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

Milk_Tray wrote: »

when you look at wheels (carbon) and they say 40/40 or 60/60 or 80/101, what does that mean? And why would you have either set over another?

I think that's generally the rim depths in mm, presumably written in the form of front/rear. All else being equal (i.e. same style of wheel, since not all carbon wheel rim shapes/sections are necessarily equally performant - that's a whole other discussion and warrants its own research), the deeper the rim, generally the greater the aero advantage. However deeper rims come at the cost of handling/control in windy conditions, especially with cross winds since the deeper rim catches the wind. This is why if there is a differential in the rim depths, the shallower is normally on the front, to minimise the impact on steering, since the back wheel doesn't turn.

Crocked wrote: »

Have an old triple groupset and an old frame and decided to build it up to use on the turbo. When in the highest gear, 50-12 I think, the chain is rubbing against the inside of the dropout.

Would I be right in thinking that the issue maybe that not all frames can take a triple groupset?

If the chain is rubbing at the rear (bottom of right-hand seat-stay), then it's the fact that the older frame probably had a rear wheel with less sprockets (and therefore had more space between the smallest sprocket and the frame).

You can fix the rub by adding a few washers onto the axle on the inside of the frame, but there will probably be issues with stretching the frame, axle-length, etc, but you will be ok if it's only for turbo trainer use.

If you do want to use the wheel and frame together on the road, then look at stuff like cold-setting the frame (if it's steel), chain line(s), re-spacing the axle and then re-dishing the wheel, etc.

ford2600 wrote: »

http://www.rocklube.com/products.html

The purple extreme one of these is brilliant for Irish conditions.

No matter how rough conditions on road bike I never applied under 300km intervals and above that in dry conditions.

Chain was under .75% wear after 9k km on a well used drivetrain; cassettes with 20k or so and a crank which started with double that.

Sounds interesting. What chain do use?

I've been using Muc Off Hydrodynamic for the last year and while it's a standard lube that's easy to apply, it doesn't attract as much sh1te and grime as a regular wet lube but it seems to wash away after a short wet spin. No really noticeable extension in chain life from it either.

magicbastarder wrote: »

anyone ever try this?

No but it's something I'd like to try - just to see what it's all about. I'd do it more out of nerdy interest than anything else

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Looks like a lot of hassle - easier just to buy a new chain more regularly.

I agree that it's easier to but a new chain but the one benefit I see is that the wax is less likely to attract dirt and other road grime meaning less cleaning and this could useful on the commute bike because finding the time to clean the chain during the week can be difficult.

topcat77 wrote: »

Hi All.

Just a quick question regarding brake fluid compatibility.

I'm using dot5.1 on my avid brakes and i've just bought a new set of clarks exo Skeletal brakes for the hybrid. These brakes use dot4. From what i gather the only difference in the fluid is the boiling point.

So the question is can i use the dot5.1 fluid on the clarks as i don't want to go out and buy more fluid. (just opened a new dot5.1 bottle)?

My understanding of brake fluid is that dot4 and dot5.1 are fully compatible.

magicbastarder wrote: »

anyone ever try this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvJ7aAUWBz8

I completely dismantle the chain and clean and grease before reassembly!


http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

All My Stars Aligned wrote: »

Is this a piss take?

Yes, yes it is.

One chastised biker here!

I've always thought my bike is better looked after than average, washed after each ride, chain cleaned, brakes adjusted etc. So it was with a feeling akin to being told that I'd neglected my children to get a phone call from my local bike shop (where I'd dropped my trusty steed in for a service) to be told that:
1. The front derailleur had seized
2. The rear wheel hub bearings were beyond repair because of rust and grime
3. The headset bearings were also rusted and full of grime

Naturally I thought they were taking the urine but following a call down to view the dismantled parts, I was really taken aback at how these parts were deteriorated. Now I don't soak my bike when I wash it and I dry it off if it rains while I'm out and about, plus the bike lives in the house, not a shed. So it was a shock to see the rusted bearings in the hub and headset plus to see a seized front derailleur. Naturally to make it up to my bike, I got a new front derailleur, new headset bearings and I bought two Mavic Aksiums (one to replace the almost seized rear wheel and the other to match the new one) as a "sorry" to my bike.

Guess there's more to bike maintenance than a clean drivetrain and frame:o

Yes it had. They packed it with grease when they put in the new one. How to stop that happening again?

Nitpicking here but they failed to index the gears when they put new gear cables in. Was out for a 53km spin today and the gears wouldn't change properly when I clicked the shifter. I hate stopping when I'm out on the bike but it was driving me nuts so off I get and index them on the side of the road.

I had similar with the bike I use for commuting. I took a apart the headset to regrease it and I was shocked to find that the lower bearing had come apart and the ball bearings were brown and rusted looking. I washed the lot in degreaser and gave it a thorough clean, regreased and put it back in as I didn't have time to wait for a new one to be delivered. That was probably 5,000km ago and it's still fine.

