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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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ford2600

Type 17 wrote: »

This is correct - the idea of dry lube is that you apply the liquid and then wait until the solvent has evaporated, leaving a waxy, minimally sticky residue.

Personally, I don't think dry lube is worthwhile in Irish/Northern European weather - it is designed for arid, semi desert conditions such as southern Europe & the south-western US, where truly dusty conditions exist - wet, sticky oil in those conditions is a disaster, as the dust sticks to the wet oil and forms a perfect grinding paste which wears drivetrains very quickly.

However, in Ireland, every time it rains, or the roads are wet, you will need to change your dry lube for the wet version, or the dry stuff is washed away and your chain is naked - how many days will you get out of dry lube before you need to change to wet again. I see it like winter tyres for cars - they work really well, but you only need them once a decade...

http://www.rocklube.com/products.html

The purple extreme one of these is brilliant for Irish conditions.

No matter how rough conditions on road bike I never applied under 300km intervals and above that in dry conditions.

Chain was under .75% wear after 9k km on a well used drivetrain; cassettes with 20k or so and a crank which started with double that.

9-10 300km rides with quite a few wet.

Just follow the instructions it's not applied like any other lube.

Not a cost saver, certainly not with €15 chains, €20 cassettes but a time/faff saver and no squeaking.

After getting about 20k out of 2 4oz bottles and took delivery of a 20oz bottle.

Imo, unless you want to spend your time cleaning chain after every spin wet lube just makes the perfect paste for wearing a chain quickly.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

i decided to rotate the tyres, and after swapping the two over, the issue has followed the tyre, and not the inner tube or wheel. maybe the problem tyre has an issue seating which i've not yet figured out. no issue with the bead being kinked anyway.

finally got the flat spot sorted - with lots of soapy water, and after multiple removals and reseatings (my thumbs are poxy sore now). i think possibly as the tyre was inflating , it wasn't evenly distributed around the rim, but there was too much friction where there was an excess to allow it to slide around (may not be making any sense here). anyway, lots of soapy water, and pumping it past my usual level (i usually pump to 80 or 90), got it sorted.

crosstownk

ford2600 wrote: »

http://www.rocklube.com/products.html

The purple extreme one of these is brilliant for Irish conditions.

No matter how rough conditions on road bike I never applied under 300km intervals and above that in dry conditions.

Chain was under .75% wear after 9k km on a well used drivetrain; cassettes with 20k or so and a crank which started with double that.

Sounds interesting. What chain do use?

I've been using Muc Off Hydrodynamic for the last year and while it's a standard lube that's easy to apply, it doesn't attract as much sh1te and grime as a regular wet lube but it seems to wash away after a short wet spin. No really noticeable extension in chain life from it either.

Wishbone Ash

Fitted full length proper mudguards to my commuter singlespeed/fixie recently (thanks to Ole Rodrigo for a link regarding clips for the fork/seat stay for frames without lugs). I was delighted with my work - really neat and close fitting.

.......until I went to clean the bike this morning and realised that I'd neglected to leave enough clearance to allow the back wheel to slide back out of the drop outs.

Now I have to remove the rear mudguard any time I wish to remove the wheel. Bummer!

magicbastarder

anyone ever try this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvJ7aAUWBz8

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

anyone ever try this?...

Looks like a lot of hassle - easier just to buy a new chain more regularly.

crosstownk

magicbastarder wrote: »

anyone ever try this?

No but it's something I'd like to try - just to see what it's all about. I'd do it more out of nerdy interest than anything else

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Looks like a lot of hassle - easier just to buy a new chain more regularly.

I agree that it's easier to but a new chain but the one benefit I see is that the wax is less likely to attract dirt and other road grime meaning less cleaning and this could useful on the commute bike because finding the time to clean the chain during the week can be difficult.

[Deleted User]

Any of you ever done a bike maintenance course? I see a few places offer them in the €60-80 range for an introductory course.

Are they worth it, do you learn anything useful, if so any recommendation where to go? I've probably spent €120 this year on bike maintenance (i.e paying people to do it!) but I've a feeling I could spend a lot less doing it myself.

cdaly_

topcat77 wrote: »

Hi All.

Just a quick question regarding brake fluid compatibility.

I'm using dot5.1 on my avid brakes and i've just bought a new set of clarks exo Skeletal brakes for the hybrid. These brakes use dot4. From what i gather the only difference in the fluid is the boiling point.

So the question is can i use the dot5.1 fluid on the clarks as i don't want to go out and buy more fluid. (just opened a new dot5.1 bottle)?

