What Have You Fettled Today?

[GeekDadZoid]

I was told very firmly at work that I should never use tyre levers for fitting tyres, so I learned to use thumbs (most of the time).

Is this because of the fear of scratching/damaging the rims? Or catching the tube and causing another puncture? Or some other reason?

With tyres narrower than 35mm on 26 inch plus wheels I usually use a tyre lever to pop the last bit on, larger than that I can normally go commando. Brompton wheels and Marathons need a lever and I have some metal ones for the really tough jobs.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Is this because of the fear of scratching/damaging the rims? Or catching the tube and causing another puncture? Or some other reason?

With tyres narrower than 35mm on 26 inch plus wheels I usually use a tyre lever to pop the last bit on, larger than that I can normally go commando. Brompton wheels and Marathons need a lever and I have some metal ones for the really tough jobs.

My boss at the time was convinced tyre levers caused snakebite punctures from the levers.

This week I fitted some 20" Schwalbe tyres and 26"marathons with my thumb. However, this hardly means that it's necessary for other people to try if you don't have trouble with snakebite punctures, I just learned it because my the person funding my pay check insisted on it.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

My boss at the time was convinced tyre levers caused snakebite punctures from the levers. This week I fitted some 20" Schwalbe tyres and 26"marathons with my thumb. However, this hardly means that it's necessary for other people to try if you don't have trouble with snakebite punctures, I just learned it because my the person funding my pay check insisted on it.

Unless you have levers both sides you’d have to try very hard to cause a snake bite.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Unless you have levers both sides you’d have to try very hard to cause a snake bite.

Possibly; of course I never found out...

 

[DCBassman]

Nothing. Won't stop raining, despite the forecast...

 

[GeekDadZoid]

Nothing. Won't stop raining, despite the forecast...

I know so annoying I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.

 

[DCBassman]

I know so annoying I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.

Sod's law...

 

[Andy in Germany]

I know so annoying I managed to start washing my Super Galaxy but the rain started. Annoyingly spent the whole morning helping someone move house in the warm dry weather.

So it's your fault: everyone knows washing bicycles causes rain.

 

[ColinJ]

I finally managed to persuade the post office that they DID have a parcel for me (it had got left in the wrong place and overlooked when I went in the first time)! It contained a skinny rear rack for my 2-speed bike. I didn't want a big chunky thing on the bike, but I was fed up of carrying a rucksack full of shopping back from the shops on my bike, and also wearing a backpack in hot weather.

It is a Tortec Velocity rear rack. When I spotted it on ebay, I really liked its small size (and corresponding low weight).

Anyway, I fitted it this evening. It is really solid and I am confident that it will carry anything that I want to carry. My cheapo Lidl panniers might need replacing with better ones, but I'll see after doing a few shopping trips.

Because of the positions of the mounting holes and the size and shape of the bike frame, it wasn't possible to get the rack absolutely level. It isn't so bad that it is triggering OCD in me, but it may do in time! I could fix it by filing the rack stays down a bit and drilling 2 new mounting holes in the top of the rack but for now I won't bother.

Side view:

Top view (ooh - SKINNY!):

The mounting rods attaching the rack below the saddle were very long, to allow for different sizes and shapes of bikes. The ends of them were practically rubbing on the rear tyre so I took them off and shortened them by sawing 10 cm off each of them.

I have a cunning plan to make a removable rear mudguard to attach to the top of the rack. A kind of Ass-guard on steroids!

 

[Juan Kog]

@ColinJ . That rack is not level , it looks terrible. You must sort it out . .

[EDIT] 🤔 Maybe let some air out of the front tyre , that will level the Rack up.

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ . That rack is not level , it looks terrible. You must sort it out . .

[EDIT] 🤔 Maybe let some air out of the front tyre , that will level the Rack up.

A mate has just been round. He spotted the rack straight away and said that it looks really good, except for the fact that...





... IT ISN'T LEVEL!!!!!!

I have loosened and retightened a couple of bolts because I spotted in the photos that something wasn't quite right. (I had tightened them in the wrong sequence so one part was fixed slightly out of position.)

I have a calculation to do. I have taken some measurements and the rear of the rack is about 1.4 cm lower than the front. I could drill some new mounting holes in the top of the rack about 1 cm nearer the rear of the rack. Using the new holes would pull the top of the rack forward 1 cm. I need to work out how much that would level the rack by to see if it is worth doing.

I just attached one pannier and put about 7 kg of weight in it. (11 approx. 400 g cans of food plus a 2.3 L bottle of water.) That is definitely too much to put on just one side of the bike because it kept trying to topple over in my kitchen. I will use both panniers for trips to the shops if I am buying a lot of shopping. TBH though, I think I will just start shopping more frequently and buying less on each trip.

I don't know how touring cyclists carry as much as they do!

Two other issues...

1. I had seen a review of the rack saying that the owner found that sometimes the panniers could contact the spokes of their rear wheel when riding over bumpy roads. I checked and that is definitely a potential issue with the cheap panniers and heavy loads. Better panniers probably wouldn't twist about so much? The fundamental problem is that the minimalist rack doesn't offer as much support as a chunkier one. I will find a way round the problem. I don't think I would have a problem when only carrying a light load such as my tools, spares, phone, wallet and a spare water bottle.
2. I haven't actually ridden the bike with a pannier on but I can see that I would definitely get heel strikes on the front of each pannier unless they are pushed back as far as they will go on the rack. I just hope that will be far enough back.

 

[13 rider]

Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way

 

[ColinJ]

Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way

Remember it the way that I do...?

'The R side is RIGHT; the L side is WRONG!'

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Changed pedals from SPD to SPD. L on the TCR a bit of brute force was used . Why is still hard to get your head round the thread direction on the non drive side . I always doubt I'm turning it the correct way

I can never remember which way and have to look it up.

 

[13 rider]

I can never remember which way and have to look it up.

Because I was having to force it I kept questioning the direction I was trying to turn it even though I was pretty certain I was doing it correctly