

First thing done was to remove the chain and the old chainrings (left) and clean the rings up a bit for comparison against the new ones to be fitted (right)



The bottom bracket was going to be next, but when I removed the crank the beaings appeared to be still very smooth and free spinning (possibly due to dry weather running only) so this was left alone. Next up was the cassette and as usual this showed evidence of how much I use the 16 tooth ring compared to the rest of the cassette - shown below between the 17 tooth and 15 tooth rings.



The new chain was then fitted and a very slight tweek to the cable tension had everything running nice and smooth again.
New SwissStop brake blocks were also fitted front & rear and then the bars were rotated slightly and the brifters repositioned as I've not been entirely happy with the position since I fitted new bars a couple of years ago. I still need to give it a test ride to confirm the new position before replacing the tape.
Then on top of that three of my other bikes were treated to a clean & lube of the chains.


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## Jenkins (23 May 2022)

To show the difference the new chain & chainring make, here's the before and after shots showing the lack of engagement on the old parts...


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## Ming the Merciless (23 May 2022)

Put some air in the tyres


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## si_c (23 May 2022)

Jenkins said:


> To show the difference the new chain & chainring make, here's the before and after shots showing the lack of engagement on the old parts...
> View attachment 646026
> 
> 
> View attachment 646027



Looks nicer to me with the silvered chainrings too.


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## Rickshaw Phil (23 May 2022)

Several days of fettling last week:

Firstly I had a go at the Kingpin. Shortly after getting it I discovered that the front hub had probably never been serviced. What little grease was in there was like glue and pretty much the whole bearing track on the cones was pitted. At the time I just regreased to keep them going but recently I took a punt on the cones from a hollow axle conversion kit being a decent enough match to work. The cones _are _ideal but unfortunately I hadn't banked on the original axles being a smaller diameter than the 9mm standard. I had a suitable axle and the fork dropouts needed some filing to make it fit. After an adjustment to the rear hub as well the bike felt smoother to ride on a short test and I look forward to trying something a bit longer in the near future.

Next up was @gavgav's Genesis which I had in for a service. As suspected, the chain was worn and a new cassette was also wanted as it had been marginal last service. Front brake pads were replaced last time and still have plenty of life left but the rears were nearly worn out so some new ones went in. The front hub looked almost as though it had only been serviced last week so I just rebuilt it with fresh grease. The rear hub though wasn't as good with the drive side being the colour of congealed blood. The winter has not been kind to it and there is damage from water ingress. Rebuilt with new balls and grease I'm confident it'll go to the next service at least, but in the slightly longer term I think it'll be needing a new hub not simply the cones.

I put in new gear cables and after adjustment everything worked beautifully on the stand, however on a road test there was an odd creaking noise that I traced back to the beginnings of chain-suck on the small chainring so it'll need a new one of those as well (on order).

With Gav's on hold I turned my attention to my brother's bike. This had a very small pit on the rear non-drive cone at the last service and I've been meaning to fit a replacement. I actually ordered an axle assembly which made for a very easy swap and it runs as smoothly as a brand new hub again. Hopefully I can get Doug out to do some test miles on it fairly soon.

For what it's worth; I couldn't find a complete axle or the drive-side cone in stock for this Shimano Deore T610 hub. After much research, the axle parts from the Deore M590 are a match even though they don't all appear on Shimano's interchangeability listing.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 May 2022)

Jenkins said:


> To show the difference the new chain & chainring make, here's the before and after shots showing the lack of engagement on the old parts...
> View attachment 646026
> 
> 
> View attachment 646027



Now there’s a long valve stem


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## Jenkins (23 May 2022)

si_c said:


> Looks nicer to me with the silvered chainrings too.


Spa Cycles own brand - now fitted to three of the bikes with a fourth one to be converted later in the year.


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## Andy in Germany (24 May 2022)

I became aware of some serious rattling in the way back from work. On arrival at the apart ment this was quickly isolated as a bolt coming loose on one of the mudguards. I tightened this and also gave all the others a twist, just to make sure...


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## Zigzak789 (24 May 2022)

Picked up a 1999 Trek 830 last night because it was steel framed and had some okay looking parts on it (tyres are relatively new and the front suspension was upgraded by the owner many years ago) so I spent a few hours cleaning it last night and took it out, it needs new brakes as the current v brakes are terrible and the gears need indexing, I've never changed brake/gear cables before so this will give me to opportunity to learn a new skill - I managed to get the bike for 40 so if I can keep the remaining bits 60 or under I should have a decent light trail bike for 100 all in which I can't complain about


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## Spiderweb (24 May 2022)

I gave my Tricross a fettle yesterday. A good clean, different bottle cages, new 10 speed SRAM chain, new rear mech cable with a slightly longer cable outer housing.
No more lag when dropping gears, shifting is perfect now👍


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## DCLane (24 May 2022)

Having ... erm ... not performed well ... last night at grasstrack racing I've had a look at my gearing, which was always a bit high. Once I got going it was quick, but by then I'm just chasing everyone else. The gearing is what came with the bike and is 49 x 17.

So, having found a 45T chainring I've swapped it with the 49T that was on there and an initial brief test showed it much quicker to accelerate, with the chain shortened a bit as well to adjust. I _may_ do a bit better next time ...


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## Oldbikefan (24 May 2022)

Finally had a ride on the Pioneer after upgrading it with a Suntour XC-E triple chainset I took off a bike I saved from being scrapped. Left pedal was clicking so I thought I'd investigate. First problem was the pedals are seized solid to the cranks, so I stripped them in situ only to find the bearings and surfaces are badly pitted and beyond saving. So the heavy steel double chainset and pedals have been refitted. Back to square one.


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## Rusty Nails (24 May 2022)

Changed the gear cables on my Genesis Datum today. A slow job as it is internally cabled. I had to partially take off the bar tape as well.

I have been having some troubles recently with the 11 speed rear mech being a bit "sticky" when moving from big to small rings on the cassette. Fairly new cassette and chain. I am convinced that inner cabling, because of the extra length of narrow liner tubing, has more potential for sticking than the old style smaller runs of outer. I get all my other bikes with external cabling to change up and down through the gears smoothly.


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## Chislenko (25 May 2022)

Major fettling today having finally brought my old Allez Sport back from Portugal after seven years. First job obviously strip it down to bare bones. Having taken the front forks off I could now turn the frame on end and get the annoying broken rivnut out of the downtube. It's been in there about five years. Next clean up all the headset area and grease where needed.

Next fitted a new bottom bracket and then some new 50-34 chain rings I bought off someone on here circa three years ago. New 11-32 9 speed cassette and chain came next, slight lube and then a few revolutions up and down the gears to get the lube around. I should add this is not as expensive as it sounds as I purchased the components about three years ago, pre pandemic / shortages / price rises.

Finally to fit was a good as new Spesh Toupe seat I bought at a very good price on here recently. My old seat had cracked all around the edges causing inner thigh chaffing!

Only thing left a bit of spit and polish and I have an as good as new ten year old bike that is still my favourite ride.


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## geocycle (25 May 2022)

About to fettle the cassette. Currently 11 speed 11-32 Shimano 105, thinking of replacing with an 11-34. Chainset is Spa 44/28. I can manage with 28-32 combo on most hills but wondered if the 34 tooth sprocket might help in the Lake District rides I sometimes do. Anyone think of a reason not to swap to the slightly wider spaced cassette?


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## DCBassman (25 May 2022)

geocycle said:


> About to fettle the cassette. Currently 11 speed 11-32 Shimano 105, thinking of replacing with an 11-34. Chainset is Spa 44/28. I can manage with 28-32 combo on most hills but wondered if the 34 tooth sprocket might help in the Lake District rides I sometimes do. Anyone think of a reason not to swap to the slightly wider spaced cassette?


You can't have too low a bottom gear. Do it.


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## Andy in Germany (25 May 2022)

Gave up on the first project; it was an old MTB with mudguards and early proto-v brakes, with a V arm and Cantilever blocks and holders. The rear ones were sticky and gluing and dismantle/rebuild didn't solve the issue so I took them off and dug up some elderly V-Brakes.

Incidentally having all the canti and V-Brakes in one large storage box was bad enough, not taping the pairs together was the work of a sociopath.

Eventually I found another set of V-s, slightly better quality, same again. By this time what with replacements and finding new brakes, plus an interlude to sort the pairs and throw the oddballs, I'd been working for over two hours so I dismantled the bike for any useful spares (not many) and took the frame to the skip.

My goodness it was heavy; what did they make it out of?

Second bike was a check of a client's rebuild which was supposedly "ready for sale". This rapidly ended up a reset of the rear canti's (any suggestions how to quickly set canti's appreciated) gears and complete dismantle / clean / rebuild of the shifters. Friday I'll also have to tighten the rear axle...


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## GuyBoden (26 May 2022)

I've be fettling, creating something that's new and will probably be a revolutionary advancement in cycling.

*But*, due to the negative comments about my recent triple setup on this forum, I won't be posting any of my ideas on this forum.


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## si_c (26 May 2022)

GuyBoden said:


> a revolutionary advancement in cycling.


I see what you did there.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 May 2022)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Several days of fettling last week:
> 
> Firstly I had a go at the Kingpin. Shortly after getting it I discovered that the front hub had probably never been serviced. What little grease was in there was like glue and pretty much the whole bearing track on the cones was pitted. At the time I just regreased to keep them going but recently I took a punt on the cones from a hollow axle conversion kit being a decent enough match to work. The cones _are _ideal but unfortunately I hadn't banked on the original axles being a smaller diameter than the 9mm standard. I had a suitable axle and the fork dropouts needed some filing to make it fit. After an adjustment to the rear hub as well the bike felt smoother to ride on a short test and I look forward to trying something a bit longer in the near future.
> 
> ...



A follow up to the above: The new chainring came and has been fitted. All runs very nicely now. 




It's not the most worn out chainring I've seen, but enough to cause issues.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 May 2022)

geocycle said:


> About to fettle the cassette. Currently 11 speed 11-32 Shimano 105, thinking of replacing with an 11-34. Chainset is Spa 44/28. I can manage with 28-32 combo on most hills but wondered if the 34 tooth sprocket might help in the Lake District rides I sometimes do. Anyone think of a reason not to swap to the slightly wider spaced cassette?



Low gears are a definite help in the Lake District. I'd do it.

I trust it is within the capacity of that derailleur?


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## DCBassman (26 May 2022)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Low gears are a definite help in the Lake District. I'd do it.
> 
> I trust it is within the capacity of that derailleur?



I've not yet had problems exceeding specified capacity by a tooth or three, but never gone beyond that.


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## Ming the Merciless (26 May 2022)

Fitted new pedals with a bit more of a platformm, rear derailleur and new rear gear cable.


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## Gwylan (26 May 2022)

The nearside mirror on my bike transporter.

This was achieved with a slice of cardboard carefully trimmed to stop the mirror self adjusting.

The cardboard was carefully selected from a 4 pack of Hoegaarden bier.
200km this still works. Thats a result in my book

If I need spares I have a clear reason for buying more beer.


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## Andy in Germany (27 May 2022)

This:







A surprisingly nice 80's chromoly framed MTB with the unfortunate brand name of "Hooger-Booger".

This was handed to me with a completed checklist, which in theory means it can go on sale. I put it on the stand and quickly realised the front mech shifter was, well, "Boogered"

I took it to bits and doused the lot in WD40 on Wednesday, then today I did the wheel and pedals check and found both pedals and the rear wheel had loose bearings. I've done pedals before but not rear wheels. Some surreptitious looking at YouTube videos later (Thank you ParkTool) I sorted out the wheel, trying to look like I'd done this more times than I could recount.

In the midst of this a Ukrainian refugee of about 14 came with his German host; they were going on a bike ride and had realised the "donated" bike the lad was riding had no working brakes and could we help? They were stranded without a bike so I tightened the brakes so they at least stopped the wheels turning.

They came back later that day so I at least knew the brakes worked...


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## cyberknight (28 May 2022)

Mate bought his bike around for repair after an off that cuased a fair bit of cosmetic damage and a fair amount of road rash for him so i offered to have a look .
new saddle
new bar tape
new hoods
trued the front wheel 
replaced the front brake pads as they were worn out 
replaced bent rear QR skewer
Noticed the mech hanger was bent and loose so managed to tighten it up and straighten it enough so it worked until he can get a new one

As a thank you he bought me coffee and cake at the cake stop we went to on a test ride and when we got back gave me a couple of jerseys and shorts he had that were too small for him( Italian sizing ) , i rode home with a bag of stuff up my jersy looking like i was about to give birth


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## Gunk (29 May 2022)

Jenkins said:


> To show the difference the new chain & chainring make, here's the before and after shots showing the lack of engagement on the old parts...
> View attachment 646026
> 
> 
> View attachment 646027



Great work, I love doing a job like that, so satisfying


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## roubaixtuesday (29 May 2022)

Spring clean of frames and moving parts on Posh road bike and tandem. Too much gunk on both, so took ages. 

And fitted new brake pads to the tandem in hope of solving the orchestral harmonies it currently plays.

Cantis are an absolute pita to set up.


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## Zigzak789 (30 May 2022)

So I had a weekend of doing some bits on the 90s Trek I picked up last week, ordered a few bits such as new cables and housing, brake pads, pedals, grips, and a front derailleur as the old one was in poor condition and the limit screws completely stripped and rusted. All of the parts came to the reasonable sum of £30 (they're nothing special just good enough to get the bike functioning well), so my total outlay is £80.

I managed to quickly rattle through changing the pedals, brake cables and pads ,and grips, all went smoothly which was good, I then had a tea and prepared myself for the changing of the gears/fitting of the front derailleur - after watching numerous videos and reading many tips I've managed to index them fairly well, they are not completely smooth but they work as they should, I have a bit of an obsessive trait when it comes to these things but decided to stop fettling more and take the bike out to try it and it all worked well - a little tweaking left to do but I am no longer hesitant to touch the derailleurs on my bikes!

I really enjoyed riding the bike, i have been using two road bikes with 25mm tyres but this has 2.1 inch Maxxis tyres which are slower but absorb so much more of the road and means I can nip off road every now and then, makes a nice change.


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## CXRAndy (1 Jun 2022)

This -New handbuilt wheels


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## CXRAndy (1 Jun 2022)

Today I finally bled my Tripsters hydraulic brakes, upgraded Di2 firmware and dialled in the mechanical adjustments on the system. 

I'm running a MTB front Di2 triple chainring but using a road triple chainset-pushing the mechanical limits of the derailleur

Just need to fit new pads as mine squeal ever so, even for me. Hope standard and sintered to see which perform best


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## DCBassman (1 Jun 2022)

Pre-ride fettle on the Trek. Reset seat post, move saddle back a bit, tweak sticking front V-brake for balance and clearance. All good, so orft we jolly well go!


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## si_c (1 Jun 2022)

Not bike related, but just finished removing all the external stud walls on my new to me house (this is my first house, one I never thought I'd be able to afford), it was built in the 1950s and doesn't have any insulation in the first floor timber frame. Tomorrow's job is to put PIR insulation boards into the framing and then start plasterboarding walls back up in time for the plasterer to come and skim next week. The photo is of my office space.

This is the first job in a long list of jobs as the house is a bank repossession and is in terrible condition internally and externally, the render on the lower half of the building has flaked off and causes some damp issues, there are holes in all the walls internally where someone has kicked them in and the roof needs work, particularly around the dormer windows where the flashing is in terrible condition. Oh and large parts of the brickwork need repointing. After that I'll start on the garden (front and rear are approaching rainforest), the concrete driveway is cracked and uneven and the external garage needs a lot of work before I can proceed to do what I want which is to turn it into a workshop.


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## ColinJ (1 Jun 2022)

There is a chain tensioner on my 'singlespeed'*** bike. The tensioner used to be spring-loaded and pull the chain down but I found that it bounced about on rough roads and the chain fell off a few times. 

Enough was enough... I took the spring out and reversed the tensioner's direction of operation so it pulled the chain _UP _instead. Wrapping more of the chain round the sprocket made it much more reliable. I put some washers on the bolt to tighten against. The trouble was that I couldn't get the tensioner tight enough to stay where I put it. Over a ride on rough local roads the shocks from the road surface would cause the weight of the chain acting on the tensioner to gradually pull it down so the chain would loosen and was at risk of coming off again. It was annoying me!

I just took the thing to bits and made a metal shim from an old bean can. I managed to squeeze that shim between the loose parts. I have retightened the tensioner and it feels to be held in place much solidly now. I plan to use the bike on a 100 km ride tomorrow, so let's see if I can do the whole ride without the tensioner coming loose. 

*** It used to be a 'pure' singlespeed bike, but now it is actual a dual-singlespeed/double-singlespeed/dinglespeed/twin-speed/2-speed because I can get off and manually change to a lower gear if I absolutely have to. I plan most routes so I _DON'T_ have to but having the option means that I can tackle a wider range of routes in these here hills. I am only prepared to do it a couple of times a ride otherwise I might as well be riding my best bike with its proper gears!


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## Ming the Merciless (1 Jun 2022)

Patched a slow front wheel puncture that I got yesterday in the rain. Yesterday I pumped up the soft tyre and managed to get back home. Culprit was glass which I’ve got all the bits out of the tyre. Far better fixing in sunshine on patio today than side of road in rain yesterday .


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## Andy in Germany (1 Jun 2022)

Checked a clients bike prior to putting it out for sale; it was roadworthy so it went out with minimal adjustment after a test ride. Then I checked a cheap folding bike; this one had really cheap V-Brakes which took a bit of fixing but I got there in the end after straightening out the wheel a bit.

At this point I was asked to talk to a customer which turned out to be a lovely Italian lady who had tried to upgrade her drive chain and was having trouble with the gears. It turned out that she'd laid the chain over the small lug on the rear mech cage, which wasn't doing her any favours.

I took another bike from the sale floor to check, and I was very glad I had because the brake blocks were down to the metal. Once replaced and the brakes and gears were set up, I noticed that the dynamo lights were working but the casing was badly damaged. "Oh dear" I said, or words to that effect.

I have a love/hate relationship with dynamo lights, especially this kind where the return is supposed to run through the frame and there's only one wire because of course as soon as I put the new light in it wouldn't work, and now I don't know if it's the bulb, light, wire, fitting or something else. Will have to work on it tomorrow...


----------



## cougie uk (1 Jun 2022)

Put new grease in my speeplays and then thought I'd clean up the cleats. Did that and noticed both cleats were loose and on one the connector plate to the shoe was loose too. 
I have after market plastic plates on to improve walking so it hides the screws and protects them. Faffier but longer lasting than looks.


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## ColinJ (1 Jun 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> At this point I was asked to talk to a customer which turned out to be a lovely Italian lady who had tried to upgrade her drive chain and was having trouble with the gears. It turned out that she'd laid the chain over the small lug on the rear mech cage, which wasn't doing her any favours.



What a daft mistake! 




Okay, okay - yes - I have done that too!


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## dave r (1 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> What a daft mistake!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And I have.


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## cougie uk (1 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> What a daft mistake!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I did that last month. SRAM have a funny little one in the middle of the Jockey wheels and I'd not spotted it. Rode 4 miles on it before deciding it wasn't just a gear misalignment.


----------



## Andy in Germany (2 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Okay, okay - yes - I have done that too!





dave r said:


> And I have.





cougie uk said:


> I did that last month. SRAM have a funny little one in the middle of the Jockey wheels and I'd not spotted it. Rode 4 miles on it before deciding it wasn't just a gear misalignment.



I've done it too, and made sure she knew it. She was great: quite open that she had no experience or expertise but she couldn't afford to get a shop to do it, so she decided to have a go.

I hope I encouraged her to keep trying stuff out.

@cougie uk : I had to go a few laps of the car park before I was sure it wasn't a gear alignment problem.


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## alicat (2 Jun 2022)

dave r said:


> And I have.


And so have I! 😄


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## C R (2 Jun 2022)

dave r said:


> And I have.



No, I am Spartacus


----------



## dave r (2 Jun 2022)

C R said:


> No, I am Spartacus



That one got Ian into trouble.


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## CXRAndy (2 Jun 2022)

si_c said:


> Not bike related, but just finished removing all the external stud walls on my new to me house (this is my first house, one I never thought I'd be able to afford), it was built in the 1950s and doesn't have any insulation in the first floor timber frame. Tomorrow's job is to put PIR insulation boards into the framing and then start plasterboarding walls back up in time for the plasterer to come and skim next week. The photo is of my office space.
> 
> This is the first job in a long list of jobs as the house is a bank repossession and is in terrible condition internally and externally, the render on the lower half of the building has flaked off and causes some damp issues, there are holes in all the walls internally where someone has kicked them in and the roof needs work, particularly around the dormer windows where the flashing is in terrible condition. Oh and large parts of the brickwork need repointing. After that I'll start on the garden (front and rear are approaching rainforest), the concrete driveway is cracked and uneven and the external garage needs a lot of work before I can proceed to do what I want which is to turn it into a workshop.



If the rooms aren't too small, place foilback insulation board(Celotex) between studs, leaving 25mm air gap to wall. Ensure tight fit by using insulation padding tape between all edges. Then apply another top layer in front of studs of 25-75mn insulation board in large sheets. Seal all gaps. Use expanding foam for all tiny gaps. Being super diligent in insulation, reducing airflow will ensure low energy bills


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## Andy in Germany (2 Jun 2022)

Continued swearing at repairing the bike lighting system. I eventually went and got an altimeter from the electrical team, which showed up a dozen faults. I also discovered that replacing an incandescent bulb with halogen doesn't work well because the greater power draw meant the rear light just glowed anaemically, so I thought it was broken. It took a couple of hours to get it all working, then another half hour to get the gears lined up, made easier because I bent the hanger back into shape yesterday. All this for a dirt cheap bike which we'll sell for 65€.

Mind you, at least fifteen minutes of that half hour was spent looking for a screw that I dropped, which bounced on my boot and shot off into the depths of the workshop...

After this I checked a kid's bike which worked fairly well once I took some of the tension out of the rear mech. 

And in a nice postscript to yesterday, the lady who replaced her gear system came back; she's fixed it and replaced the brake blocks.

Oh, and I sold the folding bike, I could have sold it three times over; 125€ is after all fairly cheap for a folder...


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## DCBassman (2 Jun 2022)

Pre-ride fettle on the Scott. As usual the front mech will not play ball. Will see how the ride is.


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## si_c (2 Jun 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> If the rooms aren't too small, place foilback insulation board(Celotex) between studs, leaving 25mm air gap to wall. Ensure tight fit by using insulation padding tape between all edges. Then apply another top layer in front of studs of 25-75mn insulation board in large sheets. Seal all gaps. Use expanding foam for all tiny gaps. Being super diligent in insulation, reducing airflow will ensure low energy bills



Today's fettle was to fit Celotex boards between the studs, not always able to leave a 25mm air gap to the wall as the studs come right down, but was able to leave a small one and the whole upper floor is vented below. Tomorrow's job is to fill the gaps with foam and to put foil tape over the joins to ensure the barrier layer is complete. Saturday will be plasterboarding over the top ready for the plasterer to do the skim on Monday.


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## Gunk (4 Jun 2022)

Another frame swap today, this is now in its third incarnation. This time full Campagnolo with Eurus wheels so I’m looking forward to riding this.


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## Gunk (4 Jun 2022)

I did think I would be able to just swap the bars inner and outer cables over but they’re all too short, so luckily Decathlon is 2 minutes away


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## Gunk (4 Jun 2022)

It’s come out rather well, rides very smoothly, I just need to lengthen the chain


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## Gunk (4 Jun 2022)

Good job I always keep bits of chain, I managed to add three links and it’s now perfect. Really pleased, especially considering it was a parts bin special. I’ll try and get some use out of it this summer.


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## CXRAndy (4 Jun 2022)

si_c said:


> Today's fettle was to fit Celotex boards between the studs, not always able to leave a 25mm air gap to the wall as the studs come right down, but was able to leave a small one and the whole upper floor is vented below. Tomorrow's job is to fill the gaps with foam and to put foil tape over the joins to ensure the barrier layer is complete. Saturday will be plasterboarding over the top ready for the plasterer to do the skim on Monday.



The overlapping front insulation is to stop cold bridging from the studs to plasterboard. I know its wood but it still conducts heat or cold . I used a thermal imaging camera to detect any cold spots on my new build before fitting plasterboard. I also did the sliver of tissue around all door and window reveals in windy weather. This exposed a few tiny drafts where the builder had not fitted the cavity insulation thoroughly. Some minor remedial retrofit action sorted it. The next best job was fitting MHVR which balanced all rooms to within 1 deg C, even on the colder north side of the property. MHVR eliminates moisture/condensation issues when you properly seal up a building. Clean, dust free and humidity reduced warmed air


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## Sallar55 (5 Jun 2022)

Pulled a cheap pair of pedals apart yesterday for the bearings to try to fix the XT rattrap ones. Bearings are a size smaller so used more. The other set of cheap pedals are dying, 3 weeks and they are starting to wobble. Tuesday will be a find a bike shop day for a set of flats and new chains.


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## cyberknight (5 Jun 2022)

investigated why the cam on the 4700 rim brakes did not open to allow the wheel out, the cam is warped so is toast  look slike you cant replace it either as the mechanism is not fixable ?


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## si_c (5 Jun 2022)

NBR again, but finished the interior build as much as I'm able this weekend, most of the work is done with the exception of some plasterboard repairs and removing some wallpaper.

It's taken me about 18 hours to board out the house, in part due to inexperience and part due to needing to move 8'x4' (2.4m x 1.2m) boards up a narrow staircase where the door opens onto the stairs and then around a very tight 90° turn at the top. None of the battens were straight, with some of them warped in all dimensions so I wasn't able to get perfectly smooth install, but it should look good once the plasterer has been over them.

Once he's been then new skirting boards are the next job and it _should _be ready for painting.


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## Andy in Germany (6 Jun 2022)

Abject fail this morning: I planned to touch up some of the scratches on my tourer; it's a rattlecan spray which means I can repair damage.

Masked up the bike, then got out the spray paint. I brought the can with me last time I visited the family, but now the colour doesn't look right. Being somewhat cautious I decide to spray a piece of paper before the bike.

As suspected, far too bright.

Time to go and find the original colour...

At least I didn't spray the bike.


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## CXRAndy (6 Jun 2022)

Stripped out bathroom, removed tiles from walls and pulled down ceiling below bathroom in preparation for complete revamp layout design.

We will pull down kitchen ceiling to aid new wiring


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## Jenkins (6 Jun 2022)

Finally got round to putting a new chain on the Spa having broken the other one last week and then went out for a quick test ride/shopping trip. Then replaced the cassette on returning home as the new chain refused to play nicely with the two most used cogs on the cassette, skipping very badly. 

I'd checked to see what the wear was like before replacing the chain and it didn't look anywhere near as bad as others I've worn out before having done less than 2000 miles against the 4500 I'd normally get from a chain/cassette combination, but the new chain/ old cassette combination just didn't work in the worn gears. Having removed it and cleaned the cassette up a bit I can see a bit of wear, but it's still annoying having to junk a cassette at less than half the expected mileage.


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## Chris S (8 Jun 2022)

I stripped the thread on my saddle clamp so I replaced it with a 70mm M8 bolt. So far it's holding OK.


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## kingrollo (9 Jun 2022)

Swapped out chain - used a kmc chain for the first time.
All good now.


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## figbat (9 Jun 2022)

This was yesterday but is my most recent fettle. I put a gash in the sidewall of a brand new Continental Cross King last week - I managed to plug it well enough to get home but rather than try to repair the gash I opted for a(nother) new tyre. It was delivered yesterday afternoon and as I had it in my hand I thought I might as well take it straight to the garage rather than leave it lying around. Once in the garage I thought, well since I'm here and have the tyre in my hand, I may as well fit it. And despite all the woes of setting up tubeless, this popped on first try with no lubricant. I added some sealant fluid through the valve (sans core) and 15 minutes after delivery it was fitted and ready to go.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Jun 2022)

Swapped a shifter and split and refitted the chain with assistance from members here; happy customer and new stuff learned, a good morning overall...


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## DCLane (10 Jun 2022)

The Peugeot I picked up a few weeks ago has turned into a pain to sort out; the seatpost was stuck (sorted), bars stuck (sorted), the saddle was stuck pointing up, pedals seized (left undone and re-greased, right still seized), crank thread stripped 

Today an 8mm new bolt for the saddle arrived, so after a bit of work it now has the saddle pointing properly. From:





To:






Still to get the right crank and pedal off ... but I'll put some new tyres on shortly.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (10 Jun 2022)

Finally got the NX groupset fitted to the mtb.
Thanks again for all that helped in the stuck cassette lockring thread.
Rides beautifully and not that I'm too fussed but feels alot lighter than it used to. Definitely smoother.


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## Gillstay (10 Jun 2022)

DCLane said:


> The Peugeot I picked up a few weeks ago has turned into a pain to sort out; the seatpost was stuck (sorted), bars stuck (sorted), the saddle was stuck pointing up, pedals seized (left undone and re-greased, right still seized), crank thread stripped
> 
> Today an 8mm new bolt for the saddle arrived, so after a bit of work it now has the saddle pointing properly. From:
> 
> ...



I also hate that you put all that effort in and it looks just the same at the end of it.


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## Ming the Merciless (10 Jun 2022)

Waxed chains on two bikes


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## DCLane (10 Jun 2022)

Gillstay said:


> I also hate that you put all that effort in and it looks just the same at the end of it.



Agreed. I've also changed the rear gear cable inner and outer this evening as that was seized. Still looks the same


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## Andy in Germany (10 Jun 2022)

I squirted WD40 on my kickstand so it wouldn't squeak.


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## DCBassman (11 Jun 2022)

Try, again, to get the gears on the Scott working acceptably. Sora GS mech and Wolftooth removed, old Altus mech from turn of the century installed. Better already, even at the front. Adjusted front mech for minimum noise rather than shifting. It'll do.
For the Tenner Trek, new rear brake blocks. And I'll have to bite the bullet and get all new gear cables. This will be my first attempt at replacing internally routed cables...


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## Zigzak789 (11 Jun 2022)

Managed to get a pair of Avid brake levers for a decent price so have put them on the Trek I've recently been working on - new levers, pads and cables have made a world of difference, I think I'll leave the adding/upgrading of parts there before I go overboard!!


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## dave r (11 Jun 2022)

Got the bike out the shed to go for a bimble and thought, whats that noise? Front hub sounded like a bag of nails, strange it was smooth and quiet when I last rode it, a quick strip clean and grease had it back in stealth mode again, one side was the same as it was when the wheel was last stripped cleaned and greased in the spring, the other side appeared to have some water in it and black grease. I got out for my bimble half an hour late.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (11 Jun 2022)

The chain broke today on the new groupsets maiden voyage which is incredibly annoying and doesn't inspire me with confidence for SRAM quality. More annoyingly I don't have any 12 speed quick links yet and my chain breaker was at home.
5 mile walk to Halfords mid ride to have them fettle an 11 speed chain to the 12 speed bike.
Couldn't get a 12 speed chain or link anywhere, aint technological advancements grand eh.
£40 lighter but mate said he'd have it for one of his so not too unhappy on the wallet


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## Jenkins (11 Jun 2022)

Got the Giant out of the shed to go shopping and noticed this on the sidewall...




It's been loosing threads for quite a long time and you can see the age by the amount of cracking on the tread so I wasn't surprised it needed replacing - only to find out when I took the tyre off that at some point in the past I'd fitted a tyre boot to the inside at that place so it was old damage . I really must take more notice and care of the hack bike!


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## Gunk (12 Jun 2022)

I managed to have a shakedown on the Ribble this morning, just a few tweaks, raised the brake shoes and dropped the saddle slightly but the drivetrain is superb. Campagnolo stuff just works so nicely.

I was going to flip it but I’ll keep it a while. I like it, it’s modern but slightly old school.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Jun 2022)

My bike carrier now has “wrong way round” connectors for the indicator lights so that left is left and right is right!! Took the 7pin make connector apart and flipped 1 & 4 positions around to fix. 

Need to ring the towbar fitter to come and check the wiring relay on Monday as think it’s wired backwards. Got me out of a sticky wicket as need to tow tomorrow.


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## cyberknight (12 Jun 2022)

half the cassette on the old boardman was loose and when you changed gears it rattled , turns out i had the wrong size spacer on the hub so a quick swap for a spare was all it took and a quick re index of the gears .Oddly the gears that wobbled were the ones that are joined together and not the loose ones as i would have thought they would all have been a bit loose


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## Legs (13 Jun 2022)

Gunk said:


> I managed to have a shakedown on the Ribble this morning, just a few tweaks, raised the brake shoes and dropped the saddle slightly but the drivetrain is superb. Campagnolo stuff just works so nicely.
> 
> I was going to flip it but I’ll keep it a while. I like it, it’s modern but slightly old school.
> 
> View attachment 648675


I can just about forgive you for using Campagnolo, but those pedals are an absolute abomination!


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## fossyant (13 Jun 2022)

Not touched the commuter MTB for a few weeks - hols, knackered knee, hospital with MIL, etc. Decided it needed a clean and lube.

Noticed drive side mudguard/pannier bolt was loose again. Hmm. On investigation, the thread into the dropout had slowly stripped. It will still screw in OK, but works loose with the weight and vibration. Flat head bolt from cassette side was the way forward, with two nuts to lock it off.

Used the Muc Off chain cleaner doo-dah - much as I have never used one before, and not keen, I was given one as part of a Muc Off cleaning kit for Christmas. It's actually very good at cleaning MTB chains - I'd never bother with the road bikes - but just removes all the accumulated gunk/mud, quick hose off, and re-lube. My commuter get's either covered in mud or thick dust on the canal route. Use it once every couple of months.


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## CXRAndy (13 Jun 2022)

The Mrs and I have spent around 10hours jackhammer-ing up floor tiles. About another 6 hours of work to go In preparation for electric underfloor heating going in.


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## Elybazza61 (13 Jun 2022)

Re done the front hose on the new Stayer as couldn't get it to stop leaking; test ride tomorrow to see if it's worked; too busy doing gardening stuff and errands to get out today.


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## HLaB (13 Jun 2022)

I wouldn't call it a fettle tonight really more of an emergency bodge. I only commute on the bike once a week now an the bike has been in a friends garage for 3 years. When I got it back every thing seemed to be working OK. But the last commute it seemed to be skipping in the high gears so I went to fit a new chain & sprocket tonight. It wasn't the chain/cassette though, it was the rear derailleur not springing back. So I cleaned and lubed it up. But doh it seemed stiff to hand still so I cleaned and lubed it a bit more and shifted a few times to get it moving. Double Doh, shifting it up whilst still a wee bit stiff caused the gear outer to fail. So it's got a lot of a electrical tape wrapped round it. It's now shifting perfectly and the derailleur is springing back but only in the top 7 gears. I need to order some new bar tape and recable which weren't immediately to hand so I'll source it and tackle it later. The electrical tape will have to do just now (who needs the bottom 3 gears anyway 😱). Actually I probably could tighten the cable to get an extra gear.


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## Gunk (13 Jun 2022)

Legs said:


> I can just about forgive you for using Campagnolo, but those pedals are an absolute abomination!



They are just what I had in the garage so i could test ride it in trainers. They are actually very good quality, more suited to a vintage bike.


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## Gunk (13 Jun 2022)

Order has been restored, just for you @Legs


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## bikingdad90 (13 Jun 2022)

@CXRAndy electric underfloor heating is incredibly expensive to run. We had it fitted in our kitchen extension and over a four month period on for an hour on a morning and two on an evening the bill was over £400 and that was before the crisis. It ended up heating the concrete base, the insulation and the ceramic tiles. It was a lovely luxury but in the end we took the controls out and decommissioned the units.

If it’s not too late, can you swap to proper water pipes and concrete over the top as it’s more efficient!


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## CXRAndy (14 Jun 2022)

Thanks for the concern. You lay first insulated panel on top of the concrete, our case 20mm. Then tile on top so heat is the section just below tile. That and it will be coupled to a very large solar array.


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## november4 (14 Jun 2022)

Anyone got a steel bike? have a second hand shand and the frame exterior is pristine but the headstock looks weathered, so wondering if should spray something inside the frame regularly? any tips welcome...thks


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## bikingdad90 (14 Jun 2022)

The solar array will certainly keep costs down. Are you going to level the floor before you fit the insulation? One thing we found between the existing house and the extension was that with a thin tile layer we could tell the difference in levels as the grouting wasn’t perfect.


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## CXRAndy (14 Jun 2022)

I will check the floor and if necessary use a flow screed self leveling compound. The tiles looked pretty good before we attacked them😁


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## CXRAndy (14 Jun 2022)

november4 said:


> Anyone got a steel bike? have a second hand shand and the frame exterior is pristine but the headstock looks weathered, so wondering if should spray something inside the frame regularly? any tips welcome...thks



You could use Dinitrol or Waxoyl to stop further corrosion. You could go and get the frame dipped to strip all corrosion then seal with above products


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## fossyant (15 Jun 2022)

Picked up a 'flat' yesterday. Traced the hole quite quickly. No thorns or anything, but I suspect the added 'anti-puncture strip' has caused it - it's the second time a tiny hole has appeared where the edge of the strip is, and you can see some wear on the tube. It's a soft finished strip, with a plastic membrane inside, so I was hoping this wouldn't cause issues, unlike more solid ones.

I ripped the tape out - still got the tape in the front as it's not subject to the same weight loading heavy panniers).


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## fossyant (15 Jun 2022)

november4 said:


> Anyone got a steel bike? have a second hand shand and the frame exterior is pristine but the headstock looks weathered, so wondering if should spray something inside the frame regularly? any tips welcome...thks



Give it a light clean then coat with some grease. All my frames have been sprayed inside with a mix of waxoyl, WD40, spray oil etc over the years - smells lovely when you take the bottom bracket out.


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Jun 2022)

I had an Apollo bike from one of my young cousins to work on at the end of last week. The brakes weren't working, the back wheel had a buckle, the rear derailleur had been bent and partially straightened and he wanted new handlebar grips fitted.

I started off servicing the wheel bearings where the bearing tracks were pretty good but the balls were dull and pitted so some new ones went in. The brakes are basic cable discs and I was expecting to find worn out pads but they look new so just needed setting up properly.

I thought retruing the back wheel was going to be a simple job but annoyingly one of the spokes broke while doing it. Fortunately I had one the correct length to hand so fitted that then detensioned the wheel and trued it from scratch, which I wish I'd done in the first place.

The rear derailleur was a bit of a mess but after dismantling it, cleaning everything, straightening the plates and replacing the cables it all works as it should. That then showed that the front derailleur wasn't brilliant - the cage is pretty worn and wouldn't shift to the small ring without touching the tyre, then at the opposite end the chain was jamming most times when trying to shift up to the big ring. I tried numerous different adjustments but in the end gave up and just bought a new one which works beautifully.

The grips were a bit long to go on with the grip shifters that are fitted but it was easy enough to trim them down and rearrange the controls. Hopefully I shall have a happy client.


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Jun 2022)

New rear disc pads fitted on hydraulics. Front okay for now but likely replace in next 4 weeks.


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## chriswoody (15 Jun 2022)

Well it's almost time for my annual trip away, so time to give the Kona a good fettle. First up was to drop the forks and clean and grease the lower headset bearings which had been feeling a little rough. I also checked the front wheel bearings whilst I was there and they seem all fine. 

Then it was on to the back and to finally change the cassette. Whilst they may be on the pricey side, these 1x cassettes are incredibly durable, my old one had done some crazy milage in the 6 years of its life and was finally at an end. I replaced like for like, so a 10 - 42 cassette, which is pretty much the max capicity of these Sram Rival derailleurs. I also changed the front chain ring to a 28 tooth one in preparation for my upcoming trip, the easiest way to get a nice low climbing gear. The 10 tooth sprocket means I'll still get a reasonable turn of speed on the flat, I also cut a new chain to fit and cleaned up the jockey wheels, so I've essentially got a complete new drivetrain on there now. 






Still to do is check the front wheel for alignment, it seems a little out of true, so I'll get it on the wheel jig and see. Also the rear bearings seem a little rough, they are a sealed cartridge bearing and I can't work out how to access them, so I need to do some research there.


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## Andy in Germany (15 Jun 2022)

fossyant said:


> Picked up a 'flat' yesterday. Traced the hole quite quickly. No thorns or anything, but I suspect the added 'anti-puncture strip' has caused it - it's the second time a tiny hole has appeared where the edge of the strip is, and you can see some wear on the tube. It's a soft finished strip, with a plastic membrane inside, so I was hoping this wouldn't cause issues, unlike more solid ones.
> 
> I ripped the tape out - still got the tape in the front as it's not subject to the same weight loading heavy panniers).



I've seen this occasionally in Marathon Plus tyres if the pressure was too low.


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## fossyant (15 Jun 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I've seen this occasionally in Marathon Plus tyres if the pressure was too low.



Its an aftermarket strip (Decathlon). Got them as my route was covered in Thorns in Autumn, but it seems the movement of tyre liner and tube eventually rubs the tube causing a tiny hole. They worked whilst fitted.


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## Andy in Germany (16 Jun 2022)

fossyant said:


> Its an aftermarket strip (Decathlon). Got them as my route was covered in Thorns in Autumn, but it seems the movement of tyre liner and tube eventually rubs the tube causing a tiny hole. They worked whilst fitted.



I used one of those for about a decade: I think I got away with it because I used a fairly wide MTB strip in narrow Michelin Wildgripper tyres at high pressure so it was forced around the inner tube. I remember going from 1-2 punctures a day (Hedge trimming season in Devon) to 1 puncture in 15 years...


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## Gwylan (16 Jun 2022)

Well, I've never been totally happy about the handling of Hercules, the electric steed.
Didn't seem to handle the way previous, conventional bikes did. Particularly in the area of effecting smooth, graceful turns.

Spent time wandering the backwaters of the ether looking for the answer.
Eventually settled on the handlebar geometry.
A few minutes with Allen keys and the bars were stripped. Why do you need 3 different size Allen keys to get things off the bars?

Careful measurements and checking followed. Then the angle grinder and took 30 mm off each end.

Get the burrs off, sand the surface and wipe over with solvent. Couple of coats of black spray paint to match the bars. Reassemble.

Amazing, to me result, much more comfortable and biddable bike.
I've put up with this for 18 months, should have done it sooner.


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## november4 (16 Jun 2022)

I am not sure if forum rules allow direct linking?

But I am really enjoying the bikespeeds youtube channel, learned heaps about bike maintenance


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## C R (16 Jun 2022)

A puncture, though not mine. Was out on my lunchtime ride and came across a rider having some trouble. His front tyre was going flat, his pump didn't seem to be working, and he had a patch kit, but no tyre levers. We had a look at the tyre and soon found the area where the leak was, so I lent him my levers but we couldn't find the hole in the tube no matter how we tried. I offered my spare tube, and kept his for repairing at home. 

Just had a look at the tube, and found the hole straight away . All patched and ready to go into my saddle bag.


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## 8mph (16 Jun 2022)

I resprayed an old Trek 7300fx frame. My first time using "Spray.Bike" paint and it's really easy to use.


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## 8mph (17 Jun 2022)

Started building this up last night, almost done now. Black bar tape and new drive chain are hopefully going on tomorrow. Its not shifting up to the biggest chain ring, which is problem I've encountered before but can't remember the remedy, maybe the new crankset will work better. This is my first alloy frame build and with 42mm tyres it feels comfy enough to me.


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## Gunk (18 Jun 2022)

Sometimes it just can be a lack of compatibility between the brifter and the front mech, the brifter just doesn’t pull the cable far enough, I’ve had this problem with a Sora brifter, replaced the front mech for Sora and it worked perfectly.


