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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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tnegun

Thanks for the replies bike is about 18 months old so out of warranty. I've done about 7k km commuting, maybe I'm a bit hard on it as its had a new tyre, chainset and cassette in the last 1000km + 2 new chains in that time too. The first new one snapped after about 100km but I had a lot of issues with that shop so never went back.

Any recommendations for where to pickup a new wheel today I'd order online but want to get back up and running for tomorrow! I'm in Parkwest so Tallaght/Liffey valley are handy enough to get to.

LollipopJimmy

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

Ah cheers mate, I'm in the salubrious south Dublin 'burbs of Tallaght though.

I'm going to hit the shed hard tonight and try out the various suggestions.

Edit: And i have a bloody vice grip. Down in Galway!

I'd avoid a vice grips, if it was in tight enough to round the head then the vice grips could do more harm than good. A bigger torx bit hammered in is your best bet

CramCycle

tnegun wrote: »

Thanks for the replies bike is about 18 months old so out of warranty. I've done about 7k km commuting, maybe I'm a bit hard on it as its had a new tyre, chainset and cassette in the last 1000km + 2 new chains in that time too. The first new one snapped after about 100km but I had a lot of issues with that shop so never went back.

Any recommendations for where to pickup a new wheel today I'd order online but want to get back up and running for tomorrow! I'm in Parkwest so Tallaght/Liffey valley are handy enough to get to.

Alot of places will refer to the wheel as a 700c wheel, rather than a 622.

Tallaght you have Cyclesuperstore, just ring before you go but to be honest, if your in a rush and concerned about price, adverts or similar might be the place to go.

tnegun

Rang around and visited a couple of shops prices varied from €100-€150 plus fitting with a couple of weeks lead time. I went back to the shop I bought the bike from and they'll do it for cost (€50) and submit a claim to the rep and refund me if they accept! Should be back on the road by the weekend.

darconio

I bought a replacement disk rotor with center lock, however I didn't realize at the moment of purchase, and the lock ring in the new one is "internal" (like this) while the one I have is "external" (like this).
Are they compatible? can I use the external lock ring to lock the new rotor?

Deano12345

darconio wrote: »

I bought a replacement disk rotor with center lock, however I didn't realize at the moment of purchase, and the lock ring in the new one is "internal" (like this) while the one I have is "external" (like this).
Are they compatible? can I use the external lock ring to lock the new rotor?

I think they are compatible, I think the thread is the same, it’s just the tool for installation is different!

Open for correction on this one, the only experience I’ve had is using both styles of lock ring on the same disk on a wheel and they both fit fine.

Worse case scenario is the new disc will come with the new lock ring which needs a different tool to tighten it down. (That or send it back!)

tnegun

Was considering going for this when I was being priced €100+ for replacing the other. Have just upgraded my lights too for winter but will keep an eye on this look very nice.

monkeyslayer

This one has left me a little bit stumped, I want to swap out the stem but kind of unsure how to get at the stem cap with this cover that the guys in the shop put on it when it was originally cut, its loose enough that i can twirl both it and the spacers beneath but it doesn't seem to screw off as I'd hoped. Any ideas?

Edit: got it

ofthelord

Hi All,

I hope it is ok to look for some advice here?

I stupidly inserted a new gear cable incorrectly earlier this morning, and I any having some real trouble removing it.
I inserted it from the wrong side, and the cap at the end of the cable is now stuck internally and i cannot get the cable back out.

I've attached a couple of pics, one (bikepic1)showing the side the cable was inserted incorrectly from and where i cannot get it to come back out of, and one (bikepic2) showing the cable i am trying to get out!

I understand that this was a silly thing to do, and not sure why I put it in this was. I am putting it down to lack of sleep and intelligence.

I'd appreciate any tips that any of you may have as to how I should go about removing it. Or is this a job for the LBS?

Thanks for reading.

cdaly_

I'd suggest you pull the other end of the cable entirely out of the casing so that it's not causing any twist/sideways force. Then see can you wiggle it back out. Maybe use sewing pins or similar to poke the head around as you do.

