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

saccades · 22-12-2018 2:15pm

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_ · 24-12-2018 10:33am

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.

dahat · 24-12-2018 11:16pm

What are the exact measurements for crank arm clamp bolts for 6800?

I need to get stronger ones as I keep rounding the current ones changing the power meter crank.

Type 17 · 25-12-2018 10:22am

site_owner wrote: »

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

Our bike shop has a used pair of PR2's with discs and rim tape on them - I'll check a price if you're interested. You'd need a cassette and tyres and tubes.

site_owner · 25-12-2018 11:51am

Type 17 wrote: »

Our bike shop has a used pair of PR2's with discs and rim tape on them - I'll check a price if you're interested. You'd need a cassette and tyres and tubes.

Yes, thats not a bad idea, let me know what they would cost

Type 17 · 25-12-2018 12:46pm

Will do, but we’re not back until the 2nd Jan.

ItsLikeThis · 31-12-2018 4:07am

Had a car hit me on my side, I think the end of the handle bar took most of the hit. I managed not to fall thankfully. It's an aluminium mtb... should I have it checked for damage by a professional? No visible damage that I can see.

CramCycle · 31-12-2018 12:57pm

ItsLikeThis wrote: »

Had a car hit me on my side, I think the end of the handle bar took most of the hit. I managed not to fall thankfully. It's an aluminium mtb... should I have it checked for damage by a professional? No visible damage that I can see.

All most professionals will say to you is they cannot stand over anything involved in a crash (but that you are probably grand). Probably good to get in writing for the insurance company if thst is the route you are going down.

site_owner · 31-12-2018 1:02pm

If insurance are involved and no-one will stand over the frame it will probably be written off. If the bike cant be certified safe then potential liability then lies with the insurance company if it fails at a future as a result of damage from this accident.

A few hundred euro now vs a potential personal injury claim in future from their POV.

darconio · 31-12-2018 4:16pm

I just bought my first set of wheels: I was quite proud of myself as part of the process involved learning how to remove the cassette and the brake rotor from the old set. Everything was going fine but the new wheels came with a different lockring for the rotors, apparently the hub is configured for the "campagnolo lock ring" (https://bikedepot.com/product/campagnolo-disc-lockring/) while what I had was the standard shimano center-lock lockring. Fortunately the wheels came with a stock cheap-looking lock ring : is there an adapter or any way to use the shimano one?

triggermortis · 31-12-2018 8:08pm

dahat wrote: »

What are the exact measurements for crank arm clamp bolts for 6800?

I need to get stronger ones as I keep rounding the current ones changing the power meter crank.

https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-titanium/m6-titanium-bolts/

You should have a job rounding off titanium bolts!!

Type 17 · 03-01-2019 9:46am

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

Type 17 wrote: »

Our bike shop has a used pair of PR2's with discs and rim tape on them - I'll check a price if you're interested. You'd need a cassette and tyres and tubes.

PM sent.

S_D · 08-01-2019 11:33am

Looking at a new wheel set and really dont know much about different wheels to make a decision!

https://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/zipp-404-carbon-wheels/20675352 <- Older Zipp

https://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/mavic-cosmic-carbone-slr-front-wheel-clincher/20685584 <- Cosmic SLR

This would be using for TT. Ideally just looking at fronts only, but would a better wheel be the older Zipp or something like that Cosmic? Or is it much of a muchness?

magicbastarder · 08-01-2019 12:25pm

keep in mind that if you *do* buy a back wheel, the zipp is listed as a 10 speed one.

S_D · 08-01-2019 12:30pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

keep in mind that if you *do* buy a back wheel, the zipp is listed as a 10 speed one.

Thats ok , I run 10 spd

magicbastarder · 08-01-2019 3:50pm

i may be proving my own thread title wrong here, but was musing on the way in - what bike components could you clean in the dishwasher?

the salt will be a big limiting factor - but cassette and chainrings, anyway? jockey wheels too?

