What Have You Fettled Today?
- Thread starter threebikesmcginty
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I have signed up for an off road sportive that takes place in late Feb so decided to treat myself to some new tyres for the hardtail. When I built it up I bought a pair of Maxxis High Roller II's as they were on offer at the time. I really should have checked the reviews as it turns out they're slow rolling downhill mud tyres, not the quick and nimble tyre that should really be fitted on a lightweight XC bike 
This time I did read some reviews, and ended up choosing some Schwalbes; a Racing Ray up front and a Racing Ralph on the back. The treat pattern is far less aggressive and much shallower so should roll a lot more nicely
While I had this beaut down from the rack I check the Di2 battery, completely dead
I haven't ridden her for over a year so some TLC is long overdue. I'll leave it charging overnight and check the situation in the morning then give her a good clean 
This time I did read some reviews, and ended up choosing some Schwalbes; a Racing Ray up front and a Racing Ralph on the back. The treat pattern is far less aggressive and much shallower so should roll a lot more nicely
While I had this beaut down from the rack I check the Di2 battery, completely dead
I haven't ridden her for over a year so some TLC is long overdue. I'll leave it charging overnight and check the situation in the morning then give her a good clean 
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
I cleaned my Raleigh SP Race after today's 100km reliability ride - as covered by Veloskin here https://veloskin.cc/blogs/veloskin/reliability-rides
Then looked at son no. 2's Boardman AirPro that snapped another gear cable on the same ride, this time leaving him with just two gears with a getting-sticky front derailleur as well. Running an aero race bike as a winter bike in all weathers is proving challenging.
Mud-wise the Boardman was OK this time. But the bottom end of the outer had rusted, presumably due to rain. Sorted with a new inner fitted and outer. The front and rear derailleurs had also picked up all sorts of gunk so they were both duly cleaned out and adjusted. Ready for the next calamity, although it's likely to be replaced in the short-medium-term by one of a pair of bikes I'm picking up tomorrow.
Then looked at son no. 2's Boardman AirPro that snapped another gear cable on the same ride, this time leaving him with just two gears with a getting-sticky front derailleur as well. Running an aero race bike as a winter bike in all weathers is proving challenging.
Mud-wise the Boardman was OK this time. But the bottom end of the outer had rusted, presumably due to rain. Sorted with a new inner fitted and outer. The front and rear derailleurs had also picked up all sorts of gunk so they were both duly cleaned out and adjusted. Ready for the next calamity, although it's likely to be replaced in the short-medium-term by one of a pair of bikes I'm picking up tomorrow.
GeekDadZoid
Über Member
No tinkering today other than drilling some holes in my rear baskets light plate so I can mount one of the lights I already have rather than buy another.
Yesterday was busy though, I went to collect a bike from a Facebook Marketplace deal and ended up coming home with two, the seller wanted rid of a Claud Butler MTB from the late 80s I think it's the exact same frame as my Holdsworth I built into a gravel / adventure bike, he gave it me for free so I couldn't say no and took it to my BiL for him as I am out of space.
The bike I went to collect and kept was a late 1970s Gazelle Trimsport with a step through frame. Bit of tightening of bolts and some air in the tyres and it got a spin around the park. A few more tweaks and checks and I took me to Lidl for supplies.
List of jobs is manageable so far.
New tyres (they are 37-590)
New tubes
Couple of new spokes in the front.
Brake hub service / clean.
Replacement chain guard sourced and fitted
Look at upgrading the front light to LED & standlight
Find suitable rear light
Possibly change the rear sprocket to make it easier on the knees
With both bikes it close me about 67p per kg of steel.
Yesterday was busy though, I went to collect a bike from a Facebook Marketplace deal and ended up coming home with two, the seller wanted rid of a Claud Butler MTB from the late 80s I think it's the exact same frame as my Holdsworth I built into a gravel / adventure bike, he gave it me for free so I couldn't say no and took it to my BiL for him as I am out of space.
