biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Just swapped an inner tube last night , got fed up of blowing it up every couple of days
What Have You Fettled Today?
- Thread starter threebikesmcginty
- Start date
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Vantage
Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
- Location
- Behind everyone else, Bolton
After my group ride yesterday I got home to find a parcel on the floor with my new v brake travel adaptors. Yay!
Dug out my old drop bars and fitted them. I have to say I do worry that the tight circumference that the brake cables are being wound round the adaptors might cause premature breaking of said cables...time will tell.
Another worry is that I managed to bollix the threads on the lower steerer clamp. Gonna have to drill and re-tap for a bigger bolt. Should hold for today's ride though.
It's nice not having the bike look like a pigs arse with those flat bars though. Plus, just like @RealLeeHimself, my hands were going numb yesterday. Thank gawd that'll be over with.
Dug out my old drop bars and fitted them. I have to say I do worry that the tight circumference that the brake cables are being wound round the adaptors might cause premature breaking of said cables...time will tell.
Another worry is that I managed to bollix the threads on the lower steerer clamp. Gonna have to drill and re-tap for a bigger bolt. Should hold for today's ride though.
It's nice not having the bike look like a pigs arse with those flat bars though. Plus, just like @RealLeeHimself, my hands were going numb yesterday. Thank gawd that'll be over with.
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overmind
My other bike is a Pinarello
- Location
- Reading, Berkshire
I serviced the bottom bracket on my Daughter's hybrid bike last night.
It is a (Halfords) Apollo Code. I bought it about 7 years ago at a discount. I think it was about £80 (reduced from around £150). The bottom bracket on this bike has always been a bit dodgy for some reason. Always getting loose and needs re-tightening.
The problem last night was that the spindle had got loose which had caused the non-drive crank to loosen up. I think the crank is basically knackered (tighten it as much as you like and it gets loose again).
It is an old style, square taper BB with cage bearings. I basically took the whole thing apart, cleaned it up, replaced the bearings, packed it with grease, and put the BB back together again. I found a similar (old) crank to the one which is knackered (described above) and it seems to work fine. I don't want to spend any money on it.
I mickled the chain and put it all back together again. My daughter used it to get to work this morning. She says it is working beautifully.
Onwards and upwards ...
Edit: Moderator, sorry, I forgot about the Fettled thread. I should have posted it there in the first place instead of creating my own.
It is a (Halfords) Apollo Code. I bought it about 7 years ago at a discount. I think it was about £80 (reduced from around £150). The bottom bracket on this bike has always been a bit dodgy for some reason. Always getting loose and needs re-tightening.
The problem last night was that the spindle had got loose which had caused the non-drive crank to loosen up. I think the crank is basically knackered (tighten it as much as you like and it gets loose again).
It is an old style, square taper BB with cage bearings. I basically took the whole thing apart, cleaned it up, replaced the bearings, packed it with grease, and put the BB back together again. I found a similar (old) crank to the one which is knackered (described above) and it seems to work fine. I don't want to spend any money on it.
I mickled the chain and put it all back together again. My daughter used it to get to work this morning. She says it is working beautifully.
Onwards and upwards ...
Edit: Moderator, sorry, I forgot about the Fettled thread. I should have posted it there in the first place instead of creating my own.
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LeetleGreyCells
Un rouleur infatigable
- Location
- Whitehaven Mansions
Well, on that note about numb hands, I’ve moved my saddle forward horizontally 10mm to take more weight off my arms and hands. We’ll see if that helps. I did have a good look at my stem though, 60mm with +7 degree angle. Not sure whether to look for a longer stem or not as that would place more weight on my hands due to extended reach (I believe, but could be wrong).
In other fettling today, I washed the MTB down from yesterday’s ride and spent extra time cleaning disc rotors and mickling (and oiling) the chain.
Also I had a look at the cheap, second-hand no name road bike I have (and I like it less every time I see it), fettled the top bar thumb shifters (the whole shifter would move when changing gear). I also discovered movement in the crank. I tightened bolts and checked for loose B.B. but couldn’t find what is causing it. A bit of research required. Or a new bike (wife will never agree).
