compulsive fettling

boneyjoe
boneyjoe Posts: 369
edited May 2009 in Commuting chat
Am I the only one who can't get on a bike without adjustments before EVERY ride? Fiddled with the Scotts rebound, seat height and tyres/pressure over the weekend, while the GF has ongoing cockpit and seat angle issues, and I'm THREE WEEKS into a cleat alignment project brought on by new in-soles.

Is this a common ailment? Please share experiences.
Scott Scale 20 (for xc racing)
Gary Fisher HKEK (for commuting)

Comments

  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    If I did I'd be even later for work...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    ITB to thread - you can start your own Fettlers Anonymous chapter.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    I fiddle all the time.

    ...umm...
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    I tweak my nipples every day.

    Oh, bikes, right...
  • soy_sauce
    soy_sauce Posts: 987
    just put GT85 on every morning before leaving the flat. if that count as fettling. :?
    "It is not impossible, its just improbable"

    Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    ....a quick squirt of lube if it looks necessary, then just get on and ride...

    :wink:
    Misguided Idealist
  • woodyonthebeach
    woodyonthebeach Posts: 583
    touch the rubber to make sure its hard........
    The doctor said I needed to start drinking more whiskey. Also, I’m calling myself ‘the doctor’ now
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    on the town bike, no i just jump on and off i go, distance is low etc so i don't worry too much but then my best bike only gets a bit of oil on the chain maybe and a pump off the tires.
  • LDN-Flyer
    LDN-Flyer Posts: 97
    I have to adjust my junk at every set of traffic lights, does that count ?
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    I save my fettling for weekends. Then I undertake fettling projects that grow arms and legs and if I'm lucky my bike is working again by Monday.
  • boneyjoe
    boneyjoe Posts: 369
    Thanks for the feeback everyone. Once current issues are sorted, was thinking of having another go with the tubeless MTB tyres. Last attempt wasn't too successful, with sealant gunk literally lining the walls, stuck to hands for days etc - not a pretty sight I can tell you. Read all threads on this, so theory is totally sorted, just need action. Will keep you posted... 8)
    Scott Scale 20 (for xc racing)
    Gary Fisher HKEK (for commuting)
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Nah - Mine are all dialled in properly.

    Just like cleaning and riding them :shock:
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    biondino wrote:
    ITB to thread - you can start your own Fettlers Anonymous chapter.

    Sorry i've been busy working :wink:

    Yes that's fairly common i'd say for awhile at least but then I do change stems, seat posts, saddles & full groupset for fun and have been known to service bearings all over the place, so I could guess you say I fettle quite a bit although this is now limited to weekends due to work commitments, I do however check tyre pressures everyday and am fairly obsessed by click, creaks and squeaks.
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end) - at last maybe I will have arms that go straight ahead of me instead of out to the sides :D

    (cue a couple of weeks getting the moulded grips, bar-ends and brake levers back to the right angles again...)
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    sarajoy wrote:
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end) - at last maybe I will have arms that go straight ahead of me instead of out to the sides :D

    (cue a couple of weeks getting the moulded grips, bar-ends and brake levers back to the right angles again...)

    Drops! ...cough cough :wink:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Shurrup :lol:

    Or, get me some cheap brake/gear levers for my triple 8-speed and I'll consider it sometime next decade...

    Otherwise I like my increasingly narrow flattie :P
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    sarajoy wrote:
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end) - at last maybe I will have arms that go straight ahead of me instead of out to the sides :D

    (cue a couple of weeks getting the moulded grips, bar-ends and brake levers back to the right angles again...)

    Got a pipe cutter then? Managed to sort out the reach on the brake levers yet? I should have offered my non-sober advice last tuesday on this matter when we went our seperate ways.

    PS Don't listen to the big bullies Sara.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    I save my fettling for weekends. Then I undertake fettling projects that grow arms and legs and if I'm lucky my bike is working again by Monday.

    That so painfully accurately describes my predicament...

    My wife has learned that when I nip into the garage to sort out a little problem with my bike she is free of me for the evening.

    J
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end)

    Good call. So much better than cutting both inches of one end I reckon :lol:
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    redvee wrote:
    Got a pipe cutter then? Managed to sort out the reach on the brake levers yet? I should have offered my non-sober advice last tuesday on this matter when we went our seperate ways.

    PS Don't listen to the big bullies Sara.
    Nah, but was shopping in Tesco and saw a "junior hacksaw" (which incidentally is not suitable for children despite the name) for £3.50ish which I bought and used to attack my bars. The cut was kinda wonky but it's hidden under my bar ends so no worries there :)

    Oh yeah, fixed the reach too, much easier.

    But on the ride in this morning it appears I dropped the brake levers a tiny bit too far, and one bar end is slightly pointed away from me compared to the other (couldn't tell by eye!) so will have a fiddle before going home again.
    jedster wrote:
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end)

    Good call. So much better than cutting both inches of one end I reckon :lol:
    Well I thought I'd better specify or some pedant would have picked me up on it ;)
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    jedster wrote:
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end)

    Good call. So much better than cutting both inches of one end I reckon :lol:

    True.

    Also don't be tempted to retain your bar tape / grip ends / bar ends where they are by getting the excess out of the centre

    = BAD
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • crankycrank
    crankycrank Posts: 1,830
    boneyjoe wrote:
    Am I the only one who can't get on a bike without adjustments before EVERY ride? Fiddled with the Scotts rebound, seat height and tyres/pressure over the weekend, while the GF has ongoing cockpit and seat angle issues, and I'm THREE WEEKS into a cleat alignment project brought on by new in-soles.

    Is this a common ailment? Please share experiences.

    I heard of some dude named Eddy Merckx who constantly twittled with his bike before each race. Don't know what became of him though. What you and your GF do together sounds a little kinky to me. Does she have a sister that's single??
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Greg T wrote:
    jedster wrote:
    Cut a couple of inches off my handlebars this evening (1" off each end)

    Good call. So much better than cutting both inches of one end I reckon :lol:

    True.

    Also don't be tempted to retain your bar tape / grip ends / bar ends where they are by getting the excess out of the centre

    = BAD

    I almost left a note on a bike with weeny bars in our garage today saying "mate, really sorry but someone's gone and sawn off the ends of your bars. Sorry you'll have to look a complete tw4t on the way home".

    But I didn't.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    But I didn't.

    shame!

    anyone who chooses to rise a bike with bars narrower than their shoulders is an utter muppet - makes as much sense as square wheels

    J
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    There is the OLD saying "Don't fix it until it's broke". You seem to have replaced it with
    "Fix it until it's broke".

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