What Have You Fettled Today?

[fritz katzenjammer]

The throne got a bit creaky, so I spray waxed the front spring a bit and tensioned the seat as its finally breaking in.

That was a bit much so I’ll be settling down for a beer after a quick test ride.

 

[C R]

Oiled the chains of both the road bike and the commuter, and adjusted the brakes of the commuter. I need to change shifter cables in the road bike before they break inside the shifter, but run out of time today.

 

[wafter]

The throne got a bit creaky, so I spray waxed the front spring a bit and tensioned the seat as its finally breaking in.

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That was a bit much so I’ll be settling down for a beer after a quick test ride.

It says "Genuine Leather" - is it actually genuine leather...?

 

[biggs682]

Tightened up the front guard stays before setting off in my ride this morning

 

[Mike_P]

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New tyre day!!

Just fitted one of those to the 11-40 equipped spare wheel. Had two to fit to the road bike at some point, suppose I need to order some more now.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

It says "Genuine Leather" - is it actually genuine leather...?

Yes its leather, the brown colour does give it an odd plasticky look which you don’t get with the other colours. I have Brooks saddles on several bikes, once they’ve broken in they are very comfortable and are supposed to last a long time if cared for properly. The down side is that you have to get used to seat maintenance and you can’t leave them out in the rain.

Someone bought their commuter bike into our shop for service last year and it had the most neglected and weathered Brooks I’d ever seen. I did my best to help it out a bit but one really wonders why someone would spend the extra money for a leather saddle and then just let it go like that. Mind you, the whole bike looked like it had been through a meat grinder so...

 

[Elybazza61]

Cleaned the All-City after a lot of use since January and removed worn chain plus cassette and rear mech to be cleaned at work tomorrow.

Looking at putting it all back together Monday as the forecast is for rain and if I get time to re-route dynamo cable through rear rack tubing.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Bit of TLC on the commuters.

Following a thorough cleaning it was.a new chain and rear derailleur tweak on my wife’s bike and a thorough clean and relube on mine.

 

[wafter]

Yes its leather, the brown colour does give it an odd plasticky look which you don’t get with the other colours. I have Brooks saddles on several bikes, once they’ve broken in they are very comfortable and are supposed to last a long time if cared for properly. The down side is that you have to get used to seat maintenance and you can’t leave them out in the rain.

Someone bought their commuter bike into our shop for service last year and it had the most neglected and weathered Brooks I’d ever seen. I did my best to help it out a bit but one really wonders why someone would spend the extra money for a leather saddle and then just let it go like that. Mind you, the whole bike looked like it had been through a meat grinder so...

Thanks and yes - I'd have sworn that was plastic if I didn't know otherwise... at least the branding's not incorrect

That's a shame about the example you had in the shop; but sadly some people just don't seem willing or able to look after stuff.. yet another sad indictment of our disposible / consumptive society IMO - nobody recognises the intrinsic worth of stuff if they can afford to replace it with their made-up ponzi money..

I like the idea and to an extent aesthetic of Brookes saddles, however I didn't get on with the Flyer that came with my Fuji - not enough layback adjustment and it'd started to crack around one of the rivets so I moved it on and replaced it with something less exciting / more modern.

I think they're a great addition to an old skool bike (and great on anything if you get on with them and are happy to do the maintenance) however I don't think I'll ever be in a position to use one on a regular basis..

 

[chriswoody]

Today was finishing off some work I started last week on the Tern. With Easter break it's about time the Tern was taken off the road and treated to some much needed deep maintenance.

I stripped, cleaned and re-greased the rear coaster brake hub. Replaced the rear cog and chain. Replaced the bottom bracket which was badly worn, stripped and cleaned the chainwheel. Stripped, cleaned and adjusted the bearings in the front hub. So it's all back together now and looking shiny, though that won't last long.

what I love about this bike is how cheap it is to run, the Chain, Sprocket and Bottom Bracket came to a grand total of €20, they should last me a couple of years of commuting as well.

 

[ColinJ]

I have been getting creaking noises from my singlespeed bike again. This has happened several times before and it has often taken a lot of effort to track down the cause. This time, I suspect that the serrated washers under the clamp bolts might be to blame. The bike is pretty quiet if I ride standing up or if I ride sitting on the nose of the saddle. If I sit further back in my normal position then the creaking starts and continues with practically every pedal stroke.

I got home from a creaky ride this afternoon and had a close look at the saddle clamp on the seatpost. The aforementioned washers have serrations across them which are clearly designed to grip the body of the clamp. I think that the serrations should be aligned left-right on the bike but they were actually aligned front-back. I don't think that the serrations would resist micro-movements of the clamp when aligned like that?

Anyway... I loosened the clamp, rotated each washer through 90 degrees, and then retightened the clamp. I will try to do a test ride tomorrow to see if the noise has stopped. I hope that it has - I have a 100 km forum ride planned for that bike on April 15th and I couldn't stand listening to that noise all the way round!

 

[ColinJ]

I just had a thought... The seatpost clamp bolts had got a bit corroded at one time so I loosened them, lubed them, and then did them back up. The lube has since leaked out onto the clamp surfaces. That would tend to encourage the micro-movements that must be creating the annoying creaks. Maybe I should disassemble the clamp and degrease all its points of contact?

I will do the test ride as things stand now. If the creaks are still happening I'll get the degreaser to work!

 

[FishFright]

Swapped the original huge tyres from the BMX cruiser to Schwalbe Table Top's at a mere 2.25" They made a lot more difference than I'd thought , more agile, quicker and easier to turn when in the air*

*not a lot of air !

 

[wafter]

I just had a thought... The seatpost clamp bolts had got a bit corroded at one time so I loosened them, lubed them, and then did them back up. The lube has since leaked out onto the clamp surfaces. That would tend to encourage the micro-movements that must be creating the annoying creaks. Maybe I should disassemble the clamp and degrease all its points of contact?

I will do the test ride as things stand now. If the creaks are still happening I'll get the degreaser to work!

On the contrary, I'd expect lube to quieten creaks - was certainly the case with my old cracked frame as applying oil or water to the crack shut it right up. Same with my old Brookes saddle with bits rubbing against each other. Plus, you'll always want some grease / lube on the seat tube to stop it seizing, and it could well be that it's creaking here because it's dry.

What's the frame material? You might want to check for cracks; mine gave the symptoms you describe and turned out to be a crack at the welded top tube / seatpost tube junction. Failing that it's a case of looking at every area in this vicinity where you have parts clamped together / touching..

 

[geocycle]

I have a love hate relationship with tubeless, I want to like them but it’s been ‘an education‘.

I have been stretching a new Schwalbe pro one TL with a tube for a few days so went in to battle with it on this wet day. With the wheel horizontal, I carefully removed the upper bead and the inner tube. Next some soap around the tyrebead and put the valve stem in place without its core. Then it was a case of carefully coaxing the second bead onto the rim while horizontal, without touching the one already in place. Finally I gave it a blast from the airshot and was amazed it popped on first time! Carefully unscrewed the pump and inserted the valve core before pumping to pressure. I thenput the wheel on the bike, deflated tyre, removed valve core and added 40 ml of sealant. Lots of ominous pops, but when I started pumping it held fine.

The front tyre just needed the sealant topping up. I replaced the valve core as it had gummed up and all inflated fine. Will take it for a short ride when the rain stops but a satisfying morning.