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## 8mph (18 Jun 2022)

Gunk said:


> Sometimes it just can be a lack of compatibility between the brifter and the front mech, the brifter just doesn’t pull the cable far enough, I’ve had this problem with a Sora brifter, replaced the front mech for Sora and it worked perfectly.



Yes,I realised last night that it's a mtb top pull mech, I'll set it up with a flat bar for now.


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## geocycle (18 Jun 2022)

Removed congealed tyre sealant and mud mixture from underside of mudguard. Then began process of replacing tubeless tyre as was fed up with holes reopening and the worrying escape of air. New tyre is currently being stretched by an inner tube, later in the week will remove the tube and attempt to seat it. Spare wheel with tubed tyre fitted For tomorrows ride.


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## roubaixtuesday (18 Jun 2022)

My most hated job: rear mudguard replacement. 

Actually went surprisingly well, just 80 minutes and only one frame thread stripped :-(


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## Andy in Germany (18 Jun 2022)

roubaixtuesday said:


> My most hated job: rear mudguard replacement.
> 
> Actually went surprisingly well, just 80 minutes and only one frame thread stripped :-(



Why do you need to replace a mudguard?


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## TheDoctor (18 Jun 2022)

Fixed a slow visitation on the back of the Brommie. I may need a new set of tyres soon, after a mere 11 years. Or I could just do the rear.


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## roubaixtuesday (18 Jun 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Why do you need to replace a mudguard?



This time: the hanger thingy at the bridge had worn away the mudguard so it was loose and rattled incessantly. 

The front one broke at a stay about 18 months ago, I finally got round to replacing that about 6 months ago and this one has been waiting on the shelf for me to get round to it since.


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## GeekDadZoid (18 Jun 2022)

Picked this up today, so started to fettle.

Fitted a new shifter cable as the old one was seized and rebuilt the shifter. Started to make a list of what's needed.


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## Andy in Germany (18 Jun 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Picked this up today, so started to fettle.
> 
> Fitted a new shifter cable as the old one was seized and rebuilt the shifter. Started to make a list of what's needed.
> 
> View attachment 649458



I must confess to some minor bike envy there...


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## DCLane (18 Jun 2022)

Spent a bit of time today setting son no. 2's race / spare bikes up for tomorrow's Junior CiCLE Classic in Melton Mowbray.

Mostly basic fettling as we've done some wheel swaps - he's racing on his BeOne Raw training bike but using his 3T Mercurio race tub wheels. His Cervelo S3's going as a 'spare' bike with a pair of Novatec clinchers. Sealant into the tubs, which we don't normally do, plus five spare wheels all packed. But if he needs wheel changes he'll already be out the back of the race.


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## GeekDadZoid (18 Jun 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I must confess to some minor bike envy there...



I have been after one for a while now, only cost me £50, plus it was about 1.5km from my house so me and my youngest walked there and rode bike, he loved it.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/wKNAZ5QRHL6TCEVT6


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## Gunk (19 Jun 2022)

Changed a clutch cable on my motorcycle, I was determined not to remove the fuel tank and in the end managed to get it all fitted. Pig of a job though.


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## HLaB (19 Jun 2022)

Recabled (inners and outers, brakes and gears) then re-taped the drop bar commuter. Except the rear derailleur outer, it was seized into the rear mech  (The bike was serviced regularly until 3 years ago, during my chemo my mate stored it in his basement)


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## 8mph (20 Jun 2022)

Finished building up a Trek 7300 fx, complete with dynamo light and USB.

I've fitted a new drive chain, including a 42/34/22 crankset, which is too small according to my cycling buddy, I think holding back on the junk miles will pay off by day 4 of a tour.


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## Willd (20 Jun 2022)

Repositioned all 4 brake blocks slightly, so the rest of the rims wear out a bit more evenly. Not sure how long blocks last, but they've done over 5,500 miles now and I can still do stoppies


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## Zigzak789 (22 Jun 2022)

Had a go a truing some wheels for the first time as they had a slight wobble, watched a few YouTube videos and managed to straighten them out quite well, another bit of maintenance I'd always tried to avoid which isn't as difficult as first seems (they're by no means perfect but better than before and no more brake rub!)


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## Dogtrousers (23 Jun 2022)

A reminder to always wear a helmet when fettling.

Last night I took the pedals off my bike. One was pretty tight and when the thread let go my head jerked forward and hit something, not sure what, resulting in a gash in my scalp just above the hairline.

A reminder of how dangerous cycling can be.


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## Andy in Germany (23 Jun 2022)

This bike:






Thankfully it didn't take much.

I may have taken a bit longer than usual on the "test ride"...


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## Scotchlovingcylist (23 Jun 2022)

Fitted some Clarks V brakes to sprogs bike.
It's a proper kids Smyths special but not a bad bike to be fair and she loves it, single speed so not much to go wrong.
Now she's riding with me on roads though I want her to be able to stop properly and the bso brakes on it were like cheese.


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## Hacienda71 (23 Jun 2022)

Just finished changing the freehub bearings on a Fulcrum wheel. It had gone dark by the time I had completed the job. Never that keen changing bearings but it sounded like there was a song thrush in the drive train so I just got on with it. Fingers crossed for a quiet commute. 🤞


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## 8mph (24 Jun 2022)

Tried fitting a 118mm BB to the new tourer but there's not enough space for the FD to change down, so I've fitted a spare 120mm Octalink BB and crankset.


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## roubaixtuesday (24 Jun 2022)

Commuter has a broken spoke. 

So... last night after ride swapped wheel off nice bike to commuter so I can take the wheel to LBS.

Then removed the wheel as the tyre's a 28 and didn't fit under the commuter mudguard.

Then removed cassette from commuter and fitted to a spare wheel I have. 

Then swapped tyre and inner tube to the spare wheel. That wheel has a slightly deeper rim. Is the valve long enough? Yes, methinks. 

Pump up tyre. But the pump had can't quite get on enough, only get 20psi in. Remove inner tube. 

Search all spare inner tubes on various bikes for a longer valve. Resign myself to removing the inner tube from nice bike tyre, then finally locate one. 

Fit new inner tube, to spare, fit to bike, bingo. 

If I wasn't such a div I'd have done the right thing first time in 5 minutes. 

I think I need to learn how to fit spokes and true wheels.


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## DCLane (24 Jun 2022)

Crankset swaps between son no. 2's Argon TT bike and his BeOne road bike after we forgot yesterday's national TT would be under UCI restrictions, together with saddle and gear adjustments.

All sorted, with cranksets swapped back today, but a pain.

It'll be irrelevant from Jan 1st as all Junior restrictions are going.


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## bikingdad90 (24 Jun 2022)

New en-suite bathroom door handles fitted. Bit of a pain as new handle required new holes for screws and the lock mechanism has poor tolerances between parts. Not 100% happy but good enough.


----------



## HLaB (25 Jun 2022)

It was actually yesterday now that I started, but my internally routed gear cable on the TT bike snapped Thursday night. The last time it happened it was just a 20 min job slipping a new wire into the internal outers. This time however, the inner cable had jammed and to un jam it, I ended up having to remove the outers too, which makes it a right pain. After removing the fork/ bars to get more holes for fingers, light etc and using old cable inners and outers as a sacrificial guide I eventually got it done. Maybe I should squeeze in a test ride to check it's all back together right before I actually race on it.


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## geocycle (25 Jun 2022)

Failed fettle. Replaced, or tried to replace the tubeless Schwalbe pro one on the back wheel with a more robust Schwalbe one. Did all the same tricks as before ( stretched with a tube, blast from Joe blow air shot, soap, valve core out….) but the stiffer Schwalbe one would not seat. Will run it with a tube and maybe try again In a few weeks.


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## 8mph (25 Jun 2022)

An hour sewing up the Karrimor panniers and lots of prepping to get the bike tour ready.


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## Mike_P (25 Jun 2022)

Annoying creak on the eBike so with a new 36mm spanner I set about dismantling the chain ring but could not shift the huge nut holding it to the motor. Eventually discovered the nut is reverse threaded
Three of the nuts for the chain ring bolts were locked solid in the spider and needed a gentle whack with a hammer to shift them so I suspecting/hoping they might have been the source of the creak. Everything fully cleared and greased on the refit.


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## bikingdad90 (25 Jun 2022)

A hamster cage has been built for the arrival of the family pet… Syrian hamster called Bob.


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## GeekDadZoid (26 Jun 2022)

Not really a fettle more of a fettle needed. 

Started my Sunday ride this morning with gusto, planning 65km in North Cheshire. About 13km in I heard a ping and stopped to see I had broken a spoke. I had hit some pretty poor road surfaces so think that must have been the cause. 

Wheel was pulled out of true enough to make onward journey not possible. I could had muddled home, but not wanting to damage my wheel ahead of the Manchester to Blackpool I was picked up by my wife. 

I'll get this booked in for a replacement and true at the LBS. But also noticed the tyres have got some crack in them, these are less than 6 months old ones from Halfords 😥


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## bikingdad90 (26 Jun 2022)

@GeekDadZoid is it down to the broken spoke the cone cap has been pulled out of the hub?


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## GeekDadZoid (26 Jun 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @GeekDadZoid is it down to the broken spoke the cone cap has been pulled out of the hub?



The cone cap was caused by me faffing. It's only a rubber one so it doesn't stay in place very well. More of a cosmetic thing.


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## Andy in Germany (26 Jun 2022)

Dismantled a bike for the spare parts because apart from the dud Sram hub above, it was a reasonably specced bike.


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## GeekDadZoid (26 Jun 2022)

Now wondering if I should just buy a new wheel like this. 36 spokes should make for a much stronger wheel, the one I was using today is only 28. 

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/wheelsw...black-single-walled-with-black-quick-release/


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## roubaixtuesday (26 Jun 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Now wondering if I should just buy a new wheel like this. 36 spokes should make for a much stronger wheel, the one I was using today is only 28.
> 
> https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/wheelsw...black-single-walled-with-black-quick-release/



If it were me I'd do both: buy the stronger wheel but get the other one fixed so you've a spare.


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## GeekDadZoid (26 Jun 2022)

roubaixtuesday said:


> If it were me I'd do both: buy the stronger wheel but get the other one fixed so you've a spare.



Oh yes I should have said that. I will do that. I do have a spare wheel but I have been having a nightmare with 8 speed freewheels so might have to get a 7 speed one for it.


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## geocycle (26 Jun 2022)

Decided to fit a tube to tubeless Schwalbe one to help it seat. Put it on bike and it fouled the mudguard, the pro one it replaced was fine. Both 28mm. Grrr.


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## GeekDadZoid (26 Jun 2022)

Spare wheel fitted on the bike and a quick whizz around the block to test. Will be able to get my ride in one evening this week, this was due to be the last one before my Manchester to Blackpool ride. So a few days later is no issue, I'll still be commuting too. 

Also fitted some stabilisers on my 4 year olds bike. He really wants to ride and is far too nervous to use a two wheeled bike, much like his older brother was. We have tried with a balance bike but he will only ride his trike which is heavily and small.


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## HLaB (26 Jun 2022)

I bought a 11sp chain for the commuter a few weeks ago but something in the drive train of the gravel bike today was clicking if I didn't pedal uniformly. I cant see anything obviously wrong with the bb/chain rings/ cassette so I used the spare chain on it. Hopefully that solves it, if not I'll have to start changing the others, starting with the cassette. I really should take it for a test run but I am stuck on the couch now 🙄

Edit: that's the first time I have never had to shorten a new chain before using it (using the old one as a guide).


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## Gunk (26 Jun 2022)

I cleaned the drivers seat on Mrs Gunks Golf GTD, after 7 years and over 100,000 miles it was looking a bit grubby, two cleans with Vanish and a damp sponge really worked, it virtually looks the same as the passenger seat now. Next job is to get the worn bolster reupholstered, After a very long search I’ve tracked down the correct fabric from a UK supplier.


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## T4tomo (26 Jun 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Spare wheel fitted on the bike and a quick whizz around the block to test. Will be able to get my ride in one evening this week, this was due to be the last one before my Manchester to Blackpool ride. So a few days later is no issue, I'll still be commuting too.
> 
> Also fitted some stabilisers on my 4 year olds bike. He really wants to ride and is far too nervous to use a two wheeled bike, much like his older brother was. We have tried with a balance bike but he will only ride his trike which is heavily and small.



Take the stabilisers off, take the pedals off, lower the seat enough so he can use it like a balance bike. 

In a while put the pedal back on and he will just ride it. 

All stabilisers do is teach a child to not balance a bike.


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## GeekDadZoid (27 Jun 2022)

T4tomo said:


> Take the stabilisers off, take the pedals off, lower the seat enough so he can use it like a balance bike.
> 
> In a while put the pedal back on and he will just ride it.
> 
> All stabilisers do is teach a child to not balance a bike.



I know this is the recommended way and the way we have been trying for the last 2 years. But like his older brother we didnt have any joy. What we did with his brother was let him spend a year on stablisers and then went back and did the pedal off trick. Within 15 mins he was riding with pedals.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (27 Jun 2022)

Bar ends fitted to the mtb ready for next week's C2C (rail strikes permitting). Bike is comfortable on longer rides but wrists were in bits the other week, hopefully these will help a bit, especially on the climbs.


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## Tenkaykev (28 Jun 2022)

Today I’ve been removing the rack from a Brompton. I fitted the rack several years ago but it only got used as a rack a couple of times.


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## Cycleops (29 Jun 2022)

One of the local lads brought me this. He'd fallen off and those footpeg things had taken the force and did this to the axle. I think the wheel might have been loose in the dropout.









It's a 24" wheel with like 46 spokes so no chance of finding a replacement hub. My local bike repairer friend had a steel rim wheel for £6 so that was pressed into service.
He's decided not to replace the foot pegs .


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jun 2022)

Spent far longer than should be necessary wrestling with a very basic Shimano "SIS" front mech to force it to change somewhat accurately. On the same bike I replaced the brake blocks and had another battle with the cheap no name brakes. I have this old fashioned idea that on V-Brakes _both _sides should move, a concept that apparently hasn't reached the manufacturer.
This afternoon will hopefully be the grand storeroom clear out stage 1; I'll try to take a "before" and "after" pic.


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## chriswoody (29 Jun 2022)

Front wheel on the Kona was out of true, probably a result of some over enthusiastic off-roading the other week! So I sat in the sun and trued it back up on my home made truing stand.

Also fitted some new pedals to my son's bike and whilst the copper grease was out, whipped the pedals off the Kona as well and cleaned the threads, before re-greasing and reassembling.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jun 2022)

chriswoody said:


> Front wheel on the Kona was out of true, probably a result of some over enthusiastic off-roading the other week! So I sat in the sun and trued it back up on my home made truing stand.
> 
> Also fitted some new pedals to my son's bike and whilst the copper grease was out, whipped the pedals off the Kona as well and cleaned the threads, before re-greasing and reassembling.
> 
> View attachment 650856



Classy truing stand there.


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## chriswoody (29 Jun 2022)

Thanks @Andy in Germany . It's made from offcuts of wood I had lying around using the plans in Roger Musson's Wheel building book. Its fully adjustable for a range of wheel sizes as well, it's not quite precise enough for professional use, being as I used quite soft pine, but for me its fine.


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## Elybazza61 (29 Jun 2022)

Far too long swearing and cursing fixing a puncture on a Gazelle


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jun 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Far too long swearing and cursing fixing a puncture on a Gazelle



If it helps, I decided the tyres on an oldish used MTB were a bit worn, so I dropped the back wheel, removed tyre, and tried to put a replacement on only to realise I was trying to fit a 26" tyre on a 29" wheel.

In my defence the bike looked like a 90's model (21 gears, old style rapidfire shifters, and V-Brakes) but even so...


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## pawl (29 Jun 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Far too long swearing and cursing fixing a puncture on a Gazelle


I’ll bet the Gazelle wasn’t to happy Thought Gazelles had hooves


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## Cycleops (29 Jun 2022)

speedfreak said:


> Bar ends fitted to the mtb ready for next week's C2C (rail strikes permitting). Bike is comfortable on longer rides but wrists were in bits the other week, hopefully these will help a bit, especially on the climbs.


A Rockhopper. Is that model still going? I remember buying one of those, it was one of the first mountain bikes in the U.K. in about 1985.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jun 2022)

pawl said:


> I’ll bet the Gazelle wasn’t to happy Thought Gazelles had hooves



He hasn't caught it yet, wait until he gets a hold and then the cursing will _really _start.


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## GeekDadZoid (30 Jun 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Far too long swearing and cursing fixing a puncture on a Gazelle



Hardest puncture I ever had to fix was on a rod actuated drum brake gazelle, proper faff. 

So I hopefully have a wheel incoming for the Mailstar, so I thought I would try rebuilding the original wheel as a test / learning process. 

Pretty happy with the result, I made some mistakes but I think it will ride fine.


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## Scotchlovingcylist (30 Jun 2022)

Cycleops said:


> A Rockhopper. Is that model still going? I remember buying one of those, it was one of the first mountain bikes in the U.K. in about 1985.



It is indeed. Think mine is a 2014 model, it never hops rocks nowadays though so has become my 'do it all' bike.
Not sure what the current line up looks but think they are still on the go.


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## Andy in Germany (30 Jun 2022)

First attempt to set a mechanical disk brake. Thank goodness for GCN's instructional videos.

I think it worked, although it's a rather elderly version and was pretty cheap to start with...


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## Andy in Germany (30 Jun 2022)

Poo. Went to change inner tube on bike's front wheel from Car to Dutch, to match back wheel. Inner tube cupboard a mess. Threw away all "slime" tubes and unknown or freaks, then sorted remainder into size/valves.

There aren't any 26" Dutch valves, but there are plenty of car valves, so not I'll take the back wheel off and change that to a car valve then put the tube I'd removed from the front back in...


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## Scotchlovingcylist (30 Jun 2022)

Not me but local tuners have fettled another 60bhp into my cars engine.
If only they did remaps for thighs and calves.....


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## T4tomo (30 Jun 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Hardest puncture I ever had to fix was on a rod actuated drum brake gazelle, proper faff.
> 
> So I hopefully have a wheel incoming for the Mailstar, so I thought I would try rebuilding the original wheel as a test / learning process.
> 
> ...



Good job, it looks pretty strong as its supporting the trampoline's weight....


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## Andy in Germany (30 Jun 2022)

This ugly duckling.


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## GeekDadZoid (30 Jun 2022)

Made a start on repairing the mudgaurds which mostly involved fitting a flap to cover the damage.

Also gave the wheel a test ride.


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## HLaB (30 Jun 2022)

Not sure if tonight counts as a fettling effort. After my training sprints the other day the chain started making a bit of a ting. It was only November that everything was replaced including the BB and I'd replaced the chain after winter. Every shifts fine, there's no slip and it doesn't feel like there's any resistance just an annoying ting, ting under strain. I ordered a new chain anyway. 

I just went to fit the new chain but before I did I got the notion to check the old one with the Park chain checker. It wasn't even 0.75% worn. I tried practically every link and it was the same story so the new chain and the cassette that in the post will be spares 

Tomorrow night I'll give the chain a bit of a clean and lube


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## Mandobob (1 Jul 2022)

Fitted a Cyclo Benelux Super 60 rear derailleur to my Falcon Club Special. Installed cable and cut chain to length and installed. Adjusted derailleur limit screws to suit. Large glass of red wine followed at 6pm.


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## DCBassman (1 Jul 2022)

Well, everything, really!

*Scott*: swap rear tyre for a 25 as the 28 was starting to touch the seat tube with the slightest amount of mud.

*Trek*: fit new rear gear cable to try and fix the weird shifting issues. Absolutely no joy whatever. Eventually removed the RD, an Alivio RD-M4000, and swapped it for the 22-year-old Altus that originally came off my Trek 800 Sport. Few tweaks, perfect. That's a 7-speed RD running 9-speed with no issues.
Other bits and bobs taken off, ready to sell.

Then *Scott* again, fit and tweak the Alivio from the Trek. Seems fine, if not swap back to the original Sora with Wolf Tooth.

*Marin*: Basically a going over to make sure it works, and to remove extraneous parts. Dork disc removed itself, UV-rotten. Removed cages and toe straps from pedals. Remove extraneous front reflector. Tweaked front cones.Tweaked read canti. Damn, I'd forgotten what a pain they can be. Flooded both shifters with GT85 as neither was ratcheting correctly. Instant fix. Pumped tyres up fully, no big bangs!
A very tiring day, puctuated by totally unforecast showers. Grrrr...


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## Sallar55 (1 Jul 2022)

Rush job this morning, new 13s chain for the gravel bike. Took longer than expected as I had to clean the crap off the bike. Bike test round some gravel forest roads and single-track at Aberfoyle.


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## bikingdad90 (2 Jul 2022)

Non bike related… 
Made this for the kids… 






Also changed the latch on the garden gate as the previous one had life expired and rusted from the inside.


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## bikingdad90 (3 Jul 2022)

@Andy in Germany, it was a nice little build. Took a pallet apart and cut the slats down to size with a circular saw and then screwed everything together. The kitchen sink was reclaimed from my in-laws as they’ve just got a new kitchen. Not bad for a £0.00 build!


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## iandg (5 Jul 2022)

More work on the HB. Converted to riser bars last week, today I swapped the 28c tyres for 25c (mudguard clearance), swapped the single sided SPDs for platform/SPD combo and added mudguards and carrier. Jury's out on the saddle - may need something a bit wider at the rear.


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## Gwylan (5 Jul 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> New en-suite bathroom door handles fitted. Bit of a pain as new handle required new holes for screws and the lock mechanism has poor tolerances between parts. Not 100% happy but good enough.



Where do they go on a bike?

Or is it a cycling euphemism?


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## Gwylan (5 Jul 2022)

Discovered that kicking the mudguard didn't stop the noise if something rubbing. 
Did learn that if I kicked the mudguard whilst in motion that it was the wheel that moved. Ever so slightly. 

Erm? 

Wheels have a "security key" aimed at stopping Johnny Scroat thinking he can have my wheels away 
Just have to find the magic key for the relevant nut and tighten things up. Or carry on doing the kick in motion. A demanding and subtle adjustment


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## dave r (5 Jul 2022)

iandg said:


> More work on the HB. Converted to riser bars last week, today I swapped the 28c tyres for 25c, swapped the single sided SPDs for platform/SPD combo and added mudguards and carrier. Jury's out on the saddle - may need something a bit wider at the rear.
> 
> View attachment 651606




That looks nice.


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## bikingdad90 (5 Jul 2022)

@Gwylan afraid it isn’t. The little turner on the door lock went from flush to out by 5mm every time you locked the door. Was and still is driving me crazy!! It works though with no binding so will leave it.


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## biggs682 (6 Jul 2022)

My fettling this week so far has been swapping seat posts about , changing saddles , dropping forks out checking for frame numbers oh and swapping pedals .

@iandg i like the HB


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## Andy in Germany (6 Jul 2022)

Currently sorting a shedload of spokes as part of The Great Workshop Clearout.


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## ColinJ (6 Jul 2022)

I got caught out in a shower today. I was descending a 5% hill at a reasonably quick rate and went to brake before a t-junction ahead which I needed to stop at. I discovered that I only had about 1/3 of my usual wet-weather brake power! 

Not a problem in this case, but something that definitely needed sorting out ASAP. I go a lot faster than that, down hills a lot steeper than that, so I need reliable brakes! 

When I got home I soaked an old kitchen scouring pad in citric degreaser and scrubbed the braking surfaces of both wheel rims. Sure enough, they were pretty greasy so a lot of black stuff came off. I then hosed the degreaser off. 

The brakes work properly again now!


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## Andy in Germany (7 Jul 2022)

First thing on arriving at work today: put my bike on the stand and swapped the wheel cassette and chain.

Finally the gears no longer sound like a bag of gravel.


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## fossyant (9 Jul 2022)

Not much. Gave this old thing an AutoGlym Super Resin polish and a bit of chain oil.

Never allowed to be dirty after a ride (washed), but needed a polish and a good check of the 32 year old chrome. All shiney. 

Out today on it, and next three days.


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## HLaB (11 Jul 2022)

I fitted a new chain to gravel bike a few weeks ago but the twice I have ridden it it's not felt right so a new cassette was fitted today. Surprisingly the Thruaxle and the old cassette which has been on there a year came of quite smoothly and it was a quick clean job. Except I forgot to get grease for the new lockring so it just got wet lube in there just now


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## ColinJ (12 Jul 2022)

This is not so much 'fettling', as changing the way I do things...

I use my singlespeed bike to go to the local shops. No rack on it, so I carry my shopping in a rucksack. I also carry a huge great D-lock. I didn't trust the flimsy and rattly frame mount for the lock so I normally carry the lock in the rucksack too. Three problems with that...

The lock is very heavy so a heavy bag of shopping becomes even heavier.
The lock tends to squash delicate shopping like bananas!
It occurred to me today that if I crashed the bike on the way to the shops and landed on my back, having a D-lock shoved into my spine probably wouldn't be great! 
I thought it was time to think up a better solution. After a bit of experimenting I came up with this. I'm very pleased - I just have to carry a bungee cord to secure the lock. The lock is held very securely, does not rattle, doesn't get in the way, and is very quick to fix in place or remove from the bike. 






PS Yes - I have non-matching bottle cages! I was hard up when I built the bike and used whatever I had lying around. I will probably buy another silver one.



ColinJ said:


> I got caught out in a shower today. I was descending a 5% hill at a reasonably quick rate and went to brake before a t-junction ahead which I needed to stop at. I discovered that I only had about 1/3 of my usual wet-weather brake power!
> 
> Not a problem in this case, but something that definitely needed sorting out ASAP. I go a lot faster than that, down hills a lot steeper than that, so I need reliable brakes!
> 
> ...



I did the same for my best bike today. It was a while since I had cleaned the rims and they were looking a bit grubby too.


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## ColinJ (12 Jul 2022)

After looking at the photo, I realised that the bottom of the lock was rubbing on the down tube so I moved it up a few cms to the top of the silver cage. Perfect!


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## ColinJ (12 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> After looking at the photo, I realised that the bottom of the lock was rubbing on the down tube so I moved it up a few cms to the top of the silver cage. Perfect!


Unless descending quickly on Todmorden's rough roads that is... Or, worse still, whizzing along cobbled Water Street! 








Yes, my test shopping trip _DID _still manage to cause a few lock rattles. I decided that I would have a look for some pipe lagging when I got home and use that to wrap the lock's shackle. I walked into my kitchen with the bike and there was a suitable piece of lagging right in front of me!

I thought to myself that I must go out for another test ride some time...

That turned out to be 1 minute later when I realised that I was no longer in possession of the debit card that I had used at Lidl!!! 

I sprinted back there on the now much quieter bike. No card. I went everywhere else that I had just been. No sign of it. I've just been online to cancel it and there have been no dodgy withdrawals. Bloody annoying though - this was the first time that I carried the card by itself in the (zipped) pocket of my shorts. Normally it would be in my wallet, but that is a bit big for a tight pocket. I'll go back to carrying the wallet in a zipped pocket on my rucksack! Now I will have to see if I can persuade the Halifax to give me some cash to tide me over until the replacement card comes.

I'll probably find the card somewhere stupid in 5 minutes time. Down one of my socks, in the fridge or some other equally unlikely place...


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## Andy in Germany (13 Jul 2022)

Finally defeated a touring bike today. It was being thoroughly awkward and the brakes in particular seemed to either drag or be really sloppy. After all that I took it out for a test ride and realised the chain was even more worn than I thought and had done its worst on the cassette so I changed those too; this seems to be a common job so I'll get a couple of extra cassettes and chains when I next make an order.


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## Andy in Germany (14 Jul 2022)

This morning was a nice Dutch bike that is now fixed apart from something funky happening in the Sachs hub gears at the back end; that's waiting until I can figure out hope to solve the problem.

After that I sorted out a rather nice 24" wheel kid's bike, and was about to put it out for sale when I felt the back wheel wobble as it touched the floor.
Note to self, follow the checklist and check wheels before sorting the gears out.
Wheel now tightened, bike ready for sale. It'll be priced at 175 € as a new one is about 350 €...
WHile in the sales room I noticed another bike has dodgy tyres so that will have to come into the workshop later.


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## DCLane (14 Jul 2022)

Son no. 2's Carlton Corsa fixie conversion is looking a bit worse for wear. Not sure why but it's had a bit of use. The orange tyres are cracked and the paint's got quite a few chips.

So, we've got a pair of new 25mm orange WTB tyres and fitted those since the pair of orange 25mm Tannus Aether tyres I picked up for £10 collected just wouldn't go on the rim.

I've dismantled the frame and will put the half-link chain into the parts washer before re-fitting it. The frame's been masked and will get a paint tidy up and laquer before being put back together. The orange cranks and pedals have some chips so they'll be touched up with orange Humbrol.

Paint being done today/tomorrow with laquer over the next few days. Then re-assembly and it _should _be OK for him using at university. The idea is that a bike which looks distinctive is less likely to be stolen and easier to find if it is. Solid tyres would have helped with maintenance but since they wouldn't fit we've had to run with standard clinchers and tubes.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (14 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> This morning was a nice Dutch bike that is now fixed apart from something funky happening in the Sachs hub gears at the back end; that's waiting until I can figure out hope to solve the problem.
> 
> After that I sorted out a rather nice 24" wheel kid's bike, and was about to put it out for sale when I felt the back wheel wobble as it touched the floor.
> Note to self, follow the checklist and check wheels before sorting the gears out.
> ...



Just out of interest what was the kid's bike at that price? Other than Frog and Isla bikes here I rarely see any sell used for more than £50 no matter the original price.


----------



## Andy in Germany (14 Jul 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Just out of interest what was the kid's bike at that price? Other than Frog and Isla bikes here I rarely see any sell used for more than £50 no matter the original price.



It's a Moxon Rocket like this one, in near mint condition.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (14 Jul 2022)

Replaced front disc pads, new tyres front and rear, new chain idlers. I have a mirror to fit on left (to detect foreign riders trying to overtake that side on LEL) , and new seat mesh and foam seat to fit to recumbent ahead of London Edinburgh London. I’ll do that next week. Then no more fettling other than lube on chain, till after event.


----------



## cyberknight (14 Jul 2022)

I have been working on spraying a set of forks i had that were tatty but sound as the ones i had one one bike had been cut down for a slam that stem look and i needed a shortened flipped stem to make it work.
A few layers of matt black car paint sanded down with 1200 paper between coats then a couple of coats of laquer to seal it all in.Fitted to the bike and the ride feels a lot nicer


----------



## Big John (14 Jul 2022)

iandg said:


> More work on the HB. Converted to riser bars last week, today I swapped the 28c tyres for 25c (mudguard clearance), swapped the single sided SPDs for platform/SPD combo and added mudguards and carrier. Jury's out on the saddle - may need something a bit wider at the rear.
> 
> View attachment 651606



Apologies for late comment but only just spotted this post. I was shocked to see one of John Burton's works of art 👍. I'm not sure how much you know about Henry Burton bikes but in Stafford there are an awful lot around the town. Henry was John's dad but John Burton is the shop owner and its proper 'old school'. His main claim to fame is building bikes to the customers specifications. I've watched him in the workshop as I've been chatting to him and his attention to detail is borderline OCD lol. His pride and joy is a photo of himself with Mr Shimano. He's an ex first cat road racer and the older he gets the faster he was 😉. He's a character for sure and I've spent many years riding in his company. Excellent choice of bike! 👍


----------



## fossyant (14 Jul 2022)

Full on bodge. Big paperclip to hold the pannier stay away fron the axel/spokes to get home after the rack snapped this morning. Bumpy canal commute. Oh, and both sides were fully loaded - made a right racket going home. Lost 3-4 minutes over 13 miles on the canal. Paperclip is wrapped round one of the guard stays !


----------



## GeekDadZoid (14 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> It's a Moxon Rocket like this one, in near mint condition.



That's a smart bike that. I can't see many kids / teens here riding around with a rack.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (14 Jul 2022)

I mentioned on the auction thread that my mate was looking to get a Birdy and missed out on the one in Nottingham as it sold for £450 ish including fees. Anyway that same day I found this for him on Facebook for £80.

He was a bit worried about riding it before having it checked over so he brought it round tonight and we did a few jobs. He had already bought new tyres and tubes so we fitted them, all the cables where in as new condition, it must have been serviced not long before it had been put away. The read derailleur needed the limit screws tweaking and it needs new brake pads as they have gone shiny, I didn't have any in my stock, well I had some used holders and new pads but my mate is fussy. 

We put a list together of upgrades he wants to do including new handle bars to give him a little more hight on the front, replace the pedals as they are flat/spd combos, new saddle and sole cosmetic work, we also need to investigate mudguards.

We also need to work out what options we have for shifters as he hates the grip shift. 

We then went for a KM or so test ride I got it up to 30km ish and it felt nice and stable with nothing other than the poor braking causing problems. 

Realistically he should be on the road in a few days for sub £200. Bargain I think. 

He already has an electric brompton so this is to be his winter commuter bike, he does a mix car / bike commute so this will be ideal.


----------



## iandg (15 Jul 2022)

Big John said:


> Apologies for late comment but only just spotted this post. I was shocked to see one of John Burton's works of art 👍. I'm not sure how much you know about Henry Burton bikes but in Stafford there are an awful lot around the town. Henry was John's dad but John Burton is the shop owner and its proper 'old school'. His main claim to fame is building bikes to the customers specifications. I've watched him in the workshop as I've been chatting to him and his attention to detail is borderline OCD lol. His pride and joy is a photo of himself with Mr Shimano. He's an ex first cat road racer and the older he gets the faster he was 😉. He's a character for sure and I've spent many years riding in his company. Excellent choice of bike! 👍



I know John well, grew up in Stafford and worked in the shop on and off from 1979-1984 and John was my mentor when I raced 😉

Frame not HB built but from the period where John buys bare frames and has them sprayed and badged

I did race on a Charlie Bettley built HB in the early 80s


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Jul 2022)

Added mirror on left side of recumbent


----------



## RoubaixCube (16 Jul 2022)

I think it's about time for this one to go. Been on the bike since I first bought it new in 2016. Everything still shifts and runs absolutely fine though.

Does one also change the chain and cassette when changing chainrings? Parktool tells me my chain still has a fair amount of life left.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Jul 2022)

Marin Pine Mountain day. 
Really only basics, but a lot of it. New tyres and tubes. Clean. Clean some more. Remove jockey wheels and clean Rd. Apply a little grease under the plates of the jockeys. They look fairly new. 
Adjust rear canti. I do not like fiddling with these. Front brake blocks are in backwards, so remove and replace properly. More fiddling. More cleaning. 
Chain and cassette are pretty knackered. After consulting specs for Rd-M737, order new chain and 11-32t cassette, the max specified. Could probably go 34 but probably overkill with the small chainset. 
One Big problem is that this freehub has little depth to get the cassette removal tool seated, and my tool is a bit worn...


----------



## DCBassman (16 Jul 2022)

Other musings: all the trouble I had getting the gears working on the Trek Navigator have transferred to the Scott. There's something wrong with the fancy-dancy Alivio RD-M4000.
I weighed the Pine Mountain when I'd finished playing today. 10.79kg. That's just 150g heavier than the Scott roadie. If I'd weighed it with the Spesh Fatboys on, there would likely have been even less of a difference, if any.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (16 Jul 2022)

Needed to at least try to stop the cacophony that using the front brakes on the tandem brings, before going up (and more pertinently, down) the Swiss alps on it next week. 

Trip to bike shop to buy new blocks and discuss the necromancy of squeal silencing. Then endless farking about with the front cantis on the tandem which are a total PITA to set up. 

Suddenly remembered half way through that I needed to replace a brake bulb on the car, so abandoned tandem unfinished. Endless farking about, racing to spare parts shops on bike before they closed, swearing, finding the rear lights weren't working either, more swearing, swapping around bulbs and bulb holders, more swearing, eventually car with 6/8 working rear bulbs and all brake lights working. Need new bulb holders now. Back to the tandem...

Set up cantis, decide blocks too close to tyres, re set up, repeat 4x. Eventually all is well AND THE SQUEAL HAS STOPPED!!

Praise be. Hilly ride planned early tomorrow before the heat hits. Let's see if the cacophony returns.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (16 Jul 2022)

I am loosing access to some free storage at the end of the month. So spent all day today going through the first load I brought back to see what I want to keep, want to sell and want to bin. The most important thing is I don't want to impact my bike storage.

It's amazing the amount of stuff I have accumulated, I am into hobby electronics and amateur radio so most of it is in that vein. I also bought between a friend and myself the entire remaining stock of one of the local maplins on its last day. 

Successful so far and just given the Holdsworth a quick check before a ride tomorrow, this is the first one on that bike since last Sunday's Manchester to Blackpool ride.


----------



## DCBassman (17 Jul 2022)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Needed to at least try to stop the cacophony that using the front brakes on the tandem brings, before going up (and more pertinently, down) the Swiss alps on it next week.
> 
> Trip to bike shop to buy new blocks and discuss the necromancy of squeal silencing. Then endless farking about with the front cantis on the tandem which are a total PITA to set up.
> 
> ...


I feel your pain. I also really don't like cantis (those were not the words I was thinking of using). V-brake conversion it is, then.


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## Andy in Germany (17 Jul 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> That's a smart bike that. I can't see many kids / teens here riding around with a rack.



Bikes tend to be used as a way to get to school at that age, so racks are common. Also to be road legal it needs dynamo lighting, and hub dynamos are pretty common these days.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (17 Jul 2022)

Cleaned the Brompton drive train once it got to a more reasonable temperature, well it still reasonable isn't but it's better than it was. 

Using dry lube which I only use very irregular as I live in Manchester so it rains a bit. But I guess it will be very dusty out there tomorrow so let's keep it cleaner.


----------



## Andy in Germany (18 Jul 2022)

Halfway along the Rhine cycleway yesterday I noticed the gears on my touring bike were not changing well. This couldn't be due to the chain and gears as they were replaced last week. Closer inspection revealed this:







Not what you want to see when 20km from your apartment, but as the ride was largely flat I reckoned I could get back mostly using the top gear, and thus avoid putting the cable under too much tension.

Today I nursed the bike to work and when things had calmed down, hoiked it into the stand and put in a fresh cable and outer. As the chain still felt a bit rough I shortened it by two links. My goodness but the bike felt better after that...


----------



## buzz22 (19 Jul 2022)

A rainy day at home and I turned this:




Into this:




In an attempt to reduce my fleet of bikes some parts had been taken off the Europa for my other bikes.
Seeing the nice old Tecnotrat frame sitting there today and knowing how much I'm liking a 1 x set up on my Giant CFR 3 I thought I'd resurrect it using spare parts I had.
A nice set of Araya rims went on, with an old Exage rear derailleur doing the shifting on the 28-12 7 speed cassette.




Shifting the derailleur is a Shimano Altus shifter from an old mountain bike.




The crankset is Shimano RSX off my Repco (previously on another bike) converted to a single 42 teeth set up.




Bars, grips and brake levers came off my old Apollo IV flat bar conversion, with braking provided by an old set of single pivot 105 I had spare.









A quick spin around the garage showed everything works, now I just need a nice day to hit the road.


----------



## fossyant (19 Jul 2022)

New Pannier rack was fitted yesterday. Still a Tortec, but the Expedition version (previous was the Tour version). Much thicker tubing and the Ortliebs are held much more securely. Loads less rattling down the canal - yay.


----------



## Juan Kog (19 Jul 2022)

Decided it was a good day to wax the Carradice collection. No need to pre warm the wax or use a hair dryer after waxing. Just let the sun do it all. 
Yes I know I have too many bags and that’s just the cotton duck ones.


----------



## geocycle (19 Jul 2022)

Great collection of carradice! I’m only on four bags, so far.. But I wish I had taken advantage of the heat to proofhide the Brooks.


----------



## Fredo76 (19 Jul 2022)

New handlebars:





Nitto B825AA butterfly bars

I followed the suggestion to spray some water into the rubber grip tubes to aid in installation, as a lubricant. After 40 minutes, on and off, of wrestling with the top left grip to get it into place, I added soap to the water for the other three, and they went on in seconds!


----------



## HLaB (19 Jul 2022)

The bike shop done the main fettling today and replaced the springs in my gravel bike's freehub. I just put the wheel back in the frame and undertook the tricky task of inserting the Thruaxle


----------



## Ming the Merciless (19 Jul 2022)

Nowt, some needs doing, but tooooo hooot.


----------



## T4tomo (20 Jul 2022)

New chain and cassette time....


----------



## Andy in Germany (20 Jul 2022)

Just found six H*lm*ts in the bike workshop store, all of unknown vintage, which means they could all have been in an accident, dropped or suffered similar invisible damage, and then "donated" to our charity. As I'm responsible if I sell them and they fail in a future accident, I''m not taking the risk; they were introduced to Mr. Hammer.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (21 Jul 2022)

Removed old seat mesh and foam cushion and replaced with new. Just awaiting new front disc rotor which should arrive tomorrow. Once new rotor fitted, bike in final state for London Edinburgh London audax on 7th August.


----------



## roubaixtuesday (21 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> bike in final state for *London Edinburgh London audax* on 7th August.



Chapeau. We are not worthy!


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## Ming the Merciless (21 Jul 2022)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Chapeau. We are not worthy!



Cheers, had a good build up with no sickness or injury, got all my training done. Just need to keep it steady now as I ease off the throttle to shed the fatigue and become fresh for the event.


----------



## GeekDadZoid (21 Jul 2022)

As mentioned in this thread https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/dawes-super-galaxy-2012.286619/ I have been giving my new bike a once over.

I have replaced the rear tube as it had a nasty thorn puncture that was so old it was almost fossilised.


----------



## T4tomo (21 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Cheers, had a good build up with no sickness or injury, got all my training done. Just need to keep it steady now as I ease off the throttle to shed the fatigue and become fresh for the event.



Good luck, hope it goes well.


----------



## Peter Salt (22 Jul 2022)

Fixing a BOA dial. Feels like I'm in scouts again, learning knots.


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Recently had to change my tires (well, only one really, but I'd rather they matched).

Anyway, this has got me through 2 tyre levers now, bent spoons, destroyed my fingers but try as I might I just cannot get this last bit over the rim. They're GatorSkins, which I know have a bit of a rep for being tight, but I've never had any issues before.

Anyone got any advice? I've tried everything I can think of...


----------



## fossyant (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Recently had to change my tires (well, only one really, but I'd rather they matched).
> 
> Anyway, this has got me through 2 tyre levers now, bent spoons, destroyed my fingers but try as I might I just cannot get this last bit over the rim. They're GatorSkins, which I know have a bit of a rep for being tight, but I've never had any issues before.
> 
> ...



Talc. Apply to inside of tyre and the tube.


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## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

fossyant said:


> Talc. Apply to inside of tyre and the tube.



Thank you. I've never actually tried that before, though I've seen it mentioned.

Does it really work?

I suppose I'll find out once I've been to the shop...


----------



## fossyant (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Thank you. I've never actually tried that before, though I've seen it mentioned.
> 
> Does it really work?
> 
> I suppose I'll find out once I've been to the shop...



It does, and Johnsons smells best ! 

I talc all my tyres when new, and the tubes. Just makes fitting so much easier.


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## Peter Salt (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Recently had to change my tires (well, only one really, but I'd rather they matched).
> 
> Anyway, this has got me through 2 tyre levers now, bent spoons, destroyed my fingers but try as I might I just cannot get this last bit over the rim. They're GatorSkins, which I know have a bit of a rep for being tight, but I've never had any issues before.
> 
> ...


Tyre Glider

You won't believe how easy it is.


----------



## fossyant (22 Jul 2022)

Peter Salt said:


> Tyre Glider
> 
> You won't believe how easy it is.



You on sales commission. ? 

Most of my tyres can be fitted by my patented tyre fitting device. Thing is we've all got them - thumbs !


