Embarrassing Bike Questions

PinkPedal

Thanks Girv, it is starting to make more sense

rustncogs

Dear Embarrassing Bike Questions,

The thing is, I bought a road rear hub and didn't realise that it was too narrow for my mtb frame. I had built the wheel, but it was at this point that any kind of mechanical ability failed me.

I think it's only 5mm too narrow, so I thought the frame would just bend in a little and it would be fine, but actually if I changed to the smallest cog the chain jammed violently and broke. For a while I just avoided this gear.

Then I stole the washer from a broken tape gun and used this as a spacer - it's about 2.5mm thick. I wasn't sure whether this should go on the drive side or the other side, and in the end picked drive. Then I thought it should be evened up and used some cut up pieced of an old credit card with a hole drilled in to space the other side.

It's run like this for about a year. The washer is a pain and gets in the way whenever I have to put the wheel back on (it's just held between the dropout and the hub by the pressure of the QR), and last week the wheel came loose as I was riding.

That wasn't reassuring.

How do I make this better? Should I just buy a mtb hub and be done with it?

Yours sincerely

A

redvee

You might get away with putting a spacer on the axle between the locknut and cone and redishing the wheel. Surprised you've had probs with the chain betwixt small sprocket and frame, sounds like hi-lo screws are at fault rather than the axle.

rustncogs

No, def not hi-lo. I did plenty of fiddling, there's just very little clearance and it seems like when the dropouts are squeezed inward vey slightly, the chain catches.

Where can I get proper suitable spacers? I've looked on CRC & wiggle etc. but no joy.
And do I space just one side, or both...

madeinengland

i have recently got into biking having not had a bike for about 17 years (i'm now 31). the bike i brought from halfords and i also got mudgaurds fitted, the rear attaches to the seat post and the front is one of those that fits to the frame and NOT over the wheel. unfortunately with my rear gaurd attached i cannot fit any luggage to under the seat.so now i've got no choice but to carry a rucksack with me all the time. my questions are: Are rear mudguards really neccessary? Does anyone use them? most of my riding is on roads and so far i've been lucky as the weather has been fairly dry and sunny. what are the alternatives to under the seat bags?

blu3cat

madeinengland wrote:

i have recently got into biking having not had a bike for about 17 years (i'm now 31). the bike i brought from halfords and i also got mudgaurds fitted, the rear attaches to the seat post and the front is one of those that fits to the frame and NOT over the wheel. unfortunately with my rear gaurd attached i cannot fit any luggage to under the seat.so now i've got no choice but to carry a rucksack with me all the time. my questions are: Are rear mudguards really neccessary? Does anyone use them? most of my riding is on roads and so far i've been lucky as the weather has been fairly dry and sunny. what are the alternatives to under the seat bags?

Had exactly the same dilemma. Mudguards like the one you have can be useful (save a wet arse on rainy days). In the end I got a bike rack that clips around my seat post and used that. Worked fairly well as a clip on mudguard and with a bag on full of stuff even better!

As a tip though if you get a topeak one as I did (qx beam rack I think) grease the clamp bolts, as they are steel and may rust together sheering off when you try to reposition the rack - pah

Deadeye Duck

On bike computers, does it mattery how far between the hub and the rim, the sensor is?

I work in engineering, and despite everything I know screaming at me in my head saying it makes no difference as it'll still pass the sensor at the same time, I can't help thinking there's a factor in there somewhere that i'm missing and i've set it up all wrong. :oops:

A dfferent, not so silly question. What minipumps are decent for getting up to road bike tyre pressures? (I have a mtb at the minute but will be getting a road soon, and the one I've got has no chance in hell of reaching 100psi, not before I pass out anyway...

blu3cat

Deadeye Duck wrote:

On bike computers, does it mattery how far between the hub and the rim, the sensor is?

I work in engineering, and despite everything I know screaming at me in my head saying it makes no difference as it'll still pass the sensor at the same time, I can't help thinking there's a factor in there somewhere that i'm missing and i've set it up all wrong. :oops:

A dfferent, not so silly question. What minipumps are decent for getting up to road bike tyre pressures? (I have a mtb at the minute but will be getting a road soon, and the one I've got has no chance in hell of reaching 100psi, not before I pass out anyway...

In theory if the forks perfectly mirror the shape of the wheel then the only difference will be that the further out it will go, the more angular momentum the magnet will have.

As for pump, I had a mini one and got hacked off with pumping for ages, so got a CO2 inflator with the pump as a last restort backup

alfablue

Deadeye Duck wrote:

On bike computers, does it mattery how far between the hub and the rim, the sensor is?

I work in engineering, and despite everything I know screaming at me in my head saying it makes no difference as it'll still pass the sensor at the same time, I can't help thinking there's a factor in there somewhere that i'm missing and i've set it up all wrong. :oops:

A dfferent, not so silly question. What minipumps are decent for getting up to road bike tyre pressures? (I have a mtb at the minute but will be getting a road soon, and the one I've got has no chance in hell of reaching 100psi, not before I pass out anyway...

No difference in the sensor sensing the magnet as long as the two pass close enough (usually 5mm).

