What Have You Fettled Today?

[sevenfourate]

I use drip wax, I've found the Squirt stuff to be quite robust. Some folks go into a lot of chain prep. I just clean it with foaming degreaser when it's new and maybe after a ride where it wasn't sounding smooth. In between that it's just a wipe with a wet wipe, a wipe with a dry rag and re drip wax.

Cheers ! I really meant ‘What do people do in terms of regularly removing the chain’. I take it you don’t therefore. That’s another option I guess…..strip of oil when new, wax or clean and re-wax on the bike as you go after that…..

 

[Oldhippy]

Finished laying the floor on the narrowboat today. Onwards.

 

[EckyH]

I have a ‘missing link’ for a 6/7/8 speed. But I think these are supposed to be single use - and are £4 odd a pop for genuine KMC.

Wippermann Connex sells 6/7/8 speed chains with a reusable "conneX link" and offers that link also as a spare part.

For the waxing part: Initially I degrease the new chain first with cellulose thinner, then with benzine, then with hot water and a drip of dish detergent. After drying the chain I put it in hot wax at roughly 65°C, move it in that bath so that the melted wax can creep into the chain easier. At the current temperatures I top up with drip wax after every second significant ride.
With waxing it is crucial to wipe the chain instantly after a ride in the wet. Otherwise it will rust, because the wax will come off with time and exposes the bare metal.

E.

 

[ColinJ]

Technically, this was today... I did it before going to bed at the end of yesterday, but that was at 04:00 today!

I found a missing part for the rear mech that I plan to use as a chain tensioner on the trainer singlespeed. A new chain actually works without a tensioner but I couldn't risk sprinting with that setup. Once a chain wears it gets sloppy and risks coming off. My one really bad crash came when that happened to me as a teenager. It would not be quite as bad on a turbo trainer but could still do a lot of damage to me and the pain corner!

I am amazed that I found the missing part in my junk drawer. It isn't that I throw away old bits - I don't - it is that they then get lost amid the hundreds of other old bits that I have horded over the decades!

The mech has now been fitted to the bike.

I need to open the quick link on the chain and feed that round the jockey wheels. I will use the high gear endstop to hold the mech in the correct position for my single sprocket. PS Done this afternoon.

After that I will put the bike to one side until my direct drive smart trainer arrives in February. I will be using 'virtual gears' on that in Zwift and/or TrainingPeaks Virtual.

Oh, and I stuck a velcro strip to the back of my Apple TV remote control so I can attach it to the bike's stem. Zwift uses a dedicated control for virtual gear shifts but TPV uses the '+' & '-' buttons on the remote.

 

[Big John]

Finally found time to complete a Raleigh Randoneur refurbishment. The whole bike cost me peanuts. It was destined to become landfill. My size (25" frame), Mavic wheels, Continental touring tyres, Reynolds 708 tubing, selection of Deore LX components, bar end 8 speed shifters, Campag headset, Sugino triple crankset, and a Brookes B17 saddle. Peeing down when I finished it so hoping for first ride tomorrow.

 

[sevenfourate]

Wippermann Connex sells 6/7/8 speed chains with a reusable "conneX link" and offers that link also as a spare part.

For the waxing part: Initially I degrease the new chain first with cellulose thinner, then with benzine, then with hot water and a drip of dish detergent. After drying the chain I put it in hot wax at roughly 65°C, move it in that bath so that the melted wax can creep into the chain easier. At the current temperatures I top up with drip wax after every second significant ride.
With waxing it is crucial to wipe the chain instantly after a ride in the wet. Otherwise it will rust, because the wax will come off with time and exposes the bare metal.

E.

Thanks for your thoughts . Just had a look on the Connex website. Interesting. I’ll look in more depth after dinner. Appreciated 🙏

 

[Andy in Germany]

Finally found time to complete a Raleigh Randoneur refurbishment. The whole bike cost me peanuts. It was destined to become landfill. My size (25" frame), Mavic wheels, Continental touring tyres, Reynolds 708 tubing, selection of Deore LX components, bar end 8 speed shifters, Campag headset, Sugino triple crankset, and a Brookes B17 saddle. Peeing down when I finished it so hoping for first ride tomorrow.

