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

CramCycle · 07-12-2019 12:35AM

I wouldn't put it on the front, both are recoverable but I feel recovering from a rear blowout is easier/safer.

irlirishkev · 07-12-2019 07:20PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

i wouldn't use a tyre with a 1cm cut in it.

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

If the tyre was relatively new I would usually patch it on the inside with gorilla tape and then fit it on the rear. A blow out on the rear is much safer than a blow out on the front. If the tyre is more than 50% worn then bin it.

CramCycle wrote: »

I wouldn't put it on the front, both are recoverable but I feel recovering from a rear blowout is easier/safer.

Well, probably too predictably, it went on the way home after my posting about it

Lesson learnt, don't tempt fate.
I wasn't even annoyed about the 45min walk of shame home - thankfully it wasn't cold and the wind was behind me!

cletus · 12-12-2019 03:09PM

I'm currently refining an old muddy fox courier. It would seem that the front brake cable is routed through the handlebar stem. I've not seen this before, and I'm just wondering how it effects steering

magicbastarder · 12-12-2019 03:15PM

pic not showing for me.

Type 17 · 12-12-2019 03:23PM

cletus wrote: »

I'm currently refining an old muddy fox courier. It would seem that the front brake cable is routed through the handlebar stem. I've not seen this before, and I'm just wondering how it effects steering

I had a Courier myself in 1986 (the exact one in your pic!), and many of the other 80’s MTBs that I owned/saw had this feature - no effect on the steering at all, but you need to disconnect the brake cable if you want to remove the stem from the fork. Tip: you can adjust the front brake by moving the stem up or down a mm or two - easier than using the cable pinch bolt on the straddle cable bridge.

devonp · 12-12-2019 03:24PM

hi

my commuter bike is a hardtail Specialized crosstrail. the whole crankset/chainset has developed play..become noticeably loose.
the BB is apparently a Sram PowerSpline (sealed cartridge) with a X7 drivetrain..?
what tools will i need to remove crankset and maybe replace the btm bracket ?
maybe....!

will i need a crank arm extractor

cheers

cdaly_ · 12-12-2019 04:51PM

cletus wrote: »

I'm currently refining an old muddy fox courier. It would seem that the front brake cable is routed through the handlebar stem. I've not seen this before, and I'm just wondering how it effects steering

This is pretty much standard for canti brakes. It doesn't have to be through the stem but there will be a cable stop somehow mounted to stem or steerer.

ofthelord · 02-01-2020 08:19PM

Hi All,
I got a new road bike about 5 months ago which has tubeless tyres.
To date they have been trouble free and I'm very happy with them.
What I have not yet done though is top up the sealant.
I've been reading mixed recommendations regarding the frequency this needs to be topped up. Although i have noticed a very slow puncture on rear tyre the other day so think I'm overdue a top up.
I don't want to be having to go to the LBS for this so I'd appreciate some suggestions on the best tubeless sealant to use, the kind of kit required, and how often this needs to be topped up.

I've been bringing spare tube with me in case of puncture when out - I've read that this is best option in case the sealant can't heal a larger puncture. Is there any recommended kit to have for roadside repairs on tubeless?

Any other advice on maintaining tubeless also very welcome.

Thanks in advance..

CantGetNoSleep · 02-01-2020 10:14PM

ofthelord wrote: »

Hi All,
I got a new road bike about 5 months ago which has tubeless tyres.
To date they have been trouble free and I'm very happy with them.
What I have not yet done though is top up the sealant.
I've been reading mixed recommendations regarding the frequency this needs to be topped up. Although i have noticed a very slow puncture on rear tyre the other day so think I'm overdue a top up.
I don't want to be having to go to the LBS for this so I'd appreciate some suggestions on the best tubeless sealant to use, the kind of kit required, and how often this needs to be topped up.

I've been bringing spare tube with me in case of puncture when out - I've read that this is best option in case the sealant can't heal a larger puncture. Is there any recommended kit to have for roadside repairs on tubeless?

Any other advice on maintaining tubeless also very welcome.

Thanks in advance..

There's a good tubeless thread on here that is worth a read through.

I've got a Lezyne kit with little plastic "worms" in it - the one puncture I got, they seemed too big to plug it.

I ended up having to patch the inside of the tire in the same way you'd patch a tube.

One tip is that sealant seems to struggle with road tire pressures, if you get a puncture that isn't sealing maybe worth trying lower pressure just to get home

ofthelord · 03-01-2020 11:30AM

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

There's a good tubeless thread on here that is worth a read through.

I've got a Lezyne kit with little plastic "worms" in it - the one puncture I got, they seemed too big to plug it.

I ended up having to patch the inside of the tire in the same way you'd patch a tube.

One tip is that sealant seems to struggle with road tire pressures, if you get a puncture that isn't sealing maybe worth trying lower pressure just to get home

Thanks for the reply - I'll be sure to take a read through the existing Tubeless thread.

padyjoe · 03-01-2020 04:44PM

Lads!

I've pulled apart my 105 rear hub and noticed 1 of the ball bearings damaged. I've found this:Halfords bearing cage.
Thinking about getting the balls out of the cage and putting them into the hub.

Should I change all the balls or the damaged one until I get proper bearings?
Thank you!

8valve · 03-01-2020 07:39PM

padyjoe wrote: »

Lads!

I've pulled apart my 105 rear hub and noticed 1 of the ball bearings damaged. I've found this:Halfords bearing cage.
Thinking about getting the balls out of the cage and putting them into the hub.

Should I change all the balls or the damaged one until I get proper bearings?
Thank you!