My understanding of brake fluid is that dot4 and dot5.1 are fully compatible.

crosstownk

cdaly_ wrote: »

My understanding of brake fluid is that dot4 and dot5.1 are fully compatible.

Yep - DOT 5.1 has a higher boiling point than DOT 3 and 4 and all three can be mixed (obviously the lower boiling point applies).

DOT 5 is silicone based and cannot be mixed with the other glycol based fluids.

magicbastarder

Interested Observer wrote: »

Any of you ever done a bike maintenance course? I see a few places offer them in the €60-80 range for an introductory course.

i'd guess they're fairly basic and are probably the sort of thing you'd only need if you were a complete newbie. youtube would probably cover most of what you'd learn in these courses?

Macy0161

magicbastarder wrote: »

i'd guess they're fairly basic and are probably the sort of thing you'd only need if you were a complete newbie. youtube would probably cover most of what you'd learn in these courses?

I've done the biking.ie one, which was run in Sandyford. It was basically going through a service - pads, gear cables, gear indexing, head set service iirc. Cables and bearings and grease/ cleaning products provided, so really just bike and whatever tools you have. I felt the cost was somewhat off set as you essentially had the bike serviced!

I don't know whether I couldn't have done it myself from youtube, but has definitely given me the confidence to at least try!

Joe1919

magicbastarder wrote: »

anyone ever try this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvJ7aAUWBz8

I completely dismantle the chain and clean and grease before reassembly!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

All My Stars Aligned

Joe1919 wrote: »

I completely dismantle the chain and clean and grease before reassembly!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

Is this a piss take? who in their right mine would disassemble a chain to clean it???

Type 17

All My Stars Aligned wrote: »

Is this a piss take?

Yes, yes it is.

[Deleted User]

I have an FSA square taper bottom bracket and whilst replacing the pedals, I noticed that there is some play in the crankset. The bike is only six months old, would this just mean tightening of the bracket, or a new BB?

is it dangerous?

D13exile

One chastised biker here!

I've always thought my bike is better looked after than average, washed after each ride, chain cleaned, brakes adjusted etc. So it was with a feeling akin to being told that I'd neglected my children to get a phone call from my local bike shop (where I'd dropped my trusty steed in for a service) to be told that:
1. The front derailleur had seized
2. The rear wheel hub bearings were beyond repair because of rust and grime
3. The headset bearings were also rusted and full of grime

Naturally I thought they were taking the urine but following a call down to view the dismantled parts, I was really taken aback at how these parts were deteriorated. Now I don't soak my bike when I wash it and I dry it off if it rains while I'm out and about, plus the bike lives in the house, not a shed. So it was a shock to see the rusted bearings in the hub and headset plus to see a seized front derailleur. Naturally to make it up to my bike, I got a new front derailleur, new headset bearings and I bought two Mavic Aksiums (one to replace the almost seized rear wheel and the other to match the new one) as a "sorry" to my bike.

Guess there's more to bike maintenance than a clean drivetrain and frame:o

magicbastarder

had the headset rotted from the bottom up?

D13exile

Yes it had. They packed it with grease when they put in the new one. How to stop that happening again?

Nitpicking here but they failed to index the gears when they put new gear cables in. Was out for a 53km spin today and the gears wouldn't change properly when I clicked the shifter. I hate stopping when I'm out on the bike but it was driving me nuts so off I get and index them on the side of the road.

LollipopJimmy

Are you powerhosing the bike? Or being overly generous with the hose?

crosstownk

I had similar with the bike I use for commuting. I took a apart the headset to regrease it and I was shocked to find that the lower bearing had come apart and the ball bearings were brown and rusted looking. I washed the lot in degreaser and gave it a thorough clean, regreased and put it back in as I didn't have time to wait for a new one to be delivered. That was probably 5,000km ago and it's still fine.

I put it down to having no front mudguard and all the water spray from the tyres is getting lashed into the lower bearing.

Similarly, my front hub bearing is starting to make noise - it still spins freely and stops with the valve in the six o'clock position every time. It's probably time to service the hubs after 20,000km!!

Type 17

Aegir wrote: »

I have an FSA square taper bottom bracket and whilst replacing the pedals, I noticed that there is some play in the crankset. The bike is only six months old, would this just mean tightening of the bracket, or a new BB?

is it dangerous?

If it's only 6 months old, it's 90% likely that the BB unit has come loose in the frame, rather than the BB unit itself is faulty.

It's not dangerous to you, but do get the place you bought it to tighten it (should be for free) soon enough, as long-term riding with it loose will wear the threads in the frame.

