What Have You Fettled Today?

[ColinJ]

I have been doing more detective work to try and quieten the bike. I have reduced the ticking/clicking noises that it previously made but they still bug me somewhat. I notice an occasional rattle from the front of the bike which is proving equally hard to eliminate. I have tightened everything that I can think of, checked for flapping cables etc.

YIKES!!!

I went back and had another look for the source of the front-end rattle on the bike. I convinced myself that the headset must still be too loose. I went through the usual routine and it seemed fine. I applied the front brake and tried to rock the bike backwards and forwards with the wheel locked. Minor clunks ... Tightened the headset. Repeat. More minor clunks ... No way did the headset need to be tighter than that!

And then I noticed that the front brake was loose! I had previously checked that the bolt holding it on from the back of the fork was tight enough and it had seemed pretty solid. Closer inspection revealed that some light corrosion had stopped the bolt moving when I had tried to tighten it. I applied a bit more force and broke the thin layer of rust. The bolt was then clearly not tight enough, so I adjusted it and sorted the brake out.

I reapplied the brake and rocked the front-end; silence - d'oh!

I'll go back out there in a minute and redo the headset adjustment because I reckon it is too tight now. The forks still turn freely, but I have never tightened a headset that much before and I would rather use the minimum tightness necessary, rather than the maximum that I can get away with.

I'll ride the bike tomorrow and see how it feels and sounds!

 

[PeteXXX]

No actual bike fettling for a couple of days, but I applied a coat of waterproof to the bike shed roof as a precautionary pre-winter precaution.

Just in case, like...

 

[Salad Dodger]

No bike fettling, but I put a plastic shim under the saddle of one of my guitars, to raise the strings a bit. Fret-buzz cured!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

A new back axle for the Galaxy. That should get a bit more life out of the original STX-RC hub before I need to invest in new wheels.

After that I replaced all the cables on the Raleigh plus the cable hanger for the front brake. After changing the stem and handlebar at the start of the year the new lower position meant the cables were too long and the run of that front cable was cramped under the bar. Being 10 months since the swap I'm fairly sure I like the new riding position so finally got round to sorting out the rest.

While the bike was being worked on I also checked on the chain and have replaced it.

I hadn't realised how sticky the old cables had got until doing the test ride. It's like a new bike again.

 

[Biff600]

I've been away working in Barcelona for the past 11 days and come home to this horrible wet stuff, so no riding for me today.

Instead I have flip-flopped the wheel on my flip-flop hubbed fixie, replaced the straight bars from the aero ones and replaced the cheap and nasty front brake for a shiny, new 105 item instead.

Just need for it to dry up now..........

 

[DCLane]

A busy afternoon so far:

- Cleaned and re-wrapped the LH side bar tape of my youngests' Giant TCR Composite

- Cleaned my Principia for commuting next week

Then I fitted wheels, tyres, bottom bracket, crankset, front & rear derailleurs to the Graham Weigh frameset I bought from @rugbyleaguebiker using most of the parts I got in the set. I've a spare pair of rim-brake cross wheels which have gone on instead at the moment. Still to do on this project:

- cut down the forks to fit
- shifters
- chain
- cables
- bar tape
- find and fit some cantilever brakes

I then pulled out the winter bike, my Eastway R4.0 and realise now photos would've helped here. It's been away under cover outside since March and this week was the first time I'm physically OK enough to get to it where it's stored. Unfortunately it wasn't pretty: dirt, mess and a completely rusted chain that any Mickling would never solve. So it got ...

- A new chain
- Complete and total clean
- New bar tape. The kids have chosen a light blue tape that came with the parts for the Graham Weigh and that's getting green or black tape instead as it'll be white and green when I'm done.

I then started on the bike I've been avoiding - the Felt Q200 that put me in intensive care in April. More than once I have thought "scrap it, it nearly killed you". But no: having looked it over a few months ago it needed a RH shifter - the lens on the LH one is broken but works. The RH one was broken and bent. The bars are OK but it needs new front brake bits.

I stripped off the old shifter/brake combo (a Shimano ST-EF51 thing) and fitted a new rear gear cable, adjusting that so it works properly. The front brake's a mess so the cabling was stripped down ready for new parts. Everything else seems OK but the fork's no longer moving as it's rusty. It'll be used for snow/ice only so that is fine - no more MTB trail riding for me unfortunately.

I also need to fit mudguards to my and my youngest's commuter bikes before Monday.

On a non bike-related note we also finished taking down our giant climbing frame (a Houtland Adventure Tower with slide). My teenager's been attempting various bolts for a couple of weeks - it's now down and ready to be sold once a new bolt pack is bought.

 

[Salty seadog]

Let there be light

"Fiat Lux" My old school moto.

 

[raleighnut]

"Fiat Lux" My old school moto.

I thought that was the prayer drivers of Italian cars uttered just as it was getting dark.

