Thread To Tell Everyone What Fettling You've Just Done

veronese68

Took my first attempt at wheel building to be checked by Ugo. I'd spent quite a long time tweaking and thought it was 99% there. Thought I should get a responsible adult to confirm I hadn't made a complete pigs ear of it before proceeding. Turned out it was ok, spoke tensions were relatively even and it wasn't a pringle.
Now for the front...

redvee

Veronese68 wrote:

Took my first attempt at wheel building to be checked by Ugo. I'd spent quite a long time tweaking and thought it was 99% there. Thought I should get a responsible adult to confirm I hadn't made a complete pigs ear of it before proceeding. Turned out it was ok, spoke tensions were relatively even and it wasn't a pringle.
Now for the front...

Sounds like you had better luck than I did. Tried lacing a 32h wheel with only 20 spokes cause the retailer didn't sent all I ordered. Got 8 spokes on each side in OK but the second lot on one side are wrong but luckily only fitted 4 so no major undoing to correct it.

veronese68

redvee wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Took my first attempt at wheel building to be checked by Ugo. I'd spent quite a long time tweaking and thought it was 99% there. Thought I should get a responsible adult to confirm I hadn't made a complete pigs ear of it before proceeding. Turned out it was ok, spoke tensions were relatively even and it wasn't a pringle.
Now for the front...

Sounds like you had better luck than I did. Tried lacing a 32h wheel with only 20 spokes cause the retailer didn't sent all I ordered. Got 8 spokes on each side in OK but the second lot on one side are wrong but luckily only fitted 4 so no major undoing to correct it.

That's irritating. Back wheel was easier as it had the same length spoke each side due to being a disc hub. Front wheel has different length spokes, fortunately I'd only put 8 spokes in when I realised I'd put them in the wrong side. Need to finish it by Friday so hope all continues to go well.

Kieran_Burns

Swapped my old GP 4Seasons for the new ones. Gave the bike a quick clean in the howling wind while I was at it. Some of the trees in the area a VERY clean now.

Brakes adjusted post wheel re-fit so all quiet and smooth.

Got to the bike this morning to find the front tyre soft... I figured it was the rubbish screw in valve thing and swapped it out before leaving. The difference in how smooth the ride is on new tyres is astonishing.

UndercoverElephant

I think that's about everything you can do on a bike that I've done. Changed the crappy Campagnolo Record headset (yes, I said it was crappy - almost completely unsealed) with a lovely Cane Creek 40 series, so well sealed I can imagine it lasting forever, smooth as butter. Sealed bearings make a lot more sense than caged. Also fitted the new Columbus Hiver fork, it's very light and seems to match the frame almost perfectly. Full report to follow when I've had time to try it out properly.

Before:



After:





Looks rather nice, I think.

itboffin

i agree, nice upgrade how does it feel to ride? surely it must feel smoother upfront?

itboffin

mounted the R5 on the living room wall away from the rabbit who likes to basically chew and nibble everything :evil:

including veloflex tyres and ALL over the cables behind the TV :x three flipping hours to fix that mess :evil: :x

anyway what TW&T invented plasterboard walls, probably the same evil SOB that invented cavity wall plugs that almost work but then just give way taking chunks on wall :evil: :x

UndercoverElephant

itboffin wrote:

i agree, nice upgrade how does it feel to ride? surely it must feel smoother upfront?

The Equilibrium is plenty smooth already, if anything it seems a little stiffer when putting the power down, but still remains comfortable. Had to lose 5mm from the stack height as it's marginally higher. The big difference is the shed weight, of course. Lose 800g off a bike and you know about it.

Very pleased.

redvee

After ripping the Craft wind vest I've been wearing for the last few weeks and not being able to afford a replacement till next weekend I resorted to Duct tape on the inside to repair it, will see how well that repair lasts next week. Still too warm for anything heavier on the commute yet.

meanredspider

redvee wrote:

After ripping the Craft wind vest I've been wearing for the last few weeks and not being able to afford a replacement till next weekend I resorted to Duct tape on the inside to repair it, will see how well that repair lasts next week. Still too warm for anything heavier on the commute yet.

