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

Fair enough. In that case, maybe take a look at the doc and do the alignment/limits/cable tension setup again.

velo.2010 wrote: »

I think Shimano indicate that older FD's aren't compatible with R series cranks. I'm sure it could be worked around but you might struggle to adjust the cable tension if you don't have a working barrell adjuster on that cable — pulling it tight by hand might not be enough.

I upgraded the FD's on both bikes to eliminate such problems. They're tricky to fit but cable adjusyment is taken care of without use of barrell adjusters. Just to note, I run 5800 cranks with a R7000 FD on one bike with no compatibility issues.

Would that be more of a chain rub issue?
This just won’t shift without using force

caviardreams wrote: »

So I finally got a bell but it seems to be too small for teh handlebars of my road bike (30mm or so). Most bells I have seen online are 22-25mm - is it hard to find one that fits 30mm that doesn't cost a fortune (I saw a nice knog one) or is there some way to make the smaller ones fit?

Or are my road bars very chunky and in need of a diet?

I got a trigger bell and it works very well. Mounts behind the hood on the left and can be rung from the hoods or the drops

CormacH94 wrote: »

Question on gearing/swapping gearing - If I have a 53/39 crank with an 11/27 cassette is it possible to switch to a 50/34 and an 11 -28 with little hassle?

My understanding is all I need are new chainrings, cassette and new chain? Will the front derailleur accept a low gearing? Or what size cages on FD and RD are needed for this combination?

A 53/39 crankset will have BCD of 130mm, whereas a compact crankset has a BCD of 110, so you need to confirm the BCD before purchasing chainrings. AFAIK, you will need a new chainset if you want a 50/34 chainrings

swarlb wrote: »

Do you mean PCD ? Pitch Circle Diameter What does BCD mean ?

Bolt Circle Diameter. https://thecyclemechanic.co.uk/bolt-circle-diameter

Deleted User wrote: »

Question for others when you replace cables do you replace the outers too? I always have and never really thought about it until tonight as I've run out and won't have enough to do the job. So I'll have to reuse some of the ones already on the bike.

I should at least clean them out with some degreaser or something and leave to dry right? or should I be a lazy bastard and just feed the new cables through?

I think I know the answer :pac:

You should, but in practice you should be grand unless you've been picking up lots of crud over the winter that'll have worked it's way in. The last couple of changes I've done, I haven't bothered with the outers as a) I was in a rush and b) wasn't in the humour for unwrapping/rewrapping the bar tape. I sprayed them with a bit of PTFE lube and they've been grand. Gear cables are a bit more pernicity than brakes I'd imagine, though that's based on no sound knowledge other than mere supposition!

CormacH94 wrote: »

Anyone explain in laymans terms what I'd be able to do to swap out a 105 5700 53/39 170.2mm crank for a 50/34 170mm crank?

Head is melted trying to figure out compatibility between generations

Can I use a newer 105 crankset (R7000) on a 10 speed 105 system with no issues?

Or can I use Tiagra 4700 cranks?

I ride 11 speed Ultegra crankset with otherwise 10 speed Tiagra. No issues. The distance between chainrings is the same in 10 and 11speed front chainsets.

CormacH94 wrote: »

Will I run into any potential problems running a 50/34 with an 11/28 on a short cage rear derailleur?

The differences* are 33, which is the official limit from the Shimano specs (which make/model is yours?), but if it is a Shimano, their capacity specs are quite conservative anyway, so definitely no problem.

*Derailleur capacity = difference between 50 & 34 (16) + difference between 11 & 28 (17), so 33 in your case.

Replaced the BB on the bike today and the improvement is immediately noticeable, feels more solid and better shifting front and back. There was a lot of play in the old one and it had fallen apart when I removed the cranks for cleaning a couple of weeks ago so needed to be done.