LollipopJimmy · 08-01-2019 4:00pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i may be proving my own thread title wrong here, but was musing on the way in - what bike components could you clean in the dishwasher?

the salt will be a big limiting factor - but cassette and chainrings, anyway? jockey wheels too?

I've put cassette, crank, chainrings all in the dishwasher. A rinse and a spray of something like WD40 is essential after though. I'd have no problem sticking brake calipers in either, once they get lubed after

triggermortis · 08-01-2019 4:01pm

I’ve put most of a group set in a dishwasher before - minus the bottom bracket - and everything came out sparkly and clean. No issues at all. Made sure it was dry and lined after.
Also put a pair of shoes in there one time too.

CrowdedHouse · 08-01-2019 4:02pm

I fear it would be hazardous to my health to wash bike parts in the dishwasher - and I don't mean residue left on my coffee mug...

LollipopJimmy · 08-01-2019 4:03pm

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

I fear it would be hazardous to my health to wash bike parts in the dishwasher - and I don't mean residue left on my coffee mug...

I was stung with the brake calipers of an old car in the dishwasher, prepping them for rebuild

It did not end well for me

triggermortis · 08-01-2019 4:15pm

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I was stung with the brake calipers of an old car in the dishwasher, prepping them for rebuild It did not end well for me

Car brakes would be full of brake fluid which is good for braking but will destroy 99% of anything else it comes into contact with.
Bike parts are just generally dirty and greasy.
I washed my parts in the dishwasher and made sure I had time to run it again, empty, before the boss came home to see what I was up to ðŸ˜œ

LollipopJimmy · 08-01-2019 4:32pm

triggermortis wrote: »

Car brakes would be full of brake fluid which is good for braking but will destroy 99% of anything else it comes into contact with.
Bike parts are just generally dirty and greasy.
I washed my parts in the dishwasher and made sure I had time to run it again, empty, before the boss came home to see what I was up to &#55357;&#56860;

To be fair they were stripped to nothing and had been cleaned, the dishwasher gave them an extra clean, the only fluid in the would have been residue on the piston or in the piston housing. I was prepping them for paint and rebuild

CramCycle · 08-01-2019 4:40pm

Dear lord, I am going to get in so much trouble when I try this.

magicbastarder · 08-01-2019 4:44pm

there was me thinking it was just a funny jokey question.

Type 17 · 08-01-2019 4:44pm

In my early teens (1985), I stripped the axles and freewheel off a pair of yellow-but-filthy Skyway Tuff II BMX wheels and put them in the dishwasher when my mum was out. Got them out before she came home, and she never knew.
The wheels looked amazing, but were just as dirty a few months later...

darconio · 08-01-2019 5:06pm

We might be dumb and useless in many things (I would have to argue with that btw...), but male's creativity to get things done with minimal effort cannot be beaten :pac::pac:

Mickiemcfist · 08-01-2019 5:58pm

Type 17 wrote: »

In my early teens (1985), I stripped the axles and freewheel off a pair of yellow-but-filthy Skyway Tuff II BMX wheels and put them in the dishwasher when my mum was out. Got them out before she came home, and she never knew.
The wheels looked amazing, but were just as dirty a few months later...

I'm more shocked that you had a dishwasher in 1985, I was the dishwasher in my house well into the late 90s!

cdaly_ · 08-01-2019 6:10pm

I tried it once with cobblelock bricks that had been stained by an engine oil changing incident. They came out lovely and clean but the dishwasher rack wheels used to crunch on residual sand for months afterwards...

magicbastarder · 08-01-2019 6:43pm

we have a winner.

dahat · 08-01-2019 6:46pm

darconio wrote: »

We might be dumb and useless in many things (I would have to argue with that btw...), but male's creativity to get things done with minimal effort cannot be beaten :pac::pac:

This sums it up.

CramCycle · 08-01-2019 6:48pm

cdaly_ wrote: »

I tried it once with cobblelock bricks that had been stained by an engine oil changing incident. They came out lovely and clean but the dishwasher rack wheels used to crunch on residual sand for months afterwards...

Bottle of coke and a brush might have been quicker.

