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Today's satisfactory bicycle maintenance

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Started 6 years ago by Greenroofer
Latest reply from Arellcat

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Greenroofer
Member
I'm sure there must be a thread for this already, but couldn't find one...

A satisfactory afternoon in the bike shed has achieved the following
- Studded tyres wrestled off Brompton and not-studded ones put on
- Brompton chain cleaned and lubed
- Studded tyres wrestled (less forcefully) off commuter bike and not-studded ones put on
- Commuter bike chain cleaned of embarrassing rust spots and lubed
- Big bell moved from commuter bike to Elephant Bike and vice versa (the big gold bell looks better on the EB)
- Seatpost QR on Elephant Bike disassembled, cleaned and appropriately lubed. Now it's smooooth.
- Headset on road bike disassembled, cleaned and reassembled with the right preload on the stem (so isn't notchy any more)
Mini-Greenroofer kept me company some of the time. She did the swapping of bells. She rode the Brompton and EB around outside the garage (both for the first time) and acknowledged that the EB was very lovely to ride.
Posted 6 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

Ha! I was looking for this very thread a few minutes ago. Not finding it, I wrote a confessional post on the Women's Cycle forum. but let me add here: having not changed a tyre since having my confidence severely dented by a marathon plus some years back, I changed both my kids bike tyres (prep for bike camp this week - yay) and put a rack on minisrd's bike - at her request. This is not my usual metier and I felt an extreme sense of accomplishment.

Posted 6 years ago #
unhurt
Member

I have de-front-racked the Surly (cheapo lowriders) after spring cleaning it, refixed front mudguard, take off usb thingy that was hooked to dynamo hub (pending dynamo light purchase), and generally checked & retightened EVERYTHING.

(NB I think my Ed Bikes track pump is lying to me about tyre pressure. Must try calibrating. Hss anyone got a pressure gauge I could borrow?)

Posted 6 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

My dad gave me his pressure gauge but it only does schraeders :(

Posted 6 years ago #
unhurt
Member

Ach well!

Satisfactory non-bike maintenance now also completed: living room door (1) no longer creaks (WD40'd hinges) and (2) doesn't s-l-o-w-l-y swing open any more (roller ball catch didn't meet door frame - now it meets a small pad made of clear duct tape). More proof that you can fix almost anything with WD40 and/or duct tape?

Posted 6 years ago #
Frenchy
Member

Hss anyone got a pressure gauge I could borrow?

Surely all you need is a micrometer and some lateral thinking?

(Or pop past the Bike Station and see if their track pumps agree with yours?)

Posted 6 years ago #
unhurt
Member

A) let us never speak of the micrometer again.

B) ...why do these obvious solutions never occur to me?

Posted 6 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

Seatpost QR on Elephant Bike disassembled, cleaned and appropriately lubed.

Early on, when I was having trouble keeping Matilda's seatpost at the correct height, I removed the QR and discovered that it was actually bent and the nut was binding, so I replaced it with my spare X-Lite titanium seatpost clamp bolt. I was of course thrilled at just how many grammes I was saving in weight.

Posted 6 years ago #
acsimpson
Member

The previous thread may have been for fettling rather than maintaing. I'm not sure how technical the difference is.

I like the variation on normal duct tape usage to stop it moving when it shouldn't.

Posted 6 years ago #
Greenroofer
Member

@Arellcat would you like to tell us the weight-saving from the titanium seatpost clamp as a % of the all-up weight of the bike + rider?

At least with an Elephant Bike the weight of the bike is a material fraction of the all-up weight (about 25% in my case...)

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

I'm about to put on my Bicycle Repair Outfit and investigate the alarming grinding/crunching noises coming from the Scaffolding Bike™. Stand by.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

Not too bad. Turned out to be foreign bodies in an almost dry drive side rear wheel bearing. I rebuilt the hub, even though the cups and bearings are visibly worn. Should get another mile or two from it.

Does anyone else always find hairs wrapped round their axles?

Re-indexed the rear mech and the part where the cable attaches sheared off as I undid the bolt, which is less than satisfactory. Three speed bike for a while, ho hum.

Ha. I see Shimano have decided to kill eight speed drivetrains. Thanks a million.

Posted 6 years ago #
chdot
Admin

“Turned out to be foreign bodies in an almost dry drive side rear wheel bearing.”

Won’t happen after Brexit.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

Won’t happen after Brexit.

Because the local warlord will have taken my wheels for his chariot?

Posted 6 years ago #
unhurt
Member

my Bicycle Repair Outfit

I have sartorial questions.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

Has no one explained the bicycle sumptuary laws to you?

Posted 6 years ago #
unhurt
Member

...I'm in line for an ENORMOUS fine, aren't I?

Posted 6 years ago #
wingpig
Member

I now have two matching brake levers on the singlespeed's hornbars after getting the levers two years ago and fitting one of them one year ago. The cables run underneath the tape, and both brakes work. They're not in the same position, have different tape and different quantities of Sugru to brace the cable against but I'll leave them like that for a while to see which position is better. In the meantime I can fit my bar bag into the cable-free space and find somewhere to mount the front light which isn't on the fork crown (of which there is not one) and not on the tip of the right prong (the bell is on the left) as I feel it would be too easily-stolen thence.

Posted 6 years ago #
wingpig
Member

My rear mudguard is now firmly attached at all points of attachment. Nothing like wielding a hand drill in an office car park for generating unwarranted feelings of appearing suspicious.