Type 17

Easily done, a bit fiddly to fix, but the LBS won't have any special tools/methods that you can't use at home.

Basically, you need to release (using inner, small shifter) the "reel" that the cable nipple sits in, so that the gap in it (around the cradle for the nipple) travels around to where the nipple of the cable is sitting, allowing you to bring the nipple around to freedom.

Now, the issue will be that the spring in the lever isn't strong enough to rotate the reel as usual, due to the jamming effect of the nipple, so you'll need to help it, by locating the teeth along the side of the reel and, using a pick or tiny screwdriver, pushing the reel around as you work the small shift lever. It may help to have an an assistant work the release lever repeatedly, freeing your two hands to both push the reel with the pick and jiggle the cable all at the same time - basically, you are jiggling everything until you can get the reel back around to the 10th gear position, which should bring the nipple of the cable with it, enabling you to withdraw the cable and then feed it in from the bottom, through the nipple-seat on the reel.

ofthelord

Thanks for the replies cdaly and Type 17 - I've done as suggested, but still no luck.

I spent about 2hours this afternoon trying to get it out - it can get frustrating. It seems like such a simple thing to do, but it is turning out to be anything but!

Going to leave it for today and will start fresh on it in the morning.

Have a couple of days off work and had planned on a nice today, I'll be going out for a run later as a substitute for the cycle.
Hopefully will get out on the bike at some stage tomorrow...

darconio

darconio wrote: »

I bought a replacement disk rotor with center lock, however I didn't realize at the moment of purchase, and the lock ring in the new one is "internal" (like this) while the one I have is "external" (like this).
Are they compatible? can I use the external lock ring to lock the new rotor?

If anybody is ever in the same situation, I can confirm that center locks are compatible with both the internal and external ring

riclad

I did something stupid,
the axle on my back wheel broke .
the wheel would still go round slowly in first gear .
The wheel is 26 inchs .Standard mountain bike frame.
So i continue to cycle slowly even though it was quiet noisey .
So i was cycling in first gear and there was a loud noise ,
what happened is the gear set moved and got stuck inside the wheel spokes .
I just intended to cylcle for 2 days ,
i have 2 spare wheels i can use to replace the back wheel.
So now the gear set is bent inwards at an angle .
Can i fix this myself or should i leave it in to a bike repair shop.
How much would it cost to fix it.

CramCycle

When you say gear set do you mean rear derailleur, as in the part that moves the chain to change gears at the rear?

silverharp

is it possible to get a universal type torch holder for a bike. I have a compact torch and would like to use it on some dark sections I cycle on, standard front lights don't seem to cut it for me, diameter around 3cm.

riclad

I mean the derailler the part that moves the chain along the rear wheel
cogs in order to change gears .

cdaly_

silverharp wrote: »

is it possible to get a universal type torch holder for a bike. I have a compact torch and would like to use it on some dark sections I cycle on, standard front lights don't seem to cut it for me, diameter around 3cm.

lockblock torch mount

saccades

riclad wrote: »

I mean the derailler the part that moves the chain along the rear wheel
cogs in order to change gears .

Hopefully you have just bent the mech hanger, a sacrificial part to protect the rear mech (derailuer), a replacement is normally up to 20 quid or so. If your frame is steel you might have bent the hanger and a local bike shop should have the tool to realign it.

Otherwise you have bent the mech and it's generally much less bother to just replace it as it's rare you can get them straight enough to work properly again.

silverharp

cdaly_ wrote: »

lockblock torch mount

thanks, I'll try on line but would bike shops carry them?

site_owner

thinking it would be handy to have a spare set of wheels for my bike, with bigger winter tyres for bad weather days.

what i cant figure out is what type of wheel to buy. are they all the same or difffernt by bike type?
id like to buy second hand when i see a cheap set come up but i cant even figure out are the options

my bike is a giant road bike, with 700c wheels and disc brakes. currently has an 11-speed rear cog.
the wheels are PR2

i cant figure out what i need to buy (wheel + hub + rotor + cog ?) so that i have a spare set to swap out.