The coke was for the bricks, not for energy to scrub the bricks, just to be clear.

magicbastarder · 08-01-2019 7:09pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

we have a winner.

this is your prize, i thought it apt.

LollipopJimmy · 08-01-2019 7:38pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Bottle of coke and a brush might have been quicker.

The coke was for the bricks, not for energy to scrub the bricks, just to be clear.

Paraffin oil and a match burns away the stain also...

Type 17 · 08-01-2019 8:07pm

Type 17 wrote: »

In my early teens (1985), I stripped the axles and freewheel off a pair of yellow-but-filthy Skyway Tuff II BMX wheels and put them in the dishwasher when my mum was out. Got them out before she came home, and she never knew.
The wheels looked amazing, but were just as dirty a few months later...

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

I'm more shocked that you had a dishwasher in 1985, I was the dishwasher in my house well into the late 90s!

To be fair, we only got one because we'd moved to a new house a few years earlier, and there was a plumbed space for one in the kitchen - my parents spent a year or so looking at the hole, whilst saving up to fill it - if the house hadn't got the plumbed space, I doubt we would have got one until much later.

saccades · 08-01-2019 11:22pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i may be proving my own thread title wrong here, but was musing on the way in - what bike components could you clean in the dishwasher?

the salt will be a big limiting factor - but cassette and chainrings, anyway? jockey wheels too?

Why is everyone so stressed about salt? It's used in low amounts as a rinse aid, the residue shouldn't be visible to the naked eye (9mg/M3).

Dishwasher detergent is very caustic, so avoid putting anything aluminium in there.

Mickiemcfist · 09-01-2019 1:21pm

I bought a new 250 quid bog standard road bike for my 20k round trip commute 3 months ago, what would be the typical timeline for maintenance/servicing etc.
I ask as all guides I can find online are geared to the more enthusiastic cyclist with expensive bikes (i.e. wash drivetrain after each use). I've washed & oiled the chain about once every 500km. Other than that, should servicing be annual? I was thinking of doing it when summer starts after the worst of the weather has ended.

CramCycle · 09-01-2019 1:23pm

I wouldn't have used any detergent if using the washer, just put it on a hot wash and let the mechanical action and heat take it away.

bsb1971 · 10-01-2019 12:59am

Quick question. I'm building up a commuter with old spares. Will a 50 36 chainrings work with an 11 28 or 12 27 cassette with a short cage derailleur. It's a 10 speed mish mash of 105, ultegra and tiagra. Thanks in advance.

10-01-2019 1:11am

bsb1971 wrote: »

Quick question. I'm building up a commuter with old spares. Will a 50 36 chainrings work with an 11 28 or 12 27 cassette with a short cage derailleur. It's a 10 speed mish mash of 105, ultegra and tiagra. Thanks in advance.

Some reading here https://www.mantel.com/blog/en/derailleur-capacity-maximum-techcenter/

I imagine some one here can give you a proper yes or no though.

bsb1971 · 11-01-2019 12:37am

@Enfilade - thanks for that, it would seem I now have something to keep me busy over the weekend, sorting that o

rayman1 · 11-01-2019 1:37am

bsb1971 wrote: »

Quick question. I'm building up a commuter with old spares. Will a 50 36 chainrings work with an 11 28 or 12 27 cassette with a short cage derailleur. It's a 10 speed mish mash of 105, ultegra and tiagra. Thanks in advance.

I don't see why not considering my 2013 Giant Defy came with Ultegra 50/34 chainrings, an 11/28 cassette and a short cage rear derailleur.

S_D · 11-01-2019 3:09pm

S_D wrote: »

Looking at a new wheel set and really dont know much about different wheels to make a decision!

https://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/zipp-404-carbon-wheels/20675352 <- Older Zipp

https://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/mavic-cosmic-carbone-slr-front-wheel-clincher/20685584 <- Cosmic SLR

This would be using for TT. Ideally just looking at fronts only, but would a better wheel be the older Zipp or something like that Cosmic? Or is it much of a muchness?

Anyone?

