Juan Kog
permanently grumpy
Thanks for the warning, I didn’t bother with the angle grinder I just threw it in the scrap bin .
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What Have You Fettled Today?
- Thread starter threebikesmcginty
- Start date
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I recently had a Steel crank extractor tool versus aluminium crank threads incident which didn't end well at all. Fortunately, along came Mr Grinder (if you know what I mean
) and off those pesky cranks came. It was on a SS bike so the replacement crank set wasn't that expensive and being a Steel frame helped too. Grinders are a brutal last resort but when used carefully can be a godsend 
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Had a slight click from the 90's MTB drive chain on the ride back from my covid jab. Bike was due a decent clean up - outer plates of the chain were good, but inner edges grubby. Chain into degreaser, cranks off and cleaned, cartridge BB loosened off and tightened up again (usual suspect for clicks). Likely I'll need a new BB at some point - no play but a little rough and too free spinning for a cartridge square taper. It's had a hard life though.
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Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Three bits of work done today
1 - Sorted out the slow puncture on the Giant from Thursday. Turned out to be a tiny piece of flint that had only just penetrated the carcase. Wouldn't have found it if I hadn't lined up a marker on the tyre with the tube's valve stem.
2 - Another change for the Pickenflick flatbar. Fitted this with the SRAM Rival crankset with 46/36 gearing that I picked up a couple of weeks ago and put a pair of old, but unused 37mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres on (was on 28mm GP4000s)
3 - The drivetrain on the Spa Elan has been getting increasingly rough having done around 7000 miles with just one change of chain and cassete from new, so a major overhaul was called for. New chain & cassette fitted, jockey wheels removed, cleaned, greased & refitted. Bottom bracket (Hollowtech) removed & replaced with a Praxis GXP compatible unit . Well worn Shimano 105 crankset removed and replaced with the low mileage SRAM Rival unit fitted with Spa Cycles chainrings taken off the Pickenflick earlier. Frame cleaned with Autoglym car polish.
1 - Sorted out the slow puncture on the Giant from Thursday. Turned out to be a tiny piece of flint that had only just penetrated the carcase. Wouldn't have found it if I hadn't lined up a marker on the tyre with the tube's valve stem.
2 - Another change for the Pickenflick flatbar. Fitted this with the SRAM Rival crankset with 46/36 gearing that I picked up a couple of weeks ago and put a pair of old, but unused 37mm Vittoria Voyager Hyper tyres on (was on 28mm GP4000s)
3 - The drivetrain on the Spa Elan has been getting increasingly rough having done around 7000 miles with just one change of chain and cassete from new, so a major overhaul was called for. New chain & cassette fitted, jockey wheels removed, cleaned, greased & refitted. Bottom bracket (Hollowtech) removed & replaced with a Praxis GXP compatible unit . Well worn Shimano 105 crankset removed and replaced with the low mileage SRAM Rival unit fitted with Spa Cycles chainrings taken off the Pickenflick earlier. Frame cleaned with Autoglym car polish.
chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
I've needed to change the gear cable for a while, the changes have lost their crispness and the cable end has become frayed after I lost the end cap on a tour last year and I was unable to replace it before it started fraying. Now as much as I like SRAM and my Rival 1 groupset, the whole changing gear gable thing is just one monumental faff that involves stripping the bar tape off to get to the cable. However, being 1x, there's only one cable to replace. The original Kona bar tape is past it's best though, so all things considered it's actually two jobs for one.
So new Jagwire cable and one side re-taped with Cinneli Cork tape. Just need to clean the rubber brifter hood and re-tape the other side to match.
So new Jagwire cable and one side re-taped with Cinneli Cork tape. Just need to clean the rubber brifter hood and re-tape the other side to match.
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I fell into one of those "I think I will just change the brake cable" traps, on my oldest CAADX and ended up changing the Cassette, Large Chainring, Jockey Wheels, Chain, both Brake/Gear inner + outer cables, Cantilever Pad inserts, dismantling & regreasing the BB/Headset sealed bearings and ordering a small chainring and set of bolts to go with it.. It now runs silky smooth but 30mins into yesterdays ride I got a rear puncture
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
Vernal equinox, so major fettle of minor issues.
First up tandem- just a quick clean and polish to remove the winter grime from drive train and frame.
Before:
Couldn't be arsed with any more photos as next up was MTB - clean and change winter ice spiker tyres to normal ones. Ice spiker tyres were obviously designed by one of life's true masochists. Not only are they, as the name suggests, festooned with razor sharp tungsten spikes, they're also the tightest fitting SOBs I've ever encountered. Duly, the air turns blue and various portions of flesh are gouged from my hands, but eventually, job done.
Third, winter/ commuter bike. Full clean and minor gear fettle. The latter, alas, much extended after realising the adjuster screw on the rear mech was seized solid in both the gear outer *and* in the derailleur itself. Vats of WD40 and grease followed, and eventually the gears succumbed and behaved. Park tool videos never seem to show this sort of activity, funnily enough. Also realise the bottom bracket is on the way out, but don't have a spare.
Finally, pride and joy, the summer road bike. Clean of frame and drive train makes it look ready for anything, perhaps even my lumbering dead weight. Also attempt my 14th centering of the rear brake recently, I'm getting rub out of the saddle for reasons I can't at all fathom. Too far to the nearest hill to test it properly, so to the garden for a rest whilst the sun sets.
First up tandem- just a quick clean and polish to remove the winter grime from drive train and frame.
