What Have You Fettled Today?

[DCLane]

Can't do much at the moment due to an injured finger, but the Vision Trimax Carbon clip-on TT bars arrived at lunch-time. Which weren't carbon fibre, but a carbon wrap over aluminium, despite this being printed on the ski's: trade description failure? They've been put onto the Viner Mitus which is currently on the smart turbo. Hopefully that will help with me having to keep my right-hand index finger above the elbow.

On reflection I could have got son no. 2 to swap the 11-speed cassette on there for a 10-speed and put the TT bike on instead. But he's not here and SWMBO wouldn't be able to do it, so it'll have to do.

 

[november4]

Emergency cellar fettling!

This old house has a cold, damp cellar directly below my living room. There are air bricks in the outside wall of the cellar to ventilate it and keep that damp under control.

It has got so cold now though that I couldn't stand the freezing draught through the house and I couldn't afford to turn the heating up higher to compensate.

Apart from that, with the temperature forecast to drop to -12 C tonight and tomorrow night, I was worried about the water pipes potentially freezing solid down there. I have just been down and blocked off the air flow. It made an instant difference. The temperature has risen by 1 degree in the room above already without turning the heating up.

I will unblock the air bricks in a few days time when this cold spell is over.

We had an old 1920s bungalow like that, noticed when took carpet out and sanded the floorboards. I had to patch small gaps from contraction with sawdust & glue. In warmer weather had large crawlspace to allow insulation under the floor, not expensive to do yourself.
House had no insulation in loft either omg that was instant fix, the previous owners were just burning money with heating bills

 

[november4]

Swapping 2001 kona blasts original tyres & tubes

 

[iandg]

Back home after an 18 month sabbatical commuting across Edinburgh with one of my lads. My 631 Henry Burton Audax/Fast Tourer. Stripped down and cleaned today ready for a rebuild. Looking forward to riding it again

This photo from 2007 (got the frame in summer 2005 so nearly 20 years old). It's only had 1 respray since then.

 

[november4]

looks like western isles?

 

[iandg]

looks like western isles?

Well spotted. On the way to Breascleit, just after you leave Pentland Road, Loch an Tuim in the background. I lived and worked in Stornoway for 21 years.

 

[All uphill]

After riding my old Marin through hub high water at the weekend I'm replacing or servicing all the bearings.

I've ordered bearings and a special tool so I can service the freehub; it was very gritty.

I've also ordered a new square taper bottom bracket. I've gone for a genuine Shimano one this time. The no name ebay one lasted 5 years, about 5,000 miles and use in all weathers, so that's not terrible.

Next job is to clean and regrease the Wellgo pedals. That's what I'm going to do now.

 

[Big John]

I've ordered bearings and a special tool so I can service the freehub; it was very gritty.

Good luck with that. I've done a couple in the past and swore I'd never take one apart again lol. That special tool I guess is to remove the lock ring holding everything together? As a matter of interest where did you find one? When I was doing the job I couldn't find one to buy. I ended up making one out of an old socket from a socket set. I managed it but 1) I discovered I don't have the patience to chase endless ball bearings around the garage floor and 2) I don't have the fingers for messing with miniscule bearings ☹️

 

[All uphill]

Good luck with that. I've done a couple in the past and swore I'd never take one apart again lol. That special tool I guess is to remove the lock ring holding everything together? As a matter of interest where did you find one? When I was doing the job I couldn't find one to buy. I ended up making one out of an old socket from a socket set. I managed it but 1) I discovered I don't have the patience to chase endless ball bearings around the garage floor and 2) I don't have the fingers for messing with miniscule bearings ☹️

Most of the jobs I do are like that. Fortunately I soon forget the agony, wailing and gnashing of teeth and go back to do it again.

There's quite a few tools available on ebay, I've ordered a couple of different models and am aware they may not be high quality.

As for tiny bearings - I'll need 50 and have ordered 72 for £3. Hopefully 50 in the freehub and up to 22 on the garage floor.

 

[All uphill]

Good luck with that. I've done a couple in the past and swore I'd never take one apart again lol. That special tool I guess is to remove the lock ring holding everything together? As a matter of interest where did you find one? When I was doing the job I couldn't find one to buy. I ended up making one out of an old socket from a socket set. I managed it but 1) I discovered I don't have the patience to chase endless ball bearings around the garage floor and 2) I don't have the fingers for messing with miniscule bearings ☹️

Here's a link
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/17618704...NcY9b3MRmy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Big John]

Back home after an 18 month sabbatical commuting across Edinburgh with one of my lads. My 631 Henry Burton Audax/Fast Tourer. Stripped down and cleaned today ready for a rebuild.