We'll want to see pictures...

 

[Big John]

We'll want to see pictures...

 

[november4]

Installed a hambini bb86 in my trainer bike, spins like a dream.....he machines them in batches, so had to wait for it

 

[EckyH]

Worked on the gearing of the spouses' bike. Basically it works but the kickstand plate is in the way of the cable. Until tomorrow.
There will be a plan, a vice, a file, sandpaper, metal polish and some elbow grease...

E.

 

[All uphill]

Put the utility bike in the stand to adjust the v-brakes mostly out of New Year's Day boredom.

While I was there I whipped out the rear wheel and retensioned the spokes and trued the wheel.

Now I'm thinking about stripping this bike and giving it a deep clean on the next wet day. I must be bored...

 

[8mph]

Earlier this week I tried replacing the 32t chainring of a worn crankset (fc-M572) with one that looked about right (fc-M532). Today I filed the ramps down very lightly and fitted a matching granny ring and finally have clean shifting.

The old BB seems fine, and since this mix of old and new parts seems to be working, it can hopefully function as a winter drivechain 🤞

 

[Windle]

Foul outside today - as forecast.

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So some indoor pre-prep for the next ride is on these cards….

Can’t remember the last time I was about to wear through a pair of grips (?) 40 years ago when BMX’ing every day I suspect. ‘Luckily’ I had more in-stock 😁

View attachment 757461

Rear stay chain-slap protector was looking a bit tatty too. More of the stocks stolen 🤣

View attachment 757462

Also thinking about how I’ll connect my new, incoming chain together. I MAY start Hot-Waxing this year - so could do with a way of making the chain easily removeable. I have a ‘missing link’ for a 6/7/8 speed. But I think these are supposed to be single use - and are £4 odd a pop for genuine KMC. Old fashioned ‘Split links’ seem to be hard to buy now. I think I may have one to fit though…

View attachment 757463


What does everyone else do that regularly removes chains to lube / wax / clean etc ?

I just break them using an old fashioned chain tool, then re-connect them when I'm done. I've never had a problem with doing it this way. I've never used one of those fancy quick links, they seem like a crude way of doing the job and if they're supposed to be single use then you still have to push a rivet out of the chain to put a new one in anyway!
I'm never without a chain tool though, you can get round flat tyres by stuffing them with grass or even riding home on the tyre alone ~ but if your chain snaps you're knackered.

 

[lostinthought]

Cheers ! I really meant ‘What do people do in terms of regularly removing the chain’. I take it you don’t therefore. That’s another option I guess…..strip of oil when new, wax or clean and re-wax on the bike as you go after that…..

I've used quick-links for years to remove chains regularly, and just replace them when they feel like they come apart too easily, regardless of any claims about single-use. I'm no fan of wax, but always remove chains for cleaning. I have a bunch of KMC links for another 10 speed bike, but I'm currently using SRAM flat top links for my Campag 12 speed chain, I bought a few of them but am still on the first, I think. Grubby bike pic alert..!

 

[sevenfourate]

I've used quick-links for years to remove chains regularly, and just replace them when they feel like they come apart too easily, regardless of any claims about single-use. I'm no fan of wax, but always remove chains for cleaning. I have a bunch of KMC links for another 10 speed bike, but I'm currently using SRAM flat top links for my Campag 12 speed chain, I bought a few of them but am still on the first, I think. Grubby bike pic alert..!

I just break them using an old fashioned chain tool, then re-connect them when I'm done. I've never had a problem with doing it this way. I've never used one of those fancy quick links, they seem like a crude way of doing the job and if they're supposed to be single use then you still have to push a rivet out of the chain to put a new one in anyway!
I'm never without a chain tool though, you can get round flat tyres by stuffing them with grass or even riding home on the tyre alone ~ but if your chain snaps you're knackered.

Thank-you gents. I’m sure I read about the quick links being ok for multiple uses too. Ass-covering manufacturers no doubt 🧐