Before:
Couldn't be arsed with any more photos as next up was MTB - clean and change winter ice spiker tyres to normal ones. Ice spiker tyres were obviously designed by one of life's true masochists. Not only are they, as the name suggests, festooned with razor sharp tungsten spikes, they're also the tightest fitting SOBs I've ever encountered. Duly, the air turns blue and various portions of flesh are gouged from my hands, but eventually, job done.
Third, winter/ commuter bike. Full clean and minor gear fettle. The latter, alas, much extended after realising the adjuster screw on the rear mech was seized solid in both the gear outer *and* in the derailleur itself. Vats of WD40 and grease followed, and eventually the gears succumbed and behaved. Park tool videos never seem to show this sort of activity, funnily enough. Also realise the bottom bracket is on the way out, but don't have a spare.
Finally, pride and joy, the summer road bike. Clean of frame and drive train makes it look ready for anything, perhaps even my lumbering dead weight. Also attempt my 14th centering of the rear brake recently, I'm getting rub out of the saddle for reasons I can't at all fathom. Too far to the nearest hill to test it properly, so to the garden for a rest whilst the sun sets.
Landsurfer
Veteran
I’ve got this to fettle in the morning. Currently, just arrived at my hotel .... twinned with the Marie Celeste’ ...... supposedly in Shrewsbury ..... but actually not near anything.com !
My new FSA 36t chainring arrived today but, has anybody a clue as to what the different WB* part number stamped into the back of the ring refers to as the only check I have ever made previously is the BCD measurement to ensure that it fits the crank spider? I have just checked my other CAADX and the 36t on that has a different WB number again. I now have x3 36t chainrings with 3 different part numbers on them 
- Location
- Inside my skull
Recumbent. Fixed rear puncture and changed from winter tyre to summer tyre. Changed front tyre from winter to summer one. Sorted out Dynamo light that had stopped working. It was just that a wire had pulled loose in the Lego brick connector. That’s good as I’d serviced bearings in Dynamo a couple of months back and was concerned I’d broken it! Either that or riding through deep floods had done it. No time for test ride. I’ll get that done tomorrow
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Scott roadie.
Having discovered the protruding chainring bolt after the last ride, I decided I'd take off the wheels and clean, check the rear tyre, and remove the cranks and chainset and clean them, as well as fixing whatever was wrong. Also gave me a chance to get at bits of the frame that have needed to be cleaned for...some time.
The errant bolt was the long one that goes into the rear of the drive-side crank arm, so no bits lost. Time to dismantle it!
It were bloomin' filthy, with ridges of crud between each ring. The middle ring is getting quite worn. The small ring has a chipped tooth, from which I removed some burring. And cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. One more discovery is that these chainrings are steel.
On the stand
Paint damage
Rear tyre: there's a definite, if slight, bulge beginning to make itself felt. This tyre has probably done less than 300 miles (Edit: 180 miles by the logs), so not too impressed.
Good, cheap, tough 25mm tyre recommenddations, please? And maybe also a square-taper 50-39-30 crankset...
Gave the rear mech a good clean, and it needed it. Chain got a clean as well, of course. All back together and singing sweetly!
Having discovered the protruding chainring bolt after the last ride, I decided I'd take off the wheels and clean, check the rear tyre, and remove the cranks and chainset and clean them, as well as fixing whatever was wrong. Also gave me a chance to get at bits of the frame that have needed to be cleaned for...some time.
The errant bolt was the long one that goes into the rear of the drive-side crank arm, so no bits lost. Time to dismantle it!
It were bloomin' filthy, with ridges of crud between each ring. The middle ring is getting quite worn. The small ring has a chipped tooth, from which I removed some burring. And cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. One more discovery is that these chainrings are steel.
On the stand
Paint damage
Rear tyre: there's a definite, if slight, bulge beginning to make itself felt. This tyre has probably done less than 300 miles (Edit: 180 miles by the logs), so not too impressed.
Good, cheap, tough 25mm tyre recommenddations, please? And maybe also a square-taper 50-39-30 crankset...
Gave the rear mech a good clean, and it needed it. Chain got a clean as well, of course. All back together and singing sweetly!
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I have a theory with tyres that the stupidly expensive ones last no longer than the cheapo's, especially where glass is concerned! The £10(ish) Swalbe Lugano or Vittoria Zaffiro have always been a decent 'skinny tyre' buy for me but, the Vittoria seem a bit tighter to put on and require strong thumbs.
Swapped cranksets on the racelight recently to put the better power meter on it, which mean that the 4iiii was sat on the side unused, didn't want to put it on the Trek as that runs 50/34 not 52/36, so ordered a set of absolute black chainrings which arrived today along with bolt covers. Put them on and swapped over the cranksets and it looks really nice. The bolt covers are intended for Ultegra not 105 so they don't quite line up with the spider but it's a minor issue and I love the colour of the chainring.
Makes me happy as I only went for AB due to the complete lack of availability in the UK of shimano chainrings.
Also swapped on the R7000 front derailleur which went on really easily, once you understand how the derailleur setup works it's really easy to get it perfect without needing to adjust any cable tension. Much better than older versions of 105.
Makes me happy as I only went for AB due to the complete lack of availability in the UK of shimano chainrings.
Also swapped on the R7000 front derailleur which went on really easily, once you understand how the derailleur setup works it's really easy to get it perfect without needing to adjust any cable tension. Much better than older versions of 105.