Just a bit of history on your Henry Burton bike. Henry started the business donkeys years ago and passed away longer than I can remember but the business continues to this day thanks to his son, John, taking over the reins when his dad died. I rode for many years with John as a fellow member of Stafford Road Club after John retired from road racing. He was a first cat rider and most ex racers, of a certain age (around the 70 to 75 area), will either know him or of him and have a story to tell. His bikes sell extremely well owing to the reputation he's got for producing a quality machine. However, I've never known John produce frames in the 35 years I've known him but all his machines are hand built with frames bought from third party frame builders. He can still be found in his shop and I can't ever see him retiring. He doesn't ride now and I only see him when I pop in for a chat while the wife's shopping. If you're ever in the area he's well worth a visit. Ask him about his racing days and be sure you've nowhere to go any time soon because you could being there a long time 😄

 

[Ming the Merciless]

After riding my old Marin through hub high water at the weekend

I’ve learnt my lesson with such escapades

 

[ColinJ]

I lubed and cleaned the chain on my 6-speed bike today. I noticed something...

So, first I had shortened a new chain too much...

I have always sized chains by 'big-to-big plus a pair of links' so I did that again. Too short! I hadn't factored in that it is a 1x transmission. The technique mentioned is to ensure safety if a rider accidentally selects biggest ring and biggest sprocket, not to make that combination good to ride. The rear mech was horribly extended. On a 1x all gear ratios should work cleanly.

Which meant that...

I had to patch a length of the discarded bit of chain back in! Yes, that means 2 quick links in the chain. No, I don't believe that to be a problem - I don’t remember ever having a QL fail. For the 1x, big-to-big plus 3 pairs of links seems about right.

3 pairs of links, or 6 links, right?

So, what second-level brainfart had tricked me into reinserting 6 pairs of links, producing a chain that was much longer than necessary!!

It has taken me months to notice! It did work, but the derailleur was having to wrap the chain round much more extreme angles than it should.

I have shortened the chain by 3 pairs of links. It looks better now, and is a bit quieter.

 

[iandg]

Just a bit of history on your Henry Burton bike. Henry started the business donkeys years ago and passed away longer than I can remember but the business continues to this day thanks to his son, John, taking over the reins when his dad died. I rode for many years with John as a fellow member of Stafford Road Club after John retired from road racing. He was a first cat rider and most ex racers, of a certain age (around the 70 to 75 area), will either know him or of him and have a story to tell. His bikes sell extremely well owing to the reputation he's got for producing a quality machine. However, I've never known John produce frames in the 35 years I've known him but all his machines are hand built with frames bought from third party frame builders. He can still be found in his shop and I can't ever see him retiring. He doesn't ride now and I only see him when I pop in for a chat while the wife's shopping. If you're ever in the area he's well worth a visit. Ask him about his racing days and be sure you've nowhere to go any time soon because you could being there a long time 😄

Hi, John,

A bit of history about me (and John) - Yes, you're correct, AFAIK John's never been a frame builder and I know that no frames have been built in the shop in the 50 years I've known him (John Bunn and Charlie Betteley made some custom frames for John in the 70s as"Lynx" Cycles) and the majority of the frames he sells are external builder off the peg frames and badged as HB. The frame is an Aravis, which I believe is the same as the Byers Cycles Audax and Hewitt Chiltern(?) that were selling at the same time, brought in unfinished and sprayed to a colour of your choice (unless you wanted red or blue. I travelled from Stornoway to Stafford to collect the frame.

I worked in the shop for John on and off between 1978 and 1984 (with Richard, who's still there, Paul Sydenham, John Bunn............) and I'm old enough to have ridden with Henry and Joyce and be served by them, as a customer, in the Mill St shop

John was also a mentor/coach to me from 1979 through to 1981 and through his help I got road race wins, became a 1st cat and made it into the last 8 in the National Pursuit and on to the National Pursuit Squad in 1981. As you say, he was a good roadman, I've ridden road races with him, 2 up time-trials and partnered him in madisons.

I left VC Europa in 1979 and, having to "hand back" my Raleigh frames to the club, John got Charlie Betteley (Henry's original frame builder) to build a "Henry Burton" for me which I raced on from 1980 to 1984 -

My rebadged Colnago

My Charlie built HB

With John when passing through Stafford on LEJOG 2024

PS. Next time you're in the shop ask him about Ian Gilbert

Oh, I still have some Stafford Road Club schoolboy/junior TT records that have survived from the 1970s (I left to Join VC Europa 1977)

http://www.staffordrc.org/time-trials/records/

 

[EckyH]

When the Brother Allday frame came I wondered why they include an additional pair of cantilever studs and why are the studs on the fork silver and not black like the ones on the seat stays.

Since today I know.

Prophylactically I tried to unscrew the studs on the fork with the usual 9mm spanner and noted that they aren't 9mm but notably smaller. Fortunately I've got an adjustable spanner. In 12". It took a fair amount of cautious force to get the studs off. To make things worse, the material of these studs is fairly soft and sensible. To make things even worse, the stud were screwed in with very concrete solid tough hard screw lock stuff, but seemingly completely without fitting lubricant. Eventually I've persuaded them to come out without breaking or doing some harm to other parts. The studs on the seat stays have much less screw lock, fit very good to the 9mm spanner, seemingly are made of better steel - and they came off like I expected it. But they were screwed in without any fitting lubricant as well. The additional studs seemingly are in the same quality category as the rear ones. Now all four studs are screwed in properly. With fitting lubricant.
That took over an hour, but it was more important for me to work very carefully than to work quickly.

Finally I could install the Campagnolo Veloce mini V brakes.

E.