What Have You Fettled Today?

[subaqua]

FD on daughters Triban. It suddenly started making a racket and not shifting properly. not a gradual decline but an instant overnight thing.

I think my son (5yrs old) has been at my tools and her bike. spent a lovely 90 minutes doing a complete check and had some words with him.

looks like when he gets the next size up bike his old too small one will become his bike to take apart and use tools on.

can't get annoyed as am proud he knew the right tools to use to loosen things

 

[compo]

When I got my new bike last year it came with a side stand fitted. I fairly quickly removed it. This morning I thought it could be useful on a utility bike to have a stand, for example whilst fitting the trailer, so I refitted it. What a job. To get at the bolt head I had to remove the front gear mechanism which involved removing the chain. Anyway I got it all done and reassembled the gears and hooked up the chain and stood back to admire my handiwork. It looked awful. So, off with the chain, off with the mech and out with the bolt to remove the stand, then I had to put it all back again. Now the stand can stay off. A morning's work and nowt to show for it.

 

[fossala]

Clean bike, relubed and waxed. Looking nice and shiney now.

 

[billy1561]

Put some grease on the bolts that hold my bars in place to try and stop the creaking noises but no joy

 

[compo]

Put some grease on the bolts that hold my bars in place to try and stop the creaking noises but no joy

Have you tried a wipe of grease actually under the clamp on the bars themselves, also on the steerer where the stem clamps.

 

[thegravestoneman]

new (to it) wheels, gear mech, chain, brake cables saddle and shortened (corridor friendly) handle bars on my lads boot sale carrera mtb so he should be okay for Uni now.

New chrome seat post bought for butchers bike will have to go back (wrong diameter)

Got to find a new block for the road bike as I apparently can't push a 13 through 17 block with a 54 chainwheel anymore it was fine when I last rode it 25 years ago so I don't know what has happened there? and struggling to find some old brake lever hoods in black and I probably won't like them when I do as mine were ergonomic, soft compound etc fancies.

 

[billy1561]

Have you tried a wipe of grease actually under the clamp on the bars themselves, also on the steerer where the stem clamps.

No i haven't as i was concerned they would lose the grip. Would it be ok to do that you think?

 

[compo]

No i haven't as i was concerned they would lose the grip. Would it be ok to do that you think?

My reply in the Know How section.

 

[JoeyB]

Carried out my first mechical work on the road bike last night.... replaced the rear cassette and fitted clipless pedals. Lets see what difference that makes shall we!?

 

[billy1561]

Re installed my fizik aliante saddle. What a revelation. My back side must have toughened up since i last tried it because i never even thought about it on a recent 4 hour ride.

 

[youngoldbloke]

New chain on the winter bike (SRAM PC991), old one (SRAM) just showing .75 wear in places. Interesting to note how wear in old chain was not even - very noticeable when I stretched out new chain next to old to measure how many links needed to be removed. Everything smooth as silk afterwards.

 

[Hicky]

Just fitted new blocks to the rear brakes, thought they were sh#the this morning.....way past the use by line...eeeek!
Lubed the chain too....The whole bike needs stripping and a deep clean/lube

 

[Steve Saunders]

Just replaced the hub in my rear wheel and rebuild the wheel, checked the dish/tension and trued it. Fitted a new disc rotor and cassette so it's ready for a test ride tomorrow.

 

[compo]

Car and bike. I went to go out in the car this morning and the battery would hardly turn the engine over. I started the engine with my battery booster starter. However between going indoors to get the starter and coming out again the radio had turned itself on. I just assumed I had caught the "on" button while reaching over for the bonnet release. I turned it off. While connecting the starter the radio turned itself on again. Every time I turned it off a minute later it turned itself on again. Now I see why a flat battery as I haven't used the car for a week. I have disconnected the radio until I can be bothered to see what's happening. I may well set it to only work when the ignition is on. I decided to give the battery a good charge off the car. I have been doing lots of very short trips and in three years I have never touched it. Removing the battery involved unbolting a bar that goes across the engine bay. Once indoors I looked inside the battery and it had almost no visible water, so onto the bike and a quick trip to the car spares shop for distilled water. The battery took 1.5 litres to top it up! So much for maintenance free batteries. Anyway it is now on charge. What's the betting I end up having to buy a new battery?

Yesterday riding my bike it developed an awful rattle. It sounded a little like the chain rubbing the front mech, which upon checking it wasn't. It turned out to be the spring clip on the rear mudguard that clips onto the cross piece of frame near the BB. It had lost a bit of it's tightness. Tonight I undid the mudguard and squeezed the clip back into shape. I noticed that the frame around the BB was looking a bit muddy so out with the wet wipes and clean it up a bit. That showed up the dirty wheels so another wet wipe. Then upon close examination the chain was full of grit so a long cleaning session to get it clean, and the cassette and chain wheels. My wife came through and took one look at all the dry mud that had come of the inside of the mudguard onto the carpet and suggested (as they do) that the hoover may be a good idea.

The car battery is still charging.............................

 

[DCLane]

OK ... admission to make here

I cleaned, lubricated and adjusted all the family bikes this week after a family trip to Center Parcs - son no. 1's Probike, SWMBO's Spesh Globe Daily, son no. 2's Hood Guru (not as bad as you might think!) and the Freecycle Universal kids bike we'd got - which seems to be unused, so son no. 1 is having it . I also did my Python MTB and the 'lethal impact' Tony Doyle Ammoco bike, which has been pulled back into use and is riding well despite multiple bodge-jobs to make it work properly. The Raleigh Airlite also got cleaned as it's had to go in for some warranty work.

However ... I thought my Spesh Secteur was fine when I put it away in mid-December after a club run. But, taking it out of storage it definately wasn't. The chain had seized and I've had to spend 2 evenings lubricating and manipulating all the links.

Now, I could have fitted the new Ultegra chain I've got, but hey, I live in Yorkshire. We don't do that sort of stuff. So, after a couple of evenings of fettling, it's all OK if looking a little battered and rust-remaindered. The new chain will go on shortly, but not until it's really needed.

There's also a rattle coming from the rear brake cable when it's inside the top tube - still not sure how to solve that one . So if you're doing the Batley Bash on Sunday and you pass/get passed by a Spesh Secteur rattling like crazy, that'll be me