Today I did something to my bike thread...

murphyebass

I wasn't sure where to put this. They're not really 'pictures of beauty' so I reckon a thread like the one in the motors section 'today I did something to my car thread' would be a good idea.
If one exists please merge. Couldn't find one on a quick search.

Anyway today I had white race blades sold to me and fitted in my lbs 'cyclezone' in Blanch in preparation for the lovely Irish winter.









They also fitted a speedometer yolk I got in Lidl ages ago for me....yes I'm that lazy! Will upgrade to garmin soon... Photos to follow.

Ps nice guys in the Cyclezone shop. Told me about the Clonee Wheelers. Must get out with them soon.

Mycroft H

Today I broke a spoke on a old 27" wheel. Bah. Off to get a new spoke tomorrow so

happytramp

I did something pretty crazy to my bike this afternoon...... I cleaned it.

Zyzz

I got the ride today...













..on my bike

Dubba

Nice idea for a thread.

I fixed at puncture and changed my tires back from Vittoria Open Corsa Evo SC to Conti GP 4000S. Stupid expensive experiment, not happy with the Vittoria durability at all. Looked good tho with the tan side walls :pac:

Raam

If you haven't already done it, put some electrical tape under the clamps on your forks and your seat stays. Otherwise the paintwork will get damaged. Put a good wrapping on them.

Idleater

Dubba wrote: »

Nice idea for a thread.

I fixed at puncture and changed my tires back from Vittoria Open Corsa Evo SC to Conti GP 4000S. Stupid expensive experiment, not happy with the Vittoria durability at all. Looked good tho with the tan side walls :pac:

I upgraded from the Vittoria open corsas sc's to Veloflex masters specifically because of both the look of the tan sidewalls and the superior grip and feel compared to the gp's both of which the sc's provided, but with the Italian flag too :-)

Dubba

Those Veloflex masters look nice alright but I think the GP's have such good puncture resistance, perhaps by having a harder compound than most - they don't seem to cut up a much.

Rew

Wasn't today but but I noticed that at some pont recently I buckled the back wheel of my 2 month old road bike :-(

Dubba

Only one sensible option to that dilemma... new wheels

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=30630;page=1;menu=1000,4,123,30;mid=401;pgc=0

Hmmzis

Dubba wrote: »

Only one sensible option to that dilemma... new wheels

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=30630;page=1;menu=1000,4,123,30;mid=401;pgc=0

Very reasonable commuter wheels if you're not expecting much crosswinds and they're not too heavy either.

Idleater

Dubba wrote: »

Those Veloflex masters look nice alright but I think the GP's have such good puncture resistance, perhaps by having a harder compound than most - they don't seem to cut up a much.

Race tyres for racing bike :-) when I start to commute on it I'll take those compromises into account.
I do agree on the longevity aspect though.

The tax man

Installed headset and forks onto frame today:


The purists may not like my choice of group set: Dura Ace 7400


Wheels:Mavic Mach 2 CD2 laced to DA 7400 hubs Vittoria tubs

Jawgap

Put the lights back on for early morning commuting

Hermy

Beautiful frame taxman!

murphyebass

New gatorskins and toe clips until I get the courage for clipless pedals... Soon.

wanderer 22

shiny new ultegra chain and cassette

BofaDeezNuhtz

Roadih'

Crippens1

The tax man wrote: »

Installed headset and forks onto frame today:

Is there any chance you could take a moment and give some details?

That frame is

What vintage is the Dura Ace groupset?

Gasco

Crippens1 wrote: »

Is there any chance you could take a moment and give some details?

That frame is

What vintage is the Dura Ace groupset?

+1 Tax Man, don't keep us in the dark, that frameset is a thing of beauty.

The tax man

Frame: Colnago made with Columbus Thron Super tubing. Not much info around re tubes. From what I can gather its a mid range tube set. Slighter wider in diameter than say my Master frame.
Groupset: DA 7400 family. Mainly early 90's. The groupset and wheels all came from the same bike so everything has equal wear, which thankfully isnt much,especially when you consider it's age.

dave_o_brien

Hard to follow that Colnago but...

