Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
The Excel is the sort of bike people donate and say things like "it's in excellent condition, just needs a bit of adjustment"
Nice workshop, by the way.
What Have You Fettled Today?
- Thread starter threebikesmcginty
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
The Excel is the sort of bike people donate and say things like "it's in excellent condition, just needs a bit of adjustment"
Nice workshop, by the way.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
When you clean/service your bike and take it out for a ride, I'm sure it's twice as likely to rain!
Exactly right.
The Broam got sticker bombed today. Sadly no time to test ride it and get some decent photos.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
CX bike was 'filthy' from four days bike packing and camping on the King Alfred Way. I removed the cassette and chain and degreased them, removed the chainset to clean it and grease the BB and then cleaned and re-greased the jockey wheels.
Cleaning the frame and wheels was a hell of a task as we'd become bogged down in chalk on day one (literally couldn't push the bikes) and this set pretty hard over the four days being topped up with yet more claggy mud. I've spent the best part of the day getting all the muck out of all the components.
Great ride though, very hard with all the gear on a CX bike and lots of slippy mud and chalk.
Cleaning the frame and wheels was a hell of a task as we'd become bogged down in chalk on day one (literally couldn't push the bikes) and this set pretty hard over the four days being topped up with yet more claggy mud. I've spent the best part of the day getting all the muck out of all the components.
Great ride though, very hard with all the gear on a CX bike and lots of slippy mud and chalk.
fritz katzenjammer
Der Ubergrosserbudgie
New bars for the Centurion. The originals were a bit bent and only 360mm wide, the new Nittos are 460mm wide and so much more comfortable.
Gwylan
Veteran
- Location
- All at sea⛵
Well, big wash to get rid of the salt from the channel crossing.
Then debate about tyre pressure and the future of mankind. The book talks about huge pressures that deny any comfort.
Minor empirical approach going on now.
Then the doctor. He assured me that my liver and kidneys are in good condition, considering.
Considering?
Considering how much I drink, or my age?
Reassured that I have enough time left I continued fettling
That was reinstalling my rear view camera. Different app on the phone and performance considerably improved.
Then there's the shower to sort out.
Then debate about tyre pressure and the future of mankind. The book talks about huge pressures that deny any comfort.
Minor empirical approach going on now.
Then the doctor. He assured me that my liver and kidneys are in good condition, considering.
Considering?
Considering how much I drink, or my age?
Reassured that I have enough time left I continued fettling
That was reinstalling my rear view camera. Different app on the phone and performance considerably improved.
Then there's the shower to sort out.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
A bit of de personalisation of one of my bikes ie change out saddle, pedals and associated bits
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Recently my 1955 Carlton's been paused (trying to understand 1935-55 Benelux gearing) along with the Dawes Kingpin project (need a vice and big band saw) I've been working on the 1991 Raleigh SBDU. Photos of that and an update to follow in the next few days.
Also I've had a look over the Harry Perry I bought last month which had just a few issues. Credit to the professional mechanic I bought it from for keeping the bike going, although there were a few issues.
The minor jobs that have been done are:
- New bar tape as the old red tape was unpleasant. That was under the brake brackets so those needed to come off.
- New rear tube as it didn't hold air.
- Old damaged Selle Italia Rolls saddle replaced with a Selle Italia Lookin one. The old Rolls saddle is on eBay.
- New top tube cable clamps bought and fitted to replace the black zip ties.
- Gears and cables adjusted with clamps.
- Replacement brake pads.
- Used Conti GP5000 tyres since the Schwalbe Lugano's on the Harry Perry had '1004' on, which I'm guessing is week 10 in 2004 and were cracked.
- Shimano Ultegra 6600 pedals added to replace the old caged ones.
Metal polishing still to be done, but otherwise it's looking decent enough.
Also I've had a look over the Harry Perry I bought last month which had just a few issues. Credit to the professional mechanic I bought it from for keeping the bike going, although there were a few issues.
The minor jobs that have been done are:
- New bar tape as the old red tape was unpleasant. That was under the brake brackets so those needed to come off.
- New rear tube as it didn't hold air.
- Old damaged Selle Italia Rolls saddle replaced with a Selle Italia Lookin one. The old Rolls saddle is on eBay.
- New top tube cable clamps bought and fitted to replace the black zip ties.
- Gears and cables adjusted with clamps.
- Replacement brake pads.
- Used Conti GP5000 tyres since the Schwalbe Lugano's on the Harry Perry had '1004' on, which I'm guessing is week 10 in 2004 and were cracked.
- Shimano Ultegra 6600 pedals added to replace the old caged ones.
Metal polishing still to be done, but otherwise it's looking decent enough.
Last edited:
EckyH
Senior Member
- Location
- Nottuln, North Rhine-Westphalia
Finished the new second hand bike.