The replacement is a little stiff though I took it for a 30k spin to see would it loosen up but its the same after that. Is there a run in period with them? I loosened off the cranks to see had I over tightened but it didn't make any difference. It's not awful but definitely not spinning freely.Its an FSA BB4000 a direct swop for what was on the bike.

Each side of the bottom bracket uses different sided threads so AFAIK left hand threads arent compatible with right hand threads and vice versa.

Is the crank 1x or 3x if its 3x you can change which chainring you use to get the chain line right that's why if doing a 1x conversion it's best to keep your old crank or buy a new bottom bracket with a smaller longer diameter

Tony04 wrote: »

Each side of the bottom bracket uses different sided threads so AFAIK left hand threads arent compatible with right hand threads and vice versa.

Is the crank 1x or 3x if its 3x you can change which chainring you use to get the chain line right that's why if doing a 1x conversion it's best to keep your old crank or buy a new bottom bracket with a smaller longer diameter

They're right hand thread on both sides.

cletus wrote: »

They're right hand thread on both sides.

Well if so you can swap as you like.

On many cup-and-cone BBs, the axle is longer on the non-drive side (not sure why, but maybe because older LH cranks are relatively straight, whereas newer styles have more lateral curve).

When removing older axles, I’ve found that on ones that have any writing on them (make, length, etc), the writing is the right way up when viewed from the saddle.

ec18 wrote: »

Do you need to bleed hydraulic discs after switching the hoses between the levers ?

If you’re lucky, then no, but if any air was admitted to the circuit (long lever travel, sponginess), then a quick burp (not a full bleed/fuid exchange with a syringe at the calliper) is in order - assuming the fluid is good (not old or contaminated), you can put a cup on the lever with some fluid in it, Angle the bike so air bubbles can flow up the circuit to the cup, and then work the lever/tap the pipework/lever with a screwdriver handle to encourage the bubbles to break free and rise up the circuit into the cup.
Keep tapping/working the lever for several minutes until the bubbles stop and the lever feels firm again.

crosstownk wrote: »

While cleaning one of the bikes today, I noticed that there is a small bit of play in the freehub i.e. if I hold the cassette, I can rock it up and down by a small amount - less than 1mm. It's NOT the cups/cones that are loose.

I can't say I've noticed this before but I haven't really checked for it before - I just accidentally noticed it today. Can I just leave it or do I need to nip up the FH a small bit?

Fulcrum Racing 3 with Shimano FH - approx 8,000km.

I posted this a couple of weeks ago and even though it was suggested (and accepted) that the play was normal, it’s been bugging me ever since - especially when I can see the cassette wobble when I ride. When it wobbles, I pedal backwards momentarily and the wobble then stops.

It was time to clean that bike again so I removed the cassette and the play is in the free hub. So I then removed the free hub and the outboard bearing is the cause.

I now need to decide if I should buy the bearings and the press or the whole free hub.

Has anyone replaced the bearings and if so, how did it go?

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I noticed on downhills recently That brakes were squeaking, I never keep an eye on brake pads so immediately thought, buy new brake pads that’ll fix it. I did need new brake pads however brakes still squeaking I religiously clean wheels after a spin so don’t think that’d be the problem but could be. Any other ideas?
I think it is only front brakes squeaking but hard to tell as when descending I’m getting both going. Do have a practically brand new front wheel I could try to see if wheel is the problem.


Strongly considering just buying a new bike as I believe this will solve my problem :pac:

Personally I wouldn't clean the rims... you might be leaving a residue that will either cause the squeak or hinder braking.
Try to have the 'leading edge' of the pad make contact with the rim, rather than having the pad hit the rim 'squarely.
You may have to 'twist' the caliper slightly to achieve this.

Deano12345 wrote: »

Just won a disc wheel on eBay for a steal, problem is it’s 10 speed. There are a few 11 speed cassettes that are compatible with it though. 105 5800 11-34 is one...is there any others?

I could have sworn the 11-30 R8000 was as well!

You could swap the freehub?