I started building my Wilier today. On went the chainset and cassette, seatpost, bars and stem to start building my winter bike.

The stem and bars are being moved from my track bike, hence the bar tape. The track bike will get narrower bars and a new stem. The frame was bought off Marq-dublin from here, who told me it was an Italian BB, which I conveniently picked up from Everti, who bought an Italian 105 bb in error. Turns out, Marq was also mistaken!

Got the Chainset and wheels off Aido1111 through adverts.

The seatpost has been lying around unused for a while, so glad to finally find a project for it!

Shifters, rear mech and brakes are coming from Zippe, and the rest of the parts are either coming off another bike, or are new. Eventually, it will have 105 5600 shifters, 105 5700 front and rear mech, Sora brakes with Dura Ace Pads, Conti Grand Prix 24mm tyres, a black Specialized Toupe Gel saddle, Crud mudguards and (say it quietly) M520 SPD pedals.

Many thanks to the boardsies and advertsies who I got stuff off, they've all been great so far.

100_0479.jpg

route66

I replaced the headset on my Focus Variado last night.

The bike is 2 years old with approx 5,000kms clocked up. The headset was making noises and closer inspection revealed lots of movement on the lower bearing. As it's nearly always used in dry conditions and stored indoors, I didn't think it would need changing at this early stage. Anyway, I emailed Wiggle (original suppliers) and they gave me the details for the FSA equivalent. I emailed Focus and they confirmed this model would work (I didn't want to get another original part because I wasn't too impressed with the life of the first one).

I actually ordered the headset from CRC because they were much cheaper that Wiggle; it's an "FSA Orbit ZS-3 Black Aheadset". When it arrived, I stuck it on a shelf where it sat for a few months. I wanted to do the job myself but understood if I got it wrong, the bike would be disabled awaiting a fix from the professionals ...

So, suitably you-tubed, I tackled this last night. Removing the old one was ok, but I was surprised to see lots of ball bearings - the old headset cap said “Cartridge Inside” … Installing the new headset went ok up to the point where I needed to put the new cups into the frame. I had a clamp - the type normally used for woodworking - but it simply couldn't persuade the cups to go in square. In the end, I gave up and used a hammer with a flat piece of steel to prevent impact damage and to cushion the blow. It worked, and the 2 cups went in cleanly. Reassembly was also reasonably straightforward, and I noticed that the new bearings were actually cartridge and that the FSA bearing was much better sealed that the original.

It was too late (and wet!) to go for a test run afterwards but I’m confident that it’ll all hold together when I next hit the road (pun not intended)

Dermot Illogical

Today I got my 7sp Raleigh ready to take over full time commuting duties.
It was all pretty with white bartape, saddle and tyres but white's not a colour that's going to survive winter too well.
I kept the chain and cassette, but changed wheels and tyres so had to switch the cassette over. I then changed the bottle cage (adding a Bontrager pump/co2 holder) and saddle. That done I changed the brake levers and cables. Finally I put new bartape on.

Seweryn

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

Today I got my 7sp Raleigh ready to take over full time commuting duties.

Nice one Dermot. Are you putting mudguard on that beaty?

Today* I did something to the bike - fell of it. On the flat. While standing still. In front of a line of traffic.

I'm blaming the clips. It was their fault, somehow.

*+/- a few days ago.

Dermot Illogical

Seweryn wrote: »

Nice one Dermot. Are you putting mudguard on that beaty?

I've a rear "clamp onto the seatpost" jobbie which I'll use for the next few days but will put a proper set on later in the week. I like the look of the race blades but this yoke has eyelets for a proper set so will see if I can get something similar in looks.

Surveyor11

Fitted a new tiagra 12-27 cassette and SRAM pc951 to the commuter over the weekend. lovely sound coming out of it on the way to work this morning. Also discovered my 9 speed shifter is starting to give gip, so hopefully not fatal

Seweryn

So... new bottom bracket bearings again, new chain, new cassette, new pedal axles with bearings, new jockey wheels... Good to go for another month or two .