For mini pumps, the ones that have a separate hose are much better. The Topeak mountain Morph, Road Morph and Turbo Morph (getting progressively less "mini") pumps will reach road pressures, and are easier than most other designs as they are like mini track pumps. Lezyne also make one along these lines which looks good, but is hard to find at the moment.

crankycrank

^^I have found that positioning the computer sensor higher up on the fork makes it less likely to get bumped when removing the wheel and it also gives a larger area for the the plastic ties to grab onto making it more secure although neither of these little tidbits make a huge difference. As stated above no mini pump is going to be anything but difficult to get up to 100psi but I like my Leyzyne Pressure Drive M. The Topeak Mini Morph seems to work very well too and both use a hose to attach to the valve stem making it less likely to tear the tube . I also have a Quickex Pro Quicker http://www.quickex.com/default.asp?id=200&pId=143 which is about the easiest mini to get up to 100psi that I've ever used but they are almost impossible to find.

madeinengland

blu3cat wrote:

madeinengland wrote:

i have recently got into biking having not had a bike for about 17 years (i'm now 31). the bike i brought from halfords and i also got mudgaurds fitted, the rear attaches to the seat post and the front is one of those that fits to the frame and NOT over the wheel. unfortunately with my rear gaurd attached i cannot fit any luggage to under the seat.so now i've got no choice but to carry a rucksack with me all the time. my questions are: Are rear mudguards really neccessary? Does anyone use them? most of my riding is on roads and so far i've been lucky as the weather has been fairly dry and sunny. what are the alternatives to under the seat bags?

Had exactly the same dilemma. Mudguards like the one you have can be useful (save a wet ars* on rainy days). In the end I got a bike rack that clips around my seat post and used that. Worked fairly well as a clip on mudguard and with a bag on full of stuff even better!

As a tip though if you get a topeak one as I did (qx beam rack I think) grease the clamp bolts, as they are steel and may rust together sheering off when you try to reposition the rack - pah

cheers blu3cat.
i've seen those racks on various sites. is your one an A shape, E shape or V shape.also what size bag do you have. i only really need one to hold the same amount as a rucksack.

blu3cat

i've seen those racks on various sites. is your one an A shape, E shape or V shape.also what size bag do you have. i only really need one to hold the same amount as a rucksack.

I had the E shape one http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks/MTXBeamRackE-Type .

My bag was a man bag / courier bag big enough for an A4 folder (or in my case a change of clothes and work stuff). My bag fell out sideways when I was wobbling the bike alot to get going up a big hill, but this only happened twice in a year.

And you still get soaking bottom of legs and feet with a rack

Deadeye Duck

Is there a way I can shift my shifters (hur hur) so that the brake levers are closer to the bars? I can reach them ok from the hoods, but from the drops I have to really stretch my fingers to grip the brakes/shift gears.

Oh and they're 105's, if that makes any difference?

Gussio

Deadeye Duck wrote:

Is there a way I can shift my shifters (hur hur) so that the brake levers are closer to the bars? I can reach them ok from the hoods, but from the drops I have to really stretch my fingers to grip the brakes/shift gears.

Oh and they're 105's, if that makes any difference?

Possibly move the position of the levers on the bars (i.e. either higher up or lower down the bend on the drops) to make them more accessible from where you have your hands on the drops. Alternatively a different shaped set of bars.

Don't think that there is any adjustment to be done to the shifters themselves.

Deadeye Duck

Ah crap

Is it possible to move the shifters without having to take all the bar tape off etc? I'm sure I read somwhere that bar tape goes on after shifters...

Sorry, it's my first experience with drops and have no idea about most of it. :oops:

Gussio

Deadeye Duck wrote:

Ah crap

Is it possible to move the shifters without having to take all the bar tape off etc? I'm sure I read somwhere that bar tape goes on after shifters...

Sorry, it's my first experience with drops and have no idea about most of it. :oops:

'fraid not... but learning how to tape up your bars is a useful skill to master http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=71

velorazzi

girv73 wrote:

@PinkPedal - look at the spec of your rims:
http://www.alexrims.com/product_detail. ... at=4&id=87

Any 700c tyres that fit into the 15.7mm rim width should work. You'll need to check tyre specs to see which sizes that includes. I had to do the same when choosing slicks for my commuting MTB.

Read this: http://sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html ... "Width Considerations"
At a guess anything down to 700x28 should be fine, maybe 700x25's, but check first eh?

Now my question: what's so special about anti seize compound? Would ordinary grease or WD40 do the same job?

Hi Girv,

Don't think anyone else has responded to you (though I might have missed it!) and I felt sorry for you as you'd been very helpful to another poster...After years of simply using run-of-the-mill grease to fit pedals, and then having a b@gger of a job removing them for servicing, I bought some anti-seize grease.

As I'm getting on and a bit grumpy in my old age I thought, "this is just marketing hype" but now, even after hundreds of miles in all weathers, the pedals come off my road bike like a dream - though not when I'm out on the bike, that would be a nightmare, obviously.

So I tend to use it all the time for any assembly (not that I'm any kind of genius mechanic - fist = ham if you know what I mean).

