What Have You Fettled Today?

[scragend]

This is where the hold up is - I expected to be able to remove the bottom bracket with my usual tool. But no, my tool is 44mm and this bottom bracket needs 39mm. Because bikes

I sent for a new tool (along with some other stuff) from Amazon on Saturday, which was being delivered yesterday. At 6 pm it still hadn't arrived and I had to go out. Sod's Law decrees that it turned up at 6.15 pm... and the Amazon driver just left it on the doorstep and buggered off. (I saw this on my CCTV cameras)

The order tracking on Amazon said "parcel was handed to resident". Oh no it wasn't!

When I got home at 9 pm there was no evidence of a parcel. I checked the cameras to see where it had gone and annoyingly the camera that shows the front door hasn't saved any footage since 6.22 pm. It is still working live but has stopped saving.

This morning I checked with the neighbours in case any of them had taken in the parcel or had seen what happened to it. None had, which isn't surprising as it was dark and they would have had their curtains closed so wouldn't even have known it was there. I can only assume some nice passer-by has liberated it

To be fair to Amazon, when I contacted them they refunded me without a problem. I have re-ordered the tool but I have to wait till tomorrow for it to arrive now.

Got 'em 🙂

 

[Jameshow]

Picked up a bike frame yesterday for the princely sum of £10
carrera vanquish disc bike without wheels , in a very dirty condition and one size too big for me but the shifters and mechs all seem to work so i bit his hand off as i now have a full set of spares for my commuter once cleaned , half a mind to strip the lot and keep the forks then bin the frame

Jammy....

 

[cyberknight]

Is it completely useless? It would be a shame to bin it if it had some useful life left in it.

I was in a charity bike shop today and they said that they are always happy to receive donated parts which they can either sell or build into bikes. Maybe one near you could use it?

It has a tapered full carbon fork, i might keep it as it is rideable if I put a 70 mm stem on it

 

[sevenfourate]

Planned ride on the ‘rejuvenated’ Beater Sunday. (**I’ve caved in and bought some new wheels - to save it from being scrapped / torn apart: despite already buying a replacement bike; and the new wheels costing way more than the bikes value which was my original quandary 🙄).

So…..starting early in the Dark and heading to my riding buddies first - to explore his direction for a change. Better buy and fit lights, water bottle and some way of holding a phone so I can navigate then. Done 😉

 

[sevenfourate]

Rear brake on the original beater 🙄 - despite new pads - when it initially worked great - has been poor recently.

So wheel out, Caliper apart, pads out, sanded, cleaned with lighter fluid, same with disc - and all reinstalled.

I also didn’t realise you could adjust the throw / position of the stationary half of the Caliper / Piston / Pad 😳 Something I’ve learnt today - and have now adjusted up to get both brakes as efficient and similar feeling as I can. Now out for a wee test ride…..

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Winterised the MTB ahead of forecast icy commutes in coming week.

I don't think I've ridden it since taking off the winter tyres about March!

-Lubed and freed up a couple of links which had seized
-Likewise front mech - WD40 + wiggling
-Fitted ice spiker tyres
-Realigned rear disc caliper
-Made sure light fittings all in place.

Off to charge up the electric gloves now.

 

[fossyant]

Off to charge up the electric gloves now.

Luxury

 

[fossyant]

Replaced the straddle wires on the commuter as they were fraying at the bolt. Bought a set of ten 'thicker ones' for £8. Should last me out all them.

 

[DCLane]

I began cleaning and tidying the Principia which arrived earlier today. Everything is loosening nicely, with the pedals now ready to be swapped with SPD-SL's. The sticky left-hand shifter has also been freed up and is shifting fine.

The rear derailleur has been adjusted, as it was coming off the limit on the smallest cog, but the derailleur is still jamming due to a sticky return spring. That's been left overnight having been sprayed with fluid to see if it'll loosen the sticky spring.

On the chainstay was black something and, as I'm watching a bike that's had the whole rear triangle covered in black something, there was a minor concern about the state of it underneath. It was made up of layers of separate strips of black insulation tape, which must have been time-consuming to apply. It's all off and underneath there's only a couple of paint chips plus a small bit of galvanic corrosion, which I'll clean up. It'd have been easier, and quicker, to put a chainstay protector on but I appreciate whoever did it.

The chipped black bottle cage has been swapped with a silver vintage Minoura one that matches nicely. Replacement front and rear skewers have also been added.

Next up is a pair of used tyres, new chain, new inner/outer cables and bar tape, replacement brake pads plus general re-greasing and lubrication. Some general de-rusting and metal polishing is needed, I'll have to true the wheels and work out what to do with a paint-flakey RH crank. Also on the list is a need to source some metallic blue paint.

 

[DCLane]

Further work on the Principa 700 this evening as I found myself with an hour to spare. Both derailleurs are now cleaned up and working correctly, together with replacement tyres on the wheels - which were also cleaned up - and the cassette removed and cleaned. Everything was in a decent condition and just needed basic cleaning and lubrication, which for me is unusual. Normally it's all seized and requires much more work.

All back together and working correctly. I've gone for wider tyres - 25mm front, 27mm rear - replacing the 23mm old ones as it'll be used during December outdoors as a stop-gap.

Next steps are a new chain, inner/outer cables and bar tape. Plus some paint. The metal needs some polishing as well, but that's another evening's work.

 

[Gillstay]

Mended a puncture today. A perfect one. We rode all day around farmers cutting hedges and it went down on the front wheel, on the way home, in the back of the car. Fantastic. Then the thorn was dead easy to spot and the patch worked perfectly.

 

[HLaB]

A tiny bit of enforced fettling for me tonight. I had to reinsert and adjust the rear mudguard stay after coming off on ice on Friday. Thankfully I was near stationary at the time and the only other damage looks to be a tiny scrape to the metal body of the pedal and dirty marks on the jacket.

 

[cyberknight]

Is it completely useless? It would be a shame to bin it if it had some useful life left in it.

I was in a charity bike shop today and they said that they are always happy to receive donated parts which they can either sell or build into bikes. Maybe one near you could use it?

just had a quick look
If i recabled it and along with the spare wheels i have knocking about i reckon it would be rideable although a size too big for me .

 

[Jameshow]

Nothing.....

 

[further]

Not bike related but fixed the lift lower on my Rega turntable.