68 lost souls · 11-01-2019 8:37pm

Put new wheels on and while transferring cassette I did a deep clean. Now chain started slipping on some gears. I think the dirt had actually been stopping it from slipping.

Measured chain and it’s a bit stretched but decided it’s time for new chain and cassette, no worries

Got them today and while I have the chain off looking at the chain ring does it need changing too?

https://flic.kr/p/2cLe7vi

Type 17 · 11-01-2019 8:49pm

S_D wrote: »

Anyone?

Hard to say - wheels are like car insurance - the deal that someone else got may not suit you or vice-versa. Note that the Cosmic front wheel is a clincher and the Zipps are tubulars - have you thought about which you would prefer?

68 lost souls wrote: »

Put new wheels on and while transferring cassette I did a deep clean. Now chain started slipping on some gears. I think the dirt had actually been stopping it from slipping.

Measured chain and it’s a bit stretched but decided it’s time for new chain and cassette, no worries

Got them today and while I have the chain off looking at the chain ring does it need changing too?

https://flic.kr/p/2cLe7vi

Technically, that chainring is a bit worn, and so will wear a new chain a little faster than a brand new chainring would but, given the price of a new chainring versus the cost of a new chain and cassette, I'd run a new chain and cassette on this 'ring one more time, and then when that chain and cassette are worn out again, I'd get all three and start again fresh.

68 lost souls · 11-01-2019 9:29pm

Type 17 wrote: »

Technically, that chainring is a bit worn, and so will wear a new chain a little faster than a brand new chainring would but, given the price of a new chainring versus the cost of a new chain and cassette, I'd run a new chain and cassette on this 'ring one more time, and then when that chain and cassette are worn out again, I'd get all three and start again fresh.

If it makes any difference price wise it’s a 105 chain set. New cassette is ultegra as 105 doesn’t come on 12-30 and chain is kmc xl10s

Weepsie · 12-01-2019 12:49am

Anyone know if there's any Italian Threaded BB386EVO bottom brack at all at all? I was about to pull the trigger on a BSA one, then realised my bike was likely Italian threaded (Guerciotti) so scuppered some plans

S_D · 13-01-2019 6:33pm

How does one know the condition of a front hub? Spoke are solid, spins freely etc anything else to check? (Going to look at a 2nd hand wheel hence the question)

Eamonnator · 13-01-2019 6:45pm

Weepsie wrote: »

Anyone know if there's any Italian Threaded BB386EVO bottom brack at all at all? I was about to pull the trigger on a BSA one, then realised my bike was likely Italian threaded (Guerciotti) so scuppered some plans

Can you put up a link to the bike?

Type 17 · 13-01-2019 6:53pm

S_D wrote: »

How does one know the condition of a front hub? Spoke are solid, spins freely etc anything else to check? (Going to look at a 2nd hand wheel hence the question)

Hold the axle and spin the wheel - should be silky-smooth with no roughness (or minimal, consistent "texture" if it's a cheap wheel, but I presume you aren't going to buy a wheel that cheap on the secondhand market).

Check the rim is straight, with no hops or dents, as well as no sideways run-out.

If it's a rim-brake wheel, check the brake tracks for wear - there may be a rut worn into the centre of the brake-track (if so, leave it, unless it's really cheap).

Bring a spoke key and turn a few spokes a half-turn open (and then turn them back, to avoid messing up the trueness) - if the nipples are seized or part-seized, walk away. Another sign that the nipples may seize soon is a lot of corrosion (white bloom on the aluminium) under the rim-tape - don't buy a wheel without seeing under the rim-tape - if the seller doesn't want to take the tyres off, walk away.

homer911 · 13-01-2019 7:02pm

Sorry for the dumb question. I've just changed my gear cable as the gears were slipping and I noticed the cable was fraying at the derailleur. I've watched a few videos online of H/L setting and indexing. My problem is that I cant get the gears to shift lower than 4th gear. Adjusting the L setting makes no difference. Is the tension in my gear cable wrong or am I missing something stupid. I understand the barrel adjustment is only for indexing.

Many thanks

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

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