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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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tomasrojo

grogi wrote: »

Never ever do that, especially on a carbon frame. Alu will tollerate a bit more of abuse, but is not immune either.

Seat post is intended to stay in place, not to move. You don't want to reallign it every ride. Lubrication reduces fricion - to stay put the seat post needs to be secured with higher clamping force applied to the seat tube. This simply is a receipe for a damaged frame.

I don't know about carbon frames, as I've never owned one, but it's a standard thing to lightly grease the seat post so it doesn't fuse with the frame for steel. Every bike maintenance book I have says to do this. I have had a seat post fuse with a frame before I knew about this (the bike shop was able to separate them using great force), and I have a friend who not only had a seat post fuse with his frame, but pedal spindles fuse with the cranks (the bike shop couldn't separate any of them).

I've seen car wheels fuse with the axle as well. Apparently applying copper grease is a standard way to avoid this.

magicbastarder

tomasrojo wrote: »

I don't know about carbon frames, as I've never owned one

carbon paste is generally used for carbon frames.

but yes, grease your seat post is absolutely standard advice, especially for metal on metal. it helps prevent galvanic corrosion for alu/steel combinations.

dahat

Went at the headset at 11pm.....

Bike in LBS at 8am......

Best i stay away from these things!!!!

cletus

dahat wrote: »

Went at the headset at 11pm.....

Bike in LBS at 8am......

Best i stay away from these things!!!!

No, you should still be struggling with it today, cursing and throwing tools in the corner

dahat

cletus wrote: »

No, you should still be struggling with it today, cursing and throwing tools in the corner

That happened until 12.20 then gave up.

Someday i'll try again but allow more time instead of needing the bike for 9 am Saturday.

CramCycle

dahat wrote: »

That happened until 12.20 then gave up.

Someday i'll try again but allow more time instead of needing the bike for 9 am Saturday.

Always a risky choice, if you need it the next day, don't change it unless the bike won't work without it. I've said it here before but the last time I tried that I got really drunk and set a Dynamo Hub wheel on fire inside the house well after midnight.

cletus

CramCycle wrote: »

Always a risky choice, if you need it the next day, don't change it unless the bike won't work without it. I've said it here before but the last time I tried that I got really drunk and set a Dynamo Hub wheel on fire inside the house well after midnight.

That sounds like a story worth telling

dahat

CramCycle wrote: »

Always a risky choice, if you need it the next day, don't change it unless the bike won't work without it. I've said it here before but the last time I tried that I got really drunk and set a Dynamo Hub wheel on fire inside the house well after midnight.

Christ I've not done anything to match that.

I'll not be risking it again for sure,I'm only blessed my lbs is quite tolerant of my failed attempts at bike maintenance.

07Lapierre

grogi wrote: »

Never ever do that, especially on a carbon frame. Alu will tollerate a bit more of abuse, but is not immune either.

Seat post is intended to stay in place, not to move. You don't want to reallign it every ride. Lubrication reduces fricion - to stay put the seat post needs to be secured with higher clamping force applied to the seat tube. This simply is a receipe for a damaged frame.

Disagree..If you have an alu frame always apply grease to your seatpost.
If you have a carbon frame, ideally apply carbon paste or a small bit of grease. you should never insert a seatpost without applying grease or carbon paste.

Gasco

Gasco wrote: »

So, replaced the freehub body on Pave 28 wheel, easy job. But there is a lot of freehub drag, as in it takes effort to get the freehub moving. Took off the new one and reinstalled the old, same thing. Have not used the wheels in a while so cannot remember if this was the case when they were on the bike.

Scratching my head on this - before I tighten the hub cap it spins fine but once these are tightened up then not much moving. Am I over tightening these? they were pretty tight prior to removal.

Did I lose a spacer between the freehub body and hub shell? Looking at the novotec manual, there only appears to be the large metal spacer that fits over the axle - which is in place.

Are the hub bearings the problem? They are cartridge but I presume once the end caps are tightened there is some compression.

Or is this a thing with these hubs / wheels???

Lockdown is causing me to obsess about these things...