CptMackey

Tried to fix my front derailleur this morning. No go so off to the lbs with you

Hmmzis

Not on my bike but changed the front brake calliper on my girlfriend's commuter. Nothing fancy, just a standard Shimano long reach model. The old one just worn out - spring not pulling back properly, arms very wobbly and the wear on the pads was just random at best and she was complaining about a spongy feel on the front brake. The new one seems to be the business, though noticeably heavier than the old one.

Mycroft H

Seweryn wrote: »

So... new bottom bracket bearings again, new chain, new cassette, new pedal axles with bearings, new jockey wheels... Good to go for another month or two .

Ever hear of grease :P

ford2600

Would you not try a high end bottom bracket such as Chris King with the all weather mileage your doing?

Seweryn wrote: »

So... new bottom bracket bearings again, new chain, new cassette, new pedal axles with bearings, new jockey wheels... Good to go for another month or two .

Seweryn

BX 19 wrote: »

Ever hear of grease :P

Oh yeah, I use a lot of it .

Seweryn

ford2600 wrote: »

Would you not try a high end bottom bracket such as Chris King with the all weather mileage your doing?

I have the BB30 system, which is actually less durable, however on my last holiday break abroad I sourced some high quality Japanese bearings for the BB30 (I got them in a bearing specialist shop) and I have them now fitted. The only drawback is they have tight seals (more torque is lost, but you wouldn't notice it), but that is also positive sign. I will report here how long they last in comparison, but I am pretty confident, they will last a lot longer than the standard BB30 bearings that you get in a bike shop.

colm_gti

Tried my new racing wheels on...





Need to get a cassette, and some carbon specific brake pads before I can try them out, but they certainly look damn cool (despite the mudguard on my road bike :P) and they feel crazy light compared to aksiums with GP4seasons....

instinct

Finally got some proper guards on. Crud catcher Road racer 2. A little fiddly to fit initially but should be handy to take off and refit if needed. Quite happy them as no rubbing or vibrations and they look fairly stealthy. Not sure how well they work with 25c tyres as they are rather close fitting. Bike is still rather clean after some dirty rides too which is a definite plus.

Seweryn

instinct wrote: »

Finally got some proper guards on. Crud catcher Road racer 2. A little fiddly to fit initially but should be handy to take off and refit if needed. Quite happy them as no rubbing or vibrations and they look fairly stealthy. Not sure how well they work with 25c tyres as they are rather close fitting. Bike is still rather clean after some dirty rides too which is a definite plus.

Since I started cycling regularly I put the same set on and never took it off the bike. Can't imagine cycling without them, unless I go on holidays abroad.
I had to replace them twice, as they do not last the mileage I cover, but other than that they are one of the most important piece of equipment I have attached to my bike.

dave_o_brien

Seweryn wrote: »

Since I started cycling regularly I put the same set on and never took it off the bike. Can't imagine cycling without them, unless I go on holidays abroad.
I had to replace them twice, as they do not last the mileage I cover, but other than that they are one of the most important piece of equipment I have attached to my bike.

Have had them on my bike since September. They work. But they are flimsy, slightly awkward to set up, move enough to cause tyre rub frequently, and pack with mud when there's mud around. I'm awaiting a delivery of raceblades, which i had on another bike for years with not so much as a peep. They might not cover the brake pivot, but they are durable.

wanderer 22

Well technically the LBS did it..but I paid
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New hongfu bars , stem and seatpost
Ultegra chain and cassette
Lizard Skins bartape
New headset and bottom bracket
Replaced gear and brake cables

Just took her out for a short spin, feels like a brand new bike, delighted with it

Zyzz

How much did they charge for a job like that?

wanderer 22

Zyzz wrote: »

How much did they charge for a job like that?

Enough to motivate me to read my zinn and the art of road bike maintenance...

Hmmzis

New front tyre (GP4000s)
New Chain (some SRAM jobbie, 991 something)
New cassette (HG50)
New shifter cable rear inner and outer (K'ble something)
New bar tape (Lizard Skins DSP 2.5mm black)
Borrowed TT bars added (profile design, don't know the model but they feel comfy)

The tax man

Got my Road Ace wheels back from the guys at the Bike Hub.
Spent the evening gluing tubs onto them. Last time I glued tubs was back in the 80's. I'll be having a nervous first spin on these wheels I think.