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Peter Salt said:


> Tyre Glider
> 
> You won't believe how easy it is.



That's witchcraft... 

But as per @fossyant's suggestion, I'll give talc a go first.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Recently had to change my tires (well, only one really, but I'd rather they matched).
> 
> Anyway, this has got me through 2 tyre levers now, bent spoons, destroyed my fingers but try as I might I just cannot get this last bit over the rim. They're GatorSkins, which I know have a bit of a rep for being tight, but I've never had any issues before.
> 
> ...



Make sure to push the remaining tyre bead into the rim well all the way round.


----------



## geocycle (22 Jul 2022)

I’ve bought a tyre glider, yet to use it in earnest! My tactic is usually to start with plastic levers, break one, and then resort to the trusty metal ones. A LBS once suggested I use KY jelly - I filed that in the same pile as the banana down the back of the shorts to prevent saddle sores, but you never know!


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## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Make sure to push the remaining tyre bead into the rim well all the way round.



Yep, I'm not new to tyre changing, but this is just ridiculous!


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Yep, I'm not new to tyre changing, but this is just ridiculous!



I presume to realise I’m talking about the opposite bead, not the bead you are trying to get over the lip!


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> I presume to realise I’m talking about the opposite bead, not the bead you are trying to get over the lip!



Yep!


----------



## T4tomo (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> That's witchcraft...
> 
> But as per @fossyant's suggestion, I'll give talc a go first.



yes talc really works, if you are struggling bring them round, I have thumbs of steel


----------



## dave r (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Yep, I'm not new to tyre changing, but this is just ridiculous!



Have you tried using your foot?


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

If the talc doesn't work I'll give the shoe approach a shot!


----------



## Andy in Germany (22 Jul 2022)

fossyant said:


> You on sales commission. ?
> 
> Most of my tyres can be fitted by my patented tyre fitting device. Thing is we've all got them - thumbs !



I was told very firmly at work that I should _never _use tyre levers for fitting tyres, so I learned to use thumbs (most of the time).


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I was told very firmly at work that you never use tyre levers for fitting tyres. so I learned to use thumbs (most of the time).



Genuinely never been told that. But then I just learned everything from the internet so, despite being 36, a lot of things are news to me!


----------



## DCBassman (22 Jul 2022)

Whilst doing pre-ride on the Scott, I discovered, once I'd cleaned off a thin film of mud, that the 28mm tyre I'd previously had on the rear has been gently touching the seat tube, and there is the gleam of aluminium shining through. Oops.


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

dave r said:


> Have you tried using your foot?
> 
> View attachment 653854



So a combination of this, and talc have not worked. Am I missing something with the shoe? Because all that seems to be happening is that it unseats itself a bit further around?


----------



## Andy in Germany (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> So a combination of this, and talc have not worked. Am I missing something with the shoe? Because all that seems to be happening is that it unseats itself a bit further around?



I hesitate to suggest anything because I haven't done much with racing tyres, and I know how bl**dy frustrating this sort of situation is. I was taught to twist the tyre and _thoroughly deflated_ inner tube so the tube sits in the tyre, and not in the rim.

Hold the wheel so the unfitted side is uppermost with the top on a chair or something and the bottom resting on your belt buckle* and then work your way around pushing in with thumbs., twisting as you do so that inner sits properly.

At the top, unless you have the Thumb Of Thor you'll probably need to use both thumbs on one side, but if the tyre tries to escape in the other side, I find the twisting-to-seat-inner tube helps.

That said it takes practice and I've known two capable mechanics try the same method and have different results, so try it and ditch it if it doesn't work for you.

*_Disclaimer: I don't know how essential the belt buckle is, I've never tried without it._


----------



## dave r (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> So a combination of this, and talc have not worked. Am I missing something with the shoe? Because all that seems to be happening is that it unseats itself a bit further around?



I haven't come across that before, I have no idea.


----------



## AndyRM (22 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I hesitate to suggest anything because I haven't done much with racing tyres, and I know how bl**dy frustrating this sort of situation is. The way I was taught twist the tyre and _thoroughly deflated_ inner tube so the tube sits in the tyre, and not in the rim.
> 
> Hold the wheel so the unfitted side is uppermost with the top on a chair or something and the bottom resting on your belt buckle* and then work your way around pushing in with thumbs., twisting as you do so that inner sits properly.
> 
> ...



Appreciate the tip, I'll remember for next time.

Lost the will to live and just put the surviving one from the previous pair. On first time with barely any effort. I know they don't match, but I honestly don't mind. I was hoping for another of the tan wall ones, but they don't make that version any more. And I know others are available, but I haven't the money just now so just make do with what I have.

Another thing that baffles me is that it was only the front one that gave me this trouble, the back was fine.

Anyway, all done!


----------



## jowwy (22 Jul 2022)

AndyRM said:


> Recently had to change my tires (well, only one really, but I'd rather they matched).
> 
> Anyway, this has got me through 2 tyre levers now, bent spoons, destroyed my fingers but try as I might I just cannot get this last bit over the rim. They're GatorSkins, which I know have a bit of a rep for being tight, but I've never had any issues before.
> 
> ...



I got one of these never had a tyre issue since


----------



## Peter Salt (22 Jul 2022)

fossyant said:


> You on sales commission. ?
> 
> Most of my tyres can be fitted by my patented tyre fitting device. Thing is we've all got them - thumbs !


Nope, but it's a bit like watching folks put in a nail using a brick. Yeah, will work - but a suboptimal tool for sure.


----------



## Andy in Germany (22 Jul 2022)

There was a bit of drama, and possibly swearing. Full story on the bike build thread.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Jul 2022)

New front disc rotor arrived today and fitted. Old rotor 1.4mm to 1.6mm so definitely overdue replacement


----------



## GeekDadZoid (22 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I was told very firmly at work that I should _never _use tyre levers for fitting tyres, so I learned to use thumbs (most of the time).



Is this because of the fear of scratching/damaging the rims? Or catching the tube and causing another puncture? Or some other reason?

With tyres narrower than 35mm on 26 inch plus wheels I usually use a tyre lever to pop the last bit on, larger than that I can normally go commando. Brompton wheels and Marathons need a lever and I have some metal ones for the really tough jobs.


----------



## Andy in Germany (22 Jul 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Is this because of the fear of scratching/damaging the rims? Or catching the tube and causing another puncture? Or some other reason?
> 
> With tyres narrower than 35mm on 26 inch plus wheels I usually use a tyre lever to pop the last bit on, larger than that I can normally go commando. Brompton wheels and Marathons need a lever and I have some metal ones for the really tough jobs.



My boss at the time was convinced tyre levers caused snakebite punctures from the levers. 

This week I fitted some 20" Schwalbe tyres and 26"marathons with my thumb. However, this hardly means that it's necessary for other people to try if you don't have trouble with snakebite punctures, I just learned it because my the person funding my pay check insisted on it.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (22 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> My boss at the time was convinced tyre levers caused snakebite punctures from the levers. This week I fitted some 20" Schwalbe tyres and 26"marathons with my thumb. However, this hardly means that it's necessary for other people to try if you don't have trouble with snakebite punctures, I just learned it because my the person funding my pay check insisted on it.



Unless you have levers both sides you’d have to try very hard to cause a snake bite.


----------



## Andy in Germany (22 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Unless you have levers both sides you’d have to try very hard to cause a snake bite.



Possibly; of course I never found out...


----------



## DCBassman (23 Jul 2022)

Nothing. Won't stop raining, despite the forecast...


----------



## GeekDadZoid (23 Jul 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Nothing. Won't stop raining, despite the forecast...



I know so annoying I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.


----------



## DCBassman (23 Jul 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> I know so annoying I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.


Sod's law...


----------



## Andy in Germany (23 Jul 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> I know so annoying *I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy* but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.


So it's your fault: everyone knows washing bicycles causes rain.


----------



## ColinJ (23 Jul 2022)

I finally managed to persuade the post office that they DID have a parcel for me (it had got left in the wrong place and overlooked when I went in the first time)! It contained a skinny rear rack for my 2-speed bike. I didn't want a big chunky thing on the bike, but I was fed up of carrying a rucksack full of shopping back from the shops on my bike, and also wearing a backpack in hot weather.

It is a _*Tortec Velocity rear rack*_. When I spotted it on ebay, I really liked its small size (and corresponding low weight).

Anyway, I fitted it this evening. It is really solid and I am confident that it will carry anything that I want to carry. My cheapo Lidl panniers might need replacing with better ones, but I'll see after doing a few shopping trips.

Because of the positions of the mounting holes and the size and shape of the bike frame, it wasn't possible to get the rack absolutely level. It isn't so bad that it is triggering OCD in me, but it may do in time! I could fix it by filing the rack stays down a bit and drilling 2 new mounting holes in the top of the rack but for now I won't bother.

Side view:






Top view (ooh - SKINNY!):





The mounting rods attaching the rack below the saddle were very long, to allow for different sizes and shapes of bikes. The ends of them were practically rubbing on the rear tyre so I took them off and shortened them by sawing 10 cm off each of them.

I have a cunning plan to make a removable rear mudguard to attach to the top of the rack. A kind of Ass-guard on steroids!


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## Juan Kog (24 Jul 2022)

@ColinJ . That rack is not level , it looks terrible. You must sort it out . .

[EDIT] 🤔 Maybe let some air out of the front tyre , that will level the Rack up.


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2022)

Juan Kog said:


> @ColinJ . That rack is not level , it looks terrible. You must sort it out . .
> 
> [EDIT] 🤔 Maybe let some air out of the front tyre , that will level the Rack up.



A mate has just been round. He spotted the rack straight away and said that it looks really good, except for the fact that...





... _*IT ISN'T LEVEL!!!!!! *_

I have loosened and retightened a couple of bolts because I spotted in the photos that something wasn't quite right. (I had tightened them in the wrong sequence so one part was fixed slightly out of position.)

I have a calculation to do. I have taken some measurements and the rear of the rack is about 1.4 cm lower than the front. I could drill some new mounting holes in the top of the rack about 1 cm nearer the rear of the rack. Using the new holes would pull the top of the rack forward 1 cm. I need to work out how much that would level the rack by to see if it is worth doing.

I just attached one pannier and put about 7 kg of weight in it. (11 approx. 400 g cans of food plus a 2.3 L bottle of water.) That is definitely too much to put on just one side of the bike because it kept trying to topple over in my kitchen. I will use both panniers for trips to the shops if I am buying a lot of shopping. TBH though, I think I will just start shopping more frequently and buying less on each trip.

I don't know how touring cyclists carry as much as they do! 

Two other issues...

I had seen a review of the rack saying that the owner found that sometimes the panniers could contact the spokes of their rear wheel when riding over bumpy roads. I checked and that is definitely a potential issue with the cheap panniers and heavy loads. Better panniers probably wouldn't twist about so much? The fundamental problem is that the minimalist rack doesn't offer as much support as a chunkier one. I will find a way round the problem. I don't think I would have a problem when only carrying a light load such as my tools, spares, phone, wallet and a spare water bottle.
I haven't actually ridden the bike with a pannier on but I can see that I would definitely get heel strikes on the front of each pannier unless they are pushed back as far as they will go on the rack. I just hope that will be far enough back.


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## 13 rider (24 Jul 2022)

Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2022)

13 rider said:


> Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way



Remember it the way that I do...? 

'_*The R side is RIGHT; the L side is WRONG!*_'


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## dave r (24 Jul 2022)

13 rider said:


> Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way



I can never remember which way and have to look it up.


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## 13 rider (24 Jul 2022)

dave r said:


> I can never remember which way and have to look it up.


Because I was having to force it I kept questioning the direction I was trying to turn it even though I was pretty certain I was doing it correctly


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## ColinJ (24 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Two other issues...
> 
> I had seen a review of the rack saying that the owner found that sometimes the panniers could contact the spokes of their rear wheel when riding over bumpy roads. I checked and that is definitely a potential issue with the cheap panniers and heavy loads. Better panniers probably would twist about so much? The fundamental problem is that the minimalist rack doesn't offer as much support as a chunkier one. I will find a way round the problem. I don't think I would have a problem when only carrying a light load such as my tools, spares, phone, wallet and a spare water bottle.
> I haven't actually ridden the bike with a pannier on but I can see that I would definitely get heel strikes on the front of each pannier unless they are pushed back as far as they will go on the rack. I just hope that will be far enough back.



I have sorted out issue #1 by the usual method... a bungee cord! I attached a cord to the front of the pannier and looped it round the seatpost and back to the rack. That keeps the pannier nicely in place.

I would go out and test issue #2 but we are getting lots of much-needed rain here this evening. If it dries up I will nip out with the test load on the bike. If not, the test will have to wait until tomorrow.

I am not feeling confident about carrying 7 kg in that cheapo Lidl pannier. It is good value for money but not something that is _TOP _quality. I will do my test but after that limit myself to (say) 4 kg loads. I'll keep my eyes open for some quality panniers at a bargain price!


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## Juan Kog (24 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Remember it the way that I do...?
> 
> '_*The R side is RIGHT; the L side is WRONG!*_'


Or tighten towards the front on both sides .


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## HLaB (26 Jul 2022)

Notmuch, I moved my rear bottle cage to the front as the front had become broken and topped up the tyres.


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## buzz22 (26 Jul 2022)

My Clamont got a new set of Goodyear Eagle Sport's today (in 700 x 25), I think the tan walls set it off nicely.
After searching for ages for tan wall tyres it seems everyone is making them now. 
I'll test them tomorrow on a ride with a mate.









This Topeak handlebar bag that I ordered also arrived and I popped it on. 
It was one of the only ones I could find that still allowed me to use the top of the bars.
It's only small but it's exactly what I was after, my light touring setup is now ready to go for an overnighter.


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## Low Gear Guy (26 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> A mate has just been round. He spotted the rack straight away and said that it looks really good, except for the fact that...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It is possible to prevent the inner face of the Lidl pannier flexing by cutting a piece of plywood to the correct size and inserting it within the bag.


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Remember it the way that I do...?
> 
> '_*The R side is RIGHT; the L side is WRONG!*_'



What does that mean?


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## dave r (26 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> What does that mean?



Oposite threads, ones normal clockwise and the other is an anticlockwise opposite thread.


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Jul 2022)

dave r said:


> Oposite threads, ones normal clockwise and the other is an anticlockwise opposite thread.



Which means, you do what with which pedal?

I’m aware they have different threads but could not see how Colin’s phrase helps you work out which way to tighten / loosen each pedal.


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## dave r (26 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Which means, you do what with which pedal?
> 
> I’m aware they have different threads but could not see how Colin’s phrase helps you work out which way to tighten / loosen each pedal.



They undo in different directions.


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## buzz22 (26 Jul 2022)

dave r said:


> They undo in different directions.



I remember it as both pedals undo to the back of the bike and do up to the front


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Jul 2022)

dave r said:


> They undo in different directions.



Correct they do, well done! But how does Colin’s phrase help you know which way to turn each pedal when undoing them?


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## ColinJ (26 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Correct they do, well done! But how does Colin’s phrase help you know which way to turn each pedal when undoing them?



I do assume that people know the usual direction in which screws/bolts/nuts are turned to tighten or loosen them. 

Usual = normal = 'right' 

So the right (-hand side pedal) has the 'right' (normal type of) thread. 

The pedal on the left-hand side has the 'wrong' (opposite type of) thread. 

Well, it works for _me_!


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## ColinJ (26 Jul 2022)

And that (obviously) is looking from the back of the bike towards the front!


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## ColinJ (26 Jul 2022)

Low Gear Guy said:


> It is possible to prevent the inner face of the Lidl pannier flexing by cutting a piece of plywood to the correct size and inserting it within the bag.



Last night, I cut up the big box that the rack came in and made a stiff cardboard liner for each pannier. Reusing is better than recycling! (Well, the cardboard will get recycled _eventually_ when it starts to fall apart but I reckon it will last a year or two before that.)


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## fossyant (26 Jul 2022)

Pannier bag hook fitting bolt fell out - managed to find it in the bottom of the bag when at work, and tighten it up !


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## 8mph (26 Jul 2022)

I dug the 26er out a couple of days ago, in preparation for the South Downs Way and found the hydraulic brake fluid had emptied itself out. Hydraulic brakes tend to overheat coming down off the moors on 20 - 25% hills, so I ordered some mechanical brakes and fitted them today, with good results (Cheap Clarks Brake set £28). They're road brakes but good enough for my style of riding (rarely more than 1" air )

Fitted a 2.1" Nobby Nic, to the rear wheel. Decent 2.1" tyres seem to be on the way out, which is a pain, I had to buy two NNs second hand


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## DCBassman (26 Jul 2022)

buzz22 said:


> I think the tan walls set it off nicely.


Great minds...
New City Jet tanwalls, new KMC Z8.3 chain, new 11-32t cassette.





I also did a bit more cleaning. If I remember correctly, @Gunk and/or @biggs682 advocate a gentle go-over with #0000 wire wool and WD40, no?


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> And that (obviously) is looking from the back of the bike towards the front!



That’s the problem when working on pedals, we arent necessarily looking at it from same angles, particularly if left handed.


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## buzz22 (26 Jul 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Great minds...
> New City Jet tanwalls, new KMC Z8.3 chain, new 11-32t cassette.
> View attachment 654489
> 
> I also did a bit more cleaning. If I remember correctly, @Gunk and/or @biggs682 advocate a gentle go-over with #0000 wire wool and WD40, no?



That looks fantastic, the tan walls do look good on it 👍


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## november4 (26 Jul 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> That’s the problem when working on pedals, we arent necessarily looking at it from same angles, particularly if left handed.



It's pretty easy, the left hand side has left hand thread, and the right hand side is righty tighty.

Co-indidentally Just did it today, son into SPD Pedals and proper cycling shoes, loving them


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## ColinJ (27 Jul 2022)

november4 said:


> It's pretty easy, the left hand side has left hand thread...



That wouldn't help me because I can never remember if a 'normal' thread is left or right handed!


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Jul 2022)

november4 said:


> It's pretty easy, the left hand side has left hand thread, and the right hand side is righty tighty.
> 
> Co-indidentally Just did it today, son into SPD Pedals and proper cycling shoes, loving them



So basically anti clockwise to undo right pedal and clockwise to undo left.


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## Andy in Germany (27 Jul 2022)

Currently trying to subdue a broken Shimano Positron system on a bike brought in for repair. Unfortunately I think the customer will be disappointed as the whole rear mech is bent, so she'll have to wait for a scrap bike to come in with a replacement positron system, or swap the entire system.


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## november4 (27 Jul 2022)

I'm a mechanical engineer but my brain still says "right tighty" every time I pick up a wrench


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## cyberknight (27 Jul 2022)

monday i attempted to replace the cover plate on my 4700 tiagra shifter , easy job 2 mins ?
Dropped the old screw on the floor and it was gone forever, not a problem as i have the new one ... placed the new cover plate on the bin while i nipped inside for a small screwdriver and when i came back it had blown off so i spent a good 20 mins looking for it , found it yay !
whilst trying to get the screw in i knocked it into the shifter body , tried turning the bike upside down and shaking the shifter but its ruddy vanished


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## Andy in Germany (28 Jul 2022)

Bike with Haunted Bike Tyres; We've fixed about seven punctures on this and it hasn't left the workshop yet.


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## bikingdad90 (29 Jul 2022)

Have you replaced the rim tape? Likely to be a spoke nipple pushing up and puncturing the tube.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jul 2022)

Next morning and:

The tyres hold.

Alert level reduced to Defcon 4. 

If they still hold next week the bike will go out to the showroom; I'm taking no chances this time.



bikingdad90 said:


> Have you replaced the rim tape? Likely to be a spoke nipple pushing up and puncturing the tube.



I think that's what it was, although I saw no damage to the tape I replaced it anyway. I suspect it was just enough to cause a slight split and the pressure did the rest. Showroom bikes get their tyres pumped up to 4 bar/60 PSI unless there's a good reason to do otherwise, partly so we can check for this sort of thing.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Jul 2022)

While the haunted bike is left to see what it does next, I checked this bike today:







Gudereit are a small German company making mid range city, touring and racing (I think) bikes. This was okay; thankfully the Sram hub was working; I'm pretty sure the brake handles were for Canti's though. I got them working but only by really fine tuning them so the blocks were barely 2mm from the wheels. I'd have liked to swap them to test the thery but getting the bike out for sale was the priority.


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## DCLane (30 Jul 2022)

We've been doing some stripping, some painting and some upgrading whilst I've been recovering from Covid.

Firstly son no. 2's orange Carlton Corsa was full of chips so we stripped it down, re-painted it and gave it a huge load of laquer. It's also had new orange tyres. No photo as it's exactly the same as before and it's now ready for him to take it to university in September.

Then I've been working on an upgrade for my NeilPryde Nazaré as my son's Cervelo S3 doesn't seem to have been passed on ... It's had:

Dura-Ace 9000 shifters, brakes, front and rear derailleur
New inner and outer gear cables
New KMC-X11EL chain
New Swissstop Black Prince carbon brake pads
Plus carbon wheels front and rear. Non-matching but that's OK for now.
All tested and working fine:


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## Andy in Germany (31 Jul 2022)

DCLane said:


> We've been doing some stripping, some painting and some upgrading whilst I've been recovering from Covid.
> 
> Firstly son no. 2's orange Carlton Corsa was full of chips so we stripped it down, re-painted it and gave it a huge load of laquer. It's also had new orange tyres. No photo as it's exactly the same as before and it's now ready for him to take it to university in September.
> 
> ...



Nice. What do you use for paint/lacquer?


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## DCLane (31 Jul 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Nice. What do you use for paint/lacquer?



We used Rustoleum Painters Touch with just a 500ml spray lacquer I found. The learning was to use far more lacquer than the single can we used first time round.


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## GeekDadZoid (31 Jul 2022)

Quick fettle last night. Removed the rack from my Super Galaxy. I have saddle bags for most occasions and the rack is not the original spec to the bike and doesn't really complement it too well. I'll keep my eye out for something a bit nicer.


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## fossyant (31 Jul 2022)

Nowt, road the bike, then wiped with a damp cloth and put it away.


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## HLaB (31 Jul 2022)

My rear mudguard snapped on my longest day commute last month and a front spoke snapped on the last commute. I need to order a new spoke for the Fulcrum 7s front wheel, in the meantime I have put the Fulcrum Quattro front wheel on. The Quattro was on my best bike a few years ago before I went tubeless and I had last used it with a brand new 28mm tyre for Flanders (the F7 has 25mm tyres). As I expected the Quattro wheel (or to be more precise the 28mm tyre) fouled the front mud guard, with no room for adjustment. I could have struggled with changing the pro 4 endurance tyres but I decided to remove the guard instead. Probably for winter I'll get new guards and swap the tyres then if the rear Quattro is good (I'll need to swap the cassette too if Ido it). If the rear Quattro is good I'll fix the F7 and use it for a spare. IIRC the rear mudguard fits with a 28mm tyre and it's just the front one under the forks is fouled.


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## taximan (1 Aug 2022)

Fredo76 said:


> New handlebars:
> 
> View attachment 653544
> 
> ...


I find that hair spray works well, spray it into the tube and it acts as a lubricant then when it dries at act as a an adhesive.


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## CXRAndy (2 Aug 2022)

We are having a new treatment plant installed


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## Pennine-Paul (2 Aug 2022)

Finally finished building my new track wheel, first step in upgrading everything on my fixed gear bike
Paul Components hub,H Plus +son polished rim the old wheel was 8 years old and showing its age.


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## buzz22 (3 Aug 2022)

The Mavic wheels that were going onto my touring bike project (currently shelved until I straighten the twisted fork) got fitted onto my Europa flat bar conversion.









As much as I liked the Araya wheels on it the front had a slight imperfection at the join that made it vibrate under brakes.
I also gained the 12-32 cassette I'd just fitted to the new set so gearing is slightly lower which is always handy.


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## GeekDadZoid (3 Aug 2022)

Something I wasn't too happy of with the Dawes Super Galaxy was the brake pads. They where the only thing that reviewed badly back in 2012 and 12 years had not been kind on these. 

They had gone shiny and hard. 

So after trawling some post on here and the CTC forum I ordered some shimano durace holders and matching inserts. I'll probably replace them with Fibrax ones at some point, but I'll see how they are.


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## TheDoctor (3 Aug 2022)

This was harder than it should have been...


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## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2022)

Not much got done today because I'm trying to catch up on paperwork and orders, and general workshop tidying. However the tyres on the haunted bike held for several days so I've put the original tyres back on (after checking them thoroughly) with new inner tubes. This is now down in the showroom. As previous bikes went very quickly for higher prices than expected I've put this one down for 250€ on the basis it is a very nice bike (24 gears, nearly new condition; mudguards, hub dynamo, basket et c) and also because it was such a pain in the bottom to get it ready.
Will check on the tyres tomorrow when I go to work.
In the middle of this my former supervisor asked me to look at her bike tyre: she'd mounted a Schwalbe marathon on the front wheel but it wasn't sitting straight. I've had limited success with this but I pretended I knew what I was doing, refitted the tyre twice and used the tyre lubricant (what is that in English) to help it sit straight, then pumped the tyre up to 5 bar just to make sure. I also fixed the brakes which were a bit sloppy, as like me she rides all the time. I haven't had an irate phone call yet so I expect she's made it home...


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## Andy in Germany (4 Aug 2022)

On the way into work I noticed the brakes on my longtail bike were feeling a bit sloppy, which is embarrassing, and the gears were taking changes as suggestions, which is annoying.
After a few minutes on the stand the brakes now work much better but the gears aren't really improved- The the rear mech is a good 20cm further away from the shifter than on a normal bike, and that extra length is low down and in a long section of cable router, so I suspect it has gone and got all crudded up (again), and the cable is probably rusted (again). I don't have a tandem cable to hand so that will have to wait a bit.


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## figbat (4 Aug 2022)

Last night about 90 minutes before my regular MTB group ride I remembered that I have a new rear wheel waiting to go on my hardtail.

New rim Gorilla-taped and valve fitted.
Old wheel off the bike.
Tyre off the old wheel.
Tyre onto new wheel, popped on easily.
Stan’s fluid added, inflated.
Cassette off of old wheel and onto new one.
New wheel onto bike.
Gears tested - all line up perfectly. Nice job done in 30 minutes.
Then…
New wheel off of bike.
Brake disc off of old wheel and onto new one.
New wheel back on bike.
Gears tested (still good) and caliper aligned.
Then…
An hour into the ride, all is working well but at a stop I notice I’ve put the rear tyre on back-to-front. It’s still like that.


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## si_c (4 Aug 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> On the way into work I noticed the brakes on my longtail bike were feeling a bit sloppy, which is embarrassing, and the gears were taking changes as suggestions, which is annoying.
> After a few minutes on the stand the brakes now work much better but the gears aren't really improved- The the rear mech is a good 20cm further away from the shifter than on a normal bike, and that extra length is low down and in a long section of cable router, so I suspect it has gone and got all crudded up (again), and the cable is probably rusted (again). I don't have a tandem cable to hand so that will have to wait a bit.



You might want to consider something like Jagwire's Slicklube housing. It's essentially a full length run of housing that stops any dirt and debris getting into the cable housing and causing friction. Normally I'd consider it unneccesary but in this case it's probably worth the extra cost if you use the bike daily.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Aug 2022)

New bike on the stand, a heavy steel 26" clunker, with plastic brakes. This was in the "ready to sell" bay, which is why I'm checking it.

So far:

Tyres mismatched and one backwards
Rear brake tight on the wheel so wheel can't turn
Cables for F and R brakes rusty,
Rear brake cable frayed inside housing so the brakes can't move.
Lights not working.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Aug 2022)

si_c said:


> You might want to consider something like Jagwire's Slicklube housing. It's essentially a full length run of housing that stops any dirt and debris getting into the cable housing and causing friction. Normally I'd consider it unneccesary but in this case it's probably worth the extra cost if you use the bike daily.



I'll have a look, thanks.


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## bikingdad90 (4 Aug 2022)

Messed around with some crudcatchers mk3’s in an effort to try and get them to work with my wheels. Couldn’t get them to work after 45mins or so of faffing and took them off. Bit annoyed as they said fits up to 38c, so they heck, couldn’t even clear 30c tyres!


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## HLaB (5 Aug 2022)

A bit of a doh, when it came to fettling today and over the last while from me. My Wahoo TickR started to work intermittently a few weeks ago so I put a new battery all was good for a few rides. But it started to do it again until the last few days when it seemed to die all together. On fiddling with it I noticed that if I pressed its studs together by hand or pulled the studs tight it would work. I at first ordered a new strap but it was the same. So I tried bits of foil underneath and old inner tubes stretched over the top to hold the studs in position. Then doh, in struggling to get an old inner tube on I started pressing more towards the centre of the unit and the lights again came on. I then opened the battery compartment and added a tiny piece of the innertube behind the battery and it seems to have been the problem. When I pushed or pulled the straps it must have been just enough to make the battery compartment tight.






🤞 it stays working and I've not created to much of a gap around the battery compartment load that will let moisture in.


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## DCBassman (6 Aug 2022)

Another bit of fettling done after the work on the Pine Mountain yesterday was to see what could be done with the Alivio mech currently on the Scott. As I'd had such success overhauling the Sora mech to get the Pine Mountain going, I thought I'd give the Alivio the same treatment.
And it needed it, too. Plainly, I don't do enough of this! Test ride later today, and if still playing up, wil strip the Trek and put its Altus mech on which I know will work. That'll get a good clean too.
The Trek will be reduced to its frame and disposed of, three bikes is too much for what little storage I have.


----------



## buzz22 (6 Aug 2022)

My latest purchase got a quick clean, new bar tape and new tubes.
I reused one of the tyres already on it (a Maxxis Re fuse 700 x23) and put on another one the same that I had from another bike.
Almost ready to go for it's first proper ride.


----------



## avsd (6 Aug 2022)

Fitted new aero bars to Cannondale along with new brake inner & outer cables.


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## GeekDadZoid (6 Aug 2022)

The Holdsworth got packed away into the folding camper for a trip to the lakes. Will hopefully get a few rides in although they will be short ones.


----------



## CXRAndy (7 Aug 2022)

We have a UTV, it has a tipper bed, but isn't kitted out for power lift. To manually lift it, takes a fair bit of strength -more than the wife could ever muster. I didn't want to spend the £1500 for the factory hydraulic lift kit. An alternative was needed, then the simple idea of a gas strut came to me

I needed to work out the lifting forces required to spec which has strut I could order. I'd forgotten the formulas for pivots and fulcrums- thank goodness for Google search.

I needed to find how much force was required to manually lift it. A simple set of weighing scales wedge under the tailgate, lifted with a car Jack gave me the force of 65kgf.

From there just inputting the length of the fulcrum and pivot point. Result I needed 385kgf to lift the tailgate.

I wanted the tailgate to be more than neutral effort, specced a 500kgf gas strut with adjustable pressure. 

A few bits of modification, bronzed oil impregnated bushings, nuts n bolts and washers. 
Now we have a tailgate that is easy to lift-better phrase rise under its own gas strut power. 

500kgf gas strut and fittings
£140 😁


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## CXRAndy (7 Aug 2022)

Next job. Wiring up 2kW DC to AC inverter


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## HLaB (7 Aug 2022)

I deflated the tubeless disc wheel and removed the valve core to top it up with sealant. A little old sealant came out so I probably could have left it longer but its topped up now and seems to have re-seated fine with the air tank. I then topped it up to 120psi with the track pump and after a few reassuring pings and a few spins of the wheel to spread the sealant all seems good 🤞 it stays that way.


----------



## buzz22 (9 Aug 2022)

My 80's Clamont moved into the 90's and got a set of Shimano 105 8 speed brifters that I had spare.









The only slightly challenging part was finding a front derailleur to work with the brifters.
I ended up using a spare Shimano RX100 derailleur from another project which had the shorter arm (between pivot and cable attachment point) and a slightly larger clamp.
I made up a shim from scrap metal which sorted that and it was right to go.

I still love my downtube shifters but as this is my quickest bike it seems fitting to make my gear changes that little bit quicker.


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## T4tomo (9 Aug 2022)

I arrived home form a weekend away to a set of compact flared gravel bars, brake levers & various cables and will be converting the OH's Gravel bike to dura ace bar end shifters and hopefully comfier bar set up (current ones are odd small diameter things and not very comfy). Hopefully the bar ends are easier to use with an slightly arthritic fingers, which object to changing chain rings. Cheaper than an upgrade to Di2!!


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## geocycle (10 Aug 2022)

Not directly bike related but discovered how good shaving foam is at cleaning marks out of cloth. Sofa had developed marks where heads were regularly placed and no off the shelf clean product touched it. We tried everything including things like vanish and bespoke fabric cleaners. Mrs G watched some chap on repair shop who cleaned a hat with shaving foam. Hey presto it actually worked! No idea what’s in it but figured it can’t be too bad given it’s main use. Now to search out my old cycling caps!


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## bikingdad90 (11 Aug 2022)

Fitted a 9 speed chain to the kids bike. The new sram 9 speed was a doddle to fit once I worked out the rear mech routing, it’s an Altus mech but there is a metal guard top and bottom between the two jockey wheels with a gap big enough to fit a chain through, that I couldn’t work out for ages if it was through, or under… turned out it was neither it was over and round the outside!! 

It was a bugger to break as it had no quick link and was a riveted chain. Had to use some brute force to get it to break open and my chain tool needed some assistance for extra leverage.


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## T4tomo (12 Aug 2022)

T4tomo said:


> I arrived home form a weekend away to a set of compact flared gravel bars, brake levers & various cables and will be converting the OH's Gravel bike to dura ace bar end shifters and hopefully comfier bar set up (current ones are odd small diameter things and not very comfy). Hopefully the bar ends are easier to use with an slightly arthritic fingers, which object to changing chain rings. Cheaper than an upgrade to Di2!!



Well one set of brake levers attached to the bars, but discovered, as I feared the old cross tops are 26mm and I need 31.8mm for the new bars, so this one will be done in a few stages, might also need some new outer cable as the lengths may vary from old set up.....


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## DCLane (12 Aug 2022)

Son no. 2:s BeOne now has a full set of new inner and outer cables plus bar tape after a gear cable snapped on Wednesday.

They were overdue but I didn't realise they had done 12500 miles


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## bikingdad90 (12 Aug 2022)

@Andy in Germany one of these chains:
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/chain-replacement-derailleur-bikes

This was my brake pipe pannier rack hack. Two clips from the automotive shop for £1.50 in total. As you tighten the screw it squashes the hose bit into a tight circle and clamps down, same job as a p clip.


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## T4tomo (12 Aug 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> @Andy in Germany one of these chains:
> https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/chain-replacement-derailleur-bikes
> 
> This was my brake pipe pannier rack hack. Two clips from the automotive shop for £1.50 in total. As you tighten the screw it squashes the hose bit into a tight circle and clamps down, same job as a p clip.



you might want some (white) electricians tape between clip and frame to stop it scratching it, especially if the screw works slightly loose and it moves a little.


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## november4 (12 Aug 2022)

Dunno if it's a fettle but started using aftershoks bone conductive "headphones" to hear radar alerts personally, without my phone annoying others, works great and ears still open for enjoying the outdoors and old fashioned radar duties


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## Spiderweb (12 Aug 2022)

Just finished fettling my new eBay acquisition. Mudguards removed, front mech issue sorted, and a good T-Cut and polish. New bar tape to fit and possibly a new rear brake cable as it has no end crimp and has frayed.


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## biggs682 (13 Aug 2022)

Swapped out a set of forks that previous owner had dropped some weld into the drop outs so the wheel sat further away and they could fit guards just a shame he didn't get each side the same .
Replacement pair came from my selection of forks .

Next job is to see if I can get some more modern wheels in the rear drop outs


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## HLaB (13 Aug 2022)

A fettling fail from me today and an educational success on disc brakes. My front brake under load last week seemed not to be stopping immediately under load. So I ordered new shimano pads. Whilst it was the first time I've done it I quite quickly took out the old pads. However when I went to fit. Doh, comparing them to the original I realised there is at least two sizes of Shimano disc brake pads, GRX which I needed being smaller. The old ones actually looked clean and unworn so I refitted them and with the correct size of pad it was quick and simple. Bizarrely the wheel now seems to be stopping under load :-/


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## buzz22 (14 Aug 2022)

A couple of my bikes got a clean and chains lubed this evening.

While I was lubing the chain on my 1980's Repco Monaco I remembered the last time I rode it I found the Suntour thumb shifters were digging into my hands when in certain positions.
These got located slightly inwards, a test ride showing it was much more comfortable.










The shifters came fitted to the Bullmoose bars I repurposed from an old mountainbike.
Even though I have more modern shifters on other bikes there's something about the simplicity of these friction shifters that make them my favourite by far.


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## Andy in Germany (14 Aug 2022)

HLaB said:


> A fettling fail from me today and an educational success on disc brakes. My front brake under load last week seemed not to be stopping immediately under load. So I ordered new shimano pads. Whilst it was the first time I've done it I quite quickly took out the old pads. However when I went to fit. Doh, comparing them to the original I realised there is at least two sizes of Shimano disc brake pads, GRX which I needed being smaller. The old ones actually looked clean and unworn so I refitted them and with the correct size of pad it was quick and simple. Bizarrely the wheel now seems to be stopping under load :-/



All's well that ends well.

I had my own moment on Friday; I had to take an old 3 speed chainwheel apart and put it back together; it took at least three attempts. At one point I realised i'd put the middle one on backwards. I have no excuse for this whatsoever, but it means I learned a lot about chain wheels...


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2022)

I have been working on my old Cannondale CAAD5 today (<-- the one in my current avatar photo). The bike was making a few clicky, graunchy noises on the recent Dales forum ride, and the chain slipped a couple of times. I bought miscellaneous spare parts and then set about seeing what actually needed doing...

I bought a new bottom bracket. I thought the old one was probably okay but I wanted to get my Spa Cycles order over £50 to save £4 postage. I could not feel any play when twisting the cranks. I took them off and turned the BB by hand. It felt smooth. I put my ear against the downtube and turned the BB again. It _sounded _smooth too. I am fairly confident that the old BB is actually okay but I decided to put the new one in anyway just-in-case. I would be annoyed to put the bike back together and then discover that the old BB only plays up under load! The old BB is now in my spares box.

I thought that at least 1 of the 3 chainrings would need replacing but I am impressed by how little wear there is on them. I cleaned them up and had to do a double-take to work out which were the new ones. When looking closely I can see a little wear in 2 places on the middle and little rings, corresponding to the points of maximum force through the cranks during each revolution of the cranks. I will put the new rings in my spares box to keep the old BB company and rotate the old rings to new positions to spread the wear to less worn teeth. [Spa Cycles _*110 mm*_ and _*74 mm*_ BCD Zicral rings get a big thumbs up from me - they look good and last well.]

I expected the chain to need replacing but I have mislaid my chain gauge so I wasn't sure. I ordered a new chain in case I discovered that I needed one. I took the old chain off and measured it using my steel rule. It looks like it has very little wear on it. I measured twice and 12 pairs of links were significantly less than 1/16th inch over 1 foot i.e. less than 0.5% 'stretch'. I cleaned the chain ready to be refitted. The new one has been added to an increasingly well-stocked spares box! 

The cassette didn't look quite so happy... I already had one in my spares box so I evicted that to make room for the box's new tenants and replaced the worn cassette. I'm not sure if the chain slip on the last ride _was _due to the wear on the cassette. It seems plausible, although I have ridden more worn cassettes than that in the past without problems.

The combination of new cassette and BB with much cleaner chain and chainrings should be an improvement but I have one last job to do before the bike is ready to test...

I noticed that my SPD pedals have a little play and just a hint of roughness in their bearings so they need servicing. I have a much newer pair on the bike on my rarely used turbo trainer so I intend to swap those in but I went to do it and discovered that the older pedals are reluctant to come off. I've had enough for today so I have given the threads a good spray of GT85 and will leave that to soak in for a day or two.

At around 8.5 kg, the bike was pretty light when I put it together 20-odd years ago but that isn't especially light by modern standards. The UCI min limit for pro bikes is currently 6.8 kg. I just picked the bike up to bring it back into the house and it didn't half feel nice without the weight of cranks, chainrings, pedals and chain! I'd say like this it is closer to 7 kg. It makes me lust after an ultralight bike, but the extra weight isn't really a big issue. When the bike is back to its normal weight I'll still be happy with it. If I ever end up with £20k in the bank then maybe I would splash out, but the truth is by then I would probably need a _HEAVIER _bike... one with an electric motor in it!


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## Spiderweb (15 Aug 2022)

Finished off the Dolan Preffisio this morning with a new rear brake cable, new bar tape and new clear stickers to prevent cable rub.


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## abcd efg (16 Aug 2022)

Dogtrousers said:


> OK I didn't actually fettle this today. I did it a few weeks ago.
> This is the back of my rack, on which I can now mount a Garmin Varia light and a small Cateye light side by side. Neither mount was designed for this purpose, nor was the rack, so a good deal of bodging was required but both mounts have proven to be secure under real-world testing.
> 
> View attachment 569082



Thanks for a really quick response.

Cheers


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## Juan Kog (16 Aug 2022)

I have a fettling problem, I discovered I have loose chainring bolts . It’s a Stronglight 2000 track chain set with captive back nuts for the bolts. The Problem the back nuts are no longer captive , there is no way to grip them . So any suggestions that don’t involve destroying the chain set or chain ring.


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## DCBassman (17 Aug 2022)

If they are definitely no longer captive, replace with standard bolts and tighten away...


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## fossyant (17 Aug 2022)

I assume those left ate tight and spin trying to undo. Have you one of those handy dremmel type tools - they are dead handy - you may need to cut a slot in the nut to 'hold' them.


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## Juan Kog (17 Aug 2022)

DCBassman said:


> If they are definitely no longer captive, replace with standard bolts and tighten away...


That’s my plan . When I manage to get the bolts and now non captive nuts out.


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## fossyant (17 Aug 2022)

Commuter MTB desperately needs new chain, cassette, jockeys and big chain ring. I keep the chain ring in stock for both MTB's as they are a little hard to get - well the SRAM one is without paying £100 RRP). This is on a Shimano M570 5 arm chainset. I've got an original in stock, but looking like I'll need an order to Spa for a stronglight next time. Just got to nip to Decathlon for a 12-26 cassette and a chain at lunch.

Let's say they are worn - main cassette tooth wearing thin (only use 3 gears on the commute), big chain ring worn, and chain is way passed 'worn'. They have lasted a long time so can't complain. Cost (including existing chain ring) likely to be £60-£70, bear in mind chain ring was bought for £25, so pretty cheap. Wish my 2 x 10 speed MTB was as cheap. At least it's not 1 x 12 price.


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## Juan Kog (17 Aug 2022)

fossyant said:


> I assume those left ate tight and spin trying to undo. Have you one of those handy dremmel type tools - they are dead handy - you may need to cut a slot in the nut to 'hold' them.


 Yes the remaining ones are loose and turning . I do have a dremmel , I will need to buy some cutting discs . Then cut slot for screwdriver. Sounds like a plan .


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## fossyant (17 Aug 2022)

Not worn.

Much.


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## november4 (17 Aug 2022)

Changed wheels, so added Shimano sprocket spacer to mate the 11 speed to the 10 speed freehub of new wheels (second hand wheels). Rattle free.


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## Juan Kog (17 Aug 2022)

Juan Kog said:


> View attachment 657621
> 
> I have a fettling problem, I discovered I have loose chainring bolts . It’s a Stronglight 2000 track chain set with captive back nuts for the bolts. The Problem the back nuts are no longer captive , there is no way to grip them . So any suggestions that don’t involve destroying the chain set or chain ring.


