What Have You Fettled Today?

[palinurus]

Did a quick repair this lunchtime with electrical tape and some plastic foam stuff I found.

Works a treat, very satisfying bodge.

 

[palinurus]

Did start polishing the lens but will need to take more time over it and use some coarser diamond paste to start with- didn't make much impression on the bigger scratches.

Well I used some 6 micron paste followed by some half micron paste and it seems to have improved matters when it comes to reading number plates from video but there are still some deeper scratches left. The only way I'll get those out is to use 1200 grit emery paper to get below them and re-polish and it's not so easy to do that (the lens is set back a little from the surround so I'd have to grind through that too- it's possible to push the lens into the nap of the polishing pad but I can't do that with emery. It is handy having some almost unused metallographic sample preparation equipment at work)

 

[C R]

Well I used some 6 micron paste followed by some half micron paste and it seems to have improved matters when it comes to reading number plates from video but there are still some deeper scratches left. The only way I'll get those out is to use 1200 grit emery paper to get below them and re-polish and it's not so easy to do that (the lens is set back a little from the surround so I'd have to grind through that too- it's possible to push the lens into the nap of the polishing pad but I can't do that with emery. It is handy having some almost unused metallographic sample preparation equipment at work)

Is it actually a lens, ie, with curved surfaces or a flat window?

 

[palinurus]

Is it actually a lens, ie, with curved surfaces or a flat window?

No- the lens is underneath, it's a clear plastic window over the top of it.

 

[DCLane]

Bits and pieces prepping for a series of races;

The NeilPryde Nazaré that sits on our turbo trainer now has a new Dura-Ace chain and a pair of wheels (Superstar Components 30mm white with Pirelli PZero race tyres) and a race saddle. It's off to Belgium as my son's spare bike for his UCI race on the 20th rather than being used for C-category Zwift racing by me.

He tested his 2022 Ridley Noah Fast race bike this morning, so wheel swaps - race wheels to training wheels and back - plus a pair of light-weight thru axles put in by us both. All ready for Saturday's Eddie Soens race in Liverpool where I'm expecting him to get absolutely battered (he's #78) with Ribble and Saint Piran out in force. The CyclePal disc brake aligner tool is witchcraft as it stops brake squeal easily. Just why someone thought thru-axles and brake discs make things easier I don't know; you have to use one tool to remove the thru-axle and another to loosen the brake caliper in order to stop the brake disc squealing. And that's on Shimano Ultegra throughout

His wheel is back on his Columbus cross-commuter as he's had two flats in two rides and had borrowed my wheel. New tyres onto front and rear of his Columbus and hopefully that'll help.

Oh, and he also got one on his Ridley, so will put a new tube in that later. The roads locally are in a terrible state and don't appear to have been cleaned for well over a year .

 

[rogerzilla]

Swapped the rear wheel on the 1964 Moulton back to a Sturmey-Archer AM. I didn't like the FW hub one bit. The ratios are all wrong, it's heavy, the triggers never hold bottom gear over bumps (unless a NOS trigger that hasn't rounded off the pawl plate yet) and it rattles insufferably in the most-used gear.

 

[GuyBoden]

I've installed my NOS Shimano Exage Sport Braze-On Down-Tube Shifters from my stock, the existing Shimano 600 Down-Tube Shifters were slipping a bit, so I decided to downgrade. There won't be many of these left as NOS.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Yesterday afternoon, the chain was removed, I also took the chain-rings off, to clean throughly, as was the front mech
A good dousing of 'red diesel' around the rear-derailleur, & left to drain/dry overnight

This morning, with a lot of road-muck washed out of the rear-mech, a new chain was fitted

I also pulled both sets of brake-pads to check for wear (discs also examined)

All seems fine now

Don’t forget to put the FD and chain rings back on.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Don’t forget to put the FD and chain rings back on.

The ‘FD’ wasn’t taken off

 

[HLaB]

When I put new pads on my TT bike last year I couldn't get clamps unless both I wanted to pay through the nose and wait for ages. So I bought a cheap pair of clip ons that I could get that week and robbed the clamp of them. The only problem the clip on clamps took one larger M5 bolts. The pads had two M3 bolts supplied. I was able though to insert one bolt and use a nut to secure it.

That was good all last season but on last night's turbo session there was a bit of a snap on the left pad. I knew what it was straight away (two bolts were really needed). I finished my threshold session before confirming that was the issue.

Today I added a couple of cleat bolt washers above and below and that seems to have made the pad solid again; at least for turbore training. The upper washer is actually marginally too big for the bolt hole so the weight isn't on the broken bit🤞 I may need to get new pads and/or two bolt clamp for racing however 🙄

And to balance it up height wise I also added the washers to the right pad

 

[JhnBssll]

I finally got round to cleaning Vera this evening after she got dirty on Sundays damp ride.

With the chain and wheels removed I noticed the cranks weren't spinning freely which was a bit odd; I'd replaced the non-driveside bearing recently so took the cranks off to investigate. Everything seemed fine until I noticed the driveside washer was spinning between the cup and frame when I was wiping the frame, sure enough the driveside cup was loose. It had obviously would itself out slightly and in doing so increased the bearing preload I've tightened it back up but will keep an eye on it, slightly strange Anyway, with everything cleaned up and the batteries changed in the power meters it gave me an opportunity to fit the new Hollowtech preload cap that arrived recently

Chain and cassette went in the ultrasonic cleaner for a while and after a quick wipe down were shiny enough to refit...

She's ready for this weekend again now 😊

 

[si_c]

Starting to get some slip of the rear mudguard around the bridge. Unfortunately it seems that I must have rounded out the hex fittings a touch when fitting them as I can't tighten the bolt at all now.

Fortunately I have a box of bolts so it took but a moment to get a replacement and fit it. The guards should now be rub free, will test them by riding to the delivery office to pick up a parcel now.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I rode through some floods over winter. Unfortunately one was a bit too deep. Although I stripped , cleaned and regreased wheel hub bearings; I neglected to do the same for the lower headset bearing. The result is that the water and grit that got into the bearing has done its damage.

The lower bearing is knackered but more importantly the lower headset race has become brinneled. This means it’s new headset time rather than just new bearings and a generous application of grease.

I have learnt my lesson. If you suspect water may have got into your headset bearings then take a look, strip it down , clean it and grease it. Bike booked into lbs for Monday for new headset cups as I don’t have the tools for that.

Hopefully bike back end of Monday then Tue fit new bearings , put fork back in etc.

 

[Juan Kog]

Cleaned and serviced the Steamroller today . I finished the washing outside just before the rain started.
It was a bit snug in the velo cave , I normally put a bike outside to give more workroom.
New Chain , new brake blocks . I found the reason for the irritating rattle , the rear mudguard. The rivets holding the stays were broken . So out with the Black and decker and pop rivet gun . Finally lube, adjust and polish .

 

[fraz101]

Left work this afternoon (my early finish day) to find I have another puncture on front wheel……grrrrrrr

So spent my early finish repairing that. I hadn‘t had a puncture in around 2 years commuting on it, now had 3 in 3 months.