Today I did something to my bike thread...

I replaced my mudguards also this week. I am surprised they lasted really huge mileage this time, I reckon around 17 to 20k km (I use the Cruds Mk2) and it is my third set. They are probably the best upgrade to my bike.

Replaced the bearings on a integrated headset. There had been a bit of play/rocking in the headset which turned out to be down to wear in the old head set bearing cartridges. Occured after less than 4000Km, some trips were quite wet so a good bit of rust to be seen inside the head tube.

The replacement parts were sourced from CSS - Cyclesuperstore in Tallaght - stainless steel at €13 each, easy to fit. Will see how long these last.

ACB 36X45 1 1/8 Inch 41mm Diameter.

So the reflecty bits have nearly all washed off my Polaris jacket so I scavanged a hi-vis vest and sewed new ones on.



Onto the jacket, my gloves, overshoes and heels of my shoes...

route66 wrote: »

Do you have contact information for CCS - I did a search and can only see entries for childcare organisations ...

Not sure if sarcastic or troll, but it's CSS-cycle superstore.

Seweryn wrote: »

Decided to service the hubs before the build starts .

Very nice hubs - 7400, 8 speeds. Looking forward to seeing the build.

Seweryn wrote: »

Thanks Letape.

They are actually 7700-series. Are they pretty? I thik so . I will update on the build soon. Just awaiting all the remaining bits.

9 speed build so? Yep very pretty! Sometimes you just can't beat traditional looking parts. I had a set of those built on a pair of Ambrosio Durex rims a good few years ago. They were lovely wheels. Good luck with the build.

Sold it. :-( but out with the old and all that.......

joxerjohn wrote: »

Hi Seweryn I have a similar looking set of Ultegra 6500 Hubs that I was think of building wheelset from so I would be very interested in how you get on.

What rims and spokes do you plan to use ?

Hi John,

I am planning to use H Plus Son Archetype silver rims, Sapim Laser front and non drive side rear, Sapim Race on drive side rear, laced 2x cross front and 3x cross rear, brass silver nipples.

I will update once they are built.

joxerjohn wrote: »

Great look forward to that !

Thanks, I will update when the project is finished .

Unstickyfied both brake callipers. It looked like salt and dirt had made the joints a lot less slipppery until they seized up. Had to dissasemble them completely to get all the crap out. Put a drop of chain lube in the joints to help the washers slide better and now the callipers work like new.

Battled to see if the bloody thing will ever be delivered or whether it's been discontinued and I've just tied up €1500 in what is becoming an ever increasingly stressful purchase.

letape wrote: »

What bike are you buying?

Planet X rt57

So, not all done today but....

since buying my Dolan Pre Cursa I've changed the fork, bars, pedals with straps, tyres (for slimes), & tyres and added an front break.

Today I've removed the frame decals. Next I'll do the wheels next

Nearly there!!!

This is not a sexy post, just a record of something I've been meaning to do for ages, and a reference for others who are googling the same upgrade and its problems.

My commuter bike had a cutting edge lighting system from the 2000's, and after much abuse from winters and vandals, it gave up working last month. Spurred on by a link in this thread to nice components from rose bikes we did the following:

Existing system: a) Shimano hub dynamo (DH-3N30, 6V, 3W), b) wired through SKS mudguards, c) b+m front light and switch (2.4W, 15 lux Halogen) and d) b+m rear LED (0.6W)

Upgraded system: thanks to German bike lighting standards, everything is standard and interoperable, so a) and d) were salvageable and the rest were replaced with new two-core wires and Finland's finest Hermann h-One S. This was chosen for several reasons: good price for a 75lux LED, legal front reflector, accessible connectors, running day-lights and the on-off-auto switch. A switch is important because the dynamo does not have one itself, it is expecting one in the light circuit.

Wiring the new light to the dynamo was simple, just pull the wires through the fork and re-use the original shimano plug. It tested fine, so far so good.
Running new wires to the rear LED was worth it, it was brighter than with the corroded copper strips in the mudguards. However, the front and back lights were now on all time time, irrespective of the switch position. After some fruitless googling, I figured it out - even though everything is wired with the two core (live and neutral) wires, the bike frame itself can act as a third/earth wire, so it needs to be used properly or excluded. I chose the latter by insulating the mounting bolt marked 'earth' on the rear light, and bingo, the switch starts working as advertised.
Result - the properly wired system removed the shudder from the dynamo, the front light is super bright, I can see retroreflection even in brightly lit urban areas, the system is automatic and has standlights front and back that stay lit for 3 mins when I'm not moving.

tl;dr €50 gets me revamped lights that are safer, 5 times brighter and won't blow expensive €5 bulbs anymore.

New rubber I hope to only use on nicer days, I use gp4000 on my other wheels.
Also been using my new saddle a week, very happy with the bike now

I have finally got all the bits and decided to give it a try...











TBC...

ford2600 wrote: »

Well done. Tidy looking job.

When is the maiden voyage?

Thank you!

They still need to be properly dished and tensioned, but sooner rather than later they will hit the road .

As per the "credit card" thread, attached a little bit of Copenhagen style to the commuting bike. In the process making this my first legal non "racing" bike ever.


Also cleaned the brake callipers as described on the talk to joe thread ? a while back.

Next job is a rear dynamo light.