Thanks DC and Fossy . A few hours in the Velocave with my trusty Dremmel and Black and Decker and the problem solved . A bonus both the crank and the chainring survived unscathed.
I then spent a frustrating amount of time searching in boxes and drawers for some single chainring bolts . Then light bulb moment, why not look in the drawer marked “ Fixed Wheel parts .


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## 8mph (17 Aug 2022)

Had a right palaver trying to service an old Avid Elixir caliper. I don't have a bleed kit, don't have a piston extractor, so wasted about an hour then fitted a mechanical disk break and rotor. New grips on, spoke replaced, other minor tweeks to the new bike (29er)

It occurs to me that I may have bought the bike slightly in haste,what with all the minor issues and expenses. Bolts, seals, bearings and rear tyre, will all need replacing soon. The rims need a true and there's a creak in the headset or one of the bolts to resolve but hopefully it'll be ready for a test ride by the end of the week.


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## Juan Kog (18 Aug 2022)

@8mph Sounds like an excuse/ reason to buy more Tools .


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## 8mph (18 Aug 2022)

Juan Kog said:


> @8mph Sounds like an excuse/ reason to buy more Tools .



Always happy to buy more tools!


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## fossyant (18 Aug 2022)

Fitted a 'salvaged' mudflap to the rear guard of my commuter MTB. the front guard is just fancy gaffa tape, but made quite long to reduce mud splash. The rear has been taken of a broken set of raceblades (they weren't broken when I took them off my Ribble road bike but got 'bent in storage). Took off the mudflap, removed a bit of the rubber, then drilled a hole and fitted them to the wider MTB guards. Added a bit of silicone to stop them moving, jobs a good en.

Replacement BBB Rollerboy jockey wheels arrived today, so that's a more or less a new transmission on the commuter. Should last a year !


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## Andy in Germany (19 Aug 2022)

Swapped my old pedals for a new set, because one of the old pedals was clicking and I couldn't face riding on it daily until I got back to my workshop to repair it, and it's nearly 25 years old so it's probably time for replacement. I swapped the equally elderly cages for some toe caps while I was at it, on the basis I never understood the idea of tightening straps.

It's quite a historical moment really, as I learned to use toe cages with these pedals as a teenager: they were the reason for skinned elbows before I got used to them...


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## Andy in Germany (19 Aug 2022)

This needed a certain amount of bolt tightening after several months of inactivity. The headset in particular was creaking like a ship in a gale.

Also, the tyres were down to one bar so I pushed a bit of air into them.


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## Gillstay (19 Aug 2022)

This was brought in by a chap who wanted a service. I have never seen one so bad and its a road bike !

The smaller jockey wheel was rarely moving which is why the mud is not so polished. Just keep coving the mud in WD40 and this is what it looks like.


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## Andy in Germany (20 Aug 2022)

Gillstay said:


> This was brought in by a chap who wanted a service. I have never seen one so bad and its a road bike !
> 
> The smaller jockey wheel was rarely moving which is why the mud is not so polished. Just keep coving the mud in WD40 and this is what it looks like.
> 
> ...



My manager once asked "Why do you clean the bikes before you service them?"


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## Gunk (20 Aug 2022)

I have bought one back to life as bad as that, I saw it as a challenge!


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## Gillstay (20 Aug 2022)

Gunk said:


> I have bought one back to life as bad as that, I saw it as a challenge!



Yes thats the only way to look at it unless its a learning curve. Learning never to do his bike again.


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## Ian H (21 Aug 2022)

The tubeless tyres on the Blue Hallett were starting to lose more pressure between rides, so I topped up the sealant today. Also ordered a new Campag cassette & chain for it.


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## Jenkins (21 Aug 2022)

Just a quick cleaning and lubricating of the chains on six bikes this morning. Three of them really need new chains and cassettes (and two of these could also do with the chainrings replacing at the same time), but that can wait until they start skipping which is my normal measure of excessive wear.


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## HLaB (21 Aug 2022)

One of the bar ends on my commuter came loose after about 300 miles (maybe a result of that run in with a car bumper a few weeks before) and whilst I thought I'd saved it. Getting off the train must've been enough to dislodge it all together. So I ordered some new bar ends. My fettle tonight was just fitting them before bed. It's the type that you tighten with a hex key and touch wood I have never lost one of them in the past, and hopefully that trend continues.


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## buzz22 (22 Aug 2022)

I fitted a Topeak rack to my 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix today to make it a more pleasant ride.















With some rubber lined 'P' clips to attach it to the frame it was an easy process.
There was some minor bending and aligning of brackets to allow clearance for the original centre pull rear brake but that was easy to do.
I gave the bike a quick going over and realised the only original parts left are the frame/fork and the rear brake.
With flat bars, 700c wheels with 28mm tyres, a nice seat and a modern dual pivot front brake it's a lovely ride.
The 70's front fork gives a nice smooth ride and the Shimano Nexus 3 speed hub makes life easy.


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## Chislenko (22 Aug 2022)

Fitted a new chain to the 11 speed but let one end go as I dropped the quick link. Threaded it back through the rear mech, did the quick link then the awful clicking told me the second time I threaded it through I had in my haste / ire put it the wrong side of the bracket on the rear mech!!

Undid quick link, threaded through correctly, reinstalled quick link and job's a good un!!


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## Sallar55 (22 Aug 2022)

The other half's Cannondale Headshok, changed the cartridge as it had blown seals. Not holding air in the piston but pressuring the damper in the cartridge. Fixed new piston seals and a change of oil in the replacement cartridge.


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## DCBassman (23 Aug 2022)

Big job today: strip Trek Navigator to frame and fork for disposal. Other work: remove bar ends from Marin, along with perished foam grips. New grips, reset cockpit to suit. Check, regrease and adjust front wheel bearings also.


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## GuyBoden (23 Aug 2022)

Tested my cheap £6 each, PlanetX rechargeable front and back lights in day time mode on a ride today, 8 hours and still flashing brightly.


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## geocycle (23 Aug 2022)

Put new cables on my rohloff shifter. This is always a bit nerve wracking as the cut need needs to be accurate to meet the internal gear cable from the hub. I’m Experimenting with standard stainless steel Clark’s 1.1mm gear cable instead of Rohloff this time. Feels a good clean shift now, let’s see how it runs long term!


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## TheDoctor (23 Aug 2022)

Fitted a set of Marathon Racers to the Brompton. The Marathons I had on there were worn after a mere 11 years. I did consider just swapping the front and rear over.
Pro - About 2 years more use
Con - Awful handling!
The rear looked distinctly flattened, and that makes for very odd characteristics if you stick it on the front...


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## TheDoctor (25 Aug 2022)

This is an old water feature, it used to have a solar-powered pump and an array of jugs so water could trickle down.
Sadly, they all bit the dust while we were stuck in NZ for 5 months...



Gave it a quick clean (hence the cloth and detergent on the windowsill)
Then went off to the garden centre
I got pots


And I got herbs



And I now have a herb garden!


Top down, we have oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary and mint on the bottom


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## C R (25 Aug 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> This is an old water feature, it used to have a solar-powered pump and an array of jugs so water could trickle down.
> Sadly, they all bit the dust while we were stuck in NZ for 5 months...
> View attachment 658683
> 
> ...



You're missing the parsley


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## TheDoctor (25 Aug 2022)

C R said:


> You're missing the parsley




View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_faxjRKqJ4


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## TheDoctor (25 Aug 2022)

Parsley is a bit of a waste of thyme IMHO.
*gets coat*


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## dave r (25 Aug 2022)

C R said:


> You're missing the parsley




Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme, a great Simon And Garfunkel album.


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## fossyant (26 Aug 2022)

Best bike got a good clean. Chain was rather oily so needed a good wipe as did the chain rings, cassette and jockeys. Been used mainly down at the caravan. All ready for a ride in the morning, then a pootle down to Rhyl in the afternoon to see the air show.


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## GuyBoden (26 Aug 2022)

Installed a new 40T Cassette on the winter bike. Rear Derailleur "B" stop screw is screwed in, so it clears the 40T sprocket. Using a Shimano MTB 10 speed RD-M781 SGS (No clutch) with Dia-Compe Silver friction shifters.

Installed a new rear inner brake cable for the v-brakes on the winter bike, because I noticed it was slightly frayed.


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## cyberknight (26 Aug 2022)

replaced the pedals on the carbon for another set i found in my parts bin 2 days after ordering a new set , the old set was definitely worn as the outside of the pedal where the shoe rests and the cleat twists out over had a groove in it .
I do like my cleats tight so im guessing over time it wore a groove as i unclipped and they were second hand to start with and now the was a squeak as i pedalled that no amount of lube could stop for more than an hour or 2 and the pedal was a bit loose even on max tightness


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## HLaB (26 Aug 2022)

I swapped in the correct size of shimano disc pads to my gravel bike. Its the first time I've changed them and in the flat they seem good and no squeal; I'll have to bed them in tomorrow though.


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## cyberknight (27 Aug 2022)

cyberknight said:


> replaced the pedals on the carbon for another set i found in my parts bin 2 days after ordering a new set , the old set was definitely worn as the outside of the pedal where the shoe rests and the cleat twists out over had a groove in it .
> I do like my cleats tight so im guessing over time it wore a groove as i unclipped and they were second hand to start with and now the was a squeak as i pedalled that no amount of lube could stop for more than an hour or 2 and the pedal was a bit loose even on max tightness


after about 50 miles the creak came back  
its only the right shoe which is odd , i will try altering the cleat angle a bit but looking at the shoes i have had them years and the inner heel is worn inside so maybe this is a factor ?


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## ColinJ (27 Aug 2022)

cyberknight said:


> after about 50 miles the creak came back
> its only the right shoe which is odd , i will try altering the cleat angle a bit but looking at the shoes i have had them years and the inner heel is worn inside so maybe this is a factor ?


I had that happen on a 100 km ride in Devon on Thursday after 50 km, only in my case it was on the left side. I noticed that the sole of the left shoe is much more worn than the one on the other side. Damn annoying! A squirt of GT85 on the shoe's sole and the pedal shut the row up for a while, but it came back for the second half of the ride. I'll have to see if I can find a more effective solution. Slightly realigning the cleat might help, but the allen bolt holes are worn so it might be tricky to loosen and retighten them.

The other thing that happened on the ride is that there was an annoying ticking sound coming from the transmission whenever I pedalled hard. I ordered a new BB, BB tool, and grease and they came by Amazon Prime delivery this evening.

I took the old BB out and found that the non-driveside bearing felt very smooth and was clean. Most of the noise on my ride had come from pressing down hard on the driveside pedal on steep climbs so I was expecting it to be the bearing on that side that was the problem. At first, that one felt ok too, but paying careful attention, I thought I could feel just a hint of roughness in it. That was just with hard finger pressure - obviously putting a lot of force through the crank on that side would put vastly more stress on the bearing. Also... the inside of the BB on that side was filthy, which definitely would not help!

I had read that SRAM recommend taking the BBs out and cleaning and regreasing the seals every 50 hours of riding. That tells me that the seals are very poor, and I found a lot of people complaining about them online but I will only be riding this bike*** in good weather and perhaps doing about 100 hours a year on it so I think I will just service the BB every summer.

I have been told that there is some degreaser in a box in one of the outbuildings here. I will have find it in the morning and give the BB area a good cleaning and greasing before installing the new BB. I hope that I end up with a nice quiet bike again so I can face doing another metric century here before going home.


*** The bike stays down here in Devon, to save me carting it up and down the country 4 times a year.


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## Andy in Germany (28 Aug 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had read that SRAM recommend taking the BBs out and cleaning and regreasing the seals every 50 hours of riding. That tells me that the seals are very poor,



That would mean taking my commuter bike to bits every few weeks.

This is a problem I've come across before; many components are designed for leisure use, not for people using bikes as transport.


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## ColinJ (28 Aug 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> That would mean taking my commuter bike to bits every few weeks.
> 
> This is a problem I've come across before; many components are designed for leisure use, not for people using bikes as transport.



This bike had been used as a commuter bike by its original owner. I have ridden about 1,000 km on it since then. It has been very good up until now. 

TBH it probably wouldn't take that long to disassemble, clean, regrease, and reassemble the BB now that I know how to do it (and have the right tools) - I just think that every 50 hours is not a reasonable interval.


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## DCBassman (28 Aug 2022)

A very mucky Apple A1048 keyboard, upon which I'm typing this...


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## Hebe (28 Aug 2022)

Yesterfettles: attaching an air tag and holder to my Marin. It fitted perfectly, but the metal water bottle cage now doesn't fit without fouling the frame. So I need to either get a plastic bottle cage, or move the airtag holder to the front fork so I can have the bottle cage on the fork.






Plus air into assorted tyres.
Thought it was on upside-down but it's not. 😂


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## Elybazza61 (28 Aug 2022)

Gillstay said:


> This was brought in by a chap who wanted a service. I have never seen one so bad and its a road bike !
> 
> The smaller jockey wheel was rarely moving which is why the mud is not so polished. Just keep coving the mud in WD40 and this is what it looks like.
> 
> ...



Seen many of those in the shop, the Rozone washer usually gets them looking half-decent again.


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## Elybazza61 (28 Aug 2022)

Today was re-dishing a front wheel, fitting a new rear mudguard to the Stayer all-road and a front one to the Tern folder.

Friday was spent building a Hope rear hub to a Halo Vapour rim, may do the rear tomorrow.


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## Spiderweb (28 Aug 2022)

Hebe said:


> Yesterfettles: attaching an air tag and holder to my Marin. It fitted perfectly, but the metal water bottle cage now doesn't fit without fouling the frame. So I need to either get a plastic bottle cage, or move the airtag holder to the front fork so I can have the bottle cage on the fork.
> 
> View attachment 659010
> 
> ...



Sorry to ask but what is an air tag?


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## Oldhippy (28 Aug 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Sorry to ask but what is an air tag?



I don't know either.


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## DCBassman (28 Aug 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Sorry to ask but what is an air tag?


Tracking device.


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## Oldhippy (28 Aug 2022)

But it is visible? Couldn't it be pulled off?


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## Hebe (28 Aug 2022)

It is a tracking device, made by Apple. It could be unscrewed, and would announce its presence within a few hours of being nicked. Not perfect by any stretch, but given that I've already interrupted one drunk and stoned bike thief trying to nick it in broad daylight from under cctv cameras I think anything is better than nothing. This is in addition to a new lock and locking wheel skewers.


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## ColinJ (28 Aug 2022)

I completed the installation of the new BB on my Devon bike and have just been out for a short test ride. 

The good news is that I now have a nice clean new BB on the bike. 

The other good news is that I think I have a decent used BB to put in my spares box here. 

The bad news is that that's because the ticking/creaking noise on the bike is still there, so the old BB will probably be reusable after a good clean! 

No harm done (except to my bank balance!) - clean is good, spares are good. It just means that I have to carry on looking for the cause of the noise. 

I now suspect that it would be good to whip the cassette off, grease the splines on the freehub, and reinstall the cassette with the lockring nice and snug. Maybe I didn't tighten the lockring enough when I fitted the cassette? I don't have a torque wrench and have a history of overtightening things, so I have been trying to avoid it. I might have gone too far the other way. 

The other thing I saw suggested was to lube the spoke nipple/rim holes. I would be surprised if noisy nipples are to blame but it is easy to check so I will do that now. I don't have a cassette tool or chainwhip here so I can't tackle the cassette this visit.


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## Chislenko (28 Aug 2022)

Just out of interest has anyone "fashioned" a tool for removal / replacement of press fit BB's.

Looks a straightforward job but the cost of the bespoke tools looks not worth it if you are only doing it once.


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## Regular.Cyclist (28 Aug 2022)

Fitted new tyres to my wife’s ‘best’ bike. The rear had developed a flat spot, in the centre, all round the circumference. Whilst doing that I noted that the chain needed replacing and, as it turned out, so did the cassette. What should have been a quick job took significantly longer than expected.

The old tyres had been on for some time and were a complete nuisance to remove. I suspect that if she have punctured whilst out on her own, or with friends, she would not have been able to remove them herself.


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## GuyBoden (28 Aug 2022)

Put some new Schwalbe Rapid Rob MTB tyres on my Sabbath Ti tourer for some off road riding.

Yes, I've had to take the mudguards off.


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## Gunk (28 Aug 2022)

I decided to service and clean the pub bike today, cost us £15 about 18 months ago and my son has used it almost daily, it lives under the porch so it has a pretty tough life. I didn’t realise quite how bad it was.



















I carried out the following jobs - Pub bike rules means zero or minimum expenditure

Deep clean
New bottom bracket (found one in my box in the garage)
Cleaned and lubricated the drive train
adjusted the indexing
adjusted the headset
adjusted the brakes, took over half an hour!
Trued both wheels






The rear tyre was toast, I had a set of Specialized 26 x 2.0 tyres on the shelf in the garage but they were too wide for the rear, so currently the serviceable front tyre has been swapped to the rear and the front 26 x 2.0 is temporary, I’ve found a couple of matching Panaracers on eBay, if I win them, I’ll sell the Specialized tyres to pay for them. Also gives me a spare.

My son had a quick test ride and couldn't believe it was same bike!


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## Gillstay (28 Aug 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Seen many of those in the shop, the Rozone washer usually gets them looking half-decent again.



Would it also put new teeth back on the sprockets ?  One had none left.


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## Gunk (28 Aug 2022)

Won the Panaracers on the bay of dreams, so I’ll fit a new front next weekend and job‘s a goodun!


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## Elybazza61 (29 Aug 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Would it also put new teeth back on the sprockets ?  One had none left.



It's good but not that good

Would imagine it might have been cheaper/easier to just put a new rear mech on (if one was available ).


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## Elybazza61 (29 Aug 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I completed the installation of the new BB on my Devon bike and have just been out for a short test ride.
> 
> The good news is that I now have a nice clean new BB on the bike.
> 
> ...




Chainring bolts maybe?


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## ColinJ (29 Aug 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Chainring bolts maybe?



They had Loctite on the threads but I undid them, cleaned the chainring (it is a 1x11 bike), bolts, and cranks and then reassembled everything.

I also noticed that the headset was not quite as tight as it probably should be. Even though there wasn't any obvious play in the headset, there was a creaking from the front end of the bike when I stood behind the bike and pushed and pulled against the front brake. I tightened the headset a little and checked that there was not any problem turning the bars after that.

I greased the QRs.

I also heard a little rubbing from the disk brakes which I almost entirely got rid of by adjusting them. (A bit of a compromise there because the static pads have to be close to the rotors for efficient braking so they do still occasionally brush against the rotors but now not enough to annoy me.)

The bike is significantly quieter now, but the main noise is still there. I am fairly sure that removing the cassette, cleaning everything, greasing the freehub splines and reassembling with the correct torque on the lockring will fix that. (Famous last words! )


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## Elybazza61 (29 Aug 2022)

ColinJ said:


> They had Loctite on the threads but I undid them, cleaned the chainring (it is a 1x11 bike), bolts, and cranks and then reassembled everything.
> 
> I also noticed that the headset was not quite as tight as it probably should be. Even though there wasn't any obvious play in the headset, there was a creaking from the front end of the bike when I stood behind the bike and pushed and pulled against the front brake. I tightened the headset a little and checked that there was not any problem turning the bars after that.
> 
> ...


Does sound like the cassette now; trouble with these sort of noises is they could be from anywhere as the sound source is hard to pin down.


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## Elybazza61 (29 Aug 2022)

Finished rear wheel build so have a nice set of Hope/Halo Vapour 650b wheels as a winter set for the Stayer OG.

Next build is another 650 wheel set for the All-City; again Vapours with SP front hub and Hope rear.


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## roubaixtuesday (29 Aug 2022)

Gears on the tandem were playing up, first couldn't get into smallest sprockets, then not the largest either. 

Stopped at the top of a hill to investigate, no obvious issue could be found then *sproing!* the cable snapped whilst fettling, doubtless having been previously on the way out.

Happily, having suffered on a long ride once before, I learned my lesson and always carry cable spares (why wouldn't you - cheap and light) including tandem specific ones. Further surprised myself to learn that the multi tool screwdriver actually fitted the little screw that holds the panel in the brifter to remove the broken end that always gets stuck. 

Not going to lie, it took a while, but all sorted at roadside, and near 50 miles ridden in all. 

One question for ccers: lacking a cable cutter, I just coiled the excess, but for upcoming (hopefully) tours, I think a tool with pliers, cable cutter and maybe tweezers for this sort of job could be useful. Any thoughts or recommendation? Leatherman seem to be the go-to, but are there other better ones? Plus there's a gazillion different ones of those to choose from.


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## fossyant (31 Aug 2022)

Repaired the holes in my Spesh BG Pro mitts I've had for years - put a few holes in it after a spill on Sunday on my best bike - biggest off I've ever had on that bike (in 32 years). Also been patching myself up - big nasty gash in left forearm - hydrocolloid dressing on from Monday until this afternoon (after a ride), removed, wound cleaned under warm shower, new dressing applied. Going to need more as it's a big wound (gravel rash plus removed skin from a blunt edge).

PS the bike was fine - needed a couple of tweaks of the spoke key.

Post patched up ride photo (mitt and arm)


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## ColinJ (31 Aug 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Does sound like the cassette now; trouble with these sort of noises is they could be from anywhere as the sound source is hard to pin down.


Well at least I am not going to get fooled by the saddle again... I learned that lesson on my singlespeed bike (one of the saddle rails had come loose inside the saddle itself)! I was still getting the noise on the Devon bike when pedalling out of the saddle.

I'll take my cassette tool and chainwhip down with me for my next visit at the end of September.


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## Rickshaw Phil (31 Aug 2022)

A couple of fettling sessions from last week:

Thursday: The knockabout bike has been showing signs of the middle chain ring being worn plus I wanted to nick the 24 tooth small ring off it to use elsewhere so, crank off, middle ring replaced with new, small ring replaced with a used 26 tooth and everything had a good clean while it was apart. I fitted a new chain and a cassette as the old one has done pretty well (over 6000 miles and three chains if my notes are correct) then turned my attention to the rear derailleur which was cleaned up and the main pivot relubed. New brake and gear cables plus brake blocks finished off the job.

Friday: It was the Raleigh's turn. Again, the middle chain ring is quite worn, but on this one I have some new zicral chain rings that I'd put on my birthday list as I wanted to alter the gearing slightly. Those have gone on with the one taken from the Hawk so the set is now 24, 34, 46 teeth. A new chain went on and even though the old cassette was probably fine to reuse I've put a new one on so that everything is new (old cassette has been kept for another occasion).

The rear derailleur had similar treatment to the one on the Hawk but I've fitted new pulleys to freshen things up (they've done nearly 15,000 miles). The old pulleys are in much better condition than I thought so I'll use those to refurbish a worn derailleur I have in the spares box. Having cleaned and lubricated the main pivot I found it a bit of a pig to reassemble this one and had to ask for a helping hand - hopefully I won't need to do that job again for quite a while. I've changed gear cables even though they seemed alright and to finish I've put a new Vittoria Revolution Tech tyre on the front to make a matching pair. All seems good after the first proper ride and I'm looking forward to racking up some miles with the new set up.


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Aug 2022)

Lubed the chain.


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## HLaB (2 Sep 2022)

Lol, my only fettling today was to remove the TT bike from the trainer and pump up its tyres. I had been wanting to angle my elbow cups on my TT bike and hopefully spread the load on elbows (the small point load is causing a lot of numbness on longer TTs). Ordered the brackets and spacers to do so. Whilst the brackets came by courier, the spacers were sent Royal Mail and with them striking they still haven't arrived.


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## HLaB (3 Sep 2022)

I put a extra bottle cage on my gravel bike for its maiden ton on Monday and I took it off again tonight. Whilst I had the hex keys out I changed the bolts on the commuter's bottle cage from 2.5mm hex head bolts to 4mm headed ones.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Sep 2022)

Back to work today, quite how I managed to get this job is still a bit startling to me, but I'm not complaining.

I did complain about the first bike though. It was a Victoria city bike called a _Baden Baden_ and it looked in good condition; I don't know if Victoria are known in the UK; they make mid to upper middle range city bikes so I thought this wouldn't be too much trouble. The list of "Extras" included changing the brake blocks front and rear, pumping up the tyres and turning the rear tyre because it was on backwards.

Blocks changed the front V-Brake was looking lopsided, a turn of the wheel revealed that the wheel had so much buckle it could be a pair of boots. It took a long time and some swearing until I managed to get it to submit to laws of physics so I could reset the brakes.

Then I pumped up the tyre; the inner tube exploded. B*gg*r. Dropped wheel, looked for new inner tube with the same valve, checked wheel and tyre, fitted tube, pumped, bang. On inspection both had popped on a seam on the inside of the tube. I recall this has happened before so it could be the trouble was the batch of inner tunes, which could be quite old for all I know.

Okay then, different tubes, but that would mean a different valve type, so I'd have to change the back wheel to match; not the end of the world as I needed to swap the tyre. Found a pair of car valve tubes, and to be on the safe side, some rim tape. Mount tube, mount tyre, wheel back on.

Go to back tyre; it's a Sram hub gear because nothing can be simple with this bike. Unscrew bolts, drop innards of Sram on floor, retrieve, put in tray.

Colleague calls from the till, a customer has a question she can't answer. to till and back.

Remove tyre from wheel, swap inner tube, wheel back in droppers, pulling to tension chain with some difficulty, phone rings, It's my colleague at the till again: another customer has a question.

Wheel back on floor, go and sort customer out, back to wheel. Beginning to feel like Basil Fawlty.

Wheel back in droppers, tension, tighten, chain inexplicably slack, repeat. Works second time.

Set brakes, set gears, wonder of wonders I haven't lost any of the bits and they work first time. Time for test ride.

On cue it starts to rain, very heavily.

Test ride delayed to Monday, in the meantime fix an elderly Diamondback which goes surprisingly well. Knowing where all the tools are is a great help. Admittedly I knew some of them were at my apartment, but that's entirely my own fault for not ordering replacements for my tools...


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## Jenkins (4 Sep 2022)

Went into the shed to get a bike out for use this morning and noticed that the Bootzipper 29er had a flat rear tyre. Having sorted that out I was putting the wheel back and lining up the disc rotor between the pads when I saw how little material there was on the pads which meant they had to be changed. Followed by the front pads when I checked them and found them to be very badly worn as well.


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## Gunk (4 Sep 2022)

Stuck the replacement matching tyre on the front, almost looks too smart now to be a pub bike.

I’m going to replace all the brake shoes later as I was shocked last weekend how worn they were


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## Gunk (4 Sep 2022)

Popped it back on the stand and fitted £8 of Decathlon brake shoes, I hate V brakes! 

But it’s all on the button now, ready to be neglected and abused for another 12 months.


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## cyberknight (4 Sep 2022)

measured the drop outs on the farked wheel to ensure i get the right width hub and tried unsuccessfully to remove the disc , in hindsight i better check the front wheel too .
I can see me drilling the bolts out


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## Elybazza61 (4 Sep 2022)

Fitted Conti Mud Kings to the re-built vapours but only one inflated as did not have a spare 27.5 tube


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## Andy in Germany (4 Sep 2022)

Gunk said:


> I hate V brakes!


Really? I've generally got on well with them.


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## C R (4 Sep 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Really? I've generally got on well with them.



Indeed, Vs are child's play compared to cantis.


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## Gunk (4 Sep 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Really? I've generally got on well with them.



These took a bit of fettling to get them working properly, someone had been there before and messed about with them.

I ended up pulling them all apart, cleaning and refitting them. They now sit nice and straight in the frame.

I like a nice Campagnolo calliper brake


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## Andy in Germany (4 Sep 2022)

Gunk said:


> These took a bit of fettling to get them working properly, someone had been there before and messed about with them.
> 
> I ended up pulling them all apart, cleaning and refitting them. They now sit nice and straight in the frame.
> 
> I like a nice Campagnolo calliper brake



We had a nice bike donated last week with caliper brakes; I'm going to have to work out how to fix them now.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Sep 2022)

C R said:


> Indeed, Vs are child's play compared to cantis.



That too. I still haven't worked out a foolproof method for those. I'm getting better but it's still a bit of a fiddle.


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## DCBassman (4 Sep 2022)

Gunk said:


> I hate V brakes


I love 'em!


C R said:


> Indeed, Vs are child's play compared to cantis.


And this is why...


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## Andy in Germany (5 Sep 2022)

C R said:


> Indeed, Vs are child's play compared to cantis.



Great, now I've got a bike with canti's; weird canti's at that...


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## C R (5 Sep 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Great, now I've got a bike with canti's; weird canti's at that...



I think you can always install Vs in cantis bosses, it requires different levers though.


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## Andy in Germany (5 Sep 2022)

C R said:


> I think you can always install Vs in cantis bosses, it requires different levers though.



On older bikes the spacing from the wheel can be awkward. Guess what I'm dealing with.

I've wrestled them into submission though; now I'm working on a klickbox...


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## woodbutchmaster (5 Sep 2022)

I have been having such fun for the last couple of days fitting a Mavic 851 ssc rear mech to my Look kg253. Now l confess that l am more arty than mechanically minded and after having installed the mech upside down l now have it the right way up thanks to advice from various people on facebook. My next challenge will be to lengthen the 10sp chain (another recommendation via facebook folk) . Anyway here is a photo of the current state of play. Don't know why it isn't the right way up but you get the general idea l hope !


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## Sallar55 (5 Sep 2022)

A thermarest neo leak finally repaired, very slow deflation overnight. Tiny pin hole found and patched. Will try a test overnight


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## keithmac (5 Sep 2022)

Engine finally out of our MK2 Golf 16v, along with subframe/ steering rack etc.

A lot to be getting on with but it will be back on the road!

My lad was a massive help today, tought him a bit about fuel injection and ignition systems and he tought me that time on the spanners actually can be enjoyable!.

Modified a trolley to get it through the house, only just fit!.

Managed to get the obligatory sat in the engine bay pic, just love spending quality time with him and can't wait to take him out for a spin when it's finished 😀


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## Gunk (5 Sep 2022)

I had one back in the day, brand new in 1989 as a company car. lovely to see that you are resurrecting one.


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## DCLane (6 Sep 2022)

Having bought this bike back four years after selling it I've probably saved it (again) from being turned into bean cans. Bought in 2017 when it was missing many parts it's back having had at least one big bump, leading to a damaged rear mech hanger and tensioner.

Back in 2017 we turned a 99p damaged 2016 Specialized Hotrock Street into a 24"-wheeled single speed bike for teenagers/adults. Think "over-size BMX" and you get the idea. Fast-forward four years and it's back with us and put back into use. We've done:

Frame thoroughly cleaned, scratches/chips touched-up
Headset tightened, bars straightened, brake lever sorted
Seatpost loosened, cleaned and re-greased. Getting the seized and fully-lowered 400mm seatpost to move took some ... effort ! 
New rear mech hanger
Replacement single speed tensioner thanks to a freebie from @DCBassman  which was for a still-not-started project back in 2020 
New rear tyre, sold with/supplied back, to match the front
New Clarks Elite MTB brake pads front & rear
New rear gear cable, noodle & guide pipe
Shimano A530 SPD/flat pedals instead of the kiddie ones
New grease into the front wheel
Wheels trued
Brakes adjusted
It's geared to reach 20+mph with kiddie cranks and now _should_ stop better than originally.






All ready for use by son no. 2 at Center Parcs next week and university in Nottingham later this month. Given the theft rate of bikes at universities (  ) this _should_ be distinctive enough to deter most thieves, along with his orange Carlton Corsa fixie, which co-incidentally we also probably saved from being bean cans. If not, tracking it down may be easier. He'll have other bikes in his room (race / training / track) but these can be in the bike shed.

Oh, and if you now want to borrow your kid's bike, put a stupdily long seatpost in to see if it's fun to ride? It is 😊


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## 8mph (7 Sep 2022)

DCLane said:


> Having bought this bike back four years after selling it I've probably saved it (again) from being turned into bean cans. Bought in 2017 when it was missing many parts it's back having had at least one big bump, leading to a damaged rear mech hanger and tensioner.
> 
> Back in 2017 we turned a 99p damaged 2016 Specialized Hotrock Street into a 24"-wheeled single speed bike for teenagers/adults. Think "over-size BMX" and you get the idea. Fast-forward four years and it's back with us and put back into use. We've done:
> 
> ...



It looks fantastic. Assuming this started off with 26" wheels, did standard V-brakes work for the 24" conversion?


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## DCLane (7 Sep 2022)

8mph said:


> It looks fantastic. Assuming this started off with 26" wheels, did standard V-brakes work for the 24" conversion?



Thanks. It was always a 24"-wheeled bike, and the rear wheel is original. Designed for 8-11 year-olds originally we swapped the chunky 1.5" MTB-style tyres for 1.25" road-style.


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## TheDoctor (7 Sep 2022)

About to fit SPDs to the Brommie in preparation for holidays.


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## HLaB (8 Sep 2022)

A successful evening of fettling thanks to a mate. I ordered new brackets for my TT pad so they could take angled spacers, which I ordered at the same time. When they came neither had any bolts so he offered to find some in his garage. Unfortunately they were M6 bolts and he had none long enough with a flat head. So we ordered some and they came yesterday and we fitted them tonight. Hopefully that spreads what was a point load on my elbow which was causing my hand then whole arm to go sore and numb. It probably not helped by bad circulation after my chemo a few years ago.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Sep 2022)

Three bikes fixed and ready for sale. I was fortunate: all three were fairly generic city bikes with derailleur gears and two came as part of a house clearance and had hardly been used; half the job was shifting the cobwebs.

One gave me a bit more trouble; I had to replace the chain and cassette and BB. This one had already been in the showroom once and had a price tag of 185€; I was going to reduce that to 155€ because it wasn't a high end bike, but before I got around to replacing the price tag it was already sold.

Oh, and with some help from the main workshop I fixed a punp a client had bouught from a supermarket, and which turned out to be lacking proper screws in crucial places, so we riveted the thing together...


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## Elybazza61 (9 Sep 2022)

Had this at work the other day, excellent bit of design meant that the rack had to be undone and moved to get the pad bolt out of the calliper .


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## HLaB (9 Sep 2022)

Elybazza61 said:


> Had this at work the other day, excellent bit of design meant that the rack had to be undone and moved to get the pad bolt out of the calliper .
> 
> 
> View attachment 660489



A deliberate design it to stop the bolt falling out by accident


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## ianrauk (11 Sep 2022)

From this




To this.




New bar tape is always a nice, satisfying job


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## Aluminum Falcon (11 Sep 2022)

Thanks to my late brother I am now switching from scale model aircraft to something more useful to me, my girls and the planet.





My long story is here,
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/newbie-in-the-bomber-county.287668/
I'm pulling everything I can off a 56cm specialized tarmac for my new 51.5cm Boardman Road Sport. Already started planning a gravel bike as well. I used to play with old Fords and I must admit that the idea of building cycles is rather (addictive) fun!
Any advice gratefully appreciated


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## CXRAndy (11 Sep 2022)

I've just got back my Load-all from the dealer. Its an old machine but now in reasonably good condition. I've been over the other bits and spent a little while greasing all the zerts. A few zerts were missing so swapped them around to apply new grease to pivots. I got a new clamping grease head with a lever, it's perfect for greasing up. No need to pulloff the from grease nipple, which I think is the reason for missing zerts.


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## DCBassman (12 Sep 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> zerts.


Felt impelled to find out what zerts were. Appears it's zerks, and is basically grease nipples. Every day's a schoolday!


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## CXRAndy (12 Sep 2022)

My ignorance, what a 'Zerk' I am


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## DCBassman (12 Sep 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> My ignorance, what a 'Zerk' I am


Just one of those things where I just had to find out what THAT is!


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## ColinJ (12 Sep 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> About to fit SPDs to the Brommie in preparation for holidays.


I built my singlespeed bike from old bits and bobs when money was very tight, before getting my pension. I like the bike but some of the used parts annoyed me so I have been gradually upgrading the bike since my pension started and spare cash for new parts became available.

I had originally installed a pair of singlesided SPD pedals. Not the kind that have a platform on the flip side. The ones I have are almost unusable on the other (curved metal) side. They are fine once clipped in, but doing so in stop-start traffic or uphill can be pretty dodgy. My shoes have slipped off the backs of the pedals too many times so those pedals are now going to my turbo trainer bike. I bought some classic double-sided M520 SPDs to replace them. They arrived today so I will be fitting them after my coffee break.

What I have done thus far is to put the new cleats that came with the pedals on my shoes. The old cleats were very worn. The metal cleats last a long time, but not forever! The old ones were starting to feel sloppy and rattle.

Simple job, eh? Well, the start of it was... 3 of the 4 cleat bolts came out easily. Then I spotted the 4th one and remembered why I had not changed the cleats sooner - the allen head was rounded off!

I tried all sorts of tricks but in the end I had to saw the old cleat off so I could get my mole grips on the duff bolt. All done now.

I'll finish my coffee, put the new pedals on, and go for a short test ride.

Other recent fettling...

The saddle on the singlespeed had started creaking again. It has been a recurrent problem which I decided to fix once and for all. I took the saddle off and the seatpost out. I cleaned and greased all metal surfaces that contact other metal surfaces. That gave me the micro-adjustment of saddle angle back. The saddle is not only quiet again, but I have also now got the angle spot on. Before it was always slightly too nose up or down. It must be a very critical adjustment for me... It looks like it did before but feels much more comfortable. I might struggle to replicate the position on my other bikes because I think that most of them have coarser saddle clamp adjustments.

I recently put a narrow-topped rack on the singlespeed bike. It struck me at the time that I could bodge a rear mudguard by attaching something to the rack. I just found an old tyre that I had cut up to make some tyre boots. A long length of that tyre along the rack should keep 95+% of spray off my back on damp rides. I have wedged it in for now in case I want to take it off. I will probably buy some releasable cable ties to use to fix it more securely but still allow it to be removed easily.


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## Ian H (12 Sep 2022)

Not today but last week, I discovered the chain on the Blue Hallett was worn beyond sensible, so replaced it and the cassette.

The Campag chain has the _special pin _rather than a quick-link, and five pages of instructions to fit it. It makes a neat job though. 

I forgot to road-test it, so the next outing was our Saturday social - a 40 mile or so ride which I usually extend to around 70 by riding to & from home. 

Anyway, nothing went ping!, the bike was as silent as a fixed-wheel, the gear-changes as crisp as when it was new.

And it didn't rain.
_The chain after 75 miles_


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## november4 (12 Sep 2022)

The other day, changed out a freehub for first time, and put on hutchinson tubeless tyres, easily by hand, and one of them even seated with normal pump


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## ColinJ (12 Sep 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I'll finish my coffee, put the new pedals on, and go for a short test ride.


I did do the post-coffee pedal transfer but haven't done my test ride yet. The forecast is good for tomorrow so I'll go out then instead.


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## Andy in Germany (13 Sep 2022)

Yesterday was largely spent dealing with this:







It's a bit of a BSO but I can't throw them all out so I'm cleaning it and getting it into safe working condition. Of course it is taking far longer than it should so it's unlikely we'll get much of a profit out of it, but such is life.






My client was working on this bike, but asked me to sort out the rear mech as it wasn't changing properly. It turned out that the tiny plate crimping the cable had twisted slightly in the socket and jammed solid so we couldn't change the tension: I had to take the mech off the bike and whack the crimping bolt on a hard surface until it would move, then re-cable the mech. Still, it's a nice looking bike so it should go for a decent price.


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## bikingdad90 (13 Sep 2022)

Did some pro level bar tape wrapping with the lifeline bar tape. Pretty stretchy and easy to work with.


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## ColinJ (13 Sep 2022)

I like the bar tape, but I'm not convinced by those blue hoods! 

I bodged a rear mudguard [a length of worn tyre, held by cable ties] onto the skinny rack on my singlespeed bike . It should stop most of the spray getting onto my back on wet rides.






That 'tail' flap looks a bit naff but it will catch more spray so I might leave it on, or I might trim it later.

You can see one of the 2 new SPD pedals that I put on the bike yesterday.


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## bikingdad90 (13 Sep 2022)

@ColinJ, I do have the original hoods somewhere but Sod’s law you can’t find it when you want it!


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## ColinJ (13 Sep 2022)

I have been out for my test ride... The bike is now quieter than it has been since I first built it! 

Except for one strange rasping noise, that is... I noticed it when yomping up the little climbs on my loop which are steep enough to be hard work on singlespeed. Some female pedestrians walking ahead of me could clearly hear the noise because they were looking round to see what it was. I eventually worked out that it was my heavy breathing! 

The new cleats and pedals feel much better. The looseness has gone and the rattling sounds with it. I found that my left cleat was not quite aligned properly though. I felt that my foot was being forced into a heel-out position that it didn't want to be in, confirmed by me accidentally unclipping heel-in. I never normally unclip that way. I have now turned the back of the cleat slightly outwards, which will bring my heel slightly inwards.


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## Andy in Germany (13 Sep 2022)

Finally finished this clunker:






It isn't great: the freewheel is a bit gritty and it took a while to persuade the indexing to to work. It's going for 45€ (ca. 40 GBP) to reflect this, but the thing is out of the door. It did have dynamo lights but I couldn't afford to spend any more time on it.

New bike tomorrow.


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## ColinJ (14 Sep 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have now turned the back of the cleat slightly outwards, which will bring my heel slightly inwards.



That did the trick. 

I hadn't realised how much difference replacing worn metal SPD cleats can make. I might start doing that every 3 or 4 years instead of once a decade!


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## Andy in Germany (15 Sep 2022)

Much of today was spent trying to fix a ladies drop frame town/trekking bike. Above can be seen the process of re-cabling everything, in part because the shifters were smashed.

It also needed a new chain guard but the ones in store either didn't fit or they were broken so it is now back on the rack waiting for me to put a chain guard in the next order.

The next bike was a diamond framed aluminium trekking bike which will also have to wait as it is missing one spoke and I haven' time to faff about with that at the moment. 

Oddly, both were missing saddles, saddle posts and the collar to hold the saddle up.


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## ColinJ (15 Sep 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I now suspect that it would be good to whip the cassette off, grease the splines on the freehub, and reinstall the cassette with the lockring nice and snug. Maybe I didn't tighten the lockring enough when I fitted the cassette? I don't have a torque wrench and have a history of overtightening things, so I have been trying to avoid it. I might have gone too far the other way.





Elybazza61 said:


> Does sound like the cassette now; trouble with these sort of noises is they could be from anywhere as the sound source is hard to pin down.


I have just been reading that a 1.85 mm spacer is needed for an 11-speed MTB cassette on an 11-speed road hub. I think that might be my problem! (I don't remember there being a spacer when I moved the cassette from an old wheel to the new one but the original wheel might have a MTB hub.)


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## Andy in Germany (16 Sep 2022)

This wreck:






Frame looks nice so we'll sell it, but the components were either missing (rear mech, pedals and saddle) or battered (broken brake leverwheels caked in gunge and wobbly, axles so loose I could turn rotate the bolts with my thumb).






IN the background is a donor bike dragged out of the graveyard, a sort of proto E-Bike with a wrecked frame but a few decent components which is being cannibalised to keep this one going. I'll hopefully finish this on Monday and it'll have a tag of at least 200€; apart from the extra time needed, the cannibalised parts will be better than the original.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Sep 2022)

Pumped up wife’s tyres ahead of her aqua bike event tomorrow


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## Andy in Germany (16 Sep 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Pumped up wife’s tyres ahead of her aqua bike event tomorrow



Serious question: what's an Aqua Bike event?


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Sep 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Serious question: what's an Aqua Bike event?



It’s Triathlon without the run leg. Usually done at same time as a triathlon event.


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## Andy in Germany (16 Sep 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> It’s Triathlon without the run leg. Usually done at same time as a triathlon event.



Makes sense when it's explained, thanks. All the best tomorrow.


