The wires in question are very fiddly with unknown fragility; it's R/C servo wire I think. I ran out of time and enthusiasm so will just hoike it into place with cable ties and spiral wrap.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff
Today's satisfactory bicycle maintenance
(478 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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I am currently pay8ng The Mechanic in well rotted manure
Posted 4 years ago # -
@arellcat: Cable ties can have a nasty habit of eroding cable insulation, especially when there is vibration present (as I assume it would be on a bike). Many data centres these days insist on double sided velcro tape instead (all those spinning discs and fans can create a surprising amount of low-level but continuous vibration).
I can spare you some double sided velcro tape if you don't have any.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I have just presented The Manure as tribute to Madame. She is greatly amused and proclaimed 'Oh, a sack of sh**e!'.
Posted 4 years ago # -
An unusual present I admit
Posted 4 years ago # -
I bought a new bottom bracket(/axle/spindle) bearing at the end of last year. I tried briefly to install it at the time but the old bearing didn't shift under the amount of force I was willing to apply.
However I finally got fed up with the clicking which has I think been going on for a number of years*. I finally took a brave pill and created a custom jig** to allow me to hit the extraction tool harder. Eventually the 10 year old bearing came out and the new ones thankfully installed easily. I don't know how much of the difference is mechanical and how much is psychological but the bike is like a dream to ride.
* Perhaps after those first 2 sentences this should be in the rubbish thread.
** A large piece of wood with a large hole drilled in it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Got time to give the cdf some love, got the brakes, bb, chainset and rear mech fitted.
Mech needs an extender to make it reach the 50t sprocket but I knew that might be the case and still waiting on the gear outer so the real fun is yet to come!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Have you tried the B-tension screw? Helps get the chain up on the dinner plates if you wind it in....
Posted 4 years ago # -
Posted 4 years ago #
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Nice bit of kit. I have done some very brutal things to seatposts.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Those videos are really quite satisfying.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Realised that the bolt attaching my rear brakes, mudguard etc to the frame was loose, so I tightened it. That wasn't today's satisfactory bike maintenance, unfortunately.
I then realised that my rear wheel was so untrue that the only reason it was previously able to rotate was that the bolt attaching the brakes was loose. That allowed my wheel to push the brakes first left out of its way then right out of its way on every rotation.
So truing my wheel was today's actual satisfactory bike maintenance. Hopefully I'll notice a difference riding it too, since it won't be rubbing against my brakes on every rotation.
So todayPosted 4 years ago # -
I replaced the singlespeed's light bracket the other day with a new one which held it a little higher-up so that it doesn't ding against the mudguard, which weakened the old mudguard sufficiently to make it snap. The single pannier-stay snaking round the side of the fork (rather than beneath, where it can interact with the mudguard) was a bit long and waggly, so I used another spare pannier stay, a straightened-out angle bracket and the no-longer-used mounting-point for a stem-mounted bell. Now nicely immobile, out of reach of the mudguard and just clearing the bottom of my droopiest bar bag. I shall take it to Skelf for a shakedown at some point.
2020-10-11_05-34-15 by wingpig, on FlickrPosted 4 years ago # -
If I saw that in the street I'd know the owner was on CCE.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Seems quite sturdy. Bit of lateral waggle, but firm in the plane of the frame. Now all it needs is a couple of springs, a cable and an extra brake lever on the handlebars to enable the light to be temporarily tilted upwards closer to the horizontal for advance illumination of things on very dark paths...
Posted 4 years ago # -
an extra brake lever on the handlebars to enable the light to be temporarily tilted upwards
But of course.
Posted 4 years ago # -
But of course.
De rigueur in the red torpedo, in fact! I would like to say it was electronically controlled with incident light sensors, an Arduino and a micro servo, but it's actually a Sturmey 3-speed thumbie, a bit of gear cable and some epoxy-and-aluminium bracketry. :)
Posted 4 years ago # -
On my old mountain bike I had a lever on the handlebars with which to lock and unlock the front suspension...
Posted 4 years ago # -
I've always wanted a bar lever for adjusting fork crown lights! I keep my lights trimmed by keeping an eye open that the horizontal beam cut-off is hitting the ground between 2 and 3 "landing lights" ahead when I'm riding on the canal. But because our nursery run starts off completely unlit on Donkey Lane or WoL, I would really benefit from lifting the light a lot higher.
Maybe it's a lockdown project..?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Chain correctly sized (I hope) and fitted to the cdf. The biggest gear feels a little tight but but I shouldn't need it too often...
Just pedals and bar tape and it's back on the road.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ach sure she'll loosen off as the chain wears.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Yes once the pedals go on and the bike moves the chain will surely loosen
Posted 4 years ago # -
Hope so, cheers!
Posted 4 years ago # -
So truing my wheel was today's actual satisfactory bike maintenance. Hopefully I'll notice a difference riding it too, since it won't be rubbing against my brakes on every rotation.
Rode this bike today, first time since I trued the wheel, and the brakes were still rubbing the wheel on both sides. It wouldn't be the first time I've made a wheel worse by trying to true it, so was preparing for another go when I realised that the hub was actually broken, meaning several spokes were no longer attached to the centre of the wheel. Feeling slightly better about my truing skills, for now at least.
Posted 4 years ago # -
What had you done to the poor thing to break the hub?
Posted 4 years ago # -
My chain, casette and big chainring were due to be replaced as my last few rides before Christmas weren't very pleasant. Since I can't go to the Bike Station and their 'fix your own bike sessions' anymore it was time to acquire the tools and finally do it myself (and stop relying on the Bike Station volunteers/mechanics to tell me exactly what to do). Job easy enough for most of you but not so much for me!
I also purchased a wee bike stand which now I can recommend for jobs like this.
Several youtube tutorials and days later I have a working bike. The main struggle was to set the front derailleur but with several trials and advice from @edinburgh87 it seems to be OK now.
I did a test ride out to Balerno yesterday and perhaps it's not perfect but it's good enough.So a satisfactory-enough bike maintenance.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Great work, @bill. Bike mechanics is often frustrating in my experience - always a relief not to have to get bailed out by a pro and deserves an extra portion of cake.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Adjusting the front mech is one of the most fiddly jobs, tiny changes make huge differences. 1x ftw.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@bill
Pros don't always get stuff right first time either. Sometimes you need to have the weight of the rider and pressure through the cranks to see what's really going on.
Welcome to the world of bicycle maintenance. No going back now.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@amir it was very frustrating at times!
@steveo indeed! All those fraction of turns! Quite similar in way to an optical system alignment (which sadly I am not very good at!)
@IWARTS It is a nice feeling when the bike starts becoming a bit less of a black box!
Posted 3 years ago #
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