What have you fettled today?

[Kim]

When we get to the settled weather of late summer

Ah, an optimist...

[JefO]

When we get to the settled weather of late summer

Ah, an optimist...

Let me put that another way... When we get past the rides that I am determined to do in spring and early summer, I will only be riding this bike when there is ZERO chance of rain all day!

[Mrs Pingu]

Opened 2 bank accounts to stick Pingu's ill gotten gains in.
Unpacked and assembled the new pressure washer. Swept the patio and then pressure washed it

Found enough energy within to pressure wash the patio. Didn't get a round tuit last year.

Jeez that is a thankless task.

Then I unpacked the new appliance skis, used them to extricate the washer from under the counter. Then contorted myself in though the small gap between the back of the washer and the counter end support, hoovering while I was in there. Then a bit more contorting myself to get the ring spanner in the right place to tighten up the flappy monobloc tap.
Put it all back in the right place.

That's enough adulting for one day, I'm knackered.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Fitted a new UN55 to the Omega and refitted the TA cranks. Replaced the damaged down tube cable stop from garage stock.

Fitted a pocket to the other Ortlieb panner.

Need to balance the brakes on HK’s Greenspeed and to replace the chain and cassette on HK’s orange Trykit.

[andrewc]

I turned on my Audiolab 8000T tuner and nothing happened, no sound, no display.  [size=78%] It was working perfectly earlier today. Took it out of the rack & noticed the little pull out fuse carrier above the IEC power socket. This holds 2 fuses, the "live" & a spare. The "live" was black, I put the spare in it's place, plugged everything back up and all is now OK again. The first fright it's given me in over 15 years......[/size]

[Phil21]

Setup my first pair of tubeless tyres yesterday. This morning they are still inflated

Did the first one using the "pour into the open tyre" technique. Managed to make quite a bit of mess as the tyre was so tight. Did the second one using the "through the valve" technique. Much, much, cleaner.

[andrewc]

Reassembled the MTB.  The cam on the rear skewer broke, so I had to replace it with a Pitlok one, from the spares box.  I must replace that asap as I'm bound to forget the key thing.   One of the tyres looks a bit dodgy as well, so that will have to be swapped as well.

New skewer & Schwalbe Land Cruise Plus's arrived, so I obviously found a spare skewer I'd overlooked in the box.  A new rear light was fitted as well.  The Brooks Conquest was looking a bit dry, so gunge was applied.   A very short test drive proved that everything was working properly and that it was still a bit too cool for the new 3/4's that were delivered the other week.


https://www.corinnedennis.co.uk/mens-extra-padded-3-4

[Kim]

Because touring bike, I finally got round to loosening off and measuring a spoke on the rear wheel of the SMGTe, so that I could obtain a couple of spares to cable-tie to the luggage rack strut for times of need^[1].  237mm both sides for those playing along at home, which is nowhere near any of the spare spokes in my collection.

While doing this I discovered the wheel was laced on a Friday afternoon:



Hard to see from the photo, but those spokes aren't touching at the crossing, because they're crossing on the wrong side.  Two crossings were like that (though the spoke tension wasn't significantly affected).  Now sorted, wheel trued and stress-relieved.  Just need to wait for the rim to fail where the eyelets aren't.

I know HPVelotechnik have form for economising in the wheel department, but you'd think once a Roholoff hub was involved they'd make a decent effort with quality control, if not the choice of components^[2].   


_{[1] This strategy successfully prevented spoke breakages on the previous incarnation, but they did come in handy on a couple of occasions when I found myself in need of a pokey-thing.
[2] 2.0mm plain gauge spokes, no-name single wall disc brake rim, nasty plastic rim tape^[3].  I think the hub on the front wheel that I'm not using was underwhelming, too.
[3] Immediately replaced with Velox, because touring bike.}

[cycleman]

Fitted 3 new tubes to the azub tricon gr recumbent as the old tubes have failed due to stupid pre glued patches 

[rogerzilla]

Been slicing up picture frame beading with the mitre saw to make fake panelling for a wardrobe door of peculiar size, which means I can't actually buy a panelled door or even cut one to fit (the cut would go through a panel!)

