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

Headset Question:

Does anyone know if there is a recommended torque limit for the expanding bung (or whatever it's called) which goes into the steerer? When I tighten the top cap bolt, the bung is sliding up a couple of mm. I feel it is already fairly tight and I'm afraid of overdoing it. There is no torque limit stamped on or around it.

tomasrojo wrote: »

I ordered that Shimano dynamo hub tool, by the way. I got paid for some teaching on Sunday, and I thought I might as well make things really straightforward, and I'd thought I might have a stronger chance of having the current internal assembly as a slightly wonky but otherwise undamaged back-up in the event that it's screwed in insanely tight, for while I'm so dependent on the cargo bike.

Thanks for all the advice and Cram's offer of dremel and socket help.

Don't judge me harshly!

It probably was a good idea to order the dynamo hub tool. The dynamo hub internal assembly was screwed in tight. I had to use a 40cm-long ring spanner around the nut-like projection on the tool and a hammer.

All done now anyway, and weird loud rubbing sound when the bike is in motion has gone.

magicbastarder wrote: »

on that pic of the fork, is that just threaded carbon?

Seems like it's a normal eyelet but flush and painted.

I might just go with the SKS Speedrocker. The weird height of the mounts on my bike means I'd have to bend whatever I got to fit or find an adjustable set. I don't mind clip ons, the Raceblades I have are solid they're just too short. The Speedrocker seems to be a good alternative.

Should the lower tension jockey wheel spin freely? I was replacing a chain the other night and I noticed it was rather stiff, I took it off, cleaned it, I removed the seal but the bearings were fine. It spins freely in my hand, so put it back in the rear mech and it was stiff again, the guide wheel spins freely. I checked another bike and also noticed that the lower wheel was stiff.

Hi,
I've noticed for about the past month my rear wheel isn't smooth, an extremely slight 'bump' every revolution. I got a puncture and presume it's from the impact in a micro pothole in the road (that I didn't even notice) when I got my puncture.

Obviously I'll bring it to a bike shop to get it checked but is it something they'd be able to fix?

When you say stiff, does it move when you flick it with a finger, or is it completely stuck (or almost stuck)?

Note that both of the Shimano jockey wheels are different than each other, and also have a correct direction to be fitted in (arrows show chain direction when pedalling). If you fit them the wrong way round (arrow points in wrong direction) or accidentally swap them*, the bottom one can foul on the curved spoke-deflector part of the metal swing-cage.


*Bottom is tension pulley, top is guide pulley, and their respective bushings are different - top/guide is longer, to allow for some lateral movement.

There was some confusion about whether MB meant Mountain Bike, and that it was only for MTB queries, so that was the reason it was changed (with Magicbastarder's consent)

Hey I have a Cannondale Quick 4, I’m looking to put cages on my basic pedals so that I can cycling in normal runners but get a bit more efficient ride.

Does anyone recommend particular cages?

8valve wrote: »

BBB do a set of jockey wheels that are shimano and campagnolo 10/11 speed compatible for small money.

Good tip, ta. Got them on Amazon with Prime, VAT taken off, delivery free, arriving Tuesday.

Ok folks. Long time lurker but first time posting here so please go easy on me 😀. I’m a leisure cyclist but in my youth was an avid mountain biker.

Have a mountain bike that I got as a frame and built up using parts from my old bike which was badly cracked. It’s old school stuff so be warned but it works and will hopefully do until I get sorted with a new bike.

Group set is a mix of SRAM and Shimano gear and I need to get a handle on getting my rear gears to index in some form of normality. It did work ok on older 8 speed shifters but these got broken and I can’t find any to replace them so ended up with the proper 9 speed ones that were meant for that derailleur day one.

Rear derailleur is a SRAM ESP 9.0 and it’s connected to the correct grip shift for it. All along I’ve been using a n 8 speed cassette and it’s been ok, gets me where I want with a bit of effort. I’m now changing to a 9 speed so that I can have some hope of getting it to index. Question is: will I be ok using a shimano 9 speed cassette and chain and will the cranks ( Shimano STX RC ) be able to handle the chain or do I need to replace them too?

Also, would going to a 1x10 Deore group set be a big deal ? Frame is relatively modern 6-7years old. I’ve seen some decent deals on group sets online recently and cheaper than buying a new bike.

07Lapierre wrote: »

I'd say you'll be ok with your existing chainset. But have you changed the shifter cables? As your changing the cassette and chain, I'd reaplce the cables as well.

What kind of BB is on the bike?

The BB is a screw in square drive unit.

07Lapierre wrote: »

AFAIK the Deore is Hollowtech so you’ll need a new BB.

Are you going to do the conversation yourself? Do you have the necessary tools? If not, then it’s going to be an expensive conversation if you leave it into your LBS.

I have the necessary tools to do the job alright, bought a set of bike repair tools a few years back. The frame had a different style BB when I got it, unfortunately it wouldn’t fit my “new old stock” cranks so I changed to square drive.

darragh o meara wrote: »

Ok folks. Long time lurker but first time posting here so please go easy on me ��. I’m a leisure cyclist but in my youth was an avid mountain biker.

Have a mountain bike that I got as a frame and built up using parts from my old bike which was badly cracked. It’s old school stuff so be warned but it works and will hopefully do until I get sorted with a new bike.

Group set is a mix of SRAM and Shimano gear and I need to get a handle on getting my rear gears to index in some form of normality. It did work ok on older 8 speed shifters but these got broken and I can’t find any to replace them so ended up with the proper 9 speed ones that were meant for that derailleur day one.

Rear derailleur is a SRAM ESP 9.0 and it’s connected to the correct grip shift for it. All along I’ve been using a n 8 speed cassette and it’s been ok, gets me where I want with a bit of effort. I’m now changing to a 9 speed so that I can have some hope of getting it to index. Question is: will I be ok using a shimano 9 speed cassette and chain and will the cranks ( Shimano STX RC ) be able to handle the chain or do I need to replace them too?

Also, would going to a 1x10 Deore group set be a big deal ? Frame is relatively modern 6-7years old. I’ve seen some decent deals on group sets online recently and cheaper than buying a new bike.

Shimano 9spd chain & cassette should be fine.


Chainrings should be fine with the 9spd chain also (iirc internal link dimensions are the same as 8spd - it's just the external dimensions are narrower to allow for slimmer gaps between rear sprockets on 9s compared to 8s); fwiw I'm running a 10spd chain on 1980s chainrings designed for 7spd, so I can't see you having a problem.