The bike I went to collect and kept was a late 1970s Gazelle Trimsport with a step through frame. Bit of tightening of bolts and some air in the tyres and it got a spin around the park. A few more tweaks and checks and I took me to Lidl for supplies.
List of jobs is manageable so far.
New tyres (they are 37-590)
New tubes
Couple of new spokes in the front.
Brake hub service / clean.
Replacement chain guard sourced and fitted
Look at upgrading the front light to LED & standlight
Find suitable rear light
Possibly change the rear sprocket to make it easier on the knees
With both bikes it close me about 67p per kg of steel.
Attachments
I spent an hour or so cleaning the Bianchi hardtail this morning after fitting new rim tape and tyres last night. I was pleased to see they'd both held pressure nicely, always a good start but never a given
I went for a quick blast up the road and back to try and get a feel for how fast the new tyres roll (on tarmac at least) and there seems to be a big difference in speed and noise, the old high roller's used to really roar at speed on tarmac but these are more subdued
The Racing Ray up front has a more directional tread, almost your classic chevron pattern with bits cut out. The tread has a nice rounded profile despite being mounted on a pretty wide rim which will definitely help in the twisty bits, the High Roller's were quite square shouldered.
The Racing Ralph on the back has a similar tread spacing and depth, and the same rounded profile, but the tread is arranged in more of a paddle layout for drive. I didn't notice when ordering, but the red stripe on the rear tyre denotes a slightly harder rubber than the blue striped front tyre, presumably fine tuning the grip vs lifetime and rolling resistance equation for each end of the bike.
The Di2 battery is fully charged so that seems fine too, I just need to make some time to get it all dirty again and try the tyres out 😊 I've also got a mudguard to fit under the saddle when I remember where I've put it
I went for a quick blast up the road and back to try and get a feel for how fast the new tyres roll (on tarmac at least) and there seems to be a big difference in speed and noise, the old high roller's used to really roar at speed on tarmac but these are more subdued
The Racing Ray up front has a more directional tread, almost your classic chevron pattern with bits cut out. The tread has a nice rounded profile despite being mounted on a pretty wide rim which will definitely help in the twisty bits, the High Roller's were quite square shouldered.
The Racing Ralph on the back has a similar tread spacing and depth, and the same rounded profile, but the tread is arranged in more of a paddle layout for drive. I didn't notice when ordering, but the red stripe on the rear tyre denotes a slightly harder rubber than the blue striped front tyre, presumably fine tuning the grip vs lifetime and rolling resistance equation for each end of the bike.
The Di2 battery is fully charged so that seems fine too, I just need to make some time to get it all dirty again and try the tyres out 😊 I've also got a mudguard to fit under the saddle when I remember where I've put it
New shifter cables for the road bike. The rear cable snapped inside the shifter during my Sunday ride, and I was concerned that it would be difficult to get the niple end out of the shifter.
I found the shimano dealers manual for my shifters, and it turns out that there's a cover underneath which can be removed to get the cable bits out, and in less than five minutes I had removed the broken bits. The longest time was taken by having to maneuver the cover out and in with the hood in place. The little barstard was well chewed up
I should have changed the cable before it got to this.
I also replaced the rear cable as a precaution. About half an hours work in all, everything indexed and working on the stand, hopefully will give it a try on the road at lunchtime.
Update after lunchtime ride. Shifting works great, and some hesitant changes I had attributed to the chain being close to needing replacement have disappeared, possibly the hesitancy was a sign of the cable fraying.
I found the shimano dealers manual for my shifters, and it turns out that there's a cover underneath which can be removed to get the cable bits out, and in less than five minutes I had removed the broken bits. The longest time was taken by having to maneuver the cover out and in with the hood in place. The little barstard was well chewed up
I should have changed the cable before it got to this.
I also replaced the rear cable as a precaution. About half an hours work in all, everything indexed and working on the stand, hopefully will give it a try on the road at lunchtime.
Update after lunchtime ride. Shifting works great, and some hesitant changes I had attributed to the chain being close to needing replacement have disappeared, possibly the hesitancy was a sign of the cable fraying.