Finally figured this out - when these wheels were built they installed two water seals between the freehub and hub body. Removed one, refitted the remaining one - spinning away nicely.

tnegun

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think. Have tightened the chain ring bolts, greased the seat post, tightened the quick release skewers and checked the pedals. I cycled this bike right through the winter and bad weather at the start of the year so suspect the BB lubricant has had it.
The creak is every revolution and the cranks seem stable enough there is a tiny bit of play in the left side though. LBS is booked up for 2/3 weeks its and FSA Omega crank and FSA BB am I mad to try buy the tools to DIY it?

cletus

tnegun wrote: »

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think. Have tightened the chain ring bolts, greased the seat post, tightened the quick release skewers and checked the pedals. I cycled this bike right through the winter and bad weather at the start of the year so suspect the BB lubricant has had it.
The creak is every revolution and the cranks seem stable enough there is a tiny bit of play in the left side though. LBS is booked up for 2/3 weeks its and FSA Omega crank and FSA BB am I mad to try buy the tools to DIY it?

If it was me, I would...but that's me

CormacH94

tnegun wrote: »

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think. Have tightened the chain ring bolts, greased the seat post, tightened the quick release skewers and checked the pedals. I cycled this bike right through the winter and bad weather at the start of the year so suspect the BB lubricant has had it.
The creak is every revolution and the cranks seem stable enough there is a tiny bit of play in the left side though. LBS is booked up for 2/3 weeks its and FSA Omega crank and FSA BB am I mad to try buy the tools to DIY it?

Great time to start doing your own bike maintenance imo

I did a complete overhaul on my bike a few weeks ago, new BB, chain, gear/brake cables, bartape - the works, have only ever done brake cables and small bits before, did it with zero hassle, great chance to deep clean the bike too. Once you have the right tools you're laughing.

The FSA BB is threaded right? It's as easy as putting a screw in.

Park Tool youtube is good to have on hand if you have any little doubts as to what you should be doing, good to look at them beforehand too if you need to make a shopping list.

caviardreams

Hi guys - apologies in advance for the stupid Q!

:o

I got a road bike recently and am new to cycling after a loooooong gap (15 years!) Getting on ok with it but I find the front steering incredibly twitchy and seems to have a mind of its own :eek:

So much so, that I find it hard to cycle with one hand and steer straight (especially downhill) as a result and the thoughts of no hands seems impossible! I see other people doing this though with ease and also walking along and pushing the bike by just holding the saddle - when I try this the front of the bike turns all over the place, and I can't even push it a metre by just holding the saddle.

Is this just normal on road bikes or is the front of my bike too twitchy/wobbly? Should it be a bit stiffer? It just feels impossible to control and keep straight. Is there any way I can fix this or make it a bit less responsive?

magicbastarder

may just be a case of getting used to it, road bikes can have lighter steering than other bikes. it's a new bike, though? what make/model?

cletus

If you were used to a flat handlebar before, they can feel more stable because they're wider. You'll get Yousef to the drop bars pretty quickly.

As regards the pushing by the saddle, that's just practice

caviardreams

magicbastarder wrote: »

may just be a case of getting used to it, road bikes can have lighter steering than other bikes. it's a new bike, though? what make/model?

Thanks guys

It's a Giant (Liv) Avail 2 2015 size medium - sorry I worded that badly by saying I got it recently - I got it 4 years ago but never really used it (mainly because of the twitchiness) so it feels brand new in my head

it ended up indoors for the last 4 years after a few weeks of trying it and I only took it out again a few weeks ago and got it serviced. Trying to stick with it this time but it's not getting any easier steering wise and I've been out for an hour's cycle 9 or 10 times now. It feels best / most stable on the hoods but still very twitchy/slippy.

https://www.liv-cycling.com/ie/avail-2-2015

crosstownk

tnegun wrote: »

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think.

I've had a similar noise in the past that I suspected was the BB - every revolution made me suspect the BB. It turned out to be the bottle cage bolts loose on the down tube. A quick nip and problem solved. Worth a go before going down the BB route.

07Lapierre

tnegun wrote: »

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think. Have tightened the chain ring bolts, greased the seat post, tightened the quick release skewers and checked the pedals. I cycled this bike right through the winter and bad weather at the start of the year so suspect the BB lubricant has had it.
The creak is every revolution and the cranks seem stable enough there is a tiny bit of play in the left side though. LBS is booked up for 2/3 weeks its and FSA Omega crank and FSA BB am I mad to try buy the tools to DIY it?

Sounds like the BB alright.. I had a similar issue a few weeks ago..

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058072444

Easy enough to DIY this repair.