Makes more sense to replace all the bearings at the same time, or you'll just end up having to repeat the job.
Most good local bike shops will have little bag packs of bearings in the correct size you need.
Bring an old bearing with you for comparison.

Kevhog1988 · 04-01-2020 12:43AM

Any reccomendation for YouTube videos on bike maintenance?

magicbastarder · 04-01-2020 01:21AM

Park tools videos for in depth ones, GCN for more lightweight ones. Any particular jobs in mind?

brchun0dpvotyk · 04-01-2020 10:23AM

Just wondering has anyone experienced a rear wheel that sits in the frame slightly crooked. It is noticeably closer to the frame on one side than the other. If I turn the wheel around it is closer to the other side of the frame so seems to be a wheel issue. It is sitting correctly in the frame so wondering if it is a dish issue of some sort?

Type 17 · 04-01-2020 07:11PM

Could be dishing, or could be a bent axle if the hub has a screw-on freewheel, or if it's a quick-release, check if the skewer springs are right way around (small end should face the centre of the hub, so it doesn't sit over the axle and foul it in the drop-outs).

Did it just start looking like that, or is it a new wheel to that frame? Any recent accident? (frame made crooked?)

brchun0dpvotyk · 04-01-2020 09:12PM

Type 17 wrote: »

Could be dishing, or could be a bent axle if the hub has a screw-on freewheel, or if it's a quick-release, check if the skewer springs are right way around (small end should face the centre of the hub, so it doesn't sit over the axle and foul it in the drop-outs).

Did it just start looking like that, or is it a new wheel to that frame? Any recent accident? (frame made crooked?)

Thanks for that. It was a new issue and no crashes. Just gradually seems to have gone out of straight slightly, only noticed when I removed the rear wheel the other day.

Brought it to the bike shop today and it was a dishing issue. They had it fixed in about 20 mins by tightening the spokes. All good now.

CramCycle · 06-01-2020 05:04PM

Am I stupid? I have the following chainrings from Shimano FC-RS510 and a 4 arm 110mm 5800 Crankset but no matter what I do, they seem to struggle getting the outer chainring into position. I can get two bolts, possibly three on, and the fourth looks like it lines up but it is as if the chainring is less than 0.5mm to narrow to slip on easily, or the crankarm is stopping it. Are they incompatible? I could shave a little from one arm of the chainring or the Crankset to make it slip on but I'd rather not.

Kevhog1988 · 07-01-2020 09:24PM

Can my front wheel be on backwards? Noticed my front picking bolt tightens the opposite way to everyone else. My bolt is on right side. Everyone else's is left side

magicbastarder · 07-01-2020 10:32PM

picking bolt? you mean the quick release lever?

CramCycle · 07-01-2020 10:53PM

You can take the skewer out and put it in from the other side, or for most wheels, just flip it around, I never had an issue running a wheel in either direction, but there maybe certain brands that do. Obviously for disc brake bikes, this is not true, just rim brake.

doozerie · 07-01-2020 11:08PM

It really doesn't matter which side the quick-release lever is on, but it might matter whether the tyre is facing "the wrong way".

There is a view that bicycle tyres are too narrow and the treads too shallow for the direction of the treads to make the slightest difference, but if you don't subscribe to that view then you'll want the tyre oriented in the recommended direction to take the tread into account (there is often an arrow on the tyre to indicate the recommended direction of rotation), in which case it matters which way round you put the wheel in.

08-01-2020 12:09AM

That was a question I actually had and I think I forgot to ask here I think , sometimes see a bike parked up at the local Aldi with the front wheel having the qr on the right.

magicbastarder · 08-01-2020 12:14AM

doozerie wrote: »

There is a view that bicycle tyres are too narrow and the treads too shallow for the direction of the treads to make the slightest difference,

From schwalbe's site:

In the case of a road tire the rolling direction is mainly important for aesthetic considerations. Tires marked with arrows simply look more dynamic..

tuxy · 08-01-2020 12:29AM

Deleted User wrote: »

That was a question I actually had and I think I forgot to ask here I think , sometimes see a bike parked up at the local Aldi with the front wheel having the qr on the right.

Yeah, that's fine from a mechanical point of view but it sends my OCD in to overdrive.

08-01-2020 12:50AM

tuxy wrote: »

Yeah, that's fine from a mechanical point of view but it sends my OCD in to overdrive.

I know , I feel like standing by the bike waiting for the owner and telling him he's got his wheel on wrong.

doozerie · 08-01-2020 06:26PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I know , I feel like standing by the bike waiting for the owner and telling him he's got his wheel on wrong.

Or tell them that if they ever switch to thru-axles they'll find that the threaded dropout is on the wrong side for them and they'll have to swap the forks round! :pac:

magicbastarder · 08-01-2020 10:26PM

anyone ever try to tack a mudflap onto a mudguard? i have a decent enough set of mudguards on my bike, but there's no flap on the front one and the bottom bracket and about 15cm up the downtube get caked in mud.
if anyone knows of any decent guides for adding one, i'd be most appreciative.

magicbastarder · 08-01-2020 10:33PM

also, anyone have any opinions on BBB (disc) brake pads?
bought a set for my commuter for the rear brake, they were going fine, got a bit contaminated so i took them off, gave them a light sanding with 600 grit sandpaper and degreaser, and they were much worse after.
so this evening i poured boiling water over them, let them sit a while, and then sanded again with 400 grit, and hit them with a heat gun. now i know they've not bedded in yet, but the back wheel simply does not lock up if i put any weight on the bike and rock it back and forth with the brake pulled. i have not had this issue with other brands.

Plastik · 08-01-2020 10:47PM

I bought some for a few quid on www.buddyflaps.com

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

Comments