thanks

TychoCaine

site_owner wrote: »

thinking it would be handy to have a spare set of wheels for my bike, with bigger winter tyres for bad weather days.

what i cant figure out is what type of wheel to buy. are they all the same or difffernt by bike type?
id like to buy second hand when i see a cheap set come up but i cant even figure out are the options

my bike is a giant road bike, with 700c wheels and disc brakes. currently has an 11-speed rear cog.
the wheels are PR2

i cant figure out what i need to buy (wheel + hub + rotor + cog ?) so that i have a spare set to swap out.

thanks

any 700c wheel with the correct hub (quick release or thruaxle) should work. The big challenge will be tyre width. A lot of road bikes just won't accept a wide tyre. I've got a bike that will only fit a 25mm wide one. Update us with the bike model and year and we'll be able to steer you in the right direction.

site_owner

TychoCaine wrote: »

any 700c wheel with the correct hub (quick release or thruaxle) should work. The big challenge will be tyre width. A lot of road bikes just won't accept a wide tyre. I've got a bike that will only fit a 25mm wide one. Update us with the bike model and year and we'll be able to steer you in the right direction.

Cheers, its a contend sl 1 disc 2017. Ive got 35mm marathons onto it as a test, but just want to be able to swap wheels on any icy day rather than messing around with tyre changes. I'm also looking for a second cheapcheap bike as an alternative to spare wheels

saccades

site_owner wrote: »

thinking it would be handy to have a spare set of wheels for my bike, with bigger winter tyres for bad weather days.

what i cant figure out is what type of wheel to buy. are they all the same or difffernt by bike type?
id like to buy second hand when i see a cheap set come up but i cant even figure out are the options

my bike is a giant road bike, with 700c wheels and disc brakes. currently has an 11-speed rear cog.
the wheels are PR2

i cant figure out what i need to buy (wheel + hub + rotor + cog ?) so that i have a spare set to swap out.

thanks

Limiting factor is the width of the frame near the BB - too big a tyre and it won't fit.

What rims and exact model of bike so we can determine frame dimensions and tyre width for the rim

Ideally the spare wheels will need disc rotors, correct cassette, otherwise it'll be a pain.

ridelikeaturtle

site_owner wrote: »

Cheers, its a contend sl 1 disc 2017. Ive got 35mm marathons onto it as a test, but just want to be able to swap wheels on any icy day rather than messing around with tyre changes. I'm also looking for a second cheapcheap bike as an alternative to spare wheels

Oooh, that's a good point about the disc brake - the benefit you get from tyre clearance w/o rim brakes will hurt with regard to a second set of wheels.

It might be easier - no, it'd definitely be easier - to simply get another set of tyres and swap them, seasonally.

OR, get a cheapo second bike.

site_owner

ridelikeaturtle wrote: »

It might be easier - no, it'd definitely be easier - to simply get another set of tyres and swap them, seasonally.

I'll have to improve my tyre changing skills. Trying to get 35s onto the PR2 rims to test them cost me a few knuckles

Thanks for the advice, really good to know where i stand

magicbastarder

you were doing it with marathons, to be fair, and they've a reputation of being difficult to fit.

site_owner

magicbastarder wrote: »

you were doing it with marathons, to be fair, and they've a reputation of being difficult to fit.

Which brings me back around to "i dont want to be doing this on a freezing cold morning"

I think I'm definitely settling on a cheap second hand hybrid that will get dragged out of the shed when needed

saccades

site_owner wrote: »

Which brings me back around to "i dont want to be doing this on a freezing cold morning"

I think I'm definitely settling on a cheap second hand hybrid that will get dragged out of the shed when needed

Why?

Get some cheap fulcrum racing 7's, 19mm internal width so fine for everything down to 28c

Don't buy a **** cheap bike for a winter spin.

cdaly_

site_owner wrote: »

Cheers, its a contend sl 1 disc 2017. Ive got 35mm marathons onto it as a test, but just want to be able to swap wheels on any icy day rather than messing around with tyre changes. I'm also looking for a second cheapcheap bike as an alternative to spare wheels

Run wide tyres all the time. They're just as fast as narrow and much comfier.