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First I screwed up by mistaking WD40 for lube...

UnderpantsUnderpants Posts: 120
edited October 2009 in MTB beginners
...then when attempting to adjust my front hydro disc brake as it was rubbing like hell I suceeded only in causing the mineral oil to leak all over the rotor, caliper and my basement floor.

What a total plank. And to think I am normally quite mechanically minded...really should have looked at one of the guides on the 'net and probs on this very site.

Going to bite the bullet and go to see the kind but expensive chap at the LBS for a bleed and some new pads :oops:

Please feel free to laugh at me and to any other noobs feel safe in the knowledge you're not as thick as me.
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  • Where are my stabilisers?Where are my stabilisers? Posts: 979
    I always ball's up maintenance - I'm amazed I've ever got a bike on the road :lol:
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  • stubsstubs Posts: 5,001
    Dont worry about it I have been fiddling with bikes, motorbikes, cars and boats for years and I still spent 15 minutes trying to screw in a Bottom Bracket cup the wrong way last week :lol:
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  • xtreemxtreem Posts: 2,965
    Luckly, I have cable disc brakes and I successfully realigned the rear caliper, yesterday. :lol:

    But I still use WD40 to lube my chain, for more than a year. :oops:
    And I'm about to change that.
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  • GriseldaGriselda Posts: 24
    I got myself some special lubricant for my chain. But what is wrong with WD40? Why would one not want to use that for maintenance?
  • supersonicsupersonic Posts: 82,708 Lives Here
    It is only a very light lubricant - too thin for most uses. It will disolve thicker lubes, contaminate parts from overspill, and can damage seals.
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  • coltcolt Posts: 173
    Well unless you have a go how you ever gonna learn??
    Could be quite an expensive learning curve tho! :wink:
    On the brighter side, I'll bet you'll never make that mistake again!
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  • asdfhjklasdfhjkl Posts: 333
    Griselda wrote:
    I got myself some special lubricant for my chain. But what is wrong with WD40? Why would one not want to use that for maintenance?

    Why WD-40 is Bad For Your Bike Chain
  • GriseldaGriselda Posts: 24
    Hm, just read about it in the thread::

    Can you put too much lube on your cassette, mechs, chain etc

    ...which the vid confirms...

    Makes sense.
  • pte1643pte1643 Posts: 518
    Griselda wrote:
    what is wrong with WD40? Why would one not want to use that for maintenance?

    You can certainly use it for maintenance, just not really as a proper lube.

    As said, it will disolve grease.

    It's very good as an "Unsticker" :lol: , and can be used to great effect to loosen siezed/sticking parts.

    It's very good for lubing cables.
  • dave_hilldave_hill Posts: 3,877
    asdfhjkl wrote:
    Griselda wrote:
    I got myself some special lubricant for my chain. But what is wrong with WD40? Why would one not want to use that for maintenance?

    Why WD-40 is Bad For Your Bike Chain

    Utter bollocks. 25 years experience says otherwise.
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  • supersonicsupersonic Posts: 82,708 Lives Here
    It is still not as good as a thicker teflon lube. I would not recommend WD40 for lubing a chain.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

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  • flamedudeflamedude Posts: 119
    The thought of coating my bike in WD40 or GT85....... Takes me back to my teens. The ultimate short-term fix/long-term screw up.

    Aaaah nostalgia.
  • UnderpantsUnderpants Posts: 120
    Update on the brake issue...

    just got back from the LBS (different one to the one I bought it in) and found out that my front brake caliper has had the mounts stripped out and the bolts were glued in!!!! It's less than 3 months old so I've been back to the place I bought it and went ape. The manager nor owner were in so I'm going back first thing in the morning to either get a new set of forks (crappy RS Dart 3s) put on it or my money back.
  • stubsstubs Posts: 5,001
    Jeez that could have killed you get on to trading standards straight away
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • supersonicsupersonic Posts: 82,708 Lives Here
    Or the LBS stripped them and made it up ;-)
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  • KiblamsKiblams Posts: 2,423
    supersonic wrote:
    Or the LBS stripped them and made it up ;-)

    Always the sceptic? :P

    Though you do have a point, unless you find it yourself it is one LBS vs another (invisaging some kind of LBS war with sabotage etc...)
    HandsomeDog - OrangeCommuter
  • UnderpantsUnderpants Posts: 120
    I did think that could possibly be the case but they only had the bike a few hours before ringing me back to tell me and upon inspection the glue had clearly been in there a while. There was not enough time for it to go off in that time.

    Plus they are probably the most reputable bike shop in Leeds so I think it seems unlikely.