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## HLaB (16 Sep 2022)

The last couple of solo rides my bike has been silent, no matter what the power/cadence but for some reason its making a chainsaw like noise when I've been in hard group rides. I've had this on other bikes in the past and it has usually turned out to be the hub/pawl springs. I found a minute amount of play in the hub so I suspect its the same. After a bit of effort I managed to unseize the cassette and remove the axle covers that hold the hub. The cheaper version of my hub slides out but mine didn't; its got a 2mm screw and a removable plate below which I think has to be loosened but rather than stripping such a minute screw I decided to put it back together and take it to a shop. I think I have a spare wheel that is set up 10sp which I can convert to 11sp so hopefully I won't be bikeless.


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## bikingdad90 (17 Sep 2022)

Not today, but Wednesday… my front shifter stopped working, liberal spray with GT85 did nothing and wondering what the heck was going on I discovered the cable tension was non existent, tightened the cable up and hey presto working fine. 

No idea what went on as I haven’t changed anything except put wider handlebars on; from 36cm to 38cm, if anything I’d of expected it to be too tight not too loose!


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## Spiderweb (17 Sep 2022)

Ultegra brakes removed and replaced with a lovely pair of new Dura Ace 7900 brakes so the whole group set is the same now.


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## chriswoody (17 Sep 2022)

Well the drought this summer, coupled with well over a thousand kilometres of mostly off-road riding had left my Kona with rear brake issues. The dust and sand that's liberally caked the bike, has also gummed up the master piston assembly in the brake lever. So today I dismantled the brake lever and the covers over the piston assembly. The piston assembly was so gummed up, I needed to attach a bleed syringe to the caliper and pressurise the system from below to "blow" the piston free from it's housing. With it freed up, I cleaned it all up and greased it with SRAM DOT grease. Re-assembly is not to difficult, just a little fiddly and with it all back together, I flipped the bike right side up and proceeded to bleed the back brake. It's all back together now and feeling brilliant again, just need to wash the bike now.


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## ColinJ (17 Sep 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I felt that my foot was being forced into a heel-out position that it didn't want to be in, confirmed by me accidentally unclipping heel-in. I never normally unclip that way. I have now turned the back of the cleat slightly outwards, which will bring my heel slightly inwards.





ColinJ said:


> That did the trick.


There was still a bit too much friction between the shoes and pedals after the upgrade. My feet could be moved to the positions they felt comfortable in during the pedal stroke but I had to apply too much twisting force and it was making my knees ache. I have just lubed the contact points, which should fix that. I'll be heading out to the shops on my bike so I will soon see if all is now well.

PS Yes - perfect now!


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## HLaB (17 Sep 2022)

A quick fettle from me tonight. I dug out that old fulcrum 10/11spd wheel and swapped over to the 11sp cassette I'm using on my best bike. At first the lockring would only tighten so far and then completely loosen, so I swapped it for another and it was instantly good so I must have stripped it when I removed it. Then finally pumped the tyre up. That'll get me moving tomorrow or Monday if I decide to take the road bike out.


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## DCLane (18 Sep 2022)

Tidying bits and pieces in the workshop/conservatory as it was looking a mess. There's also some nice fairy lights hung up which SWMBO wanted doing 

The Dawes Kingpin's been crunching the bottom bracket. I took the plunge and swapped it for a square taper bottom bracket plus square taper crankset as the axle was corroded. Rather than simply replacing the axle it is about time the whole thing got an upgrade. It's all in and I've used only items in the parts shed, but the chain cover won't go back on. That's down to the BB axle being too long, so I'll have to sort one that fits better. A 103mm one was too short and the next one up I had was 122mm.

Trued the rear Fulcrum 5 LG wheel that I'd replaced a spoke on after getting a branch caught in it whilst cross-countrying.

Removed the old front mudguard brackets from my Avanti Circa cross bike after the mudguard got damaged, yes - in the cross-countrying above. A removeable front mudguard's in as it _might_ get used in cyclocross over the winter.

Repaired my son's Garmin 520 where the buttons fell out. I don't have the skills to fit a new bottom half, which is what it needs, so new buttons are glued on, made from other things. It works nicely indoors and he's got a530 for outdoors.

Also I used the almost-new bar tape from my NeilPryde Nazaré when I upgraded in July and put that onto my Raleigh SP Race commuter. The £1 Poundland bar tape I've had on for the past 18 months was looking 

Also, two new Vittoria Rubino's onto the Raleigh's Fulcrum 5 wheels in preparation for autumn commuting, which re-starts next week when I'm back in work four days a week.


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## HLaB (18 Sep 2022)

DCLane said:


> Tidying bits and pieces in the workshop/conservatory as it was looking a mess. There's also some nice fairy lights hung up which SWMBO wanted doing
> 
> The Dawes Kingpin's been crunching the bottom bracket. I took the plunge and swapped it for a square taper bottom bracket plus square taper crankset as the axle was corroded. Rather than simply replacing the axle it is about time the whole thing got an upgrade. It's all in and I've used only items in the parts shed, but the chain cover won't go back on. That's down to the BB axle being too long, so I'll have to sort one that fits better. A 103mm one was too short and the next one up I had was 122mm.
> 
> ...



That reminds me I need to order a spoke for my commuter's rear Fulcrum 7.


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## currystomper (19 Sep 2022)

Put my wife's mountain bike back to her settings after borrowing it while on holiday for some gravel riding. So tractor tyres off, road tyres back on. Seat lowered back to the mark and seat slide forward.


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## Svendo (22 Sep 2022)

The rear brake cable snapped on the way home last night. Of course it was where the cable enters the frame and so once home was left with no existing ‘thread’ to draw the new cable through with.
After much head scratching and taping things together which all failed, I noticed the rear exit had a grommet that was removable. So technique is to removed fork, remove rear grommet, thread any old cable in from rear. Grab with needle nose pliers from top of head tube, thread the sleeve strip that came with the frame down the cable and out of the rear. Thread new brake cable from handlebars through housing into head tube, grab through head tube and thread through sleeve out of rear, refit grommet and continue to fit as normal. Wipe sweat from brow and subject other half to blow by blow account, realise she’s not bothered so post here instead!


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## Andy in Germany (22 Sep 2022)

Finally finished this bike (I've done other things in between) and she's ready to go. It's a very nice bike now and a great ride.






Also it's my first proper bodge with new shifters, rear mech, chain, cassette, wheels and other bits.


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## Vantage (23 Sep 2022)

I've upgraded my perfectly legal 36v 250w e motor & battery to a quite illegal 48v 750w motor & battery.
I now understand better why these things are illegal without the permits etc. It's damn vicious!
Mucho detuning to be done today. I'm after a mileage increase between charges, not the power and speed.


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## chriswoody (23 Sep 2022)

With Autumn just around the corner I decided that it was about time to think about mudguards for the mountain bike, with the 29 inch wheels this thing does fling the muck about. I had a mudhugger front mudguard that I'd tried unsuccessfully to fit to another bike and was now spare, so I decided to chuck that on the Sonder. With the big wheels though I decided to also purchase the extender piece that Mudhugger do. Fitting it is simplicity itself, just drill out the three dimples in the end of the existing mudguard and then using the moulded in depresion in the extender to line everything up, you push in the provided plastic rivets. 






It's goes together really well and on the bike provides quite a long mudguard that should hopefully provide some good protection.






So with that done, I popped a mudhugger medium guard on the back.






So hopefully that should keep me a little cleaner through the winter.


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## cyberknight (23 Sep 2022)

attempted to true my rear disk rotor, if anythign i made it worse


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## Andy in Germany (23 Sep 2022)

Current project in the workshop:






Nice frame but it's been badly abused then dumped in a shed for several years. The original plan was to send it to our second centre for the frame to be stripped down and I'd build up from there. This didn't work (I need to work on communication obviously) and it came back today after a couple of weeks in a storage unit.

So now it's getting restored and improved...


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## dave r (23 Sep 2022)

I stripped cleaned and regreased the front wheel hub tonight, it had got water in it from somewhere, its been very many months since it was last used in the rain, its all quiet and smooth now.


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## Elybazza61 (24 Sep 2022)

Stripped the rear free hub on the better half's Cotic after it started making nasty noises while in Suffolk this week; cleaned it out and regreased plus found the 'spring' which holds the pawls in place had broken, luckily had a spare hub I could rob the part from.

Also cleaned chain and cassette to make sure all sandy muck was removed.

Cleaned the Stayer also plus cleaned the bb and cleaned and re-fited the cranks as it was making a clicking noise some of the time; not convinced the Praxis bb has particularly good seals as this-is the second time the noise has appeared after a few days in a sandy location


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## Aluminum Falcon (24 Sep 2022)

Not sure if this counts as fettling but I have swapped the seat post on my Specialized Allez for the carbon post from a Tarmac so that I can use the shorter post from the Allez on the Itsabitsa Boardman I'm building.


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## GeekDadZoid (24 Sep 2022)

Not had any fettle time recently, but managed a few hours of needed work on the Dawes, after 700km I have decided to stick with the current bars & the old tape was getting horrible, so it was time for new tape, I had hoped to get some of the Brooks Cabdium tape like I have on the Holdsworth but due to some unplanned expenses I decided that better wait so I put some generic tape I had in stock on, I am getting better at it. 

I moved my pedals and Spa Nidd saddle from the holdsworth, I will buy matching ones of both when I see a deal, but the holdsworth is being converted back to 26 inch wheels so it currently off the road whilst I find time.

Sorted the mudguards out as they where fitted quite badly and replaced the shimano inserts for some fibrax ones which in my 2km test ride felt like a massive improvement. Also fitted the fork lamp holder for my cateye lamps.

Finally gave it all a clean, I could not find my chain cleaner so popped it off to clean, only to realise I didnt have a new quick link and the old one did not feel secure enough when refitted, so quick trip to decathlon and all ready for a ride tomorrow to check all is ok.


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## GeekDadZoid (24 Sep 2022)

Aluminum Falcon said:


> Not sure if this counts as fettling but I have swapped the seat post on my Specialized Allez for the carbon post from a Tarmac so that I can use the shorter post from the Allez on the Itsabitsa Boardman I'm building.
> View attachment 662188



100% a fettle. Love the colour coding of your tape and bar ends.


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## Aluminum Falcon (24 Sep 2022)

GeekDadZoid said:


> 100% a fettle. Love the colour coding of your tape and bar ends.


Can't take credit for the colour coding, that is my late brother Mark's work. It does look good though.


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## Gunk (24 Sep 2022)

My Roof bars arrived yesterday, couldn’t resist a trial fit.


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## Andy in Germany (24 Sep 2022)

This is fettling... sort of.






Elder Son and translated a checklist for fixing bicycles from Recycke 'y' Byke in Newcastle so I can use it in the shop in Germany, so it's not fettling directly but should help a number of people repair bikes, some for the first time ever...


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## Big John (24 Sep 2022)

Cadged a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub from the bike charity where I work as a volunteer. It was covered in filth and was destined for the scrap pile. I've always wanted to take one apart and service it but never got round to having a go. Followed a couple of YouTube videos and stuck to the advice given - place all the parts in the order they were removed. I won't say it was easy (it wasn't) but thanks to the vids servicing a SA 3 speed hub is a very doable job if you're into fettling. It's positively shining now, oiled and fully working. Now, if we get someone in the shop with a dodgy SA 3 speed hub, we have a fighting chance of helping them out. When you look at the history of a SA 3 speed hub it's now 120 years old and so I'm told today's models haven't changed that much from the original.


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## CXRAndy (24 Sep 2022)

More preparation, acquired 12 extra purlins, for our roofing job. They are oversized, so will need to put my newly order rip table saw to work. I'm going to make up some work station rollers first to carry the purlins being 4.8metres long and weigh easy 40kg each


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## GuyBoden (24 Sep 2022)

Big John said:


> Cadged a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub from the bike charity where I work as a volunteer. It was covered in filth and was destined for the scrap pile. I've always wanted to take one apart and service it but never got round to having a go. Followed a couple of YouTube videos and stuck to the advice given - place all the parts in the order they were removed. I won't say it was easy (it wasn't) but thanks to the vids servicing a SA 3 speed hub is a very doable job if you're into fettling. It's positively shining now, oiled and fully working. Now, if we get someone in the shop with a dodgy SA 3 speed hub, we have a fighting chance of helping them out. When you look at the history of a SA 3 speed hub it's now 120 years old and so I'm told today's models haven't changed that much from the original.



Excellent,

A good write up about the SA NIG and pre-NIG hub here:
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=136098


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## Andy in Germany (24 Sep 2022)

Big John said:


> Cadged a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub from the bike charity where I work as a volunteer. It was covered in filth and was destined for the scrap pile. I've always wanted to take one apart and service it but never got round to having a go. Followed a couple of YouTube videos and stuck to the advice given - place all the parts in the order they were removed. I won't say it was easy (it wasn't) but thanks to the vids servicing a SA 3 speed hub is a very doable job if you're into fettling. It's positively shining now, oiled and fully working. Now, if we get someone in the shop with a dodgy SA 3 speed hub, we have a fighting chance of helping them out. When you look at the history of a SA 3 speed hub it's now 120 years old and so I'm told today's models haven't changed that much from the original.



I'm going to have to do this to a Shimano hub soon, so that's encouraging.


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## bikingdad90 (24 Sep 2022)

Proper fettle today. Removed some shimano disc brakes that were below minimum thickness. The bike seat with child in and the trailer pulling has hammered them. 
Replaced with some nice Clark’s ones and bobs your uncle very quiet braking from the off.

Turned my attention to the commuter with Tektro disc brakes and rotors that had warped due to the single action piston. I’d previously swapped the brakes to some dual piston but didn’t get chance to align everything, did that and then spent about 30mins trying to true to rotor before throwing in the towel and buying two new ones which should come in the post tomorrow.


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## gavgav (25 Sep 2022)

Only a small fettle, but recently the plastic push in bar end stoppers on my Genesis have started to come loose and indeed one disappeared whilst transporting the bike to Wales last weekend. So I ordered up a pair of the screw in ones to try. Fitted them today and they seem much more snug. Now ordered a pair for the Carbon.


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## bikingdad90 (25 Sep 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Proper fettle today. Removed some shimano disc brakes that were below minimum thickness. The bike seat with child in and the trailer pulling has hammered them.
> Replaced with some nice Clark’s ones and bobs your uncle very quiet braking from the off.
> 
> Turned my attention to the commuter with Tektro disc brakes and rotors that had warped due to the single action piston. I’d previously swapped the brakes to some dual piston but didn’t get chance to align everything, did that and then spent about 30mins trying to true to rotor before throwing in the towel and buying two new ones which should come in the post tomorrow.


 Black before, red after. New rotors came in the post overnight.


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## HLaB (25 Sep 2022)

After my ride this morning I spent the afternoon cleaning bikes. I have always used a version of the Mickle Method, wipe, lube, wipe again if necessary. But I am trying out liquid wax on the TT bike so rather than wiping it down, I degreased its chain first. It is just a spray degreaser which the local lbs had at a reasonable price. They were reccomend another kit until they scanned it and it came up at £35. After that he advised I get the spray


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## HLaB (25 Sep 2022)

Gunk said:


> My Roof bars arrived yesterday, couldn’t resist a trial fit.
> 
> View attachment 662227



That's one way to get a KOM


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## cyberknight (25 Sep 2022)

took the new rear wheel for the commuter to the lbs so they could true the old rotor , i tried with a spanner but made it worse as i need a proper tool to do it .


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## bikingdad90 (25 Sep 2022)

Second fettle of the day, insulate the integral metal garage up and over door.


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## palinurus (26 Sep 2022)

Gave my Surly a clean. While doing so I noticed the rear gear cable was routed around the wrong side of the fork. What idiot did that? I thought, then realised it must have been me. Couldn't work out how I'd managed it.

Later remembered I'd dropped the fork out to clean and grease the lower headset bearing a little while ago.

Put it back the right way (by pulling the cable out and re-fitting rather than by removing the fork)


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## fossyant (26 Sep 2022)

Got to love the spares drawers/boxes.

My old MTB which I use for commuting has an old Shimano STX cartridge headset. Generally it's been very good over the years and I did manage to find a 'spare' on ebay, and additional set of shimano bearings - this was a year or two ago. It's these bearings that are tricky to get these days.

Noticed recently there was some tell tale rusty grease marks on the bottom race, leaking out. Bars off, bearings out, bottom one not healthy. Split the cartridge, cleaned up the races with the dremmel, popped in new ball bearings and we're off. Except the top locking bnut only has a small amount of thread on the steerer to bite on as the original Tange headset was a lower stack. Top nut not tightening properly and skipping the thread. Argh, the time has come for a new headset (lower stack).

Into the spare draw, and I find an un-used 1-1/8th locking nut. Bingo, that's worked. I then found the four spare bearings ! - Could have just swapped one out instead of rebuilding.


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## ColinJ (27 Sep 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have just been reading that a 1.85 mm spacer is needed for an 11-speed MTB cassette on an 11-speed road hub. I think that might be my problem! (I don't remember there being a spacer when I moved the cassette from an old wheel to the new one but the original wheel might have a MTB hub.)



I'm heading back down soon and have bought a spacer just in case. I also had to order a new cassette tool because my old one has gone missing.

Something else has occurred to me as a potential source of the bike's transmission noises... It has a 1x11 setup with a wide-narrow chainring. I had assumed that it would be impossible to get the chain position wrong (wide tooth in narrow part of chain; narrow tooth in wide part of chain) but I didn't make any attempt to check. Maybe I have somehow squeezed the chain onto the ring incorrectly?


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## Vantage (28 Sep 2022)

Finished 'tuning' my bike. It's still running at 864w but it's no longer shooting me to a billion miles an hour in 2 seconds. Limited to 15.5mph it now gets there nice and smoothly.
The throttle can still get me to 37mph so I can outrun the dibble if they try to pull me.


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## Vantage (28 Sep 2022)

Why the sad smileys on this? 2nd time its happened.


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## youngoldbloke (28 Sep 2022)

Vantage said:


> Why the sad smileys on this? 2nd time its happened.



Illegal bike, nothing amusing about it.


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## Vantage (28 Sep 2022)

Illegal because of its wattage. Still limited to 15.5 mph apart from the throttle. I generally pootle around at 12 mph no matter what the power. 
My previous legal motor often produced over 630w at peak. This is no different.


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## JhnBssll (28 Sep 2022)

The legality issue is minor in my eyes, it's all about respectful use. A muppet on a fully legal ebike can do a lot of damage whereas someone with a bit of common sense can use an illegal ebike very safely.


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## dave r (28 Sep 2022)

youngoldbloke said:


> Illegal bike, nothing amusing about it.



Definitely.


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## Aluminum Falcon (29 Sep 2022)

Got some fettling time in today and made my own headset installation tool for the semi integrated headset. 









Did the job quite nicely if I say so myself.


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## ColinJ (1 Oct 2022)

[Attempting to get rid of annoying noise from transmission of my bike in Devon]



ColinJ said:


> I'm heading back down soon and have bought a spacer just in case. I also had to order a new cassette tool because my old one has gone missing.


I am back down in Devon with the bike now...

As soon as I went to take the cassette lockring off I knew that a spacer _*IS *_needed - there was a quick click and the lockring became loose. It should undo past several serrations, which would take much more effort and make much more noise. I put the spacer on behind the cassette, and did the lockring back up. Ah yes, _click-click-click-click-click-tight!_

I then had to adjust the gear endstops and indexing. While I was at it, I also adjusted the disc brakes. I went for a 5 minute test ride. All seemed good, gears and brakes working properly, bike almost silent. 

I am going to go for a 25 km test ride shortly but just noticed that my Garmin battery is flat. I'll give it a 25% charge, which should be ample for such a short ride. I'll add a PS below when I get back.



ColinJ said:


> Something else has occurred to me as a potential source of the bike's transmission noises... It has a 1x11 setup with a wide-narrow chainring. I had assumed that it would be impossible to get the chain position wrong (wide tooth in narrow part of chain; narrow tooth in wide part of chain) but I didn't make any attempt to check. Maybe I have somehow squeezed the chain onto the ring incorrectly?


The chain was correctly positioned on the ring. I tried putting it on the wrong way and it wouldn't go on - good! Maybe a worn chain might, but this one certainly would not.

PS I just did a lumpy 28 km loop. The bike was great! The clicks and clacks from the transmission have stopped. The gear indexing and brakes are better than before. 

And... I managed to dodge rain on the ride. I could see it over distant hills but I just got a few spells of light drizzle.


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## Elybazza61 (1 Oct 2022)

Went to build a front wheel for the All City only to find that the SP dynamo hub is 28h not 32 ;box deffo says 32h so a mix up somewhere so will have to get it swapped for the right one.

So started the rear Hope on to the Vapour rim instead.


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## Andy in Germany (2 Oct 2022)

This is taking the definition of "fettled" to extremes, I realise but still...

We have a bicycle wheel infestation at work with upwards of seventy wheels of all shapes, sizes and states of repair piled up in the corner of the store. Looking for one for a bike or customer has until now meant clambering over the foothills while holding onto something to avoid falling over. 

This clearly will not do so this week I set to with the intention of "dismantling" any that were not immediately usable, and hopefully finding a place to hang the rest. I'd lay a wheel flat on a fairly solid box, cut all the spokes, and drop them into the box under the wheel dropping the hub in a basket for later, empty the wheel of leftover spoke bits, and dump them on a pile to be sold for scrap.

Of course this isn't as neat and tidy as it sounds; spokes have a habit of pinging out of the wheel to places unknown; the stubs then would then drop out of the rims, and leftover rim tape, it turns out, will stick to just about anything.

And of course it was just at this moment, with the room looking like it had witnessed the dismemberment of some steampunk leviathan that had been fighting back for the entire process; your correspondent centre stage wielding a large set of bolt croppers in a pair of orange gloves, size 41 boot on a half dismembered wheel, spokes flying into the distance, and unnoticed rim tape hanging off a sleeve like entrails, that the door opened and the boss arrived unannounced leading some local teachers on an impromptu tour...


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## Elybazza61 (2 Oct 2022)

Rear Hope/Halo Vapour wheel build finished, cleaned the All-City and had a tidy up in the shed.


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## HLaB (3 Oct 2022)

Cleaned/ degreased the commuter and re lubed it. Whilst doing I noted that the front brake hanger bolt was a little loose so I tightened it and checked the back one whilst I had the hex key out.


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## Rickshaw Phil (4 Oct 2022)

From Saturday; I'd been asked to service a Trek 7.3FX so I picked it up in the morning.

I started off servicing the wheel bearings which were in great condition, which is always nice to see. The rear one even adjusted up perfectly at the first attempt....... which made me worried that I'd made some sort of mistake.

A new 8 speed chain and cassette were fitted (chain needed doing, cassette was owners request). At a service during the covid crisis the bike had been fitted with a 12-25 cassette in place of the 11-32 that it would normally have had (probably done at the point when cassettes seemed to be out of stock almost everywhere). He was happy for me to fit an 11-30 that I already had in my hoard of new parts to save having to get one in specially.

All the cables were replaced and I found the gear cable for the front frayed inside the shifter to the point that it was on the verge of breaking, so that was fortuitous timing. After a general check and adjustment there were no more new parts wanted so I headed out for a test ride where the most awful screechy squeak showed up - the owner had mentioned that he thought the bottom bracket was on its way out but I'd found it running smoothly and with no play. It didn't take long to suss out that the noise was the suspension seat post. I haven't serviced one of these before but it proved simple to do and, with some fresh grease inside, silence is restored.

The chap was very chuffed to get the bike back the same day - he seemed to think I'd take at least a week.


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## rockyroller (4 Oct 2022)

had a camera mount double failure on my ride last weekend. fortunately the camera tumbled onto leaves & grass for a soft landing

failure #1 - L-bracket slid out of zip ties on helmet
failure #2 - quick release separated from the L-bracket. nothing a little glue can't fix


I might add a 4th zip tie to help keep the L-bracket on my helmet. 
I might also start using voice control instead of always reaching up to press the button. the less human contact the better.
I think I'll also lube the quick release w/ some chapstick, because I was also removing it & re-attaching it a lot for other types of photos/angles


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## rockyroller (4 Oct 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> And of course it was just at this moment, with the room looking like it had witnessed the dismemberment of some steampunk leviathan that had been fighting back for the entire process; your correspondent centre stage wielding a large set of bolt croppers in a pair of orange gloves, size 41 boot on a half dismembered wheel, spokes flying into the distance, and unnoticed rim tape hanging off a sleeve like entrails, that the door opened and the boss arrived unannounced leading some local teachers on an impromptu tour...


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## fossyant (4 Oct 2022)

Regreased 6 of the 8 rear suspension bearings and two horst link pivots at weekend (full suspension MTB). Just got the two main lower chain stay bearings to do, but that's cranks off. It's being chucked off mountains over two days at the end of the month and hasn't been ridden in anger since just after Christmas !  Headset/BB and jockey wheels were done soon after the Christmas ride (it was crazy wet).

PS Full Suspension bikes needs loads more maintenance than a road bike, gravel or even a HT MTB.


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## fossyant (4 Oct 2022)

fossyant said:


> Regreased 6 of the 8 rear suspension bearings and two horst link pivots at weekend (full suspension MTB). Just got the two main lower chain stay bearings to do, but that's cranks off. It's being chucked off mountains over two days at the end of the month and hasn't been ridden in anger since just after Christmas !  Headset/BB and jockey wheels were done soon after the Christmas ride (it was crazy wet).
> 
> PS Full Suspension bikes needs loads more maintenance than a road bike, gravel or even a HT MTB.



I just 'wash' my road bikes. It was a steep learning curve. The FS is just a Boardman Pro I picked up cheap in sales just after I broke my spine in 2015, so was 'hidden' away for a bit...

Swings and roundabouts though - ditched road riding after my big smash, MTB'ed for 4-5 years (car driver issues), back riding road last two years, but not rush hour. Back commuting, but off road routes on an old MTB. Love it..


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## 8mph (5 Oct 2022)

I wanted to get my new (second hand) carbon wheels fitted today. Had all the tools bar a cassette tool but the rotors are fitted and front wheel on. I took the opportunity to weigh the carbon wheel, its about 50g lighter than my Mavic / XT wheel. There's no discernable difference in the ride, just peddling up the street. Tommorow I'll fit a new cassette and get the rear wheel on.


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## Andy in Germany (5 Oct 2022)

8mph said:


> I wanted to get my new (second hand) carbon wheels fitted today. Had all the tools bar a cassette tool but the rotors are fitted and front wheel on. I took the opportunity to weigh the carbon wheel, its about 50g lighter than my Mavic / XT wheel. There's no discernable difference in the ride, just peddling up the street. Tommorow I'll fit a new cassette and get the rear wheel on.



Riding with two wheels on the bike will certainly make a noticable difference.


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## Oldhippy (5 Oct 2022)

I sorted out my Carridice saddlebag, took some bits I never use out and rerolled waterproofs, moved a few bits about and even hung a rear light on.


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## dave r (5 Oct 2022)

My fixed has been taken out the shed and been cleaned and given a check over ready to be ridden during the winter, front rim is a little thin and theres some rust spots on the frame apart from that its in good shape for a seven year old bike.


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## HLaB (5 Oct 2022)

I put a new tubeless tyre on my rear winter wheel and it seated first time with absolutely no mess. Its still got the 11sp cassette on it that I used last winter and the chain has got zero wear after a summers use so 🤞 it meshes. If not I'll have to transfer the matching cassette from the summer wheel.

After the zero mess first time I reseated the front. It had pumped up dry and held air so I expected no leakage but I got a tiny bit. But it seems to have seated and is holding air 🤞


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## Juan Kog (5 Oct 2022)

dave r said:


> , front rim is a little thin


Not a problem for you Dave ,with your leg muscles you don’t need to use the front brake .


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## C R (5 Oct 2022)

New tyres on the road bike today, as they were going square, still lots of rubber left, but handling was getting a bit iffy.


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## Vantage (6 Oct 2022)

Saw reports of my type of ebike battery having a serious fault. Opened it up and sure enough mine was at risk of engulfing me in a raging ball of fire. Issue fixed last night.


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## PeteXXX (7 Oct 2022)

Resoldered the pressure spring onto the circuit board of my Fluxient front light as it has come adrift and was flashing morse code to approaching drivers on last night's ride.

I thought it might pop the cree thingie but it's working fine now


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## biggs682 (7 Oct 2022)

Rear brake pads changed on the tandem


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## Vantage (7 Oct 2022)

Swapped the bar for a 1" wider bar that was on the leg powered bike. New bar tape, brake cables and brake levers done last night.
A big dollop of sugru came today so that'll be moulded around the battery mount on the ebike to keep it from ripping the bottle cage mounts out. Been slowly dropping the amps to the motor to see what I can get away with.


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## Elybazza61 (8 Oct 2022)

Laid up with a dodgy knee (poss palindromic rheumatism but need to contact a quack on Monday via ask my gp) so about to start lacing a new front dynamo wheel.


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## CanucksTraveller (8 Oct 2022)

Bought and fitted a longer seatpost to my daughter's Trek because as she's got taller, the factory post has reached the limit marker. The frame and wheels are still plenty big enough for her, but it always seems like on these very shallow compact frames the supplied seat post is just so tiny.


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## Jenkins (8 Oct 2022)

The Lifeline ergonomic grips arriuved from Wiggle this morning and they have been fitted to the new Ribble commuter bike ready to try out on Tuesday's commmute.


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## HLaB (9 Oct 2022)

A very quick fettle before bed. I put a new tubeless tyre on my rear winter wheel last week and whilst it was pumping up and staying seated, it was losing just a little much pressure overnight. I reckon it's the valve. IIRC I had to tighten it carefully just before I removed it. So I stuck a new valve core in and pumped the tyre up. Hopefully it holds more air tonight or the next task will be removing the tyre and putting new rim tape on.


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## cyberknight (10 Oct 2022)

lad across the road knocked on the door saying his back brake was making a funny noise and not working sat evening . a quick look and it turned out one of the bolts holding the brake ( disc) was missing .
Luckily i had a spare bolt that fitted it so i replaced it and sent him on his way


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## HLaB (10 Oct 2022)

HLaB said:


> A very quick fettle before bed. I put a new tubeless tyre on my rear winter wheel last week and whilst it was pumping up and staying seated, it was losing just a little much pressure overnight. I reckon it's the valve. IIRC I had to tighten it carefully just before I removed it. So I stuck a new valve core in and pumped the tyre up. Hopefully it holds more air tonight or the next task will be removing the tyre and putting new rim tape on.



Still went down a bit too much overnight. I'll try actually riding it as it stayed solid once I pumped it up. Hopefully that'll disperse the sealant, it has with other tyres. If not it'll have to come off for retaping and possibly a new valve entirely 😐


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## Robxxx7 (10 Oct 2022)

Went to change the disc pads on my Canyon Endurance, rears were no problem, fronts were a bit more problematic ... Disc pad retaining screw being made of cheese and just having the head strip was not good.. No budging it... so ordered a replacement screw and will probably have to dremel the old one out when the replacements turn up


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## si_c (10 Oct 2022)

Robxxx7 said:


> Went to change the disc pads on my Canyon Endurance, rears were no problem, fronts were a bit more problematic ... Disc pad retaining screw being made of cheese and just having the head strip was not good.. No budging it... so ordered a replacement screw and will probably have to dremel the old one out when the replacements turn up



I switched to using split pins for that reason.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Oct 2022)

Finally got back to this bike today: it's been sitting on the stand for weeks while the Great Tidying took place for the health and safety inspection tomorrow...

I straightened the wheels and fixed the brakes before I had to go and do something else health and safety related...


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## Andy in Germany (10 Oct 2022)

Also, I dismantled a Bike Shaped Object that was haunting the back of the bike store for some strange reason.

This made the world a slightly better place.


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## CXRAndy (10 Oct 2022)

Sorted 12 4.8 metre purlins to be added on my building.

Shortened, notched out to match existing purlins. 

Weigh about 50kg each, bit of struggle solo to get onto workhorses - thank goodness they're heavy-duty


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## HLaB (15 Oct 2022)

I swapped the cassette from my spare 28cc tubed wheel to my tubeless summer wheel that the lbs repaired. At the same time I went to pump up the matching front. I decided that its tubeless tyre I was keeping an eye on was a little threadbare so I put the new one I've had sitting for over a month. Seated it dry at first and it seated first time, so I injected sealant and again it seated first time with no leakage. I've prepped the winter wheel just in case but its stayed up for over an hour 🤞

Oh and I pumped up my tubeless gravel tyre to 30psi. I must have p'tured on the way to the group ride this morning as there was only 15psi in it but it was good for 50miles like that.


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## Elybazza61 (16 Oct 2022)

Swapped the tyres and rotors from the Stayer wheels to the newly-built Halo Vapours (with SP/Hope hubs)and fitted on the All-City.


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## roubaixtuesday (16 Oct 2022)

Spent ages degunging (technical term) chain on the commuter, and faffing around (technical term) trying to get the gears operating smoothly; very annoying delay on changing up presumably due to friction eventually improved with application of wd40 and working the cable back and forth. 

Then youngest's gear cable broke on the way to his footie; frigged (technical term) half way down the cassette by screwing in the limit stop. Then managed to replace gear cable in the warm up and half time breaks.

Why do Shimano have such a PITA little screw to access the STI innards for nipple (actually the technical term, not a euphemism) removal? Most multitools don't have such a screwdriver. Ridiculous design.


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## CXRAndy (16 Oct 2022)

I made a keyway slide for my feather board on my new table rip saw. I used a piece of polypropylene. Router the depth and used the new saw to create the width and let shape.


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## GuyBoden (16 Oct 2022)

Sanding all the paint from a 1980's Look carbon tube frame with alloy lugs. I'm checking that the epoxy joint are still intact before painting.


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## Jenkins (17 Oct 2022)

The On One flat bar arrived from PlanetX this morning and was fitted to the Ribble this afternoon instead of the riser bars supplied. Also an additional rear light was fitted to the rack with a bodged fixing originally intended for the front reflector.


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## fossyant (18 Oct 2022)

Finally got round to re-greasing the two main pivot bearings on the FS MTB down by the BB - good job I did, as both weren't spinning freely - the others had been done a week or so ago. I've not ridden it for ages though. It's 'hopefully' getting some serious use this weekend, so best check eh ! Both were full of grit ! I'll get them replaced soon.

I no doubt picked most of it up last year on some incredibly wet rides, various bearings were serviced, but I didn't do the frame bearings at the time as the bike hasn't really had much use this calendar year.


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## Gunk (18 Oct 2022)

Scored a Charge Spoon off eBay for a tenner and fitted it to my Van Nic.


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## avecReynolds531 (19 Oct 2022)

Yesterday I gambled on two bridleway sections - should've known better & stuck to the roads after all the rain - result was both mudguards clogged up in a swamp. 
Some muppet spent today shifting out a ton of mud and debris, reshaping the mudguards & spars, plus cleaning & waxing the bike.

p.s. would like to try 40mm tyres one day (in place of the current 35mm): plenty of clearance at the seat & chain stays but the unicrown fork might be too much of a problem for clearance with mudguards.


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## Oldhippy (19 Oct 2022)

Derailleur adjusted today.


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## ColinJ (19 Oct 2022)

I think that @Sea of vapours will be interested in today's fettling... 

I went on a hilly North/West Yorkshire ride with him at the start of August. I was on my best bike, a 20 year old Cannondale CAAD 5. It is still a great bike, but it started making some annoying noises on the ride which I was determined to eliminate after recovering from the ride.

I did some fettling in the weeks that followed. I replaced the chain, cassette, bottom bracket, and chainrings. None of them turned out to be worn so badly that they had actually _needed _replacing at the time but I had bought the spares so I thought I might as well put them on. It's nice to have new bits on the bike. The semi-used parts are now in my spares box. It is nice to have semi-used bits in the spares box - you never know when they might come in handy... 

I did manage to find a noisy component... one of my SPD pedals was clicking. New pedals time! The old pedals have gone in the spares box to be fettled at a later date. The new pedals eliminated some of the noises that I had been hearing.

BUT... there was still a clicky, ticky noise every now and then. It seemed to come and go. I couldn't quite figure it out. Then a pal noticed that there was a little play in the freehub!

I whipped the freehub off. EUREKA!

Take a look at its outer sealed bearing... Or should that be an UNsealed bearing!!!! 






With apologies to the Monty Python team...

_This bearing is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! ... It's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-BEARING!! _

A wise man once said...



> _It is also nice to have semi-used bits in the spares box - you never know when they might come in handy..._


Well, I remembered that I had a semi-used freehub in my spares box! This is what the other sealed bearing should have looked like in situ...





I have stopped mid-fettle to have something to eat but I am pretty confident that the fettling will be completed later, and that a test ride tomorrow will confirm that the problem has been fixed. I will report back after that!

PS 

One of the things that confused me was that the noise kept coming and going. WHY?! 

I think now that when I was using a high gear (the chain on the small sprockets) my pedalling forces were acting mainly on the smashed outer freehub bearing, which naturally did not sound good. In fact, I think it is amazing that it did not sound even worse! 

When in a low gear (the chain on the big, inner sprockets) my pedalling forces were acting mainly on the intact inner freehub bearing, which coped with the load and left me in peace.


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## Sea of vapours (19 Oct 2022)

ColinJ said:


> it started making some annoying noises on the ride


I confirm that the noises were indeed pretty annoying, though in the context of being half way through a long ride, they were more alarming really. We did diagnose 'a bearing' at the time, but that was not the obvious one. That is a thoroughly plausible deduction about the reason it was intermittent ! I'm sure, with all those new bits, things will be greatly improved when you're next able to get out on it :-)


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## ColinJ (19 Oct 2022)

Sea of vapours said:


> I confirm that the noises were indeed pretty annoying, though in the context of being half way through a long ride, they were more alarming really. We did diagnose 'a bearing' at the time, but that was not the obvious one. That is a thoroughly plausible deduction about the reason it was intermittent ! *I'm sure, with all those new bits, things will be greatly improved when you're next able to get out on it :-)*


I have been mainly riding my singlespeed bike since our ride, and the bike that I have in Devon, but I am going to be using the Cannondale on Saturday for my local hilly forum ride and I had been worried that it might pack up mid-ride!


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## ColinJ (19 Oct 2022)

Hmm - I think that a spacer was missing from the old freehub. There is one on the replacement freehub which I can't find in the pile of bits from the old one... That wouldn't have done the bearing a lot of good because the spacer would have been fixing the centre of the bearing in place if it had been there!


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2022)

A jump-starter pack. Did the Portable Appliance Testing at a garage near Exeter last Saturday, and the owner passed it across as dead, due to a heavy-handed mechanic mangling the charger and input socket. And he wasn't kidding! Have, for the moment, wired a replacement power unit direct to the destroyed socket wiring, and it's charging up nicely. If I can make a better job of it eventually, it may even be saleable. Still well over £200 new.


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## Vantage (20 Oct 2022)

Waiting for brake cables to arrive via postman pat so I can do my flat bar conversion.
Done my distance testing on the ekit.
I've squeezed 90 miles out of it!  And that's without being especially frugal on the help it gives.
There's something to be said for overpowered illegal emotors. They go further. And yes, it's still limited to 15.5mph before the angels start chastising me.


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## Jenkins (21 Oct 2022)

Time to replace the chain, cassette, bottom bracket and outer chainrings on two bikes and, while the bits were oiff the bikes, I swapped the inner chainrings between the two bikes so they'd match!

Firstly the Planet X pro-carbon - this was on the original SRAM Rival 50T outer ring and an aftermarket 36T ring (fitted when I took delivery and on minimal use). This bike's done about 8900 miles, mostly in the outer so it was badly worn and was replaced with a Spa Cycles own brand 50T ring. As the inner was non-matching, I took the one off the Venus commuter (see below) as it was a Spa 38T and fitted that in place of the 36T. The chain & cassette had done around 4500 miles together and needed doing, while the bottom bracket was still in fairly smooth condition but still got swapped out for a Praxis unit.
Pics ot the worn chainring next to the new replacement and the badly worn 16T and hardly used 17T rings of the cassette.















Ventus commuter - this had had the chainrings replaced less than 4 years ago, but in that time nearly 10,000 miles had been covered whille the chain, cassette & bottom bracket were replaced 2 years and about 5200 miles so all needed doing. I'd picked up a couple of cheap 48T unbranded chainrings from Spa to try out for less than the price of one of their own ones and one of these was paired up with the 36T inner from the Planet X as they nearly matched. I'll be happy if they last even 2/3rds the distance of the good Spa ones.Again, the bottom bracket was still fairly smooth but got swapped out for a Praxis item. Finally I replaced the bodged on Crud mudguard that protects the front derailleur - this has been on there since not long after I got the bike at the start of 2016 so money well spent!
Same pics as before - old & new chainrings, worn 16T & hardly used 17T cassette rings and the bodged on mudguard - it bolts to the SKS Raceblade clip as if it was designed for it.


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## ColinJ (21 Oct 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have stopped mid-fettle to have something to eat but I am pretty confident that the fettling will be completed later, and that a test ride tomorrow will confirm that the problem has been fixed. I will report back after that!


Test ride done - the bike is now better than it has been for years! 

I am hoping to get through the rest of this year (which shouldn't be difficult because the bike will soon be hibernating!) and all of next year without major fettling being needed again. My riding is spread between multiple bikes and my annual distance is not stupendous so that should not be a problem.

My next fettling tasks are to sort out my CX/gravel bike and MTB which are both out of action.

I also want to replace the bearings in the freehub and pedals that I took off the bike.


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## bikingdad90 (22 Oct 2022)

Wanted to move my pannier rack back slightly so as to avoid heel strike on the upstroke. Went to the DIY store and got some little brackets to move the rack up and back. It’s solid and should do the trick.


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## Vantage (22 Oct 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> View attachment 665511
> 
> 
> Wanted to move my pannier rack back slightly so as to avoid heel strike on the upstroke. Went to the DIY store and got some little brackets to move the rack up and back. It’s solid and should do the trick.



Erm...all that's gonna happen there is that with enough weight on the rack, it'll force the brackets down and in turn the rack height will lower until the brackets hit the qr skewers/axle nuts. Once that happens there's the risk of the brackets snapping or bending around the skewers/axle.
Your best bet is a seatpost clamped rack. They do have a lower weight limit than standard racks though.


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## bikingdad90 (22 Oct 2022)

Vantage said:


> Erm...all that's gonna happen there is that with enough weight on the rack, it'll force the brackets down and in turn the rack height will lower until the brackets hit the qr skewers/axle nuts. Once that happens there's the risk of the brackets snapping or bending around the skewers/axle.
> Your best bet is a seatpost clamped rack. They do have a lower weight limit than standard racks though.



Tested that one out already, I leaned on the rack and put my body weight on it, didn’t budge. 

It will not have too much weight on it anyway as it will not be used for serious touring, just the commute to work every now and then and to pop to the shops for groceries, most of the usage will be to cycle down to the gym over the winter as I don’t like road riding in the dark in winter. Family life prevents most daytime riding.

It is something I am monitoring and will keep an eye on it.


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## si_c (22 Oct 2022)

Non bike fettling today.

Fitted an outdoor tap so that I can use the hose. Sadly the pipe where the tap used to be had been secured in a different place previously (judging from the rawl plugs visible) but had come loose at some point and then been capped off by the previous owner/tenant. Secured the pipe and added the tap, but the tap is inverted at present, not an issue if I plan to use a hose, but amusing to look at.

I also fitted outdoor lights to the garage, wired them in and set them up, they now are connected via a smart switch so that I can turn them on or off using my phone. Easiest option compared to trying to get a switch installed in the house.