DaveyDave

Over the weekend I fit my new Deore brake and rear shifter. It should have been 2 brakes but Rose is sold out of the front and I guess they don't want to send me one from their retail shop so I currently have the rear Deore on the front and swapped the rear brake to the left :P

Not only does it look nicer, the brake itself has immense stopping power over the Shimano non-series mechanical brake it replaced. Also when I was replacing the shifter cable I found the root of my shifting problems that have plagued me for about a year, the end of the outer cable broke and was essentially fused to the barrel adjuster at the derailleur. After 5-10 minutes of cursing to myself I got it out, replaced the outer and tightened up the cable. No tweaking or anything and gears shift almost perfectly. So much so I can hold off getting the Deore XT rear derailleur for a while

All in all, very pleased with the new brake. Only €40 and it's the best bike related thing I've ever bought hands down. I just wish it didn't take me so long because they're amazing and I've spent too much time manually adjusting pads. Just have to move the levers in a bit now that I'll be 1 finger braking, I'm looking forward to being able to go faster on the trails now that I can actually stop

hardCopy

Upgraded my bottom bracket from Tiagra to 105. Actually the BikeHub did this, while I ate ice cream.

Installed a speed/cadence sensor on Saturday, it wouldn't work on Saturday, I eventually got it to work on Tuesday morning but now I'm injured so I haven't had a good spin with it yet.

superlav

Replaced old worn out Continental Competition 22mm tub on my back wheel, the tufo sealant in it had been working overtime the last few weeks.
One hole in particular it plugged at the start line of a race, saved the day.

Also one of the pedals on my commuter\training bike gave up, so the obvious solution was to move the Keo Carbons from the race bike and replace with Keo Blade Carbon Ti axles

Also upgraded the standard FSA BB30 bearings with these ceramic ones from eBay. 2 x ceramic BB30 bearings delivered for < €40 !!!!
I can't vouch for their duability yet, but they are super smooth and yes I can notice a massive difference between them and my old standard FSA bearings.

That said my old ones were totally buggered, one of the bearings came apart as I was removing it, bearings everywhere!!
As I was picking up the pieces I noticed some bits of what I thought was grit in the bearing, on closer inspection it turned out of few of the ball bearings had disintegrated :eek:
I counted the out the ball bearings and there was 3 of the balls that were totally crushed !!! And some of the others seemed to be worn very unevenly.

Also went a long way to explaining the occasional but extremely unpleasant, crunchy/cracky sound that had recently started. Even thought the frame might have been cracked.

quozl

Replaced a 11-34 cassette with a 12-26 cassette on my Trek 7.5 fx.
It has a 50/34 compact at the front and I'm not using the wide-range of the 11-34 and don't like the large gear jumps.

Also swapped my toe-clip pedals out for Shimano XT SPD Trekking T780 MTB Pedals (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=67250). They're my first pair of clip-less pedals. I got a 1-sided one so I can just wear my normal shoes if I'm popping to the shop.

Did the above at Rothar.ie's phibsboro shop. Really cool setup - get a bike stand, all the tools you need and people happy to answer the odd question, for a fiver an hour. I like doing these sort of things myself but it's nice to have the safety net of people around who know what they're doing just in case it all goes horribly wrong

g0g

Got weird ticking/creaking noise fixed in LBS. First two shops I went to automatically said I needed a new bottom bracket (only 2,000km on bike). Third shop the guy said bring it down, he popped off the pedals, cleaned some dirt from inside and I was sorted for a fiver. Would like to be able to sort problems like that myself in future, but the guy said I'd need a decent torque wrench before taking that part of the bike apart - was he correct? Do torque wrenches of reasonable quality exist for under 50 quid?

donegaldude

New wheels, cabling casings, chain, cassette, bar tape and chain rings. Like having a new bike again!

FirstinLastout

Today I cleaned dog sh1t from outa the SS MTB's tires.
But with no outside tap at the house where I currently rent during the week where was I to clean them????

With the anti-cyclist whinging house-mate at work his shower obviously got the nod!:D