What Have You Fettled Today?

[C R]

^^ This. My saddle is quite high, so I find it much easier to straddle the bike and mount it more like I would a step-through than throwing my leg over.

I tilt my bike quite a bit, but still find leg over back wheel easier, I suppose it depends on the position of the cross bar.

 

[Reynard]

With my old (and too big) mountain bike, I *had* to tilt it to mount / dismount and to stop at junctions as the cross bar was horizontal.

The perils of parental unit buying a bike "to grow in to" and being a tad optimistic.

 

[Pale Rider]

Some sharp descending in muddy conditions in north Yorkshire at the weekend did for my rear disc pads.

They've lasted just under 3,000 miles, not bad although the pads on my last bike lasted closer to 5,000 miles.

Should be a simple enough job to fit new ones, but this is a bicycle so I found one piston seized in the fully out position.

No amount of persuasion would shift it, so it's bike shop time.

They told me one way to shift it involves putting the old pads back in, plus something else, then working the lever to use the action of the working piston to push back the seized one.

They also have a little spreader tool.

But it seems my seized piston is also chipped which means it's new caliper time.

Shimano XT at £49.99.

I suppose these components wear out, but this one has only lasted 15 months.

Let's hope its replacement does better.

 

[ADarkDraconis]

I had the problem with my saddle feeling never quite far back enough, tilting it back slightly fixed the problem.

I may give this a try, although I always have my saddle tilted ever so slightly forward as when it was level it was not kind to my lady bits. Maybe this new saddle will do better, it is a women's specific model.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks to another thread on here, I have *finally* figured out how to remove the saddle from the seatpost of my old MTB - it's one of the old style mounts.

That saddle (some kind of el-cheapo no-name) is as comfy as an armchair, and will eventually go on the N+1 that I have my eye on.

 

[Pale Rider]

Some sharp descending in muddy conditions in north Yorkshire at the weekend did for my rear disc pads.

They've lasted just under 3,000 miles, not bad although the pads on my last bike lasted closer to 5,000 miles.

Should be a simple enough job to fit new ones, but this is a bicycle so I found one piston seized in the fully out position.

No amount of persuasion would shift it, so it's bike shop time.

They told me one way to shift it involves putting the old pads back in, plus something else, then working the lever to use the action of the working piston to push back the seized one.

They also have a little spreader tool.

But it seems my seized piston is also chipped which means it's new caliper time.

Shimano XT at £49.99.

I suppose these components wear out, but this one has only lasted 15 months.

Let's hope its replacement does better.

..update...

Work completed by local bike shop for £85.

Not bad, fitting a new caliper means a 'full bleed', and I have new pads in the front as well.

The caliper is supposedly an improved 8000 series one.

On the short ride home the brakes feel more positive than they did when the bike was new.

Mud did for the last mm of friction material on the old rear pads, and the mechanic told me mountain bikers have a fix - they use a cut piece of Coke can to form a cowl over the caliper.

The thinking being it stops a lump of mud sticking to the caliper and gradually feeding itself between the pads as you ride, which is what causes the accelerated wear.

 

[si_c]

New bottom bracket fitted. Previous one had disintegrated.

 

[BSOh]

I had the problem with my saddle feeling never quite far back enough, tilting it back slightly fixed the problem.

I've had this problem on one of mine. I'm going to give this a try, thanks

 

[woodbutcher]

For some reason l am being asked to fettle my identity each time l open CycleChat, never happened before perhaps l am becoming persona non grata with the powers that be

 

[fossyant]

Dropper post sorted. Having a vice at home to hold a component whilst undoing it found some dirt fragments on the valve which controls the fluid and air flow in the post.

Replaced fluid and repressurised and all is ok.

I do like how easy the X-fusion Hilo SL is to service though. Just £20 for a seal kit. Oil changes take no time.

 

[gbb]

My old Trek 7100fx has languished in a state of semi repair all w.inter in the shed. Prior to that it was in a sorry state, borrowed and abused by me and my son, a commuter in fowl weather,, a bike to just ride.
I'd already serviced the hubs on the cheap wheels, sprayed black to tidy them up, replacement saddle and post fitted.
I sense my son is going to need it again, he' talking about buying a new bike but it seems a shame while this one could be made ok with a bit of work, I'm not going to use it again. Hes no good with bikes so, buy some slime to put in the tubes. 1st one went ok with presta valve, core out, slime in etc etc, no problem.
Second tube was dead so root around, all I can find was a Schrader valves tube so root around again and find a spare wheel that'l take that tube. Quick service and grease the hub, fit slimed tube and tyre, all good.
Test ride, gears are hopeless, Home, tighten cable to realise the adjuster on the RD is just flopping around, it seems the thread in the RD is damaged and the adjuster won't thread in, so screw a bolt in from the other side to clean thread, this worked, adjuster now adjusts. Tighten cable, test ride...hopeless.
Inspect already very old cable, it's rusty and sticking in the outer. Root around and find a stainless inner I had I my parts box, fit, adjust and working much better, still needs some fiddling.
Front derailleur not working right, adjusted, need more tinkering with the gears to fine tune them.
To be continued today if I can be bothered.

 

[Salty seadog]

Patched a second puncture on the rear of the knockabout mtb, that's 3 in two weeks with the rear flat on the Montpellier.

 

[Salty seadog]

Reattached rear brake just about to raise saddle and fix a puncture for my nephew .

 

[Salty seadog]

View attachment 403949

Reattached rear brake just about to raise saddle and fix a puncture for my nephew .

Ok so I noticed on the shakedown ride the chain was a bit slack. He gave it some oomph {his words} and dropped the chain. Quick bit of spanner work and all is dandy.

 

[C R]

Adjusted rear brake and checked drivetrain for the origin of a sort of crunchy feel when pedalling, turns out the bottom bracket has developed quite a bit of play all of a sudden, thats the weekend fettling scheduled.