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
I know you don't want to spend anything on it, but if it keeps coming loose I'd ditch the old loose bearing thing for a UN55.
overmind
My other bike is a Pinarello
- Location
- Reading, Berkshire
Thanks, that is a good idea. I might do just that. £13 odd quid is in my budget.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I lowered the bars on my cyclocross bike by 2 x 5mm spacers and I then did a 20 mile test ride. The riding position had been improved but the bars still felt high compared to my other bikes so I moved another 5 mm spacer to above the stem once I got home. I'll test ride the bike again in the next couple of days. (There are 2 more 5 mm spacers which could be moved if necessary, but I will test ride one spacer at a time now.)
The hubs need servicing but I don't want to mess with them in the coming week because I am taking my bike on a family visit and don't want it in bits waiting for new parts. (I suspect that the cups/cones in the rear hub might be damaged, judging from a rumbling from the wheel as it rotates, but it should last for the required 200-odd kms (125 miles).
The hubs need servicing but I don't want to mess with them in the coming week because I am taking my bike on a family visit and don't want it in bits waiting for new parts. (I suspect that the cups/cones in the rear hub might be damaged, judging from a rumbling from the wheel as it rotates, but it should last for the required 200-odd kms (125 miles).
mikeymustard
Guru
Yesterday I gave a certain "sensitive area" a break by tweaking my saddle - had the nose way too high after I tried riding with the adjusting bolt not properly tightened!
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
The new bar position felt good on a 51 km ride today. I used to feel far too upright but now I feel lower and slightly more stretched out. It is especially noticeable on steep climbs where I used to feel that too much of my weight was on the saddle and the front wheel used to get very twitchy.
I'm not sure that another spacer needs moving to above the stem, but I won't know for sure unless I try it. I'll give it a go next week.
I'll have to think about whether to cut the steerer down once I have arrived at my ideal position. I probably won't ever sell the bike but in years to come I might become less capable of stretching down and want to raise the stem again.
I have also tweaked the disk brakes on the bike. I can now get adequate braking with shorter lever movement. (Prior to the tweaks, I could pull the levers to the handlebar, and pretty much had to to get full braking power.)
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DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Busy day:
- My 13yo was involved in a crash in the warm-up of his U14's race. No details here but someone turned across him without warning to short-cut to the start. His Cervélo needed sorting - I hope it's now OK but we'll do a proper check later this week.
- We cleaned my NeilPryde Nazaré after the test ride I had yesterday at the Hammerstones circuit in Elland and fitted lighter wheels (Soul 2.0's with GP4000s tyres)
- Cleaned his Giant training bike after the same session at Hammerstones.
- Cleaned my Dawes Tekarra which is about to be put on eBay at 99p starting bid and swapped the Ice Spiker Pro tyres for the ones it came with along with the original pedals. It's a cheap, tacky MTB and I've no space for it. Time to go ...
- My Eastway is starting to show winter wear: cleaned and adjusted. RH shifter's not great - a Shimano 2300 - it may have finally worn out after 11500 miles on 3 bikes. I've no rear mudguard after the Raleigh Elements one snapped this week so that's a job to do and the crankset's creaking again. More work when I find time ...
- He cleaned his commuter Columbus X-Wing for another week of riding to school.
- We then set to work on his new winter bike for 2018/19 (planning ahead!); a Carrera Tanneri II. Hardly used this came from an old club-mate. Cleaned, pedals swapped, mudguards trial fitted. There was no grease on the pedals, derailleurs or seatpost and the headset's stiff: I'm presuming whichever Halfords put it together didn't bother with any. All bar headset have seen a decent greasing. I'll finish the mudguards and re-grease the headset this week. Like this on arrival, finished photo to follow:
- My final task was to start on the BeOne Raw Comp 2013 frame we bought earlier this week. It's to replace my son's Giant TCR training bike for next winter (again ... planning ahead!) so we went to the parts store to see what we've got so he could choose: DuraAce 9000 shifters and rear derailleur, Spesh carbon bars, Ritchey WCS carbon seatpost and stem plus a Spesh Toupé saddle and Ultegra 6800 brakes found and mostly fitted. The headset's missing a piece and the shifters need fitting but it's a start: my aim's to finish the build by June. Also I need to source a Shimano front derailleur and crankset - preferably a 50/34 170mm one - for him to use. Frameset photo - I need a 'progress' one:
- My 13yo was involved in a crash in the warm-up of his U14's race. No details here but someone turned across him without warning to short-cut to the start. His Cervélo needed sorting - I hope it's now OK but we'll do a proper check later this week.
- We cleaned my NeilPryde Nazaré after the test ride I had yesterday at the Hammerstones circuit in Elland and fitted lighter wheels (Soul 2.0's with GP4000s tyres)
- Cleaned his Giant training bike after the same session at Hammerstones.
