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

magicbastarder wrote: »

well, it turns out i can't even check the pressure in the forks because the schrader valve is recessed and my track pump attachment won't fit in the recess.

You need a special shock pump for that. If you're on friendly terms with your LBS, they might check it for you and advise you on what work might need doing too.

seamus wrote: »

Over-tensioned spoke shouldn't really ping often. A broken spoke might

If it's a regular noise, i.e. has a rhythm, then it's something banging off something else.

If it's something that only happens over bumps, i.e. it's more of a rattle, then something is loose.

No broken spokes, tapped everything I could with my rattle checker (rubber mallet) and couldn't get it to repeat in the stand so stripped everything down and reassembled ensuring everything was torqued correctly. If it happens again tomorrow I'll burn the bike

I've got a decent enough Cannondale frame (CAAD 8) but running Claris 8 speed groupset.

I was planning to upgrade bike but I can get a 105 with very low km on a second hand site. If I do (a) do I need new wheels (I'll be getting a new 10 speed cassette anyway) and (b) how difficult is it to do such a changeover of groupset (I have all the tools plus a long weekend with nothing planned).

gaffmaster wrote: »

Sounds like a great weekend. I'd love to be doing that this weekend.

AFAIK, your wheels should work okay (Maddux R2.0?) since they're Shimano compatible. You'll probably need to remove spacers on the hub from the current 8 speed cassette.

I've never changed a whole groupset at once, but it's something I hope to do myself soon. YouTube is your friend. And also, this free PDF is a handy reference, but definitely use videos too - http://www.flocycling.com/buildabike.php

Thanks - they are RS3.0

I was going to go bit by bit, I need a new brake cable anyway, but figured best option is probably just to do it all in one go when I need to remove bar tape to get at shifters etc. (The OH being away helps too)

Sram cassettes will work with Shimano derailleurs and vice versa. If it's 11 speed any cassette (Sram, Shimano or Campagnolo) will work with each other. Spacing is pretty much the same.

dahat wrote: »

For a 52/36 running 11/28 cassette what chain do i need linkwise? Seeing 116.119 when i go to buy one.

I was able to get away with a 114 link chain on 50/34 with 11/32 cassette (I had to remove a couple of links, albeit the least I've ever had to remove!), so I'd imagine anything that length or more would be fine, unless you've a bike with unusually long chainstays?

I'm new to the whole disc brake thing and am puzzled about cleaning them.

So I got disc brake cleaner and online videos say to use it on the rotor and the pads, but the guy in the shop said only use it on the rotor and to use sandpaper on the pads.

Even the instructions on the bottle say to use it on the pads too https://muc-off.com/products/disc-brake-cleaner

So I turn to boards for a definitive answer.........

Need to replace the headset on my main steed (year-round commuter and main steed). Looking at the cane creek headset finder has given me the details I need but I was wondering if I should be looking at their 40 or 110 series? There's a clear price difference but is the extra coin worth it?

magicbastarder wrote: »

changed the chain on the main bike today - the factory grease looks like the sort of stuff which would attract dust; i assume it's best to wipe it off?

also, anyone have any creative uses for old chains rather than me just binning it?

No... leave the new chain as is! It's the best lube and lasts quite well.
Can't help with ideas for the old chain as I bin old chains.

There's no need to clean brake discs on motor vehicles because, even with relatively gentle driving, they get hot enough to burn off any contamination. Only some bikes (such as downhill mountain bikes and road bikes on long descents) heat their discs in this way - most bike discs, if they get contaminated, won't be able to clear it with heat.

The other issue is that most people don't realise this, and aren't careful about preventing oil getting on the discs - the airborne drift from using an aerosol lube on the chain can easily be enough. If using a spray near the drivetrain, slip a sheet of cardboard with a suitable slot in it, in between the disc and the spokes, to keep overspray/drift away from the brake.

However, if you're careful with the lube, or you do lots of fast/long descending, you should never need to do any disc-cleaning

I managed to get one out by removing the bottom bracket, drilling a 12mm hole in the bottom of the BB shell, drilling a hole through the exposed part of the seat post and putting an old hub-axle through it.
With the frame upside down, we dropped a length of 10mm rebar down the hole in the BB shell, to rest against the hub axle and pounded the seat post out with a lump hammer.
Bike refitted with a new cassette bottom bracket, so the hole in the BB shell doesn't matter.

However, we tried this with a different bike which had a suspension seat post stuck in it (thinner walls and a screwed-in plug at the bottom of the seat post) - we couldn't get the plug out to get the rebar to go through the seat post up to where an axle would be drilled through, so we had to risk beating the plug with the rebar - the plug threads failed and the plug went up inside the seat post, spreading it and the seat tube of the frame - frame written off (but it was a cheap ladies shopping bike, so not a huge loss).