[JefO]

Two days clearing the garage of unwanted stuff.
Down to the tip with 4 estate car loads of it; and it is still full.

[De Sisti]

I fitted a new Stronglight Impact Triple chainset to my Dolan Dual bike. I've ordered similar
chainset for my other two bikes.

[Mrs Pingu]

Well that wasn't quite what I expected to happen. I've posted about this stair stringer before here https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=127832.0 
I assumed that the quadrant bit had been added at a later date to cover the join between stringer and plaster, so I was planning to remove it, fill with expanding foam and then filler down to the join. But the wall and the back of the string don't seem to meet up, so I'm not convinced my plan is going to work now 

PXL_20240419_151308370 by The Pingus, on Flickr

PXL_20240419_151559263 by The Pingus, on Flickr

PXL_20240419_162246050 by The Pingus, on Flickr

[Tim Hall]

Nothing. But I tried.

 Early o'clock hundred hours today, a dark lane, Surrey.

I'm on the FNRTTC, all going smoothly, about 12km from The Edifice halfway stop. The person in front crunches to a stop. I'm not on TEC Duties, my Young Lady is getting chilly, there is plenty of help around so we carry on. 100m later we pass a young lad also with bike trouble. We stop. "gears won't turn" he says. Chain is unshipped at the rear, put it on. Still no joy. Chain is jammed between big and small rings, so I give it Serious Welly to free it. Something is still Not Right. Bollocks, rear mech is in two pieces, with tension arm adrift from the rest. There's a central pivot pin with a groove in one end that a pin should engage in. The pin is making a bid for freedom from its push fit hole. Should be easy, as easy as such repairs are, laying in the road, head torch on, hands getting cold. Nope. Things Won't Align, so after 20 minutes of Bad Swears and Dicking Around I decide to bodge it into a single speed, let him ride to the tea break and fix it in the warm. 12 speed sodding chain, vertical drop outs, so tolerances are tight,but I find a straightish line and a lucky magic gear.  Except the chain ring is not concentric with the BB spindle, so the chain binds in some parts and is loose in others. I explain to the rider how to pedal using the part circles. Off we finally go. Not good. $MoreStuff, Unofficial Broom Wagon arrives from the halfway point to ferry bike and rider.

Eventually, having got outside of cup of coffee and a sandwich, we retrieve the bike from the Broom Wagon and take a look. In the light and warmth it's easier. There's a spring coaxial with the pivot, the ends of which engage in holes. Push it together, push pin home, but there's no tension in the arm. The spring needs winding by turning the tension arm back but I can't do that as there's a stop in the way. Can't get the pin out as it's now pushed home all the way. Arse. Young rider gets a lift to the station from Max, the kind man I/C refreshments. I put away All The Tools. My audience fades away.





L-R Dog Trousers, StuAff, Jim W, The Young Rider, me

[JonBuoy]

I fettled myself a mapboard riser for tomorrow's mudfest MTB orienteering event.



It may look suspiciously like a xmas pudding bowl*, some hot melt glue and a load of tie wraps but it rises the mapboard and didn't fall apart on this afternoon's shakedown/shakeoff test 

I'm hoping that it will also deflect a bit of the mud that is likely to be a significant feature of tomorrow's event   


*I stole the idea from someone who was using a thinly disguised Potnoodle container but I do have some professional pride.

[robgul]

Having had a man fettle three Leylandii to the ground yesterday (the chipper machine was just brilliant) my day has been tidying up and fixing the fence now visible behind said departed trees - followed by pressure-washing the slabs at the end of the garden, much pigeon shit from the perches in the trees that no longer offer perches 

[Flite]

It may look suspiciously like a xmas pudding bowl

Mine is a piece of 4inch drain pipe.
Hubby carefully drilled holes in it to make it lighter, but I think Dan Bigham would say it is not as aerodynamic.
Have fun in the Shire.

[Adam]

Playing around with my new (to me) P-line Brompton.  The previous owner had the brakes wired up continental-stylee, so the inner cables got swapped around, I tried various different grips from the dreadful stock Brompton ones, and then I added Bike Register marking to it.