Type 17

D13exile wrote: »

Yes it had. They packed it with grease when they put in the new one. How to stop that happening again?

Nitpicking here but they failed to index the gears when they put new gear cables in. Was out for a 53km spin today and the gears wouldn't change properly when I clicked the shifter. I hate stopping when I'm out on the bike but it was driving me nuts so off I get and index them on the side of the road.

The only way to prevent the front wheel from flooding the lower headset race is to fit a mudguard. I see it a lot (two today alone). It occurs to me that, for those whose bike is too cool for mudguards

, someone could design a clip-on "skirt" that would prevent direct spray from the wheel from hitting the gap between the fork crown and frame.

The shop probably did index the gears, but didn't pre-stretch the inner wires - they might have forgotten or, on bikes with internal cable routing, it's harder to do - the cables finished stretching on your spin...

triggermortis

Quick headset question... Do these need to be pre-tensioned to help them bed in or is it more of a fit and forget?
I got mine replaced recently while it was all in pieces (the bike) and now I can't get it right. It loosened a little after the first few spins, so much so that if I rocked the bike against the front brake, the stem moves. I tightened it again, but the steering wasn't as free as it need to be. I loosesned it and packed both sides with grease - even though they are sealed bearings - and refitted it all, but I can't seem to get the feel right. Right now the front doesn't move when I rock against the brake but the steering feels a little too stiff

Type 17

Should be fit and forget, or fit and then readjust after the first ride, if play develops as something settles a little more.

Your issue sounds like something is fouling - perhaps check to see that nothing is upside down (common if there's a separate rubber seal), or pressed on slightly crooked.
Also, check if the top cap (under the spacers, usually has the maker's name on it) is touching the top of the frame (fully integrated type) or the top bearing race (semi-integrated) - if so, your LBS should have a few spare shims to separate things as required.

triggermortis

Type 17 wrote: »

Should be fit and forget, or fit and then readjust after the first ride, if play develops as something settles a little more.

Your issue sounds like something is fouling - perhaps check to see that nothing is upside down (common if there's a separate rubber seal), or pressed on slightly crooked.
Also, check if the top cap (under the spacers, usually has the maker's name on it) is touching the top of the frame (fully integrated type) or the top bearing race (semi-integrated) - if so, your LBS should have a few spare shims to separate things as required.

Thanks. I'll have another look at it tomorrow if I get time, or maybe mess with it tonight before I ride home (depends how cold it is..) after work.

D13exile

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Are you powerhosing the bike? Or being overly generous with the hose?

No. I never use a power hose on the bike and when I wash it, I mostly use muc-off to get rid of the heavy grime and then a light sprinkle with the hose to wash the detergent off.

crosstownk wrote: »

I had similar with the bike I use for commuting. I took a apart the headset to regrease it and I was shocked to find that the lower bearing had come apart and the ball bearings were brown and rusted looking. I washed the lot in degreaser and gave it a thorough clean, regreased and put it back in as I didn't have time to wait for a new one to be delivered. That was probably 5,000km ago and it's still fine.

I put it down to having no front mudguard and all the water spray from the tyres is getting lashed into the lower bearing.

Similarly, my front hub bearing is starting to make noise - it still spins freely and stops with the valve in the six o'clock position every time. It's probably time to service the hubs after 20,000km!!

Type 17 wrote: »

The only way to prevent the front wheel from flooding the lower headset race is to fit a mudguard. I see it a lot (two today alone). It occurs to me that, for those whose bike is too cool for mudguards , someone could design a clip-on "skirt" that would prevent direct spray from the wheel from hitting the gap between the fork crown and frame.

The shop probably did index the gears, but didn't pre-stretch the inner wires - they might have forgotten or, on bikes with internal cable routing, it's harder to do - the cables finished stretching on your spin...

I use a rear mudguard on the bike but not a front one. Guess I'll have to get one to stop the water ingres into the headset in future.

[Deleted User]

Just a quick one re: shimano sti shifters, are they the same for standard breaks as for mechanical discs? Or do I need to look for a disc specific one (sora/9speed)

I'm assuming the same.

Zen0

Deleted User wrote: »

Just a quick one re: shimano sti shifters, are they the same for standard breaks as for mechanical discs? Or do I need to look for a disc specific one (sora/9speed)

I'm assuming the same.

Yes, the rim brake ones work fine with mechanical discs.

Milk_Tray

Can someone explain the advantage of a 3 spoke carbon wheel? Why use this over a normal spoked wheel etc? (Triathlon based question)