Mechanical Day

Aidy
Aidy Posts: 2,015
edited February 2010 in Commuting chat
Things just weren't going my way this evening.

Shoe disintegrated as I put it on to leave. Great. At least it was my set of casual SPD shoes, so I could sorta play games with the laces.

Later had a puncture, which I suppose is slightly par for the course. I was probably overdue one with how I'd been clunking through unexpected potholes lately.
Once I'd swapped the tube, the rear mudguard decided it had gotten bored with being on the bike, and promptly abandoned it to make friends with the pavement.

... time to replace the emergency gaffer tape around the waterbottle, I think.

Comments

  • Flasheart
    Flasheart Posts: 1,278
    Oh dear, not a good day. Let's hope you fair better today :wink:
    The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. ...Stapp’s Ironical Paradox Law
    FCN3
    http://img87.yfrog.com/img87/336/mycubeb.jpg
    http://lonelymiddlesomethingguy.blogspot.com/
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    Aidy, Wiggle hadn't heard from you in a while.................... :)
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    Could be worse - I just had my back wheel come clean off.

    Let me explain - cone on one side appears to have broken loose from the lock nut. Sod's law - I've nto touched it since new (ca. 1 yr). Because in rear forks, the locknut stayed still and the now moving drive side cone winds itself down the thread and causes the non-drive side to tighten and seize.

    This causes the quick release to briefly become the bearing. It duly snaps and the wheel gets thrown out.

    All in about 200 yards, as far as I can tell.

    I was late for work. I now need a new freewheel, cone, bearings, lithium grease and cone wrenches. And I need to work late.
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Could be worse - I just had my back wheel come clean off.

    same thing happened to me once...on the black route at glentress....i was very fortunate that it was at a slow tight switchback, so just stopped dead....

    horrible.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    cee wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Could be worse - I just had my back wheel come clean off.

    same thing happened to me once...on the black route at glentress....i was very fortunate that it was at a slow tight switchback, so just stopped dead....

    horrible.
    When I was trying to realign my brakes, I discovered that my topeak multi tool had also fallen apart. It was virtually new.

    Why is it that, as cyclists, we get sold such high price tat?

    Imagine if that were a car, where they noticed that after a year's use the clutch (i.e. the freewheel) would fail entirely, or the wheel bearings would disintegrate and cause a wheel to fall off.

    Good effort ejecting the rear wheel on the black route. You get man points for that.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Could be worse - I just had my back wheel come clean off.

    Let me explain - cone on one side appears to have broken loose from the lock nut. Sod's law - I've nto touched it since new (ca. 1 yr). Because in rear forks, the locknut stayed still and the now moving drive side cone winds itself down the thread and causes the non-drive side to tighten and seize.

    This causes the quick release to briefly become the bearing. It duly snaps and the wheel gets thrown out.

    All in about 200 yards, as far as I can tell.

    I was late for work. I now need a new freewheel, cone, bearings, lithium grease and cone wrenches. And I need to work late.

    I don't really understand this apart from that your back wheel fell out.

    :shock: :shock: :shock:

    That's appalling!
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Could be worse - I just had my back wheel come clean off.

    Let me explain - cone on one side appears to have broken loose from the lock nut. Sod's law - I've nto touched it since new (ca. 1 yr). Because in rear forks, the locknut stayed still and the now moving drive side cone winds itself down the thread and causes the non-drive side to tighten and seize.

    This causes the quick release to briefly become the bearing. It duly snaps and the wheel gets thrown out.

    All in about 200 yards, as far as I can tell.

    I was late for work. I now need a new freewheel, cone, bearings, lithium grease and cone wrenches. And I need to work late.

    I don't really understand this apart from that your back wheel fell out.

    :shock: :shock: :shock:

    That's appalling!
    Basically, I'm a lazy git. I can tell you are keen to have a detailed explanation.....

    Water got into a bearing. The bearings are all threaded onto an axle, and a lock nut is tightened against the outer part so that everything stays in place.

    Because of my laziness, water has got into a bearing and its pitted. This means the bearings don't roll smoothly, which has caused one of those threaded parts to break free of the lockring.

    Chaos has then ensued. Because of all of the roation going on, the bits on the other side have moved and over tightened the bearing to the point it seized entirely (its somethign of a suprise its okay, actually). Since at the time I was moving at 20+mph, something had to give. It was the skewer.

    I confess, I don't really know why the skewer sheared off rather than simply unscrewed. If it was a Toyota, they'd recall all the skewers and all the freewheels.

