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

magicbastarder

is there a simple list of chemicals which you should not get near disc brake pads? i.e. would even something like a detergent cause issues with contamination; i was wondering as i was cleaning the bike earlier if i can be overcautious in cleaning the bike near the brakes.

any tips on looking after a steel frame? my latest purchase has mountings for racks and also a couple of unthreaded holes - should i tape those up to keep water out, or leave them uncovered to let the water out should it get in?

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Macy0161

I've been working on the old hard tail. Forks basically siezed on me on first single track in years. Managed to take them apart following a you tube video. Full of crap and the stanchions are all rusted. Is it worth sanding them down and then greasing them up to feck and seeing how they go? What's the worst that'll happen - just seize on me again?

They're suntour xcm, on a trek 4500 (which I got second hand from biking.ie years ago at this stage). I'll only be using it on the built trails of ballinastoe for the time being - skipped bump n grind and expressway over the weekend once I knew the forks were essentially stuck, but the rest have really been smoothed out since I was last there. N+1 is really looking like an MTB but is a weeks, possibly months away, after which the trek will become full on beater really (and I'll probably look for rigid forks at that stage).

LollipopJimmy

gaffmaster wrote: »

Morning!

Will a 105 5800 Crankset work with a Sora 9 Speed Groupset? (Need shorter cranks, may upgrade the rest of the groupset over time).

Gracias.

The cranks should bolt up to the Sora rings, I wouldn't use the 105 rings with the 9spd chain but other than that all should be well.

gaffmaster

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

The cranks should bolt up to the Sora rings, I wouldn't use the 105 rings with the 9spd chain but other than that all should be well.

Cheers. So is the spacing the same on the chainset? My Front Derailleur wont be under or over traveling when shifting the chain?

LollipopJimmy

gaffmaster wrote: »

Cheers. So is the spacing the same on the chainset? My Front Derailleur wont be under or over traveling when shifting the chain?

I'm far from expert level but to me you would need the BB to match the cranks and then the rings to match the chain and rear cassette.

The front mech to my mind would be fine, there's loads of adjustment in them

gaffmaster

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I'm far from expert level but to me you would need the BB to match the cranks and then the rings to match the chain and rear cassette.

The front mech to my mind would be fine, there's loads of adjustment in them

I'm planning on replacing the whole chainset as the cranks themselves aren't sold seperately to my knowledge. So I'd need a new bottom bracket too. My current set up is an FSA Vero (the rest is 9 speed Sora).
Cheers

Thargor

Someone at work wants me to replace a tyre on an old mountain bike for them, both tyres on the bike say 26 X 10, not 26 X 1.95, not 26 X 2.25, its definitely 26 X 10. What does that mean? Can I just order a standard 26 X 1.95 and throw it on there do you think?

Type 17

If it's a 26" wheeled mountain bike, then any tyre with a 26 x n.nn size will fit. Note that a tyre size listed as 26 x (a fraction, rather than a decimal number) will be a different 26" size, such as 26 x 1⅜ (older 3-speed Raleighs and other British bikes)

Your measurement might be 26 x 1.0, which would be the narrowest width in the 26" ATB size.

What other numbers are on the tyres? - look for the ERTRO size: xx-559, where XX is the width in millimetres.

Fratton Fred

My bike currently has an FSA Tempo crank, which uses a square taper BB. It also has Sora 9 speed derailleurs and shifters.

Now, from what I can gather, swapping a square taper BB for a hollowtech one is fairly straight forward, but can I use a 105 crank on there? does it matter that the crank is for an 11 speed cassette, but i have a 9 speed one?

gaffmaster

Fratton Fred wrote: »

My bike currently has an FSA Tempo crank, which uses a square taper BB. It also has Sora 9 speed derailleurs and shifters.

Now, from what I can gather, swapping a square taper BB for a hollowtech one is fairly straight forward, but can I use a 105 crank on there? does it matter that the crank is for an 11 speed cassette, but i have a 9 speed one?

I'm in an almost identical situation. My cranks are FSA Vero (with Sora derailleurs). Asked a bike mechanic yesterday if 105 cranks would work with the rest of the set up and he seemed to think it would. So I ordered some cranks. Now I need to buy a bottom bracket and figure out how to get the old cranks off (crank puller?).

I also quizzed him on the ability/logic of using an 11 speed chain on the proposed system but he seemed to think THAT wouldn't work. I've read somewhere else (possibly another thread here, or a link from a thread here) that 11 speed chains can be used on 10 and 9 speed groupsets, and are in fact a good idea as they are manufactured to better tolerances. However, that mechanic I spoke to yesterday disputed this based on his own experiences of same.

