What Have You Fettled Today?

[roubaixtuesday]

Rainy day, so had a look at a few things on the tandem post tour.

Everything is always much more difficult than it should be!

First up, pads needed replacing front and rear. Took the opportunity to just slightly move the rear rack which allows much easier access to the pad adjustment.

Naturally, the calipers needed realigning too, and naturally it turned out I hadn't quite seated the rear wheel properly, so had to do it again...

Next up, took the rear wheel off to have a look at cassette removal. When we acquired the tandem mid- tour it was a total pita, and wanted to make sure I could do it now in the comfort of our garage, and also test out the cheapo tools acquired for the job for touring. Turned out worse this time.

First, the disc rotor was cracked! This is the worst, but there were 3 others at the same points on the rim

No idea how common this sort of failure is. The disc is still thicker than its stated 1.5mm minimum. Anyway, I'd in my paranoia carried a spare rotor for the whole tour, so fitted that, although managed to round off a hex bolt in the process.

Now onto cassette removal. It's a Hope hub, and last time, trying to prise off the cassette resulted in the hub coming apart. Same again this time - a nice education in engineering design of the internals, but a crap design IMHO. That's the pawls you can see as the freehub has come away with the cassette. It's just pushed on, nothing to hold it. And yes, I did manage not to lose the 4th pawl, thankfully.

Finally, after judicious use of the hammer, managed to free the cassette from the freehub. The freehub is aluminium (crap choice IMO) and gouged to shoot, hence the difficulty removing.

Also, it wasn't easy getting it back together again either, there's that green elastomer seal which doesn't like seating. Again, a crappy design IMHO, but at least I know what I'm doing now. Chain and cassette do need replacing, but that can wait wheel rebuild. I'm now tempted by a completely new wheelset given the hub issues.

Then gears; we've had a bit of difficulty getting adjusted for both big and little chainring simultaneously. Lowered the front derailleur by a quarter of a nadge, which seems to have sorted it.

Finally, trying to fight the inevitable creaks, tried to take front cranks off to grease the taper. Found it difficult to get the removal tool to take on first side but got there in the end. Other side, failed completely, will have to take to LBS.

I do Hope (see what I did there?) this was as tedious for you to read as it was for me to do!

 

[Punkawallah]

You didn’t use the words ‘just’ or ‘only’ in your estimates of how big a job it would be, did you?
:-)

 

[roubaixtuesday]

You didn’t use the words ‘just’ or ‘only’ in your estimates of how big a job it would be, did you?
:-)

"Should be finished by lunchtime, easily" was my downfall.

 

[EckyH]

Changed the brakes of the Langschenkelrenner. The new ones are noticeable stiffer than the Shimano BR-R650, but obviously I have to do a deep clean the braking surface on the rims.

E.

 

[Vantage]

I'll be converting the surly back to non electric today. As much as I love the help and power it gives, it's just too bloody heavy. What was a lively light ish bike is currently a slow ass tank in handling characteristics. And it's made me weak as hell.
Best get some training in

 

[Punkawallah]

The wedge just about fell out of the fork tube after a day soaking in white vinegar. Chainring bolts un-seized (Hoorah!). Not feeling ‘wheel’ inclined, I took a Dremel-a-like to the rust on various brake calliper bolts, the chainring bolts, various nuts & spacers for the headset, and a bloody big B&D with an abrasive disk to the head tube cups - both were rusted to pitting. Finished off with 3-in-One and brass-wire brushing followed by Oily Rag (tm), and replaced the cups.
White vinegar down frame tubes, clean and T-cut frame, scratch (gouge) in paintwork sanded and nail varnished.

OK. Odd paint chips got some nail varnish, rusted chrome forks scrubbed with Cola and tin foil - couple of patches that would not succumb, but at least they are now grey as opposed to orange. Will soak with 3-in-1. Head set spacers/nut scrubbed likewise.
Head set bearings cleaned, greased and headset/forks re-fitted after internals given a rub over of grease.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

After trying and liking shorter cranks on my own bikes it got me wondering about my brother's bike. When I upgraded the worn out parts on his a few years back the chainsets that were readily available in my budget all seemed to be 175mm. At the time I didn't think that would be an issue since he's taller than me, but what I've learned since has made me wonder if he'd be better going back to the 170mm crank length it originally came with.

I got hold of a cheapish triple chainset with replaceable rings and did the swap last friday. A suitable used bottom bracket came out of my spares box. While doing this I noticed the pedals were a bit rough so I serviced those too - I think he might need some new ones in the not too distant future.

I'm hoping that he'll notice a difference. If he hates it I can change it back easily enough but if I'm right it may help with some long-standing comfort issues on bigger rides.

Now we just need a day when we are both free and the weather is good enough for a test ride.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

Felt Broam fettling has continued.

