Punkawallah
Über Member
There are two words that terrify me in the English language, 'just' and 'only'. As in 'it will just be a ten minute job', or 'it will only take half a day'.
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What Have You Fettled Today?
- Thread starter threebikesmcginty
- Start date
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There are two words that terrify me in the English language, 'just' and 'only'. As in 'it will just be a ten minute job', or 'it will only take half a day'.
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
The post tour tandem fettling continues apace* - basically now doing all the things we did before the tour on the original tandem again on the new to us one.
Yesterday took everything off the old tandem; today was crank and BB greasing on the new one. (a) because it should be done and (b) in the probably forlorn hope of solving a couple of the creaks that have manifested themselves.
Naturally it all took far longer than it should have.
Without going into gory details, ended up taking forever to get crank puller to engage in one of the three, finally got cranks off, decided to replace with the old ones whose threads are in good nick for the future, swapped over timing chainrings on those, found dampness and rust down to eccentric BB (who knows from where) so poured WD40 down seat tube, cleaned and greased everything.
Next up: swap handlebars, replace all cable inners and outers (new inners and compressionless outers have just arrived). Should be about a 10 minute job I reckon.👍
* i.e. a very slow pace
Yesterday took everything off the old tandem; today was crank and BB greasing on the new one. (a) because it should be done and (b) in the probably forlorn hope of solving a couple of the creaks that have manifested themselves.
Naturally it all took far longer than it should have.
Without going into gory details, ended up taking forever to get crank puller to engage in one of the three, finally got cranks off, decided to replace with the old ones whose threads are in good nick for the future, swapped over timing chainrings on those, found dampness and rust down to eccentric BB (who knows from where) so poured WD40 down seat tube, cleaned and greased everything.
Next up: swap handlebars, replace all cable inners and outers (new inners and compressionless outers have just arrived). Should be about a 10 minute job I reckon.👍
* i.e. a very slow pace
Punkawallah
Über Member
So, spoke replaced, will true up the wheel when it goes on the bike. Freewheel scrubbed, stripped (hammer and punch needed to free the lock ring), cleaned, re-greased, re-assembled ready for fitting to the wheel. Wheel rim and spoke nuts rubbed down with fine wire wool to remove rust stains from around the spoke holes, finished off with T-Cut and washed down. Spoke nuts treated to a drop of Plus Gas inside and out - fingers crossed I won’t break another spoke when trueing the wheel.
I've had an issue with the headset creaking on one of my bikes for a while. It's a Boardman hybrid which I bought second hand, semi-complete, a couple of years ago and converted to a drop bar gravel (ish) bike.
I've never been able to get the preload right. It went from play to binding with seemingly no sweet spot in between, no matter how tiny the adjustment on the top cap was. I tried a different top cap, moved the spacers round, put in a new expander bung, everything I could think of. It was driving me bonkers.
Earlier this week I'd been trying and failing again to sort it, and I was sitting there looking at it when suddenly I had a thought - "that doesn't look like the right top cover". (The one that goes over the upper bearing) There's always been a bigger gap than I would have expected/liked between the top cover and the headtube but it's only just dawned on me what the issue was. The rogue cover had different ridges on the inside and wasn't sitting right. The bike would have come with FSA bits from new but this was just an unbranded one, and was wider at its base than the headtube so it, literally, stuck out. I don't know why it took me so long to cotton on.
I sent for a new bearing, compression ring, thin spacer and top cover set up - thought if I get them all then I know they're all going to fit together. It's not the same bearing part number as the previous one but it's the right size and the right chamfer, and it fits perfectly. I put it all back together and preloaded it perfectly first time. The top cover looks so much better than the old one too.
Result
I've never been able to get the preload right. It went from play to binding with seemingly no sweet spot in between, no matter how tiny the adjustment on the top cap was. I tried a different top cap, moved the spacers round, put in a new expander bung, everything I could think of. It was driving me bonkers.
Earlier this week I'd been trying and failing again to sort it, and I was sitting there looking at it when suddenly I had a thought - "that doesn't look like the right top cover". (The one that goes over the upper bearing) There's always been a bigger gap than I would have expected/liked between the top cover and the headtube but it's only just dawned on me what the issue was. The rogue cover had different ridges on the inside and wasn't sitting right. The bike would have come with FSA bits from new but this was just an unbranded one, and was wider at its base than the headtube so it, literally, stuck out. I don't know why it took me so long to cotton on.
I sent for a new bearing, compression ring, thin spacer and top cover set up - thought if I get them all then I know they're all going to fit together. It's not the same bearing part number as the previous one but it's the right size and the right chamfer, and it fits perfectly. I put it all back together and preloaded it perfectly first time. The top cover looks so much better than the old one too.
Result
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EckyH
Senior Member
- Location
- Nottuln, North Rhine-Westphalia
Cleaned the wheels for the 1x1, installed the brakes, cables, pedals, chain and saddle; adjusted head set and brakes and went off on a test ride.