How about iron-on repair material? Possibly not now as the glue from duct tape is horrible stuff. If you do try it, use a bit I'd scrap cloth (which you might need to anyway) to keep the iron clean.

PBo

Ratchet in RH 2200 shifter knacked. (Been riding to work all week with just 2 gears (hard and harderer as a sympathetic fellow commuter observed).
Half dismantled it, to find spring broken.
Fixed it with an awesome bodge if I do say so myself....

Now, I don't think bodge will last for too long, and looks like I could get a sora/tiagra shifter on ebay for similar price to a 2200. But I can't remember the rules - can I use a 9 speed shifter with 8 speed derailleur? (Claris). Or is it 9 speed derailleur that work with 8 speed shifters?

UndercoverElephant

PBo wrote:

Ratchet in RH 2200 shifter knacked. (Been riding to work all week with just 2 gears (hard and harderer as a sympathetic fellow commuter observed).
Half dismantled it, to find spring broken.
Fixed it with an awesome bodge if I do say so myself....

Now, I don't think bodge will last for too long, and looks like I could get a sora/tiagra shifter on ebay for similar price to a 2200. But I can't remember the rules - can I use a 9 speed shifter with 8 speed derailleur? (Claris). Or is it 9 speed derailleur that work with 8 speed shifters?

There's not a massive difference between 8, 9, 10 speed mechs. They do the same job really. Shimano quite like selling stuff. You would have to change your cassette, though.

Initialised

UndercoverElephant wrote:

PBo wrote:

Ratchet in RH 2200 shifter knacked. (Been riding to work all week with just 2 gears (hard and harderer as a sympathetic fellow commuter observed).
Half dismantled it, to find spring broken.
Fixed it with an awesome bodge if I do say so myself....

Now, I don't think bodge will last for too long, and looks like I could get a sora/tiagra shifter on ebay for similar price to a 2200. But I can't remember the rules - can I use a 9 speed shifter with 8 speed derailleur? (Claris). Or is it 9 speed derailleur that work with 8 speed shifters?

There's not a massive difference between 8, 9, 10 speed mechs. They do the same job really. Shimano quite like selling stuff. You would have to change your cassette, though.

The shifter and cassette need to match, don't worry too much about the rear mech.
I'm running a 105 mech, SLX 9 speed cassette and Sora shifters. If anything it shifts smoother than with the Sora mech.

redvee

meanredspider wrote:

How about iron-on repair material? Possibly not now as the glue from duct tape is horrible stuff. If you do try it, use a bit I'd scrap cloth (which you might need to anyway) to keep the iron clean.

Me use an iron :shock: This was a cheap repair till I find a replacement.

veronese68

redvee wrote:

Me use an iron :shock:

Did some work on the house a few years back and loads of stuff, including the iron, went into the loft. When it came down about 3 years later our 9 year old daughter asked what it was. :oops:
Another weekend of minimal fettling due to DIY and family duties.

il_principe

itboffin wrote:

mounted the R5 on the living room wall away from the rabbit who likes to basically chew and nibble everything :evil:

including veloflex tyres and ALL over the cables behind the TV :x three flipping hours to fix that mess :evil: :x

Why on earth do you have a rabbit in the house. Rabbits should be:

Shot Eaten or kept outside in a cage until a fox eats them

msmancunia

Fettling by proxy - new BB, cassette and chain courtesy of my LBS. My three year old bike is starting to show its age a bit. Rather like its owner...

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

itboffin wrote:

mounted the R5 on the living room wall away from the rabbit who likes to basically chew and nibble everything :evil:

including veloflex tyres and ALL over the cables behind the TV :x three flipping hours to fix that mess :evil: :x

Why on earth do you have a rabbit in the house. Rabbits should be:

Shot Eaten or kept outside in a cage until a fox eats them

house rabbit innit

gingaman

Replaced forks on the cheapo halfords MTB, it took 5 hours. :shock: In my defence,the steerer tube on the old forks was well and truly rusted, the spacers had welded themselves onto it, and all the bearings in the headset were yukky. After much lubrication (both the bike and myself ) success was achieved, new shiny forks.