 

[Deleted member 41544]

A busy afternoon so far:

- Cleaned and re-wrapped the LH side bar tape of my youngests' Giant TCR Composite

- Cleaned my Principia for commuting next week

Then I fitted wheels, tyres, bottom bracket, crankset, front & rear derailleurs to the Graham Weigh frameset I bought from @rugbyleaguebiker using most of the parts I got in the set. I've a spare pair of rim-brake cross wheels which have gone on instead at the moment. Still to do on this project:

- cut down the forks to fit
- shifters
- chain
- cables
- bar tape
- find and fit some cantilever brakes

I then pulled out the winter bike, my Eastway R4.0 and realise now photos would've helped here. It's been away under cover outside since March and this week was the first time I'm physically OK enough to get to it where it's stored. Unfortunately it wasn't pretty: dirt, mess and a completely rusted chain that any Mickling would never solve. So it got ...

- A new chain
- Complete and total clean
- New bar tape. The kids have chosen a light blue tape that came with the parts for the Graham Weigh and that's getting green or black tape instead as it'll be white and green when I'm done.

I then started on the bike I've been avoiding - the Felt Q200 that put me in intensive care in April. More than once I have thought "scrap it, it nearly killed you". But no: having looked it over a few months ago it needed a RH shifter - the lens on the LH one is broken but works. The RH one was broken and bent. The bars are OK but it needs new front brake bits.

I stripped off the old shifter/brake combo (a Shimano ST-EF51 thing) and fitted a new rear gear cable, adjusting that so it works properly. The front brake's a mess so the cabling was stripped down ready for new parts. Everything else seems OK but the fork's no longer moving as it's rusty. It'll be used for snow/ice only so that is fine - no more MTB trail riding for me unfortunately.

I also need to fit mudguards to my and my youngest's commuter bikes before Monday.

On a non bike-related note we also finished taking down our giant climbing frame (a Houtland Adventure Tower with slide). My teenager's been attempting various bolts for a couple of weeks - it's now down and ready to be sold once a new bolt pack is bought.

Crikey that is a busy day!! Glad the cross bike is going to be put to some use! I think it will look quite cool built up and be interesting to hear how well it performs. Gonna be cheeky here but if you don't ask you don't get, after emptying my stable I've bought a '99 kona mini mula part bike for £50 + postage of e bay, i'm going to build it up as a rigid go anywhere bike. I've got most of the stuff to finish the build, but I put both my 9 speed cassettes in the bundle you took. I'd be ever so grateful if I could have one back?

 

[DCLane]

Gonna be cheeky here but if you don't ask you don't get, after emptying my stable I've bought a '99 kona mini mula part bike for £50 + postage of e bay, i'm going to build it up as a rigid go anywhere bike. I've got most of the stuff to finish the build, but I put both my 9 speed cassettes in the bundle you took. I'd be ever so grateful if I could have one back?

Of course - I've just got to get it to you. Either it'd be 5-ish Friday if I take a wider route home from Leeds or I'm possibly off to Birkin on Saturday on the club ride so could drop it off on the way back around 12. Are either/both of these OK?

 

[Deleted member 41544]

Of course - I've just got to get it to you. Either it'd be 5-ish Friday if I take a wider route home from Leeds or I'm possibly off to Birkin on Saturday on the club ride so could drop it off on the way back around 12. Are either/both of these OK?

Don't be coming out of your way, not in Friday traffic. I'll be in on Sunday around dinner time. Thanks a lot

 

[Jenkins]

Today I have mostly sworn at mudguards.

Decided not to put the SKS Longboards on my hybrid, but on the Whyte instead. This involved removing the own brand ones fitted which went OK until trying to undo the bolt fixing them to the chainstay bridge which just wouldn't budge. It didn't help that it was a 3mm allen key fitting with very little working room due to the location. When it was finally off, it was replaced with a 4mm key fitting bolt for better purchase if required in the future and then it was on with the task of cutting mudguard stays, and finding where all the little fittings pnged off to in the shed when trying to set the new guards up. The old Whyte guards were then fitted to the hybrid with little fuss.

After that, five of the bikes were treated to a quick clean and a mickling of the chains.

 

[DCLane]

Don't be coming out of your way, not in Friday traffic. I'll be in on Sunday around dinner time. Thanks a lot

It's OK - it'll turn a normal 12 mile commute into a 25 mile one. That makes it worthwhile by bike - Friday looks better for me anyway so I'll leave it the other side of your side gate if you're not in if that's OK?

 

[Biff600]

Changed the 100mm stem on my road bike for a 60mm one.

Nipped out and did 26 miles and..................

Yippee. !!! No more pins and needles in my hands, (still have a slight ache between my shoulder blades though)

 

[Gravity Aided]

Traded in my Specialized Expedition for a K2 Astral, as the Specialized was saved from its deteriorated condition, and was ready for trade on something faster and lighter. The Astral will make a fine winter bike. Nice groupset, good wheels for the money. Very nice hybrid, along the lines of the Specialized Sirrus.