the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' bike maintenance thread

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117758792#Comment_117758792

Depends on the wheel I'd say. The chain came off on my old mountain bike a few years ago and ripped one of the spokes out of the wheel. I cycled on it for months after that. It was a basic, budget wheel on a €600 bike. Didn't repair it because the nipple was ripped out of the rim and I didn't have money for a new wheel. It was a commuter bike so didn't take a beating in that state.

On another bike I had a cheap Shimano road wheel break a spoke after only owning it a few weeks and not 5 minutes later trying to get home another one went...

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117758792#Comment_117758792

Don’t cycle on it.

wheelo01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759342#Comment_117759342

Thanks Brian, any ideas on cost of repair?

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759422#Comment_117759422

No idea man, sorry.

I bought a wheel stand years ago to do it myself. Decent investment.

magicbastarder

last time i had a spoke replaced, which was probably five years ago, it cost me 15 quid.

Brian?

Did those screws ever get removed?

Zen0

Tightest tyre clearance on a bike is not normally at the forks or the seat stays, it’s at the chain stays. Try looking there first.

wheelo01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759670#Comment_117759670

Quoted €20 from Wolfe Cycles over my way, could fit it in today, so I'm happy enough,

Thanks.

magicbastarder

i once had a bike where the tightest clearance was between the top of the tyre and inside of the fork crown. i stuck a 25mm tyre (panaracer RibMo) on the front wheel and it was jammed solid when i remounted it.

tomasrojo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759085#Comment_117759085

I used to break spokes all the time when I had a cheap-ish hybrid. Used to snap axles as well.

If you have a bike with 32 spokes (and I assume 36 spokes, but I never broke a spoke on my bike with 36-spoke wheels), you can ride it for a while in my experience, but you're just going to break more spokes and the wheel goes more out of true.

Anyway, you're getting it fixed!

darragh o meara

Quick question:

Just bought a gravel bike which is geared more like a MTB than a road bike. My current road bike has exactly what I want in a rear cassette so was going to purchase one the same and swap them over. Both are 9 speed and Shimano.

Are MTB and Road bike cassettes the same fitament?

BTW: I bought a gravel bike because I'm a bit heavier than your average cyclist and while I never had bother on the 25mm tyres, I feel a bit safer on the wider tyres the gravel bike offers.

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117761599#Comment_117761599

They're the same fitment, once the gears match and the rear derailleur can take it then it should be fine. My road ebike has a 42t MTB cassette on road wheels, I could put my 25t road cassette on it if I wanted as both are 11 speed.

darragh o meara

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117761701#Comment_117761701

I'm going with a smaller road type cassette instead of the larger MTB one. Hopefully wont be a problem.

monseiur

Hi folks, Anyone on here familiar with the Carrera Vengance MTB (Halfords) I'm considering buying one and would appreciate your opinions. Plan to cycle rough / hard trails, at weekends etc. Is the Vengance more of a commuter type bike than a genuine MTB ? Should I up my budget and get a Giant Talon 3 or Trek. (My size in these won't be available for months)

Thanks.

NeedMoreGears

Disc Brake Rubbing

Whenever I remove a wheel that is fitted with a disc brake, I almost always get some rubbing on reinstallation. The wheel/brakes are fine before I remove the wheel. Anyone got any tips on how to ensure this doesn't happen please? The best I have come up with is to fit the wheel and then apply the brakes before tightening the quick release. It improves things but there's always a bit of a niggling rub for a while.

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117737223#Comment_117737223

Agree. and in my view, when it comes to carbo on carbon.. Only tighten as tight as needed.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117692098#Comment_117692098

For anyone thinking their question might be too stupid to ask, please be heartened by the fact that no question will ever be as stupid as this...

gn3dr

The cable stop you circled is probably for a top pull front derailleur like this

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117766011#Comment_117766011

Thanks for that. I was actually referencing a previous post of mine, where I couldn't find it because...it was hidden by the clamp on the bike stand🙄🙄🙄🙄

S_D

Lads, does anyone know how to help... I seem to have the loudest brake squeal this side of the continent in wet weather and its driving me bonkers.

Ended up putting new pads & discs recently. Always cleaned with 'muc off brake cleaner' etc. No oils getting near the components. The braking noise is like a train coming into station, its painful!! I've never heard anyone else with the same horrendous squeal. Any suggestions to help stop it?!

magicbastarder

my routine is to get some fine sandpaper and sand both the pads and the disc. and hit the pads with a heatgun; bike brake pads don't reach the heat required to burn off contaminants. usually works for me.

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117758792#Comment_117758792

€16 in Joe Daly just now.

Benny Cake

Whar width rim tape do I need for my tubeless wheels? They are Giant SLR1 wheels. Been googling all evening to no avail!

tomasrojo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117738492#Comment_117738492

Not sure if anyone has answered you. I've never seen individual replacements for rubbers seals on headsets. Nor replacement caps; I have a cap and a seal on one of my bikes.

But threaded headsets often don't have a rubber seal at the top. If you service the headset every year or two, I think it wouldn't make much difference not having the seal. The top only gets rainwater, the bottom part of the headset usually wears out long before the top, and which point you can replace the headset anyway, if you still have a kid in the age range for the bike at that stage. For the lower part of the headset, mudguards would be more important than a seal, I think.

jebidiah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117747212#Comment_117747212

I went with 700*28 Schwable Marathon Plus tyres and I am just barely clear in the front, but there is enough rub on the rear (under side of brake caliper) to cause the wheel to slow down.

Not sure if it's the increased thickness of the model, it could just be the mould line... But I'll try return them to Halfords and get 700*25 instead.

ARX

A year ago I bought a set of Shimano RS500 SPD-SL pedals. I fitted them recently and the left pedal is binding on the axle, making it hard to clip in as it doesn't hang toe upwards. When I turn it by hand I can feel the roughness characteristic of an over-tightened cone.

The retailer is telling me that even though I have only just put them into use, maintenance is still necessary.

I don't see adjusting over-tightened bearings on a new pedal as maintenance. Bearing maintenance to me is adjusting the cone to remove the play that occurs with wear.

In my view they are asking me to rebuild a pedal that was assembled incorrectly at the factory. I'm surprised that they assume that I have both the time and the competence to do so.

I would expect cheap unbranded pedals to have over-tightened bearings, but these are Shimano. Even if they are the cheapest Shimano SPD-SL pedals, I still expect them to be correctly assembled. I have a pair of low-end Shimano SPD-SL pedals from 2010 that have had no maintenance and are still perfect.

What do you think? Am I being unreasonable in expecting new pedals to be correctly assembled, or is the retailer unreasonable in expecting me to rebuild them?

In other words, AITA?

EDIT: The Shimano warranty excludes claims where "the Shimano Product if it has been modified or repaired by a person other than an authorized Shimano dealer" so I'll be voiding my warranty if I rebuild the pedal.

magicbastarder

pedals are not the sort of thing most people would have the time or competence to maintain, but if they've only been put into use and are graunchy, i'd consider that a warranty issue; i've a pair of five year old SPDs which have never been maintained, and are used on my winter bike (which was used for commuting), look very rusty and tatty, yet still run true.

cletus

Back to the shop for one of the R's (replace, repair, refund).

There's no way you should need to do anything to a new set of pedals other than install them

jebidiah

Is there a difference between the height of 700*25 and 700*28 tyres? Or is it just width?

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117775130#Comment_117775130

yes they'll be higher as well (but at the end of the day every brand is going to be slightly different, some 28s will be smaller than others).