Posted 6 years ago #
gembo
Member

I popped two pop rivets and replaced with cable tie on commuter this afternoon, after I had removed a lot of the filth from it. Exhausting work the degreasing.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

@gembo

You can borrow my pop riveter any time. I bought it as it was cheaper than a new set of mudguards. Never looked back.

Posted 6 years ago #
gembo
Member

Thanks IWRATS very kind. I used one once to try to fix a pannier.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

Fitted a new nine-speed rear mech to the defiantly eight-speed Scaffolding Bike™. Bit fraught, it has a weird double pivot that makes the cable route odd. Working now, but the tension in the cable is clearly higher and the venerable shifters might no take it much longer, captain.

Re-set front brake to avoid the plangent ring of pad brushing disc. Reset rear brakes to take out a bit of play.

Rebuilt the crunchy pedal, spilt the twenty six tiny ball bearings but got them back in the end.

Always nice to have a properly clean chain for the five minutes that lasts.

Posted 6 years ago #
wee folding bike
Member

Brompton M6R cleaned and almost all the winter damage mended.

Brakes work, lights work, 3 speed works, replaced the missing eezzee wheel. Two speed changer not working. It moves OK so I compared it with the photo of a new one and found it's not the right shape anymore so I'll order a new one after I spend next weekend fettling the S6L and check what other stuff it needs.

New rim on the Longstaff's front wheel but I don't need that one till next winter.

Wean didn't feel up to the gym this morning so I went to the Time Capsule on a 1969 Dawes Newpin. Got it in October but was waiting till the weather got better. It just needed air in the tyres. Generator doesn't work yet.

Posted 6 years ago #
Ed1
Member

I went to edinburgh bike co op, bought a new raleigh mico adjust seat post after they sawed it I fitted it. Cycle 5 miles and my chain snapped so joined it with tool I got in heart cycle last time it snapped. Only a few months since had chain and cogs changed at decatherlon. Went to decatherlon but decided would rather they fitted it, as every time fitted one my self its skipped, a bit close to closing so said will get in done in week. Did not buy a chain cycled home it jamed so had to re connect it again think muct have put it on wrong.

Posted 6 years ago #
Snowy
Member

The nice weather shamed me into tackling a completely seized suspension fork on eldest's MTB, probably due to his secret identity as a cross-country mud-magnet. YouTube to the rescue, and a successful strip and rebuild with industrial quantities of grease. Silky.

Posted 6 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

My plush air-sprung suspension fork is supposed to be serviced after every 25 hours of riding. I've had it three years and haven't ever cracked it open though I do have a seal kit. I've overhauled two forks before, but each time I had to fabricate a tool to reach bolts at the bottom of the sliders, once filing a six mm hex key out of square steel bar.

I suspect the current fork will be much easier to work on than the previous cheap and cheerful ones. We'll see when it's time for the annual strip and rebuild.

Posted 6 years ago #
MediumDave
Member

Had saturday of satisfactory bike maintenance. Fixie decrudded, disassembled and reassembled with copious lube and anti-seize, a new bottom bracket after the old one slightly disintegrated on removing the cranks (got 9 years of all-weather use out of it - can't complain) and all-new cables for lights and brakes.

Tourer was cleaned and had headset, brakes and gears done, though one small spring went "ptang" out of my ancient 105 aero levers. Now one lever has gone a bit limp (oo-er) with no brake connected. Still works though. 8 speed bar-end shifters still going strong; going to stockpile a couple of HG-50 cassettes to stave off the need for new rear mech.

Just got the bar tape to apply once I am happy that the brakes and shifters are in their correct places.

Everything is smooooooth....(and quiet)

To balance this out, had less than satisfactory ratchet winch maintenance on Sunday - somehow the cable escaped from the pulley wheel and wedged itself between the wheel and the block. Attempts to persuade it back in place failed, and the pulley is held together with roll pins so can't be disassembled in the field. No matter, the winch can still be used without the pulley engaged. Then, while tackling a stump that was perhaps a *tad* too large, excessive Awesome Power was used and we overloaded the winch and bent the handle. This is apparently the expected and indeed only overload protection on this model. Vast expense doubtless beckons...

Posted 6 years ago #
Greenroofer
Member

Towards the end of the Feeder Ride I did with @Hankchief and @Frenchy on Sunday, my mudguard was catching on the wheel and making annoying noises. I ascribed this at the time to mud caught therein, as it's happened before. However yesterday I found that in fact the pop rivets that secured the rearmost bridge on the rear mudguard had broken off and the noise was actually the mudguard rubbing on the tyre. I spent a very satisfactory and surprisingly short time in the bike shed with a pop-riveter and all is good as new.

However today I was wondering about a thrumming noise from the commuter bike. The same bridge (the rearmost one on the rear wheel) has failed, and in this case it's actually sheared so I can't simply pop-rivet it. Now I know I can buy replacement bridges that fit at the seat stay bolt, but I can't find the equivalent for this bridge that needs to pop-rivet onto the mudguard and bolt to two mudguard stays.

Any advice gratefully received. Can I buy a replacement? Will I have to get a new mudguard? Is there an elegant way of repairing it without using gaffer tape. I've got SKS/Bluemels chromoplastic mudguards if that makes any difference.

Posted 5 years ago #
wingpig
Member

What is the nature of the shearing? Could you put the bridge inside the mudguard to keep the mudgaurd off the wheel or drill through the mudguard and bridge then bolt together?

Posted 5 years ago #

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