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DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Over lunch-time I had a look at the Forme and Boardman I collected yesterday, having been alerted by @cyberknight on this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-are-these-worth.282860/
The Boardman CX bike needed a quick clean, a couple of cable ends and then a new front outer and inner gear cable. It'd been converted to a single chainring, with the front mech still in place, but riders in the bit of Yorkshire where I live who run a single chainring quickly decide two is more useful . It's now got all 20 gears with adjustments needed to both front and rear. Plans? Not a clue, but it could replace my Avanti Circa as winter commuter / cross bike.
For the Forme Thorpe Comp 1.0 that again had a minor clean-up but doesn't have a front mech any more, again having been converted to a single chainring. With son no. 2 mending his Boardman Airpro (again!) yesterday evening an overnight bike build wasn't required so I've time to decide whether to add in the front Claris derailleur I have spare or convert it all to 10/11 speed. The American Classic wheels it came with only take 10 speed; I checked . We'll decide in the next week what to do although if his Boardman breaks again I think my son will make the decision himself . I'll have a hunt in the parts shed later to see whether I've enough 10 speed bits for a 10-speed build. Whatever we do it'd need a different crankset as both came with 175mm cranksets and he uses 170, me 172.5 as we've not got very long legs
I do like it when a previous owner has taken care of their bikes, and it's showed with these two.
The Boardman CX bike needed a quick clean, a couple of cable ends and then a new front outer and inner gear cable. It'd been converted to a single chainring, with the front mech still in place, but riders in the bit of Yorkshire where I live who run a single chainring quickly decide two is more useful
. It's now got all 20 gears with adjustments needed to both front and rear. Plans? Not a clue, but it could replace my Avanti Circa as winter commuter / cross bike.For the Forme Thorpe Comp 1.0 that again had a minor clean-up but doesn't have a front mech any more, again having been converted to a single chainring. With son no. 2 mending his Boardman Airpro (again!) yesterday evening an overnight bike build wasn't required so I've time to decide whether to add in the front Claris derailleur I have spare or convert it all to 10/11 speed. The American Classic wheels it came with only take 10 speed; I checked
. We'll decide in the next week what to do although if his Boardman breaks again I think my son will make the decision himself . I'll have a hunt in the parts shed later to see whether I've enough 10 speed bits for a 10-speed build. Whatever we do it'd need a different crankset as both came with 175mm cranksets and he uses 170, me 172.5 as we've not got very long legs I do like it when a previous owner has taken care of their bikes, and it's showed with these two.
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cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
If i had been the right size for those bikes i would have taken the forme myself ! ( if mrrs ck had allowed ) , 10 speed is as far as i have got even on the best bike .Over lunch-time I had a look at the Forme and Boardman I collected yesterday, having been alerted by @cyberknight on this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-are-these-worth.282860/
The Boardman CX bike needed a quick clean, a couple of cable ends and then a new front outer and inner gear cable. It'd been converted to a single chainring, with the front mech still in place, but riders in the bit of Yorkshire where I live who run a single chainring quickly decide two is more useful
For the Forme Thorpe Comp 1.0 that again had a minor clean-up but doesn't have a front mech any more, again having been converted to a single chainring. With son no. 2 mending his Boardman Airpro (again!) yesterday evening an overnight bike build wasn't required so I've time to decide whether to add in the front Claris derailleur I have spare or convert it all to 10/11 speed. The American Classic wheels it came with only take 10 speed; I checked
I do like it when a previous owner has taken care of their bikes, and it's showed with these two.
me too, still running 10 speed on all my bikes.
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
10 speed Tiagra on my summer bike and running fixed in the winter.
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
Front mech fettled.
It's just refused to move. Worked fine yesterday, just refused point blank today either by pulling the cable or pressing the lever. I'd like to say I knew what the issue was. But I hit it with the jet was for a couple of seconds, gave it a scrub with a dish brush and some degreaser and then dried and relubed it. It needs a bit of adjustment but works like new again. Can only assume some grit / stone general manc mankyness had got into it.