I put it down to having no front mudguard and all the water spray from the tyres is getting lashed into the lower bearing.

Similarly, my front hub bearing is starting to make noise - it still spins freely and stops with the valve in the six o'clock position every time. It's probably time to service the hubs after 20,000km!!

D13exile wrote: »

Yes it had. They packed it with grease when they put in the new one. How to stop that happening again?

Nitpicking here but they failed to index the gears when they put new gear cables in. Was out for a 53km spin today and the gears wouldn't change properly when I clicked the shifter. I hate stopping when I'm out on the bike but it was driving me nuts so off I get and index them on the side of the road.

The only way to prevent the front wheel from flooding the lower headset race is to fit a mudguard. I see it a lot (two today alone). It occurs to me that, for those whose bike is too cool for mudguards , someone could design a clip-on "skirt" that would prevent direct spray from the wheel from hitting the gap between the fork crown and frame.

The shop probably did index the gears, but didn't pre-stretch the inner wires - they might have forgotten or, on bikes with internal cable routing, it's harder to do - the cables finished stretching on your spin...

Should be fit and forget, or fit and then readjust after the first ride, if play develops as something settles a little more.

Your issue sounds like something is fouling - perhaps check to see that nothing is upside down (common if there's a separate rubber seal), or pressed on slightly crooked.
Also, check if the top cap (under the spacers, usually has the maker's name on it) is touching the top of the frame (fully integrated type) or the top bearing race (semi-integrated) - if so, your LBS should have a few spare shims to separate things as required.

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Are you powerhosing the bike? Or being overly generous with the hose?

No. I never use a power hose on the bike and when I wash it, I mostly use muc-off to get rid of the heavy grime and then a light sprinkle with the hose to wash the detergent off.

crosstownk wrote: »

I had similar with the bike I use for commuting. I took a apart the headset to regrease it and I was shocked to find that the lower bearing had come apart and the ball bearings were brown and rusted looking. I washed the lot in degreaser and gave it a thorough clean, regreased and put it back in as I didn't have time to wait for a new one to be delivered. That was probably 5,000km ago and it's still fine.

I put it down to having no front mudguard and all the water spray from the tyres is getting lashed into the lower bearing.

Similarly, my front hub bearing is starting to make noise - it still spins freely and stops with the valve in the six o'clock position every time. It's probably time to service the hubs after 20,000km!!

Type 17 wrote: »

The only way to prevent the front wheel from flooding the lower headset race is to fit a mudguard. I see it a lot (two today alone). It occurs to me that, for those whose bike is too cool for mudguards , someone could design a clip-on "skirt" that would prevent direct spray from the wheel from hitting the gap between the fork crown and frame.

The shop probably did index the gears, but didn't pre-stretch the inner wires - they might have forgotten or, on bikes with internal cable routing, it's harder to do - the cables finished stretching on your spin...

I use a rear mudguard on the bike but not a front one. Guess I'll have to get one to stop the water ingres into the headset in future.

Deleted User wrote: »

Just a quick one re: shimano sti shifters, are they the same for standard breaks as for mechanical discs? Or do I need to look for a disc specific one (sora/9speed)

I'm assuming the same.

Yes, the rim brake ones work fine with mechanical discs.

The three big spokes don’t have to meet the hub near the ends of the axle, like a traditional spoked wheel, so the wind resistance is much lower as the spokes “hide” behind the width of the tyre.

I put my new(to me) wheels on my commuter bike today. Swapped over the cassette but found I couldn’t get all my gears. Spent an age fiddling trying to index them. Rode around the garden a bit to see if that made any difference - it didn’t. When I applied the back brake - to avoid running over the cat - the brake didn’t release.
The bike has been sitting for a while unused so I figured it just needed a good clean. Took the brake off and cleaned it all up. Refitted it and nothing had changed. Cable runs ok but the brake sticks on. When it’s in my hand it opens and closes fine.
Gave up in frustration and cold and took it to my lbs as I had to go pick kids up from school. I’ll see what the story is later...

Costs and cross-winds (which is why full-disc wheels faded from fashion very quickly).

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Replace the cables, inner and outer for both brakes and gears. If the bike has been lying up a while then condensation/moisture will cause corrosion.

Cables are all good. The brake had corrosion that I didn’t see as I didn’t fully take it apart. The wheel turns out to have an 11 speed hub on, which I didn’t realise. There was a 9 speed cassette on it, which I replaced with mine - not seeing any spacer there and that was the reason for not being able to get all my gears. Spacer fitted, gears now good

Macy0161 wrote: »

Will a 9 speed cassette fit on 10/11 speed hub (assuming compatible hub)? Will I need spacers or will it be straight on and then locknut?

Yes. There is a spacer you need to put on before the cassettte. I received one with a new wheel set for my winter bike.
Just got one fitted to my commuter bike. The wheel previously had a 9 speed cassette so I might have a spare spacer I didn’t notice still with the cassette if you need one, or your lbs should have them

50-34 = Compact
52-36 = mid compact
53-39 = Double