What Have You Fettled Today?

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rogerzilla

Legendary Member
I built this for a (tall) friend. The frame was professionally re-enamelled and lined but never built up. I got it for a song. Most of the parts are recycled from an old Holdsworth Mistral or came from my bits box. I built the wheels for £90 from all-new components (Miche track hubs, Exal rims, DT Rev and Comp spokes).

47549214391_18ef43deb2_z.jpg 20190406_153420 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

As it's a parts bin special, it has rather funky Weinmann 999 centre-pulls. And yes, the brake shoes are fitted the right way around...they're closed at both ends these days!

40583313063_ab5cdddf57_z.jpg 20190406_153509 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
 

Leaway2

Lycrist
Further to my earlier post. The freehub bearings were absolutely goosed. Both collapsed as I tried to get them out. I'll take the pawls out later and clean it all up. I have ordered new bearings, so its a wait until they come now.
freehub_disassebled.jpg
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Further to my earlier post. The freehub bearings were absolutely goosed. Both collapsed as I tried to get them out.

You've learned the hard way not to believe all the marketing BS from manufacturers trying to sell their crappy sealed unit throwaway bearings in place of proper cup & cone ones that you can overhaul yourself. I refuse to have any axle/shaft bearings on any of my bikes that aren't DIY serviceable using a pot of grease.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
If they'd been cup and cone bearings, chances are the cups would be pitted and a new freehub (or even new hub and wheelbuild) would be needed.

Even traditional Campag hubs with replaceable cups are uneconomic to repair, unless they're Record. If both cones and cups need replacing, it's upward of £30 per wheel. A pair of 6001 cartridge bearings is about a fiver.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Depends how fussy you are. I've got several spare wheels that I've harvested off scrap bikes, where the bearings were semi-seized or rough running due to neglected maintenance. Some have got signs of surface degradation to the cups & cones, but all I do is strip & clean them up and then put them back together with new grease. They might still not be perfect after overhaul, but they are still fully functional bearings all the same. Since I don't ride on perfectly smooth polished surfaces that impart almost no vibration into the bike, any minute residual trace of roughness is going to be completely lost in the sea of feedback vibration that you get from real-life road surfaces.
 
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Jenkins

Legendary Member
Location
Felixstowe
Bit of wheel changing on the flat bar bikes.
I recently treated myself to a new set of wheels from Superstar Components so these were set up & fitted with the remarkably fast & comfortable 35mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres I've been running on the Pickenflick. Totally unnecessary bling, but why not...
Pickenflick - Updated (1).jpg
The Mavic Aksiums and 28mm GP4000s I'd initially intended to run on this bike have now been transferred onto the Giant Rapid.
While moving the bikes out of the shed to make working space, I also found that the front tyre of the Spa Elan was flat - this turned out to be a small piece of flint that had only just penetrated the tube and has now been patched.
 
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Bit of a wheel changing on the flat bar bikes.
I recently treated myself to a new set of wheels from Superstar Components so these were set up & fitted with the remarkably fast & comfortable 35mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres I've been running on the Pickenflick. Totally unnecessary bling, but why not...
View attachment 461321

Now that's eye-catching. I really like that. :wub:
 
Part one of a strip down and upgrade of my faithful old Triban 520 today.

6A2CF296-4C1B-476D-B655-26580FFCFBA0.jpeg


That’s a full R7000 105 Groupset.

9F8DB466-621A-4DF8-AD31-5B3B97B928EF.jpeg


Bars stripped down and Sora Brifters removed.

0A5A0CBA-5ABD-4F03-8331-1B870E600769.jpeg


Everything removed waiting for the refit.

F8E4BF2A-9F6D-4E93-8169-A77557AD184E.jpeg


White Lithium spray grease applied liberally to the frame awaiting the threaded BB and chainset.

I’ve actually fitted all the bits except the front mech. The reason being that the GS was a bargain, but they only had a braze on mech, this bike has a band on mech, so I’ve ordered a band on mech from Wiggle and I’ll keep the braze on as a spare as I’ve got a couple of bikes that will take a braze on mech. Tomorrow I’ll hopefully stick the front mech on, re tape the bars, index everything, adjust the brakes, and give it a test ride.
 
Re-cleaned and re-greased the chain on the Chartres. Adjusted the cleat tension as well.

Also (non-bike fettling) repaired a scratch post that snapped at the base by removing the broken plastic insert and old bolt, tapping in a 12 inch length of ash wood, and securing the two with a nail through the original bolt hole. Then I drilled three holes 120 degrees apart through the base and into the wood, countersunk the holes, and finished the job with three sturdy screws.
 
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