• Front mudguard stays cut to length. Front mudguard fitted.
• Rear wheel swapped over from the stock one to the Hunt 4 Seasons as per the front.
• Rear mudguard fitted, removed, stays cut to length and refitted.
• Rear rack installed.
• Stock seatpost and saddle swapped for a the carbon post originally supplied with the CGR and a new-old-stock old model Selle Italia SLR picked up from Banana Industries for a lot less than the RRP of a current SLR.
• Stock (alu gravel) handle bars swapped for the carbon bars originally supplied with the CGR.
• One side of the bars retaped (other still to do).
• Chain removed, degreased and re-installed, ready to be re-lubricated.

Just the chain to lube, accessories (computer mount, light brackets) to fit, front disc brake calliper to centre and a few bolts to torque properly and it should be ready for it's maiden voyage. Oh and sticker bombing to hopefully make it less attractive to thieves if left locked up.

I forgot how fiddly fitting mudguards is. I'm beginning to think it's the most fiddly bike fettling job.

I've chipped paint off three of the lugs on the frame so far. The first, I touched up with some primer and paint from a touch-up kit for my old van, figuring the colour didn't matter on account that you'd never see it. The last two, I've not bothered as yet.

 

[Mark Grant]

Replaced a couple of bottle mount Rivnuts on the Trek Portland and fitted a shorter stem.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

Apologies for the rubbish photo. And yes, the kitchen needs more than a fettle.

Bars taped. I'm getting better at this, but still room for improvement. The Garmin just fits, with that front light. Only niggle is the front light needs to be out of the way before the Garmin can be clicked into place / removed. I'd hang the light under the bars but I don't think it's beam pattern would be so hot there.

The colour has grown on me. Wasn't sure at first. I think it goes well with the blue bar tape.
I've also now installed the hitch for the Carry Freedom trailer.

Weighs in a 14kg dressed as it is. ~3kg of that is the rear rack, trunk bag and it's contents (first aid kit, half a toolkit and a wrong sized tube). So around ~11kg; not too shabby considering over a kilo is tyres and tubes.

Fingers crossed I get out on it for a test ride tomorrow.

 

[sevenfourate]

Apologies for the rubbish photo. And yes, the kitchen needs more than a fettle.

Bars taped. I'm getting better at this, but still room for improvement. The Garmin just fits, with that front light. Only niggle is the front light needs to be out of the way before the Garmin can be clicked into place / removed. I'd hang the light under the bars but I don't think it's beam pattern would be so hot there.

The colour has grown on me. Wasn't sure at first. I think it goes well with the blue bar tape.
I've also now installed the hitch for the Carry Freedom trailer.

Weighs in a 14kg dressed as it is. ~3kg of that is the rear rack, trunk bag and it's contents (first aid kit, half a toolkit and a wrong sized tube). So around ~11kg; not too shabby considering over a kilo is tyres and tubes.

Fingers crossed I get out on it for a test ride tomorrow.

View attachment 744858

Looks great !! Enjoy the test ride…..👌

 

[EckyH]

Already yesterday: put a new bottom bracket into the Enik "Kiesrad" Makalu, attached the new old cranks and a 42 teeth chainring, changed the sprocket from 20 to 19 teeth, added a chain link and put pedals on it.

E.

 

[Punkawallah]

OK. Odd paint chips got some nail varnish, rusted chrome forks scrubbed with Cola and tin foil - couple of patches that would not succumb, but at least they are now grey as opposed to orange. Will soak with 3-in-1. Head set spacers/nut scrubbed likewise.
Head set bearings cleaned, greased and headset/forks re-fitted after internals given a rub over of grease.

Frame given a once over with furniture polish, seat tube dismantled and broken securing pin replaced after one of the end nuts sheared the threaded end off! Mounts soaking in white vinegar for the rust. Stem and bars re-fitted, only to prove a bit ‘right wing low’. I suspect it was my efforts to shift said stem that resulted in a twist/bend. A dive into the Pit of Despair results in a replacement stem and drop bars, along with a white saddle to replace the yellow one the bike had been . . . saddled with. Knew I’d get rid of it eventually.

 

[cyberknight]

new BB installed in the winter steed , a 5 min job as i had already pulled the old one .Tomorrow i shall put the chainset back and put a new chain on as the current on is a couple of links short as it doesn't like big/ big , pity i binned the spare links as the chain is barely showing any wear

 

[Gunk]

We were a bit quieter at work today so I serviced my Brompton this afternoon. used the Rozone parts washer to clean the chain, I removed the chain guard and cleaned the chainwheel and rear sprocket, Also adjusted the headset.

it then poured down on the ride home!

I thought this might make you smile, this was brought in today for a service!

Needless to say, our recommendation was to put it straight in a skip!