It's a single speed Ridley X-Ride: aligned the derailleur hanger, installed and adjusted the brakes, put bar tape on, attached bottle cages and pump holder - and probably the test ride doesn't count as "fettling".
E.
It's a single speed Ridley X-Ride: aligned the derailleur hanger, installed and adjusted the brakes, put bar tape on, attached bottle cages and pump holder - and probably the test ride doesn't count as "fettling".
E.
It's taken me all week, but finally got the new bike build done, today's task was fitting the mudguards. Nice and easy.
There have been a number of issues all week, mostly me realising that the clear out I had before we moved a couple of years ago has left me without a lot of the little bolts and adapters I'd been hoarding, so I've had to order a few new odds and ends as well as new brake pads and some bottle cages and a new cassette after I'd put a new chain on I realised the old cassette was far past its best.
Still finally set up and took it for a quick run out to the LBS to pick up a parcel that's not for me. Brakes working well, shifting as smooth as it can be with a pair of STIs which took a battering on my old commuter bike. It's set up to run 9 speed Sora R3000 with a mix of TRP Hy/Rd on the front and a Spyre on the rear. Full length mudguards with mudflaps to round it out.
Not quite as nice a ride as my other Kinesis, but that's very definitely a nice weather bike.
Edit to add: I forgot to clean the groupset after I took it off my Felt a few years ago, it's been boxed up and ignored during that time, I spent more time cleaning and regreasing them and replacing jockey wheels when I realised they were cooked than I did actually assembling the bike. I also had to drain, flush out and then clean and do a full bleed on the Hy/Rd as it was also not working properly.
There have been a number of issues all week, mostly me realising that the clear out I had before we moved a couple of years ago has left me without a lot of the little bolts and adapters I'd been hoarding, so I've had to order a few new odds and ends as well as new brake pads and some bottle cages and a new cassette after I'd put a new chain on I realised the old cassette was far past its best.
Still finally set up and took it for a quick run out to the LBS to pick up a parcel that's not for me. Brakes working well, shifting as smooth as it can be with a pair of STIs which took a battering on my old commuter bike. It's set up to run 9 speed Sora R3000 with a mix of TRP Hy/Rd on the front and a Spyre on the rear. Full length mudguards with mudflaps to round it out.
Not quite as nice a ride as my other Kinesis, but that's very definitely a nice weather bike.
Edit to add: I forgot to clean the groupset after I took it off my Felt a few years ago, it's been boxed up and ignored during that time, I spent more time cleaning and regreasing them and replacing jockey wheels when I realised they were cooked than I did actually assembling the bike. I also had to drain, flush out and then clean and do a full bleed on the Hy/Rd as it was also not working properly.
EckyH
Senior Member
- Location
- Nottuln, North Rhine-Westphalia
The Sora R3000 gearing is on my commuter, too. Riding it "seriously" for over a year now and the only two things I can tell about the performance of the derailleurs and the STIs are "good" and "reliable".
The shape of the STIs (too long for me4 on the topside, not enough space for three fingers behind the levers on the underside) isn't my cup of tea, but that's not a quality issue.
E.
Yeah reliable is the word I'd use, already put around 30k km on that group set and it still works, the sti for the rear has a little wear now so the small lever needs pushing ever so slightly forward when shifting.
I find the hoods a good shape, but then I have gorilla hands.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
On Thursday, in anticipation of nice weekend weather, I took the chain of the CGR, checked the bike over, gave it a clean and lubricated the jockey wheels. I wiped down the chains with methylated spirit and dried them off, before dropping them all in the crock pot for fresh wax.
On Friday I took the Felt Broam for it's shake down ride. And duly forgot to stop and take some photos🤦♂️. Although the shifting was fine on the workstand, it looks like that with some kilometres down it needs a tweak. Probably a half turn of a barrel adjuster. Otherwise, the bike performed perfectly. Absolute world apart from both the bikes it replaced for comfort.
On Friday I took the Felt Broam for it's shake down ride. And duly forgot to stop and take some photos🤦♂️. Although the shifting was fine on the workstand, it looks like that with some kilometres down it needs a tweak. Probably a half turn of a barrel adjuster. Otherwise, the bike performed perfectly. Absolute world apart from both the bikes it replaced for comfort.
Witzend
Active Member
Now THAT is a rear mudguard...
Get some caps on those stays - you WILL snag something sooner or later (shorts/skin etc.).
Vantage
Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
- Location
- Behind everyone else, Bolton
I didn't get along with the bike being non powered coz I'm a big girly wuss so I've reconverted it back to an ebike.
I discovered I'd fitted the cranks on back to front... or left to right in this case... and now the pedals have been royally seized on. New cranks on the way at which point I'll have to chop the pedals off... again. I never learn.
I discovered I'd fitted the cranks on back to front... or left to right in this case... and now the pedals have been royally seized on. New cranks on the way at which point I'll have to chop the pedals off... again. I never learn.