Also did some preliminary wiring for outdoor sockets, drilled through the garage wall and ran cable from outside to an isolation switch inside, wired it all up and secured a wooden plate inside so I can secure the cables. I've also cut and painted some wooden blocks for the outdoor sockets to mount to rather than trying to drill into the concrete walls, and I can mount that tomorrow. Just waiting for the paint to dry on the wood blocks first.


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## bikingdad90 (23 Oct 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Did some pro level bar tape wrapping with the lifeline bar tape. Pretty stretchy and easy to work with.



Found the black shifter hood that went missing. @ColinJ better?


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## ColinJ (23 Oct 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Found the black shifter hood that went missing. @ColinJ better?


Very much so!


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## Vantage (24 Oct 2022)

Having messed about converting the bike to flat handlebars I discovered I didn't like them. So, having tried the continental style touring bars earlier in the year and now these bull horn type it seems drop bars are the only type that my arms are happy with.
So, yesterday I did more messing about fitting the old drops back on. Checking the gears I noticed some bobbing in the rear wheel. Had my increasingly fat arse finally squished it? 
This morning I dug out the wheel truing stand and checked. Nope, still as true as when I built it  The tyre just hadn't been seated properly. Checked the front wheel too while the stand was out. It needed a slight tweak.
Noticing a ticking noise from the rear wheel I decided to strip the rear hub. Ugh. Mirky much? Cleaned, regreased and rebuilt. Running super smooth again. The same can't be said for the front hub which is sounding a bit groggy. Sealed bearing type crap so will wait till it dies and just buy a better hub someday. This'll be the second SP hub to go on me. Rubbish.


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## CXRAndy (24 Oct 2022)

Fitted a couple LED strip lights in the loft. I hate dark lofts


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## si_c (24 Oct 2022)

Painted the landing upstairs, was starting to paint the stairs when the plaster started to crumble and come away from the wall.

So this afternoon, I "replastered" the damaged section. It's far from a good job, but it'll let me sand and then paint with minimal observable difference from the rest of the wall.


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## robrinay (25 Oct 2022)

Bought a vintage French (non named) saddle for a tenner yesterday at Newark Runway Monday Antiques Fair and as they say up North it was as dry as old sticks and warped out of shape. A damp down plus a string wrap to reshape it and after an overnight slow dry away from direct heat I applied a generous coat of Vaseline and melted it in with a hairdryer. Result - it’s practically an arm chair in its comfort rating.


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## chriswoody (25 Oct 2022)

So after several years of hard use the rear hub of the Kona has developed some quite severe lateral play. Along with this the bearings felt rougher than a Badgers bottom.

Unfortunately it's a modern hub with no obvious means of working on it and no markings on it meant I couldn't find no technical documents. The only thing I knew from the original bike specs is that it is a Novatech hub, but no clue which model.

So this evening I sat down and had a play, removed the disc and cassette first, so I could see more clearly, then realised you could unscrew the disc side end cap off by hand. With that, it all came apart and I was left with this pile of parts. 






Immediately I could see the sealing O-Ring around the end cap was shot, which in turn meant the end cap was not sitting properly, potentially the source of the float?

I then checked the bearings out, there appear to be three sealed bearings, one in the freehub assembly and two in the actual hub assembly. The freehub one felt absolutely fine, the two hub ones though are another matter. Removing the front seal reveals the rubber seal behind is completely rotten so I'll need to replace them. I checked online for replacements and struggled to find a direct replacement until I looked on the Enduro Bearings website and spent a fascinating half an hour educating myself on bearing designations! Turns out the numbers 6902 refer to the size and type of bearing and I could find these with no issue, however, the RS designation was where I was struggling, until a I read it meant "rubber seal" and is quite frankly a bit rubbish. There are much better ways to seal these bearings and soon I realised that the Enduro 6902 llb was not only available for 6 Euros each, but a good upgrade from what I have.

So there we go, I should be able to clean everything up and order these new bearings, just the small matter of working out how the hell I'm going to get the old ones out and also finding a suitable replacement O-Ring for the end cap.


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## Andy in Germany (26 Oct 2022)

Currently swearing at a rear mech, which will either shift accurately up, or down on the stand, but not both.

New cable;
Wheel straight
Hanger straight as far as I can tell.
New chain/cassette.

Still won't cooperate. 

Next stage will be to change the mech unless anyone has another idea.


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## dave r (26 Oct 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Currently swearing at a rear mech, which will either shift accurately up, or down on the stand, but not both.
> 
> New cable;
> Wheel straight
> ...



I had that on a rear mech in the 1990's, turned out the pivot points, I think thats what there're called, on the mech were badly worn and I ended up scrapping it.


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## Andy in Germany (26 Oct 2022)

dave r said:


> I had that on a rear mech in the 1990's, turned out the pivot points, I think thats what there're called, on the mech were badly worn and I ended up scrapping it.



Mech changed and a vast improvement resulted, many thanks @dave r: That saved some time.

Incidentally @Phaeton and I (I think) were discussing my habit of leaving cables quite long and wrapping them; this is one advantage of the policy because I had plenty of extra cable and could snip the end off and thread it through the mech, so it saved me getting an entirely new cable out of the box.


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## Phaeton (26 Oct 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Mech changed and a vast improvement resulted, many thanks @dave r: That saved some time.
> 
> Incidentally @Phaeton and I (I think) were discussing my habit of leaving cables quite long and wrapping them; this is one advantage of the policy because I had plenty of extra cable and could snip the end off and thread it through the mech, so it saved me getting an entirely new cable out of the box.


Ich weiss nich


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## ColinJ (26 Oct 2022)

A friend of mine is bike fettling today. As in... removing what is left of the fork from his steel bike! 

He went out for a ride this morning and was a couple of miles from home when the bike started to '_feel a bit funny_'. He got off to investigate and discovered that one blade of the fork had almost broken free! He began a slow walk back and then the other blade failed! 

Considering some of the descents he would do round here on that bike, he was lucky not to have had a serious crash... 

Somehow, the fork had rusted through from the inside.

I came across something like that years ago on a local audax event. That rider was similarly lucky - he noticed the bike misbehaving and got off before catastrophic failure took place. Steel may rust, but at least its failure mode can be a bit more survivable than carbon fibre's!

I have posted this picture of the other rider's bike before, but some of you may not have seen it so I'll post it again below. 







It definitely pays to have a close look at your bike from time to time to try to spot impending doom. That problem would definitely have been obvious for weeks before the fork failed!

Here is a problem that I once spotted on my bike when cleaning it...






My pal has ordered a new fork and I am donating an A-head style stem for it since his old quill stem won't be suitable.


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## dave r (26 Oct 2022)

ColinJ said:


> A friend of mine is bike fettling today. As in... removing what is left of the fork from his steel bike!
> 
> He went out for a ride this morning and was a couple of miles from home when the bike started to '_feel a bit funny_'. He got off to investigate and discovered that one blade of the fork had almost broken free! He began a slow walk back and then the other blade failed!
> 
> ...



I've seen that picture before, I still don't understand how he didn't spot it developing.


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## ColinJ (26 Oct 2022)

dave r said:


> I've seen that picture before, I still don't understand how he didn't spot it developing.



The audax rider must never have looked closely at his bike. It would have taken months or even years to get that bad!

I'm assuming that my friend's fork problem was not quite so obvious. I'll ask him next time he calls round.


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## Vantage (26 Oct 2022)

One of many reasons it pays to wash our bikes.
I really don't understand why some don't.


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## Gillstay (26 Oct 2022)

Vantage said:


> One of many reasons it pays to wash our bikes.
> I really don't understand why some don't.



Even worse is people who hand over a bike to have expensive bits fitted and its covered in months of mud !


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## si_c (26 Oct 2022)

Reminds me I need to clean my bikes this week.


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## Phaeton (27 Oct 2022)

si_c said:


> Reminds me I need to clean my bikes this week.



It's raining out, mine's getting a wash now


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## ianrauk (27 Oct 2022)

si_c said:


> Reminds me I need to clean my bikes this week.



Me too. Luckily weathers been very good here down in the SE, so the bike only needs a bit of a rag down, and being Ti, a bit of Mr Sheen.


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## Andy in Germany (27 Oct 2022)

Phaeton said:


> Ich weiss nich



Probablby got my wires crossed then; as you were...


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## Phaeton (27 Oct 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Probablby got my wires crossed then; as you were...



Maybe, maybe not, I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, so we may have, but it didn't twang any memories


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## Andy in Germany (28 Oct 2022)

Quite a bit of mechanicing this week, which can be classified as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The good was a "Bulls" 28" wheel hybrid, which a customer reserved within minutes of completion. I'd done a basic setup with no light or mudguards so I could sell it a bit cheaper, but they were willing to pay the extra. Thanks to @dave r I was also able to diagnose the poor indexing on the rear mech and replace it:






The bad:






A very nice ladies trekking bike, nearly new with all the bells and whistles. It had waited for a few weeks for a replacement chainguard which I thought was worth it as the bike would go for ca. 200 €. Unfortunately when I tried to take the old broken guard off I found the BB was seized solid, and worse, the collar was plastic:






With a metal collar I'd have taken it to the car workshop to be removed with the impact hammer, but this wasn't going to happen, so there was nothing for it but to strip the bike for parts.

Finally the ugly:






A girls MTB/Cross bike which looks like it was left out in the rain for a year or two. Also some chump designed this with the outer cables running from the brake and gear handles right to the brakes and gears and you can imagine how much friction that created. However, it now looks like this:







I may have to change the gear block but hopefully this one isn't as worn as the original. Once it's got working lights I can get it out into the showroom...


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## Vantage (28 Oct 2022)

New bar tape on the DeMayo and a pair of lights on it too.


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## Andy in Germany (28 Oct 2022)

Just dug this out from the Dead Bicycle Rack:







This doesn't really show the extent of the disaster. Here's another view:











Enough rust to make an industrial archaeologist go weak at the knees...

However under the mess it has potential and may even be a possibility for the Younger Son. I've sent a picture and await his response. Itisn't my style but he has very different tastes so he may like it.


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## bikingdad90 (28 Oct 2022)

New chain on and a clean up and I reckon that could be a goer providing the BB isn’t seized.


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## DCLane (28 Oct 2022)

I thought I was just cleaning my Raleigh SP Race commuter after this week's commutes until I saw the state of it 

A full set of brake pads, new chain and a thorough clean has left it in a much better state. New tyres will be required soon.

Six weeks' of commuting has taken it's toll.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Oct 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> New chain on and a clean up and I reckon that could be a goer providing the BB isn’t seized.



If you look closely you'll see the cassette is missing a cog. Apart from that I reckon you're right.


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## Andy in Germany (29 Oct 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> New chain on and a clean up and I reckon that could be a goer providing the BB isn’t seized.



Thanks for reminding me:






Lots of WD40 and a long tube later it came off, to my great surprise, so there's hope for this bike yet.

Somehow something many lagged had crawled into the frame to die. Its remains have now been removed.


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## Regular.Cyclist (29 Oct 2022)

Bottom bracket (a BB86 pressfit) required changing on commuter. It was fitted with an Oval 520 crank which used the same axle spec as SRAM GXP. However I replaced it with a Hollowtech Ii compatible BB as I had a spare Shimano crankset and 4iiii power meter lying around I wanted to fit.

Removal and refitting was a breeze but, following reassembly I found that the Shimano chainrings sat 1.2mm further out requiring adjustment of the front derailleur.With the tyres being at the maximum the bike will take, the adjustment meant that the derailleur arm would temporarily rub on the rear tyre when moving up to the big ring. I dug out my Dremel and, using a grinding attachment, took a bit off of the rear edge of the derailleur arm. I then touched up the ground area with some black enamel paint I had in the toolbox.

All good now.


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## DCLane (29 Oct 2022)

This afternoon I prepped son no. 2's PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb bike ready for tomorrow's National Hillclimb up The Old Shoe near Llangollen. He'll also be using it for the BUCS National Hillclimb next Saturday in the Vale of Belvoir. Note: I prepped it as it's up here with me since he's busy today and it'll be a very early start tomorrow to pick him up, then drive to north Wales.

Part of the prep was to look closer at how to dismantle the remaining Di2 bits on the left shifter we don't want. With some prising the spare levers are off plus some springs, saving another 25g in the process. It _does_ look like a bike, just an incredibly light one (5.2kg) on a budget of £1000.






After cleaning my Raleigh SP Race (again) following today's wet ride I then began unpacking the Dawes Giro 400 frameset bought from @bikingdad90 on here. It'll be a turbo-only bike to sit in the conservatory for Zwift rather than being ridden: if I put something 'nice' on there the likelihood is that it'll be stolen by the local dis-reputables. Looked like this, but in pieces, on arrival in a very well packed box:






The frameset plus bits arrived needing putting together. I took the opportunity to re-grease the headset for the reason that it'll sit static. Then added the stem, bars, seatpost and saddle supplied. I'll _probably_ change the saddle shortly however for one we have ready.

I'm trying to use only items we've left over, but having sold quite a few this _might_ be difficult. However, Shimano 105 11-speed front and rear derailleurs are on, together with an unused Ceramic Speed bottom bracket that I picked up extremely cheaply since the cup threads are damaged - but it went on fine. Photos to follow once I'm further on with the build. And have found the currently-missing matching 105 shifters  .


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## Jenkins (29 Oct 2022)

Having done about 50 miles on each of the bikes I fettled last week, just a quick check that the crank bolts & chainring bolts were correctly tightened.


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## bikingdad90 (29 Oct 2022)

@DCLane it’ll make a cracking turbo bike when built up.


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## Gunk (30 Oct 2022)

Cleaned and serviced this ready to sell


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## Elybazza61 (30 Oct 2022)

Re-routed the dynamo cables and fitted the new Supernova rear light; while at it re-done the rear brake cable and tidied the di2 cable.
Was looking at fitting the rear light on the mudguard but have fitted it to the rack and may keep it there if I can come up with a tidier way of mounting it; cable will also eventually be routed under the mudguard.




The temporary wiring which will go under the mudguard;






Tidier wiring; brake in the centre, dynamo on the left and di2 on the right;






Temporary fitting on the rack; actually like how the light sits;






Next step is a partial strip down once I figure out how to re-do the di2 cables; possibly looking at running the main cable up through the bb (using the threaded hole where the current external di2 junction is bolted) and having the junction box inside the frame with the rear mech cable coming out via the dropper exit hole.


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## Jenkins (30 Oct 2022)

Third and final (for a while) bike that needed a new cassette & chain was the Pickenflick flat bar, but I've been putting doing this off for a bit while dithering about whether to turn this into a 1x or keep the double it was originally built up with. Thanks to a find on Ebay, the decision was made and the drivetrain was changed today. So from this:




with the aid of this:




and a new 11-28 cassette and a PC1110 chain to this:


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## Jenkins (30 Oct 2022)

Forgot to add to the above that once that had been done, I had another go at sorting out the gearing on the Spa Elan, but I've come to the conclusion that the use of a 17 tooth cog from a Miche cassette in the middle of a lightly used Shimano block doesn't work which is why the middle part of the cassette doen't index properly. It'll do for the winter and I'll source a new cassette & chain for next summer.


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## fossyant (31 Oct 2022)

Some slight repairs to the neoprene cuff's on my Shimano MW7 winter boots. Couple of 'nicks' in the fabric have been 'darned' by me, and a through clean as they were filthy from a couple of weeks ago -the good thing is, a thorough clean is more of a good wipe down with a cloth.

I've pair of Shimano Winter road boots arriving in the next week - cheap win on ebay. Look in pretty good condition, but a thorough wash in the washing machine then a new set of cleats and they will be good to go. I'm somehow only down to one pair of road shoes. This brings it to two. May even dig out my old Northwave MTB shoes and see if they an be refurbed ?


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## biggs682 (1 Nov 2022)

Just re soldered an internal connection on this rear light


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## tom73 (1 Nov 2022)

Cleaned and sorted out the back room, set the bike up on the turbo just needs a gentle clean and checking everything is set up ok.


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## si_c (1 Nov 2022)

Got the hand planer out at lunchtime, the bathroom door has been sticking a bit - it was installed during summer and has had a good varnish coat before final fitting, but over the last few weeks has started sticking and got progressively worse with the wetter weather.

It doesn't any more.


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## ColinJ (1 Nov 2022)

tom73 said:


> Cleaned and sorted out the back room, set the bike up on the turbo just needs a gentle clean and checking everything is set up ok.


I am starting to get my turbo bike ready for the coming winter. I will still go out when the weather isn't too bad, but sometimes we get weeks of cold, grey and wet weather here and I will use the turbo instead if/when we do.

First job today was to saw the drops off an old handlebar. I am going to flip it and use what is left to grip onto. Like this...







I have some cheap bar tape on order. When that arrives I will double-wrap the handlebar and install it on the bike.

While I am waiting, I need to find out why the rear tyre keeps going down... How do you get a puncture on a bike that never leaves a turbo trainer!  Maybe it has a faulty tube or valve?

PS I forgot to mention that I converted the bike to singlespeed a couple of years ago so there are no hoods to hold on to.


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## tom73 (1 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I am starting to get my turbo bike ready for the coming winter. I will still go out when the weather isn't too bad, but sometimes we get weeks of cold, grey and wet weather here and I will use the turbo instead if/when we do.
> 
> First job today was to saw the drops off an old handlebar. I am going to flip it and use what is left to grip onto. Like this...
> 
> ...



I know what you mean about the weather. I wont be going out over winter in the last few years my my Raynaud's has just got too much for me to feel safe and enjoy the ride pain free.


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## roubaixtuesday (1 Nov 2022)

tom73 said:


> I know what you mean about the weather. I wont be going out over winter in the last few years my my Raynaud's has just got too much for me to feel safe and enjoy the ride pain free.



re Raynauds, I get it terribly and use battery powered heated glove liners from these people.

https://www.blazewear.com/our-gear/gloves/active-glove-liners-black

An expensive but magic cure.


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## tom73 (1 Nov 2022)

roubaixtuesday said:


> re Raynauds, I get it terribly and use battery powered heated glove liners from these people.
> 
> https://www.blazewear.com/our-gear/gloves/active-glove-liners-black
> 
> An expensive but magic cure.



I have some heated gloves for day to day use and they are great just too impractical for on the bike. 
Thanks as i've not come across heated liners will check them out.


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## DCLane (2 Nov 2022)

Having got a flat on the £2 tubular wheels / tyres combo which I've been commuting on since early September the rear's been swapped for a new Prime Stagiare plus new cross tyre. It'll do for winter commuting.


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## Fredo76 (3 Nov 2022)

Oops.

Again....




The front wheel of my NOS tubular pair survived un-dishing it. While re-dishing the rear, although I remembered to loosen as much as tighten most of the way through, that discipline lapsed toward the end. My fault. 

The replacement is used and non-matching, but is on, dished, and true.


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## TheDoctor (3 Nov 2022)

After a beer-related falling-over incident, I needed to get a new spoke on my RS30 back wheel.
Contacted the local mobile bike mechanic. He couldn't get a 294mm bladed straight-pull spoke, or any other, apparently.
Went to the local Shimano service centre. They couldn't get the pukka Shimano replacement, and refused to countenance fitting anything else.
Hit the Bay of E. 8 DB spokes, under £7 delivered.
Also ordered a spoke key.
After a week, it's showing as delivered, but feck-only-knows where the Post Office have delivered it, cos it wasn't to me.
Finally bought one in Decathlon. Fitted the spoke, kinda-sorta trued the wheel. It's about 2mm out. Near enough.
It really shouldn't have been that difficult...


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## Gunk (3 Nov 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> After a beer-related falling-over incident, I needed to get a new spoke on my RS30 back wheel.
> Contacted the local mobile bike mechanic. He couldn't get a 294mm bladed straight-pull spoke, or any other, apparently.
> Went to the local Shimano service centre. They couldn't get the pukka Shimano replacement, and refused to countenance fitting anything else.
> Hit the Bay of E. 8 DB spokes, under £7 delivered.
> ...



I do find some of the sellers on eBay very frustrating with their dispatch times, some just take the piss


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## TheDoctor (3 Nov 2022)

I can't complain about the seller - they posted it promptly, and used a tracked delivery system.
It's Royal Mail that claimed they'd delivered it, when they took it home for all I know...


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## Gunk (3 Nov 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> I can't complain about the seller - they posted it promptly, and used a tracked delivery system.
> It's Royal Mail that claimed they'd delivered it, when they took it home for all I know...



I don’t think they do post promptly, they print off the label which triggers a “dispatched” email and then wander down to the post office 4 days later.


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## TheDoctor (3 Nov 2022)

I have no evidence that my seller did this. If they said they posted it, I'm inclined to believe them.


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## C R (3 Nov 2022)

Gunk said:


> I don’t think they do post promptly, they print off the label which triggers a “dispatched” email and then wander down to the post office 4 days later.



It won't show as posted until the post office scans the label.


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## fossyant (3 Nov 2022)

Now't much here.

Ebay Shimano RW5 Road Winter boots are immaculate £40 delivered - I shoved through the washer, as you do, and onto the dryer rack by the de-humidifier.

The original owner didn't use them given the condition of the sole, I can tell. I've got the MTB equivalent version that's added Goretex (MW7 so the next level up), and they have done 5 or 6 years fabulous service getting full of mud. Happy bunny.Very hard getting winter boot as they are usually abused or off the planet on price. Even my hammered MW7 boots are hosed off and cleaned up and dried so they don't stink.


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## cyberknight (4 Nov 2022)

recabled the rear shifter on the commuter , its a good job i did as i didnt realize since the new wheel i couldnt get the fastest gear as the hub must be slightly different so i had to adjust the high stop too.
Replaced the bottle cages on the winter bike as the ones i had were just some ebay cheap specials that were so tight i couldnt get the bottle out when riding .
The bottle cages on the boardman were also treated to a respray as the paint had worn off so a blast with matte black car spray made them look good again


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## chriswoody (4 Nov 2022)

So after successfully working out how to strip the hub and remove the old worn out bearings, it was time today to pop in some new ones. It's taken a fair few days to find somewhere that had some in stock, but they're here now. 

I made up a bearing press from threaded bar, washers and some M10 nuts. I used the old bearing as a press to drift the new bearings into place.







WIth the new bearings in place I quickly re-assembled the rest of the hub. I'd originally thought that the axle end cap was tightened by hand, but after cleaning and close inspection I noticed that there are actually flats machined in there to take a 6mm hex key. So that explains the side to side float that I was experiencing, it just wasn't tight enough. Frustratingly though I can't find a suitable replacement O-ring for the seal, so the broken one is back on there for now, it's better than nothing. I'll try and scour the local bike shops in the morning, maybe I'll be lucky.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Nov 2022)

chriswoody said:


> So after successfully working out how to strip the hub and remove the old worn out bearings, it was time today to pop in some new ones. It's taken a fair few days to find somewhere that had some in stock, but they're here now.
> 
> I made up a bearing press from threaded bar, washers and some M10 nuts. I used the old bearing as a press to drift the new bearings into place.
> 
> ...



Much respect to you for taking on a job like that...


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## HLaB (4 Nov 2022)

I probably should have just topped up the sealant in my old tyre that I tubed last weekend but I went with a new tubeless tyre instead (keeping the old one a spare). I fitted that tonight and it was terrible, it took me 30s to get over the rim, a whole minute to seat and was a right mess compared to last time.
Tonight






Oh did I mention last time there was completely no mess.


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## cyberknight (4 Nov 2022)

Tomorrows job will be to alter the cleats on my shoes to move it so the knee is more inwards as it could be the cause of my knee pain

EDIT
after much fiddling and head scratching i have come to realize i have been wearing a pair of shoes i dont use much that do come up big recently .After yesterdays ride my knee did hurt so i am going to sell them


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## DCLane (5 Nov 2022)

This afternoon I finished putting together the Dawes Giro 400 which I picked up from @bikingdad90 on here and turned it into a bike for Zwift use. Given the next season of Zwift racing is upon us I'm not sure the excuse of "I've not got a bike" would've held water with CycleChat's C-team boss @steverob 

So ... frameset plus seatpost / bars / saddle arrived. It's had fitted:

- Headset fully cleaned and re-greased, with seatpost re-greased
- A CeramicSpeed bottom bracket as it's for Zwift. And I doubt a Dawes Giro's ever had one of those before 
- The Shimano 105 shifters / rear derailleur from my NeilPryde Nazaré upgrade
- A Shimano 105 front derailleur I found in the parts shed
- A Shimano 105 OEM 52/36 crankset - sold a 50/34 on eBay and bought this from the same buyer/seller - but I was a fiver up on the transactions 
- New KMC chain plus inner/outer cables
- An old pair of Shimano 105 pedals - one black, one silver
- A carbon fibre bottle cage I picked up somewhere a while back but then never used
- The front carbon wheel I repaired a couple of years ago
- The last of the £1 bar tape I'd bought, taken out of the parts shed






There's no rear wheel as it's for Zwift use only.
There's no brakes as it's for Zwift use only. And if the local thieving #%@*"}{'s steal it they'll find out first-hand as soon as they ride downhill.

I _might_ swap the stem and/or saddle depending upon how it works when in situ, which currently looks like this:






Behind is the workshop area, which I also took the opportunity to tidy up this afternoon.


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## Andy in Germany (5 Nov 2022)

About to leave work yesterday to come and be with the family for the weekend, I remembered I'd promised to check the gears and brakes on Middle Son's bike, as apparently the gears were not responding and the brakes had the stopping power of "a piece of bog roll"

Cue mad dash to collect tools and bits before leaving to catch train. This morning I sorted them out:






The brakes were indeed dodgy; the blocks were almost down to the metal. 

Young people these days et c...


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## ColinJ (5 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have some cheap bar tape on order. When that arrives I will double-wrap the handlebar and install it on the bike.


The tape arrived and I have just double-wrapped the bar to give me a nice cushioned grip for those intense winter turbo sessions to come... (I only used it a couple of times last winter but didn't ride my bikes out on the road much either. This coming winter I will make an effort to use the turbo if I don't fancy going out in the winter weather.)

It isn't the neatest wrap-job that I have ever done but I am the only person who will ever see it so I probably won't bother redoing it. If I start to get irritated with it at a later date, I will redo it then.



ColinJ said:


> While I am waiting, I need to find out why the rear tyre keeps going down... How do you get a puncture on a bike that never leaves a turbo trainer!  Maybe it has a faulty tube or valve?


The answer is that there is a small split in the tube along a seam, a problem also complained about by @Andy in Germany earlier today in another thread.

I've repaired the tube and was about to put the bike back together when I noticed that the rear wheel bearings feel a bit rough. I'll investigate that further once I have finished my pot of coffee.


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## dave r (5 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> The tape arrived and I have just double-wrapped the bar to give me a nice cushioned grip for those intense winter turbo sessions to come... (I only used it a couple of times last winter but didn't ride my bikes out on the road much either. This coming winter I will make an effort to use the turbo if I don't fancy going out in the winter weather.)
> 
> It isn't the neatest wrap-job that I have ever done but I am the only person who will ever see it so I probably won't bother redoing it. If I start to get irritated with it at a later date, I will redo it then.
> 
> ...



One of mine when I was using a turbo was the tube splitting under a patch at the site of an old puncture.


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## ColinJ (5 Nov 2022)

dave r said:


> One of mine when I was using a turbo was the tube splitting under a patch at the site of an old puncture.


I thought that would be the case with this one but the 2 existing patches and the tube around them were still airtight.

I have had it happen before though.

I usually put up to 4 or 5 patches on a tube before scrapping it, unless the valve fails or one of the seams splits badly.


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## AlexB (6 Nov 2022)

I set up a piar of wheels tubeless a couple of weekends ago and despite the wheels being brand new, the tape did not seal, so I was losing air into the rim and then out through the spoke holes. Maddening! This weekend's test was to try a bodge I've seen on Youtube. Double wrap the rim, directly over the rim tape, with electrical tape. This should make the rim airtight. The theory is that the electrical tape conforms much better than the rim tape and the rim tape stops the pressure form blowing out the tape. I wasn't entirely convinced it would work, so just did one rim and blow me, but it does seem to have worked. Tonight I'll do the other rim.


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## HLaB (6 Nov 2022)

After cleaning bikes, I fitted a rear mudguard to the commuter tonight, adjusted it too and started to put the front guard on. The front guard will need adjusted after dinner though.


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## HLaB (6 Nov 2022)

HLaB said:


> After cleaning bikes, I fitted a rear mudguard to the commuter tonight, adjusted it too and started to put the front guard on. The front guard will need adjusted after dinner though.
> View attachment 667154
> 
> 
> View attachment 667155



Front mudguard fettled 👍


View: https://youtube.com/shorts/5iLkZXQj54U?feature=share

Edit: I forgot to say as with the previous SKS guard I needed to put a 23mm tyre on the front, there isn't quite enough clearance under the fork (which can take 28mm upgraded) for a 25mm.


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## si_c (7 Nov 2022)

Cleaned both bikes today, the Trek was utterly filthy as it's my daily ride, took a while but it's much cleaner now.

The Kinesis was much cleaner as I've been using it as a good weather only bike for the last couple of years, and I haven't cleaned it properly in that time. Didn't take too long to clean. Then I spent about 3 hours trying to fit the mudguards and dynamo lights. Fitting wasn't a problem, but having moved house since I took them off I was unable to find all the small parts. I'd put them in a glass jar to keep them all together and safe, but I've lost the jar. Hence 3 hours trying to find the parts. I failed, so I've bodged some temporary bits (I bought several bags of 100 small button head bolts of varying sizes a year or two ago and I found those easily enough). I'm still mainly missing the nut which holds the rear mudguard to the frame (it's a recessed brake caliper type bolt) but I've ordered a replacement (titanium!) from ebay for under a fiver. For now I've bodged it with a longer bolt and the nut from an old rear brake I'm not using right now.

Just need to fit the mudflaps now, I ran out of time/motivation, tomorrows job.

Edit: Fitted the dynamo lights, the cables run internally through the frame and I fitted some new spade connectors to join the front and rear lights, then heatshrinked it all together.


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## Vantage (9 Nov 2022)

Vantage said:


> The same can't be said for the front hub which is sounding a bit groggy. Sealed bearing type crap so will wait till it dies and just buy a better hub someday. This'll be the second SP hub to go on me. Rubbish.



Well it died sooner than I thought and it wasn't the bearings that killed it. A misty midnight ride through the moors lead to water ingress which killed the internal lecky generating bits....no power. Meh.
Yesterday afternoon a new Son Delux hub was delivered and I finished rebuilding the wheel about 1am this morning. It took twice as long as it should have because I had dinner and upon returning to the wheel I'd forgotten which way the nipples turned regarding tightening and loosening and bolloxed it up. Had to start again 
Got the front light and ewerk wired up and checked...all running nicely and less than 0.5mm out of true 😊
Waiting for male spade connectors today then I can wire up the back light. 
Gotta tidy up the ebike battery/motor wiring too coz it's a mess atm.


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## tom73 (9 Nov 2022)

Given the dog a fur cut he so easy to do mostly just stands and let's me. Worse part was his ears how much to take off to help cover up the bits he's lost due his skin condition. Any way i've still got all my fingers and he's still got his crown jewels so happy all round.


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## ColinJ (9 Nov 2022)

Given that we are not just doing bikes... 

I topped up the pressure in my central heating system. The pressure had held up well after the boiler was serviced 2 or 3 years ago, but it started dropping about a week ago. It had got down to 0.5 bar cold/0.9 bar hot, which isn't really enough. It is now 1.5 bar cold, 2.0 bar hot, which is more like it. 

The pressure seems to holding, so I don't think that there are any significant leaks in the system. 

I have to attach a flexible pipe to do the job. Normally I do the top end first, then the bottom. It struck me this time that that is why I normally get air in the system, which then has to be bled out. This time I attached the bottom end of the pipe first and filled it with water before attaching it. That way very little air could get in. I think the system won't need bleeding this time but I'll give it a few days to settle down then check for cold spots on the radiators.


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## Gwylan (9 Nov 2022)

IKEA Poang chair base.







An overlarge client plonked herself in it, the canvas bit parted and she ended on the floor.
The lard arse even managed to break the timber of the base 
No thought from her that she might replace it or even say sorry!
But she won't be suing me, she thinks that seems quite decent of her.

Well it will be reflected in the fee and the fact the next meeting will not be at my office. 

Also I will be checking on the BMI of future clients


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## Vantage (9 Nov 2022)

I wouldn't sit in that chair if you paid me. There's clever engineering, beautiful engineering and then there's plain stupid engineering. You can guess where that chair sits in the line.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Nov 2022)

This has been causing some annoyance for a week or so: the gears were not indexing and a replacement cable didn't solve the problem. I was worrying that the movement on the shifter was less positive than when I fitted it a couple of years ago and I was a bit worried that it may already be worn out, which would be expensive if it happened every two years. Then while changing the gears on the bike stand I felt the silver part in the middle move, and on a whim I tightened it; suddenly it worked like new, which was nice.

Currently on the stand is a bike brought in by a customer with the lights "not working properly" which can be a nightmare.






Thankfully cleaning the contacts and rewiring the plugs solved the issue.


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## Gwylan (9 Nov 2022)

W


Vantage said:


> I wouldn't sit in that chair if you paid me. There's clever engineering, beautiful engineering and then there's plain stupid engineering. You can guess where that chair sits in the line.



Well it's exceeded your expectations for the last 20 years.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Nov 2022)

Just been swearing at a BMX. Am I right thinking the bolts are imperial?


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## Andy in Germany (9 Nov 2022)

Oh for goodness' sakes...






Customer came to collect this bike, and suddenly the lighting wasn't working. I don't call customers unless I've double checked repairs and this was highly embarrassing.

Brought bike into workshop, poked a couple of contacts, and now everything is fine. Of course he's now gone home...


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## ColinJ (9 Nov 2022)

I expect @Vantage will be along again shortly with an opinion on that dynohub!


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## bikingdad90 (9 Nov 2022)

Vantage said:


> I wouldn't sit in that chair if you paid me. There's clever engineering, beautiful engineering and then there's plain stupid engineering. You can guess where that chair sits in the line.


They are the best chairs for rocking in. My chair saw(?) many an hour with baby in arms, three times over. Really comfortable for snoozing in.


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## Vantage (9 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I expect @Vantage will be along again shortly with an opinion on that dynohub!


I'm keeping quiet. 
Having wired everything up I discovered I had again.......no power. Hmm. 
I disconnected the rear light and voilà, power. Hmm.
Was it the rear light? Nope. With the light disconnected but still having the rear light wiring connected, no power again. Hmm.
Was it the front light that was buggered. Nope.
Dumbass here hadn't checked the terminals weren't touching...which they were. Ugh. I'm now wondering if there was a cut in the old wiring exposing the copper. 2 separate wires...both cut...in the same spot? That being the case....have I just bought a new hub, disc adapter, wiring, connectors and built a wheel for nothing?


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## november4 (9 Nov 2022)

I spent 30mins looking for my cassette tools, coffee break ...then found them on my new magnetic tool rack, on the wall behind my bike.......which I installed had last month....

New wheels on though, mavic kysrium sl, look 👌 and bike a bit lighter


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## ColinJ (9 Nov 2022)

Vantage said:


> I'm keeping quiet.
> Having wired everything up I discovered I had again.......no power. Hmm.
> I disconnected the rear light and voilà, power. Hmm.
> Was it the rear light? Nope. With the light disconnected but still having the rear light wiring connected, no power again. Hmm.
> ...


Oops!

I have done many similar things over the years...


----------



## keithmac (9 Nov 2022)

Rebuilt my friends Variable Vane Turbo on Monday with a new CHRA.

Put it back together and Vanes were binding, took it to bits and cleaned everything again, refinished surfaces still same issue.

Ended up shimming the Vane Plate which really you shouldn't have to do, told him turbo may have to come out again bit he was happy to try it.

Got a message on Tuesday that a was good so happy days!.

First time I've tackled a VVT so all a learning experience, set it up on the slack side as I presume clearances will tighten up when it gets red hot..


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## Gwylan (10 Nov 2022)

keithmac said:


> Rebuilt my friends Variable Vane Turbo on Monday with a new CHRA.
> 
> Put it back together and Vanes were binding, took it to bits and cleaned everything again, refinished surfaces still same issue.
> 
> ...



Definitely off my skill grade. Don't even understand the TLA. But well done putting the newspaper on the table


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## ColinJ (10 Nov 2022)

Gwylan said:


> Don't even understand the TLA.


Pay attention at the back - VVT = Variable Vane Turbo! 




(No, I don't have the faintest idea what one of those is! )


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## Gwylan (10 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Pay attention at the back - VVT = Variable Vane Turbo!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you, though I'm not much further forward.

NATO does not admit it but they have a TLA harmonisation committee. TLA, three letter acronym


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## Fredo76 (11 Nov 2022)

New sew-ups!


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## DaveReading (11 Nov 2022)

Gwylan said:


> NATO does not admit it but they have a TLA harmonisation committee. TLA, three letter acronym


Except that TLA is not an acronym. NATO is, though,


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## november4 (11 Nov 2022)

Suddenly no hot water, oh no......but heating circuits okay, house is only 6 years old!....does nothing last these days?

google & you tubed it is likely a motorised valve failure.....switch through the programs to find which valve it was supposed to be for the hot water; found the blighter, no movement when hot water 'on'
...off to screwfix for a new one, taking chance its the actuator itself not the whole valve; lecky off, swapped out actuator, all works fine

Saved more than a few quid by doing it myself and because it was actuator only, didn't have to drain the system. Quite impressed by the way these motorized valves are designed modular, not impressed with the longevity though...but at least I know what to do now. Youtube is awesome


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## Gwylan (11 Nov 2022)

DaveReading said:


> Except that TLA is not an acronym. NATO is, though,



TLA is an acronym for Three Letter Acronym; and NATO is the English acronym for North Atlantic Treaty organisation. 
Your homework is to reason out what FLA is.


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## DaveReading (11 Nov 2022)

Gwylan said:


> TLA is an acronym for Three Letter Acronym; and NATO is the English acronym for North Atlantic Treaty organisation.
> Your homework is to reason out what FLA is.


There is a tendency these days to conflate initialisms (which TLA certainly is) with acronyms (which are initialisms that can be pronounced as a word, such as NATO or ASAP, but not TLA). Unless you're Welsh, possibly ...


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## Gwylan (12 Nov 2022)

DaveReading said:


> There is a tendency these days to conflate initialisms (which TLA certainly is) with acronyms (which are initialisms that can be pronounced as a word, such as NATO or ASAP, but not TLA). Unless you're Welsh, possibly ...



Have to acknowledge pedantry when I see it .

On the Welsh, consider the appropriateness of someone putting AS after their name.


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## sevenfourate (12 Nov 2022)

Nothing too exciting. But with good weather forecast tomorrow - a simple check over of the (un-powered) 2-wheel fleet ready for a Family jaunt out tomorrow…..


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## CXRAndy (12 Nov 2022)

Fitted an alternator to my JCB loader. What a bloody faff, JCB dealer said it was upgraded model replacement. Wiring had different connectors, mounting different, but doable. Old alternator had threaded hole for adjustment, new one had a plain hole, so needed bolt and nut. Had right size diameter, but a fraction too short. Off to Screwfix to buy 25 bolts and nuts, cos I need 25 right

So what took 10 mins to take off took two hours including Screwfix trip to refit.

All charging now whilst running. Except the battery clamp has cracked or had cracked and hadn't noticed it when battery was disconnected for doing the alternator.

So one job leads to another.

And it cost a fortune, but I need it working for Monday morning

I've got some O rings to fit on a few weeping hydraulic lines. And then sort out rear lights which have blown bulbs and or something more


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## bikingdad90 (12 Nov 2022)

sevenfourate said:


> Nothing too exciting. But with good weather forecast tomorrow - a simple check over of the (un-powered) 2-wheel fleet ready for a Family jaunt out tomorrow…..
> 
> View attachment 667691


Genuinely curious, where do all your tools and garden equipment go to have such a clear garage?


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## Ming the Merciless (12 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Pay attention at the back - VVT = Variable Vane Turbo!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Variable valve timing turbo, the timing bit is what’s variable compared to your typical ICE.


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## sevenfourate (12 Nov 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Genuinely curious, where do all your tools and garden equipment go to have such a clear garage?



Ha ! Tools, car cleaning stuff etc (I’m a bit of a Detailing freak) at the other end of the ‘man cave’…..











Anything else: remotely dirty - gets shipped out to the shed !


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## ColinJ (12 Nov 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Variable valve timing turbo, the timing bit is what’s variable compared to your typical ICE.


But what I want to know is why the in-car entertainment system has variable timing...


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## Ming the Merciless (12 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> But what I want to know is why the in-car entertainment system has variable timing...



Different sized data chunks over different frequencies means it can be better compressed and more data transmitted over a period of time than fixed blocks.


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## chriswoody (13 Nov 2022)

With my main Bikepacking adventures over for this year, it was time to swap the chain ring over on my chainset. For touring I run a 28t chainring mated to a 10 - 42 cassette, this basically gives me a good climbing gear but sacrifices top end speed. For the winter I swap back to a 32t chainring which gives me back some speed in exchange for less climbing ability that I don't need where I live.

These Race Face cranks are simplicity themselves to change the rings on, an 8mm hex key loosens the bolt holding the crank on to the BB, then on the back of the crank is a thin lock ring which is undone using a Square taper BB lockring extraction tool. Swap the rings over and redo everything back up.


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## CXRAndy (14 Nov 2022)

Shed roof insulation panels coming along nicely


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## ColinJ (14 Nov 2022)

The sealed bearing in the freeehub of the bike I use on my turbo trainer had gone rough so I replaced that today.

Ideally I would sort the actual wheel out too - it is out of true, and noticeably non-circular. There is a little thump on the turbo roller once per revolution of the wheel. The thing is, wheel-truing is one job that I never mastered; I would probably make the wheel worse rather than better!

I think that I can reduce the thumping by lowering the tyre pressure and bringing the roller slightly nearer. It is a compromise between thumping and the tyre starting to slip on the roller.

I probably won't notice the thump when listening to music on my earbuds while using the turbo. I now have access to 100,000,000 songs on Amazon Prime Music so I might as well start checking out some of them!


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## Andy in Germany (14 Nov 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> Shed roof insulation panels coming along nicely
> 
> View attachment 668045



Looks interesting, what's the project?


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## CXRAndy (14 Nov 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Looks interesting, what's the project?



It's an outbuilding which had an fibre/asbestos roof, with an open ridge. It has slatted sides too. 

We want to have storage which is warm (heated) and usable space for gym and some electrical upgrades to the main house/solar battery storage system.

We are going fully insulated panels all round, new insulated doors too. When all the major stuff is done I might fit a gym type sponge floor


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## Andy in Germany (14 Nov 2022)

A Raleigh Max "donated" to the workshop and now we know why. Rear wheel had clearly taken an impact and even though the block was in good condition, too many spokes were broken to get any leverage to unscrew it. The luggage rack was also bent out of shape and the rear mech had been smashed. 

After replacing the mech I attempted to sort out the wheel but it was toast so I found a replacement and put an new block on it. When I tried to put the wheel back on I couldn't get it to go straight. 

Eventually I worked out this was because the impact that had damaged the components had also bent the rear frame and it's _Geführkelt_. Goodness knows what hit it to cause this but I suspect a motor vehicle impact. I hope the rider was okay.

My Intern is stripping it of the other parts which are generally in good condition.


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## JhnBssll (14 Nov 2022)

I signed up for Chase the Sun this morning after missing out last year so decided to pick up the varia charging cable idea I'd started fiddling with. Finished the CAD model...






While it was printing I found my box of electronics odds and sods and found a male micro USB so soldered it to some speaker wire...






