Today I did something to my bike thread...

After a bad 2 months of back ache, penned in last Sat for my next come back spin, up bright and early, took bike out of shed, pumped up the wheels, that bike was last used about a month ago. I usually back spin the pedals, chain jumped off, back on , back spin, off again. Took wheel off, cassette was stuck fast on the hub. Stock fulcrum wheels, out of frustration I sprayed a lot of lube on the cassette. Had been planning on getting a mid range wheelset for that bike for the spring/summer and holding stock wheels for the foul season. Had a few errands to do so managed to call into CSS in late afternoon, decided on a Zonda wheelset, ossie Mike said if I brought up old wheel he would swap the cassette. Back to house, couldn't believe the amount of lube on it, too embarrassed to bring up to CSS in that condition, decided a good cleaning was in order, guess what , the hub had unstuck and was spinning nicely . Back to CSS with the spotless wheel, Mike swapped out the ultegra cassette on to the Zonda and put a 105 cassete on fulcrum stock wheel. Too late to get out so brought new wheelset and a set of conti gp4000 and tubes to wexford and put them on on Sat night. First time ever to get a blow out in the kitchen with a pinched tube . Managed get out on Sun with a 40 km spin . Brought them back up and Look forward to trying out Zondas when the weather improves, I'll leave stock wheels on the Planet X for now.

Started my groupet swap. Stripped the Sora levers and bar tape off the commute bike and fitted 2nd hand Ultegra levers. Realised that these were previously set up with the rear brake on the right lever and so managed to figure out how to swap the cables over.
Couldn’t get more done as light was fading and there’s no light in the shed

magicbastarder wrote: »

real mechanics do it in the dark.

I've a way to go...

triggermortis wrote: »

been there, done that. She does!

I was living with an old gf years ago. Got snared with a load of car parts in the dishwasher, it went down like a fart at a funeral. Still the bits were nice and clean

cdaly_ wrote: »

Washing oil off cobblelock bricks in the dishwasher was very effective. Unfortunately you could hear the wheels of the racks grinding on left over sand for about 6 months afterwards...

That's a good idea for cleaning my old parts - once she's left for work!!

LBS sorted me out with all I need. All I have left to do now is fit the chain and gear cables (and probably go back to LBS again for them to sort it all properly)

I was reasonably diligent with my chain and cassette the last few weeks. However I was prompted to gave the chainrings a going over a few days ago. Oh my god, the crap that came out between large and small (right where the chain runs across) was manky, please floss between them, then floss again.

How do you know when your cassette needs to be replaced? Is there a rule of thumb?

Shimano 10s 11-42 cassette + Sora 9s short (sic!) mech = works!

Its not perfect, but whatever

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Right, so I replaced my chain only. Comparing the new cassette and the old side by side there wasn't a huge difference. I'm going to see how I fair for the next while.

The job was easy... until I made a mistake. I had it all done, and the cogs/gears cleaned and chain attached. Started to move the pedals around and it sounded like a cement mixer. Added some lube with little effect. Realised that I had threaded the chain through the rear mech incorrectly and it was rubbing. Not to worry, unclip the quick-link chain and thread it through. But I lost one side of the link... had to use the old one... I'll search the floor of the garage in more detail over the weekend! Raging.

Anyway. All good now, hopefully my cycle tomorrow will go without issue.

. Been there done that on both counts

Get yourself a chain measuring tool. If your chain is worn could will likely need to replace the cassette too. Yes you can also use a tape measure but a chain checker is quicker and more accurate. I use KMC chains from CRC, good variety and found them to be the best with my Shimano system.

Also get yourself a chainwasher machine thingy and some petrol (don't use in your garden cos you'll kill the grass ). It's a brilliant quick fix but remember to lube the chain well after cos the petrol it will really strip the chain.

ford2600 wrote: »

People always wonder why chains don't last.

Here is what KMC say about cleaning chain; if you look it up Campagnola say similar. The people pushing degreasers and chain cleaners are the people selling them...

Clean your chain after every ride, especially after riding in the wet.
Always use a piece of dry cloth to clean the chain.
Do not forget the sprockets, front changer and derailleur pulleys.
To remove mud or sand, use the bristle brush (which comes with every 120ml packing of KMC’s chain lube Pro), use light soapy warm water, if necessary.
Do not use acidic or alkali based detergents (such as rust cleaners), these can damage the chain and may cause breakage.
Do not dip your chain in (aggressive) degreasers - they remove the remaining grease from the chain’s bearings, and may cause cracks. They are also bad for our environment.
If the chain is really dirty and difficult to clean, besides using a brush for the inside, try putting some solvent on a cloth and use it to clean the chain’s exterior.
Try to avoid a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This will instantly ruin your chain.
Some lubricant brands advise you to completely degrease the chain, KMC does not recommend this.

In other news, KMC sell chains.