Or it was plain horrified about looking at the state of my chain rings .
It's just refused to move. Worked fine yesterday, just refused point blank today either by pulling the cable or pressing the lever. I'd like to say I knew what the issue was. But I hit it with the jet was for a couple of seconds, gave it a scrub with a dish brush and some degreaser and then dried and relubed it. It needs a bit of adjustment but works like new again. Can only assume some grit / stone general manc mankyness had got into it.
Or it was plain horrified about looking at the state of my chain rings .
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Drilled out seized bolts and fitted new headset bearing compression rings. Play eliminated and steering nice and smooth. Lots of grease for the bolt threads, don’t want the replacement ones seizing as well. Test ride of just under 2.5 hours, that’s the right length for a test ride, right?
This is a recumbent, you don’t use star nuts to set the bearing load / compression.
This is a recumbent, you don’t use star nuts to set the bearing load / compression.
LeetleGreyCells
Un rouleur infatigable
- Location
- Whitehaven Mansions
Installed new pedals and phone mount to my road/commuter/work/do-it-all bike and re-installed the pannier rack
Swapped the tyres on my back-up work bike back from knobblies to hybrid
Attempted to true the rear wheel on my MTB, stopped just before defenestrating said wheel (will continue truing attempt again soon) - also checked the brake pads from which I have ordered some new ones and a bleed kit
Lowered the saddle on my back-up work bike as it's the one I'll be using next week and the week after as it's more suitable for what I'll be delivering
Updated the firmware on my Wahoo
Swapped the tyres on my back-up work bike back from knobblies to hybrid
Attempted to true the rear wheel on my MTB, stopped just before defenestrating said wheel (will continue truing attempt again soon) - also checked the brake pads from which I have ordered some new ones and a bleed kit
Lowered the saddle on my back-up work bike as it's the one I'll be using next week and the week after as it's more suitable for what I'll be delivering
Updated the firmware on my Wahoo
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Could have done without learning that fettling lesson tonight.
To start at the beginning my rear winter wheel pawls were jamming last night and I have not had time to fix it yet and my trusted lbs mechanic is on holiday also. So I swapped in the summer wheels which are tubeless. I took the valve core out of the rear to insert new sealant but couldn't get much in and ended up snapping the syringe extension and it was rather messy. I had an inkling something was blocking the stem. So I pumped them up hoping the pressure would unblock the stem. Took out the valve core again and the tyre stayed solid. So I had a proper clean out of the stem. Lol, once I did so the sealant went straight in in seconds.
Having learnt my lesson I gave the front wheel stem a proper unblocking. After doing so its sealant went in in seconds also and there was no mess 😂
To start at the beginning my rear winter wheel pawls were jamming last night and I have not had time to fix it yet and my trusted lbs mechanic is on holiday also. So I swapped in the summer wheels which are tubeless. I took the valve core out of the rear to insert new sealant but couldn't get much in and ended up snapping the syringe extension and it was rather messy. I had an inkling something was blocking the stem. So I pumped them up hoping the pressure would unblock the stem. Took out the valve core again and the tyre stayed solid. So I had a proper clean out of the stem. Lol, once I did so the sealant went straight in in seconds.
Having learnt my lesson I gave the front wheel stem a proper unblocking. After doing so its sealant went in in seconds also and there was no mess 😂
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Fitted new brake pads on the front of @gavgav's Genesis. The rear pads have some life left in them but will probably want new ones in the not too distant future.
Also tweaked the gears and had to fettle the bell - it's a Knog Oi Classic and the spring for the dinger doesn't actually appear to be made of spring steel, so with use it's taken on a bend. Seems a bit poor to me for a product that's not at the cheap end of the market.
Also tweaked the gears and had to fettle the bell - it's a Knog Oi Classic and the spring for the dinger doesn't actually appear to be made of spring steel, so with use it's taken on a bend. Seems a bit poor to me for a product that's not at the cheap end of the market.
