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Today's satisfactory bicycle maintenance

(478 posts)
  • Started 6 years ago by Greenroofer
  • Latest reply from mfcity

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  1. HankChief
    Member

    @Greenroofer- would you be able to offer advice on the tandem's rear mudgurard?

    It has lost the thingy to attach onto the mudguard and I'm pondering options.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  2. Greenroofer
    Member

    @HC. I have a range of thingies. I'll be in touch.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  3. Greenroofer
    Member

    I have examined @HC's thingy. I told him that in my professional opinion as a doctor (of philosophy, but who cares) his thingy was a very peculiar shape and not like anything I'd seen before. I advised him to consult a specialist. Before he does this he may wrap it in duct tape...

    Posted 6 years ago #
  4. HankChief
    Member

    Now, I don't want to cast asparaguses at greenroofer's credentials (& I don't come out of this looking very competent either), but...

    The philosophical examination of the problem seemed to have missed something important, which I've only just noticed.

    The bolt affixing the pannier rack and mudguards to the bike on one side was missing (it may have only been loose at the time of the examination). This is quite alarming given the tag-along is affixed to the rack.

    Having obtained a long enough bolt from @Harts I now have a secure rack and a no longer rattling mudguard despite the continuing absence of the 'thingy'.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  5. Greenroofer
    Member

    In defence against HC's casting of asparagus, he did ask me to examine his thingy rather than the bolt affixing his rack. I did also advise him to consult a specialist (which he did). This is why it's important to visit your LBS on a regular basis.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  6. wingpig
    Member

    I have just mounted a 700c*35 Marathon Plus (albeit a secondhand one) without having to use levers or spoons in under five minutes. That's never happened before.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  7. wingpig
    Member

    The singlespeed now has two intact mudguards and the geared bike has two inflated non-student tyres and a bit less ground-in grime. Despite having been in the shed since puncturing at the end of the gritting-season it has not rusted solid. Wonder if I should also mount the front mini-rack, or would that be pushing my luck?

    Posted 6 years ago #
  8. unhurt
    Member

    You should mount it at once because front mini-racks are COOL.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  9. wingpig
    Member

    Bagh. Front mini-racks also FOUL THE BRAKE CABLE, but at least I managed to install and remove it in a lunchtime and still have time to buy food.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  10. Sheeptoucher
    Member

    Can I post Unsatisfactory?

    Shiny red chrome Lezyne pump has eaten the core out of the presta valve on new inner tube for road bike, after my first exciting puncture (there was a skid) I'm generally lucky with punctures so have had pump for ages, so no return. Looking it up and loads of people have had same problem. I think it's to do with the tube bit- my ancient Edin Bikes rubber squeezy washer never did this!

    It's a hard knock life.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  11. Sheeptoucher
    Member

    Also front racks blingin' but you have to strap something hipster cool to it, like a pot plant or a log.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  12. wingpig
    Member

    People who go to axe-throwing lessons could strap their sheathed axes to one. Front rack available, if you have a spare fork crown mounting holes and not V-brakes.

    Both my fork-crown-mounted lights have now been tested by thundering down Howe Street, Market Street and other horrific sett-ings.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  13. unhurt
    Member

    Hmm. Think it might work on a Surly with drop bars?

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

    you have to strap something hipster cool to it

    I started a list of hipster cool things, starting with a satchel made from your own grandfather's tanned sailor-tattooed skin but I never thought of throwing axes.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  15. Sheeptoucher
    Member

  16. unhurt
    Member

    I am very sad that's not real except on that one weird bike that guy built. VERY SAD.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  17. steveo
    Member

    New dynamo front wheel for the cdf completed after, ahem 18 months, disk fitted, b&m headlamp ready to attach and rack refitted. I am now ready for the coming winter, not far away now...