With the part printed I pushed the USB connector through from the back then filled the hole up behind it with liquid resin, quickly cured with my handy UV torch 











It's printed in a flexible resin so should be fairly weatherproof  Seems to fit pretty well






I'll play around with it at some point, if it works ok I'll be tempted to print it again in black but this will do for now


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## dave r (14 Nov 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> View attachment 668071
> 
> 
> A Raleigh Max "donated" to the workshop and now we know why. Rear wheel had clearly taken an impact and even though the block was in good condition, too many spokes were broken to get any leverage to unscrew it. The luggage rack was also bent out of shape and the rear mech had been smashed.
> ...



Early 1980's I was rear ended by a Ford Cortina traveling at about 40mph, the impact pringled the rear wheel, folded the rear of the frame at the brake bridge and pulled the chainstays upward, it also put the rest of the frame out of alignment. I got away with a bruised back.


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## si_c (14 Nov 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I signed up for Chase the Sun this morning after missing out last year so decided to pick up the varia charging cable idea I'd started fiddling with. Finished the CAD model...
> 
> View attachment 668075
> 
> ...



Very nice.

I was trying to think of ways to solve the same problem, however in my case the plug would be better being right angled as the distance between the frame and the bottom of the light is much smaller as I also have to accommodate the Supernova Dynamo light on the seat tube and I don't have a huge amount of seat tube showing (one disadvantage of a 63cm Frame).

In the end I think I'd most likely use a right angle micro usb cable and a bit of blutack and electrical tape. A bit more of a bodge, but given that the light can last 16 hours in day flash mode and I won't frequently need to use a charger on the go, one I'm comfortable with.


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## TheDoctor (14 Nov 2022)

Gwylan said:


> TLA is an acronym for Three Letter Acronym; and NATO is the English acronym for North Atlantic Treaty organisation.
> Your homework is to reason out what FLA is.



Three Letter Abbreviation, surely? TLA isn't an acronym, unlike Radar or Scuba. No-one says T'La.


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## HLaB (15 Nov 2022)

My front guard was marginally touching the tyre last week so I tried to adjust it. Lol, when I got up this morning I had made it worse. So there was a bit of multi tool fettling on the train


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## DaveReading (15 Nov 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> Three Letter Abbreviation, surely? TLA isn't an acronym, unlike Radar or Scuba. No-one says T'La.


If we're going to be pedantic, do it properly. 

TLA is neither an acronym nor an abbreviation (the latter means a shortened word, like "Ave" or "St"). 

Instead, it's an initialization.


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## C R (15 Nov 2022)

DaveReading said:


> If we're going to be pedantic, do it properly.
> 
> TLA is neither an acronym nor an abbreviation (the latter means a shortened word, like "Ave" or "St").
> 
> Instead, it's an initialization.



Small nit pick, ITYM initialism.


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## bikingdad90 (15 Nov 2022)

HLaB said:


> My front guard was marginally touching the tyre last week so I tried to adjust it. Lol, when I got up this morning I had made it worse. So there was a bit of multi tool fettling on the train


Hair dryer to heat up the plastic and then bend it into shape works best. Always find with guards that over time they develop a rub.


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## Svendo (15 Nov 2022)

DaveReading said:


> If we're going to be pedantic, do it properly.
> 
> TLA is neither an acronym nor an abbreviation (the latter means a shortened word, like "Ave" or "St").
> 
> Instead, it's an initialization.



Pendantry: I suspected and a quick google (define: abbreviation) showed abbreviation is used to mean shortening of a word or phrase by any means; so they’re all abbreviations and some are also acronyms and some are also initialisms, some could be all three and some are aren’t (i.e. and e.g. you’re examples: ave., St. etc.)


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## ColinJ (15 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> There is a little thump on the turbo roller once per revolution of the wheel. The thing is, wheel-truing is one job that I never mastered; I would probably make the wheel worse rather than better!
> 
> I think that I can reduce the thumping by lowering the tyre pressure and bringing the roller slightly nearer. It is a compromise between thumping and the tyre starting to slip on the roller.


I did a turbo spinning session this evening after adjusting the tyre pressure and roller position. I found a setup which was okay.



ColinJ said:


> I probably won't notice the thump when listening to music on my earbuds while using the turbo. I now have access to 100,000,000 songs on Amazon Prime Music so I might as well start checking out some of them!


I couldn't _hear _the reduced 'thump' while listening to music, but I could just _feel _it through the bike. Ideally, I would sort it out, but I can live with it for now.

I wasn't listening to the music on Prime. Instead I found some turbo trainer videos on YouTube which look pretty good... here: _*TurboTripping*_, _*CTXCvideos*_, and _*IndoorCyclingVideos*_. And that leads on to my next '_fettling_' project, which is to make myself a tablet holder. I was using the tablet on a little table to watch the videos but I was getting a sore neck looking down and to the side at it. 

I have started that project by attaching a piece of wood to an old photographic tripod and will make a clamp on that to hold my tablet in place. Using the tripod I should be able to position the tablet directly in front of me on the bike, and within touching distance so I can easily reach forward to skip the ads on YouTube.

Oh, and I am going to fetch my small step ladder out of storage to help me get on and off the bike. The extra distance from the floor that the turbo trainer raises the bike by is just enough to make it difficult for me to get on and off. I normally lower my bike slightly when mounting and dismounting but obviously I can't do that on the trainer, and the raised height makes the problem worse. (I'm getting too old to get my leg over... )


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## dave r (15 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Oh, and I am going to fetch my small step ladder out of storage to help me get on and off the bike. The extra distance from the floor that the turbo trainer raises the bike by is just enough to make it difficult for me to get on and off. I normally lower my bike slightly when mounting and dismounting but obviously I can't do that on the trainer, and the raised height makes the problem worse. (I'm getting too old to get my leg over... )



Happens to us all eventually.


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## HLaB (16 Nov 2022)

Lol, a lunchtime fettle from me today. I was making sure my new Garmin Varia Front Light would fit. It does but I'll probably have to fettle the angles when the bike is level, but I prefer my stem mount to the out front one as it's slightly more compact and out of the way on the train. I'm off to Google what options I have.


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## Andy in Germany (16 Nov 2022)

The current clunker on the stand. The front shocks have a nasty gash in them, ca 20 mm long by 3mm wide but I can't keep throwing bikes away, so it will have to go out cheaper. Unfortunately this means that instead of making sure it's really nice I'm just making sure it works and replacing as little as possible.

Still, it looks a lot better now than in the picture, although most of time was taken cleaning it.


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## Aluminum Falcon (17 Nov 2022)

My 11yr old had asked that I raise the handlebars on her carrera be raised. So after purchasing a headset extension and a metre of blue outer cable on the dreaded Ebay her wish became my command. And, yes she is happy with the new height.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Nov 2022)

New cord for my recumbent seat after cord on RH side wore through. Should have avoided when I threaded it before knowing that cord or rope that moves against itself will eventually wear through. As a climber that’s a rookie mistake. 4mm Climbing assessory cord has a breaking strain of 4kN, so plenty strong enough.


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## fossyant (18 Nov 2022)

Aluminum Falcon said:


> View attachment 668302
> 
> 
> View attachment 668303
> ...



All due respect, but these things make me shudder. I'm sure that are safe, but they certainly don't look it.


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## fossyant (18 Nov 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> New cord for my recumbent seat after cord on RH side wore through. Should have avoided when I threaded it before knowing that cord or rope that moves against itself will eventually wear through. As a climber that’s a rookie mistake. 4mm Climbing assessory cord has a breaking strain of 4kN, so plenty strong enough.
> 
> View attachment 668401



Do you re-string garden chairs ?


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Nov 2022)

fossyant said:


> Do you re-string garden chairs ?



No in Manchester though I was born that way. Should not take you long, especially if you know a few climbing knots.


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## DCLane (18 Nov 2022)

Today some time - between online meetings and paperwork - has been spent mending the Raleigh SP Race after Sunday's debacle when a branch got caught, snapping the rear mech hanger plus breaking the rear derailleur, two rear spokes and the rear mudguard. If you're in Heswall I left you a very bent rear mudguard in a bin on Sunday 

Bike cleaned and a replacement Pilo hanger was installed. The supposed Raleigh-specific one didn't fit so this was second choice. Then a used rear Ultegra 6800 derailleur plus the chain was OK after cleaning it thoroughly. A new rear gear cable was also needed. The rear Raceblade Long mudguard bridge came out as it was bent and a simple clip-on mudguard put on instead (there's no mudguard eyes as it's a pure race carbon frame). Finally I put in the commuting wheels instead of the Superstar Components ones as it was the rear Superstar wheel which was damaged.

Overall it seems OK and I'll have a test-ride tomorrow. Quite a lot of parts damage but the only frame damage appears to be a bit of chipped paint.


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## Aluminum Falcon (18 Nov 2022)

fossyant said:


> All due respect, but these things make me shudder. I'm sure that are safe, but they certainly don't look it.


Everything is torqued up and held down by the top cap using a long bolt.


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## ColinJ (18 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have started that project by attaching a piece of wood to an old photographic tripod and will make a clamp on that to hold my tablet in place. Using the tripod I should be able to position the tablet directly in front of me on the bike, and within touching distance so I can easily reach forward to skip the ads on YouTube.


Hmm... my woodwork failed at the first hurdle! 

Somebody has borrowed my drill so I couldn't drill pilot holes for the screws. I suspected that without those holes the thin strips of wood that I was going to screw to the larger pieces of wood would split and they _did_!

It might be a few days until I can get the drill back so I might just buy a bradawl overnight on Amazon Prime and use that instead tomorrow.

PS I've ordered the bradawl, but won't get it until Sunday. Never mind - the forecast is reasonable for tomorrow so I'll be riding on the road rather than using the turbo trainer.


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## Spiderweb (19 Nov 2022)

Too wet in North Yorkshire for cycling today so did some work on the second hand Dolan Preffisio I’d recently picked up.

New Cassette fitted. The previous 11-28t was worn so swapped to an almost new 12-30t Ultegra which I recently purchased cheaply from ebay.

I had a spare Fabric Scoop saddle so fitted that.

The outer chainring was worn and also had a broken tooth so swapped for a new TA Specialities 50t and also changed the inner 34t for a new one I had in stock.

Mudguards fitted, these were a pair of mismatched SKS, the front was Matte black, the back gloss black. I spent some time with the finest grade sand paper and a scourer type pad to remove the gloss finish. They look almost identical now, really pleased with the result.

Finally a homemade rear mud flap fitted. Black would have been better but I only had some clear 0.4mm PetG so cut one to size and shape and finished off with a Specialized sticker I found in a drawer.


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## si_c (19 Nov 2022)

Went to put some new tyres on the dynohub wheel, it's been feeling a little off and there looked to be a high spot, the old tyres were quite worn, totally squared off. Opted for a set of 32cs to replace the 28cs that were currently fitted, as I'd checked with a different wheelset and they'd fit under my mudguards comfortably.

Fitting and the new front and it was binding horribly, realised that it wasn't the tyre, rather the rim that was out. I've not used it for a couple of years and it's been through a house move and has a visible high spot, tried to true it out, but I think it's done, probably had something dropped on it in the garage at some point.

Fortunately I can get a like for like from SJS. Down side I've had to put the 28s back on as they actually fit under the mudguards. Probably gonna use the other bike til I can sort a replacement rim out.


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## ColinJ (19 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I couldn't _hear _the reduced 'thump' [of the wobbly wheel] while listening to music, but I could just _feel _it through the bike. Ideally, I would sort it out, but I can live with it for now.


A friend is going to have a go at retruing the wheel for me. I have put the bike up on my Park Tools stand and am waiting for him to come round. We are going to clip clothes pegs on the rear rack to use as gauges for the rim. (The original plan was to use the brake blocks for that, but the pegs will be a very versatile way of doing it).


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## ColinJ (19 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> A friend is going to have a go at retruing the wheel for me. I have put the bike up on my Park Tools stand and am waiting for him to come round. We are going to clip clothes pegs on the rear rack to use as gauges for the rim. (The original plan was to use the brake blocks for that, but the pegs will be a very versatile way of doing it).


He had a go and then we both remembered him trying to do it 4 or 5 years ago and failing!

The problem is that the wheels had been used through a few winters and salty grit had got into the nipples and corroded them. We tried to free them but they are stuck fast despite giving them a few hours with penetrating oil soaking in. We don't want to use force to free them because I think that something will be damaged in the process. 

I'll use the wheel as it is and check again that I have got the best compromise between tyre pressure and proximity to roller.


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## bikingdad90 (19 Nov 2022)

New set of rims from superstar with code rim70 for 70% off?


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## Elybazza61 (20 Nov 2022)

Messing about with Exposure dynamo light to improve clearance with new rack; still a work in progress.


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## november4 (20 Nov 2022)

I bought a chain wear gauge, and happily found all bikes are wallet friendly in spec


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## ColinJ (20 Nov 2022)

[I'm making a tablet holder to use when watching videos during my turbo trainer sessions...]



ColinJ said:


> It might be a few days until I can get the drill back so I might just buy a bradawl overnight on Amazon Prime and use that instead tomorrow.
> 
> PS I've ordered the bradawl, but won't get it until Sunday. Never mind - the forecast is reasonable for tomorrow so I'll be riding on the road rather than using the turbo trainer.


I accidentally ordered an awl (rounded spike tool) rather than a bradawl (skinny screwdriver lookalike tool)! 

Still, no harm done - I have just had a go with it and after one failure (hole too close to edge of skinny timber, which split) I was successful. It works really well.

It was nice using an old skool handtool rather than relying on a super duper battery powered 'drill-driver'.

My woodwork skills are almost non-existent so I concentrated on making the tablet holder solid rather than beautiful.

I'm just having a mug of tea then I will stick a strip of velcro hooks to it and a corresponding strip of felt-like velcro 'eyes' to the back of my tablet case to make sure the tablet can't fall off the holder if it gets knocked in use.

[Time passes... _slowly!_]

Ok, I'm finished.

I'm sure that some of the more meticulous CycleChat members will shudder when they see my crude handiwork, but it will do the job. I had been thinking of buying one of _*THESE*_ from Planet X but decided that I could find more interesting things to spend the money on. I already had an old tripod, scrap timber, and self-adhesive velcro strips. It only cost me £5 for the screws and awl, which will probably last me the rest of my life.

Anyway, here you go, warts and all... ColinJ's turbo trainer tablet holder:

Back view






Front view





The tablet fits...





... and the holder does the job!


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## Andy in Germany (21 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I accidentally ordered an awl (rounded spike tool) rather than a bradawl (skinny screwdriver lookalike tool)!



I keep an awl in my "daily use" toolkit for bike maintenance: if you push it into the end of a freshly cut gear/brake outer cable it clears away bent or squashed bits that would otherwise jam or rub the inner cable.


----------



## si_c (21 Nov 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> I keep an awl in my "daily use" toolkit for bike maintenance: if you push it into the end of a freshly cut gear/brake outer cable it clears away bent or squashed bits that would otherwise jam or rub the inner cable.



Yep, I have a set of small files for the same reason, awl, file flat, awl again.


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## HLaB (21 Nov 2022)

The left cleat on my commuter shoes was a tad worn so I replaced it. It does see a bit of shuffling from one platform to another at train stations. So in truth I should buy new spd shoes but whilst it is only one day a week and the old road shoes are ok. I'm not rushing out to buy any. I also found a barely worn cleat and swapped for it.


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## ColinJ (21 Nov 2022)

HLaB said:


> The left cleat on my commuter shoes was a tad worn so I replaced it. It does see a bit of shuffling from one platform to another at train stations. So in truth I should buy new spd shoes but whilst it is only one day a week and the old road shoes are ok. I'm not rushing out to buy any. I also found a barely worn cleat and swapped for it.
> View attachment 668763
> 
> 
> ...


That is one of the reasons that I switched to SPDs!


----------



## november4 (21 Nov 2022)

I recco screen protector for tablet.....as i broke mine last month and cost me £200 to get new screen etc, about half value of tablet

...isopropyl alcohol syringed underneath to break adhesive, box cutter and guitar pick to remove the old one.....in case anyone has the misfortune...


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## ColinJ (21 Nov 2022)

november4 said:


> I recco screen protector for tablet.....as i broke mine last month and cost me £200 to get new screen etc, about half value of tablet
> 
> ...isopropyl alcohol syringed underneath to break adhesive, box cutter and guitar pick to remove the old one.....in case anyone has the misfortune...


Yikes - bad luck! 

My Samsung tablet only cost me about £140 so it wouldn't be such a big loss if something broke its screen, but I still wouldn't be very happy if it happened.

The case (seen wrapped round the back of the tablet in my photos above) gives a lot of protection when the tablet is not in use though. I have secured the case to the wooden holder to stop it slipping out if knocked. The only way the tablet's screen would get damaged there would be if I knocked the whole thing over (extremely unlikely because it is attached to a high quality tripod with a wide base) or if I dropped something directly onto the screen (what? I won't be carrying anything near the tablet when I am using the turbo trainer a metre back from it).


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## HLaB (22 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> That is one of the reasons that I switched to SPDs!



Planning to when the shoes wear out at the moment I am still tippy tappy wobbling 😂


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## ColinJ (22 Nov 2022)

A collection of odds and sods for you today which might remind you not to make the same mistakes:

You know that slippery liquid that is good for chains...? For some obscure reason (probably to do with increasing senility! ) I incorrectly thought that I had put some on the chain of my singlespeed bike recently. I therefore didn't connect the rough feel and squeakiness of its chain with the fact that it was running over-dry...  (It was actually my turbo bike's chain that I had oiled.) My mate spotted it while he was failing to true a wheel for me. I lubed the chain before riding today, and guess what? Yes, it ran much more quietly and smoothly!

I _HAD _noticed that the handlebar was tilted a few degrees forwards which had the subtle effect of making my wrists bend uncomfortably when my hands were on the brake hoods, and also making me stretch out slightly more than I wanted to. I turned the handlebar enough to bring the hoods back about a cm, which felt a lot better.

The front brake assembly had come loose on the bar and was moving whenever I pulled back on it while climbing. I tightened that up so it stays put now.

On my ride today I tackled my usual tough little hill on the singlespeed. It is a few hundred metres averaging around 7% but with a ramp around 10%. Nothing much on a bike with a decent low gear, but requiring a lot of effort in the SS bike's 52/19 gear. Even so, I was not prepared for how hard it was to climb that hill today. I nearly blew a gasket gasping for breath on the ascent. I started to worry that the dreaded blood clots were coming back again... 

But as I crested the hill, I went to freewheel to get my breath back and the bike stopped rolling in about a metre. Er, that shouldn't happen...! I got off and the cause was immediately obvious. I had pulled the rear wheel free in the dropouts so it was rubbing on the left-side chainstay! 9/10 for my supreme athletic achievement in climbing a tough hill on a singlespeed bike with a loose wheel. 0/10 for rookie error in failing to do up a quick release properly... 

My tyre pressures had got a bit low so I pumped both back up before setting off. The bike definitely rolled better, but I soon started to feel battered by the broken-up chip 'n seal surface of the local roads. I stopped and let out a few PSI from each tyre and that made a huge difference. The tyres still rolled ok, but now they were able to absorb much of the hammering from the rough roads.


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## Andy in Germany (22 Nov 2022)

Not today's bike but that's not looking too pretty right now. This was a grade 'A' clunker but hopefully it will make someone happy and mobile...


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## Andy in Germany (23 Nov 2022)

Tried to get this absolute clunker to work so we could sell it, but it was so awful I eventually gave up: even if I could have got it working safely it would have been too stiff and awkward for children to enjoy properly. so I pulled it to bits and scrapped pretty much everything: there was nothing to keep.

In other news, I figured how to take a freehub off a wheel. I'm not sure why I didn't need to do this earlier; it turns out that it isn't that difficult.


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## GeekDadZoid (23 Nov 2022)

Not really fettled much recently other than some brake pad replacements.

However the BB ok my Dawes Super Galaxy seems to coming to end of life. It's not done to many miles from my reckoning, I have don't 1200km on it and I am fairly confident the original owner can't have done more than a few hundred. But the 10 years in storage and me then taking it through all weathers may have seen it off. 

I've tried to eliminate everything else ebut now need to work out what to replace it with. It's a SM BB-51 so got a decent number of options.


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## Aluminum Falcon (24 Nov 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Finally a homemade rear mud flap fitted. Black would have been better but I only had some clear 0.4mm PetG so cut one to size and shape and finished off with a Specialized sticker I found in a drawer


Lovin the Specialized modification. Looks like it will make •5 passed light speed


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## Andy in Germany (24 Nov 2022)

Went down the rabbit hole today. I'd selected a nice looking gentleman's city bike: old, with steel frame, Nexus gears and canti brakes. It looked complete so I wasn't expecting problems until I go to the lights.

When I got to the rear wheel I found the axle was the wrong length. Quite how this happened I'm not sure, but it's not unusual for people to try and fix bikes, fit the wrong parts, and then "donate" them to us.

The problem grew and expanded and I ended up having to strip down the hub, wheel, and axle and rebuild them from scratch. I'm still not finished. On the other hand, I've learned a lot about axles, spacers and what parts I'll need in future so hopefully next time I'll be able to diagnose the problem and sort it quickly.


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## DCLane (24 Nov 2022)

The Raleigh SP Race that went kaput on my 200km audax a couple of weeks ago was still having issues. I'd re-used the chain and now suspected that wasn't great either; a spare slightly-used chain went on and it now seems OK. Also replaced the Raceblade Long rear mudguard that had snapped when the parts broke.

Removed a punctured tub from a cyclocross wheel; I'd done two months' commuting on it as an experiment. It sort-of worked, but I'd not left a spare wheelset at work to swap if/when I'd got a flat en route in. Just looking for a spare that holds air now.

My Avanti Circa 1 winter commuter was clunking when in higher gears; the cause was a slightly twisted front derailleur which must've happened in the fall I had on it a few weeks ago. All resolved, fully cleaned and working.


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## chriswoody (25 Nov 2022)

Something a little different today, I've been fixing the bread machine. For a while now it's been making a horrible squeaking noise when kneading and then the kneading process itself was failing to mix the ingredients sufficiently. Deciding it was probably a mechanical issue rather than electronic I decided to see if I could strip it down and work out what was wrong. Under the bottom cover is a large cog wheel attached via a belt to a small cog on the motor. There was puzzlingly a lot of rust on the parts which made stripping it down a little harder because it was difficult to work out how it all attached together under the rust. 







The shaft that this large cog wheel sits on goes through a bronze bush in the base and the inside end is a large cup that connects to the bread mix tub. It didn't take long to work out that the bronze bush was severely worn on one side and the result being the large cog was prescribing an arc, rather than a circle and possibly the belt was slipping as well. Luckily the shaft/cup thing and the bronze bush are all available as replacement parts and I also ordered a new belt for good measure, with postage it cost me the princely sum of €15 for the new parts. 

The hardest part of the operation was drifting out the old bronze bush, with attempts at using a hammer and socket as a drift, failing. I then decided to use the replacmant bronze bush to drift out the old one as it seated itself. I made up a bearing pull using some threaded bar and various washers and other metal objects I had. Using this technique I wound in the new bush from the bottom as the old bush got pushed out through the top and it worked a charm.






So with the bush out it was a simple job of popping in the brand new metal shaft/cup thingy and re-assembling the rest and in no time we had a refurbished bread machine. A quick test proves it works without any noise or smoke, so tomorrow will be the acid test when we bake the first batch of bread in it.


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## Mike_P (26 Nov 2022)

Found a new use for a disc piston press tool today in tucking a new carpet behind the grippers


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## Aluminum Falcon (26 Nov 2022)

Swapped out the Sram grip shifters on the youngest's cycle for Shimano thumb shifters as she struggled to move them. 




Got over enthusiastic and almost forgot to take a before shot. 




And after  Youngest is happy she can now change gear.


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## ColinJ (26 Nov 2022)

Aluminum Falcon said:


> Swapped out the Sram grip shifters on the youngest's cycle for Shimano thumb shifters as she struggled to move them.
> View attachment 669241
> 
> Got over enthusiastic and almost forgot to take a before shot.
> ...


I had gripshifters on my first MTB. I thought they were okay until I did a hard offroad ride and struggled to change gear towards the end of the ride. 

I am quite a big man, so if even I had problems with them, I'm not surprised that a child did!


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## C R (26 Nov 2022)

Aluminum Falcon said:


> Swapped out the Sram grip shifters on the youngest's cycle for Shimano thumb shifters as she struggled to move them.
> View attachment 669241
> 
> Got over enthusiastic and almost forgot to take a before shot.
> ...



I tried the same change with my son's bike, he is happy with the rear shifter, but found the front one too stiff, and changed that one back to grip shift. How does your daughter find it?


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## Aluminum Falcon (26 Nov 2022)

C R said:


> I tried the same change with my son's bike, he is happy with the rear shifter, but found the front one too stiff, and changed that one back to grip shift. How does your daughter find it?


She hasn't used the front yet. Where we live in South Lincolnshire is as flat as a pancake.


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## biggs682 (27 Nov 2022)

Being trying to find some kitchen door hinges all week and they were coming up 7mm shorter hole centre to centre 

Took the decision today to have another go at trying to use a narrower style hinge and so far it's in place and working


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## GeekDadZoid (27 Nov 2022)

Fitted a new bottom bracket on the Super Galaxy today. Seems to have taken all the play out of the crank so hopefully that's the noise gone too. 

All torqued up to spec, but no test ride so we will just see on the commute tomorrow.


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## Gunk (27 Nov 2022)

Had one of those productive weekends you have now and again where you feel very self satisfied

Cleaned car inside and out
Cut grass front and rear, raked borders and cleared away all the leaves
Filled all the cracks in spare bedroom ready for redecoration
Helped Mrs Gunk with some bookkeeping for her business
Polished all the silver






Pulled motorcycle out of garage, checked oil and tyre pressures, pissed off the neighbours and fired it up!






Changed the headset on the Giant Trance Advanced.

finally sat down with a beer now, roast pork is in the oven.


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## bikingdad90 (27 Nov 2022)

biggs682 said:


> Being trying to find some kitchen door hinges all week and they were coming up 7mm shorter hole centre to centre
> 
> Took the decision today to have another go at trying to use a narrower style hinge and so far it's in place and working


Have you been to Howden’s Joinery? It’s a national chain I believe but they stock hinges are part of the their stock. Got me out of a pickle with a 20year old kitchen one!


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## biggs682 (27 Nov 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Have you been to Howden’s Joinery? It’s a national chain I believe but they stock hinges are part of the their stock. Got me out of a pickle with a 20year old kitchen one!



Must admit i was going to yesterday but didn't get there , but if my fix doesn't work i will try them


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## ColinJ (29 Nov 2022)

I fettled my phone case today. At the start of the year I bought a cheap plastic case for my Pixel 5 but I didn't really like it so a couple of weeks later I splashed out £24 on a good quality leather one. (They have gone up nearly 25% since then!)

It is a really nice vertical flip case...







The problem was that the little hook clasp at the top of the screen cover never gripped the top of the phone tightly enough to stop the cover moving about or even falling open. I have put up with it for over 9 months but finally decided to sort it out today.

You can't see them in that photo, but there are 2 little leather flap hinges attaching the screen cover to the phone case. The problem was that they had been cut ever so slightly too long, which left the cover loose.

I had a flash of inspiration... I have some long adhesive strips of black Velcro 'hooks' and felt 'eyes'. I cut 2 very small strips of the adhesive felt and stuck them inside the leather flaps. Now when I close the cover the felt strips lever the cover down enough for the clasp to grip the phone properly. The cover is in the right place and not moving unless I want it to. Super! 

I have a concern that the slight extra stress put on the flaps will eventually cause them to fail, but if the cover is ok for another 2 or 3 years I would be happy with that.


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## HLaB (29 Nov 2022)

Mudguard fettling again. The bolt from last week's train fettle perhaps wasn't 100% tight. I loosened it more before shifting the guard up and the retightened. I'll maybe have to buy a cheap hairdryer and do the hairdryer trick. My old sks guards twisted like this but the MPart ones are a bit longer making them more susceptible to a twisted front guard.


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## pawl (30 Nov 2022)

Intended fettle.Put gaurds on my Giant


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## CXRAndy (30 Nov 2022)

Finished cutting door opening. Absolutely bugger, with 6 re- inforced rods . Needed a bigger cutter to reach the rods.


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## Aluminum Falcon (2 Dec 2022)

A work colleague (5'6") decided to sell his cycle which is/was too big for him to another work colleague (6'1") in need of a cycle after remodelling the nose of his BMW on the back of a 4x4. So I was called upon to adjust the seat.




Had to raise the height and move the seat back on the rails.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Dec 2022)

Not on the bike exactly, but I've just partially dismantled my wheel jig and packed it to take back to Freiburg by bike/train; thank goodness for long tail cargo bikes...


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## theloafer (4 Dec 2022)

done oil change on my Rohloff e-14 hub on my supercharger e-bike


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## Andy in Germany (5 Dec 2022)

Bike stand made it to Freiburg, so today's fettling involved fitting it to the workbench...


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## roubaixtuesday (5 Dec 2022)

Yesterday saw the weather forecast for the week.

Fitted the ice spiker tyres to the mountain bike - and without drawing blood, for a change.


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## Sallar55 (5 Dec 2022)

New battery in cadence unit, kept on loosing connection at cafe stops


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## biggs682 (6 Dec 2022)

Quick non drive side crank arm swap over


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## HLaB (7 Dec 2022)

Fitted a tubeless tyre tonight. At first it wouldn't seat but then I realised that the rim tape I was using was too wide and stopping the tyre seating. So I trimmed it back and the tyre seated dry first time so I let the air out , put new sealant in. The tyre now seats with a track pump 🤞it still up when I wake.


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## Vantage (7 Dec 2022)

Upon discovering ice on the road outside, I decided it was time to put the studded tyres on. It only took nearly an hour


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## Andy in Germany (7 Dec 2022)

Vantage said:


> Upon discovering ice on the road outside, I decided it was time to put the studded tyres on. It only took nearly an hour



Been there, done that... eventually; after much swearing.


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## theloafer (7 Dec 2022)

just refitted my bell as the band part on it snapped .. new one arrived


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## HLaB (7 Dec 2022)

I probably should have done a fresh install but after the weekends resorting to a tube in a tubeless tyre on the gravel bike, half of the tyre was still seated. So I inserted sealant and it seated instantly with a track pump, no mess. Then it started to hiss from the stem. So cue peeling back the unseated half of the tyre and adding fresh rim tape; and reseating the tyre. At first with me probably not getting the rim tape smooth enough it wouldn't seat, so I resorted to CO2 cannister to give it that extra whoosh to get the tyre over the hook in to the bead. That worked at first but a few minutes later was that hiss again. But having got the tyre over the hook I just kept at it with the track pump inbetween spins of the wheel and the hiss stopped. That all resulted in a little mess. I had to do the same with the road bike's higher pressure tyre last night but it was much more messy as both sides needed seating.


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## Sallar55 (8 Dec 2022)

Headshok loosing air again but takes longer to go down.Fitted a new valve core again, this time one from tyre repair shop . Next time will wrap in some plastic, not good having it in with the other brake hose spares . Must have damaged the seal.


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## HLaB (8 Dec 2022)

HLaB said:


> I probably should have done a fresh install but after the weekends resorting to a tube in a tubeless tyre on the gravel bike, half of the tyre was still seated. So I inserted sealant and it seated instantly with a track pump, no mess. Then it started to hiss from the stem. So cue peeling back the unseated half of the tyre and adding fresh rim tape; and reseating the tyre. At first with me probably not getting the rim tape smooth enough it wouldn't seat, so I resorted to CO2 cannister to give it that extra whoosh to get the tyre over the hook in to the bead. That worked at first but a few minutes later was that hiss again. But having got the tyre over the hook I just kept at it with the track pump inbetween spins of the wheel and the hiss stopped. That all resulted in a little mess. I had to do the same with the road bike's higher pressure tyre last night but it was much more messy as both sides needed seating.



Yip I definitely should have done a fresh install. The tyre although pumping up solid the valve is leaking at higher pressure. I'lll try taking it out cleaning it and the rim bead and applying some electrical tape instead of rim tape for that section (it worked before and was good for over a year. If that doesn't hold over night it'll be a new valve and a fresh install 😐
The road tyre I fitted the night before seems to be holding air at least.


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## HLaB (8 Dec 2022)

HLaB said:


> Yip I definitely should have done a fresh install. The tyre although pumping up solid the valve is leaking at higher pressure. I'lll try taking it out cleaning it and the rim bead and applying some electrical tape instead of rim tape for that section (it worked before and was good for over a year. If that doesn't hold over night it'll be a new valve and a fresh install 😐
> The road tyre I fitted the night before seems to be holding air at least.



Success hopefully I put some electrical tape in and cleaned the valve and put a new rubber washer on it. The valve leaked at first again but the cleaned stem/washer seemed to attract the sealant to it so it quickly sealed.


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## biggs682 (9 Dec 2022)

We have had this wooden Nutcracker for a few years and my daughter took a shining to it's sword many moons ago.

So every year it comes out minus it's sword.

Not this year as I drilled a little hole in vase of sword and too of fist and used a matchstick to peg it .

Not sure it will last long in our granddaughters hands but will see.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Dec 2022)

This one is getting on my nerves:






Bottom bracket was wobbly so I took it off. It turns out it's not a sealed unit so I took it apart and regreased it then tried to put it on again. Unfortunately it's either too wobbly or too tight; I can't get it into the sweet spot so I'm going to have to search out a sealed BB, which means I've got to to replace the mech as well as it is held on by the BB.


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## Mike_P (9 Dec 2022)

Is it genuinely a Giant or a falsely labelled BSO ?


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## Andy in Germany (9 Dec 2022)

Mike_P said:


> Is it genuinely a Giant or a falsely labelled BSO ?



I think it's genuine; that's why I'm investing the time to get it working.


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## fossyant (9 Dec 2022)

Mike_P said:


> Is it genuinely a Giant or a falsely labelled BSO ?



Old skool, with none of this suspension.


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## Spiderweb (9 Dec 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> This one is getting on my nerves:
> 
> View attachment 670563
> 
> ...



Looks like an old Giant MTX kids bike?
Values may be different in Germany but if you are replacing the BB and front mech then you may be out of pocket come to re-sale?


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## DCLane (9 Dec 2022)

@Andy in Germany - my Raleigh Pioneer was like that. Much more usable since I put a better bottom bracket, bigger crankset and different front mech on.

I cleaned up the Avanti Circa 1 this morning after a few day's commuting duty, switched to studded tyres (the different width wheels mean front/rear brake adjustments) and tried to get the recalcitrant rear mech to shift to the smallest cog. I have _sort of_ bent it apparently from a ride on Wednesday - it's working but I've 9, not 10, gears at the moment. The hanger looks straight however.


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## fossyant (9 Dec 2022)

Currently getting itchy feet to refurbish my Diamond Back MTB. Just asked for a quote to a local powder coaters for 'candy blue'. Otherwise I'll do it myself over Christmas.


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## Andy in Germany (9 Dec 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> Looks like an old Giant MTX kids bike?
> Values may be different in Germany but if you are replacing the BB and front mech then you may be out of pocket come to re-sale?



That's the one. I get parts wholesale so I can get a BB for 12€. When pricing I include the cost of new parts at retail, and a flat cost for used parts and labour. I think I can sell this bike for ca. 120€ so I should be within budget.


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## HLaB (9 Dec 2022)

I couldn't get that tubeless road bike tyre to hold over 40psi. So at half time in the England game I took it off. Cleaned the rim/valve, used electrical tape and reinflated it with my air tank. It seated first time and when I checked it with the track pump it was holding steadily with 80psi in it. I wouldn't normally have any more. Surprisingly the whole thing was fast and unmessy.


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## Andy in Germany (10 Dec 2022)

HLaB said:


> I couldn't get that tubeless road bike tyre to hold over 40psi. So at half time in the England game I took it off. Cleaned the rim/valve, used electrical tape and reinflated it with my air tank. It seated first time and when I checked it with the track pump it was holding steadily with 80psi in it. I wouldn't normally have any more. Surprisingly the whole thing was fast and unmessy.



Tubeless tyres seem very complicated.


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## HLaB (10 Dec 2022)

Andy in Germany said:


> Tubeless tyres seem very complicated.



Thankfully that tyre was still solid today. Tubeless are very uncomplicated until something goes wrong. My Gravel bike tyre turned out be pretty complicated (probably caused by me trying to take shortcuts). Id got that to seat first time every time, no effort, but it was leaking from the valve. If I tightened the valve locknut it seemed to stop but after staying solid for hours it would go down overnight. It clicked with me given the final ease of fitting the higher pressure road bike tyre that I want to use a similar bung as the roadbike stem (you can change them with MucOff valves) and push it down in to the rim rather than relying 100% on the lock nut. That seems to have worked and it was also a simple 15min job to fix it. I should have done that originally #EverydayIsASchoolday


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## sevenfourate (10 Dec 2022)

Today I’ve fettled my wardrobe. By buying some more / warmer clothing in readiness for a few Xmas rides……😎


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## Vantage (10 Dec 2022)

A spectacular lack of interest and a change of mind had me cancel the sale of my bike. Spent most of this morning refitting the e-conversion and generally tidying up the bike.


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## ColinJ (10 Dec 2022)

Vantage said:


> ... and a change of mind had me cancel the sale of my bike. Spent most of this morning refitting the e-conversion and generally tidying up the bike.


Well, I hope to see you out on it again in the Spring!

I have a third route planned from Hebden Bridge again, and taking us round to that teashop you told us about on Jerusalem Lane, near Midgley.


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## HLaB (14 Dec 2022)

Hopefully finally sorted that tubeless gravel tyre by doing what I should have done from the start. It had been holding pressure for about an hour but was going soft overnight. So I stripped the tyre completely and the old rim tape cleaned it and applied new tape. It seated and sealed first time without sealant so I unscrewed the core and added sealant. My syringe extension nozzle jammed so I had to remove it and unseat the tyre slightly and insert the syringe/sealant directly into the tyre. Reseated it with the track pump and it pumped upto 40psi no problem rotated and bounced it a few times to disperse the sealant and seems to have stayed solid, I hope it still is in the morning 🤞


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## Sallar55 (14 Dec 2022)

Fixed my Sinewave revolution usb charger , broken cable at strain relief. Used a cast off cable and connector from a dead B&M usb charger that failed after a thunderstorm.


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## Sallar55 (15 Dec 2022)

A visit to the shed has given me another job, saddles need some attention.🫢


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## chriswoody (15 Dec 2022)

A little while back I replaced my leaky SRAM Rival Brakes on the Kona, with shiny new Hope Calipers, but the front one never quite fitted right. With spacers I managed to get the vast majority of the caliper over the disc, but it wasn't ideal. After several very hilly bikepacking trips this year I started to idly ponder whether I could uprate my front brake even further and fit a 180 rotor rather than a 160 and possibly solve my caliper fit issues at the same time. 

This led me to look into mounting standards and the realisation that I actually don't have Post Mount brakes like I thought I had, but IS or International Standard mountings. This is an older standard that you don't see so much off these days, however, it was actually really good news. In order to mount calipers onto a IS standard frame, you need either IS specific brakes or an adapter to convert the IS mount to post mount, which is what's fitted on my bike. All of this is a long winded way of saying, all I needed to convert my front brake to 180mm was a new IS-PM 180F adaptor! 

So for the grand sum of €11 a shiny new adaptor arrived, here it is alongside the original 160mm adapter:






You'll notice it also has R160 stamped on it, the same adaptor fitted on the back will allow you to run a 160mm rotor there, I really don't understand the Geometry behind that, but I don't need too!

The old 160mm disc was taken off of the front wheel and will now be a spare for for the rear of either my Mountain Bike or the Kona. The new 180mm fitted straight on in a few minutes. A few minutes later I'd refitted the wheel and the caliper and re-centred it, I may need to adjust it again, but for now it's good to go. The caliper now fits perfectly on the adapter and lines up perfectly on the disc, it all looks really nice too, super happy with that, a cheap easy upgrade that will give me some pretty powerful braking.


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## dave r (15 Dec 2022)

A bit of a wheelchair fettle tonight, we were out this afternoon and I wheeled My Good Lady onto the bus in her chair parked her in the wheelchair space and put the brakes on, during the trip I noticed that one of the brakes wasn't holding well and the chair was moving round in the wheelchair space so I had a brake fettle tonight which should sort the problem.


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## geocycle (16 Dec 2022)

Day three with a frozen boiler condensate pipe and no heating. Failed fettle with hairdryer and boiling water. Seems like a design fault to me. Looks like I’ll have to let nature take its course over the weekend. No help from BritishGas whose first appointment is Christmas Eve.


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## DCLane (17 Dec 2022)

Cleaned the Avanti Circa 1 after this week's commuting. It wasn't too bad, possibly due to the roads being frozen.

Then swapped the saddle out from the Dawes Giro Zwift bike. I'd been using the Selle Italia saddle the frameset came with and bruised a sit bone whilst doing the Zwift racing league on Tuesday - for the CycleChat team so I continued rather than giving up. A Fizik Nisene saddle's gone on instead, which we've used before for Zwift on a different bike so that'll hopefully be better.


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## cyberknight (17 Dec 2022)

just general housework pottering as im not up to much till the sudafed kicks in properly , bikes need a good clean and fettle and a puncture to fix when im more cognitive


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## geocycle (17 Dec 2022)

Boiler fired up this morning! Huge relief that the condensate pipe has thawed. Temperature indoor had gone down to below 10 degrees and it felt a bit thin. Heading off to Wickes for more pipe lagging.


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## geocycle (17 Dec 2022)

Cool indeed! Of course all DIY shops are now out of pipe lagging now. However, the -9 temperatures were very unusual so should be ok to wait. Having read up on condensate pipes I can see ours is not optimally installed. It has a shallow angle of drop including a near horizontal section and is quite some distance from drain. It could at least have done with lagging. If I replace the kitchen units I might bring it inside.


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## ColinJ (17 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Cool indeed! Of course all DIY shops are now out of pipe lagging now. However, the -9 temperatures were very unusual so should be ok to wait. Having read up on condensate pipes I can see ours is not optimally installed. It has a shallow angle of drop including a near horizontal section and is quite some distance from drain. It could at least have done with lagging. If I replace the kitchen units I might bring it inside.


I didn't realise how much water comes out of those pipes. I just looked it up and apparently it can easily be 2-3 litres per hour of boiler use!


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## Gillstay (17 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Day three with a frozen boiler condensate pipe and no heating. Failed fettle with hairdryer and boiling water. Seems like a design fault to me. Looks like I’ll have to let nature take its course over the weekend. No help from BritishGas whose first appointment is Christmas Eve.



Do you have insulating material over the pipe ?


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## geocycle (17 Dec 2022)

Gillstay said:


> Do you have insulating material over the pipe ?


Not yet. It was installed by British Gas four years ago. To be honest this is the first time I’ve given it any attention. It seems to have a flexible tube the diameter of a largish hosepipe from the boiler inside a 42 mm diameter plastic pipe. Hindsight suggests a more vertical drop and extra insulation are required, or it goes inside to a drain. I’ve heard of three cases locally in this cold weather, all newish condensing boilers.


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## C R (17 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Not yet. It was installed by British Gas four years ago. To be honest this is the first time I’ve given it any attention. It seems to have a flexible tube the diameter of a largish hosepipe from the boiler inside a 42 mm diameter plastic pipe. Hindsight suggests a more vertical drop and extra insulation are required, or it goes inside to a drain. I’ve heard of three cases locally in this cold weather, all newish condensing boilers.



When we replaced our boiler with a condensing boiler about 10 years ago one of the things the plumber said was that the condensate drain must be inside. It is a well known issue and I can't believe that condensate drains are still being installed in a way that they are likely to freeze when you most need the boiler.