    I got the bike on the cheap through a friend who works for Paligap who provide the Kona's in the UK and he reckons that as the LBS I bought it from knew I was getting it on the cheap (£450 when RRP at the time was circa £700) they swapped the new forks for some dodgy ones they had lying around.
  • The Big CheeseThe Big Cheese Posts: 8,651 Forum Tart 2010
    this makes me sick, what a bunch a cnuts for doing stuff like that, bat to head time methinks! :evil:
  • ride_wheneverride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    That is a bit much really, whatever next...


    as for wd40, not a lube, but great for cleaning your chain (via a rag) and you don't need to re-lube after using it, but only when it's really dry, nothing will stick to it!
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  • UnderpantsUnderpants Posts: 120
    UPDATE: The head honcho at Paligap rang me last night and told me to go and collect my bike from the store I bought it from immediately (I left it there presuming they would be fitting a new set of forks to it). He wanted to make sure that they didnt tamper with anything else just incase they'd robbed any other new bits off of it and swapped them for second hand parts.

    Now I've got to get the bike back to their head offices in Avonmouth and they will deal with it from there. i.e fully inspect the bike and fit a new set of forks.

    I actually now just want my money back and would rather just get another bike but dont think they'll go for that as I've taken off all the reflectors (and lost the pedal ones).

    All this means though that my weekend trip to Coed y Brenin next week is cancelled as I am bikeless. :evil:
  • JimfrandiscoJimfrandisco Posts: 210
    Keep us posted as to the outcome - name and shame the place you got the bike from...granted it only takes one bad employee to ruin their reputation but using glue on disc-brake bolts could have caused a major accident.
  • The Big CheeseThe Big Cheese Posts: 8,651 Forum Tart 2010
    Jimfrandisco wrote:
    Keep us posted as to the outcome - name and shame the place you got the bike from...granted it only takes one bad employee to ruin their reputation but using glue on disc-brake bolts could have caused a major accident.

    Yes, name and shame, the scumbags deserve it!!!

    it's scumbags like that, that give bikeshops a bad name, bring shame to the sport/industry!!

    :twisted:
  • andy46andy46 Posts: 1,666
    name and shame, hmmm that got me thinking,

    maybe someone could put a thread or sticky up of bike shops where people could give feedback of their own experiance's then that would give others an idea weather they would like to use them or not.

    don't know if this is do'able, just a thought.
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  • meesterbondmeesterbond Posts: 1,240
    andy46 wrote:
    name and shame, hmmm that got me thinking,

    maybe someone could put a thread or sticky up of bike shops where people could give feedback of their own experiance's then that would give others an idea weather they would like to use them or not.

    don't know if this is do'able, just a thought.


    Given the potentially actionable content (not to mention the loss of revenue to Future Publishing) I doubt it!

    That said, gluing disc brake mounts in is about as big a bodge as I've ever seen... not even sure I'd resort to that in an emergency!
  • SlamdunkinSlamdunkin Posts: 355
    Are you sure it's definatly glue and not Loctite?
  • rocketman76rocketman76 Posts: 195
    As for making a mess of your maintenance, at least you're having a go. I haven't mustered up the courage to do anything more than pump up the tyres!!!!!
    Me & my bike
  • rubins4rubins4 Posts: 563
    flamedude wrote:
    The thought of coating my bike in WD40 or GT85....... Takes me back to my teens. The ultimate short-term fix/long-term screw up.

    Aaaah nostalgia.

    Ah yes, WD40, like mole grips...the wrong tool for every job!
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    Anyway, fk dis, I iz off 4 a ride innit. l8rz peepz
  • UnderpantsUnderpants Posts: 120
    Update on the dodgy forks/bike:

    After getting the Kona Cinder Cone back to the main dudes for inspection and cutting out the LBS middle man they decided the best course of action was to re-bore the hole on the brake mount and whack a bigger bolt in there fitting the caliper to the fork. Said bolt was any old silver coloured thing that stood out a mile. Not to mention was basically a bodge job. They then sent it back to me.

    I went mental as I was expecting either a new set of forks (upgraded!) or a new bike...anyway the long and the short of it is I am now waiting for delivery of a brand new Kona Caldera and the LBS are getting a visit from the Kona big cheese to find out what the hell went/goes on there.

    :)
  • joshtpjoshtp Posts: 3,966
    flamedude wrote:
    The thought of coating my bike in WD40 or GT85....... Takes me back to my teens. The ultimate short-term fix/long-term screw up.

    Aaaah nostalgia.
    oh yes, so im not the only one............
    I like bikes and stuff
  • supersonicsupersonic Posts: 82,708 Lives Here
    Underpants wrote:
    Update on the dodgy forks/bike:

    After getting the Kona Cinder Cone back to the main dudes for inspection and cutting out the LBS middle man they decided the best course of action was to re-bore the hole on the brake mount and whack a bigger bolt in there fitting the caliper to the fork. Said bolt was any old silver coloured thing that stood out a mile. Not to mention was basically a bodge job. They then sent it back to me.

    I went mental as I was expecting either a new set of forks (upgraded!) or a new bike...anyway the long and the short of it is I am now waiting for delivery of a brand new Kona Caldera and the LBS are getting a visit from the Kona big cheese to find out what the hell went/goes on there.

    :)

    So they bodged it twice?!
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

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