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

loyatemu wrote: »

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. The toughest bit was getting the old bracket out but you've done that.

It's from a mid 80's Muddy Fox.

So, I had a bit of a brainwave. It's only the first 2 and a half threads that are damaged, and it's only the threads after these that were being used to lock down the cup (I presume they were damaged due to being exposed).

I've threaded the lock ring on from the opposite side, up as far as it will go, and (hopefully) clearing the point where it will be locked down once the bearings and spindle are in place

Either:

Use the old one (screwing on the lockring from the inside of the cup before screwing it into the frame as you mention), or

Buy the cartridge one - English thread, same spindle-length as the old one (excluding the make threaded sections at the end), and the BB shell on your bike should be 68mm wide, but might be 70mm - check before ordering. These cartridge BBs almost always come with the correct bolts, so no need to order separately. Note that you'll need the correct tool to fit this type (fancier versions are available, but this one is great for occasional use).

caviardreams wrote: »

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

Few things to check here:

1. Ensure the tyres are properly pumped up. You want them at 80psi minimum if you're light. I expect most riders probably run at 100psi, I run mine at 110.

2. Check to see if the wheels run straight. That is, spin the wheels and look at them from above and from the side. You're looking to see if there's any side-to-side or up-and-down movement. There may be tiny movements, that's OK. But more than a couple of mm in any direction could be enough.

3. Make sure the wheels are sitting in secure and straight. Turn the bike upside-down, loosen the quick release on both wheels and ensure the wheels are sitting right into the drop-outs. Then tighten up the quick release. The levers should be tight enough that you need a bit of effort to open/close them. That is, they shouldn't be so loose that a flick of the finger will open them, nor so tight that you leave a mark on your hand when closing them.

4. Make sure the headset is still smooth:
Stand over the bike, hold the front brake and rock the bike slowly back and forth. If you can feel a "clicking" through the handlebars, then your headset is loose (or the bearings are shot).
Lift the front wheel up and hold the frame between your legs. Turn the handlebars left and right. It should be smooth with no roughness or resistance. Turn the bars to the 1 o'clock position and let go. They should fall naturally to the right. If they stay in that position, your headset might be too tight or seized up.

5. Check the wheel bearings. When in the frame, hold the wheel between your thumb and index finger and gently rock it side-to-side. Movement is normal, wheels are flexible. But it's shouldn't "click" or "thud". If it does, your wheel bearings need a service.

Type 17 wrote: »

Older/cheaper stuff was male-threaded with a nut like this (cheaper to make the spindle with external threads), but female-threaded spindle with a bolt is universal now because it tends not to come loose like the nut version. The taper is the same spec, so any square-taper crank that fits one spindle type will also fit the other.

You would have to get a new fixing bolt though?

Update on my creaking noise / sound.

After headset drama with a new BB the source of the creak has been found this morning. BB had play so needed doing anyway.

The carbon soles on my Northwave shoes are cracked, absolutely sickened & an expensive fix.

Hi All,
Can someone please tell me the name of the small round plastic cover that fits this hole?
I only noticed the other day that the old plastic cover is missing and I'm guessing it is there to keep dust/dirt out so probably a good idea to replace it.
I've run a few internet searches to identify the part name but have had no luck.
Thanks.

Hi All,
A 2nd question that someone may also be able to help me with...
I've identified the cause of an annoying clicking sound on my bike, it is one of the plastic entry points where the cabling going into the frame(it is the top one shown on image). Going over bumps this plastic part clicks(and there are a lot of bumps on the roads near me!).
I'm not sure how to approach this, and I'm hopeful that someone here can point me to a simple fix for this?

Thanks.

ofthelord wrote: »

Hi All,
A 2nd question that someone may also be able to help me with...
I've identified the cause of an annoying clicking sound on my bike, it is one of the plastic entry points where the cabling going into the frame(it is the top one shown on image). Going over bumps this plastic part clicks(and there are a lot of bumps on the roads near me!).
I'm not sure how to approach this, and I'm hopeful that someone here can point me to a simple fix for this?

Thanks.

Could be grit between the cable-housing and its ferrule (cap), or between the ferrule and the frame-guide - drop some oil into the joins to see if it helps.

If not, it's the wires that make up the housing moving around in the inside of the ferrule - only guaranteed solution is to disassemble and trim a few mm off the housing and replace the ferrule with a new one.

magicbastarder wrote: »

what are people's thoughts on swapping front and back tyres around to maintain equal wear?
note: neither tyre is heavily worn at all. front still has the mould line visible down the centre.

https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html

Essentially, the recommendation seems to be swap front to back, and put a new one on the front

07Lapierre wrote: »

Always better to have a good tyre on the front. Just buy a new tyre to replace the rear. Leave the existing front tyre where it is.

I'd be of this opinion also. Keep the best grip up front.

That said, I usually replace tyres in pairs and keep the used front as an 'emergency' back up. I've loads of ex-front tyres in the shed.

crosstownk wrote: »

I'd be of this opinion also. Keep the best grip up front.

That said, I usually replace tyres in pairs and keep the used front as an 'emergency' back up. I've loads of ex-front tyres in the shed.

I do the same..that's why I have a garage full of half worn tyres!

Tread/thickness doesn't equal grip, so a worn road bike tyre has the same grip (unless it's got a severe flat zone worn into the centre and is pumped to the max - then, during cornering, it might have a smaller contact area).

Car tyres do need tread to allow water to pass from in front of the contact area to behind it (bald tyres allow water to build up in front, the tyre rises up onto it, and you go aquaplaning). Apparently, for a bike tyre to need tread to avoid aquaplaning, you'd need to be doing 300km/h.

Thinner tyres do have less puncture protection, though.