What Have You Fettled Today?

[Ming the Merciless]

I was thinking the other day that I had never seen a broken quick link, and suddenly one pops up here...

PS I thought MY chains were mucky, but that one sets a new standard!

Not so much mucky, as thin layer of rust. Didn’t wipe after last rain outing.

 

[Jameshow]

Installed FSA verso 50/34 chainset much better gearing about 1-1.

 

[Mike_P]

Rear wheel mistakenly fitted with a 11-30 cassette has sat in the bike shed unused for three years so I decided it would be more use with a 11-40 on it as an option when tackling those hilly areas I tend to end up using Shanks's pony. Just swopped. Drop link awaited, posted today, and a new chain to hand.

 

[Fredo76]

Just because the dropout spacing is 126 mm doesn't mean a perfectly good 7-speed wheel will fit.


Nothing that a Dremel won't fix. But don't tell anyone. Let me, instead.


Luckily my wife had some nail polish in a close-enough color. Would I ever have thought of nail polish without the internet?



Now I need to grind down that claw channel nut a bit and/or re-space my axle a bit, or use an external washer even, but I will have a 7-speed wheel in and working soon. Tomorrow will be cold and windy, so a good day for it.

 

[Jameshow]

Just because the dropout spacing is 126 mm doesn't mean a perfectly good 7-speed wheel will fit.

View attachment 684228
Nothing that a Dremel won't fix. But don't tell anyone. Let me, instead.

View attachment 684229
Luckily my wife had some nail polish in a close-enough color. Would I ever have thought of nail polish without the internet?

View attachment 684230

Now I need to grind down that claw channel nut a bit and/or re-space my axle a bit, or use an external washer even, but I will have a 7-speed wheel in and working soon. Tomorrow will be cold and windy, so a good day for it.

Does she have any burnt orange nail polish?!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Tightened up slightly loose headset. Tightened up front wheel bearings. Had a quick look at bearings and grease situation. Looks okay, but I’ll order some new bearings, then clean and repack both wheels with fresh grease after my Easter audax. Lengthened boom (recumbent).

 

[Jameshow]

New tyre day!!

 

[DCLane]

The Peugeot Optimum I've had for about a year has been pulled out and looked at. In January I discovered a stuck right-hand crank, stuck right pedal and broke my puller trying to remove the cross-threaded thing so gave up. It's been a looooong project with no real benefit to date and either I complete this one or it's stripped for parts. Which would be a pity since, despite the frame having some rust issues, everything is original.

I'm not easily defeated so it's had some treatment to attempt a removal of both the crank and broken puller piece. First the chainrings came off and then I attempted drilling the puller - three broken drill bits later I gave that one up.

So the square taper crank was taken off using a sledge hammer. Brutal but effective; it had been resin-glued on which probably explains the stripped crank threads.

Now all I need to do is to remove the metal puller piece; it's taken a hacksaw blade out but I've still an internal lump left to clear OR change the bottom bracket which would be a pity as it's working fine. More drilling needed and that will hopefully sort it so that a spare right-hand crank can go on.

Once the crank is done, with new pedals, I'll work out whether it stays or goes. Unfortunately there's a lot of little rust bubbles and marks all over the 531 frame and forks. Oh, and I'll get a photo or two but this is 'as arrived before new tyres and cables':

 

[Ming the Merciless]

View attachment 684306

View attachment 684307

New tyre day!!

Don’t get them dirty. If you do, scrub with soap and water for 30 mins after your ride.

 

[ColinJ]

My fettling today was more de-fettling!

I have been thinking about buying a dropper post for my MTB but I was looking at the handlebar today and thinking that it was looking a bit crowded so it would be a squeeze to get a dropper control on there in a convenient position.

Then something struck me... I have owned that bike for 22 years but I have never once looked at the gear selection displays! I wondered if it would be easy to remove them?

Answer - YES! 2 minutes later...

I could now fit a dropper control where one of those displays had been.

Unfortunately, the cheapo dropper post that I had been looking at apparently does NOT come small enough for the 27.2 mm diameter of the seat tube on my old steel frame. I'll have to see if I can find another dropper for under £100 that would fit and has external cable routeing...

 

[Jameshow]

E

Don’t get them dirty. If you do, scrub with soap and water for 30 mins after your ride.

Why?!!!

 

[FishFright]

My fettling today was more de-fettling!

I have been thinking about buying a dropper post for my MTB but I was looking at the handlebar today and thinking that it was looking a bit crowded so it would be a squeeze to get a dropper control on there in a convenient position.

Then something struck me... I have owned that bike for 22 years but I have never once looked at the gear selection displays! I wondered if it would be easy to remove them?

Answer - YES! 2 minutes later...

View attachment 684388

I could now fit a dropper control where one of those displays had been.

Unfortunately, the cheapo dropper post that I had been looking at apparently does NOT come small enough for the 27.2 mm diameter of the seat tube on my old steel frame. I'll have to see if I can find another dropper for under £100 that would fit and has external cable routeing...

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/brand-x-ascend-ii-dropper-seatpost/rp-prod159176

I've got one of these in 27.2 size , being external cabled its less tidy but easier to fit.

It works well and made me realise I should have bought one ages ago.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

E

Why?!!!

You’ve got to maintain standards. Dirty tyres will slow you down 2 mph.

 

[Jenkins]

Following yet another puncture on the Ribble ebike, I've removed the Halo GXC tyres after just over 1000 miles and swapped them with the much higher mileage Vittoria Voyager Hypers that were fitted to the Pickenflick as they've been almost immune to flats so far. It turns out that the Mavic wheels on the Ribble came pre-taped for tubeless and I have some tubeless valves that came with another set of wheels, so that may be my next option as all I need is some sealant. Either that or some much more robust tyres such as Continental Contact Urbans.

 

[wafter]

Removed and refitted the seatpost from the Boardman out of fear of galvanic corrosion since it's been in a less-than-ideally-dry shed for the past two years.. thankfully it was all good. I refitted with a very light smear of grease anyway (as I'm too tight to buy proper grip paste).

I also put some air in its shamefully flat tyres, as well as the very depleted items on the Genesis.

Exciting stuff indeed..