BTW - If you have strava premium, you can get the 105 cranks for £69ish using you annual unique £15 off wiggle code.

Takca

Not that I'll be recording any phenomenal numbers on it but I have a notion that I want to get a power meter(probably will wait until I stumble across somebody getting rid of a second hand one), the crankset I currently have is FC-RS500 Crank 50/34 172,5mm.

Besides aesthetics, is there any reason I couldn't get a 4iiii or stages on a 105 left side crankset and use it to replace the left crank I already have.
e.g. would a difference in weight or maybe shape/angle between left and right cranks cause a problem?

mickdw

Query re road bike tyres.
Anyone any experience of roadbike tyres cracking heavily at only a few weeks old?
I bought some cheap tyres in halfords and pretty much immediately cracked, they looked like they were 10 years old with the cracking that was on them.
I took wheel and tyre into halfords to show them and didn't get a good response from them. All the guy said was that they looked like they had been left outside or flat for a prolonged period. Neither of which occurred.
Are the cheaper end of things known for this or are any particular brands known for this?
Is it a case of - buy cheap, buy twice or is it possible these were very old stock or something like that?

Type 17

mickdw wrote: »

Query re road bike tyres.
Anyone any experience of roadbike tyres cracking heavily at only a few weeks old?
I bought some cheap tyres in halfords and pretty much immediately cracked, they looked like they were 10 years old with the cracking that was on them.
I took wheel and tyre into halfords to show them and didn't get a good response from them. All the guy said was that they looked like they had been left outside or flat for a prolonged period. Neither of which occurred.
Are the cheaper end of things known for this or are any particular brands known for this?
Is it a case of - buy cheap, buy twice or is it possible these were very old stock or something like that?

Do you have any way of proving when you bought them? Either way, under consumer law, they may not be "fit for the purpose intended", so if you're sure that they're too new to be cracked, then push it further (there may be a batch number stamped inside the tyres, which would give the manufacturer an idea of when they were made).

UV in sunlight does degrade rubber, but it usually takes a few years. Over the years, I've seen cracking occur earlier than expected (in both car and bike tyres), but it seems to me that it's a "bad batch of rubber" thing when it happens, rather than a cheap vs. expensive thing.

Cracking on bike tyres isn't a critical issue, BTW, unless it's very severe (serious enough to expose the nylon plies, and allow them to get damaged), or you're using the tyres' grip to their limit (the rubber gets harder, so grip is a bit reduced).
Cracking on car tyres is a serious thing though - rainwater and especially salty water from winter roads, can get into the steel plies and rust it out, leading to catastrophic failure when the forces are at their greatest (motorway speeds :eek:).

mickdw

I'm new to cycling and was surprised to see the cracking and thought maybe it is somehow more expected on bike tyres versus car tyres.
These are significantly cracked. The side wall is cracked similar to what you would see in a 10 year old car tyre and the running surface has wide cracks where I can see the nylon threads through.

Type 17

mickdw wrote: »

...These are significantly cracked. The side wall is cracked similar to what you would see in a 10 year old car tyre and the running surface has wide cracks where I can see the nylon threads through.

Wow, if these are a few weeks old (to you), they must have been hanging in the window for ages - can you take a photo or two?

mickdw

I will take photos in the morning.

mickdw

These went like this after about 6 weeks. They are maybe 3 or 4 months old now in total.

magicbastarder

they're fit for nothing but the bin i reckon.
i had ten year old tyres on a bike which look brand new compared to those. definite refund time, if you have the receipt.

CrowdedHouse

Halfords should at least have their 'Bike Hut' brand anyway

Type 17

mickdw wrote: »

These went like this after about 6 weeks. They are maybe 3 or 4 months old now in total.

(Pics of madly perished tyres).

I'd definitely follow up on them, out of principle - if they were purchased that recently, then they are either the worst batch of rubber ever, or they were sitting in the sun for months (years?) before being sold.

Macy0161

Any tips on removing a stuck freewheel? I've tried a bar on the wrench that's on the tool, but I'm beginning to round the tool rather than get any movement!

Type 17

Macy0161 wrote: »

Any tips on removing a stuck freewheel? I've tried a bar on the wrench that's on the tool, but I'm beginning to round the tool rather than get any movement!

Clamp the tool in a bench-vice tightly and jerk the wheel, rather than steadily pulling hard.

seven stars

Question for a road bike maintenance guru. I know it's not easy to diagnose without actually seeing it, but any suggestions would be welcome...