    As its Shimano, you pays your money, you takes the chance. And no, I don't believe that Campag is any more robust.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Cafewanda wrote:
    Aidy, Wiggle hadn't heard from you in a while.................... :)

    I had been thinking it would be a shame not to use their £10 off £50 voucher... can't think of anything I really want, though.
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    You're not thinking hard enough :wink:
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Cafewanda wrote:
    You're not thinking hard enough :wink:

    It's normally my manager's job to point this out! :)
  • _jon_
    _jon_ Posts: 366
    My brother's rear wheel fell off on Friday as he was cycling home from school. The quick release squewer and axle had both snapped causing some of the bearing so fall out of the hub.

    He had to carry the bike several miles home and it's quite a heavy 10 year old steel framed front suspension mountain bike as well (about 16kg). Personally I think I would have locked it up, walked home, and then driven and picked it up later on.

    Luckily I managed to use bearings and the axle from his old bike to fix it so he had it ready for the Monday.
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Imagine if that were a car, where they noticed that after a year's use the clutch (i.e. the freewheel) would fail entirely, or the wheel bearings would disintegrate and cause a wheel to fall off.

    toyota prius? ford exploder? etc
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    Aidy wrote:
    Cafewanda wrote:
    You're not thinking hard enough :wink:

    It's normally my manager's job to point this out! :)

    Get your thinking cap on then otherwise Wiggle might call on ITB's very very good friend, who's at a loose end right now :lol:
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Cafewanda wrote:
    Get your thinking cap on then otherwise Wiggle might call on ITB's very very good friend, who's at a loose end right now :lol:

    Have you recently accepted a sponsorship deal from Wiggle? :)
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    cee wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Imagine if that were a car, where they noticed that after a year's use the clutch (i.e. the freewheel) would fail entirely, or the wheel bearings would disintegrate and cause a wheel to fall off.

    toyota prius? ford exploder? etc
    Yes, there'd be a huge outcry and mass recalls.

    All the cycist gets is the kid from the Simpson's going, "Ha Ha!"
  • vorsprung
    vorsprung Posts: 1,953
    Always Tyred wrote:
    cee wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Imagine if that were a car, where they noticed that after a year's use the clutch (i.e. the freewheel) would fail entirely, or the wheel bearings would disintegrate and cause a wheel to fall off.

    toyota prius? ford exploder? etc
    Yes, there'd be a huge outcry and mass recalls.

    All the cycist gets is the kid from the Simpson's going, "Ha Ha!"

    Maybe if you don't want to do any maintenance on your exposed hub bearings for a year you should consider this when getting the bike. Instead of complaining that a cup and cone system lets in water and rusts and breaks

    XT MTB hubs or Hope hubs could stand this neglect quite happily
    Audaxing Blog - Long Distance Cycling
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  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    vorsprung wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    cee wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Imagine if that were a car, where they noticed that after a year's use the clutch (i.e. the freewheel) would fail entirely, or the wheel bearings would disintegrate and cause a wheel to fall off.

    toyota prius? ford exploder? etc
    Yes, there'd be a huge outcry and mass recalls.

    All the cycist gets is the kid from the Simpson's going, "Ha Ha!"

    Maybe if you don't want to do any maintenance on your exposed hub bearings for a year you should consider this when getting the bike. Instead of complaining that a cup and cone system lets in water and rusts and breaks

    XT MTB hubs or Hope hubs could stand this neglect quite happily

    Thank you for your helpful response.

    (a) I was speaking figuratively and I have repacked the bearings a couple of times this year
    (b) best to think in mileage rather than time - around 6k on that hub now
    (c) Its an XT hub, smart ar$e.
    (d) Its been below -10 quite a lot here in Scotland this year.
    (e) Even so, the consequences of a bearing failure (i.e. a wheel falling off) are disproportionate.

    How's the view from up there on your high horse?
  • LazyBoycp
    LazyBoycp Posts: 320
    My rear derailleur snapped off on the way home tonight and got sucked into my rear wheel. :roll: The derailleur and chain are knackered, but I think the wheel is OK. Looks like it sheared between 2 of the screws; no idea how. Oh well, that's the end of my commuting for this week...

    Is it fairly easy to remove/fit a derailleur? I'm about 5 miles away from the Edinburgh Bike Co-op in Manchester and that is a bit further than I'd like to walk pushing a bike (I don't have a car). If it isn't easy, how would you recommend I get to the LBS? Could I remove the broken bit of mech (shouldn't be difficult) and then shorten the chain to effectively make my bike a SS, or would that not work?
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Is it fairly easy to remove/fit a derailleur?

    Two options.

    Either take the chain apart and then simply unthread it from the derailleur or you can actually dismantle the derailleur from around the chain. (The latter is only really worth doing if you're on a deep clean mission when getting things down to their component parts is the only way to go.)

    As your chain is knackered any way. Undo a link and unthread it. The Derailleur is just bolted on to the frame / hanger.

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