Today I did something to my bike thread...

gn3dr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120781659#Comment_120781659

Yeah, homemade English wheel. Was my Covid lockdown project. There's a few pics of the build on here https://instagram.com/gn3dr?igshid=MzNlNGNkZWQ4Mg==

few pics on there also of motorbike tank I almost finished 🙄 as part of the first wheel use

magicbastarder

you made your own english wheel? good god.

i only know about them from wheeler dealers and dominic chinea.

tomasrojo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788977#Comment_120788977

Yeah, I got the Litelok Go-O from them, and the delivery also added a lot on to what is also n expensive lock. Though it is a decent medium-security lock you can wear comfortably as a belt, which I needed for a Brompton as a secondary lock.

tomasrojo

I see that Abus have, as predicted, responded to the Litelok and Hiplok angle grider-resistant locks.

https://bikebiz.com/our-product-highlights-from-eurobike-2023/

https://mobil.abus.com/int/Consumer/Bicycle-locks/Novelties/GRANIT-Super-Extreme-2500-165HB230-bracket-USH2500

Looks as if it's priced like the Hiplok D1000: up in the high two hundred euro. I guess Kryptonite will have something along in the not too distant future.

JMcL

Not so much something I did as something that drove me round the bend and defeated me resulting in a visit to the LBS.

I stuck a 36 tooth cassette on the Croix de Fer recently so my knees would thank me. The derailleur is rated for 34, but I figured with the Shimano reputation for conservatism, I'd get away with it. Capacity wise it seemed fine - not overly stressed when crosschained big-big, and still some tension when on small-small. Try as I might though I couldn't get it indexed. It would either shift fine at the top of the block, or the bottom of the block, but not both.

It turned out to be a few broken strands of cable that had gotten into the shifter. Now I did have the cable snap on me about 4 years ago, but I've had probably 2 cables through it since, so the strands must have been lurking somewhere in the shifter body in the meantime.

Anyway, I took the opportunity while in to get the headset bearings replaced (one of the few things I'm wary of tackling myself) and the bottom bracket (I need to get me the correct sized Hollowtech II tool, not that adapter ring that might as well be made of butter) as both needed it.

gn3dr

Had to buy a BB tool last week also for Ultegra R8000. Went with Icetoolz one from Amazon based on recommendation from Madpec Cycles You Tube channel. Good quality tool.

cletus

Not really my bike, but bearings needing to be pressed have given me the impetus to finish my bearing press

cletus

Looking at the back of the bike while out with my boys, the length of the cable to the rear derailleur was annoying me, and I figured there was a good chance he'd end up catching it in something, so I shortened it up.

I straightened the rear brake disc, too, as it was rubbing, but you can't really take a picture of that

magicbastarder

when you sat straightened the disc - was it out of true?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120815780#Comment_120815780

Yeah, it was touching the pad in one spot in the revolution

magicbastarder

was the disc itself warped, or just mounted out of true?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120815813#Comment_120815813

Disk itself was slightly warped. I'd imagine it got a bang or something

magicbastarder

bought a battered old folding bike earlier in the week, paid far too much for it (bought in a hurry as i was let down on the previous two - we're off to clare island in the morning, where you can't bring cars, and i needed to grab one while i could).

shifting was a total lottery on it so today i managed to replace the rear derailleur, cable and housing, and the shifter for about €20. the rear derailleur had a load of play in it, and the previous owner had folded the bike onto the gear cable housing so that was badly compromised.

cheapo secondhand RD on adverts for €3 (i bought two for redundancy, so €6 to be fair), and then €5 for the cable housing and €6 for a cable in decathlon. then i spotted they had a cheapo btwin gripshifter for €10 with the cable included - so decided it'd be foolish not to replace that; only €4 more than the cable itself. so €21 all in, and i even have a 'free' **** secondhand RD for that.

i suppose i should include the price of the petrol and two crossings of the west link, in the probably 60km of driving i had to do - so add another €12.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120815815#Comment_120815815

how did you straighten it?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120820177#Comment_120820177

This is the tool that's normally used

but I don't have one of them, so I used a pair of needle nose vice grips, set the jaws at the required distance apart when locked, and bent it back into shape

DaveyDave

I always wondered does anyone ever buy the disc straightening tools? I just bend them by hand til they're straight again or at least close enough. Never had any issues.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120820439#Comment_120820439

I’ve one just cause it was about a tenner on Amazon and doing it with a pliers has always sketched me out

magicbastarder

would a disc bent back into shape vibrate under braking unless you've done an excellent job?

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120820566#Comment_120820566

No more than it vibrating under braking since it’s bent out of shape in the first place I suppose? Granted you could make it worse if you’re not careful and over do it, but it’s mostly small tweaks

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120820741#Comment_120820741

Yeah, this exactly. You can't even really see the changes you make, you're just pulling the disc in the opposite direction to the warp, and hoping it sits back straight. Everything's a spring, and all that

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120820741#Comment_120820741

probably should have expanded on that - how much are discs now? i.e. would replacing it be less hassle?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120821086#Comment_120821086

It's literally 2 minutes work. You wouldn't see the warp, you only notice it rubbing against one of the two pads.

You give it a bit of a bend in the opposite direction, and bobs your uncle.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120821086#Comment_120821086

Fairly pricey if you want to replace like for like with road group sets, I think the ultegra discs are around 60 quid a pop. You can get cheaper ones like the deore ones that come on the mtbs for around 30 quid a pop

cletus

I sorted out the rear derailleur. I was having to do the two shifts up and one shift back thing, and it was annoying me, think it's sorted now.

I put these in the shed...

I was going to swap over the tyres from my current wheels and set them up this evening, but looking at them, I think I should probably put new rubber on them.

tigerboon

Put the mudguards back on....in July

stevencn88

Fit the SKS mudguards back on today too. Feels wrong doing it in July.

tigerboon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885120#Comment_120885120

Not as wrong as water where water shouldn't be🥹🥹

cletus

New rubber arrived today, so I headed out to the shed with a mug of tea.

Swapped over cassette and discs (new wheels are centre lock)

And there we go. Apologies for the location of the photo, shed is too small to get a full length shot, and it's too wet to stand outside taking pictures

I was going to add a short video of the freehub, which has a most pleasing sound, but I couldn't see how. Anyway, fingers crossed I'll get out tomorrow evening for a spin to try them out

cletus

New (to me) seat post bolt arrived today, courtesy of board's resident parts repository expert @8valve.

Cleaned and installed, muddy fox back in operation, and ready for some more canal/pub meandering

iwillhtfu

If you know, you know 🥵🥵