And whilst were on embarrassing questions, bless you Coriander for your honesty. We all have to learn this stuff and it never comes easy. Many of us are too blokeish to admit it...Good for you.

biondino

I managed to round off the allen key hole in the cap that fits onto the left crank on my Focus at the end of the axle by over-tightening it (it, and the crank, has a tendency to work loose). Is this the kind of thing I can buy individually - it's part of an FSA Gossamer chainset?

Deadeye Duck

Thats quite odd, i was reading a thread on this last night funnily enough.
You can get the FSA bolts from somewhere on the net, someone posted a link (i'll look through my history for the thread), as for getting the bolt out, it was unanimously suggested that you should gently hammer in a torx key, and use that to get it out.

Supposedly, they're quite easy to round.

I'll have a look for the link to the other thread later today.

EDIT: http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12628299&highlight=lbs+ruined+cervelo

I think this is the same problem, sorry if it's not. Hope it helps.

biondino

Thanks Deadeye Duck - it's either the same problem or nearly the same problem!

Deadeye Duck

OK, the bar tape is starting to unravle, giving me an excuse to fit new stuff (getting it from tritton cycles, anyone have any experience with them? It's the only place I can find with charge spoons still in stock). Having read the parktools destructions on how to fit bar tape, I'll be giving this a blast at the weekend. One quick question though:

Is it possible to get white replacement hoods for my Shimano 105 levers, or infact any replacements at all?

I'll be getting a white saddle & white tape & thought I might as well ask.

Oh, and Biondino, did you manage to sort out your FSA crank problem in the end?

biondino

DD, I haven't, but it's not a terminal issue - as long as the pinch bolts are fine they may work loose but I can just tighten them again (of course, in an ideal world they wouldn't work loose but it's not a disaster). When I have a sec I will try and find FSA customer services and see if they can get me another dust cap - this time I won't treat it like a vital structural component :oops:

Deadeye Duck

You're not alone on over-tightening bits mate. I must have snapped a good 10 indicator/brake light covers for my motorbike by not paying attention and tightening them till its hand tight

biondino

Hah! What worries me are the things I may have overtightened without realising and there are bits of carbon on the very edge of shattering into a thousand pieces all over my bike! I did manage to ruin the (I don't know the proper terminology) headset expander cap that goes on top of the stem, but Wiggle sent me another one.

MrChuck

Gussio wrote:

Deadeye Duck wrote:

Is there a way I can shift my shifters (hur hur) so that the brake levers are closer to the bars? I can reach them ok from the hoods, but from the drops I have to really stretch my fingers to grip the brakes/shift gears.

Oh and they're 105's, if that makes any difference?

Possibly move the position of the levers on the bars (i.e. either higher up or lower down the bend on the drops) to make them more accessible from where you have your hands on the drops. Alternatively a different shaped set of bars.

Don't think that there is any adjustment to be done to the shifters themselves.

You can get shims which alter the position somehow- a half-ar$ed Google has only turned up these Specialized ones (Dura-Ace and Ultegra only, and probably hard to get hold of!) but I expect there's somebody doing them for 105 somewhere:

http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=30994&eid=367

Deadeye Duck

biondino wrote:

Hah! What worries me are the things I may have overtightened without realising and there are bits of carbon on the very edge of shattering into a thousand pieces all over my bike! I did manage to ruin the (I don't know the proper terminology) headset expander cap that goes on top of the stem, but Wiggle sent me another one.

Rule of thumb is anything that wont be taking the full load is to torque it to 5Nm, which should be plenty to hold things like seatpost/stem/bars, without breaking them if they're carbon, but I wouldn't take my word for it because I don't want to be responsible for you inventing the 2-piece carbon bars

MrChuck wrote:

You can get shims which alter the position somehow- a half-ar$ed Google has only turned up these Specialized ones (Dura-Ace and Ultegra only, and probably hard to get hold of!) but I expect there's somebody doing them for 105 somewhere:

http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=30994&eid=367

Thanks for that. I've just had a quick browse and have found shims by shimano for the r700 levers which are the alternative 105 levers (which come with all the shims to start with), but my bike come with the standard 105 levers, so I'll have a look tonight to see if they're compatible with mine too. If not, I can always try, for the sake of a fiver it'll be worth it. Phew, that was a long sentence...

ratherbeintobago

Thick question - how the hell do you release the bar clamps on Shimano 105 levers? I've rolled the hoods back but I can't see anything obvious that looks like a tension release.

Also, how do you post links/use HTML tags in your sig?

Thanks

RBIT

redvee

Shimano road STI clamps are undone by putting a 5mm allen key down the outside of the hood, there is a small cutout if you look carefully.

ratherbeintobago

Cheers for that - have managed to remove them.

RBIT

Deadeye Duck

As for your sig question: I'm pretty sure html isn't allowed so you'll have to stick to phpbb tags:

[b] for bold [/b]
[i] for italic [/i]
[u] for underlined [/u]
[quote="username"] for quote [/quote]
[img] for image [/img]
[url] for link [/url]
[url][img] for clickable image [/img][/url]