    Posted 6 years ago #
  18. steveo
    Member

    Sooooo close. Can't find the rim tape.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  19. wingpig
    Member

    @steveo I've loads of spare rimtapes.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  20. steveo
    Member

    Cheers wingpig managed to very carefully remove the old one and it seems to be holding.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  21. steveo
    Member

    I apparently spoke too soon (excuse the pun).

    I don't think I dished the wheel correctly, there was a rubbing sound I chalked up to the rotor clipping the calliper and needing slight adjustment. After stripping the brakes I noticed the wheel side of the calliper was shiny and missing material about half the disk side spokes were clipping it, apparently high tension stainless steel is tougher than alloy, who knew!

    Re-dished the wheel last night by cranking all the drive side spokes a half turn and that seemed to cure it but this morning some of the tension must have released as a couple of spokes were rubbing again. Put the wheel slightly awkwardly into the drop outs and rode on. Need to try another quarter turn this evening.

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

    @steveo

    I get the same thing. The wheel was out of dish and I fixed that but I also find that the caliper drifts inboard with use whatever I do to torque it down. Suspect one piston is more powerful than the other.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  23. steveo
    Member

    cheers iwrats, that's both encouraging and really worrying!

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

    So, um, my trailer that everyone was too polite to mock on the CCE Overnighter to Glenfeshie. It has a weak spot which is the kingpin, a vertical pivot between the forks and the trailer body that allows the trailer to turn to follow the bike.

    The original was a long M5 bolt and I broke that in the middle of nowhere. Put in a length of M5 threaded rod but it bent under the strain at the weekend. Weedy. What to do?

    Well, I reckoned an M8 rod would do it, but that wouldn't go through the steel tube of the pivot - the trailer head tube if you like. Got a new tube, chopped out of a piece of stainless, with a 9mm internal diameter. Fine, but that means reaming out the plastic bushings it sits in.

    Very delicate as only about 0.8mm of plastic will remain when reamed out. So spent a morning with my brother's father-in-law, a retired Feranti engineer. We manufactured the correct tools from an old wood bit and reamed the thing out with impossible precision. Trip to B&Q for M8 rod and bolts and I reckon the trailer is now twice as strong as it was.

    When in doubt - ask an engineer.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  25. Greenroofer
    Member

    Replaced front and rear pads on the commuter bike this evening without too much fuss (including an impressively smooth removal of the rear Alfine-hubbed wheel to facilitate this).

    The really satisfactory bit was noticing before it was too late that the stuff I was spraying onto a clean white cloth for cleaning the disc rotor was actually GT-40 and not disc cleaner. Luckily the smell caused me to hesitate just a millisecond before the cloth touched the disc.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  26. Arellcat
    Moderator

    GT-40

    Is that an active ingredient of Castrol R? :-)

    Not today's but rather Saturday's bicycle maintenance: rebuilt both hubs, tightened and trued the rear wheel, regreased and reset the Ashtabula bottom bracket and set up both caliper brakes, of the ex-Crowriver wee red bike that is destined for a small boy who has grown faster than his Isla balance bike seat post could cope with.

    There is something amusing about hanging a bicycle for a four year-old on a workstand designed for pro use.

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

    My trailer behaved rather well on its new kingpin on the way in to Ben Alder at the weekend. Big load with the three-man tent and hiking kit and wine and pork pies and whatnot but not a squeak to be heard and no bending of the M8 threaded rod despite the repeated hammering over water butts in the trail.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  28. Greenroofer
    Member

    @Arellcat. GT40 is either a late night typo or a specific blend of two aerosol-delivered water-displacing light oil products. Take your pick. :-)

    Posted 6 years ago #
  29. wingpig
    Member

    There was a spare Rixen Mail click-fix bar-bag bracket in EBC a few weeks ago, so I didn't have to dismantle my bar bag to make my bar basket clickably-fixable with the aid of a bit of carpet threshold strip.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  30. hunnymonster
    Member

    Dismounted 1 pair of worn Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Mounted 1 brand new pair of same. No levers, no swearing. Had to check it was *my* bike and that it wasn't an apparition

    Posted 6 years ago #

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