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## biggs682 (17 Dec 2022)

Today's fettling was making and baking our christmas cake


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## si_c (17 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Not yet. It was installed by British Gas four years ago. To be honest this is the first time I’ve given it any attention. It seems to have a flexible tube the diameter of a largish hosepipe from the boiler inside a 42 mm diameter plastic pipe. Hindsight suggests a more vertical drop and extra insulation are required, or it goes inside to a drain. I’ve heard of three cases locally in this cold weather, all newish condensing boilers.



When we had our new boiler fitted this year the installer lagged the condensate pipe all the way to the drain outside, I asked why and he said it was a requirement for a modern condensing boiler for this very reason. May well be that BG fumbled the installation.


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## dave r (17 Dec 2022)

biggs682 said:


> Today's fettling was making and baking our christmas cake
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 671516


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## tom73 (17 Dec 2022)

biggs682 said:


> Today's fettling was making and baking our christmas cake
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 671516



Just needs a nice slice of crumbly white cheese and pot of tea.


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## biggs682 (17 Dec 2022)

tom73 said:


> Just needs a nice slice of crumbly white cheese and pot of tea.



I must remember to try that thanks for mentioning it


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## Gunk (18 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Boiler fired up this morning! Huge relief that the condensate pipe has thawed. Temperature indoor had gone down to below 10 degrees and it felt a bit thin. Heading off to Wickes for more pipe lagging.



Fortunately I don’t have that problem with our 37 year old Potterton (I can feel a new thread coming on “who has the oldest boiler”


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## fossyant (18 Dec 2022)

si_c said:


> When we had our new boiler fitted this year the installer lagged the condensate pipe all the way to the drain outside, I asked why and he said it was a requirement for a modern condensing boiler for this very reason. May well be that BG fumbled the installation.



MIL's house has a trace heater in their pipe after it froze. Ran from the wall, down to step level, under the door threshold, but above the step all the way to the rear grid. Too much pipe to freeze.


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## Jameshow (18 Dec 2022)

tom73 said:


> Just needs a nice slice of crumbly white cheese and pot of tea.



Nope.... 

I can get along with pie + peas, curries dail and samosas but cheese on fruitcake is a a step too far!🤮


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## si_c (18 Dec 2022)

Was trying to fit a set of 32mm tyres to the Kinesis the other week, realised the front wheel was too far out of true and had a high spot causing the tyre to bind on the mudguards, wouldn't move. I knew that I could fit 32s on there as my other wheelset with 32s set up tubeless (this may be important later) had just enough clearance.

To fix the problem I ordered a new rim and new spoke nipples (the old ones were showing signs of corrosion) and relaced the hub onto the new rim. Nice and true (less than 1/2mm from true, which is the best I can do by eye with a basic trueing stand) and also within 1mm of round.

Fitted new tyres, put on the bike, binding, not as bad as before but bad enough. Tried repositioning and "cold setting" the mudguard mounts but couldn't get it to fit with the tyre pumped to an appropriate (80psi) level. Works with tubeless at 70psi though. Not running that with tubes though.

Time to get some 30c tyres or go back to 28s.


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## tom73 (18 Dec 2022)

Jameshow said:


> Nope....
> 
> I can get along with pie + peas, curries dail and samosas but cheese on fruitcake is a a step too far!🤮



No one said anything about putting cheese on fruitcake. It's eaten on the side to accouplement and off set the sweetness of the fruit.


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## Gillstay (18 Dec 2022)

geocycle said:


> Not yet. It was installed by British Gas four years ago. To be honest this is the first time I’ve given it any attention. It seems to have a flexible tube the diameter of a largish hosepipe from the boiler inside a 42 mm diameter plastic pipe. Hindsight suggests a more vertical drop and extra insulation are required, or it goes inside to a drain. I’ve heard of three cases locally in this cold weather, all newish condensing boilers.



My plumber insisted I understood that you do not take the insulation off as many do as they don't like the look of it . Then he looked very quizzical when I insisted he under jetted the boiler as he realised I was not your average customer. Most amusing.


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## Jameshow (18 Dec 2022)

tom73 said:


> No one said anything about putting cheese on fruitcake. It's eaten on the side to accouplement and off set the sweetness of the fruit.



Still no!!


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## JhnBssll (18 Dec 2022)

I don't see the problem here. Cake good. Cheese good.


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## Reynard (18 Dec 2022)

Doesn't the saying go "an apple pie without some cheese it like a kiss without a squeeze..."

My problem is that I like cheese, but I don't like Christmas cake.


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## ColinJ (18 Dec 2022)

Reynard said:


> My problem is that I like cheese, but I don't like Christmas cake.


Well, give us the Christmas cake then!


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## Reynard (18 Dec 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Well, give us the Christmas cake then!



You're welcome to my share!  I just find it too sweet, even without the icing.


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## ColinJ (18 Dec 2022)

Reynard said:


> You're welcome to my share!  I just find it too sweet, even without the icing.



I confess that I am finding some sweet things _too _sweet these days. 

I bought some caramel slices from Aldi as a rare treat yesterday. They were so sweet, it was as if somebody had chosen to double the sugar content of what was already going to be a very sugary product.


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## ColinJ (18 Dec 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I bought some caramel slices from Aldi as a rare treat yesterday. They were so sweet, it was as if somebody had chosen to double the sugar content of what was already going to be a very sugary product.


I just looked up the figures on the wrapper (which are very confusing on the website, and probably plain wrong) - 49% sugar!!!


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## HLaB (18 Dec 2022)

My fettling was minimal today, I fettled the table onto the turbore desk.


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## jowwy (19 Dec 2022)

HLaB said:


> My fettling was minimal today, I fettled the table onto the turbore desk.
> View attachment 671674



thats a lot of fans lol


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## Jameshow (19 Dec 2022)

HLaB said:


> My fettling was minimal today, I fettled the table onto the turbore desk.
> View attachment 671674



What about the pizza delivery?!!


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## Reynard (19 Dec 2022)

Unsticking the lock on the garage door. Involved a lot of GT85, some bashing, filing down with a rasp and a fair bit of swearing.

Also found where the furry intruders were entering the cavity wall in the hallway. Ergo hole in the mortar duly blocked up using a brick, chicken wire and some unsubtle persuasion with sledgehammer. Thank goodness for interference fit. Full repair will have to wait till the spring. No point doing it now, as the little sods will just dig their way through the fresh mortar before the stuff has a chance to set.

DIY Queen!


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## Reynard (21 Dec 2022)

Fettled the bars and grips on Max the MTB to get them angled more to my liking. And pumped up the tyres prior to going out on a very muddy Christmas card delivery run as I've been mostly using the hybrid this year.


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## DCLane (22 Dec 2022)

Son no. 2 turned up from university with both of his training bikes. A bit of fettling needed, but nowhere near as much as they could've needed. He's done most of the stuff whilst away studying:

His BeOne Raw got a new chain (nearing 0.75) plus the rear carbon wheel's finally got to the point I think the brake track's now unsafe. _If_ I can swap freehub's from this (Shimano) to the replacement (Campag) wheel I have that'll be good. They're both Novatec 372SB hubs. Either way we'll swap the tyre and tube tomorrow.

His Boardman AirPro winter bike also got a new chain (at 0.75) and rear brake pads plus a couple of other adjustments. The headset's a bit dry so we'll look at that tomorrow, along with it probably needing a new rear brake cable. Again tomorrow.


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## DCLane (23 Dec 2022)

Continued both above bikes today;

The BeOne Raw now has a different Novatec wheel, with freehub / tyre / tube swapped so it's running Shimano.

The Boardman AirPro has a new rear gear cable and the headset's been done as well.


----------



## Spiderweb (23 Dec 2022)

A quick clean of my Dolan Preffisio in preparation for tomorrow’s ride. New name decal applied too which handily covers up a small chip in the paint.


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## Andy in Germany (24 Dec 2022)

Spiderweb said:


> A quick clean of my Dolan Preffisio in preparation for tomorrow’s ride. New name decal applied too which handily covers up a small chip in the paint.
> View attachment 672097
> 
> 
> View attachment 672098



Very smart. I've wondered about doing something similar but always get stuck on which flag to use...


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## Rusty Nails (24 Dec 2022)

Fitted an almost new (off ebay) Selle SMP Extra saddle to my flat bar road bike. I now have them on my four bikes. I love those saddles.


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## Ming the Merciless (24 Dec 2022)

Lubed chain on recumbent, it took 5 hours.


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## sevenfourate (24 Dec 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Lubed chain on recumbent, it took 5 hours.



Done with a toothpick ?


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## ColinJ (24 Dec 2022)

sevenfourate said:


> Done with a toothpick ?



30 minutes going to and from Halfords, 4 hours and 25 minutes standing in a queue of Christmas shoppers there, 3 minutes applying the lube, and 2 minutes wiping the chain down afterwards!


----------



## dave r (24 Dec 2022)

sevenfourate said:


> Done with a toothpick ?



Long chains on recumbents


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## Andy in Germany (24 Dec 2022)

State of play yesterday at the end of Elder Son's voluntary stint in the bike workshop:

Elder Son has restored several bikes, such as this one, which looked like it should take 10 minutes to reset, but of course had some nasty surprises. 







Amongst other things he had to replace the brakes and straighten the wheels. Being a perfectionist he wasn't happy until said wheels were probably straighter than the day they left the factory.

At the same time I was trying to make an elderly 'Giant' MTB work and look vaguely presentable:






By yesterday Elder Son had found this Kona MTB which had been hanging at the back of the store since before I arrived. It had been looking very sorry for itself but with a new BB and cables it is a very pretty bike. I'm wondering about adding the mudguards, lights and luggage rack that would make it a viable school bike. I know this is sacrilege to some but it would increase the price and also ensure the bike will probably be better used and maintained.






Finally I was working on this pink object which will hopefully become Beautiful Daughters next bike with the addition of new mudguards and decent lights. Unfortunately it wasn't finished for Christmas because our supplier messed up but it'll be done early in the new year:


----------



## Jenkins (26 Dec 2022)

Some much needed chain cleaning & lubing on three bikes (with another couple needing the same treatment tomorrow) plus a quick frame & wheels clean while they were up on the stand. The bar ends on the Ribble were then re-set to a flatter position and, in the opposite direction, a slight upwards angle was added to the saddle on the Spa to stop me sliding forwards, hopefully taking a bit of weight off my hands.


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## cyberknight (26 Dec 2022)

Need to recable the FD on the commuter but no where open to get a cable


----------



## cyberknight (27 Dec 2022)

Tried to replace the FD cable which turned into a nightmare which might be down to my man flu affecting my judgement 
Once i had eventually got it threaded through the shifter right which took a few attempts as its the newer shimano design i got it set up right to the FD at a good tightness and clamped it but every time i tried to shift the cable became loose even though it hadnt slipped in the clamp .After about the tenth attempt and it was doing the same i slung in in the car and took it to the LBS.
This was supposed to be an easy job i have done loads of times before


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## DCLane (27 Dec 2022)

Son no. 2's Boardman AirPro was 'clicky' despite the new chain. In addition it dropped the chain a couple of times on Saturday.

Whilst adjusting the front derailleur a tad I looked at the bottom jockey wheel; it had one of the teeth missing. They're red metal ones to match the matt black frame and red detailing.

So I replaced that, and whilst bolting it back in I looked at the top one. That had about six/seven teeth cracked or missing. So I replaced that with a proper Shimano one since I hadn't any red ones left. The top will _probably_ take more of a hammering so I went with 'stronger' for the upper jockey wheel.

All sorted and no more clicking.

The red metal jockey wheels were budget metal items badged Meroca - the ones with little holes in - so I _should_ probably get some decent ones  . Or simply ones without tiny holes.


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## ColinJ (27 Dec 2022)

DCLane said:


> The red metal jockey wheels were budget metal items badged Meroca - the ones with little holes in - so I _should_ probably get some decent ones  . Or simply ones without tiny holes.



I think the idea of holes in jockey wheels is an example of taking weight-saving too far!


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## Reynard (27 Dec 2022)

DCLane said:


> Son no. 2's Boardman AirPro was 'clicky' despite the new chain. In addition it dropped the chain a couple of times on Saturday.
> 
> Whilst adjusting the front derailleur a tad I looked at the bottom jockey wheel; it had one of the teeth missing. They're red metal ones to match the matt black frame and red detailing.
> 
> ...



Ah... Items produced according to guidelines from the Colin Chapman School of Applied Engineering...


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## cyberknight (28 Dec 2022)

Went to pick up the bike as they called to say it was done, good job i checked before i left as although you can shift you near enough need 2 hands to make it move .
Suffice to say its staying there .it was like this before x mas which is why i was recabling anyway.The mech moves fine and the shifter seems to pull the right amount of cable so im a bit stuck .


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## fossyant (28 Dec 2022)

Fitted the mudguards and rack to the Diamond Back I refurbished last week. All brand new stainless bolts used, and thread lock on the rear pannier bolts. My new Charge Spoon for it finally arrived late this afternoon.


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## bikingdad90 (28 Dec 2022)

cyberknight said:


> Went to pick up the bike as they called to say it was done, good job i checked before i left as although you can shift you near enough need 2 hands to make it move .
> Suffice to say its staying there .it was like this before x mas which is why i was recabling anyway.The mech moves fine and the shifter seems to pull the right amount of cable so im a bit stuck .


Sounds really silly but has the mech slipped down and catching on the chainring?


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## Gunk (28 Dec 2022)

Restored a vintage Brooks Saddle ready for the replacement Brompton I haven’t bought yet.


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## fossyant (28 Dec 2022)

fossyant said:


> Fitted the mudguards and rack to the Diamond Back I refurbished last week. All brand new stainless bolts used, and thread lock on the rear pannier bolts. My new Charge Spoon for it finally arrived late this afternoon.



Saddle on, ready to ride. If it stops raining, I may go and get it dirty !


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## Gunk (28 Dec 2022)

Here it is, should have taken a before picture as it was pretty rough. I personally love the patina


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## cyberknight (28 Dec 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Sounds really silly but has the mech slipped down and catching on the chainring?



nope


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## cyberknight (28 Dec 2022)

set up the lifeline 2 fluid turbo, no instructions but it was easy enough although the pressure on the rear wheel has no instructions so it will be a bit of fiddling .
I think i was a bit low for the 1st ride as i was pushing 3.5 w/kg according to zwift estimate and about 22-24 mph on the flat which feel a bit high as i normally do more like 21 on the flat


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## november4 (28 Dec 2022)

The low price has me tempted, as weather has been awful. Look forward to reading more of what you think


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## ColinJ (28 Dec 2022)

november4 said:


> The low price has me tempted, as weather has been awful. Look forward to reading more of what you think


Well, what I think is...



... did you mean to post that in a different thread! 

If not, what are you referring to in _this_ thread?


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## ColinJ (28 Dec 2022)

Ah - the lifeline 2 fluid turbo is on sale at Wiggle - I understand now!


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## cyberknight (29 Dec 2022)

Ran it last night and for the cash feels good , no instructions worth a damn as i said but its not hard to work out ,I think i need to add maybe quarter turn resistance more to be realistic resistance wise to match on the road speed/effort .
Using speed/cadence sensor for zwift so the virtual power might be overestimating my power but for the amount of time i will use it it doesnt matter that its out by a bit as long as i get a good workout .Certainly more realistic than the old mag style with a resistance knob .
video review 

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUC5LNXDYHs


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## november4 (29 Dec 2022)

Thanks, well worth the punt at that price, it looks better than I thought it would be, and will give me something to do rather than risk my neck in winter weather


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## DCLane (1 Jan 2023)

One of those days to be doing bits, and getting frustrated at the same time:

My Olagnero frameset's been sat for about 6 months doing nothing with a too-big seatpost rammed into it that won't come out as it's seized and rusted. I've given up having tried many things. And it needed too much work to be sent to the Seatpost Man. So ... I tried removing the forks. Also seized and I got a bashed and bleeding knuckle for my trouble. It's going on sale as is and the buyer can try to remove the forks  . At least I have the Shimano RX100 groupset and Mavic Reflex wheels it came with which all work.

I then tidied the wheels in the parts shed as two new pairs of Superstar Components wheels, for next winter, are taking up space. Two full wheelsets out to be sold (a single speed set with new tyres, a used Superstar red set with tyres) and a very worn Fulcrum Racing 1 plus 1-4 other wheels as possible sales.

After a coffee and some Christmas cake I set onto upgrading my Holdsworth Roi de Velo crankset for the second time. Pedals, cranks, bottom bracket all came out easily - which was a relief. Then the problem started; the bottom bracket I _thought _it would take (a Dura-Ace 9000) wouldn't fit the crankset. At least I tried it before fitting. So, left as is and what I _think_ is the correct bottom bracket now has been ordered and is on the way. To be continued and I have until January 17th to get it all done ...

Finally, the Peugeot Optimum I picked up about 8 months' ago had a seeing-to. Note to self: don't trust a seller who asks for money up front.

Why? Well the 'fully working bike' turned out to have seized gears, a seized seatpost, a seized stem and bars plus the original 20mm tyres from 1990 which were massively cracked all over. Oh, and the saddle clamp was missing a bolt. Eight months ago the seatpost and stem were un-stuck and re-greased where needed, saddle sorted out, new gear cables in Then I tried to take the pedals off as they were old flat ones. Left = fine, plus the crank off easily so I could have a look at the bottom bracket. Right = seized  . The crank = seized, cross-threaded and it broke my puller, which also stuck in  . So it was put away for another time.

Today I pulled it out, got as much of the damaged puller cut off as I could and then put used tyres on. It'll be ridden until the crank comes off, if ever, when I'll get the pedal off or replace the RH crank. The work is _possibly_ worth it as the whole bike's hardly used and is main-tube-and-forks 531-framed, but hasn't been stored well since there's quite a bit of rust all over.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Jan 2023)

Beautiful Daughters bike is complete. I need to buy it as usual, so I can build it in work time.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Jan 2023)

This BSO is currently on the bike stand. Unfortunately it still takes time to break down. 

It's 14:00/2pm locally: how quickly can I turn this scrap into disposable scrap?


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## Andy in Germany (4 Jan 2023)

30 minutes in...


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## Andy in Germany (4 Jan 2023)

45 minutes.


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## Andy in Germany (4 Jan 2023)

In other news:







First time changing an axle. I didn't have another 27.5" wheel and the old axle was snapped.


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## annirak (4 Jan 2023)

Re-bled the front brake on my Conduct system and installed the tow hook for the trailer. More to do still, but it’s getting there!


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## C R (5 Jan 2023)

My seat was creaking something awful during my ride yesterday, greased the rails and put a drop of oil at the rail mounting points. The creaking seems to have stopped when tested stationary, but will need to confirm with a proper ride tomorrow. 

Bike and chain also got a good clean.


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## DCLane (5 Jan 2023)

I've been waiting for a colleague to do some work, without which I'm stuck. So, in-between chasing and offering help I did some bits;

The Holdsworth Roi de Velo finally got the crankset upgrade. It's had a new Miche something-wierd-but-specific bottom bracket plus a Miche Pistard Air 2.0 aero crankset, together with a change of stem to a lower-angled Fizik R1.

From this:






To this, although I've still got the wheels above:






(note: the wierd things around the tyres are Wheel Wellies, which stop them getting dirty and/or wet in-between track sessions. Otherwise the commissaires get all shouty)

View attachment 673489

I followed this up with a quick look at the free bike I picked up at lunch-time. It's an early 1970's DBS Winner from Norway - all I've checked at this stage is whether the seatpost moves (yes), the gears move (they _now_ do after some persuasion and lubricant) and the tyres hold air (yes, but are very cracked).

It's sat for ages but otherwise seems OK but in need of lots of work. That'll come later with a thread in the Vintage section ...






Finally I looked at the Thompson Capella framset which arrived yesterday. It needs a little bit of paint but, as the paint place I use was shut, I cleaned up what I could and put it together.

First impressions are that it _should_ fit and the stem has been cut very low. A thin stem works but that's all. Headset cleaned, re-greased and fitted. Forks in. Test stem on with bars on plus seatpost in and a temporary saddle plus test wheels.

Lots of build-work to be done; groupset, cabling, etc. but it looks to fit me. Which was the key thing today (again a blurry photo):


----------



## Ming the Merciless (5 Jan 2023)

Lubed the recumbent chain, and swapped turbo wheel for outdoor wheel for an afternoon ride.


----------



## geocycle (Friday at 15:37)

Got hold of a Garmin Varia rear light and radar in Wiggle sale.I was sceptical of the usefulness but have to say I’m very impressed. It paired easily with the phone and the wahoo element bolt. Great to see cars approaching behind with an icon on the wahoo and a warning light. Amber for slow approach and red for Audis. Seeing multiple cars was very helpful. Mounting was a bit tricky because I use a saddlebag but two cable ties onto the Carradice seems to have worked well. It might need a lower mount point if the bag was full but using the leather straps let It hang more or less vertically.


----------



## Big John (Friday at 15:48)

Fannied about with a set of cantilever brakes. What a faff. Cantilevers were spawned by the devil.


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## C R (Friday at 15:50)

Big John said:


> Fannied about with a set of cantilever brakes. What a faff. Cantilevers were spawned by the devil.



I think the only good thing about cantis is that you can use the bosses to install vs in their place.


----------



## Reynard (Friday at 17:24)

I rather like the cantis on my MTB...  

Need to work out why they squeal like a litter of hungry piglets every time I stop, tho. Having said that, at least folks can hear me coming from a mile away.


----------



## C R (Friday at 17:51)

Reynard said:


> I rather like the cantis on my MTB...
> 
> Need to work out why they squeal like a litter of hungry piglets every time I stop, tho. Having said that, at least folks can hear me coming from a mile away.



TBF the front vs in my commuter are noisy as hell, and no amount of toeing seems to have any effect.


----------



## Andy in Germany (Friday at 20:17)

C R said:


> TBF the front vs in my commuter are noisy as hell, and no amount of toeing seems to have any effect.



I I've not noticed toeing having any effect of V's or Cantis. It seems to be more to do with the ingredients in the blocks in my experience.


----------



## Reynard (Friday at 20:24)

Clark's blocks fitted to my cantis - cos that's what the LBS had in during lockdown.


----------



## C R (Friday at 20:35)

Reynard said:


> Clark's blocks fitted to my cantis - cos that's what the LBS had in during lockdown.



My current ones are Clarks, but had the same problem with some shimano blocks that were a completely different formulation. Also, the rear is quiet, even though the blocks are the same type as the front ones.


----------



## Gunk (Saturday at 09:35)

Canti’s are fine if set up properly, On my Van Nicholas I’m running titanium TRP’s with Swisstop brake shoes and after some careful fettling and setting up (it’s definitely not a quick job and requires lots of trial and error) they are very effective. one advantage is that they are very adjustable.

I also like the fact that they’re a bit old school and quirky


----------



## Andy in Germany (Saturday at 10:04)

Gunk said:


> Canti’s are fine if set up properly, On my Van Nicholas I’m running titanium TRP’s with Swisstop brake shoes and after some careful fettling and setting up (it’s definitely not a quick job and requires lots of trial and error) they are very effective. one advantage is that they are very adjustable.
> 
> I also like the fact that they’re a bit old school and quirky
> 
> View attachment 673640



Very classy. It's the setting up that I don't like, although I'm getting better through practice. (Also: Dynamo lights)

Isn't there a cycling sport that still uses canti's? or am I imagining it?


----------



## Gunk (Saturday at 11:10)

Cyclocross still use Canti’s


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## Andy in Germany (Saturday at 11:54)

Gunk said:


> Cyclocross still use Canti’s



I thought so. Why do they still use them?


----------



## Gunk (Saturday at 12:48)

Andy in Germany said:


> I thought so. Why do they still use them?



Because discs are too fragile and get plastered in mud


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## Reynard (Saturday at 13:47)

That's what the engineer in me likes about cantis - they are such a simple solution to the problem of stopping a bike, and they are very effective. And there aren't nearly as many parts and doodads when it comes to tinkering.


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## C R (Saturday at 14:24)

Reynard said:


> That's what the engineer in me likes about cantis - they are such a simple solution to the problem of stopping a bike, and they are very effective. And there aren't nearly as many parts and doodads when it comes to tinkering.



Vs aren't any more complicated than cantis, and they're a lot easier to set up and adjust.


----------



## Reynard (Saturday at 15:22)

C R said:


> Vs aren't any more complicated than cantis, and they're a lot easier to set up and adjust.



I can't speak for V-brakes, given that I've never have a bike with any LOL... Cantis, discs and standard calipers here. Oh, and a bike with rod brakes stashed on the loft - but that's a completely different kettle of fish.


----------



## Andy in Germany (Saturday at 16:49)

Gunk said:


> Because discs are too fragile and get plastered in mud



Makes sense; that's why I avoid them. But why not V's?


----------



## Salad Dodger (Saturday at 21:29)

Not really fettling, but I split a couple of bags of logs today, so Mrs Salad can get her fill of pyromania.....
She seems to think that the log burner is, in fact, a small blast furnace.....


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## FishFright (Sunday at 10:01)

Gunk said:


> Cyclocross still use Canti’s



Except for all those that use disks.


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## CXRAndy (Sunday at 12:47)

Laid trunking between electric meter and EV charger for CT clamp connection


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## GeekDadZoid (Monday at 07:22)

Andy in Germany said:


> Makes sense; that's why I avoid them. But why not V's?



Cantis use the same pull ratio as caliper brakes so you can use road brake levers un-modified. Vbrakes use linear pull and therefore need specific levers. I guess that's the main reasons they don't use them.


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## annirak (Monday at 10:44)

Having used V, then dual-pivot callipers, then disc, I can say that my preferences are definitely the reverse order of that!

The issues I've had with V's over the years are always the same: one of the two levers gets a bit stickier than the other, which means I have to disassemble the whole thing, grease it, and try again, but by that point, the other side is too sticky, so I have to do that all over again too.

The dual pivot calliper has never given me those issues. It just works. If it comes out of alignment, I give it a whack to the appropriate side, and it's fixed.

The discs, OTOH, are wonderful: they don't leave brake residue all over the place when I ride in the wet.

As for fettling: switched over the tyres to the new studs that I picked up on offer at the beginning of January, so that I can run them in for a couple of days and be ready for the next day with black ice.


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## cyberknight (Monday at 11:51)

got the rim tape for my wheels but it refuses to stick to the rim , got a refund for it and im still hunting for one that works


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## Andy in Germany (Monday at 12:46)

Bike #1:






This had been lurking at the back of the bike store: the hanger, rear axle and several spokes on both wheels were broken, as was the rear mech so I'm guessing it was in an accident. I rebuilt the rear wheel, axle, and bearings and replaced the broken mech. The original plan was to swap the wheel but by the time I realised it was a 27.5" wheel, and that I had no spare wheels for this size, I'd done a lot of the other work so it made sense to finish the bike.

Photo taken on test ride. It's a nice bike.







So far this needed a new BB and front mech, always a pain when you have about 100 of assorted sizes in one box, and a new chain. The block is fairly new so I'm hoping it won't slip.


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## Solocle (Monday at 13:55)

Not today, but the wee small hours of New Years Day saw me finalising a dynamo light adjustment.


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## Sallar55 (Tuesday at 11:41)

Ordered a light for the rack at LBS, they presented me with this. 🤭 Wanted the Cateye one with fitting for rack, not seat post. Made up a fitting as I needed a spare backup rear light. DIY bracket made just need to find a black tube for Mk 2 version.


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## bikingdad90 (Tuesday at 12:59)

Just swapped my wheels over, rim tape, rotors and inner tube and tyres to my new superstar components wheelset. I’ve saved myself the grand sum of 220g. Not much of a weight saving but got a nice clicky freehub and nice silver spokes.


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## Rickshaw Phil (Tuesday at 14:05)

Unforecast rain on Friday meant I didn't get out for a ride so I decided to service pedals instead. The ones from the Hawk were full of gunk as usual but otherwise straightforward. Turning to the ones from the Raleigh, the clicking that started during the last ride before I put it away for the winter turned out to be because one of the balls had split in half. I wasn't expecting that.


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## Andy in Germany (Tuesday at 14:19)

Yesterdays Giant is finished... Bikes aren't selling much which is a good opportunity to build up stock. I tend to do bikes in 'batches' , moving several into a repair bay and working through them.






FIrst two of the next batch during selection.

I'm concentrating on city&/utility bikes as I have several MTB's out at the moment. Currently occupying the stand:







This one will take longer, as well as being a hub gear bike, it's previous owner clearly tried to repair it and generally made the problems worse...


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## Andy in Germany (Tuesday at 14:23)

Sallar55 said:


> Ordered a light for the rack at LBS, they presented me with this. 🤭 Wanted the Cateye one with fitting for rack, not seat post. Made up a fitting as I needed a spare backup rear light. DIY bracket made just need to find a black tube for Mk 2 version.
> 
> View attachment 673955
> 
> ...



Most lights I fit are rack lights, they just screw straight on. I have to say though, that's a very neat solution.


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## ColinJ (Tuesday at 14:49)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Unforecast rain on Friday meant I didn't get out for a ride so I decided to service pedals instead. The ones from the Hawk were full of gunk as usual but otherwise straightforward. Turning to the ones from the Raleigh, the clicking that started during the last ride before I put it away for the winter turned out to be because one of the balls had split in half. I wasn't expecting that.


I have a couple of old SPD pedals with worn/damaged bearings. I must sort those out ready to use on my MTB once I have finished fettling that.


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## GeekDadZoid (Tuesday at 17:16)

Been a while since any serious fettling has happened, mostly been riding and loving my Super Galaxy I have not had the itch to get any of my other bikes out and on the road.

However, I really want to lose some weight so I want to do some more lunchtime rides on the days I am not commuting and maybe some of my Sunday rides, so I was hankering after something a bit more carefree than the Galaxy. I had been looking on eBay for a frame, but then remembered I had my Dawes Giro 300 still hung up, it has been raided for parts, but all the drivetrain is there, and as I have two new sets of wheels courtesy of superstars sale, I thought I would recommission it.

One of the reasons I stopped riding it after I built my Holdsworth was I could only run 23mm tyres on it and the ride was just not as nice, however why I thought this I am not sure now, maybe it's just because I didn't have any tyres to try. So at lunch today stripped it down, removed the mudguards and tested a 28mm tyre, which went on perfectly on the front. I suspect I could fit a 32, so will try that this evening.

I am tempted to just 1x it, currently it has a 53 / 39 on, but I am not sure I want to spend money yet.

I had put some better brakes on it just before parking it up , so they are ready.

Hopefully will have it on the road by next week.


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## Reynard (Tuesday at 18:34)

Computer-based fettling here. New-to-me scanner turned up the other day, so been downloading drivers, checking that things work, learning my way around the scanner and its software etc.

Got it working with the older of my two laptops - which has the bigger screen and runs Photoshop CS2.


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## GeekDadZoid (Tuesday at 22:19)

Reynard said:


> Computer-based fettling here. New-to-me scanner turned up the other day, so been downloading drivers, checking that things work, learning my way around the scanner and its software etc.
> 
> Got it working with the older of my two laptops - which has the bigger screen and runs Photoshop CS2.



Out of interest what do you use your scanner for? If you don't mind answering. They have gone from being almost ubiquitous to being rare in quite a short space of time. 

Guessing the fact you have CS2 might suggest photos.


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## GeekDadZoid (Tuesday at 22:30)

My Wife needed to do some training for her new job tonight so once the youngest was bathed and in bed I did some work out in the office / workshop and the Dawes Giro 300 is ready for a test ride.

I tried 32mm marathons as that's what I had, but they where too big so fitted the 28mm Halfords commuters that I had been using on my Holdsworth onto the new wheels from superstar and a new 11-32 8 speed cassette I had in stock. I must have trapped a section of tyre when fitting the rear as when I pumped it up it went bang. 

Haven't been able to get any rim tape so gone for my normal electrical tape fallback. 

Refitted the rear derailleur, put on a chain, and setup the indexing. 

Greased and refitted the seatpost and saddle. 

Fitted some pedals I had in stock, not too convinced with them, but they will be ok for a test. 

Refitted and setup the brakes.

Stuck a few stickers on to personalise. 

Just need to give it a whirl now plus tidy my workspace.


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## Reynard (Tuesday at 22:39)

GeekDadZoid said:


> Out of interest what do you use your scanner for? If you don't mind answering. They have gone from being almost ubiquitous to being rare in quite a short space of time.
> 
> Guessing the fact you have CS2 might suggest photos.



I maintain a motor racing archive relating to the Warwick brothers.  The scanner gets used to copy content out of magazines and publications that are too rare to cut up yet too bulky to file in situ, to continue creating a digital version (that's like painting the Forth Bridge!), and to share information with fellow nerds.  

I've been shooting digital since 2003, but sometimes I acquire photos for the collection that are poor quality or damaged, so they get scanned and run through Photoshop to create a restored version.


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## GeekDadZoid (Tuesday at 22:43)

Reynard said:


> I maintain a motor racing archive relating to the Warwick brothers.  The scanner gets used to copy content out of magazines and publications that are too rare to cut up yet too bulky to file in situ, to continue creating a digital version (that's like painting the Forth Bridge!), and to share information with fellow nerds.
> 
> I've been shooting digital since 2003, but sometimes I acquire photos for the collection that are poor quality or damaged, so they get scanned and run through Photoshop to create a restored version.



That was just the kind of answer I was hoping for. I am always interested when people use non- standard tech at home


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## Reynard (Tuesday at 22:59)

GeekDadZoid said:


> That was just the kind of answer I was hoping for. I am always interested when people use non- standard tech at home



I've always had one scanner or another since about 1997-ish. I guess it's just a tool I use to do what I need to do. Yes, you can reproduce stuff by other means, but either it's not done as well, or it's more faffy.

The one thing I did drop this time around was the lightbox for film and slides. My previous scanner (Epson 2450) had one, but as it was something I very rarely used after switching to digital, I figured I could do without.

Still some fettling with the settings required, as it's not dealing with newsprint-type images quite as well as I'd like.


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## Jameshow (Yesterday at 08:03)

Spiderweb said:


> A quick clean of my Dolan Preffisio in preparation for tomorrow’s ride. New name decal applied too which handily covers up a small chip in the paint.
> View attachment 672097
> 
> 
> View attachment 672098



Keep an eye on your forks as they had a recall iirc same as the ones on over thread. Crown corrosion .


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## FishFright (Yesterday at 10:33)

Reynard said:


> I maintain a motor racing archive relating to the Warwick brothers.  The scanner gets used to copy content out of magazines and publications that are too rare to cut up yet too bulky to file in situ, to continue creating a digital version (that's like painting the Forth Bridge!), and to share information with fellow nerds.
> 
> I've been shooting digital since 2003, but sometimes I acquire photos for the collection that are poor quality or damaged, so they get scanned and run through Photoshop to create a restored version.



A little aside this guy does some amazing photo restorations


View: https://twitter.com/StuartHumphryes/status/1575884365136961550


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## cyberknight (Yesterday at 13:56)

bikingdad90 said:


> Just swapped my wheels over, rim tape, rotors and inner tube and tyres to my new superstar components wheelset. I’ve saved myself the grand sum of 220g. Not much of a weight saving but got a nice clicky freehub and nice silver spokes.



I am wanting to swap stuff over on mine today but as its pishing it down cant be bothered to go out and get soaked getting to the shed atm .I did manage to get the rim tape sorted on mine by glueing the join together to stop it unpeeling from the rim so thats a bonus


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## Andy in Germany (Yesterday at 20:24)

When collecting more wrecks used bikes for he shop, I found one broken one the same size as the one I was building for Tinybug, so now she has lights and good mudguards.







As an added advantage, both lights have a standlight function, which I didn't expect from fairly inexpensive lights like these.






There's still far more pink that should ever be in one place, but TinyBug will be happy...


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## bikingdad90 (Yesterday at 21:33)

Just spent an hour cleaning my bike and reindexing the front mech after it managed to move out of place during my monsoon commute home. 

Loads of flooded roads and the bike paths were disgusting! Serves me right for riding the bike with no guards.


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## Ming the Merciless (Yesterday at 21:34)

Lubed the chain. Todays ride revealed it time to replace the disc pads. I have spares, and will sort tomorrow


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## DCLane (Today at 15:19)

Not a bike but the oven. The rubber strip around the outside had fallen off at the top. A new one was ordered last week, arriving today instead of the expected Tuesday delivery. Given it was OEM it was a simple 'unclip the old one, reclip the new one' job and hey presto, all done.

Not that I'll tell SWMBO it was _that_ easy


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## Andy in Germany (Today at 16:36)

Today was "Swearing at hub gears" day. 

Bike one was the Pink explosion that I'll be taking to Beautiful Daughter this weekend. I found it had a flat tyre, and of course it had to be the back tyre which has a hub system; it took half an hour but I finally got it working.

Bike two was the current restoration project, which has suffered greatly at the hands of a previous owner who clearly thought bikes didn't need maintaining. The shifter was broken which meant I had to change the cable to the hub. One Dutch YouTube* video and a certain mount of gefumbling with the system later and I'd not only got it to work but also learned a lot about hub systems...

*_One advantage of speaking English and German is that I can generally keep up with Dutch if I'm familiar with the subject._


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## Reynard (Today at 17:36)

Andy in Germany said:


> *_One advantage of speaking English and German is that I can generally keep up with Dutch if I'm familiar with the subject._



I used to exasperate my German teacher something chronic when doing GCSE German, because I often found myself switching to Flemish quite inadvertently.

Funnily enough, I can't actually speak it terribly well - enough to do the basics - but I can read and understand it reasonably comfortably.


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## ColinJ (Today at 17:37)

DCLane said:


> Not a bike but the oven. The rubber strip around the outside had fallen off at the top. A new one was ordered last week, arriving today instead of the expected Tuesday delivery. Given it was OEM it was a simple 'unclip the old one, reclip the new one' job and hey presto, all done.
> 
> Not that I'll tell SWMBO it was _that_ easy


My microwave oven popped last week - it stopped working and there was a characteristic smell of burned out electronic components. I was toying with the idea of trying to fix it, but after a quick look inside I decided that I wouldn't bother. I can live without the joy of that kind of thing these days...! 

I've had about 15 years use out of the oven so I don't feel too bad about recycling it now and treating myself to a new one. 

One thing I did notice when I looked inside though... there was a sensor of some sort on the end of a long cable. It was just dangling there doing nothing. I found a little mounting point into which it should have been inserted. My diagnosis is that many years of temperature cycling eventually caused the sensor to pop out, which meant that it was no longer doing its job properly. I reckon that led to overheating and failure. There had been a couple of unexpected shutdowns in the past few months, which I had attributed to dust blocking ventilation slots. Maybe they were precursors of this terminal failure.



PS *Any suggestions for a replacement microwave oven*? The main requirement is to be able to do good baked potatoes. My old combi-microwave could get them to about 95% of the quality of a slow conventional oven bake in sub-20 minutes. Probably 900-1,000 W microwave, with about a 1,000 W grill. Turntable big enough for a large dinner plate. _Ideally_, an inverter type microwave. Preferably no more than £150. My last one was much too complicated for my needs. Simpler is better.


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## Reynard (Today at 17:49)

ColinJ said:


> PS *Any suggestions for a replacement microwave oven*? The main requirement is to be able to do good baked potatoes. My old combi-microwave could get them to about 95% of the quality of a slow conventional oven bake in sub-20 minutes. Probably 900-1,000 W microwave, with about a 1,000 W grill. Turntable big enough for a large dinner plate. _Ideally_, an inverter type microwave. Preferably no more than £150. My last one was much too complicated for my needs. Simpler is better.



Have a look in Tesco - they've got a good (but not mind-boggling) range of kitchen electricals including their own brand. I have one of their very basic 700w microwaves, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. I think I paid about £30 eight years ago. I'm sure they'll have something mid-range that would suit.


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## ColinJ (Today at 18:49)

Reynard said:


> Have a look in Tesco - they've got a good (but not mind-boggling) range of kitchen electricals including their own brand. I have one of their very basic 700w microwaves, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. I think I paid about £30 eight years ago. I'm sure they'll have something mid-range that would suit.



Apparently _NOT_! I took a quick look at their website and couldn't see any.

TBH, I would probably buy from Amazon. I can see a few ovens that look okay but then there are always a few people saying how awful their purchase turned out to be. The truth is though that 100 satisfied customers probably tend to keep quiet for every disappointed one who rants!

I need more than just a basic microwave but I think a microwave/grill would do this time. I didn't really need the fan oven capability that the old one had, and I definitely don't need 67 complex programmes. Ideally, I'd like a JACKET POTATO button and a start button and not even have to specify power or time!


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## Rusty Nails (Today at 18:57)

In work yesterday I renovated a 1990 Apollo Alcatraz mtb in still pristine blue and pink. Normally I wince when I am allocated an Apollo but this was a pleasure.
It had been kept in a dry garage, unused for more than 20 years. Good quality frame, probably as good as most 501 frames of the time, decent Suntour gears, crankset and brakes. I swapped the old steel rim wheels for lighter alloy ones and was surprisingly pleased with the test ride.
Where did Halfords/Apollo go wrong compared to the stuff they used to make and sell?


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## Reynard (Today at 18:58)

ColinJ said:


> Apparently _NOT_! I took a quick look at their website and couldn't see any.
> 
> TBH, I would probably buy from Amazon. I can see a few ovens that look okay but then there are always a few people saying how awful their purchase turned out to be. The truth is though that 100 satisfied customers probably tend to keep quiet for every disappointed one who rants!
> 
> I need more than just a basic microwave but I think a microwave/grill would do this time. I didn't really need the fan oven capability that the old one had, and I definitely don't need 67 complex programmes. Ideally, I'd like a JACKET POTATO button and a start button and not even have to specify power or time!



How odd...  There's a whole aisle of kitchen electricals in my local Tesco.

I get that with reviews though. I always do a web search for reviews on a product I'm interested in and figure it out from there. There's always someone who didn't RTFM and then complains that what they bought doesn't do what they wanted it to do, even when the specs specifically say that it doesn't do it LOL.


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## tom73 (Today at 19:08)

ColinJ said:


> Apparently _NOT_! I took a quick look at their website and couldn't see any.
> 
> TBH, I would probably buy from Amazon. I can see a few ovens that look okay but then there are always a few people saying how awful their purchase turned out to be. The truth is though that 100 satisfied customers probably tend to keep quiet for every disappointed one who rants!
> 
> I need more than just a basic microwave but I think a microwave/grill would do this time. I didn't really need the fan oven capability that the old one had, and I definitely don't need 67 complex programmes. Ideally, I'd like a JACKET POTATO button and a start button and not even have to specify power or time!



Try currys they have a few simple ones some are on offfer at moment. They do a basis own brand range can't remember what they call it now.


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## ColinJ (Today at 19:23)

Reynard said:


> I get that with reviews though. I always do a web search for reviews on a product I'm interested in and figure it out from there. There's always someone who didn't RTFM and then complains that what they bought doesn't do what they wanted it to do, even when the specs specifically say that it doesn't do it LOL.


I spotted the excellent Logitech wireless mouse that I use on the Tesco website. There were 3 reviews. 2 agreed with me - superb! The 3rd person sounded like they had been sold a used mouse...



Irate Tesco customer said:


> Possibly the worst product I've ever bought in my life. When opened there was no transmitter, rendering it useless. I then noticed that it was already switched on and that the battery was completely flat. Not worth the plastic packaging it came in and certainly not worth the 1 star I was obliged to give it.


That is not a product review, it is what should be a complaint to customer service!



tom73 said:


> Try currys they have a few simple ones some are on offfer at moment. They do a basis own brand range can't remember what they call it now.


Thanks. I had looked at Currys.

I'm not short of stores to look at - I just wanted a few people to say that they had been using models X, Y, Z to cook perfect baked potatoes and that the ovens had been very reliable. Even better if the same model were suggested multiple times, and only cost about £100-125!


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