Park tools how to video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=84Ut53i17iQ&list=PLGCTGpvdT04Q5OLMUo0yzTOjLtv7yT47O&index=7&t=0s

I recommend you get one of these:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/park-tool-press-fit-bb-bearing-tool-set-bbt-90-3/rp-prod142345?gs=1&sku=sku516047&istCompanyId=0f15660a-f13e-4c09-a701-b55d8c3f2e59&istFeedId=21ccdaa5-24f7-4b32-9ec6-ac7081b9b50b&istItemId=iwxrritti&istBid=t&pgrid=55940684341&ptaid=pla-419668116892&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PLA%2BAll%2BProducts&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%257Cs5L368zBg_dt%257Cpcrid%257C294740729966%257Cpkw%257C%257Cpmt%257C%257Cprd%257C516047IE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Jmbg_ne6QIVGp3VCh1gUQ1rEAQYASABEgKJxPD_BwE

CantGetNoSleep

Anyone know a good intro to Di2 YouTube?

Picked up my new bike yesterday & took a lot of the shop guy's time with small things I wasn't entirely happy with so didn't have a chance to talk through Di2 with him. Aside from charging it, is there anything else you need to know to get started?

Type 17

Here’s my reference that I keep in my phone-notes - Di2 is relatively trouble free, so you can easily forget the details.

Di2 Reference

Batt check - shift FD & hold:
Green: 100% to 50%
Green blink: 50% to 25%
Red: 25% to <5%
Red blink: almost 0%

Trim RD mode:
Go to 5th gear and then press & hold controller button to enter trim mode
(tinkle on 4th plus 4x>’s)
Press & hold to exit

Double-click to cycle through:
Manual > Auto1 > Auto2 >

CantGetNoSleep

Thanks that is helpful

CramCycle

I can't see what your looking at through your window, can you move it left a bit on the table so we can all see it.

cletus

Went about re-installing the bottom bracket today. Threads on one of the cups are damaged where the lock ring threads on (I had difficulty getting it off too).

I could probably file it and 'persuade' the ring on, but I'm thinking I should maybe just get a replacement. Thing is, I'm not exactly sure what I'd be looking for.

If anyone can look at the attached image and tell me what I should be googling, I would be eternally grateful

tnegun

tnegun wrote: »

Think I have a creak from the BB, I've pretty much ruled everything else out I think. Have tightened the chain ring bolts, greased the seat post, tightened the quick release skewers and checked the pedals. I cycled this bike right through the winter and bad weather at the start of the year so suspect the BB lubricant has had it.
The creak is every revolution and the cranks seem stable enough there is a tiny bit of play in the left side though. LBS is booked up for 2/3 weeks its and FSA Omega crank and FSA BB am I mad to try buy the tools to DIY it?

Thanks for the advice guys removed the cranks today and re greased. One side of the BB is knackered. It almost fell apart cover the cover on the bearings came away and there is a lot of play in them so it needs to be replaced. It looks like there is no central piece connecting each side of the BB is that normal? Also the shaft on the crank has groves worn in it at each side not awful but noticeable how much is OK before it needs replacing?

Tony04

Replace it definitely I wouldnt want to risk damaging the frame threads . If its threaded it should be 68mm if a touring/road/city 73mm if a mtb or if its Italian probably 71mm. What cranks do you have?

cletus

Tony04 wrote: »

Replace it definitely I wouldnt want to risk damaging the frame threads . If its threaded it should be 68mm if a touring/road/city 73mm if a mtb or if its Italian probably 71mm. What cranks do you have?

Just to be clear, the threads for the frame are fine. It's the threads for the lock ring that are damaged.

It's from an '86 Muddy Fox, so MTB, but don't know what standards would have been used then

I'll take a picture of one of the cranks

07Lapierre

tnegun wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys removed the cranks today and re greased. One side of the BB is knackered. It almost fell apart cover the cover on the bearings came away and there is a lot of play in them so it needs to be replaced. It looks like there is no central piece connecting each side of the BB is that normal? Also the shaft on the crank has groves worn in it at each side not awful but noticeable how much is OK before it needs replacing?

We'd need to see photo's of the BB and the Crank arm.

cletus

Tony04 wrote: »

Replace it definitely I wouldnt want to risk damaging the frame threads . If its threaded it should be 68mm if a touring/road/city 73mm if a mtb or if its Italian probably 71mm. What cranks do you have?

So, I've attached a picture of the bottom bracket components. It's a loose bearing cup and cone arrangement, with a square tapered spindle. It's all in good nick apart from the first few threads I mentioned

Like I said, if anyone can tell me what I should be looking for, it would be great (or if you have one you don't need, give me a price)

loyatemu

what type of bike is that from?

I replaced a cup and cone style bracket like that with a cartridge style in an old mountain bike I had - just needed to match the size of the hole in the frame and the length of the spindle. The toughest bit was getting the old bracket out but you've done that.

info here: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/bottom-bracket-standards-and-terminology