- Cleaned my Dawes Tekarra which is about to be put on eBay at 99p starting bid and swapped the Ice Spiker Pro tyres for the ones it came with along with the original pedals. It's a cheap, tacky MTB and I've no space for it. Time to go ...
- My Eastway is starting to show winter wear: cleaned and adjusted. RH shifter's not great - a Shimano 2300 - it may have finally worn out after 11500 miles on 3 bikes. I've no rear mudguard after the Raleigh Elements one snapped this week so that's a job to do and the crankset's creaking again. More work when I find time ...
- He cleaned his commuter Columbus X-Wing for another week of riding to school.
- We then set to work on his new winter bike for 2018/19 (planning ahead!); a Carrera Tanneri II. Hardly used this came from an old club-mate. Cleaned, pedals swapped, mudguards trial fitted. There was no grease on the pedals, derailleurs or seatpost and the headset's stiff: I'm presuming whichever Halfords put it together didn't bother with any. All bar headset have seen a decent greasing. I'll finish the mudguards and re-grease the headset this week. Like this on arrival, finished photo to follow:
- My final task was to start on the BeOne Raw Comp 2013 frame we bought earlier this week. It's to replace my son's Giant TCR training bike for next winter (again ... planning ahead!) so we went to the parts store to see what we've got so he could choose: DuraAce 9000 shifters and rear derailleur, Spesh carbon bars, Ritchey WCS carbon seatpost and stem plus a Spesh Toupé saddle and Ultegra 6800 brakes found and mostly fitted. The headset's missing a piece and the shifters need fitting but it's a start: my aim's to finish the build by June. Also I need to source a Shimano front derailleur and crankset - preferably a 50/34 170mm one - for him to use. Frameset photo - I need a 'progress' one:
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ADarkDraconis
Cardinal Member
- Location
- Ohio, USA
Nothing exciting but I attached a different bracket to the rear rack to accommodate the new taillight. The Bontrager just wouldn't stay put on its bracket and I got tired of fetching it out of the road, so I got what seems to be the brightest rear light in Christendom, a ThorFire (they were two-for-one on Amazon, and they are crafted by the god of Thunder apparently). I used the other bracket that came with the rack and goes horizontally and it works wonders! Wish the Bontrager had an option to wrap around the same fashion as it is a nice light, I think I will end up giving it to a friend who is going to try working up to commuting. She doesn't use a saddlebag so it can set up on her seatpost no problem!
Started getting a bit (lot) less power from the front brake over the last week or so, still pretty OK, but not great. So yesterday I took the pads out, and cleaned them with disc brake cleaner, and a lot of washing up liquid and a microfibre cloth. Soooo much black stuff came off, so I also cleaned the disc rotor too. Tightened up the cable for the rear brake a bit too.
Also properly adjusted the pad clearance so that the pads are less than a half mm from the rotor on both sides. Today's ride in and ride home had significantly better braking. Much more immediate power and stopping distance noticeable reduced. Happy camper. But I did notice that a couple of the front spokes were a bit loose, despite the wheel still being true.
So tonight I took the wheel off and put it in the stand, slackened all the nipples, and re-tensioned the whole wheel, moving the centre about 2mm to the left, as it when I built it I wanted it over to the right a bit as I was worried about the spokes rubbing the disc caliper, but it's started to annoy me a bit being off centre from my mudguard. Thats now fixed, and the wheel is evenly tensioned left to right.
Also properly adjusted the pad clearance so that the pads are less than a half mm from the rotor on both sides. Today's ride in and ride home had significantly better braking. Much more immediate power and stopping distance noticeable reduced. Happy camper. But I did notice that a couple of the front spokes were a bit loose, despite the wheel still being true.
So tonight I took the wheel off and put it in the stand, slackened all the nipples, and re-tensioned the whole wheel, moving the centre about 2mm to the left, as it when I built it I wanted it over to the right a bit as I was worried about the spokes rubbing the disc caliper, but it's started to annoy me a bit being off centre from my mudguard. Thats now fixed, and the wheel is evenly tensioned left to right.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I put fresh sealant in my tubeless disc wheel and swapped the brakes on the tt bike from US (reverse) to UK. The initial stuff was done quickly despite the internal routing but lol, I spent most of the night fettling the brakes so they are sharp but loose enough to open the QRs on the v brakes.