I think it would have gone quicker with proper tools to remove the crown race, I was using a small screwdriver and a hammer, also would have avoided scuff marks, little dents etc.

I am now a firm believer in little and often maintenance-wise, rather than waiting till everything is crappy before sorting it out.

smokey_bacon

Replaced the foam pads in my helmet............

jds_1981

When you turn a mountainbike upside down and push down on the suspension forks, should you expect a little, or a lot of water to be squeezed out?

redvee

jds_1981 wrote:

When you turn a mountainbike upside down and push down on the suspension forks, should you expect a little, or a lot of water to be squeezed out?

If they're hydrolic then yes.

dyrlac

Installed TT/pursuit brakes on the fixie, replaced boring black cable outers with tartie red ones, and applied new faux-leather bar tape. I would for once though like allegedly standardised parts to fit together properly. Mating Tektro rx 4.1s to the Charge Slice bullhorn bars was a right faff. Had to resort to serious filing work to jam them in (I'm pretty sure that aluminium wasn't structural).

Kieran_Burns

Watched approximately 20 very small headset bearings bounce randomly across the garage floor.

It was fun.

byke68

Finally got round to cleaning both bikes. No shed so mud all over the kitchen floor, Missus away so she'll never know.......

oldbazza

Yesterday cleaned the Ridley after Saturdays club ride and lubed everything up,plus got the crud roadracers fitted more securely after coming loose.Then quickly checked the Planet X over after last weeks use.
Oh and fitted a new shelf and some hooks in the clothing wardrobe(old airing cupboard).

menthel

Gave the 00 a good going over. Stripped down cranks and BB to regrease and put an end to the funny creaking. Seems to have worked so doesn't need replacing just yet. Degreasers diluted and used as wash and also used neatish to soak chain and cassette. All in all the bike looks less crusty now. Shame the paint job is shagged- could do with a respray. Perhaps powdercoated yellow...

Kieran_Burns

Success on the headset front.. couple of minor hiccups making sure all the right bits were fitted in the right order. There was some wobble on the first attempt but I realised the washers WERE needed at the top and that cured that little issue. (pushed the stem, spacers and top bearing set down so they seated properly)

Then we get to the embarrassing bit... :oops:

Decided to check the chain and crank as they been a bit hard to turn. Found the crank was basically seized :shock:

Stripped it down and cleaned the chainset, the crank axle and inside the bb shell (lots of gunk); then looked at the Praxis conversion kit BB. The driveside bearings were fine, running smooth and free. The non-driveside were solidly seized, barely able to move at all (maybe 5 degrees of movement)

Damn.

While contemplating how much it was going to cost to replace and how short the lifetime of the BB was (10 months tops) I was moving the bearing set back and forth until it unexpectedly freed up and started spinning easily (a little notchy but this got better)

What the heck? :?

Then it struck me: When I'd originally fitted the Praxis BB I'd slathered the axle and the BB in LOADS of grease and mentally noted that the axle span so freely it didn't move the bearings. I'd figured at the time it would eventually start turning the bearings as the grease wore out. Clearly it didn't :oops: It took so long to wear out the grease, and only then because of the bad weather recently, the BB siezed up completely.

It's amazing how much easier it was to cycle in this morning

EKE_38BPM

Disassembled and reassembled a wheel to learn how to wheel build before embarking on my dynohub wheel build.
Seems easy enough, if time consuming.

Veronese, what is the name of that app you showed me?

veronese68

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Disassembled and reassembled a wheel to learn how to wheel build before embarking on my dynohub wheel build.
Seems easy enough, if time consuming.

Veronese, what is the name of that app you showed me?

Well done, I didn't like to ask in case it seemed like I was nagging. The app is called Spoke Tensioner appropriately enough. If you're not tone deaf you might not need it, but I found it helped reassure me things were right. For £2.99 it's worth a go.