E.
E.
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
Tandem fettle nearly complete: Took about 20 minutes*
Bars swapped, new bar tape, pedals fitted, all cables inner and outer renewed, new cassette and chain, gears and brakes set up (B screw found bent, had to swap), thudbuster fitted with shim to match new frame, saddle fitted to thudbuster.
* an outrageous lie, obviously
Then got the nice bike down to compare sizing, wanted to judge if a stem with some uplift would help. And found the sodding thing had a puncture!! Spent forever looking for then failing to extract the sharp that caused it, got the bugger in the end though.
Bars swapped, new bar tape, pedals fitted, all cables inner and outer renewed, new cassette and chain, gears and brakes set up (B screw found bent, had to swap), thudbuster fitted with shim to match new frame, saddle fitted to thudbuster.
* an outrageous lie, obviously
Then got the nice bike down to compare sizing, wanted to judge if a stem with some uplift would help. And found the sodding thing had a puncture!! Spent forever looking for then failing to extract the sharp that caused it, got the bugger in the end though.
EckyH
Senior Member
- Location
- Nottuln, North Rhine-Westphalia
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
...and a couple of hours...
E.
A "couple" of hours, yes...
Punkawallah
Über Member
Rear wheel hub serviced, after carving out the bearings from the old grease. Spokes and hub outer cleaned with paper towel and WD40. Spare rubber rim tape replaces torn fabric tape. Rust scrubbed off from skewer with 3-in-1 and wire wool (chrome blown, so it's not coming back} and wheel re-assembled and fitted.
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Over the weekend I've set up the Tacx Flux T2900 turbo trainer I bought this week, converting it back from thru-axle to QR and putting an 11-speed cassette on rather than the 10-speed it came with. All done and now working with my Merida Scultura bike that lives on the turbo.
The NeilPryde Nazaré also got a new KMC X11-EL chain plus front derailleur adjustment and it should be ready for winter storage soon.
Finally, I've finished the Raleigh SBDU bike, adding cables and a 10-speed KMC X10-EL chain plus the American Classic carbon/aluminium wheels from my Ridgeback Platinum. Apologies to the purists but we've gone 10 or 11 speed with every road/cyclocross bike this year and it's meant streamlining parts with the build cost covered by selling unwanted items. The chain may need a link removing but I'll do that after a proper test ride. A Raleigh micro saddle bag's en route as well.
The NeilPryde Nazaré also got a new KMC X11-EL chain plus front derailleur adjustment and it should be ready for winter storage soon.
Finally, I've finished the Raleigh SBDU bike, adding cables and a 10-speed KMC X10-EL chain plus the American Classic carbon/aluminium wheels from my Ridgeback Platinum. Apologies to the purists but we've gone 10 or 11 speed with every road/cyclocross bike this year and it's meant streamlining parts with the build cost covered by selling unwanted items. The chain may need a link removing but I'll do that after a proper test ride. A Raleigh micro saddle bag's en route as well.
sevenfourate
Devotee of OCD
- Location
- Lowestoft, Suffolk
Stole back / swapped the pedals from the boys bike I was using as a beater: onto the new beater.
Cleaned the factory grease off the chain and re-lubed with Bananaslip Tungsten….. which looks to get fair reviews:
Rechecked every nut / bolt - after initial Halfords build / initial test ride. And found one rear brake Caliper bolt completely loose 🙄
Slightly adjusted seat angle. And ordered a proper Cat-eye front light…..
Cleaned the factory grease off the chain and re-lubed with Bananaslip Tungsten….. which looks to get fair reviews:
Rechecked every nut / bolt - after initial Halfords build / initial test ride. And found one rear brake Caliper bolt completely loose 🙄
Slightly adjusted seat angle. And ordered a proper Cat-eye front light…..
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
The winter bike was having shifting issues yesterday , although the chain length is ok when im in the 2 easiest gears in the big ring its as if the RD cage is rubbing on the gears so im going to check the b screw .When i dropped to the small ring the chain jumped off the cassette and went into the spoke even though the L stop is set, its like the mech didnt take the slack up quick enough .
slow horse
Well-Known Member
Haven't had to fettle anything in ages - it's all been running smoothly. Not sure how long this can last.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
You've ruined it now...
FrankCrank
Old layabout
Puncture repair time
This one been sat for a few weeks now, too lazy to fix. Bit more fiddley when it's a hub gear/coaster combo.
Also, needs additional support in the stand, tad unstable once the rear wheel is removed.
Doubt I'd attempt a repair out on a ride, easier to ring Mrs Crank to come fetch.
This one been sat for a few weeks now, too lazy to fix. Bit more fiddley when it's a hub gear/coaster combo.
Also, needs additional support in the stand, tad unstable once the rear wheel is removed.
Doubt I'd attempt a repair out on a ride, easier to ring Mrs Crank to come fetch.
