slightly wasted morning...

[David Haworth]

Firstly I suppose I ought to say hello. I'm a recent addition to the site. I was using an old mountain bike I had as a teenager (I'm now mid 30's to put that into perspective) but last year I decided to get something a bit more up-to-date and that met my needs better. I had shortlisted the whyte stirling, but then ended up picking up a 2012 montpellier second-hand which is great, but with a few flaws.

anyway, this morning I decided to do some light fettling. fit a second bottle cage, a rear mudguard, a rack and a garmin speed/cadence sensor (gsc-10).

First up I gave it a quick wash down with a hosepipe (not pressure-washer, just off the tap and mostly aimed at the wheels/frame, not the drivechain) and then used a bowl of hot water, car shampoo and a cloth. once it was mostly dry I went to do the easy job first, the bottle cage to the seat-tube. of course this is when I found out that my front mech is attached to the frame with a band and the bottle cage (evans cheapest) has a bar between the two boss holes and thus the cage won't fit. I now need to find a cage where there's a space between the two holes. actually two, because who wants mis-matched bottle cages?

then I went to fit the rear mudguard. the 2012 montpellier is annoyingly the only bike in the whyte r7 range not to have guard mounts both front and back. the fork is completely empty of anywhere to fit a mudguard, so I've managed to get a single rear guard (sks commuter) and a single front guard (sks raceblade xl) and this was my time to finally fit the rear guard. I got it mostly in place when I realised that the part of the guard that sits by the bottom bracket was touching the tyre. turns out the width of the guard is wider that the gap between the chainstays. There is a hole on the guard and frame to bolt the guard right back out of the way, but I'll need to take the wheel out to do so, which I couldn't be bothered to do as it was cold and I'm not an expert bike-fettler. as I didn't fit the guard, I didn't bother with the rack either and went to my parents to pick up my daughter. so all in all, I didn't achieve much

I had planned to bring the bike into the conservatory to sort out this evening but then my daughter decided not to go to sleep for an extra three hours so really, I've really not managed to do what I had intended...

I briefly looked at the garmin sensor but of course where it should be fitted, there's a hydraulic brake hose getting in the way. I might have a go at fitting it underneath the chainstay or something another evening.

oh, and of course the front fork also has a brake hose along the back of one blade which looks like it's right in the way of where the raceblade would attach so I'm really not sure what my best move is there

hey ho, maybe another day... sorry, just fancied a whinge, don't mind me...

David

 

[Peteaud]

Welcome and yes we all get one of those days grrrrrrrrr.

 

[Lanzecki]

I now need to find a cage where there's a space between the two holes. actually two, because who wants mis-matched bottle cages?

David

It's all the rage David. And it really annoys the purists.

My mountain bike has the same problem of the clamp around the seat stay. Just stick the bottle cage over it. I did look for one that would fit, but the only ones I could find we're more expensive then a good tire.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

David!
If at first you don't succeed try again. And again. Then take it to the lbs

 

[GentlyBenevolent]

Use some rubber to build up a squishy wedge either side of your front mech bracket. I've attached a picture of how I did mine, using spare bits of rubber from fitting kits for other bike bits (lights, bell, etc). You can see that the bottle bracket is tightened down using the two red bolts onto the rubber, and not onto the front mech clamp. It's solid, and it doesn't look too untidy either.

When you're fitting your garmin sensor, make sure you offer it up in every configuration you can think of before applying the cable ties. I did the "sizing up" on mine with a cuppa. It wasn't hard to do, but it'll be fiddly if you don't get it all just right before pulling it all tight.

 

[sittingbull]

Use some rubber to build up a squishy wedge either side of your front mech bracket.

+1
I used some rubber grommets to lift the holder away from the frame, the mounting bolts pass through them so they wont fall out whilst making final adjustments. Slightly smaller (than I used) would have fitted better but they worked OK. I used 9mm which can also be used to adapt rim valve holes from schrader to presta.

 

[RWright]

I always allow for about 5 times the amount of time I think I need to work on my bike, then it only takes me about twice that.

 

[Biker Joe]

Hi,
It's a good place to have a whinge on here.
You get some comforting comments and a few tips.
Good init?
I like a bit of bike fettling. You get to discover the points that need attention.
Sometimes you get a challenge where new stuff won't fit but there's usually a way round them. Another reason for being on this forum.
Anyway, you did achieve something. It wasn't wasted time and now you know what you have to do to finish off.
I wish you successful fettling.
Take care.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I had planned to bring the bike into the conservatory to sort out this evening but then my daughter decided not to go to sleep for an extra three hours so really, I've really not managed to do what I had intended...

My daughter is 15 months old, and if she doesn't have a daytime kip at the weekends when her mum is out at work I can't get any fettlin' done!

 

[Lanzecki]

My daughter is 15 months old, and if she doesn't have a daytime kip at the weekends when her mum is out at work I can't get any fettlin' done!

My life the same. Planned around the kids. Getting up before them give an hour's ride, a couple of hours at midday to make lunch. 8pm onwards is mine. Sometimes it feels like a split shift.

 

[Biker Joe]

My life the same. Planned around the kids. Getting up before them give an hour's ride, a couple of hours at midday to make lunch. 8pm onwards is mine. Sometimes it feels like a split shift.

The joys of fatherhood!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My life the same. Planned around the kids. Getting up before them give an hour's ride, a couple of hours at midday to make lunch. 8pm onwards is mine. Sometimes it feels like a split shift.

I spent from 4am till 5am this morning trying to get the wee one back to sleep, which I'm not complaining about at all, but I did consider not going back to bed (I get up at 6am for work) and going for a bike ride instead!

 

[Herzog]

I spent from 4am till 5am this morning trying to get the wee one back to sleep, which I'm not complaining about at all, but I did consider not going back to bed (I get up at 6am for work) and going for a bike ride instead!

I used to be in the same situation; my daughter would often be up in the middle of the night and I contemplated going for a night ride leaving my wife to it. However, I'm too nice and decided to be a responsible parent (and serious additions to the goodwill account, allowing me to go for decent weeked rides, certainly helped).

She tends to sleep through now (though we all know what will happen tonight!).

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I used to be in the same situation; my daughter would often be up in the middle of the night and I contemplated going for a night ride leaving my wife to it. However, I'm too nice and decided to be a responsible parent (and serious additions to the goodwill account, allowing me to go for decent weeked rides, certainly helped).

She tends to sleep through now (though we all know what will happen tonight!).

My wife usually does the getting up and persuading back to sleep, but I think we've realised that because I don't have the ability to produce milk the wee one doesn't bother trying to stay awake for too long if I get up to find out why she's mithering.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

When I first saw this thread title I thought it was going to be about a Reading Festival type wasted in the morning.