I have a strange issue where the chain isn't properly shifting at the front. It only happens when I go from the big chainring to the small one (10 speed double). Instead of catching the small chainring, the chain seems to 'sit' on top of the teeth on the small chainring before engaging a few seconds later.

When I'm on the bike what happens is that the pedals spin for a short while before engaging.

I thought this was all down to the front derailer, so I replaced it. I have a brand new one, and I've installed it pretty good. The shifting is clean and crisp from small to big, and also from big to small - with the exception that I'm still getting that weird spinning thing.

Ever come across this before?

All 105 components btw. And the chainrings themselves don't look overly worn - I replaced them earlier this year.

Any help appreciated!

Type 17

Open the L limit screw on the front derailleur about ⅓ to ½ of a turn?

crosstownk

seven stars wrote: »

Question for a road bike maintenance guru. I know it's not easy to diagnose without actually seeing it, but any suggestions would be welcome...

I have a strange issue where the chain isn't properly shifting at the front. It only happens when I go from the big chainring to the small one (10 speed double). Instead of catching the small chainring, the chain seems to 'sit' on top of the teeth on the small chainring before engaging a few seconds later.

When I'm on the bike what happens is that the pedals spin for a short while before engaging.

I thought this was all down to the front derailer, so I replaced it. I have a brand new one, and I've installed it pretty good. The shifting is clean and crisp from small to big, and also from big to small - with the exception that I'm still getting that weird spinning thing.

Ever come across this before?

All 105 components btw. And the chainrings themselves don't look overly worn - I replaced them earlier this year.

Any help appreciated!

Maybe I have it wrong, but are you saying that the rollers of the chain aren't engaging between the teeth of the chainring? If so could it be a stretched/incorrect chain?

Although, as stated above, it might be that the FD is either preventing the chain from moving in enough or maybe moving in too much - enough to cause your issue but not enough to drop the chain.

seven stars

Thanks for the replies lads.

@crosstownk Yes, the rollers of the chain aren't engaging with the teeth. The chain is fairly new though. I might try replacing it all the same.

@Type 17
I didn't think the limit screws would be of any use here. I understood that they prevent the chain from either falling off 'outwards' (at the high side) onto your pedals, or else falling 'inwards' (at the low side) onto the bottom bracket shell.

This is different, because I'm going from the big ring to the small ring - so the issue is occurring right in the middle of the derailer's range of movement rather than at either extremity. In any case, I haven't made any changes to the limit screws at all, and the thing was working fine until recently.

cython

Possibly not much help to you, but I had a similar issue with a 9 speed chainset used in a 10 speed setup a while ago. It worked perfectly fine with the stock Shimano chainrings, but when they wore out I got them replaced with Stronglight 9/10 speed ones, and that behaviour started. Given the disparity between the chainset and the rest of the gearing I eventually bit the bullet and bought a cheapo 4600 chainset on CRC, and the problem went away, so I guess it's worth checking did you replace like with like in terms of chainrings, and this that they have the same spacing?

Type 17

If the derailleur is falling all the way to the L limit screw on the downshift, then opening it a little will help. If it’s a newer Shimano groupset, then it may be falling onto the “trim” setting in the shifter (ie: another shifter movement is required for it to fall to the limit screw), then loosening the cable tension a little would be the answer, but that might upset the tension when the chain is on the big ring. If so, check whether the front derailleur cage is exactly paralell to the rings and is low enough (1-3mm vertical gap between the bottom of the outer edge of the cage and the tips of the big ring teeth).

gaffmaster

It does sound like a cable tension issue to me too.

This video is great for setting up front derailleurs/cables. Did you change your cable when you changed your front DR?

seven stars

I didn't replace the cable, but I had to release it completely and then reattach it.

Seems strange that I'd be getting the exact same behaviour both before and after loosening the cable and then reattaching it to the new derailer's cable bolt. If it was just down to cable tension then that would (presumably) have to be just a coincidence - which seems unlikely. But I dunno.

I appreciate the suggestions though - thanks for everyone's input.

gaffmaster

seven stars wrote: »

I didn't replace the cable, but I had to release it completely and then reattach it.

Seems strange that I'd be getting the exact same behaviour both before and after loosening the cable and then reattaching it to the new derailer's cable bolt. If it was just down to cable tension then that would (presumably) have to be just a coincidence - which seems unlikely. But I dunno.

I appreciate the suggestions though - thanks for everyone's input.

If the problem is that the derailleur wont return to the lowest point by the power of it's own spring when the cable tension is released (shifting down in this instance), then it's most likely a sticky cable. It's probably worth replacing the cable and housing anyway, especially if the bike has seen a full winter already. I'm no expert btw - this is just something I picked up from somewhere.