[JefO]

Nothing. But I tried.

 Early o'clock hundred hours today, a dark lane, Surrey.

I'm on the FNRTTC, all going smoothly, about 12km from The Edifice halfway stop. The person in front crunches to a stop. I'm not on TEC Duties, my Young Lady is getting chilly, there is plenty of help around so we carry on. 100m later we pass a young lad also with bike trouble. We stop. "gears won't turn" he says. Chain is unshipped at the rear, put it on. Still no joy. Chain is jammed between big and small rings, so I give it Serious Welly to free it. Something is still Not Right. Bollocks, rear mech is in two pieces, with tension arm adrift from the rest. There's a central pivot pin with a groove in one end that a pin should engage in. The pin is making a bid for freedom from its push fit hole. Should be easy, as easy as such repairs are, laying in the road, head torch on, hands getting cold. Nope. Things Won't Align, so after 20 minutes of Bad Swears and Dicking Around I decide to bodge it into a single speed, let him ride to the tea break and fix it in the warm. 12 speed sodding chain, vertical drop outs, so tolerances are tight,but I find a straightish line and a lucky magic gear.  Except the chain ring is not concentric with the BB spindle, so the chain binds in some parts and is loose in others. I explain to the rider how to pedal using the part circles. Off we finally go. Not good. $MoreStuff, Unofficial Broom Wagon arrives from the halfway point to ferry bike and rider.

Eventually, having got outside of cup of coffee and a sandwich, we retrieve the bike from the Broom Wagon and take a look. In the light and warmth it's easier. There's a spring coaxial with the pivot, the ends of which engage in holes. Push it together, push pin home, but there's no tension in the arm. The spring needs winding by turning the tension arm back but I can't do that as there's a stop in the way. Can't get the pin out as it's now pushed home all the way. Arse. Young rider gets a lift to the station from Max, the kind man I/C refreshments. I put away All The Tools. My audience fades away.





L-R Dog Trousers, StuAff, Jim W, The Young Rider, me

Well done for giving it your best shot

[Mrs Pingu]

Appropo of this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2889288#msg2889288
Wondering if I should leave the quadrant where it is, or rip if off and put fresh on once I've finished paint scraping and filling.

[SteveC]

The pump which drives the filter and little stream on our ponds is now working again.
This involved laying full stretch leaning over the pond and attacking one of the waterlilies, which had completely covered the pump and attached it to the bed of the pond.
The lily is now no longer in the pond, but it did take a spade and a pruning saw to get it out.
The pump then came out easily and cleaning it is quite straightforward. It was completely full of lily roots when we opened it up. No wonder it wasn't working.
A good job done. 

[JonBuoy]

It may look suspiciously like a xmas pudding bowl

Mine is a piece of 4inch drain pipe.
Hubby carefully drilled holes in it to make it lighter, but I think Dan Bigham would say it is not as aerodynamic.
Have fun in the Shire.

The Shire was really good today.  There were a few soft patches but it was nowhere as muddy as I expected.  Considering there was a fair bit of disused railway track and flat leisure routes around Pitsford Water I seem to have done a fair amount of climbing.  The map riser survived unscathed and was a definite success - I spotted many of my fellow riders looking at it enviously (maybe).

[MattH]

Popped in to see my youngest who lives in Nottingham on our way home from Scotland. Had a quick look at his bike (his main transport as he can't drive and has no real inclination to learn), and commented that the front tyre was a bit soft. He said the brakes were bad too.

So pumped up his tyre, then put new brake blocks on the front and adjusted the rear. Luckily I'd bought him a set of tools and some basic spares, so he had brake blocks to hand to replace the pretty much gone ones. He may be clever, but mechanical prowess isn't in his skill set. At least the bike will stop again now...

[spesh]

L-R Dog Trousers, StuAff, Jim W, The Young Rider, me

If Rembrandt was around today and had a camera...   

[Tim Hall]

L-R Dog Trousers, StuAff, Jim W, The Young Rider, me

If Rembrandt was around today and had a camera...   

Heh. Photo credit, forumite and sometime poster, Look Around You. She also has another role, that of being my Young Lady.